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Wellness Corner:
Social Wellness
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Social Wellness and the Power of Friendship! Our Wellness Series continues in each issue with a focus on the 8 Dimensions of wellness; emotional, social, financial, spiritual, occupational, physical, intellectual, and environmental.
Read more
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Recipe:
Honey Chicken Kabobs
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Summer grilling is a great way to bring the family together outdoors for some fun in the sun! Try this healthy Chicken Kabobs recipe (makes 12 servings). Be sure to review our Safety Grilling tips first! Read more
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 Get FIT Spotlight: Tracey
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-Nicole Infante
Selected as 1 of 20 programs nationally to implement the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition program I Can Do It, You Can Do It! (ICDI), Get FIT launched a new partnership with the Adult Center for Transition (ACT) at Rowan College at Gloucester County. The program featured a mentor-mentee model, giving rise to new friendships and an increased comradery as both mentor's and mentee's began their wellness journeys together.
Tracey, a student at ACT and a mentee in the Get FIT program quickly became a self-advocate as she prioritized her wellness goals and became committed to leading a healthier lifestyle. From when Tracey was a baby, doctors noted that Tracey was not hitting her developmental milestones which resulted in them concluding that Tracey would neither walk nor talk. Tracey, who is now a personable and dynamic social butterfly, recently received a medal for joining the Get FIT Team at the Shaping NJ 5K. "Being at the 5K with my friends and my mom was great; I was able to share a special day with everyone because I got my first metal."
"My favorite exercise is walking on the treadmill because I was able to talk to my mentor about my knee problems and how I felt that day. She always made sure that I felt comfortable and we did some exercises that she said will help my knee. Each week I felt better and better. Get FIT really works!"
"This program has helped me a lot. I know how to read food labels now, and I try to eat less fast food. I also started drinking more water." Tracey is always eager to learn about her health during Get FIT sessions; from making fresh smoothies at home to including the basil and tomatoes grown in Get FIT in a family recipe, Tracey continuously invites her family to join her wellness journey.
Continuously proving her doctors wrong, Tracey tells us, "I think I am very outgoing, I love to shop, play sports and be with friends." Each week, Tracey would greet her Get FIT mentors with a smile, asking us how our week was going and if we had any plans for the weekend. Tracey quickly became friends with her Get FIT mentors, joining them for multiple Get FIT Team events in the local community. "Every time I see her she always put a smile on my face, she always makes everyone feel great," states one of her mentors.
When asked about the best part of Get FIT, she responded, "When we did group exercise, I was never picked out because of my knee problems. We did exercises that would help me, but the whole class did that. I liked that I wasn't taken away from the group because I couldn't do an exercise. My mentor always helped me when I needed help and being able to Get FIT with my classmates was fun because we always wanted to walk longer or drink more water than each other."
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Get FIT participants received PALA+ Certificates from President Obama
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Get FIT Youth Launches in Mercer, Burlington & Morris Counties!
Get FIT NJ will be offering group fitness and nutrition programs for youth ages 13-21 with special needs.
- Trenton Area YMCA (Mercer): Tuesday's & Thursday 6pm-7 pm
- Rae FIT (Burlington): Tuesday's 4pm-5pm
- Epilepsy Foundation of NJ (Morris): Monday's 5:30pm-7pm
To register for Get FIT Youth in your region, please contact Nicole at 609-392-4900
*Get FIT Youth in Morris County is reserved for youth with Epilepsy*
"We all can Get FIT, if given a chance"
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Join Get FIT Texas in Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Houston, Lubbock and San Antonio!
Register for Get FIT Texas today and receive your own Get FIT kit including a backpack, water bottle, pedometer, and booklet full of healthy nutrition and exercise tips along with an activity log.
Get FIT Texas is now also available in community based location, such as the San Antonio YMCA!
For more information please click here or call Ryan at The Epilepsy Foundation of Texas at 713-789-6295 (Houston) or
Ariel at The Epilepsy Foundation of Central & South Texas at 210-653-5353 (San-Antonio).
Get FIT Texas is supported by a grant by the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities
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Overcoming Feeding Challenges in
School and at Home
Join the Center on Nutrition and Disability FREE Webinar Series
Date: September 3rd 2015
Time: 7 pm - 8:30 pm
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Getting FIT with James @ Stockton University!
-Jennifer Nelson, SPT Stockton University
Operating i
n full swing during the fall and spring semesters, Stockton provides individualized fitness plans and interactive discussions about healthy food choices to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Each week the Arc of Atlantic offers transportation to Stockton's campus for Get FIT participants seeking to lead a healthier lifestyle. James, who has been involved in Get FIT since 2013 was looking for a way to lose some weight and get healthier.
When asked about his lifestyle before Get FIT, James explains that he rarely exercised and did not eat well.
During the first few sessions, James experienced difficulty breathing and would have to take frequent breaks when walking short distances with his assistive device. With a keen interest in lifting weight, James' student trainers developed a personalized program that would meet his abilities and be fun for him.
Fast-forward to today, and you will find James walking independently at Stockton during Get FIT walking groups. James is now stronger, has better balance, has more endurance than ever before, and has lost a significant amount of weight.
