What you should know about folic acid and folate and how they affect your body.
The folks at Clyde-Savannah Central School District are serious when it comes to walking.
To paraphrase the old Chevrolet commercial: What goes together in the good ol’ USA? There’s baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and ... 5Ks.
How functional fitness can help you stay strong at the gym and for everyday activity.
Beginner-friendly tips and moves you can use to kick off your yoga regimen.
Aspiring to continue to learn and grow is one of the keys to a fulfilling life. Sometimes it can be eye-opening to look in the mirror, examine oneself and figure out where there may be room for improvement.
Aspiring to continue to learn and grow is one of the keys to a fulfilling life. Sometimes it can be eye-opening to look in the mirror, examine oneself and figure out where there may be room for improvement.
Healthy eating should be a goal all year long.
Physical activity is vital to overall health.
The Lift Project is centered on seven concepts, each of which is covered over a week’s time.
It goes by many names — a circus, adventure or even a game. It’s life. How we navigate the topographic contours of the one we lead is largely influenced by the resources we have at our disposal and who we are, including our physical and mental health.
Silver linings can be more than poetic fodder and pretty pictures. Studies suggest that people who maintain an optimistic outlook, even when life clouds up with adversity, tend to enjoy a higher quality of life than those whose glasses are half-empty.
No matter what’s going on or where it might be going on, time is often of the essence when it comes to just about anything. The clock can be one of the biggest barriers to finding consistent routines, especially when it comes to exercising on a regular basis. But it doesn’t have to be. Check out how to squeeze in a quick yet still-effective workout that can generate real results, even if only 30 minutes are up for grabs.
Caring for plants yields more than beautiful flowers and tasty produce. As they plan, dig, prune and harvest, gardeners are cultivating better physical and mental health. It’s good news that interest in gardening surged during the pandemic. That trend may continue to bloom and bear fruit.
It is common for the physical activity one engages in to take a step back during the colder months. Not getting outdoors as frequently to run, walk, bike or hike can reduce the amount of time spent burning calories and maintaining the desired muscle tone.
When one envisions a U.S National Park, their thoughts may take them west to Yosemite in California; Yellowstone in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho; or Rocky Mountain in Colorado. Those three are among the most popular national parks in the United States, but one does not need to travel across the country to observe the natural beauty, geological features and unique ecosystems, or to experience the numerous recreational opportunities a national park offers.
Yoga practitioners know that a daily dose of sun can help focus the mind, improve circulation and tone muscles. Now the face can get in on the action, as well, thanks to face yoga, an anti-aging exercise regime for the face.
No matter what’s going on or where it might be going on, time is often of the essence when it comes to just about anything. The clock can be one of the biggest barriers to finding consistent routines, especially when it comes to exercising on a regular basis. But it doesn’t have to be. Check out how to squeeze in a quick yet still-effective workout that can generate real results, even if only 30 minutes are up for grabs.
“The pandemic has worsened stress, as boundaries between home and work have been blurred,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California. “Kids, pets, home life and other distractions now interfere with people’s attempts to work. The lack of social contacts or vacations to punctuate our lives have also added stress during COVID. Working remotely, through video visits and little in-person interaction has also significantly limited the multimodal ways we used to work — when we worked in person. For many, COVID had become Groundhog Day, with each day melting into the next, and this is hard.”
Barbara Bell knows the importance of medical care and regular visits to the doctor, and why they’re vital for her during the pandemic. Bell, a retired teacher, has rheumatoid arthritis and takes medication that suppresses her immune system.
January is National Blood Donor Month, but there is never a bad time to be a blood donor and help save lives. Extreme winter weather in some parts of the country and seasonal illnesses often make it difficult for blood banks to maintain sufficient blood supplies during this time of year, so the American Red Cross urges healthy people to give now and encourage others to do the same. Without more donors, patients will not have the blood they need.
The holiday season is one that – even during the coronavirus pandemic – will be sure to include plenty of calorie-rich goodies.
