For the Health of It: Optimizing Wellness
Charlotte, NC, January 19, 2007 -- Who is responsible for teaching us about health and wellness these days? Where do we learn to exercise properly and to make healthier food choices? How do we learn about the benefits of resting our bodies or the reasons we should go to the dentist twice a year?
Most schools have done away with P.E. classes; at work we’re often pressured to work late and skip lunch; and family traditions make it difficult for us to turn our backs on Grandma’s sacred latkes cooked in chicken fat. Despite all the pressures to follow the unhealthy crowd, each of us can choose to take responsibility for our own wellness and educate ourselves to live healthier lives.
Fortunately, community outreach groups like Wellness Coalition America and Hadassah are here to lend us a hand. These two organizations are joining forces on Thursday, February 22nd from 7 to 9 p.m. to put on a dynamic, educational, interactive event called “For the Health of It: Optimizing Wellness.” It will be held at Temple Israel across from the Sandra and Leon Levine Jewish Community Center in Shalom Park. The public is invited and it’s free!
The keynote speaker for the evening is Terrie Reeves, Coalition founder and president. She launched Wellness Coalition America in the summer of 2004, but her vision for the organization began to materialize many years earlier. For more than ten years, she has been on a quest to educate and empower people of all ages and walks of life to achieve their personal best. Her passion for wellness is fueled by more than 20 years of experience as a fitness professional in the areas of dance, aerobics, martial arts and yoga. She frequently speaks as a health advocate to corporations and community groups to help people understand the importance of making informed choices regarding their health.
Other speakers include Dr. Linda Roochvarg, board-certified pediatrician; Shira Capellini, exercise and sports specialist; and Ann Henderson, nutritionist. They will join Terrie in walking guests through four basic steps for achieving total body wellness, which include proper ways to MOVE, FUEL, REST and MAINTAIN our bodies.
Moving your body refers to intentional exercise, such as going to the gym; but it also includes daily activities like taking the stairs, carrying groceries, walking the dog, gardening, and cleaning house. Moving your body generates energy, burns calories, increases blood flow, improves mood, increases flexibility, and raises metabolism.
Fueling your body with the proper vitamins, minerals, and nutrients provides energy; helps sustains brain power; maintains healthy hair, skin, and nails; and can also enhance mood.
Resting is more than just sleep (although it’s still important to get the recommended 8 or 9 hours of shuteye). You can rest without closing your eyes by taking “me time,” focusing on a hobby like knitting, reading, journaling, meditating, or even taking time for prayer. Rest leads to higher productivity, higher use of brain power, a more positive attitude, and greater ability to focus. It refreshes your mind, body, and soul.
Maintaining your body means—instead of waiting until something has gone awry to see your doctor—you proactively schedule a check-up with your primary care physician and follow his or her recommendations. Plus, at least once a year, you participate in general health screenings, which will flag any risky test results.
The bottom line: total body wellness is achieved by treating your body like a temple. Learn to move, fuel, rest and maintain it so you can be your personal best.
“For the Health of It: Optimizing Wellness” promises to be an evening filled with inspiration, motivation, education, and a lot of fun! Bring your friends, your questions and an eagerness to learn; and be prepared to get involved and support each other. Taking care of YOU is a great way to start the New Year!
* * * * * * * * *
Wellness Coalition America is a team of like-minded health and business professionals working together to make people healthier. The organization strives to be a “Health Advocate” through its Care Management System, which includes: wellness and disease management programs; consulting and wellness program development; health risk assessments and screenings; proprietary software to implement, manage and track disease management; printed and electronic wellness educational tools; on-site corporate wellness programming, and much more. For additional information, visit www.wellnesscoalition.com.
Hadassah is a volunteer women’s organization committed to world health care—such as cancer screening, state-of-the-art trauma care, early detection of cardiovascular disease, smoking cessation, and promotion of physical fitness— among many other activities.
