Teach Using Video, Enter the Contest! American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR)
Deadline, December 2, 2009
The AAPAR invites you to participate in its Every Body Can! Physical Activity Video Contest, a unique initiative designed to create and distribute inspiring videos that promote inclusive and adapted physical education and activity. As online videos are used more frequently in the classroom, experts have found that these videos can be effective for teaching disability awareness. In that spirit, Every Body Can! will promote, celebrate, or teach adapted/inclusive physical activity and raise awareness about the physical opportunities for and accomplishments of people with disabilities. Sponsor Flaghouse is donating prizes, and the first 50 entrants will receive a FREE aerobics DVD from sponsor HOPSports.
For more information go to http://www.aahperd.org/aapar/programs/everybodycan.cfm and also see "Using Online Videos for Disability Awareness," in the October 2009 issue of The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (JOPERD).
Inclusive Fitness by Project VisAbility
Project VisAbility is a new not-for-profit organization that promotes inclusive fitness. Its mission is to encourage skilled and enthusiastic people with physical disabilities to become certified instructors, then link them with facilities that are seeking motivational, qualified fitness instructors.
The Project VisAbility initiative came from KrankcyleRx, which markets a unique piece of exercise equipment that is inclusive for almost every level of physical ability. The Johnny G Krankcycle by Matrix is the latest innovation from Spinning® creator Johnny G, who was inspired by his experience at an event benefiting challenged athletes. Krankcycle's universal design is fully wheelchair-accessible and allows people with physical disabilities to fully participate in group and individual exercise programs, with no modifications or adjustments necessary.
Project VisAbility promotes and advocates inclusive fitness at the highest, most visible level by working to provide jobs in the areas of health and fitness for those with physical challenges.
To learn more about Project VisAbility, visit its website at www.projectvisability.org.
University of Florida to Receive Recovery Act Funds To Begin Study Of Whether Exercise Prevents Disability In Older Adults
The University of Florida will receive $29.5 million in federal stimulus funds over the next 2 years from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to begin a 6-year study on whether a program of structured physical activity can prevent or delay major movement disability in older adults. When completed, funding for the project is expected to total more than $60 million from the NIA. The total will fund the largest study ever to prevent mobility disability in seniors.
To learn more, click http://news.ufl.edu/2009/10/01/life-study.
Depressed Patients Find Upside in Exercise, The Record, August 16, 2009
By Jeannine Stein
Excerpt: When Gaetano Vaccaro meets with depressed patients at Moonview Sanctuary, he sometimes moves part of the session outside, taking a walk while talking. The result: "People's state of mind can shift." Depression can spawn a spiral of lethargy and hopelessness, so that the last thing someone wants to do is exercise. But regular, moderate physical activity may lessen depression symptoms as much as some medications. "On its own, exercise does appear to have significant effects in terms of elevating mood," says Dr. Andrew Leuchter, professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, at the University of California, Los Angeles. Physical activity, he adds, often is used to augment treatments such as medication and cognitive behavioral therapy.
To read more of this article, go to: http://www.northjersey.com/news/health/research/53373397.html.