Healthy Living — Summer 2020

2020

S u m m e r

E d i t i o n

A safe space

Gatzman finds solace in practices enacted by gym

Inside  COVID-19 changes landscape of exercise for gyms and clients  Water's freedom of movement offers less demanding exercise  Experts weigh in on health impact of novel coronavirus

MUSKOGEE muskogeephoenix.com Healthy Living

1

2020

S u m m e r

E d i t i o n

Contents

3

3 UV sanitation

16 Member protection

Gym owner uses UV light sanitizer in effort to fight against novel coronavirus.

Muskogee Swim and Fitness Center aims to keep members safe from COVID-19.

8 Nutrition challenges

22 Substance abuse

Dietician offers tips to maintain healthy diet and lifestyle during stay-at-home age.

Experts see decline in mental health, spike in drug- and alcohol-related abuse.

10 Going with the flow

25 Recipes to try

Health-conscious dishes courtesy of www.choosemyplate.gov..

Local water aerobics instructor says exercise in water is easier than on land.

On the Cover Kyle Gatzman Photo: By Ronn Rowland

2 0 2 0

S u m m e r

10 A safe space

Gatzman finds solace in practices enacted by gym

Inside  COVID-19 changes landscape of exercise for gyms and clients  Water's freedom of movement offers less demanding exercise  Experts weigh in on health impact of novel coronavirus

MUSKOGEE muskogeephoenix.com

2

16 Summer Edition 2020

e d i t i o n

Gym combats coronavirus with

UV light Story and photos by Cathy Spaulding

U

ltraviolet lights go on when lights go out at Fit Happens Fitness Studio.

Owner Kerry Keane called UV lights "an extra step I could take to ensure the safety of our members."

UV light sanitizers are among several ways Fit Happens and other gyms seek to keep clean out of concern for COVID-19.

Keane said she looked into using UV lights even before COVID-19 prompted the gym

to close in April. She said she had read how cities use the light on subways and buses to kill the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19.

The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine website said UV light has been shown to destroy other coronaviruses and might work on the novel coronavirus.

The website says ultraviolet light is produced by the sun and special lamps, but warns that contact with UV light could damage the skin.

Healthy Living

3

Brady Lane, left, and Stacy Munson workout with their assigned kettle bells on their mats during a class at Fit Happens Fitness Studio.

4

Summer Edition 2020

Keane said three UV lights are placed in different areas three times a week, after the gym closes. Because UV lights have a smell, Keane said she makes sure the gym is ventilated before members return the next day.

Keane said she always sought to have a "super-clean gym," even before COVID-19 hit in March.

"We've always had wipes, and always had sanitizers," she said.

"People know they always grab wipes and they clean up after themselves. We clean up at the beginning of the day, midday, daily. That was already going on."

Gyms across Oklahoma were closed for nearly six weeks out of concern for COVID-19.

Keane said she stepped up sanitation other ways when the gym reopened.

For example, every other treadmill is unplugged to ensure adequate distancing between users.

"We spaced out some of the equipment that needed to be spaced out," Keane said.

"Everything else was already six feet apart."

During small group classes, properly-distanced participants work out on their own assigned mats and use their assigned weights or exercise equipment, Keane said.

"Our whole program is so they touch their own things," she said. "They stash their weights when they're finished, so they

Healthy Living

5

ABOVE: Fit Happens Fitness Studio owner Kerry Keane shows a UV light which she uses to sanitize the gym at night. She said she had read that UV light might be able to kill novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

RIGHT: Addie Sanders walks on a treadmill at Fit Happens Fitness Studio while a treadmill next to her remains unplugged to ensure distancing.

6

Summer Edition 2020

won't be sharing stuff."

Weights and equipment are wiped down after each use, she said.

"Then when I run the UVs in the evenings, then I know we've gotten everything," Keane said.

Other gyms are also responding to the pandemic.

Oak Strong Physical Fitness owner Shane Scott said the gym limited its classes to nine people even before COVID-19 closed the building.

