Wednesday, October 28, 2015

CPR Class Offered

Pearce Community Center is offering a CPR certification course on Wednesday, November 11, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. for people 11 and older. Join instructors from Advanced Medical Transport to learn these life-saving skills.


The cost is $5. Register in advance at Pearce.


Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Swimming Lessons to Begin

Pearce Community Center will offer group swim lessons this fall to children ages six months and older. The four-week session runs November 10 through December 10 with no classes on November 24 and 26.  

Lessons are available for three age groups. Parent/child lessons for children age six months to 35 months are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:55 a.m.; preschool lessons for ages three and four years are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30; and youth lessons for children five years and older are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:15 p.m., 4:50 p.m., and 5:25 p.m. 


The cost of the class is $33.75 for Pearce Foundation members; $45 for members; and $65 for non-members. Register for swim lessons at Pearce. 

Smoking Cessation Program to be Hosted by Pearce

Pearce Community Center will host a presentation of the Smoking Cessation program offered by OSF Saint Francis Medical Center on Thursday, November 19 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

This free introduction to the Smoking Cessation program will explain the program and the process and provide education on tobacco. 

Monday, October 12, 2015

Meet Our October Member of the Month

Our October Member of the Month is Bill Lester. Bill is retired from City Link Mass Transit where he worked for 34 years as a service maintenance foreman. Now that he has more time, he enjoys riding his motorcycle, coming to Pearce, and still loves fixing things.

Bill has been a member for almost six years. He likes to participate in a wide variety of group exercise classes and has most recently discovered Beginner Hip Hop.


After shoulder surgery, Bill uses working out to rehab his shoulder and keep himself fit and healthy.

Wellmobile Coming to Pearce

Pearce Community Center will host a free wellness screening presented by UnityPoint Health on Tuesday, November 17 from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. The public is welcome to stop in for free blood pressure and blood sugar monitoring and cholesterol and spirometry screening. An eight to 12 hour fast is required for the cholesterol/blood glucose tests. 

Junior Fitness Certification

Pearce Community Center is offering Junior Fit Certification on Friday, October 23, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.  After successfully completing the class and receiving certification, young members will be allowed access to the cardiovascular room and the Selectorized equipment area.

Participants will learn how to use the equipment in a safe, productive manner. Additionally, they will learn fitness etiquette, rules, and examples of workouts.


Pearce Foundation members pay only $7.50; members $10. Advance registration is required. 

October Senior Potluck

Pearce Community Center will host the monthly senior potluck at noon on Tuesday, October 27. All seniors are invited to bring a side dish and their own table service and join in the fun. Fried chicken and drinks are provided. This month, Nut & Honey will provide musical entertainment.  

    

Friday, October 2, 2015

Volunteers Needed for Spooktacular


We need your help. Donations of cakes, cupcakes, brownies, etc. would be greatly appreciated for the Cake Walk during Spooktacular.

We are also looking for volunteers to help with games and the haunted house, as well as with the prize station and ticket sales.

Sign up for these opportunities at the front desk or call the front desk at 274-4209.

To Roll or Not to Roll

By Megan Rupiper, MS, Certified Personal Trainer

Megan Rupiper
To roll or not to roll, that is the question at hand. Foam rollers have become a commonly used device in athletic training, physicalrehabilitation, and health clubs. But what are they for? What do they do? Who should use them?  All of these are great questions.

The foam roller has been very popular over the past 20 years. It started as a device used in the physical therapy setting as a balancing device and for other rehabilitation uses.  Since the early 1990's it has been utilized more as a self-massaging device. They are commonly used to apply pressure to various body parts by lying on them and using a combination of bodyweight and a rolling motion to manipulate force. 

Foam rollers became very popular with athletes more recently as a cheap way to provide a massage. Once foam rolling became popular with athletes the rest of the fitness industry followed. But the question still remains, what does it do?

There are many hypotheses about what the foam roller actually does. It has been claimed that foam rolling can increase range of motion, decrease soreness, and relieve pain. A recent study indicated that foam rolling helped to increase range of motion in the quadriceps by 10 percent after rolling for two minutes with a 30-second break after each minute. Due to the small sample size and other research method variables, it is hard to come to a firm conclusion that foam rolling actually increases range of motion in one's muscles.

Another question about foam rolling is who should use it and when to use it. As mentioned before, foam rolling became very popular with athletes, and the fitness industry followed shortly after. Simply put, anyone can foam roll. There are no limitations as far as who can utilize this tool. The question of when to use the foam roller becomes a little trickier to answer. Some research has looked at foam rolling and range of motion benefits for athletes using it as their warm up. Results concluded there were range of motion benefits while using the foam roller in an athlete's program; however, other factors such as sports specific warmups and dynamic flexibility activities done at the same time could have improved range of motion. 

It is hard to say that one should use the foam roller alone as a warm up activity when much more research needs to be conducted. It is well known that a dynamic, sports-specific warm up is effective at preparing the body for exercise.

Foam rolling should be done with a purpose, not just because others are using it. So you should ask yourself, why am I doing this? If your answer is to improve your range of motion, then there is more research needed to support the use of foam rolling as an effective tool. If your answer is because it feels good, then continue rolling away. The foam roller is a cheap, effective way to offer oneself a massage. If your answer is to get in a warm up before an activity, then there are far better alternatives with many more years of research supporting its use as a warm up method.  

