Healing Service To Be Held

First United Methodist Church of Forreston is holding a healing service at 6:00 PM Sunday, February 28th. The church is located on Route 26 and Birch St. across from the Grade School in Forreston, Illinois. The service if open to the public and all faith groups. There is no dress code or restrictions on those who wish to attend. For those who are handicapped and have trouble with stairs please contact the church to make arrangements for accessibility.

The service is designed to teach those attending about health and healing. Its a holistic approach which teaches the connection between the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual person. The service will provide worship opportunities for releasing past bad memories and trauma as well as the offering of the laying on of hands with anointing and prayer for those who wish to receive it. It will also provide an opportunity for those attending to be reconciled with God and to repair that broken relationship. Open Door, Open Hearts, Open Minds, we are the people of the United Methodist Church. For more information contact Pastor / Evangelist Kent Svendsen at

Addictions Affect Us All

by Rev. / CH (ret.) Kent Svendsen

As a trained counselor I have heard many sad stories as concerns addictions. Those stories range from the loss of jobs, to the break up of marriages, to even the tragic loss of life due to addiction problems. What I find most important is that addictions do not discriminate against any social strata or economic lifestyle.

Whether it be drugs, alcohol, sex, or even gambling there are some who can control their appetites and others for whom it controls them. I remember one conversation I had with an acquaintance whom I thought had his life totally together and in control. He was a successful businessman with a wonderful wife and strong ties to his church. As we talked I could sense anxiety in his voice. When I asked him what was wrong he told me that his wife had a gambling problem. She had tried it once or twice to have some innocent fun only to end up maxing out all of their credit cards obtaining cash advances to gamble. They will have to work hard to pay it off before its time to retire, but that’s only if she gets help to stop gambling!

Today there are reported to be 62 twelve-step programs which were developed using as a pattern the well know Alcoholics Anonymous program! In fact there is a Nationwide Addiction Assistance Helpline () which was established just to help people find help for their particular addiction. With so many people in our nation affected by addictions it’s important that the public educate themselves on the subject of addictions.

One opportunity to do so is coming up March 20th at the First United Methodist Church of Forreston. Its an Alcoholics Anonymous Speaker Meeting which is open to the public. The event will be held from 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM in the church basement. The guest speaker has twenty-seven years of sobriety and will be discussing the journey he has taken to escape from addiction. He will also talk about steps people can take to help free themselves or a friend / loved one from addictions. The event is being hosted by the Forreston Early Bird AA Group which meets at the church every Monday morning at 8:00 AM. First United Methodist Church is located on route 26 in Forreston across from the grade school in Forreston, Illinois. For more information contact the church office at .

Community Garden & Young Gardener Program Destined for Morrison?

Meeting to be Held March 3
Morrison, Illinois – The Morrison Community Hospital Foundation has a vision of joining the community together while promoting healthy living. One way the MCH Foundation Board would like to accomplish this is by creating a community garden in Morrison and by designing an educational gardening program for young children.

The inspiration came from a successful program developed by Lindy Beswick, designed for a larger health system in Oklahoma. On Christmas Eve, Chad Haskell, MCH Director of Communications, Lindy, and her husband, Donovan Beswick, met to discuss a program titled “Little Sprouts”. The program incorporates educating young children on the benefits of gardening, allows them to experience gardening, embraces family togetherness, and encourages healthy eating choices.

In addition to the young children’s program, The MCH Foundation is gathering collaborators to work with them to create a community garden in Morrison. “The support and enthusiasm has been unbelievable. I can already envision the garden filled with people of all generations working together and sharing information. After reading the recent data reporting the growing obesity rates in the nation it has become apparent that we need to take a more proactive approach to healthcare. We can accomplish that through community programs and education. I encourage anyone who is interested in the project to join us in this effort,” said Chad Haskell.

The concept is to use square foot gardening and allow service groups, churches, individuals, families, schools, businesses, etc. to purchase a lot for growing and maintaining their own garden. They can choose to do what they would like with what they grow. Some may decide to sell items at the farmers market, donate produce to the food pantry, use for church community dinners, or take home for their families. There may be a minimal price to purchase a lot but the fees will be used to help cover costs of building the garden. The cost has not been determined. There have been several land locations that have been offered as possible sites for the proposed community garden.

