Thrive Oklahoma Magazine - March April 2014

801 N. Hudson Ave. OKC • 405.702.4333 5800 N. Classen Blvd. OKC • 405.463.3343 1189 E. 15th Street, Ste. 124 Edmond • 405.513.6393

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Publisher / CEO Angela C. Slovak, Ph.D. Creative Director Barbara Kardokus Creative Design Staff Kristen McEuen Editorial Manager Jan Collymore Staff Writer Paul Fairchild Lindsay Welchel

Contributing Authors Andrea Mason Jennifer Sweeton, PhD Robin Fernandez, NCC David F. Holt Cody Elledge, DC Chef Robin Obert

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Roberta Taylor, RN Jessica Sanchez Molly Gordon Michael Briscoe, D.C Michael Sabatino, DO Anita Kelley Mark Otto Photo Support Quinton Myers Photography

On the Cover.... Thunder Girls Shereka and Jessica with Steve Clausen from One Healthy Bod. Trainer to the Thunder Girls and Raw Fitness, LLC owner, Steve Clausen shows off his work in getting these girls dance ready. Go behind the glitz and glam you see at every Thunder game and see what it takes to keep up with these girls’ demanding schedules. Fitness is the key. Steve structures boot camp style training for these girls every week. Learn about incorporating plyometrics and cardio bursts to achieve a chiseled look without bulking up. Challenge yourself to do the Thunder Girls workout this spring on page 25!

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thriveokinfo@gmail.com Copyright Š 2014 by Thrive Oklahoma, Health and Well Being and Green Apple Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.

Reproduction without the expressed written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Thrive Oklahoma Magazine assumes no responsibility for the content of articles or advertisements, in that the views expressed therein may not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or any magazine employee or contributor. Content in this publication should not replace the advice or your physician. This publication and all its contents are copyrighted.

From the Publisher’s Desk

I was recently contacted by another city looking for help along their path to health and wellness. I honestly had mixed feelings about how best to help them. At first, I had to chuckle that they were looking at Oklahoma City as an exemplary model for health and wellness. But when your town is in a state that’s repeatedly in last place for all things healthy, I suppose it makes sense to ask a neighbor who’s been there and done that!

Much like our health organization, they were interested in putting together free health expos with community business partners. And similar to OKC, their Mayor’s office is fully supportive of the town’s health movement.

In accepting this new challenge, I armed myself with information about Oklahoma City’s past three mayors, Norick, Humphreys and Cornett, all three known as our MAPS mayors. Oklahoma City’s success in rising out of the bottom rankings for health and wellness was hugely due to the consecutive MAPS campaigns, which coincided with “This City Is Going On A Diet” challenge, put forth by our current mayor, Mick Cornett. Recall, Oklahoma City received national attention for their collective weight loss totaling over a million pounds.

With that kind of momentum and plenty of grassroots programs like the OKC Health & Wellness Group, Oklahoma City is finally moving in the right direction. The goal is to promote sustainable programs that motivate communities to live healthier in every way. Other cities have taken notice and are joining the movement. Community support for healthy lifestyles breeds individual success. Cities helping other cities spread this excitement for health and wellness will hopefully lead an overall change in our culture. A movement away from sedentary lifestyles, towards more active ones.

Following my dinner presentation on Oklahoma City’s path to healing and ultimately health and wellness, this Mayor presented me with the key to their city! I was very excited and proud of that. We must keep supporting the community programs that enhance a healthy lifestyle as well as the leaders who promote them. Things like walking trails, inner-city sidewalks and parks encourage folks to get out and move.

Community support is the key that will help unlock a healthier lifestyle for all of us and our families – which is the key to a great city!

Be well,

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43 Features

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12 A City on the Rise 14 A Charity of Love with Marie Osmond

by Angela C. Slovak, PhD 24 Thunder Girls Boot Camp with Steve Clausen 28-34 Mommyhood Changes Everything Guide

Community Corner

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10 Edmond Is 1 Stronger with David Brown 11 5th Annual Literacy Live Event

by Jessica Sanchez 16 Sporting Achievements: Warren Spahn

& Bill Teegins Award by Lindsay Whelchel 18 Metro Trails Offer Great Biking by Mark Otto 36 Perry Oklahoma’s Own Danny Hodge:

Fit for Life by Lindsay Whelchel

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Living Well 21 23 26 28 29 34 38

A Kayakers Delight by Molly Gordon Fabulously Fit Abs with Paige Hathaway by Bailey Minihan Corporate Wellness Is a Challenge by Andrea Mason Skin-to-Skin C-Section: A Better Option by Brooke Cayot 8 Great Reasons To Nurse by Roberta Taylor, RN Chiropractic for Kids by Cody Elledge, DC Feeling A Little “Off” – It Might Be Your Thyroid

by Michael Briscoe, DC

Mind / Body Connection

30 A Post-Partum Cultural Shift

by Robin Fernandez, NCC 32 Psychology of Eating by Jennifer Sweeton, PhD

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Tobacco Is Still the Leading Killer of Americans

by Michelle Bernth, MS American Lung Association Choose to Invest Locally

by FOCUS Federal Credit Union Are Sales In A Slump by Anita Kelley Why I Run in Nature

by Michael Sabatino, DO

Recipes 35 Chef Robin’s Spicy Chicken Wraps On the Go! DIY Protein Bars by One Healthy Bod Thrive Oklahoma

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Edmond local, David Brown was welcomed home by friends, family and other community members from as far away as Nevada.There were more than 800 people in attendance when David and his family stepped onto the stage at Life Church.

Although Brown officially finished as the runner-up on the Biggest Loser’s 15th season, he feels like he’s the real winner. “The finale wasn’t the winning step for me, it was the first step,” says Brown.

At Brown’s final weigh-in, he officially lost 222 pounds! This was done by eating healthy and planning ahead for his daily caloric intake. Not to mention working out anywhere from five to eight hours every day for the past nine months. Brown’s starting weight was 409 pounds and today he weighs 187 – he’s lost 46% of his body weight in less than a year!

“It was a year ago that I was stuck in that rut, in a place of depression and a place where I could never get past the hump with my health. I didn’t realize how much un-health I had, and it wasn’t just the physical. The un-health permeated my life in business, in relationships and the way that I felt about myself,” says Brown Brown went on to describe his gratitude for others. “I feel like you were all part of the journey.” He went on to say, “I’m thankful for being open enough and courageous enough to be authentic enough in front of the camera. Not knowing how it would be portrayed, but trusting God in the process. I believe we did exponentially more than I could ever ask, think or imagine.”

“My journey was one of hope, healing and ultimately health. Those are things that I will be talking about for the rest of my life to as many people as I can because it takes all three pieces in my experience to find that true health that we all want and desire.”

Brown has challenged his fellow Oklahomans to find health with him.

“I will never forget this moment...

I’m home. Thank you!”

David is reunited on stage “at home” in Edmond with his family (L-R) wife Melissa, daughters Trinity, Jordan and Mackenzie.

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Oklahoma’s Community Literacy Centers celebrate the fifth annual Literacy Live Event on Tuesday, March 4, at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in Oklahoma City. Community Literacy Centers are part of an Oklahoma City nonprofit that provides free adult literacy classes in the greater metropolitan area and will host guest, Sonia Manzano at this year’s event.

Sonia Manzano, best known for her role as Maria on PBS’s long-running classic children’s program, Sesame Street, grew up in the South Bronx.

Manzano reached people worldwide with her award-winning children’s book, as well as books for young adults. Manzano has twice been nominated for an Emmy Award and continues to share her story to inspire people everywhere.

The Literacy Live event will benefit adults in the community who are learning to read, provide students with the materials they need, as well as their teachers. Funds from last year’s Literacy Live event, along with donations from individual and corporate foundations, provided basic literacy, ESL and GED classes for more than 1,000 students.

Sonia Manzano plays Maria on PBS Sesame Street is a first-generation American of Latino descent who has touched the lives of millions of parents and children since the early ‘70’s.

“We depend on many funding sources including individual, corporate, foundations and more,” says O’Dell.

“We see approximately 1000 adults annually. Since we began in 1987, we have seen more than 30,000. Most of the adults who come to our classes are reading between a 2nd and 4th grade level,” says Becky O’Dell , Community Literacy Centers Executive Director.

Community Literacy Centers use state certified teachers to work with adults in a classroom setting. Volunteer tutors are used to enhance our classroom instruction by providing support to those who may need additional help in the classroom. We currently have approximately 15 to 20 tutors helping out in the classroom.

“Teaching adult literacy and adult English learners are the primary missions of Community Literacy Centers. I joined the CLC Board to help adults learn to read and I am proud to be a part of Literacy Live for the second year,” says Becky Painter-Robinson, Literacy Live Chair.

To measure outcomes, students are tested when they enter the classroom in order to determine their initial reading level and are reassessed about every four months. Students are also surveyed on a regular basis to determine their levels of satisfaction with our programs and their own progress.

Established in 1987, Community Literacy Centers, Inc. (CLC) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to teaching adults to read at no charge to students. The organization partners with more than 28 agencies in Oklahoma City to reach those who need assistance.

CLC offers basic skills, short courses, a family program, and tutor training and workshops for volunteers. For more information or to register or donate online, please visit www.communityliteracy.com.

Community Literacy Centers, Inc. 5131 N. Classen Circle, Suite 204, Oklahoma City, OK 73118 (405) 524-7323

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On the west-facing façade of City Hall, there is an inscription that reads “Dedicated to the people of Oklahoma City and for the perpetuation of good government.” At no time in the city’s history has that phrase – the perpetuation of good government – been more true than over the course of leadership provided by the MAPS Mayors.

Mayor Ron Norick’s bold plan, approved 20 years ago, changed the face of Oklahoma City. Norick’s Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS) was an unprecedented investment in quality-of-life amenities that kicked off Oklahoma City’s current renaissance.

Mayor Kirk Humphreys followed Norick with MAPS for Kids, an ambitious program to improve Oklahoma City schools by building new or renovating more than 70 schools.

Mayor Mick Cornett focused on promoting active lifestyles and reaching into Oklahoma City’s diverse neighborhoods while championing

Unprecedented Social Engagement More than 47,000 Oklahoma City residents got behind Mayor Cornett’s award-winning, city-wide challenge to lose a million pounds.

