Get Healthy

I grew up during the 1950s and ’60s in Madison, Wis., in a family that lived and breathed sports—and I don’t mean watching sports. We played sports, outdoors: hockey, cycling, tennis, hiking, golf. My grandparents lived on a lake so we were always outside swimming and skating. We even had our own personal physician in the off chance any injuries occurred—my dad, Dr. Jack Heiden, an orthopedic surgeon.

I remember when I was 12, I broke my wrist speed skating the same day I’d gotten the cast off from breaking my wrist cycling. And that was the second time I’d broken my wrist speed skating!

Did Dad rush in and advise me to take it easy or give up the sport? No way. My family never pressured us, but they really made activity a priority. My sister, Beth, and I didn’t begin training seriously as speed skaters until 1972, but because we’d always been so active, only eight years later we both medaled at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.
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Bears mascot challenges youngsters to score a healthy life

Staley, the official mascot of the Chicago Bears, questions students about healthy choices during his visit to Protsman Elementary School. He offered the students ”Staley’s 6 Week Fitness Challenge” program. (Photograph provided by Protsman Elementary School.)

In an effort to encourage children into making healthy choices, the Chicago Bears and Staley Da Bear, the official mascot of the Bears, visited Protsman Elementary School recently.

“Staley’s 6 Week Fitness Challenge” is an informative, hands-on, educational school health show presented throughout Chicagoland. The students were introduced to the four elements, or “downs,” of this health/fitness program during an assembly entitled “First & Goal: How to Score a Touchdown for a Healthy Life.”

The students each took home a chart to monitor his/her progress daily during the six weeks following the assembly. Points are assigned for each “down” on a daily basis.
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Illiana Christian sophomore Max Boonstra, left, runs with his father Pete Boonstra, who is the school’s principal, on Monday. Max is the youngest entrant from the Region who is competing in Sunday’s Chicago Marathon. (Photograph by Kyle Telechan/The Times.)

Are you planning to run the 2009 Bank of America Chicago Marathon? Don’t wince. Age is just a number.

Cedar Lake’s Max Boonstra will be tackling his first marathon this Sunday. Boonstra is 16.

Flossmoor’s Hal Weatherford is competing in his ninth Chicago. Weatherford is 79.

And Schererville’s Beverly Bonnema Ream has never run a 26.2-mile marathon until now—at age 62.
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Quick reaction times are important in sports, driving and everyday life. While genetics play a role in each person’s ability, there are ways to hone your skills:

• Throw against a wall. Toss a tennis ball or a small “super ball”—one of those high-bouncing, rubbery toys kids often get as party favors&mdashand try to catch or dodge it as it returns. Over time, move closer to the wall or throw harder.

• Be a goalie. Have someone try to throw an object past you while you block with your hands. Indoors, you can use a soft ball (a Nerf, for example) or even a pillow. The other person can move closer or further away depending on how you do.
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Every coach will try to get their team to jump higher, but do they teach them how to land? Every coach will try to get their team to run as fast as possible, but do they show them how to slow down?

s It’s just a sample of the innovative techniques Parisi offers within a 3,000-square-foot training area at Omni 41 in Schererville. “You can’t patent the push-up,” says program director Mike Kopec. “We just don’t tell kids to do a bunch of activities and exercises. We teach them the how and the why.”

The main goal of Parisi is to build the athletic foundation of the athlete. This includes speed, strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, nutrition and self-confidence. “We start with a high quality and we raise the intensity to meet it,” Kopecki says.

The Parisi Speed School has programs for ages 7 through adult. Many local successful high school athletes have been clients of the program since it opened at Omni 41 last year.

If you swear by your cardio routine and wouldn’t mind kicking it up a notch, or if you’ve worried one too many times about being able to protect yourself, try a free introduction to self defense class at Community Hospital Fitness Pointe. From 7:00-8:00 p.m. on July 29, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do will teach simple, effective moves. Registration is required. Call 219.836.3477.

From the Get Healthy Inbox—We’re committed to keeping you informed on health care news and ideas throughout the region and nation. Here’s today’s recommendation, submitted by the American Cancer Society:

High school football teams from Munster, Michigan City, Lowell and Lake Central will compete in a 7 on 7 tournament, Touchdowns For Life, to benefit the Relay For Life of Munster. It’s happening Friday, June 19, from 3 to 6 p.m. at Centennial Park in Munster. Relay For Life of Munster kicks off at 6 p.m.

According to event organizer, Coach Leroy Marsh of Munster High School, more than 200 players are expected to participate in the tournament, which is estimated to raise over $1,000 for the American Cancer Society. Marsh, whose wife is a cancer survivor, wanted to demonstrate to his players how they can give back to the community. Each coach will organize the teams, which will play on four fields. After the tournament, the Munster football team will stay and participate in the Relay For Life of Munster.

Parents, friends and community members are encouraged to attend the tournament to support their local football teams, the fight against cancer and the Relay For Life of Munster.

More than just a fundraising event, the American Cancer Society Relay For Life offers our community a way to celebrate cancer survivorship, remember loved ones lost and fight back against a disease that takes too much from too many.

Men, it’s time to get off the couch and get outside. This summer Crown Point Parks and Recreation Department is offering an outdoor men’s football league. Flag football is a great way to get fit, while having fun and enjoying the fresh air. The league is open to men ages 16 and up. Teams and individuals are welcome.

Games will be held at Erhlenbach Park in Crown Point (96th and Van Buren) on Saturday afternoons beginning Saturday, May 30. Game times will be determined when all the participating teams are received, usually around noon. The fee is $300 for each team, plus an individual fee of $25 for Crown Point residents and $35 for non-residents, which includes licensed officials, team t-shirts, an 8-game schedule, and a single elimination tournament. Team Registration deadline has been extended to Friday, May 18.

For more information on men’s sports leagues, please contact Jeff Jensen, Recreation Coordinator, at 219.661.2271 or email jjensen@crownpoint.in.gov.

The Northwest Indiana Paddling Association (NWIPA) was founded in January 2009 as a way to promote canoeing and kayaking in the region, while also improving our area water trails.

Dan Plath, founder of the NWIPA, says he began the group as a way to combine the two elements of his life—his work and his recreation. “I grew up canoeing and kayaking and am in the environmental science career field, handling water issues,” Plath says. “I see what man’s impact is on our waterways and chose my career path [to help fix the problem].” Working with area water management folks through his work, Plath gathered a group of paddlers and established NWIPA as a way to clean up debris-ridden rivers and creeks, while also having some fun in the process.

“We have three functions—to make the area a more paddler-friendly community in Northwest Indiana; to educate paddlers and promote paddling and environmental education; and Blueways stewardship, to get out into creeks and streams and public access points to help clean up log jams,” Plath says.

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By Joey Holleman, Associated Press

A new study by University of South Carolina researchers indicates aerobically fit women are three times less likely to die of breast cancer than those who seldom exercise.

The latest addition to the growing evidence on the benefits of aerobic exercise is reported in the April issue of the scientific journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Researchers from USC’s Arnold School of Public Health studied 14,000 women who were given preventive medical exams and treadmill tests at the Cooper Clinic in Houston from 1970-2001. At the time of their exams, the women, ages 20 through 83, had no history of breast cancer.
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