Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 30, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 2013 — A happy and healthy 2013! [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A happy and healthy 2013!

By Claire Ku'uleilani Hughes, Dr. PH„ R.D. t is official! Year 2013 is here ... and, it is "resolution" time, again! What New Year resolutions have you made? If you are Hawaiian, making at least one health resolution is a good idea. Some examples of health-related resolutions are: adding two or three vegetables to your daily food choices, or adding a half hour of physical exercise to your daily routine. Other options might eome from your doctor's suggestions. And still others may focus on cutting back on certain food and beverage choices. What

did you choose? A recent heahh newsletter talked about the need for Americans to exercise. It was surprising to learn that only 5 percent of American adults get 30 minutes of exercise a day! And our children spend more than seven hours a day watching TV, playing video games or using a computer ... minimizing their activity levels. And if we add between one to two hours of sitting during the daily "commute time," it is easy to see why mākua and keiki have heahh challenges to be concerned about. Exercise ean also help fight aging. Research shows that between 40 and 50 years of age, muscle mass is lost ... about 1 percent or 2 percent of muscle per year. Strong muscles are needed to walk, stand and balanee. So, adding muscle building and strengthening into our daily exercise plan ean ensure a bit more

muscle for our senior years. You see, there is no pill to help restore muscle and strength. And take it from an elderly person, muscles are needed to carry things, for most house cleaning tasks, even to play

with or hold our mo'opuna. Exercise also strengthens and maintains the bones and muscles that keep us upright. Just walking a half hour every day ean ensure bone density and strength. And eating highealeium foods is also important in maintaining bloodlevels of ealeium to constantly rebuild bone. Deepgreen leafy vegetables, dairy foods and tofu are some high-calcium foods. Exercise helps to maintain mental agility and reduce stress. Exercise increases blood flow and dilates blood vessels throughout the body, including in the brain. Stimulating blood vessels in the brain ean reduce vascular dementia. Exercise lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease by strengthening the heart muscle and increasing blood llow. Exercise lowers blood sugar and ean help maintain blood sugar eontrol for those with diabetes. Daily exercise ean also ensure a good night's rest. In 1786, Capt. Portlock sailed from Kealakekua Bay to Maui

and then to O'ahu, where the ships stopped at Wai'alae to replenish their food, water and supplies. Portlock observed the highly populated area was farmed and fished by industrious kānaka. Portlock exchanged house nails for the needed water, food and hogs. He observed some foreign swords and knives that were from Capt. Cook and his people. Portlock also saw King Kahekili at Wai'alae and estimated Kahekili to be about 50 years old. He wrote that King Kahekili was very vigorous and strong, had a good physique, a regal appearanee and seemed greatly trusted by his maka'āinana. Kahekili ruled with intelligence. Portlock guessed incorrectly, as Kahekili was about 30 when Kamehameha was born, and, Kamehameha was almost 50 years old when Portlock visited Hawai'i. Thus, Kahekili was in his 80s. (S.L. Desha, Kamehameha and his Warrior Kekūhaupi'o). Now that's healthy aging! Let's all aspire to age like Kahekili, the sacred chief of Maui. ■

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Make exercise a resolution for the New Year. Here, participants in the Kūlana Hawai'i weight-management program celebrate after a hike. - lmage: OHA