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Two girls proudly stand at the finish line of the Girls on the Run 5K last fall after completing the race. Contributed photo.

As youth sports continue to be hampered by a global pandemic, the need for exercise and interaction among children is considered to be at an all-time high.

Girls on the Run Philadelphia is hoping to fill that void locally.

Through physical activity and positive youth development, the organization is helping young females strengthen both mind and body through fun exercises and mentoring.

I think its very important all the time, said Heather Plastaras, program coordinator for Girls on the Run Philadelphia. Its even more important now since girls have been isolated and not forming the connections that are so important for this age group. Its a time in life when these girls want to feel especially connected to their peers.

Girls on the Run serves girls from third to eighth grades, providing an outlet for physical activities like running while emphasizing healthy mental aspects. Philadelphias chapter of Girls on the Run joined the national initiative in 2012 and has fall and spring programs throughout the city, including South Philadelphia.

The eight-week 2020 fall season is set to begin on Sept. 21. There are more than 100 sites citywide, including locations in Bella Vista, Point Breeze and Queen Village in South Philly. There are also citywide virtual sites for those who would prefer to take part via the internet.

We have several teams that are going to be virtual to allow kids to participate from anywhere, Plastaras said. You can have girls from all over the city to come together. Its pretty cool to be able to offer both the virtual team as well as the hyperlocal neighborhood teams that can meet in-person.

Whether its through a computer screen, or through live instruction, girls will take part in activities that combine a physical task with a mental health theme for example, a brisk run with a theme of gratitude. Girls will take part in a run and then discuss things in their life that they are grateful for.

Other exercise themes include positive talk, dealing with emotions and healthy relationships. Each team of girls is led by several coaches and after each activity, girls regroup and discuss things they learned. The physical activities are based on what each individual is comfortable doing. They will set goals throughout the program to hopefully heighten their physical abilities.

It doesnt have to be running, Plastaras said. It can be walking, skipping or cartwheeling. Ive seen all different varieties of active motion. As youre working out, there is some thinking and connecting to the lesson going on.

Activities are compiled by well-trained coaches and staff who are experts in several fields. The program concludes with all participants completing a celebratory 5K event.

Our staff and coaches are ready to bring critical social-emotional programming to Philadelphias girls at a time when they need it the most, said Colleen Kelly Howard, executive director. We have adapted based on the recommendations of local health officials and decisions of local governments and school districts. Our fluid model will work completely in person, completely virtual or can seamlessly transition between the two as needed.

Registration for the season is available at https://www.gotrphiladelphia.org/. This year, Girls on the Run Philadelphia will offer a flexible programming model to accommodate the changing and unpredictable school year due to the pandemic. If schools and sites are in session, afterschool programming will be delivered over usual with the addition of enhanced safety measures including physical distancing modifications. Should a school or site close for health reasons, the program will be transitioned to a virtual model, with lessons that mirror the in-person program.

Regardless, in a short time, girls will be on the run.

Obviously, running is something easy to do in a distanced fashion, Plastaras said. From the get-go, its been one of the sports thats been deemed the lowest risk (during the pandemic). The Health Department has said running is one of the things they will allow teams to do.

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Girls on the Run Philadelphia filling void for youth sports - South Philly Review

GREENFIELD The Senior Center has started to reopen, but slowly and in phases, its director says.

Hope Macary said the Senior Center recently started welcoming back Greenfield seniors to its foot-care program, but only by appointment and one at a time in the building. She said seniors can return Sept. 21 to classes and programs that are by reservation, with up to 10 people being allowed at a time. Those include a writersgroup, sewing and knitting groups, a creative coloring group and Book Chat.

While the building at 35 Pleasant St. has been closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the center has been doing lots of curbside, Macary said, including grab-and-go lunches, monthly brown bag food distributions and distributions of protein boxes. Additionally, the citys Emergency Operations Center set up in the center early in the springbut left a few weeks ago.

While some seniors have said they arent ready to return to in-person activities, Macary said others have been itching to do so. About 80 percent of the Senior Centers roughly 3,000 members are Greenfield residents, and the rest come from other Franklin County towns, as well as Northampton.

Throughout the pandemic, weve had 50 to 60 people picking up lunch every Wednesday and Thursday, she said. Its very good for them. Even if its a quick smile and we can all tell, even though were wearing masks a hello does good for them and us. What we dont want is for seniors to feel isolated. Thats not healthy.

Macary said the brown bag distribution has happened monthly for decades. Currently, its a collaboration of the Council on Aging, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and the Medical Reserve Corps, which has been sending volunteers the first Thursday of every month throughout the pandemic. She said people must register with the food bank (413-247-9738 or foodbankwma.org) to participate in the program and must be income-qualified.

The center has also partnered with LifePath to provide protein boxes.

We offer 10-pound boxes of frozen protein, like sausage, cheese and chicken, Macary said. This happens once every two months. We did it twice this summer and gave away 1,000 pounds each time.

Macary said the centers work never ended during the pandemic, but the doors had to close to keep everyone safe. The center serves people ages 55 and up, one of the populations that is most vulnerable to COVID-19.

When seniors return, they will return wearing masks, Macary said. Well take all the precautions. Well have groups in the morning and again in the afternoon. There will be a break between so we can clean and disinfect.

Macary said Senior Center staff members and volunteers have been calling seniors at home since the building closed. After checking on everyone early on, they asked who would like to receive weekly calls. They continue to call about 100 people weekly.

To start reopening, Macary said, staff members are bringing back programs that allow people to maintain social distancing.

We wont be able to bring back things like card games and Mahjong, because they have to be in too close contact, she noted.

The center will continue to provide some outdoor activities, including concerts in the parking lot and lawn exercise.

Plans for reopening fully, once the pandemic has passed, are ongoing. Macary said everyone, from Senior Center staff and volunteersto city officials and members, are involved in discussions about how that will happen.

This is a group effort, she said. Were so lucky to have this new building, though. The HVAC system is state of the art, and the air exchange happens several times an hour, so its one of the safest places you can be, except for home.

Macary said the center also offers online programs, so seniors who have computers and internet can participate from home. One concern she has is that not all have computers or internet access, or the knowledge of how to use them.

Loneliness can be very bad for their health, she said. If you can take a virtual tour of a museum or do some armchair travel, it isnt quite so bad. Thats something Id like to see looked at for our seniors.

Macary said in-person classes and activities, though, have much greater attendance than those online.

When we have an in-person class, weve had up to 40 people take it, she said. The same instructors give the same class online and we get one or two people in attendance.

If there is another surge of COVID-19 in the fall, Macary said the center wont hesitate to close again.

Were keeping an eye on public health metrics, she said. Were very closely connected to the local Board of Health. It reviews our plans, helps us tweak things and is just so helpful. If the numbers start going in the wrong direction, well be on top of it.

Macary, who is a registered nurse, said she will lead the Senior Center through these times and be ready to make hard decisions.

