Voluteer, because it feels good!

[caption id="attachment_5467" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Jeff Ford and Kelly Hillyer manning the H3 table at Relay For Life"][/caption]

Yesterday, Hilton Head Health stopped by the Relay For Life event at Honey Horn. It was so moving to see so many people and businesses dedicating their time and resources for a such great cause. Relay For Life benefits the American Cancer Society, and as many of you know through your participation in our Devin's Dash Memorial 5K, Hilton Head Health is also a supporter of the American Cancer Society. During the event, H3 handed out registration forms for Devin's Dash, walked around meeting cancer survivors and their caretakers, and performed our Sun Salutation routine. This was my first volunteer event on Hilton Head Island and it surely will not be my last.

Now that I am an official resident of the island, I have been inspired to start getting more involved. There are so many benefits to volunteering in your community. Not only do you get to meet people and feel a since of pride in knowing that you're doing something good, volunteering could also be great form of exercise. Try contacting your local Boys and Girls Club and volunteer to shoot some hoops or even host a field day. I'm planning to accompany Jeff Ford and Amber Shadwick when they visit the Hilton Head chapter of Boys and Girls Club to do a little cardio boxing with the kids. Registering for races is another great way to support the community while also incorporating fitness into your volunteerism. There are many online sites like www.active.com, that make it easy for you to find a race near you. So now that the weather's nice, there are no excuses! Get out and volunteer! You may find that you will get a whole lot out of giving.

Health Benefits: Helper's High

Have you ever heard of the "runner’s high"? You may have never latched onto the high, but you’ve probably heard the phrase. What about the "helper’s high"? I wasn’t aware of this until I read a recent article, but volunteering actually leads to increased health benefits. There are many aspects that contribute to our overall wellness, obviously physical activity, nutrition, our environment, but how can volunteer activities help us live longer and healthier lives?

In a study conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service, volunteer activities not only provide individuals with a sense of purpose and life satisfaction, but the simple act can help service members become physically and mentally strong. In general, the study found that volunteers reported greater life satisfaction and better physical health than non-volunteers. At the same time, older adults experience greater positive changes in their perceived health as a result of their participation in volunteer activities. The results of the survey at large, found those that gave social support to others had lower rates of mortality, less incidence of heart disease and lower rates of depression.

The article went on to explain that the health benefits are derived from the increased sense of purpose. Additionally mentioning that one hundred hours a year is the “Volunteer Threshold” where no further health benefits will be derived from volunteer activities.

About three weeks ago, I implemented a Wednesday weekly fitness class, called “Fit for Life” at the Hilton Head Boys and Girls Club. I felt a need to volunteer because for every overweight or obese adult in the United States, there are at least two children. Who knew I’ll gain some additional health benefits along the way? The class will span over the course of eight weeks and each week, we will bust out some of H3’s favorite fitness classes. The past three weeks we’ve done lucky of the draw, some staple boot camp calisthenics and this week is core strength!  Zumba Instructor Jackie will be back over as she’s been there in the past to get the kids moving.  Also, Amber will soon stop by to get the kids pounding the wall with a little Cardio Boxing, do you think they are ready?

 

Read the entire Health Benefits of Volunteering report here: http://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/07_0506_hbr.pdf