CONCERNED: Although more Southlanders want to keep fit, World Health and Fitness gym owner Sid Cumming believes there would not be a demand for a new gym in Invercargill.

SAN DIEGO, Apr 23, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) –
In businesses across the nation, workplace wellness has morphed from a “nice-to-have” fringe benefit to a “must-have” cost-containment strategy. Wellness has real return-on-investment potential, and it can work on practically any level, according to Healthyroads, Inc., the total population health management subsidiary of American Specialty Health Incorporated (ASH). That’s why in May, during Global Employee Health and Fitness Month, Healthyroads is offering employers nine “best practice” tips to encourage organizations to build a culture of wellness at their worksites.

“As noble as it is to celebrate employee health and fitness in the month of May, it makes better fiscal sense to implement a sustainable, long-term wellness program that can, over the long run, reduce company health costs, and increase employee productivity and morale,” said Healthyroads CEO and chairman George DeVries.

According to the 2012 Annual Plan Design Survey published by the National Business Group on Health,64 percent of employers surveyed indicated that wellness initiatives are among the top three most effective tactics for controlling health care costs. And, a February 2010 study published in Health Affairs (Baiker, et al.) found that medical costs fall by about $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness programs and that absenteeism costs fall by about $2.73 for every dollar spent.

To mark Global Employee Health and Fitness Month, Healthyroads offers the following tips to help companies begin building a fit company:

1. Understand Your Goals. Does your company have a broad population of smokers with smoking-related health issues that are increasing health care costs? Are there work-related back injuries increasing medical utilization? Know the root causes of your increasing health costs by studying your claims data, absenteeism and other issues that can reveal the real causes of your increasing health costs. Then develop a wellness program that helps to reduce those issues, among others.

2. Know what motivates your employees. Set real and achievable goals, then create a meaningful incentive to motivate healthy changes in your culture. Based on human nature, individuals must be mentally ready to make a change before they will engage in healthy activities. Incentives can help stimulate the motivation your employees may need to get started or keep going.

3. Get senior management support for your health improvement initiatives. Is there a manager in your organization who is ready to quit tobacco, lose weight or get fit? Encourage him or her to become a champion of health and fitness, charting his or her progress along the way. For example, if senior managers smoke, employees will have a hard time believing your company’s commitment to go smoke-free. Encourage your leaders to set an example for healthier lifestyles.

4. Build a champions network. Ideally, this network should consist of representatives of the entire company supporting any company-wide health improvement initiatives. Your champions are the eyes, ears, arms, and legs of your wellness program and can help you disseminate information and provide feedback.

5. Provide consistent, multi-faceted communication touch-points throughout the course of the year. Oftentimes, employers want to believe they can simply “launch” a health improvement program, and those employees who need it most will participate. That is often not the case. It may take many messages to get through to some people. Vary the mode in which you communicate your efforts, using posters, emails, meetings, contests, bulletin boards, word of mouth and onsite health activities. Different approaches get through to different people.

6. Implement population-wide onsite health activities throughout the year. This will generate awareness and enthusiasm, especially when set up as competitions. The Healthyroads(R) Total Health Management Program offers 20 creative and fun challenges that employers can use to get employees healthier year-round.

7. Promote a culture of wellness. Get your whole company involved in the process of health improvement. Encourage healthy alternatives at luncheons, offer healthy foods in vending machines, organize lunchtime run/walk clubs and send out monthly emails that keep people motivated. When health surrounds you, you’re apt to embrace it!

8. Provide onsite educational activities. Research local or community resources available to provide lunch and learns, health fairs, onsite massage therapy or gym membership discounts for your employees.

9. Initiate and integrate. Wellness programs that are included as part of an employee’s benefit plans (medical, prescription drug, disease management, EAP, etc.) provide a seamless program design that streamlines communication and education.

“Motivating lasting behavior change is not easy; health improvement programs compete with your employees’ other life demands,” added DeVries. “But following these best practices can help you get their attention and give them rewarding reasons to get involved. Then, everyone wins.”

About Healthyroads

Healthyroads, Inc., a subsidiary of national health services company American Specialty Health Incorporated (ASH), offers a wide range of total population health services solutions–including award-winning telephone-based lifestyle and condition coaching programs, member engagement promotion programs, program management, health risk assessment, biometric screenings, claims analytics, risk stratification, outreach, incentive management programs, competitive challenges, worksite wellness programs and/or an integrated online wellness portal, Healthyroads.com.

Healthyroads offers these programs to more than 6.1 million members nationally. ASH provides total population health services, specialty health care management, and fitness and exercise services to health plans, insurance carriers, employer groups and trust funds. Based in San Diego, ASH has more than 800 employees and serves over 27 million members. For more information about ASH health and wellness programs, visit ASHCompanies.com or call (800) 848-3555. Follow us on Twitter @ASHCompanies or @Healthyroads and on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/Healthyroads !

