USCA Workshop: Beyond Meds and Labs: A Practical Guide to Nutrition, Health and Wellness
Congratulations to Valerie Wojciechowicz who has been selected as a presenter at the 2010 United States Conference on AIDS in Orlando. Valerie is a long-time consumer advocate within her community and the state of Florida as a Statewide Consumer Advisory Group Member and an educator for the Manatee County Health Department. She participated in PEER Center/PETS-sponsored capacity-building and training-of-trainers workshops in February and has secured some seed money to start a peer program at Community AIDS Network (CAN), an AIDS service organization in Sarasota. Valerie held her first peer training in May, assisted by Shalini Eddens of the Lotus Project.
Valerie is renowned for her national participation on workgroups to advance knowledge and training for women. She promotes HIV care through a holistic approach of good health through exercise, eating right and being in tune with your body. Her passion as an aerobics instructor makes her presentations exciting and filled with music and HIV information that sticks with you. Don't miss her workshop at USCA:
Beyond Meds and Labs: A practical guide to Nutrition, Health and Wellness
Monday, September 13, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Topic: Self-care.
Using a strengths-based approach, this interactive session will address healthier living by incorporating better nutrition, fitness, stress reduction and coping skills. This session will engage the audience and help them to identify ways to be successful at better health. Emphasis will be placed on setting manageable goals and gradually implementing change in these areas.
Issues: Many leave the work to their HCP's and medications and neglect other areas of care-but there are many things we can each do to live more positively, productively and proactively. It is time to move beyond merely surviving and looking at numbers. Improving healthy behaviors can help in other areas such as: delaying the onset of diabetes, controlling cholesterol and weight, improving strength and mood which leads to better adherence and overall health outcomes. Empowerement comes from successfully being part of your own medical team. This means more than labs and meds.
Learning Objectives: This workshop will provide the audience with friendly, accessible, practical strategies to improve self-care and reduce stress. It will include discussions about barriers to achieving these goals and the steps to change which will help them to begin the process through an easy adaptable method that anyone can do at any stage in their health. Participants will use a self-evaluation tool to leave with a plan to begin or improve upon a healthy behavior.
Strategies: Being a successful motivational speaker, life coach, personal trainer and aerobics instructor for 20 years provides part of my background. Being HIV+ 23 yrs. maintaining a 90-pound weight loss for 20 years, and 23 years in recovery enhances my credibility. By weaving parts of my personal journey into the presentation, participants will gain confidence in their own abilities. The goal of improved health and overall harm reduction will be realized through PowerPoint and lecture presentations with thought-provoking group and brainstorming activities.