Were ready to rise to the occasion and do right by everyone, she said. Were ready to meet the future and whatever it brings.

For more information, call 413-772-1517 or visit bit.ly/35n3ZQn.

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Greenfield Senior Center reopening slowly, with programs by reservation - The Recorder

Above: Zoom sessions offered by the Senior Center this month include Chair Yoga and a presentation from an author/expert on managing your memory. (images L-R from Reber Yoga and Amazon)

As I shared earlier, the Southborough Senior Center is holding programs over zoom for current members of the Friends of the Council on Aging.* In this post, Ill focus on classes related to improving health and wellness. Programs include two meant to help seniors exercise their bodies (Yoga and Stretch Class) and one to exercise their memories.

For all of the program below, pre-registration is required through theSenior Center at 508-229-4453. (Sign up opened yesterday morning.)For the exercise classes, payments should be mailed in prior to the start of the first class. (The memory program is free of charge.)

Monday and Wednesdays at 10:15 am September 21st through October 28th. (No class on Columbus Day, October 12th)Suggested Donation for the six week session is $33.00

The stretch class consists of mat based (and standing as well), flexibility, mobility and stability exercises.Participants should have a chair, pillow or strap (can be a necktie or belt). Props will be utilized for a complete and total body functional class.

It is pitched as for seniors at all fitness levels, but there are some caveats. You must be able to get onto the floor/mat and back up, plus bear weight on hands and knees in a tabletop position. If you have any orthopedic issues, please discuss them with instructor before taking the class so she can adapt any necessary modifications for you. (The Senior Center can help you get in touch to discuss concerns.)

The class is led by Instructor Sharon Longo, who has been teaching and training for over 30 years. (For more details see image right.)

Thursdays at 1:00 2:00 pm from September 24th through October 29thSuggested Donation for the six week session is $18

A 6-week Yoga class for beginners to more experienced yogis.

Have fun while enjoying the benefits of movement, calming the mind, and relaxation. Stretch, twist and lengthen your bodies through a series of easy to follow repetitive movements. Combine with inhales and exhales, working with props to get the most out of every movement. The class begins with a medication and gentle warm-up to an easy flow of postures (depending on experience level) and ending in a final relasation of Savasana.

The class is led by Instructor Rebecca Reber, who has been practicing yoga for about 15 years. (For more details see image right.)

Tuesday, September 29 at 3:00 pm Free program

Presentation by the author of Seven Steps to Managing Your Memory: Whats Normal, Whats Not, and What to Do About It.

Dr. Andrew Budson will explain how individuals can distinguish changes in memory due to Alzheimers versus normal aging, what medications, vitamins, diets, and exercise regimes can help, and the best habits, strategies, and memory aids to use, in seven simple steps.

Educated at Haverford College and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Budson is the Chief of Cognitive & Behavioral Neurology at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Director of Education at the Boston University Alzheimers Disease Center, Professor of Neurology at Boston University, and a Lecturer in Neurology at Harvard Medical School.

*The Senior Center newsletter explains that they can only take registrations from current members of Friends of COA. They wont begin accepting new members until October. (See blurb right from the newsletter.)

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Friends of COA invited to stretch their bodies and/or manage their memories - mysouthborough

HOUSTON (Sept. 11, 2020) TheYMCA of Greater Houstonhas recently introducedForeverWell, a new era of programming for members ages 55 and better. The program allows for a more inclusive community while staying healthy, active and connected through activities helping maintain a healthy spirit, mind and body and making this chapter in life the best one yet.

The YMCA of Greater Houstons new ForeverWell program features learning opportunities, future social events and more in efforts to help alleviate heightened social isolation.Learning opportunitiesinclude in-person and virtual art classes, cooking classes, health seminars and various online classes via virtual learning.Social eventswill be available in the near future and includeDancing with the Silver Stars*, luncheons*, holiday and special events, and Zoom meetups. Members can also participate in funday or overnight trips*, including in-person and virtual day trips, Be a Kid Again at YMCA Camp Cullen, cruises and international travel.

The ForeverWell program also includes a variety of group exercise classessuch as yoga, low impact, water exercise and more. All group exercise classes will serve a variety of self-paced exercises perfect for any member. Additional classes for balance and dance will be coming October 2020.

This new program has been carefully designed by the YMCA of Greater Houstons team to help encourage the mindset and opportunity to be well forever, states Elena Dinkin, ForeverWell Director for the YMCA of Greater Houston. These programs and classes will cover a wider variety of interests and intensity levels, be a mixture of in-person and virtual, and provide a variety of opportunities to engage with a diverse community.

All YMCA of Greater Houston locations will host in-person ForeverWell program activities with the option of virtual classes for those who are not yet comfortable with in-person visits and group classes. In order to participate, an active YMCA of Greater Houston membership is required with options available for individuals and couples. Financial assistance is available.

For more information about the YMCA of Greater Houston or ways to get involved, please visitwww.ymcahouston.org,andfollow the organization on Facebook@YMCAHoustonand Instagram@YMCAHouston.

*For the health and safety of our YMCA family and due to the current pandemic, some of our programs are on hold.We look forward to returning to a full calendar of activities just as soon as it is safe to do so.

The Paper's Corporate Sponsors for 2020 are: Entergy and Methodist Hospital The Woodlands

Advertise 30 days in The Paper For only $50 Reserve your space by calling 832-296-6887

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YMCA of Greater Houston Enhances Programs with ForeverWell | The Paper Magazine -Covering The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe & North Houston Areas -...

We all make bad decisions sometimes. The role of behavioral scientists is to understand why we make these poor choices and develop policies to help us make better ones.

With a Nobel Prize for Richard Thalers work on individual decision-making and runaway bestseller status for books like Daniel Kahnemans Thinking, Fast and Slow, behavioral science has garnered wide and growing attention. More than 200 government teams around the world now work on applying behavioral science to develop, test, and scale new interventions. The work of these Nudge Units demonstrates that even small, inexpensive changes in how information is conveyed can induce large changes in behavior.

The current evidence suggests that our brains are susceptible to overreacting to present temptations. Making it easier or more attractive to choose actions associated with longer-term benefits can help realize those benefits. Another behavioral barrier is that our brains tend to rely too much on routine or on whats top of mind. Having access to wise advice or salient alternative options can also help. Stress, uncertainty, complexity, and social influences exacerbate the biases that lead to bad choices.

Education was one of the last areas of public policy to receive attention from behavioral scientists. That is surprising given youths predisposition to instant gratification, in tension with the important long-term impacts of their education-related decisions.

The first behavioral experiment in education may have been conducted by Justine Hastings and Jeff Weinstein. They examined the impact of mailing families in North Carolina a list of possible schools children could attend along with corresponding test-score performance information. They compared that to allowing the families to access the information independently by internet. The simplified and more salient information led to a significant increase in the number of families who applied to schools outside their catchment area and an increase in test scores among children who moved.

