​Ida Alive Recognized the Holstein Farmers Market

​Ida Alive recently recognized the Holstein Farmers’ Market for their efforts promoting community wellness. 
 
The market started three years ago led by a committee consisting of five members.  During the market’s first year, it was held downtown on the south side of West 2nd Street in Holstein.  Following the first year, the committee decided to try the City Park, where it has been held for the past two years.     
 
“We like to think the Farmers’ Market offers fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables at a reasonable price.” states Mayor Connie Ludvigson.  “In addition, vendors provide other food products such as eggs, home baked goods and even fully prepared foods to take home or eat while at the market in the shelter house.  Craft items are available for sale and live music is scheduled each month.  It’s a great opportunity to socialize with friends and neighbors in an outdoor setting.”
 
Anyone interested in serving on the committee, being a vendor or providing input is encouraged to leave comments at the city hall during business hours.  ​
​Pictured:  Patti Andrews, Ida Alive; Farmers Market Committee Members: Connie Ludvigson, Mayor and Theresa Pudenz, City Administrator.  Not pictured are Holstein Farmers Market committee members: Libby Bagenstos, Chair, and Bonnie Barkema and Nancy Johnson, members.

Ida Alive Recognizes
​Ida Area Farmers' Market

​Ida Alive recently recognized the Ida Area Farmers’ Market for their efforts promoting community wellness. 
 
The market is winding down its fifth season.  It is open on Thursdays, June through September from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in downtown Ida Grove.  The market gives community members a chance to buy fresh, locally grown produce, honey, eggs, baked goods, chocolate, jewelry, wine and handmade items. 
 
The market started as a project of Community Partners and operates under their auspices.  The city of Ida Grove is the fiscal agent.  The market has a six-member board and four people share the duties of market manager.  The market managers are responsible for putting out the market signs, assisting the vendors, and grilling for special events.  
 
“The market provides a nice way for community members to gather once a week in the summertime,” states Becky Ricklefs, market manager and board member. “We also encourage community groups to grill during the market.  It is a great fundraising opportunity for organizations.”
The produce vendors accept WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program coupons.  The WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program provided eligible WIC recipients with nine checks valued at $3 each.  The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program provided eligible seniors with 10 checks for $3 each. In addition to produce, locally produced honey can also be purchased with Senior FMNP checks.You can follow the happenings of the market on Facebook/Ida Area Farmers’ Market or their website: www.idafarmersmarket.com.

Ida Alive Recognizes Midwest Industries

    Ida Alive recently recognized Midwest Industries, Inc. for their efforts promoting employee wellness.  
      Midwest Industries has been an active partner of Ida Alive since its inception.  A great opportunity for Ida Alive partners is to share wellness initiatives. Recently, the Midwest Wellness Committee shared a wellness challenge they developed “The Iowa Healthy Roads Adventure” for their employees.  They kindly shared the entire challenge with Ida Alive partners.  “Businesses are always looking for wellness challenges and it’s wonderful not to have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to wellness challenges,” states Patti Andrews, Ida Alive partner.   
      The Midwest Wellness Committee is always planning and thinking about how to help employees.  They believe healthier employees have better attendance, productivity and fewer injuries.  Employees also demonstrate more positive attitudes and manage stress in healthier ways.
      “We try to encourage employees to participate in various activities and events by making them fun, interesting and obtainable,” shared Jeff Ogren, Human Resource Manager. “Other considerations would be how to make our programs informative, insightful and educational.  Our hope is to help employees learn to incorporate healthier choices into their daily lives.”
      All businesses face challenges when incorporating employee wellness into their business. When asked what challenges they face, the wellness committee shared, “Busy schedules, lack of participation, multiple shifts, diversity of employees and sense of invincibility.  Limited access to a variety of healthier food choices and physical activity options based on our geographical location. It is a continuous effort that does not sustain itself.”

