Inside This issue:

Changing

Minds

July/August 2014 “NAMI Northern Illinois is dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals with mental illness and their families through support, education and advocacy.”

CONTACT US!

Why Exercise Works Yoga for the Mind

1

Let’s Move! Stars of Light

2

Education Meetings Yoga

3

Exercise Can Make You Smarter

4

IPS Dollars for Santa

5

Groups/Courses 6

Contributors Membership

7

Calendar of Events 8

NAMI Northern Illinois PO Box 6971

Rockford, IL 61125

Phone 815.963.2470

Email naminorthernillinois@gmail.com

Website

nami.org/northern-illinois

Kayla Cruz, Yoga for the Mind, June 15, 2014

Yoga is becoming increasingly popular as a daily fitness routine, and with good reason. The ancient practice offers several physical benefits such as improved flexibility, leaner muscles, and better posture, but it also boasts surprising mental health benefits. The more research is done on the subject, the more it becomes clear that

practicing yoga can not only give you a stronger body, but a stronger mind as well.

According to Tami Bogard, a seasoned yoga instructor of Namaste Studios, located in Rockford, “Yoga practice teaches you to be present. To live in this moment. Not regretting the past, nor fearing the future, but living fully in this present moment.” Yoga utilizes this mindset, along with the practice of breathwork and stretching, and helps to ease

Dr. John Ratey, sparkinglife.org/page/why-exercise-works, June 15, 2014

Exercise unleashes a cascade of neurochemicals and growth factors that physically bolster the brain’s infrastructure.

Most know the disabling realities of ADD, OCD, addiction, anxiety disorders

and depression as well as the life altering conditions of diabetes and obesity. What many do not fully appreciate is the overwhelming scientific support for the positive affect that exercise can have on all of these conditions.

Exercise increases levels of seroto-nin, norepinephrine, and dopamine — important neurotransmitters that traffic in thoughts and emotions. You’ve probably heard of serotonin, and maybe you know that a lack of it is associated with depression.

What you may not know is that toxic levels of stress erode the con-nections between the billions of nerve cells in the brain, or that chronic depression shrinks certain areas of the brain.

Conversely, exercise

Why Exercise Works

con’t on page 3

con’t on page 2

Yoga for the Mind

2014 Schedule

Thursday September 11

Signal Hill Neighborhood

Association St. Peter Cathedral

1243 N. Church Street Rockford, Illinois

7:00 p.m.

Tuesday October 7

University of Illinois Rockford

1601 Parkview Ave. Rockford, Illinois

12:30 p.m.

Wednesday October 8

NAMI Northern Illinois Celebration

of Mental Health Giovanni’s

610 N Bell School Road Rockford, Illinois

6:00 p.m.

Schedule Updates & Volunteer Info: Mary Gubbe Lee

815.721.2247

nami.org/northern-illinois

Let’s Move! This Summer

around a frisbee. This is not only fun to play, but also a great way to build muscle and endurance.

Get on Your Feet ­– There are so many fun outdoor activities you and your friends can take

part in this summer. Find some friends to run around and play a game of Capture the Flag.

Participate in a hula hoop contest and strengthen your core.

Sign up for the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award Challenge. www.presidentschallenge.org

You can even grab a basket-ball and shoot some hoops like President Obama!

Picnic – Prepare a healthy summer meal, break out your red checkered table cloth, and head to the park.

Other Ideas — Sometimes it’s just too hot to spend the day outside. Visit a Let’s Move! museum or garden or turn on the radio and dance in your living room!

Posted by Courtney Corbisiero, July 15, 2013, Let’s Move!, letsmove.gov/blog/2013/07/15/let%E2%80%99s-move-summer, June 15, 2014

Summer is here and Let’s Move! has some fun ideas for you to enjoy the sun and stay healthy for the next few months.

Take a Stroll – Explore your neighborhood by taking a walk around the block or heading to

the woods for a hike as a family. Wheel Around – Grab your helmet and get ready to

move! Whether you’re lacing up your rollerblades, jumping on your bike, or breaking out your scooter, spending your summer wheeling around is a great source of exercise.

