EMPOWERING PEOPLE THROUGH FITNESS AND NUTRITION

WINTER NEWSLETTER | 2019

Thank you all for coming to our Our annual event!On November 18th, we held our Annual Event at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown St. Louis. There was a live band, amazing food and drink, raffles, free massages and more. We had four great programs: a boot camp, a big stretch, a nutrition segment on sugar, and another nutrition segment on food prep and portion control. It was an afternoon filled with education, joy and gratitude. We are so thankful for everyone who supports us and our mission to improve lives!

On December 2nd, The Fit and Food Connection and Big River Running Company celebrated their partner-ship through the Big River Gives Back Program. FAFC was selected to partner with Big River Running for the second half of 2018. FAFC received a portion of sales of all Big River Branded items. The donation will benefit St. Louis area families through FAFC programs. The part-nership also featured a successful food drive in November with bins at the three Big River Running locations for customers to donate healthy non-perishable food donations. The celebration of the partnership

Big River Running End of Partnership Celebration

brought lots of smiles. Two happy clients walked away with new fitted running shoes. They successfully completed the Sole Challenge which involved identifying their health goals and achieving them. Partner-ships like this help us spread the word about Fit and Food Connection and help our organization provide life-changing programs to people in the St. Louis area.

“WHAT’S INSIDE”Fit and Food Happenings.......................... 2Program Spotlights .................................. 3Volunteer/Client Spotlight ....................... 6Fit and Food Corner .................................. 7

2 | WINTER

Gabi Recognized By Logan University Leaders Made

New partnership

The Fit and Food Connection is ex-cited to announce a new partner-ship with St. Louis local restaurant bike delivery service Food Ped-aler! Under the partnership, Food Pedaler will donate 50¢ to FAFC for every lunch order it delivers in downtown St. Louis.

The business promotes communi-ty, health and sustainability three values that match considerably with FAFC. For more information on Food Pedaler or to place an or-der, visit their [Facebook/Twitter/Instagram] profile or foodpedaler.com.

FIT AND FOOD HAPPENINGS

2019 SPRING WELLFEST!

Join FAFC at the

March 3rd, 2019, 3-6 PM THE MOVEMENT CENTER | 645 HANLEY INDUSTRIAL COURT | BRENTWOOD, MO 63144

GABI COLE, adjunct professor for Logan’s Doctorate of Health Pro-fessions Education, cofounded Fit and Food Connection in 2015. The Midwestern nonprofit organization provides healthy living resources, such as food assistance, physical fitness and nutrition education, to families in need. “I’ve always had a passion for working with the

community and giving back,” Gabi said. “When I met my co-founder Joy Millner, we made it our goal to get people healthy by any means necessary. That has meant edu-cating individuals to help change their lives through food and fitness as well as motivating them to make lifestyle changes.” Today, the resourced-based organization has numerous collaborations and partnerships, as well as volunteers all over the world. Gabi said she looks forward to re-creating the Fit and Food Connection model in other markets as well as increas-ing their partnerships and donors. “We’re always looking for more food and volunteers,” she said. “With the awareness we’ve cre-ated so far, we’re building capacity and implementing systems to be a more professional organization so we can grow and reach more people.” The Fit and Food Connec-tion’s Annual Fundraiser will be held Nov. 18 at the Four Seasons Hotel in St. Louis. Visit fitandfood-connection.org for more informa-tion and to get involved.

To purchase a ticket to attend, donate a ticket, or receive a donated ticket please visit www.fitandfoodconnection.org

WINTER | 3 | |

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHTSFOOD ASSISTANCE

delivering weekly groceries to those in need

Monsanto Fund has approved The Food Assistance Program funding. There will be new editions to the program including working with mothers and their small children in nutrition seminars and monthly cooking demonstrations led by Gabi Cole. Thank you for your generosity! We will change many lives and open our waitlist to feed more families in need.

Through the month of November, we partnered with local business around St. Louis to collect healthy non-perishable foods to help us feed families through the holidays. We had food donation bins placed at Big River Running, PLNK, and Yoga Six St. Louis area locations. We’re grateful for the partnerships with these local businesses that help us make positive impacts on lives in St. Louis.

If you are interested in hosting a food drive or donating please contact Gabi Cole at gcole@fitandfoodconnection.org or (business line).

Clients can now schedule to come to the pantry to pickup food for the week during regular pantry hours. Sundays at 2PM at 2115 Chambers Rd, 63136. Please call the intake line to request food assistance at 314-649-7367.

During the week of November 12th, New City School held a non-perishable food drive for Fit and Food Con-nection. Once the food was collected, families from New City School packed boxes with healthy Thanks-giving Meals at the FAFC Food Pantry. Thirty turkeys and boxes of food were gifted to families in need this year. Big thanks to Jessica Millner and the New City School for helping us feed families in the St. Louis area!

New city school food drive

Monsanto fund donation

4 | WINTER

one on oneproviding individual fitness and nutrition consultations

Saint Louis University's Bi-Annual IPE 4900 Poster Presentation was hosted on Tuesday, December 4th from 3:30-5:30 pm. This Interprofessional Communi-ty Practicum Course utilized a service-learning model for students to apply interprofessional course mate-rial in a community health setting. One group chose The Fit and Food Connection to address population health and promote wellness among their target population. They ultimately created an infographic to educate readers on healthy food options to think

Saint Louis University's Bi-Annual IPE 4900 Poster Presentation

about when donating, compiled a list of organizations at SLU to partner with future FAFC food drives, and held their own healthy non-perishable food drive at SLU. They advertised the food drive with posters and the infographic around campus and provided four locations throughout campus for students and faculty to donate. We are thankful for these SLU students helping us transform healthy lives by volunteering with The Fit and Food Connection.

