R & R with Rachel (Rants and Raves with Rachel): A Delightful Afternoon at Old Westbury Gardens

What better way to get in some exercise than spending an afternoon on the property of Old Westbury Gardens in Old Westbury, NY?

I must admit that although I have lived on Long Island for 40 years I think I have only been to Old Westbury Gardens once or twice before. And, to be perfectly honest, I am not a big museum goer anyway. I would always choose to be outside rather than walking around a stuffy museum. Old Westbury's current exhibit, “Experiencing Art in the Landscape," was a perfect fit for me. My wife and I went this past Wednesday to see the Seward Johnson sculptures that are temporarily on their property. The sculptures depict Johnson’s love of nature and French impressionism. If you haven't seen them you must go! The exhibit has been extended until September 24th. Most all of the more than 30 lifelike sculptures are on their grounds (a few are inside the mansion). Following a map we were able to find all the sculptures and ended up walking 4 miles without even realizing it!

After having had such an enjoyable experience at Old Westbury Gardens I must now go visit and revisit some of our other local public gardens/museums. I don't know where all our readers are from but we are lucky to have many such landmarks on Long Island. I plan on checking out the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River, the Bailey Arboretum in Lattingtown and the Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay (I haven't been there in many years). There are also a few that we have been to many times such as the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn and of course the Sands Point Preserve in Port Washington. I know we have a few New Jersey readers so here's a shout out to you -- I hear that the Monmouth Battlefield State Park is a great place to spend the day.

Here are some of the pictures from our day at Old Westbury Gardens:

Looks like a good book!

Wow did you read that? The Mets won last night!

I agree, this is a great place to take a nap!

Skipping is hard work!

Some young friends of ours recently enjoyed the sculptures as well. Can you tell which are real children and which is a sculpture?

Do you have any favorite places that you go to that incorporates culture and exercise? Let us know and we will share it with the rest of our readers! And, if you plan on going to any of the museums I listed don't forget to check with your local library to see if they have free passes!

R & R with Rachel (Rants & Raves with Rachel): I Love My Job But Are These Companies Hiring?!

I originally set out to write this post about Nike's new headquarters in lower Manhattan. Their new 150,000 square foot, 6-floor office space, houses a 4,000-square-foot basketball court that is available for Nike employees, high school teams, community partners, and local leagues. Although I don't play basketball I thought this was totally amazing. They also have wellness rooms, food and beverage areas, a library, two terraces, a fitness studio and more.

Basketball Court at Nike

However, when I started to do some research about Nike's new location I found many other companies that also had very cool, exercise encouraging spaces. These companies realize the importance of exercise and their employees well being. Perhaps they have even read the numerous studies indicating that mingling work and fitness can boost productivity, aid in collaboration, and improve ones overall mood.

The businesses that follow are just a few that go above and beyond. They believe in a workplace that considers its employees' health, happiness, and work life of major importance. They also have an understanding that this is a vital part of the success of their business.

1-800-LAW-FIRM has their headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. It is designed for interaction and collaboration. The work space reflects their "forward-thinking, out-of the box approach. Instead of a hallway, they have a walking track where you can stretch your legs or have “walking meetings” with your colleagues." Ari Kresch, Founder and CEO of 1-800-LAW-FIRM said, “We wanted an environment that kept our team energized, healthy, productive, creative and connected, and a space that visitors were eager to spend time in.”

1-800-LAW-FIRM

Google: In addition to a really great gym Google headquarters offers "on-site physicians and ready to assist nurses, medical services, and comprehensive health coverage to help keep you healthy and happy." They also have a gym that offers yoga, pilates and other classes.

Google

Rodale: Although you may not recognize their name, they are probably my favorite of the companies I am listing because they blend my love of reading and exercise. They publish all kinds of exercise and wellness books and magazines. Some of the magazine titles that you might be familiar with are Women's Health, Runner's World and Bicycling. In addition to the great materials that they publish they have an entire training center for their employees called the Rodale Energy Center. It features full weight machines, cardio, spin classes and more.

