Its a disruptive time for many people right now as we navigate the waters of a province in a state of emergency, closures of all kinds and a new way of working with our colleagues. To say that were in uncharted territory would be an understatement.

However, even while were under the weight of an uncertain time, there are many positive things to look at as well. Were spending more time at home with our families, were coming together as a community (virtually!) and were realizing that working from home, if youre fortunate enough to have that ability, can be a viable option to keep businesses moving forward.

Personally speaking, Im home with my fiance and my nine-year-old daughter and were doing our best to balance out each of our priorities. For my fiance and me, that looks like setting up offices in different parts of the home so we can both be on conference calls at the same time. For my daughter, it means staving off boredom, in between FaceTime calls with friends and relatives, while also keeping up with her studies.

In some ways, Im extremely lucky to have a lot of experience balancing work and life. Prior to joining Fellow, I spent 14years working from home running my consulting business. I had many unique work/life balance situations over that decade and a halfincluding a pregnancy, the birth of my daughter, a battle with burnout and depression, the 2008 market crash and the general ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

Through those 14 years, I developed strategies that helped me cope with the ever-changing priorities that showed up inmy life. The way that Ive handled the ups and downs is by no means a perfect system, but it has helped me tremendously and if youre navigating these new work from home waters yourself, I hope it may be useful to you.

Whether this is an entire home office or a corner of your living room, be sure to set up a space that you love working from. In normal times, I have a computer set up in our home office in the basement, but I dont enjoy spending my working hours down there where the natural light is scarce. So, when Im working from home for long periods of time, I set up shop on the dining room table.

This may be difficult for phone calls though so its worth having a backup space to move to for calls even if that means having them in your bathroom or walk-in closet with the door closed.

When President Barack Obama was in office, he only ever wore blue or grey suits on a day-to-day basis. (Im sure he made an exception from time to time!) Choosing from just two options made it a lot easier to move through his morning routine but it also reduced the number of non-essential decisions he had to make so he could focus on the important decisions.

We all experience decision fatigue and that can be heightened when were out of our normal work routines. Create solid systems and a routine that you can follow, even while working from home, so that you dont end up exhausted at the end of the day.

Im a big believer in batching my work and activities so that I can stay hyper-focused and not burn myself out. Its also really helpful to turn off unnecessary distractions and right now, with the noise around COVID-19, its even more important to turn things off from time to time.

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The idea with batching your work is that you do tasks in groups. For example, if youre going to do email, sit down and do all of your emails at once to avoid the multi-tasking trap. If youre going to focus on writing, do all of your writing tasks while youre in a state of flow. If you are going to pay bills, pay all of your bills and balance your budget at the same time.

By batching your activities, you wont be tempted to get up and do the dishes in-between conference calls or run an errand in the middle of a big project.

In high-stress times, its really important to ensure that youre being kind to yourself and to others. Emotional states run high, people are distracted and your friends, family and colleagues may have a thousand other things on their mind right now. Remind yourself of this before moving into any human interaction so that you can lead with kindness and empathy.

Extend that same kindness to yourself. Its going to be really difficult right now to get it all right. Your kids may be having a bit more screen time than usual, you might be fighting with your spouse a bit more than normal and you might find the unknowns a bit harder to deal with. All of that is, in my experience, totally normal.

Managing your mental health in uncertain times is also key. Take breaks, especially if youre working from home, as work time can easily bleed into home time without a commute and get out into nature. While were all practicing social distancing right now, we can still go for walks in nature and breathe fresh air on a daily basis.

Apps like Calm or Headspace can also help as they can provide you with meditations that you can do at home and there are many yoga and fitness apps that you can use to maintain your health and fitness while at home, too. These are all ways that you can ensure that you maintain self-care while working from home in isolation.

Its really hard to stop scrolling on social, tuning into press conferences and reading the news right now, but I highly recommend that you give yourself a time limit to consume that information before taking long breaks from it, too.