This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire,
www.globenewswire.com

SOURCE: American Specialty Health

CONTACT: American Specialty Health
Lisa Freeman
310-390-3070
lisaf@ashn.com

(C) Copyright 2010 GlobeNewswire, Inc. All rights reserved.

Financial Glossary

Words used in this article:

 Dietitian Patricia Chuey shows off some of the many healthy snacks athletes can eat during training. Though fitness trainers are often asked about nutrition, most receive little education on the subject.Photograph by: MARK VAN MANEN POSTMEDIA FILE
, Freelance

When it comes to burning calories, fitness professionals are the experts. When it comes to consuming calories, however, they may not be the best source of information.

Fitness instructors and personal trainers receive very little, if any, nutritional education as part of their training. Yet, they’re constantly quizzed about what foods to eat, what to avoid and what diet works best.

Good trainers stay within the scope of their practice and offer general nutrition advice as it pertains to exercise. Too often, however, trainers provide counselling that is not only well outside of their expertise, it’s just plain wrong.

“Unfortunately, there is a great deal of misinformation about nutrition,” said Liz Applegate, director of sports nutrition at University of California Davis, during the American College of Sports Medicine Health and Fitness Summit and Exposition. “It’s a very personal topic and you’re dealing with all kinds of beliefs and myths.”

Headlines touting the latest nutritional trends and studies abound, making it tough for fitness professionals to decipher whether the information is overblown, understated or worthy of sharing with their clientele.

Professional dietitians, on the other hand, are well trained to evaluate and decode nutritional information. They have at least 3½ years of university level classes devoted to nutrition and nutritional counselling.

In a paper titled Crossing the Line: Understanding the Scope of Practice Between Registered Dietitians and Health/Fitness Professionals published in the ACSM Health and Fitness Journal, dietitians Cynthia Sass, Melinda Menore and JoAnn Eickhoff Schemek gave examples of what can happen when fitness trainers step outside their area of expertise.

Consider the wrongful death claim filed against a trainer who suggested that a client take a variety of dietary supplements. The client, who was also taking medication for hypertension, ended up having a stroke during a workout and later died. Turns out the supplements contained a substance that reacted with his medication and was alleged to have contributed to his death.

Fortunately, most nutritional gaffes don’t have such tragic consequences. But recommending dietary products or practices without some kind of pre-screening can compromise health, athletic performance and quality of life.

It’s important to understand that nutritional counselling involves more than keeping up to date with the latest diet and exercise trends. It demands the gathering of personal information, including current dietary habits, medical conditions and medications, lifestyle factors and athletic and health goals before mapping out an eating plan.

That doesn’t mean that fitness professionals can’t provide nutritional advice. It just means that they have to respect the limits of their knowledge and work hard to stay up to date with the most current information.

Beth Mansfield, a licensed dietitian and certified exercise physiologist, says many trainers, instructors and strength and conditioning coaches do a good job at getting their nutritional information from reputable sources and communicating a professional message.

“But there are other trainers who think they are informed, even though they are getting their information from muscle magazines,” said Mansfield, who practises in the Ottawa area.

One of the common pitfalls of those trainers, she noted, is that they tend to oversell the benefits of commercially produced nutritional supplements and trendy diets. “They don’t understand the repercussions of overdoing certain types of supplements and following certain types of diets.”

Some supplements are complementary to the active set, Mansfield says, but others may be not only a waste of money, but lead to nasty side effects.

Applegate agrees with Mansfield that fitness professionals can get into trouble when they promote specific ingredients or products. She also agrees that they should seek information from reliable sources such as the Dietitians of Canada and the American Dietetic Association websites.

“Fitness professionals should be providing information that is supported by science and not just product-oriented,” Applegate said.

Sass and her fellow authors feel that even when armed with the right information, fitness professionals still lack the specialized knowledge necessary to create an effective and comprehensive nutritional plan.

To help delineate the services offered by the two professionals, they compiled the following list of nutritional services fitness professionals are potentially qualified to provide: demonstrating how to prepare and cook food; providing information about food-guidance systems (such as MyPyramid); providing examples of healthy snacks; talking about carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and water as essential nutrients needed by the body and how nutrient requirements may vary through the life cycle; giving statistical information about the relationship between chronic disease and the excesses or deficiencies of certain nutrients; and providing information about nutrients contained in foods or supplements.

For fitness enthusiasts seeking more in-depth nutritional information, a licensed dietitian is your best bet. But even then, not just any dietitian will do. Look for one who has experience and expertise in sports nutrition.

Good fitness professionals have established links with sports-orientated nutritionists and can offer a referral. The best combination for any fitness enthusiast is a dietitian and trainer who are working together to achieve specific athletic or weight loss goals.

