Medical center kicks off new six-month wellness program
Monday, August 23, 2004 2:45 PM CDT
Healthier You -- Red Cedar Style will offer a new wellness initiative designed to help the community make changes that can reduce the risk for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and many cancers.
"I know it's hard to make lifestyle changes," said Jan Pejsa, registered nurse and Women's Circle of Care coordinator. To help make it easier, the medical center is offering a two-part wellness program for men and women: monthly educational seminars and a six-month Red Cedar Activity Challenge beginning in September.
To kick of the wellness initiative, Robert Sweetgall, national motivational speaker, will present Motivation to Move, on Thursday, Sept. 16, at the Best Western Inn and Conference Center, Menomonie. He will discuss walking, fitness, weight management, stress reduction and longevity.
Participants are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item with them for the food pantry.
Event sign-in, Red Cedar Activity Challenge registration and interactive exhibits start at 6 p.m. Sweetgall's talk, Motivation to Move, co-sponsored by Menomonie Schools, starts at 7 p.m.
Sweetgall has walked seven times across America and is the author of 14 books on walking and wellness. He now works with thousands of schools, hospitals and corporations, motivating millions of Americans to MOVE toward wellness.
Monthly seminars
The monthly educational seminars are open to the public. Registration is required for all events. Admission fees are listed below. Activity Challenge members will receive $1 off each event.
Poker Walk, Saturday, Oct. 9, 9-10:30 a.m. Free. Starts and ends at Red Cedar Medical Center Education Center, Menomonie. Walk to downtown Menomonie, pick up playing cards at designated stops and build a poker hand. Win prizes for the best hand and sign up for raffles along the way.
Body Wisdom, Saturday, Oct. 30, 8:30-11:30 a.m. $10. Great for mothers, daughters and grandmothers. Great Hall, UW-Stout, Menomonie. 8:30 a.m. -- registration and breakfast. 9 a.m. -- seminar: "Skinny Dreams, Chocolate Sauce and Rippled Thighs," by Rebecca Radcliff, author and national speaker; "Media and body image: the love/hate relationship," by Renee Howarton, associate professor, UW-Stout.
In the Land of Excess, Tuesday, Nov. 16, 5-7:30 p.m. $7. First Congregational Church-UCC, Menomonie. 5 p.m. -- registration and dinner, catered by Jenny Elliott. 5:30 p.m. -- seminar: "Beyond dieting: secrets of successful losers," by Jane Foos, registered dietitian at Red Cedar Medical Center; and "Food fight: whose fault is it?," by Carolyn Barnhart, food and nutrition department chair, UW-Stout; and "Recipe for Healthy Eating," by Jenny Elliot, chef and columnist.
When Stress is High and Food is Easy, Saturday, Dec. 4, 8:30-11:30 a.m. $7. Olde Towne, Menomonie. 8:30 a.m. -- registration and breakfast. 9 a.m. -- seminar: "Irritability, anxiety, fatigue! Oh my!" by Terry Linzmeier, therapist at Red Cedar Medical Center; and "Buckets of cream puffs: how not to fall into the prepackaged, high calorie food trap," by UW-Stout food and nutrition department.
Balancing Mind, Mouth and Muscle, January, TBA. "Mind over matter: overcome mental cravings. A whole lot of sole."
Work in a Work Out Every Day, February, TBA. Exercise for the long haul. Burn fat and build bones: add strength training to your day. Time management: take back your time and your life.
Red Cedar Activity Challenge Conclusion, March, TBA. Celebrate community wellness Red Cedar Style. Join the family fun and live entertainment.
As a Red Cedar Activity Challenge member, a person's goal is to take one million steps over a six-month period. All physical activities count. Members can track their movement while they golf, garden, hunt, swim, run, dance and even shop.
Members should wear a pedometer every day and record the data at night. Members will also log their progress on a map that represents a walk from Menomonie to Madison, stopping in Eagle River and Green Bay along the way. When these milestones are reached, members can cash in for incentive prizes. Submitted miles will also be added to the running community total. Watch the community travel the globe on RCMC's Internet at www.rcmc-mhs.org or weekly in The Dunn County News.
"Get involved. Join as a family, social group, church or workplace. Be part of the community MOVEment," Pejsa says. For $25 (membership with pedometer; $15 without), members get the following:
An activity kit: pedometer & "Pedometer Walking," by Robert Sweetgall ($40 value).
Choice of incentives upon reaching three milestones ($25 value).
Free winter indoor walking and pool access at UW-Stout ($15/month regular price). Co-sponsored by UW-Stout.
$1 off each Healthier You event with logbook.
Free baseline health screening for those who sign up before Oct. 1. Baseline screening: blood pressure, blood glucose, body composition (measures body mass index and percent body fat), posture and flexibility. Members who get a baseline screening and may also get re-screened for free in six months.
Anyone can sign up for the activity challenge at the kickoff event or by stopping at Red Cedar Medical Center's hospital billing desk, near the clinic elevators, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. starting Tuesday, Sept. 7. After hours, callers should leave their names and numbers on our community education answering service at (715) 233-7464. |
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