Look to as many positives as possible in this uncertain time and know that the majority of people are understanding and empathetic right now. Reach out to friends and family through digital means, especially if you are isolated, and leverage technology to stay connected with your colleagues.

We will look back on this time as being monumental, because it is, but I think well also look back on this time as being a time of rapid transformation and learning. Were learning how to communicate better, how to support each other better and how to cope in highly chaotic times. Were building resiliency that will be incredibly helpful in the weeks, months and years to come.

Erin Blaskie is the director of marketing at Fellow.app, a tool for managers to have more productive meetings.

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Op-ed: Managing work, life and mental health during COVID-19 - Ottawa Business Journal

Three of MUSC Healths specialty areas rank among the best in the country: rheumatology; ear, nose and throat; and cancer.

CHARLESTON MUSC Health has received an official waiver from the Food and Drug Administration that will enable greater access to testing for patients with respiratory illness symptoms and possible COVID-19 exposure.

S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster and his team worked with the FDA to expedite necessary approvals to mitigate the spread and severity of COVID-19 in South Carolina.

MUSC Health will continue to align closely all COVID-19 screening and testing processes with the guidance administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. To date, national testing capability has been limited, which in turn has slowed the ability to administer testing at state and local levels throughout the country.

With this federal government waiver, MUSC Health has been cleared to implement and accelerate screening and testing capabilities for more people experiencing possible COVID-19 symptoms. Previously prioritized patient groups included hospitalized patients, patients with virus hot spot travel histories, and members of the health care workforce.

MUSC Health expects, within days, to increase significantly the number of patients who will now qualify for COVID-19 testing. This will be accomplished by continuing to work with DHEC, partnering with private industry and implementing an in-house test within the next week. MUSC Health is part of ongoing discussions with other health systems and community hospitals throughout the state on ways to provide access to in-house testing capabilities as quickly as possible.

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MUSC Health expands COVID-19 testing capabilities | Health & Fitness - The Tand D.com

Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and Initialized Capital, is forever on the road. Heres what keeps him going. As told to Marjorie Korn

The week started in Buenos Aires. Then I flew to Mexico City. Now Im home in Miami. Last year, I did 550 flight hours for Initialized Capital, which I co-founded. So Im thoughtful about what I packlike a TRX to get a quick pump in before meetings. It makes me feel alive and helps with jet lag.

I try not to be away for more than a week at a timelonger for Grand Slams and tournaments. The mornings my wife, Serena [Williams], and I are together, shell go train, and Ill hit the gym with my trainer. I do whatever he tells me to dostrength training, weights, and old-school medicine ball work. I like to incorporate big, heavy chains into those workouts. I find excuses to wear them during exercises. As far as tennis, Ive never played in my life, and I dont really plan to pick up that sport unless my daughter, Olympia, wants to learn. Then Ill play with her.

I love intermittent fasting. Its easy for me because I love black coffee; thats all the breakfast I need. On weekends, I cheat. Family breakfast is more important. And Im 90 percent plant-based. I saw the documentary Game Changers before Olympia was born. It made a compelling case for a plant-based diet. At 34, I drink less than I did in my 20s. In business, its easy to drink every night. Now when I drink, I make it count. As far as my overall health, Id give myself a B+room for growth, but the trend is in the right direction.

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How Alexis Ohanian Keeps His Health and Fitness in Check on the Road - Men's Journal

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, second from left, along with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, center, and public health officials arrive to provide updated public guidance around the coronavirus during a press conference at the Thompson Center, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, in Chicago. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP)

Passengers wear face masks to protect against the spread of coronavirus Feb. 29 as they arrive at Los Angeles International Airport.

A large monitor displaying a map of Asia and a tally of total coronavirus cases, deaths, and recovered, is visible behind Vice President Mike Pence, center, and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, left, as they tour the secretary's operations center on Thursday Washington.

Through established plans and drills with the Iowa Department of Public Health as well as other local hospitals and health departments, Muscatine Public Health is promising to stay prepared in case of a coronavirus outbreak in the community.

