HEALTH & FITNESS
111
philanthropy
staying fit
Jewish Fund
Elects Officers,
Awards Grants
It's No Myth
Exercise Works!
A
t its annual meeting Nov. 3, the
Detroit Jewish community's
Jewish Fund elected five
new board members: Dr. Dan
Guyer of Huntington Woods, Lisa Lis
of Farmington Hills, Lionel Margolick of
Franklin, Joshua Opperer of Huntington
Woods and Gregg Orley of Bloomfield
Hills.
The board also re-elected Michael
Maddin as chair, Penny Blumenstein as
vice chair and Dorothy Benyas as secre-
tary/treasurer.
The annual Robert Sosnick Award of
Excellence was presented to Farmington
Hills-based JARC in recognition of its
six programs launched with support of
the Jewish Fund since 1998. The award
includes a $25,000 prize.
At its board meeting earlier that day,
the Jewish Fund approved the following
grants totaling $1,750,500:
• Adult Well-Being Services (Detroit):
$80,000 for the second year of a three-
year, $240,000 grant to provide preventive
activities to pre-diabetic African-American
adults.
• Care House of Oakland County
(Pontiac): $10,000 for the third of a three-
year, $30,000 grant to provide a child
sexual abuse education program to pro-
fessionals required to report such abuse.
• Forgotten Harvest (Oak Park): $45,000
for the second of a three-year, $115,000
grant to increase the amount of fresh food
available for under-nourished residents in
high-poverty areas.
• Freedom House (Detroit): $40,000 for
the second of a two-year, $90,000 grant
to provide medical care and health ser-
vices to homeless refugees who reside in
Freedom House.
• Henry Ford Behavioral Health
Maplegrove Center (West Bloomfield):
$20,000 for the third year of a three-year,
$67,000 grant to engage families living
with the treatment process of an addicted
family member.
• Jewish Family Service (West
Bloomfield): $63,000 for the second of a
three-year, $156,000 grant to provide a
case manager at Hebrew Free Loan to
assists clients seeking financial support.
• Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit (Bloomfield Township): $900,000 in
combined matching and operating funds
for the third of a three-year grant of up to
$2,782,000 for in-home support services,
64
November 26 • 2009
JN
Rick Lowenstein, CEO of JARC, the
Sosnick Award recipient; Karen Sosnick
Schoenberg, board member and daughter
of Robert Sosnick; and Michael Maddin,
Jewish Fund chair
escorted transportation and adult day
care in the Jewish community.
• Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit (Bloomfield Township): $60,000 for
a one-year grant on behalf of the Merkaz
Division of the Council of Orthodox
Rabbis to increase security in the Oak
Park/Southfield Jewish communities.
• Jewish Senior Life (West Bloomfield
and Oak Park): $212,500 for the second
of a three-year, $521,000 grant to facilitate
the merger and assist with the startup of a
new lead agency to better coordinate and
expand services to Jewish older adults.
• Jewish Senior Life (West Bloomfield):
$150,000 for the ninth of a 10-year $1.5
million grant to provide rent subsidies
for low-income older adults living in the
apartments.
• JVS (Southfield): $55,000 for the
second of a two-year, $120,000 grant to
implement a financial literacy and con-
sumer advocacy program.
• Kadima (Southfield): $70,000 for the
first of a three-year, $195,000 challenge
grant to provide services to children and
adolescents diagnosed with emotional
and behavioral disorders.
• Orchards Children's Services
(Southfield): $10,000 for the first of a two-
year, $15,000 challenge grant to provide
dental services not covered through con-
ventional public assistance programs to
underserved youth.
• Ruth Ellis Center (Highland Park):
$10,000 for a one-year challenge grant to
provide support for professionally facilitat-
ed peer support groups for runaway and
homeless youth.
R
ecently, a major newsmag-
azine published an article
questioning whether exer-
cise is really an effective
way to lose weight. As a health and
exercise professional and a member
of the American College of Sports
Medicine, I can affirm that the answer
is a resounding yes!
There is definitive proof from a vast
amount of research that
exercise, when combined
with a healthy diet, results
in both weight loss and
maintenance of a healthy
weight. Additionally, there
is little if any evidence to
their claim that exercis-
ing produces hunger so
uncontrollable that it leads
to weight gain. In fact,
a recent study from the
University of Pittsburgh
proved just the opposite:
Overweight and obese women did
not consume any more food after
40-minute exercise bouts than they
normally would when sedentary.
My experience with clients sup-
ports these results as well. When
people begin to exercise on a regular
basis, they gain a sense of con-
trol over their life and their lifestyle
choices. This sense of control often
translates into more discipline in food
choices and overall eating behavior.
In addition, body composition
changes take place through exercise
resulting in less fat tissue and more
lean muscle mass. Lean tissue tends
to burn more calories than fat tissue,
augmenting weight loss further.
For all of these reasons, physi-
cal activity remains one of the most
important behavioral factors in weight
maintenance and improving long-
term weight loss outcomes. Indeed,
participation in an exercise program
has proven to be the very best pre-
dictor of maintaining weight that was
lost. This is because it is depen-
dent upon a simple equation called
energy balance: Calories expended
through physical activity and normal
metabolic and lifestyle functions must
exceed calories consumed for weight
loss/maintenance to occur.
It is important to note that calories
are burned not only during exercise.
A sustained elevation in metabolism
occurs following an exercise ses-
sion, meaning that more calories are
bumed during normal daily activities
and even at rest!
Of course, there are many other
benefits of exercise besides its affect
on weight. Regular activity has been
proven to help prevent chronic condi-
tions such as heart disease, diabetes,
osteoporosis, anxiety, depression and
obesity. Studies also show that when
students are more active
(in physical education, play,
classroom activity, etc.) they
improve test scores and
attendance and experience
fewer discipline problems
and sick days.
The same is true in the
workplace. Workplace
wellness programs have
reduced health care costs,
absenteeism and error
rates. Participants feel more
alert, have better rapport
with co-workers and enjoy their work
more. These programs have shown to
return $2.90-$5.96 in cost savings for
every dollar invested by the employer.
These cost savings help fund broader
coverage for the underserved, making
healthy lifestyles a vital role player in
health care reform.
Finally, stimulus funds designated
for electronic medical records should
include fields to record each patient's
physical activity level. Exercise is
medicine and should be measured
as a vital sign, like blood pressure or
cholesterol levels.
In conclusion, unlike the claims of
some irresponsible articles based on
myth rather than scientific fact, exer-
cise does not prevent weight loss by
leading to overeating. It is the most
effective means of losing weight and
keeping it off. Besides, it is a health
tool we all need regardless of our
weight.
It is my sincere hope that the public
takes the importance of exercise seri-
ously and heed advice from qualified
health and fitness professionals rather
than myths or fads.
The content of this article is based on
data and findings of the American College
of Sports Medicine. Jan Jacobs of Beverly
Hills is an exercise physiologist and a cer-
tified clinical exercise specialist. She also
is a personal trainer available via
JJFFH@comcast.net.