Oklahoma City’s efforts were chronicled by everyone from Ellen DeGeneres and Rachael Ray to The New York Timesand the CBS Evening News. The program won awards from Harvard University and others and has inspired dozens of other communities around the country to follow suit.

Oklahoma City’s Mayor Mick Cornett

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Over the course of the challenge, Cornett met with thousands of Oklahoma City residents at their businesses, schools and churches to share his personal battle with obesity, offer words of encouragement and congratulate those who reached their personal goals. The dramatic, life-changing success stories not

only inspired others on their journeys, but also became part of an important part of a city-wide conversation about how we can create a community that promotes active lifestyles and healthier living.

MAPS 3 MAPS 3, passed by Oklahoma City’s residents, includes amenities and infrastructure improvements designed to promote more active lifestyles and change the way people interact with their community.

“We’d built a city designed for cars.

Now we are building a community designed for people,” said Cornett.

“Together, we’re creating a modern, American city with enhanced transit, walkable streets, vibrant and distinctive neighborhoods, great cultural amenities and a quality of life second to none.”

MAPS 3 includes miles of new trails and sidewalks, a 70-acre downtown park, a white water kayak course, neighborhood senior wellness centers, and a modern streetcar system, all of which are in various stages of construction or Sky Bridge design.

Walking the Walk on Walkability Cornett was an early proponent of creating a more walkable community.

He approached his friend Jeff Speck, who wrote the book on walkable cities (literally, Speck’s “Walkable City” is available at bookstores everywhere). Speck provided advice and counsel on local efforts to make downtown Oklahoma City more pedestrian friendly – from the ambitious Project 180 streetscapes that included wider sidewalks, landscaping and dedicated bike lanes, to the design of a half-dozen blocks of a grand Oklahoma City Boulevard.

Locals and visitors alike enjoy miles of new sidewalks for increased pedestrian access.

Ribbon Cutting Photo by Mel Morgan

Bricktown canal before and after MAPS dollars improving inner city attractions.

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by Angela C. Slovak, Ph.D. The Children’s Miracle Network raises funds for 170 top non-profit children’s hospitals across the United States. More than 30 years ago, Marie Osmond and good friend John Schneider from the famed TV show, Dukes of Hazard, came up with an idea to give back in a very big way. Their plan was to keep 100% of the money raised local.

Marie Osmond pictured with Jenny Love Meyer, vice president of communications for Love’s Travel Stops.

Since its inception in 1983, Co-founder Marie Osmond has been deeply involved with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. This children’s charity began as a telethon housed in the Osmond studio and has since grown into a leading children’s charity.

Love’s teamed up with Osmond for a unique and intimate luncheon recently at the OKC Golf and Country Club. As a Grammy-nominated artist, actress, television host and best-selling author Osmond offers insight to one of her experiences as co-founder of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

“Drew, he’s 13 years old now, is the love of my life,” says Osmond. She recalls the generosity in this boy’s heart while shopping for toys at a Disneyland gift shop when Drew was much younger. Drew is bound to a wheelchair due to his brittle bone disease. To these kids, Marie Osmond is known as Auntie M. The toys Drew selected were for his friend who was much sicker and couldn’t come to this event. “These kids make me a better person everyday,” says Osmond.

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised $5 billion, most of it $1 at a time, in the 30 years of its existence. These donations have gone to support research and training, purchase equipment, and pay for uncompensated care, all in support of the mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible.

“Last year 11 of these hospitals gave away $2.9 billion in uncompensated care. Indeed the need is great and Children’s Miracle Network is stepping up to that challenge,” reported Osmond.

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Love’s Travel Stops has proudly partnered with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals for 15 years and in that time has raised over $10 million. Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores challenged customers to give a one dollar donation at check out.

“Store team members and our corporate offices in Oklahoma City and Houston also planned grassroots fundraising events for their communities like golf tournaments, bake sales, cookouts, and music concerts,” says Loves media specialist Kealey Dorian.

Founded in 1964 by Tom Love, Love’s Travel Stops & CountryStores is headquartered in Oklahoma City and remains entirely familyowned and operated. With 310 locations and growing, it’s currently ranked No. 9 on Forbes’ list of America’s Largest Private Companies.

Jenny Love Meyer, Vice President of Communications for Love’s Travel Stops and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals supporter, is the driving force behind Love’s corporate annual fundraising campaign for CMN Hospitals.

Daughter to founder Tom Love, Love Meyer motivates her team with her contagious charitable spirit and works constantly to improve strategies to raise more money each year to help Oklahoma’s sick children.

Rallying more than 10,000 Love’s employees nationwide to raise $1 million in just over 30 days seems daunting, but Love Meyer has committed to raising the bar for Oklahoma pediatrics.

“All of our store employees participate in fundraising and they are good at it! This enables us to help thousands of sick children every year. Three percent of our net profits are donated to non-profit organizations in central Oklahoma and

national non-profits. Oklahoma City is our home so it makes sense that we give back here,” says Love Meyer.

“Jenny Love Meyer is the epitome of a giving spirit,” said Jan Dunham, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Director.

“She has so much energy and passion; no one can stand in her way when it comes to her vision of ensuring that every child has a chance to lead a healthy life. We admire Jenny Love Meyer and are so thankful for her heart to help sick children.”

As a testament to the amazing help provided at Children’s Hospital here in Oklahoma City, Edmond resident, Carrie Stowell spoke passionately about the birth of her very premature twin girls, Vivian and Veronica.

Stowell’s previous bout with cervical cancer put her in a high-risk category for pregnancy. The twins were diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. This is where an uneven amount of blood flow gets shared between the two babies through the placenta.

Vivian was born weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces. She spent 94 days in the NICU while she overcame several side effects of severe prematurity.

Veronica was born weighing 1 pound, 2 ounces and spent 131 days in the NICU fighting the effects of prematurity and Dandy-Walker Malformation, which is a brain abnormality that occurs during development of the cerebellum (hind brain).

Now at 19 months old, these twin girls are learning to walk and are busy with baby talk. Doctor Terry Stulll, Department Chair of Pediatrics says, “There are 12,000 kids admitted to Children’s Hospital this year. Children’s Miracle Network has made the critical difference in the transformation of children’s healthcare in this state.”

Congratulations go out to Marie Osmond and her family. Osmond is enjoying the birth of her first grandchild, Stephen James Craig Jr. Born this past winter. Baby Stephen has already made his television debut swaddled in white during Marie’s appearance on The Talk.

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Warren Spahn and Bill Teegins Award

by Lindsay Whelchel

Warren Spahn was known for standing out. He stood out in his abilities in baseball, and he stood out because he accomplished all he did as a left-handed pitcher, a bit of a rarity.

Born in 1921 in New York, Spahn eventually made Oklahoma his home. That’s why the annual awards in his honor are held in Oklahoma City. The gala honors the best left-handed pitcher in the major leagues each year. At the same time, it recognizes, with the Bill Teegins Award, the best sportscaster with an Oklahoma connection. Like Spahn, News 9 Sports Director, Teegins, who was killed in a 2001 plane crash, stood out from the crowd.

And finally, the awards highlight the accomplishments of five baseball and five softball Oklahoma high school athletes, explains Brittany Leemaster, member at large for the Bricktown Rotary Club, which co-sponsors the celebration alongside the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

“We had the opportunity about four or five years ago, and it’s helping fund our Bricktown Rotary Foundation. The foundation helps numerous nonprofit organizations,” Leemaster said of the rotary club’s role in the event. She added, “We do everything from March of Dimes to local nonprofit organizations. We have all sorts of projects we raise funds for, and each year the recognition of this event keeps growing.”

This year’s gala event, held at the end of January, honored Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, Clayton Kershaw with the Spahn Award and ESPN broadcaster, Michele Smith with the Teegins Award.

“I’m so thankful to be a part of something like this and get to be associated with somebody like Warren Spahn,” Kershaw said at the ceremony. “What an amazing event they do here in Oklahoma City.

I think anytime you get to put your name with some of the greatest pitchers of all time that’s pretty special, so I definitely don’t take it for granted,” he said.

For Spahn’s son Greg, the event is a great way to carry on his father’s memory.

“This event is a celebration for the Spahn family. This is a great way to honor the legacy of my dad,” he said.

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Smith is the first female to win the Teegins Award. She has roots in Oklahoma and as an athlete, attending Oklahoma State University and winning two gold medals in the Olympics in 1996 and 2000.

In 2002 Smith was the first female analyst to ever call a major league baseball game.

Her career has definitely paved the way for other females in broadcasting, explained Bill’s wife, Janis Tietgens.

“I think it opens the door for more. There aren’t that many female broadcasters out there, sports broadcasters particularly, so it’s groundbreaking, and our family is honored and proud. She’s from Oklahoma State, her Olympic background is just amazing, so I think it leads the way,” Tietgens said.

For Smith, the award is equally an honor.

Clayton Kershaw of the LA Dodgers

“I think anytime as a female you can kind of be a trailblazer is the first pitcher since Greg Maddux (1993-1995) to lead the major leagues it’s very special, so it meant a lot to me. I think there are just a lot of opportunities now. I think the gender barrier is in ERA for three consecutive seasons. being broken down in a lot of different areas,” Smith said, and added, “Women understand sports. For me being an analyst for softball is easy because it’s the sport I played, but I’ve also started doing play-by-play for volleyball, basketball, and I love seeing women also involved in commentating for male sports, because just because you don’t play football doesn’t mean you cant relate to the sport.

A lot of times athletes are athletes, and competitors are competitors, and you know that feeling.”

Smith said she is grateful for the opportunity to stay involved in sports with broadcasting.

“It’s obviously an athlete’s dream to play at the pinnacle of your career, but a lot of us after we hang up the spikes we move on to different professions. For me, I was fortunate enough to fall into the broadcasting field, and I really enjoyed it, because I felt like I could still make an impact on the game.”

The dedication Smith had as an athlete has no doubt carried over into both her second job and living a healthy lifestyle.

“I think you have to move. I think you have to watch what you put in your mouth, but more importantly we need to move more I think as a nation. . . The big thing is as a culture we need to get used to walking to the end of the driveway to get our mail instead of getting in our car. It’s just little things like that. A little bit of change of lifestyle can make a profound difference. It doesn’t mean you have to go out and run a marathon, but there are a lot of different

(left) Michele Smith, the first female to win the Bill Teegins award for outstanding sports casting.

ways you can stay active and stay fit into your older age, and that’s what I plan on doing,” she said.

