Vol. 10, Issue 4, April 2021
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Your community. Your magazine. ™
The Premier “Shop Local” Community Magazine Directly Mailed To Over 15,000 Homes In Citrus Park, Westchase & Surrounding Areas This Independent Community News, Business & Dining Guide Is Directly Mailed Once Each Month To:
Arlington Park • Aston Villas • Bay Arbor • Berkeley Square • Calf Path Estates • Enclave At Citrus Park • Fawn Ridge Fawn Lake • Forest Lakes • Hampton Lakes • Highland Park • Lake Chase • Mandolin • The Eagles • Tree Tops Twin Branch Acres • Waterchase • West Hampton • Westchase • Westchester • Westwood Lakes • Windsor Place
20 Minutes to Fitness Offers Quick Muscle-Building Strength-Training Workout to Carrollwood Community By Deborah Bostock-Kelley Conveniently located in the heart of Carrollwood, 20 Minutes to Fitness is nothing like a sweaty, big box gym that you force yourself to work out for hours every day. After thirteen years of having their successful studios in Sarasota, Florida, partners Virginia Phillips, Al Roach, and Angela Begin opened their Carrollwood location in 2017. Their goal was to be a health and fitness resource for any age and any fitness level and provide 20-minute one-on-one personal fitness training once a week under the watchful eye of an experienced coach. “We are the anti-gym. We do not want to be lopped in with the big box gyms because we’re not. We’re health and fitness studios. It’s always one-on-one, and everything is by appointment. Clients move weights very slowly to force their muscles to do the work versus momentum and gravity; therefore, it is much safer than traditional strength training. So safe that doctors refer their patients because they know we will take good care of them, “ explained Virginia. “We chose Carrollwood because it’s a beautiful area with a lot of people, the right demographics for what we do.” In her forties, Virginia regularly competed in body-building. She knew the danger of overexertion working in a gym. When she and her husband researched the proven science behind the strength-building methods employed by exercising following a specific
protocol for 20 minutes, they knew this was a niche that they could fill. “We realized people no longer have to spend hours at a gym to get the same or better results. We wanted to create this fitness company that could fit into anyone’s lifestyle that’s safe for any age,” Virginia explained. Angela relayed her favorite story about an older client who had difficulty once seated, getting back up from the floor. “I love how we help our clients. It’s very rewarding to see people achieve their goals,” she said. “We had a client who wanted to be able to get down on the floor and play with her grandkids and be able to get up off the floor without having to struggle or have her grandkids help her. After time in the program, she came in so excited and said, ‘watch me’ See “20 Minutes to Fitness” on page 12
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: From the Editor.....................5 SAT/ACT Improvement.........8 Tech Talk with Bob.........10-11 Heart Health.......................14
2 APRIL 2021
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APRIL 2021 3
4 APRIL 2021
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Go Blue - April is Autism Awareness Month The fourteenth annual World Autism Awareness Day is April 2, 2021. Throughout the month, supporters focus on sharing stories and providing opportunities to increase understanding and acceptance of people with autism, fostering worldwide support. Since COVID-19 became a global pandemic, socializing was put on the back burner, as well as many other activities involving large crowds. Many public events have been postponed or canceled, but being supportive and kind to those around us should never be put off. This 2021, we should be more committed than ever to be helpful towards those in need. The Autism community needs our constant support, kindness and compassion. If you’re active on social media, we invite you to post and use #LightUpWithKindness. How Can You Show Some Support aside from Hash tagging on social media? Puzzle Ribbon - The Autism Awareness Puzzle Ribbon is the most recognized symbol of the autism community not just in the United States but all over the world. Autism prevalence is now one in every 59 children in America. Show your support for people and children with autism by wearing the Autism Awareness Puzzle Ribbon - as a pin on your shirt, a magnet on your car, a badge on your blog, or even your Facebook profile picture - and educate folks on the potential of people with autism. Connect with your neighborhoods - Many Autism Society local affiliates
hold special events in their communities throughout the entire month of April. But if you can’t find an event that suits you, why not create your own and invite others? Autism-friendly and educational activities take place all month, aiming to increase understanding and acceptance of people with autism, foster worldwide support and inspire a kinder, more inclusive world. Some Tampa Bay local events and workshops include; Sensory Sensitive Sundays at Chuck E. Cheese. Events all Month. Please visit: https://www.chuckecheese. com/eve/sensory-sensitive-sundays/ All month - April 2021, Love Serving Autism. More details at: www.ustaflorida.com Please get in touch with me if you have any events you’d like to share with our community. Whether virtual or faceto-face, we’re always looking to support our community. f you’re able to, please donate to the Autism Society - your financial donation can help improve the lives of people impacted by autism. Every dollar raised by the Autism Society allows them to improve the capabilities and services of their over 100 nationwide affiliates, provide the best national resource database and contact center specializing in autism, and increase public awareness about autism and the day-to-day issues faced by individuals with ASD and their families. Until next time,
Carla M. Dubis Tedeschi.
