June 2009 printer-friendly page (text only)

National Men’s Health Week - Get in the game!

National Men's Health Week is June 15–21, 2009. The purpose of the observance is to raise awareness of preventable health problems and encourage the early detection and treatment of health problems affecting men.  

Despite advances in medical technology, men continue to live an average of seven years less than women. Significant numbers of male related health problems such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, infertility, and colon cancer, could be detected and treated if men had an increased awareness of these problems.

Approximately 57 percent of King County employees are men. During National Men's Health Week we encourage you to make your health a top priority by taking steps to improve your physical and mental health and lower your risk of certain diseases.

Here are some simple steps you can take to lead a longer, healthier, and happier life.

• Schedule a check-up.
  Exams, screenings, and vaccinations can help you stay healthy. Take the time to get a check-up and encourage a family member or friend to do the same. Most preventive care including colonoscopies (age 50+), immunizations, and routine health exams are covered by your health care benefits.
• Record your family health history.
  Knowing your family health history can help you take steps to lower your risk for developing health problems. Keep track of what you learn by using a Personal Health Record and share the information with other family members.
• Become a better health care consumer.
  According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, women make the majority (85 percent) of health care decisions for their families. Better equipping men with information about disease risk factors, prevention, treatment, and quality services is vital for making the best health care decisions. Check out the Logon and Learn web page for a variety of helpful links.
• Read the Blueprint for Men’s Health.
  From the non-profit Men’s Health Network, the Blueprint for Men’s Health focuses on the main health conditions affecting men. This easy to read guide discusses the factors that increase health risks, how to recognize symptoms, and gives practical prevention strategies.
• Test your knowledge.
  Knowing is half the battle. Take this brief quiz to increase your knowledge about men’s health issues.
• Listen and learn.
  Listen to podcasts from the Centers for Disease Control on a variety of topics related to men’s health. Most are five minutes or less.
• Send a health-e-card to encourage healthy living.
  Choose a card for Father’s Day or other occasions throughout the year and encourage the men in your life to make a change for the healthier.
• Take the Pledge  
  It is time to put you at the top of your priority list. Take a minute to make a contract with yourself. Print out the King County Men’s Health Week Pledge,  sign it, and post it someplace where you will see it each day.  Then start taking steps toward a healthier and happier you!

Health Hero Denny Pingeon

Meet Denny Pingeon. At 60 years old, Denny is doing the Seattle to Portland bike ride (202 miles) in one day this July, is hiking and climbing on Mount Rainier, walking and golfing. Denny and his wife are working on their first back yard garden.

Denny’s always been active, but he hasn’t always been so healthy. In the last few years, he’s lost 30 pounds, and more importantly, feels more fit. At 40-something, Denny ate what he wanted knowing he’d burn the calories with his active family. Then the kids grew up and moved away, Denny had two knee surgeries and kept eating what he wanted. A doctor’s visit four years ago was a wake up call.

Denny started working with his health coach on the Healthy Incentives Program. They had a good laugh about the recommended goal weight for his height – Denny told the coach to imagine a fire hydrant - that’s Denny’s body type. Strong but not light. Working with a coach helped Denny stay accountable to someone other than himself. He used the coach to work on goals, exercise more, eat smaller portions, and get more fruits and vegetables in his diet.

The last two years, Denny’s been doing a log of his physical activity for his Healthy Incentives Individual Action Plan. That means his hard work paid off – he’s moved out of moderate risk into the group at low risk for future health concerns. And at 60 years old, he’s strong, active and keeping an eye peeled for the next challenge.

As a manager, Denny hears people talking about the Health Matters programs. He hears his employees talking about fruits and vegetable and teasing one another about donuts for meetings. His employees aren’t tapped into the county’s email system and may not have access to the internet, so Denny sees his role as making sure each employee has the materials and information to make their own health decisions.

Denny’s words of wisdom to other employees is to find an exercise partner. A health partner keeps you motivated and on track. When you want to quit, the partner will push you through. Denny’s health partner is George Stites at the Transit’s Training Center. They’ve included two other transit employees in their activity challenges, Mike “Bucky” Buchanan and Kim Martin. The four of them will ride the STP in one day, and will be doing training climbs of Rainier considering a summit attempt.

