Welcome back to this season of Community Health Corner!

November is lung cancer awareness month, so we will be presenting information on lung cancer screenings, as well as tobacco cessation. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, but did you know that smoking increases your risk of developing many other cancers as well? 

We understand that everyone is at different points in their fitness journeys. Some of our viewers may be athletes, some may have no exercise in their present routine, and we have viewers everywhere in between. Because of this, this month we are focusing on basic activities that most anyone can use to increase their movement. Today, Cozell will show us a fun low impact exercise routine that you can complete while sitting in a chair, and later this month we will debut our new exercise series to help you begin some simple body weight exercises. The goal of this series is to show our viewers that getting into a fitness routine doesn’t have to feel unrealistic. 

In keeping with the theme of fitness, the other side of this coin has to do with how you eat. Eating healthy often starts at the grocery store. To help you meet your nutrition goals while staying within budget, we are going to cover using coupons as well as how to find sale items to stock up on your cupboard’s needs.

When trying to eat healthy, we often focus exclusively on the types of food we need to be eating, but it is just as important to be aware of how much we are eating. That’s why this month’s “Eat Healthy” segment is all about portions. We will discuss how portion control can help you maintain a healthy weight, show you easy ways to estimate serving sizes, and demonstrate proper measuring skills to help keep your serving sizes in check. Ursula also has a great slow-cooker chili recipe, perfect for busy days as the holiday season approaches. 

Eat Better

You can download an easy to use reference sheet that covers all the measuring tips covered in the program below.

Our easy slow cooker recipe is provided in printable form below.

You can also download this visual cues reference sheet to help you practice using your hand to measure portion sizes.

Food Cents

For a list of healthy brands that routinely offer their own coupons directly from their website or other marketing channel, check out this link.

Check out the Coupons.com website here.

We’ve also created a grocery store sales calendar reference sheet for your use. It lists the traditional seasonal sales of items so you will know when to stock up. You can download it below.

Move More

For a printable version of the exercises Cozell demonstrated, download the handout below.

Take Care

The Georgia Tobacco Quit Line (GTQL) is a FREE evidence-based public health service available to help Georgians quit smoking, vaping and stop using all forms of tobacco products. The Georgia Tobacco Quit line is available at (877) 270-STOP, in Spanish at (877) 2NO-FUME, and for the hearing impaired at (877) 777-6534. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (including holidays). The quit line’s brochure is also available for you to download below.

For more information about how cigarettes affect the body, take a look at this video from TED-Ed.

To learn the single best thing you can do to quit smoking, check out Doc Mike Evan’s video.

See Your Doctor

For more information about low dose CT lung cancer screenings, including the risks and benefits of the test, check out this video from GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer.

The Affordable Care Act requires that health insurance policies cover lung cancer screenings with no cost sharing as a preventative service. If you need assistance signing up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, contact our sister organization Insure Georgia for personalized assistance here.