Make a Splash — Spending time in the water is not only a great way to cool off on a

hot summer day – it’s also the per-fect way for you to stay active. Grab your bathing suit and swim some laps in the pool, paddle down the river, or surf the ocean!

The Ultimate Workout – Grab some friends and head to the park to throw

815.963.2470 July/August 2014 Page 2

brain responds like muscles do, growing with use, withering with inactivity. The neurons in the brain connect to one another through “leaves” on treelike branches, and exercise causes those branches to grow and bloom with new buds, thus enhancing brain function at a

fundamental level.

Neuroscientists have just begun studying exercise’s impact within brain cells — at the genes them-selves. Even there, in the roots of our biology, they’ve found signs of the body’s influence on the mind.

Why Exercise Works con’t from page 1

nami.org/northern-Illinois July/August 2014 Page 3

Monthly Meetings & Education Programs

Yoga for the Mind cont’d from page 1

Monthly Meeting & Program

Tuesdays

6:30 pm

Stepping Stones 706 N Main St

Rockford

July & August Monthly Meetings or Ed Programs NO

September 9th Prairie State Legal Services

Housing Discrimination and its Impact on People with Mental Disabilities

October 6thRally 8th

Comedian & Dinner 11th Bowling for Recovery

Mental Illinois Awareness Week

November 11th Ask the Pharmacist

Dr. Isaac Cha, U of I-College of Medicine at Rockford

anxiety. With limited anxiety, we are better able to focus our energy into more positive outlets. In terms of stress, Tami notes that yoga calms the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s “fight or flight” response and releases stress hormones like cortisol when activated. While the sympathetic nervous system is relaxed, the parasympathetic nervous system takes over, simulating a sense of rest. In other words, yoga literally dissolves stress. Often, we carry stress in our muscles without realizing it, but yo-ga addresses that issue as well. The four basic movements of yoga – folding, opening, twisting, and stretching from the sides of our body – help to release and undo the physical ramifications of stress.

Better yet, yoga is not difficult to partake in. Yoga classes have become more common, and there are even websites that stream free instruction videos! However, if you are a beginner, it is important to find an instructor to meet your needs and make sure you are practicing yoga safely and correctly. That way, you can fully benefit from your yoga routine. You may believe you are not fit for yoga because you are not flexible or strong enough, but those are the very reasons you should try it! Yoga will improve your flexibility and your strength. Most importantly, it will free your mind.

Providing information and resources to support students’ mental health on their college campuses. To ensure that all students have positive, successful and fun college experiences.

Tools & Resources: www.nami.org/namioncampus

For those effected by suicide. . .

Community Walk

Walk to Honor Loved Ones

September 28, 2014 Location:

Anderson Japanese Gardens

afsp.org

1-800-273-

TALK

nami.org/northern-Illinois July/August 2014 Page 4

Northern Illinois

Board of Directors President David Gill

Vice-Presidents Pam Jacobson

Bernie Marinelli Secretary

Mary Gubbe Lee

Treasurer Lynn McGill

Ex Officio Robin Garvey

Directors Mary Ann Abate

Nancy Basik Joe Capone Bob Harms

Steve Huber

Therese Michels Jean Morrow

Committees By-Laws

Joe Capone

Consumer Council Darius Perry Education

Kathy Chamberlain Harriet Roll

Jean Morrow

Finance

Lynn McGill

John Burns

Fundraising &

Promotions

Jean Morrow

Legislation Nancy Basik Membership Bev Capone

Nominations Jean Morrow Newsletter

Pam Jacobson Programs

Open Stars of Lights

Mary Gubbe Lee Volunteers

Vida Marshall Liaisons

Randy Roberson, Stepping Stones

Meetings held last Tuesday of the month;

open to the public.

Location: Stepping Stones

Exercise Can Make You Smarter

Posted: 05/31/2012, The Huffington Post, huffingtonpost.com/exercise-makes-you-smarter, June 15, 2014

Exercise Smart We already know that regular exercise makes you healthier, happier and, well, hotter. But did you know it could also make you smarter? That's the premise of an emerging area of neuroscientific research, in which scientists are exploring the neurological effects of getting your regular dose of cardio. It turns out that exercise does a lot more than get the blood pumping: in about 60 percent of the population, it may be responsible for the expression of a gene that floods your cells with “brain derived neurotrophic factor" -- or BDNF – a protein that is thought to help with mental acuity, learning and memory.

