Hello and welcome to living in the Lehigh Valley, a health and wellness show for everyone, I'm your host, Brittney Sweeney.

Coming up on this episode, some people are having great success working out at home during the pandemic, but for others it's hard to get started.

Grover Silcox takes a look at ways to get you on your way, and it's a cross between ping pong, tennis and badminton, and it's creating a close knit group of players in the Lehigh Valley.

We'll pick up a rousing game of pickleball.

Plus, it's all about the treats on Halloween, but what's the trick to keeping kids somewhat healthy on the spooky holiday?

Gen. Ortega explores some tasty alternatives to candy.

First, if you've been thinking of starting a workout program at home or at a fitness center but need a jump start our own Grover Silcox has some tips for you.

Grover, it's great to see you love when you're here.

How are you?

Great.

I've been thinking about it for years.

I don't know.

The hardest part is just getting over that hump, starting.

You think about it.

Many people say, You know, I have never exercised.

It's been so long.

Where do I start?

How do I begin?

Right?

So I went to St. Luke's University Health Network's Fitness and Sports Performance Center in Allentown to ask the experts, Where and how do we start an exercise regimen?

Ok, so what did you find out?

Well, according to the CDC, one in four Americans sit for eight hours a day, and yet only 20 percent get enough exercise for optimal health.

The CDC recommends that we get at least one hundred and fifty minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week, plus muscle strengthening activity.

And again, only about 20 percent of Americans get that recommended amount.

Like a lot of folks, you might be wondering how to begin.

One of the things you often hear when you're out in the community is, hey, I'm going to join the gym as soon as I get in shape.

And we always laugh because the idea behind joining the gym is to get in shape in the first place.

John Graham, senior network administrator of St. Luke's University Health Network's Fitness and Sports Performance Centers throughout the Lehigh Valley, Could get as many as you can for me.

Make sure you straighten the elbow Offers basic advice for anyone hesitant about starting an exercise program.

Anything you're doing is better than what you are doing before.

The American College of Sports Medicine and National Strength and Conditioning Association recommend doing at least 30 minutes of some cardiovascular based exercise four to five days a week.

All right, are you ready to go?

Let's go.

They recommend anywhere from two to four days a week of strength training activities involving resistance training for 30 minutes or more.

But what if you can't allot that amount of time If they can't make five days a week?

Ok, so we're going to start out with three days a week doing at least 30 to 40 five minutes and then we'll try to progress you from there.

They're doing a two days a week.

They're still doing better than if they did zero days a week.

Do you have to exercise for 30 minutes a day, all at one time, And you can make it as simple as, hey, every day I get up and I walk the dog for 15 minutes in the morning and at lunchtime I take a 15 minute walk, and when I come home at night, I walk my dog for 15 more minutes.

Guess what you just did?

Forty five minutes of exercise.

Can you do it in short blocks like that throughout the day?

Absolutely.

So how do you begin a workout regimen?

Consult your physician.

Make sure you get clearance.

Join in an exercise facility that's designed to meet your goals and objectives.

So make sure that when you go to a facility, you talk to the professionals there and make sure they have the credentials and the skill set to be able to support what your goals and objectives are.

Make sure that they do a health screening on you so they look at your medical and exercise history, as well as your goals and objectives.

Make sure they perform some kind of an assessment on you, something that you can objectively look at down the road and say, I've made improvements.

And then the last thing is make sure that they're going to individualize your program for you.

What should an assessment look like?

We look at body composition, flexibility, muscle strength, endurance for the lower extremity and muscle strength, endurance for the upper extremity, cardiovascular fitness and flexibility because it gives us a barometer for looking at outcomes and seeing how they're improving.

Initial assessment will give us a target heart rate zone for you.

So tell us exactly where you want to be or exactly where you should be exercising.

Using electronic monitoring systems also helps track progress.

We use a thing called the zone.

Connected to your phones as you continue to move, your heart rate response is going to continue to change and you're going to see your colors are going to change, so it's not necessarily connected to a fitness center, measures calorie counts.

It measures steps.

It'll measure your training heart rate minutes.

And it also makes you measure the amount of exercise time that you've been participating.

But the benefit of the electronics is the electronics kind of recalibrates as you're getting more fit.

All right, let's bump you up a little bit.

We always want to make sure we gradually elevate your heart rate before we sustain it for a prolonged period of time.

