Page 48 - BusinessWest January 9, 2023

CHAMBER CORNERS: UPCOMING EVENTS>>
1BERKSHIRE
(413) 499-1600; www.1berkshire.com
Jan. 20: Women & Minority Owned Business Certifi- cation Summit, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., hosted by Berkshire Innovation Center, 45 Woodlawn Ave., Pittsfield. 1Berkshire, EforAll Berkshire County, Pittsfield Eco- nomic Revitalization Corp., Berkshire Regional Plan- ning Commission, and Berkshire Innovation Center welcome any women- and/or minority-owned businesses in the Berkshires to join us for this free event that will provide information about becoming a certified women- and minority-owned business enterprise (WMBE), a space to network with fellow businesses, and direct access to resource providers who can walk you through the process of certifica- tion. This event is free and includes lunch. Registra- tion is required at www.1berkshire.com.
Jan. 31: 1Berkshire Entrepreneurial Meetup, 4:30- 6 p.m., hosted by Anahata Schoolhouse Yoga and Wellness Center, 201 North Summer St., Adams. Join us for our first Entrepreneurial Meetup of 2023. Reconnect with your colleagues and hear from owner Howard Rosenberg about his entrepreneurial
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journey. This event is free to attend and made pos- sible through the support of Pittsfield Cooperative Bank. Registration is required at www.1berkshire. com.
EAST OF THE RIVER FIVE TOWN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 575-7230; www.erc5.com
Jan. 4: ERC5 After 5, 5:30-6:30 p.m., location to
be announced. ERC5 After 5s happen on the first Wednesday of every other month. Please be sure to RSVP for future dates and secure your spot before they sell out. Cost is free, but registration is limited and required. To register, visit www.erc5.com.
GREATER EASTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 527-9414; www.easthamptonchamber.org
Jan. 19: Annual meeting, 12-2 p.m., hosted by the Boylston Room, 122 Pleasant St., Easthampton. Join us as we share the successes of the last year, what we have learned, and where we are headed. Cost:
$35 for members, including lunch; $40 for future members, including lunch. To register, visit east- hamptonchamber.org.
GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
(413) 568-1618; www.westfieldbiz.org
Jan. 4: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Westfield Gas & Electric Operations Center, 40 Turnpike Industrial Road, Westfield. Join us for the first Mayor’s Coffee Hour of 2023. Mayor Michael McCabe will update attendees on City Hall activities, and there will be an opportunity to ask the mayor questions. This event is free to attend. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org.
Jan. 26: Morning Brew, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Short- stop Bar & Grill, 99 Springfield Road, Westfield. Join us for a great networking opportunity. Introduce yourself and your business to the attendees. Every- one has a chance to discuss what their business does and what they are looking for to expand and improve. This event is free to attend. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org.
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Resolutions
ful if it doesn’t get the heart rate up for an extend- ed time. “That’s garbage. And one fewer cigarette is one fewer cigarette. It helps break a bad habit, as long as you have something to replace it with,” she said, adding that a good strategy is to delay how long you can go without one, and then keep extending that. “There’s this idea that one day you’re a smoker, and the next day you quit. But if you quit over four months, you still quit. Incremen- tal steps work for a lot of people.”
McConaha said it helps many people to not only break down their goals into small, actionable steps, but actually treat those steps like appoint- ments, not just vague intentions.
“If you’ve got a hair appointment, you’re
going to show up. If you’ve got a dentist appoint- ment, you’re going to show up at that time,” he explained. “A lot of people say, ‘I’m going to try to go to the gym tomorrow afternoon.’ Well, if you don’t have someone waiting for you there for that accountability, if you don’t have a specific appoint- ment, it’s very easy for other things to get in the way.”
Just as important is understanding the ‘why’ behind a goal, he added.
You say, ‘hey, I want to start working out.’ But what does that mean to you? Why are you doing that? Why is that going to benefit you? How is that going to make you feel? Do you want to be around longer for your kids? Do you want to be able to do certain things you haven’t been able to do in the past? Adding that specific why behind what they’re doing makes a big difference.”
The Rest of the Story
Another golden rule for general wellness is to get plenty of rest, said Dr. Karin Johnson, director
“Sleep is essential for our health and well-being, and get- ting a good night’s rest is important to help strengthen your immune system to fight infections, reduce stress, improve our mood, and to stay energized. Most adults function best with seven to eight hours of regular sleep.”
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DR. KARIN JOHNSON
of the Baystate Health Regional Sleep Program “Sleep is essential for our health and well- being, and getting a good night’s rest is important
to help strengthen your immune system to fight infections, reduce stress, improve our mood, and to stay energized,” she explained. “Most adults function best with seven to eight hours of regular sleep.”
And any set of wellness goals should include taking care of mental health as well, which can especially suffer around and just after the holi- days, said Dr. Stuart Anfang, vice chair of Psychia- try at Baystate Health.
“Don’t forget to take care of yourself emotional- ly as well as physically,” he urged. “Take relaxation breaks when needed; eat and drink in moderation; get plenty of sunlight, which helps avoid seasonal depression; avoid social isolation; and understand that you are not alone in feeling stressed. Volun- teering and giving to others less fortunate is a great way to get perspective and feel better about your own situation and stressors.”
At the heart of every effective fitness or well- ness plan is knowledge, McConaha said, as going
to the gym with no plan or no information about the equipment will only lead to frustration.
“It’s easy to take on too much at once and feel defeated,” he told BusinessWest. “If you come in and do one exercise wrong, and your back doesn’t feel great after that, that’s one more obstacle to something that’s already very challenging for people.”
With the right — meaning realistic — plan, and the knowledge and commitment to follow it, any- one can make positive resolutions that don’t fall away by Groundhog Day, he added.
“Our bodies are meant to move, and no matter what age you’re at, there’s always something you can do,” he said, adding that he’s worked with peo- ple from age 7 to 97. “You can walk. You can do very scaled versions of exercises. It’s just match- ing up the right plan with the right person. The older people get, the more they feel they’re too
old to start, but they’re not too old to do the right thing for them, whatever that might be.” BW