Ida Alive Recognized Melissa Ausborn, Personal Trainer

Ida Alive recently recognized Melissa Ausborn, ACE Personal Trainer, for her efforts promoting wellness.  Melissa leads water aerobics at the Ida Grove Community Rec Center.  She recently took level 1 YogaFit training to offer yoga classes at the rec center as well.
 
Melissa is an Ida Alive partner because she believes that health and wellness is so important in living a long and healthy life.
 
She offers online fitness ‘challenges’ that focus on healthy habits versus just weight loss.  Melissa offers weekly challenges with awesome prizes and sends weekly newsletters with fitness tips, healthy recipes and workouts.
 
Instead of focusing on numbers, Melissa strongly believes in creating healthy habits. “People who work on healthier habits will see the changes they want over time,” she said.
 
When asked what challenges people face when making healthy choices, Melissa shared, “In today’s society, there are so many!  I think the biggest is the ever-changing research on diets, fads, etc.  People need to remember it’s a lifelong lifestyle, not an overnight change.”
Ida Alive recently recognized Anne Johnson, owner of Sole 2 Soul for her efforts promoting wellness.
 
Anne has been a dedicated member of Ida Alive since its beginnings in 2014.  “God gives us one body and one heart that we must take care of.  Whether you are young, middle aged or elderly, each of us can walk, run, ride a bike or lift some hand weights to keep our bodies moving,” believes Anne, “Disease prevention is always better than taking pills.  It’s important to exercise daily, drink more water and make healthier food choices.  We need to be good examples for our families.”
 
Anne opened Sole 2 Soul Fitness Center in September of 2011.  For the past seven years, the fitness center has been open to members via fingerprint entry from 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. 365 days a year.  Members can exercise when it works best for their busy family and work schedules.  Sole 2 Soul offers a variety of fitness equipment including treadmills, elliptical cross-trainers, stationary bikes, a Bow Flex Extreme weight machine, hand weights, Physio balls, bands, and much more.  Anne offers weekly group fitness classes such as Yoga, PiYo, Circuit Training and Chair Yoga.
 
Anne shared, “There is a social side of wellness we forget about as we get older, so I try to offer a variety of fitness classes, educational programs, fun make-n-take events and wellness events.  People in and around Galva can move, learn something new, meet a new friend and be healthier for many years to come.”
 
When asked what challenges people face to incorporate wellness into their routine, Anne commented, “I think the hardest part of joining a community fitness center is simply walking through the front door the very first time.  However, rec centers offer support and a friendly environment to everyone regardless of their age, gender or background.”
 
“I think we can empower people to be healthier.  I believe what we do today affects us ten years down the road, so moving today will make us healthier ten years from now.  We need to work together to make our communities healthier and stronger,” shared Anne.

Ida Alive Recognizes the Ida Grove Community Rec Center

Ida Alive recently recognized the Ida Grove Rec Center for their efforts promoting wellness. 
 
Chelsea Grove, Director of the Ida Grove Rec Center is an active partner of Ida Alive.  “Community wellness is crucial to the vitality of a community,” shared Chelsea.  “It is important in order to attract people to live and work in the community.”

The Ida Grove Recreation Center opened in December 2003, funded by the generous donations of individuals and businesses from the local community. It is now owned and operated by the city of Ida Grove. 

The facilities include a weight room with cardio equipment, an aerobics room, a community room available for rent, a gymnasium with a walking track, a racquetball court, an interactive golf simulator and putting practice, an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a hot tub, sauna, children's pool, and a children's playroom. They offer classes and events all year round.
 
When questioned about the rec center’s wellness strategies, Chelsea believes it is important to focus on creating an “atmosphere” where people want to participate in all types of activities throughout the community.  The Rec Center offers a variety of programs throughout the year.  Some examples include: the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day, the Iron Man Challenge every winter and Cooking Classes for Kids.  Chelsea is proud to announce they will be hosting a Live Healthy Iowa 5K this spring.
 
When asked what challenges Chelsea and the Rec Center face incorporating wellness into the community, Chelsea said, “Competing for people’s time and financial barriers are our biggest challenges.” 