For more information on finding a licensed dietitian and on basic nutritional information, visit the Dietitians of Canada website at dietitians.ca

jbarker@videotron.ca

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette   

May is Exercise is Medicine Month, recognizing that physical activity and exercise should be part of everyones health care plan. The American College of Sports Medicine urges individuals, organizations and public agencies to observe Exercise is Medicine Month in the interest of better health for all.

Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) April 26, 2012

Health advocates and public officials around the world are getting it, with growing movements on six continents. In the US, with alarming increases in chronic diseases and consternation over health care costs, many see the Exercise is Medicine initiative as part of the solution.

That philosophy is the seed for Exercise is Medicine Month, observed during National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. During May, communities throughout the US will hold activities that recognize that physical activity and exercise – shown to help prevent and treat more than 40 chronic diseases – should be part of everyone’s health care plan. Since 2008, Exercise is Medicine Month has been proclaimed by mayors, governors, Congress and the President. Individuals and organizations of all kinds, from youth groups to universities, churches, fitness centers, corporations and hospitals, hold events aimed at keeping people active and healthy.

Online toolkit

The EIM Month toolkit provides resources for those who want to promote healthy lifestyles in their communities or organizations, including:

• Sample language for proclamations by mayors, governors or other officials
• Letter to the Editor to be sent to local newspapers
• Exercise is Medicine Month fact sheet and background material
• Social media messages to be shared through Facebook and Twitter

Though Exercise is Medicine is a global initiative, Exercise is Medicine Month is a grassroots, community-based phenomenon. Families and advocates – anyone who “gets it” – are empowered to encourage healthy lifestyles and help make physical activity part of everyone’s health care plan. From physicians who prescribe exercise to public officials seeking to control health care costs to parents who want to keep their kids healthy, EIM Month is a time to put into action what research has shown to be true.

“Everyone should start or renew an exercise program now as an investment in life-long health,” said Robert E. Sallis, MD, FACSM, chair of Exercise is Medicine. “Every person, regardless of age or health, is responsible for his or her own physical activity. There are far more reasons to exercise than excuses not to.”

Observe Exercise is Medicine Month by taking these important steps:

Physicians: Talk with every patient about exercise and, as appropriate, refer them to a health fitness professional. Counseling them on the benefits of physical activity and what it can do for their long-term health and well-being is critical and should be a standard part of your practice.

Patients: Ask a few questions about your health status the next time you visit your doctor. Are you at a healthy weight? Taking your current health status into consideration, what types of exercise are best and safest for you? Is there a certified trainer or registered dietician you should visit to improve your health?

Parents: Give your children the gift of lifelong wellness by being a role model and supporting them in establishing a habit of lifelong physical activity. Have fun being active as a family.

About Exercise is Medicine

A SOLUTION TO THE GREATEST PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM OF THE 21ST CENTURY

Exercise is Medicine is an initiative focused on encouraging primary care physicians and other health care providers to include exercise when designing treatment plans for patients. Exercise is Medicine is committed to the belief that exercise and physical activity are integral to the prevention and treatment of chronic disease and should be regularly assessed as part of medical care. Along with the National Physical Activity Plan, Exercise is Medicine strives to make physical activity a “vital sign” that is routinely assessed at every patient interaction with a health care provider.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF EXERCISE IS MEDICINE

The guiding principles of Exercise is Medicine, a multi-organizational initiative coordinated by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), are designed to improve the health and well-being of our nation through a regular physical activity prescription from doctors and other health care providers, or from a health and fitness professional working with the health care provider. The guiding principles are as follows:

• Exercise and physical activity are important to health and the prevention and treatment of many chronic diseases.
• More should be done to address physical activity and exercise in health care settings.
• Multi-organizational efforts to bring a greater focus on physical activity and exercise in health care settings are to be encouraged.

A CRITICAL CALL TO ACTION

Physical inactivity is a fast-growing public health problem and contributes to a variety of chronic diseases and health complications, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, depression and anxiety, arthritis, and osteoporosis. In addition to improving a patient’s overall health, increasing physical activity has proven effective in the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases. Therefore, Exercise is Medicine calls on each person and all partners dedicated to the idea that exercise truly is medicine to continue to build, support and advocate for physical activity as essential for global health and wellbeing by committing to action. Policy makers are called to change policy to support physical activity as a vital sign for health. Health care providers and fitness professionals are called to integrate exercise into every patient and client interaction. Communities, workplaces and schools are called to promote physical activity as an essential part of health and wellbeing.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/4/prweb9436445.htm

NATCHITOCHES — The Cane River Green Market will be offering residents a unique opportunity to get fit this spring and summer with a series of free fitness classes on market Saturdays.

Natchitoches local farmers market will take place every Saturday from 8 am to noon on the downtown riverbank in the Natchitoches Historic District begginning this Saturday and running through July 28.

