Cedar Valley Blue Zones

NOVEMBER 25, 2012

COMMUNITY KICKOFF EVENTS

NOV. 27 WATERLOO NOV. 28 CEDAR FALLS

TAKE THE PLEDGE AT BLUEZONESPROJECT.COM

BLUE ZONES PROJECT

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NOVEMBER 25, 2012

LIVE LONGER. LIVE HEALTHIER.

LEAD A HAPPIER LIFE.

BY PAT KINNEY

hat‘s the basic underpinnings of the Blue Zones Project.

It all sounds like a bunch of platitudes. Unless you talk to someone who’s lived, slept and breathed it.

That someone is Gov. Terry Branstad.

“I’m a heart attack survivor,” he said.

The governor had a heart attack in 2000, while out of office. In 2010, while successfully campaigning to return to office, he had elective surgery to open a partially blocked artery with a stent.

He’s learned the hard way about managing stress and diet, and living healthier and happier.

But the lights really went on for Branstad on a “macro” level as president of Des Moines University from 2003-09. He saw how adopting similar principles also helped hold down health insurance costs for the institution and employees. The same thing can happen in any workplace, he said. During his tenure, DMU became the first college or university in the country to achieve the “platinum well workplace” designation sponsored by the Wellness Council of America.

And, as the state’s number one eco-

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nomic development ambassador, Branstad knows that healthier, happier people make for healthier, happier workers — the kind of workers employers want to have. More productivity. Lower absenteeism.

“It makes Iowa more attractive for businesses,” he said.

Toward that end, Branstad announced the Blue Zones initiative last summer with a goal of making Iowa “the healthiest state in the nation” by 2016 — attacking, among other things, chronic obesity among the general population and the diseases that spring from it.

“You should be proud of the fact that Waterloo and Cedar Falls are two of the first communities to get a Blue Zones designation,” Branstad said.

In both cities, Blue Zones staffs are in place, volunteers are being trained, individuals, businesses and institutions have signed on, and the initiative in each city will be stepped up in earnest at a pair or community events scheduled later this month.

Toward that end Waterloo and Cedar Falls Blue Zone respective organizers Felicia Babb and Sue Beach agreed it’s impor-

tant for people in each community to understand the purpose of Blue Zones so they buy into the process of how to attain it.

The Blue Zones Project, based on Dan Buettner’s “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest,” is a collaboration between Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Healthways to help make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation. Iowa currently ranks 16th, according to a GallupHealthways Well-Being Index, in which states were surveyed in 2011 on emotional and physical health, work environment and other factors.

National Geographic writer Buettner identified places which have the greatest life expectancy and where more people reach age 100 than anywhere else. They ranged from the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, to the Pacific island of Okinawa, to Loma Linda, Calif. in the U.S. The Blue Zone geographic areas Buettner explored had some common traits, which he boiled down into the “Power Nine” principles: Be physically active by moving naturally; know your purpose in life; (See HAPPIER, page 15)

AUTHOR DAN BUETTNER DESCRIBES COMMUNITIES AS ‘PERFECT ENVIRONMENT’

BRANDON POLLOCK | Courier Staff Photographer Cedar Falls Mayor Jon Crews, left, Gov. Terry Branstad, center, and Gary Kroeger talk about the new Blue Zones rack along the bike trail at Prairie Lakes park in Cedar Falls.

COMMUNITY KICKOFFS Waterloo and Cedar Falls Blue Zones committees each will be holding community kickoff events on consecutive nights Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

On Tuesday, Nov. 27, the Waterloo Blue Zones project will host its “Live, Longer, Better” community kickoff rally at the Five Sulliivan Brothers Convention Center from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

The Cedar Falls Blue Zones community kickoff event will be 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 28 at Cedar Falls High School auditorium, 1015 Division St.

“Blue Zones” bestselling author Dan Buettner will be at each event.

BY TINA HINZ

hen Dan Buettner cast his vote for Waterloo, he saw a garden of opportunity.

Neighboring Cedar Falls, he said, was committed to healthier lifestyles long before the Blue Zones Project came along.

But the makeover has barely started. The official kickoff is Nov. 27 in Waterloo and Nov. 28 in Cedar Falls.

“Whatever we’ve done so far is a bonus,” he said. “It’s setting the table.”

Both cities were chosen as pilot sites based on the same criteria: readiness, leadership cooperation and appetite for innovation.

While demographics are vastly different, the close proximity makes them uniquely positioned to leverage resources and swap

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lessons learned. They also can engage in competition while working toward the same goal to permanently transform into communities where eating healthy, moving and engaging are easy choices.

“I think it’s a perfect kind of environment,” Buettner said.

To start, residents are encouraged to take a personal pledge to help nudge them toward a better well-being. He foresees a snowballing momentum as more jump onboard.

“Essentially, it asks you to step up to the plate, raise your hand and say, ‘I’m in,’” Buettner said. “We’re not asking for any money, but we do ask you to make an upfront effort to set up your kitchen, home and bedroom the right way and think

MOVE NATURALLY Walk a dog, do your own yard and housework, and get rid of some the timesaving electronics and power equipment that have “simplified” your life.

POWER 9 PRINCIPLE

about your social network.

“It’s a Chinese menu,” he added. “If you don’t like one thing, you don’t have to do it.

We’re just pointing out that here’s the lowhanging fruit in your life. Pick some of it.”

