Medford's 3rd Annual Anime Convention is coming to your YMCA Sunday, May 18th from 12 noon - 8pm.

This year, activities will include:
Costume/Cosplay Contests, Art Contests, Live Action Roleplaying (LARP), Sumo Wrestling, Anime Movies, Open Mic/Karaoke, Sushi Station, Creation Station, Open Fanfic Read, gaming and of course great merchandise. This year, from 7-8pm will be our first ever dance!

$10 at the door for an all day pass (including the dance) or just pay $5 for just the dance.

Be sure to wear your costumes and get a $1 off your entry fee. All ages welcome. Proceeds benefit youth programs.

log onto www.geocities.com/itazura_con/index.html or send an email to itazura_con@yahoo.com for more info.

New this year as part of the YMCA’s efforts in family strengthening and health and well-being for all is YMCA Healthy Family Home, a simple, flexible program of tools and resources to help families establish a healthier home environment in three important ways: healthier eating, moving more and spending time together. YMCA Healthy Family Home™ was launched on April 12, YMCA Healthy Kids® Day—the nation’s largest health day for children and families. Attend YMCA Healthy Kids Day and get your free Healthy Family Home Starter Kit with valuable information and activity ideas for grown-ups and children to use together to start making healthier choices at home.
Among the many suggestions:

1. Play Every Day. Sneak in more physical activity by planning a weekly family breakfast where you are the transportation. Skip the car, bus or train and ride bikes, walk or jog.

2. Eat Healthy. Set a goal to get more fruits and vegetables in your diet. Have all family members identify their favorite fruit and write each one down on a list. Then fill a family fruit bowl with those fruits and keep it on the counter. This way everyone on the family will have easy access to their favorite fruit when they’re looking for a snack.

3. Family time. Sit down as a family for one meal a day. Research has shown that family meals are more nutritious than “solo� meals and that kids who eat with their family end up making healthier snack choices.

4. Make it a family thing. Turn up the music and do chores together (clean the house, wash windows, do laundry, etc.).

Healthy Family Home is about small, sustainable changes that you can make as a family to live healthier by moving more, eating better and sharing time together. Ask about Healthy Family Home at your YMCA and visit www.healthyfamilyhome.org or see your YMCA for additional resources.

The Lafayette County Exercise Bunch

In March of 2004, a new walking group started at the YMCA in Monroe, WI. Like a lot of walking groups, its members wanted to get some exercise in a supportive, social and
fun environment. Unlike a lot of walking groups, individuals in this group live with severe and persistent mental illnesses ranging from schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, bipolar disorder and major recurrent depression. In addition to mental illness, a number of the Exercise Bunch have been diagnosed with heart disease, diabetes, emphysema, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity.

The group, who range in age from 18-62, began small with 11 participants along with staff who walked every other week. By June, they were walking weekly with additional
members including student nurses and interns from the local college. More than 90% of participants in the local Community Mental Health Support Program now participate.
In the process, walkers are setting and achieving personal and group goals such as walking to the equivalent of ten cities in Wisconsin—724 miles—meeting luminaries and
educating people on mental illness in the process.

What’s next for Exercise Bunch? They just finished a walk “across the United States�—3,000 miles—and are working on their next trip. A number of group leaders have emerged, too, including one individual who suffers from schizophrenia
who has quit smoking and has attended every single walking excursion. Individuals in the group have reported weight loss, lower blood sugar levels, increased physical stamina
and more individual confidence. And it all started with one walk around the track at the Y.

If you would be interested in a walking club, contact Lisa Rupert at 772-6295 ext 205.

Studies show that Americans now get nearly twice as many calories from beverages as they did in the 1960s. The sheer number and variety of caloric beverage options, the growing portion size of beverages and the way we “count� beverages as part of our diet (we don’t) have combined to make what we drink a major culprit in poor nutrition and weight gain.

The body and mind register beverages differently from food, which is why these calories can sneak up on people. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a drink’s rapid passage through the mouth provides less time for signals to trigger the brain that you are eating. Compared to beverages, solid food takes time to chew and seems to provide a feeling of fullness, which signals the brain to stop eating. Thick liquids (like smoothies and shakes,) register fullness more than coffee and water. Also, some research suggests a psychological component to our inattention to liquid calories. Many of us consider beverages a separate category that does not “count� in the same way as solid food, and studies found that there is rarely a reduction in food intake in response to beverage consumption.

What can you do?

 Watch portion size – is that bottle of juice 12 ounces or 20? One serving or three?
 Slow down – give your body and mind a chance to “register� that beverage.
 Choose wisely – as with food, there are smarter choices (water, low sugar, low fat) and times for special treats.
 Count it – whether you regularly keep a food journal or are just recalling what you’ve eaten on a particular day, count your beverages.
 Taste test – try mixing water with your juice (reduce the calories by half), try a non-sugar sweetened version of your favorite beverage or add ice to your beverage before drinking.

"NEW CLASS!! KIDS' YOGA for children age 2 and up and their parents. Kids age 5 and up who are able to stay focused and attentive throughout the 45-minute class may attend without parents, but parents are encouraged to come and enjoy this fun and explorative class with their little ones! Children of all ages will bark, roar, hiss, stretch and balance, while getting in touch with their "inner Dog, Lion, Snake, Turtle, Tree" and other fun expressions, with easy-to-follow instructions in a playful environment. Come join the fun!!"

Mondays, 11:00 - 11:45am with Yumi
Saturdays, 9-9:45am with Shannon

FREE to YMCA members. Program Participants pay the $7 day fee for your child -- accompanying parent is FREE!

Upstairs, in the Yoga Room.

Tai Chi Chuan

Tai Chi Chuan is an all encompassing health, meditation and disciplined martial art practice that works on many levels. As a martial art it is considered by many to be one of the highest levels as it does not rely on force, body weight, muscular size or muscular tension to overcome an opponent.
As a health practice it activates the flow of "Chi" energy, radically improves balance, increases blood circulation to the extremities and significantly lowers stress levels. It is also renowned for extending longevity.
As a meditation practice Tai Chi puts you into direct contact with the underlying Universal "Chi" energy animating all things living. It hones the capacity of the mind to focus and concentrate while moving in a relaxed and disciplined way.

The practice of Tai Chi has often been confused with dance suited only for seniors. This misunderstanding came as many of the old traditional forms were watered down by the masters of old to teach the ruling classes of the time. The good stuff went underground and was taught in secret.
The form taught at the Y by Sean Kelly is one of the old secret forms that was not watered down. Sean studied for over 10 years at a Buddhist Monestary as a disciple and senior student of Master Y.C. Chiang fifth generation lineage holder of the secret Guang Ping Yang Tai Chi form. Sean competes in national push hands tournaments annually winning gold in both the Kuoshu national internal martial arts tournament of 2006 and the UC Berkeley Wushu tournament in 2007.

Corporate Wellness is an important benefit to employees. As the cost of living gets harder for families, membership benefits become more valuable to people. Thats why the Corporate Wellness program benefits both employers and employees. To see what the Y can do for you, contact Whitney at 772-6295 ext 203  or at membership@rvymca.org for details.