John Meyer continues to work with residents at Rosie Shields Senior Home in north St. Louis to improve their health and they are seeing some amaz-ing results. Read about Nancy's progress in our Client Testimonial towards the end of this newsletter. Nancy is not the only one seeing results. John tested three clients on the two minute step test and the thirty second barbell repetition test. They all scored between the 75th and 98th percentile. They've made some great progress! In addition, John taught two residents how to do planks for the first time. One client being 79 years old. Not only are they doing things they've never done before, they are constantly

Progress at rosie shields

working to increase their goals. They are now work-ing on holding their planks for 30 seconds. They are all happier and healthier due to John's dedication to training and teaching them. We are so proud of their hard work!

WINTER | 5 | |

GROUP FIToffering a variety of classes for healthy movement

Every Monday from 5:30p to 6:30p

KICK OFF YOUR WEEK WORKOUT

FREE CLASS & FREE FOOD

@Believer's Temple, 2115 Chambers Road

• Brief fitness and nutrition education

• Breathing, stretching and destressing session

• Vigorous 20 minute workout for all exercise levels

• Core work

• Ending stretch

• Motivational thought

• Free healthy snacks served

For more info contact Joy at 314-312-2746 or joy@fitandfoodconnection.com

Come experience an hour that will make you feel energized and positive, and let Joy help you reach your wellness goals!

6 | WINTER

GROUP Nutritionoffering seminars on healthy eating strategies

Jo Ann Reese, certified Holistic Health Coach, has started a series of Health and Wellness Seminars at Believers Temple Church. It started in January with a 14 Day Detox. Free health screenings were conducted at the first session by a team of Registered Nurse Nikki Zimmerman and Personal Trainer John Meyer. The screenings included blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, BMI, and weight. The attendants benefited greatly from the screenings by the team and learnings from Jo Ann. The participants are losing weight and feeling great after the detox. The results are amazing!

The Seminar continues through April. On February 23rd, JoAnn will talk about Balanced Living and Weight Loss Tips. On March 23rd, Stress and Your Body will be the topic of discussion. The last session on April 27th will be a hands-on cooking classing teaching participants how to make a healthier pizza. All sessions are held from 11:30AM to 12:30PM at Believers Temple located at 2115 Chambers Road.

health and wellness seminars

volunteer highlight: Lauren Griffin

Lauren Griffin was born and raised in St. Louis. She lives with her husband, two children, and rescue dog in Kirkwood. They love to laugh and to be outside with their family and friends enjoying nature, festivals, and exercise.

She first got involved with FAFC

about a year ago. She was look-ing for a volunteer opportunity that could be done remotely since she didn’t have a lot of time to be involved with something in person. She came across a post from the FAFC, read about the organiza-tion, and was instantly interested. She is passionate about food and fitness, and it seemed like the perfect fit.

Her most recent project involved implementing systems to help Fit and Food Connection operate more efficiently. After five months of hard work, we had most every-thing implemented. We are still learning a lot, but hope that these tools will continue to keep us more

organized and empower us to make better decisions.

She says, “I love that everyone who works and volunteers with the Fit and Food Connection is not only passionate about the cause, but are all extremely good at what they do and know how to use their experience and talents to create a positive impact in our community. The positivity of the folks involved with FAFC is infectious and has re-ally helped me adjust my outlook on life.”

We are so lucky to have Lauren as a volunteer and we’re thankful for all the amazing work she does!

WINTER | 7 | |

“For what it’s worth, it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.” -From the movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

INspiration to live by

Fit & food Corner

Nancy has been part of the program led by John Meyer at Rosie Shields. She started working out at the first session on November 5th. She has a metal plate between L4 and L5, screws in L2 and L3. She has had great difficulty in walking since her surgeries in 2015. Since she started training with John, she has lost 7 lbs and 3% body fat. She recently was able to walk the 30 steps to her son’s house and is able to hold a plank for over 20 seconds. She does 20 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes on the stationary bike everyday, starting at 6 am. We are now working on improving her gate. She feels more comfortable in her clothes and receives many compliments from the residents. We are so proud of her!

Client Testimonial: nancy

8 | WINTER

People often forget to drink water in the winter time because we’re not sweating as much and we don’t have the summer heat to remind us to stay hydrated. However, we still lose a lot of moisture during the winter because of the dry environment.

Important Benefits of Drinking Water:

1. Helps you feel energized. Dehydration often causes fatigue and drowsiness.

2. Protects your immune system. Staying hydrated ensures your body is fueled to work properly.

3. Improves skin. Staying hydrated prevents your skin from getting dry and chapped.

4. Helps prevent weight gain. Often times, thirst is mistaken for hunger. By drinking a glass of water before each meal, you can avoid overeating.

Almost zero calorie veggie soup

• 2 cans of diced tomatoes • 2 boxes of Vegetable Broth • 1 Zucchini - Sliced or Chopped • 2 Carrots - peeled, sliced or grated • 2 Celery stocks chopped • 1 bag of Spinach • 1 bag of frozen okra Sea Salt Oregano (To taste)

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling let it continue for about 5 minutes. Then reduce heat to simmer until all veg-etables are tender. Now your soup is complete and ready to eat!

*For Protein add Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast or Ground Turkey