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Before the coronavirus started shutting down community gatherings, the Woodland Community & Senior Center was an active place, according to the January through March Quarterly Status Report.

Then, around March 9, in response to orders by federal, state and local officials, people started staying home and public facilities were closed. Some of that is reflected in the Quarterly Report, although the true effects wont be seen for several more months.

For example, during March, REXPO, scheduled for March 13, was the first large event canceled in the Community Center. Following the shelter-in-place order by Yolo County that went into effect on March 19, the Sports Park and the Charles Brooks Swim Center (and their programs) were closed.

And other programs began to fall like dominos as well. Theannual Cesar Chavez celebration on March 31 was canceled, along with many individual exercise and recreational programs, which may represent an incomplete picture of community participation.

The report presents a summary of recreation and senior programming, events, affordable housing, the community development block grant entitlement program, parks and recreation facilities operation and maintenance, and urban forestry. This report also contains a narrative description of major work performed and/or notable Department highlights

The Recreation Guide was released and directly mailed to over 3,500 households in Woodland with children up to 16 years old. Recreation Guides were also available at outreach events and at city facilities. The publication advertised upcoming activities and events from February through September.

Approximately 2,500 people attended events at the Community & Senior Center during facility rentals.

Over 700 people attended events such as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Celebration, Game On!, Valentines Day Cookie Decorating, Arbor Day, and the Bridal & Event Faire Show.

Approximately 15,285 participant hours were recorded for aquatics; youth, teen, and adult recreation activities and classes.

Approximately 3,331 participant hours were recorded for adult sports.

Approximately 5,211 participant hours were recorded for senior programs and events.

Community & Senior Center Facility Reservations: The Community & Senior Center facility rental program is designed to provide a location for community events and generate revenue for the City of Woodland. The Facility Rentals with Fees Waived column, in the table below, identifies the use of the facility where fees were not charged and the dollar amount that could have been collected (had a fee waiver not been granted). Rentals with all of the fees waived are generally city events/meetings or city-sponsored events. This table does not include the use of rooms for senior programs or exercise classes.

Park/Recreation Facility Projects Completed during Quarter 3 included:

Beamer Park: Installed new benches in the shade provided by a tree, new playground structure and wood fiber installed; and Installed concrete ADA ramp

Campbell Park: Ordered fitness equipment.

Charles Brooks Swim Center: Ordered new heat exchangers to make repairs to the boilers.

Christiansen Park/Camarena & Pedoria Fields: Installed a gate and repaired holes in the fencing, Installed 50 yards of playground wood fiber.

Clark Field: Deep cleaned and painted restrooms.

Community & Senior Center: Repaired and maintained bleachers, Replaced flange gasket on hot water circulating pump in the mechanical room, Installed rat abatement in Rec2Go parking area, Replaced hand wash station faucet in the kitchen, Made improvements to banner structure in the parking lot, Removed old speed bags and mounts, installed new plywood mounting with new stationary speed bags in boxing gym; Replaced interior lighting with LED lights, Continued to run Ethernet cables throughout the facility, Performed paint touch-ups throughout the facility and pressure washed patio and walls.

Crawford Park: Replaced old light poles with LED lights.

Dave Douglass Park: Performed annual ballfield maintenance including grooming, weed abatement and infield maintenance.

Dog Park: Removed the sod/dirt near the drinking fountain, Installed base rock, Installed 100 yards playground fiber.

Everman Park: Replaced wooden tables with concrete tables.

Ferns Park: Repaired split wood on the playground equipment.

Gonzales Park: Mowed weeds in the undeveloped areas of the park, Wildflower seed sewn in the bio-swale (drainage) area of the park.

Harris Park: Repaired and re-installed park sign, Removed willow trees to improve lighting (safety), Rebuilt the horseshoe pit with left-over and repurposed parts, Groomed softball field, including weed removal and infield maintenance.

Hiddleson & Campbell Parks: Fabricated steel covers for the exterior door locks.

I-5 Sound Wall/Green Belt: Removal of trash.

I-5 and Hwy. 113: Removal of oleander along North Pioneer Ave.

Klenhard Field: Painted restrooms, Installed lighting covers.

Schneider Park: Installed 50 yards of playground wood fiber.

Spring Lake Park: Added 4 dog waste stations.

Sports Park: Replaced the water pump to improve water pressure to restrooms.

Streng Pond Ordered a booster pump, two benches, and a dog waste dispenser.

Woodside Park: Installed 150 yards of playground wood fiber.

Tredway Park: Removed play structure, New playground structure and wood fiber installed, Installed concrete ADA ramp and walking path.

Arbor Day: The 2020 Arbor Day celebration was held on March 7. Volunteers gathered at Campbell Park to plant 50 trees in various locations throughout the city. With over 50 volunteers in attendance, all of the trees were planted before 10:30 a.m. Trees planted at this event will count toward the Citys California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection greenhouse gas reduction fund grant.

CalFire Grant: March 31 marked the end of the Citys CALFIRE Urban and Community Forestry Program grant. In July 2017, the City was selected as a grant recipient for the Neighborhood Shade Tree Program. Since receiving the grant, the City has partnered with several organizations (such as Woodland Tree Foundation, Kiwanis Club, Yolo Housing Authority, Woodland Joint Unified School District, and Mandela Washington Fellowship Program) to plant over 1,200 shade trees within the City. The grant also included the preparation of an Urban Forest Master Plan to guide the Citys urbanforestry program for the next twenty years.

Landmark Tree Marker Installed: A marker was constructed and installed by staff to recognize the landmark tree at 430 Third Street (an American Elm).

Aquatics: All aquatic programs are held at the Charles Brooks Community Swim Center. Aquaticprogramming is available for children as young as six months old through seniors and includes swimming lessons, lifeguard training, recreation swimming, recreation swim teams, lap swim and water aerobics. During the winter, the primary programming at the pool is lap swim, water aerobics, and the use of the pool by the Woodland Swim Team.

There were 986 participants in lap swim and water aerobics as well as the woodland Swim Team, resulting in the collection of $7,252 in fees.

Events: The Martin Luther King Jr. event of Jan. 15 drew 75 people, while Game On! held Jan. 24 drew 42 participants. The VAlentines Day Cooke Decorating event on Feb. 7 brought in 315 people, the Bridal and Event Fair attracted 300 people on Feb. 29 and the March 7 Arbor day celebration was attended by 50 people. In all, there were 782 people involved. All the events were free to attend.