There will be a meeting held at the Odell Library Community Room on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 7 p.m. to discuss ideas, gather volunteers, and determine potential financial supporters for the project. Everyone is welcome to attend. The Odell Library is located at 307 S. Madison St. Morrison, IL. For more information please contact MCH Director of Communications, Chad Haskell, at .

Educating Hearts & Minds for Healthy Dating Relationships

University of Illinois Extension is currently engaged in a statewide initiative, funded by the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership (ICMHP) to educate school staff, pre-service teachers and families about the benefits of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and the Illinois SEL Learning Goals and Standards.

“University of Illinois Extension is committed to increasing the number of youth who have the skills and knowledge needed for forming and maintaining healthy dating relationships and ultimately, healthy marriages,” said Durriyyah Kemp, Youth Development Educator at University of Illinois Extension. “Research has shown that helping teens acquire skills about healthy relationships can help prevent unhealthy relationships and future marital instability.

“Although the desire and act of dating is a natural aspect of adolescence, there are many risk factors that may impact the positive development of youth and have lasting implications on their social and emotional growth,” Kemp continued. “With over 50 percent of U.S. teens reporting to be in dating relationships, 20 percent admitting to being emotionally abused within the past year and 33 percent having knowledge of someone who has been physically assaulted by a dating partner, the possibility of risk in those relationships is significant.”

Risk factors also include other emotional aspects of dating and break-ups, additional forms of dating abuse, risk of sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy, depression, peer pressure and suicide, among others. As a result, Kemp added, “It is critical that youth develop skills to be self-aware, make responsible decisions and have adequate relationship skills to communicate effectively and increase their levels of self-efficacy.” She said acquiring these skills will also provide youth with the ability to analyze their level of maturity, and decide whether they are socially and emotionally ready to date.

Extensive research during the past three decades demonstrates that these skills can be successfully taught in a classroom setting. “Educators may not be able to teach all relevant skills through formal instruction,” said Kemp, “but they can assist youth through experience, practice, modeling and observation.” This is possible utilizing teamwork, collaborative learning and small group discussions to provide opportunities for youth to learn in supportive environments.

“However, teaching is most effective when parents and educators are partners in the effort,” Kemp noted. “Everyone has a role to play to ensure that youth are acquiring the necessary skills. When these skills are taught early and explicitly, youth have the greatest opportunity to be successful, not only academically, but socially and emotionally in relationships, school, work and every aspect of their life.”

Whether it’s on a date, in the classroom, or online, teens need the skills to resolve conflict peacefully, work collaboratively, show empathy, make thoughtful decisions and manage their emotions. “All of these are skills that contribute to building healthy, meaningful relationships,” Kemp concluded. “When we educate hearts and minds or more commonly, teach social and emotional skills, we equip youth with tools for cultivating healthy relationships with others.”

Extension staff is developing programming and providing opportunities for youth to engage in educational activities that explicitly teach effective communication skills, understanding of self, consequences of relationship aggression, and healthy dating behaviors. For more information about University of Illinois Extension and their efforts around Social & Emotional Learning and Healthy Relationships for Youth, please visit: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu and http://www.extension.uiuc.edu/sel.

Get Fit Now - Ask Me How

A Very Basic Fitness Plan For Everyone

By Bill Whedon, CPFT, and Kent Dobbins, MS

Courtesy of www.worldfitness.org. 

Almost everyone who writes to us at World Fitness, wants a workout plan of some sort.  This article proposes a simplified plan, sort of a “one size fits all”, which you and your Certified Personal Trainer will be able to modify to suit you, specifically.  Many people will be able to take this plan as is, and get good results. 

However, bear in mind that everyone is different, so some modifications may be in order.  If you find that you can’t do it, or it isn’t working for you after some reasonable period (6 to 8 weeks), then you should see a local Certified Personal Trainer about those modifications.  There will be more on this subject further along.

Before we begin, I must make it clear that this plan should only be done by persons in good health, with no medical conditions which would prevent them from following it safely.  If you have any reason to believe that you do not fit this profile, you should first consult with your physician and obtain his/her approval before beginning.  And with that caution in mind, let’s get going!