For her second career, Smith said she wishes she could’ve had the opportunity to learn from Teegins.

“I wish I would’ve been able to have picked his brain. I always like to say to athletes and people, if you just took a camera and stuck it on a field of an event going on people would watch it if their kids were playing, but I think people don’t realize we are creating a show around the sport,” Smith said and added, “The amount of research and dedication that typically a broadcast team puts into the show is just as much as the effort the athletes put onto the field, so it’s really great to be in that team environment again.”

And both Teegins and Spahn would likely understand that sentiment perfectly.

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by Mark Otto bikes as a passion, either for competition, fitness or for the sheer love of riding.

City Council approved The Trails Master Plan back in May 1997 and the Oklahoma City Trail system is expanding. When complete the Trials will link together the Metro area lakes, parks, and places of public interest, encircling the city. The Trail system also provides an excellent alternate transportation route for those wishing to commute via bicycle.

Russell Pace is an avid cyclist and is also a member of The Oklahoma Citizens Trails Advisory Committee. This committee works closely with city planners, engineers and other departments to insure that the trail selections are sound choices that are safe and enjoyable for public use.

At the recent Oklahoma Bike Summit meeting, held in Tulsa specifically for bike advocates, planners, and engineers there talked about improving cycling in Oklahoma as well as a few new innovative ideas. The key is accessibility and safety.

Dr. Anne Lusk from the Harvard School of Public Health brought forth a variety of innovations to existing cycling infrastructure and planning ideas that Oklahoma could implement in order to become a city that folks look to for inspiration. These ideas would only work if there was proper support from city leaders and committee members.

More than 200 miles of biking trails are planned for Oklahoma City. Currently there are just over 100 miles of paved cycling trails completed. Recently, the Lake Hefner to Lake Overholser bike trail was completed. This route utilizes shared roadway and a dedicated bike path along Wilshire to connect the city on the northwest side along Rockwell.

Currently under construction is the Lake Overholser West River Trail. It runs south through a beautiful woodlands area around Crystal Lake and will complete the connection from Lake Hefner to the rest of the existing trail network.

While many locals will dust off their bike and pump up the tires as soon as they get “spring fever”, there are many who ride

“I’m very positive about Trail construction. I see it coming from the bond issues as well as Maps 3. Oklahoma City’s trail system continues to expand, with future development plans that will connect virtually all major lakes, parks and existing trail systems throughout the Metro area,.” says Pace.

Pace is currently working on the Maps 3 I-44 West Route project. Pace has personally pedaled every proposed route in an effort to determine which one will serve the public best. Having ridden all of the area trails personally, Pace offers some insights on riding a few of these.

“I would think that Oklahoma City commercial developers would enjoy having their businesses served by a bicycle and pedestrian trail. A perfect example of this might be Tinseltown just off the Katy Trail,” says Pace. Mercy Hospital and Tapp development have been strong financial supporters of the trail system in Edmond so far.

Pace is busy advocating for these trails and hopes they will be well represented in the next OKC bond issue. “We need to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves,” says Pace. “I think south OKC has been shortchanged. They need additional paved trial.”

The Hefner to Overholser trail transitions on

to MacArthur. This stretch allows for safe crossings at Britton road. The Canal road crossing is another option to access MacArthur. This however requires crossing without a light and can be dangerous. Crossing at NW highway may easier if you use the crosswalk button.

Connecting at Wilshire to get over to Rockwell is about a one mile trek. The bike lanes are along the curb - watch for debris. It’s safer to ride single file along here due to the traffic which can be heavy along this route. However, the ride around to Wiley Post Airport is fast with a couple of small hills. At 50th street you’re back on the road for 1/2 mile, then a trail south to Overholser.

The Lake Hefner Trail is 9.5 miles around the lake and

offers relatively flat riding. Hefner Trail is the most commercialized trail with its restaurants and golf courses along the way. The Hefner Golf Course Restaurant is cyclist friendly and has self-proclaimed the “Best Burger in OKC”.

The Bert Cooper Trail is on the south side of Lake Hefner

and allows access to Stars And Stripes Park, boat docks, sailing, kayaking, an RC airplane field, and office space. Hefner Trail gets quite busy with kids and dogs on the south and east side so riders need to be cautious. Riding counter-clockwise along the dam provides a bike lane and allows riders to see oncoming traffic. Faster riders can really open it up here.

“The best ideas come from people who live in the area,” says Pace. ”Let’s build more trails in OKC with engineering and design in mind.”

City streets should utilize designs that maximize all modes of transportation - a complete street. This will improve access for everyone and encourages active transportation along with a healthier lifestyle. Innovations in biking infrastructure could also include a signal system that allows for a wave of green lights. By timing the traffic signals on busy bike routes so that the cyclists don’t have to stop as often, may help encourage more cyclists to take that route and makes the street safer for cyclists.

Lake Overholser Trail is 8.8 miles around with 3.2

miles of trails and 5.6 miles of shared lake road. It’s mostly flat with minor hills. It’s best to ride clockwise here to avoid crossing into traffic on 10th street. Special care should be taken if riding the paved sidewalk, there’s a large bump that can dismount an unsuspecting rider.

While the west side is a shared road, the scenery is nice and the riding quite pleasant. There’s lots to do here in addition to bike riding like, fishing, bird watching and OKC RIVERSPORTS offers kayak rentals.

The Oklahoma River Trail is 13 miles in length. It is flat with

great views of downtown and the new boathouse district. There is limited access to the trail. Park in the boathouse or south Meridian parking lots. You can also ride in on Robinson, Walker or Agnew.

The Matt Hoffman Skate Park is along this trail. The Boathouse district offers activities from bikes to boats to river cruises. Watch athletes train for the Olympics, get in shape yourself, or just enjoy the view. Construction alert: The north point of the Oklahoma River adjacent to the Chesapeake Boathouse may be closed. Use the parking area south of 15th on Robinson.

The South Grand Trail exits the Oklahoma River Trail at I-44

and heads south, crossing I-44 on its own bridge at Woodson Park before heading east down Grand Blvd. It follows the center median, has street crossings and may be littered with broken glass. This trail crosses I-35 easterly as it passes Trosper Park then heads back North before ending near Reno Avenue. This trail contains the most hills.

It’s great fun and a little daring!

The Katy Trail in NE OKC parallels I-35 near the Okla-

homa City ZOO for about 6 miles. This is a trail for sunny days, much of the south half is shaded by trees. You’ll see Remington Park, the Firefighter museum and golf course along the way. Fewer hills make this a fun ride. continued on page 20 Thrive Oklahoma

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Metro Bike Trails Continued from page 19

A City On A Rise Continued from page 13

By designing bike trails with a bioswale, cities can kill two birds with one stone. The bioswale sets a barrier between the cyclists and traffic and allows for runoff.

The bike path can be constructed using pervious pavers to allow water to return to the ground naturally without going to a storm sewer.

Citizen Involvement

With good weather now and even better weather around the corner, the Oklahoma City Trails are starting to come alive. And there is no better way to enjoy them than on a bicycle. So, get on your bike and RIDE!

More people are involved on more citizen committees than at any time in the City’s history under Mayor Cornett. Boards and commissions are more inclusive, with more diversity – more women, young people, seniors, African-Americans, Latinos and others – than at any previous time in the City’s history.

“We are constantly looking for people from all backgrounds and all walks of life to participate on the many volunteer boards and commissions. We welcome volunteer submissions via the City’s website or email your resume and interests directly to me atmayor@okc.gov and we’ll do our best to find a way for you to contribute. It can be time-consuming and hard work, but it’s also personally rewarding to be able to say you were part of our community’s ongoing renaissance. I’ve always said Oklahoma City is a faith-based community that works hard and dreams big. Hundreds of everyday citizens are working and dreaming with us and we invite everyone to be part of this special time in Oklahoma City’s history.” – Mayor Mick Cornett

The Indianapolis Cultural Trail uses bioswales as a buffer between the bike path and the street.

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Publisher’s Note: David Holt is affiliated with the Pick Mick for Mayor campaign.

by Molly Gordon Sitting inside the lightweight, carbon-fiber sprint kayak as she floats on the Oklahoma River, Kathy Rangel can relate to the baby ducks that swim up and down the shoreline most evenings.

to learn the basics. As kayakers progresses in skill they can choose to move up to a carbon fiber sprint kayak, which is similar to the type of boat used in races.

“I love the serenity of the water; the ducks, barn swallows, fish and pelicans contrasted with the energy of the boats,” said Rangel, 48. “I really enjoy the peace when it’s just me and my boat on the river.”

“Our Masters Canoe/Kayak Team has a beginner group and an advanced group,” explained Karen Colwell, assistant paddle sports coach. “Both groups are coach-led, and other paddlers provide a ‘team’ atmosphere, supporting and encouraging one another on and off the water.”

Rangel is a member of the OKC RIVERSPORT Masters Canoe/ Kayak Team at the Oklahoma River. She and her husband Oscar joined the program after watching their children, Erik and AvaRaquel, excel on the RIVERSPORT Junior Canoe/Kayak Team.

“As parents, we saw that the benefits of the Junior Canoe/Kayak Team— muscle development, increased endurance, new confidence, faster running, quick decision-making— were spilling over into other areas of their lives,” explained Rangel, communications director at First Presbyterian Church.

Those interested in learning more before committing to the team can enroll in Discover Kayaking. This 90-minute class serves as an introduction to canoe/kayak and provides an overview of the basic skills.

“Discover Kayaking is fun and is family-friendly,” Karen said. “For this class, participants are taught and supervised by a RIVERSPORT staff member and paddle in stable, recreational kayaks.”

It didn’t take long for Rangel to give kayaking a try for herself.

Once she got out on the water it was love at first paddle.

Kathy couldn’t be happier that she and her husband joined the OKC RIVERSPORT Masters Canoe/Kayak Team.

“At first, I was intimidated to even consider getting in a sprint kayak so I tried a big, plastic recreational kayak,” Rangel said.

“Then I watched a Masters Canoe/Kayak Team practice and realized each person was challenging themselves at their own level. They were encouraging each other to do hard things, and to persevere until they succeeded.”

“I’m so glad to be in the Masters Canoe/Kayak program – it feels great to be constantly learning new things and to put them into practice,” Kathy explained. “The rewards of being a member are empowering and life-changing: increasing clarity of mind, encouraging teammates, increasing energy, weight loss, muscle development, improving balance, and gaining new confidence.”