A fifth case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Illinois.

According to a Illinois Department of Public Health press release, the fifth confirmed case is a Cook County resident in his 20s who traveled through Chicago O'Hare International Airport earlier this month after traveling to Italy. He acquired the infection in Italy and has been hospitalized at Rush University Medical Center in isolation. Currently, public health officials are working to identify and contact his close contacts.

The state of Illinois is working around the clock to contain COVID-19 and educate the public, Governor JB Pritzker said in a press release. Public health officials anticipated there would be additional cases and we will continue to implement robust measures to contain the virus while also preparing for further transmission. The risk of COVID-19 to the general public in Illinois remains low, but we encourage the public to be vigilant and take extra care with the normal precautions you should take during flu season.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed one of the earlier presumptive positive cases, and Illinois is awaiting results on the other case.

According to the IDPH, the transmission route for the third and fourth cases, a couple in their 70s, is currently unknown. "Both individuals recently traveled to another state, but health officials have not been able to link them to a COVID-19 confirmed case in Illinois or the other state," the release says. "Therefore, because IDPH has been unable to identify a point of exposure for these two cases, IDPH believes it is possible these cases may be due to community transmission in Illinois.

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Fifth case of COVID-19 confirmed in Illinois | Health and Fitness - Quad City Times

Starting an exercise routine for the first time as an adult can feel intimidating or even worthless -- but the pros say it's not too late to improve your fitness.

In 2019, Nicholas Rizzo, a personal trainer, biologist and fitness research director at RunRepeat, accomplished what he never thought possible: He helped his father -- who had just entered his 60s -- lose 25 pounds, adopt an exercise habit and kick pre-diabetes.

Beginning an exercise routine in your 50s or later can feel scary and intimidating, whether you are starting for the first time or rekindling an old habit. You may feel like it's too late or you aren't in good enough shape to get started, but Rizzo asserts that the smallest changes produce drastic results.

With his dad, it started simply: Rizzo encouraged his dad to add basic exercises -- including push-ups, sit-ups, shoulder presses and lunges -- into his morning routine. He then invested in a stationary bike and a standing desk to add in even more daily movement. These small changes, combined with healthy diet tweaks, allowed Rizzo's dad to get in the best shape of his life.

Rizzo's example is just one of many: Studies show that regular exercise can help older adults combat age-related muscle loss, improve bone and joint health, lower cardiometabolic risk factors, fight chronic diseases and improve mental health and cognitive functioning. Perhaps most importantly, exercising as you get older can help you maintain functional independence and improve your quality of life.

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In this guide to exercising in your 50s and beyond, three experts -- Rizzo, along with TRX's head of human performance, Chris Frankel, and Elizabeth Gardner, MD, a Yale Medicine orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine -- explain exactly how to get started and reap the benefits of a workout routine.

"Fitness" isn't synonymous with "gym." A sustainable fitness routine includes something you love, be it biking, hiking, dancing or something else.

First things first: See your doctor, Dr. Gardner says.

"When anyone first starts exercising, it is important to first assess your physical fitness," Dr. Gardner tells CNET. "While there is almost no absolute contraindication to exercise, certain medical or physical conditions may require certain adjustments to an exercise routine."

Your physician may want to make certain adjustments to your exercise routine. Dr. Gardner offers some examples:

After getting the OK from your doctor, Dr. Gardner says it's time to have some fun: "It's important to start with activities that are familiar and enjoyable, such as taking a walk or a bicycle ride," she says, adding that it's also smart to start slowly.

"The goal is to build a habit and be able to gradually increase your activity over time," Dr. Gardner says. "If lifting weights, start with weights that you can perform 10-12 repetitions of at first. You don't want to be so sore after the first outing that you can't move for a week."

Make sure to take care of your body before and after exercise with a good warm-up and recovery techniques like foam rolling.