A variety of youth and teen recreation programs are offered by the Department year-round;however, the majority of the programs are offered during the summer. In addition to the programslisted below, please refer to the Contract Classes section for other program offerings that areavailable for youth and teens. Baby & Me has continued its weekly meet-up, via Zoom conference during the shelter-in-place order and drew 135 participants.

Other activities included After School Teen Pack, 1,278 people; Night Hoops, 162 players; Rec2Go, 335 participants; Toddler Time, 42 people; and Youth Basketball for 240 people. In all, there were 2,192 people involved, generating $29,925 in fees.

The City contracts with outside (special interest) instructors to teach a variety of recreation andleisure classes for participants of all ages. With the exception of tennis and boxing, the City retains30% of the fees collected for each class (in addition to non-resident fees). The City retains 10% ofthe fees collected for the tennis program. For boxing, the City retains all of the revenue and paysthe three contractors a monthly stipend (stipends for youth boxing are funded by Measure J). Otherwise, there were 1,290 participants, which brought in $16,028 in fees and cost the city $18,912; for a loss of $2,885. Contract classes included All Good Driver Education, two people; Boxing, 861 people; Cello Tennis Academy, 228 people; Country Line Dance, 25 people; Dynamic Dancing, 44 people; Fall Prevention, 16 people; Functional Fitness, 30 people; Karate, seven people; Pilates, 17 people; Rock Steady Boxing, 25 people; Scottish Country Dance, eight people; Stepping Out, eight people; and Yoga, 19 people.

Adult sports offered through the City include drop-in sports as well as organized softball, basketball, and volleyball leagues, that drew 1,132 people and generated $660 in fees. Drop-in basketball (open gym) numbers are not reported, however, participation for the other programs included volleyball, with 130 people; badminton, which attracted 646 people; pickleball, which attracted 356 people.

Programs at the Woodland Senior Center include art classes; exercise classes; games; leisure programs and activities; education resources; support groups, and special events resulting in a total of 4,202 people and 5,084 participant hours during the third quarter. Those programs resulted in the collection of $745 in fees. Programs included art classes, 315 participants; exercise classes, 1,198 people; games, 881 people; general programs, which drew 1,069 people; education resources, which drew 96 people; support groups, 194 people; and special programs, which attracted 289 people.

In addition to implementing recreation and senior programs, the Community Services Departmentalso implements the Community Development Block Grant Entitlement program, grants for nonprofitorganizations, and affordable housing programs. The highlights of these programs for thesecond quarter include:

Empower Yolo, Capital Project (FY 2016/17 funding): Construction of the last component of the project (gates, fencing, and handrails) has been delayed by the shelter in place order.

Yolo Community Care Continuum, Safe Harbor Rehabilitation (FY 2018/19 funding): Construction started in October and is nearly complete. Final items will be completed once the shelter in place order has been lifted.

Yolo Wayfarer Center, Interior Rehabilitation (FY 2018/19 and 2017/18 funding): Construction was completed in February 2020 and resulted in the rehabilitation of two restrooms.

Woodland Library ADA Restrooms Upgrades (FY 2019/20 funding): Project design is nearly complete.

Sacramento Valley Historical Railways, ADA Restroom Building (FY 2019/20 funding): Construction of the ADA-compliant walkway from the train depot to the ADA restroom building may be delayed by the shelter in place order.

Woodland ADA Accessibility Project (FY 2019/20 funding): Project is under design.

New Hope Community Development Corporation, Cottonwood Meadows Phase 3(FY 2019/20 funding): The design has been completed and bidding out the project for construction may be delayed by the shelter in place order.

CommuniCare Health Centers, Outdoor Wellness Space (FY 2019/20 funding): Construction started and the site has been leveled, fence posts installed, and the irrigation installation is in process.

The 4.66-acre site in the Spring Lake Specific Plan area was transferred by KB Home to nonprofit Delta Senior Housing Communities, Inc. in September 2019 as part of its affordable housing obligations for the Oyang North Subdivision. Delta and affordable housing developer Neighborhood Partners plan to construct a senior citizen affordable housing development in two phases that will yield 146 units. Neighborhood Partners submitted a HOME funding application in February for the initial phase, 76 units, and is working on other funding sources to complete its financing plan for the first 76 units.

Through a partnership with many volunteers from the Woodland faith community, the City, Yolo County, Fourth & Hope, and other community partners, the shelter operated for a nearly eight week period beginning in early January and ending in early March at the St. Lukes Episcopal Church. The shelter was available for families and single women, allowing Fourth & Hope to increase its capacity for housing single men who would otherwise be unsheltered.

Based on preliminary data, more than 1,200 volunteer hours were contributed to the operation of the shelter. Volunteers transported shelter guests to St. Lukes, checked in guests, served as overnight monitors, and prepared snacks for guests. An average of 14 guests per night stayed at the shelter and this included 8 families (10 adults and 18 children ranging in age from 18 months to 17 years) and 12 single women.

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Woodland programs have dropped off because of coronavirus - Woodland Daily Democrat

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When Indian entrepreneur Neha Motwani realized Google searches for "fitness near me" were growing almost 40% year on year in her home country, she saw a business opportunity.

"The gyms and studios themselves did not have a website and did not have the ability to be discovered online, because uniquely for the Indian market, the organized players only constitute 4% of the market 96% of the market is unorganized and fragmented," she told CNBC by video call.

The business Motwani co-founded in 2014, Fitternity, is now the largest online marketplace for fitness services in India. Before the coronavirus pandemic, it had almost 500,000 monthly active users who booked studio and gym classes via its app.

But when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a lockdown of the country's 1.3 billion people on March 24, Fitternity had to pivot quickly to offer live online classes, recorded video sessions and one-on-one virtual coaching. It charges about 60% to 70% of the regular in-person fee for online workouts and has only seen about a 20% dip in active user numbers.

The way we work out may never be the same. Motwani does not think people will go back to in-person classes they used once lockdowns are lifted.(India's has been extended until Sunday.)

"We are not going to see January 2020 (attendance) back again in July or August or September, because there are going to be social distancing norms. We actually believe that only 25% to 30% of the members will be able to work out (in a gym) at any given point of time. We also believe that members will be themselves very preventive and may not want to step out and be in a gym or in a studio," Motwani said.

