December 2024 Calendar
COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROGRAMS
The Center for Health & Wellbeing proudly hosts educational programs that inspire your healthiest self. Advance registration for all programs is required.
To register, please visit the CHWB calendar at YourHealthandWellbeing.org/events, call 407.644.2492 or stop by the CHWB Welcome Desk.
wholeness
Lurking in the Shadows: How Unrecognized Grief Impacts Your Life
Monday, December 2, 1 – 2:30 PM
A common misconception is grief only follows the death of a loved one, but many other life events are also associated with loss and result in grief. This workshop, led by licensed mental health counselor Alison Issen, will help to identify and validate disenfranchised or unacknowledged grief, which has remained hidden or which others have ignored, and will look at ways to turn hidden grief into energy for positive growth and healing.
Crystal Bowl Sound Meditation for Community + Connection
Mondays, December 2 & 16, 7 – 8 PM
Join Certified Meditation Instructor Camille Sacco for community + connection, and to learn the basics of meditation and to experience a crystal bowl sound bath. Please note: the first class of each month is free, providing an opportunity for all to experience mindfulness and meditation, but subsequent classes include a $5 program fee.
Optimize Your Microbiome: Decrease
Inflammation and Chronic Disease
Tuesday, December 3, 11 AM – Noon
Our body’s microbiome plays a critical role in our health, influencing chronic conditions such as heart disease, allergies and even depression. Certified lifestyle medicine physician Laura Varich, MD, will provide practical, easy-to-apply tools for optimizing your microbiome.
How to Establish Boundaries
Tuesday, December 3, Noon – 1 PM
Well-designed boundaries are an essential component of living a happy, healthy, and balanced life. But while you may know that boundaries are important, it can often be confusing and intimidating to understand where, when, how, and with whom to build and maintain boundaries, particularly during the holiday season. In this workshop, led by mental health counselor and educator Shainna Ali, Ph.D., learn more about an approach that will help you set limits that are more
deeply aligned with your personal values and your relationships. Since this program falls over the lunch hour, feel free to bring lunch from home or grab something from Nourish Coffee Bar + Kitchen on the way in.
Outdoor Labyrinth Meditation Walk
Wednesday, December 4, 10 – 11 AM
Time in nature can uplift your mood, boost the immune system, and relieve stress. Join health coach Julie Ward for a special guided outdoor meditation and labyrinth walk in Ward Park, directly adjacent to the CHWB, and soak in all our surrounding nature has to offer. Meet inside the CHWB and we’ll walk out together.
Fresh Flavors with Allison: Immune
Boosting Winter Foods
Wednesday, December 4, 11 AM – 12:30 PM
Whether you’re looking to fend off winter colds or simply enjoy healthful comfort foods, this session will provide you with the knowledge and culinary skills to create meals that keep you warm and well. Under the guidance of Allison Harrell, Registered Dietitian and Culinary Medicine Specialist, you’ll discover delicious, health-promoting recipes, such as Ginger and Turmeric Carrot Soup, that will become staples in your winter kitchen, ensuring you and your loved ones stay nourished and resilient all season long. Program fee: $35.
Exercise Your Creativity: Holiday Tiny Books
Wednesday, December 4, 1 – 3 PM
Inspire your creative side! In our monthly Exercise Your Creativity art workshops, you’ll enjoy the opportunity to experiment with a variety of mediums and art styles and see how getting creative can improve your overall wellbeing. This month, teaching artists Liz Kitchens and Ann Goodpasture will teach you how to create Holiday Tiny Books.
Garden Gifts for the Holidays
Thursday, December 5, 1 – 2:30 PM
One of our most popular annual holiday events is back! Join the gardening experts from Fleet Farming to make garden and plant-related gifts, including aromatherapy room sprays, seed kits, plant propagation for house plants, succulent gardening, and more.
Creating a More Supportive Inner Cheerleader
Monday, December 9, 1 – 2 PM
The “Museum of Happiness” series offers another fun and engaging workshop to explore ways you can access more joy and satisfaction every day. We all know that stress contributes to disease and worse health outcomes; so why can’t we take advantage of this phenomenon and use our thoughts, emotions, and inner dialogue to help ourselves more? In this
workshop, Rachel Scheinberg, a researcher, author and educator, will guide you to explore techniques that use the powerful mind-body connection to support your health and wellbeing.
