The New Weight Training Class

Our unit has started a new weight training class, which is held every Wednesday from 5 – 6 pm in our 5th floor mezzanine. This class was started to help our community learn resistance training techniques and also to spark interest in fitness throughout the house. We meet and discuss the different muscles of the body, proper warming up and stretching techniques, and then resistance training machines and free weight exercises. It has been going well. Members and staff have been attending from the Wellness unit and other units along with our Interpreter’s corner. Our plan is to expand the number of fitness related classes available to our community such as stretching, yoga, meditation, dance, and possibly pilate’s.

Yoga Meeting

There was a relatively interesting meeting dealing with onslaught  and possibility of starting a yoga program.  Jenna, a yoga instructor who had taught yoga at a recent NAMI meeting in July and several others were there including Ruth, Jason and myself.  It was instumental in planning the beginning structure of a possible yoga program.  We all gave some relative input and the meeting went relatively well.  It will include yoga and meditation though we  do have yoga classes at  the present time.  I am hoping the classes will be on Sunday afternoon as these would facilitate the possibility of my and possibly others definitely attending.   I am looking forward to its beginning .  It should be both interesting and enlightening.  Om Shanthi (Peace)….

14th International Seminar, Wellness Workshop

Because An Outline Probably Needs A Picture

Outlining why and how our Wellness Committee made the transformation to a Unit over the course of three years.

THE COMMITTEE WORK

Developing and Integrating Clubhouse Initiatives

• A Clubhouse community identifies a need.
• Individuals volunteer to work on the initiative based in their units.
• As the work clarifies, working groups and committees form.
• Committees refine and drive the work for the Clubhouse.

Benefits of Committee Work

• Committee work is focused at weekly short (half-hour) meetings.
• Units are willing to make a commitment to this small scale participation.
• Individuals take responsibility for various small projects, bringing work back to their unit for development.

Committee Work at its Best

• Representation from all units creates an effective tool for compiling and assessing clubhouse-wide concerns and goals.
• Developing a large project, such as a Wellness Fair, with the goal of involving more of the community and increasing clubhouse-wide awareness, creates a deep investment and fruitful enthusiasm for the specific project and larger initiative.

A Committee Loses Its Effectiveness When …

• Focusing on the Committee’s agenda necessitates taking time from Unit work.
• The period of time a Unit can support and sustain the diversion from its own work reaches its limit.
• The work balance shifts back to the Unit, and Committee commitment and participation decreases, diminishing momentum and overtaxing remaining participants.

A Unit Is the Ideal Forum for Taking On Initiative Development Because …

• Depth and breadth is a natural outcome of the focused attention a unit gives its work.
• Addressing issues, solving problems, and creating the direction of work together magnifies and clarifies possibilities.
• The interrupted flow of a unit’s daily life allows regular reflection and evaluation.

UNIT WORK OVERVIEW

Our First Three Month’s Wellness Unit Work Includes …

• Transition from Snack Bar to Wellness
• Communication and Public Relations
• Nutrition, Gardening, and Providing Food to the Clubhouse and Residences
• Fitness Opportunities in the Clubhouse and Community
• Research and Education
• Space Development, Deep Cleaning, Greening
• The additional work all Units do

UNIT WORK DETAILS

Clubhouse Communication Work Includes …

• Writing blog entries, articles about our work and advertising classes and events for our newsletters, TV tiles, and house-wide meetings
• Developing reports for our Board and Council; and informational packets, brochures, and presentations
• Devising Farmer’s Market presentations

Community Public Relation Projects Include Networking with …

• Local Farmer’s Markets and Vendors
• City Mental Health Smoking Cessation Program
• Community Gardens and New York Horticultural Society
• YMCAs and Integrative Health Resources
• Health Clinics, Gift of Sight Program, Diabetes Association
• Compiling Information for Grant Writers

Nutrition Projects Include …

• Weekly garden trips to raise organic produce to provide meals at the Farm, in the Dining Room and Wellness Café, Residences, and an in-house Farmer’s Market
• Researching food’s health properties, recipes, techniques, and nutritional value for dishes based on our farm produce and meals cooked from scratch

Fitness Work Includes …

• Developing our gym and mat room, Personal Training program, and information packet; supporting Walking Group, Yoga and Qi Gong classes
• Developing and learning to run beginners fitness programs
• Developing a bike riding project and refining our YMCA project
• Studying and practicing for Personal Training Certification