Rodale

SAS: With a commitment to overall health, SAS provides stress-reduction workshops and classes, unlimited sick leave, three weeks of paid vacation, free healthy-living seminars, and a recreational and fitness center with access to yoga and massage studios.

SAS

Zappos: Known for their quick shoe delivery and free returns, they encourage employee fitness with a fully equipped gym complete state of the art machines, as well as numerous recreational areas throughout their campus. Their headquarters are in the former City of Las Vegas Hall Complex, in a space that was once a jail. Although I think this is a slightly odd decor to encourage exercise, they incorporated a jail theme into their Fitness Center. They reused the jail bars preserved from the original jail and incorporated additional elements such as jail house rules, a pay phone and jump suits.

Zappos

There are many other companies that I haven't listed who also encourage exercise while on the job. I found numerous articles on the subject. Here is a link to one of them: 44 Healthiest Companies to Work for in America

Oh, and by the way, a lot of these companies had job openings!

R & R with Rachel (Rant and Raves with Rachel): Fun (and Exercise) in the Mud

This past Sunday I participated in my first 5K MuckFest with five of my relatives. The run was to raise money for MS. The MuckFest is one of the less serious of the mud runs that now seem to be trending. Races like the Tough Mudder and Spartan Race for example involve many more miles and very challenging obstacles. As the website for the Muckfest says all you need to do their race are "sneakers and a sense of humor" (well actually you do need clothing too - LOL). We crawled through mud-filled obstacles, walked through mud, climbed mud ridden hills, zip lined across a pit in which you dropped into dirty water, and more. The morning was not meant for people who did not want to get down and dirty. I had a smile on my face the entire time. It was so much fun! When I finished the last obstacle called the "Skidmark" due to the fact that you are going through mud (surprise) lying on your back and pulling yourself through with a rope, I was sad the morning was over. It was hard to believe we also ran a 5K.

So, if you don't mind mud, want a fun way to exercise while raising money for a good cause, I highly recommend signing up for a MuckFest. I should mention however that some people I knew (you know who you are) who participated and did not regularly exercise were sore the next day.

If you would like to see more of the obstacles or find out more information about the MuckFest I participated in here is the link: MuckFest

Here I am jumping off of a big swing into water

The skidmark obstacle

Crawling through a mud-filled tunnel

AARP Welcomes Fitness Guru Denise Austin

While most of our Fit Librarian subscribers might not yet be old enough to be reading AARP magazine or even know that AARP stands for the American Association of Retired Persons, the organization often gives good advice for people of all ages.

Recently Denise Austin, the well-known fitness expert became the wellness ambassador for AARP and has posted a series of exercise videos exclusively for the organization. Some of these exercises take just over a minute to perform. For those wanting to strengthen and stretch specific body parts Ms. Austin has videos targeting feet and ankles, knees, backs, shoulders and more. She also demonstrates a few exercises that can be done while watching TV (like a modified sit-up) or while standing waiting for your morning coffee (such as a kitchen-counter push-up). So, no matter what your age, check out the link for some exercise ideas. Here it is: Denise Austin for AARP

R & R With Rachel (Rants and Raves with Rachel): Being a Catcher is Physically Challenging

Although I play softball on a non-competitive league, which is perfect for me because I am not a competitive person, I still want to play my best. I am one of my team's catchers. This is a position I enjoy but is physically demanding on my body. My job, even in a fun league, is much more than simply catching a pitched ball and returning it to the pitcher. As a catcher I must be strong enough and prepared for the physical demands of the sport. During the course of a game catchers can squat and stand over 100 times. A catcher must also be able to move laterally and explode out of a squat to track down balls. To do all this a workout program needs to involve improving strength and agility. Although I will be doing the exercises that follow to improve my technique as a catcher they are good for anyone to perform.

Lower-Body Plyometrics
Lower-body plyometrics is an effective way to build explosive leg power.

1. Crouch down and jump as high as you can.

2. Repeat this 10-20 times.

Side Lunges
Side lunges will help strengthen the muscles a catcher needs for lateral movement.

