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A Special Section In The Suburban News Issue Date: April 12th & Hamlin Clarkson Herald. on Deadline: Tuesday, April 7th and larger A circulation of over 33,000 homes! For more information call a sales representative at 352-3411.
March 29, 2015
Issue No. 13
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‘No quick fix,’ he says, but walking routine brings about change Spencerport man uses low impact walking to reduce weight by Kristina Gabalski Six years ago Abraham Hernandez weighed 400 pounds. The now 62-year old had tried everything to lose the weight he had gained over years of traveling for his work. Abraham was considering surgery, but found in his research that the statistics were not good. “I weighed 161 pounds when I got married,” the Spencerport resident recalls. “Gaining the weight happened over a long period of time. It was a long journey to get to that weight and I knew it would be a journey to get back. There’s no quick fix.” After consulting with his doctor, Abraham decided to make a simple but profound lifestyle change: He would get out and walk 4-5 days a week and would limit himself to one plate of food at meals. No diets, no weight loss pills, just a commitment to start slow and work towards a healthier lifestyle. The program has been remarkably successful Abraham has lost nearly 200 pounds and looks and feels great. He says his ultimate goal is to get down to 180 pounds - he has about 40 pounds to go. When he began his lifestyle change, he was working at a bank on Winton Road in Rochester and would walk up and down the street on his lunch hour. Motorists noticed Abraham’s daily walks and that he was losing weight. “People were cheering me on,” he says. “When I started, I could barely walk. You have to start slowly, it gets better in about three weeks.” In 2-3 months, Abraham says he was up to walking one-half mile at a time. Today, he walks at least four days a week - 1.5 to 3 miles a day - and in addition to regular walking - runs in 5K races. Abraham credits one of his nine grandchildren with finally helping to make the decision to change his life. He and a grandson were in the backyard when his grandson said, “I wish you weren’t so big, so I could play ball with you ... I decided that if I didn’t lose weight, I might not be around for my grandchildren,” he remembers. Abraham is now sharing his experience and encouraging others through his business called “Healthy Journey Now,” speaking to children and adults at community centers, churches and one-on-one. Physicians now refer overweight patients to him for help and guidance. “I feel very strongly about the plight of America and how its citizens are becoming more obese,” Abraham says. By the year 2030, he says, it is predicted that 83 percent of the US population will be overweight and half the population will be obese. It’s a serious problem, he explains, which leads to increased medical costs and impacts businesses and employers. Workers who are overweight tend to have more health related problems and end up taking more days off. Continued on page 2
Hungry Hungry Hippos – the human version - Merton Williams Middle School in Hilton recently celebrated Winter Fest, an event to reward students who were seen by their teachers displaying more than one of the six Habits of Mind and Character Traits of Dignity that students and staff are working on throughout the year. Thirty seventh and eighth graders and 30 of their friends were able to participate in each of three lunch periods. After the students ate lunch, they were divided into teams and played rounds of the human version of “Hungry Hungry Hippos.” Teams who earned the most points received tickets that they could trade in for prizes. Assistant Principal Michael LeGault organized the event and several staff members volunteered their time to make the event a success. Shown here is seventh grader Ian Donahue. Provided photo.
C-C’s Ryan named Player of the Year by Warren Kozireski Churchville-Chili graduate Ashley Ryan was named by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) as the Division III Player of the Year and an AllAmerican at the 2015 Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Championship banquet. The senior forward for Elmira College captured the prestigious Laura Hurd Award after she tallied 59 points this season on 18 goals and 41 assists for the Soaring Eagles. The award honors the memory of former Elmira College standout women’s ice hockey player, Laura Hurd, who died tragically in an automobile accident shortly after graduation. Hurd’s mother Jennifer and brother, Steven, were on hand to present the award to Ryan on what would have been Laura’s 33rd birthday. Ryan was also one of ten student-athletes named to the AHCA CCM All-American squad as a First Team selection. She helped lead Elmira to a first place finish this
season in the ECAC West with a perfect 18-0-0 conference record while outscoring opponents 101-23 over 18 games. They lost to Plattsburgh in the conference playoff semi-finals, received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and advanced to the final with wins over Trinity and Wisconsin-River Falls before again losing to Plattsburgh in the national championship final. Earlier this season the criminal justice major broke Elmira College’s single-season record and tied the NCAA Division III record for most assists in a singleseason with 42 and joined the 100-point club while tying a single-game school record for most assists in a single-game with six in the 10-2 win over SUNY Cortland on November 15. Ashley Ryan