Research and Education Work Includes …

• Environmentally sound kitchen equipment and kitchen and dining supplies
• Meeting with environmental consultants and experts regarding air circulation and quality, electrical and gas line upgrades for teaching kitchen
• Healthful recipes
• Nutritional values of test foods
• Safe exercising information for fitness program introduction booklet
• Organic gardening techniques and supplies
• Blogging programs
• Participation in Diabetes Symposium
• CPR course for Unit’s members and staff and other gym users
• Partnering with Research Unit on Fitness Project research
• Identifying areas for research data collection and teaching unit members and staff to collect pertinent information
• Community networking with information and service resources

Space Development, Deep Cleaning, and Greening

• Assessing work station needs for kitchen, dining, gym, education, cleaning, office, and production
• Researching equipment and appliances including assessment of LEED guidelines and sustainability
• Assessing and working with consultants to upgrade electrical, gas, built-in fixtures, lighting, and air circulation
• Developing unit project communication tools
• Steam cleaning, storage redesign and usage
• Organic and sustainable garden practices – research and implementation

The additional things all units do

• Provide assistance with community services such as Social Security, Medicaid, Public Assistance; Clinics, Medical Doctors, Dentists, Psychiatrists; Integrative Practioners; Housing; and Transportation
• Assist with moves, schools; and jobs
• Develop goals and strategies
• Liaise for Clubhouse and ICCD opportunities and projects

We Learn to Write Blog Posts …

July 18th, 2007

I enjoy coming to the Wellness Unit because it is so fresh and invigorating. The ideas are great, nutrition, exercise and over all agenda for the clubhouse and our community. I am happy to be part of it. Posted by Sherril

Dennis’s Thoughts! August 9th, 2007

I like coming to the Wellness Unit, it’s very interesting. It gives me something to do. I’ve learned a whole lot about the Wellness Unit in the past month. I’ve learned to clean lettuce from the farm. It has a lot of dirt on it. I’ve also used the food processor to chop up the zucchini for zucchini muffins. I’ve moved a bunch of furniture, today I moved the TV to the Clerical Unit. I think this is a very good unit I’m in and I like it very much! Posted by Alison and Dennis

clubhousewellness.org

We decided to make note of our progress as a Wellness Unit in a format that would be easy to share with our International Clubhouse Community. Our daily work board includes blogging so we remember in the midst of our remarkably busy days to stop and reflect. Please look us up, read our story and share your reaction and ideas by commenting on our blog.

The Water is Rising!

Too early this last summer repair work on the dam that helps create our beautiful lake at High Point Farm began in earnest. As one of the avid members of the gardening group, I was in full mourning for the jump in the lake after a hot and vigorous day’s work. Looking forward to the after-work swim was a remarkable motivator for putting in a long day’s work.

I admit that while packing my bathing suit, just in case there would be time and energy before dinner to drive the state park’s little condoned and murky swimming area, I thought perhaps the trip wouldn’t be worth it at all. Oh, how I missed that lake. The first time we drove up to the Chalet after the lake’s draining, I really could not look. And when I finally did, the shock of the empty dry as a bone lake bed, gave me chills and such great sadness. Sure, I understood it was necessary, but that didn’t help, not really. Floating out in the middle of the lake, gathering the cold into my bones, bobbing over drifting warm and cold spots, looking straight up into the sky with the circle of trees all around my head was really the most regenerative moment in my life. Knowing the garden needed us every bit as much as I needed the lake, I showed. After all, the heron continued its morning fishing expedition every day and it must have been just as jolted by the lake’s shrinking as I. Though I did always wonder if the lake’s concentration into a large puddle made for easier fishing. No one ever answered that question.

Then, on September 8th, when we went to the farm for our yearly High Point Music Camp we took a walk out to the dock to see the misery. Ah, the eternal desire to regenerate! There were two amazingly rich green patches of some sort of moss on the lake bed. The springs were feeding the lake bottom and the desert was turning itself over to the lake. Remarkable.

Come Fall Fest in early October, the lake bed had filled in with rich grasses covering the entire exposed bottom. The green was not as rich as the florescent mosses, which were beginning to turn a rich fall bronze but the textures were like a richly composed crazy quilt.

