Category: Blog

10 Things to Consider When Choosing Childcare

Posted on by Tammy Roche

Whether it is for your first child or fifth, choosing childcare is no easy task. There are so many factors to consider that will go into your final decision on which childcare center will be the right one for you and your child.

Here are the top 10 things to look for when considering childcare.

  1. Security & Safety. Ask who has access to the building, and how is it accessed. Key card? Buzzer? Consider the drop-off and pick-up procedures. Will everyone be asked to identify themselves when picking up a child? And check the safety features such as outlet covers, locked cabinets and cleaning chemicals and other dangers out of reach for your little ones.
  2. Cleanliness. Is the room vacuumed daily? How clean are the restrooms? Is there soap and sanitizer available for – not only the children but the teachers and staff as well. A clean childcare facility is essential for the health, safety and well-being of your child.
  3. Child to Staff Ratio. According to the National Resource Center that ratio depends on what ages are being cared for. It can range from 3:1 for 24 – 35 months to 10:1 for 6 – 8-year-olds.
  4. Accreditation. Keystone STARS is Pennsylvania’s rating system for early learning and development programs in school-age child-care. Early learning centers in the Keystone STARS program can receive a rating score from 1 – 4.
  5. Communication Policy. How will the staff and caregivers communicate with you? Can you receive updates throughout the day or will you be able to call in at any time with questions? Do they have the latest technology to be able to communicate at a moment’s notice?
  6. Healthy Snacks & Meals. What are your children being fed throughout the day? Are you required to provide their snacks and meals or can they be purchased or a part of the overall cost?
  7. Enrichment/Activities.  Is the center’     s curriculum enhanced with enrichment programs? There should be opportunities for your child to move and play throughout the day. Studies show enrichment programs are vital to a high-quality early childhood curriculum. Also ask the staff if there will there be any field trip offerings to allow your child to experience places outside of their daily atmosphere.
  8. Reviews/Word of Mouth. You’ve heard the saying before, word-of-mouth can be the best source of advertising. What are other moms saying about the childcare center? Are there Google reviews online or posts on social media? Follow up with the center if you find a concerning review that has you questioning whether it is the right choice.
  9. Schedule Flexibility. Some childcare centers only offer certain days and certain times, so it’s important that the schedule fits your life and is most convenient for you and your child.
  10. Play Areas. Fun is important too. Are there areas for play time both indoor and outdoor?

 Choosing a childcare center is no easy task, but taking these 10 things into consideration should help lower the stress on the decision making process.

By Raychel Adiutori

Raychel is a mom of two young school-aged girls in Erie, Pa.

Why Your Co-Workers Make the Best Workout Partners

Posted on by Tammy Roche

You already spend 40+ hours every week with your co-workers, so why would you want to add any more time than required?

It sounds less than ideal, working out with your co-workers. However, it can have a different effect on your personal and professional relationships than what you’d expect. Whether you exercise with one workout partner from work, your office is full of wellness champions, or you attend classes with a fitness posse, here’s the ‘why’ and ‘how’ when it comes to exercising with co-worker

Check out this article from PeerFit Pulse to learn more.

5 REASONS SOCIAL CONNECTIONS CAN ENHANCE YOUR EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAM

Posted on by Tammy Roche

Work relationships are incredibly important to employee well-being. It’s about more than just “getting along” with a co-worker. As humans, we crave contact and connection with other people. Unfortunately, for many employees, work can be a very lonely place. And while you’re probably familiar with the phrase, “I’m here to work, not to make friends,” it’s important for employers to understand just how important social connections in the workplace really are.

Check out this article from Forbes on how strong social connections make people happier and physically healthier – and how those connections translate into work performance.

Enjoy quality time together and teach kids about living a healthy lifestyle with family-focused workouts

Posted on Updated on by Tammy Roche

The Y is a great place to spend time together as a family. Bring the kids and challenge your family with do-together workouts like:

Playing Family Fitness Bingo

Instead of sitting with a dauber and waiting for numbers to be called, this version of bingo requires each family member to complete five mini-workouts – like run one lap or do 15 sit-ups – to get a bingo. Or you can really kick things up by going for a blackout by completing every activity on the list.

Download a printable version here or stop by the Membership Desk to ask for this workout card.