Each month will feature a different class:

 Dietitian Patricia Chuey shows off some of the many healthy snacks athletes can eat during training. Though fitness trainers are often asked about nutrition, most receive little education on the subject.Photograph by: MARK VAN MANEN POSTMEDIA FILE
, Freelance

When it comes to burning calories, fitness professionals are the experts. When it comes to consuming calories, however, they may not be the best source of information.

Fitness instructors and personal trainers receive very little, if any, nutritional education as part of their training. Yet, they’re constantly quizzed about what foods to eat, what to avoid and what diet works best.

Good trainers stay within the scope of their practice and offer general nutrition advice as it pertains to exercise. Too often, however, trainers provide counselling that is not only well outside of their expertise, it’s just plain wrong.

“Unfortunately, there is a great deal of misinformation about nutrition,” said Liz Applegate, director of sports nutrition at University of California Davis, during the American College of Sports Medicine Health and Fitness Summit and Exposition. “It’s a very personal topic and you’re dealing with all kinds of beliefs and myths.”

Headlines touting the latest nutritional trends and studies abound, making it tough for fitness professionals to decipher whether the information is overblown, understated or worthy of sharing with their clientele.

Professional dietitians, on the other hand, are well trained to evaluate and decode nutritional information. They have at least 3½ years of university level classes devoted to nutrition and nutritional counselling.

In a paper titled Crossing the Line: Understanding the Scope of Practice Between Registered Dietitians and Health/Fitness Professionals published in the ACSM Health and Fitness Journal, dietitians Cynthia Sass, Melinda Menore and JoAnn Eickhoff Schemek gave examples of what can happen when fitness trainers step outside their area of expertise.

Consider the wrongful death claim filed against a trainer who suggested that a client take a variety of dietary supplements. The client, who was also taking medication for hypertension, ended up having a stroke during a workout and later died. Turns out the supplements contained a substance that reacted with his medication and was alleged to have contributed to his death.

Fortunately, most nutritional gaffes don’t have such tragic consequences. But recommending dietary products or practices without some kind of pre-screening can compromise health, athletic performance and quality of life.

It’s important to understand that nutritional counselling involves more than keeping up to date with the latest diet and exercise trends. It demands the gathering of personal information, including current dietary habits, medical conditions and medications, lifestyle factors and athletic and health goals before mapping out an eating plan.

That doesn’t mean that fitness professionals can’t provide nutritional advice. It just means that they have to respect the limits of their knowledge and work hard to stay up to date with the most current information.

Beth Mansfield, a licensed dietitian and certified exercise physiologist, says many trainers, instructors and strength and conditioning coaches do a good job at getting their nutritional information from reputable sources and communicating a professional message.

“But there are other trainers who think they are informed, even though they are getting their information from muscle magazines,” said Mansfield, who practises in the Ottawa area.

One of the common pitfalls of those trainers, she noted, is that they tend to oversell the benefits of commercially produced nutritional supplements and trendy diets. “They don’t understand the repercussions of overdoing certain types of supplements and following certain types of diets.”

Some supplements are complementary to the active set, Mansfield says, but others may be not only a waste of money, but lead to nasty side effects.

Applegate agrees with Mansfield that fitness professionals can get into trouble when they promote specific ingredients or products. She also agrees that they should seek information from reliable sources such as the Dietitians of Canada and the American Dietetic Association websites.

“Fitness professionals should be providing information that is supported by science and not just product-oriented,” Applegate said.

Sass and her fellow authors feel that even when armed with the right information, fitness professionals still lack the specialized knowledge necessary to create an effective and comprehensive nutritional plan.

To help delineate the services offered by the two professionals, they compiled the following list of nutritional services fitness professionals are potentially qualified to provide: demonstrating how to prepare and cook food; providing information about food-guidance systems (such as MyPyramid); providing examples of healthy snacks; talking about carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and water as essential nutrients needed by the body and how nutrient requirements may vary through the life cycle; giving statistical information about the relationship between chronic disease and the excesses or deficiencies of certain nutrients; and providing information about nutrients contained in foods or supplements.

For fitness enthusiasts seeking more in-depth nutritional information, a licensed dietitian is your best bet. But even then, not just any dietitian will do. Look for one who has experience and expertise in sports nutrition.

Good fitness professionals have established links with sports-orientated nutritionists and can offer a referral. The best combination for any fitness enthusiast is a dietitian and trainer who are working together to achieve specific athletic or weight loss goals.

For more information on finding a licensed dietitian and on basic nutritional information, visit the Dietitians of Canada website at dietitians.ca

jbarker@videotron.ca

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette   

Nutley Township employees are asked to take the lead in improving fitness during Global Employee Health and Fitness Month in May.

