Army veteran John Thurman became a yoga teacher after the practice helped him recover from PTSD and other injuries after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon. Last weekend, Thurman and 17 yoga teachers from five states gathered at Yoga Heights in Washington for yoga for PTSD and trauma training. 

Obesity is a problem in Alabama. In fact, Alabama has the sixth highest rate of adult obesity of any state in the nation.

In its eleventh year, Scale Back Alabama (SBA), a free statewide weight-loss competitive program, targets adults who are looking to make healthier choices to fight obesity.

This year, the St. Clair County Extension office is once again an official weigh-in site. Our official weigh-in day is Tuesday, January 17th from 8 a.m.—4:30 p.m. Stop by any time that day and someone will weigh and record you and your team member’s weight.

“One of Alabama Extension’s planned programs is Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan, so it is a perfect fit for Extension agents in Human Nutrition, Diet and Health and nutrition educators in the Extension Food and Nutrition Education Program and the Nutrition Education Program to participate in Scale Back Alabama,” said Dr. Barbara Struempler, Extension state leader for nutrition programs.

A participating team consists of two people. Each team member is encouraged to lose 10 pounds in a 10-week period. Teams who lose ten pounds per member will be entered into a statewide drawing for cash prizes. The first three teams drawn will receive $1,000 per team member, the second three will receive $500 per team member and the third three will receive $250 per team member. Forty individuals will also receive a prize of $100.

To get started, teams must register at scalebackalabama.com/join before going for their first weigh-in. If you do not have access to a computer, one of our Extension staff will be glad to assist you. The first SBA team weigh-in week is Jan. 11th—18, and ends in March.

The SBA challenge is meant to not only encourage participants to lose 10 pounds in a 10-week period, but also to encourage adults to use the challenge as a launching point to make lifestyle changes and become healthier in 2017 and for a lifetime.

The St. Clair County Extension office is serving as a weigh-in and weigh-out site. Donna Shanklin, Regional Extension Agent in the area of Human Nutrition, Diet and Health and Rachel Nixon, SNAP-Ed educator will both be available to answer any diet and health questions you may have. They will also be providing handouts and other goodies.

Since the first competition in 2007, Alabamians participating in the program have lost 1.2 million pounds. Scale Back Alabama sponsors include Alabama Hospital Association, Alabama Department of Public Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama.

The St. Clair County Extension Office is also offering free nutrition classes that will be held every Tuesday, beginning Jan. 24—Feb. 28, from 1-2 p.m. in the Extension Office Auditorium. Rachel Nixon, SNAP-Ed Educator, will utilize the WEALTH curriculum which incorporates the recommendations of the USDA’s new Food Guidance System (MyPlate and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans) to cover the following topics over this ten-week period: Nutrition, MyPlate, Dietary Guidelines, Food Safety, Reading Food Labels, Food Preparation, the six Major Nutrients, and Food Management. There will be free giveaways and two cooking demos.

There is no charge to attend but you must pre-register. Space is limited. Please call the St. Clair County Extension office at (205) 338-9416 to register no later than Tuesday, Jan. 17.

-Submitted by the Extension office