The first time Denny did a training ride with George and Kim, they set out for a trip around Lake Washington, about 65 miles. Denny made it around the lake, but not with George and Kim. They had already put in the time to train and Denny was not able to maintain their pace and had to send them off ahead. After logging over 600 miles of bike time, Denny feels much more ready for the STP now. Between logging miles on the bike seat for STP, walking, hiking, golf and gardening, Denny stays very active.

All this activity keeps Denny at the top of his game. And after 26 years at the county, Denny needs to be at the top of his game - supervising the employees at Transit’s South Base Vehicle Maintenance shop requires quick wit, a sharp smile and a good sense of humor. It helps if you’re willing to ride the “South Base Taxi” around the yard – an old yellow upright bike complete with dented fenders and fat tires.

Denny’s top tips for health are:

1. Find an activity partner
2. Turn off the TV
3. Eat more fruits and veggies and smaller portions – if you’re not a teenager anymore.
4. STAY ACTIVE

If you want to find a challenge activity or sign up for a local, supported bike ride or charity ride, check out these resources to get you moving.

Cascade Bicycle Club 
King County’s bike resources page
Seattle Times resource listing
Seattle Times event listing
Triathlete listings
WA State Triathlete listings

Live Well Challenge creates lasting change

Cathy Gaylord was initially inspired to participate in the 2008 Live Well Challange when she read that County Councilmember Dow Constantine and his staff won the Most Improved Team award in 2007. “I read it and thought, 'We’ve already got a great team, we can do this!’”

With Cathy at the helm, the nine member team from Public Health embraced the 2008 Live Well Challenge as an opportunity to establish healthier behaviors. Team members met weekly to try new fruits and vegetables, swap healthy recipes, go on lunchtime walks, and share stress reduction tips. Team member Laurie Petty even wrote a poem summarizing their experience:

    A Phytonutrient Nibbler I never thought I’d be.
    But here I am after 6 short weeks amazed as I can be!
    Alpha carotene, beta carotene, lutein, lycopene
    Words I’d always heard about but foreign, all to me!

    Carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, asparagus, celery and beets,
    Peppers, avocados, jicama, green beans and snap peas,
    Apples, peaches, grapes, and blueberries,
    Watermelon, star fruit, kiwi and some Rainier cherries.

    Water, water everywhere, drinking all the time!
    Crunching, munching, flossing, brushing - this is truly fine! 
    Exercising, farmers’ markets, stressing less, and sleeping more,
    All contribute to the points we’ve strived so hard to score!

    But most important, health aside, the camaraderie found
    From nine members working together, we are truly bound…
    To continue Living Well, no longer such a challenge,
    You see it’s now a way of life, achieving a health balance!

Leadership support makes change easier

In September 2008 a special awards ceremony was hosted by the Metropolitan King County Council to recognize and congratulate the top three point earning Live Well Challenge teams. Gaylord admits to being surprised that the ceremony was taken so seriously and to being impressed that former King County Executive Ron Sims and former Council Chair Julia Patterson participated in the ceremony. Most of her teammates had never been to the Council chambers, let alone for special recognition.

“To have Ron Sims and Julia Patterson read the proclamation was really special. It made us feel like we’d done something important …something that our leaders valued as much as we did. Their sentiment was genuine and on that day we felt like royalty.”

The efforts of this team during the six-week-long Live Well Challenge were significant. It’s what got them to the awards ceremony. But what happened after the event may be the most remarkable part of the story.

Lasting and unexpected change

In January 2009 the Phytonutrient Nibblers got together for a post-holiday lunch. Conversation eventually shifted to their shared experiences during the previous year’s Challenge and the life-changing effects of the event on the former teammates.

“One of my co-workers started talking about how the Live Well Challenge had changed her eating habits permanently – even when she wasn't trying, she couldn't help but eat right,” says  Gaylord, “Others chimed in with similar experiences. We originally changed our eating habits to earn points but at the lunch every team member reported that they had stuck with the new direction. We had embraced and internalized the habits without even realizing it.”