In the Kitchen with Katie: New Twist on Holiday Comfort Classics
Wednesday, December 11, 6 – 7:30 PM
We’ve all had grandma’s green bean casserole and Aunt Judy’s Jell-O salad a million times — it’s time to update these classics for a fresh, new spin! Join cookbook author Katie Farmand to learn some modern (and healthier!) versions of everyone’s favorite holiday dishes. You’ll learn to make (and get to try) dishes like Updated Tuna Noodle Casserole and Not-Your-Grandma’s Fruitcake Cookies. Program fee: $35.
Extracts for Cold & Flu Season
Thursday, December 12, 11 AM – Noon
Cold and flu season is ramping up in Central Florida. If you’re looking to boost your immunity and give your body a fighting chance, look to nature! In this workshop, Melissa Goltermann with the nonprofit Momma G Farms, will show you how to use fresh ginger to create a wellness extract. Program fee of $10 includes your own ginger extract sample to take home, as well as instructions for creating future extracts in your home kitchen.
Mastering Inner Ease: Self-Regulation for Better Decisions and Creativity
Thursday, December 12, 1 – 2:30 PM
In today’s fast-paced world, challenges and uncertainties are inevitable, but your response to them doesn’t have to be. Mastering inner ease is about cultivating the resilience and self-regulation needed to thrive in moments of pressure. In this workshop, led by certified life coach and HeartMath® Resilience trainer Stephanie Veraghen, you’ll discover how to create inner ease, access your innate intelligence, and approach decision-making with clarity.
CHWB Book Club: “Be Ready When the Luck Happens”
Thursday, December 12, 1 – 2:30 PM
The CHWB Book Club is a welcoming place to meet other readers who share a passion for connecting over stories. For our December Book Club selection, we will be reading and discussing “Be Ready When the Luck Happens,” Ina Garten’s recently published memoir. Join us for a delicious discussion, some of which may mimic our own lives, as this contemporary woman shares stories from her fascinating life story. Feel free to bring some of Ina’s past cookbooks for a fun “show and tell!” The CHWB Book Club is led by Annette Kelly, Ph.D., a retired nonprofit founder, local newspaper columnist and retired nurse practitioner.
Sounds of the Season
Come enjoy some of your holiday favorites, performed by Central Florida Vocal Arts’ premiere vocal group Belles & Beaux! Stop by and sip some hot drinks and nibble some treats as you enjoy a free performance that celebrates holiday classics of yesterday and today. Singing along is highly encouraged! No registration required. Wednesday, December 11, 5:30 – 6:30 PM Monday, December 16, 11 AM – Noon
Wednesday, December 18, 11 AM – Noon
Five Days of Fitmas
It’s the Five Days of Fitmas! Join us every day, from December 9 through December 13, 11 am to noon, for a special holiday-themed class led by your favorite Crosby Wellness Center instructors. These classes are designed to help keep you on track with your health goals this holiday season while still enjoying the fun and joy this time of year has to offer. Run, run, Rudolph to one of these great classes!
Five Days of Fitmas: Christmas Cardio
Monday, December 9, 11 AM – Noon
Kick off our annual Five Days of Fitmas celebration by kicking up your feet! Join Crosby Wellness Center group exercise instructor Veronica for a fun and festive Christmas Cardio class guaranteed to make your jingle bells rock. You will move and groove your way into the holiday spirit.
Five Days of Fitmas: Sound Bowl Healing
Tuesday, December 10, 11 AM – Noon
In the midst of a holiday season full of rocking around the Christmas tree, it’s time to quiet your soul with a relaxing guided meditation and sound healing experience. Under the careful guidance of Crosby Wellness Center group exercise instructor Miranda Harris, you will participate in sound therapy, which has existed across cultures and throughout history to promote health and wellbeing.
Five Days of Fitmas: Yoga for the Holidays
Wednesday, December 11, 11 AM – Noon
Crosby Wellness Center yoga instructor Becca Schmidt gives your body, mind and spirit a mid-week boost with a relaxing Yoga for the Holidays program. She’ll guide you through some poses designed to increase your flexibility and help keep you injury-free, no matter how much you rock around the Christmas tree!