And we gradually decrease your heart rate at the end of the workout session.

Warming up before a workout can increase power production by 20 percent.

We don't want people going from zero to one hundred.

We want people to go from zero up to 20 to 40 to 60 to 80 and then to one hundred.

What exercises and equipment you use is a personal choice.

So everybody's different.

Everybody's unique.

The goal is to find that piece that works the best for you.

We don't want them holding on to the treadmill if we can avoid that.

When you're holding on with your arms, you're taking away anywhere from 20 to 40 percent of the exercise benefit.

So we want to make sure that they're keeping their arms moving and propelling their body with their arms, as well as their legs, making sure that they're doing intervals of maybe a minute to two minutes at one speed and then a minute or two minutes at a different speed.

What we find with doing that is they're able to work at higher workloads.

Overall, John and his team take a total body approach to the fitness plan.

Patrick, let's move on to strength training at this point.

All right, sounds good.

But if you're hitting a total body training workout, we're using a lot of your muscles together.

It makes it much easier to get through everything.

Muscle strengthening exercises will burn just as many calories, if not more calories, than cardiovascular training well, if they're sustained, push up on your toes.

If we can do, let's say, a squad exercise and then turn around and do a lunge exercise and then turn around and do maybe a chest press or a row.

We're not stopping movement.

We're keeping our heart rate up.

We're burning more calories per unit of time, but we're also increasing lean body mass.

But what if you work out at home without expensive exercise equipment?

We never want people to think that they're limited by the equipment that they have in their home can walk, you can jog, you can walk in, jog.

You can do a variety of activities with your legs that don't involve you having a whole lot of equipment around and with one hundred and sixty five miles a tail on the trail miles in the Lehigh Valley.

You know, there's a lot of places to go and do those types of things.

If you don't have equipment, that's OK. We can have you take two gallon jug containers, fill them with water and we can give you a resistance training program that involves cardiovascular fitness as well.

St. Luke's also offers virtual exercise videos, materials and group workouts.

Many of them free.

So wherever you start your workout online, your living room or a fitness center.

The key is sticking with it.

You know, the tortoise and the hare philosophy we're not looking for.

We're all looking for the hare.

We're looking for the tortoise.

We want you to stay involved and continuous with your program for a long period of time.

Great job.

According to the online health related website, The Good Body, about 50 percent of people who sign up at a fitness center drop out within six months.

Workout expert John Graham says that St. Luke's program focuses on overall health, so members stay committed because they see their exercise program as just one part of an overall health and wellness plan.

Grover, I recently started back to my group classes, you know, post-pandemic, even though we're still working through the pandemic, but the group classes are back, so I just got back into it.

The hardest part was jumping back in, just actually going.

But I want to beat that statistic of six months.

So I got I got to really try.

I'm going to keep that in my mind.

That's right.

And I got to stop sitting and get up more and move around like we all do.

All right.

We have good goals here.

You got it.

And one of the great things about St. Luke's in particular is that for those who don't have access to a fitness center or they can't afford it or whatever the reasons and want to work out at home, St. Luke's offers online videos with John Graham giving you tips on how and what to do and for how long.

And you know what?

That convenience right there alone is enough to turn it on, so we have no excuses, right?

Exactly.

All right, Grover.

Well, thank you very much.

You're welcome.

Now on to a sport that's gaining popularity across the Lehigh Valley Pickle Ball.

It looks a lot like tennis, but those who play say it's a low impact way to get moving and socialize.

I hit the courts to try it out.

We think you can Take those three tenets a little exercise, a little socializing mix in some competition and a lot of fun.

This is a pickup game of pickleball.

A ball is a hybrid sport that's a blend of ping pong, tennis and badminton.

That's John Fisher, a USA pickleball ambassador for Northampton County.

He's on the court at least 10 times a week.

This is just a bunch of people that get together pretty much every day and play here Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings around nine o'clock, depending on the weather.

That's Tammy Huk.

She's been an athlete most of her life.

I was a runner for many, many years.

Then I hurt my knee and couldn't do that anymore.

And I was looking for something new and it just kind of discovered it almost two years ago.

And from the minute I played that very first game, I was hooked And on the sidelines cheering them on.

That's Patricia Simeon Koski and her pal Nathan.

She's recovering from an injury and itching to get back in the game.

