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HEALTHY HAPPENINGS June 2017

Living Well – A Plan for Personal Wellnessby
By Christina Myers

Wellness is a state of being healthy and happy and making the daily decisions to support it. A healthy and happy, WELL life requires a balance between meaningful work; solid, intimate personal relationships; strong emotional coping resources; enjoyable, fun, creative personal interests; and healthy habits in your diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management.

An integrated wellness plan includes components in physical health, mental and emotional wellbeing, and spirituality. Your specific plan in these areas is personal to you and will change over time and circumstances. When you have insight into your current state of wellness, you can set goals to improve the areas you feel ready and motivated to change. Following are key areas to focus on and some questions to help guide your way.

PHYSICAL wellness is generally the place that gets the most attention, though healthy eating, sleeping, and exercising habits alone will not ensure your wellbeing.

• Is your diet filled with whole foods, lots of plant foods, and free of junk food?

• Do you avoid processed foods full of salt, fat, sugar, and chemicals?

• Do you have a regular exercise plan that includes endurance, flexibility, strength, and balance THAT YOU ENJOY?

• Do you maintain a regular sleep schedule of no less than 7 hours per night?

• Do you have self-care strategies for managing stress and relaxing that you practice REGULARLY?

• Do you have regular medical check-ups?

INTELLECTUAL AND MENTAL wellness includes learning new things and creativity.

• Do you regularly expose yourself to new experiences that expand your world – theater, art, music lessons, current events, etc.?
• Do you have stimulating hobbies and activities outside of work?

• Do you express yourself creatively – writing, art, music, etc.?

A measure of EMOTIONAL wellness is your ability to be aware, accept, and manage your feelings and moods.

• Can you recognize your feelings as they arise and feel competent to manage them appropriately? Or do anxious and depressed feelings overwhelm you?

• Do you recognize your own negative self-talk and its influence on your mood and behavior?

• Do you regularly share intimate thoughts and feelings with loved ones and friends?

• Can you effectively say “NO” when necessary without guilt?

OCCUPATIONAL wellness refers to your ability to find personal satisfaction and meaning through your work.
• Do you feel challenged, satisfied, and creative in your work?

• Does your work align with your ethical values and personal beliefs?

• Does your work fulfill a “calling” or a need to make a contribution?

SOCIAL wellness is essential to your health and wellbeing, more so than most people credit. Loneliness and lack of social support are implicated in many health concerns.

• Do you have supportive, satisfying relationships with like-minded people? Family AND friends?

• Do you feel connected to a community of colleagues, of friends sharing your world view, and of spiritual support?

• Do you play and laugh?

SPIRITUAL wellness includes each person’s sense of meaning and purpose in life and connection to something greater than self.

• Do you contemplate what gives meaning to your life?

• Do you make time for spiritual growth and exploration?

• Are your beliefs and values in alignment with your daily behaviors?

Health and wellness is a journey, not a destination. The plan and approach changes as you do, as time passes, and as circumstances change, continuing throughout your lifespan. You stay well or heal when you embrace the whole context of your life and address what it takes to bring your body into harmony with the rest of your life.

As a counselor and bodywork practitioner, Christina Myers has helped people heal for over 38 years using an integrated, holistic approach that addresses the psychological, behavioral, physical, and spiritual factors that influence health and happiness. For questions or to schedule an appointment, call 937-284-2190.

When we say Summer, what comes to mind?
South Town Gym

When we say summer, what comes to mind? Maybe it’s evenings at the ballpark or the smell of sunscreen. Perhaps it’s cool, sweet watermelon. But more than likely, when you think of summer, you think….”man I want to work out, but it’s just too hot in Moab!” Well okay, we admit that may not be your FIRST thought……but if it has crossed your mind, don’t worry we’ve got you covered! Why not head down to South Town Gym to work out inside and beat the heat while making sure you’re still lookin’ good in that swimsuit?South Town Gym

We are currently offering Smokin’ Summer Specials to help you reach all of your fitness goals! From now until September you can get a one month gym pass for just $40, Two months for $65, or get three full months for just $85!

Looking for something to keep those kiddos busy while out of school? Why not martial arts? John Lobach is currently teaching a youth American Kenpo class on Mondays and Thursdays. You can register by calling (435) 210-4253 or emailing him at johnlobach48@gmail.com

Ever thought of getting fit while having fun riding a bike? Then why not try our cycling “Crunch Club?” These fun high energy classes include 30 minutes of cycling and 30 minutes of body sculpting, the perfect combination for a great work out. All fitness levels welcome.

Are you a morning person? Strength training with Mel offered at 5:30 am Mondays and Wednesdays.

Maybe something a little mellower may be just your style? Beginning Yoga classes are Wednesday nights at 5:30pm.

Devapatha Internal Arts is also offering Tibetan Style Tai Chi on Wednesdays at 10:00am as well as TiAiki Internal Kung Fu
Sundays at 6:00pm here are South Town Gym.