Instead, she expects a situation where an instructor will teach a handful of people in person, while simultaneously broadcasting that workout to people logged in online.

One benefit of video workouts is that students can see how their bodies are positioned, which is useful for activities such as yoga, according to instructor Tom Wilson-Leonard. "Unless you've taken the time to video yourself and look at what you're doing and what your body is doing in space, it's very difficult to make changes. Immediately, there is a response that's very different to what I would normally get in (an in-person) class," he told CNBC by video call. Wilson-Leonard teaches with London chain MoreYoga, which now offers around 25 online classes a day.

Those who work for large companies might also get a post-pandemic fitness boost. Fitternity has seen a 200% increase in corporate requests, as businesses look to offer staff working-from-home perks, a trend that the U.S. fitness booking app ClassPass has also noticed.

"I'm hopeful that our employer program where we allow employers like Google, like Facebook, like Morgan Stanley to subsidize fitness and wellness for their employees," ClassPass CEO Fritz Lanman told CNBC by video call. "I'm hoping that more employers adopt that program."

Lanman also expects ClassPass to mix online and offline workouts, once lockdowns are relaxed and hopes that the pandemic will push governments to provide tax breaks to companies that give staff fitness subscriptions.

And, along with your boot camp, it's also likely to be easier to book a post-workout massage. ClassPass, which operates in North America as well as Europe and Asia, will continue its push into wellness by adding more beauty parlors and technicians to its app post-pandemic. "Every small business in the world right now is looking for a partner who will help them monetize their excess capacity," Lanman said.

British fitness instructor Joe Wicks, who has become "the world's PE teacher," through popular weekday workouts for children broadcast on his "The Body Coach TV" YouTube channel, hopes kids will exercise more when lockdowns are loosened. "I'd also love to be working more with schools, so maybe I'm doing outreach programs or getting some kind of initiative in place within in every school so that they have a little Body Coach ambassador promoting the work and facilitating the group sessions," he told CNBC by video call.

Like Fitternity's Motwani, Wicks also foresees an increase in people using online workouts post-pandemic. "You do think, is this going to change the fitness industry, like will people start to do more online businesses and start to increase that digital offering?They are still going to have their physical premises, but maybe as a side (project), they also need to constantly evaluate are they doing enough in the digital space. Because it's amazing, you can reach millions of people if you get it right."

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Lockdowns have changed the fitness industry forever here's what to expect of post-pandemic workouts - CNBC

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Until recently, Pauli Reading, now 58, used to pull on a pair of stretchy pants, unroll a mat, and do a series of asana poses in a group yoga class in Charlotte, NC. I love it, love it, love it, said Reading at the time. It makes me feel so much better and stronger. I love all the friends I have in class, and it gives me a lot of energy. But while Reading raved about the physical and social benefits of her class, her husband Tracy explained there was another reason he encouraged his wife to keep up with her yoga practice: Pauli was diagnosed four years ago with early-onset Alzheimers disease, and he believes the classes not only kept Paulis mood positive and her body strong, but they also kept her brain engaged, helping ease her memory loss and cognitive decline. Yoga is one of the many paths that helped her, he says. When she was doing yoga, she was thinking about the poses and talking to the other students. She was exercising mentally and well as physically. At the very least, it didnt hurt.

Meanwhile in Toms River, NJ, Deanna Buccella saw something amazing happen with her mother Bonnie Ball, who was diagnosed a decade ago with Alzheimers, and passed away at age 88 earlier this year. In her final months, even when Bonnie couldnt recognize her grandchildren or remember where she lived, she experienced moments of awakening every time a music therapist placed a set headphones over her ears, uploaded with the Christian hymns she loved from her childhood in West Virginia. Her eyes lit up with such a sense of joy and she remembered all the lyrics and would start singing along, says Buccella. Afterward, she was more alert and happy, like she had just had a workout for her brain. We played music the entire time she was on hospice; we knew she heard everything. She sang until she could no longer speak.

Her eyes lit up with such a sense of joy.

While alternative therapies such as yoga, meditation, and music therapy cannot reverse the inevitable cognitive decline of Alzheimers (the degenerative neurological disease that affects more than 5 million Americans), more and more research is showing that by engaging in these activities, people with Alzheimers can reduce many of their symptoms, including anxiety and depression, thereby improving their quality of life. And there is also emerging evidence that by participating in therapies that stimulate both the brain and the body, these patients may at least temporarily stimulate the memory center of their brain and perhaps even generate new brain cells.

And as Tracy Reading, Paulis husband says, they certainly cant hurt.

Experts warn that these therapies should not replace medical treatment for Alzheimers, but the truth is, the medications we have right now are very limited. There are two classes of drugs approved by the FDA to treat memory loss and cognitive decline: cholinesterase inhibitors (sold under the names Aricept, Exelon, and Razadyne), which prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine, a brain chemical involved in learning and memory that gets depleted in Alzheimers; and memantine (Namenda), which regulates the activity of glutamate, a chemical involved in retrieving information. The results vary, but in patients for whom treatment with these medications shows benefit, their symptoms typically improve temporarily, usually between 6 to 12 months, says Elise Caccappolo, Ph.D., associate professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. After that, they tend to stop working, and were not sure why. For the estimated 40% of Alzheimers patients who also experience depression, the most common treatments are antidepressants such as fluoxetine (Prozac) and paroxeine (Paxil). Additional behavioral and mood symptoms may be treated with anti-anxiety meds such as lorazepam (Ativan), and in extreme cases, when patients become hallucinatory or physically aggressive, they may be treated with antipsychotics such as clozapine (Clozaril). While these medications can be very effective, they can also have side effects, ranging from gastrointestinal problems to an increased risk of stroke and even death.

If a patients mood can be lifted and his or her quality of life improved without resorting to medications (which not only have side effects, but can be a financial burden), the patient may also see memory improve as a result, says Caccappolo. When people are less active, their memory often declines at a faster rate, she says. If they have a yoga class to go to or interaction with a music therapist, that will get them off the couch and keep them engaged and active. And when you lift that veil of depression, that can help memory.

