SPC Allstate is celebrating Hispanic Heritage by doing Latin Dance! Join the Party…I mean “Workout”!

Latin Dance is an aerobic fitness event that will be held Wednesday, October 12 from 5:15-6 p.m.  Latin Dance is a Zumba workout featuring movements inspired by various styles of Latin American dance and performed primarily to Latin American and Afro Caribbean dance music. The choreography incorporates Salsa, Merengue, Flamenco, Bachata, Reggaeton and Latin Pop.

What are the Benefits of Latin Dance?

Workouts don’t have to be a hassle. Latin Dance is a fun, social dance fiesta with exercise as the biggest perk! We will be dancing to different music with contagious beats that will make you move to the groove. Also, it is a great opportunity to learn some Latin dance techniques, regardless of any dancing experience. The objective of Latin Dance is to keep on moving to the music, make you sweat, and keep your heart rate busy, while also having fun. You won’t even realize that you are burning calories from all the fun and laughter that you will experience.

10 health benefits of Latin Dance Aerobics:

• High calorie burn
• Full body workout
• Fun filled workout
• Suits all fitness levels
• Social benefits
• Improved cardiovascular fitness
• Motivation
• Increased intensity
• Better coordination
• High energy

Also, an article from ZLife.com, a site dedicated to all things Zumba, The Sport and Exercise Medicine Division of the University of Padova, and the Department of Medical Sciences of the University of Cagliari collaborated on a study with the specific objective to analyze the effect of Zumba on fitness and well-being. The conclusions were straightforward and to the point:  Zumba fitness is an effective type of physical activity to improve aerobic capacity, muscular strength and flexibility.

Who can attend?

Latin Dance is perfect for everybody!  All fitness ages are welcome. No dance experience or skills are necessary. Just bring all your high energy enthusiasm and be prepared to move your body to the rhythm of Latin music. It is a great opportunity to learn salsa, merengue, flamenco and latin pop. This is an event for everyone from SPC! Staff, students and agency partners are all welcome! Join us in the dance fiesta on October 12.

By Christian Aguillon

Wellness Attendant for SPC Allstate gym

Email: Aguillon.Christian@spcollege.edu

Get ready for Fit 2 Kick! -A kickboxing class event in September 19, starting Monday from 5:15- 6:00PM in the MAT Room.

Punch and Kick to the beat. Fit 2 Kick is a fitness event that uses martial arts techniques such as boxing movements to the rhythm of music. This cardio kickboxing class is design by SPC’s Wellness Attendant, Chris Aguillon. This fitness session will get your heart rate up, burn calories and make you sweat! Fit 2 Kick is not your everyday cardio. This is a 45-minute of intense activity where you will fight for fitness.

What are the Benefits of Kickboxing?

Practicing Kickboxing can make you burn 400-700 calories an hour as you punch, jab, and kick your way toward better balance, flexibility, coordination, and endurance. Also, you’ll fight stress.

Kickboxing is a great way of exercise and it provides a lots of health benefits such as:

• Reduced fat, lower cholesterol.
• Resistance training benefits just like weightlifting and improves muscular strength and endurance.
• Full body workout, combining cardio training with resistance training.
• It works red and white muscle fibers and fast and slow twitch muscles.
• Builds core muscle strength and improves posture.
• It is an awesome ab workout.
• Kicking is a killer glute workout.

Do I need to bring equipment?

No. The only necessary equipment for F2K are boxing gloves, this will be provided for you! Just bring gym clothing and your high energy enthusiasm!

Who can attend?

Anyone can take part in F2K regardless of skill or fitness level. Fit 2 Kick is a class for everyone from SPC! Staff, students and agency partners are all welcome! Fit 2 Kick is a group class, however you will not be fighting anyone, kickboxing is for fitness purposes. Although, you will pair up and train combinations with the focus mitts (hitting pads). This drill will help improve your coordination, reflexes, balance and hitting techniques. If you are looking to fight stress, burn some calories and learn a thing or two about kickboxing, then join us on the MAT room September 19^th.

Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation is a first aid technique useful in many emergencies, such as a heart attack, near drowning, or if someone’s breathing or heart beat stops. However, it seems that most people have misconceptions of what CPR is. Some think it’s the kiss of life or the ability to resuscitate.  This is what we see in movies, right? Well, as per usual, one can’t trust that movies for medical advice. If you found yourself in a situation where someone falls down and stops breathing, will you be able to help?