I'm not playing at the moment, but I'm just chomping at the bit to go back.

These are just a few of the friendly faces who come out to M. Race Park and Palmer Township for some camaraderie and competition.

Pickleball is not as difficult as tennis and some of the other sports.

It's just you have to have good reflexes and a little bit of stamina.

A pickleball court is the same size as a badminton court.

The net is similar to a tennis net, but two inches lower in the center and games are played to 11.

The ball is similar to a wiffle ball, but it has round holes instead of oblong holes.

This is a pickle ball paddle.

Pickleball paddles are generally made from graphite or aluminum face, and they have some kind of a honeycomb core, which is made out of various materials that gives the paddle some pop when you hit the ball.

Those who play say it's an easy way to get in a workout.

Pick a balls, a low impact sport, and you don't run anywhere near as much as you would run if you are playing tennis.

But it is a way to get good exercise.

I don't have to do my cardio every morning.

I can do this instead.

Says something else that makes this sport so appealing is the ability to play at any age.

It's something that the whole family can do, and I think it's becoming more and more popular.

I wish it had been popular when I was younger.

I need to stay fit.

I'm older and I do go to the gym workout and do Zumba and all that sort of thing.

But pickleball is it's just special.

I play just about every day, So I don't have the proper footwear on today, but you can still teach me how to serve.

So what's what's the OK service always starting on the right hand side?

Always understand you have to connect with the ball below your waist.

Your arm has to be moving in an upward arching direction.

Let's see if I can even hit it.

All right, that is out because it was on, Oh, I have to Be on the other side.

Ok, though my serve needs a little work with a little practice, most people could pick up pickleball.

It's obvious to see how this back and forth game of pickleball is physically healthy, but the chatter among the players is evidence that this social activity lends itself to the mental well-being of those Who engage as well.

It's one of the few activities that I can do where as soon as I step on the court, everything else goes away.

You just get comfortable with it, and the people are very encouraging and and help me get better all the time.

I just love it.

Fisher teaches newbies, as he calls them Monday nights at Fairview Park.

He goes over the basic fundamentals of pickleball and the basic rules of the game.

He says he gets most people playing within about forty five minutes.

I want to now welcome Bashar Baron.

She's a physical therapist and assistant director of rehabilitation at Fellowship Community in Whitehall Township.

Whether it's pickleball or some other activity, she's here to discuss the importance of staying active as we age.

Bhatia, thank you so much for joining us.

So why is it so important for us to stay active as we get a little bit older?

I mean, in general, we should stay active, but especially as we grow older, right?

We the staying active is very important for and has multiple health benefits.

It helps your musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular system, your obviously the weight loss so has many, many benefits and the main ones.

Obviously, the physical health is important, like keeping your strength and your muscles, your strength, strong bones and flexibility, and also helps you with your heart and cardiovascular system, which is reducing your blood pressure, helping your lymphatic fluid to move through your body and decrease the toxins and get rid of infections.

So great benefits in physical for physical health.

And as we age and get older, sometimes we can't do as much as we like to or what we used to be able to do.

So when do we know it's enough or how much is too much?

When do we stop doing what we're doing or maybe do a little bit less?

So when we turn 50 or 60 doesn't mean that we should stop doing when we active activities that we like and exercise that we like.

So we just recommend to continue with those.

However, when you are a beginner and you want something to learn something new, you want to maybe ask experts how how to engage.

So physical therapists, occupational therapists, personal trainers, they can all guide you in your program.

What to do But some of the low impact activities like cycling, swimming, yoga, pilates and tai chi are great and low impact sports that will engage you to be active.

Sure, as we just saw, pickleball is something that some of the folks in the area are staying active with.

Is it sports like that that we should be getting into?

Is it walking?

Is it weightlifting as we get older?

What are some of the activities that you recommend as a physical therapist that people stay engaged in?

It actually depends on your goals, but if you want to stay overall healthy, walking is a great start and you should be walking five days a week for 30 minutes.

But if you are a beginner, you want to start slowly and build upon and build up the time to 40 30 to forty five minutes walk.

You can also engage in those low impact activities.

But if you want to prevent osteoporosis for women in their fifties sixties, you want to engage in activities like weightlifting and resistance training with resistance bands.

And you should do that at least two to three times a week for 20 30 minutes.

Of course, there are some physical health aspects to working out that are good for you, but there are some other aspects as well.