The actual act of exercising is only part of the battle -- Dr. Gardner says that it's critical to take care of your body before and after exercise. "That includes being hydrated and fueling your body with nutritious food," she explains. "It also includes stretching both before and after your workout to help keep your muscles happy and prevent injury.

Fitness recovery doesn't have to be complicated: Find a modality that works for you and use it often, whether you prefer foam rolling, massage, compression or heat or cold therapy. These should all be complements to mobility work, good nutrition and hydration.

Don't forget to warm up, either, because jumping into your workout without preparing your muscles and joints can lead to injury.

Start with something simple, such as walking, and work your way up to more intense exercise.

If you have never had a consistent exercise routine, start off with a combination of aerobic exercise and light weight training, Dr. Gardner says. This gives your body a chance to get familiar with the different types of physical stress induced by exercise.

During the beginning stages, experiment with different types of aerobic exercise, such as walking, hiking, biking, dancing and swimming, to find what you enjoy the most, Dr. Gardner says.

"It is also important to include balance exercises, which can help to prevent falls in the future," Dr. Gardner stresses. "When getting started, it is important to use a chair for support, but with time it may be possible to do [balance] exercises without a chair."

Many great balance exercises can be performed at home, including:

Yoga, Pilates and tai chi are also excellent for building strength and developing balance to prevent falls. As you get started with exercise, make sure to also include stretching and mobility exercises to improve flexibility and joint range of motion.

After building up a solid fitness base with aerobic cardio, stretching and balance exercises, you can start to introduce resistance training to your workout plan, Rizzo says. Start with light weights and higher reps, taking as much time as you need to rest in between sets. Hold off on intense anaerobic interval-style workouts until you've developed a good base level of fitness and feel comfortable moving quickly while maintaining food form.

When you're just starting out, don't do too much too soon. Just 10 to 15 minutes of exercise each day is a good start.

The general recommendation is that all adults should strive for 150 to 300 minutes of exercise each week, Dr. Gardner says -- 150 minutes if the exercise is intense or vigorous, and 300 minutes if the exercise is moderate.

"This time can be split up into sessions on different days," Dr. Gardner says, "[but] really the goal should be to move, even if just for 10 to 15 minutes every day."

Rizzo recommends starting with just five to 10 minutes of light exercise per day, gradually working your way up to 20 to 30 minutes, focusing on the basics: light cardio, bodyweight exercises and stretching.

As for how many days you should complete full workouts, Rizzo says it's best to start with just one or two, in addition to focusing on small increases in your daily movement. When you're ready to add another full workout to your routine, only go at it with 50% of your usual intensity. Keep increasing the intensity until you can comfortably complete all of your weekly workouts at a 70 to 90% effort.

"This ensures your body has the time to adapt to the physical strain of just being active consistently," Rizzo says. "There is no point in rushing too fast into it and either injuring or exhausting yourself."

Hiring a personal or group trainer is a great way to learn proper form for different exercises and prevent injury.

Hiring a personal trainer can certainly provide extra benefits when starting a workout regimen, Frankel says, as can attending group fitness classes.

"The benefit of a qualified and experienced personal trainer or group instructor is having someone guide you through the proper biomechanics, exercise selection, sequence, intensity, and recovery to optimize your results," Frankel says.

And if you add the community component that comes with group exercise, "get ready to not only feel better physically, but also mentally," he says, citing a 2017 study in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association that reported people working out in a group setting resulted in lowered stress levels and improved quality of life compared to those working out alone.

Hiring a personal trainer or attending group classes is also a good way to avoid the "no pain, no gain" mindset, which can lead to poor results, exercise burnout, injury or illness, Frankel adds.

Your doctor may recommend a specific type of exercise based on your health -- such as water aerobics for arthritis.

As Dr. Gardner mentioned previously, there are very few people who cannot exercise at all in some way or another. Rizzo concurs, explaining that "This has less to do with being 50 years old and more to do with any conditions, chronic illnesses, diseases, age-related or otherwise, or injuries you may have."

