Wellness for Life. Who helps you to be healthy? Health Awareness

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1 Wellness for Life Volume 2, Issue 1 Spring 2015 Who helps you to be healthy? An important part of being healthy is having social supports. A social support is someone you can trust to help you to live a healthy life. Social supports could be family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, staff members, pastors, or other people in your life. Social supports help you when they: Exercise with you Eat healthy with you Laugh with you Listen to you Help you to do things that you love We asked some participants in the Ways of Wellness class and maintenance program at the Maple Heights Adult Activities Center to share about the people in their lives who help them to be healthy and happy. My mom tells me not to eat chips, and to drink more water. I exercise in class with Melissa. I walk and go grocery shopping with my sister, where we buy healthy food like grapes. -Mark My mom gives me healthy snacks like apples and water. She walks with me around the house and the neighborhood. I do exercise at work with the maintenance group. -Yolanda Health Awareness I go to Jazzercise class and Curves. And I go bowling on Monday nights with a league and do Special Olympics bowling, too. I m on Jackie s team. -Lindy March is Nutrition Month April is Stress Awareness Month May is Better Sleep Month June is Vision Research Month July is Recreation and Parks Month

2 Anaerobic Exercise: Stretching, Balancing, and Weights Your body needs different kinds of exercise in order to be healthy. One kind is anaerobic exercise. When you do anaerobic exercise, you stretch and build your muscles. These kinds of exercises do not increase your heart rate or make your body use more air or oxygen. Anaerobic exercise can build your muscles and bones, making you stronger. It can also make your body more flexible and help get rid of pain. You can do anaerobic exercise for a short period of time, several times of week. Some examples of anaerobic exercise: Stretching Balancing Yoga Pilates Strength training using bands Lifting weights Riding a bike Walking Playing Sports Swimming Doing aerobics

3 Drinking More Water Drinking enough water is very important for a healthy lifestyle. Your body needs water in order to work the right way! Why is water good for your body? It helps you digest your food. It makes you feel full, so you eat less. It helps you stay the right temperature. It keeps your skin and other organs healthy. It removes harmful materials from your blood. Healthy Recipe Ants on a Log Ingredients 1 bunch of celery Peanut butter Raisins You can try this recipe with either creamy or chunky peanut butter. You can also try dried cranberries (like Craisins) instead of raisins for a different flavor! Materials Knife Cutting board Plate You should drink about 6-8 glasses of water each day. How can you make sure you re drinking enough water? Carry a water bottle with you during the day. Directions 1. Wash the celery with water and dry it with a paper towel or kitchen towel. 2. Remove one stalk at a time from the bunch. 3. Use a knife and cutting board to cut the celery into pieces about the length of your finger (about 3 inches). 4. Using the knife, spread peanut butter in the center of each slice of celery. Avoid drinks with caffeine, like coffee, tea, or some pop. Caffeine causes your body to be dehydrated, or to lose water. Drink water before, during, and after exercising. Eat foods that contain water, like watermelon, grapes, oranges, cucumbers, lettuce and celery. 5. On each piece of celery, place several raisins (4 or 5, or as many as you want) on top of the peanut butter and press them gently so that they will stay on. 6. Place the finished celery slices on a plate to share with others or enjoy on your own!

4 Anaerobic Exercise: Balance Walk Balance exercises are a type of anaerobic exercise that can help you improve your balance and strengthen your body. You can do this exercise anywhere. At first, you might want to walk close to a wall in case you need help keeping your balance. 1. Lift your arms to the side about as high as your shoulders. 4. As you walk, lift your back leg. Pause for 1 second before you step forward. 2. Look forward. Choose a spot in front of you and focus on it. This will help you to keep steady as you walk Lift your back leg for 20 steps, then switch and do it with your other leg. 3. Walk forward in a straight line with one foot in front of the other. 6. If you feel comfortable, try looking from side to side as you walk. This will help improve your balance even more!

5 Portions: How Much Should I Eat? A portion is the amount of a food that you eat or drink. It is important to eat portions that are the right size for your body and activity level. If you eat larger portions than your body needs, then you will gain weight. You also need to eat a good balance of the different food groups: fruits and vegetables, protein, grains, and dairy. Remember these guidelines when planning a meal or snack: Vegetables and fruit should take up about ½ (half) of your plate. You should try to eat more vegetables than fruit, because fruit has more sugar. Meat (protein) should take up about ¼ (one quarter) of your plate. Grains should take up about ¼ (one quarter) of your plate. Dairy should be the smallest portion of your meal. How much should you eat each day? How much food you should eat depends on what activities you do. Your body is like a car that needs gas. If the car goes faster or further, it needs more gas. If you do more activities or exercise, you need more food to give you energy! Upcoming Health Fairs & Events There are many opportunities to learn more about health and wellness, to meet with health care professionals and to get involved in healthy activities in the community. Here are just a few upcoming health events and screenings that you might want to check out! Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Health & Fitness Expo When: Friday, May 15, 2015, 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. Saturday, May 16, 2015, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Where: Cleveland Convention Center, Hall A 1 St. Clair Ave NE, Cleveland Details: Includes vendors with information about fitness and equipment, speakers, and exercise demonstrations. The marathon, half marathon, and 10K race take place on Sunday, May 17, starting at 7:00 a.m. Park Fit Blood Pressure Screenings When: Third Tuesday of each month Where: Southpark Mall, Upper Food Court 500 Southpark Center, Strongsville Details: Blood pressure screenings from 9:00-10:00 a.m., followed by a free health program from 10:00-11:00 a.m. All are welcome and free coffee is provided.

6 Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities 1275 Lakeside Ave. East Cleveland, OH Phone: (216) Fax: (216) O u r m i s s i o n is to s u p p o r t a n d e m p o we r p e o p l e wi t h d e v e l o p m e n t a l d i s a b i li t i e s t o l i v e, l e a r n, wo r k a n d p l a y i n t h e c o m m u n i t y. On our way to Wellness for Life! Wellness for Life is the name of an organization-wide committee dedicated to supporting healthy lifestyles for the people e serve. The goal of the Wellness for Life newsletter is to educate, encourage and inform people with developmental disabilities and their caregivers about healthy lifestyle choices and health and wellness resources available in our community. Please feel free to share the newsletter with your friends and amily! We hope it will inspire everyone to make healthier choices, like eating fresh vegetables, whenever you can! Content compiled from the Health Matters and Ways of Wellness curricula and other cited sources by Monica Orlando. Health Matters is copyright 2010 by Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc. Ways of Wellness adapted by Melissa Khorana and Tamara Lentini. Free Mammograms MetroHealth Where: 2500 MetroHealth Dr., Cleveland (and other locations) Details: Mammograms help detect breast cancer early, before the cancer can spread. MetroHealth offers free mammograms to women over age 40 who are uninsured or underinsured. To make an appointment or to see if you qualify, call Let s Move It! Healthy Strides When: Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. Where: Beachwood Place Mall (meet at food court entrance) Cedar Rd., Beachwood Details: This weekly program includes a casual 1.5- to 3-mile walk, followed by a brief talk by leaders from the Cleveland Clinic. Topics vary each week. No registration required. UH Parma Medical Center Health Education Center Where: 7300 State Rd., Parma Details: Offers a wide range of free and low cost screenings, including cholesterol, blood pressure, bone density, pneumococcal vaccine, and speech and language testing. Registration is required for screenings. Call