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DEAR MAYO CLINIC:With social distancing guidelines in place due to COVID-19, Ive been working from home for a few weeks, and I can tell its already taking a toll on my health. I feel more tired and less motivated to exercise and eat well, even though I have more time for both. What should I be focusing on to stay healthy while being stuck at home?

ANSWER:While staying at home during theCOVID-19pandemic is a crucial part of stopping the spread of the virus, it may disrupt many of your usual routines and make it harder to maintain healthy habits. But even when youre spending most of your time at home, there are still lots of ways you can weave wellness into your daily activities.

You mention that youre more tired than usual. Thats not surprising during these days of uncertainty and stress. One key way to boost your energy is to get a good nights sleep. This period of time, when social distancing is forcing many people to work from home, actually can be a good opportunity to makehealthy sleepa priority.

Go to bed around the same time every night close to the time you typically would when youre not working from home. Then allow yourself a fullseven to nine hours of sleep, which is the amount most healthy adults need. Without the pressure of arriving at work at a specific time, and no commute to navigate, you may find that a later wake-up time and a slower start to the day ease some of your stress and fatigue.

If falling asleep at night is a challenge because its hard to shut off stressful or worrisome thoughts, try daily meditation. It doesnt have to be a formal practice.Meditationcan be simply five to 10 minutes of intentional focus, during which you calm your mind and minimize random thoughts. There are many forms of meditation, but most share a quiet setting, a comfortable position, focused attention and an open attitude. Research has shown that, over time, daily meditation can improve sleep, reduce stress and anxiety, and lessen fatigue. You may try searching online for free meditation app to see if there is a program that will work well for you.

Exercise is a crucial part of staying healthy, especially during stressful times. When you dont feel motivated, keep in mind that you dont need to do a full-body workout every day to reap the benefits of exercise. Get outside and take a walk or go for a bike ride all while continuing to follow social distancing guidelines. Not only will you be physically active, but also youll get a change of scenery from your home office, which can boost your mood.

Now also is a good time to mix up your exercise routine. If you have exercise equipment you havent put to use for a while, dust it off and hop on. Many online and app-based exercise programs are offering free trials now, making it an opportune time to try something new.

Maintaining ahealthy dietis always an important part of wellness, but even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. With more time on your hands and fewer options to dine out, this could be a good chance to try some dietary changes that can make a difference in your overall health. Those changes dont have to be big, and they dont need to involve elaborate meal plans. For example, you might try eating more whole foods, incorporating a meatless meal into your routine once or twice a week, reducing your intake of processed foods, and eating more fruits and vegetables.

Read this article:
Mayo Clinic Q And A: Staying Healthy While Teleworking - South Florida Reporter

The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have stopped much of the world. Once busy streets and shops are empty, activities are cancelled and many people are sheltering in place.

One thing the virus has not stopped, however, is pain and injury. Some people were seeing a physical therapist when stay-at-home orders were issued. Others may be having more pain and soreness in their backs or necks because spent in front of computers while working at home. Some individuals may have even injured themselves while doing yard work or exercising to relieve stress.

How can people get the care they need while staying safe and maintaining social distance? Telehealth may provide an answer, and SportsCare Physical Therapy's professionals are ready.

Technology like the internet, electronic medical records, online patient portals, smartphones and webcams open up treatment and intervention options that may be new to both patients and providers. Virtual platforms allow one-on-one interactions in real time. Patient portals allow uploads and updates of home exercise programs and educational materials.

In other words, patients may not be able to go to their physical therapist, but their SportsCare Physical Therapy professional may be able to come virtually to them! Rules and regulations vary between insurers and are rapidly being updated to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, but SportsCare Physical Therapy is available to assist anyone who needs care while observing shelter-in-place orders. Just call 770-495-0610 to set up an appointment.

What does telehealth look like?Here are some examples to illustrate how technology can help therapists and patients: A therapist might use a virtual meeting to examine a patient in real time, asking the patient questions, assessing movements, and then educating the patient on some exercises or stretches to treat the pain. A patient currently being treated by a physical therapist might log into a patient portal to send a question about an exercise from their home program. Therapists could record a video of themselves doing the exercise correctly, including tips and proper techniques. That video could then be uploaded to the patient's portal for future reference. A therapist could use a video visit with a patient to review the patient's home and help the patient determine which furniture or other items could be used to complete their home exercise program safely.Coronavirus hasn't stopped pain and injury, so the need for physical therapy remains just as strong as before anyone knew about "social distancing" or the best way to have a virtual meeting.

Despite the challenges and unusual circumstances presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, creativity, flexibility and technology allow physical therapists to continue delivering expert care to their patients.

For more information or to set up an appointment, call SportsCare Physical Therapy at 770-495-0610. SportsCare Physical Therapy is a private, physical therapist-owned practice with two locations in Johns Creek and Duluth.

Read this article:
Technology Opens New Treatment Options for Physical Therapists - Patch.com

We thank Wu and colleagues for their important commentary regarding potential psychological effects of Covid-19 on health care providers (HCP) (1). Our group of multi-disciplinary oncology providers was formed to support oncology HCP, a group at high risk of burnout (2). We outline additional strategies we developed which complement this commentary.

