Pick up know-how for tackling diseases, pests and weeds.
Farm bill, farm marketing, agribusiness webinars, & farm policy.
Find tactics for healthy livestock and sound forages.
Scheduling and methods of irrigation.
Explore our Extension locations around the state.
Commercial row crop production in Arkansas.
Agriculture weed management resources.
Use virtual and real tools to improve critical calculations for farms and ranches.
Learn to ID forages and more.
Explore our research locations around the state.
Get the latest research results from our county agents.
Our programs include aquaculture, diagnostics, and energy conservation.
Keep our food, fiber and fuel supplies safe from disaster.
Private, Commercial & Non-commercial training and education.
Specialty crops including turfgrass, vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals.
Find educational resources and get youth engaged in agriculture.
Gaining garden smarts and sharing skills.
Creating beauty in and around the home.
Maintenance calendar, and best practices.
Coaxing the best produce from asparagus to zucchini.
What’s wrong with my plants? The clinic can help.
Featured trees, vines, shrubs and flowers.
Ask our experts plant, animal, or insect questions.
Enjoying the sweet fruits of your labor.
Herbs, native plants, & reference desk QA.
Growing together from youth to maturity.
Crapemyrtles, hydrangeas, hort glossary, and weed ID databases.
Get beekeeping, honey production, and class information.
Grow a pollinator-friendly garden.
Schedule these timely events on your gardening calendar.
Equipping individuals to lead organizations, communities, and regions.
Guiding communities and regions toward vibrant and sustainable futures.
Guiding entrepreneurs from concept to profit.
Position your business to compete for government contracts.
Find trends, opportunities and impacts.
Providing unbiased information to enable educated votes on critical issues.
Increase your knowledge of public issues & get involved.
Research-based connection to government and policy issues.
Support Arkansas local food initiatives.
Read about our efforts.
Preparing for and recovering from disasters.
Licensing for forestry and wildlife professionals.
Preserving water quality and quantity.
Cleaner air for healthier living.
Firewood & bioenergy resources.
Managing a complex forest ecosystem.
Read about nature across Arkansas and the U.S.
Learn to manage wildlife on your land.
Soil quality and its use here in Arkansas.
Learn to ID unwanted plant and animal visitors.
Timely updates from our specialists.
Eating right and staying healthy.
Ensuring safe meals.
Take charge of your well-being.
Cooking with Arkansas foods.
Making the most of your money.
Making sound choices for families and ourselves.
Nurturing our future.
Get tips for food, fitness, finance, and more!
Understanding aging and its effects.
Giving back to the community.
Managing safely when disaster strikes.
Listen to our latest episode!
Its fifteen days into the New Year, and many resolutions to eat healthier, exercise, live a healthier lifestyle may be well under way. Hopefully with those resolutions you are making changes to live a healthier lifestyle. If so, avoid common food and fitness mistakes based upon what is trendy in foods now.
Common Food and Fitness MistakesProbably one of the more common health and fitness mistakes is skipping meals. We need breakfast because it jump starts our metabolism. It basically, breaks the fasting mode your body is in overnight. Consider grabbing a piece of fruit, chunk of cheese, or whole wheat toast as you head out the door. Avoiding lunch or dinner can cause you to over eat later. Instead, eat sensibly, with three well balanced meals and at least two healthy snacks daily.
Avoiding gluten is another mistake some make. While people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivities have to avoid gluten, banishing gluten for weight loss can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Grains that contain gluten, such as whole wheat, rye, etc., also contain beneficial micronutrients like iron, magnesium, folate and fiber that our bodies need.
Fiber is important to a healthy system, but getting to much can stress your intestines. Get fiber from real foods like whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables. Not from the processed insulin fiber enhanced products.
Coconut oil isn’t heart healthy as some tv personalities would like for you to believe. In fact, it is mostly saturated fat – 92 percent saturated fat to be exact. Compare that with 63 percent saturated fat in butter. That should make you think. The main thing to remember here is that despite all the hype about coconut oil, replacing all the fat in your diet with coconut oil will not benefit your brain, heart or waistline.
Remember there is no one “superfood” that has the ability to protect our bodies from disease. That’s why variety is the key to a healthy diet. It must be well balanced including a variety of healthy foods from all the food groups. Excluding a food group may result in weight loss, but may not provide you with all the vitamins and minerals you need to stay healthy.
Avoid the temptation to rely on packaged foods. Although the packaged foods can be calorie controlled, such as the snack size treats, they tend to be heavily processed and may contain large amounts of fat, sodium and or sugar. Instead rely on whole foods such as fresh fruits or vegetables.
Giving up exercise because you think that the gym is the only place to exercise is another common mistake some make. Get moving wherever you are, physical activity counts anywhere you do it. To meet the latest recommendations, adults should accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity. In addition to moderate or vigorous exercise, include muscle strengthening and stretching exercises at least twice each week.
Avoid the mistake of eating huge snacks. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a snack is a small amount of food eaten between meals. Try to keep snacks no more than 200 calories and a healthy option. Think, low sodium, low sugar, low carbohydrate, high fiber and high flavor. Snacks more than 200 calories, could wreck your diet plan and cause weight gain.
Lastly avoid the mistake of skimping on sleep. It is such an important part of your health routine. Try to get between 7 to 9 hours every night.
Avoid common food and fitness mistakes and start living a healthy lifestyle, and always talk with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. If you would like to receive a free copy of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans which can guide you in healthy food choices, contact the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture in the Miller County Courthouse, call 870-779-3609, or e-mail me at chaley@uada.edu. Also follow me on facebook at www.facebook.com/MillerCountyFCS or on twitter @Carla M. Haley.
By Carla Haley Hadley M.S.County Extension AgentFamily & Consumer SciencesThe Cooperative Extension ServiceU of A System Division of Agriculture
Media Contact: Carla Haley Hadley M.S.County Extension AgentFamily & Consumer SciencesU of A Division of AgricultureCooperative Extension Servicechadley@uada.edu