Dan Boulder, 39, has lived in New Minas Golfview Subdivision for 12 years and has been battling with his weight all of his life. This is his fifth time to lose weight and he has achieved his goal weight and it has been off for one year and he now believes he has a fighting chance.
               
Last February, Dan was depressed and not doing anyone around him any good. He went to Weight Watchers and got confidence from them as well as his Mom and Dad. He then also started a gym program at Fit for Life. He also started running outside once a week three or four miles in the New Minas subdivisions. One thing led to another and a lady recommended Runners NS and Back to Basics in March.
               
He finished the eight mile run in one hour and four minutes. Dan now runs four times a week and is on a five day cycle 6-11 miles a day and is going to the gym three times a week at Acadia. Dan's long range goals are to run the Bluenose half Marathon, Kentville Harvest half Marathon, 1 year from now the First Marathon and in 5 years the Boston Marathon.
               
Dan's challenges are to keep a positive attitude, keep his food under control and to stay healthy. He is not on a special diet he uses the weight watchers philosophy which is moderate. Dan is still attending the Weight Watchers program in Wolfville on Tuesday nights and they are very supportive of him.
               
To motivate himself Dan says "Roll with the punches, take the good with the bad, take good days with bad, if you have a bad day fight inter feelings it is important we know our inner demons." Dan's inner demon is depression. The advice he gives is "to make the change is the hardest part to getting started. It takes 21 days to start a habit hopefully it's a good habit and take it slow. It's ok to be you - be yourself. Be honest with yourself, as much as you are thinking you can do it alone, you need support and be happy."
               

Dan's role model is support from his loving wife Leslie and her parents Fred and Diane Walsh (New Minas). Dan would like to thank Village Commissioner, Dale Pineo, for nominating him for this nice award, recognition and profile.

 

 

New Recreation Logo Contest

The Village of New Minas is looking for a new logo to identify the Recreation Department.

The "Create a New Recreation Logo Contest" will be held to receive submissions from residents, of all ages, from July 30 to September 28 (4:30 pm deadline).

Children in the area will also have a chance to participate through our local schools throughout September.

The winner will receive $25 if the logo they created is chosen, with nothing binding the Village to accept any entry, and providing a $25 prize if a winner is declared.

Please submit your creative New Minas recreation logo suggestions to the Recreation Department in person at the Recreation office at Lockhart & Ryan Memorial Park or by e-mail at village.newminas@ns.sympatico.ca.

 

 

Active Things You Can Do In Your Own Yard

There are so many activities that you can do right in your own yard. Here are some ideas on how to Get Moving!

Before participating in a physical activity, always remember to do two things: Warm-up before an activity and cool down after an activity.

Summer Activities

• Go waterskiing. Learn to water ski or teach someone you know about waterskiing
• Support local skate boarders or go out and try it – remember to wear the proper equipment
• Organize a treasure hunt or scavenger hunt for the neighbourhood children
• Walk or cycle on short trips and family outings
• Supply children with a variety of sports equipment and let them be creative and make their own activities
• Lawn Badminton – buy a kit or collect surplus. Do not worry about a fancy net, find some fish-net or just a rope. Lines in gravel or grass can be created using string & pegs sunk flush with the ground. Boce ball is fun too
• Horseshoes – set up a permanent or temporary court. You can always repair the lawn afterwards. Shoes too heavy for the children. Find a plastic set or cut out your own custom set from wood
• Family Hammock – find some surplus fish net (heavy grade) & secure it from a circle of sturdy trees. Not too high and use good rope. Now you have a challenging climber and a great place to relax. Remember no jumping and clear the area of any hazards
• Beachcombing - a ton of stuff to discover. Great family exercise. Choose new locations to explore. Note the tides before leaving as high tide can make some areas difficult to pass. Pack a lunch and turn the trip into a picnic as well.
• Rock-hounding - many unique, tide-polished rocks are waiting to be discovered. Take along a rock identification book. Search for that unique piece of glass.
• Dulse-picking - dulse is edible seaweed found in some areas at or near low water. It can be a slippery adventure, but picking, drying and eating some can be a lot of fun.
• Tubing - Pick-up and inflate inner tubes and float your way to fun. Be sure you know the waterway and where you are going.
• Washer toss (ring toss), similar to horseshoes - this is a game for two or more players of any age. Visit www.washer-toss.com for more information.
  
  

SAFETY TIPS

• Always supervise your children around water and playground equipment
• When participating in watercraft activities remember to wear a PFD or life jackets.
• Remember to be sun smart and wear your sunscreen
• Don’t stay out in the hot summer sun for long periods of time, find some shade
• Wear protective clothing, including a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen and sunglasses
• Check your child’s clothing to make sure it won’t get caught in playground equipment.
• Checkout the playground equipment before your children play on them
• Checkout Canadian Safety Council for more details on various activity safety issues.