In February, Buettner accompanied the Blue Zones Project selection team during a site visit in Waterloo. He recalled Newton’s Paradise Cafe owner Blake Landau suggesting the education system consider growing fresh produce for lunches instead of serving canned food. The transition could help combat an alarming rate of childhood obesity in Waterloo.

Other ideas and ongoing efforts presented to him include harnessing heat, or methane, produced by the sewage processing plant in the winter and creating a gar-

den; determining whether kids who grow gardens change their health habits; and establishing limits on the proliferation of liquor stores in neighborhoods.

“That’s a big problem,” he said. “Not that people should not have the right to drink. I drink myself. But there is a place for them, and it shouldn’t be on every corner all over town.”

Buettner filled an auditorium when he visited Cedar Falls in April 2011 as the keynote speaker for the Midwest Regional American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences conference at the University of Northern Iowa. He pointed to the city’s above-average leadership “when it comes to putting quality of life at the top (See BUETTNER, page 15)

Here’s to a great beginning and a long life, well lived for our neighbors – the residents of Cedar Falls and Waterloo.

Quality of life has always been a reason to live in the Cedar Valley and providing quality health care for our friends and neighbors is our priority.

From prevention and diagnosis to intervention and treatment, Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare is dedicated to providing excellent health care for your entire family. We have programs designed to help you maintain a healthier, more energetic lifestyle and we can help you improve at a pace that suits you.

For information about our programs and services visit www.WheatonIowa.org.

BLUE ZONES PROJECT

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NOVEMBER 25, 2012

YOUR STEP? TAKE THE PLEDGE, COMMIT TO COMPLETE ONE ACTIVITY

BY MELODY PARKER

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aking the Blue Zones pledge may seem like a symbolic gesture, sort of like the New Year’s resolutions we make to lose weight, stop smoking, exercise more and be kinder to our family and friends.

But at its core, the pledge is more of a solemn promise to yourself — and your community.

It reads: “I pledge to support the Blue Zones movement and to learn more about the simple lifestyle changes I can make to provide lasting benefits to my physical health, emotional health, and social relationships — adding years to my life expectancy and helping me to live longer, better.”

Signing the pledge is as easy as logging onto www.BlueZonesProject.com

and completing the online form.

“The Blue Zones Project goal is to change the environment and culture of our community so the healthy choice is the easy choice,” said Felicia Cass, Waterloo’s Blue Zones community program manager.

The community well-being improvement initiative encourages citizens to make healthy choices through changes to environment, policy and social networks. Waterloo and Cedar Falls are designated Blue Zones.

Cass said the public “needs to understand that the pledge is pretty simple, a three-step process. Go on line, fill out the form, then look through the options for actions. There are lots of actions, like going to church, getting a bicycle and

starting to ride, adopting a pet, eating healthier, growing a garden. There also are a lot of really cool, fun tools on line.”

The pledge also serves as a tracking system for how well the project is doing, said Sue Beach, Cedar Falls community program manager. It is tied to a menu of positive actions for participants. Each participant is asked to complete at least one action.

“There are so many different options that people can select what’s right for them and decide for themselves how they want to improve their well-being.

For one person, it might be physical health while someone else may want to improve their emotional health,” Beach said.

“Someone might be at a point in their

life that they can do 12 right now. Others might be pushing it to do one. It’s different for every person, and if you complete just one, it’s a wonderful stepping stone to making more improvements.”

Participants also can sign up for daily challenges.

Organizers in both communities want 20 percent of each community to take the pledge.

Here are examples of actions available to individuals who sign up to participate: EAT WISELY

I will stock my kitchen with 10-inch plates and tall, narrow glasses.

Why Do It: The Cornell University Food and Brand Lab found that people who eat off of typical 12-inch plates regularly consume 27 percent more at meals than those who eat off of smaller 10-inch plates.

The same holds true for smaller bowls and glasses.

How To Do It: Replace dishes in your kitchen with 10-inch plates, smaller bowls, and skinny glasses. You can make this change over time, first replace the plates, then the glasses, and then the bowls.

MOVE NATURALLY

I will buy or adopt a dog.

Why Do It: Pets make for great emotional com-

panions both in and out of the home.

Owning a pet helps you get over five hours of running or walking exercise a week without a lot of added effort.

Dog owners have lower rates of health problems compared to those who don’t own a dog.

How To Do It: Take a dog home from your local animal shelter or pet store. However, before you do so, visit the American Kennel Club website to determine if you are ready to commit to a dog and learn how to be a responsible dog owner.

RIGHT OUTLOOK

I will learn a new hobby Why Do It: Learning a new hobby stokes your interests, boosts your skills, builds your knowledge and provides a sense of purpose.

Wrapping your mind around a new skill keeps you cognitively and physically healthy.

In fact, researchers from the Mayo Clinic found that those who had a hobby during middle age had a 40 percent reduced risk of memory impairment later in life.

How To Do It: Choose something you are interested in and learn a new hobby based on that interest. You can search for hobbies and activities related to your interests online.

BLUE ZONE WORDS

adopt a friend COURIER FILE PHOTO

KNOW YOUR PURPOSE

Try to articulate your values, passions, gifts and talents. What are the things you like to do and the things you don’t? Then incorporate ways to put your skills into action in ways that will add meaning to your life and the lives of others.

POWER 9 PRINCIPLE

MOAI — Moai (pronounced “Mo Eye” ) Community walking groups are an amazing way to get more exercise and build unique friendships. Join a Moai Walking Group today and start walking this week!

