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