FALL ACTIVITIES

• Split and stack firewood
• Rake leaves, pile them up, and then run through them.
• Organize a game of street hockey on your block. You could also play ball hockey in your driveway. Remember to be careful of cars and rocks.
• Discourage homework immediately after school to let children find some diversion from the structure of the school day. Kids should be active after school and before dinner.
• Go for a walk through a museum.
• Build an obstacle course inside the house for your children. You can use boxes, chairs, pillows, cushions off chairs and coaches, other household things
• Play outside with the dog for 20 minutes after work.
• Yard Baseball - have you ruled out hitting a ball due to nearby vehicles & windows? You may be able to have fun using a tennis ball. Adapt your own rules like using only one base so two people can play. Also, using a tennis ball or other softer ball is a great way to learn to catch.
• Croquet - get yourself a croquet set. Set-up family teams and have a fun tournament at your BBQ great for all ages but don’t forget to mow the lawn first.
• Go for a moonlit stroll and gaze at the stars.
• Make a plan with your spouse or child to train together to walk or run a 5K race.
• You can organize playgroups with other parents in your neighbourhood.
• Walk through Keji’s old-growth hemlock forest.

Safety tips

• If you are taking part in a recreation activity in a wilderness area, remember to wear “Hunter Orange”, so you will be see,
• When going out for a walk or bike ride at night along the road be sure to wear reflective clothing.
• It is a good idea to have a mini first aid kit with you for most recreation activities.

HEALTHY LIVING: FACTS & GUIDES

Let`s give you a few tips on the health aspects of being active. These are just suggestions and you should always contact your physician before starting a strenuous physical activity routine.

BODY MASS INDEX

It is a simple formula that applies to both men and women, and correlates better with body fat than weight or weight/height measure. BMI more accurately predicts health risks such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes that are associated with being overweight and obesity. However, the MBI index is not used for those what are under the age of 18, muscular or frail adults and pregnant and lactation women.

Metric:

Weight, in kilograms = BMI
(Height, in meters) ²
 

Imperial:

(Weight, in pounds / Height, in inches)   times 703=BMI
                 (Height, in inches)               times 703= BMI

What this could mean is, a BMI between 20-25 means you’re within a really healthy range for your weight. A BMI lower than 20 means you’re at an increased risk for health problems related to being underweight such as osteoporosis, heart irregularities, depression and other emotional distress or anemia. A BMI between 25-27 may lead to some health problems in some people. Those with a BMI over 27 are at an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and cancer.

The BMI determines if your weight is healthy for your height. It should be noted that the BMI index is a system that is derived from population data. This is only one component of assessing your health, for more detail you should consult your physician or log on to Health Canada for more details on BMI www.healthcanada.ca/nutrition

BLOOD PRESSURE

Blood pressure reading should be less than 140/90. However, in certain cases it should be lower than this, i.e., in people with diabetes it should be 130/80 and in people with kidney disease the blood pressure reading should be even lower. Lifestyle recommendations for high blood pressure include:

• Healthy diet - high in fresh fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products, low in saturated fat and salt such as the DASH diet. Reducing salt intake can decrease blood pressure by 2.5-5.8. Following the DASH diet can decrease blood pressure by 5.5-11.4 points.
  
  
• Regular physical activity - 30-45 minutes of moderate activity 3-5 days/week or more. This can decrease blood pressure by 7.5-10.3 points.
  
  
• Reduce alcohol consumption in those who drink excessively, (>2drinks/day). Decreasing alcohol consumption can decrease blood pressure by 2.3-4.6 points.
  
  
• Lose weight if overweight (>25BMI). Losing weight can decrease blood pressure by 7.5-10.3 points.
  
  
• Do not smoke. Smoking increases the incidence of cardiac disease.
  

BLOOD SUGAR

Blood sugar should be under 6.1 as a fasting result. Lifestyle recommendations include:

• Follow Canada’s food guide for healthy eating.
• Limit sodium, alcohol and caffeine.
• Achieve a healthy body weight (BMI<25) through regular physical activity and healthy eating.
  

CHOLESTEROL

Total cholesterol should be less than 5.2 with the bad cholesterol (LDL) being less than 4.5. Lifestyle recommendations include:

• More exercise.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Increase unsaturated fats and decrease saturated and trans fats to less than 7% of total calories.
• Increase intake of Omega-3 fatty acids from fish and plant sources.
• Maintain a healthy weigh, i.e., BMI<25.
  
  
  

FITNESS

There are four components to good fitness:

• Cardio - cardio respiratory fitness and aerobic exercise. It is the ability and efficiency of the heart, lungs and vascular system to carry oxygen to your muscles. It’s the ‘huff and puff’ aerobic exercises such as walking, jogging, running, bicycling, swimming, cross country skiing, elliptical machines, treadmills, etc.
  
  
• Strength training and endurance - this includes exercises that build muscle mass and allows us to pick up children, paddle a canoe, throw a ball. This includes weight training; remember to always start with low weights and do more repetitions. Muscle endurance allows you to carry out an activity for longer periods. Train with bar bells, dumb bells, weight machines, bands, tubes, medicine balls, stability balls or use you own body the old- fashioned way, i.e., push ups, leg lifts, abdominal curls, sign up for Pilates, etc.
  