Around the same time, Susan Dynarski and Judith Scott-Clayton pointed out the complexity of the U.S. Free Application for Federal Student Aid and suggested that the many hurdles required to complete the application may significantly slow the application process, or even prevent some from applying at all. Eric Bettinger, Bridget Long, Lisa Sanbonmatsu, and I put this theory to the test by teaming up with H&R Block, a large tax preparation company. After helping low-income clients complete their annual returns, tax professionals invited those who were potentially interested in college to remain for a few minutes to participate in a study (and receive $20). One group received a general informational brochure about college, a second group received a personalized report of eligible federal grant and loan aid against tuition costs of nearby colleges, and a third group received the brochure and the report, plus assistance in completing the FAFSA for themselves or for their children about to graduate from high school. Much of the data needed to complete the form was already collected from completing the tax return, so the process to complete the FAFSA took only about an additional 10 minutes. While the information treatment had no impact, the personalized assistance increased FAFSA filing and college enrollment the following year. For the high school sample, enrollment increased by 8 percentage points, to 42 percent from 34 percent.

Another notable early nudging success was achieved by Benjamin Castleman and Lindsay Page, who showed that simply sending a series of text message reminders of key tasks to complete over the summer to recent high school graduates and their parents can help keep college-accepted youth on track to begin their program in the fall. College enrollment was 4 to 7 percentage points higher for students who received the text messages, relative to a randomized control group who did not.

The field of behavioral science applied to education has since exploded, with efforts to improve not only college application rates, enrollment, and completion, but many other outcomes such as class attendance, field of study, school breakfast, school choice (choosing two-year versus four-year colleges, for example, or more selective schools), scholarship receipt, on-time graduation, grade point average, study effort, study time, student attendance at faculty office-hours or take-up of other services, loan repayment, and earlier childhood outcomes such as literacy, numeracy, and executive functioning. However, the results have not always been encouraging. Many recent studies of nudges with large samples that stick to a pre-analysis plan or attempt to scale earlier interventions find tiny or no effects. Some areas of focus, such as nudging parents, show more promise, whereas others, like trying to improve test scores or adopt better learning habits, show less.

This article takes stock of where the field of behavioral science applied to education policy seems to be at, which avenues seem promising and which ones seem like dead ends. I present below a curated set of studies rather than an exhaustive literature review, categorizing interventions by whether they nudge (keep options intact) or shove (restrict choice), and whether they apply a high touch or a low touch (whether they use face-to-face interaction or not). I argue that we should continue to make administrative processes in education easier, information more salient, and communication more friendly. The cost for many low-touch nudges, such as changing the content of a letter or sending an email reminder, are small enough to merit doing even if the impact might be zero. In cases where financial and nuisance costs matter more, replication studies and iterating over what works best (a process sometimes referred to as A/B testing) can further help decide what interventions are worth scaling. But we should not expect this kind of tinkering to serve as a panacea for education policys key challenges. The current evidence suggests that we could make better progress by adding more choice-limiting scaffolding to a youths routine, like restricted screen time and mandated tutoring, and by focusing on children at younger ages, when preferences and behavioral traits are more malleable.

Nudging and Shoving, High-Touch and Low-Touch

It helps to think about behavioral interventions based on whether they nudge or shove and whether they use a high touch or a low touch.

A nudge is a subtle adjustment to an individuals environment to steer the person towards a more desirable outcome while not meaningfully altering options or costs. The underlying principle for nudging is to make it easy. Defaultsautomatically selecting individuals into one choice option if no action is takenare among the most influential ways to nudge. For example, opting individuals into organ donation programs and employer retirement savings programs, with the option to opt out, has been shown to dramatically increase take-up. Changing the default, however, is not always possible or practical for the outcome of interest. For example, defaulting high school seniors into being enrolled in college would be administratively complex, require guessing which school and program would be best, and offer no guarantee that the students would show up to campus. More common nudges use marketing techniques, such as simplifying take-up procedures, sending reminders, or providing information through text, email, signs, or phone calls.

Unlike a nudge, a shove restricts an individuals set of options to steer the person towards more desirable outcomes. Requiring workers to participate in a government retirement benefits program by taxing them is a type of shove because no opt-out option exists. Banning large containers of soda is a shove. Requiring students to attend school is also a shove. Restricting choice can occur more indirectly from deciding how to structure an individuals scheduleespecially a childs schedule. For example, I consider the act of parents planning their childs weekend a shove. Teachers who decide what and how to teach also restrict how students spend their time.

How can parents, teachers, and policymakers know which behaviors are more desirable? They cannot. It is impossible to know for sure whether an individuals own inclination stems from a behavioral mistake or from carefully weighing long-term costs and benefits. At least with nudges, individuals are still free to choose, an argument originally made by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. Nevertheless, nudges and shoves both aim to alter behavior. The choice architect must explicitly or implicitly decide in which direction to steer to try to make individuals better off. The consequences of steering in the wrong direction, and how many people might fall into this category, should be taken into account.

Take the case of going to college: we cant be sure everyone benefits. Indeed, many who drop out probably dont. On the other hand, we think some high school students, especially those from more disadvantaged backgrounds who receive less support from parents and schools, miss out on college and its benefits because of application barriers. Evidence suggests that making the application process easier can cause more people to attend. Should we support a scale-up of this effort, or deliberately maintain the status quo? Its a normative question, because neither situation makes everyone better off. A starting point might be to estimate completion effects or predict even longer-term effects. Shoving by making college compulsory does not seem prudent, since it would likely result in many students being unable to complete even their first year. The H&R Block FAFSA nudge found an 8-percentage-point increase in both first- and second-year college enrollment for a sample of high school seniors. A follow-up study, however, estimated that the treatment increased degree completion by only about 4 percentage points, suggesting about half of those nudged into college finished, but half didnt. The dropout rate was the same compared to the control group, reminding us it may be unrealistic to expect that everyone who is nudged will go on to graduate. Still, a tradeoff exists, and we should be aware of our implicit assumptions about who were helping and who were not when nudging or shoving.

Behavioral interventions also differ importantly by whether they are high-touch or low-touch. Researchers sometimes distinguish these two cases based on cost. A more useful, but related, distinction is whether the intervention involves in-person interaction or not. Texting students to remind them to complete the FAFSA is a low-touch nudge. Meeting with them to provide more direct assistance is a high-touch nudge. Encouragement is often more effective if delivered in person than through signage, text, or email. Someone trying to steer another person towards a particular action can express empathy, respond to questions, and use body language or facial expressions. A person can even be the intervention by providing guidance or advice (as a coach, caseworker, or parent, for example). High-touch nudges make it easier to receive in-person interaction. High-touch shoves make them mandatory. Requiring students to meet with a guidance counselor is an example of a high-touch shove. These kinds of interventions are expensive, and their success likely depends on the quality and frequency of the in-person interaction. Not all researchers would consider these more intensive programs nudges, though I think they should, because, as with low-touch nudges, the programs also aim to lower behavioral barriers and influence individuals towards more desirable behavior.