The Masters Canoe/Kayak Team is designed for adults of all fitness and skill levels. Beginners start out in a recreational kayak Masters Kayaking meets at the Oklahoma River on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 to 1 p.m., April through October.

To learn more about OKC RIVERSPORT’s Canoe/ Kayak programs, visit the Welcome Center in the Chesapeake Finish Line Tower at SE 6th St. and Lincoln Blvd. Online at boathousedistrict.org, or call (405) 552-4040.

Kathy Rangel, 48, paddles back to the dock after crossing the finish line at the 2013 OGE NightSprints, part of the annual Oklahoma Regatta Festival. Photo by Paul Hood Thrive Oklahoma

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Paige Hathaway is from Oklahoma City and trains regularly with Bailiey & Jeremy Minihan. Hathaway is also a SHREDZ TM Sponsored Athlete.

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with Bailey Minihan and Paige Hathaway Having a beautiful abdominal section means the series of six layered muscle groups that extend from the ribs to the pelvis get properly worked. These muscles provide thoracic support, assist with breathing and help maintain posture.

Abs play a serious role in defining our form. Strengthening the superficial abdominal muscle (rectus abdominus), gives the 6-pack effect. The deeper layers (transverse abdominus) will have more effect on posture and these often contribute to a healthy low back.

Beginner Weekly Schedule: Mondays: Three rounds of Giant Set A with 20 reps each exercise Thursdays: Three rounds of Giant Set B with 15 reps each exercise

Intermediate Weekly Schedule: Mondays: Three rounds of Giant Set A with 30 reps each exercise Thursdays: Three rounds of Giant Set B with 20 reps each exercise Saturdays: Three rounds of Giant Set A in reverse order with 30 reps each exercise

Giant Set A: Dead Bugs

Advanced Weekly Schedule:

Scissor Kicks

Mondays: Four rounds of Giant Set B with 20 reps each exercise

Bosu Ball Crunch

Thursdays: Four rounds of Giant Set A with 30 reps each exercise Saturdays: Four rounds Giant Set B in reverse order with 20 reps each exercise

Ab Expert Weekly Schedule: Giant Set B: Bench Scoops (left leg scoop, right leg scoop, both legs together scoop is one rep) Hanging Knee Raises

Mondays: Three rounds of Giant Set A followed by Giant Set B with 20 reps each exercise Thursdays: Three rounds of Giant Set B followed

by Giant Set A with 20 reps each exercise all in reverse order Saturdays: Three rounds of Giant Set B followed by Giant Set A with 20 reps each exercise

Half Pikes

www.sizeandshapefitness.com Thrive Oklahoma

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The Thunder Girls dance team for the Oklahoma City Thunder trains on a regular basis in order to stay fit and keep up with the demanding dance moves required to be on the team.

The Thunder Girls serve as ambassadors for health and fitness worldwide. Their year round training habits exemplify a healthy lifestyle, which is maintained by making healthy fitness and nutrition choices.

Steve Clausen is the man behind these bods and helps keep these Thunder Girls in shape. Clausen is a local personal trainer and the founder of OneHealthyBod. He’s responsible for training two NBA dance teams, multiple university pom and cheer squads and hundreds of local and international clients.

“Steve’s passion for fitness and healthy living is an inspiration to others. He lives the lifestyle and has a way of motivating his clients that is indescribable. His techniques have transformed my body, and seeing and feeling my positive results have expanded my own love for health and fitness into a desire to help and guide others. He has a continuous drive to reach new

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faces and promote his love of healthy living,” says Jessica, OneHealthyBod personal trainer and Thunder Girls captain.

The Thunder Girls’ physical training consists of plyometric movements, which is a high-intensity boot camp style course.

Included in their sessions is strength training, and nutrition guidelines to help keep the Thunder Girls squad in peak condition year-round.

Plyometrics exercise can be used for upper or lower-body drills and are typically high intensity. Lower-body plyometric drills might include squat jumps, bounds or box drills. Box drills require the athlete to jump on or off a box. The height of the box and landing surface of the box can vary in size. Upperbody plyometric drills might consist of medicine ball throws and catches or clap pushups.

“Training with Steve is always challenging, but he makes it fun so working out doesn’t feel like a task,” says Shereka, Thunder Girls captain. Staying fit certainly doesn’t come easy

for the Thunder Girls, and each member of the squad must have discipline and drive to make it through these physically challenging workouts.

(Above) Paddle Kicks work the abdominal wall.

(Right) Jessica running stairs.

Repeat this workout 7 times.

The goal is to complete 7 rounds in less than 30 minutes. Take a 5-minute rest and then finish this workout with a 1-mile run in less than 8 minutes.

OneHealthyBod and its trainers are locally housed at Lighthouse Sports and Fitness, but also offer online training for clients who are far away or want to work out from the comfort of their own home. There is no excuse that will work on Steve.

If you find the will, he’ll find a way. People think they have limitations but they don’t. They have challenges. Pick your goal!

Attack your goal! Stay focused! Celebrate your success!

Photo by Quinton Myers Photography

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barre3 studio owner, Andrea Mason, shares moves you can do right from your desk, or anywhere.

Seated back stretch: Restorative Sit nice and upright in your chair, aligning your shoulders over your hips. Interlace your fingers in front of your chest and press your palms away from you towards your computer screen. Hinge forward at the waist and draw your navel into your spine. Feel your back open up while your core starts to heat up finding flexion in the spine. You can also do this standing.

Power Leg: Strength Stand at your desk (or any waist high surface) about forearms distance away. Bring your feet hips distance apart so that they align right under your hip points. Lift the heels slightly and bend your knees forward right over your second and third toes. Your ears, shoulders, hips and heels should all align keeping a nice upright spine. You will feel your quadriceps engage as you hold and then you can layer in movement by moving one inch and then a little bit larger to get your heart rate up. For knee injuries, you can work with feet flat to the floor or work higher (by bending the knees slightly).

Plank/Push ups at your desk:

Strength Place your hands shoulder distance apart (wrists aligned with shoulders) and step your feet back (hip distance apart) heels are hovering the floor. Soften the knees slightly, press your heels towards the floor, pull the navel into your spine and relax the shoulders down your back to maintain a nice long spine and neck. Your gaze should be right out in front of you. You can stay in this position with straight arms working a plank, or bend your elbows and lower half way down for tricep work.

Option: take your arms nice and wide and work your chest muscles.

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Andrea Mason owner of barre3 studios in OKC, Edmond and Midtown.

Your Guide To Wellness As a New Mom...

Best Birthing at Lakeside Women’s Hospital 8 Great Reasons to Nurse

by Roberta Tyler, R.N.

A Postpartum Cultural Shift

by Robin Fernandez

Psychology of Eating

by Dr. Jennifer Sweeton

Chiropractic for Kids

by Dr. Cody Elledge

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Delivering babies may be big business for hospitals, especially in America where we lead the world in the incidence of scheduled birth by Cesarean section. One local hospital is here to make that procedure a more natural experience for mom and baby.

Other benefits for skin-to-skin contact following C-section births include:

Lakeside Women’s Hospital’s physicians and staff are helping to make the surgical birthing experience a better one. By using an evidence-based procedure for women who wind up having Csection births, a process called, Family Friendly Cesarean Birth or skin-toskin Cesarean section is now being offered.

• Impact on Breastfeeding: Increased breastfeeding success for initiation, duration and exclusivity. Also, amniotic fluid leaves a scent on mother that the infant continues to recognize-This helps with rooting/ latch

• Improved mother-baby bonding/attachment • Enhanced maternal sensitivity/responsiveness

• Decrease in maternal postpartum depression

Early skin-to-skin contact is a more natural process that involves placing the naked newborn chest down on the mother’s bare chest and covering the infant with blankets to keep them warm and dry.

Ideally, skin-to-skin contact starts immediately or shortly after birth and the newborn remains with mom on her chest until at least the end of the first breastfeeding session 1.

“The research tells us that there are many benefits to early skin-to-skin contact after a Cesarean section, including improved breastfeeding rates, stabilized infant temperature and blood sugar, and improved respiration,” said Donna Hendrix, RNC, IBCLC. “Another extremely important benefit is that it helps mothers feel much more involved in the delivery of their baby. Of course fathers are more pleased with the skin-to-skin Cesarean too.”

Lakeside Chief Medical Officer and CEO, Deborah Huff, MD, said. “Many women report they feel left out of the birth experience with a traditional C-section. Unlike a vaginal delivery, they only see their babies for a few minutes while in the delivery room. Only later, are they taken to the neonatal nursery with the father. The skinto-skin procedure also allows the baby to ride back to the patient room with the mother.”

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• Faster infant weight gain • Decrease in the release of the stress hormones by the infant and the infant is less likely to cry • Improved Infant Temperature Regulation/Stability • Stable heart and respiratory rates • Improved oxygen saturations • Improved immunity as the infant is initially colonized by the same bacteria as mother In the United States Cesarean sections are performed on about a third of women giving birth.

Lakeside Women’s Hospital is located at 11200 N. Portland Ave. Oklahoma City, OK. www.lakeside-wh.com and Lakeside Women’s Hospital is a member of the INTEGRIS Health Network, and partially owned by physicians.

References: 1. Moore E.R., Anderson G.C., Bergman N. and Dowswell T.2012. Early skin-toskin contact for mothers and their healthy newborn infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 16(5):CD003519.

According to the CDC, only 32% of U.S. hospitals implement skin-to-skin care for most women and babies within 2 hours after an uncomplicated Cesarean birth.

These researchers found that babies who were randomly assigned to receive early skin-to-skin care were 2 times more likely to be exclusively breastfeeding at 3-6 months.

by Roberta Tyler, RN, BSN, IBCLC Breastfeeding is a natural extension of pregnancy and the birth process. Women who breastfeed may recover their pre-pregnant bodies faster due to the fact that breastfeeding only requires an extra intake of 400-500 calories per day. New moms will be expending as much as 900-1,000 calories per day for milk production.

Breastfeeding is essentially free, no bottles or nipples to clean or formula to worry about.

Breastfeeding is much easier at night than getting up to prepare a warm bottle of formula.

Breast milk is uniquely designed for babies and will change as they grow in order to continue meeting their nutritional needs.

Breastfeeding enhances baby’s visual and auditory acuity, especially in premature infants.

