SPECIAL EVENT: Pooches in the Park!

Your family and their best friend have an opportunity to improve their health! Come and be a part of the demonstrations and listen to presentations from local veterinary clinics. 

Pooches in the Park is Sponsors by the Friends of the Festus Parks and will happen at the West City Park Fair grounds on Saturday, October 11th, starting at 9:30am with a walk in the park and conclude after a 2:00pm best dog trick contest. This event has FREE ADMISSION. Click here for the attached registration form.

5 Fun Things to Try This Week!

As we transition from summer to autumn, why not change up your fitness routine a little bit? Here are some ideas to "mix things up!"

1. Play disc golf: Also called Frisbee golf, disc golf is a great game to play with a friend! Similar to golf, discs are made differently for putting, driving and mid-range throws. There is a sixteen hole disc golf course in West City Park, and a nine hole course in Jokerst Memorial Park.

2. Take a new class: Fitness classes can be fun and exciting, and for those of us who enjoy working out with a group, they are a perfect fit! There are classes offered in everything from kickboxing to yoga to country line dancing, so head to the gym and take your pick! (Note: The YMCA is offering a 100% discout on the joining fee for the entire month of September!) Or, put a little square in your step and check out the modern square dance workshops Tuesday nights at American Legion Hall.

3. Eat figs: Figs are high in fiber, potassium, and calcium, and they are currently in season! Figs are available fresh or dried, and can be a sweet snack alone or cooked in another dish. Check online for healthly recipes that use figs.

4. Play some pickup: As the cooler weather invites you outside, grab a basketball and head to the court to shoot some hoops. Better yet, grab two basketballs and some friends and enjoy a friendly game of knockout! For a "how to" on knockout, check out http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/36970/how_to_play_basketball_knockout.html.

5. Explore your artistic side: Grab the kids and some sidewalk chalk and find some concrete! You could even draw some boxes and squares on the ground and play hopscotch or four-square!

September is National Cholesterol Education Month

September is National Cholesterol Education Month, a good time to get your blood cholesterol checked and take steps to lower it if it is high. National Cholesterol Education Month is also a good time to learn about lipid profiles and about food and lifestyle choices that help you reach personal cholesterol goals.

High blood cholesterol affects over 65 million Americans. It is a serious condition that increases your risk for heart disease. The higher your cholesterol level, the greater the risk. You can have high cholesterol and not know it. Lowering cholesterol levels that are too high lessens your risk for developing heart disease and reduces the chance of having a heart attack or dying of heart disease.

Have some fun learning! Follow this link for a cross word puzzle on Cholesterol Education.

Here are the answers.

Links to more information
American Heart Association
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute

How much exercise is enough?

You see it everyday on the newsstands and in publications supposed short cuts to improved fitness and health... "six pack abs in only 3 minutes".... "only 10 minutes per day to weight loss"... it goes on and on. But how much is enough? We know that exercise works and a little something is better than a whole lot of nothing. Debunking the myths and knowing the facts is how we can truly make a difference and see the improvement we seek.

Lets start by looking at the where we were and where we are at on what we should be doing. Years ago it was stressed that at least 30 minutes perday 3-5 days per week of aerobic exercise (walking, cycling, swimming, etc) was good to improve our health and maintain our weight. In 2002 a panel of experts with the Institutes of Medicine stated that 60 minutes perday of moderate intensity exercise was replacing the previous recommendation of the American College of Sports medicine and Centers for Disease Control of 30 minutes. It was actually supporting this fact but media coverage of this news was miscommunicated. We know that the majority of the US population is sedentary so this seemed to erode most individuals motivation to exercise especially with busy lifestyles. In 2005 along with a new food pyramid came new physical activity guidelines that stated that we should get 90 minutes a day most days of the week! With this news if you cant get 30 minutes, and you cant get 60 minutes WOW! 90 minutes threw most for a curve! Here is was not interpreted from this data. The ninety minutes perday of physical activity includes the 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise along with increasing our physical activity per day. Meaning, dont drive around Wal-mart parking lot for an hour to find the "sweet spot", park further away and walk, take the stairs instead of the escalator. Remember, physical activity is being active throughout the day and not laying on the couch, exercise is a planned structured program.

With the prevalence of people who get no daily exercise at all, and the rise of obesity , it is important to reinforce that just small increases in physical activity, as little as 30 minutes a day, can improve health.

So how much is enough? As the earlier recommendations support that additional benefits can be gained by larger amounts of activity it is important for those that are primarily sedentary to establish a regular program and increase as time goes by. If an hour or more a day doesnt fit your lifestyle or seems impractical for you then sticking to 30 minutes per day or incremental bouts of 10 minutes 3 times a day will still allow someone to reap the health benefits of exercise.