1/24/21 1

(2) Save-the-Date, Crazy Crayons!

(3) Heart Health!

(4) How Much Exercise Do You Really Need?

(5) The Importance of Self Compassion

(6) Cut Down On Sugar Cravings With Magnesium

(7) SOHS Alternative Care Benefits

Mission Statement Southern Oregon Head Start prepares all children and their families for success in school and throughout life.

Meetings and Trainings January 25—Monday

8:30-11:30 PFCE, Blue Conf Rm

10:00-11:30 ED Dept Mtg, TEAMS

January 26—Tuesday

9:00-11:00 PFCE Training Time,

TEAMS

2:00-8:00 LISTO Education Kits

January 27—Wednesday

10:00-11:00 Various FA RS Groups,

TEAMS

2:30-4:00 SM Education Monitoring

Follow Up

January 28—Thursday

9:00-12:00 PFCE Mtg, Blue Conf Rm

January 29—Friday

10:15-12:15 HS Center Mtgs

1:00-3:00 Management Team,

TEAMS

February 1—Monday

10:00-11:30 ED Dept Mtg, TEAMS

February 2—Tuesday

9:00-11:00 PFCE Training Time,

TEAMS

9:00-11:00 Directors’ Mtg, Blue

Conf Rm

1:00-2:00 PC Exec. Cmte., TEAMS

February 3—Wednesday

Nothing Scheduled

February 4—Thursday

9:00-12:00 PFCE Mtg, Blue Conf Rm

February 5—Friday

10:15-12:15 HS Center Mtgs

1:00-2:45 JAX & JOCO Safety Cmte.,

Teams

Weekly Memo Submissions Please send your PDFs, jpegs, and text to Nancy

Helms or Ashley Clayton by Wednesdays @ 12 pm.

It’s January! A new year, a new start!

This week’s issue of the Weekly Memo

is going to focus mostly on helpful

ways we can all improve our health.

Hi Team,

We know that COVID is still very real in our community, we appreciate all of your hard work and your commitment to the children and families that we serve.

As you know the Directors are always looking at ways to help support you and the work you do. In light of the most recent COVID-relief act passed in December 2020, we would like to provide our employees with a weekly COVID-relief incentive. The incentive will be $50 per week starting January 25, 2021 and will extend thru March 31, 2021.

Employees of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs including Preschool Promise will be eligible for the incentive for each week they are actively employed and working at a Center or from home to provide services to the programs. Employees on FMLA (including FFCRA expanded FMLA), OFLA or any other unpaid leave will not be eligible.

Again, thank you for all for being a part of the Head Start team!

Stay well,

Kat

1/24/21 2

Left: Christina Buttram, Casey

Wiltermood, and Cindal

Patterson, got together for

“Dress Up Day” at IV DUR #2.

They look a little cray cray,

but in a GOOD way!

Sent in by Casey Wiltermood, Head Teacher

Sent in by

Cecilia Hurt,

Early Childhood

Education

Director

Moving and Learning

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Now that the

holidays are over,

many people

focus more on

their health.

With Valentine’s

Day coming up,

why not make

heart health a

priority?

Sent by Sarah Forga, Health & Nutrition Director

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How Much Exercise Do You Really Need?

By Amy Schlinger, WeightWatchers.com

We’ve all heard that we should be walking 10,000 steps a day. But is that enough exercise?

It depends. There are lots of factors to consider: age, fitness level, ability, goals, and lifestyle. We’ve

asked two experts to help us understand how much exercise we really need. (Note: Every

individual is different. If you have any specific questions or concerns about exercising, consult your

doctor.)

Why Intensity Matters: The intensity level at which you perform exercise should be taken into account when considering how much of it

you need. If you’re elderly and live a more sedentary lifestyle, simply taking 10,000 steps might be all the exercise you require. But for the

average healthy adult, “there is a big difference between walking to the corner store and working up a sweat,” says Mathew Forzaglia, a

certified personal trainer at NEO Fifth and the Fhitting Room in New York City. “To be considered a beneficial exercise, you must increase

your heart rate.”

Moderately intense exercise for a relatively active adult is walking about 100 steps in a minute. In general, “it is better to aim for intensity over distance,” Forzaglia says. “You will get much more out of the activity if you do it with a higher intensity or putting more effort into it opposed to dragging out 10,000 steps across a full day.”

Is there anything wrong with just taking 10,000 steps a day? It’s much better than doing nothing at all—though it won’t necessarily help you

reach any far-off fitness goals.

Consider Your Fitness Goals: In general, adding more exercise into your daily regimen will help you improve your fitness level. “Certainly

the 10,000 steps will be beneficial to overall health, but you can potentially derive greater overall benefits from additional exercise, and even

more importantly, different modalities,” explains Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, assistant professor of exercise science and director of the Human

Performance Lab at CUNY Lehman College in New York City. “Walking or running will do very little for muscular strength, power, muscle

mass, posture, bone density, flexibility, and other parameters. Thus, you'd need to include exercise such as resistance training to enhance

other aspects of fitness.”

