Archive for March, 2012
Greg Hansen: Stress one of biggest coaching hazards
Posted: March 28, 2012 at 1:49 pm
In my first year of high school, our baseball team played at Worthington Field. Our football team played at the Worthington Park complex. My first high school PE teacher was "Coach Worthington."
It didn't occur to me that this man, Glen "Zeus" Worthington, was the man after whom my schoolboy field of dreams had been named. I just remember thinking he was really old.
He was 61.
During my junior year, I walked into the cafeteria for lunch just as Coach Worthington toppled backward, off his chair. He was dead by the time an ambulance arrived. I just stood there, young and dumb.
His coaching whistle was still around his neck.
I strongly remember reading his obituary in the next day's newspaper. Zeus Worthington might have been the finest athlete in the first half-century of Utah, 1900-1950. He was a four-year letterman for the Utah State Aggies in football, basketball and track. He had been coaching at my high school for 30 years, and I didn't know a thing about him.
The obituary mentioned that in addition to coaching three sports at Logan High School, he was also chairman of the Logan Golf and Country Club, director of the city's summer recreation program and was looking forward to retirement.
But at 61, he was lying on the cafeteria floor, dead, surrounded by a bunch of nave high school kids who hadn't taken the time to appreciate what the "old coach" had accomplished.
I later met his son, Jack, who traded at my dad's gas station, and I remember Jack Worthington telling me his dad died of far more than a heart attack. He had died from the accumulation of stress, almost all of it self-imposed, a lifetime of coaching three sports in which Glen Worthington did not compromise his standards. He literally lived and died for his school.
When I heard that UA softball coach Mike Candrea was taken by ambulance from Sunday's UA-ASU game, I felt the same sense of dread that overwhelmed me 40 years ago in the cafeteria at Logan High School.
Everyday Health and Sarah Fit! – Video
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Work Hard in Life, Love, and Fitness – Zuzka Light – Video
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Work Hard in Life, Love, and Fitness - Zuzka Light - Video
Healthy Communities – Health and Fitness program for Seniors – Jaku Konbit – Part 1 of 2 – Video
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Health & Fitness File, March 28
Posted: at 1:49 pm
Health Care Network Inc.
Free Flu Shots for Uninsured: Health Care Network Inc., 904 State St., will identify uninsured Racine County residents and provide them with a free flu shot voucher which will be good until April 15. These vouchers will be redeemable at any Walgreens location that offers flu shots. For more information, call Health Care Network Inc. at (262) 632-2400.
Kenosha Visiting Nurse Association
Shingles vaccinations: People who have had chickenpox are at risk for shingles. The risk for shingles increases as a person gets older. Shingles is painful and can cause serious problems. There is no way to tell who will get shingles or when it may occur. A single dose of shingles vaccine is recommended for adults age 60 and older and for those who have not had shingles. It is a one-time vaccination. Fee: $235. The Kenosha Visiting Nurse Association offices are at 600 52nd St., Suite 300, Kenosha. Call (262) 656-8400 for more information or to schedule an appointment.
City of Racine Health Department
Immunization Clinics and TB tests: The City of Racine offers walk-in immunization clinics in the City Hall Room 4, 730 Washington Ave., from 1:30-4 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month.
Medicaid/Forward Health cards are accepted only for those ages 18 and younger. Medicare cannot be accepted for any services. Cash, check and credit card (Visa and MasterCard) are accepted.
A $10 fee is requested for residents of the City of Racine, Elmwood Park and Wind Point for one vaccine plus $5 for each additional vaccine with a maximum of $20; and $15 for Racine County residents for one vaccine plus $5 for each additional vaccine with a maximum cost of $25.
People should bring their childs current immunization records.
TB skin tests are available for a $10 fee for residents and $15 for non-residents (results available the following Friday afternoon).
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Health & Fitness File, March 28
Weight Loss and Exercise Help Overweight Adults Retain Mobility
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Newswise Weight loss and increased physical fitness nearly halved the decline in mobility in overweight or obese adults with type 2 diabetes, according to four-year results of the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) trial funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The results are published in the March 29, 2012, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The largest and longest-running study of its kind, this research confirms how important losing weight and increasing physical activity are in the treatment of mobility-related problems among people with type 2 diabetes as they age, said lead author Jack Rejeski, Ph.D, Thurman D. Kitchin Professor of Health and Exercise Science at Wake Forest University. The weight loss and physical activity goals promoted in the study are well within the reach of most Americans. Future research is needed to determine if this sort of intervention can be translated into public health interventions, particularly in light of possible effects on health care costs.