The former team captain says that she used to snack on cookies during the day but found that she felt better during the Challenge because she switched out the junk food for healthier items.

“The Live Well Challenge taught me that if I stick to snacking on fruits and vegetables at work it helps me to maintain my energy and sustain me. That is especially important because I work four 10s. There is no doubt that I feel better when I eat right.”

Cathy says that participation in the competition has also had a positive impact at home. “My husband has reformed his ways just from watching me eat!” says Gaylord. “I wanted to win. So I talked about food a lot. That seemed to flip a switch in his brain that made him change his own eating habits.”

There were other changes too. When Gaylord completed her Wellness Assessment in January of 2009, she realized the longer term impacts of the change, “When I took the Wellness Assessment questionnaire I discovered that my score had improved from last year because I had better eating habits and had tried to lower my cholesterol.”

The team spirit and the efforts to improve personal health by Cathy and her teammates prove that taking small steps toward better health can lead to lasting change, “I did not abandon the changes after the Challenge. I embraced them and now they have become permanent.”

Coming soon… Live Well Challenge 2009!

Get ready! Get set! Start forming your teams! The fourth annual Live Well Challenge is almost here.

Event registration runs from June 29th through July 19th and the event officially begins on July 20th.

New this year:

• New team categories
  This year you can choose to participate with your co-workers on a Traditional Team (3-10 employees) or with your spartner on a Couples Team.
  
  
• Record activity, not points
  Instead of entering points each week, simply record what your do. Ate three servings of veggies? Walked for 30 minutes? Record it on-line and your points will be automatically calculated!
  
  
• Team members enter their own activity
  No more sending your points to your Team Captain. This year you are in control. Just log in at least once each week to record your activity.
  
  
• Earn virtual awards

  Now everyone has a chance to win! You can earn up to six new awards each week.

Visit the Live Well Challenge web site to get answers to frequently asked questions, review the challenge time line, and read the rules of the game. Stayed tuned for more information!

Health Hero Richard Palmer

For most people, finishing one marathon is a challenge. Not for Richard Palmer. This 49 year old set a goal to run a marathon in every state before his 50^th birthday. With just 9 more states to go, he's close - he'll check off all 50 states just 3 months after his 50^th.

Richard is a transit operator at North Base. He's been with King County for 11 years. He ran his first marathon in 1996 in Seattle. It wasn't very good - he hadn't trained well. So he thought that was it. But in 2002 Richard's cousin wanted company running a marathon in Vancouver B.C. Training helped that marathon go better - so well in fact that Richard ran in a time that qualified him for the Boston Marathon. So he set his sights on that for 2003.

While working on keeping up his training, Richard discovered that the easiest way to stay in shape for a marathon is to keep running them. So he thought he might as well run one in each state. Richard plans his year in advance, paying race fees and organizing travel at the start of the year. This helps to keep Richard motivated throughout the year. He looks for events where he can run one race on Saturday and another one in a neighboring state the following weekend. This lets him tick off more runs during his annual vacation time. By the end of 2009, he'll have checked 8 marathons off his list.

For Richard it's about using the challenge to stay in shape. Richard says "The whole thing for me is just to keep moving. In my 20s and early 30s, I was out of shape. Very out of shape. One day I realized enough is enough and started running. I did small runs, then a ½ marathon and found out I was pretty good at it."

Every race is a little different. Some are huge, loud and crowded. Some are quiet trail runs where it's just Richard and his I-pod. He's run with as many as 40,000 people and as few as 19. But before every race, Richard eats a Rice Krispy treat and after every race, he treats himself to a nice dinner with a glass of wine or beer. "It's very easy for me to gain weight so that's one of the reasons I do this - to keep my weight down. It's a myth that runners can eat and eat and eat all they want and not gain anything. I do have to eat more than sedentary people, but unfortunately it's not carte blanche at the buffet. I'm one of the few people who can leave town, run 2 marathons and come back weighing 4 pounds more than when I started."