HCP wellness is a spectrum from engagement to burnout; we recognize that individual characteristics, experiences, and organizational factors can influence ones position on this spectrum (3). Our approach follows five key considerations for HCP during Covid-19, developed by Shanafelt (4). At the organizational level, our group advocates to ensure the first three principles (hear me, protect me, and prepare me,) are factored into decision-making and communication.

We developed resources aligned with the support me, and care for me categories. First, CREATE (Compassion and REsilience TEam-building) pairs a psychosocial professional with clinical managers to offer support and embed low dose interventions into clinical teams using a coaching and psychological first aid model. Second, we created a toolkit with information on accommodation, grocery delivery, safety, coping, and mental health resources. We also implemented the Buddy Up program to foster connectedness, by asking HCP to form groups of twos or threes and check-in daily via phone, email, or text message. Other interventions include virtual coffee mornings to debrief, online exercise programs, and virtual meditation lounges led by trained physicians. These provide tailored options for HCP to achieve connection, mindfulness, movement, and meaning.

The Covid-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event that has challenged HCPs wellness and resilience; however, it provides a unique opportunity to address institutional gaps in dealing with such stressors. We hope that organizations continue hearing, protecting, preparing, supporting, and caring for HCPs beyond this pandemic.

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RE: Strategies to support Healthcare Providers during the Covid-19 Pandemic - CMAJ

HARROGATE, Tenn.Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM) is developing a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at its LMU-Knoxville location (9737 Cogdill Road). The program will begin taking applications for its inaugural class summer of 2020 for an anticipated May 2021 start date.

Physical therapists (PTs) are movement experts who optimize quality of life through prescribed exercise, hands-on manual therapy and patient education. PTs teach patients how to prevent or manage their condition to achieve long-term health benefits. PTs practice in a variety of health care settings including outpatient orthopedics, inpatient acute care, cardiopulmonary, pediatrics, wound care, neurological spinal cord injury, stroke rehabilitation, geriatrics, amateur and professional sports rehabilitation and more.

The demand for physical therapists in the workforce is at an all-time high and will continue to grow as the population ages and the need for mobility services increases, said Associate Program Director Dr. Kellee Harper-Hanigan. LMU holds a deep commitment to meeting the health care needs of communities in Appalachia and beyond, and the new DPT program will help train PTs to meet the growing need.

There are more than 209,000 licensed physical therapists in the United States today and the number is growing. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 22 percent increase in employment opportunities for physical therapists between 2018 and 2028. The physical therapy profession was ranked by U.S. News and World Report, as #10 for Best Health Care Jobs of 2020 and #15 for 100 Best Jobs of 2020.

The LMU-Knoxville DPT program will offer a thoughtfully organized curriculum designed to integrate traditional didactic educational content with contemporary clinical experiences that emphasize the importance of evidence-based and patient-centered care.

There are few programs that can offer the unique opportunities that LMUs Doctor of Physical Therapy program provides, said Harper-Hanigan. Students have an opportunity for interprofessional education with other LMU health care professional programs, use of state-of-the-art facilities that include a human cadaver laboratory and multiple high-fidelity medical simulation learning spaces, and faculty experienced in PT research and contemporary evidence-based patient care.

LMU is offering three pathways of entry to the program. Freshmen can enter the 3+3 program, an accelerated academic track that enables students to complete their Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Physical Therapy degrees in six years, as opposed to the traditional seven years. Current LMU students and transfer students from other institutions may also enter the program after completing the prerequisite coursework. For those who have already completed their bachelors degree, but want to pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy, they can do so without having to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

The program is in the pre-candidacy stage of the accreditation process and will be applying for candidacy December 2020 with the application for full initial accreditation submitted Fall of 2023 to the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).*

For complete information on admissions and application requirements, visit: http://www.LMUnet.edu/dpt.

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

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LMU developing Doctor of Physical Therapy program in Knoxville - Times Tribune of Corbin

Written by Kate McDonald on 21 April 2020.

Genie Solutions

Genie Solutions says its practice management platform, including its Genie desktop and Gentu cloud offerings, is providing tools to help meet the changing requirements of practices and their patients during the crisis.

Gentu is a cloud platform that can help practices wanting to enable telehealth and improved remote access. New filtering and bulk communications functionality has been added to identify and communicate with patients based on appointment date ranges, as well as COVID-19 risk factors. Special pricing has been made available for telehealth-related applications.

Genie is also offering discounted and flexible additional licences to meet the need for increased remote access and telehealth. Customers can also now add online patient registration to their software, a new service that allows patients to provide detailed demographic information and telehealth consent online, reducing the time spent in waiting rooms.

SMSs relating to COVID-19 are being discounted by 50 per cent to assist practices with the increase in patient communication volume, backdated to March 1.

MBS item changes related to telehealth are being provided for seamless updates to billing and the company says further telehealth-related services are being expedited.

Genie Solutions website

Clinic to Cloud

Clinic to Clouds practice management platform allows clinicians to offer telehealth appointments to patients through its customised appointment schedule, patient portal and compatibility with telehealth providers such as Coviu.

The integrated cloud technology creates a fully functional virtual practice, meaning patients who begin to display symptoms for COVID-19 can meet with their doctor remotely, avoiding the need for them to present to a medical clinic.

In addition to facilitating telehealth, Clinic to Cloud also offers additional features to triage patients and tailor up-to-date messages before attending appointments such as batch SMS, automated appointment reminders and recalls.