#13;

“If we’re taking a break at lunch, we’re encouraging town employees to exercise as part of that break,” said Loren McCreesh. She is helping coordinate the plan as an employee of the Department of Public Affairs.

#13;

Speaking at the Nutley Board of Commissioners meeting on April 17, McCreesh encouraged the elected officials, township employees, teachers, school district staff and local businesses to recognize this wellness initiative. 

#13;

May is set aside for special wellness initiatives in the workplace that promote healthy living, she said. 

#13;

“Recognizing this designation is a natural progression for our Township,” said Commissioner Thomas Evans in a separate statement. “We (the Township) have really been forward thinkers when it comes to wellness and this month we will work hard to promote this important initiative, emphasizing all the benefits of healthy living.”

#13;

The idea comes from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,  which is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services out of Washington, DC, officials said.

#13;

More than one third of adults are obese in the United States, according to information provided to Nutley by the Centers for Disease Control.  In fact, in a 2010 obesity study conducted by the CDC, no one state has an obesity rate lower than 20 percent. New Jersey has an obesity rate of 31.3 percent, the CDC said. 

#13;

CDC officials said that by committing to living a healthy lifestyle, by reducing sugar, fat and caloric intake, and increasing physical activity, people will not only lose weight and body fat, but will also reduce the risk for heart disease and diabetes.

#13;

A resolution will be read at the May 1 Commission meeting recognizing Global Employee Health amp; Fitness Month. Information packets will be distributed to each of the five department Directors that include nutrition and exercise suggestions that can be conducted each week in May. Town employees can access all information through a computer program known as the employee portal, McCreesh said.

#13;

Voluntary activities are organized for town employees, local school teachers and Board of Education staff, along with Nutley Chamber of Commerce business members. One activity is the “Lunch and Learn Programs,” where people are taught about healthy eating, courtesy of Mountainside Hospital and Barnabas Health Clara Maass Medical Center.

#13;

Other programs are exercise opportunities courtesy of Krank Systems of Nutley, on May 15 at 7 pm and one exercise opportunity at the Meadowlands Area YMCA on May 29 at 6:30 pm

#13;

Local businesses are invited to encourage employees to have a healthy lunch, walk to work or walk on their lunch break, Evans said.

#13;

For more information about this health initiative and scheduled activities, contact the Department of Public Affairs at 973-284-4976. 

CLINIC

Thursday

Free Medical Clinic. 4 to 6 pm Templo Del Espiritu Santo United Methodist Church, 3715 Elaine Drive, Bryan. 450-7258.

Tuesday

* Free Medical Clinic. 4 to 6 pm Templo Del Espiritu Santo United Methodist Church, 3715 Elaine Drive, Bryan. 450-7258.

* Free Medical Clinic. 6 to 8 pm The Bridge Ministries, 1002 E. 29th St., Bryan.

Ongoing

Brazos County Health Department immunization clinics. 8:30 to 11:30 am Mondays and Wednesdays; 9 to 10:30 am (19 and older) and 2 to 5:30 pm Tuesdays; 10 am to noon Fridays. 201 N. Texas Ave., Bryan. $5 per child, $30 per adult. www.brazoshealth.org, 361-4440.

MOVE

Wednesday

* Seniors Golf Tournament. 7:30 am Travis B. Bryan Golf Course, 206 W. Villa Maria Road, Bryan. $5 entry.

* Flexercise. 9 to 9:45 am Southwood Community Center, 1520 Rock Prairie Road. For Boomers and Beyond. Combination of targeted core strength, light cardio and flexibility exercises. $65. Registration necessary: cstx.gov/parks or 764-6371. mrodgers@cstx.gov.

* Weekly Exercise Class. 5:30 to 6:15 pm The Navasota Center. For all fitness levels. Each workout is designed to strengthen and tone all muscle groups. $50. 936-825-2241.

Thursday

* Tai Chi for Seniors. 8:30 to 9:15 am Southwood Community Center. $85. Register: parksweb.cstx.gov or 764-3486.

* Tai Chi for seniors. 8:30 to 9:30 am Our Savior Lutheran Church, 1001 Woodcreek Drive. Tai Chi (yang style) helps relieve stress, increase strength and flexibility, improve balance, coordination and circulation. Open to anyone. 739-3165.

* Yoga for Seniors. 9:30 to 10:30 am Southwood Community Center. Designed to enhance physical fitness, balance, strength and flexibility. $72. parksweb.cstx.gov or 764-3486.

* Yoga for seniors. 10 to 11 am Our Saviour Lutheran Church, 1001 Woodcreek Drive, College Station. Fitness class based on Hatha Yoga designed to enhance physical fitness, balance, strength, flexibility and stress relief. Bring a yoga mat. Register: 739-3165.

* Sit and Fit Chair Exercise Class. Noon to 12:45 pm Southwood Community Center, College Station. Exercise for senior adults in the comfort of a chair. mrodgers@cstx.gov or 764-6371.

