The Oregon Women's Report - Women's News from Oregon

By Olivia C. Rossi, RN, MSN, ACSM
Your Personal Trainer:

If you knew that there was one thing that would make you healthier as you age, would you do it?  If your doctor told you that there was one prescription that could help prevent and treat several diseases, would you take it?  There is, and it’s aerobic exercise.  Exercise is Medicine (TM) is an initiative shared by the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Medical Association designed to help improve the health and well-being of our nation through a regular physical activity prescription from doctors and other healthcare professionals.

Part Four of BACK FROM IRAQ
by Sharon Lacey, Portland Comedian

DAY FIVE: (In Part Three, comedian Sharon Lacey told about flying from Kuwait to Iraq in a C-130 transport plane, and touring the base hospital at Balad.)  We’re rousted out of bed early because we don’t want to miss our C-130 transport plane to the next base. What I soon learn, though, is that in the military the motto is “hurry up and wait”.  We get to the base airport, where we’re told we have a 90 minute wait.  And the power is turned off.  We sit in the dark.  I talk to a Navy sailor. It’s amazing how quickly friendships are made, and sad to know you may never see each other again.

Weekend National Health News Update:

WEDNESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) — Although the popular notion is that people in long-term relationships transition from a passionate romance to a comfortable, affectionate partnership, new research suggests that just isn’t true. Reporting in the March issue of the Review of General Psychology, researchers explain that while the manic, obsessive feelings that come with a new love tend to fade over time, romantic love may not. And, for those whose romantic desires remain, their relationships tend to be more satisfying.

Oregon’s Lipstick Revolution series
By Naomi Inman

This spring break week I am writing from a rustic cabin on 35 acres of scrub land in Tumalo, just east of Sisters.  A friend and me, and our kids, we are on a mini-adventure to explore the John Day Fossil Beds and Painted Hills from the cruising comfort of a minivan with a cooler full of goodies.  Yet, sitting in this rustic cabin on a chill and still spring night, it is easy to imagine the life of one woman, homesteading alone in this unforgiving yet enchanted land.  And I close my eyes to imagine the life of Alice Day Pratt (1872-1963).

by Kay Helbling

Not many would argue that having your family gathered together to eat their meals is a good thing. From catching up on the latest gossip at school to debating the pros and cons of tattoos, it is a great time to stay in touch with your kids. But, unfortunately, sitting down to the traditional family meal may not be as practical as it once was. That doesn’t mean that the family has to drift apart. It just means you have to seek out new opportunities to share your time.

Having a husband and two college-aged, sports-loving, sons in our home, I have gotten well past the guilt of not sitting down to a regularly scheduled dinner. I have not gotten past my desire to know what is happening in their lives or what is on their mind. So, knowing that Spring Break breeds evenings of March Madness, I grabbed the brackets and went to work. I find even a little bit of knowledge can go a long way and,  let’s face it, there is no better way to get conversations going with men than sports.

By Erika Weisensee

The arrest of musician Chris Brown for allegedly beating his girlfriend, R & B star Rihanna, has shined a necessary spotlight on the issue of domestic violence. The national media has responded to the incident with a firestorm of coverage, some stories focusing on the glamorous romance gone awry and some much more appropriately reporting on topics like how to help victims of abuse. It’s too bad it takes a high-profile case like this to get the attention of the media and the public. Domestic abuse is too pervasive to ever be a dormant issue.

Olivia C. Rossi, RN, MSN, ACSM
Your Personal Trainer:

I recently attended the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Northwest Chapter in Seattle.  ACSM is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world.  Its goal is to advance and integrate scientific research into practical applications of exercise science.  My goal is to pass that information on to you.

One of the topics presented this year was “Youth Failing Physical Fitness.”  It graphed a disturbing trend.  “From 1980-2004, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children has more than tripled.” 1 We are seeing the onset of adult diseases in our youth, those diseases once thought of as diseases of aging:  type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

By Cathy Rae Smith,
CO-founder of Culture Magazine

Fashion designers are coming up with themes that bring us something different. Whether it is an urban storm trooper or a rebel rock ‘n’ roller or a corner office diva, there is an eye to bringing value to the consumer by giving them something they don’t have.

Look to the details. Is there an unusual fabric, a special detail, or a fit like it was made for you? Look for those timeless investment pieces, and then indulge in that accent piece that makes you just stop in your tracks.

Sights to make you gag.

National News Focus:

THURSDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) — Actress Natasha Richardson died from a blunt impact to the head after falling Monday on a beginner’s ski slope in Canada, the New York City medical examiner said Thursday.  The cause of death, which was ruled an accident, was “epidural hematoma due to blunt impact to the head,” said medical examiner spokeswoman Ellen Borakove, the Associated Press reported. An epidural hematoma is a blood clot that pools between the brain and the skull.

By Evergreen,

I have greatly noticed the rise in late night jokes about US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  They all deal with her face and lampoons on various cosmetic surgery variations.    Even the way she smiled during Barack Obama’s joint Congressional Speech was TV comedic fodder.   Pelosi is one of the most photographed and watched women of the world.  She has little choice but to focus on her apperance more than others, and how she does it is her business.   I thought this was even more interesting in light of the debate last year on Hillary Clinton aging being a factor Americans would vote against her.  So here is the gender trap, if you age naturally you are attacked and if you do anything to help you are attacked.

by Kay Helbling

On St. Patrick’s Day my husband and I decided to join in the festivities at one of Portland’s institutions, the North 45 Pub. We’ve not a drop of Irish blood between us but that wasn’t holding us back from a good time. I don’t know that the owners, Josh Johnston and Jim Hall do either, but what the heck, it’s a great excuse to bring in a crowd.

