Health & Fitness
On The Road To Wellness
JCC's Healthy U seminar brings new ideas for well-being.
"We knew we could be more
than just a fitness center. We
wanted to be a wellness center,
too."
By Elizabeth Applebaum
Special to the Jewish News
B
efore Joe tried the Charles Atlas
technique, before he had all
those gorgeous babes sighing at
the sight of his rippling muscles and he-
man chest, he was just a skinny kid.
"Hey! Quick kicking that sand in our
faces!" he called to bullies on the beach.
In his famous ads from the 1950s and
'60s, Charles Atlas, the "world's most per-
fectly developed man:' promised he could
make even "weaklings" like Joe into real
men. In just seven days, not only would
their muscles burst with glorious strength
and power, their constipation, skin blotch-
es and even shyness would all disappear!
So, maybe wellness isn't that simple.
There is an incredible amount of good
information about good health out there
— you just have to know where to look.
From 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17,
the JCC in West Bloomfield will host the
opening of the JCC's Healthy U, a new pro-
gram to encourage all aspects of wellness
— mental, physical and spiritual. And
unlike the Charles Atlas "dynamic tension"
program, the entire event — a health fair
with hundreds of vendors and activities
— is entirely free.
"We knew we could be more than just
a fitness center;' says the JCC's Center
Fitness Executive Director Annette
Whiting, who is coordinating the JCC's
Healthy U. "We wanted to be a wellness
center, too."
In addition to the kickoff event, the JCC
will host monthly programs to address
specific health-related topics; the first of
JCC's Annette Whiting
Annette Whiting
these will focus on IBD, Inflammatory
Bowel Disease, which affects a large num-
ber of Ashkenazi Jews (see sidebar).
"This fair is such a great idea because
the word 'healthy' means many different
things to people says Phil Bernstein of
Abbott Immunology, a sponsor of the
JCC's Healthy U. "If you're in your 20s or
30s with no history of illness,lealthy
may mean working out, eating right or
playing sports.
"For someone who struggles with his or
her health, the word will likely take on a
very different meaning."
The JCC's Healthy U will feature exhib-
its on mental health, physical fitness,
children's medicine,
nutrition, alternative
medicine and more,
with the first stop in
the lobby. Here, guests
can learn all about
the benefits massage,
new ways to serve healthy, child-friendly
food and Pilates exercises (a favorite of
Jennifer Aniston, Madonna and Samuel L.
Jackson), to mention a few.
07.3
Guests also will be able to pick up free
T-shirts and one-year planners (avail-
able in limited quantities) to keep track
of their wellness activities. Raffles will be
held throughout the afternoon, and for this
one day only: buy-one, get-one free Fitness
Center memberships, both at the general
and executive levels, will be available.
Exhibit And Free Lectures
Handleman Hall will be the site of more
than 45 exhibits including how to detect
breast lumps, sponsored by the Barbara
Ann Karmanos Cancer Center; improv-
ing posture, with representatives from the
Detroit Medical Center; bone-density test-
ing; and professional advice
on weight management from
the Henry Ford Hospital
til
I
staff.
H EALT HYU
The JCC's conference
center will host free lectures
throughout the day, includ-
ing cooking; treatment for back and neck
pain with Dr. Sol Cogan, chiropractor for
the Detroit Lions; eliminating allergies;
and the hottest craze in Hollywood, the
raw-food diet.
Finally, all JCC fitness classes will be
free and open to the public on a first-
come, first-served basis throughout the
JCC's Healthy U Fair. Classes will be held
throughout the day and will include
Robics (choreographed aerobics), yoga in
its many varieties, Latin dance, Zumba,
traditional aerobics and spin.
"This program is about much more
than fitness',' Whiting says. "Our goal is to
help the total person." ❑
Elizabeth Applebaum is a marketing special-
ist with the Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit.
Teens Go Sledding
Teen Connection members and friends
will go sledding at the Fridge Toboggan
Run in Waterford on Sunday, Feb. 24.
All Jewish sixth-, seventh- and eighth-
graders are invited.
Round-trip bus transportation
will be provided from the Jewish
Community Center in Oak Park at
1 p.m. and from the JCC in West
Bloomfield at 1:30 p.m. The cost is $16
for Teen Connection members and $20
for first-time guests.
Tobogganing, transportation and
supervision are included. Snacks will
be available for purchase at the snack
bar. Warm clothing and other winter
gear are required.
Advance registration is required by
Tuesday, Feb. 19. Registration forms are
available by calling Miriam Foner at
the BBYO office, (248) 788-0700.
Next Month At Healthy U: Crohn's, IBD
T
he next JCC Healthy U program
will be a daylong event focusing
on IBD, to be held Sunday, March
30.
This free event will begin at 11 a.m.
with yoga classes and continue with lec-
tures and workshops throughout the day.
Guest speakers will include fitness guru
Peter Nielson and author Jill Sklar.
Abbott Immunology is a sponsor of the
JCC's Healthy U and the maker of Humira,
which is indicated for the treatment of
adults who suffer from moderate to severe
Crohn's disease. Common symptoms of
IBD can include diarrhea, dramatic weight
loss, abdominal pain, fever and lethargy.
According to Dr. Ann Silverman, Henry
Ford Health System's IBD clinic direc-
tor, Crohn's is prevalent not only among
Ashkenazi Jews but also Chaldeans (Iraqi
Christians) and some other ethnic groups.
In recent years, a number of popular
figures in the sports and entertainment
industries have spoken out about their
own challenges with Crohn's disease.
These include pop singer Anastacia,
actress Shannen Doherty, British magician
Dynamo, Miss America 1959 Mary Ann
Mobley, football star David Garrard, coun-
try singer Lew DeWitt and rock musicians
Daryl Palumbo of Head Automatica, Chris
Conley of Saves the Day, and Pearl Jam
guitarist Mike McCready. Former president
Dwight D. Eisenhower also had Crohn's.
"It made a lot of sense that Abbott
would reach out to the Jewish community:'
said Abbott Immunology's Phil Bernstein.
"What we want to do is give people the
tools they need to take control of their
disease and lives. Partnering in an IBD
education event with the JCC, the Crohn's
and Colitis Foundation of Michigan and
the Henry Ford Health System just makes
sense."
The JCC's Healthy U focus for April will
be cancer awareness, and in May the pro-
gram will address strokes and high-blood
pressure. ❑
February 14 • 2008
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