So, how much and how often should you be adding in other exercise on top of walking? “Walking is an activity where you can derive good

benefits from daily participation,” explains Schoenfeld. “Benefits from high-intensity interval training can be obtained with less frequent

activity. And resistance training would generally only need 2 to 3 days per week for benefits from a health standpoint.”

How Long Do You Need to Exercise? The amount of time needed to gain benefit from exercise will vary from individual to individual—but

it’s also less about the length of time you’re working out, and more about how you’re using that time. “With resistance training, your rest

intervals between sets will be of primary importance to duration—if you take very long breaks between sets your workout can last hours but

you're not doing that much in the actual session,” explains Schoenfeld. “Moreover, a high-intensity interval training bout can derive terrific

cardiorespiratory benefits in a fraction of the time as traditional aerobic exercise.”

Knowing all of these things can help you determine how best to follow the physical activity recommendations for health set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC suggests: “For substantial health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Aerobic activity should be performed in episodes of at least 10 minutes, and preferably, it should be spread throughout the week.”

In addition, the CDC suggests strength training at least twice a week, with a focus on all the major muscle groups. Think: back, chest, abs, arms, and legs.

“The most important thing to do — which I do, and tell all my clients to do — is to listen to your body,” says Forzaglia.

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The Importance of Self-Compassion

Are your friends perfect? (No, right?) When they fall down you pick them back up. Give yourself the same permission to be imperfect—just like every other human being.

Be kind to yourself

Here’s why: People who practice self-compassion are more likely to eat well, exercise, and take good care of themselves, even when stressed. They’re also better able to maintain their weight loss!

And the benefits don’t stop with weight loss: Studies show that when you take your successes

and failures in stride, you may find that you’re less afraid of failure and more satisfied with life.

Ways to do it

Cut yourself slack when you slip up or if things don’t go your way—while still being accountable for your actions.

Think kind, encouraging thoughts about yourself when things are fantastic, and also when they’re not going so well.

Treat yourself like a friend

Some days, loving yourself is easier said than done. (Old habits die hard.) This simple, science-based technique will help you retrain your brain.

Think of a time when a close friend has felt bad about themselves or struggled in some way. Imagine what you’d say to them, how you’d say it, and how you’d want them to feel. Write what you’d say.

Now think of a specific time when you have felt bad about yourself or struggled in some

way. What do you typically think and do? What do you say to yourself? How would you say it to yourself? Write what you’d say.

Is there a difference between the two answers? If yes, why? Ask yourself why you would

treat yourself any differently than you’d treat a friend. Close your eyes and consider what might change if you treated yourself the same way you

would treat a friend. Write down your answers. The next time you’re feeling discouraged, try speaking to yourself in this more

compassionate, understanding way. Be a friend to yourself. Note how it makes you feel.

From WeightWatchers.com

1/24/21 6

Trying to cut down on sugar can be an exercise in white-knuckle willpower, but it's helpful to shift your focus away from what you're not eating to, instead, what you should start incorporating into your diet: magnesium-rich foods.

This is especially true if you're craving chocolate, according to Susan Yanovski, MD, co-director in the

Office of Obesity Research at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

"Because chocolate is high in magnesium, it's been suggested that a deficiency may play a role in

these cravings," she says. "This is a research area that needs more investigation, but it does present

an intriguing possibility in terms of what might be the underlying cause of these cravings."

She says that up to 80% of people in the U.S. may be deficient in the essential mineral, and research indicates we're simply not getting enough of it through diet alone. A research review published in the journal Open Heart called the situation "a public health crisis," particularly because adequate magnesium doesn't just keep your hands out of the candy jar—it also plays a critical role in bone health, heart function, digestion, sleep, cellular health, and even mood and energy levels.

Chronically low levels could increase your chances of having high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Fortunately, there are plenty of healthy food choices that let you load up on the mineral. The cacao in chocolate is a rich source of magnesium, which means you can get the unsweetened powder—many brands offer cacao-only options—and throw a little into your next smoothie, for example. You can also get more magnesium through nuts, seeds, beans, brown rice, dried fruits, and dark leafy greens.

The recommended daily allowance for adults is 420 milligrams for men and 320 milligrams for women. Seeds are an especially good choice for hitting your totals—just an ounce of pumpkin seeds has 168 milligrams, for example—but you have plenty of other options, too. Three ounces of salmon packs 26 milligrams of magnesium, for instance, and a cup of cooked spinach gives you 156 milligrams.

Here's an extra bonus for working toward your recommended amount: Magnesium can help you maintain a strong immune system, says dietitian Martha Lawder, MS, RDN, an adjunct professor of nutrition at California State University-Sacramento.

While the COVID-19 pandemic rages on and cold and flu season is still in full force, it's even more

important to incorporate the mineral into your diet or daily supplement regimen. And you may just find

your cravings for sugary treats will dissipate along the way.

Cut Down On

Sugar

Cravings With

Magnesium

From EatThisNotThat.com

And when you MUST have chocolate, click here for a yummy Avocado and

Chocolate “Buttercream” frosting that is much healthier.

1/24/21 7

Just a reminder, we have wonderful Alternative Care

Benefits, to help you begin, or continue, your journey of

health!