Small is Big

Two stretch breaks and at least five video clips later, those attending the Small is Big workshop got the message. Healthy living means eating the right food and fitting exercise into our daily life -- no excuses, no whining.  Taking a humorous approach, Andy Gallardo, CPT, NASM, Director of Fitness, Southern California, led his audience on a journey that started four million years ago.  

“Cavemen used to run all over the earth hunting their food.  They ate a lot because they never knew when they would find their next meal.  Now, the next meal is everywhere,” Gallardo said. 

Today there is good news and bad news when it comes to health.  The good news – fewer people are smoking and we’re winning the war on cancer.  The bad news is obesity and diabetes are on the rise. “If some people reduce their weight by 5-10%, they reduce their risk of diabetes by 60%,” he said. 

Gallardo advocates the 10-10-10 rule for KP employees, 10 minutes of exercise three times a day. Try parking further away from work; walking up the stairs, or holding a small meeting outside while taking a walk. And when it comes to food, don’t be fooled by labels that say natural or healthy. They can have more fat, sodium and calories than your typical fast food burger or glazed donuts. Start stocking up on super foods, like spinach, yogurt, tomatoes, carrots and almonds or walnuts, to name a few. 

Gallardo’s premise along with that of KP’s Healthy Workforce is that we need to care for ourselves as well as others.  Think of Healthy Workforce as Thrive for KP employees.This national initiative debuts in April 2010 with Thrive Across America.  When participants enter the number of minutes they exercise on the Healthy Workforce website, they start a virtual visit to each region.  It’s a fun (and inexpensive way) of traveling and living healthy.