Breastfeeding triggers a hormonal release that promotes mothering behaviors, which in turn helps develop a closer emotional attachment that’s just as important as the nutritional value in the child’s development.

Using formula increases your baby’s risk of food allergies, eczema, obesity, Type I & II Diabetes, respiratory infections, pneumonia, ear infections, childhood lymphoma & leukemia as well as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) Here’s another reality, formula can cost $4-10 per day, depending the brand, if it’s liquid or powder, age of infant in addition to the increased medical care costs that go along with increased risk of illness.

Formula use increases the risk of illness through contamination of bottles/nipples or other items used in the daily preparation.

Roberta Tyler, RN, BSN, IBCLC a Maternal/Child Health nurse of 34 years, and an international board certified lactation consultant of 20 years helping educate families about breastfeeding currently works for Saint Francis Health System in Tulsa, OK, a 900+ bed facility, offering breastfeeding support and education to families during their stay and continued support by phone 918-494MILK(6455) or a personal consultation in the outpatient clinic Monday-Friday in the Saint Francis Children’s Hospital. This service is available to anyone. *The Affordable Care Act requires insurance providers to support lactation services.

Research has shown an increased IQ and cognitive abilities for children that were breastfed compared to children that were formula fed as infants.

Research has indicated there are physiological benefits to breastfeeding mothers that go beyond emotional benefits. These include decreased risk for breast and ovarian cancer, a decreased risk for Type II Diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

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A Healthy, happy mother means a healthier, happier baby. Take charge of planning ahead for once baby comes home. This can dramatically reduce or prevent postpartum depression or baby blues and maximize this time of joy and bonding with your baby. And don’t forget to take care of you.

There is a prevalent “norm” in modern American culture that seems to go unnoticed and we seem blind to its toll on our society. Whether it’s a student going off to college, a promotion into a new position, newlyweds after the wedding, expectant mothers after the birth, or military personnel returning home from combat. American society has very little in place to support and care for people experiencing these major transitions in life.

Prior to these changes, there are always preparations like testing, training, physicals, to shopping, celebrations, and gift buying for major life-changing events, but what happens after the person is in college or working that new position. What happens after the honeymoon, or when returning home from combat? Obviously there needs to be a better support system in American society that promotes well being for people in these situations. A new mother is particularly vulnerable in this life transition, and yet all attention is typically focused on the new baby.

Studies show the importance of support and care giving during this transitional time. Postnatal depression across countries and cultures is a qualitative study published by the British Journal of Psychiatry, shares results of a 2004 study across 15 different centers in 11 participating countries. The study shows the following strong recurring themes across all centers as causes of unhappiness after delivery.

Loneliness Lack of emotional and practical social support Poor relationships with partners Family conflict • Tiredness 30 Thrive Oklahoma

by Robin Fernandez, Nature of Being Every baby and mother is one biological system innately resilient, yet exquisitely sensitive and vulnerable to trauma. Their bond is the most critical relationship in society and shapes the future, for better or worse.

Social support provided by family and friends, including practical and emotional support from partners, and having somebody to talk to were universally expressed as the remedy for postnatal depression. Only in the United States were antidepressants mentioned as an option for treatment. 1 Another study of cultures where postpartum mood disorders were virtually non-existent revealed five common practices that provide care and support for new moms. 2 A recognized postpartum period, referred to as, “lying-in” during Colonial American times, allowed the mother time to rest and heal. This was also a period of apprenticeship, where she was instructed and assisted by experienced mothers.

Mothers were recognized as vulnerable and were treated with ritual bathing, massage, and personal care.

Except for their caregivers, mothers were socially secluded to rest, care for baby, which encouraged breastfeeding and a time for recuperation.

Mothers’ normal workloads of caring for other children and household duties were tended to by someone else, either family or close friends.

There was social recognition for a mother’s new status and role through rituals, gift giving, and mothering-the mother.

“My purpose is to help shift the paradigm that drives the loneliness, anxiety, addiction, greed and aggression so prominent in post-modern societies to one that promotes joy, wellbeing and peace. I work at the beginning of life, where the patterns are set. We must transform how we bring human beings into the world and care for each childbearing woman and mother-baby pair from conception to the first birthday, when they are one biological system and the baby’s developing brain and nervous system are laying down patterns for a lifetime,” says Suzanne Arms about the mission of Birthing the Future.

In American culture, not only are we the only industrialized nation not to have mandatory paid parental leave, but it is common for the woman to be expected to return to work within weeks of birth, to not have family or friends to assist with care for the mother, baby, other children, or household duties, in addition to prevalence of single mothers without support, and mothers are often expected to entertain guests visiting and cooing over the baby.

Paid Parental Leaves... U.S. vs. The World In all your planning for baby’s arrival, be sure to fit in preparations for your postpartum care ahead of time. Search for ideas and support online. Ask for help in advance, and if someone offers anything – say Yes! Yes, to friends and family running errands, helping around the house, or preparing food. Yes, to the neighbor helping with the yard work. Yes, to husband or partner rubbing your feet. If your mother or mother-in-law wants to help – great, set up some rules to ensure her supportive, helpful care. If finances allow, hire a doula, defined as “a woman who is trained to provide support to women and their families during pregnancy, childbirth, and the period of time following the birth.

Doulas may provide expansive of services including education, continuous assistance throughout labor and birth, lactation counseling, plus after care support with older children, groceries, laundry, and cooking. Sandi DeGeorge of Your Nurtured Birth says it’s, “Nurturing the family before, during, and after birth.”

“I am passionate about doing all that I can to help make this unforgettable time in your family’s life as joyous and stressfree as possible,” says DeGeorge, a certified labor doula, certified lactation counselor, postpartum doula, and Birthing From Within™ counselor.

References: 1. Asten, P., Marks, M. N. and Oates, M. R. 2004. Aims, measures, study sites and participant samples of the transcultural study of postnatal depression. British J Psych 184(46): s3 -s9.

2 Gwen, Kruckman and Laurence. 1983. Multi-disciplinary perspectives on post-partum depression: An anthropological critique. Soc Sci Med 17(15):1027-1041.

Other Sources: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/maternity-leave-paid-parental-leave-_n_2617284.html www.bjp.rcpsych.org/content/184/46/s10.full www.babygooroo.com/2012/08/how-other-cultures-prevent-postpartum-depression/ An inspiring resource for mothers is www.birthingthefuture.org/who-we-are/mission-vision/

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by Jennifer Sweeton, Ph.D. With New Years Resolutions now several months old, it’s the perfect time for a resolution-check. Many resolutions require behavior changes, and for those of us looking to change eating habits, these can be difficult. While willpower is necessary for such change, it’s sometimes not enough.

Eating food is not just something we do or refrain from doing – it’s a relationship. Like any relationship, it has emotional aspects that can trump the most steadfast willpower efforts.

To change the way we eat it’s important to understand the type of relationship we have with food. If you’re still looking for ways to improve your eating habits, consider these two surprising truths about the psychology of eating:

Food choices are not always about food.

When trying to change eating habits, the focus is often on food avoidance, or portion sizes, etc. These are great strategies and it’s beneficial to be mindful of food choices. However, emotions can override the best-laid plans, whether we are experiencing stress, worry, depression, procrastination, or boredom.

Your attempts to suppress thoughts about food will likely backfire.

Those who are on diets often try to avoid or push out thoughts of certain foods. This makes many foods feel “forbidden,” which makes them more emotional.

Psychologists have found thought suppression doesn’t help us think any less about the forbidden food. In fact, it usually leads to more intrusive thoughts about the food! In one study, individuals who suppressed food-related thoughts were more likely to both crave and binge on the forbidden foods1.

Better choices come by paying close attention to the emotional side of eating. Be mindful of the tendency to engage in emotional eating when emotional states influence the desire to eat.

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Guidelines can help you Break Free from the Emotional Eating Trap Plan ahead. Emotions can override our intentions in a hurry, so it’s good to start with a plan in mind. Find foods that give you energy, make you feel happy, and best help you achieve your health goals. Incorporate these types of food into your diet.

• Commit to weekly grocery store trips • Avoid fast food restaurants • Make lunch before work • Try cooking new dishes.

• Avoid the latest radical fad diets Focus on small steady changes that are likely to be maintained over time2.

Check-in with yourself. When you begin to experience a strong desire to abandon your healthy eating plans, stop and evaluate yourself and the situation. Are you truly hungry?

True hunger finds a variety of foods appealing and comes on slow, whereas “emotional hunger” tends to fixate on certain not-so-healthy foods and develops quickly. If you are experiencing a sudden craving for something unhealthy, take a look at your current situation and within yourself, to identify the emotional trigger.

Ask yourself: • What am I feeling in this moment?

• Is something upsetting or worrying me?

• Am I procrastinating or dreading something?

• What is my body experiencing in this moment?

• Am I physically hungry?

• Do I feel stress or anxiety in my body, such as rapid heart rate?

• Am I tired or sleepy?

Address underlying emotions. If you discover that you are in a stressful situation, feeling bored or upset, procrastinating, feeling tired or anticipating something anxiety provoking, your sudden desire to deviate from healthy eating may not be due to hunger. In these situations, addressing the underlying emotions can be most helpful.

If you’re feeling stressed, consider trying stress management strategies like meditation, deep breathing, or physical exercise. Shift the focus away from food and toward effective coping skills. This may bring the most long-term relief.

Eat mindfully. Finally, we can benefit from eating mindfully and intentionally. Eating mindlessly while on the go, watching TV, or engaging in other tasks cause overeating. This can be due to stress, or simply because we are not paying attention.

Research has shown that when individuals try to multi-task while eating, they’re more likely to overeat3 and less likely to enjoy meals.

If you think you might be an emotional eater and would like more information and tips, take this test at PsychologyToday.com References: 1. Barnes, R.D., Fisak, B., Jr. and Tantleff-Dunn, S. 2010. Validation of the Food Thought Suppression Inventory. J Health Psych. 15:373-381.

2. Kaipainen, K., Payne, C.R. and Wansink, B. 2013. Mindless Eating Challenge: Retention, Weight Outcomes and Barriers for Changes in a Public Web-Based Healthy Eating and Weight Loss Program. J Med Internet Res. 14(6):e168.