Low-Touch Nudges

For years, corporations have been using low-touch nudges to influence consumers. Governments and nonprofits have since embraced many of these approaches to nudge for good. Hundreds of nudge experiments have now been conducted, allowing researchers to take a step back and consider their overall success. A meta-analysis by Stefano DellaVigna and Elizabeth Linos of all 126 low-touch nudge experiments (except defaults), covering two of the largest government Nudge Units in the United States, found an average impact on program take-up of 1.4 percentage points and a median impact of 0.5 percentage points. This average impact represents an increase of only 8.1 percent over the share of the control group that exhibited the nudged behavior, which was 17.2 percentage points on average. Most of the interventions, therefore, generated only small or no effects. The study also documents severe publication bias among university-based experiments, with only 10 percent of experiments with insignificant effects getting reported in academic journals. The true number of studies that estimate no impact from nudging efforts may therefore be considerably larger than what gets reported, perhaps because editors are less likely to accept such studies or researchers are less excited about documenting a failed effort to nudge.

In terms of low-touch nudges in education policy specifically, overall effectiveness appears to be on par with what DellaVigna and Linos find for behavioral interventions across all policy areas. Some education nudges lead to small but cost-effective achievement gains (at least in the short term), while others generate precisely estimated null effects. Understanding when and under which circumstances low-touch nudges work may be the next frontier of this research.

A popular low-touch nudge in education is trying to increase college enrollment and persistence. A recent study finds that using an artificially intelligent text-message chatbot to support incoming undergraduates proactively increased on-time enrollment by 3.3 percentage points. Leveraging technology may therefore be a promising avenue for offering more personalization while keeping costs low.

Encouraging college students to maximize financial aid, including taking out loans, may also be a promising initiative. One study found that randomly including loan offers when sending grant-aid award letters increased borrowing, subsequent GPA, credits completed, and transfers to four-year public colleges. Conversely, a text-message outreach campaign to college student-loan applicants about both costs and benefits of loans reduced borrowing, led to worse academic achievement, and lowered persistence. Longer-term research is needed to explore impacts of these kinds of nudges on persistence without graduation, repayment, and eventual labor-market outcomes.

Another set of recent interventions tries to nudge graduating high school students from low-income backgrounds into more selective colleges with higher graduation rates. Susan Dynarski and her colleagues identified a sample of these students with high enough SAT scores to qualify for likely admission into the University of Michigan. The authors arranged for the university to mail a random subset of these students personally addressed packages promising free tuition if accepted (which most would have qualified for anyway) and a cover letter from the president encouraging them to apply. Letters and emails were also sent to the students parents and principals. Compared to the control group, who received only postcards with application deadlines, the application, enrollment, and persistence rates of students in the experimental group more than doubled.

In a related study, tens of thousands of high-achieving, low-income high school students across the United States were mailed packages with information and encouragement to consider selective in- and out-of-state colleges, along with waivers to apply to selective institutions without paying application fees. Enrollment in selective institutions increased to 34 percent from 29 percent. However, in an attempt to scale up this promising study, researchers at the College Board randomized 785,000 graduating high school students from low- to middle-income backgrounds, sending some carefully constructed personalized packages with easy-to-read information on a set of personalized safety, match, and reach colleges, along with simplified cost information and encouragement to apply. A subset also received text messages and was offered phone-based college advising. More than one third of treated students viewed specific materials provided for them on the College Boards website, but none of the various treatments generated significant average effects on enrollment or measures of college quality.

Many other recent attempts to test large-scale nudges found precisely estimated null effects. One of them randomized 800,000 students that registered for an online account with either the Common Application or a large state-sponsored portal for applying to college. The study examined several efforts to encourage early or any FAFSA completion, including by email, text message, and mail, varying the frequency, timing, and presentation of the messages. None of the interventions increased financial aid receipt, college enrollment, or persistence. In another attempt, researchers emailed information about tax credits for college tuition payments to more than one million students who had accessed Texas main website for applying to a public university or community college. They varied whether the outreach discussed costs of college, benefits of college, or neither; the number of tax benefits described; and the amount of detail about the benefits and how to claim them. None of the emails affected college enrollment or reenrollment.

Social-Psychology Nudges

In addition to targeting specific external actions, such as completing a college application, behavioral scientists also try to nudge internal feelings and beliefs to improve longer-term education outcomes. In one study, reading a story to preschoolers about a character who struggled with waiting but eventually found it energizing increased childrens own ability to wait longer for a larger candy reward. According to another study, assigning middle schoolers to think and write about their core values during a series of 15-minute exercises increased academic achievement for minority students and their later college enrollment by more than 10 percentage points(!). A third example found that a detailed two-hour goal-setting exercise increased struggling college students GPAs by 0.8 points, more than half of a standard deviation. The sizes of these effects are off the charts, even compared to programs that cost thousands of dollars per student, but they are estimated using small samples.

If administering a couple of exercises lasting less than a few hours can consistently generate even small long-term impacts, we shouldnt hold back from providing them to every student in the country. The time and monetary costs are small. The likelihood of causing long-term harm seems small, as well. We could even iterate over time on what works best, testing each intervention against a newer edition to boost benefits and experience over time.

That was generally the idea when I created the Student Achievement Lab with Uros Petronijevic in 2014. For six years, partnering with several other colleagues, we teamed up with first-year college instructors across six campuses to make a mandatory short online warm-up exercise that almost every student completed for a participation grade. We started by creating a goal-setting exercise similar to the one mentioned above and added a second treatment, sending additional motivational text messages throughout the year. We found no effects. We worked with leading social psychologists to develop interventions to help students develop more positive perspectives on facing challenging course material (a growth mindset) and more patient views on assimilating into campus socially (a belonging mindset). We found no effects. We created online exercises to encourage better study habits, more study time, more use of student services and office hours, and a healthier, more patient attitude towards school. We also added one- and two-way text-message coaching. With a combined sample of more than 25,000 students, none of the interventions generated significant improvement in student grades or persistence, whether for the full sample or for sub-samples of students more at risk of poor performance.

We started the Student Achievement Lab hoping to provide evidence towards supporting at least some nudges worth scaling. Not being able to recommend continuing any of the 15 warm-up exercises we tested was disappointing. Based on the inspiring open-ended responses we received from students, and the positive coach-student interactions we observed, we felt at the time that the interventions were working well. They did improve students sense of support from the university and proxy measures of mental health a little, but they had no detectable impact on academics. Nudging to affect habits, feelings, thoughts, and beliefs may therefore be less effective than nudging specific one-time actions. Lindsay Page, Jeonghyun Lee, and Hunter Gelbach, who tested a text-message support program for undergraduates, came to the same conclusion. Their chatbot was effective when targeting specific, time-sensitive actions, like adding or dropping a course by the deadlines, but it had no significant impact on use of student services, credit hours, GPA, or graduation.

