Would you be offended to receive a health and fitness related gift? While I’d be flattered, fitness/nutrition gifts, while well intended, may be a bit of a faux pas unless there is evidence of interest. Recently, I asked my fitness-focused friends what they would love to unwrap this time of year.  In our video series For the Health of it, Joline Atkins provides health and wellness advice. Some answers were quite obviously fitness related, like my sister turned cyclist who asked for cold weather booties and cycling gloves. Others, shared suggestions that were not as glaringly fitness specific, lending me [...]

This time of year, before my family decks the halls, I ask the kids to clean out closets. I clear the armoire of all single gloves and snow pants that don’t fit. I comb the shelves for books that have earned a place in the donation box, wade through kitchen cabinets for items I forgot I even owned and generally go on a “If we haven’t used it this year, let’s get rid of it,” rampage. In our video series For the Health of it, Joline Atkins provides health and wellness advice.  Anyone else? Or is it just me? With [...]

I’ve not been shy about sharing how klutzy I am in the kitchen. I may descend from two Italian grandmothers, but while younger, I was too “busy” to be bothered with learning how to cook. In our video series For the Health of it, Joline Atkins provides health and wellness advice. While I was known to dance in the kitchen, I never quite got around to actually helping out during the cooking binges to which my grandmothers committed each holiday. I was entertaining -- as were they (have you ever heard a bunch of Italians cook together in a kitchen?) [...]

As a fitness professional, there is absolutely no question as to whether I should be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the proper use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).  Between teaching at B-Well Nation, Beaver Country Christian School and offering a fitness class at First Presbyterian Church of Beaver, it is my responsibility to be ready and willing to aid a participant should an emergency situation occur. This past weekend, I renewed my training with Start the Heart, locally owned and operated by Scott and Brenda Frank. (www.starttheheart.com) Certified by both the American Heart Association and the Emergency Care [...]