TTFN RAGBRAI

Well RAGBRAI has come and gone. What an event! I (Jen) have never seen what it looks like when RAGBRAI comes through a town, but now I most definitely have. What an experience. I saw lots of our members enjoying the festivities downtown and lots of interesting folks visiting our lovely little city of Grinnell. I wonder if these folks that are riding all across Iowa will be so sick of their bicycles that they never hop on again. Maybe some, but I hope not. Fitness is a year long endeavor and quitting now would mean that they have to work that much harder to get ready for next year's ride. These folks have proven they have enough gumption to stick with a pretty tough ride; up and down some merciless hills with nasty heat and humidity on the side. Hopefully they stay active year round so they can enjoy next year's crazy hills and heat. Maybe they are lucky enough to have a fitness facility nearby that helps them stay on track. Who knows. I do know that you all have access to us and we are more than happy to be here when you need us!

Stinking crabgrass!

Not quite two years ago my family and I (Jen) made a big move across town to a house that had sat empty for a little over a year. The gravel drive had been given very little attention and some sections had been all but lost to weeds. During prime weed growing season last summer, I was hugely pregnant and not interested in doing anything about it. This year, however, I have started the battle. It's a huge amount of space to take care of, and pulling weeds in gravel can tear up your hands if you're not careful. So I do a little at a time, waiting for the shade and working around my family's needs. There are times I get to busy and get out of the habit and all of a sudden the whole drive is weedy again. Sometimes I feel like I work for an hour or more and you can't even tell that I was there at all. The crabgrass has enjoyed this last rain storm so yesterday I went out again. I got a bit of a rhythm pulling a handful, then pushing the baby in the swing, back and forth, back and forth. It worked and while there is still a lot more to be done (and probably always will be) visible progress was made. Hooray!

It's the same for weight loss or really any health goal. It takes time, commitment, work, and patience. We have to fit it in between everything else we are juggling and results aren't always immediately obvious. Sometimes life gets away from us and the spread seems to be winning. We have to stay positive and determined. Remaining diligent and chipping away a little at a time adds up to big progress in the big picture. Exercising or watching what we eat is not always what we want to be doing, but if we want to enjoy the benefits of the results, we have to stay with it.

RAGBRAI

You had to know we'd make a post about RAGBRAI at some point. In case you've missed it, RAGBRAI is coming to Grinnell next Thursday, the 28th. You might have noticed all the cyclists out and about despite this blazing hot weather. There are going to be some great activities going on around town that we'd hate for you to miss. There are also going to be some road closures and quite a bit of bicycle traffic to contend with. As such, we are closing the PWA at noon on Thursday and re-opening at 8am on Friday. Fly High will be closed all of Thursday and Friday. Classes will resume on Saturday. Make sure to still plan on working out. This may just need to be a time you try something new (maybe get a new stamp on your passport to fitness???) RAGBRAI can be quite a show so be sure to come support our local venues and see the sights. Good luck to all our members that will be out riding across Iowa, we can't wait to hear your stories when you come back!

Heat Wave

I (Jen) walked out of my house a bit after 5am this morning and was already blown away by the heat and humidity outside. It was time for a new quote for the board in the fitness center and I settled on, "If you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?" Ha ha, thank you Steven Wright. Of course, no way I'd wave, maybe some kind of hand gesture, but not a wave. As Jane Austen so elegantly put it in another quote I found today, the heat leaves me in a "state of inelegance," and I know I'm not alone. Most of us prefer to stay inside eating popsicles. But, if you're someone that can't resist going outside despite the elevated temps, make sure to be smart about it. Drink plenty of water, you're going to need to replace all the fluid you'll be sweating out. Use lots of sunscreen and reapply frequently. They've recently changed requirements on sunscreen labels, so be sure to read the recommendations on the bottles carefully. Try to avoid going out in the heat of the day, between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. If you can, choose to do the mowing or cycling or whatever before or after those times for a little more comfort. Don't forget the sunglasses to protect those peepers from the bright sun. And make sure to stay in the shade as much as possible or even wear protective clothing such as a hat or sun visor. There are times when it's just too hot. If the sum of the temperature and the humidity is greater than 150 for adults, or greater than 125 for seniors and children, it's best to stay inside and risk cabin fever. At those times come on over to the air-conditioned goodness of Fly High or the PWA to get your exercise. Make sure to take care of yourself during these extreme heat waves!

Stress managment

Some of you may know that I (Jen) have been helping out quite a bit with our hospital day camp recently. It is a very fun gig, playing with school age kids at the pool, the park and on field trips. I love the variety it brings to my day. The downside is that it also has added some extra work hours as well. There's no denying that the extra pay is nice, but there have been some challenges while trying to accommodate this extra time away from home. Between finding more babysitters, less time for cleaning, cooking, or bonding with the family, there's just been a little extra stress in my world. It's not terrible, but it is there.