In a study based at Dartmouth College, lead researcher Michael Hopkins and his team tested four different exercise schedules on a group of sedentary, though healthy young men. They gave the men a set of memory tests and mental health surveys to determine their psychological states. Some participants exercised for four weeks and were tested on the final day. Another group exercised for four weeks, but did not exercise on test day. A third group had just one day of exercise, followed by the test. A last group was sedentary throughout.

Hopkins and his team found that

the group that exercised daily -- and on test day -- had the benefit of a boost in BDNF. The other groups did not. It’s important to note that "exercise" here referred to moderately-paced walking, rather than a very rigorous training session.

“For mental health benefits, what really counts is exercising on a regular basis -- not the intensity. You don’t have to wipe yourself out,” Hopkins tells The Huffington Post. “The basic goal is, get up and move your whole body more than half of the days of the week.”

It's not an entirely new insight that exercise helps the brain. We know that physical exertion improves blood circulation, which in turn delivers oxygen to the brain at a faster pace, leading to sharper thinking. And a recent Karolinska Institute study found that elite soccer players tested above average in several areas of cognitive ability: creative problem solving, multi-tasking, inhibition and working memory. But under-standing the genetic and epigenetic components that contribute to improved brain function after exercise is crucial to getting a bigger picture of how exercise affects the body.

Now there’s even more reason to get out and get moving, even moderately. Your brain (and your heart and lungs) will thank you.

815.963.2470 July/August 2014

Page 5

Northern Illinois

Weekly e-News

Subscribe:

naminorthernillinois

@gmail.com

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and the Division of Mental Health work together in the state of Illinois to fund the services connected to Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Supported Employment. In 2006, Illinois had 7 IPS sites. In FY 13 there were 34 sites and by the end of FY 14 there will be 50 loca-tions where individuals will receive

support to find employment. In the Rockford area Rosecrance Ware, in cooperation with Bridgeway and Stepping Stones of Rockford, Inc., provide this service. Illinois, in some locations, will start providing IPS support for adolescents in Fiscal 15.

For more information about this evidence based service go to: http://w.dartmouth.edu/ips.

IPS Individual Placement and Support

Fundraising & Promotions Update

The Fundraising and Promotion

Committee wants to thank all

those who participated in the

cookie dough fund raiser. Almost

$500 was raised to support NAMI

Northern Illinois’ programs. With-

out your participation this could

IT’S EASY AND FREE

24 Hours a Day 7 Days a Week

not have happened. In the next

newsletter look for information on

our fall mixed nuts & cashew

fundraiser. You won’t want to miss

purchasing several of these

quality, attractively gift boxed nuts

for holiday giving or entertaining.

Gifts of Hope Gifts of Hope Gifts of Hope Gifts

Board games and large puzzles are

bought for area mental health

facilities.

This year, a special request has been

made for our NAMI Elves to gift art

supplies.

Dollars for Santa Donate some this summer!

To donate, see page 7.

The Gifts of Hope program

provides gifts to individuals who will be in the hospital psychiatric unit during the December holidays as well as those in residential homes and triage centers.

With your monetary donations, our NAMI Elves shop throughout the year in anticipation of this gift–giving program.

In December the NAMI family prepares gift bags filled with socks, hygiene items, activity books, and extra stocking stuffers for delivery.

