• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

National Survey Reveals 90 Percent of Adults Want More Life Balance in 2008

Posted on: Monday, 7 January 2008, 09:00 CST

With all that life demands, it's no wonder Americans are overscheduled, overcommitted and overwhelmed. In fact, according to a new national survey commissioned by ConAgra Foods, 90 percent of adults want to lead more balanced lives in the New Year; however, only 21 percent think it's achievable. What's more, an estimated 60 percent of Americans who make New Year's resolutions break them within three months.1 ConAgra Foods is serving up a solution to help people stay true to their activity, nutrition and well-being resolutions. The company today announced a new program called Start Making Choices™ - Your Plan for a Balanced LifeTM, a free, online resource to help consumers create a customized and sustainable plan to achieve balance.

ConAgra Foods is giving Americans the information and interactive tools they need to make simple changes in their diet, their activity level and well-being that can help lead to a more balanced life. Based on three universal components of a balanced life -- nutrition, activity and well-being -- Start Making Choices empowers people to create a personalized plan that fits into their daily lives. The new initiative was developed with Dr. James Rippe, a Harvard-trained cardiologist, pioneer in lifestyle medicine and author of Your Plan for a Balanced Life, the companion book to the Start Making Choices program.

"Between personal trainers and crash diet programs, New Year's resolutions can be expensive -- and short-lived," said Dr. Rippe. "Start Making Choices is free, and it allows you to work at your own pace and integrate small changes over time that will ultimately help to get your life more in balance."

Adopting the nutrition and physical activity recommendations outlined in the USDA's MyPyramid, Start Making Choices helps consumers focus on total health by adding well-being to the equation.

"We know that life balance means more than just physical health," said Dr. Al Bolles, executive vice president of Research, Quality & Innovation at ConAgra Foods. "In fact, more than a third of survey respondents rated relationships as the most important part of their overall health. Start Making Choices differs from other programs because its combined focus on nutrition, activity and well-being allows consumers to truly achieve balance in their lives, which translates into sustainability."

The Balanced Life Index

Taking the Balanced Life Index (BLI) assessment, developed in partnership with Dr. Rippe and based on scientific research, is the first step to finding balance. People can visit StartMakingChoices.com to take a science-based survey, exclusive to the program, to determine their current balance status. Based on each individual's BLI score, Start Making Choices will provide a customized Balanced Life Plan to help users achieve their personal goals. The plan is personalized with food plans, activities and tips for optimizing a sense of well-being that are easily incorporated into daily life. By following the Balanced Life Plan, consumers can track and improve their BLI to impact their overall health.

With the Start Making Choices program, consumers can download wellness podcasts, register for newsletters and recipe makeovers, and design a plan for a Balanced Life™ that's quick, easy and personalized -- and free! Visit StartMakingChoices.com for more information.

About Start Making Choices

Start Making Choices is a free program designed to help consumers achieve balance in their lives. It focuses on three universal components of a balanced life -- nutrition, activity and well-being. The online resources and tools were developed exclusively by ConAgra Foods and Dr. James Rippe, a Harvard-trained cardiologist, author and pioneer in lifestyle medicine.

About ConAgra Foods

ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE:CAG) is one of North America's leading packaged food companies, serving grocery retailers, as well as restaurants and other foodservice establishments. Popular ConAgra Foods consumer brands include: Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt's, Marie Callender's, Orville Redenbacher's, Reddi-wip, PAM and many others. For more information, please visit ConAgraFoods.com.

About Rippe Lifestyle Institute

Founded by James M. Rippe, M.D., Rippe Lifestyle Institute is one of the leading research, communication and health promotion organizations in the world. Through research, publishing and partnering in health promotion and disease prevention projects, the various divisions and two locations of the Rippe Lifestyle Institute are helping empower people to lead healthier lifestyles with the passion, commitment and performance that have made RLI a leading authority on lifestyle and health.

1 Prevention Magazine Survey, January 2007

Source: Business Wire

More News in this Category