October is the time at Southeastern Regional Medical Center when we start focusing on our organizational goals for the 2010 fiscal year. Traditionally, these goals deal with finance, customer service, quality of care, and image and community.

This year, I was thrilled to see that under our image and community goal was a wellness goal for our employees. What a wonderful idea! We as health care workers should be setting the example for the community when it comes to health and wellness. We took the first step in 2007 when our facility went tobacco free but now we’re going to “lay it on the line” as it were, with a goal of reducing our employees’ body mass index by 5 percent.

If you recall, body mass index is a calculation of body fat using weight and height. Body mass index ranges are as follows:

— Underweight = less than 18.5.

— Normal weight = 18.5 to 24.9.

— Overweight = 25 to 29.9.

— Obesity = 30 or more.

According to the National Organization of Health, two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight with a body mass index of more than 25, and nearly one-third of U.S. adults are obese. These are startling statistics.

In our own organization, our group average body mass index is 30 and, with a 5 percent decrease, we can get it down to less than 29. Indexes that are in the overweight-to-obese range increase our risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and even some cancers.

As we here at Southeastern Regional Medical Center take on this challenge, why don’t you, your employer or your family come along for the ride? There are two keys to unlocking the weight loss puzzle: What we eat and how much we move.

Let’s look at some tips to assist with both.

Eat smaller more frequent meals: Eating a small amount several times a day will make your body more efficient, keep your hunger under control and make it less likely for you to overeat or eat poorly because you are starving.

Eat a MUFA every meal: If you are wondering if a MUFA is some exotic food it is not. MUFA is the acronym for monounsaturated fatty acids. Olive oil, avocados and nuts and seeds are great sources for this high quality fat. These fatty acids provide vitamins, minerals, protein and help provide some protection from heart disease. Just remember that these are also high in calories so make sure you factor them into your total calorie count for the day.

Drink water: Remaining hydrated helps our body’s metabolism burn at a higher rate. Keep a bottle of water handy and drink it all day through. Remember also to increase your intake during exercise.

Exercise can be broken down into three parts.

No. 1 — Assess your fitness level: There is no use trying to figure out where you need to go with your program if you don’t know where your current fitness level lies. To assess your aerobic and muscular fitness, flexibility and body composition consider recording these measurements.

— Your pulse rate before and after a one-mile walk.

— How long it takes you to walk or run a mile.

— How many pushups you can do at a time.

— How far you can reach forward while seated on the floor with your legs in front of you.

— Your waist size measured at your belly button.

No. 2 — Design your fitness program: It is easy to say you are going to exercise every day, but how realistic is that? Make a written plan so you have something to follow.

No. 3 — Get started.

— Start slowly and build up gradually. Give yourself plenty of time to warm up and cool down. This will help prevent injuries and muscle soreness.

— Break things up if you have to. If you find yourself pressed for long stretches of work-out time shorten the time and workout more frequently.

— Be creative. Besides varying between traditional exercising add in activities such as hiking, biking or rock climbing to complement your program.

— Listen to your body. If you feel pain, dizziness or shortness of breath take a break. This is a sign you are pushing too hard.

— Be flexible. If you are not feeling good, give yourself permission to take a day or two off.

Losing weight is something that takes time and perseverance. Make yourself a plan to eat better and move more to get headed in the right direction. Hopefully come October 2010 you will notice the difference in yourself as well as the staff and management at Southeastern Regional Medical Center.

— Kathy Hansen has more than 20 years experience in the health and fitness field. She can be reached via e-mail at hansen02@srmc.org.