Newsletter Inserts with suggested images

Jump Rope for Heart Outreach Program

The Heart Foundation Jump Rope for Heart Outreach Program is coming to our school on (INSERT DATE). This skipping program is fun, inclusive, non-competitive, and suitable for all ages! Students will participate in a skipping skills workshop hosted by the Heart Foundation followed by regular skipping sessions over a period of (INSERT NUMBER OF WEEKS). Classroom activities will focus on keeping hearts healthy by being active, eating healthy foods, and living smoke free.

View short demonstrations of some of the skipping skills our students will learn at www.heartfoundation.org.au/programs/jump-rope-for-heart-outreach-program

Easy ways to make a healthy change

Did you know that it is never too late to start eating healthier foods? An important part of looking after yourself and your family/mob is to choose and prepare nutritious meals and snacks. You can easily:

swap salt for spices and herbs remove fat and skin off meats and chicken replace butter with olive or canola oil add more veggies to meals or fruit to salads snack on raw unsalted nuts and seeds

You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make simple changes that improve your families’ health! To access lots of delicious, healthy recipes and a range of meal ideas go to www.heartfoundation.org.au/recipes / or the Flavours of the Coast Koori Cookbook at www.heartfoundation.org.au/images/uploads/publications/4423_HF__Koori_Cookbook_FA_WEB.pdf

Healthy Eating Guidelines

The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommends we eat a variety of foods from the five core food groups every day:

Grains and cereal foods, mostly wholegrain or high fibre Vegetables, beans, and legumes like lentils and chickpeas Fruit Milk, yoghurt and cheese (or alternatives like soy), mostly reduced fat Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, seeds, nuts and legumes or beans (eg baked beans)

We should use healthy oils in small amounts, and drink plenty of water! Foods like a packet of chips, sausages, burgers, biscuits, sweets and soft drinks should only be eaten sometimes and in small amounts. Stay healthy, stay strong, and live long. Find more info for your mob at www.heartfoundation.org.au/your-heart/resources-for-aboriginal-health

Healthy eating won’t put a hole in your wallet

We all know we should eat well every day, but how do we make the family dollar stretch further? Here are some top tips:

plan your meals ahead of time, that way you only buy what you need buy in bulk with friends and family freeze leftover veggies and make a healthy soup stock later look for fresh food specials at the shops buy fruit and vegetables when they are in season bulk up family meals with fresh or tinned beans or legumes, choose reduced salt tins grow your own veg at home – parsley, peas, potato and lettuce are super easy to start with

For more healthy eating budgeting tips based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines visit www.eatforhealth.gov.au/eating-well/tips-eating-well/healthy-eating-budget

Healthy Tips for the Shopping Trip

Shopping for healthy tucker is easier once you know some good tips! We recommend shopping mostly in the outer aisles of the supermarket– you will find plenty of ‘everyday’ foods like fruit, fresh veg, lean meats, low fat dairy, and fresh bread items. Once you enter the inside aisles you’ll need to be aware of how to read food labels:

look for the highest Health Star Rating on packaged items in the same category find the Nutrition Information Panel and compare brands by using the ‘Per 100g column’ find the lowest kJ (energy) amount per 100g aim for the fat total to be under 10g per 100g, and saturated fat under 3g per 100g keep the sugars under 15g per 100g look for reduced sodium (salt), preferably under 400mg per 100g

Visit the Heart Foundation website for more reading labels tips www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthy-eating/food-labels

Healthy habits to take away food

It’s ok to eat take away food sometimes and does not mean you have to undo your families’ healthy habits. There are ways to make a healthier choice, for example:

swap deep fried for pan grilled to reduce the energy content and unhealthy fats choose an entrée as your main and ask for more salads/veg to be included order from the ‘low fat’ or ‘heathy menu’ instead halt the salt! take away food is generally already salt heavy, no need to add any more ask for sauce on the side and just dip your fork tip per mouthful for a dash of flavour, (sauces

can be full of hidden salt, unhealthy fats and added sugars)

By replacing unhealthy fats with healthier fats and limiting salt, you can reduce your risk of heart disease. Visit www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthy-eating/food-and-nutrition/fats-and-cholesterol/replace-unhealthy-fats-with-healthy-fats

Are you active enough?

The national guidelines for physical activity for children recommend 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity every day. Being physically active is good for children’s health, helps them develop friendships and social skills, and builds strong healthy muscles and bones!

Guidelines also state children should spend no more than 2 hours in front of a screen for entertainment – this includes ipad, iphone, dvds, TV, and recreational computer use.

The less we sit, the more we move! For more information and active family ideas go to www.heartfoundation.org.au/active-living

Active bodies create active minds

Active play is any form of physical activity that children do. There are many benefits of active play – it’s fun, it keeps children healthy, it takes children outdoors, it can suit any weather, and it makes children’s heart stronger!

