in this issue
	The Second National Conference on Diabesity in America Canada on the Move Do you want to break out of your rut? Featured Product of the Month Give Pain the Boot

Canada on the Move

You may have heard of Canada on the Move. It is an exciting new initiative being undertaken by the Canadian government in cooperation with the Canadian division of the Kellogg Corporation. We are delighted that Kellogg Canada has stepped up to the plate (or the bowl) to help distribute 850,000 pedometers to Canadians. As our friends at Kellogg told us, "This is a unique industry-government partnership in that it is less focused on messaging opportunities. Instead, Kellogg Canada is offering a vehicle to distribute pedometers to Canadians and facilitate research into the current level of physical activity among Canadians and the impact that pedometers and local initiatives can have on physical activity." More Good News from Canada about using a pedometer! The Canada on the Move initiative fits in beautifully with more and more data that shows that walking benefits your health (including your mental health) and if you do enough, it prevents weight gain. Robert E. Thayer and his colleagues reported on a study of walking at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Toronto. Twenty-three study subjects wore pedometers that measured the steps they took every day for ten days and they also rated their mood three times a day. He reported that "The more steps people walked a day, the higher their energy level." Since energy level is an important contributor to mood, these researchers argue that walking 10,000 steps a day can make a positive contribution to both physical and psychological functioning. If you have not already done so, take a look at our website - www.shapeup.org - for information on how to use a pedometer to get started on your own 10,000 steps program. Read on... »

Do you want to break out of your rut?

Is Weight Management Like Writer's Block? Quite possibly so. Dr. Herbert Benson of the Harvard Medical School has co-written a book with William Proctor called The Breakout Principle [Scribner, $25]. Although this is not billed as a weight loss book, if you find yourself struggling unsuccessfully to lose weight, you might benefit from giving this book a careful look. Dr. Benson has devoted decades of his life to researching the mind-body relationship and has many insights into how to use the breakout principle to achieve personal life changing goals. Strategies you never thought would help might trigger the insight or motivation you need to get you jump started. You may need to break out of old ways of thinking or feeling and open the emotional pathway to a totally new way of approaching a problem. We're not talking about the same old joyless methods of restricting and denying yourself food, drowning in guilt and self-loathing, or forcing your miserable self out of bed to exercise. Learn how to tap into your own inner wellsprings of strength and resolve. From a place of joy you can discover the peaceful pleasures of respecting and exercising your body. You can embrace a constructive, almost meditative way of preparing and eating healthier foods by using the breakout principle described in this book. Go to Shape Up America! »

Featured Product of the Month

The Steplinq Pedometer Click Here to be taken to our store »

Give Pain the Boot

Are you suffering from foot pain? Don't bother with magnets. With all of the emphasis on physical activity and its importance in weight management, we recognize that foot pain can be a significant barrier to physical activity for many people. For that reason, foot pain can make weight management difficult, if not impossible. In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Mark Winemiller of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota found that magnets were not at all helpful in relieving heel pain in a recent study. What helped instead? Good supportive shoes with arch-supporting insoles combined with appropriate stretching exercises. Remember that stretching cold muscles is not advised. Warm up your muscles for at least five minutes before you stretch, or delay stretching until the end of your exercise period.