‘Day’ shares health tips, screenings

By her own admission Sondra Beach enjoys good health, but that didn't stop her from taking in Friday's Follow Your Heart Day at the Lycoming Mall.

Beach and others turning out for the event at Susquehanna Health's LifeCenter had a chance to check out the free health screenings, as well as some of the presentations and educational offerings tied mostly to cardiac care.

"I thought it would be something to take advantage of," she said. "I went to all the displays and picked up brochures I thought would be helpful. I'm very healthy, but as you get older, you never know."

Among the screenings were those for strokes, breathing, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

Some of the presentations given by Susquehanna staff included CPR training, diabetes education, and the ever popular Heart Healthy Cooking with Chef Hosch.

The pungent aroma of food drew some 50 people who watched Hosch, formally known as Richard Hoschar, prepare five meals, while he engaged everyone with his lively, sometimes humorous banter and deft cooking hand.

Later, his audience got to sample some of the dishes.

"I think people learn if they see," he said.

Hoschar said many people, who turn out for his cooking shows are looking for something not only healthy, but different.

He said he has a lot of fun putting on the shows, and people are always eager to be entertained.

Bob Sweeney, 79, of Williamsport, could be found hanging around the Strength Training display.

The retired Susquehanna Health administrator said he exercises regularly, but knows too many people around his age who long ago became couch potatoes.

Never mind, he said, that they well know the benefits of exercise.

"They say, 'I'm tired.' Well they're tired because they don't do anything."

Sweeney said he avoids red meat and keeps a strict diet of vegetables, fruit, and fish products

"Fast food restaurants are like poison to me," he added.

Jamie Kelley, exercise specialist, said many people who stop by the strength training display do not realize that such exercise can benefit them.

"Aerobic activity isn't the only thing you should be doing," she said. "There are many variations of strength training you can do. You don't have to go to the gym."

Building lean muscle, she said, is important, not only for strength and endurance, but for the cardio-vascular system and joints.

Strength training is also beneficial for fighting osteoporosis.

"A lot of people think it's for young people. Women think it's just for men, but women are not going to get bulky muscles. They aren't built for that."

Great benefits, she said, can be realized by utilizing some six to eight exercises that work the large muscle groups of the body 15 minutes a day through either resistance training or weights.

Cheryl Barclay, diabetes educator, said she hoped in her presentation to make people more aware of the danger signs and complications of the disease.

More than 23 million Americans have diabetes, which occurs when the body fails to produce or properly use insulin, she noted.

Insulin is a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy.

Many other people have pre-diabetes, otherwise known as borderline diabetes.

"They don't know to take better care of themselves, and that's when complications can set in."

Some of the symptoms of diabetes, she said, are lack of energy, dryness of mouth, frequent urination, increased thirst, and blurred vision.