Efforts to replicate or scale social psychology nudges aimed at changing attitudes, perspectives, or motivation often lead to inconsistent results, evidence of publication bias, or smaller effects than earlier studies with smaller samples. Two recent studies deserve particular attention for testing interventions that could be implemented at a national level. Ren Kizilcec and colleagues attempted to scale several short, online behavioral interventions similar to those above for more than 250,000 students taking Massive Open Online Courses through Harvard, MIT, and Stanford (for example, asking students to make concrete plans about when and how they will complete coursework, write about their core values and how taking the course reflects and reinforces these values, and reflect on the benefits and barriers to achieving their goals). Although earlier studies with smaller samples showed some of these interventions to have initial promise, none of them were found to have significant persistence effects for this larger sample. In the National Study of Learning Mindsets, thousands of 9th-grade students across 63 high schools were randomly assigned a short growth-mindset intervention. The average students GPA increased 0.05 points, and the course failure rate fell by 2.4 percentage points, with effects concentrated among students from the lower half of preprogram academic scores. While these impacts are small, they are not zero. Given the programs trivial marginal cost, the exercise may be worth offering to all 9th-grade students if benefits persist.

Parent Nudges

Low-touch nudges to parents appear more consistently effective than ones to children. Parents seem to welcome the help. Texting parents suggestions for ways to interact more with children improves early literacy. Providing low-income parents of preschool students tablets with stories to take home, setting weekly reading goals, and sending reminders to the parents doubled the amount of reading time spent on the tablet. Sending middle- or high-school parents automated text messages about their childrens missed assignments, grades, and class absences reduced course failure, increased class attendance, and increased retention. Interestingly, inviting parents to opt in to receiving notices did not lead to large enough take-up to generate the same degree of impact. School administrators need to make the messages opt-out. When they are opt-out, parent text-message information campaigns generate significant gains in education attainment. Social-psychology nudges to parents also look encouraging. In one study, parents were told about the malleability of their childs reading abilities and how to support their child by praising effort rather than performance. Second grade language skills improved two and seven months after parents completed the activity.

High-Touch Nudges

Nudging with in-person support also shows more promise than nudging without it. In the H&R Block FAFSA experiment, providing information and encouragement to apply for college financial aid had no impact on applying or enrollment, while having a tax professional walk someone through the process did. As a follow-up, Reuben Ford and I incorporated the college application process into the high school curriculum, such that graduating seniors were provided in-person assistance over three workshops to help choose a program they would likely get into, apply to that program, and apply for financial aid. College enrollment increased by 5 percentage points overall and by 9 percentage points among those not enrolled in university-track courses.

Easy access to an in-person coach who reaches out to offer support also increases engagement and effectiveness, compared to relying on text-message or email nudges. For example, contacting college students regularly to help set goals, manage time, and work through challenges increased graduation rates by 4 percentage points among nontraditional students at colleges with low levels of completion. Similarly, the sole treatment arm found to be successful at increasing college achievement among the 15 that Uros Petronijevic and I tried at the Student Achievement Lab included proactive upper-year coaching. Reaching out to first-year students and trying to meet weekly significantly increased average GPA scores and persistence, as well as subjective measures of wellbeing. But in terms of scalability, both programs were significantly more expensive than low-touch nudges. The first cost $500 per semester. In the second, one coach could handle only a maximum of 5 students, compared to our (ineffective) text-message coaches who could handle communicating with more than 100 students.

In addition to proactively coaching students, proactively coaching parents can be considered a type of high-touch nudge. In one study, texting parents about their high-school childs performance was not as effective at improving test scores as visiting parents directly to discuss how to interpret the information and offering suggestions for getting students college-ready. Home visits to parents of younger-aged children have generally been found to improve early child development. Offering personal support to parents of preschoolers to help them learn how to be more interactive and engaging also appears to help. All of these programs, however, are substantially more expensive than nudges without a personalized touch.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Making decisions with immediate costs to obtain uncertain long-term incremental benefits is difficult. Whats the big deal about missing one practice, eating one more serving, or waiting one more day? Children and youth especially struggle, in part because their brains are not fully developed, and in part because they often have little experience making such consequential decisions. Behavioral science explores ways to help them by nudging thoughts and actions more likely to generate long-term gains without meaningfully altering up-front costs or options. Applying this research to education has become extremely popular, as nudges are often cheap in terms of both money and time. Removing behavioral barriers could unlock skill development and large lifetime rewards, and even small improvements to education outcomes could be cost effective.

We may, though, want to temper our expectations around the potential for nudging to help address education policys major issues. Low-touch nudges more easily influence one-time actions, such as completing an application or accessing student services, than they influence more ingrained habits or routines. We should continue to test when text messages, reminders, carefully constructed letters, and online exercises generate predictable gains that dont depend on unknown operational details or unknown population differences. So far, major attempts to scale low-touch nudges have found very small or no short-term impacts.

High-touch nudges look more promising. It is perhaps not surprising that person-to-person interactions are more persuasive compared to text messages, email, or mail. Interventions using real people offering up-close help, such as application assistance, coaching, or tutoring, show more consistent positive impacts than low-touch nudges. They are also more expensive, making them a tougher sell to policymakers. Again, more research is needed to demonstrate when the tradeoff is worthwhile. New technologies, allowing for virtual social interactions or artificial intelligence, may help lower costs.

We should also consider shoving over nudging. Shoving restricts options in order to steer individuals towards more desirable behavior. There are some good examples of shoves in education policy: prohibiting the use of smartphones or computers in classrooms; making class attendance mandatory; and imposing homework assignment deadlines spread evenly throughout the term, as opposed to any time before the end of the course. In all three of these cases (evaluated with random assignment), academic grades improved. We dont know for sure whether these restrictions make students better off, but many students would acknowledge the negative behavioral tendencies of checking their phones too often, sleeping in and missing class, or procrastinating on assignments. Shoving, to me, includes teachers choosing class content, schools choosing mandatory courses, and parents arranging childrens routines. The power to organize others daily activities involves high stakes.

Some shoves lead to better outcomes than others. In one study, struggling high school students were given daily in-school delivery of 2-on-1 tutoring from a supportive older peer. The researchers found math grades improved by almost half a standard deviation. In another study, elementary school teachers added into their daily activities a year-long curriculum of videos, case studies, and exercises to emphasize the role of effort in enhancing skills and achieving goals. Standardized math and verbal test scores and measures of executive functioning improved significantly, even measured more than two years after the experiment. A third example is New Yorks Guttman Community College, offering limited-choice programs in which students must enroll full-time, take a fixed set of first-year courses, attend a three-week summer bridge program, and are assigned a student success advocate whose job is to help with the college transition. Structure and scaffolding around daily routines therefore seem to hold promise, but further replication of specific shoves, as well as evaluation of overall costs and benefits, is needed.

Nudging parents and teachers may be more effective than nudging children. Examples include encouraging more regular engagement, advising topics to talk about or teach, and sending information about progress and attendance. Parents and teachers want to help children and are more aware of their own behavioral barriers. They may be more likely to welcome trusted personal assistance, text reminders, or suggestions compared to the children theyre interested in helping. The relatively few studies involving nudging parents consistently document positive effects on learning outcomes. None of them, however, have been examined at scale.