Other benefits like that physical health.

I mean, that mental health aspect of everything mental health increases as you exercise.

Why is it?

Why do we see such a positive boost in our mental health when we're exercising?

Well, when you're exercising, you bring the oxygen everywhere to every cell of your body, but also producing the endorphins.

So that has great effect on reducing stress, reducing anxiety and overall helps you to get better quality of sleep.

It also helps to prevent cognitive decline.

So studies are showing that engaging in regular activity will help you to prevent dementia or other cognitive deficits.

And of course, we saw that great group of pickle ball players, everybody getting together, socializing that socialization aspect of it is so important as well.

Does that help as you're getting a little bit older?

Of course, certainly the being in the group helps you.

It's a great motivator.

It's it's a socialization, especially if you are alone at the older age.

And if you want to meet people, it it's you can encourage each other.

That's why at fellowship community we did.

We did create the exercise groups and walk in groups, and they're guided by our physical therapists and occupational therapists, and we have a great turnaround and those people kind of encourage each other and motivate each other to do that.

Sure, I know that.

And I'm working out if I work out in a group, I feel so much more motivated and held accountable to show up and get out there and do the exercises than if I'm by myself and think, OK, that was good enough.

That group aspect really does help now with the pandemic.

What has that done to working out as a group, working out in general, people getting outside?

I know a lot more people are getting outside, but what has it done for people who are working out?

Has it helped or hurt?

Certainly, it made it very difficult for active people that actually wanted to go to the gym or participate in group activities while gyms were closed.

We were not able to socialize, so most of us and elderly were stuck in their homes and maybe following the videos.

Maybe your personal trainer put up some YouTube YouTube video channel and continue to work with you.

But most of us were stuck on their own and maybe trying to get some weights, which are also difficult to find in the stores, so it made it definitely difficult.

On the other hand, people get outside more and walk more and get some sunshine and benefit of just outdoor activity.

Sure, the pandemic did kind of put people in a slump.

So to say when it came to working out because a lot of their group classes or their gym memberships were cancelled because of the pandemic, people couldn't physically go.

So now they might be having trouble getting restarted because things are starting to get a little bit back to normal.

So for those who are feeling unmotivated at this point, what would you say to them to get that spark back into their step and get out there and get exercising?

Those people will probably benefit from some structural activities like group exercise programs or even a physical therapist consult.

So just to make up the plan for you to do that.

But being motivated by group is a great, great example, so those people definitely should seek out the group activities and classes.

Sure, I Find it's getting over that hump, just getting there and starting.

It is really the big part of getting started for that spark.

Are there resources people can check out some places in the area.

You suggest that they should go to get out there and get some Exercise, right?

There is obviously, you can get a consult with physical therapist and you don't even have to have a physical a physician referral to go to physical therapy evaluation.

But you can also check many resources on CDC website.

There's also a website it's called Light Go for Life, and this is our federal website that has multiple links to different videos and brochures about how to stay active, how to stay fit and about wellness and prevention, fall prevention.

And I would recommend to go to that side.

Barbara Barron from Fellowship Community in Whitehall Helping us stay active as we age.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you.

And a fast fact and final word about Pickle Ball.

The game was invented in the nineteen sixties and today has more than four million players in the U.S., with fifty two percent being aged thirty five or older.

That information comes from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.

Next up, trick or treat, the Halloween season is upon us, and for the second straight year, the pandemic will affect how some celebrate it.

Gen. Ortega is here with more on that, gen..

Always great to see you.

Good to see you, Britney.

So Halloween, how are we doing it this year?

It was so different last year, everybody trying to stay safe.

We're still kind of doing that, but we're also kind of moving out of the pandemic.

How are we doing this this year?

Well, things are certainly different.

Last year, if you remember there were curfews, certain areas had bans on trick or treating.

And so we're not exactly at that point this year with vaccinations.

A lot more of the community has been vaccinated.

But the reality is is that we are still in a pandemic and kids under 12 can't get vaccinated.

And that's the large group of trick or treaters.

I mean, there are some teenagers who can't get vaccinated.

He'll be out, but most of the kids who will be out are under 12.

Last year we did a little bit different.

There was all those Halloween candy shoes.

People were putting out individual bags, tables with just the candy out, hand sanitizer next to it.

So what are we doing this year?

How are we trick or treating?