Components of Fitness 


There are four basic components of fitness:

1) Aerobic: Your level of aerobic fitness is the over-all condition of your cardiopulmonary (heart and lung) system.  How well you function in this department, for example, whether or not walking up a flight of stairs is a problem, is the main area of interest.  If you are aerobically fit, your heart is strong, your lungs are in good condition, and common everyday activities are performed with little effort.  If you find yourself huffing and puffing when you walk up a little hill, it’s probably time to get interested in your body’s aerobic component.

2) Nutrition: How do you eat?  Are you a “junk-food junkie”?  Do you try every fad diet in the book -- no carbs, all carbs, all fish, dairy diets, all veg, etc.?  Or maybe you eat pretty normally, but still can’t seem to get into the shape you desire?  Establishing, and staying with, a “human-normal” diet, and a “hominid-normal” pattern of eating, is probably the best way to handle diet.  Throw out the diet books, the supplements, and the pills.  Quit watching the “infomercials”, and quit believing the hype.  It’s time for common sense, and a way of eating that will help you to become and remain fit and healthy.

3) Strength: You’re alone in your car, driving across the South Dakota badlands.  It’s 1 AM, and there has been nobody on the road with you for over an hour.  Nobody and nothing around for miles.  It’s cold out, and you only have a light jacket.  You feel a slight bump, and the left rear tire is suddenly flopping.  A blowout.  You stop on the side of the road, and whip out your cell phone.  Its battery is dead, and you don’t have your car adaptor.  In the trunk, you find a good spare tire, a jack with a handle, and a lug wrench.  The car is an SUV - a heavy one, with big, heavy tires.  It’s getting colder, and you don’t have enough gas to run your car all night.  You know how to change a tire, because you’ve done it before, but that was on a Geo Metro, with little Life-Saver sized tires.  Can you change the tire on your Land Cruiser?  Maybe now, while you’re sitting at your computer reading this, would be a good time to start thinking about improving your strength!

4) Measurement: “If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?”  A very pertinent question, indeed!  Not only that, it’s very useful to know where you’re coming from, and to look at the mileposts along the way.  If you’re presently living in an athletic body, chances are, you already know about total bodyfat measurement.  If, however, like most of us, that athletic body is a goal rather than a reality, a tape measure will do just fine!  What?  No scale?  Well, if you really need to watch your weight, that is, if you know you’re obese and want to bring it down, there’s nothing wrong with using a scale.  Just don’t obsess on your attraction to the center of the earth.  It isn’t all there is by way of measurement!  In fact, weighing yourself more than once a week is a waste of time!  Saturday morning, buck naked, right after your first elimination and a shower.  That’s when you do it.  No other time.  Write it on a piece of paper, and forget it until next week, same time, same conditions.

Aerobic Exercises

Aerobic exercise is fun, both to plan and to do!  When we think of it, however, we almost inevitably picture jumping around in a high-impact aerobic-dance class, or doing step, or some kickboxing form.  Not everyone likes that stuff.  Maybe you don’t, but you want to get aerobically fit, anyhow.

First, some ground rules, no matter what you do:

- You have to do aerobic exercise on a regular basis.  That means at least 3 times per week, preferably 4.

- You have to maintain a fairly intense “zone” for at least 30 minutes, preferably 40.  More on this later.

- The exercise you do must be enjoyable to you.  If it isn’t, you’ll find “reasons” to skip it, and finally abandon it.

- There is such a thing as overdoing it.  Don’t go overboard - you’ll set yourself up for injuries and burnout!

Exercising regularly “pumps up” your metabolism in a good way (unlike the “metabolism enhancers”, aka drugs, from the Diet & Supplement Contingent).  within reason, the more frequently you exercise, the more active your metabolism will become.

You can easily tell whether you are doing aerobic exercise at an appropriate rate for you.  Here’s how:

1. You are breathing heavily, but can carry on a conversation, saying 4 or 5 words between breaths.

2. You are not gasping for breath for each word you say.

3. You could not sing a song, if asked to do so.

Finding an enjoyable exercise form, might be the most difficult task of all.  We’re all very busy these days, so whatever we do, we want it to be fun and profitable.  I suggest that you try many different things.  Get outside and walk.  If the weather or climate doesn’t permit that, do it in a mall or large shopping center.  Some gyms are big enough to have walking/running tracks.  If you’d rather, ride a bicycle.  Or get a pair of inline or rink skates, and try that out, outside, or at a rink, wherever is suitable.