By the Garden Weekend in late October hopes of swimming returned. Anthony and PJ said they’d trekked down to the water’s edge and it was as clear as you’d find in a quarry. Saturday was too busy for a swim though the day was warm after the rain. I thought a Sunday swim would be mine right after the next morning’s harvest. Oh, but the cold side of fall had arrived, the crystal morning brought a cuttingly cold wind. Alas, I lacked the fortitude for that cold swim. No Polar Bear Club membership card for me. Unless of course I give it a whirl next time I’m up for the gardening. I could work hard enough to need the cool down, right? PBC members, anyone want to go for a swim?

                         

6:30 am View from the upper bedroom balcony, just disturbing the Heron at its morning fishing, again.

Late lunch break, taken from the dining room porch.

So Much To Update

I’ve been a little slow getting information up since preparing for and returning from this October’s 14th International Seminar in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I’ve gathered several pieces that might be helpful to other clubhouses developing Wellness initiatives that I’ll be posting over the next few days. We heard that the ICCD’s Wellness Survey is about complete and we look forward to getting in touch with everyone who participated and inviting you all to join us here at clubhousewellness.org to discuss ideas, methods, and resources for building healthier lives and developing great Standards-based Wellness Initiatives and practices.

There was so much to see and hear at the plenaries, workshops, and every moment in-between, much of which I failed to capture in photographs. But, I did manage to catch some photos of Grand Avenue Club’s health and fitness areas. They’ve done a terrific job providing visual information on various health topics including nutrition, healthy sleep, and exercise. They have also put together a terrific gym and exercise area. They have a fitness instructor who has been coming into the clubhouse a few times each week prior to the beginning of the work day. I’d love to hear from GAC about how they have incorporated their Wellness work.

October Harvest at the Farm

On October 6th a crew of about fifteen from NYC joined Jessica and the Young Adult team to enjoy and help out with the High Point Farm Fall Fest. This annual event is a celebration of the combined efforts of Fountain House members and staff and High Point neighborhood volunteers who join our farm managers, Steve and Abi to keep the farm and its projects thriving. The party features a BBQ but the standout dishes featuring produce from our garden were the real treats. I don’t know when the last time our pear trees produced enough fruit to make pear pie, but this was the first in my nine years. Oh my, so delicious! The weather was ideal fall, the requisite warm sun and cooling breeze doing their work. The fun was so merry and the work so thorough that we didn’t head out until dark, a satiated crew napped and chatted all the way home.

Three weekends later while farm managers, Steve and Abi were hiking in Peru, David, Keith, Steve H, Gail and I, a contingent of the Garden Group, returned to the farm for a round of fall cleanup. It was a long, three hour drive through Friday traffic and a steady rain. We arrived in the dark but the lighted chalet welcomed us. After fixing dinner and cleaning up we retired early wanting to be fresh and rested for our upcoming rainy workday. Saturday morning we divied-up the rain gear and headed to the maternity barn to start our morning rounds feeding the alpacas, llamas, chickens, and of course the cats.

A wet herd greeted us with great anticipation of a delicious breakfast, and indeed the grain dressed with vitamins did smell terrific. We gathered a few eggs, enough to keep us in breakfast and to gleam up our farm fresh apple pie. After the animal chores we gathered in the garden room to see what work was available inside because the serious rain didn’t appear to be giving up. The house plants were parched so indoor work was urgent and plenty. We decided to give each pot a deep soak, trim, and some fresh soil. As that job got under way we sorted through our seed collection, pulling out a variety of greens for a fresh fall crop. Soil pickings were a bit thin so tying a shirt around my nose to protect form seed starter mix dust, Keith and I got a set of seed trays filled and soaking in water with the hopes it would be ready in a day or two.

As the indoor work was well on its way we had a big decision to make: Trek back to the Chalet through the near waterfall proportioned rain to bake goodies and watch movies or Gear up for the deluge and get out into the garden for some harvesting and weeding. A bunch of dedicated gardens decided to pull up our hoods and head out to the garden! After a couple of hours in the deliciously warm rain we harvested buckets of tomatillos, Brussels sprouts, a few late string bean and peas, lots of lettuce, kale, and parsley, a bunch more turnips, a few beets and carrots, late season beautiful yellow summer squash and pumpkins, and the tail-end of this season’s red tomatoes. Remarkably the rain was standing about six inches deep in some areas and shockingly I managed to find a foot deep spot of mud to step in on my way to the tomato/chard bed. About three hours into our work we realized the rain had stopped and the warm sun was breaking through the heavy clouds. We stripped down to our regular garden outfits and felt like happy garden plants ourselves as we tucked through the thriving weeds uncovering a new crop of chard, spinach and beets. The deep puddles of water seeped into the ground, miraculously. Steve captured our crew in the garden with his little camera, joining us between shots for weeding and harvesting.