1. Stand with your hands on your hips, take a step to the right.

2. Keep your toes pointed forward.

3. Extend the left knee, driving your weight to the right, flexing the knee and hip into a side lunge.

4. Maintain good posture through the entire spine, keeping your head and chest up.

5. Go to the right 5 times and then switch legs, repeating the exercise on the left side 5 times.

Squats
Squats are an exercise that builds leg power, which catchers need during a game, and to endure a full season behind the plate.

1. To perform a squat, stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and bend your legs until your thighs are about parallel to the floor.

2. Hold this position for about 20 seconds.

Have a look at our previous blog "Squats with a Kick" for a visual reminder of how to do a squat.

Throwing Exercise
This is one of the most important drills for softball catchers.

1. Start by crouching in a catching position at home base. 6-8 balls should be laid out about 15 feet in front of you.

2. Running towards the balls, picking one up and throw it to a randomly picked base (if you are with another person they can call out what base you should throw it to) .

3. Run back to home base.

3. Repeat this process until you run out of balls to throw.

Introducing Susana and the Mulan workout

One of our longtime student volunteers, Susana, is going to occasionally contribute to our blog. She found the Mulan workout online. Mulan happens to be one of her favorite Disney movies. The workout that you see on the poster below is similar to the training that is done in the movie. This workout is a fun one to do with your family. Susana really enjoyed doing the exercises. Your kids will enjoy pretending to be Mulan and General Shang as well.

Here is Susana having fun practicing her battle moves:

side lunge chops

lunge punches

donkey kicks

Some of the moves can be found on this youtube clip from the movie:

R & R with Rachel (Rants and Raves with Rachel): Your Children Love You So Wear a Helmet!

Now that the weather is nicer it's great to see more families outside enjoying time together. Taking a bicycle ride is not only a way to get exercise but it is fun as well. However, why do so many adults think it is not necessary for them to wear a helmet? Parents know children are required to wear bicycle helmets, but many adults never think to put one on themselves. This idea is incomprehensible to me. Do adults feel that they are immortal? Are adults any less susceptible than a child to suffering from a severe brain injury if they have an accident on a bicycle? I wouldn't be married today if it wasn't for a helmet. Before I met my wife she was in a bicycle accident directly outside her house. She broke her jaw on both sides as well as many teeth. It was months before she was up and around and to this day she still has occasional pain. However, if it wasn't for a helmet protecting her head, doctors said she would have been dead.

When I see someone biking without a helmet I usually call after them asking why there isn't one on their head. People must think I am crazy. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, injuries to the head are one of the main causes of death and traumatic brain injury for cyclists. In 2013 in the United States, over 900 bicyclists were killed and there were an estimated 494,000 emergency department visits due to bicycle-related injuries. The majority of deaths on bicycles occur due to head injuries. Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by up to 85%.

So what are we to make of the above information? First of all, I think it is clear: Getting riders of all ages to wear helmets is important and much easier than sustaining an injury or accident to the head. If you think that as an adult riding your bike without a helmet is okay, imagine this scenario: your child wants to play football. You agree to let them play. Then you proceed to let your child go to practices and games without wearing their helmet onto the field. This seems totally ludicrous. But every time you go riding without a helmet (or allow your child to do so) you are actually doing something even more dangerous than the above proposed scenario. Statistics prove this to be true.

There are many metaphorical situations that I can think of that can also be compared to not wearing a helmet while biking. Would you drive a car without brakes? Would you go skydiving without a parachute? Would you cross a busy intersection without looking to see if there were cars coming? All of these situations and decisions are incredibly silly and ignorant. But they are just as foolish as riding your bicycle without your helmet.

Maybe people just need to be reminded how important wearing a helmet is both for your health and safety. By enforcing the use of helmets with your family, you can save your life and the life of your child. So, if you pass me on your bicycle and I don't see a helmet on your head you might hear me ask about it. Remember, I am asking on behalf of your children who want you to live a long and happy life.