Friday

* Senior Ladies Tennis. 8 am Gordons Tennis at Aerofit, 4455 Carter Creek Parkway, Bryan. 846-8925.

* Weekly Exercise Class. 5:30 to 6:15 pm The Navasota Center. For all fitness levels. Each workout is designed to strengthen and tone all muscle groups. $50. 936-825-2241.

Saturday

* Navasota Rattler Athletic Booster Club Annual Golf Tournament. 8 am Bluebonnet Country Club Golf Course, Navasota. Tournament benefits all junior high and high school girls and boys athletics. Team sign-up: 870-5150. Sponsors: mb2ks@aol.com or imhoffl936@aol.com.

* Walk the Texas Wineries Wellness Event Kick Off. 10:45 am Messina Hof Winery. Register and then walk the vineyard. Then, move at least three times a week for two months. Become eligible for prizes. www.facebook.com/sbpmc or Sbpmcoffice@gmail.com or 776-2225.

Monday

* Seniors Golf Tournament. 7 am Texas Aamp;M University Golf Course, College Station. $5 entry. No advance registration; just show up and play.

* Mind and Body workout. 9 am Waldenbrooke Estates, community room, Bryan. Get your daily dose of laughter and stretching. 774-1298.

* Sit and Fit Chair Exercise Class. 9:30 to 10 am Lincoln Center. Exercise for senior adults in the comfort of a chair. awilliams@cstx.gov or 764-3733.

* Weekly Exercise Class. 5:30 to 6:15 pm The Navasota Center. For all fitness levels. Each workout is designed to strengthen and tone all muscle groups. $50. 936-825-2241.

Tuesday

* Brazos Ladies Golf Association Playday. 8 am Travis B. Bryan Golf Course, 206 W. Villa Maria Road, Bryan. All women welcome. $12 per year.

* Tai Chi for Seniors. 8:30 to 9:15 am Southwood Community Center. $85. Register: parksweb.cstx.gov or 764-3486.

* Tai Chi for seniors. 8:30 to 9:30 am Our Savior Lutheran Church, 1001 Woodcreek Drive. Tai Chi (yang style) helps relieve stress, increase strength and flexibility, improve balance, coordination and circulation. Open to anyone. 739-3165.

* Yoga for Seniors. 9:30 to 10:30 am Southwood Community Center. Designed to enhance physical fitness, balance, strength and flexibility. $72. parksweb.cstx.gov or 764-3486.

* Yoga for seniors. 10 to 11 am Our Saviour Lutheran Church, 1001 Woodcreek Drive, College Station. Fitness class based on Hatha Yoga designed to enhance physical fitness, balance, strength, flexibility and stress relief. Bring a yoga mat. Register: 739-3165.

* Exercise Class for 65 plus. 10 to 11 am The Navasota Center. Free senior event. Designed to strengthen and tone all muscle groups. 936-825-2241.

Ongoing

* Adult Yoga, Pilates, Meditation, Tai Chi, Hatha classes: Brazos Healing Center, 1804D Brothers Blvd. BrazosHealingCenter.com or 402-3595.

* Hatha Yoga, Chair Yoga, Senior Yoga, Kundalina Yoga classes: www.peacefulwinds.com or 575-6078.

* Dance and fitness classes: Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Belly Dance, Pilates Mat and Reformer, Yoga Fitness, Prenatal Yoga, Meditational Yoga, Cardio-Dance and Karate Fitness. Dance Centre, 2151 Harvey Mitchell Parkway, Suite 105, College Station. www.dancecentreCS.com or 764-3187.

* Bariatric post-op exercise. St. Joseph Rehabilitation Center, 1318 Memorial Drive, Bryan. Classes at the fitness studio, aquatherapy pool and cardiac rehab gym. 821-7558.

* Ballroom dance classes: Quickstep, Argentine Tango, Latin, Waltz, Foxtrot, Salsa, Rumba, Samba, American dance and more. Classes for all ages and levels. Susans Ballroom Dance, 305 Wellborn Road, College Station. For schedule and prices, visit www.susansballroomdance.com or call 690-0606.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday

NAMI Family to Family Education Course. 6:30 to 9 pm Head Start Resource Room, 3141 Briarcrest Drive, Suite 513. Free 12-week course. Open to anyone who has a family member with a mental illness. Registration required: 777-9455.

Thursday

Infant CPR. 6 to 7 pm or 7 to 8 pm St. Joseph Education Annex, 3030 E. 29th St., Suite 100. Designed for family members and friends who care for children and want to learn basic CPR and choking rescue. $10 per person. Call for availability: 731-1231.