Center members took home equipment and were given sheets listing fitness routines to do while the gym was closed due to the pandemic. Members also were challenged to run 50 miles during April.

When Oak Strong reopened,

class sizes were limited to nine people for a few weeks.

Even at full capacity, Oak Strong makes sure participants are spaced six feet apart, Scott said.

"We work predominantly in an open area," he said. "We have two huge bay doors that we open to keep it ventilated."

The gym specializes in high intensity physical fitness, with instructors leading classes that include cardio work and weight lifting.

Scott said the gym stocked up on antibacterial sanitizer and spray before COVID-19 hit.

"It's been good, people are coming back to the gym once they know what we're trying to do," he said.

Healthy Living

7

Maintain healthy, nutritious lifestyle

during pandemic Story by Austin Headlee

S

ince the start of the pandemic and the Gov. Stitt's Safer-AtHome Order, many people have been eating processed foods and avoiding going outside. This may make maintaining a healthy lifestyle difficult for people amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

Cheryl Monroe says the most common mistake people do is making drastic changes to their eating habits in effort to be healthy.

“Don’t make a lot of changes,” said Monroe, clinical dietician with the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center. “Keep doing the foods you are doing and maybe just tweak them.”

Before someone completely changes their diet, Monroe suggests keeping track

8

Summer Edition 2020

of what they eat for three days and reviewing what could be improved.

Usually there are healthier substitutions to the meals they are eating, such as replacing white pasta with whole wheat pasta for more nutritional value or eating a burger without cheese to reduce the calorie intake.

Monroe and the VA medical center do not believe in suggesting fad diets or limiting what foods someone can eat.

“Moderation and balance is going to

Cheryl Monroe Monroe is a clinical dietician with the Jack C. Montgomery Veteran Affairs Medical Center

be key,” Monroe said. “Pretty much all foods are going to fit for most people, so we don’t want to do a lot of fad dieting or restrictive dieting because that can be stressful for people, especially with all the stress going on with the pandemic and everything.”

Many people are hesitant to start a healthy lifestyle because they believe it is not fun. As a way to combat that mindset and to achieve long-term success, Monroe recommends making a meal plan.

“Having a plan in place, planning meals and activities like that is a good way to set yourself for success,” Monroe said.

By meal planning, anyone can count their caloric intake by deciding which ingredients to use for their meals.

A proper diet along with participating in physical activities will promote a sustainable healthy lifestyle. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults take part in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activities, such as walking, jogging or cycling while remaining socially distant.

However, there are no quick fixes. As a professional in her field, Monroe wants the public to know that maintaining a health lifestyle is a long-term commitment and that it is OK to enjoy food.

Healthy Living

9

Water offers great place to get fit Local instructor says more can be done in water than on land Story by Chesley Oxendine

10

Summer Edition 2020

Healthy Living

11

Facilities •Spaulding Park swimming pool, South G Street and Okmulgee Avenue: 1 to 6 p.m. daily. Facility limited to 75 percent capacity. • River Country Water Park, 3600 Arline Ave.: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays; 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays. Facility limited to 75 percent capacity.

12

Summer Edition 2020

W

ater aerobics classmates get moving when Cindy Wayman leads the class.

"You have to push it," she shouts as members churn the water at Muskogee Swim and Fitness Center's Olympic-sized pool.

Water is a great place to get fit, whether it's swimming, water aerobics or just moving around.

"You can do so much more in the water than you can do on land," Wayman said. "As you're getting older, you have less joint flexibility. I have people often tell me 'I can do this in the water that I can't do on land.' It gives us more freedom of movement."

Water aerobics instructor Sherry Rice said

water is easy on people's joints. But, it also offers much more resistance than air. People get more of a workout.

"Walking in the water works the same muscles you would as you're walking," Rice said.

"But you're going to get more resistance because of the water. The arms, too, if you have some sort of flotation device, you can do your arm weights with that, moving down into the water.