Before answering that question, let’s see what CPR can really do.

The purpose of CPR is to maintain oxygen flowing to the brain and vital organs when the heart and lungs stop functioning. If the heart stops pumping blood and lungs stop working, your whole body will shut down and go into cardiac arrest. This is the moment where CPR is essential to sustain a life. The technique of pushing down on a chest (chest compression) is to pump the heart manually, since the heart is not working on its own. The breathing mouth to mouth technique provides oxygen to the victim when lungs are impaired.

CPR is an effective method to provide first aid in emergencies, and it can increase survival chances for a victim under cardiac arrest. However, it won’t necessarily bring the victim back to consciousness, like in the movies, where the hero or protagonist always seems to spring back to life at the very last moment. The American Heart Association suggests that there are five common misconceptions of CPR. For instance, thinking that mouth to mouth is a required step for CPR, when it is not. This article advises that performing chest compression is an effective alternative by itself. This is useful information if you ever found yourself without the CPR mask and are uncomfortable with putting your mouth on the victim.

It is very important to know this life saving procedure. However, it begs the question, do you need to be certified? The answer is no. If there is no one else around, the first responder is you. It is far better to do something than to just stand there and do nothing about it. The smartest move is to call 911 and wait for professionals while also performing CPR. This way you are increasing the chances of survival up to 30 percent, suggests the American Heart Association.

Obviously having this certification will increase your effectiveness. If you are wondering where can you learn and obtain your CPR certification here in Pinellas County, you can visit:

• American Red Cross, located at 818 4^th Street N., St. Petersburg
• CPR Tampa, located at 334 E Lake Rd S, Palm Harbor.
• Apollo First Aid, located at 3701 State Road 580 Suite Oldsmar.
• Suncoast Safety Council, located in Clearwater

By: Christian Aguillon

 Christian is the Wellness Attendant for the SPC Allstate gym.

As expected, you should be preparing beforehand for your Physical Abilities Test. There’s no doubt you’ll do great. However, after running, doing sit-ups and push-ups as a maniac all day can take its toll on your muscles.  The next day soreness and after burn feeling, can cause restricted movement. Thus, making you feel tired and you will decide to stay in bed. Although, you will need rest to recover. Nevertheless, knowing the test due date coming up can build up your anxiety. This can affect your performance because of stress. However, don’t press the panic button yet. Now, this unconventional method will help you with your fitness performance while reducing stress at the same time.

First, the Physical Fitness Test will mimic the demand of a foot pursuit. Apprehending a subject will need strength and power. The truth is you could be presented with a situation of chasing after a perp on the run. This is the part where being fast, agile strong will come in handy. Now, to prepare before the test you may think that you must run every single day, workout a lot to achieve the goal. However, an article from Livestrong.com, suggest that taking ballet classes can help improve your endurance and fitness profile. Now, hold on a second. This is the part where you imagined a police officer chasing after a perp while wearing a pink tutu skirt. It simply does not add up, right? All joking aside, ballet training includes:

• Cardiovascular endurance
• Power, speed, agility, balance and coordination
• Muscular endurance
• Upper and lower body strength

Improving your motor fitness with ballet training can enhance your performance on the soccer field, running track, hockey rink, football and any sport that involves running agilities.

In addition, taking ballet can help reduce stress. Still skeptic? Did you know that, soldiers from South Korea, practice ballet as a way to relieve tension. After patrolling the Demilitarized Zone, a border that divides the Korean Peninsula.  After stretching, plies and battement tendu, as a result they feel relieved and stress free. Similar to the sensation after a yoga class.

The art of ballet is beautiful and majestic. However, it involves a lot of concentration, inner strength and proper technique to perform. You might ask- “how does ballet help with push-ups and sit-ups?’’ Answer: While using the bar as support, ballet targets your core, arms, chest and leg muscles using your own bodyweight. Hence, all the muscles engage, for better flexibility and endurance. One of the advantages of ballet is that there’s no need of equipment. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have slippers. You can practice barefooted or with socks at your home. Again, if you are looking to get better coordinated, flexible, agile and even fix your posture, ballet can serve its purpose.

