Tuesday, March 26, is Diabetes Alert Day and as part of the Y's commitment to healthy living, the Capital District YMCA is encouraging people to learn the risks of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes and what they can do to prevent the disease. Take the test below to see if you should contact the Y to learn more about our Diabetes Prevention Program.

An estimated one of every three U.S. adults has prediabetes, yet just 7% of those with prediabetes know they have it. Prediabetes increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Take the quiz below to learn if you are at risk for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

What Is Prediabetes?

Prediabetes is a condition in which individuals have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. People with prediabetes are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

 

Do you need help cutting back on salt in your diet? Check out this video from eatright.org.

 

Don't forget that March is National Nutrition Month. What are you doing to eat healthier this March?

March is Nutrition Month and all month long we'll be giving you tips and ideas to help make you and your family healthier. Below are some ideas from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on ways to enjoy more fruits and vegetables in your diet.

Building a healthy plate is easy when you make half your plate fruits and vegetables. It’s also a great way to add color, flavor and texture plus vitamins, minerals and fiber. All this is packed in fruits and vegetables that are low in calories and fat. Make 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½ cups of vegetables your daily goal. Try the following tips to enjoy more fruits and vegetables every day.
1. Variety abounds when using vegetables as pizza topping. Try broccoli, spinach, green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini.
2. Mix up a breakfast smoothie made with low-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana.
3. Make a veggie wrap with roasted vegetables and low-fat cheese rolled in a whole-wheat tortilla.
4. Try crunchy vegetables instead of chips with your favorite low-fat salad dressing for dipping.
5. Grill colorful vegetable kabobs packed with tomatoes, green and red peppers, mushrooms and onions.
6. Add color to salads with baby carrots, grape tomatoes, spinach leaves or mandarin oranges.*
7. Keep cut vegetables handy for mid-afternoon snacks, side dishes, lunch box additions or a quick nibble while waiting for dinner. Ready-to-eat favorites: red, green or yellow peppers, broccoli or cauliflower florets, carrots, celery sticks, cucumbers, snap peas or whole radishes.
8. Place colorful fruit where everyone can easily grab something for a snack-on-therun.Keep a bowl of fresh, just ripe whole fruit in the center of your kitchen or dining table.
9. Get saucy with fruit. Puree apples, berries, peaches or pears in a blender for a thick, sweet sauce on grilled or broiled seafood or poultry, or on pancakes, French toast or waffles.
10. Stuff an omelet with vegetables. Turn any omelet into a hearty meal with broccoli, squash, carrots, peppers, tomatoes or onions with low-fat sharp cheddar cheese.
11. “Sandwich” in fruits and vegetables. Add pizzazz to sandwiches with sliced pineapple, apple, peppers, cucumber and tomato as fillings.
12. Wake up to fruit. Make a habit of adding fruit to your morning oatmeal, ready-to-eat cereal, yogurt or toaster waffle.
13. Top a baked potato with beans and salsa or broccoli and low-fat cheese.
14. Microwave a cup of vegetable soup as a snack or with a sandwich for lunch.
15. Add grated, shredded or chopped vegetables such as zucchini, spinach and carrots to lasagna, meat loaf, mashed potatoes, pasta sauce and rice dishes.
16. Make fruit your dessert: Slice a banana lengthwise and top with a scoop of low-fat frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of chopped nuts.
17. Stock your freezer with frozen vegetables to steam or stir-fry for a quick side dish.
18. Make your main dish a salad of dark, leafy greens and other colorful vegetables. Add chickpeas or edamame (fresh soybeans). Top with low-fat dressing.*
19. Fruit on the grill: Make kabobs with pineapple, peaches and banana. Grill on low heat until fruit is hot and slightly golden.
20. Dip: Whole wheat pita wedges in hummus, baked tortilla chips in salsa, strawberries or apple slices in low-fat yogurt, or graham crackers in applesauce.
*See “Color Your Plate with Salad” at
www.eatright.org/nutritiontipsheets for more tips on creating healthy salads.
(source: http://www.eatright.org/nnm/handoutsandtipsheets/)

Last night our very own David Brown was honored with the 2013 New York State African American Public Service Award! Congratulations David!