With winter fast approaching, Troop Ben Gardner is expecting the unexpected, as he says all motorists should when there’s snow and ice on the roadways.
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), representing more than 14,000 nursing homes and assisted living communities across the country that provide care to approximately five million people each year, has called on Congress to ensure dedicated funding and priority attention is given to long-term care residents and caregivers.
Between the jigs, hops, points, switches, clicks and batters at an Irish dance class, a partnership was born.
While many people across the nation responded to the arrival of COVID-19 by putting on “pandemic pounds” and feeling a sense of isolation and even depression, faculty and staff in the Manchester-Shortsville Central School District (Red Jacket) were meeting a challenge.
Doug Schmidt, Bill Bowe, Diane Neal, Brenda Gowan and Maura Kostraba have been leaders in their school districts’ efforts to improve the health and well-being of their employees, putting in many hours on top of their demanding jobs for the benefit of fellow workers. All five have either stepped down from longtime leadership posts, or are moving aside to let others lead. Some are retiring after decades in education. Doug Schmidt The story of Doug Schmidt, who has served as wellness committee chair at Victor Central School District, is well known — not just within consortium circles, but regionally and nationally. After having a heart attack at age 49, Schmidt embraced a whole food, plant-based diet, took up running and ultimately shed 60 pounds, dropping all of his medications in the process. Schmidt has consciously instilled better physical health through passion and lifestyle changes. He shares his story to encourage others to adopt healthier diets. He did it through Victor’s wellness committee, the consortium and beyond. Schmidt is retiring this fall as an enrichment teacher working with gifted and talented students at Victor. He played a lead role in encouraging the whole foods, plant-based diet that changed his life, pointing to the plant-based diet challenges the FLASHP schools hold throughout the year. He notes those 10-day challenges have moved well beyond the consortium to involve Ontario County and many businesses. “It’s really expanded across the state,” Schmidt says, noting that his wife, Shari, created a Facebook page called Eat Plants Love that promotes a plant-based life. It has more than 4,000 members. Recipes are shared on the page, and members get support, information and more. “Last year we wrote our own cookbook (Eat Plants Love),” Schmidt says. “We’re working on a second cookbook, Eat More Plants Love. We’re doing that for the January challenge.” He wants to see his last plant-based challenge through. While Schmidt is stepping down as an educator, his and Shari’s efforts to promote the plant-based lifestyle will continue — from the warmer confines of their new home in Phoenix, Ariz., where they are moving to be closer to family. “Helping people regain their health is powerful and so rewarding,” Schmidt says. “Just like in being a teacher, it is another way to make a difference.” Diane Neal Diane Neal, a longtime wellness coordinator at the Seneca Falls Central School District, isn’t retiring from her job as the district’s assistant data coordinator. She is stepping down as wellness committee co-chair and the FLASHP’s Wellness is Now (WIN) co-chair position. Neal has been a leader of the wellness committee since its inception in 2014 after being encouraged to do so by now-retired Superintendent Bob McKeveny. She hopes to stay involved as a committee member. Neal says the committee promotes a number of wellness initiatives that run from blood pressure checks to walking challenges, to the annual plant-based diet challenge that has become a wellness effort staple. The committee also annually takes part in women’s heart health initiatives and hydration challenges, hosts “early bird” workouts, yoga classes and more. She says her co-chair work with the FLASHP wellness group, which includes Rick Amundson of Smola Consulting, “was a joy, and we worked behind the scenes to help Rick create meaningful meetings, brainstorm ideas to present, talk about guest presenters and help assure the meetings went smoothly.” One of her goals was to ensure wellness programs at Seneca Falls had broad participation. The committee encouraged involvement by not just teachers, but support staff such as bus drivers and cafeteria workers as well, she says. The task was not easy, she explains, as each group works in different shifts. Neal says she’s learned so much from her committee involvement, including the need to take care of oneself. “Truly, self care has to be a priority in your life, rather than an afterthought,” Neal says, pointing to meditation, breathing, nutrition and exercise as part of that concept. “It has to start with you. Are you whole enough to turn around and put the energy towards others?” Bill Bowe As a physical education teacher in the Canandaigua