inDECATUR

Decatur's "Safe Routes to School" program getting national attention

Decatur's Safe Routes to School program was noted in a conference in Delaware:

Leon T. Andrews of the Institute for Youth, Education, and Families at the National League of Cities listed initiatives across the country that have helped improve children's health. In Somerville, Mass., the city's health department has developed a curriculum known as HEAT (Healthy Eating and Active Time) that focuses on preparing healthy foods and promoting physical activity. An initiative in New Haven, Conn., brought farmers markets to city parks to make fruits and vegetables more accessible to residents. Officials in Decatur, Ga., implemented a Safe Routes to School program for children to walk to school. As part of that program, schools partnered with the city and law enforcement so there would be a greater police presence during the times when children would be walking.

Delaware Online

Public meeting on Rec Center planning 12/9/2008

You are invited to a public meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. to discuss the future use of the Decatur Recreation Center.

After mid-2009, the Recreation Center will no longer be used for high school athletics. This offers an opportunity to consider its future use, especially the 10,000 square foot gym.

The City of Decatur has employed LP3 Architects to prepare a master plan, schematic design and cost estimates for the “Rec.” Decatur’s Active Living Department needs your help in planning how the building can be modernized to serve future community needs. The meeting will be held in the social room at the Decatur Recreation Center, 231 Sycamore St., in downtown Decatur.

Catherine @ The Decatur Minute

Master plan to be developed for Decatur Rec Center

Last night, the Decatur City Commission authorized a NTE of $44.325 from the capital improvements bond fund for development of a master plan for the Decatur Recreational Center.

The goal is to plan a building to serve future community needs as far out as 15 years, and beyond.

Now that a new gym is being built for Decatur High, the center will no longer be needed for DHS athletics, and can be redirected toward "active living" for all ages.

LP3 Architecture was awarded the contract.

The mayor noted we didn't have the money to actually do the work at this time.

Silver Comet/Chief Ladiga trail grand opening 9/27/08

The grand opening of the complete Silver Comet/Chief Ladiga trail, on Saturday, Sept. 27, features a 61.5-mile ride from the Mavell Road trailhead (off Cooper Lake Road near South Cobb Drive in Smyrna) to the Alabama state line beginning at 7:30 a.m. A hospitality tent with food and entertainment will be open at the state line from noon to 4, with opening ceremonies at 2 p.m. For more information: www.silvercometga.com.

PATH has more details.

At the Georgia/Alabama state line, the Silver Comet connects to the 33-mile long  Chief Ladiga Trail. Plans are underway to extend the Chief Ladiga an additional 7 miles. Both the Silver Comet Trail and Chief Ladiga are fully paved rail-trails built on abandoned railroad lines. The combined Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga trail length is estimated to be over 100 paved miles from Smyrna, Georgia to Anniston, Alabama (the longest paved non-motorized trail in America).

To avoid the crowds and (hopefully) any muggers, you can start at Florence Road, 11 miles from the trailhead, as was recommended to Don Boykin of the AJC after he had a run-in with muggers.

Riding with others reduces the risk.

If you have a gun permit and a gun, and are trained in using it, you should carry it concealed but handy.

Closer to home, we have the MLK to Stone Mountain PATH, which is good from Decatur to the Mountain with the exception of a few spots, such as at I-285 and a couple of blocks to the east of it (where the biggest danger is getting hit by a vehicle). This PATH has not been plagued with crime, so far [knock on wood], but you should still be alert for potential trouble.

A friend enjoyed riding with his young grandkids on the Arabia Mountain PATH, which is a short drive from Decatur.

Atlanta woman loses 35 pounds eating five meals a day

Amy Henry is a nutritionist and spinning instructor at the Forum Athletic Club. She and her husband, Steven, have two children; they live in Atlanta.

She also has her own Web site: www.venicenutritionamyhenry.com.

This is a website which will try to sell you her diet plan.

Amy has lost 35 pounds and has kept it off for a year and a half.

• Diet plan: Henry follows the Venice nutrition plan — five meals a day with a combination of proteins, carbs and fat. “The combination stabilizes your blood sugar which gives you more energy throughout the day, makes you more alert mentally, maintains muscle mass and reduces body fat,” she says.

• Exercise routine: Henry works out six days a week. She does treadmill interval running, a circuit class with cardio and weights three days a week, a 9-mile run one day per week, and she teaches a spinning class at the Forum Athletic Club.

