GETTING OUT WHILE STAYING IN: Indoor activities to get you into a healthy mindset

Story by Cindy O. Herman and Julie Mensch

January articles about health repeat the good advice we all know we should follow: Eat healthy foods, exercise daily, and don’t smoke. Avoid large amounts of fat, sugar and alcohol is always the next subject of the paragraphs that follow.

Whether we heed these instructions or not, we know about them. Perhaps Dr. Anne Ivie’s approach about working to find ways to make improvements in all aspects of our lives would work better for some folks.

“For the New Year, I recommend for everyone to evaluate yourself in four areas: spiritually, socially, physically and intellectually,” said Ivie, a family medicine physician at Family Practice Center, in Selinsgrove. “What are you already doing in these areas? As you do this, you can also start to see ways you want to improve.” Ivie’s strategy begins with a piece of paper and a pen. Write down these headings: Spiritual, Social, Physical and Intellectual. Then, list ideas, concerns, and goals under each category.

As you examine your list, look at each notation. What ideas, if you make a change, would make your life better? Do you need to spend more time with family? Write that down. Want to work on physical strength? Study a particular topic? Find a church that resonates with you? Write it all down.

“You can take one (change) at a time, or oft times there is a large overlap and you can cover multiple things with one change,” Ivie said. “Refer to this list and modify it as the year goes on. Keep track of what you have done and where you want to get to.”

With each new improvement, your life will fall more in line with what you want it to be, and you’ll find a stronger sense of balance and accomplishment.

“It works, but you must do it,” Ivie said. “Which I am now reminding

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myself. I will do better this year than last. You can, too.”

“Maybe not necessarily focus on weight, but on increasing the number of workouts you do,” said Amato, part-owner with Jatoya Troutman and Stephanie Keith of Stack’D Fit gym and physical fitness center, in Selinsgrove. “Maybe commit to just two workouts a week. That seems a lot more sustainable.”

As a physical therapist, Amato is always on the lookout for ways to prevent injury, and taking care of our bodies by maintaining core strength and flexibility does that. If you’re just starting, consider aquatic exercises to help you increase strength and flexibility so you can graduate to more intense exercise.

Amato added, “Sometimes the stigma of a gym is tough for people, especially those who are overweight. We can coach them through taking those first steps.” She also enjoys seeing kids improve in the classes Stack’D

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Fit offers. Even athletic kids, Amato said, can develop terrible exercise habits. “We’re just cleaning up form and trying to instill a love of movement in our kids so they want to work out as adults,” she said. “So they will be healthy humans and, again, get

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the benefits of injury prevention.” Like Dr. Ivie’s suggestion for improving health in all aspects of our lives, Amato pointed out how good exercise can be for mental health.

“I think people would be surprised to find how calming it can be,” she said. That exercise doesn’t have to take place in a gym or a class. Anything that involves movement can be a boost to good physical and mental health.

“Take the New Year and try to find something you love to do,” Amato said, “rather than doing something you feel you have to do.”

Looking for something to get you off the couch and out of the house? If so, you don’t have to freeze your toes doing it. There are all kinds of indoor opportunities in the Valley that will get you out of the house and moving.

Exercise and other types of physical activity can help relieve stress and anxiety, so making an effort to connect with people you enjoy being with can give you that extra little boost to make the winter a bit lighter.

The Greater Susquehanna Valley YMCA has facilities in Sunbury, Milton, Lewisburg and Mifflinburg and one membership makes you a member at all locations. Swimming pools in Sunbury and Milton have a variety of classes and open swim times. Additional opportunities for varying your “get up and move” resolution are basketball, fitness classes, work out studios and lots more. Check out the programs that are being offered, the facilities that are available for you to use and any schedules and fees at gsvymca. com.

The Danville Area Community Center has a 25 yard, six-lane pool that offers times for recreation and lap swimming. A regular schedule of swim lessons for children of all ages is available. A wide variety of daily fitness classes from Aquatics to Zumba are offered. The basketball court also hosts Pickleball and there are workout rooms with free weights. Silver Sneakers participants can enjoy weekly sessions of Yoga, Boom Move and Muscle. For hours, fee schedules and program details visit dacc. activityreg.com

The Miller Center in Lewisburg also has programs, classes and activities available for all ages. Communications Director Drew Kauffman said, “Our most popular youth program at the Lewisburg YMCA at the Miller Center is basketball.” He added that while coach Kathy Fedorjaka’s Next Level Strong basketball program for elementary-age kids up through high school, adults haven’t been forgotten. A basketball league was so popular with adults this fall that a spring league is planned. For kids 2-5 years-old, the Little Stars program introduces sports in a non-competitive environment that encourages fundamentals and fun.

Additional information can be found on all programs at millercenterlewisburg,com.

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This national wellness program for adults 65 and over is offered at no additional cost to participants in eligible Medicare plans. There are three main goals for the program: Get/stay active, get fit, and connect with others. Designed for all levels of fitness and abilities, classes are available at over 15,000 locations and there is also a large catalog of online classes. To check your eligibility or to find locations near you, go to SilverSneakers.com or contact your Medicare Advantage Plan, local YMCA, community center or gym.

Yoga is one of the fastest growing fitness trends worldwide. Originating more than 5,000 years ago in India, yoga is a discipline that focuses on health of the mind, body and spirit. A number of area studios offer classes at various levels of experience. A relatively new form of yoga, called chair yoga, started as a physical therapy program and has become popular with seniors and those with limited mobility. Many Silver Sneakers providers offer chair yoga classes.

The Milton Rock Gym in downtown Milton is a former men’s department store that has been turned into a state of the art climbing facility. Instruction, equipment rentals and a variety of climbing opportunities are available as well as programs for children nine and up, senior programs, party and group rentals. The gym is open Tuesday to Friday 3 to 9 p.m. and Saturday noon to 9 p.m

Another rock climbing option is available at the Middlecreek Area Community Center in Beaver Springs. The climbing wall is available for rental for groups to both members and the general public. Contact information and hours for the wall and many other programs is available online at maccrec.org

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want to brave the cold, why not try rollerskating? Sunset Rink in Shamokin Dam is open nightly and you don’t have to bundle up against the cold.

Bowling is popular again so don’t overlook your local bowling alley. Area facilities include Midway Lanes, Danville; Best Bowl, Selinsgrove; Imperial Lanes, Milton; Strike Zone, Sunbury; and Lewisburg Lanes, Lewisburg. Many lanes also offer leagues and rental times for private events. The easiest way to reach these lanes is by phone.

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