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Whether it is for your first child or fifth, choosing childcare is no easy task. There are so many factors to consider that will go into your final decision on which childcare center will be the right one for you and your child.
Here are the top 10 things to look for when considering childcare.
Choosing a childcare center is no easy task, but taking these 10 things into consideration should help lower the stress on the decision making process.
By Raychel Adiutori
Raychel is a mom of two young school-aged girls in Erie, Pa.
You already spend 40+ hours every week with your co-workers, so why would you want to add any more time than required?
It sounds less than ideal, working out with your co-workers. However, it can have a different effect on your personal and professional relationships than what you’d expect. Whether you exercise with one workout partner from work, your office is full of wellness champions, or you attend classes with a fitness posse, here’s the ‘why’ and ‘how’ when it comes to exercising with co-worker
Check out this article from PeerFit Pulse to learn more.
Work relationships are incredibly important to employee well-being. It’s about more than just “getting along” with a co-worker. As humans, we crave contact and connection with other people. Unfortunately, for many employees, work can be a very lonely place. And while you’re probably familiar with the phrase, “I’m here to work, not to make friends,” it’s important for employers to understand just how important social connections in the workplace really are.
Check out this article from Forbes on how strong social connections make people happier and physically healthier – and how those connections translate into work performance.
The Y is a great place to spend time together as a family. Bring the kids and challenge your family with do-together workouts like:
Playing Family Fitness Bingo
Instead of sitting with a dauber and waiting for numbers to be called, this version of bingo requires each family member to complete five mini-workouts – like run one lap or do 15 sit-ups – to get a bingo. Or you can really kick things up by going for a blackout by completing every activity on the list.
Download a printable version here or stop by the Membership Desk to ask for this workout card.
Attend a Group Exercise Class Together
Members can take advantage of free group exercise classes – including these that are specifically designed for kids and their family members:
Family Obstacle Interval, Tuesdays, 6 p.m. Eastside Family Y
Family Cardio, Saturdays, 11 a.m. Glenwood Park Y
Family ZUMBA, Saturdays, 12 p.m., Glenwood Park Y
Take a Family Swim
Gather up the kids for water-based fun at the Y. In the water, your whole body is working – water is denser than air, which provides resistance for all movements. Family-friendly aquatics amenities include water slides and indoor lap pools. To enjoy the pool, all swimmers 5 & under must have an adult within an arm’s reach. All youth 17 and under must complete the YMCA Deep Water Competency Test which assesses swimming ability for deep water. Those that complete the test successfully will be given a green band; inexperienced swimmers are considered non-swimmers. These bands help our certified lifeguards keep swimmers safe.
Wide Open Spaces
Our gyms are indoor playgrounds that burn winter energy. Some fun things to do in the gyms include anything with a ball (just Google “fun games with a ball”), relay races or bring the kids’ rollerblades!
All of us have different reasons for walking in the door of the YMCA; Mark Bell’s was a friend who worked at the Eastside Family YMCA who encouraged him to apply for a position as a bus driver. But what made him stay? The people. “It’s a social place” Mark says, “it’s more than a gym, we really care about the people and their needs.”
Mark was able to experience being on the receiving end of that care when he had health issues last summer. While he was off of work for a couple months, he received calls, letters, and cards from members, coworkers, and even kids from the Y’s childcare program. During his hiatus, he would meet up with members to get a cup of coffee or some breakfast. And with the UPMC Rehabilitation facility right next door, it was convenient for him to drop by after physical therapy.
Mark especially enjoys working with seniors, and says looking back, he never imagined the impact that walking in the door 15 years ago would have on his life.
Unfortunately, most people struggle to lose the weight and don’t shed all of it. We suggest these ten strategies for keeping your waistline in tact during the holidays.
It’s easy to rationalize overeating during the holidays by planning a New Year’s resolution to drop the extra weight. But in reality, most people don’t lose all the extra holiday pounds – and it can lead to long-term health problems like heart disease and diabetes. Even those who do lose the weight can still face high cholesterol levels and other serious issues. Take a sensible approach to nutrition and exercise throughout the year and during the holiday season – come January, you’ll be glad you did.
SCIENCE SHOWS YOU SHOULDN’T GIVE UP ON THE PUSH UP
By Emma Hogan
Can’t do a push-up on your toes? New research spells out exactly why you shouldn’t give up.