MB | AJC | 9/15/2008

Afridancercise

That's quite a compound word!

The July Decatur Focus described what it is:

You can compete for the title of "Biggest Loser"

Mari Garner, founder and owner of The American Boot Camp Company, Atlanta's leading results based fitness company, has been chosen by Atlanta's NBC affiliate, 11Alive, to be one of only two trainers to lead Atlanta's very own The Biggest Loser contest using the same guidelines as the well-known national smash hit TV reality show.

Beginning August 25, 2008, hopeful contestants will submit video applications to be selected on one of two finalist teams. The top 12 finalists will weigh in live on September 17 and begin their 12-week journey to become Atlanta's Biggest Loser. Every Tuesday, contestants will weigh-in and one contestant will be eliminated. Viewers tuning into 11Alive will receive updates and tips from Mari Garner on Wednesday's and Friday's and will be able to see how her team shrinks when they appear live every other week. Mari's team, the Red Team, will receive health screenings, enjoy a personalized nutrition plan, and participate in a boot camp fitness regimen provided by The American Boot Camp Company for the entire 12 weeks. The grand finale will air live on December 13, 2008 when one person will be named Atlanta's Biggest Loser.

Georgia Front Page

If you've been trim in the past, but have let yourself go, you might have a good chance of winning this.  Those excess pounds will come off fast during a strenuous boot camp. Even if you don't win, you'll lose weight and get in better shape, making you a winner from a personal standpoint.

New administrator for DeKalb Medical in Decatur

DeKalb Medical has appointed a new administrator for its downtown Decatur site.

Rich Graham, who was CEO of Fairmont General Hospital in Fairmont, W. Va., and who most recently was vice president of a long-term acute care management company, was named by the nonprofit hospital system.

AJC | 8/25/2008

Are you pleased with your shape and fitness?

A few disgruntled readers has stated, here and elsewhere, that this blogger is "obsessed" with gas prices in a "walkable" city where gas prices are not that important. Of course, most discerning inDECATUR readers know gas prices impact our lives in many ways (food and home prices, to just mention a couple), and also realize less than 3% of the words here have to do with that subject

But this blogger's REAL obsession is health and physical fitness. You can have more money than God (who doesn't need money), but if you are obese and out of shape, you just may be leaving it to others at an early age. On top of that, you just can't be proud of the way you look, even if you drape your pudginess with the finest rags. You still have to look at your unsightly nakedness when you get out of the shower.

The first step is to monitor your weight.  You'll notice this blogger reports his every morning in the continuation of the Notes post.  What you don't measure, you can't control. A friend (in her early 40s) has abandoned her weight measurement reporting, because she doesn't like the results, using the excuse that "it's not working".) She's officially out of control. Nonitoring one's weight is not intended to be a solution, but rather only a indication of where one's headed. This blogger predicts she will continue to gain "love handles" around the waist, and will reach 55 lbs. (a 5-lb gain) within a year.

If you are over 50, and your butt has all but disappeared, you have a problem. You are not in good shape, nor in good physical fitness, even if your weight is well below "federal standards." You might be less heathly than those with butts and guts. If your legs are scrawny looking and your calves are pitiful looking, you are a skinny sad sack!

The next step is to do something to improve your situation, if you're not happy with it. If you're one of the lucky ones who stays thin (but not strange looking, with no butt in your pants) no matter what you eat or drink, and stay fit whether you exercise or not, lucky you! Such people are very rare. But if you are overweight and/or out of shape; you owe it to yourself to improve, no matter how fit your net worth is. Some cannot do much, due to previous phsyical injuries (such as bad knees from jogging on pavement) or physical illness. That's unfortunate, but they should do all they can.

You'll find many free resources on the net.

In the sidebar, under Health & Fitness, you'll find a link to FitStep, which provides considerable free information and also sells eBooks which can help you lose weight and build muscle.

Disclosure: inDECATUR gets a small "kickback" if you go to the FitStep site from here and order a book, but that will never amount to much is not the motivation for this post.

Make healthy eating and exercise a family affair

Valerie Thomas helped her daughter get ready for the new school year by equipping her with a healthier way of living.

The Decatur mother recently completed a 12-week program at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta that trains families to adopt healthier diet and exercise practices to combat childhood obesity and prevent diabetes. Together, the Thomases learned how to combine proper diet with regular exercise to stave off weight gain and improve their health.

VC | AJC | 8/6/2008

This article has some great suggestions.