Look AHEAD is a multi-center, randomized clinical trial designed to determine the long-term effects of intentional weight loss on the risk of cardiovascular disease in overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes. Beginning in 2001, a total of 5,145 Look AHEAD participants were randomly assigned to either an intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) group or a usual care, or Diabetes Support and Education (DSE) group. The ILI treatment involved group and individual meetings to achieve and maintain weight loss through decreased caloric intake and increased physical activity. The DSE group attended three meetings each year that provided general education on diet, activity, and social support.
Being able to perform routine activities is an important contributor to quality of life, said Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., director of the NIHs National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), which oversaw the study.
To assess mobility, Look AHEAD participants rated their ability to carry out activities with or without limitations. Included were vigorous activities such as running and lifting heavy objects and moderate ones such as pushing a vacuum cleaner or playing golf. Participants also separately rated their ability to climb a flight of stairs; bend, kneel or stoop; walk more than a mile; and walk one block. Both groups were weighed annually and completed a treadmill fitness test at baseline, after year one, and at the end of four years.
After four years of the study, Look AHEAD participants in the intensive lifestyle group experienced a 48 percent reduction in mobility-related disability compared with the diabetes support and education group.
This is the first long-term study to demonstrate that by participating in an intensive lifestyle intervention, overweight or obese adults with type 2 diabetes can reduce decline in mobility as they age, Rejeski said.
Overweight and obesity affects more than two-thirds of U.S. adults age 20 and older. More than one-third of adults are obese. Many factors contribute to the problem, including genetics and lifestyle habits. Excess weight can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and certain cancers. Nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes, and more than 7 million of them do not know it.
With nearly two-thirds of participants reporting mild, moderate, or severe restrictions in mobility when Look AHEAD began, it is critical to address to this problem, said Mary Evans, Ph.D., project scientist for Look AHEAD. This study of mobility highlights the value of finding ways to help adults with type 2 diabetes keep moving as they age. We know that when adults lose mobility, it becomes difficult for them to live on their own, and they are likely to develop more serious health problems, increasing their health care costs.
Co-authors of the study are Edward Ip, Wake Forest University School of Medicine; Alain Bertoni, Wake Forest University School of Medicine; George Bray, Pennington Biomedical Research Center of the Louisiana State University System; Gina Evans, Baylor College of Medicine; Edward Gregg, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Qiang Zhang, Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
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Weight Loss and Exercise Help Overweight Adults Retain Mobility
Kendal Crosslands breaks ground for new facility
Posted: at 1:49 pm
Kendal-Crosslands celebrated the groundbreaking of their new Health and Wellness Center last week. For Phil DeBaun, Executive Director of Crosslands, this is an expansion to our community that weve always imagined and now we celebrate it.
For the residents of Crosslands, this will be a new center featuring the latest in health center designs with private rooms, a house like setting, bright and airy spaces, and a small household concept vs. a medical model in design. It will also be home to our new Wellness Center with a new indoor pool, fitness room, a day care facility, and physical and occupational rehab services, says DeBaun. We will showcase many garden spaces, patios, and horticulture aspects as well which fits naturally with our almost 500 acre arboretum-like campus.
Senator Pileggi, State Representative Ross, Pennsbury Township officials, construction management staff, and architects were all together with residents and staff celebrating this long awaited project. And, unique to this endeavor, our residents raised 1.85 million dollars to help build their new center, said DeBaun.
For over 40 years, Kendal~Crosslands is a non-profit provider of programs and services that advocates for and empowers older adults to achieve their full potentials. Nestled on close to 500 acres in the Kennett area, Kendal~Crosslands is a continuing care retirement community and partners with area neighbors.
For the residents of Crosslands, this will be a new center featuring the latest in health center designs with private rooms, a house like setting, bright and airy spaces, and a small household concept vs. a medical model in design. It will also be home to our new Wellness Center with a new indoor pool, fitness room, a day care facility, and physical and occupational rehab services, says DeBaun. We will showcase many garden spaces, patios, and horticulture aspects as well which fits naturally with our almost 500 acre arboretum-like campus.
