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.