For years, researchers have known that exercise is one of the most important factors in reducing your risk for Alzheimers. (A 2011 review in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that midlife exercise significantly reduced the risk of dementia in all adults, and that people with mild cognitive impairment or dementia scored better on tests of cognition after 6 to 12 months of exercise than their sedentary peers). Exercise has been shown to reduce the amyloid plaque in the brain that causes Alzheimers, to induce the birth of new nerve cells in the hippocampus [the area of the brain where memories are stored], and to help clear inflammation, so when those new cells are born they have a nice neighborhood to grow up in, explains Rudolph Tanzi, Ph.D., Kennedy professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School/Mass. General Hospital and co-author of The Healing Self: A Revolutionary New Plan to Supercharge Your Immune System and Stay Well for Life.

Exercise has been shown to reduce the amyloid plaque in the brain that causes Alzheimers.

But of all exercise programs that are available, whats special about yoga? In addition to being a physical activity that can be practiced indoors, even seated in a chaira benefit for those with mobility challengesyoga has the added element of mindfulness, says Helen Lavretsky, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at UCLA. Yoga involves awareness of your movement and breath, posture, and focused attention on a mantra, a pose, or a visualization, she says. If its done in a group setting, there is also a social element. There are many components to the exercise that involve different brain centers.

In a series of studies, Lavretsky has shown that people with cognitive impairment see improvement in their cognition, memory, and mood after practicing yoga. In a study published last year in International Psychogeriatrics, adults with mild cognitive impairment (known as MCI, and a precursor to Alzheimers) participated in either a kundalini yoga class or a did standard memory exercises. After 12 weeks, both groups saw improvements in verbal and visual memory skills, but those who did yoga had greater improvements in executive function, mood, and resilience than those who did the memory exercises.

One limitation to yoga, however, is that it is a difficult practice to begin once you have slipped into the later stages of dementiaone reason its important to integrate these practices into your life as early as possible. It yoga is something you did when you were younger, and youre just getting a refresher, then its a good addition to your Alzheimers management, says Lavretsky. But in the advanced stages of dementia, it may be better to introduce something the patient is already familiar with, like dancing to the music of their youth.

If even sitting in a chair and doing a modified warrior pose seems too intimidating for your loved one with Alzheimers, you may want to consider meditation, which experts claim can change the brain and improve memory, sleep, and mood in as little as 12 minutes a day.

The main benefit of meditationwhich has been practiced for thousands of years as a way to calm the mind and body and find inner peaceis stress relief, which is nearly as important as exercise in reducing risk for Alzheimers. Both acute and chronic stress signal the brain to secrete the hormone cortisol, which is highly toxic to just about every system the body, but especially the brain, says Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., medical director of the Alzheimers Research and Prevention Foundation, who, along with Lavretsky and other colleagues, has published numerous studies on the effects of meditation on dementia. It causes brain-cell death in the hippocampus and can lead to earlier amyloid deposition. It can also lead to decreased blood flow, and decreased function in the synapses where the brain cells talk to each other. Indeed, several long-term recent studies have shown that chronic stress greatly increases the risk of MCI. A 2015 study of more than 500 older adults at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, published in Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders found that adults who considered themselves highly stressed were 30% more likely to develop MCI as those who were not, and an earlier long-term study of 600 adults in the Rush Memory and Aging Project found that those who had a self-reported highest level of stress were 2.7 times more likely to develop Alzheimers than those who were not under chronic stress.

Those who reported the highest level of stress were 2.7 times more likely to develop Alzheimers.

Over the past 20 years, Khalsa has studied the effects of a particular type of meditation called Kirtan Kriya on cognitive decline. The practice involves intoning four syllablessaa, taa, maa, naawhile tapping the fingers together in sequencethumb to index, middle, ring and pinkiefor 12 minutes once a day. His research has shown that those who practice Kirtan Kriya see an increase in cerebral blood flow, especially in the hippocampus, a decrease in memory loss, plus a decrease in anxiety and an improved feeling of well-being. In a paper published in 2017 in the Journal of Alzheimers Disease, adults with subjective cognitive decline (an early predictor of Alzheimers) who practiced Kritan Kriya for at least three months had significant improvements in memory function and cognitive performance. As long as the person can still sit in a chair and listen to a CD to follow this practice, they can benefit from it, says Dr. Khalsa (go here more info).

Lavretsky points out that there are numerous types of meditation, and each has a different benefit, depending on what part of the brain is engaged. In a 2013 study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, researchers used MRI scans to find that a group of 8 adults with MCI who participated in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) had significantly improved functional connectivity in the brain. And while they did see expected atrophy in the hippocampus, the rate of atrophy was less than those who did not do the stress-reducing meditation.

Harvards Dr. Tanzi has also found positive neurological results from short periods of meditating. He explains that in one small study he did last year, published in the journal Nature Translational Psychiatry, he was able to detect remarkable changes in healthy women who meditated for just one week. After a week of learning meditation and doing it several times per day, there were changes in the genes involved with how brain clears out Alzheimers-associated amyloid from the brain out of the body, he explains. He adds that in the meditation group, there was a 20-40% increase in telomerase activity, a protein that protects cells from aging.

Caccappolo cautions that these studies are small and there is no evidence the brain can recover tissue lost through the ravages of Alzheimers, but she still encourages her patients to try any stress-relief method that works for them. Stress can make anything worse, especially memory, she points out. The best thing about meditation is that it doesnt cost anything, and if it can help relieve any symptoms, I encourage patients to try it.

While yoga and meditation do take some cognitive effort on the part of the patient, meaning they are most effective with those who are in the earlier stages of Alzheimers, music therapy can have remarkable effects even on those who are in the latest stages of the disease. For a peek at how this works, check out the 2014 documentary Alive Inside. As Deanna Buccella found out, music can perk up the attention and stir memories of people who have been lost in the fog of dementia for years.

The first way music therapy works is through stimulating memories and emotions: Just think about how you can hear a Beatles or Bee Gees song or and immediately be transported to the moment in your childhood when you first listened to it. Caccappolo points out that personally meaningful music activates regions of the brain that are usually the last to be affected by Alzheimers, so while someone with Alzheimers dementia may not be able to remember what year it is, where the kitchen is, or how to hold a pencil, they may recall all the lyrics and melody to their favorite Frank Sinatra tune. The emotional associations with that music from your past releases chemicals in their brain to boost mood, points out music therapist Concetta A. Tomaino, executive director of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, which she co-founded with the legendary neuroscientist Dr. Oliver Sacks.

The emotional associations with that music from your past releases chemicals in their brain to boost mood.