Bob Marley’s classic recording, Buffalo Soldiers (1983 Tuff Gong/Island,) stands as an eternal lyrical comment on the African experience in the new world, seen metaphorically,  through the exploits of the Buffalo Soldiers of the United States Army’s 9th and 10th Cavalry.

African Americans have fought in every armed conflict the colonies and the United States has ever had.   After the Civil War, African Americans soldiers  were organized into all black units that were sent to the western frontiers to fight  Indians and guard important installations and travel routes.  Many southern states were not ready to endure the presence of trained and armed former slaves in their communities. The country’s westward expansion had started prior to the Civil War and the US Government’s policy toward Native Americans  was "influenced by the desire to expand westward into territories occupied by these Indian tribes" [i]. 

As the legends go, the Indians called the African American troops “Buffalo Soldiers” because of their courage and bravery and because the texture of their hair reminded the Indians of the buffalos coat.   These soldiers served honorably and bravely despite enduring racism, less rations, supplies and less adequate equipment than all white units.  Sometimes, they were attacked by the very townspeople they were assigned to protect.  They earned numerous Medals of Honor during the Indian wars, the Spanish American War, World War I and beyond.   Henry O. Flipper, the first African American graduate of West Point, was assigned to the Buffalo Solider units. The armed forces were desegregated by President Harry S. Truman’s Executive Order in 1948, but the proud history of the Buffalo Soldiers lives on in historical observances, monuments, movies and even song.

 

Albany, NY ― The Capital District YMCA has promoted John Hayden to Vice President of Human Resources for the Association.  

A graduate of Siena College, John has worked with the Capital District YMCA for more than five years, beginning as the Director of Human Resources where he dedicated his efforts to re-designing the Association’s health benefit plans for a cost savings of $22,000. In addition, John managed the implementation of a new Payroll/HR system. 

At the Y, helping kids, families, and communities to learn, grow, and thrive requires strong, cause-driven leadership. Through high-quality and affordable training, John will help Capital District YMCA staff develop the knowledge, skills, and behaviors Y leaders need to strengthen communities. The revitalized Y brand calls on Ys to live our cause, which begins with thinking, acting, and communicating as leaders focused on strengthening community and effecting lasting personal and social change.   

“I look forward to helping the Capital District YMCA strengthen our community by attracting and retaining high quality staff who care passionately about the goals and mission of the Y” noted John. 

John has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Siena College and a Master of Science degree from St. Bonaventure University in Olean, NY. In addition, John is a member of Capital Region Human Resource Association and Society of Human Resource Management.  

“I appreciate and rely on John’s experience and counsel, and look forward to his efforts to move our organization to the next level in staff development,” noted Capital District YMCA President and CEO David Brown.  

The Capital District YMCA is one of the 35 largest associations of YMCAs in the county and the largest membership-based community service organization in the area. For more information about the Capital District YMCA, visit www.CDYMCA.org, or call 518.869.3500.

It’s a Play Date: The Capital District YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day™ Gets Families Moving Through Play

Capital District Region ― Saturday, April 28, the Capital District YMCA will encourage kids and parents to visit the Y for a play date, and commit to being active every day. It’s all part of the YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day™ ― the nation’s largest health day for families.

This free event offers a variety of activities from obstacle course fun at to playing Wii Sports.

As a leading non-profit strengthening community through healthy living, the Y offers Healthy Kids Day to teach healthy habits to kids and help inspire a life-time love of physical activity. At a time when one in three children in the United States is overweight or obese (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), developing healthier habits that include increased physical activity is more important now than ever.

“We know parents struggle to find time to incorporate more active play and healthier habits into their kids’ daily routine,” notes Capital District YMCA President and CEO David Brown. “Doing so doesn’t have to require extra money or resources. It’s as simple as making a play date with your kids, with two key requirements – be active and have fun!” 

As part of Healthy Kids Day, the Y encourages families to make play dates as a simple way to become healthier, more active and connected. The Capital District YMCA recommends five simple activities families can do to together:

1.   Schedule a Game Night: Play games with your kids that incorporate physical activity,

such as Charades.

2.   Dance, Dance: Turn on your favorite party music and dance! Make this activity more fun

with a dance contest.