Well, that's an interesting question.

I also remember people were Lysol.

Yes.

On top of candy, you know, groceries and all of that.

But honestly, Britney, above all else, I want to make sure that my family has a safe and healthy Halloween experience this year.

So I met with the local doctor and a nutritionist about what pandemic precautions look like this year, but also to get some suggestions on limiting the candy and sugar and offering up some alternatives for kids.

This virus doesn't transmit very well outdoors with good ventilation.

Generally speaking, walking around with a few people, the risk of COVID transmitting from one person to the other is low.

That's Dr Michael Carr, Nathan.

He says families can go trick or treating this year knowing more than we did last year.

And a big part of that is whether or not to wear a face mask If you're going to be outdoors, trick or treating in a small group.

There's really no need at this year to be wearing a face mask to protect yourself or protect others.

If you're going to congregate outdoors with a lot of children or going inside to an indoor house party Halloween party, then it would be advised to put the mask on.

That's not the only thing different this year.

I think we are all in that panic over a year ago where we were sanitizing every grocery item that we had.

The virus doesn't live very long on surfaces.

Typically speaking, no, I don't think you need to spend any extra time sanitizing every wrapper.

Vaccines have helped to change the landscape this fall.

Children under 12 still aren't eligible to be vaccinated, so Nathan says it's a good idea for these kids to remain in smaller groups with family and close friends.

We're going to be trick or treating with our neighbors.

These are people that we see on a regular basis.

We're going to we'll have younger kids, so we're going to be putting them in wagons and strollers car.

Nathan says it's safe to open the door and give out treats, but for those in the Halloween spirit who aren't comfortable being face to face, they can put a bowl of candy out on the porch.

If you actually have a larger table, you could kind of put individual piles so they're not digging into a bowl with their hands.

Some people have had zip lines where they're sending candy down zip lines in a basket and then reeling it back up.

I think at this point you could ask if there's a large group of people for them to disperse a little bit before you start handing out candy so you don't have a dozen children trying to barge your front door.

And of course, you can't have a conversation about trick or treating without factoring in the sugar, minimizing a potential sugar high comes down to portion control.

Meredith McGrath is a dietitian for Rattner's Markets.

You want to limit as much as possible, but not necessarily restrict.

So as much as people like to believe that sugar causes hyperactivity in kids, there is actually no science that actually backs that up.

However, the bigger concern is when kids are eating a lot of sugar, then they are staying away from other nutrient dense foods, which are so important.

Mcgrath says one way to control candy consumption is keeping the candy stash tucked away out of sight, but also having other treats available for kids.

One thing to think about when you're looking into Halloween treats is it doesn't just have to be all the high sugar and chocolate candy.

Think about pretzels and popcorn.

Even some non-food stuff is really great to have at Halloween.

So stickers, pencils, glow sticks, those are all really great things that kids love and actually adults love to.

One of those alternatives could be something like applesauce or granola bars.

So when you think about Halloween treats, it's important to know that the Halloween industry, when it comes to candy is over $4 billion, so there's no reason to not think outside of the box and look for some other options besides the same old candy and chocolate that they get almost at every house.

Of course, we're moving closer to the holiday season, and the good news is the outlook for Thanksgiving and Christmas is good for vaccinated Americans.

Dr. Anthony Fauci and the CDC, of course, recommend the unvaccinated get their shots.

But they say family gatherings among vaccinated relatives can be safe and are encouraged this year, something we weren't able to say at this time last year.

Gen. That's all some really great advice.

I'm hoping I can kind of switch out some of the treats for my kids, for the little bit healthier option and see if they don't notice.

There's a lot of fun coming up.

So I have to ask, what's your son going to be for Halloween while Diego is going to be Batman this year?

Oh, Batman, I love that you have to take tons of pictures.

I will wear a big superhero family, so I'm really excited.

Wonderful.

We're doing the superhero theme this year, too.

Max is going to be venom from Spider-Man, and then my Macy's going to be a mermaid.

Oh my God, it'll be opposite poles.

Yeah, they're definitely a mix.

I just hope everybody has a happy and safe Halloween.

Have so much fun with Diego as Batman.

Have fun with Macy and Max.

I will thank you so much, Gen. Britney.

That'll do it for this episode.

Join us next time for living in the Lehigh Valley.

I'm Brittany Sweeney hoping you stay happy and healthy.