Underlying behavioral barriers are personality traits, such as self-control, motivation, and self-esteem. Rather than trying to steer individuals predisposed to making poor decisions towards actions that are in their long-run best interests, we might make better progress targeting the reasons why such predispositions develop in the first place. To close the education achievement gap and meaningfully improve academic outcomes, we should look more towards shaping personality traits at younger ages. Understanding how may be one of the most important questions for social science.

Philip Oreopoulos is professor of economics at the University of Toronto. A list of references for this article is here.

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Nudging and Shoving Students Toward Success - EducationNext

"The ability to be aware to have compassion; to be confident, but not arrogant; and to take joy in helping to create someone else's success."

Davorka (Dada) Suvak, co-founder and director of Spirit Open Equestrian Program at Frying Pan Park in Herndon, made Equine Assisted Learning a top priority. The programs, available for youth, families and corporate and other groups, each use the interactions between horses and humans to encourage personal growth and development and to improve basic life skills, according to Spirit's website. But after interviewing a few of the teenagers and their parents who participate in the youth program, that barely scratches the surface of the value this program can bring.

Learning basic riding skills, grooming, tacking and barn skills as well as providing assistance for the therapeutic riding program are merely a backdrop for what is happening.

Riders in the Equine Assisted Learning program have significant responsibilities, "We get here before classes start, feed, groom, tack and exercise horses," Meagan Hosker, 16, explained. Best part is getting to hang out with awesome people, like Nicole.

Her mom, Claire, got to the heart of what it has meant as a parent. "The program teaches excellent time management skills without even having them aware. How else would these students be able to accomplish all their successes with higher grades, horse management, other school commitments, and learn and support the Spirit program?"

When therapeutic riding classes are in session, the more experienced EALs side-walk (spotting and/or physically supporting riders), lead horses for riders who are not able to fully control them and some EALs are in training as assistant instructors.

Danielle Springer, who is getting ready to go off to college in the Fall, has watched her sister's joy of therapeutic riding for many years. So a few years ago, when she was looking for an activity for herself, getting involved at Spirit was an obvious choice.

Danielle values having had the opportunity to develop her leadership skills, "I feel like I have the personality for a leader. But I sometimes need help in focusing my attention," she said. "[As an assistant instructor] you have to watch at most five kids [at the same time]," which she acknowledged can be a challenge, "You learn to look at both the small things and the bigger picture." And communication is critical for keeping everyone moving and safe, "You are in charge of the five riders, then you have volunteers and EALs walking with them," and that can be a lot, she says.

Danielle recognizes how those skills translate to an office job or the hospital she hopes to work in when she completes her nursing degree. There are going to be times, she says, "where [I] may have a task and need to manage and motivate a group to reach an end goal."

Abby Schwall of Oakton is just 16, but with the grace and poise of a much older young woman. "One thing that is special about the horses here," says Schwall, "is that the majority of them are rescue horses. So you dont know how they are going to react to certain situations, [which means] you have to make sure you can handle whatever they are going to throw at you. [That has taught me] to be able to maintain my cool. So now its a lot easier to handle situations Im not used to or comfortable with."

And while these EAL girls, as the young clients refer to them, are growing themselves, they are providing wonderful role models for young riders there, who cherish their friendships and aspire to one day become EAL's themselves.

Nicole Springer of Sterling treasures the friendships she has made with the EALs, who help out during her riding sessions. When the virus hit, it was very hard. She choked up as she described what it was like for all those months. "I was sad. I cried a few times. Because that is one of the biggest things I miss during this whole thing. Her mom, LJ, agrees that it had been hard, sharing that Nicole had missed Buttercup, the horse she rides and the EALs equally.

Born with low muscle tone (hypotonia), which impacts both her fine and gross motor skills, Springer's parents recognized how important it was for her to build key muscle strength and signed her up for therapeutic horseback riding when she was nine years old.

A bubbly college student now, Nicole is proud of how far she has come. It made me stronger. I can jump rope now and I can play basketball more easily. And now she is an independent rider, which is a big achievement, Parents of therapeutic riders echo the same joy that while riding has improved physical strength and skills, it has also had an impact on confidence and self esteem.

During the stay-at-home order, Suvak hosted a weekly Zoom where the entire Spirit community could come together. According to Susan B., her daughter, 10-year-old Sarah couldn't wait to catch up with Suvak, the EALs and the horses. Her calendar marked each week, Sarah made sure her homework was done and the table was set in time.

When hippotherapy, horse related physical therapy, was recommended as a companion to Sarah B's traditional physical therapy, her parents knew they had their work cut out for them. At three years old, she wasn't very steady on her feet, which made her fearful of things that might knock her over, and horses are big, especially when you are so little.

So for the year she was on the Spirit waitlist, they found every opportunity to get Sarah excited about horses. Pony rides available at the fair, they were on it. Vacation pony rides, sign them up. Sarah started to enjoy the ponies. But despite all of the preparation, on that first day at Spirit, Sarah's parents were apprehensive and then, suddenly she was up on the horse, "excited and comfortable," her mom says.

Alongside traditional physical therapy, there has been great improvement over the years. Parents can all relate to having to nag their children, and being ignored. For Sarah's mom, Susan, it was heartening to see Sarah respond immediately to Director Davorka (Dada) Suvaks admonishments to sit up straight on the horse. Now ten, Sarah's posture is perfect and she rides independently, controlling the horse herself.

Her confidence has grown and she has set goals for herself. She aspires to one day be an EAL and she hopes to transition from therapeutic riding to traditional riding.

In addition to the therapeutic riding clients served by Spirited Open Equestrian Program, Spirit's equine-assisted psychotherapist works with children referred by Fairfax County's Children's Community Services Act. The CSA helps children and families access support services when a child struggles with serious emotional or behavioral problems and equine assisted psychotherapy is one of the therapies used in that effort. Private pay clients can also participate in equine assisted psychotherapy at Spirit. You can read more about it here.

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Leading by Example - McLean Connection

Bernard J. Wolfson September 9, 2020

If your life these days is anything like mine, a pre-pandemic routine that included regular exercise and disciplined eating has probably given way to sedentary evenings on a big chair, binge-watching reruns of your favorite TV series while guzzling chocolate ice cream or mac n cheese.

But lets not beat ourselves up about it. Several doctors I spoke with recently said most of their patients and many of their colleagues are struggling to maintain healthy habits amid the anxiety of the pandemic. The Quarantine 15 (pounds, that is) is a real phenomenon.

The double challenge of protecting our health, including our immune systems, while battling unhealthy temptations is a struggle everyone is dealing with, says Dr. David Kilgore, director of the integrative medicine program at the University of California-Irvine.

Well before COVID-19, more than 40% of U.S. adults were obese, which puts them at risk for COVID-19s worst outcomes. But even people accustomed to physical fitness and good nutrition are having trouble breaking the bad habits theyve developed over the past five months.