  
• Flexibility is important for body movement and ability to move joints. Flexible exercises are those that gently stretch muscles and ligaments, i.e., stretching exercises, yoga, tai chi.
  
  
• Rest and recover. The body must recover from a running program, so take a day off and go walking. It’s the old “tear & repair” adage. Muscle fibre is actually torn; rest allows muscle to recover and get stronger.

 

HEALTHY EATING

The 5 to 10 a Day campaign is designed to reduce the risk of cancer and cardio-vascular disease by encouraging Canadians to consume five to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. It is time to change your eating habits. Visit www.5to10aday.com. Don’t forget to drink eight glasses of water each day.

The amount of food you need every day depends on how physically active you are, as well as your body size, age, gender and if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. For example, young children can choose the lower number of serving, while male teenagers can go to the higher number. Most other people can choose servings somewhere in between.

If you are not physically active, consuming the number of servings from the lower-end of the ranges may be key to maintaining a healthy body weight. If you are physically active (accumulate 30-60 minutes of moderate physical activity daily), you can adjust the number of serving that you eat.
 

Canada’s PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDE

Accumulate 30-60 minutes of moderate physical activity daily to stay healthy or improve your health. Add up your activities in periods of at least 10 minutes each. Start slowly…. and build up.

Every little bit counts, but more is even better everyone can do it!

Very light effort	Light effort	Moderate effort	Vigorous effort	Maximum effort
Strolling Dusting	60 minutes Light walking Easy gardening Stretching	30-60 minutes Brisk walking Biking Raking leaves Swimming Dancing Water aerobics	20-30 min Aerobics Jogging Hockey Basketball Fast Swimming Fast Dancing	Sprinting Racing

  Time Needed
  Depends on Effort

 

 

Choose a variety of activities from these groups:

Endurance
4 - 7 DAYS A WEEK
Continuous activities for you heart, lung and circulatory system.

Flexibility
4 - 7 DAYS A WEEK
Gentle reaching, bending and stretching activities to keep your muscles relaxed and joints mobile.

Strength
2 – 4 DAYS A WEEK
Activities against resistance to strengthen muscles and bones to improve posture.

 

Physical Activity
Build physical activity into y our daily life…
Get active your way at home, at school, at work, at play, and on the way.

REDUCE - Sitting for Long Periods
INCREASE - Strength Activities
INCREASE - Flexibility Activities
INCREASE - Endurance Activities

Most Popular Excuses for Not Being Active

Lack of Appropriate Facilities

Solution: there are many recreation activities that you can do right in your own back yard as this guide shows you. For example: visit parks, trails and open spaces and visit them. Explore community theatres; fitness clubs and gyms; pools; arenas; tennis courts; golf courses, etc. and get involved.

I Don’t Have Time

Solution: make sure that you put activity in your daily schedule and treat it as another important appointment.

Distance and/or No Transportation

Solution: use the public transit service or car pool with someone in your community. Try activities that you can do in your own back yard or immediate community.

Physical Limitations

Solution: see your doctor to seek his/her advice for your situation. Start slowly and progress gradually and choose activities that will: build your endurance; increase your flexibility; and improve your strength and balance.

It Costs Too Much

Solution: you don’t have to attend a gym to get exercise or become physically fit - go for walks at home, use resistance balls or dumb bells. All are good ways to help get fit at home. You can use jugs of water and soup cans as weights to save money as well. Be creative!

I’m To Old to Start Now

Solution: you are never too old to get started! Begin with things that you are comfortable with, like gardening, walking the dog and playing with your grandchildren.

THE BENEFITS OF BEING ACTIVE

If you stay active, you may see some of these benefits, and more!

• Better health
• More energy
• Better self-esteem
• Mover easier (flexibility)
• More relaxed and reduced stress
• Help maintain a healthy weight
• Can cause a person to laugh and have fun!
  

… And you will also reduce the risks of:

• Heart disease
• Adult-onset diabetes
• Mental illness
• Depression
• High blood pressure
• Osteoporosis
• Premature death or disability
  

Active Living/Wellness Links

• Active Living/Active Independent Aging: www.falls-chutes.com/guide/english/activeliving/index.html
   
  
• Canadian Cancer Society: www.cancer.ca
  
  
• Dieticians of Canada: www.dietitians.ca/child/index.asp
  
  
• Heart and Stroke Foundation: www.heartandstroke.ca
  
  
• Moms and Dads: www.momsanddads.ca
  
  
• Nova Scotia Health Promotion & Protection: www.gov.ns.ca/hppl
  
  
• Recreation Nova Scotia: www.recreationns.ns.ca
  
  
• Active Kids Nova Scotia: www.activekids.ns.ca
  
  
• Take the Roof Off Winter: www.gov.ns.ca/hpp/srd/ttrow/index.asp

 

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