Clinic to Clouds patient portal also can provide customised screening questions and securely share the latest updates of how the practice is responding COVID-19.

DermEngine

MetaOptima has launched a teledermatology module to help skin cancer GPs and dermatologists to continue to operate during the social isolation and quarantine periods. The module gives practices the ability to remotely extend care to patients with a connected patient portal app for secure image acquisition.

DermEngine is the skin cancer management platform used by Sonic Healthcare's IPN clinics, Australian Skin Cancer Clinics and Sonic HealthPlus clinics as well as Healius and Fullerton Health clinics across Australia, and other GPs and dermatologists in Australia and New Zealand.

MetaOptima has developed a targeted onboarding approach for staff and invited patients to ensure they remain connected to the practice at every step. DermEngine's telederm module is also designed to accommodate private billing requirements through flexible payment options.

The company also markets theMoleScope, a skin magnifier that patients can use to image their moles and share the images with their dermatologist.

DermEngine website

Firstcheck

Firstcheck is offering its store and forward direct to consumer teledermatology solution to clinicians to enable remote servicing of patients with skin issues during the coronavirus outbreak.

Approximately 20 per cent of GP appointments in Australia and New Zealand involve a skin complaint and appropriate triage and remote advice using asynchronous store and forward teledermatology has the potential to free up GP time, Firstcheck says.

Firstcheck has developed a smartphone dermoscope that costs just $25 and enables mobile teledermoscopy and general teledermatology services as well as its main skin cancer applications.

Firstcheck website

TrackActive

TrackActive is making its physiotherapy and hand therapy exercise prescription software free for 90 days to help clinics stay open during the pandemic and service patients by telehealth.

TrackActive allows practitioners to create and send customised exercise programs to patients via PDF, a secure mobile web login or to the TrackActive iPhone or Android patient app. The software features clear instructional images, video and descriptions.

Patients are able to log program completion, session difficulty and symptoms through their mobile phone. Practitioners can use a dashboard to stay informed and get a snapshot of their patients progress in between or before consultations. It also has PROMs capabilities.

The software is integrated with the Cliniko and Nookal practice management systems.

TrackActive website

Oculo

Eye health clinical communications networkOculo has launched video conferencing technology in its platform to support teleophthalmology and teleoptometry.

Oculousers can conduct teleconsultations directly from theOculoplatform, which can be used as a standalone system but is also integrated with some electronic medical records and with Topcon's Harmony image management system.

For the COVID-19 pandemic,Oculohas formed a partnership with Optometry Australia to give its members access to theOculoplatform, including the new telemedicine feature, for an initial six-month period.

The service connects optometrists and ophthalmologists with each other and with their patients, reducing the need for in-person consultations. The video conferencing technology is a HIPAA-compliant WebRTC service.

Oculo's telehealth website

Originally posted here:
COVID-19 resources: specialties and allied health - Pulse+IT

Updated April 20, 2020 09:23:27

Some of the early failures in Australia's management of the novel coronavirus pandemic this year could have been avoided if all levels of Government had been trained using simulated exercises, leading health planners have told the ABC.

Australia has not run a large-scale national pandemic exercise since 2008: Kevin Rudd was serving his first year as prime minister and the first iPhone entered the market and changed the way people communicate.

The experts say failure to continue pandemic practice exercises may have contributed to confusion in the early days of Australia's response to COVID-19, including contradictory public messaging from national and local leaders and delays in launching communication tools.

"One of the big examples, which would be at the forefront of many people's minds, [is] the Ruby Princess," said Sydney University health security expert Adam Kamradt-Scott, who was involved in a 2008 pandemic exercise.

"The fact that there was an element of confusion as to who may have had responsibility for making the final decision, I think sort of points to the lack of preparedness that, in the event we were having these exercises more regularly, some of these errors may not have occurred."

The remarks by Prime Minister Scott Morrison about going to the football, and about shaking hands by Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy, could have also been avoided through more emergency exercising, says associate professor Kamradt-Scott.

"It's all very good if [pandemic plans] are thought through and written down," says long-serving federal health department secretary Jane Halton, who now chairs a global body financing and coordinating infectious disease vaccines.

"But what you actually also need to do is you need to practice.

"You need to run some exercises where people play themselves including involving prime ministers, ministers, the bureaucracy, the medical officers."

Australia was a world leader in pandemic preparation in the 2000s, and that work culminated in two huge national training programs Exercise Cumpston in 2006 and Exercise Sustain in 2008.

The national health exercises were designed to help prepare the nation for a crippling global virus.

Exercise Cumpston simulated the arrival of an international flight carrying sick passengers from an Asian country, which led to the spread of a pandemic virus into the community.

The exercise, overseen by then-health minister Tony Abbott, tested the health system's capacity to manage the response.

Exercise Sustain continued the work of Cumpston and examined whole of government efforts to mitigate the explosion of global pandemic into the Australia community.

Despite universal recommendations that similar exercises be held every few years, to date, another has not been held.

The Federal Government has run smaller workshops and federal-only exercises, but nothing on the level of Cumpston and Sustain.

"Unfortunately, what we've seen happen since 2008 has been a series of events which have contributed to those pandemic plans going on the backburner," said associate professor Adam Kamradt-Scott, who helped run Sustain while a public servant.

