People of Color

People of Color Group: Henderson Equality Center

By CHRISSY LEE

The People of Color group at the Henderson Equality Center welcomes everyone of all races and backgrounds. Our mission is to provide a safe space that focuses on the challenges that POC are currently facing. It is a platform that allows us to express ourselves freely. We not only focus on challenges; we also highlight triumphs and provide networking and resources to everyone who needs it.

A little about how the group is ran. We start the group at 6:30 p.m. and we go around the room and introduce ourselves. Don’t worry if you’re shy, you don’t have to say anything at all. After introductions we ask if there is anything we would like to vent or converse about. Again, it is a safe space to express your thoughts and feelings freely. We then talk about a few current events in the community and hot topics in media.

Overall, the group is great place to be. All ideas are welcome and please know that we are here for you every second Tuesday of the month. We hope to see you there!

The Correlation Between Physical & Mental Health

By STEVE MITCHELL

Thankfully, the cold of winter is behind us now. Sunny, warmer weather is right around the corner. When it comes to health and fitness, we were hit with a double whammy in 2020. Not only are many facing the almost inevitable holiday weight gain (followed by the alreadyforgotten New Year’s resolution to lose weight and get in shape) but we can add to that the Covid-19 weight gain. For most of 2020 we were shuttered away in our homes, binge watching TV shows and eating snacks. We weren’t going out to clubs or pool parties so we may not have even had reason to notice that weight starting to pack on. Now we, thankfully, are seeing news reports that things will return to normal this year. But are we mentally ready?

Our physical health affects our mental health. How we physically feel and look heavily impacts how we feel about ourselves and how we see ourselves. Are the pants tight? The shirts too snug? Is it a lost cause to even try to get into your bathing suit? If you answered “yes” to these questions, chances are that you don’t feel pretty good about that.

According to a 2012 Harvard University meta analysis of 200 articles, optimism may correlate with cardiovascular health and may even decrease the rate of the disease’s progression. They point out, “The absence of the negative is not the same thing as the presence of the positive. We found that factors such as optimism, life satisfaction, and happiness are associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease regardless of such factors as a person’s age, socioeconomic status, smoking status or body weight.”

When you exercise, your body releases chemicals that elevate mood which leads to things like optimism, life satisfaction, and happiness. Getting on the path can be a catch-22. If you are out of shape and tired you don’t feel like getting up and working out. So, you don’t. But, if you did get up and start moving and exercising you would start to get in shape and have energy. The hardest part is getting up and starting to move. Once you do that, it is all downhill. The

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