3. Dieuwerke P. B.,Lakemond, C.M.M., de Wijk, R.A., Luning, P.A. and de Graa, C. 2013. Consumption with Large Sip Sizes Increases Food Intake and Leads to Underestimation of the Amount Consumed. J Pone.

10:1371.

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by Cody Elledge, DC Being a family chiropractor, I’m frequently told by patients, I wish I would have known chiropractic treatment could resolve this or correct that...and if I had, I would have come in months or years ago.

Patients also often ask, why there’re children being treated in my office. What could children possibly have wrong with them, that they need chiropractic treatment?

Stress in a child can manifest in various ways

The simply answer is, parents bring their children in for chiropractic care for many different reasons, which include help with common ailments like chronic ear infection, colic, colds, bedwetting, asthma or allergies, learning and behavioral problems, developmental delays, and most importantly general wellness.

Chiropractors are able to localize and remove spinal nerve interference.

From a chiropractor’s perspective, the body’s systems work synergistically together as a whole. If one area of the body experiences heavy demand or becomes compromised, then other areas can in time become vulnerable. Over time this imbalance can lead to disorder and dysfunction.

Physical stress, such as the countless tumbles and falls children take while learning Dr. Elledge: Do you take your children to the dentist to get their teeth checked? to walk or through play or by participating in organized Parent: Of course, I don’t want them to get cavities. sports.

Dr. Elledge: Do you not think their spine is equally as important and your child’s teeth?

Prolonged stress can come

in the form of

Negative emotions, such as anxiety, frustration and self-esteem issues.

Toxic stressors are found everywhere in our modern “fast-food” infused world.

Dr. Cody Thomas Elledge, has been practicing chiropractic in Oklahoma City for over 7 years. “ I’m also a huge advocate of antioxidants/supplements including, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin K, Fish Oils and CoQ10.”

Elledge Chiropractic and Acupuncture has recently opened a new location in North Oklahoma City, at 5715 North Western Avenue. To contact Dr. Elledge’s office, please call (405) 858-2225. We offer a scientific approach to natural medicine in a comfortable and friendly environment.

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Parent: Well yes, but . . .

Dr. Elledge: If children have misalignments in their spine, it can lead to spinal

nerve impingement, leading to dysfunction. Early detection and correction is what chiropractic can, and will, do for your child’s spine.

Chiropractic recognizes that the central nervous system (CNS) is the master controller over the entire body. The CNS controls and coordinates every function in the body and does so on every level. Most people don’t appreciate the number of stressors that accompany today’s modern lifestyle. Some of these lead to undue stress and prolonged pressure on our nervous system.

Unwanted, harmful toxins are ingested in the form of mass produced formulas, chemical preservatives, as well as growth hormones and steroids from the cattle industry. These additives are used during the preparation of many different foods we buy and consume. There are hundreds of other potential neurotoxins that children can be exposed to daily. These toxins block or impede proper neurological communication and development.

Regular chiropractic care can and will help improve the performance of a child’s body by allowing them to more efficiently respond to external and internal stressors.

There are advantages to using chiropractic care for children and their well being.

This has become increasingly evident in recent years. Last year in the United States, there were over 68 million pediatric visits to a chiropractor and there’s overwhelmingly evidence that there are many benefits to children. Chiropractic care is gentle, safe, and noninvasive.

Serves 4-6 Stir Fry Ingredients 2 lbs Chicken Fajita stips 1 tsp Cumin 1 tsp Black pepper 2 tsp Garlic powder 1 1/2 lbs Butternut squash

1/4 C Red bell pepper 1/4 C Green bell pepper 10 oz whole kernel corn 1/2 Jalapeno pepper 2 tsp Lime (fresh squeezed) 2 Tbsp Cilantro 1 C diced tomatoes

Chef Robin Obert of Child Nutrition Services for the OKCPS district is part of the solution. robin has designed new menu items that kids will enjoy and are packed with flavor. When K-12 school kids buy a lunch, they have fresh homestyle options that are healthier in many ways. Lower in sodium, zero trans-fats and nutritionally balanced menu items.

Try this one at home – it’s a great way to get the whole family eating more veggies!

Prepare: Preheat oven to 375º Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes, then add the black pepper, cumin and garlic powder Heat chicken until it reaches and internal temp of 165º Cut onions and bell peppers into 1/4 inch pieces. Peel and cut the butternut squash into 1/4 inch pieces. Lightly spray baking sheets with non-stick spray. Equally distribute the vegetables including the diced tomatoes and corn. Add the remaining spices and stir to combine.

Bake covered at 375º until the butternut squash is tender. Squeeze lime juice over the vegetables and toss with cilantro.

Brown Rice Prep: Mix 1 C brown rice with 2 C water.

Add 1 Tbsp chili powder and 1 tsp garlic powder.

Steam for 35-45 minutes til rice becomes light and fluffy. Finish with 1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice and garnish with 2 Tbsp cilantro.

by Steve Clausen at One Healthy Bod Ingredients: 2 C organic almond butter 1 1/2 C agave nectar 2 1/4 C protein powder 3 C crispy brown ricecereal (organic and gluten-free) OR use 3 C organic, gluten-free oats Prepare: Heat agave nectar and almond butter in a microwave for 90 seconds. Stir until creamy. Add protein powder and rice cereal/oats and mix together. Press mixture into 9x12 pan and refrigerate 1 hour or until solid enough to cut into bars, or roll into ping-pong size balls.

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by Lindsay Whelchel Born in 1932 in Perry, Okla. life didn’t start out easy for Danny Hodge. The rugged plains of north central Oklahoma ingrained a country-boykind of strength in Hodge, and it’s a good thing, because he would need it.

undefeated. His commitment to preparation was a driving force.“I knew I didn’t want to do what some of the others were doing, because they weren’t training,” Hodge says and adds, “Everybody wanted to beat me, and I knew that and where everybody else would run a couple hundred yards, I’d run the section.”

As a young man at 14, Hodge lost his family home to a fire. The repercussions of the incident left Hodge pretty much on his own and ironically, led him to move into the town’s firehouse.

Hodge went back to the Olympics in 1956 in Melbourne.

Representing his country was a priority for Hodge. “I knew that each country would send the best wrestler they had, and I wanted to be the one from the United States,” he says to the point.

He slept on a cot there, and every morning before school he was tasked with dusting off the fire trucks to earn his keep. After school Hodge worked until 10 p.m. at the Conoco station.

A phoenix, he learned quickly that hard work was the only way to rise above the ashes. As one of the most celebrated and successful wrestlers and boxers in history, rise above he did.

Hodge’s voice is patient, lilting even. At 81, he has a steady confidence in his accomplishments that pours out matter of fact amidst humor.

When asked about his start in wrestling, Hodge proudly proclaims that his hometown of Perry is the wrestling capital of the state. As a hometown boy, the sport was in his blood.

“It’s a genetic thing. I started down in the gym. I started wrestling and beating everybody. I wrestled two years in the Navy, made the Olympics, then I got a scholarship at OU and never lost,” he says simply and to the point.

That’s the short version of a story that spans the 1950s like a victory lap.

According to the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, which Hodge was inducted into in 2007, the athlete went to the Olympics in Helsinki in 1952, and though he took home fifth that time, it began a string of wins as an amateur. After that at the University of Oklahoma, Hodge earned three national titles and made the NCAA Wrestler of the Year twice.

During this time in his amateur career, Hodge was 36

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The Hall of Fame association’s depiction of Hodge’s career explains that the official calling the match in Melbourne caused an outcry, because many felt Hodge should have won.

Instead he took home silver and after that put on boxing gloves.

When it came to being a boxer, Hodge was accomplished at that too, winning 17 in a row and the National Golden Gloves Championship, according to the Hall of Fame.

“They said wrestlers couldn’t fight, and I said ‘why can’t we?’ So I ran with bricks in my hands, and my gloves never got heavy throwing punches. I’m a country boy, and I went there to knock you out,” Hodge says laughing.

He laughs easily and his good nature makes it hard to believe he was so feared on the mat and in the ring during his career.

In mentioning Hodge’s hand strength, it’s important to note the man is a bit of a legend in that regard. He can crush an apple with his bare hand. The fact is still true at his age today.

“They just kind of blew up,” he says of the feat and credits milking cows every morning and evening to be able to accomplish the trick.

Hodge was the only amateur wrestler to ever grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. And after all of these successes, Hodge went pro in wrestling. He dominated the sport for years.

Though his career has taken him all over the world, these days,

you’ll find Hodge at home. He still lives in Perry with his wife Dolores. They met in the 50s growing up a mile away from each other.

“Her brother wrestled with me, so I’d go to see him and see her, real nice company,” Hodge says fondly.

Hodge hasn’t strayed too far from his other love of wrestling. You’ll often see him helping his nephews with their wrestling techniques and at the tournaments coaching countless other kids.

His efforts certainly make an impression. One such kid was Jim Compton.

“He is a living legend, first time I met Danny was when my uncle Kit Fox wrestled at the Stockyard Coliseum.

He looked like a giant.

My grandpa was a huge wrestling fan. We would go to the matches every other week in Oklahoma City. I became a prowrestler in 1986. I got to call him a friend when my uncle passed, and we just clicked.”

Compton says.

For Compton, the impact Hodge has had is now spanning generations.

“Danny took time out of his weekend to work with my oldest son JC in his living room, showing him how to work holds with his legs or holds and reversals in general. He would show JC a hook move and have JC tapping his hand on the floor and screaming. Danny would just laugh and his wife would tell him to let the poor boy up,” Compton says and adds, “Anytime he sees my youngest son he always goes over and talks to him and shows him a hold for heavy weights he can use in his match. It has become a ritual before a match when my youngest is getting ready for a tournament I ask Minke ‘how do you feel?’ and he will say ‘like Danny Hodge,’ Minke looks at Danny like a super hero.”

And that’s only one tale of Hodge inspiring athletes. For all of us, Hodge has this advice, “One of the best things I can say to anyone is get in shape. I would run out to the golf course and run around the lake and back to the fire station and of course I would climb the fire pole we would have to slide down. The fire station was my home, I really didn’t have one and when I stepped out on the mat I wanted all the fans to watch you count the lights.”