That failure was largely a result of governments around the world being distracted by the global financial crisis, as well as a growing view among the bureaucracy that pandemics were not as dangerous as the experts claimed.

That view was particularly strong after what was perceived to be the relative minor impacts of 2009's swine flu, also known as H1N1.

"I think one of the dynamics which arose at the end of the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic was a phenomenon that we saw across the international community and it's been described as pandemic fatigue, which is shorthand for saying that whenever you mentioned the word pandemic, people's eyes started to glaze over," associate professor Kamradt-Scott said.

"They would start shuffling papers [and say], 'We've dealt with that, haven't we?'

"So, it was very difficult, even internationally, to get people to pay attention to the need to focus on pandemic preparedness in the wake of a pandemic it's a great irony really."

He also noted recent exercises could have meant new technologies could have been incorporated into the COVID-19 response much earlier.

"A good example of that is the WhatsApp messaging that the government has initiated. Singapore launched their WhatsApp tool to communicate directly with the public at the end of January, whereas Australia only introduced it at the end of March," he said.

"I think the technology and the changes in Australian society if we were exercising more regularly, we would have seen perhaps a much better, more efficient response."

He also said public discussion about the privacy implications of tracking apps should have occurred as a result of exercising, not during the middle of a crisis.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly told the ABC that Australia is in a good position compared to other nations.

He pointed to Australia's low rates of infection and death about 6,600 infections and 71 deaths as of late Sunday.

By comparison, Sweden a nation with a population less than half of Australia's has seen almost 13,000 infections and more than 1,500 deaths.

"I think where we are and I'm sure most people would agree is in a much better position than we thought we would be at this point," he said.

Professor Kelly said the work done in the 2000s left Australia in a position where it did not require more national exercises of the level of Cumpston and Sustain.

"Could we have done more exercising? Could that have been at a higher level of preparedness? Possibly. But let's look at what happened over the last few weeks," he said.

The pandemic planners and former senior officials the ABC spoke to acknowledged that the Australian Government has performed well during the COVID-19 epidemic.

"At the end of the day, we've done well and the preparation we put in place [in the 2000s] is so important," Ms Halton told the ABC.

"We have a fraction of the cases and the deaths, even if you take it on a per population basis, of the United States, of Britain, of Italy, of France."

As head of Australia's federal health department between 2002 and 2014, Ms Halton helped oversee the creation of Australia's first influenza pandemic plan, a national medical stockpile and a national incident room designed for public health emergencies.

She considers exercises Cumpston and Sustain to be the culmination of all of that work: "What you do on a day-by-day basis is, you actually make sure that you are doing as you would do in the real world, the actions that are necessary to deal with the situation."

Associate professor Kamradt-Scott said while he agreed Australia had thus far done well in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, national exercises should have continued.

"One of the strong recommendations of the World Health Organisation was that countries not only develop pandemic plans, but also exercise those plans to try and identify gaps and weaknesses in the event of an actual crisis," he said.

Former senior defence and foreign affairs official Allan Behm reviewed Exercise Sustain in 2008 for the Government.

He recommended that similar national exercises should be conducted every two years.

"If they'd actually had a couple of national exercises recently [they] would have been less, shall we say, hesitant," said Mr Behm, who now runs the international and security affairs program at the Australia Institute.

"That's really what the exercises are for."

When the ABC contacted Mr Behm this month, he was surprised to discover that the Government had not held a similar national exercise.

"I am surprised because these exercises are less a test of professional competence, they're much more of a rolling of the lolly around the mouth, so that the major national decisionmakers are prepared for the complexity of the problems they have to deal with."

Topics:covid-19,diseases-and-disorders,disease-outbreak,disease-control,infectious-diseases-other,respiratory-diseases,epidemics-and-pandemics,health,government-and-politics,health-policy,australia,brisbane-4000,sydney-2000,canberra-2600,melbourne-3000

First posted April 20, 2020 05:11:06

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Australia ran its last national pandemic drill the year the iPhone launched. Did that harm our coronavirus response? - ABC News

The levels of creativity for West Greene football player Corey Wise and Canon-McMillans Ryan Angott vary.

Wise is battling for a starting spot and trying to fill the void in the Pioneers backfield with the graduation of Army recruit Ben Jackson and productive Kolin Walker. Wise was second on West Greenes defense with 69 tackles from his linebacker spot last year.

A second-team all-conference running back in Class 6A last year, Angott is trying to build off a strong season.

Entering their junior seasons with aspirations of eventually playing college football, Wise and Angott know how important the upcoming year could be in achieving that goal.

And not only has the coronavirus pandemic prematurely ended sports seasons, it has also interrupted offseason workouts for local athletes at school facilities, public gyms and other go-to workout spots.

Being creative isnt a luxury these days, its a necessity.

Its hard on us, Wise said. Out here, we really dont have all that kind of stuff. We have to improvise with what we got.

What Wise had in the family garage was four old tires, a metal bar that had no current use and some duct tape. Just like that, he had a deadlift station to go with the agility work hes done by running around rural Greene County and the tricep curls hes done with cinder blocks.

Im not really much of a creative person, Wise said. I figured to try it and see if it worked. We have a football chat group on Facebook and workouts are posted on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Most of it is agility stuff. The junior year is the year you prove yourself. I have to work on getting faster and stronger.

