May 28, 2003 By Angie Santello 5 min read

Holding a broom across her back, then squatting, Barb Harring demonstrated how easy it is to exercise at home. “The broom maintains balance when you hold it across your back and the squats act as a muscle toner,” said Harring, a certified personal-fitness trainer. “You can use all kinds of household stuff for exercise…chairs, laundry baskets, purses, milk jugs or a broom.”

For another home workout, Harring recommended sitting while moving one’s legs up and down. When this becomes easier, Harring said to slowly add more weight to the legs by placing a purse on top.

Harring asked the group of women to laugh for 20 seconds after she told a joke.

“Twenty seconds of a good, hard belly laugh is equal to three minutes of rowing a boat,” Harring said.

And, for 20 seconds, the women laughed and laughed.

Harring’s demonstrations came during one of 11 workshops held as part of Penn State Fayette Campus’ recent Women’s Day event. The workshops ranged from topics such as beauty enhancement to financial advice.

Harriet Galida, co-director of the event, said 205 women registered for the event this year, an increase over last year.

“Each year, the program has grown and grown,” said Galida. “But there is also a steady stream of ladies who support the event each year.

“The idea behind the Women’s Day event is to offer the community a program that was diverse and would allow them a day away from the chores of everyday life,” said Galida. “It is a program that appeals to all ages.”

Here’s a sampling of some of the workshops offered:

Exercise

Harring said every exercise program should contain essential components: cardiovascular exercise that rids fat tissue, muscle-strengthening exercise, flexibility exercise that stretches muscles and muscle tissues to prevent injuries and proper nutrition.

“You can exercise, no matter what your age,” Harring said.

She said to start every exercise session with a five-minute warm-up that increases body temperature and, in turn, makes muscles more pliable.

“Coordinate the warm-up to the exercise you will be doing,” said Harring. “For example, if you will be walking, make slow-paced walking your warm-up.”

Harring recommended exercise sessions three times a week for beginners, but if one experiences pain during exercise, she said either quit for a while or change the position.

“When you are experiencing pain during exercise, you need to stop and determine where the pain is coming from,” Harring said. “Pain is normally signaling an injury or that an injury will happen if you continue. When you feel pain, it is actually microscopic tears in the muscle.

“Experts agree that a safe way to lose weight is (to target) two pounds a week,” Harring said. “That’s when you know you’re successful. Losing any more will make your metabolism go down.”

Harring offered ways for parents to have fun while exercising with their children. Jumping rope, having a dance contest, going on a nature walk to collect leaves and rocks, playing tag, bike riding, roller skating and hopscotch were a few.

“Having fun is the most important thing,” said Harring. “Remember all the good things it is doing for your body and heart, not just the weight loss.

“Make your exercise fun, include the kids,” Harring said. “And remember that exercise doesn’t have to be difficult. It can be easy and convenient, and it’s necessary for living a healthy lifestyle.”

Stress

Deborah Coltrane, a nurse and manager at Frick Hospital in Mount Pleasant, introduced the concept of positive stress, which she called “eustress,’ in her workshop.

“Eustress is good stress,” said Coltrane. “It is the whole filling of excitement and opportunity that stimulates creativity and its called adrenaline.”

Endorphins, released in the body during exercise, are as good as heroin and your body makes them, Coltrane said.

“People truly become addicted to endorphins that exercise produces,” Coltrane said. “They need to run and walk. They can’t go on without doing it.”

Coltrane said the stress is a part of everything people do.

“We are constantly doing magic in our lives,” Coltrane said. “The key is to take those problems and evolve them into the future.”

Coltrane said negative effects of stress – anxiety, increased blood pressure and pulse, difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbance, irritability and eating problems – can be avoided through five stress-reduction strategies: Prioritizing values, goal-setting, humor, exercise and time- blocking/time-management.

Make time for “life-giving” people, habits and routines, while weeding the “life-taking” out of one’s life, Coltrane suggested. “Keep positive sources of growth,” she said.

Take time to meditate and reflect, Coltrane added.

“It doesn’t have to be difficult,” said Coltrane. “Just take the time to think what is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, and remember that because that is your mantra. Do it over and over again, because it will make you relax.”

Rescues

Canines from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Tactical Search and Rescue Team and the women who trained them presented a workshop on how the dogs find people merely through their scent.

Valerie Faris told the story of how Merry, the canine she trained, found a young boy hiding in the city depths of Pittsburgh.

“It only took 45 minutes before Merry found him,” said Faris. “I took the bag out with a piece of the boy’s clothing in it and gave her the scent. She led me across a street, down an embankment and into a parking lot, running on the kid’s course.”

The search and rescue team have been instrumental in several searches within and outside of Fayette County, Faris said.

“Not only do you look for clues, but you must be aware of where the scent could go or may be going,” said Faris, describing how scents can be carried in strange directions when caught in a breeze. “The training is a process, repetition over and over again, like all else.”