When it comes to exercise, the most important question you can ask your doctor is if it's safe for you to start an exercise regimen and what kind of exercise is safe for you, Rizzo says. Arrive prepared to your doctor's appointment with a clear explanation of what you intend to do, and walk through it with your doctor.

Exercise is always a possibility, Rizzo says. You may just have to learn how to modify exercise to meet your specific needs.

Having a weekly workout plan can help you stick to your goals.

Based on the types of exercise recommended for people beginning an exercise routine in their 50s, Frankel offers a sample six-week workout plan divided into phases (every two weeks is one phase).

Phase 1 (weeks one and two):

Phase 2 (weeks three and four):

Phase 3 (weeks five and six):

Notice how the plan starts with two to three workouts and increases to four to five workouts by the time you reach week five. Repeat the phases over time, varying the exercises to continually give your body a challenge. Returning to phase 1 gives your body a chance to deload and recover from the higher intensity of phase 3.

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To anyone who thinks that age 50 is too late to start exercising, Frankel would say to look at the big picture. "Currently, the US life expectancy is just shy of 79 years, so that means at 50, you are still looking at close to another 25 to 30 years," he says. "Regardless if you are in your 50s, 60s, or older, you should consider exercise, nutrition and sleep as the 'currency' of quality and quantity of life."

Dr. Gardner adds that it's important to remember that not all exercise has to happen at the gym: Activities such as dancing or hiking can be an easy way to start building fitness and an exercise routine.

And Rizzo circles back to the magic he used on his dad: "There really is no such thing as 'too late' when it comes to exercise," he says. "The research is clear -- whether you are turning 50 or 80, it isn't too late to start. Exercise will help you live longer, improve your quality of life, fight the aging process and so much more."

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

See the original post here:
Exercising in your 50s and beyond: Tips from a doctor and fitness pros - CNET

Technavio has been monitoring the shaker bottles market in US and it is poised to grow by USD 32.54 mn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 3% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005620/en/

Technavio has announced its latest research report titled Shaker Bottles Market in US 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Growing health and fitness industry have been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Request a free sample report

Shaker Bottles Market in US 2020-2024: Segmentation

Shaker Bottles Market in US is segmented as below:

Type

Application

To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR40162

Shaker Bottles Market in US 2020-2024: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our shaker bottles market in US report covers the following areas:

This study identifies popularity of recyclable plastic shaker bottles as one of the prime reasons driving the shaker bottles market growth in the US during the next few years.

Shaker Bottles Market in US 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the shaker bottles market in us, including some of the vendors such as Amway Corp., BlenderBottle Co., Cyclone Cup LLC, Danone SA, GNC Holdings Inc., Hydra Cup Inc., Newell Brands Inc., PhD Nutrition Ltd., Smartgroup AB and Universal Nutrition. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the shaker bottles market in US are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Shaker Bottles Market in US 2020-2024: Key Highlights

Table of Content

PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE

PART 04: MARKET SIZING

PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY APPLICATION

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 08: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY TYPE

PART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORK

PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

PART 11: MARKET TRENDS

PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS

PART 14: APPENDIX

PART 15: EXPLORE TECHNAVIO

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavios report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavios comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005620/en/

Contacts

Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: http://www.technavio.com/

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Shaker Bottles Market in US 2020-2024 | Growing Health and Fitness Industry to Boost Growth | Technavio - Yahoo Finance

CHARLESTON March is National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. It is estimated that four percent of adults in the U.S. have a gambling problem. The risk for college age youth is much higher. Illinois is ranked first among the states in the most gambling related arrests per capita. Problem gambling affects both the person doing the gambling as well as their family and friends. Problem gamblers often cannot see clearly the ways that their gambling is causing harm, and often hide the true extent of the problem from themselves and their loved ones.

Hour House will be providing problem gambling screenings from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10. The gambling screenings are free and confidential and can be conducted by phone or at any of the outpatient locations in Shelbyville, Mattoon and Charleston. Call 217-348-8108 for the free screening or to ask about starting services.