City School District, heading the district’s wellness efforts was a natural fit for Bill Bowe. Afterall, wellness is pretty much in the job description. “It’s (the wellness chair job) something I had great interest in,” Bowe says. He retired in June after 34 years at Canandaigua, where he also coached baseball and many other sports. “It felt like a no-brainer.” At Canandaigua, says Bowe, the wellness committee enjoyed many accomplishments — from the promotion of biometric screenings, flu shots, telemedicine and Rally Rewards to strong participation in the annual plant-based diet challenge. But Bowe says one of his proudest accomplishments is the installation of fitness centers in each of the district’s buildings. Those fitness centers gave staff access before, during and after school, Bowe, and they are utilized by many staff members, he says. “Seeing people in there on a daily basis is good, knowing that you were a part of that,” he says. The longtime physical education teacher and coach, who served the wellness committee since 2012, believes it’s an effective tool for promoting good health for all Canandaigua staff members. “I think it’s had a huge impact,” says Bowe. “It’s a good feeling when you do get that email that someone lowered their cholesterol and lost weight.” Bowe says the consortium, working with Excellus and Smola Consulting, is not only improving the lives of school employees, but helping to reduce healthcare costs for all of the districts and their workers. Brends Gowan
The coronavirus pandemic has wiped out countless events and altered many more since March.
The coronavirus pandemic has prompted an uptick in delivery services as more people are heeding the warning to stay inside to limit the spread of COVID-19.
When it comes to describing his goal for The Lift Project, founder Darren Morton has three words.
The Finger Lakes Area School Health Plan is getting a bit more social — which is to say the consortium that includes 37 educational entities across its namesake region of New York can now be found on both Facebook and Instagram.
After a couple weeks of feeling overwhelmed and even a bit blue in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic hitting the U.S., staff members at Penn Yan Central School District received some advice on how to feel better, thanks to Blue Zones; or, more specifically, to a four-week Blue Zones challenge.
A positive, can-do attitude can figuratively move mountains. If your idea of a mountain is increasing physical activity, getting fit and maintaining a healthier lifestyle, there is a movement that’s gaining momentum at Gratiot-Isabella Regional Education Service District.
Seniors are part of the vulnerable population, especially now during COVID-19. Having more communication and time with them is essential, but as social distancing and quarantine are put into place, the future of senior care and seniors has started to shift.
While working out at home has become a necessity for many — with gyms closed during the coronavirus pandemic — home fitness had already been trending before quarantines began. Interactive home workout products such as Peloton, Zwift, Mirror and Tonal are changing the fitness landscape. Convenience and safety are two major plusses that these home streaming platforms offer, according to John Mercer, professor and acting chair of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and the president of the Las Vegas Triathlon Club. “For cycling, a lot of people are reporting that they just feel safer biking indoors rather than being out on the streets,” Mercer says. “It’s not always easy to find routes to exercise outside that are safe. “You can also do it on your own schedule, and you can probably even be a little more efficient with your time. You don’t have to stop at a light or a stop sign.” Mercer says technological advances have allowed home platforms to offer a more interesting workout experience than home equipment provided in the past. “What’s available now are programs that can control the level of resistance,” he adds. “You can have the resistance changed based on a simulated hill or a different type of road condition. That makes it more fun. “People are also able to reach others on a program like Zwift, where they get on their bikes and have a little bit of competition. You can have virtual races where you upload data from a run or an indoor bike ride. Ironman Triathlon is doing these virtual races and so is the United States Triathlon Association.” Stan Lim, photography manager at the University of California-Riverside, is an avid cycler who has realized some of the benefits of working out at home after moving his rides inside during the pandemic. “All my rides were with groups, usually,” he says. “So, I had to change that. I had a bit of a home cycling studio set up, with a couple different bikes that were basically just collecting dust. I figured now was the time to get it set up. “My daughter is home from college, and Peloton was offering a free 90-day subscription, so I figured I’d set it up. It’s been great riding with