My platform: Making the healthy choice the easy choice
If you close your eyes and try to visualize the word “unhealthy”, what does it look like to you? Even as a physician assistant I find it unnecessary to list the staggering statistics of growing obesity rates, numbers of preventable chronic diseases, and the billions of dollars we pay in healthcare costs each year….I’m sure you’ve heard them all before. However, I would like to shed light on the fact that “unhealthy” can have a different meaning for each individual.
You may hit the gym six days a week, eat your daily salad, and even practice meditation techniques, but do you know the other factors that also greatly impact your health outcomes?
*How many hours of sleep do you get each night?
*How many close friends do you keep for life?
*Do you wake up with a sense of purpose?
My mission as Miss International 2017 and as a national champion ambassador for Blue Zones Project® is to get these conversations going. Together we can improve health outcomes for millions of citizens across the country. Blue Zones Project® is a well-being initiative based on principles developed by National Geographic Fellow, Dan Buettner. Along with a team of researchers and scientists, Buettner spent years studying the five places in the world with the highest concentration of people who lived to be 100 years old. These five communities share common traits that we can implement in the world around us. Instead of developing yet another diet and exercise program, Blue Zones Project® aims to optimize the environments where we spend most of our time: school, work, home, etc.
Participation in Blue Zones Project® is completely voluntary. However, even without taking the personal pledge, citizens of Blue Zones Project® areas still benefit just by living in a healthier community. Imagine going through a Blue Zones sponsored checkout lane at the grocery store and not being tempted by candy bars and soda. Or think about how much easier it would be to eat healthy at restaurants if they all had a “healthy menu” insert. Would you use your bike as transportation more often if there were safer bike paths through your city? Instead of relying on will-power, Blue Zones makes environmental improvements to make the healthy choice the easy choice.
With the help of innovative sponsorships, Blue Zones Project® aims to create long-term environmental change to build a healthier culture for citizens. Measured by the Gallup Well-Being Index®, Blue Zones Project® communities are consistently seeing reduction in smoking rates and employee absenteeism, lowered healthcare costs and boosted civic engagement. As Miss International 2017 I will continue to visit cities across the country and support them in implementing Blue Zones Project® principles so that we can all live longer, better.
In health and happiness,
Kelsey Craft
Miss International 2017
You may hit the gym six days a week, eat your daily salad, and even practice meditation techniques, but do you know the other factors that also greatly impact your health outcomes?
*How many hours of sleep do you get each night?
*How many close friends do you keep for life?
*Do you wake up with a sense of purpose?
My mission as Miss International 2017 and as a national champion ambassador for Blue Zones Project® is to get these conversations going. Together we can improve health outcomes for millions of citizens across the country. Blue Zones Project® is a well-being initiative based on principles developed by National Geographic Fellow, Dan Buettner. Along with a team of researchers and scientists, Buettner spent years studying the five places in the world with the highest concentration of people who lived to be 100 years old. These five communities share common traits that we can implement in the world around us. Instead of developing yet another diet and exercise program, Blue Zones Project® aims to optimize the environments where we spend most of our time: school, work, home, etc.
Participation in Blue Zones Project® is completely voluntary. However, even without taking the personal pledge, citizens of Blue Zones Project® areas still benefit just by living in a healthier community. Imagine going through a Blue Zones sponsored checkout lane at the grocery store and not being tempted by candy bars and soda. Or think about how much easier it would be to eat healthy at restaurants if they all had a “healthy menu” insert. Would you use your bike as transportation more often if there were safer bike paths through your city? Instead of relying on will-power, Blue Zones makes environmental improvements to make the healthy choice the easy choice.
With the help of innovative sponsorships, Blue Zones Project® aims to create long-term environmental change to build a healthier culture for citizens. Measured by the Gallup Well-Being Index®, Blue Zones Project® communities are consistently seeing reduction in smoking rates and employee absenteeism, lowered healthcare costs and boosted civic engagement. As Miss International 2017 I will continue to visit cities across the country and support them in implementing Blue Zones Project® principles so that we can all live longer, better.
In health and happiness,
Kelsey Craft
Miss International 2017
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