A few years ago, GRMC implemented a stress management program called Heartmath for all our employees. At my first training I remember hearing that it's just a fact that we have stress in our jobs and lives and that can't be changed. We can, however, change how we react to that stress. That statement has stuck with me. No one lives in a pristine stress-free environment. Which means, we have all been in a situation that we could have handled better. But sometimes that initial reaction just makes it so hard to get out of the downward spiral.

I've had to find ways to minimize that type of situation. For me the process was initiated by our training by just making me more aware of how I behaved each time I didn't like something. Heartmath provided me with some great tools for managing the physical reactions we experience during stressful situations and I find myself utilizing them frequently. Whether it's just speaking less snottily to my husband or not losing my mind when the kids spill their drinks, believe me, I have plenty of opportunity for practice. We all have to find healthy ways to manage the big and little events that come our way. Sometimes exercise is one of them. Feel free to come work your frustrations out on the treadmill or relax in a yoga class. Try a massage or the Aquamed bed at Postels Community Health Park. If you're interested to know more about Heartmath, let our staff know. Whenever we feel that tension coming on, we need to have those tools in place to help us better handle tough situations. That's one of the things our staff is here to provide: an environment for stress relief.

sleep deprivation

Well it'was an amazing show to watch all the lightning this morning. Very impressive display, Mother Nature. However, I (Jen) would appreciate if the next exhibit would allow me to get a little more sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, an adult needs an average of 7-9 hours of good, quality sleep. That sure doesn't happen for me when it's tunderstorming in the wee small hours.

Obviously daytime sleepiness can contribute to loss of productivity and general crankiness. But there are a few more serious health risks that can be involved in reduced number of sleep hours. Did you know it can also be linked to poor diet choices? I was very interested to learn that lack of sleep effects hormones in such a way that we feel an increase in appetite. It was found that people will low number of sleep hours can have an impact on glucose and insulin levels, making it hard to lose weight. Clearly one night of poor sleep doesn't lead to a lifetime of bad health, but for those of us that habitually struggle for the zzzs it can be a slippery slope. Being tired makes us that much less motivated for healthy diet and exercise habits, leading to weight gain, which we all know can cause a myriad of health risks such as sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, increased risk for stroke, etc... Aah!

There are factors that we can't control- wakeful babies, snoring spouses or thunderstorms. But we can make some choices that allow us to get as much sleep as possible. Planning ahead and getting to bed at a decent time no matter what is one. Another is to reduce caffeine intake, especially later in the day. I know, I know, not a popular option for some, but it could make a difference. Adding an extra pop in the day not only increases our calorie intake but also can make it more difficult to get to sleep at night. Additionally chosing to work out around mid afternoon is the recommemded time for best sleep. We are glad to get our exercise in whenever we can, and exercise can help us sleep better at night, but it can help the most if we are able to fit our work outs in at least three hours before bedtime. We can also create an environment for sleep by keeping the lights low, the temperature cool, and finding earplugs or some kind of white noise machine to combat any noise. And while lots of people claim that TV helps them fall asleep, experts state that TV stimulates the brain instead of allowing it to calm down, so the goal is to turn the set off at least one hour before bed. Think for a minute of the nights you watched some news report that ticked you off or some thought-provoking movie that got the gears of your mind working so you couldn't sleep and you'll know it's really true.

Getting enough sleep is a crucial part of our overall health. Regularly getting enough sleep will help us with our efforts in diet and exercise and keep our moods light. Our job is to do what we can to make that happen so that we don't spend our days dull whitted, yawning and crabby. Sometimes it's easier said than done, but it is definitely worth the effort.

Star Spangled Accountability

I (Jen) hope you all had a great holiday. I certainly enjoyed my time with my family. It's important for us to have those special celebrations that allow us to take a break from our usual routines. A lot of us plan vacations around these extra days off, which is great, but this the time that it becomes very easy to slip off the wagon. Don't let that happen to you! Our bodies and minds do need some recovery time, but not weeks. We all love that holiday food we eat at our picnics and family gatherings, but we can't consume that many star spangled brownies on a regular basis. Make sure that you are keeping yourself accountable even around vacation times. If you're able, find a way to incorporate exercise during your trip. It can be exciting to try a new piece of equipment or take a new class. Make sure to get some healthy food on your plate despite all that eating out and pot luck dinners. Please, don't hesitate to let us know if you need extra encouragement to get back on the horse after a break. The wellness team members are here to help you succeed, it's one of my favorite parts of the job!