my daughter at home.” Lim echoes some of Mercer’s sentiments about the positives of riding at home. “The one thing about being at home is safety,” he says. “I don’t have a chance of getting hit by a car. That’s a big thing. Plus being able to just go in the garage and get a quick workout in, it’s very convenient.” Lim says he had noticed many of his fellow riders gravitating toward virtual workouts before the pandemic. “A lot of my friends started getting into Zwift because there are so many features you can use with that,” he adds. “Especially when the weather isn’t great, everyone was jumping on Zwift and getting their workouts in that way. “I know I’ll continue to do this more even when I’m able to get back to going outside. Especially if I get home late from work and don’t have time to go ride outside, I can just do it at home.” Garrett Borunda, vice president of partnerships and platforms at EGYM, says it is important for gyms to embrace and incorporate technology. EGYM offers three major platforms for gyms to utilize: connected equipment that allows gym customers to set up an account and be offered a customized program each time they return to that machine, apps that allow gyms to communicate with customers and utilize virtual programs, and passes for companies to provide their employees with gym, aquatic club and racquet club memberships. “In general, we all know we need to be healthier,” Borunda says. “We want to push to get out there and exercise. We know it is the right thing to do. But there’s often obstacles in the way. Technology offers us an opportunity to get around those obstacles.” Borunda believes technology can help people get past anxiety that may limit their trips to the gym. “If you’re on your device working out at home, you’re not intimidated by being in the club,” he says. “You’re seeing the progress you’re making right on your device and getting rewarded for it, and with the immense amount of content out there, you’re not going to get bored.”
Nick Setta once trained Tyler Jay, a left-handed baseball pitcher who was selected in the first round – sixth overall – of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft by the Minnesota Twins.
As individuals across the country try to adjust to the “new normal” imposed upon them by the coronavirus pandemic, parents and children are struggling to find balance.
For many people, it is a simple routine: wake up, go to work, come home. For the most part, these different aspects of our lives do not tend to cross. We keep our work life in the office or classroom and our personal lives at home with our families.
Women who survive breast cancer can serve as beacons of strength, encouragement and hope. Each story is as unique as the individual who lived it, but many of them share one commonality: It started with a mammogram.
Eating three meals each day has been a staple in our culture since at least the 18th century, some research has shown. By at least the early 19th century, dinner for most people was pushed into the evening, reserved for after work upon returning home for a full meal.
Achea Redd knows anxiety like the back of her hand.
Achea Redd knows anxiety like the back of her hand.
Achea Redd knows anxiety like the back of her hand.
There’s no shortage of medical information on the internet.
What’s your word for 2020? What do you need? What do you need to get rid of?
At some point in your life, you’ve likely experienced feelings of loneliness. It could be from missing a family member or the company of a favorite pet. Or it may stem from being the new person at work and not knowing your way around the office. It might even originate from an overextension of “me time.” Loneliness may be more present these days during the novel coronavirus outbreak and associated societal response.
The societal response to the Covid-19 outbreak in the United States has led to most people practicing social distancing, and large segments of some states’ populations essentially in social isolation. Spending more time than usual indoors and away from social situations, and the lack of facetime with friends is something many people are struggling with. Time alone without that social outlet is for some people new, uncomfortable and even scary.
CCAC Human Resources in collaboration with the CCAC Wellness Committee held CCAC’s fifth annual Wellness Fair at the South Campus. This year, the fair featured over 30 vendors and attractions to include a Fitness Corner, a Mini-Clinic and a Veterans’ Corner.
IRMC was awarded an ‘A’ in fall 2019 by Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, providing the hospital national distinction for achievements pertaining to protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care.
The Wellness Committee at Honeoye CSD has two new co-coordinators. Jennifer Green, district clerk for the superintendent of schools at Honeoye CSD served as wellness coordinator then took a three-year break. Last September, Green reprised her role and asked Deb Vanderbroek, a teaching assistant, to share the position as a wellness co-coordinator.