Welcome to November, the month of Thanksgiving and Veteran’s Day.
We send a heart-filled thank you to all our Veterans, members and guests alike. As the majority of us have never stepped foot on a battlefield, we will never know that indescribable experience that you know all too well. In keeping with the thanksgiving spirit of November, we extend our gratitude for your service.
This month we’ll be reminding you of our membership discount for veterans, as well as a fitness program for those diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, prevalent among Vietnam veterans. We’re also reminding you of one of Concord’s most famous veterans.
Louisa May Alcott, author of ‘Little Women” was a U.S. Veteran. Serving as a nurse for the Union Army, Louisa was stationed at Georgetown’s Union Hotel Hospital and assisted those wounded in the Battle of Fredericksburg.
The makeshift infirmary was overcrowded, cold and fetid. Despite this, and a wartime stint cut short from illness, Louisa garnered material for the book ‘Hospital Sketches,’ a semi-autobiography that catapulted her from an unknown pulp fiction writer to a respectable, world renowned author. Exposure to war alters one’s trajectory.
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DATES TO REMEMBER
- November 4 - Beede & Books
- November 8 - Abs and Core class
- November 11 - Veteran’s Day. Open 7:00am - 6:00pm. No classes.
- November 11 - CPR/AED/First Aid Course (see below)
- November 19 - Otters meet, all pools close at 4:00pm
- November 24 - Last day for fall session swim lessons.
- November 28 - Thanksgiving-open 7:00am-11:00am. No classes.
- November 29 - Black Friday-open 7:00am-6:00pm. No classes.
- December 2 - CCHS Swim and Dive Team begins practice
Pool and Fitness schedules are posted at
beedecenter.com
and at the Beede Center
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A HEALTHY COMMITTMENT
Kevin Feeney has been a member since our 2006 inception but it was not until last November that he began one-on-one personal training. His wife Claudia has long been boasting the benefits of personal training, having worked with Mark Ryder and Laurel Dewolf-Grise.
Kevin’s fitness journey began as a gift from his son, Joe. “It was about time for me to start exercising,” he said. “I checked around to see who I might work with, and Bill seemed to be the best fit.”
He added, “Bill is extremely patient, particularly when working with older people. He challenges me, but never overwhelms me.” Keeping with our Vet theme here, Kevin, 67 spent 27 years with the U.S. Navy and retired as a captain.
Bill introduced Kevin to a series of diverse exercises that includes a cardio warm-up, stretches, weights and kettlebells. Working in hour-long intervals every Tuesday and Thursday, Kevin began noticing positive changes three months in.
At eight months, he’d dropped 10 pounds and “felt some pep in my step.” Recently, lab work from his annual physical revealed even better results. Kevin’s A1C, a test that measures blood sugar, dropped from 8 to 6.5.
But the best result was being able to lift his grandson, Declan, 2, with ease.
“I felt stronger,” he added, “and that translated into my psyche. I felt good. When people ask me how I am, I say I haven’t felt this good in years.”
All of the improvements Bill promised him at the onset have come true, including strengthening his core, and banishing more than 40 years of back pain.
“Exercise and resistance training have really made a huge difference,” said Kevin. “They are better than a heating pad, medication and rubs like ‘Ben Gay.’” But unlike those remedies, exercise is a lifelong commitment.
Kevin is OK with that. Still employed full time in the commercial real estate department for McDonald’s Corp., Kevin does plan to retire one day, but not from working out. “I don’t want to be frail or have a poor quality of life.”
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NEW TAI CHI CLASSES
It’s official, the holiday season has begun. For some of us, the acquisition of a little Peace on Earth is accompanied by a little stress. Beede to the rescue!
The popularity of our morning Tai Chi classes inspired us to add an evening component. Beginning Tuesday, November 5 and every Tuesday through December 10, we will offer classes in the slow, focused and graceful movements the Mayo Clinic cites as an organic way to reduce stress and alleviate a host of other health issues.
Classes meet in our fitness studio from 7:00pm to 8:00pm. The cost is $63 for members and $81 for non-members. Fear of commitment? Our drop-in rate is $15.
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FIRST AID CLASS
We are offering an American Red Cross Certified course in First Aid/CPR/AED. (AED is Automated External Defibrillator.) This class trains you to recognize and provide basic care for victims of illness and sudden injuries. It also covers basic care for life-threatening or cardiac emergencies in adults and children.
The class is held at the Beede Center on
Veteran’s Day, November 11
from 10:00am-1:00pm. You must complete an online component to this course before November 11. Certification is good for two years. Registration is required and space is limited. Member cost is $75 and non-member cost is $85. Sign up online, at the front desk or over the phone.
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PROGRAM FOR PATIENTS WITH PD
Beede Personal Trainer Bill Lehmann will provide PD Exercise sessions at the Beede Center on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays beginning January 28, 2020 at 3:00pm.