Saturday

Prepared Childbirth Course. 9 am to 5 pm St. Joseph Education Annex, 3030 E. 29th St., Suite 100. Prepares parents-to-be for the arrival of the baby: physical process and stages of labor, comfort measures, body mechanics, pain management, breathing and relaxation techniques. $90 per couple. 731-1231.

Monday

* Self-Defense and Awareness Class for Seniors. 6 to 9 pm Cypress Grove Intermediate School. For seniors. $25. Register: cstx.gov/parks or at Central Park office. 764-3486.

* Prepared Childbirth Series Course. 7 to 9:30 pm St. Joseph Education Annex, 3030 E. 29th St., Suite 100. Prepares parents-to-be for the arrival of the baby: physical process and stages of labor, comfort measures, body mechanics, pain management, breathing and relaxation techniques. $90 per couple. Cost includes course materials and snacks. Register: 731-1231.

Tuesday

* AARP Driver Safety Program. 1 to 5 pm St. Joseph Education Annex. Classroom refresher course especially designed to meet the needs of older drivers. $12 for AARP members; $14 for non-members. Register: 731-1231.

* New Baby Day Camp Sibling Tours for big brothers and sisters. 5 pm St. Joseph Regional Health Center lobby. For ages 2 to 8. Free. Registration required. 731-1231.

* 3-session Comprehensive Diabetes Program. 5:30 to 8:30 pm St. Joseph Education Annex, 3030 East 29th St. Designed for people with pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes. Topics include meal planning, exercise, medications, complications, self-care management and blood glucose monitoring. Costs $50 for the 3-session course and includes a blood glucometer and a one month membership to the wellness gym. 731-1231.

* Pre-natal class. 6:30 to 7:30 pm College Station Medical Center, main lobby. Topic: Hospital tour, Admissions, Labor amp; Delivery and Planning for Birth. 693-2762.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Wednesday

* Adults with AD/HD Support Group. 7 pm Christ United Methodist Church Annex Building, 4203 Highway 6 South. 690-6816 or brazosvalleychadd@gmail.com.

* Narcotics Anonymous. 7 to 8 pm (Spanish) and 8 to 9 pm Grimes St. Joseph Health Center activity room, Navasota. 450-1750 or 936-662-0825.

Thursday

* Open Arms Respite Group. 10 am to 1 pm Peace Lutheran Church, 2201 Rio Grande, College Station. Open Arms is a faith-based, free, volunteer-run program to care for persons with mild Alzheimers or other dementia. Group provides fun, intellectually stimulating activities, social opportunities, music, dancing, devotional, games, crafts and light lunch. Participants must be registered to attend, no drop-ins. openarmsrespitecs@gmail.com or 693-4403.

* Bridges to Hope Class. 3:30 to 4:30 pm 1602 Rock Prairie Road, Suite 130B, The Hope Cancer Center. 693-2900.

* Brazos Valley Trailblazers. 6:30 pm St. Joseph Education Annex. Open to everyone. Promotes well-being and good health by providing safe exercise in scenic environments around the community. BVTrailblazers@gmail.com or 774-9038.

* Palmer Drug Abuse Program Brazos Valley. 7:30 to 8:30 pm First Baptist Church Bryan, 3100 Cambridge Drive. Ages 13-25. 739-4253.

Saturday

* Beyond Grief, A Bereavement Support Group. 10 to 11:30 am Sterling House, 105 North Sterling St., Bryan. Open to all adults. Share the challenges of grief with others who are grieving. Free. Register: 821-2266.

* ENCORE. 12:30 to 1:30 pm HBV-Sterling House, 105 North Sterling St. A program for active widows who have gone through Beyond Grief or another bereavement group and is looking to continue meeting on a regular basis. Participants will gather afterward for dutch treat social activity. 821-2266.

Monday

* Alcoholics Anonymous. 6:30 to 7:30 pm Grimes St. Joseph Health Center activity room, Navasota. 450-1750 or 936-662-0825.

* SIA — Female survivors of childhood sexual abuse. 7:45 pm Aamp;M United Methodist Church, Room 131, College Station. 255-0227.

* Narcotics Anonymous. 8 to 9 pm Grimes St. Joseph Health Center activity room, Navasota. 450-1750 or 936-662-0825.

Tuesday

* New Cancer Patient Orientation. 8:30 am St. Joseph Cancer Center. Free class designed for new chemotherapy patients, family members, caregivers or patients who have already begun treatment and have questions and concerns about disease process of cancer, symptom management and availability of services. Not limited to persons receiving treatment at St. Joseph. Pre-registration required: 774-0808.

* TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). 5:30 to 7 pm St. Joseph Rehab Center, Quilters Cafe, Bryan. 846-0617.

* NAMI BV Family and Consumer Support Groups. 6:30 to 8:30 pm 3141 Briarcrest Drive, Suite 513. Open to any persons with a mental illness or to the families of persons with mental illnesses. Free. 777-9455.

