Mayor Fisk Urges Realistic Goals in the New Year

For Immediate Release: Dec. 31, 2007
Media Contact: Communication Office

BEAVER POND – Mayor Bibs Fisk is reminding all Beaver Ponders who make New Year’s Resolutions around physical activity and healthy eating to set realistic, achievable goals.

“Think of simple changes that can be maintained over time,” said Mayor Fisk.  “Resolve to make changes to your exercise habits, food choices, and wardrobe so that you can maintain health and happiness for a lifetime.”

Resolutions strongly supported include:

Exercise (move) more (or at least some): Thirty minutes of exercise a day reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, obesity, clinical depression and a growing list of cancers.

Eat healthier: Fewer than half of all adults are eating the recommended five or more servings of fruits or vegetables each day (and no, Margaurite, a Gin and Tonic is not considered a fruit just because it contains a lime!). Eating more fruits and vegetables along with whole grains, lean meat and non-fat dairy products as part of a low-calorie diet can help people lose and maintain a healthy weight.

Lose weight: The nation is in the midst of an epidemic of physical inactivity and poor nutrition. More than half of all Vermont adults are either overweight or obese. One in five Vermonters, and three in five of Beaver Ponders are considered obese. Obesity increases the prevalence for at least 15 chronic diseases including: Type II diabetes, osteoarthritis, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, certain cancers, and the inability to find lingerie and sequined dresses in your size.

Mayor Fisk created a Fit & Healthy Beavers Obesity Prevention Plan (FHBOPP) in May of 2006. The plan is a comprehensive effort to coordinate health education, nutrition and physical activity programs for all citizens of Beaver Pond. The program also offers advice on makeup application and color coordination. If all else fails, Peggy's Plump and Proud offers a full-body bodystocking that is guaranteed to reduce your dress size by at least 3 sizes. If you don't believe this, just ask Celeste Larue!

Stop smoking: If Amber can do it, so can you! Youth smoking rates in Beaver Pond have been cut in half since 1999, however, the overall adult smoking rate in Vermont has been more modest, dropping from 22 percent in 2000 to 18 percent in 2006. To sign up for free quit smoking services, call toll free 1-800 QUIT-NOW (784-8669) or go to www.tobaccostories.org for a list of local and internet services. Mayor Fisk wants to remind you that every try counts once the decision is made to quit smoking. A craving lasts about five minutes, so smokers who are trying to quit should find ways to distract themselves like take a walk with a friend, engage in some other form of stimulating activity or remember how many more dates you've gotten because you no longer smell like old cigarette butts! Amber is a good example. It has been 17 months since she has had a cigarette.

Drink less alcohol: Mayor Fisk knows this will be difficult, especially when in the company of the House of LeMay. Alcohol continues to be the number one drug of choice in Vermont, and it is a problem for young people as well. According to internal statistics, over half of all Beaver Pond children have at least two beers with dinner beginning at age 13. The Vermont Health Department offers a simple online screening tool to help people assess and understand their alcohol use. The website, www.alcoholscreening.org, asks 12 simple questions and provides valuable feedback and tools. While even Mother Terese would have been considered a major alcoholic by this scale, Mayor Fisk nevertheless recommends it, if for nothing else, your entertainment pleasure.

Have a safe, healthy, and happy New Year!
Mayor Bibs Fisk

tags: new years party  burlington  resolutions  vt  vermont  drag  drag show  health  

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