But music therapy works on a deeper level than just nostalgia. The act of singing along to that Frank Sinatra tune engages different parts of the brain: There are several levels at which music is effective, says Tomaino. We know the act of playing music or singing forces the frontal cortex to be engaged, and that part of the brain is crucial for short-term memory, so engaging in active music-making actually reinforces short-term memory and long-term memory storage. A 2014 Finnish study confirms this theory, showing that the hippocampus becomes activated when listening to musical phrases.

In a 2014 review in the Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, researchers found that music therapy reduces anxiety, depression and agitated behavior in people with dementia and improves the quality of their other therapeutic interventions with their caretakers.

Music can have other positive effects on those with dementia. A 2010 study at Boston University School of Medicine found that patients with Alzheimer's are better able to remember new information when it is provided in the context of music. I often make up a little melody to help patients remember their childrens names or their address, says Tomaino, who points out that TV commercials do the same thing, using jingles to help viewers remember their 800 numbers. Music also works to prime the brain, an effect that Deanna Buccella noticed with her mother. The act of singing words actually primes the verbal areas in their brain to be more active, and word retrieval improves after they sing, says Tomaino. Its almost like you have to turn on those neuronal networks into action. Music can even help those with balance and movement difficulties get around easier, explains Tomaino. The rhythm of music can improve a persons motivation to move and also improves coordination of movement, she says. Listening to music while youre walking can improve balance, posture, and gait coordination on a neuronal level.

But most importantly, listening to musiclike going to a yoga class, or spending a few minutes in calm meditationcan bring a sense of peace and joy back to people who may spend the day in a state of confusion and depression.

There is no magic bullet that can prevent Alzheimers, though the closest thing is regular exercise, which can lower the risk and delay decline, says Eric B. Larson , M.D.,vice president of research and health care innovation for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington. For things like yoga and music, the evidence has been soft. But when people ask, should I try it? I tell them, its not going to hurt you, and the drugs can be harmful to some people. It makes a lot of sense.

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The Healing Power of Music, Meditation, and Yoga in Alzheimer's Patients - Prevention.com

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As the U.S. nears 60,000 deaths due to Covid-19, primary care could be among its next casualties.

Half of the primary care practices in America are small businesses, which means they are battling the virus on the frontlines even as they are on the verge of going out of business. The reason for this dynamic is that most of these practices, and much of our health care system, rely on an outdated payment model: Each in-person visit with a patient generates a payment. Without in-person visits, there is little to no revenue.

To prevent the spread of Covid-19, primary care and specialty care practices are actively discouraging patients from coming into the office for routine care. Fewer than 20% of the usual visits are now in person. While it is true that insurers are generally paying doctors for telemedicine visits during this state of emergency, Medicare is currently reimbursing visits done this way at roughly half of the fee of in-person visits.

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Smaller independent practices face an even steeper uphill battle. As one of us (D.H.) wrote recently in the Washington Post, without the financial backing of hospitals or health systems they will not be able to survive on half of their usual revenue.

Some practices have already closed, and others may soon follow. A recent national survey revealed that only one-third of primary care clinicians feel sure that their practices have enough cash on hand to function for four weeks. The $2 trillion federal stimulus package does not, at this point, specifically allocate funding to small or independent medical practices. In light of this, its no surprise to see projections that up to 60,000 primary care practices nationwide may close or significantly scale back.

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One primary care doctor at a small practice we spoke with put it simply: This is profoundly depressing. I have worked my whole life to serve my community, and I dont see how I can keep my practice running for another eight weeks. Despite this reality, many of our primary care colleagues have stepped up to work in hospitals or lead Covid-19 treatment teams.

We can prevent the mass closure of independent primary care practices and support those working within larger health systems by providing immediate financial relief in the form of a global budget during this crisis. Instead of being dependent on in-person visits, primary care practices would be paid a monthly fixed fee to care for their patients through any appropriate venue (office visits, telephone calls, video visits, or home visits). This type of payment model has been used by public and private payers in recent years, ranging from bundled payments for surgical and cancer care to population-based global budgets for health care delivery systems.

The first step is simple: provide all primary care practices nationwide with a reasonable fixed payment, say on average $50 per patient per month, retroactive to April 1 and through the end of 2020. This fixed payment would replace any previous fee-for-service payments the practice would have received during this time. Practices that serve patients with greater health needs could receive a larger budget than those that serve healthier patients, a risk-adjustment process used by most public and private payers today.

After the Covid-19 pandemic abates, a global budget would ideally remain in place to allow primary care to help restore and advance the Americas health. Primary care teams would initially manage patients with Covid-19 moving forward, including testing, treatment, and administering vaccines. The economic devastation and social isolation wrought by Covid-19 will require primary care teams to address mental illness, substance misuse, and poorly controlled chronic disease even more than they are already doing.

And yet, the U.S. is underinvesting in primary care: Just 6 cents or less of every health care dollar are spent on primary care, even though we spend more on health care per capita than every other industrialized nation.

Envision the following: You go to your primary care practice amid a bout of depression and are immediately able to see a behavioral health provider. You struggle with alcohol use or opioid addiction and a recovery coach checks in with you weekly as you pursue recovery. Your loved one develops dementia and a nurse case manager helps coordinate his or her care. If we change the way we pay for primary care, thats the kind of care our nation could attain. In the current system, though, almost none of these members of the health care team generate significant revenue, so most practices cant afford to hire them.

Like airlines, primary care has long depended on people showing up. But unlike air travel, primary cares role of keeping people healthy continues and is arguably even more important when people stay home. The Covid-19 crisis is revealing the financial peril of relying on billable, in-person visits as the main way to pay for primary care, which provides little backstop in times of crisis.

Lets heed the lesson of the Covid-19 crisis to protect primary care in a foundational way that will matter even more once the pandemic is over.

Daniel Horn is a primary care physician and director of population health for the Division of General Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Wayne Altman is chair and professor of family medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and president of the Family Practice Group in Arlington, Mass. Zirui Song is an internal medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, assistant professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a faculty member in the schools Center for Primary Care.

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Primary care is being devastated by Covid-19. It must be saved - STAT

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Rachel Czerny, director of campus wellness, created non-credit classes Move More and Slay Stress that anyone can sign up for to get reminders and tips about taking care of the mind and body.

[Czerny] came up with Move More and Slay Stress and I helped refine some of the ideas, Director of C.A.P.E project Suzannah Rogan said. Specifically moving it to a text-based platform rather than through student email.

The two classes enlightens students about awareness for physical and emotional wellness.