Swim - Run - Jog - Take an aerobics class (any kind). The primary thing is, get out there and move!

You don’t have to start in all at once.  You don’t have to commit to anything until you know that you like it.  You do have to look yourself in the face, though, and make that decision to do it.  3 or 4 times a week.  At intensity.  For duration.  You have the plan now, and that’s all of it.  It’s really simple, and you can do it.  But you have to start.  Now.

How to Eat (Nutrition)

You don’t have to starve to become fit.  In fact, not eating enough will have exactly the opposite of the desired effect!  When you eat too little, your body knows it, and it reacts.  It reacts by storing everything you eat as fat, and consuming it’s muscle tissue for the “fuel”.  People who are starving, often have very high bodyfat percentages.  It’s the body’s way of protecting itself against famine.  So you need to eat enough to overcome that reaction.  Which translates to eating enough to remain healthy, to provide the “fuel” for those muscles to burn off the fat!

Up above, I used the words, “human”, and “hominid”.  Although all humans are hominids, all hominids aren’t human.  Forget the battle between Creation and Evolution for a moment, and consider this:  We’re very similar to the apes on this planet.  Not identical, but we have the same sorts of teeth, same sorts of digestive systems, and similar other items.  Another similarity is in our metabolisms.  I want you to pay close attention to this:

Outside of zoos, there are no un-fit, fat monkeys.

So, if we’re so similar, then, why do we get un-fit and fat and they don’t?

Outside of zoos, monkeys move around a lot, and eat small amounts, almost continuously!

When you eat small amounts, frequently, some Very Good Things happen.  Your blood sugar stays pretty level, which means that you’re not producing tons of insulin when you gobble down a big, high-carb meal, nor are you requiring your brain (which runs best on sugars), to put up with running on ketones, which you do on those abominable “high-protein” “ketogenic” diets.  (Aside:  I’d love to see some institute of higher learning administer an IQ test to people just before, and about 4 weeks into, a high-protein/no carb diet!)  Since you eat all the time, you’re never really all that hungry at any one moment.  No “pigging-out” needed.  No requirement to change your diet to eat All Protein, or All Carbs, or All Veggies, or All Fish!  You eat what you like, in small quantities, pretty much all the time!

You do still have to pay attention to proper nutrition.  You still can’t eat burgers and fries for every meal, and expect to get trim.  But you can eat some burgers, some fries, some pizza -- just not every day, and not as your primary food source.   It’s a common sense approach, and that’s the best way!

How To Get Enough (But Not Too Much) Food


In other words, how do you know you’re eating enough, but not so much that you’ll increase your bodyfat?  The answer is an item called the Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR.  That is calculated for each individual, using a formula which has been developed by lengthy testing in real-world situations.  There are a number of fitness calculators for this on the Internet.

8 Best Weight Loss Tips

There are a lot of “crash” diets out there that promise that you’ll drop a considerable amount of weight in days or a week. I have tried a few of these, and in my experience the weight always comes back on, just as quickly since the weight loss tips given are not something that will work with your body.

One thing you don’t want to do if you are actually serious about losing weight is to follow these fad diets and their ridiculous weight loss tips. After their ineffectiveness has been proven time and again, people will start to wise up to that particular diet, and will head off in search of a new craze. Lets be honest, people are always searching for new weight loss tips because they want to lose pounds and they want immediate results, but this is just wishful thinking.

To lose weight permanently and effectively it will be a rather slow progress, all depending on your metabolic rate and how much you need to lose. There are however some proven tried and true weight loss tips for aiding in the weight loss process, and I can make you familiar with them.

- Weight Loss Tip 1: Don’t skip breakfast. Whatever you do follow this advice, because otherwise you are much more likely in fact prone to binge later in the day.

- Weight Loss Tip 2: Don’t eat anything for at least an hour before going to bed.

- Weight Loss Tip 3: Don’t snack while watching TV. It’s acceptable to eat a meal while watching television, but never is snacking at this time acceptable.

- Weight Loss Tip 4: Substitute fruits like; bananas, watermelon, plums, peaches, and oranges for sugary treats like; cookies and candy.

- Weight Loss Tip 5: Substitute honey for sugar, and carob powder for chocolate in all recipes. These taste just as good if not better when used properly.

