A Good Day for a Stroll Through Woodlands Garden

Sunday’s weather forecast is sunny and in the mid 50s  – a good day to visit Woodlands Garden for Sundays in the Garden.  

The Garden invites the community to put on their walking shoes and explore Decatur’s seven-acre garden and Georgia Piedmont native plant habitat. Volunteers will welcome you and provide helpful information. Musical surprises await. Free and open to the public this coming Sunday, January 29 from 2 – 4pm. The garden is located at 932 Scott Boulevard, a nice walk or bike ride from downtown Decatur.

For more information about Woodlands, click here.

Decatur Recreation Center Construction- Week 4

Decatur Recreation Center Construction enters week four and the process continues to be amazing.  I had a chance to see some of the gym floor being cut out last week and I started to reflect on all of the community activities that Decatur Active Living has hosted.  Check out the list below:

1. Decatur Youth and Adult Basketball Games

2. Senior Aerobics

3. Decatur High School Basketball Games

4. Country Dancers Jamboree

5. Nike Teen Women’s Summer League 

6. Decatur High School Volleyball Games

7. Line Dancing Jamboree

8. City of Decatur Health Fair

9. Youth Sports Parent Meetings

10. Halloween Carnival

11. Summer Camp Staff Orientation

12. Family Reunions/Community Rentals

13. Playgroups

14. Decatur High School Baseball Practice (Rainy Days)

15. Lacrosse Practices

16. Children’s Arts Festival

17. Decatur Book Festival – Children’s Event

18. Book Signings- Little Shop of Stories

19. Atlanta Symphony

20. 2011 Ice Storm the gym was opened to residents to come out and play.  Families and teens merged on the gym during those icy days.

21. Garage Sale

22. Mike Glenn Hearing Impaired Camp

23. Carter Wilson ” Fastbreak Basketball” Camp

24. Badminton Play

25. Table Tennis Play

Winter Walking

Keep enjoying the outdoors even when the weather is cold. Exercising in cold weather burns more calories because your body works harder to stay warm. Be sure to protect yourself from the elements.

• Check with your healthcare provider if you have heart disease, diabetes or asthma as exercising in cold weather may be too stressful for you.
• Wear thick socks, gloves, and a hat. Use sunscreen to protect your skin, even on overcast days. The sun’s rays can pass through clouds.
• Dress in layers of comfortable, technical fabrics. Wear a turtleneck made from wicking material as your inner layer to draw moisture away from your body. As a middle layer, wear lightweight fleece that traps warm air. For a top layer, wear a breathable waterproof fabric.
• Allow more time – up to 10 minutes – for a gradual warm-up.
• If your hands or feet feel numb, return indoors.
• Do your final stretches indoors, where it is warm.

Winter walking tips from The Walking Deck by Shirley Archer, and published by Chronicle Books.

FitWit Offers a Free Week

Whitney from FitWit invites you to join them for a week for free, a $49 value. The offer is from January 30th to
February 3rd at any of their locations: Grant Park, Decatur High School and Midtown.

This is a great opportunity to check out why FitWit is so popular andwhen you sign up for your free week, you’ll get 3 additional bonuses:

1.      6-Week Healthy Eating Meal Plan & Nutrition Guide
2.      Invitation to our next “Eat Well” presentation on Feb. 4 at 9 am
3.      Body Analysis and Measurement Session

To sign up, please email whitney@fitwit.com before Janaury 27th  and indicate your preferred location. Time slots vary by location.  For more information on FitWit, click here.

EveryBody Walk!

Be sure to visit the Kaiser Permanente website, EveryBody Walk!, an online educational campaign aimed at getting Americans up and moving. They are working to spread the message that walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week really can improve your overall health and prevent disease. The site provides news and resources on walking, health information, walking maps, how to find walking groups, a personal pledge form to start walking, as well as a place to share stories about individual experiences with walking. There is even an ap for both Smartphones and IPhones.

Also on the site are links to their partners, including Walk For Lunch, which will begin in Decatur on March 13th. So what are you waiting for? Start walking more today!

