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YMCA wants Urbancrest to get active
(by Dedra Cordle, Staff Writer - February 03, 2010)
Community leaders are urging residents to get up and get active.
During the Feb. 2 village of Urbancrest council meeting, the director of the Southwest Community Center YMCA came to discuss a new initiative at the center called Activate Urbancrest.
"Our goal is to rally residents to try to take ownership of their bodies and their health and to make better choices for a happier and healthier life," said Kim Jordan.
Jordan said Activate Urbancrest is a mixture of classroom course offerings and heart pumping activity that can be done in their aquatics center or the gymnasium.
"It's three days a week, and it gives an opportunity for intergenerational exercise," she said. "We're trying to get every household involved because we have stuff to do for the geriatrics to the pediatrics."
Included in the activities are fitness classes such as Pilates, family aerobics and lunchtime boot camp.
"It's (the boot camp) pretty popular and aptly named," Jordan said.
Additionally, Activate Urbancrest offers health assessments, diabetes prevention and maintenance programs as well as nutrition classes.
"There are so many diseases that afflict the African American community and this program helps teach them how to exercise, and how to have better eating habits and make better food choices for better health."
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Services Office of Minority Affairs, African Americans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes as non-Hispanic whites, and are more likely to suffer from diabetes related complications such as end-stage renal disease and lower extremity amputations. While they have the same (or lower) rate of high cholesterol as non-Hispanic whites, African Americans are more likely to have high blood pressure.
For more information on how to become involved in Activate Urbancrest, call 539-1770 or visit www.ymcacolumbus.org/swcc.
In other news
•The council voted in favor of hiring Alicia Skinner as their new fiscal officer.
•The village will hold a Black History Month celebration on Feb. 26 at the Southwest Community Center. The festivities begin at 6:30 p.m.
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