Side bends would work your waist."

Repetition exercises also pay off, she said.

People also need to be safe in the water.

"If you're not a very good swimmer, I wouldn't suggest you go in more than three or four feet of water," Rice said.

Even in the water, people should keep six feet

Instructor Cindy Wayman, front, leads a water aerobics class in leg lifts at Muskogee Swim and Fitness. (Cathy Spaulding)

Healthy Living

13

Haley Stiles, left, and Heather Morrison keep a healthy distance while doing water aerobics at Muskogee Swim and Fitness. (Cathy Spaulding)

apart out of concern for COVID-19, said Kevin Anthis, Swim and Fitness Center facility manager.

"We have a large enough pool that we can accommodate up to 24 and they're still able to stay distant from each other," Anthis said. "During water aerobics classes, we have distance markers on the walls, we mark off and show people this is what 6 foot distance looks like."

14

Summer Edition 2020

Lap swimmers are sticking to one person to a lane, he said.

Spaulding Park swimming pool and River Country Water Park are limited to 75 percent capacity, Anthis said.

"We still have signs up, and we're still encouraging 6-foot social distancing even though we're outside," he said, adding that people also should keep distant in the water.

According to the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention website, there is no evidence that COVID-19 can spread through the water. However, the website recommends that people should limit close contact with non-family members in and out of the water.

"The distancing still has to do with the airborne breathing. The heavy breathing you might be doing is still of concern to someone you might be close to in the water," Anthis said.

GREENER DAYS AHEAD Great golf happens on great courses. And courses don’t get better than the ones on Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. With 11 locations, 26 courses and more than 400 championship holes, the toughest challenge may be deciding which one to play first.

Our golf courses and staff are ready to welcome you back to the legendary RTJ Golf Trail.

Summer and fall golf packages available. We are open and will be here waiting for you.

Visit rtjgolf.com.

Healthy Living

15

Looking out for members Muskogee Swim and Fitness Center providing safe exercise environment Story and Photos by Ronn Rowland

16

Summer Edition 2020

Muskogee firefighter Kyle Gatzman uses a lat pulldown bar while working out at the Muskogee Swim and Fitness Center. Gatzman is grateful he can feel safe while working out because of the practices in place at the Center.

Healthy Living

17

18

Summer Edition 2020

Members of the Muskogee Swim and Fitness Center use the cardio equipment while working out.

The Center is helping with social distancing by maintaining six feet between people using equipment.

K

yle Gatzman works out knowing the Muskogee Swim and Fitness Center has taken steps to protect his health.

A Muskogee firefighter by trade, Gatzman is grateful the facility is looking out for him during the coronavirus pandemic.

"I love the fact that they always have these bottles at the decontamination station where you can go behind you and cleanup," he said. "They do a really good job of coming back behind you as well, making sure everything's clean and everyone's safe."

Kevin Anthis, the facilities manager, said while the Swim

and Fitness center is open, membership participation is down from previous years.

"I can say that beginning in June, the participation levels have started to rise," he said. "We re-opened on May 1 with stricter guidelines on distancing. Presently, when we went on to Phase 3, we kind of relaxed some of the distancing.

"We still have markers in our land classes and six-foot markers on the side of our pool so people can remain distanced during our classes."

Anthis also points out that the exercise equipment is looked after.

"We're asking people to keep their distance and keep

Healthy Living

19

20 Summer Edition 2020

Jim Webb sprays sanitizer on a towel so he can wipe down the equipment he was using at the Muskogee Swim and Fitness Center.

The Center has provided three stations in the workout room to assist patrons in taking care of themselves and the equipment.

clean," he said. "Hand sanitizers are available on all our walls and we've spread out our cleaning stations."

Chris Mills, who works at the Center in the exercise room, said he is asking patrons to practice social distancing.

"We have all the machines that are spaced out six feet apart," Mills said. "So everybody can still practice social distancing while they're still getting their workout in."

And the Center has also provided areas in the workout area so members can take care of themselves between workouts.