Senator Pileggi, State Representative Ross, Pennsbury Township officials, construction management staff, and architects were all together with residents and staff celebrating this long awaited project. And, unique to this endeavor, our residents raised 1.85 million dollars to help build their new center, said DeBaun.
For over 40 years, Kendal~Crosslands is a non-profit provider of programs and services that advocates for and empowers older adults to achieve their full potentials. Nestled on close to 500 acres in the Kennett area, Kendal~Crosslands is a continuing care retirement community and partners with area neighbors.
No More Mail, Dogs: Retired Postal Workers Rest – Video
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No More Mail, Dogs: Retired Postal Workers Rest - Video
Retirement providers push for email for cost savings
Posted: at 1:48 pm
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Companies that serve 401(k) plans are asking the Labor Department to reconsider its stance on mailed notification, so that they can save costs by using email instead of regular mail to send information to plan participants.
If the agency does not change its position, employees in 401 (k) plans will have to bear the additional mailing costs that can be substantial for plan participants, according to the March 27 letter from 15 industry trade groups.
"Presently, the increased costs attendant to paper disclosure in 401(k) plans could reduce participants' retirement savings, the very savings we are working to increase with enhanced transparency," the groups wrote in the letter.
Some record keepers estimate that the costs of paper-based statements could be $2 to $3 per employee, which would mean tens of thousands of dollars in added expenses for large employers, said Samuel Brandwein, a Morgan Stanley Smith Barney adviser who works with retirement plans.
"The purpose of the fee disclosure rules was to drive down costs for 401(k) plan participants," Brandwein said. "This could have the unintended consequence of driving up those costs."
Under Labor Department rules, employers who send materials through regular mail are safe from reprimand from the agency. But those who use email do not have such protection and could face potential lawsuits without a paper trail record.
This issue has been a thorn in the side of the retirement plan industry for years. It will become a much bigger issue this summer, when 401(k) plan providers will have to start disclosing the fees they charge to employees in these plans.
"With the new fee disclosure regulations, plan participants are going to get a lot more volume of materials," said Judy Miller, director of retirement policy for the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries, one of the 15 groups that sent the letter to the Labor Department.
"This issue has really taken on new importance."
Other groups that joined with ASPPA in the letter include the Investment Company Institute, the American Bankers Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
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Retirement providers push for email for cost savings
Roll With the Retirement Punches
Posted: at 1:48 pm
We're taught our retirement years will be a period of unalloyed pleasure, a placid, decades-long stretch seldom roiled by the kinds of concerns, worries, and sleepless nights we face all too often over the course of our work lives.
In truth, the retirement years can be fraught with nervousness and fear. We may see our fixed incomes eroded by inflation, our pensions eliminated by corporate bankruptcy, our nest eggs decimated by stock market downturns, and the value of our homes cut dramatically by the vagaries of the housing market.
Far from being peaches and cream, retirement can sometimes be the pits. That's the lot of those who don't plan well for retirement. But - surprise! - it can also be true for folks who planned meticulously for their Golden Years.
If it takes a bit of the survivor mentality to navigate the years up to age 65, it's equally true that that mindset can come in very handy after retirement.
Retirement poster children
That's why I'd like you to meet a couple who managed to roll with the punches in their early retirement years, only to come out the other side a bit bruised but otherwise unbowed. That couple is Carol and Phil White.
After finding retirement can be a tad thorny, they made the proper adjustments and came out smelling like a rose. The proof? When I caught up with Carol this week for the first time in a year, she and Phil were soaking up some sun on the beach in Kauai while visiting family in Hawaii.
As they approached the idea of retirement, the Whites felt they were well positioned to take the plunge while still in their 50s. Carol had spent her work life in the corporate world, earning a traditional pension and accumulating retirement assets in a 401k, as well as investing in a stock purchase plan. Phil, by contrast, had been an independent businessman. He owned a couple IRAs, and knew he could reap substantial income from the sale of his upscale men's clothing store.
The icing on top of this cake of retirement assets was a pair of single-family homes the Whites had purchased for the rental income they generated.
Retire like it's 1999
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Roll With the Retirement Punches