Hi Everyone!! 

The YMCA Y Achievers program had a unique opportunity thanks to a generous gift from Horse Sense of the Carolinas.  The Y Achievers program, which provides enrichment and positive confidence building activities (such as the activity you are about to read about) to teens living in Pisgahview and Deaverview communities, was able to travel to Horse Sense of the Carolinas for an afternoon of Equine therapy led by Kendall Smith.  The teens had some reservations at first about working with the horses, but quickly learned about positive communication skills and building relationships through nonverbal cues and activities with different horses.  The groups still talk about each horse they worked with and the experience they had at Horse Sense.  It is through the generous gift of Horse Sense of the Carolinas and the support of members like you that the YMCA is able to make such a powerful impact on these wonderful kids in our community. 

Thank you Horse Sense of the Carolinas from the Y Achievers Program! 

The extreme heat conditions this summer place us at higher risk for dehydration and heat related illness.  The elderly, children and athletes are at particularly high risk.

Heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, occurs when your body can’t keep itself cool.   The two common types of heat related illness are heat stroke, and heat exhaustion.  Heat exhaustion happens when your body gets too hot.  It can be caused by physical exercise or hot weather. You may experience any or all of the following symptoms:

• Heavy sweating
• Feeling weak and/or confused
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Headache
• Fast heartbeat
• Dark-colored urine, which indicates dehydration

Healthy Ways to Manage Stress!

Summertime is supposed to be a time for fun and leisure, but it can also be a time filled with stress.  Let’s take a closer look at the problem:

Some of the most recent statistics that have been found about the effects here in the United States are:

According to the latest Stress in America survey conducted annually by the American’s Psychological Association, 75 percent of Americans reported experiencing moderate to high levels of stress in the past month.

Stress is the tension or pressures we feel as a result of daily life challenges such as balancing family obligations and work commitments.  Some stress is positive and actually causes on bodies to release stress hormones, which raises the body and brain to meet challenges we have been presented with.  However, when stress becomes constant and persist over an extended period of time, stress can cause problems with our health, moods, relationships, and productivity.

When we begin feeling overwhelmed with stress it is important to our quality of life to begin taking control of our stress, here are three things you can do:

1.)     Asking ourselves what are my controllable vs. uncontrollable stressors.  Below is an activity you can download and print to find out your stressors.  Row one, list all of the stressors you encounter on a day to day basis such as waking up late, missing a deadline, etc.  Row two, put them in order from 1-10 (10 being the most stressful).  Row three, identify which stressors you can eliminate & which you must manage.  Then, create an action plan.  For questions about this activity, contact Diana Crockett, Woodfin YMCA at dcrockett@ymcawnc.org.                                 

Here is the link to download and print the activity:  Activity – Identifying Stressors

2.)    The Action plan may include identifying ways to control our stress by, for this example, putting our stressful situation into perspective by recognizing when we are feeling stress, closing our door for five minutes and taking time to read inspirational messages from a book or calendar with inspirational quotes.  This allows you to step back from the situation, and when you are ready to go back to the task at hand we will be more productive.

3.)    Another thing we can do is find a way to relax at the end of every day.  Some examples include taking a mineral bath soak to relieve stress and tension, listen to music for relaxation while enjoying a cup of cozy chamomile herb tea (or any of your favorite teas).

4.)    Other things we can do are practice is deep breathing techniques, meditation, being in nature, and exercising (yoga is a great way to focus on meditation and relaxation at the end of the day!)

Have a great week!

Kristen  

Note:  Always seek medical advice on personal wellness matters from your physician.  This is not intended as medical advice.

Sources Cited: Personnel Performance Systems, the newsletter of your employee assistance program, healthy exchange, summer 2010 issue.

This camp is for the teen and pre-teen that likes the great outdoors and physical activity.  Campers travel by bus throughout the mountains of Western North Carolina to areas in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests, Gorges State Park, Panthertown, and Dupont State Park.  The majority of time is spent in the forests and at swimming holes, but also includes activities such as mountain biking, climbing wall, giant swing, hiking, white water rafting, and other adventurous activities! 

Contact Brennan Splain, Youth and Sports Coordinator at the Asheville YMCA via phone at 828-252-4726

Have a happy and safe 4th!

Kristen

Hi everyone,

Select the link below for a flyer about Family Dinner Nights (FDN)  at Earthfare: 

IBB Ash Flier

With every adult $5 purchase up to SIX kids can eat for FREE.  FDN will continue over the summer and throughout the rest of the year. 

Earthfare also offers, “Healthy Kid’s Meals,” which are available all the time – not just on Thursdays – so swing through Earth Fare to pick up a kid’s meal!

Have a healthy week!

Kristen

“Let’s Move Buncombe!”  Women Elected Officials launch local public awareness campaign to raise awareness about Childhood Obesity:

Asheville, NC – Local women elected officials will be joining together for a 6-month public awareness campaign entitled “Let’s Move Buncombe!” to showcase many of the innovative solutions happening in Buncombe County that address childhood obesity. From fresh food in school cafeterias to child friendly farmers markets to preschools programs to family walking trails, these elected officials propose to get the word out to the community to help kids be more active, eat better, and get healthy.  Each month the officials will visit and participate in a local effort that promotes healthy living and works to reverse the childhood obesity trend.