Dollars for Santa

More Resources & Tools: www.nami.org/hearts&minds

NAMI Elves

nami.org/northern-Illinois July/August 2014 Page 6

NAMI Educational Course Schedule Free Call to Register

Family Support 1st Tuesday of the Month July 1 Aug 5 Sept 2

7 pm SwedishAmerican Heart Hospital

Charles St Entrance Conference Rm #1 Rockford

Nancy 815.399.4476

Family Support 3rd Tuesday of the Month July 15 Aug 19 Sept 16

7 pm Our Savior's Lutheran Church

3300 Rural St Rockford

DiAnn 815.543.3443

Family Support 3rd Monday of the Month July 21 Aug 18 Sept 15

8 am Grandma’s Restaurant

329 Chrysler Dr Belvidere

Jean 815.399.9686

Parents of Youth 4th Monday of the Month July 28 Aug 25 Sept 22

6:30 pm Heartland Comm Church

1280 S Alpine Rd Rockford

NAMI Office 815.963.2470

NAMI Connection Recovery Peer Support

1st & 3rd July 6 & 20

Sundays Aug 3 & 17 Sept 7 & 21

2:00 pm SwedishAmerican Heart Hospital

Charles St Entrance Conference Rm #1 Rockford

NAMI Office 815.963.2470

Family-to-Family Monday, September 8

Stepping Stones 706 N Main St Rockford

NAMI 815.963.2470

De Familia A Familia La Voz Latina 730 N. Church St Rockford

Margarita 815.965.5784

NAMI Basics Coming this fall! Registration Now

NAMI Office 815.963.2470

NAMI Educational Courses

NAMI Speakers

NAMI Support Groups

Family-to-Family Basics Family Support Connection In Our Own Voice

Learn to partner in recovery with an

adult family member with mental

illness through listening and

communication, being prepared for

crisis, and developing empathy and

advocacy skills.

Fundamental information is

presented that helps caregivers learn to

take are of themselves, their families and their

children with mental illness and mental health challenges.

Confidential, safe groups for family

members of people with mental health

challenges. Family Support Group for family

members and close friends of adults. Parent Support

Support for parents/caregivers

of youth.

Peer-led recovery focused support group for people living with mental

illness. Confidential, safe

group offers respect, understanding,

encouragement and hope.

Presentations by individuals with

mental health challenges who share their journeys, focusing on recovery and

hope.

Audience members gain insight about living with

mental illness.

2.5 Hrs Weekly 12 Wk Course 2 Facilitators

2.5 Hrs Weekly 6 Wk Course 2 Facilitators

1.5 Hrs Monthly 1-2 Facilitators

1.5 Hrs per Meeting 2 Facilitators

Public presentations upon request.

NAMI Support Group Schedule Free No Registration Required

For updated group and course schedules: Subscribe: naminorthernillinois@gmail.com Website: nami.org/northern-Illinois

NAMI Northern Illinois’ Groups & Courses

Register

Now!

815.963.2470 May/June 2014 Page 7

$

We are deeply grateful to the following individuals who have given generously to NAMI Northern Illinois in honor or memory of a loved one. In Memory of Margaret Bridgeman Barbara Walton In Memory of Janice Johnson Priscilla Lanni Michelle Lanni Tammy Lewis Ms. Terry Mayborne and Mr. Greg Rudeen Venita Rehfeldt In Honor of Blake Lewis Sue Lewis In Memory of Shan-Chin Tsai Alice Chuan-Lin Tsai

NAMI Contributors( (April 15 - June15, 2014)

Recovery Resource Center

(3rd Floor)

526 W State St Rockford

Call: Bonnie or Michelle 815-720-5090

Other Resources

Rosecrance Ware

Recovery Resource Center

Themed Summer Camps Children & youth with mental health issues.

Berry Campus

June 8 - August 11 Application process

starts May 12

Call: Kelli Larson 815-332-6000

/ Santa Dollars Gifts of Hope

Office: Mail Distr Rec’d___________Nwsltr List____________Memb Rec’d_______________360________Excel_______Exp_________

Prefix: ___Dr. ___Mrs. ___Mr. ___Ms.

July - August Support Group

dates and locations on page 6

More Program Details Inside!

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID Rockford, IL

Permit NO. 757

PO Box 6971 Rockford, IL 61125 Return Service Requested

Planning to move?

Please let us now your new address, so Changing Minds may

follow you to your new home! Call 815.963.2470

or email Beverly at joebevrox@comcast.net

July - August NO

Tuesday Night Educational Programs

NAMI Elves

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Mental Illness Awareness Week

Comedian David Granirer

Gifts of Hope Gifts of Hope Gifts of Hope Gifts of Hope Gifts of Hope Gifts of H

Prairie State Legal Services September 9, 2014 Stepping Stones, Rockford

Family to Family Course September 8, 2014 Stepping Stones, Rockford

National Convention September 3 - 6, 2014 Washington, D.C.