3.   Go Riding: Find a new bike path or park for a fun afternoon outdoors; grab your helmets

and go rollerblading or bike riding. 

4.   Channel Your Inner Youth: Remember playing hopscotch, jump rope, Simon Says or

freeze tag as a kid? Teach your favorite childhood game to your kid(s) and play them together.

5.   Play Outside: Visit your neighborhood park or camp out in your backyard for some outdoor fun.

Get everyone moving with fun sports like soccer, basketball or baseball.

 

Visit your local Y for Healthy Kids Day Fun on Saturday April 28, 2012. Visit http://www.cdymca.org/about/eventscalendar.aspx for more information.

Throughout the Civil Rights era, many YMCAs served as recreational spaces, meeting places and safe havens for several prominent leaders and their families. After coming home from an arduous day of work in their duties as civil rights activists, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Andrew Young would often take their families to the Y to enjoy swimming and other activities!  

YMCAs were also one of the few spaces that allowed for blacks and whites to meet and interact. Speaking on the Y’s continued tradition of advocacy for the equality and human dignity of all people, activist and former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young remarked: “The YMCA, as much as any other institution, has a record of working on desegregation. The only place you could meet in the south in the ‘50s, blacks and whites together, was YMCA camp…” Dr. King, Rev. Young and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall also spent much of their early years at the Y. The Y would honor the legacies of Dr. King and the Civil Rights movement when they officially banned all forms of discrimination at all YMCAs in 1967.

The New Year is quickly approaching and its time to put your resolution to get healthy into action. So, where to begin….

Choosing a form of exercise that you enjoy will help you stick to your plan. Also, be realistic when setting up your exercise schedule. If it doesn’t fit into your lifestyle there is little chance you will be able to maintain over a period of time.

Remember the 80-20 rule when it comes to how to eat healthy. Maintaining healthy weight loss should be 80% diet and 20% exercise. If you take a zumba class you can burn up to 700 calories, which can be quickly cancelled out if you choose an unhealthy food option.

Plan meals ahead and stock the fridge with healthy snacks. Keeping cut up vegetables in single serving size bags will help you to choose wisely when you are looking for a snack or grabbing something quick on the go. Packing your lunch for work will also help you avoid take out or fast food when those mid day hunger pains set in.

Drink plenty of water! Not only is water essential to good health it gives you a sense of feeling full. To ensure you are drinking the recommended eight 8oz glasses each day, keep a water bottle with you at all times and sip on it through out the day.

Avoid high calorie drinks. Did you know that a single serving of cola can contain 150 calories? If you drink several glasses of soda a day that can really add up. Making a small change to eliminate pop from your diet can result in significant daily calorie reduction.

Set a time in the evening to stop eating and stick to it.  For some, late night snacking can add anywhere from 300-500 calories when most aren’t even hungry.

Get your rest. Getting a good nights rest will keep you feeling motivated throughout the day resulting in better energy for your workout and better recovery from your workout.

Be patient – breaking old habits and developing new ones takes time. Determination today leads to success tomorrow.

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Nancy Gildersleeve has been a fitness professional for over 17 years. She holds many group exercise certifications as well as personal training and pilates. Additionally she has worked as an examiner for the Aerobic and Fitness Association of America. Nancy is an avid runner and completed her first marathon in October 2011. She is the Associate Executive Director of our Schenectady branch and serves as the Health & Wellness Product Group leader for the Capital District YMCA.

Over the past year, we've heard a great deal of feedback from members regarding class schedules on our website, the ease of accessing those schedules, and the accuracy of the schedules.  With that feedback we have instituted a few changes. 

First, you can now access your branch schedules via PDF on the website.  This change eliminates a cumbersome search function that frustrated many of you.  Second, we are excited to announce the launch of a FREE mobile app where you will be able to access class schedules, facility updates (closings, etc.), program and event updates, as well as receive push notifications of important information and closures. Both of these changes were made to ensure that you will have the most access to up-to-date information regarding classes.

The app is now available for the iPhone through the App Store and on the Android Market. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to improve your experience at the Y.

Sincerely,
Rob Totaro
Communications Director
news@cdymca.org