Finally, if you are searching to enhance your performance, while also relieve stress. Then, grab your slippers, because ballet dancing has the whole package in one.  Remember it will improve your running abilities. Up your strength. Increase push-ups and sit-ups repetition. Thus, passing your Physical Abilities Test, like a Bourrée through the park.

By: Christian Aguillon
Christian is the Wellness Attendant for the SPC Allstate gym. Visit him Monday-Thursday from 3:30-6 pm for more tips on how to prepare for your upcoming physical abilities fitness test!

We all know the drill – buy water, board up the windows, buy extra snacks as you plan to wait out the weather. However, The Weather Channel predicts 2016 to be Florida’s most active hurricane season since 2012, anticipating at least 13 named storms – are you really prepared? The St. Petersburg College Allstate Campus is here to assist you in becoming expertly equipped as we begin this potentially scary time.

Hurricane season in Florida lasts from June 1^st until November 30^th, with the height of the season being August and September. As a native Floridian (or even a long-time resident), thunderstorms (especially in the afternoon) can feel as scheduled as mail delivery or waste pick-up, but hurricanes mustn’t be underestimated. While an everyday thunderstorm can blow free some dead branches from a tree – hurricanes can pack the force to take down the whole tree. SPC’s Allstate Campus (3200 34^th St. S. 33711) is home to the College of Public Safety program, covering our Emergency Management program in which we prepare students for well-paying careers in this exciting field. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in hurricane preparedness or our program to come and learn more. Short presentations will be given by:

• the Pinellas County Emergency Management department,
• the St. Pete Fire and Rescue team,
• a local, channel 10 meteorologist,
• St. Petersburg College, Emergency Management Program chair.

They will provide insightful intel concerning safety practices, shelter locations, and information about careers in this exciting field. There will also be local vendors available to share what their businesses offer in terms of hurricane preparedness.

Make sure that you, your family, and community is ready this hurricane season by attending St. Petersburg College Allstate Campus’ Emergency Management Expo on Thursday, July 28^th from 6 – 8pm.

Also, stay updated on our campus programs, events, and the latest emergency management tips by following our Facebook page! Stay safe and see you on the 28th!

Armed Forces Day is Saturday, May 21 and it’s a time to come together and thank our military members for their service to the USA.

The Center for Public Safety Innovation (CPSI) at St. Petersburg College wants to honor those who serve by helping veterans and their families realize the transition between deployment and home-life or from duty to civilian life is not an easy one.

The documentary video After the Uniform takes a look at the post-service lives of veterans. The individuals profiled will help audiences understand post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological issues veterans may face after their service or deployment ends.

Recently, CPSI learned this video won the prestigious Communicator Award of Excellence in the social issues category for video production. There were more than 6,000 entries from around the world and “After the Uniform” scored more than 90 points on a scale of 100 for excellence.

This video is a great resource for veterans, their families, and anyone who may provide support to the military. It was produced with funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

According to the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorders, a service member’s time in a war zone will impact him/her for a long time. Seventy-nine percent of service members in the Iraq war zone reported knowing someone who was seriously injured or killed and 60 percent of them reported being attacked or ambushed. Those memories just don’t vanish once a service member returns home.

There are several common physical, mental/emotional, and behavioral reactions a veteran many have.

Common Physical Reactions

• Trouble sleeping, overly tired
• Upset stomach, trouble eating
• Headaches and sweating when thinking of the war
• Rapid heartbeat or breathing
• Existing health problems become worse

Common Mental and Emotional Reactions

• Bad dreams, nightmares
• Flashbacks or frequent unwanted memories
• Anger
• Feeling nervous, helpless, or fearful
• Feeling guilty, self-blame, shame
• Feeling sad, rejected, or abandoned
• Agitated, easily upset, irritated, or annoyed
• Feeling hopeless about the future
• Experiencing shock, being numb, unable to feel happy

Common Behavioral Reactions

• Trouble concentrating
• Being jumpy and easily startled
• Being on guard, always alert, concerned too much about safety and security
• Avoiding people or places related to the trauma
• Too much drinking, smoking, or drug use
• Lack of exercise, poor diet, or health care
• Problems doing regular tasks at work or school
• Aggressive driving habits

Please watch and share this important video, “After the Uniform”.

Also, please join the Allstate Campus in celebrating National Armed Forces Day on May 21st by having your photo taken with a hero at our 2nd Annual Touch-a-Truck!