HARA HACHI BU — ((hah RAH HAH chee hee boo) Learn to say “Hara hachi bu,” the 2,500-year old Confucian mantra, before meals, which reminds us to stop eating when our stomach is 80 percent full. This 20 percent gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between losing weight or gaining it.

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CITIES COMMIT TO CHANGES THAT PROMOTE HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

BY TIM JAMISON edar Falls Mayor Jon Crews foresees a cleaner community with slimmer constituents.

Waterloo Mayor Buck Clark envisions more people riding bicycles and growing vegetables in community garden plots.

Both leaders and their respective city councils as part of the Blue Zones Project have committed to make physical changes in their communities, adopt policies and ordinances that promote healthier lifestyles, and help turn those visions into reality.

“So much of this is conceptual at this point, but we plan to do everything we can to make this project work,” Clark said.

“I would hope the community in general would start to take it more seriously too.”

Crews said Cedar Falls will do its part to encourage healthier community behavior.

“Hopefully when you walk downtown you won’t see as many cigarette butts, cleaner sidewalks,” he said. “You’ll see additional sidewalks where we (now) have some gaps. You’ll see more bike racks at businesses, more trails, more people using them both.”

The Waterloo and Cedar Falls city councils each voted unanimously Aug. 27 to adopt nonbinding resolutions spelling out initiatives they’ll undertake to achieve Blue Zones designations.

The two most significant policy changes, which both cities must make under Blue Zones guidelines, involve adopting and following a “complete streets” program and adopting an ordinance that restricts smoking in many places where it’s currently allowed.

The complete streets concept involves making roads safe for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, transit riders, the elderly, children and those with disabilities through design changes such as on-street bike lanes, off-road trails and traffic calming devices.

While Cedar Falls adopted such a policy in 2009, Waterloo is working on a draft policy for council approval.

“I believe we’re on track to comply with

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complete streets,” Clark said. “There are different versions of being bicycle friendly.

There are places in Madison (Wis.) where bicycles have the right of way on the entire street.”

Felicia Cass, community program manager with the Waterloo Blue Zones Project, said Dan Burden, executive director of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, will be in Waterloo Nov. 27 to perform a walking audit of the community with city officials to recommend improvements that make the community better for pedestrians. A work session on complete streets is scheduled with the Waterloo City Council on Dec. 10.

Sue Beach, community program manager with the Cedar Falls Blue Zones Project, said her community still must develop its pedestrian plan.

“That’s one of the things Cedar Falls has been talking about for a very long time,” Beach said. “This might finally give them a nudge.”

The changes in smoking plans have been

controversial in other communities, and both cities are working with the state Blue Zones organization to get a better handle on what’s required. Any ordinance must comply with the Iowa Smoke-Free Air Act and other state laws.

Many of the things Cedar Falls agreed to do are already in place or well underway.

But both Crews and Beach said more can be done.

“We want to make sure people understand Cedar Falls is in a good place already,” Beach said. “But we don’t want them to become complacent and think we can’t be in a better place.”

Waterloo city officials are working on a number of programs designed to improve access in underserved neighborhoods to fresh produce and healthier foods. Action steps include providing incentives for neighborhood groceries and helping create community gardens where residents can grow their own food.

“I would really think there’s an opportunity to work this public gardening through

CITY GOVERNMENT BLUE ZONES PLANS WATERLOO

CEDAR FALLS

The Waterloo City Council passed a resolution in August to consider the following steps to help achieve Blue Zones certification:

The Cedar Falls City Council passed a resolution in August to consider the following steps to help achieve Blue Zones certification:

• Pass a city resolution or ordinance to adopt Complete Streets principles, and officials in charge of design have received training in how to design complete streets.

• Will continue to use Complete Streets principles, and train city staff in charge of design in how to design complete streets.

• Comprehensive smoke-free policy for all indoor and outdoor workplaces and public places.

• Will develop a comprehensive smokefree policy in all indoor workplaces and public places and adopt a policy to address smokefree multi-unit housing, OR a comprehensive smoke-free policy in all indoor workplaces and public places and comprehensive smoke-free policy in all outdoor workplaces and public places.

• A bicycle and pedestrian master plan.

• Adopt policies to promote outdoor dining.

• Joint-use-of-facilities agreements.

• Healthy vending standards.

• Access to fresh-water drinking fountains.

• Zoning to allow sites for community gardens and farmers markets.

• Incentives for food retailers in underserved areas.

• Establish a healthy food and beverage policy at youth sporting events sponsored by Leisure Services.

• City has a bicycle plan and will work to develop a pedestrian master plan.

• Will continue to encourage mixed-use development.

• Will continue to promote outdoor dining.

• Will continue joint-use-of-facilities agreements with other organizations.

• Provide space and time for breastfeeding for city employees.

• Will adopt healthy vending standards in municipal buildings and public parks.

• Bicycle lanes installed and maintained.

• Complete Streets project implemented.

• Will increase access to fresh-water drinking fountains.

• Safe Routes to Schools project implemented.

• Will continue support for community gardens and farmers markets.

• Implement permanent strategies to enhance personal safety in areas where people are or could be physically active.

• Will plan space and time for breastfeeding.

• Establish community gardens.

schools,” Clark said. “I would like to see the schools take them on as a project. We’ve got all kinds of vacant lots for people to grow things on.”

