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Get Healthy De Soto

…having a long-lasting positive impact on the health and safety of the De Soto community by encouraging healthy lifestyle choices, through programs promoting physical activity, healthy nutrition, community involvement, and disease and injury prevention.

On the Water

I recently visited the headwaters of the Arkansas River near Salida, Colorado. We stopped and had a picnic lunch beside the river, and I explained to by younger daughter that the river beside us was the same river we see at her grandparents’ house. In Arkansas, when we walk up the road past the cemetery, there’s a beautiful vista where you can see the 9 miles to the Arkansas River with the farms, forest, and a town in view too. I’m not sure she didn’t think she could get in a raft there in Colorado and be at Grandma and Grandpa’s by evening! Rafts there are plentiful with all the guide companies and outfitters for water excursions. The dams between her and Mulberry, Arkansas along with the incredible distance though wouldn’t make such a trip practical. It is still remarkable to think that a drop of water there has a chance to travel all the way to Memphis before spilling into the Mississippi River. What a ride that would be!

With the recent increase in drownings, it’s important for the health of the community to remind people to be safe around water. It is an incredible force. Although there’s a funny story related to my first canoe, it also illustrates the nature of water. Here goes:

I was working a river crew on the Rio Grande in New Mexico when I found a canoe! Lucky me, right? It had washed up from somewhere when it got carried away from its owners. That should have been a sign, but I’m pretty much oblivious to these things. Since canoes aren’t registered there as “watercraft”, there’s no distinguishing numbers or information to find the owner, and since the owner had failed to write their name and contact information on the inside of the canoe, I claimed it. After cleaning it up, I decided to take it out on the river with some friends. We passed a bridge and tipped the canoe. The water wasn’t deep, so that wasn’t a concern. Really, the water wasn’t moving that quickly either, but with all the people out of the canoe, the canoe floated down river just ahead of us. That’s when I learned the power of a strainer! That’s an object that sticks up in the water that the water flows around on both sides. They are extremely dangerous. As we scattered to the sides of the canoe, the canoe hit a Russian Olive tree that was growing in the middle of the river in a pile of manmade debris; probably concrete from when the bridge was built. The force of the water pushing on the canoe sucked the canoe under with speed reserved for Superman! It was impressive…and terrifying. To think I had just been in that canoe. What if we had turned while still in the canoe and hit the strainer and tipped? We would have been sucked down too.

Here’s the thing about this: that canoe was gone. Such was the force of the water against the canoe that it wasn’t salvageable without calling my swift-water rescue friends. A canoe that was given by the river gods and quickly returned to them didn’t seem worth the effort. On her maiden voyage, I returned her from whence she came.

Looking back, I can laugh at the swift departure of that canoe. It probably became the property of someone else after the river came up and pulled the canoe lose. It was probably found along the bank with my phone number rubbed off by all the sand in the water. That’s what I tell myself anyway.

Don’t be mistaken, I still love being out on the water. I would love to take my daughters down the Buffalo River in a canoe when they’re a little older. I have fond memories of borrowing an aluminum canoe, wrapping it around a rock, and banging it back out with a piece of firewood. It can be such a wonderful experience, and you should definitely try it. In fact, flat water and life jackets are a great way to start. In fact, you can use it as a small step toward increasing your physical activity or just trying something new.

If you have tried canoeing, when is the last time you shoved off for a little water fun? Maybe now is the time to give this fun activity a first try or, for those with some experience, a refresher.

Move More-HIIT

That’s no spelling error!

HIIT is an acronym for High Intensity Interval Training. The hallmark of HIIT is repeated, extremely hard bouts of work interspersed with periods of recovery. During your work intervals, you’ll be challenging yourself nearly to your max.

There’s a simple 7-minute workout from MyFitnessPal that you can find here.

It is important to really push yourself during the work periods and take advantage of the recovery periods too. When your body is going all-out during true HIIT, it relies on your anaerobic pathways (breaking down glucose without oxygen). This provides an immediate bump in energy, but the amount is very limited—which means the length of time you can sustain your maximum effort is very limited too.