            “Let’s Move Buncombe!” was inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama national invitation to join her national “Let’s Move!” Initiative. www.letsmove.com. Let’s Move! has an ambitious goal: to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation. Let’s Move! focuses on combating the epidemic of childhood obesity through a comprehensive approach which builds on effective strategies, and mobilizes public and private sector resources. .

            The “Let’s Move Buncombe!” campaign will focus on local initiatives in four arenas: helping parents make healthy choices; healthier schools; physical activity; and accessing healthy affordable schools. The campaign will occur May through October and currently has 10 women elected officials signed on. Participating elected officials to date include: NC State Representative Susan Fisher, NC State Representative Jane Whilden, Buncombe County Commissioner Holly Jones, Buncombe County Commissioner Carol Peterson, Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy, Asheville City Councilwoman Esther Manheimer, Black Mountain Vice Mayor Joan Brown, Montreat Mayor Letta Jean Taylor, Montreat Commissioner Mary McPhail Standaert, and  Eeaverville Vice Mayor Dottie Sherrill.

Holly Jones, convener of the group stated, “It was amazing how women leaders immediately responded to participating in this campaign. They each know that unless we make fundamental changes in our community and support parents and children leading a more healthy life, our obesity crisis will cripple our economy and decrease the future quality of life in our children.”

Select the link LMB May 7  for Let’s Move Buncombe’s kick-off at Emma Community Garden – May 7, 2010: 

 LMB_May 7

Have a great rest of the week and weekend!

Kristen Weaver

Have you been interested in joining a bike riding group but wondered how to get started? Have you had concerns of riding alone on a bicycle on the road?

Join the Novice Bike Rider Program Begins June 12th! Here is a note from Archer Yates with the group along with bicycle maintenance tips.
Our Novice Bike rider program will start on June 12th at 9:30 am at Fletcher Park and will continue on each Saturday morning at 9:30 unless changed. Each week we will announce start locations. Anyone who would like to be on the email list for ride announcements please send me an Email. Also, our

group is listed on Facebook Groups as BRBC Novice Bike rider group.

Information will be posted on the Facebook group as well as direct emails.

For more information contact Archer Yates e-mail: 42bp@charter.net
phone number: 828-320-8654
We will be riding about 2 hours on mostly flat to rolling roads. We will breakup in groups according to pace. If you have any questions about your ability, call me before the ride.
No one will be left behind and we have club members that act as ride guides to check on you and look out for problems. They will be wearing a reflective vest. They have cell phones for an emergency. We will hand out cell phone numbers before the ride. Bring your cell phone.

There will not be a motor vehicle following us. Any problem we have on the road, we will have to handle or wait for someone to get a vehicle. For example, We had one rider last year that had to wait for a vehicle because he did not have a tube to repair a puncture, and nor did we. He had a 26 inch wheel with a schrader valve and all our tubes were the more common presta valves so bring what you would need to repair bike.

Be sure your bike has at least one water bottle cage on it ( 2 is better). The type of water bottle they sell in bike shops larger is better because hese bottles can be handled with one hand. Not drinking enough water is a big issue when riding a bike and a hydration pack with the tube that clips on the strap is another option. The ride will be about two  hours and 40 ounces of liquid is about right .

Here are a few tips fromleague of American Bicyclist use the ABC’s for a pre ride check:
A. air in tires at proper inflation: Make sure the tires are inflated to the pressures marked on the tire. A Bicycle tire will only hold proper pressure for a few days. This requires that you have a good quality bike pump. The floor pumps are much easier to use and  little micro pumps are exhausting to use.
B. Brakes should stop efficiently and work smoothly without squealing.
C. Chain needs to be ubricated and should be tracking without dropping as you shift gears. C is also for cables that need to be lubed and at correct tension to shift your gears .
If all this sounds a bit much , you should have your bike checked over by a bike shop.
Last but not least these are some”must haves”:
As you know a helmet is required so make sure the padding is still good, and it fits snugly.
A small pack is strongly encouraged for a tube to fit your bike, a snack or energy bar, bandaids, and sunblock.
Also, wearing gloves will cushion your hands and offer protection if you fall. If you are riding a fat tire mountain bike, you can make it easier to keep up by using tires called ( town & Country tires) that have a smoother tread and are not as wide as a true mountain bike knobby tire.

Happy Riding!

Carol and Denise

http://www2.mcdowellnews.com/news/2010/may/25/make-healthy-choice-easy-choice-ar-172270/

Time to Give Your Taste Buds a Makeover this Spring?

Try some of our favorites in the Spring issue of American Institute of Cancer Research.

http://www.aicr.org/site/DocServer/AICR_NL_107-Web.pdf?docID=3621

Here are some tasty suggestions to make your meals more exciting:

Give you palate a fresh taste with green pea guacamole dip or red pepper and pecan salad!

Add a new salad green to your menu such as arugula, butter head or endive. Combine it with fresh herbs, like basil, and other vegetables of every color and texture – from steamed sweet potato cubes to crunchy radishes or jicama– similar to apples, but not sweet..

Add roasted bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, onions, turnips and other veggies with a small drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar to bring out a rich, sweet taste.

Have a healthy spring!

Carol and Denise