Do as I do; not just as I say.

The Leduc Beaumont Devon Primary Care Network has a team of healthcare professionals that help people living with various chronic conditions such as diabetes, pre-diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and other nutritional concerns. A smoking cessation program is also offered. Our team, which includes registered nurses, a registered psychologist and registered pharmacist, registered dietitians and an exercise specialist, works with patients through the S.M.I.L.E. Healthcare Program to help them learn strategies to improve their ability to manage their health.

S.M.I.L.E. - Self Manage to Improve your Life Everyday

The S.M.I.L.E. Healthcare team provides education and counselling to patients everyday, but do you ever wonder if they practice what they preach?

Your S.M.I.L.E. team was asked, “What is one thing you do every day that keeps your living healthy and staying active?”  Here are their answers.

Exercise Specialist: Corinne Cutler

"I do martial arts training three times per week.  Not only is it a great physical workout, the stress relief is unbeatable.  I find hitting and kicking the pads repetitively a great way to let off some steam, as my partners in training sessions can attest to!!  I also do Yoga classes twice a week to maintain my flexibility and Pilates as much as possible in my home studio, to keep my core strong."

Registered Pharmacist: Nandini Desai
"I am trying to walk up the stairs when I arrive at work each morning to help start my day off, rather than taking the elevator."





Registered Dietitian: Sally Ho
"I’ve been trying to focus on increasing my insoluble fibre intake lately, and would try to have whole grain bread at breakfast and brown rice/whole wheat pasta at lunch or dinner – aiming for whole grains/high fibre grains for 2 out of my 3 meals per day."

Registered Dietitian: Ginette Markham
"I play with my kids every day. We enjoy tobogganing, skating, dancing or a good ol’ game of mini-stick hockey in the basement (this is usually a daily ritual, and my son even lets me win sometimes!) It’s a great way to bond with my family, provide some laughs and increase my physical activity."

Registered Psychologist: Sheila Gothjelpsen
"I use deep breathing, meditation, visualization and/or self-hypnosis almost every single day to manage tension and stress.  This may even include just reminding myself to take a few slow deep cleansing breaths while driving to manage any escalating road rage (Arg!) or even using visualization (e.g. a calming scene) to slow down troublesome thoughts while trying to fall asleep at night."

Registered Nurses: Christina Vesty
"I’ve changed my thinking about why I go to the gym.   Instead of thinking how it might help my weight only, I really think how it helps my heart, my lungs and my bones and how I become a stronger person."

Registered Nurses: Cheri deBoer
"My friends and I have formed a Tupperware Dinner club.  At our individual homes, we cook a meal one night, then package the leftovers in Tupperware to give to each other the next day.  It helps to take the pressure off from cooking a different dinner each night, increases the variety in my diet, and gets rid of the leftovers quicker!"

Administrative Assistant: Penny Garton
"I try to eat breakfast every day (I'm not perfect with this but working on it) and I get up from my desk every hour and do a quick stretch."

Executive Director: Len Frank
"I run 3-4 times per week.  Running is a stress release valve for me – the monotony allows me to think about life without any distractions. If I don’t feel like running – I force myself to just get out there and tell myself that even 5 or 10 minutes of running (or even walking) is better than nothing.  Often times my longest runs start out with me “not feeling up to it” but once I get going I just keep going."

Get outside and get moving!

Summer is here, the weather is beautiful. Slather on the sunscreen, pop on a hat, grab a bottle of water and get outside!

Corinne Cutler, Exercise Specialist at the Leduc Beaumont Devon Primary Care Network has provided a list of 25 ways you can increase your outdoor activity. Challenge your family and friends to see how many of these outdoor activities you can complete this summer:

1. Turn off the television and go for a family walk around the neighbourhood.
2. Take the dog for a walk each day.
3. Take a Frisbee and head out to the park for a picnic.
4. Dig into gardening! Plant a garden and get everyone to help out with their own special section.
5. Rake up the leaves and take turns jumping into the pile. 
6. See if the local museum or historical society has a brochure of historical walks in your neighbourhood or town. Go out and explore together.
7. Take the time to explore a local attraction on a road trip. 
8. Run through the sprinkler on a warm day.
9. Take a Frisbee, soccer ball, or baseball along on the road trip.
10. On a windy day, go to an open field and fly a kite. 
11. Make your weekly family social activity, active! Go to the park instead of the cinema. 
12. Plan "walk and talk" outings with your friends and their children. This is a great substitute for going for coffee.
13. Plan an active family vacation. Try hiking, camping, or swimming.
14. Get a bicycle carrier (and helmets for everyone) so the whole family can go for a ride together. 
15. Play catch at a local park.
16. Learn how to hacky sack.
17. Get some chalk and play hopscotch. 
18. Plan a family hike through a scenic park. 
19. Challenge your children to a basketball, volleyball, tennis, or baseball game. They'll love the idea of playing and competing against you. 
20. Explore different leash-free parks, even if you don't have a dog.
21. Go to the neighbourhood playground and help your children to climb and swing. 
22. Go bird watching. See how many birds you can spot.
23. Take a moonlight or flashlight walk in the evening. Go stargazing.
24. When your children are learning to ride a bicycle, put on your running shoes and run along side or hop on your own bike. Support them and teach them proper bicycle safety while running with them around the block. 
25. Allow your children to include friends when planning some physical activities. This will encourage their peers to be active as well.

Reference :  Healthy Alberta