Clinton Township Newsletter

2 2 j a n u a r y 2 0 2 2 W W W . C L I N T O N T W P N E W S L E T T E R . C O M HAPPY NEW YEAR! This month, ClintonThreeQ met with Justin Bagley, a physical therapist and trainer at Pro-Activity in Clinton, to kick off the year with some fresh fitness goals! C3Q: So, January is the time of New Year's Resolutions! You are one of the top fitness experts in Clinton Township; let's talk about some ways to shed those pandemic pounds! What is the best thing that people can do for their health? JB: Many times, when people are getting started with a habit of exercise, they feel overwhelmed with the information out t h e r e . P e o p l e try a little bit of everything, and a little bit o f e v e r y t h i n g d o e s n ' t w o r k a t a l l . D o i n g o n e t h i n g consistently is more effective. D o n ' t s t r i v e for perfection, a n d t h e n throw things away when they are not perfect; doing a little bit of something consistently, even as little as four minutes a day at some higher intensity, can spur metabolic change. Start small and consistent, build a new habit, and let yourself enjoy the win. Another common mistake that people make is underloading. For example, they pick up dumbbells that are too light, and think that they are doing effective resistance training, but they are not choosing enough load to get a benefit for the time that they are putting in, and not getting the health benefits that they would otherwise, protecting against osteoporosis, sarcopenia, etc. We offer training in a safe environment so that they can be confident of not injuring themselves and lifting safely. C3Q: You work at Pro-Activity on Route 31... I always thought that Pro-Activity was just another gym, but I realized it is so much more, and we are so lucky to have this organization in Clinton! I really haven't seen anything that comes close in the rest of New Jersey. Can you describe some of what Pro-Activity and BaseCamp 31 are about? JB: So much more than a gym! We work with all different age groups, from elementary and middle school age through the lifespan. We work with high school athletes and competitive college athletes, all the way through the community, offering things like small group strength conditioning classes for people in their 40s through 90s. We work to reduce injuries from a workplace, individual athletes who want to meet specific goals, or a grandparent who wants to build fitness or overcome a functional physical limitation. We work with many people in their elder years to help them lift serious weights and see great health benefits associated with it. Sometimes we are helping someone who is making a health change or troubleshooting a particular fitness challenge; it doesn't even necessarily have to be a 'fitness' challenge, but can be a health challenge, such as suboptimal sleep, and we focus on recovery so that their system will have enough resources to work out and get fit. We work with people on their diet; especially increasing servings of fresh fruits and veggies, feeding our guts the right stuff, r e d u c i n g i n f l a m m a t i o n , a n d getting enough fiber. Everyone's needs are so different. We examine stress management, and what self-care things people are doing, such as getting out into nature, practicing mindfulness, and not indulging in too much alcohol. Our mantra at Pro-Activity is that we believe that if you have five human elements in balance, it allows you to thrive. "Stronger Happier People through Better Health," is one of our slogans, and our elements are "Move, Fuel, Recover, Endure, and Connect." The "Connect" is particularly key, post-pandemic. It is so important to connect as social creatures. Connecting reduces mental health disorders, stroke, stress. Our organization provides social connection, and we cheer each other on, and that is very important. People need to connect more than ever, and that meaningful non- surface connection is so important for health. Prior to Covid, it seemed like many people were in a go-go-go hamster-wheel in terms of pace, and the pandemic sort of reset that pace in some ways. Some work-from-home clients have reorganized and rebalanced their work-life balance. For others, it's gone in the opposite direction, and it's been very stressful with a more constant work-pace, and we help them examine and rebalance. There are other gyms, but we aren't a gym; we're working to build lifelong relationships with people, and meeting people where they are. It's our job to help them achieve whatever they are looking for...We're more of a "human- achievement" company. We at Pro-Activity really focus on working locally, and changing the way that health gets done by meeting people where they are, in their workplace and other environments. We offer individual coaching, group fitness, physical therapy; but there are things in the community that we knew we couldn't offer as a for-profit business, and so BaseCamp 31 was born as a 5013c nonprofit organization. BaseCamp offers community building experiences, and the opportunity to connect and do charitable deeds like helping the food pantry, Grow- a-Row, Hunterdon County United Way, and more. We organize the Main Street Half Marathon, and that's just one of several races through the BaseCamp nonprofit organization. We do the Run Before Christmas, Beautiful Beast, Clinton Township Country Run, and these runs are a great way to support community connection and build health in the community. C3Q: What is one of the mantras that you live by? JB: My own personal mindset is that if you are doing something really tough, like running a marathon, you should know that "All you need is within you now." C3Q: Thank you so much Justin, that is very inspirational and encouraging, and I know you'll help people change their lives and get healthier in 2022! Rachel Sprague, a resident of Clinton Township, has a degree in journalism from Rutgers. With her husband Russell, Rachel is raising two young children in the Clinton Township School District. She thinks that Clinton Township is a delightful place to live. "There are other gyms, but we aren't a gym; we're working to build lifelong relationships with people, and meeting people where they are. It's our job to help them achieve whatever they are looking for... We're more of a "human- achievement" company. " – Justin Bagley "Don't strive for perfection, and then throw things away when they are not perfect; doing a little bit of something consistently, even as little as four minutes a day at some higher intensity, can spur metabolic change. Start small and consistent, build a new habit, and let yourself enjoy the win." – Justin Bagley Justin Bagley, PT, DPT, a partner of Pro-Activity Associates Welcome to with Rachel Sprague * C linton ree Questions * t h e h u n T e r s h e l P i n g T h e h u n g r y p R o g R A M In 1997 the New Jersey State Senate and General Assembly passed a series of laws that the governor approved. These laws establishing a venison donation program process, along with the Food Bank Good Samaritan act, helped pave the way for the Hunters Helping the Hungry Program. The United Bow Hunters of New Jersey (UBNJ) provided much needed support for the above measures. A year later a few hunters organized Hunters Helping the Hungry, Inc. HHH is a non- profit 501(c)3 organization with the help of the State Federation of Sportsmen Clubs, and support from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. HHH raises funds and coordinates efforts by butchers, hunters and food banks throughout NJ. We're always looking for ideas, partnerships and volunteers to help in many ways. Funds from HHH only pay for venison donated by hunters. HHH does not pay for any municipal depredation hunts or farmer depredation hunts. Many farmers and corporations do support HHH through generous donations or allowing hunters to hunt their property or requiring hunters who hunt their property to donate deer through this program. To find out how you can help, visit: www.HuntersHelpingTheHungry.org.

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