Clean Up Your Health, This Spring!

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- This spring, rededicating yourself to wellness couldn't come at a better time. At the beginning of the year, you may have committed to maintaining a healthier you and now you've fallen off the bandwagon. In addition to cleaning out the garage and preparing your garden, you should also think about cleaning up your act—when it comes to your overall health and wellness.

"Life...supplemented," a consumer wellness campaign, encourages people to think about spring as the perfect opportunity to get back on track and return to healthy lifestyle habits. With March being "National Nutrition Month," the program is currently reminding consumers that a healthy diet combined with vitamins and other supplements to pick up where our diets fall short, is the best way to get the nutrients the body needs. Healthcare professionals agree about the role of dietary supplements—a recent "Life...supplemented" study(1) found nine in 10 registered dietitians and eight in 10 nurse practitioners report dietary supplements can play an important role in improving or maintaining the health of patients.

"Spring cleaning isn't just about vacuuming, nor should it be a chore.  Cleaning up your act when it comes to wellness is a recipe for good health," says "Life...supplemented" consultant Cheryl Forberg, R.D., and nutritionist for NBC's "The Biggest Loser." "Now is the perfect time to reaffirm the good health practices you made to yourself at the beginning of the year. Rid your fridge of the few forbidden foods that have found their way back into your kitchen, proactively use vitamins and other supplements to make up for the gaps in your diet, and let the warmer weather motivate you to get outside for some physical activity."

Here are three quick-and-easy tips to help you clean up your act this spring:

1. Freshen up your diet: With new found space in your refrigerator, start eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. Studies show that Americans aren't consuming enough fruits and vegetables. A recent "Life...supplemented" consumer study(2) found that only 32 percent of American adults claim, "I love vegetables and easily eat two cups each day," and just 27 percent say, "I eat at least two pieces (or cups) of fruit each day." Ms. Forberg suggests aiming for a minimum of four cups of fruits and vegetables daily, and favoring non-dried fruits and non-starchy vegetables.
2. Take inventory of your kitchen cabinets: Be proactive and check expiration dates on your multivitamins and other dietary supplements. While supplements are not required by law to list expiration dates, most companies do so to ensure that consumers take them before the ingredients lose their full potency.  
3. Say "hello again" to Mother Nature: As temperatures warm up across the country, take the time to enjoy the scenery. Jogging, power-walking and cycling are great cardio exercises and good ways to begin getting your body in shape for the summer. Give yourself an excuse to get outside and exercise—it could be as simple as biking to the neighborhood store for a few small items or taking a jog through the nearby park while your children are at sports practice.

Spring is a good time for renewal of your wellness goals. Begin your come-back with a tool like My Wellness Scorecard, which gives you a baseline reading of how you're balancing healthy eating, supplements, exercise and other wellness practices. Think of your wellness as a long-term lifestyle and don't forget to keep your healthcare professional informed of any new changes in your wellness regimen. Sharing your health and Wellness goals and achievements with another person who is supportive of you will help you to adhere to your wellness regimen.

Visit www.lifesupplemented.org for more information or visit us on Facebook or Twitter.  

Methodology:  (1) Results from the 2009 "Life...supplemented" Healthcare Professionals Impact Studies were cited for this news release. The 2009 HCP Impact Study was released in December 2009 and comprised three separate surveys - (300) nurse practitioners, (300) pharmacists and (300) registered dietitians. Margins of sampling error at a 95 percent confidence level are +/- 5.7 percentage points for each of the groups of healthcare professionals surveyed. A nominal honorarium was given to each healthcare professional for completing the survey.

(2) The 2009 "Life...supplemented" My Wellness Scorecard National Study was conducted October 2 through October 9, 2009 by Ipsos Public Affairs. The survey included a national sample of 1,172 adults aged 18 and older from Ipsos' U.S. on-line panel. Weighting was employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the U.S. adult population according to the Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points. Ipsos also conducted the 2007-2009 "Life...supplemented" Healthcare Professionals Impact Studies. Ipsos Public Affairs conducted both surveys online.

About "Life...supplemented": "Life...supplemented" is a consumer wellness campaign dedicated to driving awareness about the mainstream use of dietary supplements as an integral part of a proactive personal wellness regimen that combines healthy diet, supplements and exercise. The campaign is managed by the Council for Responsible Nutrition, the leading trade association for the dietary supplement industry, under its affiliated 501(c)(3), the CRN Foundation. The dietary supplement category includes products such as vitamins, minerals, botanicals, sports nutrition, weight management and specialty supplements. More than 150 million Americans use these products each year to promote and maintain good health. Find out more about AlphaWELLs, WELLs, WannabeWELLs and OhWELLs by clicking on My Wellness Scorecard at www.lifesupplemented.org.

SOURCE Life...supplemented