Wellness Words August 2013 Posted on August 14, 2013 by Dakota PikeHealthLink Littauer’sWELLNESS WORDSSubmitted by Wendy Chirieleison, MS EdCommunity Health Educator This Healthy Day Is Brought To You By LittauerIt is summertime in the Adirondacks, the “Land of 44 Lakes.” Looking around, you see people enjoying activities like tubing, hiking, biking, sailing, swimming, kayaking, fishing, miniature golfing, enjoying all this region has to offer. They are laughing, faces jovial, frolicking in the sunshine, taking in the picturesque mountains and bright golden sunsets. Wishing you felt up to partaking in all of the fun? Well you can, and we at Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home would like to provide you with some ideas on how you can get there!• It all starts with taking good care of yourself! Be sure you schedule regular preventive health visits with your primary care provider. Don’t forget those annual screenings for both men and women that are so important to our health. Some people avoid them because they feel the screenings are too invasive, but the truth is these procedures could save our lives.• Plenty of exercise is important and that can be easier when the weather is nicer. Take a hike, join a walking club, swim, play a game of tennis, or take the kids in your life for regular walks to the library and get books to read at the beach.• Making healthier choices at the market in addition to encouraging physical activity are two ways we can model and encourage healthy lifestyles for those children in our lives. Take advantage of the local fruits and vegetables at farm stands, co-ops, and farmers markets. Avoid sugary drinks and have plenty of water on hand, especially during these hot summer days!• Slow down! We can get so involved with social media (like Facebook and Twitter) or other computer games and devices, that sometimes we are not fully “present.” We are often times so caught up thinking about the past (or the future) that we forget there is something happening right now, at this very moment. So how do we put down those devices and stay connected to reality rather than the internet? How do we put those pesky thoughts at bay and focus on the present? Here are a few ideas – take a “time out,” lay down on a beach towel either at the beach or right on your lawn and just watch the clouds roll by, take quiet nature walks, plan a fun day trip with loved ones, or spend the day with your family at the beach. You could even make a rule to Turn ‘Em Off or Tune ‘Em Out … the devices, that is!• Take advantage of HealthLink, Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home’s Community Health and WellnessCenter, located inside the Fulton County YMCA. We have free information on health and wellness topics from A-Z, and offer a variety of other free or low cost services to help you achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Stop in to see us Monday through Friday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., call us at 736-1120 or e-mail us at healthlink@nlh.org with a question, or visit www.nlh.org to see our monthly calendar of events.So in the end, this healthy day really can be yours. We mean it when we say … “it’s your life, live it well!”
Park Terrace School and Nathan Littauer Celebrate International Walk to School Day Posted on October 4, 2012October 12, 2012 by Dakota Pike Hundreds brave the weather for good health while reducing their carbon footprints and local trafficToday, Park Terrace Elementary School joined schools from around the world to celebrate International Walk to School Day. The event was also supported and organized by Nathan Littauer Hospital. “ This was a fantastic event for all participants. We didn’t know that walking to school could be so much fun” stated Steve Pavone, Park Terrace principal.Littauer helps students walk to schoolApproximately 140 students walked to school along with parents, teachers and community leaders. Local Police were on hand to help direct traffic and promote safety.The event began at 8am with kids, parents, school staff and community leaders meeting at the park at the intersection of Park & Forrest Streets and walking up the hill to school, with walkers arriving at school in time for a special breakfast prepared by the school food service department. In all, the children walked approximately three quarters of a mile one way. Students carried signs they had made promoting Walk to School Day and demonstrating school spirit. They were asked to sign in and then chose from a selection of incentive items such as reflective tags or pencils provided by the state Safe Routes to School Program. Each student who participated will have their name entered in a drawing for a bicycle. Earlier in the week they had reviewed “walking safety” at an all school assembly.In 2011, International Walk to School Day was celebrated at more than 4,000 events at schools across the United States, along with children and adults in 40 countries around the world.Walk to School Day events raise awareness of the need to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and concern for the environment. The events build connections between families, schools and the broader community.The event was organized by Park Terrace with support from HealthLink, a department of Nathan Littauer Hospital and Fulton County Public Health. Both health agencies look forward to working with other schools in an effort to promote safe walking (and biking) to school as a healthy, fun way to get some activity, enjoy time with friends, reduce traffic congestion and pollution.“Events like the National Walk to school day really bring our message of preventative health to the community, where they can have the most impact. It was great to see so many children and families walking to school, participating in healthy activity and most of all, they had fun doing it”, said Sue Cridland, Director of Community Education from NLH.October 3, 2012 students joined Nathan Littauer for International Walk to School DayFor additional local information, please contact Sue Cridland at 518-736-1120 or Steve Pavone at 775-5750.For additional information, please visit these websites:Walk to School Day in the USA www.walkbiketoschool.orgNational Center for Safe Routes to School www.saferoutesinfo.orgInternational Walk to School Day www.iwalktoschool.org
