Monthly Archives: February 2013

The Winter Fitness Nightmare

Posted on by

allieduxburyAllison Duxbury is an AFFA qualified fitness professional with over 15 years experience in group and personal training.  After many years travelling the world with her husband Rod, an officer in the British Army, they returned to her roots in Connecticut to bring up their young family and start her business: FitFocused.  Three years later, the business is thriving and her clients range from 9-year-old competitive Irish Dancers to an octogenarian veteran. Reach Allie at 860.304.9899 or fitfocused.com

First, there were the holiday feasts.  Now we have Super Bowl Sunday and Valentine’s Day treats to battle. Not to mention all the winter weekend gatherings filled with comfort food.

Most of us are about ready to give up and join the rest of the natural world in hibernation.  Even those who do have a consistent workout schedule may start to find themselves falling behind.  However, the arrival of winter is absolutely no excuse to put away the sneakers and yoga pants.

Try some creative ways to get out all that energy you’re storing up!

Exercise doesn’t have to mean facing the bitter cold head on.  Give indoor fitness a try.  Yoga is a slow- paced exercise that can easily be done in the familiarity of your own home.  It helps improve flexibility, strength, and posture all at once.  If you need something a bit faster, try blending a few other elements into your routine; jump rope, jumping jacks, push ups, lunges, and squats will all do the trick.

If you are itching to get into the open air, go for it!  As long as you keep well hydrated and properly layered, running in the wintery outdoors may be just the thing to keep you going until the weather warms up.

Why not make it social?  Joining exercise classes is a great way to keep yourself going through the winter cold.  Working out with friends means you’ll have a better chance of sticking with it.  Encourage each other, and spring will be here in no time.

As for all the social gatherings, keep these simple tips in mind.

Decide what’s worth it: Avoid anything high in fat or calories that isn’t your favorite.  Save your calories for something you’ll really enjoy.

Don’t arrive starving: Before you go, grab a carb and protein mix to keep your willpower in place.  Try an apple and peanut butter, a few nuts and yogurt, or turkey and hummus.  Eat something that is about 150 to 200 calories as a pre-party snack.

Snack smart: Gravitate to the veggie tray and munch away …

Drink up: Have a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage.  That will prevent you from consuming too many empty calories.

No matter how you choose to beat the winter laziness and blues, I’m confident you’ll be thanking yourself for it later on.  Mindful eating and exercise will keep you happy and healthy until Spring.

Lyme Ambulance Association Seeks New Operations Members

Posted on by
Reply

The Lyme Ambulance Association (LAA) has a continuous need  to enlist new operations members from the Lyme community to become Emergency Medical technicians, Emergency Medical Responders or ambulance drivers.  A first aid or medical background is not required.

Once trained and qualified the new members will become part of the team that responds to medical emergencies in Lyme and in our mutual aid towns.  This service, which is vital to the town,  and can according to current members, be very rewarding in terms of:

  • personal satisfaction gained from helping others in time of need  learning new skills
  • possibly opening opportunities for a career in emergency medicine
  • maintaining the requirement for ambulance service without engaging paid staff

There are also other benefits such as an annual banquet and an incentive plan.  Training and equipment are provided.

The LAA has served the Town of Lyme since it was established in 1976.  The LAA is a completely volunteer organization and is one of the last ambulance groups in the area that does not charge for its services.  The group does not charge because of the support it receives from the community from patients , its annual fund drive and other benefactors.

Without new operations members, the LAA will at some point become unable to function and will have to resort to adding paid staff at a projected cost of about $400,000 per year.

Persons interested in joining the group can reply by  mail, email  or  phone and will be contacted promptly so that an interview can be arranged.  The purpose of the interview is so that a potential member can get a better understanding of the training and responsibilities required to be an active operations group member.

The goal of the recruitment effort is to have the new members oriented and ready to begin training when a class is available for either EMT, EMR or driver.  The LAA does its own driver training so the classes for this position are able to be set up at times convenient to the trainer and student.

There are EMT and EMR classes beginning periodically in surrounding communities.

There are also support roles for people who cannot or do not wish to become operations members.  These are roles such as purchasing, administrative work and automotive maintenance or ambulance board members.

Persons interested should contact: Lyme Ambulance Association PO Box 911 Hadlyme CT 06439-0490 or call Carter Courtney (home) 860 434 0057 (cel) 860 326 4484 or (email) courtneyjc20@hotmail.com