Dr. Robert E. Cooper

Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, Board Certified

405.946.4398 Dr. Cooper Eye Care - 3330 NW 56th Street Oklahoma City opposite Baptist Hospital at Northwest Medical Center

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by Michael Briscoe, D.C. It may be a gland that’s only 2 ½ inches, but the thyroid is quite the contender when it comes to regulating our body. Many of its functions relate to other hormones. Metabolic energy production is one of them. The tiny thyroid located in the throat also regulates adrenal hormone metabolism, body temperature, stomach acid production and other GI functions, liver detoxification pathways, cholesterol levels, carbohydrate and fat metabolism, brain chemistry and mental clarity, hair and skin quality, bone metabolism, libido, as well as vitamin absorption.

The ancient Greeks referred to this powerful gland as thyreos, which means shield. The thyroid gland does resemble a shield and when it’s functioning correctly it has a shield-like protection over the body’s chemistry and physiology. It makes sense that thyroid dysfunction can turn a patient’s entire world upside down.

There are some common thyroid malfunctions: Autoimmune problems cause thyroiditis. Hashimoto’s or Grave’s disease, both of which can be accompanied by a goiter in the neck can be due to enlargement of this gland. Many Americans are suffering from an under-active thyroid condition, called hypothyroidism.

Hashimoto’s disease, causes a sluggish thyroid and symptoms can include cold hands and feet, dry skin, extreme fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, a loss of the outer 1/3 of the eyebrows, brittle nails and hair, puffiness around the eyes, a swollen tongue with teeth marks around its edge, female hair loss, high cholesterol, constipation, low libido, and depression. Because of this sluggishness, the body will crave quick energy carbohydrates, like bread, cookies, crackers, pasta, and ice cream.

Sluggish symptoms may call for a blood test. The diagnosis of Hashimoto’s disease is based on clinical manifestation, high TSH level, positive thyroid peroxidase antibody and thyroglobulin antibody, and possibly an aspiration biopsy. Prescription meds for supplemental thyroid hormones in the form of Synthroid, Levothyroxin, or Armour may be indicated.

However, there are at least six different patterns of low thyroidism that may show up on test results. In many cases people have functional hypothyroidism. The underlying causes of a sluggish thyroid are sometimes overlooked. Symptoms of functional hypothyroidism are due to specific aspects of their health breaking down.

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The thyroid could be working just fine, but the dysfunction lies upstream. For example, the hypothalamus and/or pituitary glands may be struggling to stimulate the thyroid to do its job. The thyroid itself may not be producing enough T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine).

Another scenario is when the thyroid is producing adequate amounts of T4, the inactive form, but there’s a problem converting it into T3, the active and usable form.

This conversion to T3 takes place in muscles and nerves, but mainly in the liver and may occur along the GI tract if there are adequate amounts of healthy gut flora.

There may be nutrient deficiencies, specifically, selenium, zinc, and glutathione that are required for converting T4 to T3. Iodine and iodide are required from dietary sources to make thyroid hormones. The B vitamins, riboflavin and niacin are needed for the production of ATP energy which is required for cells to take up iodine, or inadequate production of certain neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.

Because the various glands of the endocrine system are so intertwined, imbalances in other hormones, such as high levels of testosterone, estrogen dominance, elevated insulin or cortisol levels due to chronic stress, can all affect thyroid function.

Toxins that bombard the human body, such as the halogens, which include fluorine, chlorine and bromine compete with iodine and iodide during the formation of T3.

The presence of heavy metals also contribute to low thyroid function.

Hashimoto’s disease may be accompanied by an underlying cause due to lack of essential fatty acids, chronic inflammation, low-grade infections, leaky gut and food intolerances.

Having a holistic approach is the key to truly correcting these issues. Don’t take for granted the benefits of a healthy nervous system, which delivers nerve signals to all the body’s tissues, including the thyroid gland. Thyroid hormone replacements don’t address the cause of the gland’s dysfunction. The truth of the matter is this; it is a combination of several of the above circumstances that are resulting in the person’s hypothyroid symptoms.

References :

Berg and Eric. 2008. The 7 Principles of Fat Burning.

California: Action Publishing.

Brownstein, D. 2009. Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It 4th Edition. Michigan: Medical Alternatives Press.

Kharrazian, D. 2010.Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests Are Normal. New York: Morgan James Publishing.

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by Michelle Bernth, MS American Lung Association The American Lung Association has issued its annual State of Tobacco Control Report, which evaluates the 50 states and the federal government on four key areas of tobacco control. The report, released on January 22, 2014, showcases each state’s policy strengths and weaknesses. Only one week prior, the Office of the Surgeon General released a report entitled The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress. This report marks the 50th anniversary of the first Surgeon General’s Report on smoking and health.

The message shared by both reports is clear—tobacco is needlessly killing millions of Americans.

“The 2014 Surgeon General’s report provides irrefutable evidence that elected officials hold the key to ending death and disease caused by tobacco use,” said Harold Wimmer, American Lung Association National President and CEO. ‘“State of Tobacco Control 2014” provides the blueprint to our nation’s policymakers on how they can save millions of lives from lung cancer, COPD and other tobacco-caused death and disease,” Wimmer added.

States across the country are suffering from the burden of tobacco usage and Oklahoma is no exception. The state of Oklahoma incurs more than $2.8 billion in economic costs annually due to tobacco usage. Currently 23.3% of Oklahomans smoke and 22.7% of high-school students in Oklahoma smoke.

Fifty years after the first Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health was issued on January 11, 1964, which linked smoking to lung cancer, COPD and other diseases for the first time, these diseases are still killing over 480,000 Americans each year. The 2014 Surgeon General’s Report, which warns that 5.6 million of today’s youth will die from tobacco use unless action is taken, is a rallying cry for change.

“Despite strides in reducing smoking rates in America by half in the last 50 years, tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and illness in the U.S., including lung cancer, the number one cancer killer of both men and 40

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women in America,” said Wimmer. “The Surgeon General’s 2014 report is the clarion call that our nation cannot let another 50 years of inaction occur.”

Establishing Policies that Protect Health The American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control Report, tracks yearly progress on key tobacco control policies at the federal and state level, assigning grades based on whether laws protect Americans from the enormous toll tobacco use takes on lives and the economy. The report provides grades in four categories: Tobacco Prevention and Control Funding; Smokefree Air; Cigarette Tax and Cessation Coverage. This year, Oklahoma received D’s in the first three categories and a C in cessation coverage.

Tobacco Prevention and Control Funding: This category evaluates the state’s spending to fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs. Oklahoma is only spending 54% of the Centers for Disease Control’s recommended spending level.

Smokefree Air: This category evaluates the presence and strength of a statewide smokefree law. Currently, Oklahoma does not have a comprehensive statewide smokefree law in place. Furthermore, Oklahoma’s pre-emption law prohibits local municipalities from enacting smokefree laws that are stronger than the state law.

Cigarette Tax: This category is based on the state’s cigarette tax per pack of 20 cigarettes. Currently, Oklahoma’s cigarette tax is $1.03/pack.

Cessation Coverage: This category evaluates the cessation coverage provided by a state to its Medicaid population and state employees. In Oklahoma, all seven of the FDA-approved cessation medications are covered, as well as individual and phone counseling. However, barriers to complete coverage include limits on duration, annual limits of quit attempts and co-pays.

Big Tobacco Equals Big Money The State of Tobacco Control Report 2014 finds that the tobacco industry continued its ruthless pursuit of addicting new, young users, and keeping current users from quitting in 2013.

This included efforts at the federal and state levels to exempt their products from meaningful public health protections.

The three largest cigarette manufacturers continued their aggressive expansion into tobacco products other than cigarettes in 2013, including smokeless tobacco, cigars and now e-cigarettes. A recent CDC study showed that the use of e-cigarettes among youth doubled from 2011 to 2012.

There is no federal oversight of these products, and the e-cigarette industry is pulling its marketing tactics from Big Tobacco’s playbook by using celebrity spokespeople to glamorize its products, making unproven health claims, encouraging smokers to switch instead of quit, and creating candy-and fruit-flavored products to attract youth.

“We are faced with a deep-pocketed, ever-evolving tobacco industry that’s determined to maintain its market share at the expense of our kids and current smokers,” said Wimmer, “State and federal policymakers must battle a changing Big Tobacco and step up to fund programs and enact policies proven to reduce tobacco use.”

A Golden Opportunity

Oklahoma Tobacco Report Card... Yikes!

Resources: • American Lung Association website: www.lung.org

The 50th Anniversary of the first Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health, offers us an opportunity to take new and decisive steps in the fight against tobacco. By enacting evidencebased policies and programs, we can keep kids from starting to smoke and help current smokers kick the habit for good.

• Toll Free Help Line: 1-800-LUNG-USA Available Monday-Friday, 7am-7pm Staffed by nurses, respiratory therapists and smoking cessation specialists • Online smoking cessation program Freedom From Smoking Online: www.ffsonline.org • Full State of Tobacco Control Report: www.stateoftobaccocontrol.org

Thousands of people die senselessly from distracted driving each year. These deaths could have been prevented by making drivers more aware of the consequence distractions have on their life and the lives of others. Oklahoma City University is fighting back against distracted driving

3rd Annual Walk 2 Stop Distracted Driving

1 mile fun walk to stop distracted driving

March 28th at 6pm join us for a Glow Walk on the OCU campus.

Form more information about sponsorship opportunities contact the Race Director, Brandi Gibson at 405.208.7902 or bgibson@okcu.edu or Co-Director, Karen Vann at 405.208.5252 or kvann@okcu.edu) Thrive Oklahoma

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Brought to you by Focus Federal Credit Union There are many great reasons to do business locally . . .

Customer Service Matters. When you shop and bank

locally, you will probably get to know the people who serve you. Often you develop relationships with the staff.

Most will take extra time to make sure their customers are satisfied. They will respond to customers’ recommendations about new products, hours and locations. When you have a problem, you’re more likely to receive a fast and agreeable resolution. The best thing, you probably won’t have to navigate some computerized phone system only to end up speaking to a call center representative located outside your community.

Boost Local Economy. When you shop locally, most of

the money stays in the community. Sales taxes from local business help strengthen the economic bases of our local communities. In turn we get better schools, roads and

It seems that everywhere we turn; we hear the word “local.” Big cities and small towns alike are all touting restaurants that use locally grown or locally sourced ingredients. Chic galleries and pop-up shops advertise locally made clothing, jewelry and art. Clubs and wineries feature local singers and musicians. This local movement isn’t just a fad and has many benefits to you and your community. police and fire protection. According to research firm Civic Economics, when consumers choose a locally owned business over a non-local one, $73 of every $100 stays in the community. In contrast, only $43 of every $100 spent at a non-locally owned business remains in the community. That’s a significant difference!