Try these indoors Active Play Ideas: dancing, singing, active board games like twister, musical chairs, acting out a play, follow the leader, hide and seek, building a cubby house

Or these outdoors Active Play Ideas: jumping rope, kicking a ball, riding a bike, scooters, running, jumping, sack races, visiting the park, making an obstacle course

The more kids play, the healthier they stay! For more fun tips on getting your family active, go to www.heartfoundation.org.au/images/uploads/main/Campaigns/50_fun_ideas.pdf

Skipping your way to a healthier you

Skipping is a great way to increase children’s fitness, health, strength and confidence. Best of all… it’s fun! Anyone can participate, and everyone can learn, from kids to adults, males to females, and culture to culture.

Skipping has been used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for many years. One traditional Aboriginal game known as Brambahl involved a long rope (or a vine) and is swung. The skipper starts jumping and performs various activities, such as hopping like a frog, dancing, imitating kangaroos or other animals.

Skipping can be done many ways - solo, in pairs, as a group, fancy tricks or even incorporated into a dance routine! To see how far it is has come in our schools and the fun things that can be achieved, view the short videos at www.heartfoundation.org.au/programs/jump-rope-for-heart-outreach-program

Make your average day an active day!

Not getting enough daily physical activity can affect your health, particularly your heart. All of us can benefit from moving more each day. Try one of these active tips today:

avoid the lifts and take the stairs instead walk or ride the kids to school and back (or park further away and walk the rest) leave the car at home and jump on your bike for short trips! take phone calls standing up instead of sitting down break up long sitting times up with a quick 5 min stretch every hour

Any movement is better than none! And it’s never too late to start…

For more active living ideas, go to the Heart Foundation website www.heartfoundation.org.au/active-living/get-active

Make Healthy Normal

Over half the adults in NSW are overweight or obese – that makes being unhealthy ‘normal’. Did you know that just one handful of belly fat increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and type 2 diabetes?

The good news is it’s never too late to make a change! The Make Healthy Normal campaign is about simple lifestyle changes that can make a big difference to your health, such as:

choosing smaller food portions choosing to drink water instead of sugary drinks including more fruit and vegetables into your meals taking a ‘walk and talk’ catch up with a friend or family member having fruit or yoghurt for dessert instead of ice cream or cake

Take the quiz at www.makehealthynormal.nsw.gov.au and join the 10 week Make Healthy Normal Challenge today!

Or call 1300 806 258 for a free health information and health coach service!

Heart Attack warning signs

Knowing your risk of having a heart attack is the first step you can take to help prevent one.

Heart disease is often silent, with no warning signs before a devastating heart attack. So knowing the signs of heart attack and acting quickly can reduce the damage to your heart muscle and increase your chance of survival. Warning signs can include:

heaviness or tightness in the centre of your chest a choking feeling in your throat or a feeling of bad indigestion pain or discomfort in your arm, shoulder, neck or jaw feeling short of breath, feeling dizziness or light headed a cold sweat

Know the signs, do not wait, and call Triple Zero (000).

For more information about the warning signs of heart attack visit www.heartattackfacts.org.au or call the Heart Foundation free Health Information Service on 1300 36 27 87.

Heart Health Checks

Factors that can influence heart disease risk are numerous. There are some more obvious things you can change, such as being overweight, not being sufficiently physically active or smoking. Then there are the ‘silent’ risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, which you can change but only if you have had them checked and get them treated.

A history of heart disease in a first degree relative such as mother, father, brother or sister aged less than 45 is also significant.

The only way to find out if you’re at risk of heart disease is to get a Heart Health Check from your doctor – especially those 45 and over (35 and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander). This involves discussing your family history of heart disease with your GP, having your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked and discussing what other risk factors you might have.

The Heart Foundation's Health Information Service provides free personalised information and support on heart health, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. To call the Health Information Service phone 1300 36 27 87 or email health@heartfoundation.org.au

Making the Invisible Visible

Heart disease is not just for middle aged men to worry about – it is the number one killer of Australian women. Heart disease can occur at any age in women. While the risk increases significantly around menopause, many risk factors like high cholesterol, being overweight or obese, and being physically inactive start building at a much younger age. Smoking, poorly controlled diabetes and depression are also risk factors that can significantly increase the risk of heart disease in women.

Because the risk factors are often silent, the Heart Foundation encourages women over the age of 45 to see their doctor for a heart health check; Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander women should have a heart health check from the age of 35.

To find out more visit www.heartfoundation.org.au/your-heart/heart-conditions/women-and-heart-disease

Fruits and Vegetables – how many do you do?

National surveys show that less than 1% of children are eating the recommended daily serves of vegetables, and just 50% of adults meet the recommended daily fruit serves. That means we’re all missing out on essential vitamins and minerals for good health!

Sometimes just a small increase in the intake of fruit and vegetables can have enormous benefits – try some of these great tips:

shop for seasonal fruit and vegetables mash up some kidney beans into your meatloaf grate extra vegetables into pasta sauce eg. carrot, zucchini add a can of salt reduced chickpeas or lentils to your casserole or stew have fresh fruits cut up on a plate for when kids get home from school

For more information and great recipes visit www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthy-eating/food-and-nutrition/fruit-and-vegetables