Move More provides students with exercise tips, workouts and connects them with other students, Czerny said. Slay Stress provides tips on managing stress and positive coping skills.

Rogan said the purpose is to support students.

This is guidance to help students manage their workload, stress and anxiety that comes from the current conditions, and healthily respond to stress, Rogan said.

The classes are based on student feedback, Czerny said. The feedback was collected from phone conversations with students.

During this pandemic all nine dimensions of wellness are affected, these groups mainly focus on physical and emotional wellness, Czerny said.

The classes are designed to address student concerns.

The nine dimensions of wellness are interconnected and it is likely that investing in one will spark improvement in another, Czerny said. Physical activity and mental health emerged as two areas students needed more support in during this time, Czerny said.

Each class posts twice per week.

Students enrolled in the program will receive two text messages per week, Czerny said.

Slay Stress posts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Move More posts on Wednesdays and Fridays.

The program was launched on Monday, April 13, Czerny said. I anticipate more students joining as they become aware of the groups.

Czerny hopes more students will join. The limit does not exist for participants.

Move More gets content from a variety of sources, Czerny said.

Recognizing that a lot of our students, particularly student-athletes, may not be able to get to a gym or even run outside safely, Czerny wanted a homegrown approach to helping students be active in their living space if that is what they needed, Rogan said.

Junior Rebecca Jerina is an exercise science major and researched content for Move More.

I knew that a lot of people wouldnt have a variety of gym equipment at their house, so when researching I kept that in mind, Jerina said. I took some exercises piece by piece and put together some of the components for Move More.

Jerina looked at fitness influencers with reliable education, exercises improving fitness and workout programs for home, she said.

I researched routines with no equipment and some with little equipment to fit the needs of everyone, Jerina said.

Helping people workout daily is the purpose of Move More.

Our main goal was to make this very versatile so that people can add or subtract exercises or use equipment if they needed to/had it in their home, Jerina said.

Matt Frazen, Doane athletic director, shared a favorite Youtube workout.

Czerny approves content before posting workouts.

I am a certified group fitness instructor with a B.S. in Exercise Science, so I make sure to review the workouts before they are shared out, Czerny said.

Slay Stress is managed by the Czerny and the Counseling Center.

[Czerny] is working with Kristal Flaming, mental health counselor and Dusty Mencl, counseling intern, to create Slay Stress, Rogan said.

Counselors and Czerny are providing opportunities for students to prioritize mental health.

The Counseling Center is putting together some tips to help students take care of themselves, Flaming said. While dealing with physical distancing and the disruption to the semester that is a result of COVID-19.

The messages are reminders, ideas and encouragement for self-care, Flaming said.

If students are interested, theres a possibility of virtual discussion.

We hope to offer a Zoom discussion where students can log in to share ideas for coping and to encourage one another, Flaming said.

Students can access information for Move More by texting @MOVEMORE to 81010 and access Slay Stress texting @SLAYSTRESS to 81010.

Focusing on physical and emotional health will not only help students get through this difficult time, but will help them gain skills to become more resilient throughout all of life's obstacles, Czerny said.

Read more from the original source:
Taking care of mind and body: moving more, slaying stress - The Doane Line

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OTTAWA Canadians will get an update today on two of the costliest emergency aid programs the federal government has initiated to help them weather the COVID-19 crisis.

The parliamentary budget officer is scheduled to post a costing note on the 75 per cent wage subsidy a program the government expects to cost $73 billion and which it has called the largest economic policy in Canada since the Second World War.

Yves Giroux is also expected to post a costing note on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, which is providing $2,000 a month for four months to Canadians forced out of work due to the pandemic.

The government has estimated the cost of that program at $35 billion, but has expanded the eligibility criteria several times to add those initially left out, including workers earning up to $1,000 per month, seasonal workers and those who have exhausted their regular employment insurance benefits.

In total, the federal government has so far poured $145 billion into emergency aid and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised more to come, including for seniors.

He is not expected to announce any new funding today, however. His daily briefing on the pandemic is likely to be overtaken by questions about another tragedy the crash of a Royal Canadian Air Forces Cyclone helicopter into the Mediterranean Sea late Wednesday.

The Cyclone was participating in a NATO exercise off the coast of Greece when the crash occurred, the Canadian Armed Forces has said.

The military said a search and rescue operation was under way and declined all other comment.

However, Greek state broadcaster ERT said one body had been found and five others on board were missing.

While Trudeau will likely be preoccupied with that bad news, MPs on six House of Commons committees will be delving into various aspects of the federal response to the pandemic.

Industry Minister Navdeep Bains who is spearheading the drive to mobilize Canadian researchers and scientists in the campaign to develop tests, treatments and ultimately a vaccine to protect against the novel coronavirus is to testify at the industry committee.

And Social Development Minister Ahmed Hussen, who is responsible for measures aimed at helping children, seniors and the homeless through the pandemic, is to testify at the human resources committee.

That committee is also scheduled to hear from the head of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. The CMHC is administering the federal governments new program to relieve eligible small businesses of 75 per cent of their rent payments due in April, May and June.

Meanwhile, the procedure and House affairs committee is scheduled to hear how legislatures in Wales, Scotland and the United Kingdom are handling the move to virtual sittings as politicians, like everyone else, try to keep physical distance from one another to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Canadas MPs held their first virtual gathering on Tuesday, which was deemed generally successful despite numerous glitches in using unaccustomed video-conferencing technology.

Link:
The true price of Canada's wage subsidy and CERB to be released today - National Post

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Picture it. You're at the park. Visor up, activewear on, sweat is flowing.

Maybe you're with your housemate. You finish your workout, lie down on the grass, and take a minute to catch your breath. That's exactly what Erica was doing when the bombshell dropped.

Were both sweating, were both panting... And the first thing, after a couple of minutes, that my housemate says to me is: You know once I exercised so hard that I orgasmed.

So she immediately googled it obviously and YES THIS IS A THING and its called a 'coregasm'.

For more info on whats going on, Sally and Erica turned to sex educator and intimacy coach, Georgia Grace.

Yes. It is true and absolutely can happen. An orgasm during exercise or a coregasm happens when youre doing exercises that engage your core. And when you engage these muscles, to stabilise your core, you may also be contracting your pelvis floor muscles which, of course, are pretty important for orgasm.

