Finding a Balance

Weight is a result of caloric balance. If we eat more calories than we use, we gain weight. If we eat less calories than we use, we lose weight. Obesity may be the most frequent chronic disease that we have in front of us and it's important because it's a major contributor to other diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.


To support efforts to help individuals achieve this balance and to provide insights into ways in which communities can be involved, CDC-TV has just released a new video in its "Health Matters" series "Finding a Balance" providing expert perspectives on caloric or "energy" balance and personal stories of how individuals have made changes in their lives to achieve this balance.

New "Health Matters" features are released each month, and each are produced in collaboration with subject matter experts within CDC's Centers, Institutes and Offices. Features will also provide links to other online resources for each topic where viewers can find more information. These programs will provide insights into each topic, information about research or programs from CDC, and ideas on how viewers might address the issue. Other CDC-TV content will include PSA's, and innovative content such as the animated "Eyes of the Eagle" book series.

Providing short, high-quality videos is part of CDC's goal to increase people's access to the information necessary to help prevent illness, injury and to protect their health and that of their families. Collectively, these and other resources contribute to CDC's efforts supporting a larger effort by staff and partners to lead America toward being the Healthiest Nation.

Keep Your Cool in Hot Weather

Getting too hot can make you sick. You can become ill from the heat if your body can't compensate for it and properly cool you off. Heat exposure can even kill you: it caused 8,015 deaths in the United States from 1979 to 2003.


These are the main things affecting your body's ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather:

• High humidity. When the humidity is high, sweat won't evaporate as quickly, which keeps your body from releasing heat as fast as it may need to.

• Personal factors. Age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use can play a role in whether a person can cool off enough in very hot weather.
  

Here are some facts about which people are at greatest risk for heat-related illness and what protective actions to take to prevent illness or death:

• People who are at highest risk are the elderly, the very young, and people with mental illness and chronic diseases

• But even young and healthy people can get sick from the heat if they participate in strenuous physical activities during hot weather.

• Air-conditioning is the number one protective factor against heat-related illness and death. If a home is not air-conditioned, people can reduce their risk for heat-related illness by spending time in public facilities that are air-conditioned.

You can take these steps to prevent heat-related illnesses, injuries, and deaths during hot weather:

• Stay cool indoors.
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Replace salt and minerals.
• Wear appropriate clothing and sunscreen.
• Schedule outdoor activities carefully.
• Pace yourself.
• Use a buddy system.
• Monitor people at high risk.
• Adjust to the environment.
• Do not leave children in cars.
• Use common sense.

Healthy Aging

The United States is on the brink of a longevity revolution. By 2030, the proportion of the U.S. population aged 65 and older will double to about 71 million older adults, or one in every five Americans. The far-reaching implications of the increasing number of older Americans and their growing diversity will include unprecedented demands on public health, aging services, and the nation's health care system.


Chronic diseases exact a particularly heavy health and economic burden on older adults due to associated long-term illness, diminished quality of life, and greatly increased health care costs. Although the risk of disease and disability clearly increases with advancing age, poor health is not an inevitable consequence of aging.

Much of the illness, disability, and death associated with chronic disease is avoidable through known prevention measures. Key measures include practicing a healthy lifestyle (e.g., regular physical activity, healthy eating, and avoiding tobacco use) and the use of early detection practices (e.g., screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers, diabetes and its complications, and depression).

Critical knowledge gaps exist for responding to the health needs of older adults. For chronic diseases and conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, depression, psychiatric disorders, osteoporosis, Parkinson's disease, and urinary incontinence, much remains to be learned about their distribution in the population, associated risk factors, and effective measures to prevent or delay their onset.

Improve Your Ability to do Daily Activities and Prevent Falls

A functional limitation is a loss of the ability to do everyday activities such as climbing stairs, grocery shopping, or playing with your grandchildren.

How does this relate to physical activity?

If you're a physically active middle-aged or older adult, you have a lower risk of functional limitations than people who are inactive

Already have trouble doing some of your everyday activities?

Aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities can help improve your ability to do these types of tasks.

Are you an older adult who is at risk for falls?

Research shows that doing balance and muscle-strengthening activities each week along with moderate-intensity aerobic activity, like brisk walking, can help reduce your risk of falling.