6 APRIL 2021
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APRIL 2021 7
SAT AND ACT IMPROVEMENT: IN THE AGE OF COVID 19 By Dr. Wayne Adams More and more, parents I talk with each month are expressing this concern as we continue this educational year of on-line and hybrid courses in most public and private high schools. Then invariably comes the question, “Can your SAT and ACT Courses help?” My answer is, “Yes they do, and have since I started tutoring years ago.” Many parents of my students have often said that what my students learn greatly helps them in their regular high school courses in multiple ways: critical thinking, speed reading, new strategies for quickly finding answers, detailed math review, and motivation. Recently I have had several students who were very bright, but their parents were very concerned about their “very relaxed motivation” and not really applying themselves academically. About halfway through the course, they realized the value of “doing their best”, which always involves the question, “How hard are you willing to work?” Many of you know that I do not give homework between classes, I give “suggestions”. One reason is because we never know what life will bring the next few days or weeks, so I never want a student to “not to want to come to class” because they haven’t done their homework. Another reason is because it gives me a quick indication of their actual motivation, no matter what they may say. Yes, actions do speak louder than words. When these two students saw how quickly they were learning, they started doing the “suggestions” and saw they were improving even more. They decided to see just
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“how high they could fly”, and their scores “took off”. In our classes, we have an interesting psychological track which begins during the first half-hour of our first class. The first question is, “Who is this guy who is the tutor?” As we get to know each other, invariably students relax as they hear about the foundations of our classes and how we will be working together. Second is, “Can you help me?” The answer comes very quickly within the first half of our first class … a resounding “Yes”. Third is, “How much can you help me?” By the second or third class, their answer is “A lot!” Almost all of my students then take the fourth step which is, “Let’s see just how well I can do!” At the end of our first class, I always ask my student(s) what they found most surprising about the class. Here are some answers. “I learned so much so fast.” “The time went by so quickly.” “That I really enjoyed it.” “You are not like any other teacher I have had.” “When you said we would be working interactively, we actually did!” The spring and summer test exam dates are as follows: SAT on May 8th, June 5th, and August 28th; ACT on June 12th, and July 17th. My seniors are focusing in increasing their scores to qualify for higher Bright Futures’ scholarships. They all understand that this is like having a job that pays them $50 to $100 an hour (tax free) to study and perform. The last exams they can take to qualify are the SAT on June 5th, and the ACT on June 12th. We laughingly call this, “Dialing for Dollars!” My juniors are seeing if they can score at the level
where they will not need to take time from their senior year to study for these exams. It is not unusual for them to want to take an exam in early June, or the ACT in mid-July. Studying over the summer is also attractive because they do not have the pressure of regular schoolwork and can focus more on getting their best exam scores. My sophomores are preparing early for these exams, plus getting ready for their PSAT next October which is the only qualifying exam for National Merit Scholarships. To date, I have had three students qualify as National Merit Finalists. If You Would Like To Talk More About Your Student … Please contact me at 727-2530639 or send me an e mail at wwa0811@mykolab.com. Dr. Wayne Adams is one of the leading SAT and ACT tutors in the country. His students normally improve 200 – 350 points on the Writing, Reading, Writing and Essay, and Math, and 4 – 7 points on the ACT composite. They have been admitted to 8 of the top 10 universities in the
country, 18 of the top 25, and many schools in Florida. These schools include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, U Chicago, Duke, U Penn, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Notre Dame, Emory, UC Berkley, UCLA, USC, UNC (Chapel Hill), NYU, Northeastern (Boston), Boston College, Georgia Tech, Naval - Air Force - Merchant Marine Service Academies, Penn State, LSU, Auburn, UF, U Miami, FSU, USF, UCF, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, FIU, New College of Florida, Stetson, and Julliard – Manhattan - New England - and Berkley Conservatories of Music. Many have received academic, athletic, or music scholarships. This year, he also tutored three juniors who scored at the national merit finalist/semi-finalist levels on the most recent PSAT. He is a former Dean of a Graduate School of Business and Full Professor, and began college teaching at the University of Maryland in 1968. He has degrees and advanced studies at Harvard, Yale, Vanderbilt, Columbia International, and Luther Rice.
