Hope you all survived the power outages and heavy rains. I lost a huge sweet gum tree but gained a wonderful lesson about my heart. The sweet gum came crashing down, landing across the street and into Ms. Grace's azaleas. Ms. Grace is a retired Bham Southern professor who now volunteers weekly at the local jail teaching the basics of math to inmates. She is very independent even after hip replacement and heart surgery. When the tree fell, the rain continued. I looked out the window and saw Ms. Grace out there pulling branches away from her "Midnight Blue Azaleas". She finally gave in for the afternoon and (as I later found out later) began calling Mayor McBrayer, the city sanitation and anyone else she could think of who might come out to take care of the tree (and her Azaleas). The following day, Mayor McBrayer paid two visits and eventually the tree was removed. I came home from school at 3:45 to find Ms. Grace, still out there raking leaves and pulling branches away from her precious flowers. After a day at work, most of us want to do nothing more than to unwind just for a few minutes, in silence. Thanks to the encouragement from a dear friend, I put on my boots and overalls, walked across the street and began helping Ms. Grace. She chatted non-stop for the entire two hours, we talked about teaching, her new career at the jail, the storm and of course... her azaleas. Those two hours were the best "heart" workout I had all week. Grace is good for your heart...
Other great heart reports: 120/80 is the suggested optimal range for blood pressure. One of our HCS employees shared with me his annual doctor visit results for BP at 123/78- pretty close to perfect. This certain employee has one of the most stressful jobs in education but has made exercise and good nutrition a priority. Are you stressed? When is the last time you have had your BP checked? Do you exercise? We have a nurse in every school. Walk down there and ask if she could give you a quick BP checkup!
"Are you a runner?" Allison Glover would have answered NO to this question just a few months ago. BUT, because of encouragement from Rebecca Shields, Allison participated in Mercedes Marathon, The Spirit Scamper, Race to the Courthouse 5K and Are UABle (where she placed second in her age division). This week, Allison was at the docs office for a checkup, the doc looked at the results of her EKG and asked, "Are you a runner, you have such a strong heart?" Her answer........ "YES".
So, How is your heart? Do you need some Grace, some exercise, some better nutrition? The Movement offers opportunities for your heart and more! Check out the calendar on the blog site (click on the hyperlink to view) for the Movement Schedule of classes.
Komen 5K is 5 weeks away. Do you want to train to walk or run? Melonie McBrayer will be meeting on the Shades Creek Greenway each week on Thursdays after school to help you prepare for this event. Please respond to this blog if you are interested.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Special 9/11 Spin class on Monday. Rebecca Shields was a student in NYC on 9/11. Come to Spin on Monday, Endurance Ride and video presentation 3:30-4pm and 4pm to 4:30.
Tap Dancers! Wow, heard you all had a great workout thanks to MJ Coker. Keep Moving.
Final Call for IronTribe: Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 6am. $80 per month. Email me if you are interested. Later today, I will send out an email to the folks who have already committed. Get ready for the most complete fitness/nutrition instruction in the Bham area.
Patriot Points will be emailed on Monday! You will get and email from your Patriot Pack Leader explaining the process for reporting your Patriot Points. Remember one hour of exercise = ONE Patriot Point.
Have a great weekend and Keep Moving!
No comments:
Post a Comment