Employing his many years restaurant cooking, Steve took a lead on some remarkable meals, again featuring loads of fresh vegetable dishes. Saturday evening after another round of cooking and cleanup, Steve headed to his computer to work his photos into panorama, his current art project. The rest of us fixed a big bowl of popcorn and enjoyed a movie together. Sunday morning we met Anthony at the maternity barn and made our way from barn to barn feeding and watering our hungry herd. Another round of harvesting the more delicate greens and cleaning the chalet we gathered a last time around the dining room table to enjoy a hearty brunch before heading home.

This afternoon another weekend garden crew, Anne, Anna, Ekaterina and Elizeveta is heading up to the farm. I’m guessing they will be bringing home a fall spinach crop and some fresh sage. I can’t wait to see what other garden treats they’ll bring back and look forward to our Tuesday planning meeting where we will develop next week’s Friday Cafe menu. Stay tuned!

friday means cafe day

We had another cafe day today with some new and some old items on the menu.  One new thing we made was a vegetable frittata. Frittatas are sort of like a quiche without a crust. It has eggs and cheese, as well as lots of fresh  veggies like tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, peppers, and tomatoes. We had some fall harvest veggies from the farm that we sauteed and served on the side, including delicious brussel sprouts. (Even the people who don’t like brussel sprouts liked them.)

There was also a creamy pumpkin/turnip soup. Before the cafe opened, Alix tasted the soup and thought it was too bland. She added and tweaked and spiced and mixed, and it ended up coming out great. She was a little nervous about it, but everything worked out fine. She sends her thanks to everyone who helped with the spicing.

Lorraine said that the soup calmed her down and filled her up. No complaints from her!  We served the soup with fresh bread from Sullivan Street bakery, which was a treat too.

As usual, we also offered fruit salad, granola bars, and muffins. Jason seems to be the only person  who has uncovered the secret of making granola bars because when he was out of the unit we attempted the peanut butter ones, and they came out all crumbly. Yummy but crumbly. Healthy but crumbly.

 In terms of preparing for cafe day, we’re starting to get a good organizational system down for making and serving the food. We start on Tuesday  by deciding on the menu and making our grocery shopping lists. We fill out purchase orders and get the signatures we need. On Wednesday we tackle the shopping and granola bars, and on Thursday we do the muffins and soup. By doing the cooking on a few different days, it seems pretty manageable on Fridays.

We’re still sorting out the way we serve food – and clean up. We’ve been serving food from our little back kitchen, where the stove and oven are. It’s also where the dishwasher is, so sometimes we end up stepping on one another’s toes and bumping shoulders. Over the coming weeks, we’ll keep figuring out new ways to team up on serving.

Pookie felt that the day was a success, and Lorraine seconds that. Wilson was a huge help and powered through stacks and stacks of dirty dishes. Our trusty cashier team, Angela and Akeem, got some help from Pookie, and they took care of business. Lorraine and Hamid were champs in the bussing department, and we were able to seat and serve many people thanks to their hard work.

John Adams-CHAIRMASTER by Rich Courage

     So last Monday morning, fresh off the 1 hour bus ridwe from Rockland, I hump up the five flights to the Wellness Unit(which was the Snack Bar), the whole time huff puffing like I’m hiking a friggin’ mountain.  My gross out-of-shapeness is due to just having done 9 months at Rockland State Psych doing nothing but scarfing down Snickers bars, smoking Kools and expanding my butt watching repeats of repeats of Law and Order.

    Huff puffing, I exit the stairs and bump right into John Adams, who luckily is the man I’d come to see.

    “John.” I wheeze, “You habve any T.E.s?” (Transitional Employment jobs)

    “Rich,” he says with a smile, “Come up later and we’ll talk.”

    “How about 11?” I ask, breathing better.

    “11 I’m doing Chair Exercises,” John says.  “Hey, why don’t you join us?” he asks.  For a moment, a half dozen very creative reasons to say no run through my brain, but the next moment I hear myself answer, “Sure, I’ll see you at 11.”

