# 1 Most Important Lesson - We are all important - - A professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'." I've never forgotten that lesson. I've also never forgotten her name was Dorothy.

#2 Second Important Lesson Pickup in the Rain - - One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxi cab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

# 3 Third Important lesson Always remember those who serve. - - In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?"he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. the little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty five cents," she brusquely replied." The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream,"he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. when the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. there, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

# 4 Fourth Important Lesson The obstacle in Our Path - - In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

# 5 Fifth Important Lesson Giving When it Counts - - Many years ago, when the story teller worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5 year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her."As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?" Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PEOPLE WHO EARNED PROMOTIONS:

Yellow Belt:  Philip & Gina Evans, Kelly Lynch,

Orange Belt:  Luke Leifken

Green Belt:  Alex Becker, Caroline Rupert, Keith O’Hara

NOVEMBER 1ST - - SWEAT-A-THON @ FIT HAPPENS 11am to 1 pm - - BENEFIT JOAN KNECHEL
CANCER CENTER AT HACKETTSTOWN HOSPITAL -SIGN UP TO ATTEND AND HAVE A GREAT TIME

Understanding Exercise Principles! September, 2003 5Pillars.com

Exercise does not have to be intimidating or complicated. It should be easy to understand and enjoyable enough to fit into anyone’s daily routine. The problem is that we are fed conflicting misinformation from all sides: body building and fitness magazines, books, infomercials, and the like. Most people attempt to copy the training programs of competitive bodybuilders, celebrities, or elite athletes -- which leads to frustration, aggravation and feelings of failure. Most of these programs do very little to help you to understand the basic principles of exercise and how your body works. At best, you’re left with more questions than answers.

If you are thinking of beginning a fitness program it is beneficial to learn as much as possible about the "principles of training", the basic fundamentals of exercise. These concepts are the foundation upon which you can build a no-nonsense, effective exercise routine. At the University of Texas, and three other Universities in the United States, millions of dollars are being spent on a major research project called the Heritage Study. The purpose of the study is to determine to what degree genetics influence a person’s response to a particular training routine.

We already know that exercise is not an exact science, and that one exercise program does not fit all. Each of us has differences that determine the level of stress our bodies can tolerate and improve under. For example, some people are "easy gainers" and may work out as little as twice a week with good results. Still others are "hard gainers", working out more frequently for the same results and losing progress quickly if they miss training sessions. The reason for this is that muscle mass, bone density, position of muscle attachments to bones, body type, fat distribution, metabolism, and flexibility all vary from person to person. Genetics assist or limit your body’s' response to exercise.

Understanding the principles of individual differences helps you to avoid getting frustrated or impatient if you do not get the type of results you expect from your workouts, or are comparing your rate of progress to someone else’s. Far better to learn to recognize your own strengths and weaknesses and train accordingly.

Here are a few suggestions for individualizing your exercise program:

• Have a check up before you start an exercise program, especially if you are over 40 or have health problems. Medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, asthma and others may be aggravated by exercise, so check with your physician if these apply to you. Even for those who are in seemingly good health, you may want to consider having a checkup just to be sure.
• Once you are cleared to exercise, you are ready to begin! It is advised to begin with a qualified trainer who will help create a program that will meet your goals. When exercising, learn to listen to your body’s warning signals. If you feel dizzy, short of breath, nauseated, or have pain during exercise, stop exercising immediately.
• Warm up before you train. This can be something as simple as 5 to 10 minutes of low-intensity exercise such as walking. The idea is to help get blood flow into the muscles you are about to work, making them more pliable and less prone to injury. After your warm up is a perfect time to stretch the muscles about to be worked. The purpose of stretching during weight training is to safely elongate the muscles and connective tissue and increase joint mobility. Stretch before and after each workout, as well as between sets while you are working out. For most activities, gentle, low-intensity, long duration stretching is most beneficial and least likely to cause injury.
• Make an effort to understand as much as possible about the benefits of exercise. We all know that exercise makes us look better, but this should not be your main focus. The importance of exercise on your health and quality of life should not be overlooked. In addition, learning about the basics of anatomy (the structure of your body) and kinesiology (how your body moves) is a big plus when it comes to getting the most out of your workouts. Workouts should be designed to work all the body parts . . . not just the ones that are seen and include a rest period between sets and workout sessions.
• If you reach a point where you stop making progress, experience problems with your workouts, or just become bored, don’t be afraid to change your routine. This may mean adding new exercises, working out at a different time of day or in a different environment, or increasing the number of repetitions or sets you are doing. Give yourself about two weeks to see how your body adapts to the new changes before increasing intensity again.

Be realistic and use common sense! If you aren’t seeing results, never resort to extremes to make further improvements. This usually leads to over training and burnout, sacrificing good form or using too much weight and risking injury. Be smart. Work with your strengths and respect your limitations. Look for small challenges and as you meet those, introduce new ones.

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