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If you are concerned about the effects gambling is having on you, your family or your finances, this is an opportunity to have a brief discussion about the issues you are experiencing and formulate a plan to get help if necessary. This is also a great day to call and talk over your concerns about someone elses gambling behavior and the effects it is having on you, and on them.

Gamblers Anonymous (a 12-step group similar to AA) meets on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. at their 726 4th St. location in Charleston. Anyone with a desire to stop gambling is welcome to attend. There is no fee to attend GA and walk-ins are welcome.

Originally posted here:
Problem gambling screenings to be held | Health, Medicine and Fitness - Journal Gazette and Times-Courier

Country music superstar Carrie Underwood stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this week to promote her new book, Find Your Path, all about embracing health and fitness. Never one to ignore a theme, Fallon took the opportunity to challenge Underwood to a bout of friendly sporting competition, which he dubbed the "Fittest of the Fit Challenge".

The contest included three rounds, starting with an assault course which Fallon described as "Dance Dance Revolution meets Twister", followed by a game of "Bodzilla," where he guided a blindfolded Underwood through a miniature city while he held a plank position.

Find Your Path: Honor Your Body, Fuel Your Soul, and Get Strong with the Fit52 Life

The third and final game was the "Huff and Puff Faceoff", the rules of which are fairly simple and which turn a popular gym move into something altogether sillier and more fun.

It goes like this: three lanes are set up, with a ping pong ball in the middle of each. While in a bear crawl on either side of the lanes, each player has to blow a ping pong ball towards their opponent. After 30 seconds, whoever has blown the most balls onto the other side of the lanes wins.

"I'm out of breath already," Fallon says as they lower themselves into their bear crawls. A little bit of flagrant cheating later, Underwood declares herself victorious.

Floor-level exercises like bear crawls are actually a fantastic way of engaging your core muscles and honing your control and stability, which in turn improves your ability when it comes to accurate, subtle movements. Here's how to nail the move with nothing more than some space on the gym floor.

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Jimmy Fallon and Carrie Underwood Just Turned Bear Crawls Into a Game - menshealth.com

FRANKFORT With a goal of ending childhood obesity, Gov. Andy Beshear and fitness icon Jake Steinfeld, Chairman of the National Foundation for Governors Fitness Councils (NFGFC), announced recently that Kentucky has been selected for the Councilss 2020 DONT QUIT! Campaign.

Our children and their health are a top priority for Britainy and me, Gov. Beshear said. As parents of 9- and 10-year-olds, we know the importance of physical activity and the positive effects on their self-esteem and academics. I appreciate Jake Steinfeld and the National Foundation for Governors Fitness Councils selecting Kentucky for this worthwhile campaign.

"He and I have a common goal of improving health outcomes for our children including ending childhood obesity. This is a real opportunity for every elementary and middle school in the state to demonstrate what they are doing to be physically active and healthy.

Gov. Beshear and Jake Steinfeld encourage educators to visit http://www.natgovfit.org, download the simple nomination form and let the NFGFC know why your school deserves to be awarded a brand new, taxpayer free, fitness center.

The NFGFC will deliver a state-of-the-art DONT QUIT! Fitness Center to three Kentucky elementary or middle schools. School nominations will be accepted until Friday, March 20. Download Kentuckys nomination form at http://natgovfit.org/nominate-your-school/, and fill out the short, easy application.

Childhood obesity is a serious problem that can follow a child into adulthood. Ive declared war on this preventable disease and its inspiring to see elected leaders like Gov. Andy Beshear immediately jump on board to join the battle and welcome us into the great state of Kentucky, said Jake Steinfeld.

Every governor weve partnered with recognizes that obesity is neither a Democratic nor Republican issue, its a kids issue and all have vowed to do everything possible to help. So far weve delivered DONT QUIT! Fitness Centers to 32 states and Washington, D.C. and the response from students, teachers, and communities has been unbelievable.