Whatever your fitness goals may be, we are excited to help you reach them!


Community Nursing Services

Community Nursing Services (CNS) provides compassionate care when you or a loved one becomes seriously ill, suffers an injury or is nearing the end of life. Our nurses and staff are committed to helping our patients as well as their family members and caregivers throughout the healing process. CNS was established in 1928 and remains Utah's oldest nonprofit home health provider. With 9 offices from Logan to St. George, and several coalition partners, CNS is able to reach 93% of Utahns.

CHARITABLE CARE
As Utah's oldest nonprofit home health care agency, CNS is committed to providing high-quality compassionate care, regardless of ability to pay. Almost daily, we receive requests from hospitals and medical professionals to care for their patients in need.

The CNS Charitable Care Program delivers over $2.8 million in care to more than 4,500 Utahns annually.

SENIOR WISH PROGRAM
The Community Nursing Services (CNS) Senior Wish Program gives our senior patients the opportunity to relive a cherished memory or experience a new adventure. Senior Wish is our way of honoring a generation of hard working individuals with a special experience. Most of our Senior Wish recipients are in a medically fragile state and have entered into palliative or hospice care. The age of our recipients varies and wishes are granted to patients who are in the “senior” part of their life, regardless of age. Wishes can be something as simple as a meal brought in from a favorite restaurant or a bed bound patient to going for a ride in a race car! Senior Wishes are very meaningful to patients and their caregivers.

Since inception in 2010, CNS has granted more than 450 Senior Wish experiences. Many of the wishes can be granted with in-kind donations of goods and services such as entertainment and sporting event tickets, restaurant meals and hotel rooms. Time is of the essence in many instances; we need to have funds available to purchase wish components in a timely manner.

The Senior Wish Program depends on the generosity of our community! Your financial support helps CNS make Senior Wishes come true.

Featured is a Moab local, one of the recipients of the Senior Wish Program. Through the Senior Wish Program and local donations this client was able to have a full day of beauty treatments and an overnight stay at Red Cliffs Lodge. Thanks to Parriott’s Hair Salon for donating a haircut and color, Stephanie Brewer for giving the pedicure and eyebrow waxing, and Colin Fryer for donating dinner, a room and breakfast.

If you know someone who would benefit from the Senior Wish Program or you would be interested in donating your services to someone on the Senior Wish List, please contact Camille Trujillo at the local Moab office, 435-259-0466. Community Nursing Service is located at 1030 Bowling Alley Lane, Moab Utah.

- Our Mission -
We create moments and experiences that heal individuals and families by providing compassionate care and by putting health, dignity, comfort, and well-being first. We are a non-profit organization, and it is our privilege to serve you and the communities in which we live.


The Origins of Pilates: It’s Not Just For Girls!
moabyoga

Ask most men if they have ever been to a pilates class and you might hear, “Isn’t that for girls?” In fact, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Most people are surprised to hear that not only has pilates been around for nearly 100 years, but also that it was created by a man! Below is a short history of the man who pioneered pilates and why it might be an important addition to your weekly exercise regimen.

Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in the 1880s as a sickly child. He struggled with asthma, rickets and other conditions that rendered him weak. It was likely this poor start in life that inspired him to work so hard to build health and strength in himself and in others. As he grew older, his hard work paid off and he eventually moved to England where he began working as a professional boxer while also excelling in diving, skiing and body-building. During WW1 he began slowly building his own exercise regimen. He took ideas from classical Roman and Greek exercise practices, body-building, yoga, tai chi, martial arts, meditation and even the movement of animals to combine into a whole-body routine, encompassing mind, body and spirit.

Joseph’s popularity as a fitness guru was gaining steam in Europe when he decided to move to America in the 1920s. His first studio was right next to to the New York City Ballet. Soon, the ballerinas and dancers were lining up outside his door, realizing how effective his methods were for recovering from injuries as well as preventing them in the first place (and likely the reason why pilates is notoriously considered a “woman’s sport”). Today, pilates remains extremely popular with dancers and has migrated to other sports as more and more athletes are realizing the benefits of pilates. Many NFL, MLB and NBA players, as well as Olympic athletes include pilates in their exercise regimes.

Joseph passed away in 1967, but the main tenets of his teachings remain the same: breath, concentration, centering, control, precision and flow with a focus on core-strength. A typical mat class begins with some breath work to bring your attention into your body. Then, through a series of slow and seemingly gentle movements that are designed to build and flow from one to the next, the core of the body is challenged and strengthened.

The focus is quality in pilates, not quantity. So while you may not do more than 10 repetitions of any one move, the attention to control and precision will have even the strongest body-builders muscles quivering. Whether you spend your days climbing, biking, rafting, horseback riding or behind a computer, everyone can benefit from the improvements in posture, abdominal and back strength and body awareness that Pilates offers. So come in and give it a try! As Joseph said, “In 10 sessions, you will feel the difference. In 20, you will see the difference. In 30, you’ll be on your way to having a whole new body.”


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