Here are just a few of the new public service announcements that the Ad Council and the Arthritis Foundation have partnered on:
To find out more information on this program, to take the risk assessment quiz, or to find programs in your area, please visit the site for Fight Arthritis Pain.
February
1-21 – The Southwestern District’s Annual WOLX Online Radio Auction. Go online to bid on the great items at www.wolx.com.
11 – The Northeastern District’s Annual Valentine Radio Auction. Go online to bid on a variety of items at www.star98.net
Guests sampling wine at The Pfister Hotel.
19 – The 13th Annual International Wine Tasting will be held at the Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee from 7-10 p.m. with the special Connoisseur’s Room beginning at 6:30 p.m. Must be 21 to attend. Special rates for groups of 10 – save $100! Register here.
March
1-3 – Annual Advocacy and Kids’ Summit in Washington D.C. Let your representatives know the importance of arthritis legislation to increase research and public health funding. Additional information can be found at www.arthritis.org.
FestivAle participants enjoying a glass of beer.
13 – FestivAle Craft Brew Tasting, 1-4 p.m., held at the East Side Club in Madison. Event sells out fast! Early bird tickets are $20. Designated Driver tickets are available. Must be 21 to attend. Visit the Web site to register.
27 – The 24th Annual Caregivers Spiritual Retreat “A Time to Laugh: Reasons to Laugh Through the Seasons of Caregiving” will be held at Clement Manor – Center for Enrichment from 8:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. Cost is $15 per person. Reservations required. Call Keri at 414-546-7995.
May – Let’s Talk Arthritis – National Arthritis Month
A variety of activities will be happening during May including public seminars and Arthritis Walks. For a full listing please watch for the Spring Newsletter or visit the chapter Web site here.
The New Year always brings around that New Year’s resolution of living a healthier lifestyle. Whether it be losing that extra 15 pounds, or working out at least 5 times a week, there is always that constant desire to live a healthy life. If you are living with osteoarthritis (OA), know that this goal can be achievable. People living with osteoarthritis can achieve a healthy lifestyle! The pain, stiffness and loss of movement in your joints makes exercise and activities difficult at times, but exercise and movement may help alleviate some of these symptoms.
People living with OA may worry that exercise and activity may harm your joints further or cause more pain. However, research has shown that exercise is the most effective non-drug treatment for reducing pain and improving movement. So get out there! Start your healthy lifestyle today. Start moving, start exercising and take that first step towards a healthier life!
Three kinds of exercise have been noted to be important for people with osteoarthritis: flexibility exercises (involving range of motion), endurance or aerobic exercises and strengthening exercises. Each type will help improve and maintain your ability to move and function! You don’t need to dive right into exercising, but take baby steps and challenge yourself to live a healthy life with osteoarthritis.
Work on your range of motion and flexibility! Stiffness and pain in joints makes doing the simplest tasks seem impossible. BUT… by engaging in gentle stretching exercises and movements that take joints through their full span, ideally daily, may help maintain and improve the flexibility in your joints.
Engaging in endurance or aerobic exercises! By participating in endurance or aerobic exercises, you will strengthen your heart and make your lungs more efficient. Also, believe it or not, exercising will help reduce fatigue. Giving you more stamina throughout your day.
Aerobic exercise also helps control your weight. Excess body weight is a risk factor for the both the development and progression of osteoarthritis. For every pound of body weight you gain, your knees gain four pounds of added stress; for hips, each pound translates into six times the pressure on the joints.
On the other hand, losing weight can reduce additional stress on joints that can cause cartilage to wear away. Easing the pressure on joints by shedding extra pounds can also reduce pain in osteoarthritis-affected joints, which will help you feel and move much better.
Strengthen your muscles! Strengthening exercises will help maintain and improve your muscle strength. By having strong muscles, your joints that are affected by arthritis will be supported and protected.
For more information on osteroarthritis, potential fitness ideas, staying active advice, and healthy living with osteoarthritis tips please visit our website.
Hi folks!
If you get the chance, please check out the redesigned Wisconsin Chapter Web site. We’ve moved a few things around, so if you can’t find something, please let us know! We’re hoping to have a video news reel of sorts (coming on the front page) and an updated news section.
If you have suggestions or questions, please e-mail Jen at jmctavish@arthritis.org!
Join the Arthritis Foundation for the
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Read the full article by clicking here.
According to USA.gov, the most popular New Year’s Resolutions are as follows:
While we don’t have advice on managing debt, saving money or getting a new job, we can touch on almost all the other points on this list.
Need a reason to lose weight? How about the fact that for every pound you lose, it feels like a 4 pound relief to your knees!
Why get fit? The stronger your muscles are, the better able they are to support your joints. Overall fitness also helps you to reduce and manage stress better. We have Arthritis Exercise classes and Aquatics classes too!
Better education is a huge plus when you talk to your doctor. The more you know, the more you’ll feel in control of your health. Be sure and ask questions, too! Open those lines of communication with your doctor and you’ll be a happier patient.
Besides the obvious health risks of smoking to your lungs and heart, studies have shown that smoking increases your risks of rheumatoid arthritis (especially in men). Consuming more than 2 alcoholic drinks a day, you could face serious liver damage. Alcohol is a contributing factor in gout flares, and it interferes with many drugs that keep arthritis in check.
Thinking of traveling but are worried about your arthritis? Thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act, most hotels and more and more destinations are friendly to people with mobility limitations. Talk to a travel agent and ask lots of questions. The more you know, the less you’ll worry about your arthritis on your trip.
For information on these topics and more, visit this Web site. Or this one too.
Family Day, an annual event held for families with children who have arthritis to meet, connect and learn from each other, is almost here. The day features speakers, round table discussions and fun for the kids.
Parents gather to learn at the 2009 Family Day
While many of the juvenile arthritis (JA) programs are aimed at the kids, this event is really for the parents to learn from experts and one another. It’s a great way for parents to meet and know they’re not alone. While the parents are sharing information and tips on having children with arthritis, the kids are off having fun with volunteers. Many of the volunteers are counselors from the residential camp for kids with arthritis, Camp M.A.S.H. (Make Arthritis Stop Hurting).
This event will be held January 30, 2010 at the Blue Harbor Resort, so while parents learn, kids can have fun. Lunch is provided. Special room rates are available if you choose to stay.
To register, call Karen at 414-321-3933 or e-mail her at ksawicki@arthritis.org.
For more information, check out the Visocnik family on The Morning Blend by clicking here.
It must be a week for videos! While this one isn’t for a Wisconsin Jingle Bell Run/Walk event, it is pretty cool to see Mario Lopez (aka A.C. Slater) giving a shout out to the Florida Chapter!
Click here, unless I can figure out how to get the video in the blog. Check back later to see if I’m successful!