I was expecting the usual—beers lifted and a room buzzing with voices—and the not so usual—bag pipes playing as the Corned Beef & Cabbage and Shepherd’s Pie are served up for happy hour snacks. What I didn’t expect was the “bouncer” at the door. The orange and black jacket of an OSU rugby man, collecting a cover charge for a worthy cause.

By Erika Weisensee,

In what’s clearly a sign of the times, two Oregon museums recently made the news as the latest casualties of the economic crisis. First, the Oregon Historical Society announced staff cutbacks, citing fewer donations and fear of dwindling state funds. Then, the media reported that Oregon City’s landmark End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center will suspend operations this month. Two other Oregon City museums, the Museum of the Oregon Territory and the Stevens-Crawford House, will also close.

By Olivia C. Rossi, RN, MSN, ACSM
Your Personal Trainer,

Did you know that doing NEAT things can help you to lose and maintain your weight?  NEAT, “Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, refers to the calories you burn doing everything that isn’t going to the gym, sleeping or eating.  Life impacts NEAT and NEAT impacts life.”–James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic.  The word thermogenesis literally means the production of heat, especially by the cells of the body. It’s burning calories.  NEAT burns more calories than exercise in most non-athletes.

Part Three of BACK FROM IRAQ: Diary of a Comedian
By Sharon Lacey, Portland

(In Part Two, I told about my third night in the Middle East – our first perfomance, at Ali Al Salem military base in Kuwait, where I began to realize what I truly had come here to do.)

DAY FOUR: Yesterday’s visit to Ali Al Salem base opened my eyes.  The men and women stationed here may have a few amenities like fast food places and fitness centers, but the one thing they don’t have… is “home”.  And whether my jokes are funny or not, it seems my presence here is giving some of these great people some much needed respite from their feeling of isolation and homesickness.

Weekend National Health Focus:

(HealthDay News) — People with moles and other features that put them at higher risk of skin cancer may also have an increased chance of developing melanoma of the eye, a new study says.Canadian researchers found links between skin moles, freckles, moles on the iris and risk of uveal melanoma — cancer of the eye’s iris, ciliary body or choroid. Among the findings were that people with atypical moles (ones that appear different in shape or color from common moles) had almost three times the risk of having uveal melanoma as did those without such moles.

By Linda Kopp,
Women’s Report Reviewer

Review: I cannot, in good conscience, recommend Confessions of a Shopaholic.  The story is considered a comedy; however, the comedy is quite distasteful.  It is set to a well known song of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”  The story revolves around a 25 year old woman, Rebecca Bloomwood, who lives with her best friend, Suze, in a trendy part of town.  She has a shopping addiction and her bills are piling up.  Her support group gives her the freedom to get her life back on track.  Furthermore, her parents characteristics of frugality and love set a good example for her.
100 Critics Score: 22%
Things to Like: The moral of theme of the story was that true joy doesn’t come from anything you can buy.
Things to Caution: Lack of modesty, Language and Lying.

Oregon’s Lipstick Revolution:
Mother of Oregon–Tabitha Moffett Brown
By Naomi Inman

At my son’s recent “slumber” party I thoroughly enjoyed the movie Madagascar 2.  The funniest character ever is the old lady, Nana, who runs across the zany beasts on her African Safari tour and proclaims, “I’m not gonna stay out in the open and get attacked by more animals. I’m too old to die!”  And off she goes to build a camp for her stranded party.

“Too old to die.”  You have to love that!  That little clip rolled through my mind when I delighted in the life of Tabitha Moffat Brown–the “Mother of Oregon.”

By Erika Weisensee

Americans are spending more time than ever online, recent studies show. It goes without saying, more and more of our communication is happening in cyberspace. Emailing, instant-messaging, blogs and message boards provide ample ways for us to put our ideas out there. Unfortunately, when it comes to Internet communication, many of us don’t mind our manners.

From not responding to emails to not greeting or thanking people, we seem to ignore common courtesies online. Maybe, we’re in such a hurry we just don’t take the time to be polite, or maybe we don’t think it’s necessary. Yet, in a forum where messages can spread like wildfire, and in a time when online communication is the preferred method of most businesses, this seems especially risky.

Re-Wire Your Workout with Circuit Training
By Olivia C. Rossi, RN, MSN, ACSM
Your Personal Trainer:

Circuit training is composed of a set of several exercise stations done in sequence with little or no rest between them.  It can easily be worked into your cardiovascular and resistance training routines.  Circuit training was developed in England in 1953 and originally consisted of 9-12 stations. Today, the number depends on the purpose and design of the circuit.

Circuit training is used in coaching specific sports such as basketball or soccer with short bouts of running alternated with jumping, leaping and full court runs.  It can also be specifically tailored for high intensity, physically active occupations such as firefighting.  In the CPAT (Candidate Physical Ability Test), prospective candidates complete a timed sequence of eight events that simulates a fire scene.