www.greenepublishing.com VIEWPOINTS & OPINIONS Friday,January 18, The Madison Enterprise-Recorder 3A Healthy Weight Week Gives A Different Perspective Our culture seems preoccupied with dieting and thinness; the idea of promoting health is often lost. Healthy Weight Week, January 20th 26th, reminds peo- ple of the value of a healthy non-diet lifestyle and en- courages us to move ahead to improve our health in pos- itive ways. It celebrates normal habits that prevent eat- ingand weight problems, rather than intensifying them. I always say diets are like budgets, they are restric- tive and often don't work. Instead of checking the scale every day, a positive approach might be to focus on a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle is all about balance. If your goal is weight loss in the New Year, focus on a healthy weight, for your own personal body type, not thinness. According to Lynn Paul, Extension Specialist with Montana Extension Service, it is better to think about achieving better health by keeping your approach sim- ple rather than concentrating on a diet. She suggests working on small changes because they are easier to maintain and they can make a big difference over time. Simple changes, like eating breakfast or taking a ten minute walk, can energize your life. A healthy lifestyle approach is about balance. Mak- ing small, lasting changes can help anyone reach their healthy goals. If your goal is a healthy weight, you need simple ways to balance food with activity The problem is that people often think that they have to eat perfectly or spend an hour at the gym in order to get fit. Paul says healthy is not an all-or-nothing proposition; it is about maximizing the positive and minimizing the negative. For example, moving toward your healthy goals means maximizing the time you spend walking and minimizing the time you spend sitting. For some, it may mean drinking more water and milk rather than soda and coffee. Extension Specialists emphasize it is easy to give your body the nutrition and physical activity it needs anytime, anywhere. From early morning to late night, all it takes are small, simple changes in your everyday food and fitness choices. Try adopting one or two changes and practice themuntil they become a habit be- fore adding more. What diet test? Eity'variety'of foods from :all f the food groups supply you with the wide range of nu- trients your body needs. Fruit, vegetables, whole grain, low-fat dairy, lean meats, legumes and plant proteins are needed each day Eating three regular meals each day with a smart snack choice will keep your body fueled for the day Don't forget physical activity every day is part of the total picture. All activity counts, so park your car at the end of the parking lot or take a 10 minute walk at lunch. On the weekend, tackle those household chores you have been putting off they burn calories. Get the kids or grandchildren together for an outdoor game or activity When you are busy having fun, you don't realize its ex- ercise. Small changes in food selection and activity are the best way to go for a healthy lifestyle when you are trying to achieve a healthy weight for your body type. For more information on nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices, contact the Madison County Extension Service. Kelsi Reams' Fifth Annual Hot Chocolate Sale To Benefit Cystic Fibrosis Foundation KelM Reams, center, will host her fifth annual Hot Choco- late Fundraiser with her sisters, Abby, left, and Kelsi, right. The fifth annual Hot Chocolate Sale, which benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will be held on Saturday, January 19, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. at Witmer Realty in Greenville, located on the corner of US 221 south and US 90 east, The event is hosted by Kelsi Reams, 11, and her six year-old sister Chloe. Their sister Abby, 5, was diag- nosed with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of five months. All three are students at Aucilla Christian Academy The money raised will be used for the on-going re- search to help fight the disease. Kelsi has raised over $7,000 to help those who live with Cystic Fibrosis. Anyone wishing to make a donation but is unable to attend the event, can make checks payable to CFF and mail to Joe and Kathy Reams, 418 NW Sand Dollar Way, Greenville, Florida, 32331. The Reams family thanks all of Madison and Jeffer- son County for all the support over the last five years in helping CF stand for CURE FOUND!! During the past few issues of the newspaper we had inadvertently published an incorrect telephone number in an ad for Owens Propane, Inc of Quitman, GA. The incorrect telephone number was published with a prefix of "800" while the correct prefix should have been "866". The correct toll free telephone number for Owens Propane, Inc. is 1-866-382-2484. We sincerely apologize to Mr. Ernie Owens and to his customers for any inconvenience that this error may have caused. Try this one on for size, Straight Talk with no hidden agenda. No politics, no buddy-buddy, no leaning left or right. Just what I know, or at least, what I think I know. Happy New Year? Yes or No? Allow me to ramble while sitting at my keyboard, reminiscing about the year just past, the promises made, some kept, some lost. Seems we're always saying "good-bye" to the "old" year. I don't believe I've ever heard anyone say that they were sure going to miss it. Like when it turned 2007, I didn't hear anyone say, "sure going to miss 2006!" There's a message there. Are we always glad to get to the end of a year? Will we ever be heartbroken to see a year close? It appears that t7e majority of us have "tough" years and we celebrate their passing. Almost like the way we celebrate the end of car payments. Yet, somehow, we always muster the enthusiasm to say hello to our new year. I've already found myself trying to have a good atti- tude about a new year. You know, a fresh new start, new beginnings, great new ideas and adventures. Basically the same thing I told myself twelve ,months ago, and with the coming of many new years in the past. I like being a positive thinker. It's more fun than being nega- tive, at least for me. But the truth is, even positive thinkers have lousy years. I'm glad that 2007 is now of the past. But I'm thankfulthatfLlived through .itt It was .very,veYry diffi- cult year for me personally However, I've