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APRIL 2021 9
Tech Talk with Bob: Beware What You Post! Note From Bob: I AM NOT A LAWYER. Nor do I claim to be any kind of legal expert in any way. Do not rely on any of this information for legal purposes. It is intended for informational purposes only. Contact a legal professional should you have a need or concern to clarify any of the following you are about to read. And now on with the show… Social media websites can be a lot of fun. They can also be an excellent and efficient way to stay in touch with friends and family. They provide a platform to reach out and share your thoughts and ideas. A lot of people share their creativity online, whether it is writing articles, short stories, or poetry. Perhaps you may have shared your photography, paintings, sketches, or videos. Maybe you are a musician and want to share your songs. The popularity of these sites is obvious with the millions, and billions, of folks who use them daily. Social media websites can be a great outlet where you can tell your entire story, and usually for free. Ok, I know you are smart enough to realize that most free things in life come with a catch. Think about the websites
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you interact with and especially those sites where you post personal information about yourself. They usually have a “Terms of Service” or “Terms of Use” policy. If you use any social media websites, then you have agreed to their specific policy. Before most sites will let you post anything on them, you must agree to their policy terms whether you like them or not. Many social media website users have agreed to these policies without ever taking the time to read them. Are you one of them? Come on, you can tell me. I’m willing to bet you did not read their Terms of Use. If you didn’t, well, you’re not alone. Most people are so impatient with getting setup on a social media website that they don’t always read the “fine print.” Sure, it’s in a small font and it’s long, so you just click “accept” and get on with your life. Right? Now, anything you post on their website is still your intellectual property, but now you have given them license to do pretty much anything they want with your stuff you post. Here is an excerpt from Facebook’s terms: “The permissions you give us. We need certain
permissions from you to provide our services: 1) Permission to use content you create and share: Some content that you share or upload, such as photos or videos, may be protected by intellectual property laws. You own the intellectual property rights (things like copyright or trademarks) in any such content that you create and share on Facebook and the other Facebook Company Products you use. Nothing in these Terms takes away the rights you have to your own content. You are free to share your content with anyone else, wherever you want. However, to provide our services we need you to give us some legal permissions (known as a ‘license’) to use
this content. This is solely for the purposes of providing and improving our Products and services as described in Section 1 above. Specifically, when you share, post, or upload content that is covered by intellectual property rights on or in connection with our Products, you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, and worldwide license to host, use, distribute, modify, run, copy, publicly perform or display, translate, and create derivative works of your content (consistent with your privacy and application settings). This means, for example, that if you share a photo on Facebook, you give us permission to store, copy, and share it with others (again, consistent with your settings) such as service providers that support our service or other Facebook Products you use. This license will end when your content is deleted from our systems.” Facebook then goes on to tell you that even though you may have deleted your content and perhaps even closed your account; they still have license to your content if you have shared this content with another
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Facebook user who still has your content on their page. Now please understand, this is not an attack on Facebook or any other social media site. Regardless of the social media website(s) you may have joined, you will most likely find that these company’s policies are remarkably similar. And I certainly am not saying that social media sites are looking to usurp your content. But you should be aware of what you are allowing others to do with your content when you post to these websites. I highly encourage you to become completely familiar with the polices of any websites in which you post content that is personal and/ or intellectual property that you rather not license for free or for just anyone to use. You may not really care if any of your social media content is being freely used. However, you need to be
aware of this, because someday you might prefer to be a little more selective about what you post online. Be Safer My Friend. Cyber criminals will exploit the easy, unprotected systems. Protecting your data is your responsibility, but you don’t have to do it all by yourself. My staff and I are here to help you navigate through these cumbersome and often confusing tasks. If you are not sure your computer is safe, please have it looked over by a Professionally Certified Computer Technician. If you need a certified professional, call us now at 727-5344000. We’ve been helping folks restore their peace of mind, and sanity, with their technology for decades. We Keep You Safer In Your Digital World!
