NEW WEBSITE!!!

WWW.HEALTHYCOMMUNITYMHC.ORG

Check out the new and improved MHC Coalition for Health and Wellness Website. 

On the website you will find healthy recipes and downloadable versions of both the aerobics calendar and the monthly newsletter. 

You will also find lots of great information about all of the services that the Coalition offers.

www.healthycommunitymhc.org

NO MORE RESOLUTIONS!!

NO MORE RESOLUTIONS!

The first thing you think of when the New Year is approaching is what resolution I will make this year. How about this, NO MORE RESOLUTIONS!!! Instead let’s make a solution. One of the most common things people want to change in the New Year is something health related. Whether it is to lose that tummy, tighten those thighs, or just improve your quality of life, everyone seems to want to change something. So here’s the solution. Make a lifestyle change. No not just an “I will starve myself until I’m 20lbs lighter” change, but a real change. A change that is slow and gradual, not hasty and overwhelming. A change that has small goals along the way with rewards to keep you encouraged. The better prepared you are to make a change the more success you will have with it.

** President Elect Barack Obama & President George W Bush shown above are very active**

And if you need more encouragement think of this, Barack Obama, just like other past presidents, is very active. He even does his workout before his day begins. And the same goes for his wife Michelle who is an advocate for women’s health. Now, if the leader of our country gets up every morning and exercises, don’t we think it’s time we get up and do the same? (see article: No sweat: Obamas work fitness into daily routine)

Hopefully these tips will help you make a SOLUTION this year:

Write down your goals and post them in place where you will see them more often. It’s good to have goals but a visual aide of what you want to do can help you stay focused.

2. Be realistic. Basically don’t try to overdo it. You’re not going to lose 20lbs in a week so stop trying to force yourself to do so. Realistic goals allow you pace yourself and feel good about the small accomplishments along the way.

3. Make a schedule. We all feel as if we don’t have enough free time, but have you really sat down and thought about everything you do or don’t do in a day? Writing down a schedule will help you find free time in your day that you can devote to exercise.

4. Be your own cheerleader! Laugh, smile, root for yourself every now and then. Always be encouraged. You might not be able to see the change on the outside right away but making a change on the inside can help you feel better. What you feel on the inside will radiate to the outside so put your best you forward!

Come and join us at any of our aerobics locations! For more information, call 956-2983 x 301

Article contributed by:

Jerelle Carter and Sierra Hairston

and the winner is..............................

PILATES!!!

You voted and we listened!! Not only will we be offering a new pilates class in January, but we will keep the hip hop class going as well. Dates and times will be posted very soon so keep checking us out!!

HCI Holiday Social

Helpful Holiday Tips!

We all know that the holidays can be the most joyous AND the most stressful time of the year. With family coming to visit, the kids being out of school, cooking for the family, and not to mention, the variety of leftover food to eat, there’s no wonder most people feel they don’t have time to exercise during the holidays. If you think you don’t have time, look at it this way, have you spent all year trying to lose weight and be healthy? Have you been successful? Now you are going to blow it all on a few days out of the entire year? Have you lost ten pounds to just to put it all back on?

Do you think you have time to exercise now?

Not only will exercise help with maintaining your healthy lifestyle, exercise will help to ease some of the holiday stress. So here are some ways to squeeze in exercise during the most hectic time of the year.

1. Add exercise to your shopping. Instead of fighting over a parking space, go ahead and park away from the entrance. Not only will you be able to giggle at all the other people partaking in parking lot road rage, but you will be able to add some extra steps to your day. Also, when you’re done shopping, take another lap! You may even find another gift that you missed the first time around.
2. Use your time wisely. You don’t have to have a total workout at one time. Ten minutes here, twenty minutes there, before you know it you’ve done your full workout throughout the day and didn’t miss a beat.
3. Get the family involved. It’s easier to exercise when you have company but for the holidays find something festive to do. Walking in the park, playing in the leaves, and when it snows, make snow angels, or even better - have a snowball fight!!! Even keeping an aerobics video handy will be fun. You and your family will burn the calories right off laughing at each other doing the workout.
4. Last but not least, don’t torture yourself over the holidays. Food is one of the most festive parts of the holidays and it’s only natural to want to eat everything in sight. However, remember your goals for the next year and the ones you already met this year. Write them down and keep them in your pocket if necessary. Keep in mind; the more you splurge the more you will have to exercise to keep the calorie output larger than calorie input.