Angott, also a running back, has a bench press and dumbbells in his basement, but that didnt stop him from using his natural creativity. For a full-body workout, Angott straps himself to a harness that is connected to a 910-pound lawn roller that he pulls around his familys 13-acre property.

Whatever burns the muscles, Angott said. The first time I tried to pull it I couldnt. Ive been working out more than I usually do and have eventually gotten the point of jogging and running with it.

Angott eclipsed 1,000 all-purpose yards for Canon-McMillan last season and was a big reason the Big Macs made the postseason for the second consecutive year.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Canon-McMillan football coach Mike Evans invested in an app called TeamBuildr, a strength and conditioning software program that can be used with a cell phone. He recently sent out a Google survey to evaluate what equipment his players had available to help design workouts to both meet their needs and understand the current limitations.

What we are trying to do is get the most out of their capability, Evans said. We have kids who have everything, kids that have some stuff and others that dont have much. We are just trying to give our kids the best opportunities.

Tires and chains

Mac Church was not caught flat-footed.

In his basement is all the workout equipment he requires to stay strong. He would prefer to have some company but understands the restrictions required because of the pandemic.

Church has built a reputation as a workout warrior and pound for pound is one of the strongest on Waynesburgs wrestling team, despite his freshman status.

I have these lifting tapes that I do, I run all the time and I do these shadow drills by myself because I dont have a (workout) partner, said Church, going over his daily routine. In the summer, I go lift with Jimmy on more Olympic training stuff. He gets his lifting workouts from an Ohio State lifting guy.

The Jimmy he is referring to is Waynesburgs assistant wrestling coach Jimmy Howard. If you have ever been to one of the Raiders dual meets, he is the one with arms as thick as sequoias. The offseason workout program is in his hands.

The biggest hurdle right now?

Being together. A lot of the kids have equipment at their house, Howard said. The season just finished so were not in a strict program yet. The kids are just using what they have at home for lifting until were able to get together again.

Under circumstances like the pandemic, the wrestlers have to improvise.

We used tires tractor tires, said Howard. I got this chain from a mine a couple years ago and if you ever saw them, one link weighs about 17 pounds. A (weighted) wheelbarrel will give you a good workout. I have a farm so we do things like carrying posts and bale hay.

Howard said the offseason lifting program runs from mid-April until November, the start of the wrestling season.

You can see its paying off, he said. You can see its working.

Howard said the emphasis is sometimes on building bulk with the weightlifting and at other times building strength. The program he uses can be tweaked or altered to fit a wrestlers needs. Howard is always looking for different ways and different things to incorporate into the program.

Hes even gotten some help from one of his teammates in high school at Jefferson-Morgan: Cary Kolat, who recently hired as the wrestling coach at the Naval Academy.

Nutrition and training

Whether or not a pandemic rages through the country, Donovan McMillon of Peters Township consumes nutritious meals as part of his preparation for the football season.

Noting his mother, Shelley, always makes him a big breakfast, McMillon gulps down six pieces of French toast. She makes the best, he said, then quickly adds of course maple syrup is an essential condiment.

Lunch on this day is a croissant with bacon coupled with a dish of apple sauce and a peach.

Dinner could be fish, maybe, cauliflower and broccoli for vegetables and as many as six biscuits.

Then there are snacks. A bunch, McMillon said with a large laugh. I eat a ton of calories.

McMillon after all is a growing teen. The 6-2, 185-pound junior is also a 4-star safety. He already has 49 major Division I scholarship offers.

While the coronavirus crisis is putting a damper on the recruiting process and his ability to visit college campuses, it has not hindered his training.

Though he is unable to practice with teammates or visit the high school to use the extensive array of equipment and weights, McMillon has gotten creative with his workouts. He fills a duffle bag with books and does curls and pulls. He attaches 14.3-pound weights to an old plastic broom that he uses as a barbell.

Trust me, Im doing everything imaginable, he said.

McMillon does 500 situps a day in sets of 50 to 75. He sets up cones outside and works on his footwork. He even employs his siblings, Darius, 13, Dane, 10, and Davin, 7.

We are having fun with it, McMillon said of his attempts to cover his brothers during defensive back drills. Theres nothing like running around chasing them. We are making it so that its fun.

In reality, though, McMillon said, Im trying to stay as sharp as possible.

McMillon attempts to make his workouts interesting by varying his training. He said that he does something different every day, including running or sprinting. He spends approximately three hours outside and does push-ups throughout the day.

Theres no specific time and its not just one thing, he said. It varies.

Concrete blocks and yard signs

When McGuffey High School was closed last month, for what began as two weeks and became the remainder of the school year, Evan Wright and his younger brother, Tyler, kicked their worrying minds into overdrive.

How were the Wright Brothers, both members of the Highlanders football team, expected to stay in shape if they couldnt use McGuffeys weight room? After all, the saying goes that teams get better during the season but players get better in the offseason. And high school football players are smack in the middle of their offseason training.

Being a rural school, the high school becomes a hub of the community because the players dont have easy access to gyms as they would in the city, McGuffey coach Ed Dalton is quick to say. Two days after classes were stopped, we had 25 to 30 kids show up at the school to work out. Thats not good for social distancing. We had to stop that.

