Family Living Focus by Sandra Parker Hall j Clinton County Cooperative Exte-si It’s Time to Get Moving! What kind of shape are you Can you do the same things you did as a teenager and not be out of breath? Some of us can and some of us need rest and oxygen before we can go any further. Our lifestyles vary, but we all need physical activity at every stage of life. According to a report from the Surgeon General moderate physical exercise can lead to a longer, healthier life. Regular physical activity is an important tool that can help prevent or reduce the risks of some of the leading causes of ill ness and death in the United States. These include heart dis ease, diabetes, high blood pres sure, and colon cancer. Physical activity has also been shown to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, help control weight, help build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints. Staying physically active helps us stay strong and better able to move without falling. Unfortunately, most of us no n’t get enough exercise Consider these facts: •Sixty percent of American adults do not exercise on a regu lar basis. •Twenty-five percent of adults are not active at all. •Nearly half of the young people ages 12 to 21 are not vig orously active on a regular basis. •Inactivity increases with age and is more common among women than among men. As more of us go to work at sedentary jobs and spend leisure time channel surfing, getting enough physical activity becomes a bigger problem Exercise can come in many forms and it doesn’t have to be strenuous to improve our health. Individuals of all ages can bene Quality and Value * Post Frame Buildings * Agricultural, Residential, Commercial, Equestrian * Customized for your needs Call Today For Your Free Brochure 800-544-9464 fit from a moderate amount of physical activity. You can improve your health whether you exercise in longer sessions of moderately intense activity (such as 30 minutes of brisk walking) or in shorter sessions of more strenuous activity (such as 15 to 20 minutes of jogging). Of course, you can get even greater health benefits if you increase your level of physical activity. Be careful not to overdo it. If you have been inactive for a while, check with your doctor before taking up a new exercise. If you are planning to start a new activity program, keep the following in mind. •Always talk to your doctor before beginning any exercise program. If you have a chronic health problem, such as hyper tension, heart disease, diabetes, obesity or if you are at risk for any of these diseases, it is espe cially important that you speak with your doctor before begin ning. •Men over age 40 and women over age 50 should visit their doctqr and get checked for heart disease before beginning a pro gram of vigorous activity. •If you are sedentary and want to begin exercising, start with short sessions of five to ten minutes and gradually build up to longer sessions. • Remember the best way to stick to an exercise program is by making it fun.. Try a variety of activities, and include family and friends in your plans Finally, don’t be discouraged. Whether we realize it or not we are often exercising when doing jobs or chores around the home. Some examples of moderate exercise follow: •washing windows or floors for 45 to 60 minutes • gardening for 30 to 45 min utes 202 Orlan Road, New Holland. PA 17557 717-354-2613 Fax: 717-355-9170 CONESTOGA Buildings Inc. Total Milk PITTSBURGH Since the dairy checkoff began in 1984, America’s dairy farmers have sold approximately 200 billion more pounds of total milk that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) projected for sales without the checkoff, according to recently released USDA figures. Cindy Weimer, spokesperson of the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program (PDPP) says dairy consumption has risen in part because dairy farmers agreed to fund a nation wide generic promotion pro gram. But, Weimer cautions, the key to continued success in expanding dairy sales is moving away from addressing con sumers “generically.” It takes precision marketing that targets specific consumers and coordi nates promotion efforts to grow sales today. Part of that precision comes from a highly integrated, unified effort. “National, state and regional dairy organizations and others in the dairy industry are working together in unprece dented ways on unified research, development and pro motion to deliver the right prod ucts, packages and messages to consumers,” says Weimer. In addition, extensive research was done to ensure that checkoff dollars are used effectively and efficiently to deliver appropriate promotion messages to the right consumer •wheeling yourself m a wheelchair for 30 to 40 minutes •walking two miles in 40 minutes ' •running IV2 miles in 15 minutes •bicycling five miles in 30 minutes •pushing a stroller IV2 miles in 30 minutes •raking leaves for 30 min- utes •shoveling snow for 15 min- utes •swimming laps for 20 min- utes How many similar activities do you do? Give yourself a pat on the back and be sure to keep moving. Sales Exceed audiences, Weimer said. The most extensive consumer study in dairy’s history revealed two market segments with the most potential for growth young milk drinkers and certain cheese customers. Dairy farmer-funded promo tions reaching young milk drinkers and consumers who cook with cneese or simply crave cheese are being coordinated at all levels national, state and regional. “We know our market ing efforts have much more impact if we are all speaking with one clear voice and reach ing our consumers repeatedly with consistent messages,” Weimer says. The dairy checkoff is working hand-in-hand with dairy proces sor-funded promotions. By meshing the dairy farmer-fund ed “got milk®” marketing cam paign, which targets children, with the Milk Processor Education Program (MiIkPEP) “milk mustache” campaign, aimed at teens and adults, all target audiences are reached more effectively, Weimer says. This coordination puts a record $lBl million into the 1998 campaign alone, with the ultimate goal of increasing fluid milk consumption by 4%, or 2.2 billion pounds by the year 2000. The increased efficiencies of joining forces on fluid milk allowed an additional $2l mil lion to be earmarked for the new “Behold the power of Cheese™” campaign. This provided a sub stantial 40% increase in nation al farmer-funded cheese market ing efforts. The goal is an increase in annual cheese con sumption from the current 28.6 pounds to 31 pounds per person by the year 2000. • In addition to precision mar keting efforts, even the research at all six national dairy centers is fine tuned and results are focused on projects that will encourage Americans to con- Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 11 1998-815 Projection sume more dairy and dairy based products “Our farmer-funded research plan is designed to meet the needs of consumers and help the food industry in order to build demand,” Wenner says “Were working on projects that will have the greatest marketplace impact, such as developing new milk-based beverages and improving the taste and texture of reduced-fat cheeses ” Research findings also are used in dairy farmer-funded education programs, which pro mote the importance of dairy as the preferred source of calcium in American diets Recent results continue to emphasize the role of dairy in preventing osteoporosis and indicate that dairy products may play a role in reducing hypertension “Clearly, the checkoff is work ing to increase demand for dairy products,” says Weimer “But the checkoff program can and will work even better. By pre cision targeting consumers and coordinating the dairy indus try’s research, development and promotion programs, we hope to increase dairy sales at an even faster rate.” Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program contracts with the American Dairy Association & Dairy Council Mid East to work closely with Dairy Management Inc. IM , the national check planning and management organization, to implement diary promotion and research programs nationwide ADADC Mid East is the local planning and management orga nization, funded by dairy farmer dollars, responsible for increas ing demand for U.S produced dairy products on behalf of America's dairy farmers To learn more about dairy farmer-funded efforts, contact the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program at 814/498- 2058; cweimer@dnnk-milk.com