"Kids are excited about working out and being physically active and, as a result, their academic performance and self-esteem have skyrocketed. Now, Kentucky schools have an opportunity to make a change that will have a lasting impact on kids well into their future.

The NFGFC program will make its way into all 50 states in the coming years. Each fitness center is financed through public/private partnerships with companies like The Coca-Cola Company, Anthem Foundation, Wheels Up and Nike, and does not rely on taxpayer dollars or state funding.

TuffStuff Fitness International provides all the fitness equipment, which is manufactured in the United States. The foundations goal is to build a nation of the fittest, healthiest kids in the world.

I have witnessed firsthand the positive impact fitness centers have had on students and their communities. When you provide schools with the tools and inspiration, youll be amazed by the changes that take place, continued Steinfeld. Children are our most precious resource and by providing them with a strong foundation in health and fitness, we can feel confident that theyll excel beyond their wildest dreams.

Physical activity and exercise are shown to help prevent and treat more than 40 chronic diseases, enhance individual health and quality of life, and reduce health care costs. In schools, studies show that physical activity improves academic achievement, increases confidence and self-esteem, reduces discipline problems, cuts absenteeism, and fosters better interpersonal relationships.

For more information about the NFGFC or to download a nomination form, visit http://www.natgovfit.org.

See more here:
Gov. Beshear joins National Foundation for Governor Fitness Councils to gift fitness centers to Kentucky schools - Times Tribune of Corbin

(Editors' Note: Check out the Healthcare & Fitness Integration Summit at the 2020 Club Industry Show Oct. 14-16 in St. Louis, Missouri, for how you can implement healthcare integration at your club.)

Imagine this: Your member walks through the doors of your health club. They see a door to a 120-square-foot medical clinic to the right where labs can be drawn, biometric testing can be done and the physicians in the clinic can recommend they sign up for personal training to help them lose weight and lower their blood pressure. To the left is a door to a 400-square-foot physical therapy business where the therapists refer their clients to your club after their rehab is complete. Further back is a spa and wellness space with cryotherapy, red light therapy, massage and compression products. In the middle is the cardio, strength and functional training space. Your members health data is tracked from the moment they walk through the doors, not through a heart rate monitor but through a camera. They step on the treadmill, and the screen asks if they want the same workout as the day before. They shake their head yes. But before the treadmill begins, the camera senses they are about to have a heart attack. The technology not only notifies the member of their impending heart attack, but it also calls 9-1-1 and notifies the medical team in the building.

On top of all of this, imagine that health insurance companies, or payers, pay your club $100 per month to work with their insureds who have chronic conditions. And imagine that you give those insureds $50 of that $100 to come into the health club so that you can show to the payer how effectively your program saves them money.

Sound fantastical? Well, its not. All of these services and technology are already out there. And such medically based facilities already exist to varying levels. The movement for medical wellness facilities or medical fitness facilities has been around for many years, and it's now gaining strength.

What has held back many traditional health club operators from integrating healthcare often has been the technology, space and staffing required to do so.

So now, imagine this. A company comes into your facility, shares with you all of the preventive wellness and medical services you could offer, asks you how involved you want to be in all of this integration, and then does the work for you, helping you to gain new members and provide those new members as well as your existing members with better outcomeswhile generating more revenue for you.With that, you might say that such a model could be poised to disruptthe fitness industry.

This vision was put forth by Jeff Skeen, CEO of Results Redefined, McLean, Virginia. Any health club operator who is not thinking about medically integrating at even a basic level right now could miss the boat and be out of business in 10 years, he said.

Jeff has been in the fitness business for more than 26 years with brands such as Golds Gym and Fitness Connection. Recently, he teamed with his brother, Tim Skeen, who has held multiple positions at a Fortune 50 insurance company, including his last position as the Enterprise CIO.

The two are investing in technology and brick and mortar companies that can help deliver the solutions that the health club industry needs to seamlessly provide the support necessary to make the partnerships with the healthcare community happen and to move the health club industry from the same model it has operated in for the majority of its existence to something new that focuses on preventing disease as well as helping to manage chronic conditions and recovery.