So don’t stress this holiday about exercise. All you need to do is take regular activities and become a little more creative and remember, the HOLIDAYS are just a few days out of a long year!!

***If you need to plan ahead, check out the calorie counter on the left side. It will tell you nutrition information for food item or restaurant food***

For more information about Holiday Stress or about Healthy Lifestyles, contact Diane Sawyer at 276-956-2983 x 301.

Article by Sierra Hairston, HCI Staff/Hip Hop Instructor

Credit given to: http://www.quakeroatmeal.com/ for sighting some of their tips.

Belly Dancing

Instructor Eydie Clifton leading class.

Belly Dancing.... yes, Belly Dancing. The new aerobics class that has taken Martinsville and Henry County by storm. An average of 50 people show up every week, ready to dance the calories off!

So what is Belly Dancing you might ask? Belly Dancing has many different types and forms as most dancing and aerobics classes do. Our Belly Dancing class is for all sizes and shapes and mostly gets you moving to the music, from head to toe. There are particular moves that sway your body to the music, and it can be as simple or as challenging as you and the teacher want it to be.

There are many myths out there about Belly Dancing. Many believe that you need a special wardrobe or costume (you do not) or that you have to be coordinated when in fact, Belly Dancing is designed to improve and enhance your coordination. You do not have to be a certain size or shape. It is important to note that one night of Belly Dancing will not help you "lose your belly" or lose weight. One night of any kind of exercise will not make you lose weight. However, small changes towards a healthier lifestyle will. This could be your first step towards reaching those goals!

There are only two classes left this session, so come out and join before it's too late! Classes are held at Bassett Community Center on Monday nights at 6:30pm. For other aerobics classes and scheduling info click here.

Look at all these ladies having a great time and burning calories!!

America's Worst Breakfast

While the old cliché about breakfast being the most important meal of the day still holds true—because you’ll consume fewer calories over the course of the day, have stronger cognitive skills and be 30 percent less likely to become overweight or obese—new studies reveal something of a surprise for most diners: that breakfast may also be the most fattening.
According to a recent study published in the International Journal of Obesity, basing your breakfast on the wrong nutrients can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. People who began their day with high-quality protein over refined carbohydrates were able to lose 65 percent more weight, and also reported higher levels of energy throughout the day.
Unfortunately, the carb conundrum coincides with a push by the food industry to populate restaurant menus and supermarket shelves with breakfasts based on refined grains and added sugars. Look no further than McDonald's and Burger King's new line of hash brown-stuffed wraps and Jimmy Dean's popular breakfast bowls for proof that our food supply is setting us up for failure.
Over the years spent scouring restaurant menus and grocery store aisles for Eat This, Not That!, bestselling authors Dave Zinczenko and Matt Goulding came across some pretty scary ways to start your day. To help you avoid the morning mishaps, we searched out the good, the bad, and the greasy, and uncovered some of the worst breakfast foods in America.
We've presented a sampling of the worst offenders below (and replaced them with healthy, tasty options that will stoke your metabolism, satisfy your appetite, and keep you burning calories all day long). It's like a lineup down at the local police station, except in this case, they're all guilty as charged.

See here for the rest of the article and the list of foods!!

http://health.msn.com/nutrition/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100216490&GT1=31036

Belly Dancing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Final count today-------- 112 people!! Awesome :)

What did everybody think???


I need to hear feedback!

Feedback Opportunity: Other Physical Activity

Other than the physical activity you do through our aerobics program, how many days a week do you engage in other physical activity?

Can you share with us some of the activities you are involved with.

Belly Dancing

How many of you would be interested in a Belly Dancing class?

It would be held at Spencer Penn Centre.

If so, what night would work best for you?