"We've provided three different stations with the rags and cleaners," Mills said. "We also have a list in case we are busy, they can look at it and see the proper way to keep infection down."

Mills said that while participation numbers are down, there are still times during the day that they are busy.

"The older crowd in the morning has kind of slowed down a little," he said. "We've lost some of our elderly couples that used to come in here, but we have some people that come in here every single day and work out."

And the busiest times of the day?

"Before 8 a.m., the noon lunch hour and 4-6 p.m.," Mills said.

Healthy Living

21

Drug usage increases amid coronavirus pandemic Story by Austin Headlee

G

reen Country Behavioral Health Services noticed a few months into the pandemic an increase in assistance requests for their mental health, including drug and alcohol related help. Experts in behavioral health and drug addiction predicted that the coronavirus pandemic would cause a spike in drug and alcohol related relapses across the United States.

Among their new clients, GCBHS has observed an increase in opioid and meth usage. They also saw an increase in Xanax usage, according to urine analysis results.

The uncertainty and self-isolation surrounding the virus can provoke mental health issues that are already present

22

Summer Edition 2020

in people, causing their symptoms to become more severe. Many people are turning to self medication during the pandemic as a coping mechanism.

“I think people who may have had some life concerns before COVID, some of those things can get exacerbated," said Joy Sloan, GCBHS chief executive officer. "Everyone’s anxiety is a little bit higher as we’re living through something that we have absolutely never seen before and we don’t really know how it’s going to end. Uncertainty and the unknown causes fear and anxiety anyway, so add that on top of, if I have some kind of problem, it just exacerbates that problem more.”

Clients in the early stages of recovery

are at a higher risk of having a relapse.

Most recovery programs are based around a social support network with an emphasis in face-to-face interactions and finding health coping mechanisms.

So, people in the early stage of recovery who do not have access to their support network or lack coping mechanisms are more likely to experience a relapse.

Individuals who are about to relapse or try hard drugs for the first time to combat stress sometimes display warning signs beforehand. Typically, the warning signs include isolation from friends and family, a lack of communication and worsening depression, anxiety or anger.

Dan Curtis, GCBHS addictions supervisor, wants the public to know that

addiction is a disease.

Addiction is classified as a disease because it is caused by a combination of behavioral, environmental and biological factors then makes changes to the mind and body of the infected. Although the initial choice to abuse a drug may be a choice, a person loses control of their behavior once their mind is impacted by addiction.

"Support issues are huge when it comes to recovery, and that’s why isolation concerns me when it comes to the COVID-19 issue right now, that isolation can be a really big problem," Curtis said. "Even when we’re doing our groups in our program we’re doing them online, but they’re not doing it with everyone

else. We lose that social connection, so that’s a huge thing we’re really struggling with right now.”

Addiction can be controlled, but it can never be cured. The recovery process for addiction is a way of life, and treatment is just the first step.

“It doesn’t matter how somebody for what reason tried something, that addiction and that addiction aspect kicks in," said Tim Ryan, recovery advocate at Rehab.com. "This is a disease that is progressive and chronic and will kill people, but they need to know there is hope out there and recovery is possible, but the first step is getting them into treatment then realizing it is a journey from there.”

Healthy Living

23

BRIGHTER DAYS AHEAD When the storm clears, we will gather again. To hugs, to play, to laughter.

Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and Resort Collection hotels and spas will be here to welcome you. Stay safe. rtjgolf.com

24 Summer Edition 2020

healthy recipes

Asian Mango Chicken Wraps Makes: 4 Servings Prep Time: 30 minutes Sweet and juicy ripe mangos are the perfect balance for the savory ingredients in this Asian wrap. Dinner's ready in 30 minutes, or make ahead for a tasty portable lunch.