More Choices. Small local businesses can provide consum-

ers with a variety of products and prices plus an assortment of delectable, one-of-a kind dishes as well as many handmade, repurposed or upcycled unique objects. When buyers from giant corporations choose the type of clothing, music, books and food consumers see, everyone tends to look the same. It’s the diversity in local restaurants, shops, artists and musicians that truly give our communities their “flavor”.

Local Jobs. Small businesses are creating lots of jobs. Ac-

cording to Small Business Administrations, 64% of all new jobs are being created by local businesses. Buying and banking locally are both great ways to help prosper your neighborhoods.

Better Rates and Fewer Fees. When choosing a local

financial institution the benefits are remarkable. Credit unions and small locally owned banks are able to provide auto loans, mortgages and credit cards with rates much lower than the big guys. Plus you’ll pay fewer fees at credit unions since they are not-for-profit organizations.

Shared Commitment. According to an article in the April

2013 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine, 96 percent of small businesses said they are committed to supporting their local communities through a variety of activities including donating to local causes and participating in community projects. Mega companies are often detached from the areas where they operate and often invest money with corporations with influence outside the U.S.

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by Anita Kelley Recently I overheard a group of business owners lamenting that the sluggish economy was really hurting their sales. Following the Christmas season last year the news was buzzing with statistics about the poor holiday sales compared to previous years.

you pitched the marketing plan out the window and tried to make it on your own? Are you chasing every new fad?

If your business is one that is experiencing a sales slump, take heart. There are some secrets that you can learn to stop the slide, energize the sales team and start growing again! Notice the words “that you can learn.” No, turning a business around is not an easy process. Yes, it takes W-O-R-K, but who’s afraid of a little hard work, right? You would not have been in business this long if you were afraid to roll up your sleeves and put effort and energy into seeing your business grow!

4. Focus on the “one thing.”

So, what can you do to get sales back on track?

1. Check your attitude.

We have all been around the whiner who complains about how bad business is, how his customers aren’t buying as much, how winter is miserable for sales, and on the complaining goes. Sometimes I can start feeling down just listening to the negative talk. I once heard a speaker say that we are only meant to go through hardships one time; complaining about them makes us go through them over and over. If you find that your attitude isn’t what it should be, change what you are saying to yourself and those around you.

You have the power to choose positive words.

“I hope the millions of people I’ve touched have the optimism and desire to share their goals and hard work and persevere with a positive attitude.”

- Michael Jordan

2. Hang out with positive people.

If you listen to the nay-sayers, you will become one of them. Surround yourself with successful people who are going the direction that you want to go. Find a mentor, join a networking group, change who you eat lunch with and spend time with positive people.

“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.” - Oprah Winfrey

3. Go back to the basics.

What did you do in the past that boosted sales? Have you gotten away from the passion and drive that you had when you first launched the business? Have

“Success is neither magical nor mysterious.

Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.”

- Jim Rohn What’s the “one thing” that your business does best? Many people begin to flounder when they listen to the clamoring of the world and try to be “all things to all people.” Discover that “one thing” that sets your business apart from the competition and pursue your “one thing” with all your energy and determination.

“If you chase two rabbits…you will not catch either one.” - Russian Proverb

5. Get a Marketing Plan. A Marketing Plan is different than a business plan. In our competitive world, trying to grow a business without a solid knowledge of who your target audience is and how to reach them is like shooting arrows at a target while blindfolded. You might hit the target a few times but how much money, time, resources are you losing on all the arrows that miss? Many business owners have found that trying every new magazine or social media or clever brochure may seem like a shortcut to success, however, those shortcuts often add up to a big loss in revenue.

“It will take you less time and less effort to do it the difficult way than it will to buy and try and discard all the shortcuts.” - Seth Godin

6. Ask for help! Don’t be too proud to speak up.

Have lunch with a successful entrepreneur, invite someone along on a sales presentation and get their feedback, adjust your sales strategy, add something new to your marketing plan, talk to your customers and find out why they use your products or services, try a different or new approach in your sales presentation or marketing plan….better yet, hire a marketing coach!

“Without goals and plans to reach them you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.”

- Winston Churchill Continuted on page 45 Thrive Oklahoma

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Photo by Karine Aigner for The Nature Conservancy

by Michael Sabatino

In the midst of the recent and oft-talked about polar vortex, I opened my front door to a beautifully clear morning. The sun had just risen, there were a few clouds in the sky, and the roads were mostly empty.

Despite the outside temperature being 5 degrees Fahrenheit, I was excited to get my morning run in.

Admittedly, my excitement was multifactorial: I’m currently training for my next half marathon this March; I had to work a shift later that day and few things give a pre-ER shift endorphin boost like a brisk morning run; I love nature, I love weather, and I love being outside to enjoy them; Oh, and I love to run.

I’ve been lucky to have experiences running in many different locations and in many different weather conditions. I’ve run in many inspiring landscapes – through Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks in Utah, in Yellowstone National Park, and in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, as well as the urban landscapes of London, San Diego and DC, to name a few. I’ve run in single digit and triple digit weather, as well as wind, rain, sleet, and snow. Regardless of the conditions outside, I will run outside. One of the reasons that I run is so I can be outside.

Not only when I run outside am I running in nature, I’m also running for nature. As a true tech geek, I often boot up numerous gadgets prior to my run – GPS, heart rate monitor, iPhone. In addition, I’m able to make every mile I run benefit the work of The Nature Conservancy by using a free app, called Charity Miles – earning 25 cents for the mission for every mile I run.

I plan to continue enjoying these passions of mine and keeping them as a major aspect of my daily life. Someday, I won’t be able to run races for a new PR any more, but I plan to continue running outside until I’m unable to run any more. Then maybe it will be time to take up outdoor speed walking.

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Sales In A Slump? Continued from page 43 Maybe you feel like a shark has taken a big bite out of your business. Learn some lessons from a winner like Bethany Hamilton: check your attitude, hang out with positive people, go back to the basics, focus on the “one thing”, get a marketing plan and ask for help! You can do it!

Have you heard the name Bethany Hamilton? Bethany Hamilton won first place in the Explorer Women’s Division of the NSSA National Championships. At age 13, Bethany lost her left arm in an almost-deadly shark attach. She got back on her surfboard one month later and two years after that, she was in first place. What an amazing example of getting back up after being knocked down in life!

Anita Kelley, CEO of Anita Kelley Consulting, is a Marketing Coach for several businesses in the Oklahoma City metro area. If you would like more information, you can email her at: anita@anitakelleyconsulting.com or call (405) 306-8171.

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ADVERTORIAL

An estimated 50 million Americans are affected by some form of arthritis. Although there are more than 100 different kinds of arthritis, most are characterized by inflammation of the joints which causes swelling, pain and stiffness, often resulting in loss of joint movement or function.

Many people affected by arthritis seek relief by soaking in the warm, soothing water of a hot tub. A hot tub can provide the warmth, massage and buoyancy needed to both relax and exercise joints and muscles in the convenience and comfort of a backyard.

For more information regarding arthritis and the health benefits of hot tubs, visit the Arthritis Foundation website at www.arthritis.org. *The use of hot water or heat is recommended for many people with arthritis but not all.

Consult with your physician.

Sleep researchers believe that many cases of insomnia can be traced to hectic, stressful lifestyles. The results of sleep deprivation are varied and may cause battered nerves, grogginess, lapses in memory, depression, and erratic mood swings. Soaking in a hot tub prior to going to bed can help allow for important stress relief and relaxation, leading to a deep and more peaceful sleep.

According to a study in the scientific journal Sleep, a drop in body temperature can help to ease the body into a relaxing and sound sleep.

Therefore it is suggested to take a 15-minute soak in a hot bath or hot tub (103F degrees) approximately 90 minutes before bedtime.

This causes the body’s internal thermostat to pull the body’s temperature down, enabling sleep to set in with ease.

Spa-induced relaxation and sleep is a natural remedy, unlike alternative sleeping aids such as prescription drugs, over-the-counter remedies and alcohol, which can make a person feel groggy and have other adverse side effects.

The National Sleep Foundation conducted a poll and found that approximately 132 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders including mild to chronic insomnia, pauses in breathing and snoring.

The poll found that 48 percent of women and 38 percent of men suffer from insomnia more than one night a week. This number is on the rise as evidenced by the growing number of sleep disorder centers across the nation (approximately 3,000 in the U.S. today).

According to a sleep therapy center in Louisville, Ky., insomnia is the second most prevalent reason people go to the doctor (after pain).

For more information on the health benefits of hot tubs, visit the National Sleep Foundation’s website at www.sleepfoundation.org. *Source: Helping yourself to a better night’s sleep. (1999).

National Sleep Foundation *Source: Helping yourself to a better night’s sleep. (1999). National Sleep Foundation

There are three factors at work in a spa: heat, buoyancy and massage. Together, they create a relaxing, soothing hydromassage experience.

Immersion in a hot tub raises the body temperature and causes the blood vessels to dilate, increasing circulation. The buoyancy of the spa water reduces body weight by approximately 90%, which relieves pressure on joints and muscles and creates the relaxing sensation of weightlessness.

The massaging action of a spa is created by sending a mixture of warm water and air through hydromassage jet nozzles. This “energized” stream of water loosens tight muscles and stimulates the release of endorphins, the body’s natural pain killers.

Discover what ancient cultures knew millennia ago – immersion in hot water can be good for your body, mind and spirit. Besides providing a relaxing hydromassage experience, a long, soothing soak in your Hot Spring spa could be just what the doctor ordered. A body of well-documented research suggests that hot water immersion can lower your blood pressure, increase blood circulation, loosen tight muscles and release endorphins, the body’s natural pain killers. Here are just a few benefits you may experience from hot tub hydromassage therapy.

• A natural remedy for insomnia • Increased joint mobility, flexibility and range of motion • Reduction in joint stiffness and swelling • Decreased anxiety • Better, more rejuvenating sleep • Arthritis pain relief * *The use of hot water or heat is recommended for many people with arthritis but not all. Consult with your physician first.

Your Hot Spring Spa Dealer for the Oklahoma City metro is

Emerald Springs Spas located at 6600 NW 39th Expressway in downtown Bethany. 405-722-SPAS

www.emeraldspringsspas.com