    “Good.  I’ll see you there,” John says, and walks his zucchini stained kitchen aproned self off to do zucchini kitchen things.  Now,  being a severly out of shape, heavier than I’ve ever been in my whole life(and I’ve been heavy!)47 year old, flailing my unlimbered arms and legs around was the last thing I wanted to do.  And yet I’d said yes to John Adams.  Why?  Well, John has a Black Belt in Shorin-Ryu`, so he’s earned my respect for his achievment.  But that’s not the reason.  Oh, and every time I see John, he’s working, going to do something, coming from just having done something, or discussing something to be done.  Doing.  Done, I mean done.  Hee.  But th’s not the reason.

    John asked me to join him and other members in his Chair Exercise class in such a friendly voice, he might as well have been inviting me to a beach party.  John was inviting me to join him in something which would be good for me, and at this point in my strange life, I can’t really afford to miss too many opportunities to be with friends.  John Adams is my friend. So, yeah, I said yeah.

    So, 11 a.m. rolls around, there I am in the exercise loft above the Wellness kitchen with a few other members all seated in a circle with John Adams seated at the head.  “Okay,” he says very matter of factly, with just a tinge of command in his voice.  “First, we’re going to do some Tai-Chi breathing.  Close eyes, push thoughts out.  Use your hands, push out, breathe out.  Pull in, breathe in.”

    So we all breathe out, push out, breathe in, pull in about eight times.  I could feel the muscles and tendons in my unuseed shoulder muscles going  Rice Crispies on me.  Snap, crackle, pop.  Ah, to be 21 again!

  And then, we all did leg stuff, and arm stuff, and more leg and arm stuff, the whole time also breathing … breath stuff.  I’m not going to describe the exercises in boring detail because it really only makes sense(and fun) when you actually do it.

  I’ll say this though; each instruction John gave usto breathe and move in certain, productive ways was relaxed, yet precise.  Simple, yet specific.  Repetitive, yet engaging.  Oh, and it was kinda fun too.

    John Adam’s Chair Master class is a fun activity that helps you grow as a person.  And it’s F*R*E*E*!!!

    Okay, okay, sadly but true, most of you reading this piece will not go, we all know that, right?

    So, let me put it to you like this;  John Adams, Black Belt; nice guy chock full of friendly, quiet power; John’s personal, friendly invitation TO YOU for a few minutes of great, easy exercise,.. for FREE!!??  Come on.  How can you lose?

    Don’t go.

    Chair Mastery in the Wellness Unit.  Try it.  Have Fun.  Feel good.  John Adams’ Chair Master class is offered Mon-Fri @ 11:30 a.m. on the 5th flr. Mezzanine.

    ALSO*** Mon-Fri @12:45 p.m. in the First Flr. Living Room.

FRIDAYS AT THE WELLNESS CAFE

 

If you haven’t ventured up to the Wellness Unit on Fridays from 12 noon to 2:30 p.m., you might want to make a note to try out the new Wellness Café.  This past Friday tables were adorned with pumpkins from Highpoint and seasonal food was served, healthy, homemade and delicious.  A soy milk based corn chowder sold out early and from all reports we could have sold another huge pot full.  The main entrée was enchiladas made from scratch.  The day before, we prepared trays of dough ready to fill.  On Friday, fresh fillings were prepared and guests created their own enchiladas with peppers and onions, yogurt, hummus, olives, cheese, eggs and jalapeno sauce.  They were served two for a dollar and several people had to be turned away towards the end. 

 

Another first last Friday were vegan granola bars as well as a peanut filled version.  There were also homemade pumpkin muffins and fresh fruit salad.  As I write, turnips, pumpkins and potatoes are being chopped for this Friday’s soup.  Get here early to sample it. 

 

Another innovation last Friday was Fair Trade coffee.  Our caffeinated blend was Fair Trade coffee.  The chief concern of the Fair Trade movement has been to ensure that the vast majority of the world’s coffee farmers (who are small holders) get a fair price for their harvests in order to achieve a decent living wage.  Fair Trade guarantees to poor farmers organized in cooperatives around the world: a living wage (minimum of $1.26/pound regardless of the volatile market); much needed credit at fair prices; and long term relationships.  It is a source of pride to me that Fountain House has begun serving Fair Trade coffee.

 

Another seasonal innovation to our Wellness Café is a Farmer’s Market during the growing season.  Freshly picked, organic produce is sold at very reasonable prices.  Of course these fresh vegetables will appear on our menus in season also.  Each Friday our lunch guests have increased and our enthusiasm has heightened.  Come visit us!