So whats a rural kid supposed to do?

The Wrights decided to go on a bit of a scavenger hunt at home, looking for anything that could be used for weight training or spark a creative idea. It didnt take long before finding some things on the family farm: a digging post, some concrete blocks, a tractor and yard signs, to name a few. The first three, it was decided, can be used as weightlifting equipment.

We found a five-foot digging bar in a shed, said Evan Wright, who will be a senior guard and nose tackle next fall. Its used to dig around fence posts so they go in the ground easier. We also recently built a building and had some concrete blocks left over from that. My brother and I thought they would make good weights to put on the bar.

Alex and Tyler, the latter a rising sophomore center and defensive tackle, were on to something.

We were able to make a mini-gym in our pavilion, Alex said.

There was one problem, he said.

The digging bar was wasnt long enough to do squats with, he explained. But we were able to find a seven-foot fence post and we use that for squats. We use the tractor to rest the posts on when doing squats.

That was good for weightlifting but what about cardio work?

We have a gas well road that runs through our property. We can run on the road for about a mile and a half, so that covers the cardio work, Alex Wright said.

The yard signs? No, they werent used to advertise the new-style lifting program. The Wrights used them as part of an agility ladder.

Dalton and his coaching staff make sure the players who dont have access to home gyms can do workouts that are less involved than what the Wrights are doing. McGuffey also uses TeamBuildr to send workouts to each player.

Two days each week the workouts are lifting and three days they are running, Alex Wright said. The lifting workouts are bodyweight exercises. I definitely think what were doing is helping. Were able to do more every week.

This group has embraced training more than any Ive seen, Dalton added.

Tennis balls and water jugs

Charley Rossi doesnt play tennis but the rising South Fayette senior is using that sports equipment to make a racket on the football field this fall.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Rossi, like most of his teammates and opponents, have been confined by Gov. Tom Wolfs stay-at-home orders and the PIAAs restrictions to not allow formal workouts until at least July 1. Hence, Rossi has resorted to some homespun training methods.

For example, there is the tennis drill. While balancing himself on an exercise balance saucer, Rossi catches tennis balls shot from an apparatus much like a pitching machine.

Its to improve hand/eye coordination, explained Rossi.

The machine is usually housed at the school but because his father, Joe, is the football coach as well as an educator in the school district, he brought it home where it sits in the garage. Rossi says he has used it every day. While his workouts vary, Rossi estimated his minutes have increased exponentially because he has so much free time to train now that hes not in school.

Rossi led the Lions to an eighth straight undefeated conference title, an 11-2 overall record and an appearance in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals in 2019. He had the game-winning TD reception in South Fayettes 31-24 win over Thomas Jefferson as a sophomore in the 2018 WPIAL championship game at Heinz Field.

So Rossi is hard at work on his training for his senior season. He is doing plenty of running. He had that already factored into his plans as he would have competed in track this spring. He looked to lower his 40-yard dash speed to 4.5 by racing in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes as well as relays.

That would have been beneficial to me, he said.

Alas, the PIAA canceled spring sports.

In addition to his sprint workouts, Rossi does endurance running around the steep hills near his home.

Because we have no access to weight rooms and the track at the school, its hard, Rossi said. So Im doing all sorts of things to maintain agility and quickness.

Rossi lunges up hills, utilizes resistance bands and belts in his speed training and he performs change-of-direction drills to replicate the short movements he is required to make on the field. While Rossi has a set of weights with a few dumbbells, he sometimes fills jugs of water for lifting.

There are ways to improvise, he said. Kids are getting creative everywhere so there is no reason to make excuses or drop off with workouts. We are all in the same situation. So we have to focus on the positive.

O-R sports editor Chris Dugan, assistant sports editor Joe Tuscano and The Alamnac sports editor Eleanor Bailey contributed to this story.

See more here:
The trouble with training: Pandemic forces athletes to get creative with workouts - Observer-Reporter

Five days a week in what was the carriage house on the former Hewlett Estate is a hive of activity as the small building on the Hewlett High School campus is home to the Center for Adult Life Enrichment.

Known as CALE to its nearly 300 members, what was once the Five Towns Seniors Center, caters to an active group of older adults from the Five Towns and surrounding South Shore communities. Offering an assortment of activities, programs and services, CALE provides what it calls a home away from home for its members.

Like nearly every other entity, CALE has closed during the coronavirus health crisis because of the social distancing mandates. However, that does not translate into not doing anything. Executive Director Lee Gerardi said that she has been at the center doing what needs to be done and it is sad that there is no one else there with her.

I am keeping up with my member and vendor community, she said. I check on them by a call or a social distance visit, email and when feasible I drop off something helpful. My heart is for them, especially at this unimaginable moment.

Two of the more active CALE members are Lawrence resident Claire Ganzfried and Stanley Brill, who lives in North Woodmere. Ganzfried, 86, led programs on exercise and crossword puzzles before the center shutdown because of the virus.

Ive been doing my exercise program that Im accustomed to and led two times a week, she said. I do crossword puzzles two, three, four times a day. I have a lot of crossword books. Its a lot of fun, I watch reruns of TV shows I never watched. I keep up on CALE members and make sure they are OK. My family is very good to me they leave things on the porch.