For many of us push-ups conjure up a sense of dread, which is no surprise given they have long-been associated with intimidating fitness drills or physical punishment for wrongdoing. However, despite their cringe-worthy past, push-ups have secured their place as an exercise staple, and are now adored by fitness gurus across the globe.
But the easier to manage push-up on your knees variation doesn’t always get the same adoration. In fact, these modified push-ups often cop a fair bit of flack, with some labeling them as an ineffective exercise that won’t get you any stronger.
Now, a new study published in the Journal of Applied Bio-mechanics clears up the conflict, showing that both the toe and knee variations of the push-up are worthwhile. The findings are very encouraging, explains Jinger Gottschall, Associate Professor at Penn State University and lead researcher of the study. “We were able to demonstrate that the overall ratio of muscle activation in the upper body when you do a push-up on your knees or toes is actually the same. It shows that knee push-ups are a surprisingly valuable alternative if you cannot perform a push-up on your toes with proper technique.”
So whether you can smash sets on your toes or stick to your knees, push-ups are a move you need to love!
What makes push-ups so good?
Push-ups are much more than just an upper body exercise. They work the pecs, deltoids and triceps while strengthening the muscles of the core. On top of improved upper body definition push-ups build muscular endurance and create lean muscle mass that improves overall fitness and good health.
When compared to the bench press, another popular chest exercise, push-ups provide more effective functional training. The Penn State University study participants generated 50 percent more activation in the abdominals during push-ups compared to bench press repetitions with parallel weight.
There’s no dispute that the most effective push-ups are push-ups on your toes, as they engage a greater amount of activation in the muscles of the upper body and core – demanding whole body integration. However, push-ups on your toes can be pretty challenging and many people, especially older adults or individuals new to exercise, cannot safely complete multiple push-ups on their toes. All too often the hips and neck are not aligned properly and consequently the risk of injury outweighs the rewards. “When people are struggling to lower themselves towards the ground in a toe push-up position, they shouldn’t give up or feel discouraged, says Gottschall. “We can now be confident that push-ups on your knees are an effective modification.”
How to progress from knee push-ups to toe push-ups
The good news is that if you do enough push-ups on your knees you’ll be up on your toes in no time. Gottschall explains that, as the muscle activation in knee and toe push-ups is the same, if you consistently perform enough push-ups on your knees to reach a point of fatigue you will soon become strong enough to do push-ups on your toes.
Bryce Hastings, Les Mills’ Head of Research and Technical Advisor agrees with Gottschall’s advice, saying once you are confident doing 16 push-ups on the knees, then you are ready to try push-ups on your toes.
“If you feel confident doing 16 knee push-ups, you can just start to try some on your toes and see how you feel. If you need to, you can revert back to the other style until you gradually build up your strength over time to be able to do more on your toes than your knees,” he says
Once you’ve mastered the toe push-up the sky’s the limit. The Guinness world record for most push-ups in one hour is held by David Escojido who did 2,298 push-ups in 60 minutes. Charles Servizio holds the current world record for most push-ups in 24 hours. He ticked off a whopping 46,001 push-ups in just 21 hours, 6 minutes.
The health of our families take priority over everything else! The American Heart Association has deemed October as Healthy Lung Month, emphasizing the importance of taking care of your lungs and respiratory system all year long. It’s surprising to find out that our indoor air can be just as unsafe as the air we’re exposed to in the public and outdoors. Here’s a few ways to improve the health of your lungs through simple adjustments in your everyday routine.
Weekly Cleaning
Creating a chore chart allows everyone to be accountable in the home. After all, a clean home is a happy home. Assign household tasks for everyone to perform on a weekly basis as pollutants are always hiding in the air. Simple habits like dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, and wiping down furniture will positively impact the health of the home. People are more prone to experience breathing issues indoors during the winter months because windows are closed, heat gets trapped, and pollutants build up. This is especially true for adults and young children who suffer from asthma. Vacuuming carpets and cleaning up dust mites or pet dander can result in easier breathing and a healthier future.
Limit your DIY Projects
If you have lived in your house for a while, it’s natural to want to reinvent and refresh your home. Hiring a professional can become expensive and long-winded but may require the touch of an expert. One serious toxin that could be lurking in your home is asbestos. Knocking down walls or ripping up flooring tiles can disturb the fibrous mineral. Due to its microscopic size, asbestos can get trapped in the body’s organs. Asbestos has been proven to cause multiple lung issues such as lung cancer, asbestosis, and even the rarer cancer, mesothelioma, which affects the lungs in up to 90 percent of all diagnoses.