So, its not an overly common thing but it can take a lot of people by surprise. As you were saying with your friend, there was no sexual stimulus, it wasnt like she was turned on by her workout but simply by the engagement of her core muscles or perhaps the type of exercises she was doing that can lead to an accidental or a surprising orgasm.

Currently at my stand up desk contracting my core muscles like crazy... I'm willing to try anything at this point in iso! How long does one need to do this for?? Sarah

Well, its not exactly common but it does happen. I think if were looking at the type of people who can experience it, research has found that women or people with vulvas are more likely to experience a coregasm. But then theres a lot of other factors at play, like your anatomy, the muscle strength, your emotional state, the time of your workout, all those other things that can impact your core and your pelvis muscles.

Yes! Every time I do heavy weighted hamstring curls I need to stop after about 10 otherwise its too much and Im in public

We can absolutely work to try and have a coregasm. So there are a few things to try: crunches, side crunches, leg lifts, knee lifts, hip thrusts. Another thing to remember is, obviously if youre engaging your pelvic floor muscles, breath and really bringing your awareness to sensation that youre feeling will also help with those techniques that youre using.

I've had this happen to me!!! So weird and I had no idea what was happening!! Happened in a pole dancing class. Jess from Melbourne

My pleasure. Enjoy your work outs.

Imagine doing some exercises at the gym, minding your own business, when suddenly you feel a build up of pressure down below, followed by a release you're used to feeling in the bedroom...

Read more:
What exactly is a coregasm? And how can you have one? - ABC News

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POWASSAN -It can be difficult to keep 128 residents entertained, but even more so during social isolation, says Barb Caicco, recreation director at Eastholme Home for the Aged,.

It's really difficult to be able to have much going. No external ministers or pastors coming in, no volunteers coming in to do those extra things, Caicco explains.

Without outside entertainers or volunteers, recreation staff members have to create and host activities to keep residents entertained.

We've just had to be a little bit creative in what we do to make things work for either one-to-one programs or small groups of five or less.

Caicco says they are social distancing residents inside the home, making it difficult for them to socialize. But, she says, they are finding ways to cope.

From one-on-one spa days to exercise programs, staff have been looking for alternative programs in addition to the regular arts, crafts and colouring activities. Caicco says they also play music and host sing-a-longs, while videos substitute for live entertainers.

It's important for these folks, especially with Alzheimer's disease and dementia, other cognitive issues that they have consistency, Caicco explains. It's been very difficult to maintain consistency because of the constant changing in the initiatives and the directives that we're getting. But we're doing our best to stay on top of that and have the residents and have activities every day, morning, afternoon and early evening.

One of the new programs created involve video chat sessions for residents to speak with their family members outside the home. The Powassan and Almaguin Highlands Lions clubs have donated tablets to the home to help more residents get online to speak with family.

Caicco says seven to eight residents a day are able to video chat, but there are more ways to communicate with residents.

We're encouraging the community to come and write on our sidewalks with chalk or attach signs to our fences or trees, so that when the residents look out the door or the window, they can see some of the community in action.

Caicco says she hopes more families and community members will walk by the home for window visits. She says residents enjoy seeing the community, especially dogs and children.

Its the small things that show them the community cares, Caicco says.

Read more from the original source:
Eastholme doing its best to keep 128 residents active - BayToday

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Another 3.8 million people filed claims for unemployment last week, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to weigh on the U.S. job market. That brought the total for the past 6 weeks to 30.3 million.

Global energy demand, particularly for coal, is falling sharply this year, the International Energy Agency says. The drop is caused by weather patterns and COVID-19 shutdowns.

The World Health Organization declared the virus a global health emergency at the end of January. Since then, millions across the world have taken sick but glimmers of hope have emerged, too.

An antigen test could be quick, and much simpler and cheaper than the PCR tests now used to spot people infected with the novel coronavirus. But some scientists worry about an antigen test's accuracy.

The Navy has imposed strict rules on a small branch of civilian mariners. They're locked down on their ships and say it's an overreaction and they're suing.

Former Vice President Joe Biden has kicked off the next phase of his campaign, appointing former and current Democratic officials to help him pick a running mate. Biden has said he'll choose a woman.

The famous food stalls and shops on Mumbai's Mohammed Ali Road are closed during India's lockdown. "This is the first time I'm seeing Mohammed Ali Road come to a standstill," says a restaurant owner.

A former neighbor recalled to NPR that Tara Reade relayed the same detailed accusation against the then-senator many years ago. Many Democratic officials say they believe Biden did not assault Reade.

The country, which saw infections ramp up quickly in February, has seen them trend down for weeks. In a milestone on Thursday, officials reported just four new cases, all imported.

Most SNAP benefit recipients need to shop in person a problem for those at high risk for COVID-19

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is seeking reelection and has allied himself with Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to support the state's stay-at-home order even as many Republicans want to see the state reopen.

Gov. Ron DeSantis says all of the state except for three counties in Southeast Florida meet the Phase 1 guidelines identified by the White House Coronavirus Task Force. He set reopening for Monday.

Originally posted here:
Mitch McConnell Insists On Liability Protections For Businesses During The Pandemic - North Country Public Radio

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Eight times a day every day, without fail Mike Sirignano received a text message with a photo from Mekhi Becton, who sent pictures of his breakfast, lunch, and dinner and all the protein bars and shakes he downed in between.

Every day, Becton received a bag of those protein snacks from Louisville team dietitian Emily Artner. Sirignano wanted to know exactly when Becton ate them a nutrient timing plan he and Artner mapped out.

This was the start of a 16-month, life-changing makeover for Becton, a prodigious, 6-foot-7 offensive tackle who had let his weight balloon to 389 pounds by the time Sirignano started working with him in January of 2019, as Louisvilles new strength and conditioning coach.

At each meal, Artner walked Becton through the football facilitys buffet line, approving his choices, monitoring his fat and carbohydrate intake. In the weight room, Becton cranked out an hour and a half of strength work, plus 45 minutes of cardio every day.

These were standard requirements for the 20-some players in Louisvilles weight-loss program the texted photos, the cardio work. If a player neglected either, he had to do 25 up-downs as punishment. Every player slipped up that offseason except Becton.

Always too big to hide anyway, Becton understood what this meant, with a lucrative NFL future at stake. So he attacked it just like hed attack a pre-draft training plan that forced him to slam 6,000 calories per day, starting at 5:30 a.m.

As Becton knows, being an elite athlete this enormous is a process, forever a process. If Becton sticks to that process, he could become a generational NFL left tackle. If not, hell likely torpedo his career.