James claims that because of Get FIT, he is now more aware of the foods he is eating and tries to incorporate fitness into his day whenever he can. When asked if he would recommend Get FIT to others, James had one word to say - "Definitely!"
Get FIT @ Home 2.0 at Stockton University is supported by a grant by the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities
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Young Gourmet Cooking Club!
Do you have children/young adults ages 13-21 who are looking for a fun and interactive way to learn how to create their own healthy meals? Join us this Fall for Young Gourmet Cooking Club in Toms River. This program is open to youth with and without special needs, we encourage siblings to also join.
To register, please contact
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A free 12-week Get FIT @ Home program can help you:
- Set healthy goals
- Be active
- Build a healthy plate
- Make healthy food choices
- Learn healthy behaviors
- Live well with epilepsy
- Attain/maintain a healthy weight
....All in the comfort of your own home
Get FIT @ Home is open to people of all ages.
To register for Get FIT please call Rachel at the Epilepsy Foundation of Mississippi at 601-936-5222.
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Inclusive Community Gardening
Congratulations to the YMCA of Gloucester County as they develop an
Inclusive Community Garden!
To learn more about developing an Inclusive Community Garden,
please contact Adeola at t
he Center on Nutrition & Disability
609-392-4900 ext. 113
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Safe Grilling
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-Mikaela Saunders
Summer is the best time to bring friends and family together for a fun barbecue. While barbecues and grilling can be fun and exciting, it can also be very dangerous. Each year an average of 8,800 home fires are caused by grilling. These 5 tips will help to keep you and your guests safe!
- Be aware of the flame. Make sure your grill is on a stable, fireproof surface. Always remember to keep your grill away from porches and trees and have a fire extinguisher readily available.
- Light it correctly. When lighting a grill always open the lid before turning on the gas to avoid a dangerous gas build up. If the grill doesn't ignite right away, keep the cover open and allow the gas to disperse before attempting to light the grill again.
- Don't cross contaminate. Do not reuse uncooked marinade, especially if it was used on raw chicken or pork. Make sure to clean surfaces where raw meat was held before placing other items on it. Designate certain items for raw meat only, color-coding them often helps (ex. red cutting boards, knives and bowls are reserved for meat)
- Always be prepared. Before starting the grill make sure you have everything you need to make it a safe and successful experience. Have food and other materials readily available and keep small children and pets away from the grill.
- Know when it's done. There are two successful ways you can check to see if your meat is fully cooked. You can use the finger test or a meat thermometer.
 
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Recipe: Honey Chicken Kabobs
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-Mikaela Saunders
Summer grilling is a great way to bring the family together outdoors for some fun in the sun! Try this healthy Chicken Kabobs recipe and tag @getfit4all in your family cook-out pictures on Instagram!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 cloves garlic
- 5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
- Skewers
Directions
- In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, set aside a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (the longer the better).
- Preheat the grill for high heat. (Remember the safety tips!)
- Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers.
- Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently
Serving Size: 12
Ready in: 2 ½ hours
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Get FIT @ ACI 
Adults in Edison, NJ can now Get FIT at the Alliance Center for Independence (ACI).
Join the bi-weekly Get FIT walking group at Roosevelt Park or register for the weekly nutrition sessions at ACI.
For more information please contact: Carole Tonks at (
732)738-4388 or
[email protected]
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-Nicole Koukotas & Adeola Sonaike
Social wellness is an important asset to our health, and involves developing relationships with those around us. Maintaining this dimension of wellness as a caregiver requires that we create a strong support group where we can communicate our needs, hopes, fears and joys with others. The following 6 tips will help you develop and maintain your social wellness. 
- Balance your calendar: It's important as a caregiver to take care of Yourself. Take a look at your calendar- it is likely that most of those activities are either work-related or running errands for those you care for. Add YOU to the calendar, whether this means scheduling in 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, taking a relaxing shower, reading a book, or going for a morning run. Pencil yourself in this week!
- Prioritize your values: What do you value? Write these down and identify people in your life who share the same values as you. By doing so you can surround yourself with people who will uplift you, and understand any challenges you encounter.
- Pointing fingers rarely gets us far: Try to avoid judging others for the decisions they have made or blaming others for your current situation. This form of negative energy, actually pushes people away and often leads to unhealthy relationships.
- Send a text: Do you have an old friend that you just haven't had the chance to talk to? Send them a text or make a quick phone call. You may feel that you have fallen out of touch with certain people due to new caregiving responsibilities. Give yourself a pick-me-up today. Sometimes you just need a quick laugh and a walk down memory lane with an old friend.
- Stick to your calendar: If you scheduled a girls night out or a date night, stick to those plans! Often you are exhausted by the end of the day, and it can be very tempting to cancel social commitments. Being around people who love, respect, and appreciate you can completely turn your day around.
- Power of positive thinking: Positive energy is everything! It can transform your day, your mood and your outlook on many things. Surround yourself with positive people and make a conscious choice to immerse yourself in positive thoughts.
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Looking to benefit your education and future career?
Get FIT Internship opportunities are now available for undergraduate & graduate students
Please click
here for more information.
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| Click here to register for some autism-friendly fun in the Sun! |
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