Waterloo also has committed to encourage activity in neighborhoods through safety programs.

The Gallop-Healthways Well-Being Index indicated only 68 percent of those surveyed in Waterloo felt safe walking at night. That’s well below the 83 percent state average and also trail the 72 percent national average.

“We have lots of neighborhoods that COURIER FILE PHOTO

DOWN SHIFT

Although everyone experiences stress, the world’s longest-lived people have routines to shed that stress. You, too, can find a stress-relieving strategy that works for you and make it a routine.

NOVEMBER 25, 2012

POWER 9 PRINCIPLE

don’t have sidewalks, that have low lighting,” Cass said. “But when you ask people why they don’t feel safe they say, ‘It’s that I don’t know my neighbor.’ Can you design a program to get neighborhoods walking together?”

While both cities have a checklist of items to accomplish before May 2014, Blue Zones Project leaders said those shouldn’t be seen as a minimum.

“The BluePrint is an action plan for the next 18 months,” Cass said. “Our goal is to not stop. This is sort of the floor of what we want to do; this is not the ceiling.”

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WELLNESS AT WORK

BY TINA HINZ hile each city is specifically targeting the largest and most wide-reaching businesses, leaders rarely talk about “the top 20.”

That’s because the goal is for all organizations to earn the designation of a Blue Zones Worksite.

“Having employees who feel good and understand what their purpose is when they wake up in the morning ultimately benefits the employer’s bottom line,” said Scott Cooley, organization lead for the Cedar Falls Blue Zones Project. “A healthy employee is a more productive employee and shows up for work on a day-to-day basis.”

Both teams have hosted worksite summits. In Cedar Falls, for example, one meeting engaged Main Street merchants.

A second summit is set for December in the industrial park.

Going forward, the events will be led by committees comprised of representatives from already designated area businesses — those employees with an intimate knowledge of the pledge system and strategies, according to Tony Gage, organization lead in Waterloo.

“The committee will take charge to contact additional employers that we don’t have time to do,” Gage said. “Their main goal is to expand our work to as many or-

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COMPANIES SEE OUTER STRENGTH

COMES FROM INSIDE BRANDON POLLOCK | Courier Staff Photographer Instructor Penie Alderks leads the Zumba class at NewAldaya in Cedar Falls.

BY JIM OFFNER o be strong outside, a company needs to build from the inside, according to Cedar Valley firms that are designated Blue Zones.

“Blue Zones is important to Veridian because a happy, healthy staff increases each employee’s quality of life and makes us stronger as an organization,” said Renee Christoffer, senior vice president of administration at Waterloo-based Veridian Credit Union.

NewAldaya Lifescapes in Cedar Falls has jumped fully into the Blue Zones effort, said Lindsay Wolff, the senior residence center’s wellness coordinator.

“Especially in our business, because we’re taking care of our residents, we have to take care of ourselves as staff,” Wolff said.

NewAldaya employees have full access to an on-site wellness center, where staff can get a discount rate on memberships and have 24-hour access to all the strength and cardiovascular equipment on the premises, Wolff said.

But it doesn’t stop there, she said.

“We have a variety of other educational

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and awareness programming options,” she said. “We have created a healthy menu on our cafe, so people have healthy options to choose from. We’ve written some health and wellness-related policies, like we have a no-smoking campus and things like that.”

The response to NewAldaya’s initiative, which has been in place for about 18 months, has been enthusiastic, Wolff said.

“It’s really growing,” she said.

Programs like Zumba class, which offers lessons in Latin dance, have taken off, Wolff said.

“Not only does it get people moving, but they’re having fun and enjoying time with co-workers, kind of an overall appreciation for their worksite,” she said.

NewAldaya employees are encouraged to find their “purpose” on and off the job, Wolff said.

“We have different trainings for our staff to find their purpose and enjoy what they’re doing every day,” she said. “For some of us, it’s helping others, which is why we’re in this industry. By doing that, it also makes us feel good and want to pay it forward.”

Businesses are taking seriously the Waterloo-Cedar Falls market’s position as Blue Zone pioneers, said David Braton, publisher of The Courier, which is working to attain Blue Zone designation.

“Courier Communications was a supporter of the Blue Zone initiative when Wellmark Blue Cross-Blue Shield introduced that it would be working with Healthways Inc. to improve the lifestyle of Iowans,” Braton said. “Having both Waterloo and Cedar Falls named as two of the first four communities in Iowa to work toward becoming Blue Zone Communities is exciting. We believe Gov. (Terry) Branstad is right that this effort can make Iowa the healthiest state. The Courier will have a strong effort in both print and online to inform our community.”

Braton said “numerous” Courier staff members have volunteered to be part of a planning committee that will serve as a guide to employees to make “healthy choices in diet, exercise and well being.”

But the effort is visible elsewhere in the community, too, Braton noted.

(See WELLNESS, page 15)

BRANDON POLLOCK | Courier Staff Photographer Employees and residents walk together on new walking trail on Friendship Village campus.

10”

80 % RULE Replace your tableware with 10-inch plates and tall, skinny glasses, remove any TVs from the kitchen, and stop eating when you are 80 percent full.

ganizations as possible.”

“What I think really lends the project a lot of credence is that they’re hearing from their counterparts at other worksites about why they’ve engaged in this process and how they’ve overcome, perhaps, some obstacles,” Cooley added.

