The Parish Nurse/Health Ministry Team promotes and affirms the church’s role in healing ministry and seeks to integrate and minister to wholeness of body, mind, and spirit.

PARISH NURSE MINISTRY

Health awareness calendar

Educational programs

Special equipment

Health screenings

Health library

Health advisories

MAKING HEALTHY CHOICES

             We are faced each day with many opportunities to become healthier children of God.  Making better choices for yourself, your family and your community can be a challenge with so many options available.  Youngsters to seniors can help put an end to a major public health enemy: lack of physical activity.  More and more, we see signs that this is a prime culprit that leads to disease and disability.  The National Institute of Health state:

Ø      Most children and adults do not get enough physical activity.

Ø      Lack of physical activity and poor diet, taken together, are the second largest underlying cause of death in the U.S. ( Smoking is the #1 cause).

Ø      Exercise helps people feel better and enjoy life more, even those who think they are too old or too out of shape,

Ø      Regular exercise can improve some diseases and disabilities; it also improves mood and relieves depression.

Ø      Staying physically active on a regular, permanent basis can help prevent or delay certain diseases; like some types of cancer, heart disease, or diabetes.   

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

 The first step is to get at least 30 minutes of activity that makes you breathe harder on most days of the week.  That’s called “endurance activity”, because it builds your stamina.  At first you may want to start with 10 minutes a day and build up to the 30 minutes; or you can divide it into 3 sessions of 10 minutes each day; just make sure that they add up to at least 30 minutes at the end of the day. 

 Plan on making physical activity a part of your everyday life.  Do things you enjoy like going for a brisk walk, ride a bike, dance, swim, play team sports.  To give you more enjoyable choices, our Community Life Center is available with a variety of activities. 

 Step two is to keep using your muscles.  People lose 20-40 percent of their muscle – and along with it, their strength – as they age.  It’s not because you are getting older, it’s really because of lack of muscle use.  Start now to insure you will have enough muscle strength as you age.  It can mean the difference between being able to get up from a chair by yourself or having to wait for someone to help you get up.

 The third step is to do things to help your balance.  For example, stand on one foot then the other; stand up from sitting in a chair without using your arms.  Every now and then, walk heel-to-toe in a straight line.

 Finally, the fourth step is to stretch.  Stretching won’t build your endurance or muscles, but it may help keep you limber.  Combination activities that combine all four steps are recommended for overall health. 

 Taking advantage of the four types of activities that are scheduled in the Community Life Center can help you combine endurance, strength, balance and stretching.  You are invited to try any and all of the four that are offered.  Check it out, get with it, feel healthy.

Health Links