If you like using the foam roller, then continue doing so. If you are trying to get something specific out of the foam roller, such as improved range of motion or reduced pain, more research needs to be conducted. It certainly won't hurt to use the roller without concrete evidence to support its effectiveness, but it is one less thing you could be spending your time on when at the gym. 

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Opens Remodeled Pearce Strong Cross Training Room

Pearce Community Center Director Ben Alvarez was joined by Pearce Board members and staff for a ribbon cutting ceremony to open the remodeled Pearce Strong Cross Training Room on Monday, September 14.
 
"We are very excited to get this room open again," said Alvarez. "We had to close the room in May to repair the concrete floor that had cracked. We had to remove the old concrete, fill in the crawl space beneath the floor with gravel, and pour a thicker concrete floor to support the weights used in the Pearce Strong Cross Training class. Once we got into the project, we decided to go beyond the floor repairs and give the room a fresh, new look."
 
In addition to replacing the concrete, one-inch thick rubber tiles were laid to protect the floor and provide cushioned support for Pearce Strong participants. New paint and diamond plate completed the remodeling.
 

"We strive to offer the greatest value in fitness in downstate Illinois," said Alvarez. "So as part of this relaunch, we have lowered the price of Pearce Strong. Given the long list of amenities we offer including an indoor pool, two gymnasiums, indoor walking track, and a wide variety of fitness equipment, Pearce value simply can't be beat."
 
Pearce Strong Cross Training is a one-month class designed to improve performance, fitness, and endurance. High intensity, constantly varied, one-hour workouts three times each week are based on individual abilities and combine movements including sprinting, rowing, and weightlifting. Choose Monday, Wednesday, and Friday classes that meet at 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. or Monday, Tuesday, and Thursdays classes that meet at 5:30 p.m. The next session begins on Monday, September 28.
 
The cost of each one month session is $60 for Pearce Foundation members; $75 for Pearce members; and $100 for non-members. Pearce will also discount the new lower price an additional 20 percent for all registrations by October 14. 
Left to right:  Pearce Board members Dennis Parkins, Dr. John Calhoun and Adam Leiner, Fitness Manager Liz Thorp, Board President Ty Fennell, Pearce Director Ben Alvarez, Pearce Strong Instructor Gavin Sullivan, and new Pearce Strong student Mary Stanbary.

Pearce Member Wins Age Division in Goodwill Run

Dan Razo proudly displays his award.
Pearce Member and Volunteer of the Year Dan Razo won the men's 61 to 65-year-old age division in the four-mile run at the Goodwill Forward March and Run on Saturday, September 12 at Peoria's Riverfront.

"I was disappointed with my time for Pearce's Run For The Health of It in July," said Dan. "So I started training harder and running more. I guess it worked because I won my age division!"

Dan is at Pearce nearly every weekday after work. He finds the camaraderie of group exercise classes especially helpful in keeping his motivation and enthusiasm high.

Pearce and IVC Partnership 'Works'

The partnership between the Instructional Class at IVC and Pearce works both ways. Pearce benefits from the efforts of class members while class members learn life and job skills. 

"We are excited to find another way to work closely with IVC," said Program Manager Carie McIntyre. "The class instructor Megan McCorkle and I work together to identify opportunities for the students.
Members of the Instructional Class at IVC High School clean windows at Pearce. 


Support the Snackpac Program

There is a delicious and healthy way to support the Snackpac program. 

On Saturday, October 3, a 5K/10K/1 Mile Walk will be held to benefit the program. The race steps off at IVC High School at 8:00 a.m. Register in advance at www.chillisnackpac.com or pick up a registration form at local businesses. 

In addition, a pancake breakfast will be served from 7:00 to 10:30 a.m. at Pearce. 

Weekend Snackpac Program Receives United Way Funding

Pearce Community Center presented a check for $5,000 to the Chillicothe First United Methodist Church Weekend Snackpac program on Tuesday, September 15.
 
"We are delighted to present this check," said Ben Alvarez, Director of Pearce Community Center. "Pearce is a Heart of Illinois United Way agency, so we were able to apply for funds raised during the Power of the Purse event held earlier this year."
Alvarez presented the check to Doug Olson, Brenda Stewart, and Kim Whitehurst from First United. "This financial support from the Heart of Illinois United Way through Pearce Community Center is a huge boost to our ability to keep providing weekend Snackpacs to kids in Chillicothe," said Olson. "It's another example of how our local community and charitable organizations have helped make the program successful and allowed it to expand to reach more kids as we begin our fourth year. We are now providing 335 Snackpacs each week and covering all classes at South School and the Chillicothe Elementary Center."

Pearce will also host a Weekend Snackpac Pancake and Sausage Breakfast on Saturday, October 3 from 7:00 to 10:30 a.m. in the Community Room at the Center. Tickets are $6 for adult, $3 for children 4 to 7, and free for children 3 and under. Purchase tickets in advance at the Church or at the door the day of the breakfast.
 
A 5K/10K and one-mile walk fundraiser will also be held on October 3 beginning at 8:00 a.m. at IVC High School. Register atwww.chillisnackpac.com.
 
For more information about the Weekend Snackpac program or the fundraiser, please contact Doug Olson at (309) 635-9609 or Kim Whitehurst at (309) 231-7971.