As of mid-November in Cedar Falls, more than 25 non-top-20 businesses in Cedar Falls had jumped aboard. Kosama, a group fitness training program at 6322 University Ave., was the first of those to receive a completion certificate. Gage estimated Waterloo totals were near 40.

Friendship Village’s status was pending verification earlier this month. Lisa Gates, chief financial officer and assistant administrator of the Waterloo retirement community, said the launch of the Blue Zones Project merely enhanced Friendship Village’s prior commitments to improve well-being. She hopes healthier employees positively impact the lives of residents they serve.

Starting last year, its 250 employees potentially receive a discount on health insurance premiums depending on their weight, blood glucose levels and other test results.

An employee wellness center opened in October and saw 64 different uses in the first week, and of the five participants in a

POWER 9 PRINCIPLE

BLUE ZonesS PROJECT

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NOVEMBER 25, 2012

BLOG

FOR US!

Follow @ WCFCourier.com/bluezones

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DIFFERENT CITIES, SAME GOALS EFFORTS BEING MADE TO ENGAGE PUBLIC

BY HOLLY HUDSON

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hile both Waterloo and Cedar Falls are working toward getting Blue Zones certifications, there are differences in the cities that lend themselves to different approaches in reaching their goals.

“The criteria is laid out for us. There are six sectors, the same six sectors for both of us,” said Sue Beach, Cedar Falls Blue Zones community program manager. “We are trying to achieve the same goal. How we go about getting there may look different.”

The committees heading up the effort in each city have taken a slightly different approach to engaging the community.

“It was very important to us to engage a lot of our top 20 businesses early on and then engage members from each of the sectors,” Beach said.

Cedar Falls has two schools, three large work sites and two grocery stores Blue Zones designated.

“It’s been our idea that if you have some in each sector, someone who has already blazed the trail, others can learn from the first ones to get through it,” she said.

“Our approach has been to try to reach into pockets where there are a

lot of people in the most efficient and quick way possible, such as work sites and schools,” said Felicia Cass, Waterloo Blue Zones community program manager. “Grocery stores have been a large focus because they impact so many people. Tens of thousands of people each week go through the checkout. We’ve been spending a lot of our time there.”

The makeup of the two communities helps dictate how the groups go about getting people involved.

“Waterloo is a much bigger community than the other three communities chosen, and it is a much more diverse community in regards to ethnicity and income levels,” Cass said. “There are challenges with all of that.”

Though it is early in the process, Cass’s team has their blueprint ready and committees have identified some of those challenges.

“For instance, for those in a lower socio-economic group, do they have a computer? How easy is it for them to get online?” she said.

Cedar Falls faces its own challenges in that area.

“Part of our population is students,” Beach said. “There are about 12,000 students at UNI. Have you ever tried nail-

ing down a 20-something person?”

And it is not just the students who pose a challenge.

“While Waterloo has some of the biggest employers in the area, like John Deere and VGM, where they can get all the employees together and talk to them at once to get their message out, we have about 1,000 staff at UNI who never come together. That is 1,000 people we have to get to one-on-one.”

Many believe that Cedar Falls has a jump on Waterloo with its existing resources and venues.

“Everyone points to the trail system,” Beach said. “But sometimes, when you have things in place, that makes it harder to get people motivated. They think they are already doing what they need to be doing. That’s just human nature.”

Cass is excited about the momentum shown in Waterloo.

“Look at all the work the community has already done,” Cass said. “The downtown, the pavilion, the public market and the SportsPlex going up. There is so much positive energy, and the community can point to these with pride. These are concrete ways our city and business leaders are embracing the well-being of their community.”

PLANT SLANT Make fruits, vegetables and grains the majority of your intake. You can also focus on eating nuts — a handful a day can give you an extra 2-3 years of life expectancy!

POWER 9 PRINCIPLE

We are looking for people who want to blog about their progress in the Blue Zoness Project.

Perhaps you are starting a walking group. Write about how you are putting the group together, how it’s going, where you go on your walks and what you talk about.

Write about how your company is changing to meet the requirements of the Blue Zoness Project, and how the employees are getting on board.

There are so many things that you can do to get the community conservation started on being a healthy Cedar Valley.

Send your blog or any questions to Chris Essig, Courier online editor, at chris. essig@wcfcourier.com

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Some people say I have a positive outlook on life, but I know that freedom comes with a price. I have to work hard. With the new wellness center at NewAldaya, I have my own private trainer to help keep my leg and arms strong. Exercise makes my life easier, I know it can do the same for you!”

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NewAldaya is a Certified Blue Zone Worksite.

You belong at NewAldaya, where you’ll find a sense of community for every stage of life:

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BLUE ZONES PROJECT

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BLUE ZONES SPECIALS:

NOVEMBER 25, 2012

BRANDON POLLOCK | Courier Staff Photographer Deb Anhorn, manning the special Blue Zone checkout aisle at Fareway in Waterloo, rings up groceries for a customer. The checkout features fresh fruit as impulse buys to encourage healthy eating habits.

GROCERY STORES JOIN EFFORT TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY HEALTH

BY MATTHEW WILDE lue Zone Specials cards may become a more recognizable sales ploy locally than a rotating blue light.

Kmart stores used the iconic gimmick to temporarily generate interest in a particular product. Local grocery stores are using blue cards on shelves, among other tactics, to steer shoppers toward healthier foods.

