Welcome!
 
The Get FIT Gazette is a quarterly newsletter dedicated to informing our partners and clients of news, upcoming events and happenings related to health and wellness for individuals with disabilities and their caregivers. 
Get FIT Spotlight: Antonio
Antonio's goal is to compete in Special Olympics. Through Get FIT, Antonio has lost 12 pounds in 7 weeks. After completing a 1.5 mile walk, Antonio told his trainers he felt "awesome"!  Read more
Wellness Corner
Now that winter has ended and spring has begun it's time to focus on the present and plan for lots of summer fun.  Most of us probably put a few pounds on, but don't sweat it.  Don't let it get you down.  Here are 9 tips to help you be healthier, feel great and plan for lots of summer fun! Read more
Pineapple Spinach Smoothie
As the weather gets warmer, everyone loves a refreshing smoothie! This fun and easy recipe will have you well on your way to Getting FIT this Spring with your family! Read more


This month, Get FIT will be launching a National fitness campaign for Exercise is Medicine Month! Click here to like us on Facebook and see how we are promoting physical activity for children with disabilities!
We Need Your Help
How can we bring Get FIT to you?  

As Get FIT continues to grow in new directions, we want to be sure that we are building the best program for you! Get FIT needs your help in determining the health and wellness needs of individuals with disabilities and their caregivers. Please take this quick survey so we can customize our programs to your needs!
SpotlightGet FIT Spotlight: Antonio

 - By Lizzie Fogler, Rider University   

 

Home based Get FIT programs presents a new way to offer tailored Get FIT services. Get FIT has partnered with Rider University and the ARC of Mercer to provide services to adults living in group homes and supervised living apartments in Mercer county NJ.  It is here that Antonio learned of the program.  He began the Get FIT program filled with eagerness and determination.  Through Get FIT and with the help of student intern trainers from Rider University, Antonio is well on his way to reaching his wellness goals. 


Antonio would like to lose weight and increase his endurance so that he may compete in the Special Olympics.  He consistently works hard and attends each Get FIT session.  His smile and energetic approach to every exercise is contagious.  Antonio's constant improvement is an inspiration to everyone.  After only 7 weeks in the program Antonio has lost 12 pounds and completed a 1.5 mile walk claiming that he felt "awesome" after doing so! 

In addition to his Get FIT sessions at the ARC, he has incorporated walking into his routine and has made an effort to adopt healthier eating habits by "cutting out junk food and soda and drinking more water".  When Antonio completes the Get FIT program he would like to continue to exercise as he hopes to "keep burning calories" and "bike in the Special Olympics".
WellnessCornerWellness Corner: Making the Transition from Winter Blues to Summer Fun!
Submitted by Stacey Chillemi, Wellness Author*


Did you know...?

Seasonal transitions are not always easy even for the healthiest of people.  During the winter, the days are shorter, Vitamin D is in short supply and we tend to hide in our homes and experience less socialization.

Maintaining balance through these transitions is critical to our health and wellbeing.  When we let winter get the best of us and we avoid caring for our bodies the way we should then, an imbalance in our body can occur and physical symptoms like colds, the flu, coughs, skin problems, insomnia, seasonal allergies, or aches and pains can occur or worsen.  More frequently, imbalances during these transitions also bring about psychological and mood disorders like SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). SAD is a type of depression that affects a person during the same season each year.


Now that winter has ended and spring has begun it's time to focus on the present and plan for lots of summer fun.  Most of us probably put a few pounds on, but don't sweat it.  Don't let it get you down.  Here are 9 tips to help you be healthier, feel great and plan for lots of summer fun:

Tip # 1 - Eat a healthy breakfast with lots of protein
                   
A high protein breakfast keeps you feeling fuller longer and you tend to eat less throughout the day. Many studies show that breakfast eaters tend to weigh less than breakfast skippers.
 
Tip # 2 - Plan ahead
 
Before you shop, decide on the meals and snacks you want. Think about how much time you have to prepare your meals, and then choose recipes that fit that time frame. 

Tip # 3 - Don't shop when you are hungry
 
Research has shown that we buy unnecessary and unhealthy foods when hungry. Eat a snack or a meal before you go grocery shopping. 
 
Tip # 4 - Make smart choices
 
Buy smart, and be realistic. Include some healthy snack foods and special treats on your shopping list. Remember to include some healthy convenience foods, such as cut-up, bagged, fresh vegetables or lower-calorie or lower-sodium frozen foods, some granola and low sugar fruits.
 