bee* blessed. with far more good years than bad. And I' know that some people, probably many people, are far less fortu- nate than what I am. Murphy was my partner in 2007. You'll remember him as the guy that taunts us with sayings like, "If it can go wrong, it will." I've been working to outsmart Mur- phy most of my adult life. He's tough to deal with, sneaks up on you if you let your guard down. But, Mur- phy and his incestuous laws help to make us smarter and work to keep us humble. I came up with a slogan while doing Christmas cards this year. I signed each of them with, "Here's to a Great 2008!" I'm not sure if it was a clever quote or a solemn prayer. I'm hoping that 2008 will be a kinder and gentler year for my friends and my family However, you know how you feel when you sense that something good is going to happen? Well, I'm feel- ing it, but this year I'm feeling it more because of where I am and the dues that have been paid in the most recent years. I'm also feeling it because of the work that has been done by others to insure that where we live contin- ues to grow and get better for us all. There is a lot to be excited about for 2008. We have a team of leaders in our county that actually like working together as a team. There is a new feeling about the community, a feeling like good is happening and is going to continue to happen. There is a good, positive energy that is flowing and it is contagious. New construction dots our landscape representing opportunity for resi- dents old and new. Life is good. Sure, we're all fighting factors that we can't control like gasoline prices, a rocky real estate market and others. But the fact is we're fight- ing! And we're going to win! But let us not become complacent or apathetic, can- cers both. It took much hard work and effort to give us a good start to 2008, but it will take even more work and hard effort to insure a positive beginning to 2009. The Madison County Cowboys 2007 football team has taught us all a very good lesson. If you have good lead- ership, you follow them. If the leadership has a plan, you work the plan. And if you win a big one, that is fan- tastic. But victory is not something that you can keep. It must be earned over and over again. A Little Pat On The Back From Old Man Winter Good morning! A little pat on the back from Old Man Winter this morning, eh? More than angry, though. To- day, while looking overcast, is rather springlike and the birds, which have been missing since construction was underway here (they didn't like the sawing and the ham- mering) are back. This morning was a welcome sight as jaybirds, cardinals and finches flitted about. Not expect- ing them, we were out of birdseed and they let us know it! We enjoyed a big football weekend along with Char- lie's birthday -- he and Mona and Vicki came up Friday to watch the Jaguars and Patriots in a very well-fought game. The Jaguars had the Patriots worried by halftime and played great the entire game; however, shortly be- fore the end of the last quarter, Tom Brady's skillas a quarterback proved his reputation is well-deserved and it was "crying time" in Jacksonville and we joined them. Still, a bright note was watching Brett Favre win as the Green Bay Packers dashed the hopes of the Seattle Seahawks in the opening game Saturday afternoon. We also enjoyed the fried chicken and snacks Vicki had brought and the Jaguars decorated birthday cake. Pam of Harvey's deli did a beautiful job on that, it tasted great. The next day was a busy one, though, as Charlie and Mona took on the unwelcome task of removing, rolling up and packing away the many outside Christ- mas lights and decorations while Vicki took all of her beautiful -- and expensive -- Victorian ornaments and other decorations off the tree and packed them, the tree and all of the Christmas villages and manager occu- pants, lights and snow all away for another year. That day, Christmas was finally over. Now, we await St. Valen- tine's Day And, we finally have Archie's open again and run- ning strong. Under the capable management of Sue Wat- son, who is also the proprietess of Falmouth Crossing on Highway 90 in Falmouth, Lee residents (and many more) can finally enjoy again the good and tasty food that has always been Archie's fort. The restaurant has only been open two weeks but is holding up the Archie's reputation of being very busy A ribbon cutting will be held on January 25 at 10 Another new restaurant in the area is the Sincerely Jamaican just east of Macedonia. Owned and operated by Elise Dawkins, it is a part of the three businesses, which the Dawkins family operates. Since we've made you hungry, we'll change the sub- ject. Please welcome Christopher and Barbara Sapp into our Pine Trace Subidivison. We're told the Sapps have built a beautiful new home there and we invite them to call us if they would like any information on what peo- ple do in Lee. Of course, we've been here since '84 and still can't find any pinochle players. We were sorry to hear today that Simon Kinsey had to return to the hospital, hopefully for only a couple of days because of a kidney infection, which, hopefully, will be found to be a minor one. We were also shocked to hear of the demise of Linda Swann, our Lee librarian. We knew of her battle with cancer but did not think she was losing it. Linda was good and very well thought of by her library patrons and many friends. She now joins the ranks of those whom we have loved and lost. Memorial services will be held at Lee Methodist on Saturday. Call 971-5585 for the time. Please mark the following dates on your calendar: February 22, a blood drive at Lee Town Hall (blood supplies are in serious short supply) February 2, Lee Volunteer Fire Department Fish Fry, 4-8 p.m. March 1, Lee Volunteer Fire Department Garage Sale, booths available for $7 each Call 971-5867 for more information for on all three events. We leave you now with our definition of the word boredom which is selfishness. We had intended to write this column on why So long for now. Attention Madison County Residents Are you 55+, unemployed and having difficulty finding a Job? If you qualify, Experience Works has Security Guard training and job opportunities at no cost to you. For more information call Georgia Braswell at 850-973-9922 A national nonprofit organization. EEO/AA Funded by State of Florida Dept. of Elder Affairs learm, 1& 7' CORRECTION