Kick off the New Year with a plan to develop a healthier lifestyle by celebrating Healthy Weight Week, January 18-24! Make NCHPAD your headquarters for developing a New Year's physical activity plan which is fun and sustainable.

1. The Healthy Weight Network (http://www.ncpad.org/656/2706/2004-01-01) offers a variety of resources on obtaining a healthy weight and losing weight, as well as eating disorders and other important topics. The Weight Control Information Network (WIN), a national information service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), produces, collects, and disseminates materials on obesity, weight control, and nutrition (http://www.ncpad.org/656/2706/2004-01-01).
2. Searching for the ideal fitness program? Consider a Medical Fitness Center, which offers a variety of customized programs and assistance, such as cardiac rehabilitation; chronic disease programs for osteoporosis, stroke, diabetes, and lower back problems; programs for weight management, health risk appraisals, nutritional consultations, and stress management; and specialized fitness classes, such as pre-natal/postpartum exercise and senior exercise. Ask a NCHPAD Information Specialist to locate one in your area.
3. Be creative with your personalized fitness program! For example, a friend of NCPAD's has begun using the 'Exerstrider' Fitness Walking Poles (http://www.ncpad.org/656/2706/2004-01-01) to propel her wheelchair more than 3 miles and obtain a vigorous upper-body workout. View images of the 'Exerstrider' at http://www.ncpad.org/656/2706/2004-01-01. Also, see the NCHPAD Web site for additional ideas, such as those found in the "Your Writes" section (http://www.ncpad.org/content/14/Your~Writes), which highlights individuals' ingenuity in designing customized fitness programs (http://www.ncpad.org/178/1339/Finding~a~Fitness~Facility~~A~Personal~Experience, http://www.ncpad.org/176/1321/Complex~Regional~Pain~Syndrome~~Beating~the~
   Unbeatable).
4. Desire to participate in winter sports or other physical activity? View the latest NCHPAD video clip on skiing as well as other video clips at http://www.ncpad.org/content/61/Video.