"Some people would consider this a sickness - my mother does. I'm not really sure what I'll do after the 50^th state, except I know I'm going to treat myself to 2 weeks overseas in late 2010. I'm already looking at the international calendar to see if there's a race there in 2010. Some people do races on all the continents, so maybe I'll do that next, or do a second lap around the 50 states." Richard has no plans to ease up after this challenge. He looks to Walter Westmoreland, an operator at North Base who is over 70 years old and still doing races. Walter motivates Richard. In turn, Richard shared his stories with Joel Troutman at North Base and last year, Joel did the Seattle Marathon for the first time.

Richard says, "All you need is to get a training plan and stick to it. If you're relatively healthy and at a decent weight, anyone can do a marathon."

Hum. Maybe. But can they do 50?

• Hottest marathon: Chicago. 92 degrees, 90% humidity
• Coldest marathon: Kansas. 26 degrees. The sweat froze into icicles on my hat.
• Hardest marathon: Delaware. Trail marathon through the mountains. Also my slowest time.
• Easiest marathon: None of them. They were all hard.
• Fastest time: Vancouver B.C. - 3 hours 18 mins
• Slowest marathon: Delaware - 4 hours 51 mins
• Highest finish: Gateway to the Pacific, Washington - 4th place
• Lowest finish: Grandma's Marathon in Minnesota - 971st place
• Most favorite marathon: Boston. Everyone's goal to run it. The only one where you have to qualify to get into.
• Number of marathons run on back to back weekends:  10

Check out these runners' resources recommended by Richard

www.marathonguide.com   

www.runnersworld.com   

www.northwestrunner.com   

www.ontherun.com

And if Richar's story inspired you to read more stories of runners, check out this New York Times article:

Runners Tell Their Stories

Eat Smart during farmers’ market season

A weekly visit to your local farmers’ market is a easy way to Eat Smart. And June is a great time to start. There are more than 40 farmers’ markets in King County and most are now open for the season.

Whether you are a market newbie or a veggie veteran here are a some tips that can help you have a great market experience.

• Leave the car at home. Parking can be a hassle. If possible, plan to walk, ride a bike, or take public transit to your farmers’ market. Need some inspiration? See last month’s newsletter article about Eileen Kadesh who regularly uses her bike to run errands.
  
• Know when to shop. Mid-week markets are quieter, but weekend markets often have the best selection. Shop early in the day to get the best quality food and to avoid missing out on unusual items.
  
• BYOB. Bags that is. To make sure your purchases get home without crashing onto the sidewalk bring your own reusable bags or a backpack. It’s also easier to carry one large bag than several smaller plastic bags.
  
• Compare prices. Circle the market at least once to see what’s available and check prices. There can be significant price differences between vendors. You may also want to hold off on purchasing early season veggies (which are often more expensive) and stick with what’s most abundant at the time.
  
• Bring cash. Many farmers don’t accept debit or credit cards. Though some accept checks, you may be shopping from a variety of vendors and if you only bring your checkbook you’ll be writing a lot of checks. Good old fashioned dollars (in small denominations) work best.
  
• Know what’s “in”. Expect to see new foods every week as foods go in and out of season. To find out what is in season, check Puget Sound Fresh’s harvest calendar – it details which produce items are available each month. In addition to produce, most markets also carry staples like beef, eggs, cheeses, salmon and tuna, pork, poultry, jams and jellies and much more.
  
• Experiment. Farmers' markets have an amazing array of produce that you won’t find in the supermarket. Don’t be afraid to try some something new. Many “strange looking” fruits and vegetables are heritage varieties bred for taste rather than shelf life or visual appeal. Most farmers are happy to suggest ways to prepare a food you’ve never tried before.
  
• Ask questions. Whether you have a question about the ripeness of a peach, you're curious about the differences between a Bing and Rainier cherry, or you want to know how to cook squash flowers, don’t hesitate to ask the farmer. They are usually very happy to answer questions about their growing methods, share their favorite cooking secrets, or let you sample a product.
  
