Do Not Be a Couch Potato!
New Wellness Class: Couch to 5K
Just as spring cleaning spruces up a room after a long winter, Friendship Haven’s inaugural wellness class, Couch to 5K, can clean up your fitness routine and get you back into shape! Beginning May 1, this first-ever program will help you become a 5K jogger or runner in 9-12 weeks.
What is the Couch to 5K class?
This popular program is for individuals who would like to increase their physical fitness through cardio exercise; specifically for those who do not feel comfortable or motivated to walk, jog or run on their own. Beginners gradually build up to their own running ability, so by the end of the program they can jog or run a 5K (3.2 miles) without stopping!
When will the class meet?
These training sessions will be held three times a week, for a total of nine weeks. Another type of fitness is recommended for two or three other days each week, including swimming, water walking, bike riding or yoga.
What is the duration and schedule of each class?
Each class will be held for 30 to 60 minutes, and weekly schedules vary. An example for week one’s workout: start with a quick stretch and five minute walk, followed by alternating 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes total. Another example: start with a 20-30 minute walk and end with stretching and tips for recovery.
How can I find out more about Couch to 5K?
Contact Wellness Assistant, Andrea Doster, or any other team members for more details on this class, as well as other opportunities that Friendship Haven Wellness offers.
April Events
Take a look at these April occasions, and don’t forget to mark them in your calendar!
Lawn & Garden Month – Spring is here! The birds are chirping, the grass is turning green and flowers will soon be blooming. This season also brings with it Mother Nature’s unpredictability in regards to temperatures. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach provided a statement on this subject, “Freezing temperatures do not harm dormant plants. However, freezing temperatures can damage new spring growth, especially flowers. Additionally, a late freeze may drastically reduce the size of the fruit crop. However, the trees themselves should not be seriously harmed.”
Stress Awareness Month – Stressed out? Remember when your mom would tell you to take three, deep breaths before responding to your annoying brother or sister? There’s a reason why! Breathing correctly, with deep and full breaths, will help calm nerves. Moreover, making each breath as effective as possible can promote more oxygen into the bloodstream. Other techniques that help reduce stress include practicing yoga, meditation and mindfulness. Each of these techniques focus on quieting busy minds and directing concentration to a healing element, such as an image, sound or word. If none of these trip your trigger, try taking a walk for at least 15 minutes. Leave your phone and other distractions at home, and let your mind escape.
World Health Day (April 7) – To celebrate this day, some extra steps you may take to care for your health can include getting a gym membership, starting a healthy weight gain program with a meal plan, or drinking more water. The options are endless!
Good Friday (April 14) – Plant potatoes! According to gardening folklore, “If you can sit on the ground with your trousers down, it’s safe to sow your seeds,” and, “Gardeners and farmers believed that Good Friday was the best day for planting because it was the only day of the year when the devil was thought to be powerless.”
Earth Day (April 22) – Celebrating the beauty of our planet can best be summed up with this poem:
Summer, fall, winter, spring,
The seasons rotate as each brings,
It’s special beauty to this Earth of ours.
Winter’s snow and summer’s flowers;
Frozen rivers will flow come spring,
There is a renewal of everything.
– Edna Frohock