TELL US

* This calendar includes information about Brazos Valley clinics, screenings, classes, support groups, fitness events (fun runs, exercise groups, etc.), lectures and other events. Items may be emailed to calendar@theeagle.com. The deadline is 5 pm Fridays.

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The 5th Annual Health and Fitness Fair, sponsored by the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, brought a crowd of community members to the Windham Civic Center on Thursday, April 19.
Attendees at the fair were able to take advantage of full health screenings done by personnel from Nacogdoches Medical Center. Some of the screenings done included blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol and bone density. Heart awareness information was share, and vision and color vision screenings were conducted, as well.
There were door prizes given throughout the event and cookies, various fruits and bottled water were available at no cost. The refreshments were provided by Brookshire Brothers, Pinto Pony and Few Ready Mix.
Gold sponsors for the Health and Fitness Fair were Always There Home Care, Bethany Home Health Services, East Texas Medical Center Regional Health Care, Green Acres of Center, Heartsway Hospice, Nacogdoches Medical Center and Texas Home Health.
Silver sponsors were Dr. Keith Miller, Edwards JonesCasey Williams, Holiday Nursing Center, Hospice of East Texas, Jordan Health Service, Senior Care of Stallings Court and Vision Source.
Bronze sponsors included A Compassionate Care, A Pineywoods Home Health Care, All Hours Fitness, Anytime Fitness, Brentwood Hospital, Center Health Foods, Colonial Pines, East Texas Home Health, FMC Woodlands Dialysis, Jennings Place Inc., Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Organic Healthy Coffee, Region 5 Prevention Resource Center, Saf-T-First Drug Testing and Texas Agri-Life Extension Service.
The Health and Fitness Fair gets bigger and better each year, and everyone is encouraged to put it on their radar for 2013.

Thermopolis, WY, April 26, 2012 –(PR.com)– Career and Wellness Coach, Helen Thamm, APRN, and a select group of the worlds leading health and fitness entrepreneurs have joined together to co-write the forthcoming book titled, The Wellness Code: Your Ultimate Guide to Health, Fitness and Nutrition. Nick Nanton, Esq. along with business partner, JW Dicks, Esq., recently signed a publishing deal with each of these authors to contribute their expertise to the book, which will be released under their CelebrityPresstrade; imprint.

Helen Thamm is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) in mental health Nursing, who is licensed in Illinois and Wyoming as a nurse therapist. Helen specializes in helping nurses and other female professionals succeed more quickly and with less stress as they transition through career stages such as entering management, changing areas of practice, planning for retirement or exploring career options. She is also a speaker, and best-selling author and is featured as a VIP member of the Cambridge Whos Who Registry.

The forthcoming book will feature top advice from health, fitness and wellness experts from across the globe on the subjects of total body health, fitness and nutrition. The Wellness Code: Your Ultimate Guide to Health, Fitness and Nutrition will offer proven strategies to help people achieve the level of wellness they have always desired and feel better than they ever have. The book is tentatively scheduled to be released in the spring of 2012.

To learn more about Helen Thamm, please visit http://www.NurseCareerSuccess.com, nursecareersuccess@rtconnect.net or careerreinventions@rtconnect.net
To learn more about CelebrityPresstrade;, please visit http://www.CelebrityPressPublishing.com

About Helen Thamm:
Helen is a member of the American Nurses Association and American Psychiatric Nurses Association, as well as Sigma Theta Tau, the honor society for nursing. Helen then attained certification in Professional Coaching (CPC) as well as Career and Wellness Coaching. She is a graduate of the Career Coach Institute, an ICF (International Coach Federation) approved coaching program. She has been interviewed by Elite Radio as an expert in her field.

Helens new managers success toolkit book How to Manage with a Magic Wand, (No, Dont Hit Your Problem Employees Over the Head with It!) is available at http://www.helenmthamm.com and popular booksellers. Helen was raised and educated in Chicago, Il, but now lives in beautiful Thermopolis, WY, where she serves her clients throughout the country via telephone coaching and shares success, stress management and life/balance tips at her website and through her tweets (http://www.Twitter.com/nursecareersucc).

About Celebrity Presstrade;:
Celebrity Presstrade; is a business book publisher that publishes books from thought leaders around the world. Celebrity Presstrade; specializes in helping its authors grow their businesses through book publishing. Celebrity Presstrade; has published books alongside Brian Tracy, Dr. Ivan Misner, Ron Legrand, Mari Smith, Kelly ONeil, Alexis Martin Neely and many of the biggest experts across diverse fields.

If youd like to learn more about Celebrity Presstrade; or to see if were a good fit for your book project, please visit http://www.celebritypresspublishing.com/contact-us.

Contact:
Lindsay Dicks
Dicks and Nanton Agencyreg;
407.215.7564
lindsay@CelebrityBrandingAgency.com