Brill, 91, said he was fine staying in the house, as initially he had plenty of food stored in his home for a winter that never came. His family leaves food outside in brown paper bags and he retrieves the items.

Im not scared, Im cautious, listening to what the instructions are, I do have a mask and wear gloves, he said. Im on the computer and on the piano Im not that good at it, I fool around. Crossword puzzles pretty much keeps me busy and the computer work for the center. Lets hope its a temporary situation.

Gerardi has Brill doing the centers May and June calendars, along with its Centerpiece newsletter. My days are either busy or still or fixated on the news and journaling all for future reference, she said. Praying and worshiping with my friends and spiritual community. Very grateful for technology. Not enjoying food shopping these days, yet appreciative for the senior hours now that I turned 60, adding laughter to what continues to be a sobering situation.

For more information on the Center for Adult Life Enrichment, go to hw-cale.com or call (516) 374-4747.

More here:
Keeping CALE going and seniors busy amid the Covid-19 pandemic - liherald

For many, the aging process has a way of slowing down the active lifestyle we grew up accustomed to living. This makes improving health an important issue for those in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and above. Many of us are facing role reversals by taking care of our precious parents who noticeably have slowed down because of their ages.

For many, the aging process has a way of slowing down the active lifestyle we grew up accustomed to living. This makes improving health an important issue for those in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and above. Many of us are facing role reversals by taking care of our precious parents who noticeably have slowed down because of their ages.

So whether we stay health and nutrition conscious for ourselves, parents, or kids, it is definitely an important time to take a serious look at it, move it to the top of the priority list, and continue to take proactive steps to improve it as we go through the next active 50-70 years of our lives.

Physical fitness and proper nutrition for the body is like getting a full tank of good gas, an oil change, and tune-up for a car engine. It enables us to perform up to our full potential. It gives us the ability to handle daily tasks vigorously and alertly, and still have enough energy left over for enjoying leisure activities that we love, as well as dealing with emergency situations in our lives that we hate. Improved fitness and nutrition provides our body and mind the support to withstand stress, to carry on in circumstances where an unfit person would no longer be able to continue. It is simply a major basic for good health and well-being.

Physical fitness involves the performance of the heart, lungs, and muscles. Keeping our bodies physically fit also has a major impact on blood flow to the brain, which can affect what we can do with our minds, mental alertness, and emotional stability. As we all know to well, life can bring challenges that require us to be healthy and strong to handle them positively!

Always start your fitness programs by first seeing a doctor! They can evaluate your current status, and provide vital advice to best suit you, and finally continue to monitor and check your progress later into the program. Most older people-even with disabilities-can take part in moderate exercise programs with guidance, and everyone can, and absolutely should include a solid nutrition program. People who exercise are also less likely to suffer from fractures and injury due to accidents. Exercise, proper nutrition, and hydration must become one of the things you do without question, just like bathing and brushing your teeth.

Another area of concern as we age is gaining weight around the belly. Not only is it unattractive weight, but it is very unhealthy. For every inch your waistline exceeds the size of your chest it increases the risk factors for life. As we age this task of increasing inches in the middle happens so effortlessly. This is not good because lack of exercise and a weak abdomen can interfere with proper functioning of the organs inside it, and from facilitating movements of the trunk and legs; the stomach muscles provide protection for the liver, kidneys, and pancreas.

Sitting gives stomach muscles little to do, and so they weaken. And because sitting gives the rest of our bodies little to do, we fatten. It is a vicious cycle: As our increasing waistline makes movement more difficult, movement begins to decrease, and less movement means fewer calories are burned. Fewer calories burned means more calories stored around the middle. So the answer is come on baby boomers, lets get ourselves and our families up and moving towards improved health now!

Patience is the key here. You cant gain in a few days or weeks what you have lost in years of aging, but you can get your flexibility, muscle strength, and endurance back if you slowly and consistently persevere as a way of life. This translates into an active and more vibrant quality of life for all of our living years! We can do this!

Until next week, please make it a healthy and nutritious day! For more information on starting your nutrition for better health, fitness, and weight loss, contact Reggie at Reggies Personal Training & Nutrition, 104 E. Main, Downtown Shawnee, (405) 613-0237. Message Reggie on Facebook at Reggies personal training & nutrition!

Reggie Grovey is a local 21-year fitness professional and nationally certified personal trainer and Advocare Nutrition independent distributor.

Original post:
Combat aging with good health, nutrition and fitness habits - Examiner Enterprise

Staying in is no excuse to stop staying fit or worse, put on the quarantine 15 from binge-eating while binge-watching as you shelter in place.

And now millions of people are looking for ways to also work out from home. Online orders for fitness equipment such as kettlebells, dumbbells and treadmills saw a 55% boost in the week spanning March 1115 compared to the 10 days before, according to Adobe Analytics new Digital Economy Index released on Tuesday.

So gym chains such as Planet Fitness PLNT, +12.91% have been jumping on the home sweat sessions bandwagon such as streaming free exercise classes on Facebook FB, +1.69% or Google-owned GOOG, +1.56% YouTube.

Related:Gym is allegedly collecting monthly fees even though its closed during the coronavirus outbreak, lawsuit claims

And brands such as Peloton PTON, -7.86% and DailyBurn that were already streaming workouts on demand are suddenly, well, in demand. March downloads of the Peloton app which offers yoga and body strength classes if you dont have the $2,000-plus stationary bike are five times higher than Februarys, according to data from Sensor Tower.

