Sacred Heart - Inspiring Health

Green Light 9 SAC R ED H E A RTE AU C L A I R E .O RG If you are ready to improve your health by performing 15 minutes of daily exercise, register for a GO myWay account by visiting GOChippewaValley.com and clicking the "Sign up for GO myWay" link. May 14–16, 2013. Attendees were presented with information about nutrition, exercise, and metabolic syndrome. Yoga, journaling, and meal preparation were also emphasized. "During the retreat, we talked about goal setting and why metabolic syndrome is a concern," says Marcia Arneson, BS, CWPC/CWPM, Director of the Center for Healthy Living at Sacred Heart. "We cooked healthy meals for our participants, offered yoga and stretching sessions, and provided pampering to help them relax and recharge." Because the Metabolic Syndrome Series was such a success, a new eight-session series will begin in January 2014. An average of 130 HALTING SMOKING BEFORE IT STARTS Through participation in Tar Wars, a national program sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians, Sacred Heart was able to offer tobacco-free education to area fourth- and fifth-grade students. "When we considered the best way to teach our community about the importance of smoking cessation, we struggled to identify the right program," Arneson says. "In previous years, we held a six-week cessation class, but we found that people who wanted to quit smoking often needed immediate resources, which is one reason our quit line has been so successful. We decided the best thing we could do was go out into our community and focus on prevention by educating school-age children about the risks and consequences associated with smoking." The Tar Wars sessions included a PowerPoint presentation about the dangers of smoking, presentation of a kit that contained the different chemicals found in cigarettes, and an activity in which children put a straw in their mouths and were asked to breathe through their mouth while jogging in place for 30 seconds, which helped simulate the breathing impairment that can arise from tobacco use. "We offered the Tar Wars program to 13 different school districts and 21 schools both in Eau Claire and in surrounding areas. We were able to reach approximately 1,160 students in a total of 62 classrooms." —Marcia Arneson, BS, CWPC/CWPM women attended each free-of-charge Metabolic Syndrome Series session, with as many as 230 participants at some sessions. Approximately 60 women attended all eight sessions, and a post-series assessment revealed that many women were already making successful lifestyle changes. > To learn more about the community outreach initiatives offered through the Center for Healthy Living, visit sacredhearteauclaire.org and select Center for Healthy Living under the "Centers & Services" tab.

• Cover