Carbon Monoxide
Make sure your carbon monoxide (CO) detector is up and running properly. According to the CDC, roughly 400 people are killed each year from lung poisoning, and a staggering 25,000 people become sick from it. Due to this gas being odorless and tasteless, it’s very difficult to know when your family might be exposed to it. Anytime a material is burned, CO is emitted into the air putting you and your family at risk. Examples of this include your dryer machine, gas stoves and ovens, furnaces, boilers, water heaters, and any form of fire burning- i.e. fireplace, wood burning stove, pellet stove.
Radon
Radon is a very dangerous radioactive gas that forms in the ground. Radon moves up from the soil seeping into various cracks and holes in the foundation of the home. The colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas can be unknowingly present in the home at any time. Excluding cigarette smoking and secondhand contact with smoke, radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among Americans, nearing close to 21,000 deaths a year. Have your home tested or do it yourself by purchasing a kit as cheap as 20 dollars. If the radon levels in your home exceed four pCi/L, call a professional immediately.
Activities to Keep Your Lungs Healthy
When the season changes and the temperature drops it’s easy to fall into the couch potato habit. However, there’s a lot of fun alternatives to staying indoors while keeping your lungs active. Take the family to an open swim, try out new classes at your local YMCA, or even have a family bowling night.
Don’t let the cold scare you! 30 minutes of moderate exercise has many benefits for your lungs and your immune system. Taking initiative to care for your lungs now can have long lasting benefits for you and your family down the line.
Editors Note: Article contributed by Emily Walsh, Mesothelioma
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE: THE EVOLUTION OF RUNNING
By Margo White for Fit Planet
We weren’t just born to run, we were designed to. Author and runner Dr Vybarr Cregan-Reid explains the art and science of running, and why it’s as good for your mind as your body.
MARGO WHITE: You write that we’re born to run. Convince me.
VYBARR CREGAN-REID: The idea that we’re born to run comes from a wonderful book, Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall, who kick-started interest in this idea. His book comes out of the science done by biologist Dennis Bramble and paleoanthropologist Daniel Lieberman, who looked at the mechanics of our bodies, and the ways in which they’re specifically optimized for running.
For example?
If you’re reading this interview on an iPad and shake the screen up and down, you won’t be able to read it. Your eyes won’t be able focus. But if you shake the screen from side to side, which is the kind of lateral movement that the head does during a run, when it bobs from side to side, you will be able to read it. That’s because of a little set of bones in our inner ear that house the vestibulocochlear nerve, which means our brain can tell our eyes what to do so that we can see when we’re in motion – if our head moves to the right, our eyes move to the left, and vice versa. Primates don’t have this, but Homo erectus, from about 1.9 million years ago, did, and we’ve inherited it.
They also had toes that were quite short, so were economic. They had a big toe that was very powerful and independent and allowed them to propel themselves forward. They had Achilles tendons (which most other primates lack). You don’t need an Achilles tendon to walk, but it stores power when your body goes down in a stride, which can then be released when you toe off, and that helps propel you forward. The uniquely human arch in the foot also helps this, too. There are many more examples, but all these evolutionary tweaks that optimize us for running are there, ready to go, in our DNA.
But we live in an age optimized for sitting, rather than running…
Yes, the environment that was waiting for early humans was the African savannah, and we thrived on it. That environment didn’t have any chairs. It involved very little sedentary work. And it was one in which our muscles, all our tendons, were being used actively and frequently. So it meant their bodies were getting sustenance.
What we have now, is an environment in which our fingers travel over a keyboard about three miles a day, and our feet about half a mile. It’s absurd; think of all the time you spend in sedentary activities. If you just performed moderate activities for that amount of time, your bone density would be different, tendons would be thicker, and muscles would be stronger. So we are training our bodies to be weakened by modern life, with a level of commitment that if we were training for the Olympics, we’d win.
This is something you’re exploring in your next book, “Primate Change, how the world we’ve made is remaking us”?
Yes, which is coming out in September. I’ve got a whole section on sitting, and the history of chairs. We’ve not really been sitting for that long – only for about 150 years. Chairs have been around for thousands of years, but they were mostly used as status symbols; they were not widely adopted and people were sensible enough not to sit in them. And just because we like sitting doesn’t mean it’s good for us.
You’re a senior English lecturer, mainly in Victorian literature, and the author of Footnotes: How Running Makes Us Human. How did you end up writing a book about running?