- Weight Loss Tip 6: Eat more vegetables. This can even be enjoyable if you have a good cookbook like Good Housekeeping’s latest edition.

- Weight Loss Tip 7: Avoid unnecessary high calorie foods. Instead of a high calorie salad dressing for instance, try cottage cheese or yogurt to improve the salads taste and peel off the pounds.

- Weight Loss Tip 8: Exercise at least a half hour each day for five days out of the week. Biking on a stationery bike while reading is a great form of exercise to slim legs.

In conclusion there is nothing stopping you from losing weight except yourself. Get off the “I can’t do anything about my weight problem” bandwagon and start dropping pounds today!

For Fast Weight Loss Go to Cybergenics Quick Trim 14 Day Weight Loss Now. Article courtesy of www.worldfitness.org.

Staying Fit and Golfing Over 40

By Herb Cherwoniak
Publisher, GolfPlayerMania.com

Courtesy of www.worldfitness.org

If you find yourself falling more and more behind your golfing friends, consider starting a fitness program geared towards golfing. Especially if you are over 40, a fitness program can drastically improve your golf game. Keeping fit, especially in the winter off-season, is a great way to improve your golfing. The key is to begin a golf fitness program that is geared both to your needs and to your current level of fitness.

Nearly every kind of exercise helps your golf game, because golfing uses every part of your body. A regular exercise routine that works all of the parts of your body is one basic step towards improving your golf game through fitness. There are also a few golf-specific exercises to work the muscles that you use to swing the club.

Flexibility is important for golfing, and that’s why it is important to stretch. As you age, it is especially important to stretch your muscles before golfing or any other athletic activities. Just a little amount of golf oriented stretching will make a noticeable difference to your swing. You should always stretch before a round, although it can also help to stretch even on the days you don’t plan to golf. If your legs feel tired after a day on the course, or you wake up the next morning with any soreness, you need to stretch more before you golf.

When you swing, you are rotating your body. Stretching your torso and abdomen is important, although it is often overlooked by people who just stretch their arms and legs. Sit on the floor, and raise up one knee so that your foot is flat on the floor and your knee is pointing up. Then twist so that you are looking behind you, bracing the opposite elbow on the raised knee. After a few seconds, switch so that the other knee is off the ground, again bracing your opposite elbow on the knee as you turn to look behind you.

Exercising your core muscles can improve your overall strength, which in turn will improve your golf game. Crunches and other traditional exercises are great ways to do this. Balance is also important for golfing; try balancing on one leg at least once per day to improve your balance. Although you may not associate weight lifting with golf training, increased muscle strength means increased control over your movements. Use lighter weights when working out, and focus on the hamstrings in your legs, as well as the muscles in your lower back. Lifting light dumbbells can improve the strength in your arms and shoulders. Don’t overdo weight lifting, especially if you have never tried it before. As you age, you naturally lose muscle mass, so it is important to build it back up through exercising.

Cardio exercises are often overlooked by those who think cardio isn’t important to golfing. However, cardio exercise can improve your endurance and stamina on the course. If you often feel worn out after a game of golf, try cardio. Low-impact cardio exercises include swimming, riding a bike, and even walking. One tip I can offer is plan a reward for all your hard work. Rather than look at free pictures of the augusta national golf course why not plan a weekend trip and play a round or two in Georgia?

Many senior golfers will tell you that a decline in performance as you age is inevitable, but if you take good care of your body and get plenty of exercise, you can maintain your golf performance level. It takes just a few minutes per day to improve your golf game through exercising, no matter your age.

About the Author: Herb Cherwoniak has a B.SC in Kinesiology,is an avid golfer and publisher of GolfPlayerMania.com ... A Meeting Place For Golfers. Come check out the website. We have everything from women golf shirts and gifts to college golf women photos.

Good Food vs Bad Food - Good Carbs vs Bad Carbs

By Kathryn Martyn

Courtesy of www.worldfitness.org

We’ve entered the Twilight Zone when it comes to the multitude of diets being promoted today. Starting with the Atkins Diet, then the South Beach Diet, now the Hamptons Diet and more. All higher in protein, lower in carbs, but the distinction should be quality of carbs (good or bad), not singling out one nutrient entirely. If you are on the Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet or any other variation of a high protein/low carb diet, simply adjust from eating low quality bad carbs like refined flour and sugar products (think if it comes in a box, it’s likely low quality) to eating more whole food products and good carbs like fresh vegetables and fruits - yes fruits.

