YMCA Holiday Hours

The YMCA will be closed in observance of 

Independence Day on Wednesday, July 4th.  

Have a safe and happy holiday!!

Exercise Tips for the Summer Heat

                                                                                                     

When the temperature's high, motivation can be low. Plus, you have the excuse that exerting yourself might be dangerous! Sorry, pal, but you can still walk, jog, or bike without suffering sunstroke. Just take these precautions:

Drink up before you're thirsty. Once you start craving water, you're already 3 percent dehydrated. To avoid that, drink two to three cups a few hours before you work out. Ten minutes before, have another cup — and one cup every 15 to 20 minutes while you're exercising. If you're a swimmer, follow the same plan — just because you're surrounded by water doesn't mean it's keeping you hydrated.


Eat often. Dieters often count on summer heat to kill their appetite — but exercising without enough fuel is dangerous. No one's suggesting a huge plate of pasta. But if you're going to work out, snack throughout the day on lettuce, carrots, grapefruit, and apples — all great hot-weather picks because they're naturally filled with water.


Avoid high-heat hours. Hit the streets before 10 a.m. and after 3 p.m. Another stay-cool tip: Run or walk on dirt paths instead of sun-absorbing pavement.

Sport the right gear. To deflect, not absorb, the sun's rays, wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing. Try cotton or "wicking" fabrics, which move sweat away from your body, or these GHRI-tested sun-safe clothes. And don't forget your head: A hat or visor with a four-inch brim will best protect your face.

Slather on sunscreen every two hours. SPF 30 or higher is recommended. Burns aren't just bad for your complexion; they also raise your body temperature.

Read more: Hot Weather Exercise Tips - Good Housekeeping
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/fitness/hot-weather-exercise-0807

Recipe of the Week: Spinach Salad with Steak & Blueberries

SUMMER IS THE SEASON OF THE BERRY!

Summer Berries

Delicious, colourful berries are in season. Here's what to do with them. Temporarily stained fingers and tongues are a cheap price to pay for the oodles of health benefits and bold, sweet flavours of berries — available all summer long. When colourful punnets of these warm-weather staples start appearing in abundance on market shelves, grab them, as there's very little you can't do with this versatile fruit.

Health Benefits

If you add one food to your diet this year, make it berries. They taste great and are very nutritious. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries are rich in antioxidants, which may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.

Selecting and Storing
When choosing berries, be sure to examine the punnet carefully for any signs of mould. Once mould has started it can spread quickly from berry to berry. Shop at supermarkets, or fruit markets with a high turnover, or at farmer's markets where the food has travelled the shortest distance, to ensure the freshest fruit. Because berries are fragile, keep them in their original containers or arrange them in a shallow pan (to reduce pressure from stacking), cover them with a paper towel and put them in the fridge. Don't wash them until just before you're ready to use them.
Blueberries freeze especially well. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until hardened, then transfer them to a resealable bag. Incidentally, frozen berries taste great and retain much of their nutritional value. In a pinch, you can substitute them for fresh in baking and smoothies. In fact you'll find that frozen berries are actually better to bake with than fresh berries. The juice from fresh berries has a tendency to bleed into cake and pancake mixture.


Cooking with Berries
Keep a punnet or two on hand in the fridge all week. Their price goes down significantly when they're in season and given their health benefits, you'll want to enjoy them in these ways and others:

• Toss a handful of berries into your morning cereal to pump up its nutritional value.
  
  
• Start off the day with a fresh berry smoothie: Blend a mix of whatever berries you have on hand with half a banana some low fat plain yogurt and skimmed milk. Sweeten it with a bit of honey if necessary.
  
  
• Fold a handful of berries into your low fat or fat free yogurt.
  
  
• For a berry sauce to drizzle over pancakes, or fresh or frozen yogurt, puree 150g berries with 50g sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice until smooth. Fold in another 150g whole berries with a spoon.
  
  
• Top a bed of greens with a few berries and a tangy vinaigrette.
  
  
• Marinate (yes, actually marinate) strawberries with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and 1 tbs of icing sugar, for a very Italian take on dessert.
•  http://www.weightwatchers.co.uk/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=30271

TRY THESE FUN EXERCISES WITH THE KIDS!!

Types of Exercises You Can Do With Your Child
_______________________________

Balance:  This exercise is like a mirror game.  You start  by telling the child to follow your lead while you hold up one foot for several seconds, then the other.  You can squat down or get on your tiptoes.  Whatever you do, make sure you’re balancing.  After you’ve had a turn, tell them it’s his/her turn to lead.

Hop Dots:  This is a simple exercise that’s easy for children do, but it has great rewards.  Put dots on the floor and have them hop from dot to dot and maybe have them pick up a couple of things along the way.  You should do it too to make the experience more enjoyable for the kids.

Hold on:  With this one the child is simply trying to hold on to mommy or daddy’s leg while walking.  This is fun for all children.  What they don’t know is they’re working almost every muscle in their body just trying to hold on.

Quick on Your Feet:  Start off this exercise by kneeling.  Toss a ball in the air high enough that you can hop up to both feet and grab it before it touches the ground.  After you’ve mastered that, do the same thing from a sitting position. And after that, do it from a lying position.  Younger kids can also do this exercise by using a balloon and have them do the same movements. 

Gorilla Walk:  Spread your feet apart about as wide as your shoulders. Bend at your waist and grab your ankles. Hold your ankles and walk stiff-legged.

Worm Walk:  Get into a push-up position, with your body and arms straight and your hands on the floor.  Keep your hands still and walk feet up as close to your hands as possible.  Keep feet still and walk with your hands forward to the starting position.

http://www.a-zfunforkids.com/exercise-ideas.html

Recipe of the Week: Grilled Chicken Tenders with Cilantro Pesto

Current Job Openings at the Wells County YMCA

Here at the Y, we have a few job opportunities that we are needing to fill soon!  The openings are as follows:  
Child Watch - Tues. and Fri. (9-11:30);
Welcome Desk - Weekdays (4-9) and Sat.;
Personal Trainer;
Mileage Club at Bluffton Harrison Elementary, Lancaster Elementary and Ossian Elementary - Two weekdays after school (3-4:30).
If interested in any of these positions then go to our website, www.fwymca.org/careers, to find an on-line application to submit.

Recipe of the Week: Turkey & Tomato Panini

SHE'S ARRIVED!!!

The YMCA Family Welcomes:

Lucy Rae Almdale

Born: June 6th at 7:48am

Wt: 7lbs 2oz  Ht: 18 1/2in

Congratulations to Lauren, our Program Director, and her husband Eric on the arrival of their daughter, Lucy Rae!  Both mommy and daughter are doing well and will be enjoying the summer at home before Lauren's return to the Y in early August.