Recovering before the next interval is essential. The variation from max effort to recovery provides great cardio conditioning.

So, where to start. There are HIIT classes at some of the local gyms, or you can find different workout videos on YouTube. Make sure you have good form for any of the intervals online because bad form can lead to injury. If in doubt, ask a trainer for guidance.

I like Growing Annanas. She doesn’t talk much, and although her music isn’t great, the descriptions of her videos are handy. This particular video is just a 25 minute HIIT workout with a cool down. It doesn’t require equipment, but the workout is fierce. If you need to make it easier, modify the interval times. Instead of 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest, push yourself to the max for 20 or 40 seconds and use the remaining time for recovery. Give it a go!

Yes, it’s a training program!

Back for its third installment is the Couch to 5K Training program. And here’s why you should not immediately think this isn’t for you and stop reading: it is designed for people who are not currently physically active. Again: your activity level to start this program is really zilch! It’s okay if you have physical activity built into your routine right now too, but it really focuses on your husband couch potatoes sloths those of us who are inactive.

A brief overview, so you know what you’re getting into

Couch to 5K is a program that includes gradual increases in physical activity over the course of 8 weeks. It culminates with the Winter Flakes 5K Race on February 27, 2021. It begins on December 30, 2020, but the commitment those first few days isn’t substantial. In fact, the gradual increases make much of the training program very pleasant, and you’ll be amazed at how your endurance and strength improves throughout the training.

One key element in all of this is accountability. We don’t just throw you to the wolves with a training schedule and a smile. Nope! We will actually…gather! Don’t worry. It is perfectly safe because we’ll be meeting outside in the artic! Well, it will likely feel like the artic some days because it is a training program that runs through January and February, but don’t let that deter you. We have had Winter Haters participate and complete the program without issue. (We’ll give you tips for surviving the chilly weather too.)

Not only will you go through this experience with a group, but you’ll have fearless leaders too. Victoria and Megan will send reminders each day, along with some tips, recipes, and other goodies. They’ll also schedule the gatherings each week, which will vary depending on weather and schedules. Most of the time, we try to meet on Saturdays at Walther Park. This is good because it allows us to train on the same course that the race will follow.

Now, if you aren’t a runner, that’s okay too. This is for people who want to give it a try and for those who have fallen off the running wagon, so to speak. This is your chance to experience running, meet new people, try to lose your 15 from COVID-19, and strive to reach new health goals in 2021, which is something everyone is looking forward to doing!

In fact, if 2020 has taught us nothing, we should have learned by now that we need to take better care of ourselves!

The Couch to 5K program costs $45 and includes the Winter Flakes 5K registration and t-shirt. Participants will receive a stylish accessory and other participation prizes along the way! The weekly gatherings will be weather permitting, but it is the Winter Flakes Race! Youth must have parental consent.

All proceeds benefit Get Healthy DeSoto programming, including trail development, Walking School Bus, community gardens, and more. Ready to register? Complete the form below or register online.

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*As always, please consult with your healthcare provider before starting any nutritional or physical programs if you have any previous, current or possible medical conditions. These guidelines, recommendations and suggestions are not stated to cure, treat or prevent any diseases or conditions.

Brought to you by Get Healthy De Soto and the Jefferson County Health Department…working together for better health.

Sleeve Tattoo Anyone?

I love a good sleeve tattoo. There is just something so…intriguing about it. Don’t get me wrong; I am ink free and so is my husband. I certainly wouldn’t mind it though. I just worry about how those age. Am I right? There’s a bit of sag that can make the likeness of your daughter look like Lucille Ball. That’s not appealing.

Some men age better than others, and since this is Men’s Health Month, our focus is all about men.

How well do men wear their sleeve tattoos past their mid-life crisis period?

Courtesy of Huffington Post

Okay, so that isn’t the actual topic, but some do quite well. It depends on how you age, which is determined by lifestyle, environment, and genetics. You can only control a couple of those elements (until gene splicing to cut out the bad and replace it with good becomes more than a Marvel movie).

