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7 safety tips for summer

Avoiding the season’s common health hazards It’s summertime and the livin’ is easy — but that doesn’t mean dangers aren’t lurking nearby. While breaks from school, warm temperatures, holidays, and vacations on the horizon mean fun for the whole family, these situations can contribute to some of summer’s most common safety concerns. 1. Child’s Play…
Don’t resist muscle-building resistance training

Weights are not just for getting ripped You, the Speedo and the beach no longer come together in one sentence. So you may ask yourself why you need to lift weights or do other resistance training. Your six-pack-ab days are over. But vanity ranks low on the list of reasons you should embrace this physical…
The tobacco talk

Two-Way Discussion Street to Steering Kids Away from Smoking The Bureau of Tobacco Prevention Program’s Tobacco Free Florida campaign is designed to boost the ranks of Floridians whose health and lives can be enhanced by living without tobacco – including teens and young adults. Health Department Director and USF faculty Dr. Daniel Haight encourages parents…

August STATS

Minority Report 2 Number of adults (out of 10) that meet the suggested physical activity guidelines. Source: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services According to the USDA Food Environment Atlas, in 2007, 63.5% of Polk County residents met the suggested physical activity guidelines. “Physical activity guidelines for healthy adults are a minimum of…
Healthy Cook: Fill up, feel good, and get fit with a plum satisfying food

Want a cheap, portable and healthy treat for the busy days of summer? Nutrition experts say to stock up on dried plums. Sweet, earthy and luscious on the inside and slightly chewy on the outside, these half-dollar-sized dark, wrinkly nibbles are like organic raisins on steroids or little concentrated bites of an expensive ruby…
Heard it through the grapevine

Knowing when the ‘Organic’ Label is Worth the Extra Dollars Buying everything organic – from milk to mangoes – might be a healthy choice for the body, but many consumers have found it’s less-than-healthy for the household budget. For those that can’t afford to go all organic, certain foods take priority over others –…