Votive Hospice and Pallative Care

to themselves. I’m especially thinking of the EMS who transported COVID patients and the hospital staff who treated them.

• Hill Country Memorial signed up to be the only vaccination hub in the Hill Country for the first few months of the Moderna vaccine.

At one point, our county had one of the highest vaccination rates in

Texas, thanks to their efforts. • Hundreds of volunteers stepped up to help Hill Country Memorial fully vaccinate well over 10,000 people. • I will never forget the 2020 drive-in Easter service at Faith

Baptist Church that I attended.

It was so great to corporately worship with others. I literally had tears in my eyes as the service started. Other churches

were equally creative, including embracing online streaming. • The Fredericksburg Standard-

Radio Post offered advertising assistance and provided a list of restaurants that offered takeout and delivery. • When people were diagnosed with COVID or had to quarantine because of close contact, friends and family would make sure their needs were met.

• In some instances, those who were fortunate enough to have surplus toilet paper in the spring of 2020 would share with those who did not. After all, human needs are human needs.

I could go on and on. There were literally countless ways in which our community rose to meet this challenge.

The Greatest Generation did not become that way because of how they responded to the Roaring ’20s. They became the Greatest Generation because of how they responded to the challenges of the ’30s and the ’40s. When they got squeezed, their circumstances not only revealed the good character in them, but they also refined out some of the dross.

As someone once said, “The hotter the heat, the harder the steel. No pressure, no diamonds.” I’m proud to have gone through the heat and pressure of this pandemic with our community. Thank you for loving your neighbors as yourselves.

Exercise Helps Physical, Mental Health

By Samuel Sutton

Standard-Radio Post Reporter

It’s no secret that exercise is important, but it not only helps physical health.

Moving for an hour every day can also improve mental health, according to Shannon Maenius, an American Council on Exercise (ACE)-certified personal trainer and Athletics and Fitness Association (AFAA)-certified group exercise instructor at the Hill Country Memorial Wellness Center.

“Moving every day helps the blood flow through the brain, which can make Alzheimer’s and dementia more manageable,” she said.

It’s still important, however, to address how exercise helps physical health.

Maenius said working out can improve the body’s physique greatly.

“Moving the body through full range of motion through cardiovascular or strength training will help you become more flexible,” she said. “It helps everything from posture, etc.”

She emphasized the importance of not only doing cardiovascular work, but also working on strength training by loading one’s muscles.

“You can accomplish this by walking, biking, running or mowing the lawn,” she said.

She also said it’s important to add in ground-based exercises, as hitting the pavement while running or walking can improve bone density.

“Water exercises are good, but it’s not as effective as ground-based exercises are for improving bone density,” she said.

To make exercise more fun, Maenius recommended doing it with a workout partner.

“This not only helps add a social component, but it also makes it more fun, which means you’ll do it for life,” she added

When training for something like a marathon, she said doing so with a partner can help with motivation.

“You are almost never going to hit that wall the same time as your training buddy,” she said. “This means you can help motivate each other.”

While working out an hour every day is important, Maenius said it’s crucial to vary intensity to ensure longevity and prevent injury.

Working out is important for overall health, but it’s only one aspect.

“You can’t outrun a bad diet,” she said.

She recommended filling the plate with color during meals, as this will provide a range of nutrients and phytochemicals.

“Eating the rainbow is a good saying,” she said.

And no, she doesn’t mean Skittles.

Shannon Maenius teaches her Shape Up With Shannon class every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10-11 a.m. behind the SMPT Building on Texas 16 South. — Submitted photo