All Fareway and Hy-Vee grocery stores in Waterloo and Cedar Falls — two and five locations, respectively — are designated Blue Zones businesses. Each property completed a series of initiatives and changes, designed to help customers lead healthier lifestyles, to become certified.

More space for fruits and vegetables were added, at least one Blue Zones checkout lane was created that features healthy snacks rather than candy and chips, and water was added to all coolers that used to

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feature sugary drinks, among other things.

Outside, stores have either created or will designate Blue Zones parking spaces, which are the farthest away from the doors to promote exercise.

Allen Weimerskirch, manger at the Waterloo Fareway, 40 W. San Marnan Drive, said Blue Zones signs on shopping carts saying “put fruit and vegetables here” and on shelves are a big hit.

“It’s brought more awareness than anything. It’s caused customers to ask a lot of questions,” Weimerskirch said. “We want them to realize there’s a healthy alternative to most products.”

The Blue Zones Project is a nationwide effort to ignite community-by-community well-being transformation. Waterloo and Cedar Falls were chosen as Iowa pilot communities in May.

The project is based on principles laid out in a book by Dan Buettner, which focuses on what community attributes contribute to healthier residents. At the core, it’s what people eat.

Jeff Sesker, manager of the Cedar Falls Hy-Vee at College Square Mall, said grocers have an obligation to help keep customers healthy.

“We feel as a company it’s our responsibility to help solve the obesity problem that’s out of control in adults and children.

We want healthy employees and customers,” he said.

Grocery store participation is “pivotal” to the success of the program, said Scott Cooley, the Cedar Falls Blue Zones organizational lead.

Cooley is working with restaurants and other businesses to become Blue Zones

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POWER 9 PRINCIPLE

certified. Grocery stores were the cornerstones of the effort.

Not everyone eats out regularly, he said.

But all people regularly go food shopping.

Signs and other store displays featuring Blue Zones will help, Cooley said.

“Research shows by putting out reminders, people are more willing to make healthy choices,” he said.

For example, Fareway has a Blue Zones Specials card next to brown rice because it’s more healthy than white. Pasta made with whole grains are tagged vs. regular pasta and organic/natural peanut butter is featured, just to name a few items.

Hy-Vee and Fareway representatives say the companies are totally committed to the project and may implement Blue Zones principles in stores in other communities.

Each grocery chain has a magazine that

includes healthy recipes and dieticians who help customers formulate healthy meal plans. Blue Zones food lists are available at Fareway and Hy-Vee hosts healthy cooking classes.

Employees at stores have been trained to explain the initiative to customers. Grocery retailers say buying healthy food doesn’t cost much more, if any.

“I think it’s making a difference,” Weimerskirch said. “The awareness is there.

I think once we get through the holidays, it will really take off.”

Sesker is confident Blue Zones will be a success.

“It needs to be long term,” he added.

“We’ve failed if it’s not a life-changing thing.”

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BLUE ZONES PROJECT

PAGE 12

NOVEMBER 25, 2012

NEIGHORHOOD MOAI WALKING GROUPS

IOWA’S GOAL:

FOSTER FITNESS, FRIENDSHIPS

BE THE HEALTHIEST STATE

BY EMILY CHRISTENSEN very Tuesday night a small group of neighbors gathers on a street corner near their homes for a weekly walk.

Some weeks there are as many six walkers. Sometimes there is only one.

“It’s hard to commit every week because people do have things that come up. We just have the corner where we meet and whoever is there goes. If nobody is there, then you walk by yourself,” said Luann Alemao-Johnson, a member of the Cedar Falls Blue Zones Project leadership team and coordinator of her neighborhood’s walking group.

Forming or joining a walking group is just one of the many things that Waterloo and Cedar Falls residents are being encouraged to do as part of the Blue Zones commitment. Moai (pronounced Mo Eye) walking groups are groups of up to 10 people that meet at least once a week to walk. According to the Blue Zones website the small size of the group allows members to focus on building strong friendships, which are as vital to wellbeing as exercise. Finding a social circle, or moai, of friends who possess positive traits “will do more to add years to your life than just about anything else,” the website states.

Alemao helped organize the WYBOC walking group — the letters are an acronym for the neighborhood’s street names — this summer. Though her neighborhood was already pretty active, she said starting a walking group in any neighborhood would be easy enough.

“I just put signs up for those who were interested in walking. I emailed people. I called them, and we put it on our neighborhood’s Facebook page,” Alemao said. “If you don’t already have that group, just ask some neighbors and tell them to bring a friend along or anyone else in the neighborhood that might want to be a part of it.”

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Greg Hankins, a member of St. John Lutheran Church, started a Wednesday night Run with God program last spring, but after injuring his knee decided that walking with God might be more appropriate. Though the group hasn’t formally been designated as a Blue Zones walking moai, Hankins said the church was one of numerous Cedar Valley locations that signed up to host a Healthiest State Walk in October.

Hankins said the program, which coincides with other Wednesday night church events, draws between seven and 15 participants. He talked with church leaders about adding the group to the menu of church events and had a good response from the beginning.

“It is a great way to get in touch with our fitness and to interact as a community, our church community,” he said. Hankins also finds scripture references to an individual’s walk with God to use as weekly devotionals. Participating in a faith-based community, regardless of the religion, is one of the Power 9 principles behind the Blue Zones concept.

