Wellbeing

Facets New Executive Director Brings Perspective and Experience

Margi Preston started as Executive Director of Facets of Fairfax officially on Nov. 17. But she attended its fall fundraising event, A Taste of Fall, on Nov. 15 and witnessed the dedication of Facets staff and supporters in helping individuals and families experiencing poverty in Fairfax County.

Battling Holiday Bulge

Nutritionists offer tips for avoiding weight gain.

With the merriment of the holidays comes food, friends and fun. But from office parties to family dinners, opportunities for overeating and weight gain abound. In fact, the National Institutes of Health reports that the average American gains an extra pound every year that he never loses. Those pounds add up over a lifetime of holidays, but a few local nutritionists offer the skinny on weight-gain culprits and strategies to keep them at bay.

GMU Chosen To Join Healthy Campus Initiative

George Mason was recognized for its commitment to health and wellness.

George Mason University’s well-being and wellness programs recently received national recognition when the Fairfax-based university was chosen as the first higher education institution in Virginia to join the Healthy Campus Initiative, an effort to encourage colleges and universities to make their campuses healthier by adopting guidelines around food and nutrition, physical activity and programming.

Handling Family Dynamics During the Holidays

Local experts offer suggestions on how to diffuse family tensions.

Last month, Linda and Tom Bullen traveled from Boston to Arlington, to celebrate Thanksgiving with their son Matt, daughter Rachel and her partner Grace Knight.

Tell Teens ‘Things Will Get Better’

Fairfax High hosts meeting about youth suicide.

In light of recent suicides by students from Fairfax, Woodson and Langley high schools, Fairfax High hosted a meeting Nov. 19 to discuss the problem and search for solutions. The idea was to begin an ongoing exchange between parents, students, staff, community members and mental-health professionals.

McLean to Host Holiday Crafts Show

The McLean Community Center’s 32nd Annual McLean Holiday Crafts Show features an exciting mix of handmade items that express a fresh, new take on the traditional. Expect to see bonsai and bamboo trees, sculpted exotic eggshells, hand-dyed batik and all-natural salad dressings, along with the wreaths, ornaments and stained glass windows.

Arlington: Health Initiative Focuses on Veterans

Teaching health-care providers to ask about patients’ military backgrounds.

Chamberlain College of Nursing in Arlington co-sponsored a veteran’s health awareness campaign last month, shedding light on health issues that more prominently affect veterans than the average civilian.

Patient First Facility Heading to Fairfax

Will also provide inter-parcel access to shopping center.

Patient First is opening a walk-in medical facility in the City of Fairfax. It got the go-ahead last Tuesday, Nov. 18, from the Fairfax City Council, following a public hearing.

Lorton Outreach Group Sets Thanksgiving Service Record

Kathy Noone stood alone, surrounded by Thanksgiving baskets ready to feed over 400 families. The Lorton resident is Director of Volunteers for the Lorton Community Action Center (LCAC), and though she looked capable, she didn’t fill the bags all by herself. Earlier on Nov. 23, a team of volunteers worked “better than a well-oiled machine” to sort donated food into nearly identical combinations at the Moose Family Center in Lorton for delivery and pickup.

Seniors in Burke and West Springfield Look for More Activity Space

Larry Mark is 83, lives in West Springfield and practices tai chi with his wife Mary. They go to a class that meets once a week at the Burke Conservancy on Burke Centre Parkway. “It’s interesting,” he said. “It helps your balance and strengthens your neck and other muscles. Everybody needs better balance.”

And The “Scancer” Is…

Unknown at this date – Saturday, November 15. In fact, it will be six days from now until we’ll know the results. As it is always scheduled, a week or so after my quarterly CT Scan, we will have our usual follow-up, face-to-face appointment with my oncologist. At this meeting, I am examined, and of course, the radiologist’s report of the most recent scan is discussed, and plans for the future – stay the course and/or adjust or switch altogether – are considered.

“Shrinkage”

Not exactly “like a frightened turtle” as “similed” on a long-ago Seinfeld episode by Jerry himself; this shrinkage is the good kind, the kind you hope a radiological oncologist characterizes when viewing your CT Scan (computed tomography). Specifically, the exact kind of scan I get every three months to assess and evaluate the tumors, and fluid, in my stage IV, non-small cell cancer-affected lungs.

November Raises Awareness and Celebrates Caregivers

Resources available for people living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.

Mary Driver-Downs has been one of the primary caregivers for her mother-in-law, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, for the past six years. It has been a difficult journey, but one she says is well worth it.

Physicians Launch ‘Seniorbility’

Check-in system connects senior with medical professional.

“I was struck by the epidemic that all emergency physicians encounter: seniors living alone who injure themselves and aren’t checked on for days,” said ER Doc Alex Mohseni.

More Than Exercise in Potomac

Essays describe yoga’s healing truths

What if healing were as simple as moving? This is the question writer and yoga student Anne Samit asks in her debut book, “Unfold Your Mat, Unfold Yourself, Essays on Yoga’s Healing Truths and So Much More.”

The Connection