If you’re looking for a way to get in shape without straining your wallet, Solantic Baptist Urgent Care suggests small group fitness training. June’s end marks the year’s half-way point and most have long ago skipped out on their New Year’s resolutions. This year, many are blaming the tight economy for their fitness woes. But imagine sharing the costs of getting fit while enjoying the added benefits of a support system. That’s the beauty of small group fitness training programs popping up all across the nation. Multiple participants keep costs down. And having someone share your fitness journey can make it easier, more fun and more effective. Statistics show that fitness partners can help encourage all participants to stick to the program, even as it gets tougher.

Small group fitness training programs are an affordable way to get in great shape. Visit your nearest Solantic urgent care clinic to make sure you're ready for a new fitness routine.

The recession is affecting the physical health of thousands of people forced to forego fitness training because of financial difficulties. And it’s affecting the financial health of personal fitness trainers and gyms. Small group fitness training programs are proving to be the answer for both parties. Many of these programs are known as “fitness boot camps.” They can take place inside gyms or community centers, or outside, utilizing parks, beaches, even parking lots as fitness obstacle courses.

One attractive feature of small group fitness training is the range of workout types. Popular workouts today include:

- Zumba, which involves Latin beats and salsa-inspired moves;
- Cardio Hula Hoop, using weighted hoops to help whittle your waist, flatten your abs and boost your muscle tone;
- Cardio Pole Dancing for those who want to put a little spice into their workouts while building upper body and core strength and toning legs;
- Punk Rope, which centers on jumping rope to punk rock tunes;
- Forza, a Samurai-inspired core workout that involves thrusting, chopping and slicing your way through core, shoulder, arm and leg training using wooden swords.

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care recommends you undergo a physical examination before taking on a new workout program. We offer age-appropriate basic physicals that help you determine your current health and fitness level so that you can make an informed decision about your new exercise plan. Also, if you or your child plans to participate in school or collegiate sports come the new school year / fall semester, Solantic Baptist Urgent Care centers offer school / sports physicals required by many athletic governing bodies and in some cases, by state law.

To prepare for your new workout program, visit your nearest Solantic urgent care clinic today. No appointment is necessary and your insurance company may reimburse you all or part of your physical cost.

Solantic Baptist Urgent Care physicians and staff urge you to participate in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) World No Tobacco Day May 31, 2010. This year’s theme focuses on warning women about tobacco risks and delivers a stern message to tobacco marketers: Stop targeting women with manipulative, downright deceptive advertisements.

Smoking poses unique and potentially deadly health risks for women.

WHO researchers and smoking cessation advocates criticize tobacco marketers for what they consider insidious messages. Beautifully crafted print, television and online ads suggest smoking lends women a sexy, empowered image and that smoking light or low-tar cigarettes is safer than smoking regular cigarettes. Research shows that tobacco marketers increasingly are targeting women who live in low-income and middle-income countries, where women are gaining spending power and independence. Many of these women are, for the first time in their lives, enjoying the financial and social freedom to smoke tobacco, but lack the knowledge of the health risks that smoking poses.

WHO, and Solantic Baptist Urgent Care want to make sure our female patients of all ages are fully aware smoking causes an increased risk of:

- Infertility and trouble conceiving children;
- Cervical cancer, vulvar cancer and premenopausal breast cancer;
- Premature delivery, stillbirth, newborn death or reduction in breast milk for pregnant smokers;
- Cardiovascular conditions such as blood clots, heart attacks and strokes for smokers using hormonal birth control;
- Pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause ectopic pregnancies, pelvic adhesions and other fertility problems;
- Menstrual problems such as abnormal bleeding or amenorrhea (the absence of periods);
- Osteoporosis;
- Early menopause among women who start smoking as teenagers.

Women also are at risk for many of the same smoking-related medical conditions as men, such as mouth cancer, emphysema and lung cancer. Nearly 23 million U.S. women (roughly a quarter of the nation’s female population) smoke cigarettes, and more than 1.5 million teenage girls smoke. Despite the fact that smoking is the nation’s most preventable cause of death, smoking related conditions kill more than 140,000 U.S. women annually.

If you are a female smoker looking to kick the habit, don’t wait until May 31. In fact, don’t wait another minute. Contact Solantic Baptist Urgent Care at 904-223-2320 or via our online email form. Our wellness services including full physicals and screenings, and your Solantic Baptist Urgent Care physician can offer smoking cessation tips based on your unique lifestyle and healthcare needs.

If you’re thinking about your New Year’s health resolutions, Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care and the American Heart Association can help. The AHA has set a few long-term resolutions of its own, all aimed at helping you improve your cardiovascular health. And you can stop by any Solantic urgent care center for a thorough, personalized health assessment.

The AHA recently defined “ideal cardiovascular health” for the first time recently, identifying seven health factors and lifestyle behaviors that lead to a healthier, stronger heart. The goal is to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent and reduce deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent – all by the year 2020.

Dubbed “Life’s Simple 7,” the AHA-identified healthy heart factors for adults as:

•    Never smoked or quit more than one year ago
•    Body mass index less than 25 kilograms per square meter
•    Physical activity of at least 150 minutes (moderate) or 75 minutes (vigorous) each week
•    Four to five of the key components of a healthy diet consistent with current AHA guideline recommendations
•    Total cholesterol of less than 200 mg/dL
•    Blood pressure below 120/80 mm Hg
•    Fasting blood glucose less than 100 mg/dL

The new stated goals come on the heels of the AHA’s successful effort to reduce death by heart disease and stroke by 25 percent by 2010. You can get started on your own 2020 healthy heart plan today by scheduling a physical at any one of our nearly 30 Solantic urgent care centers located throughout Florida. We offer basic annual physicals tailored for children and youth to 17 years old; adults 18-44; and adults 45 and older. Specialized physicals for athletes and executives also are available, as are OSHA and DOT/DOE physicals that may be required for certain jobs such as driving any commercial vehicle. If you’re planning a surgery, Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care also offers pre-op physicals to assure you’re healthy enough to undergo a successful operation.

With each physical, a Solantic physician will let you know exactly where your health, including your cardiovascular health, stands. This will help determine your best cardiovascular health improvement plan, getting you started on both your own New Year’s health resolutions and the AHA’s 2020 heart-healthy America plan. Browse our website to find a Solantic Walk-In Urgent Care location near you, make an appointment and even have directions to our offices texted to your phone.