Read more:Peloton is clearly benefiting from global quarantines, new data show

Peloton isnt the only wellness brand experiencing a pandemic bump. A rep from Daily Burn, which provides workout and nutrition programs via apps, told MarketWatch that it has seen a 268% year-over-year increase in new members in the week ending March 27. Yoga app Down Dog told MarketWatch that 400,000 people have signed up for free memberships in the last two weeks ending March 27; 100,000 came from Spain, Italy and France, the three European countries hit hardest by COVID-19. Nike NKE, +4.18% also reported that its workout apps weekly active users in China were up 80% by the end of the quarter (while people were isolated at home) compared with the beginning of it.

The good news for consumers: Most of these workouts are free for the time being, with boutique fitness brands extending their free trial periods or waiving their fees entirely while many countries including the U.S. call on residents to shelter in place or quarantine themselves.

So here are 14 free workouts that you can try via streaming services and wellness apps.

PELOTON: While better known for its spin classes, Peloton also offers thousands of strength, yoga, stretching, boot camp and cardio workouts on its app, as well as meditation exercises and outdoor running coaching, which dont require any expensive equipment. Peloton has extended its 30-day free trial period to 90 days, which you can sign up for through April 30. After that, youll pay $12.99 a month.

SOULCYCLE: The coronavirus has pumped the breaks on SoulCycles spin classes, but its instructors are offering free workouts off the bike on their individual Instagram accounts, including dance and body weight movement classes. See the full list here.

NIKE TRAINING CLUB: The athletic giant has waived the $14.99 a month fee for its premium service indefinitely. Now, downloading the app grants people access to more than 185 free workouts (yoga, cardio and more) which last from 15 to 45 minutes, as well as targeted running training programs, nutrition and wellness guidance.

DAILY BURN: Stream thousands of yoga, barre, Pilates, cardio, strength training and high intensity workouts as well as specialized sessions for women who are pregnant or postpartum over your smart TV or laptop. Daily Burn is currently extending its 30-day free trial to 60 days, with premium access to all new members to boot. After that, its $14.95 a month for the Basic subscription, $19.95 for Premium, and members can cancel anytime. Paying members who have been financially affected by COVID-19 can also email support@dailyburn.com to add a free month to their account.

PLANET FITNESS: While the gym chain is closed, its offering free 20-minute at-home workouts which its calling Home Work-Ins on its company Facebook page. They are open to nonmembers and members alike.

COREPOWER YOGA: The countrys largest yoga studio chain is giving everyone free access to a collection of online classes while its 200 locations are closed. (In-person classes generally cost $26 apiece.) CorePower Yoga On Demand will also post new classes online each week, including meditation sessions to clear your head.

BARRYS BOOTCAMP: Work up a sweat with free, 20-minute versions of Barrys Bootcamps signature cardio and strength-training classes on Instagram. The studio is posting three workouts a day, which will be announced the day before through Instagram Stories under the @barrys handle, so you can mark your calendar.

RUMBLE: You can also get ready to rumble with these free boxing-inspired fitness classes on Instagram each morning. Turn on post notifications for @doyourumble, so youll get an alert when the classes are about to go live (generally at 8 a.m. ET).

CENTR BY CHRIS HEMSWORTH: Train like Thor, but without paying an ungodly sum. The Avengers star is offering a free seven-day trial on his new Centr fitness and meal plan app. After that, the subscription plan runs $10 a month if you drop $120 for a full-year membership. Workouts cover high-intensity interval training (HIIT), boxing, yoga, strength training, MMA and more.

DOWN DOG: This family of yoga apps, including Down Dog, Yoga for Beginners, HIIT, Barre, and 7 Minute Workout, will be free until May 1. But students and teachers, as well as health care professionals fighting coronavirus, will have free access until July 1. Otherwise, memberships run $7.99 a month, or $49.99 a year.

305 FITNESS: Dance it out like nobodys watching with free cardio routines and movement classes on the 305 Fitness YouTube page every day at 6 p.m. ET. They also keep updating a list of their upcoming digital events here.

BARRE3: Bring the ballet studio into your home with unlimited classes in strength conditioning, cardio and mindfulness that aim to restore balance to your body. Barre3 is offering a 15-day free trial, and 10% off all props if you want to add resistance bands and core balls to your home gym. After that, the subscription runs $29 a month.

FITON: This fitness app always has free workouts, including some led by celebrity exercise coaches such as actress Gabrielle Union and Queer Eyes Jonathan Van Ness. Classes include cardio, strength, HIIT, dance and Pilates classes, plus sessions tailored to prenatal and postnatal workouts. But upgrading to FitOn PRO ($69.99 a year) includes personalized meal plans, more than 500 recipes and unlimited offline downloads.

P.VOLVE: Draw on more than 200 videos streaming high-intensity, low-impact workouts to strengthen and tone the body in small spaces and with limited-to-no equipment. P.volve is offering a free 14-day trial; after that, the subscription runs $19.99 a month. To start streaming for free, click here and enter the promo code OnePvolve.

Read this article:
Fight the quarantine 15 with free workouts from Peloton, Nike and others to help you stay active - MarketWatch

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