Ingredients:

»» 2 ripe mangos (peeled, pitted, and diced) »» 1 1/2 cups chopped roasted chicken breast »» 2 green onions (sliced) »» 2 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped) »» 1/2 red bell pepper

»» »» »» »»

(chopped) 1 1/2 cups shredded Savoy or Napa cabbage 2 medium carrots (grated) 1/3 cup fat-free cream cheese 3 tablespoons natural

Directions

1. Cut mangos, vegetables, and chicken. Place in a mixing bowl and toss until well mixed.

2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together cream cheese, peanut butter, and soy sauce.

3. To assemble: lay out tortillas on a flat surface. On each tortilla, spread 1/4 of cream cheese mixture and top

Recipe and photos courtesy of www.choosemyplate.gov.

creamy peanut butter (unsalted) »» 2 teaspoons low-

sodium soy sauce »» 4 whole-wheat tortillas (8")

with mango, vegetable, and chicken mix. Roll up tightly, tucking in ends of tortilla. Secure with toothpicks.

4. To serve, cut each wrap in half.

5. If not serving immediately, refrigerate; keeps well overnight.

Garden Cannellini Bean Salad Makes: 4 Servings Prep Time: 45 minutes

Chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers combine with cannellini (white) beans, almonds, and a simple vinaigrette, for a delicious and satisfying salad.

Ingredients:

»» 1 tablespoon olive oil »» 1 tablespoon tomato »» 2 teaspoons white wine basil garlic seasoning vinegar blend, no-salt »» 1/2 cup apple juice Recipe and photos courtesy of www.choosemyplate.gov.

Healthy Living

25

Garden Cannellini Bean Salad continued Ingredients the Bean Salad:

»» 1/2 cup almond slivers »» 2 14½ oz cans »» 2 tomatoes, coarsely cannellini (white) chopped beans, no-salt-added, »» 1/2 yellow bell pepper, drained, and rinsed chopped »» Large lettuce leaves »» 1/2 cucumber, peeled, (Boston, Bibb,or chopped romaine) »» 3 green onions, sliced Directions

1.

2.

3.

4.

Whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

In a small sauté pan, toast almond slivers until golden.

Remove from pan and let cool.

In a medium bowl, toss dressing with all ingredients except lettuce.

5. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

6. To serve, place lettuce leaves on individual plates; top with salad.

Notes

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a glass of non-fat milk, 1 slice of whole-grain bread, and pear slices.

26

Summer Edition 2020

Spinach Salad with Apples and Eggs Makes: 4 Servings Prep Time: 45 minutes

Enjoy a simply delicious spinach salad with hard-boiled eggs, apples, and dried figs.

Ingredients:

»» »» »» »»

4 large eggs »» 1 cup whole-grain 2 apples croutons 8 cups fresh spinach »» 1/2 cup light honey 1 cup dried figs (about mustard or poppy seed 16 figs or one 7-oz pkg) dressing

Directions

1. To hard boil-eggs: Place eggs in saucepan large enough to hold them in a single layer.

Add cold water to cover eggs by 1 inch.

Heat over high heat just to boiling.

Remove from heat and cover.

Let eggs stand in hot water about 12 minutes.

Drain and fill pan with cold water; let sit 10-15 minutes.

Peel and slice. (If making ahead, refrigerate cooked unpeeled eggs) 2. Prepare other ingredients while eggs are cooking and cooling.

3. Wash, slice, and core apples.

4. Cut apples and dried figs into bite-sized chunks.

5. Wash and drain spinach.

6. To plate, divide ingredients evenly among four plates, top spinach with apples, eggs, dried figs, and croutons.

Drizzle with dressing.

READY FOR YOUR ARRIVAL Gathering with loved ones means more than ever. Laugh, hug, play and relax. The eight hotels and resorts along Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail offer legendary locations to safely reconnect. From the shores of the Tennessee River to Mobile Bay, come experience world-class hospitality in picturesque settings. Plunge into resort pools. Relax in luxury spas.

Play RTJ golf. Enjoy farm-to-table cuisine. We are open and will be here waiting for you.

Visit rtjresorts.com.

Healthy Living

27

28 Summer Edition 2020