Apples vs. Apple Jacks - You be the Judge

I know the traditional Atkins Diet doesn’t advocate much fruit (too high sugar) but think about that for one minute. My strong belief is that an apple is a good food. A bowl of Apple Jacks cereal may not be on an equal level. One is highly processed, sweetened by added white sugar and corn syrup, and one is natural, plucked from a tree and sweetened by the sun. Which would you choose? Don’t shun fresh fruit for the sake of following your low carb diet to the letter.

Eliminating healthy, wholesome foods is not the best way to learn to eat better, but severely cutting back on the frequency of eating highly processed foods is. I saw a site which called it GM or MM: God Made or Man Made. If you think of those terms when you go to choose your foods, it starts to make more sense. No one says you shouldn’t eat chips, or whatever strikes your fancy, but make them a treat - and eat the GM foods more often.

Common Sense Diet

Common sense will answer the question about what to eat. If you are on Atkins, South Beach or any variation of low carb diet, avoid processed foods, not natural foods. Stop using “instant” breakfast, and cook whole rolled oats for instance. Sure you might have to get up 10 minutes earlier, oh well. You’re worth it!

You can still stay on a higher protein food plan, but this one minor adjustment will allow you to continue with your eating plan for a lifetime, rather than a short-time. I’d go insane if I couldn’t eat my daily apple, banana or other fruit. I love fruit. I think there’s a very good reason humans desire sweet foods - Vitamin C, and other nutrients, including bio-flavnoids.

Can You Be Addicted to Fruit?

I heard someone complain they were “addicted to fruit” and I had to wonder, what do they eat? The person who refuses to eat fruit because they believe it is too high in sugar, probably does eat cookies, crackers and sugary cereals. They might even drink artificially flavored and sweetened drinks, but they refuse to eat a natural food, grown from our earth? That makes no sense, if you think about it. Did our planet develop and thrive based on processed foods? No, of course not. They are very recent in the evolution of our world. Very recent. In fact, we’ve had processed foods less than 200 years while our planet is millions of years old.

With the high incidence of obesity, and our high consumption of processed foods, it’s hard not to draw the conclusion that one causes the other. You won’t hear big industry stating that case because our economy depends on us buying the products being produced by the companies that employ us. You’ll never see it reported that “scientists discovered refined flour kills,” even if it were proven true because it doesn’t support our way of life. We need industry.

Yes, progress marches on, but when it comes to your body, common sense rules the day. The Common Sense Diet! Try it on for size today.

Walking Exercise Program

By Tina Seay

If you are already fitness walking several times a week, great! Now its time to step it up a bit. Here are 6 ways to turn your walks into workouts. They involve adding a little creativity but with these few simple techniques you can maximize the benefits of your walk and get more of an overall body workout.

Walking Workouts

Swing it!

Have you ever made fun of the walkers who swing their arms? Well they know something you don’t. This is the best way to increase the effectiveness of your workout. Bend your arms at your elbow 90 degrees as you walk. Swinging your arms will quicken your pace, raise your heart rate and help you to burn 5 to 10 percent more calories. Continue walking at a quick pace with your arms swinging naturally by your side. As you walk gradually bend them into the 90 degree angle. Keep a natural rhythm to your swing. Walking with bent arms will help with your gait, balance, and propulsion.”

Interval walking

Breaking up your walk into slow and fast segments is a great way to increase your stamina, build muscle and burn more calories. Vary the pace of your walk so that you have a phase of working hard (up to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate) followed by a recovery phase where you stroll slowly bringing your heart rate down.

Head for the hills

Rough it!

If you normally walk circuit on sidewalks or paved road shoulders, it might be time to find a trail. Walking on a rough but level track requires 50 percent more energy than walking on a paved road. Find a local park that has hiking trails or maybe there is a hiking club in your area that you can join. Look in the phone book or on the internet under volksmarching.

Circuit walking

A combination of walking workout routine and strength training. This may seem a little foreign at first but give it a try and you’ll find that time go by quickly and you’ll become stronger for it. Walk for a while then stop and do an exercise like sit ups or push ups on a park bench or even jumping jacks, just some exercise other than walking. This will shock your body into a new level of fitness.