Five Days of Fitmas: Tai Chi and Breath Work
Thursday, December 12, 11 AM – Noon
Learn how to lower your blood pressure, reduce your heart rate, and increase cardiovascular circulation by taking as few as five modified breaths. In this science and skill-based practice-hour, Crosby Wellness Center instructor Alan Zemel will show you why Qigong (breath work) and Tai Chi (slow intentional movement) trigger the body’s relaxation and healing mechanisms. You will discover why Tai Chi is often called “meditation in movement.”
Five Days of Fitmas: Functional Fitness
Friday, December 13, 11 AM – Noon
Join Crosby Wellness Center group exercise instructor Julie Rooth for Functional Fitness, a class designed to prepare your body for the years ahead. No matter what you have in store, from grand adventures to future health challenges, functional fitness can keep you moving throughout your life.
Food and Fit for the Holidays
Monday, December 16, 11 AM – Noon
A Christmas bonus day! After a week of jingle bell rocking, join Crosby Wellness Center group exercise instructor Katelynn Swanson for a workshop focused on how nutrition and fitness work together to benefit your body. Learn to leverage home recipes and workouts to become healthier while discovering useful tips to navigate the holidays in a healthy way.
medicine
Baby Bunch
Mondays, 10:30 AM – Noon
Baby Bunch provides a space for moms to connect with other moms postpartum so they can discuss highs and lows of their breastfeeding journey and share any challenges that they are experiencing. This group is for moms with babies aged from newborn to 12 months old.
Movement as Medicine
Tuesdays, December 3 & 17, 2 – 3 PM
This class incorporates dance and creative movement to address balance, flexibility, and spatial awareness for people living with Parkinson’s disease. The AdventHealth class is offered twice a month in person. Please join us! Email to register: ORL.Parkinson@adventhealth.com
Acupuncture Screenings
Wednesday, December 11, 10:30 AM – Noon
Acupuncture is a safe, painless, and effective way to address a wide variety of medical problems, including pain, arthritis, stress, anxiety, digestive issues, and more. Carefully selected acupuncture points promote natural healing by enhancing recuperative power, immunity, physical, and emotional health. Stop by the Healthy Living Experience and learn more about acupuncture from the team at AdventHealth Sports Med & Rehab. No advance registration required.
Infant/Child CPR
Thursday, December 12, 6 – 8 PM
You’ve covered all the basics about caring for baby. Now, learn how to save your baby’s life should she suddenly stop breathing, experience cardiac arrest, or begin choking. This class, led by a certified instructor, will teach you how to handle these emergencies. Register at AdventHealthforWomen. com. Program Fee: $45.
Bloodmobile
Tuesday, December 17, 8 AM – 4 PM
Make a difference and donate blood! The AdventHealth Bloodmobile will be parked outside CHWB. All donations help local AdventHealth patients. No appointment necessary.
Stroke Support Group
Thursday, December 19, 3:30 – 4:30 PM
The stroke support group meets once a month to provide support, socialization and education to all stroke survivors, family, and caregivers with guidance from the AdventHealth Winter Park Inpatient Rehab team. RSVP by emailing inpatientrehabcflsupportgroups@adventhealth.com.
Breakfast Fruit Crisp
Recipe by: Recipe by Katie Farmand
Makes 6-8 Servings
INGREDIENTS:
5 cups mixed berries
1/3 cup plus 2 to 4 tablespoons honey, divided
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup old-fashioned oats
½ cup almond flour
½ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
¼ teaspoon salt
Vanilla Greek yogurt, for serving
Check Out One Of Our In-person Cooking Classes!
INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350F.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, toss together the berries, 2 - 4 tablespoons of honey, lemon juice, and corn starch and place in a 9-inch round baking dish.
Step 3: In the same bowl, mix together the oats, almond flour, nuts, 1/3 cup of honey, Greek yogurt, melted butter, and salt until well combined and crumbly. Sprinkle over the filling.
Step 4: Place the crisp on a baking sheet. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned and the filling is bubbling around the edges.
Step 5: Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Step 6: Serve with a dollop of vanilla Greek yogurt.
This recipe comes from one of our cooking classes in the Center for Health & Wellbeing Nutrition Theatre. The Winter Park Health Foundation offers regular small-group cooking classes perfect for all levels of at-home chefs. We work with a roster of professional chefs to help uncover new skills, discover different flavors and expand your repertoire of healthy cuisine, all in a fun and social environment. Sign up for a future class today!