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.

My late mother, who was raised in a rural area, always prepared vegetables with our meals. Today, as a fitness professional, I include vegetables regularly in my diet. In preparation for Thanksgiving, I’m planning to support a good cause by picking fresh-grown vegetables at Victory Christian Center’s community vegetable garden.

The garden is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The public can pick collard greens and/or cabbage for $3 per bag.

“This summer, the garden had corn, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, and Crowder peas," says Kimberly Mitchell, a member of VCC. “What doesn’t sell is donated to families at the church’s food ministry.”

Victory Christian Center is located at 7224 Old Pineville Road in south Charlotte. For more details, call 704-602-6010.

“Diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer and chronic diseases,” says the Centers for Disease Control website. Additionally they provide “essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and other substances that are important for good health.”

Mother knows best.  

Gobble, Gobble

More weight is gained between Thanksgiving and the New Year. Little wonder; Thanksgiving is the start of a nonstop eating frenzy — large meals, holiday events and alcohol consumption. But you don’t have to skip the fun to avoid weight gain, with a few tips: 

• Eat healthy snacks before large meals: dried cranberries, walnuts, apples, blueberries, bananas, celery, grapes, or baby carrots. To punch up the pallet, dip vegetables/fruit in low-fat yogurt. Snacking prior to a large meal makes you feel full and thus you are less likely to overindulge.

• Avoid surgery mixed drinks and wines: in addition to added calories, some wines trigger hormones, making you feel hungry.

• Choose foods carefully: in contrast to feeling obligated to sample every item on the buffet.

• Exercise: Friendship Missionary Baptist Church (old location) offers low-impact, affordable aerobics Tuesday and Thursday nights, 6:00 P.M. for $3 per class. Invite a friend and work-out together. You’ll both look fab when the New Year rolls in! 

Health Headlines 

Kudos: Charlotte’s Yellow Cab, known city-wide for their signature bright gold cabs, painted two cabs pink in honor of October’s breast cancer awareness month. Throughout the month, cabbies dispensed breast cancer information to patrons and collected donations for the American Cancer Society. The result? The cabbies raised $5,200 for the organization.

Diabetes could affect 10 percent of adults worldwide by 2030: A report by the International Diabetes Federation says that 522 million people worldwide (one in 10 adults), could have diabetes by 2030. The report is based on changes in demographics and an aging population. The IDA cautions that the reported numbers are a conservative estimate, as it does not include rising obesity rates. The World Health Organization estimates roughly 346 million people worldwide have diabetes.

Fit Tip

When lifting dumbbells, choose a weight that is very challenging to lift as you do the final reps of each exercise. If you feel as if you could do more than the recommended number of reps, you need a heavier weight. The amount of weight you lift may vary, depending on the exercise.

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

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