More than 60,000 people are diagnosed with PD each year, including a growing number of Vietnam vets exposed to Agent Orange. Bill’s program is geared toward Stages 1- 5* and focuses on full range of motion for stretching, flexibility, strengthening and balance. Participants will experience physical and psychological benefits. Each participant’s symptoms, fitness level and other core information will be evaluated before and during these classes.
Stages 1, 2 and 3 meet Tuesdays and Thursdays. Stages 4 and 5 meet Wednesdays. The Beede Center is 100 percent ADA compliant. Participants should check with their medical professional before registering.
Correct exercises keep muscles strong and improve flexibility and mobility. Participants will see improvements in thinking, multiple movements, motor coordination, and balance.
The stages of Parkinson’s disease are:
Stage One
: Symptoms on one side of the body only
Stage Two
: Symptoms on both sides of the body, but no impairment of balance
Stage Three
: Balance impairment with mild to moderate disease, yet physically independent
Stage Four
: Severe disability, but still able to walk or stand unassisted
Stage Five:
Wheelchair-bound or bedridden unless assisted. This will be one-on-one training.
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THIS JAZZY HAS A BAND
We’re not talking about environmentally woke musicians, we’re talking her Beede Green Band. Jazzy, 6, has been swimming at Beede with Physical Therapist Laura Diamond since she was 3. Together they manage Jazzy’s spastic diplegia cebral palsy from keeping her from enjoying a fabulous childhood in and out of the water.
They reached a great milestone this summer when Lifeguard Jeff Cobb cheerfully issued Jazzy her well-deserved Green Band. A
Green Band is no small feat. Jazzy had to swim 25 yards front crawl with rhythmic breathing, immediately followed by 25 yards backstroke then, without a break directly into 30 seconds of treading water and finally a 30-second back float. Jazzy made this look easy!
Jazzy is now a member of the Pre-Otters, a training program for Beede’s youth swim team. She will learn the fun of being part of a team, as well as instruction in the butterfly, breaststroke, flip turns and competition. If she keeps up her current pace, we’ll be seeing Jazzy standing center podium in no time. Go Jazzy!
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HAVE YOU TAKEN ON THE CHALLENGE?
Scores of you are taking the Alenuihaha Channel Challenge, customized for us by Head Lifeguard Mark Ryder. Alenuihaha, is Hawaiian for ‘of very large, trough-like waves.’ The real channel is a rough passage in our Hawaiian Islands of Paradise.
Our challenge is a duathlon of a 26-mile run/walk along with a 26-mile swim. You don’t have to do it all at once. Just tally the cumulative distances on a worksheet available at the front desk. Run, walk and swim wherever you wish (may we recommend our pools?). You can log your cumulative distances from September 30 through December 31. Walking your dog or strolling with your bestie? That distance counts, too. Mark has made it impossible for you to lose.
Signup is free at the front desk and on the wall near the Therapy Pool. It may seem overwhelming at first, and while you’re in the middle you’ll wonder what you got yourself into. But in the end, you’ll feel great and appreciate the thrill of a challenge. Aloha!
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OTTERS COMPETE
Head Coach Maureen Cownie got the season started with a Relay Carnival. As evidenced by the accompanying photos, the kids and coaches had a lot of fun!
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CCHS/MASTERS MEET
Beede hosted its 13th annual Masters Swim meet in collaboration with the Concord Carlisle Swim Team on Sunday, October 27. Competitors came from area communities, and our Masters teams here at Beede.
Scores of CCHS swimmers set up the night before, moving the flags and lane markers around to accommodate races in meters instead of yards. More than 100 swimmers competed in races such as the Individual Medley, 400-meter freestyle and 200-meter backstroke. Awards were given to first, second and third place winners. First-time competitors and racers 60 years old and over were given long-stem yellow roses.
The Beede Center is honored to host this meet every year and extends best wishes to all competitors, especially the CCHS Patriots who begin their season next month.
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U.S. VETS PAY LESS
The Beede Center is offering 10 percent off forthcoming annual membership for veterans of the United States Armed Services. If this applies to you, simply bring your discharge papers to Kathy Nutter of Membership Services, or email them to her at
knutter@concordma.gov
. This discount applies to annual memberships up to age 79. It does not apply to the over-80 membership, which is pretty good already - $199 for a full year. Once again, thank you for your service to this country.
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STAY WARM
Snow is coming, and that could mean the possibility of late openings, early closings and closures. We will keep you updated on any schedule changes. Check ahead before you come,
www.beedecenter.com
or call 978-287-1000.
And a side note about the weather, we can help keep the chill out with a Beede Hoodie in Beede Blue. These embroidered Champion sweatshirts, limited quantities, come in adult sizes S, M, L and XL and cost $30 each. You may purchase yours at the Front Desk.
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Thank you for your patronage.
Have a wonderful month.
Safe travels.
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