Attend a Group Exercise Class Together

Members can take advantage of free group exercise classes – including these that are specifically designed for kids and their family members:

Family Obstacle Interval, Tuesdays, 6 p.m. Eastside Family Y
Family Cardio, Saturdays, 11 a.m. Glenwood Park Y
Family ZUMBA, Saturdays, 12 p.m., Glenwood Park Y

Take a Family Swim

Gather up the kids for water-based fun at the Y. In the water, your whole body is working – water is denser than air, which provides resistance for all movements. Family-friendly aquatics amenities include water slides and indoor lap pools. To enjoy the pool, all swimmers 5 & under must have an adult within an arm’s reach. All youth 17 and under must complete the YMCA Deep Water Competency Test which assesses swimming ability for deep water. Those that complete the test successfully will be given a green band; inexperienced swimmers are considered non-swimmers.  These bands help our certified lifeguards keep swimmers safe.

Wide Open Spaces

Our gyms are indoor playgrounds that burn winter energy. Some fun things to do in the gyms include anything with a ball (just Google “fun games with a ball”), relay races or bring the kids’ rollerblades!

More Than A Job

Posted on by Tammy Roche

All of us have different reasons for walking in the door of the YMCA; Mark Bell’s was a friend who worked at the Eastside Family YMCA who encouraged him to apply for a position as a bus driver. But what made him stay? The people. “It’s a social place” Mark says, “it’s more than a gym, we really care about the people and their needs.”

Mark was able to experience being on the receiving end of that care when he had health issues last summer. While he was off of work for a couple months, he received calls, letters, and cards from members, coworkers, and even kids from the Y’s childcare program. During his hiatus, he would meet up with members to get a cup of coffee or some breakfast. And with the UPMC Rehabilitation facility right next door, it was convenient for him to drop by after physical therapy.

Mark especially enjoys working with seniors, and says looking back, he never imagined the impact that walking in the door 15 years ago would have on his life.

Holiday Health Survival Strategies

Posted on by Tammy Roche

Research shows the average American gains seven pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s – then spends the next several weeks trying to undo the damage.

 

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Unfortunately, most people struggle to lose the weight and don’t shed all of it. We suggest these ten strategies for keeping your waistline in tact during the holidays.

  • Drink plenty of water. Our bodies consist mostly of water – our most essential nutrient. Drinking cold water serves as a mild appetite suppressant and burns calories to warm it up to body temperature.
  • Skip the donuts, muffins and cookies and go for fruit and veggie snacks instead. Apples, oranges and carrots may not sound like a treat, but they’re actually very satisfying and go a long way in preventing calorie overload. Dried fruit like prunes, figs, dates and raisins are also great choices – they’re low-fat, packed with fiber, and satisfy a sweet tooth.
  • Eat a smaller lunch on days you have dinner events. You don’t want to end up standing in front of a buffet table starving, but eating less at lunch helps balance out a bigger dinner, calorie-wise. Try eating a protein-rich meal at noon to help keep you full until dinner.
  • Choose food wisely at events and parties. Don’t be afraid to be different! Go for low-fat entrees, like broiled fish or baked chicken. Pick healthier soups and salads with light dressing. Use butter and cheese sparingly, and skip the heavy gravy.
  • Opt out of dessert sampling. Holiday events usually feature plenty of sugary and chocolate-laden goodies, and it’s hard not to take one of each – in some cases just to please the people who made them. Find the one dessert that looks the best to you, and leave it at that. Most of your friends will understand, and even follow your good example.
  • Take off at a decent hour. Staying all night at parties causes sleep deprivation (already rampant around the holidays), and can lead to extra indulgence in food and drinks. Stay long enough to have a good time, but don’t be afraid to be the first to call it a night.
  • Avoid or limit alcohol consumption. Drinking alcohol at holiday gatherings can drastically increase your calorie intake – and it often leads to overeating. Before you go for a cocktail, keep in mind that alcohol contains almost as many calories per gram as fat. It’s best to avoid drinking altogether, or stop at one.
  • Incorporate daily aerobic activity into your routine. This will condition your cardiovascular system to burn extra calories. For example, a 30-minute walk requires about 200-250 calories, depending on your bodyweight and walking pace.
  • Build 2-3 sessions of strength training into your schedule each week. Like cardio, strength training conditions your body to burn more calories. 30 minutes of strength training also burns 200-250 calories, but bonus: working out with weights accelerates your metabolism all day long. In a Tufts University study, a season of strength training produced a 7% increase in resting metabolic rate and a 15% increase in daily calorie requirements among the senior men and women who participated.
  • Tell a family member, friend, or coworker about your plan for avoiding holiday weight gain – and ask for their help implementing it. Your partner in prevention should be someone who encourages you and sets a good example of healthy holiday eating and exercise habits.