Women Need 400 Micrograms of Folic Acid Every Day

The B vitamin folic acid helps prevent birth defects. If a woman has enough folic acid in her body before and while she is pregnant, her baby is less likely to have a major birth defect of the brain or spine.

What Is Folic Acid?


Folic acid is a B vitamin. Our bodies use it to make new cells. Everyone needs folic acid. But for women who can get pregnant, it is really important! If a woman has enough folic acid in her body before she is pregnant, it can help prevent major birth defects of her baby's brain and spine. These birth defects are neural tube defects or NTDs. Women need to take folic acid every day, starting before they are pregnant to help prevent NTDs.

CDC and the US Public Health Service urge every woman who could become pregnant to get 400 micrograms (400 mcg) of synthetic folic acid every day.

How Much Is Enough? Look for 100% Daily Value (DV)

One easy way a woman can be sure she is getting enough folic acid is to take a vitamin that has folic acid in it every day. Folic acid pills and most multivitamins sold in the United States have 100% of the daily value (DV) of folic acid; check the label to be sure.You can get your vitamin with folic acid in one of several ways. You can take a multivitamin or a small, single supplement of folic acid. These days, multivitamins with folic acid come in chewable chocolate or fruit flavors, liquids, and large oval or smaller round pills. Many stores offer a single folic acid supplement for just pennies a day.


Another good choice is a store brand multivitamin, which includes most of the vitamins you need each day. Unless your doctor suggests a special type, you do not need to choose among vitamins for women or active people, or even to go with a low carbohydrate diet. A basic multivitamin meets the needs of most women.

Another way to get enough is to eat a serving of breakfast cereal every day that has been enriched with 100% of the daily value of folic acid. Not every cereal has this amount. Check the label on the side of the box, and look for one that has "100%" next to folic acid.


When Should a Woman Start Taking Folic Acid?

These birth defects of the brain and spine happen in the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before a woman finds out that she is pregnant. All women should get in the habit of taking folic acid daily even when they are not planning to get pregnant. For folic acid to help, a woman needs to take it every day, starting before she becomes pregnant.

Folic Acid: All Women, Every Day

You might think that you can get all the folic acid and other vitamins you need from the food you eat each day. But it is hard to eat a diet that has all the nutrients you need every day. Even with careful planning, you might not get all the vitamins you need from your diet alone. That's why it's important to take a vitamin with folic acid every day.


Today's woman is busy! You know that you should exercise, eat right, and get enough sleep. You might wonder how you can fit another thing into your day. But it only takes a few seconds to take a vitamin to get all the folic acid you need!

Kids Gym

With Toddler Gym, Kindy Gym, Advanced Kindy Gym, Junior Gym, Primary Gym and Advanced Primary Gym classes for kids aged 1½ to 10 years, you're sure to find a Kids Gym class to add some zing to your child's day.

Benefits of Kids Gym

• Increase confidence & independence
• Develops coordination, balance & motor skills
• It's great fun
• Lets kids use their energy
• Increases fitness
• Improves muscle tone & flexibility

Children are taught by qualified gymnastics coaches in the purpose build WA Institute of Sports Training Centre at VenuesWest Challenge Stadium.


Toddler Gym - 1½ to 3 years

Toddler Gym introduces kids to gymnastics. Children have fun while learning the fundamentals of tumbling, balance and coordination with the support of a parent or guardian.Toddler Gym classes run for 45 minutes.

Kindy Gym - 3 to 4 years

Kindy Gym has been developed for children who are physically and emotionally ready to progress to the next level without the hands on support of a parent or guardian. Kids continue to develop their gymnastics skills, confidence and independence.Kindy Gym classes run for 60 minutes.

Advanced Kindy Gym - 4 to 5 years

Advanced Kindy Gym provides more complex instruction to further develop kid's gymnastics skills and use of the gymnastic apparatus. Advanced Kindy Gym classes run for 60 minutes.

Junior Gym - 5 to 6 years

Junior Gym is a vigorous and energetic class which expands on fundamental gymnastics movements and provides a stepping stone into formal Gymnastics training.Junior Gym classes are 60 minutes long.

Primary Gym - 7 to 8 years NEW CLASS

Primary gym classes will increase your child's knowledge of gymnastics and develop their strength, coordination and conditioning using fundamental gymnastics movements.

Advanced Primary Gym - 9 to 10 years NEW CLASS

These classes will enhance your child's gymnastics skills in a social environment with children of their own age.

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