The United States spends $3.5 trillion annually on health care, 90 percent of which is for people with chronic and mental health conditions, according to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Seven in 10 deaths each year are caused by chronic conditions.

Health insurance companies have massive cost of care initiatives to reduce their expenses for certain high-cost treatments, according to Tim. Helping to prevent these conditions is a part of those initiatives. Health clubs can be great partners for payers and the medical community to help prevent those conditions because of their expertise in providing fitness programming and because of the data that health clubs can collect from members (with their permission).

Rather than just collecting basic membership data, health clubs can begin collecting core social determinants of health and other data elements that give value to the rest of the ecosystem and value to the member themselves, Tim said. Some of the data could be biometric, but some of it could be social or economic data that can make the complete data record more actionable, especially when joined with other healthcare data from the provider side and the payer side. This richer data can help improve the quality of the interactions and outcomes members achieve.

And this is true not just for members with known chronic conditions, Tim added. Richer data on healthy, young members who visit a health club multiple times per week but may, at best, only visit their doctor for an annual physical can help reveal unknown conditions that would negatively affect the members health. By applying proactive and preventive care earlier, health outcomes are improved, and costs to the healthcare system are reduced.

All of this data is only useful, though, if it can be shared among the members, payers, healthcare providers and health clubs. To make data shareable, technology is required, the implementation of which can seem daunting for each of the communities involved.

There is a need to securely provide the data interoperability and real-time transport of this information between each of the stakeholders, Tim said. Removing the barriers to connecting each of these entities and providing a frictionless environment to allow this information to flow seamlessly is critical so as to not distract from the core things they have to do as payers with large member populations.

The same is true for health club owners, Jeff said.

One of the big difficulties is that the health clubs are not set up in a way to efficiently receive this information, Jeff said.

A lot of the programs that health clubs offer todaysuch as Silver Sneakers and Silver & Fitare profitable for clubs, but much of the required front desk and back office activity is manual, which not only takes time away from employees but also increases the likelihood of mistakes during data input, Jeff said.

The Skeens are investing in companies that would allow health club owners to participate in multiple programs but that require zero labor from their staff.

It literally is us sitting between the consumer and the health club, Jeff said. His company also would sit between the health club and the medical, wellness and payer industries.

Payers have been reimbursing health clubs for certain programs without receiving any data on effectiveness of those programs, Tim said, but with installation of new technology allowing connectivity among the payers, health clubs and healthcare community, that data could be securely provided to prove the value of exercise to prevent certain conditions or decrease the costs to payers for people with certain conditions. For instance, a type 2 diabetic can cost a payer $12,000 per year. If a payer gave a health club $100 per monthor $1,200 per yearto help a diabetic and received data proving that the efforts were effective and cut the cost to the payer in half, that would be a win for the payeras well as for the patient and the health club.

And health club owners could entice and keep members with chronic conditions by paying those members $50 of the $100 they get from the payer.

Now you need the technology to start capturing the improvement of health because ultimately what we're working toward is having the insurance companies pay the health clubs for prevention, Jeff said.

But that starts with creating a data hub that leverages the standards for interoperability and data interchange for the providers and payers inside that ecosystem so you can have the secure, real-time flow of data amongst all the different stakeholders involved, Tim said.

And that's something that doesn't really exist today, he said.

But that is what the Skeens are working toward with their investments in technology companies that would work in this space.

We're creating and partnering with companies that surround the health club operator so they could double or triple their profits just by being involved in the network, Jeff said. I see a vision in a world where the gyms are paying the member $50 a month to be a member because what's happening is in the background everybody in our ecosystem is taking the money that's out there, making it more efficient and effective, and the consumer is going to want to go to that club because now they are part of this whole system which results in a healthier lifestyle and outcome.

Link:
The Next Fitness Industry Disrupter Could Be Health Care - Club Industry