Tip # 5 - Create a healthy list before you go
 
At the store, use the shopping list you created from your menu plan. You may notice that the items on the outer aisles of the store are mostly fresh foods, such as meat, produce, and dairy. As you shop, pay attention to how much you buy from the outer aisles compared to the inner aisles where you find the more processed foods, such as canned soups, packaged cookies, chips, and soda.
 
Tip # 6 - Exercise
 
If you exercise 15 minutes, three times a week I guarantee you will see a difference in your body structure.  Consider walking around your block for exercise.  Walking is one of the most effective exercises for weight loss and body toning.
 
Tip # 7 - Create goals
 
Start out with five short-term and long-term goals.  This will help you organize your thoughts and gear you toward creating a constructive plan, so you can achieve the goals you set out for yourself. 
 
After you created your short-term and long-term goals, create a daily list of things you can do each day to help you get closer to accomplishing your goals.
 
Tip # 8 - Positive attitude
 
Positive attitude is more important than fact. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstance, than failures, than success, than what other people think, say, or do. It is more important than appearance, intelligence or skill. It will make or break you.
 
Tip # 9 - Celebrate Success
 
Reward yourself.  Whether you lose weight or not, make sure you reward your efforts.  Just trying is an accomplishment in itself.  
 
By planning for the future and focusing on the positive anything is possible, but one thing you must remember is that positive change can only occur if you are willing to put forth the effort.   If you feel like you have the seasonal blues and you can't seem to get yourself out of it, try mediation or yoga. It can be very effective. Remember summer is around the corner, so there is no time to lose.  Start focusing on summer and all the accomplishments you're going to achieve, along with all the great things headed your way!  

*Stacey is the author of Epilepsy You're Not Alone, Epilepsy and Pregnancy: What Every Woman Should Know, The Complete Herbal Guide: A Natural Approach to Healing the Body, and many more.
 
RecipeRecipe: Pineapple Spinach Smoothie
Created by J.J. Smith

Ingredients
2 cups fresh organic spinach
1 cup of pineapple chunks
2 cups of frozen peaches
2 bananas, peeled
1 1/2 packets of stevia
2 cups of water
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
 
Directions 
  1. Place spinach and water into the blender and blend until the mixture is a green juice-like consistency
  2. Stop blender and add remaining ingredients
  3. Blend until creamy
Welcome New Partners! 

Congratulations to New Horizons for Autism, Advancing Opportunities, and The Epilepsy Foundation of Northeastern New York for joining the Get FIT Team! We look forward to working with you as we bring more opportunities for wellness to people of all abilities nationwide.
Bringing Get FIT Home with New Partners
- Alysia Mastrangelo, DPT and Jennifer Nelson
 
In October 2013, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey debuted the Get FIT @ Home 2.0 project in Atlantic County. With the efforts of the Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Health Science Majors, and Service Learning programs, Stockton joined forces with the ARC of Atlantic County to improve the conditions of daily life for individuals with disabilities by encouraging wellness activities in a community setting. The goals of the program were to create an environment where individuals with disabilities could have social participation while engaging in wellness activities and have assistive support for wellness behaviors. This included expanding the knowledge base and raising awareness of determinants of health for people with disabilities by providing fitness and nutrition programs.

There are 12 participants and 2 caregivers from the ARC of Atlantic County in the program, which runs for a total of 10 weeks at the  group home. During the first session, each participant was guided through an initial fitness screening to record base measurements. Each participant received personalized fitness instruction with a Stockton student that included cardio, muscular endurance, and flexibility exercises with the hopes of instilling lifelong health habits that would extend well beyond the program. Participants also received nutrition counseling from Stockton nursing and nutrition students. With fun workout music and laughter flowing throughout the room, both the participants and students had a blast exercising for their health while making new friendships.

Get FIT @ Home 2.0 was Stockton's first step toward contributing to the national movement of promoting health and wellness of those with disabilities in the community. The Stockton College Get FIT program is coordinated by professors from the School of Health Science; Dr. Mary Kientz, Dr. Alysia Mastrangelo, and Ms. Joan Perks and managed by Ms. Karen George LeClair.  Stockton graduate and undergraduate students provide the personalized training for fitness and nutrition.

Stockton College is now running two Get FIT programs; Get FIT @ Home 2.0 for our community partners and an on-campus Get FIT @ Stockton Program for Stockton students.  We are looking forward to fun and energizing fitness and nutrition sessions.  Our Stockton graduate and undergraduate students are contributing to the program not only through fitness training and nutritional education but also their motivation to improve wellness for our clients and our community.

Get FIT Kids 
 
Join Get FIT Kids in Red Bank, NJ. This weekly, group fitness session is a fun way for your children to stay active in a safe environment! For more information please contact Adeola at 609-392-4900.

We are also looking for more volunteers! Please contact us if you are interested.

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