• Take purchases home immediately. Plan to go home right after the market, or bring a cooler to keep food items cool. Foods that need to be refrigerated such as meat and fish are increasingly common at markets.

So if you haven’t had a chance to shop much at your local farmers market, stop by this month and check it out. Visit the Puget Sound Fresh Web site for a complete list of local farmers' markets including market dates, hours, and locations.

Asparagus and Radish Salad

A zesty lemon-mustard vinaigrette adds the perfect punch to crisp asparagus, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds makes for a very pretty plate.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb asparagus, trimmed of tough ends and cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 cup radish, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp vinegar, white wine
• 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Partially cook asparagus in boiling water in large saucepan for about 5 minutes until bright green.
2. Drain and immediately plunge into ice water in large bowl to stop the cooking process. Let stand for about 10 minutes until cold. Drain well. Transfer to medium bowl.
3. Add radish and sesame seeds.
4. Combine remaining ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well
5. Drizze over salad and gently toss to coat

Spring cleaning is good for your health

Spring is here. The longer days, warmer temperatures, and of course the traditional spring house cleaning. Among the items that might be thrown out during spring cleaning are potentially dangerous household hazardous wastes (HHW), such as paint, gasoline, oil, burned-out fluorescent lights, and nearly empty cans of wasp and hornet spray that can harm the environment and public health.

The King County Hazardous product and disposal list provides information about potential hazards, proper disposal options, and safer alternatives for a variety of common household products. Here are the basics.

How do you tell if it is hazardous?

Read the label. Look for the words Poison, Danger, Warning or Caution on the product label.

• Poison and Danger indicate the highest hazard levels. Poison means that a product is highly toxic, and can cause injury or death if ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin
• Danger means that a product is either highly toxic, flammable, or corrosive. Look for the word "danger" on cleaners, polishes, paint strippers and pesticides. "Danger" means the product could poison you, cause serious damage to your skin or eyes, or easily cause a fire.
• Warning and Caution both indicate that a product is toxic, corrosive, reactive or flammable.
• Products that don't have any of these words on the label are least hazardous.

Toxic household products

Get rid of old and unwanted bug killers, automotive supplies, lawn and garden pesticides, cleaners, degreasers, fluorescent light bulbs and personal care products. If the labels say CAUTION, WARNING, DANGER and POISON they can burn, poison, or react dangerously. Find the traveling Wastemobile or the hazardous waste disposal sites near you at: www.govlink.org/hazwaste/house/disposal/ .

Old TVs and computers

Computer screens and televisions contain lead and are considered hazardous waste. Effective January 2009, electronics manufacturers began offering a new program called E-Cycle Washington that allows residents to recycle their computers, monitors, laptops and TVs for free. Residents can drop off these items at authorized E-Cycle Washington collection sites.

Unwanted medicines

Clean out unwanted or expired prescription and over-the-counter drugs from your medicine cabinets and drawers. Group Health and Bartell Drugs are partners in a state-wide pilot project that takes back unwanted household medicines for free. Collection locations and other information regarding this program can be found on the Medicine Take Back website. At this time the program cannot accept controlled substances (narcotics).

Prepare before the flood season

Don’t get caught in a flood with hazardous stuff. It’ll end up polluting our environment or groundwater, or endangering your family. Get rid of what you can and store what you have off the floor. Call the Household Hazards Line at 206-296-4692 for help getting prepared.

For your friends or family members with small businesses

Certain small businesses can take advantage of free hazardous waste disposal and other services. Call the Business Waste Line at 206-263-8899 (1-800-325-6165, ext. 3-8899) or visit the Small Business Hazardous Waste Disposal web site for more information.

Need more information?

• To see the Wastemobile’s schedule click here.
• Click here to download a brochure about household hazardous materials and local drop off facilities.
• To find out more about household hazardous materials and how you can safely dispose them visit King County’s Hazardous Waste Management’s web page.
• Call Local Hazardous Waste Management Program’s Hazards Line at 206-296-4692, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., except holidays. (Recorded information is available after hours.)