Enter an event

Sign up for a 5K or 10K walking event or even walk for a cause, Breast Cancer or pregnancy center. Set a goal and train for that goal like an athlete. This will keep you motivated and push you towards the next level of fitness walking.

Reward yourself with a good pair of walking shoes.

Tina Seay is the author and webdesigner of http://www.LearnSomethingToday.com Her goal is to help others achieve their goals and live a quality life. Courtesy of www.worldfitness.org

Fitness, Diet and Body Type

Courtesy www.worldfitness.org

One of the most important part of a fitness program is knowing and understanding your body type and finding what works for you. Everyone is an individual with a unique makeup. To this, every program designed has to be tailored towards the specific individual. Knowing what your bodys natural tendencies are, a diet and exercise program can be designed to go with the natural flow instead of fight it. One method of catagorizing body types recognizes three different physical types and is called Somatypes. Somatypes recognizes the mesomorph, the ectomorph and the endomorph. From these three catogories it then sub-divides into approximatly 45 different forms of body types consisting of a combination of all three body types. No one is totally one body type. The ways and places a person gains and stores body fat plays a large role in determining the body types. Knowing your body type will aid in the development of an effective training program as each body type responds differently to exercise and exercise type.

Mesomorph

The mesomorph has a large chest, long torso, solid muscle mass and is very strong. Mesomorphs find it easy to build muscle mass and respond well to training of all types. Short recovery times are sufficient for mesomorphs because of the bodys positive response to training. Mesomorphs usually dont require long workout sessions. Cardio workouts should be short with high intensity to increase the lactate threshold, the fat burning, low intensity long duration cardio sessions are not needed. A balanced diet with sufficient amounts of protein and carbohydrates to fuel the high metabolism. Mesomorphs are the happy medium, muscular but lean.

Endomorph

The endomorph has short musculature, a round face, short neck, wide hips and havy fat storage. Endomorphs will not have trouble building muscle mass but will have trouble losing fat. Endomorphs should include cardio workouts into their training programs and maintain a low calorie diet that contains the necessary amounts of protein and carbohydrates and definetly watch the fats. High set, high repetition exercise with short rest periods work best as this aids in the burning of calories and fat reduction. Endomorphs tend to have a higher percentage of fast twitch (sprint) muscle fibers. They can add muscle mass quicker, but can gain fat very easily as well.

Ectomorph

The ectomorph has a short upper body, long arms and legs, long narrow feet and hands and very little fat storage. Narrow shoulders and narrow chest with long thin muscles. The typical ectomorph wants to gain lean muscle mass, develop strength and endurance. Muscle mass develops slowly and moderately heavy to heavy resistance training works best for ectomorphs. An increase in the daily caloric consumption will aid in the development of building lean muscle mass. Increase protein and carbohydrates. Workout sessions are usually longer with cardio workouts kept to a minimum usually consisting of short duration, high intensity. Ectomorphs tend to have a higher percentage of slow twitch (endurance) muscle fibers. Ectomorphs have a harder time adding muscle mass, but seem to eat anything without gaining fat.

March Tai Chi Classes to Get Ready for Spring

Get ready for Spring! Do some basics to warm up your own body for the warmer weather that is coming…and ease into spring with some low impact exercising, Tai Chi. This is a form of exercise that uses breathing and total body motion to develop a healthier body. It is for individuals of any age that want to extend their body’s flexibility and balance while strengthening the cardiovascular and respiratory system. Tai chi exercise has been proven to be more effective than regular stretching exercises in studies to reduce pain and improve the overall physical and mental health in people over 60. Whatever your age get ready for spring with Tai chi during the month of March.

Do a little personal “warming up” to get ready for the activities of this spring and summer and join us! Tai Chi classes will be offered for a 4 week series at the Odell Library Community Room March 5, 12, 19, and 26 from 12:15 – 1:15. Cost of each class is $5.00. Tai Chi instructor is Mr. Trirong Khuntangta, Sauk Community College. Mr. Khuntangta is well known in Morrison for his quality Tai Chi Program and his Traditional Wellness Center in Dixon. His Program in Morrison is a part of his out-reach service to communities to enhance personal health. Please contact Nancy Anderson for any questions at .