Karen Clark, a resident of Knoxville, Tennessee, discovered competitive rowing later in life, and her multiple weekly workouts burned off any excess calories she consumed. But the pandemic changed everything: She could no longer meet up with her teammates to row and stopped working out at the YMCA.

Suddenly, she was cooped up at home. And, as for many people, that led to a more sedentary lifestyle, chained to the desk, with no meetings outside the house or walks to lunch with colleagues.

I reverted to comfort food and comfortable routines and watching an awful lot of Netflix and Amazon Prime, just like everybody else, Clark says. When I gained 10 pounds and I was 25, I just cut out the beer and ice cream for a week. When you gain 12 pounds at 62, its a long road back.

She started along that road in July, when she stopped buying chips, ice cream and other treats. And in August, she rediscovered the rowing machine in her basement.

But dont worry if you lack Clarks discipline, or a rowing machine. You can still regain some control over your life.

A good way to start is to establish some basic daily routines, since in many cases thats exactly what the pandemic has taken away, says Dr. W. Scott Butsch, director of obesity medicine at the Cleveland Clinics Bariatric and Metabolic Institute. He recommends you bookend your day with physical activity, which can be as simple as a short walk in the morning and a longer one after work.

And, especially if you have kids at home who will be studying remotely this fall, prepare your meals at the beginning of the day, or even the beginning of the week, he says.

If you havent exercised in a while, start slow and gradually get yourself up to where you can tolerate an elevated heart rate, says Dr. Leticia Polanco, a family medicine doctor with the South Bay Primary Medical Group, just south of San Diego. If your gym is closed or you cant get together with your regular exercise buddies, there are plenty of ways to get your body moving at home and in your neighborhood, she says.

Go for a walk, a run or a bike ride, if one of those activities appeals to you. Though many jurisdictions across the United States require residents to wear masks when out in public, it may not be necessary and may even be harmful to some people with respiratory conditions while doing strenuous exercise.

Its clearly hard to exercise with a mask on, says Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases at Stanford Universitys School of Medicine. We go hiking up in the foothills and we take our masks with us and we dont wear them unless somebody starts coming the other way. Then we will put the mask on, and then we take it off and we keep going.

If you prefer to avoid the mask question altogether, think of your house as a cleverly disguised gym. Put on music and dance, or hula-hoop, Polanco suggests. You can also pump iron if you have dumbbells, or find a cable TV station with yoga or other workout programs.

If you search on the internet for exercise videos, you will find countless workouts for beginners and experienced fitness buffs alike. Try one of the seven-minute workout apps so popular these days. You can download them from Google Play or the Apple Store.

If you miss the camaraderie of exercising with others, virtual fitness groups might seem like a pale substitute, but they can provide motivation and accountability, as well as livestreamed video workouts with like-minded exercisers. One way to find such groups is to search for virtual fitness community.

Many gyms are also offering live digital fitness classes and physical training sessions, often advertised on their websites.

If group sports is your thing, you may or may not have options, depending on where you live.

In Los Angeles, indoor and outdoor group sports in municipal parks are shut down until further notice. The only sports allowed are tennis and golf.

In Montgomery County, Maryland, the Ron Schell Draft League, a softball league for men 50 and older, will resume play early this month after sitting out the spring season due to COVID-19, says Dave Hyder, the leagues commissioner.

But he says it has been difficult to get enough players because of worries about COVID.

In the senior group, you have quite a lot of people who are in a high-risk category or may have a spouse in a high-risk category, and they dont want to chance playing, says Hyder, 67, who does plan to play.

Players will have to stay at least 6 feet apart and wear masks while off the field. On the field, the catcher is the only player required to wear a mask. Thats because masks can steam up glasses or slip, causing impaired vision that could be dangerous to base runners or fielders, Hyder explains.

Whatever form of exercise you choose, remember it wont keep you healthy unless you also reduce consumption of fatty and sugary foods that can raise your risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension all COVID-19 risk factors.

Kim Guess, a dietitian at UC-Berkeley, recommends that people lay in a healthy supply of beans and lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds, as well as frozen vegetables, tofu, tempeh and canned fish, such as tuna and salmon.

Start with something really simple, she said. It could even be a vegetable side dish to go with what theyre used to preparing.

Whatever first steps you decide to take, now is a good time to start eating better and moving your body more.

Staying healthy is so important these days, more than at any other time, because we are fighting this virus which doesnt have a treatment, says the Cleveland Clinics Butsch. The treatment is our immune system.

This KHN story first published onCalifornia Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

This story can be republished for free (details).

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Exercise and Diet Are More Important Than Ever With Virus at Large - Exercise and Diet Are More Important Than Ever With Virus at Large Bernard J....

At their first meeting, U.S. Army recruiter Sgt. Derek Melendez had bad news for Tashime Felder.

It was March of 2019 and Felder, then 28, wanted to enlist. The Cherry Hill, N.J., resident stood 5-foot-8 inches tall and weighed 297 pounds.

Melendez, the station commander of the Cherry Hill Army Recruiting Center, appreciated Felder's desire to serve his country, but the young man didn't meet the Army's weight standards, which are calculated according to age and height. To successfully enlist, Felder's weight needed to be under 190 pounds and his body fat less than 28% of his total weight. At the time, he was 107 pounds over the weight limit, and his body fat was 35%.

Melendez had dealt with prior potential enlistees who'd needed to lose 55 or 60 pounds in order to pass the physical exam, "but never close to 110," he said. So while Melendez liked Felder, he had to decline his application. The recruiter said he didn't expect Felder to return, given the enormity of the obstacle he faced to admission into the Army.

But it turns out that being turned down was the impetus Felder needed to begin a weight-loss journey that has led to an astonishing physical transformation.

Last month, he returned to the recruiting center to enlist. This time, he was 110 pounds lighter, and his body fat percentage was just 17%.

Welcome to the Army.

"I am really proud of him," said Melendez, who was so impressed by Felder's metamorphosis that he posted about it, including before-and-after pictures of Felder, on his Facebook page. "That wasn't normal, what he did. A lot of people would have given up. He literally had to change his life in order to join the Army. It fires you up to see he was so inspired to serve and was ready to do what it took to reach his goal."

Within weeks of his initial rejection by the Army, Felder committed to changing his body.

"I knew it would be one of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome in my life," said Felder, now 29, who works in Philadelphia as a social worker.

Aiding Felder was Francisco Santos, a personal trainer who worked with him for the first eight months.

Felder's exercise program entailed daily jogs on a treadmill, for at least an hour, and weightlifting.

"I wanted him to put on muscle, which he did," said Santos, who also designed a regimen of circuit training for Felder: 10 different activities back-to-back-to-back like jumping jacks, push-ups, and quick sprints without much of a break in between.

"There were days when he would be doing this outside in 100-degree weather," Santos said. "He wasn't a big fan" of doing circuits, "but it made a huge difference."

