May Letter from the Editor

April 24, 2011 by

Hello Readers!

Thank you for visiting our site!  As the new Editor in Chief of eFitFamily.com, I am honored to welcome you to our mission…”To stamp out environmental and lifestyle disease for our children’s generation.”  We strive to provide information and inspiration to everyday families to help you live healthier every day.  Our writers/contributors consist of an outstanding team of experts in various fields dedicated to giving simple steps to implement healthier lifestyles.  Each month we focus on different topics in line with nationally known health themes.

For the month of May, you will find articles in support of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month and Mental Health Month.  Since many of our contributors work in the physical fitness world, exercise is a daily habit.  For others, it can seem like a chore that can be postponed.  Our goal is to help you find joy in physical activity, experience the emotional benefits, and develop a realistic healthy routine that’s not overwhelming.

Melissa Johnson, Executive Director of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports gives the following advice: “For health benefits, adults need 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity on 5 or more days a week; youth aged 6 to 17 need 60 minutes.  If there were a medication that conferred all
of the health benefits of regular moderate physical activity, every doctor would prescribe it.  Physical activity is the ultimate magic pill.  Small steps add
up to big results.  Taking stairs instead of the elevator, going for a walk instead of a coffee break, parking the car further away from the office or shopping mall, sweeping the floor instead of vacuuming: all of these activities add up to better health.”  http://www.fitness.gov/May%20Month/may_month_toolkit-quotes.htm

This perspective concurs with the well known observation that exercise is the number one way to alleviate symptoms of depression and other psychological ailments.  The challenge is inherent since depressive symptoms include lack of motivation and energy.  We invite to face the challenge with creative, simple, and fun ways to get up and move…this will allow you to experience more energy, increased self-confidence, and more positive emotions.

For more information on National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, visit the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition through the Department of Health and Human Services: http://www.fitness.gov and http://www.fitness.gov/May%20Month/may_month_toolkit.htm.  For more information on Mental Health Month, visit Mental Health America: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/may.

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Filed Under: Mental Wellness, Motivation
About Kimberly Rodgers, LCSW, RPT-S

Kimberly is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Florida and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor through the Association for Play Therapy. She also supervises clinical social work interns pursuing licensure. She has worked as a psychotherapist for twelve years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Georgia and Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Central Florida.

Her experience includes foster care, adoption, youth shelter, youth related research, school-based counseling, and sexual assault crisis center settings prior to private practice. She specializes in counseling children, families, and adults struggling with stress, anxiety, trauma, and adjustment to life transitions. Kimberly is a current Board member of the Mental Health Association of Southwest Florida and former Vice-President of the Southwest Florida chapter of the Association for Play Therapy. She is also a member of the National Association of Social Workers and EMDR International Association.

Kimberly is founder of Monarch Wellness (originally Monarch Therapy), an integrative center focused on empowering individuals and families through emotional and behavioral metamorphosis. In addition to counseling and play therapy, the center offers other supportive modalities to further enhance emotional healing and stress management including support groups, yoga, laughter yoga, breathwork, integrative relaxation, and sound therapy. Monarch Wellness' sister site eFitFamily.com offers health related information and inspiration for everyday families to live healthier every day. The center is also involved with House of Gaia community center and other community and service focused organizations. More information about Kimberly and her practice can be found online: www.MonarchWellness.net.

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