Area retirement communities are also engaging in the Blue Zones effort. Amanda Lynch, the wellness coordinator at the Western Home communities, said she is starting In Motion Clubs later this month at each of the Western Home. Though the program is voluntary Lynch is expecting a good turnout. The group will encourage participants using all modes of transportation, not just walkers.

“We have a very wide range of abilities in our population and not everyone can walk. I don’t want to exclude anyone from this,” she said. “The social and mental benefits of being a part of that tribe are so important. Everybody here are neighbors. Now they will have that half hour every week where they can spend some quality time with each other.”

COURTESY PHOTO Luann Alemao-Johnson, third from left, organized a moai in her Cedar Falls neighborhood.

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POWER 9 PRINCIPLE

IN THE NATION

BY JON ERICSON ov. Terry Branstad wants Iowa to be the healthiest state in the nation.

In the year since Branstad announced the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative, the state has started making progress and even earned a little recognition from First Lady Michelle Obama.

Obama praised the effort, saying it ties in with her “Let’s Move” program aimed at reducing childhood obesity. She said it brings families, businesses, communities and faith-based organizations to the table to improve the health of American families.

When Branstad first declared the healthiest state goal, he noted that Iowans can take positive steps to adopt healthier behaviors and work environments.

“We control more than 70 percent of the factors that influence our health. It is within our power to make a positive difference in our lives,” Branstad said.

The initiative was first announced in the summer of 2011, when Iowa ranked 19th in the Gallup Well-Being Index nationwide. Branstad set a goal of making Iowa number one on that list by 2016.

Results released in 2012 showed Iowa moving up to 16th in the nation.

One of the biggest efforts under the state plan has been a one-a-year “Start Somewhere” walk. The program encouraged people to go out and walk one kilometer on a designated day, as a way to get people out and moving and perhaps encourage more exercise. In the first year, 291,000 Iowans participated. On Oct. 3

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of this year, more than 297,000 people participated.

“A one-kilometer walk, by itself, won’t change a person’s health. But participating in the Healthiest State Walk sends a message about our commitment as Iowans to our ambitious goal. It brings communities and colleagues together to say, ‘We’re going to do this,” said Ric Juergens, chair of the Healthiest States Initiative Board after the second walk.

The state has made a list of five top priorities for reaching its goal of being the healthiest in the country. The list includes: FIVE TOP PRIORITIES FOR BECOMING THE HEALTHIEST STATE IN THE COUNTRY: — Decreasing the number of Iowans who smoke — Increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables to five or more servings daily at least four days a week — Increasing the number of Iowans who are learning something new or interesting each day — Increasing the number of Iowans who have visited a dentist in the last year — Increasing the number of working Iowans who feel their boss treats them like a partner at work

The Iowa Healthiest State Initiative is working at combining existing and new programs that promote healthy lifestyles with a grassroots effort. The intent would be to motivate individuals to get more active, engage in life with a purpose, take time to relax, eat better and create stronger communities and relationships.

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BLUE ZONES PROJECT

PAGE 14

NOVEMBER 25, 2012

SCHOOLS MOVE TOWARD BLUE ZONES DESIGNATION

BY ANDREW WIND

ublic school participation is going to be an essential part of becoming a Blue Zones Community.

At least 25 percent of a city’s schools must achieve Blue Zones designation as part of the process, but the Cedar Falls district is setting a higher bar for its nine schools.

“One of the goals is to get all of our schools eventually certified through the Blue Zones process,” said Troy Becker, who coordinates Blue Zones efforts for Cedar Falls Community Schools. “We’re focusing this year on getting our elementary schools designated.”

The school district has wasted no time in working toward that goal. Lincoln Elementary School has already achieved the designation and North Cedar Elementary “is real close to being designated,” he said.

“Hopefully, by January we’ll have all six elementaries go through the process and become Blue Zones schools.”

The designation process begins when a school registers on the Blue Zones Project website. After assessing how activities under way at the school align with Blue Zones actions, officials select a set of policies and programs.

The idea is to implement and enforce the chosen items. Each include an assigned point value, and a school achieves certification when it reaches 51 out of 76 possible points.

Next year, Becker expects the focus to shift to the district’s two junior highs and Cedar Falls High School. By then, a statewide Blue Zones committee will have reevaluated their policies and programs. Currently, he said the actions are geared more toward elementary schools and it is “almost impossible” for middle and high schools to achieve the needed number of points “regardless of how good you are.”

“We need to have a minimum of four schools designated,” said Crystal Buzza, director of strategic partnerships for Waterloo Community Schools. Five schools are interested and have already registered. They include Becker, Kingsley, Kittrell, Lou Henry and Orange elementaries.

“Our goal is to have two schools designated by the end of May,” said Buzza. The certification process must be completed by

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Feb. 28, 2014, to meet the timeline for the Blue Zones Community designation.

After interested district schools are designated in Waterloo, she said officials will work with Poyner Elementary in Evansdale — which doesn’t count toward the Blue Zones effort because it is not within the city. They will also invite Waterloo’s parochial schools to participate.

Becker said the Cedar Falls schools have already made some lunch-related changes contained in several policies — such as a redesigned cafeteria to nudge students into choosing healthier foods and updated equipment to support healthier foods.

Buzza said the Waterloo schools are looking at making such changes.

Schools seeking certification in both Cedar Falls and Waterloo all have selections in common, some of which were already in place. Each of them are a tobacco-free campus, have set up a wellness council, and provide 20 minutes of recess daily and 150 minutes of physical activity weekly. Schools in both cities already provide options for additional student physical activity.