Staying in good shape might allow you to wear your sleeve tattoo as well as this man. Of course, rocking an awesome white Billy Gibbons-style beard doesn’t hurt either.

Enter Ant Middleton! No, he doesn’t have a Gibbons beard because he is only 39 and not gray yet. He does have some serious tattoos and is the UK Special Forces version of Chris Kyle. Ant focuses on body weight exercises and the strength of positive thinking. He’s a great example of how mental health and sharpness can help you tackle your physical health goals. And because most of his workouts don’t require any equipment, they can easily be done at your home.

I’m not sure about the hand stand push-ups, and I haven’t seen him mention how to modify that one for someone who can’t stand on their hands, but you might check out some of his videos. Of course, you don’t have to do a SAS workout to focus on physical activity. You could also try these simpler options:

  • Take the stairs instead of the elevator. (This recommendation is in every move-more publication EVER! I’m not sure about you, but we could probably come up with a close estimate of the number of elevators in this county totaling less than 100, so I’m not sure how many of us have the luxury of actually using an elevator instead of the stairs.) On to more practical ways to incorporate movement into your lifestyle.
  • Take a stroll during your lunch break.
  • Play Cornhole!
  • Enjoy a bike ride with your kids or grand-kids. If you’re lamenting that you don’t have a bike, there are such things as pawn shops and second hand stores that will get you what you need.
  • Play Frisbee. I recommend Ultimate if you can find enough people, but a simple game of catch is great too. If you want to test your agility, play Frisbee with someone who is under 10 and lacks coordination. You’ll be chasing that Frisbee all over the place. Just be careful on that ladder when you retrieve said disc from the roof.
  • Go fishing. Crickets are relatively cheap, but with ultralight tackle and some cricket hooks: tons of fun. You might catch a mess of bluegill easily. You’ve missed the first spawn in June because the full moon was last week, but they’ll continue to spawn around each full moon until the water temperatures drop off again.

If you’ve made it this far through the article, you’re either making a list of things to try, or contemplating how to sneak these into the life of your dad, brother, spouse, etc. The important part is to choose activities that interest you.

Here’s a little secret though: if you’re trying to encourage increased physical activity in the life of a man you love, you have a bit of an advantage. Here’s why: my husband doesn’t normally go in for sports, but he played a lot of Ultimate Frisbee with me in college while we were dating. He did it because he was interested in me and not because he enjoyed Ultimate. The same can be said for my dad. He had stopped gardening, but when I started gardening in the desert of Albuquerque…well, he couldn’t be outdone! And he started gardening again because it interested me. Dads, husbands, men in general, are good about doing things for the sake of those they love, so if you can’t drag your dad to the lake to fish, try going yourself and ask him to come along.

Physical Activity & Depression

It has long been known that physical activity reduces anxiety and the incidence of depression. However, a study late last year found that physical activity can actually decrease the likelihood of being diagnosed or having further episodes of depression for those with higher genetic risk for the disease. That’s right. Individuals with a strong genetic predisposition toward depression were less likely to have episodes if they were engaged in regular physical activity.

During our time of social distancing and the stay-at-home order, depression and anxiety due to isolation are increased concerns. Physical activity can potentially keep you healthier and happier during this time. Here are some stay-at-home friendly options.

Iron Integrity 247, the gym that recently opened (and subsequently shut down due to COVID-19) on Highway 21 has a few videos on their Facebook page featuring Mary Harvey. (If you managed to make it to the DeSoto Farmers’ Market last season, you probably saw Mary teaching a quick Zumba at the Market! class.) You might give one of their videos a try.

The Y is offering some great videos that you might try. They have everything from yoga to kids’ activities. You can check out their YouTube channel here.

Fitness Now Studio in Festus also has some workout videos on their Facebook page that can get you moving. Most of the videos say in the description if equipment is needed.

And because humor is also great for your well-being, you might check out Red Green’s skit about turning your car into your very own person home gym. It’s good for nothing…but a chuckle that consumes about 4 minutes of your day.

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DeSoto, MO 63020