Felder agrees.

"Every day I trained I would tell him, 'I hate you for making me do this,'" said Felder, laughing. "Afterward we were fine, but while I was doing it, he wasn't my friend."

Felder also followed a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, eating five times a day three meals, plus two protein-shake supplements.

His new look has produced double-takes from his friends.

"A lot of them are proud of what I have done, but for the most part they're shocked, especially if they haven't seen me for a while," he said.

Felder hopes he can be an inspiration to others. There are plenty who could use the motivation. Obesity is prevalent in more than 42% of U.S. adults, and severe obesity is prevalent in more than 9%, according to 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination survey.

The situation is negatively impacting the country's military readiness, according to the Council for a Strong America, a nonprofit that supports evidence-based policies and programs to help enable kids to be healthy, well-educated, and prepared for productive lives.

"Obesity has long threatened our nation's health; as the epidemic grows, obesity is posing a threat to our nation's security as well," according to the organization's 2018 study, "Unhealthy and Unprepared."

"In the United States, 71% of young people between the ages of 17 and 24 do not qualify for military service, and obesity disqualifies 31% of youth from serving if they so choose."

Joining the Army had always been his goal, Felder said. He reported for duty on Sept. 8 to Fort Jackson in South Carolina, where he will learn how to fix video and audio equipment and computers.

"I will be working with communications devices, and I am looking forward to learning a lot," he said.

At the end of his five-year commitment, he said, "My long-term goal is to work with veterans who have PTSD. Eventually I want to get my master's and try to open a counseling business."

For now, though, he's just happy to be heading into the next phase of his life. He knows the discipline he showed in losing weight will help him in many areas of his life. Meantime, he feels better each day, not carrying the extra pounds.

"It absolutely makes a major difference," he said.

And it has allowed him to enter the Army, a lifelong goal that obesity once threatened.

"I am so excited," Felder said. "It took a lot of hard work. And if I can do that, I feel I can do almost everything."

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He wanted to join the US Army but wasn't fit. So he lost over 100 pounds. - yoursun.com

Reservations required for fitness equipment, weights

Matthew Nobert

The WELL at Sacramento State will begin providing outdoor services Thursday. Its "DIY Outdoor Fitness", which utilizes The WELL's exercise equipment moved outside, will require reservations.

The WELL at Sacramento State will reopen Thursday for socially distanced outdoor fitness and recreation, according to The WELLs website.

Sac State administration and Sacramento County approved the WELL to reopen, according to the website. The WELL used California guidelines and recommendations from Student Health and Counseling Services to create its outdoor programs and services.

Reservations are required for DIY Outdoor Fitness, which will help utilize the available equipment in a circuit-style fashion according to The WELLs Instagram story Tuesday. Each person can make one 50-minute reservation per day, according to the reservation page.

Sac State faculty, staff and alumni are required to pay $5 per reservation. Current Sac State students will not be charged.

They are still charging students for the use of it, so we should be able to use it and hope they have a good plan in place for our safety, said Sac State senior Melissa Zaremba via Instagram direct message. I wish they had more options for machines, but they said they are bolted down so that makes sense.

DIY Outdoor Fitness will be open for reservation Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Monday through Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Reservations can be made up to 48 hours in advance.

The WELL will provide exercise equipment, including: spin bikes, rowers, dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, Les Mills bars, jump ropes, resistance bands, BOSU balls, stability balls and medicine balls, according to the WELLs website.

Heavier exercise equipment is often bolted to the floors, meaning some equipment will not be able to be moved outdoors, according to an Instagram story from The WELL Tuesday.

In addition to providing exercise equipment, The WELL will host outdoor slacklining and cornhole tournaments.

Slacklining will be held every Thursday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and not require reservations but will require shoes and masks, according to The WELLs Instagram story. Registration for the cornhole tournament on Sept. 25 will close Sept. 23 at 11:55 p.m.

Along with reopening, the WELL will continue to hold virtual classes.

The WELL has not responded to requests for comments sent Tuesday. Sac State Director of News and Communications Brian Blomster said he has no information on the WELLs reopening at the moment but will get back to The State Hornet Wednesday.

Additional reporting by Mercy Sosa.

UPDATE: Sept. 15, 2020 10:37 p.m.

This story has been updated to reflect information on DIY Outdoor Fitness from The WELLs Instagram story and comments from student Melissa Zaremba.

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The WELL to reopen outdoors Thursday - StateHornet.com

CHICAGO (PRWEB) September 15, 2020

Functional medicine doctor and holistic dermatology expert, Dr. Shayna Peter of Well Ahead Chicago is launching a brand new program: Dr. Shaynas Skincare Reset. Designed as a self-guided online program, the Skincare Reset program provides an easy to use lifestyle app complete with meal plans, exercise recommendations and educational videos and more.

Dr. Shaynas Skincare Reset program stands out from other detox programs by combining technology, convenience and an unparalleled educational experience. In addition to high quality nutrient formulas that meet FDA standards, the Skincare Reset program provides comprehensive meals plans specially formulated delicious recipe guides and shopping lists that are designed to support detoxification and can be adjusted to fit any lifestyle (or dietary need).

I believe detoxification is such an essential part of maintaining skin health with collateral benefits that are experienced throughout the body. Not only am I a big believer in this program but am excited to promote it to the public, said Dr. Shayna Peter. My team and I have worked tirelessly to develop this program to help people reclaim their skin health, and we cant wait to make this program accessible to the masses.

This 14-day program provides a comprehensive approach that equips participants with the tools they need to get started confidently, regardless if theyve never done a cleanse in the past. The app sends participants daily tips to guide them through the process. They are all given access to a supportive community where they can ask questions and get support if they run into bumps along the way. The program teaches participants how to take what they have learned and incorporate into their lifestyle beyond the 14 days and helps them to transition into a sustainable clean lifestyle.

In addition to helping users jumpstart their skincare goals, this program includes an extensive platform of tools & resources to support participants from start to finish:

Launching on September 24, 2019 Skincare Reset program will be available for $180 at wellaheadchicago.com/skincarereset. This program includes nutritional supplements to support detoxification, access to a lifestyle app, comprehensive eating plan, workout plan, social support community. For more information visit wellaheadchicago.com.

About Dr. Shayna Peter Dr. Shayna Peter, NMD, CNS, LDN is a functional medicine doctor and holistic dermatology expert who has helped thousands who have tried everything for their skin problems and have been left feeling frustrated, helpless, and hopeless. Shes the author of the soon to be released book Its Not Just Acne, a comprehensive resource guide to understanding root causes behind acne and healing from the inside out. She is the founder of Well Ahead Chicago, a functional medicine practice offering health consulting, educational resources, & online training to help people who have unresolved skin conditions. Dr. Peter has been published in the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology and has spoken about holistic health on numerous stages including Chicago Woman Magazine and American Diabetes Association.

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Well Ahead Chicago Takes Skin Wellness and Telehealth to the Next Level with New App and Cleansing Program - PR Web

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