My first book was an academic book about the oldest poem that humanity has, called the Epic of Gilgamesh, that took me many years and at the end of that process I thought, because it was an academic book, nobody is going to read this. So I decided that the next book would be about something that really fascinated me, something that was more mainstream, and that really felt new to me.
Footnotes is a running book, but I blend that with literary criticism, new nature writing, and memoir. The basic argument I’m putting forward is that we have bodies, and they need to do certain things, and if they don’t, they’re not going to be at their best.
In Footnotes you point out that there’s increasing evidence that running promotes neurogenesis. You run five to ten miles a day, but has it made you smarter?
No, not noticeably, but I’ve not noticed my hair going grey, either, so who knows? It won’t necessarily make you smarter, but will almost certainly slow the cellular degradation that is associated with ageing. It has, without doubt, made me more interested. There was something about the process of running, while writing Footnotes, which would generate ideas. Ideas would get shunted together while I was out on the trails, and I’d think, ‘oh yeah, treadmills are weird, I should look into that, I remember them being mentioned in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol’. The odd history of the treadmill ended up becoming an entire chapter in the book. There were without doubt some dumb ideas, but mostly though they blossomed into paragraphs or sections. I don’t think running made me smarter, but it created the conditions in which creativity could flourish.
Are the benefits of running distinct from the benefits gained by other forms of physical activity?
There’s no easy answer for this. But if you look at the kind of benefits that different leisure activities give us, such as the neurological benefits, the physiological benefits, psychological benefits and others, outdoor running comes out best. It’s great for cardio, great for bone density, and if you’re outdoors, it’s great for being stimulated by the natural environment. So it’s not that other exercises won’t give you these benefits, but none will give you them as perfectly as running does.
Is there really such a thing as the runner’s high?
Definitely. Some people rarely get it, some people never get it, some people get it a fair bit and some people get it all the time. I used to get it more than average and I think this is because I’m a slow runner. If you drive your exercise too hard, it won’t happen. So, often the people who never get it are those really serious about their running speed, and see their run as serious training. But it turns out that not maxing out your heart rate, makes it easier for the runner’s high to happen. I’ve got a recipe for the runner’s high in the book that I devised after speaking to several experts.
EXPERIENCE THE RUNNER’S HIGH
Vybarr Cregan-Reid’s recipe for the runner’s high, or more accurately, for endocannabinoid activation.
It’s not about the endorphins though, is it?
For years everyone thought it was, but the scientists were quite rightly saying, no, endorphins are too big to get through the blood brain barrier, which stops us from going insane when we get an infection. But more recently, there was the discovery of a substance called anandamide, a neurostransmitter released when the endocannabinoid system is activated, which is small enough to pass the blood brain barrier. That does all the things that that the runners’ high is supposed to do.
Like what?
It makes you feel euphoric, that you could carry on forever. It has dilatory effects so your breathing slows and blood is able to flow more freely, and it also has a pain-killing component.
It’s like your body recognizing that it has reached the limits of its ability, and it just goes ‘poof’ and puts a little injection of magic into your brain and blood, which keeps you going a little bit longer. So that, if you were a Paleolithic persistence hunter, you could get the reward of the hunt. Everything usually come down to evolution. That Darwin guy was onto something.
Can you get a “runner’s high” from other forms of physical activity?
There’s no reason to suggest that you can’t. I think it’s more closely associated with running, because everyone knows the term; they don’t call it “the exercise high”. But as I say in the book, and my recipe for “runner’s high”, you also need to go off line, to switch off, and that can be harder in a gym or in an urban environment than it is in a natural environment. By natural, I don’t mean that it has to be a breathtakingly beautiful place, just some grass and a few trees.
Is running bad for your knees?
No, there’s been loads of studies done on this, but yet another study published a few weeks ago showed that levels of osteoarthritis among runners is hugely below the average of the population. So running is not bad for your knees. Not running is bad for your knees. I don’t believe that we pick up injuries when we’re running. We gather them slowly in our lives, and then we give them a chance to express themselves while we’re running. We are injuring ourselves by doing what we are both doing now, which is sitting still for long periods of time.
Dr Vybarr Cregan-Reid is Reader in English and Environmental Humanities at the University of Kent, and author of Footnotes: How Running Makes us Human. He is currently working on his third book, Primate Change: how the world we’ve made is remaking us, a study of the Anthropocene body and how, as we have altered the environment, it is changing us.