By the time Louisvilles training camp started last August, he had dropped 35 pounds, to 354. He thrived last season while playing in the mid-360s, then stunned the NFL Scouting Combine by running a 40-yard dash in 5.1 seconds at 364 pounds.

Now, the Jets, who drafted him 11th overall, hope he can become their long-term left tackle. Becton just turned 21, and has played only five seasons of high-level football, between high school and college.

But even as questions linger about whether Becton can control his weight as a pro, Sirignano has higher expectations the Hall of Fame.

He should be talked about with the Jonathan Ogdens and Orlando Paces one day, Sirignano said.

***

Becton ducked and dodged, but Loren Johnson kept pelting him.

By the end of the day, Becton was covered in splotches. Playing paintball against your high school coach isnt easy when youre this huge.

I always was the biggest kid, Becton said. I was always standing over everybody in pictures. So this is something Im used to.

Becton was 6-3 and 220 pounds as an eighth grader when he met Johnson, the coach at Highland Springs, near Richmond, Va. By sophomore year, he was 6-6. Between junior and senior year, he gained 50 pounds of mostly muscle. Like that, he was 6-7 and 350 pounds.

He just was growing faster than any of our eyes could catch up with him, Johnson said. It was almost like youd blink your eyes, and the next week hes an inch taller.

Johnson had to pull his other players aside and tell them, You guys can never get upset when Mekhi walks out of here with 30 scholarship offers.

Why? theyd say. Mekhis not that good right now.

Well, Mekhi is 6-6 and hes 15 years old.

He liked to eat, sure. And he filled out his towering body. But he never binged on junk food. Bectons mom, Semone, runs a catering business, which helped expand his palette. Becton even helped plan Highland Springs pregame meals, which his mom cooked. No pizza or sub sandwiches. Just hearty, sustaining food like baked chicken, greens, and potatoes.

Becton didnt stop moving in high school, staying as lean and nimble as he could. Football season dovetailed into basketball and then into spring football. One night senior year, Louisville offensive line coach Mike Summers showed up to see Becton play.

Hey, watch tonight, coach, Becton said. Im going to get a dunk for you.

Sure enough, Becton caught the ball on a fast break, burst toward the hoop, and slammed the ball with every ounce of his 350 pounds. The rim shook. The gym went crazy. And Summers was sold on Bectons potential.

We thought he was a first-round pick when we recruited him, Summers said.

***

Becton was talented enough to start from the get-go at Louisville in 2017. But as the Cardinals 2018 season spiraled, coach Bobby Petrino got fired in mid-November. Sirignano said many players totally shut down then. With no bowl game, linemen like Becton packed on weight.

Summers had initially pushed Becton to play at 350 pounds, but realized he could still move swiftly in the mid-360s. But 389? No chance. So Sirignano met with Becton last January and laid out the weight-loss plan.

Do you have any issues with that? he asked Becton.

No, Becton said, and he dove right in.

Sirignano had to prod most heavy players to do their daily 45 minutes on the elliptical or treadmill. But not Becton. He shed the weight quickly and kept it off. Near the end of last season, Becton measured 17 percent body fat compared to 20-26 percent for most offensive linemen with 315 pounds of lean muscle mass.

Which is more muscle than most Division I offensive linemen weigh and NFL players, Sirignano said.

Can he keep the weight off and avoid ballooning again?

Sirignano has no doubt because Becton jumping to 389 was a one-time occurrence caused by inactivity late in 2018, and he was able to drop the weight fast in 2019.

We havent had an issue with it [since], Sirignano said. He doesnt fluctuate like people would think with someone that size. I dont ever see that being a problem.

***

So why gobble 6,000 calories a day, as Becton does now while training?

Its a numbers game.

Since December, Becton has trained under offensive line specialist Duke Manyweather in the Dallas area. Manyweather worked with Bryan McCall, who runs pre-draft programs at nearby Michael Johnson Performance, and placed a sensor on Becton for a week.

The results of the study: Becton consumed 2,800 to 3,000 calories per day, with three meals. But when he did a speed/agility workout, he burned 1,200 calories. He burned 1,100 during a weightlifting or position technique session. Manyweather typically combines two of those three workouts per day 2,200 to 2,300 burned calories. Becton wasnt eating enough to recover, to perform, and to lean out his body, Manyweather said.

Manyweather upped Bectons intake to 5,500 to 6,000 calories daily, with two gallons of water. Becton starts consuming at 5:30 a.m. and doesnt eat after 8 p.m. He gets five to six meals daily, with an emphasis on avocado oil, olive oil, pink salt, carbs only around workouts, and most importantly a rotation of proteins. That is critical, to avoid muscle inflammation.

Eat too much of one protein, and the body develops an intolerance, leading to inflammation. So Becton has a different type of protein with all five to six meals steak, fish, chicken, shrimp, eggs. He can eat as many green vegetables as he wants. He gets a daily carb allotment.

Thats what it takes, Manyweather said. Hes so metabolically efficient that he wasnt getting enough calories in.

Becton weighed 375 when he started working with Manyweather. He got to 364 for the combine and is 363 now. He wants to play in the 350-355 range.

Once I started to eat more, the weight started to fall off, Becton said.

He never wants to see 389 again. He hopes to be remembered not as a space-hogging lineman, but as a dominant tackle who can finish the guy in front of him every play.

I think my demeanor is real nasty, he said. I like to see the man on the ground stay on the ground.

So he abides by his weight-management process, as he has since last January. He cant let up. He knows his career depends on it.

His parents came to Dallas to watch the draft with him. The food spread at their party included pizza and wings. But Becton opted for fish, crab legs, and a cup of rice and didnt overeat. Manyweather loved seeing it.

He makes the Ogden and Pace comparisons, too. But Manyweather said Becton is more athletic, similar to the Eagles Lane Johnson. So Manyweather thinks the Jets dont need to force Becton to play at 330 or 340 pounds. He can handle himself just fine in the 350s or 360s.

He is something new, Manyweather said. That does not come around often at all. It really is generational.

Last Thursday night, Manyweather soaked in the celebration after the Jets drafted Becton. He planned to give Becton a day off Friday from working out.

Before he could, Becton asked him a question: What time are we in tomorrow?

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com.

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How Jets Mekhi Becton transformed his overweight body in 16 months and why 6,000 calories a day is now par - NJ.com

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