It’s easy to rationalize overeating during the holidays by planning a New Year’s resolution to drop the extra weight. But in reality, most people don’t lose all the extra holiday pounds – and it can lead to long-term health problems like heart disease and diabetes. Even those who do lose the weight can still face high cholesterol levels and other serious issues. Take a sensible approach to nutrition and exercise throughout the year and during the holiday season – come January, you’ll be glad you did.

 

Can’t do a push-up on your toes? Research shows you shouldn’t give up trying.

Posted on by Susan Lechner

SCIENCE SHOWS YOU SHOULDN’T GIVE UP ON THE PUSH UP

By Emma Hogan

Can’t do a push-up on your toes? New research spells out exactly why you shouldn’t give up.

For many of us push-ups conjure up a sense of dread, which is no surprise given they have long-been associated with intimidating fitness drills or physical punishment for wrongdoing. However, despite their cringe-worthy past, push-ups have secured their place as an exercise staple, and are now adored by fitness gurus across the globe.

But the easier to manage push-up on your knees variation doesn’t always get the same adoration. In fact, these modified push-ups often cop a fair bit of flack, with some labeling them as an ineffective exercise that won’t get you any stronger.

Now, a new study published in the Journal of Applied Bio-mechanics clears up the conflict, showing that both the toe and knee variations of the push-up are worthwhile. The findings are very encouraging, explains Jinger Gottschall, Associate Professor at Penn State University and lead researcher of the study. “We were able to demonstrate that the overall ratio of muscle activation in the upper body when you do a push-up on your knees or toes is actually the same. It shows that knee push-ups are a surprisingly valuable alternative if you cannot perform a push-up on your toes with proper technique.”

So whether you can smash sets on your toes or stick to your knees, push-ups are a move you need to love!

What makes push-ups so good?

Push-ups are much more than just an upper body exercise. They work the pecs, deltoids and triceps while strengthening the muscles of the core. On top of improved upper body definition push-ups build muscular endurance and create lean muscle mass that improves overall fitness and good health.

When compared to the bench press, another popular chest exercise, push-ups provide more effective functional training. The Penn State University study participants generated 50 percent more activation in the abdominals during push-ups compared to bench press repetitions with parallel weight.

There’s no dispute that the most effective push-ups are push-ups on your toes, as they engage a greater amount of activation in the muscles of the upper body and core – demanding whole body integration. However, push-ups on your toes can be pretty challenging and many people, especially older adults or individuals new to exercise, cannot safely complete multiple push-ups on their toes. All too often the hips and neck are not aligned properly and consequently the risk of injury outweighs the rewards. “When people are struggling to lower themselves towards the ground in a toe push-up position, they shouldn’t give up or feel discouraged, says Gottschall. “We can now be confident that push-ups on your knees are an effective modification.”

How to progress from knee push-ups to toe push-ups

The good news is that if you do enough push-ups on your knees you’ll be up on your toes in no time. Gottschall explains that, as the muscle activation in knee and toe push-ups is the same, if you consistently perform enough push-ups on your knees to reach a point of fatigue you will soon become strong enough to do push-ups on your toes.

Bryce Hastings, Les Mills’ Head of Research and Technical Advisor agrees with Gottschall’s advice, saying once you are confident doing 16 push-ups on the knees, then you are ready to try push-ups on your toes.

“If you feel confident doing 16 knee push-ups, you can just start to try some on your toes and see how you feel. If you need to, you can revert back to the other style until you gradually build up your strength over time to be able to do more on your toes than your knees,” he says

Once you’ve mastered the toe push-up the sky’s the limit. The Guinness world record for most push-ups in one hour is held by David Escojido who did 2,298 push-ups in 60 minutes. Charles Servizio holds the current world record for most push-ups in 24 hours. He ticked off a whopping 46,001 push-ups in just 21 hours, 6 minutes.