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Healthy Monday: Vary Your Vitamins

It can be tempting to focus on just one variable when deciding if a food is healthy, but even calories don’t tell all. It’s important to also choose nutrient-dense foods: a high fiber, vitamin rich meal will keep you fuller, longer and help you eat less overall. Nutrition labels list how much of each nutrient is in a serving.
 
Use nutritional labels this week and see if you’re getting the most bang for your bite! Try replacing some of your empty calories with nutrient-dense foods.

Ebster Teen Club and MLK Weekend

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday January 14th was a great day for a service project. Ebster Teen Club participated in it’s second MLK Service Day Project.  We had a total of 10 teens to participate. Our teen were split into 2 teams and were assigned to different locations. Tavelus Johnson and Irin Pitman (Ebster Recreation Center Staff) assisted the teens with their assigned duties. Both teams were assigned yard work, that also included removal of debris.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The weather was perfect for a yard clean-up day.  Once we arrived at our location we found that another team was already busy at working preparing the yard.  We introduced ourselvs and found out that this team was a family that had volunteered from Sandy Springs. We were suprised to find out that they had heard of this great event all the way in Sandy Springs. The dad informed us that his daughter had volunteerd during last years MLK Weekend, so they decided to make this year a family event.

  

 

 

 

 

 

What a great way to remember all the great works and service that Dr. Martin Luther King passed on to our generation.  This is what service is all about giving of of your time and effort to make someone elses day a little brighter. Working with people from different backgrounds and cultures helps makes the heavy lifting a lot lighter. This was a great experience for our teens and staff alike. They are already looking forward to next years MLK Weekend.

Walk For Lunch Begins in March

Decatur Active Living is excited to offer the Walk for Lunch program for three months this Spring! We will begin walking in March and continue through the end of May every Tuesday and Thursday. We had a great group of walkers last year who enjoyed getting to know each other while getting fresh air and exercise during their lunch hour.

What is Walk For Lunch?

Walk For Lunch is a fitness program that employees can do during their lunch hour. It includes power walking and intervals of strength and body toning exercises. This unique program  provides employees with the opportunity to meet other co-workers as well as members of the community. Walk For Lunch includes a signature branded Walk For Lunch t-shirt; trainer led group walks for every mile; direct access to a personal trainer; and all the fun you can have!

Walkers will check-in at noon and win prizes provided by our sponsors. Certified fitness instructors will lead you on a 1 – 3 mile power walk beginning at the Decatur Square.

For more information and to register, click here.

Stretches for Relieving Calf Tightness

If January has gotten you fired up about fitness and you have been walking more, you may experience some calf tightness. With each step, your calf muscle contracts as the ball of your foot pushes off. Lengthen the muscle in the back of your lower legs, relieve calf tightness, and retain ankle flexilbilty with the following stretches.

Calf Stretch #1

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Take a generous step back. Push the heel of your back leg into the ground as you straighten your leg and lengthen your torso. Tighten abdominal muslces to support your lower back. Place hands on a wall. tree or mid-thigh for support. Avoid putting any pressure on your knee joint.
• Inhale. As you exhale, try to stretch more by sliding the heel of your back leg further away.
• Inhale deeply and exhale completely as you hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds

Calf Stretch #2

• Slide your back foot forward until your hip and torso are upright. Keep your back foot flat on the ground as you bend your knees and lower your hips downward.
• Repeat with your other leg.

Stretches from The Walking Deck by Shirley Archer.

Decatur Youth Basketball Night at Decatur High School- Friday, January 20

Decatur High School vs South Atlanta

All 2011-2012 Decatur Active Living Youth Basketball Players will be allowed to attend Decatur High School’s Varsity basketball game free with one paying adult.  All players must wear their youth basketball shirt.  Participants please sit behind the goal located near the home team bench.

Girls game begins at 5:30pm

Boys game begins at 7pm

Come out and support Decatur High School Basketball.  Go Decatur!