Stress Less: Can pets keep you healthy?

About two-thirds of U.S. households own at least one pet. People have lots of reasons for owning them. But a small but growing body of research suggests that owning or interacting with animals may have the added benefit of improving your health.

Some of the largest and most well-designed studies in this field suggest that four-legged friends can help to improve our cardiovascular health. One National Institutes of Health-funded study looked at 421 adults who had suffered heart attacks. A year later, dog owners were significantly more likely to still be alive than were those who did not own dogs, regardless of the severity of the heart attack.

Another study looked at 240 married couples. Those who owned a pet were found to have lower heart rates and blood pressure, whether at rest or when undergoing stressful tests, than those without pets. Pet owners also seemed to have milder responses and quicker recovery from stress when they were with their pets than when they were with a spouse or friend.

Several studies have shown that dog owners may get more exercise than the rest of us. One study looked at more than 2,000 adults and found that dog owners who regularly walked their dogs were more physically active and less likely to be obese than those who didn’t own or walk a dog. Another study followed more than 2,500 older adults, ages 71-82, for 3 years. Those who regularly walked their dogs walked faster and for longer time periods each week than others who didn’t walk regularly.

Pets may also influence a smoker’s decision to quit. Among smokers in a study of almost 3,300 residents of southeastern Michigan, one in three said that knowing that smoking was bad for the health of a pet would prompt them to give it up. Further, almost one in ten pet-owning non-smokers said they would ask a partner to quit.

Man’s best friend may help you make more human friends, too. Several studies have shown that walking with a dog leads to more conversations and helps you stay socially connected. And studies have clearly shown that people who have more social relationships tend to live longer and are less likely to show mental and physical declines as they grow older.

Pets are not a cure-all. They won't cure cancer or heart disease. But for many people, the right pet can provide benefits that last a lifetime.

Source: National Institutes of Health

King County rolls with Bike to Work Month

Almost 40 King County teams participated in Bike to Work Month.  At publishing time, 176 riders made over 1,000 round trips, logging 15,000 miles.  42 riders were new to the Bike to Work Month Challenge!  Congratulations Bike to Work Month participants.

And SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS to Linda Grob and her team, the Large Wheeled Debris.  This group of 10 riders from King County's Water and Land Resources Division rode a combined total of 145 days and more than 3,000 miles!

Kudos to these teams who rode over 1000 miles during Bike to Work Month:

Team Name	Division	# of team members	miles riden
Shear Velocity	Water & Land Resources	10	1610
Pedalopterus Cyclomaximus	Water & Land Resources	10	1587
Wheeler Dealers	Transit, Metro, Market Development	10	1069
!Team Flat Tire	Wastewater Treatment	10	1067

Did Bike to Work Month inspire you to try bike commuting?  Check out these local resources to help you get on your bike and commute to work

Other bike links

Bicycle Sundays
King County Bike Maps
Bike Traffic Rules

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Quit Tobacco Resources

King County Employee Resources:

• Free Online Customized Support – QuitNet. Provided by King County for employees and their families, this program provides customized information to support quitting tobacco. Call BROS at 206-684-1556 for your access code, then log on to www.quitnet.com/kingcounty to register. Your participation is confidential.
  
• Free Telephone Support – Call the King County Tobacco Quit Line at 1-877-279-0624.
  
• Reimbursement for the patch and other nicotine replacement treatment – Both KingCare^SM and Group Health offer free or remimbursed over-the-counter drugs such as the patch, gum etc. Go to the Health Matters Quit Tobacco site or call 206-684-1556 for details.
  
• See your doctor - Group Health and Aetna/KingCare^SM members may schedule a visit with their doctor for tobacco cessation help including developing a quit plan and discussing available pharmacological and over the counter medications. Visits are subject to regular copays or coinsurance.

Community Resources:

• Washington State Quit Line – 877-270-STOP (7867) or online at quitline.com.
  
• Public Health - Seattle & King County – call 206-296-7613 for information on community resources and other tools to help you quit.
  
• American Cancer Society – 800-ACS-2345 or online at www.cancer.org.