Sondra E. Z. Hines, AILT, is an adjunct professor of health & wellness and is certified to teach group fitness exercise and Zumba. Wednesday Wellness - Fitness News You Can Use is published weekly. Email: sondraezhines@yahoo.com.

Roughly 17 years ago, I recall watching my cousin Richard’s health slowly spiral downhill. His illness – AIDS — progressively attacked his body and took his life. Richard, then a successful attorney, went from a healthy, handsome, vibrant man to a sickly statistic.

Today, AIDS remains a health challenge, particularly for minorities, who succumb to the disease at higher numbers than white counterparts. Hence, Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day and one local event is especially worth attending.

New Life Fellowship Center hosts the Second Annual Presenting Your Body, HIV/AIDS Awareness Conference this Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This free event promises to empower local communities with knowledge on AIDS/HIV. The keynote speaker is Dr. Marc Johnson, medical director of the Infectious Disease Clinic at Carolinas Medical Center. Other speakers include Pastor John P. Kee, Dr. Lumbe Davis of the Centers for Disease Control, and Dr. Judith Cornelius of UNC-Charlotte's School of Nursing, to name a few. Additionally, local agencies will be available to disseminate information on AIDS/HIV services and resources. New Life Fellowship Center is located at 1337 Samuel Street. For more details, call (704) 377-4004.

Health Headlines 

N.C. workers to pay more for health costs: Findings from the National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans report that beginning in 2012, employers across the country, including 60 percent of those surveyed in North Carolina, plan to pass rising health care costs to their employees. This move equates to higher deductibles, co-pays, etc. The rise, says the report, is due to unforeseen variables in health care reform.

Healthier school lunches: The Obama administration is embroiled in a food fight with Congress. The “beef’ is whether Congress triumphs in its push to keep pizza and other unhealthy foods on school lunch menus. Hence, the Obama administration is battling to add more fresh foods — i.e. green vegetables — to school menus. In an Associated Press interview, USDA spokeswoman Courtney Rowe said the department will continue its efforts to make lunches healthier. "While it's unfortunate that some members of Congress continue to put special interests ahead of the health of America's children, USDA remains committed to practical, science-based standards for school meals," she said in a statement. 

Solid as a rock: Police in Miami arrested Oneal Ron Harris, who is accused of practicing medicine without a license and inflicting serious bodily injury. Harris, 30 is accused of injecting a woman’s derriere with a concoction of cement, mineral oil and flat-tire sealant, a disjointed effort to produce a curvier, fuller figure. Harris who supposedly was born a man, now living as a woman, allegedly also injected himself with the same mixture.  According to CBS News, “The victim, who is not being identified, was reportedly referred to Morris by a friend for a series of injections costing $700 in May 2010. Police said Morris injected tubes in several places around her bottom and pumped them full of toxic substances.” Ouch! I think I’ll stick to multiple sets of squats.

Fit Tip

Studies show that drinking black tea helps improve one’s memory and also boost brain power too. Black tea is sold at most mass retailers and health food stores.  

Until, next time, I wish you good health and wellness!

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