Ida Alive Recognizes Sole 2 Soul

Dr. Amy Michelle Willcockson, Director of Live Healthy Iowa
and Chuck Long, Former Iowa Hawkeye & NFL Quarterback
and Iowa Sports Foundation CEO
held a conversation with local wellness leaders
about Live Healthy Iowa and the Active Iowa Index on August 29, 2018

Community Comes Together to Talk about Wellness

Spring Thaw Challenge Winners

No Excuses: Winter was over and Spring was here.  It was time to THAW your mind and body from Winter's Hibernation.  Participants completed a daily challenge for the month of April.  Challenges included: Declutter an area of your home, Do a random act of kindness, Cook a healthy meal for someone who deserves a break, Smile, Eat 3 servings of whole grains, and more.   Thank you to those who participated.  Winners of the drawing were Kelsey Rotnicke, Tammie Dausel and Kim Miller.

It's a Matter of Balance

Twelve participants recently completed “A Matter of Balance” Class which was held in Holstein, Iowa throughout the month of April.  The class was led by certified volunteer coaches, Nadine Dutler and Beth Ortner.  A Matter of Balance is a fun, interactive, hands-on way to help reduce the fear of falling and increase activity levels in older adults who have concerns with falling and their safety.  This program is available through Horn Memorial Public Health.   A Matter of Balance runs for two hours, twice a week, for four weeks.  For more information, contact Horn Public Health at 712.364.7311. 

Wellmark Foundation Pedal & Park Grant

HMH was awarded a Wellmark Foundation Kickstarter Grant for $10,000 for Ida County Pedal & Park. The Ida County Pedal & Park project will provide high quality, attractive bicycle parking racks to the towns of Arthur, Battle Creek, Galva, Holstein and Ida Grove in Ida County, Iowa.  The bike racks will help kick start the communities' efforts to promote a culture conducive to biking.  It will be a starting point for future local initiatives that encourage safe biking efforts such as: bike lanes, improved infrastructure, policy and programs.  The project is expected to be completed by fall 2016.

Ida Drug and Quad County Recognized

On July 31, 2015, Ida Alive recognized two local businesses for their commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles.  Ida Drug was recognized for their efforts toward health awareness.  Each month they decorate their front window to bring awareness to different health issues.  This month the window is decorated for Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month.  Quad County Corn Processors was recognized for employee wellness.  Some of the programs offered to their employees include a monthly weigh-ins, BMI checks, and a yearly biometric screening.  Employees who are non-tobacco users also get a discount on their health insurance.  Both Ida Drug and Quad County Corn Processors were presented with fruit baskets containing different types of fruit, water bottles, lip balms, and Ida Alive bracelets.


Ida Alive Recognizes Wellness Programs

An employee wellness program, also known as a worksite wellness program, is designed to promote and support the health, safety, and well-being of employees.  Wellness programs may improve employee health, morale, and productivity.  They may include activities such as wellness newsletters, health screenings, workshops on wellness issues, and wellness challenges.

Ida Alive recently recognized two businesses that have or have started a wellness program for employees.  Fruit baskets along with water bottles, tubes of lip balm, and Ida Alive wristbands were taken to VT Industries in Holstein and Willow Dale Wellness Village in Battle Creek. 

At VT Industries the fruit basket was accepted by Lori Petersen, RN, Occupational Health/Case Management.  VT Industries has had an employee wellness program since before Lori started working as a nurse there six years ago.  VT provides annual cholesterol/glucose checks and flu shots each year to their employees.  They offer a mix of individual and team wellness challenges which include both weight loss and maintaining weight loss. 

Lori recently shared wellness program ideas with Karla Meier, Wellness Coordinator, from Willow Dale Wellness Village.  Karla started a wellness program for employees in December of 2014.  They began their wellness program with a 42 day challenge.  Then in January they started a Biggest Loser Poker Game with 13 participants losing 90 pounds.  In April they started a walking challenge that will continue through June.  Several of the participants of the wellness program at Willow Dale were there to accept the fruit basket from Ida Alive.