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APRIL 2021 11
“20 Minutes to Fitness” continued from page 1 and proceeded to get down on the floor and got right back up. She said, ‘I can do that now because of 20 Minutes to Fitness.’ I have clients come in my door all the time telling me how they can do things that they couldn’t do before, that their bone density scan came back and it’s improved, or just someone who says, ‘I have to tell you how amazing this place is, how it’s changed my life.’ That makes me want to come to work every day.” Using scientifically based strength-building methods, a 20-minute training session using state-of-the-art highend equipment, originally designed for physical therapy patients, equates to a workout up to three or more hours in a traditional gym. The studio is kept at 68 degrees, so the workout is sweatless. This is perfect for the busy professional who wants to do an effective, efficient workout on a lunch break and return to work. “Our average age is 50s to 60s, and we certainly have younger 40s and older. My oldest client is 96,” she said. “We have 70 and 80-year-olds who understand this is a safe place to be, and they want to stay mobile. If you’re not doing something to combat losing muscle tissue as we age (sarcopenia), you’re going to lose it. That threatens mobility, all your organs, because muscle pulls the blood flow and oxygen to all of our organs. We want to reverse
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sarcopenia.” Virginia explained that so many people who discovered 20 Minutes to Fitness lacked the energy to go for a walk, play with their children or grandchildren, try to juggle a family, and work full-time. “As soon as you start doing strength-training and building muscle, very quickly you realize you have more energy. You feel better. Your balance is improved because you are no longer losing your core and quad strength. You start losing body fat and start to tone up because you are increasing muscle tissue that is metabolically active. Muscle burns twentyfour/seven. Muscle is key to controlling diabetes, increasing bone density. There are lots of benefits to building muscle and strength training.” Virginia encourages her clients to have a substantial
breakfast, not just coffee, before working out. “When you don’t have fuel, it doesn’t work very well. We talk about nutrition because we want them to have a great workout, get more energy, and get the results that they are looking for.” During a complimentary one-hour orientation appointment, guests can experience several pieces of equipment to understand what it is like to work out on the specialized equipment and why it is so effective. “They learn the benefits, the effectiveness of it and not spending hours in the gym and getting hurt. Overtraining is never good. It’s not allowing your body time to rest and recover. If you are going to take your body to peak performance, allow anywhere from 3 to 6 days of rest and recovery.” Unlike a gym, where CDC guidelines may not
be as easy to enforce, at 20 Minutes to Fitness, staggered appointments ensure the staff has time to disinfect between clients, and CDC protocols are stringently enforced. “Even though the Florida government temporarily closed us during the early pandemic, when we were approved to reopen, we knew we could control how many people we have in the studio. We control the social distancing,” Virginia explained. “Every one of our team members is compassionate and dedicated and wants to help our clients improve their quality of life. They are extremely qualified, or they wouldn’t be with us. We’re all a family, and that’s something I never want to lose. We have each other’s back. We are so passionate about what we do and how we change people’s lives.
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Our clients talk to us about it all the time, and we’re just grateful for it.” Angela added, “We have a great staff and a great atmosphere. It truly is a family here, and that’s the wonderful thing about this place. For people who say that they don’t have the time, my initial reaction is, do you have time to be sick or not have energy? This really helps. I tell people all the time, come in and try us. You never know what you can achieve until you come in, talk with us, and
see for yourself.” 20 Minutes to Fitness is located at 11610 North Dale Mabry Highway. The studio has no contracts nor membership fees. Clients can purchase sessions in quantities of 1, 6, 12, 24, and 48. The studio is open by appointment Monday through Friday, from 7 am to 7 pm, and Saturday, 8 am to 1 pm. To learn more, visit www.20minutestofitness. com or call the studio at 813.664.8888.
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APRIL 2021 13
Four Numbers to Know for Your Heart Health Your heart: It’s the engine that helps your body function and allows you to enjoy all life has to offer — from favorite activities to relationships with friends and family members. Heart disease affects approximately 84 million Americans and is the number one cause of death for men and women every year. Take control of your heart health by learning about four key numbers — and what you can do to keep them where they need to be. 1. Blood Pressure High blood pressure is a leading cause of heart failure and stroke. Also called hypertension, high blood pressure can cause blockages in the arteries, reducing the flow of oxygen to the heart and making it work harder. The American Heart Association released new guidelines
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for blood pressure and treatment. • Normal: Under 120/80 • Elevated: 120-129/80 • Stage 1 Hypertension: 130-139/80-89 • Stage 2 Hypertension: Higher than 140/90
heart attack. A desirable total cholesterol level is less than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). An annual blood test can monitor your levels and help your doctor make recommendations tailored to your health.
Your doctor will help you understand what these new targets mean for you and if any treatment is necessary. Treatment may include a heart-healthy diet, more physical activity or medication to help control your blood pressure.
3. Blood Sugar High blood sugar levels may indicate that you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, two conditions that can greatly increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. The American Heart Association considers diabetes to be one of the major controllable risk factors for heart disease. A normal blood sugar level after fasting is 100 mg/dL.
2. Cholesterol Cholesterol is a naturally occurring substance that is found in the body and produced in the liver and other cells. It can also come from eating foods that are high in fat. High levels of cholesterol can cause blockages of the arteries, potentially leading to a
4. Body Mass Index (BMI) Being overweight or obese is a major risk factor in many lifethreatening diseases, including diabetes, cancer, high choles-
terol, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease. Your BMI is a calculation based on your height and weight and can indicate whether you are overweight or obese. People are considered overweight starting at a BMI of 25 and obese at 30 or higher. 15 Minutes Fifteen minutes is all it takes to save a life. That’s how long it takes to get a simple health screening that gives you the information you need to live a heart healthy life. Talk to your primary care provider about what preventive measures or screenings are right for you. Your doctor can also assess your heart health at your annual physical, an important part of managing your whole health. It’s just one of many reasons you should see a doctor in times of both health and wellness.
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