Kittrell Principal Audrey WallicanGreen said a weekly after-school athletic club teaches skills for team sports and a daily walking club has students circling the block

before school. The walking club began “just after school started,” she said. “We’ve had a total of 80 students participate.”

Buzza said walking clubs are being encouraged this year, but a walking school bus may be started in the future. A walking school bus, one of the Blue Zones programs, involves adult volunteers walking a route to school and picking up students along the way.

Crystal Kowalski, Lincoln’s physical education teacher, said a walking club is in place there, as well. A walking school bus is planned, as is a school garden — another Blue Zones program. The school doesn’t

use food as a reward and integrates physical activity into daily lesson plans, both of which are Blue Zones policies.

“We have brain breaks throughout the day where students can get up and move in the classroom,” said Kowalski. “And that’s supposed to allow them to be more focused for learning.”

While each school’s approach to fulfilling Blue Zones requirements will look different, all of them will be encouraging healthier choices for students and staff.

“It’s what the schools can do, what will work for them,” said Buzza. “But we also want to see a change happen.”

TIFFANY RUSHING | Courier Staff Photographer Students walk the blocks surrounding Kittrell Elementary as the school works towards Blue Zones certification. Students and some staff walk 7/10ths of a mile each morning before class as members of a walking club.

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POWER 9 PRINCIPLE

BLUE ZONES PROJECT

NOVEMBER 25, 2012

PAGE 15

COURIER FILE PHOTO

HAPPIER

(Continued from page 2)

take time to slow down, rest, take vacation; stop eating when you are 80 percent full; eat more vegetables and less meat and processed food; one alcoholic beverage a day for the non-chemically dependent; create a health social network; participate in a religious community; and make family a priority.

There are many options within those

BUETTNER

(Continued from page 2)

of their agenda.”

“They had a head start,” he said. “I think we just provided a solution.”

He was impressed by an inviting, curvy Main Street that slows traffic, as well as plans to connect the trail from downtown to the industrial park. Neighborhoods are neatly laid out, and the college breathes a sort of acceptance for new ideas, he added. Plus, he discovered a popular watering hole.

WELLNESS

(Continued from page 7)

smoking cessation class, three quit and two have cut back.

Some fitness classes on campus are open to residents and employees, while a new quarter-mile trail offers several exercise stations.

Atul Patel, owner of the Cedar Falls AmericInn, also was close to finalizing the designation. In addition to staff benefits, becoming a Blue Zones Worksite will nudge guests toward healthier behaviors with a bike rack, Blue Zones promotional materials in rooms and nutritious options in vending machines and during breakfast.

nine principles. Branstad bristles at the suggestion of a “nanny state” approach to the initiative. It’s all about people being given options, taking personal responsibility and making reasonable do-able choices to improve their health and their lives.

In Waterloo and Cedar Falls, volunteers among various health-related institutions and organizations are being

trained to carry the Blue Zones message to their members, customers and the general public.

“I’m excited about this. In terms of business and jobs, people want to live in a state where they live longer, healthier lives,” Branstad said. “That hold down the company’s health care costs and makes it more conducive to business coming to our state,” and expanding.

“I think it’s called the Blue Spot bar,” he said, referring to Blue Room, 201 Main St. “My favorite place for obvious reasons. They had a cold beer waiting for me the first day I showed up.”

He isn’t surprised by the city’s progress toward certification. As of Nov. 16, more than 1,500 citizens had joined the movement and completed at least one action.

“I applaud it,” Buettner said. “In fact, I’m standing here in Minneapolis pointing southeastward and saluting in their

direction.”

Buettner returned to the Cedar Valley in June with international walkability expert Dan Burden. He acknowledged potential garden sites and traffic flow changes to favor pedestrians.

Blue Zones teams proactively are working to bring the newest and latest techniques to create the perfect storm of influence.

“For the next three years, the country is going to be looking at us,” he said. “We need to be innovators.”

“If we are doing everything right, it’s going to be infectious,” he said. “People are going to feel that vibration. Anybody coming in is going to see this town is different than the rest.”

Any employees can take action on their own by accepting a personal pledge on the website. A walking lunch group could replace sitting at a break room table, or they could create an employersanctioned sports team like softball or volleyball. Micro breaks may include standing up and stretching every so often.

Gage suggested policing what foods are brought into the workplace.

“They can kind of come up with an

informal policy not to bring cupcakes and cookies and cakes in for people’s birthdays and such,” he said. “Those are easy things that can be done to improve your wellness without causing too much heartburn from your manager.”

Employers interested in getting involved should register the business at www.bluezonesproject.com. Contact the Blue Zones Project in Waterloo at 2878177 or Cedar Falls at 268-5552.

“I’m happy to work with them along the way to get them moving,” Cooley said. “Whatever they’re comfortable with. We’re here to be a service to them.”

LOVED ONES FIRST

Put your family first. This can take shape in many ways, from caring for children to keeping your aging parents and grandparents in or near your home to being in a positive, committed relationship.

POWER 9 PRINCIPLE

MATTHEW PUTNEY | Courier Photo Editor Cedar Falls Blue Zones staff Jessica Brickley, Sue Beach and Scott Cooley.

MATTHEW PUTNEY | Courier Photo Editor Waterloo Blue Zones staff Tony Gage, Kelsey Ihde, Felicia Cass and Sherman Wise.

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