General

WORTHY WORKOUT: $10 = Shoes. School. Success.

http://www.vimeo.com/19821840In rural Guatemala, if you can’t get to school you face the possibility of making less than $1 a day for the rest of your life. Now imagine that for you to get to school, all you need is a pair of shoes. This seems like it would be a simple thing for most children, yet many of the Mayan children in Guatemala are too poor to afford even one pair of shoes. No Shoes = No School. No School = Less Opportunity. Engedi Church, where Jess and Mike are partners, is working with Pray America to tear down social barriers and provide Mayan kids with the chance to get an...

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MAY TERM MUSCLE MOVEMENTS

Hope College faculty, staff and students: it’s time to sign up for May term Muscle Movements class! Sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at DeVos Fieldhouse, with options of 11:15am or 12:15pm (*note time change from previous sessions!). May 7th through May 30th Pay-up-front: rate $7/class for a total of 8 classes = $56 or Pay-as-you-come: rate $10/class, due day of Please let Mike know in person or via email: mike@valeotraining.com if you would like to participate. Checks can be made out and sent to: Valeo Personal Training 97 River Hills Dr Holland, MI 49424 Read more...

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MORE MATTERS.

Did you know that we need 7-13 servings of fruits and veggies every single day just to help maintain good health? The more, the better! This Saturday, April 27th, Jess will be at an expo at Holland Heights Church from 10am  - 2pm helping others get more fruits and vegetables into their family’s nutrition. Stop by to learn more about the option of Juice Plus+ - having 26 fruits, veggies and berries already juiced for you and put into a capsule or chewable to eat every day! (Kids ages 4 through college-age eat Juice Plus+ FREE with every adult order). She’d love to see...

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FRESH, LOCAL, ORGANIC VEGGIES ALL SUMMER & FALL!

We’ve been blessed to participate with Groundswell Community Farm last year in their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). We know some of you have also been members and love it! They are a local organic farm, harvesting fresh veggies each week of the summer and fall (June through October) for participants to eat. They set up tables each week in Holland (on 18th St and College Ave) on Tuesdays, where you can go pick up your share of produce. It’s an excellent way to get a variety of vegetables you may not normally eat and a fun way to get creative in the kitchen! Nutrient...

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A Stronger Workout Partner Can Make You More Fit

We have heard it before - work out with a partner to motivate you. However, sometimes the problem is not the frequency or the time, but the intensity.Studies show that working out with a partner who is a little better than you can make a big difference, even if this “partner” is virtual. The study was done at Michigan State University and was overseen by Dr. Brandon Irwin at Kansas State University. The 58 female exercised on stationary bikes for six 60-minute sessions over four weeks to create a baseline. When the participants returned, they were told that their...

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Reducing Trip-Related Falls with Task Specific Exercises

Falls are not fun. They can create physical pain of course, but the emotional and psychological pain can be just as debilitating. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago decided to study the extent to which a task-specific training protocol might decrease the number of falls by middle-aged and older women. After creating a safe, but effective laboratory induced trip among 66 women, they were then assigned to either the training group or the control group. Fourteen women participated in 4 training session consisting of 30 different postural disturbances. These disturbances...

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