5-5-21 | Kathy Moore from Public Health - Muskegon County. We discuss the Governors "Vac to Normal" program when restrictions will be lifted as vaccination levels are attained. Muskegon County is right on par with the program with the percentages. Will there be a necessity for the "card", Kathy doesn't think so. Some of the restrictions were lifted yesterday like up to 100 people at an outdoor gathering. Availability of testing and vaccines is getting really simple at your local drug store or health care facility. Call ahead and make sure though. Stay the course on precautions, wash hands, stay a safe distance and don't hang all over each other just yet.

It's go time.  Happy Monday from Fit and Healthy on the Muskegon Channel and Fit and Healthy With Becky brought to you by Mercy Health.  It's action filled!  It's packed with energy.  You'll be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.  Ok, that might have gone a little over the top but we're into this show for 188 episodes for a reason...people are watching and getting fitter and healthier!

Can you feel the calmness of a Sunday morning in the air?  Can you feel the Zen falling all around you?  The soft music, the gentle splash of the waves?  Or maybe you hear Spongerbob off in the background.  Well, it's time to turn him off and settle in for a few minutes of peace with Caitlin Andreson on the Muskegon Channel with Tranquil Waves Yoga.  

Caitlin is bringing a new experience to you this week, it's a gentle core and back sequence that will give you some flexibility along with some time to quiet your mind and reset some of those joints you don't take such good care of week in and week out.  She's banking up quite a few episodes now, so you can always find more on deman here or on the Muskegon Channel for Roku or Amazon Fire TV devices, but for now let's dig in to episode 17 of Tranquil Waves Yoga on the Muskegon Channel.

Kathy Moore Director of Public Health - Muskegon County shares COVID news on our weekly update. We're a touch late as she had a family matter. Johnson and Johnson is back and deemed safe once again. Andy wonders about the difference between men and women when in comes to side effects. What about a mask with a clear screen in it? Safe? CDC has new guidelines for those fully vaccinated for outdoor activities. Will be on the County website later today. What about those skipping the second dose? Numbers? How we doing? Is testing still going on? Yep! Find out where. Some final thoughts on moving to the next stage while we adapt and change. We check out for this week and we'll see you then.

"Your 2000 Parts".  You may remember that from the old soap commercial, or maybe it's such ancient history that it's long been forgotten.  Anyway, you are going to be using all your 2000 parts for this work out and nothing more.  There will be times when you find some of your 2000 parts on the floor, they may be reaching for the sky, maybe criss crossing, jumping....starting to get the picture?

Have a hard time turning it off at night?  Truth be told, most probably do.  From the stress of daily life to the the amount of screen time we spend on out TV's, phones, tablets etc, by the time it's time for bed, the level of input is just being processed.  We are overwhelmed if we want to admit it or not.  Well, this week Caitlin Anderson has some simple relaxing steps to take to settle your mind and body before bed and hopefully you rest a little more soundly. 

We begin with SNOW. So, don't blame us. The big news this week a northern are vaccination clinic. Public Health – Muskegon County is offering a “walk-in” opportunity to receive a COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, April 23 from 8:30 am to 4:00pm at the Viking Athletic Center, 541 E. Slocum St. Whitehall. Age 16 and older; parent or guardian must accompany those under 18. Pfizer vaccine will be administered. How are the numbers? Kathy says not panic worthy but not to let caution go to the wind. How it monitoring going for restaurants that are over capacity? Kathy again thanks all the front line workers and we'll see you next week.

So, you wake up only to find that the work you did to premiere Fit and Healthy With Becky on the Muskegon Channel has some how gotten lost and that it all starts over.  YAY!  It's been that kind of week folks.

Kathy Moore from Public Health - Muskegon County makes her weekly visit about COVID-19. Still kind of too early to tell if there will be a Spring Break spike. We hope not. Andy asks to have "antigen test" explained. How tests are not duplicated. To the mail bag. Questions answered about particular kinds of masks as well as any statistics on those who've have vaccinations who still get COVID-19. The actual thoughts behind the J&J vaccine. COVID-19 is still new and ever changing, mask up, wash hands and stay tuned to the Muskegon Channel for vaccination clinic updates.

Were you surprised last Monday when Becky didn't pop up at 6a to get your week going?  It was Spring Break and you've put a lot in, so, in her infinite wisdom she granted a week off!  See?  She's not all work and no play.  But we're back to it and ready to roll now that the break is over and she's trying a little different approach. 

Happy Sunday!  Hopefully you're waking to a relaxing morning and a great start!  This week we don't have a lot of explaining to do when to comes to what Caitlin Anderson is doing when it comes to Tranquil Waves Yoga.  No big hard words, no articulate explanations of how you're going to contort.  Just a seated stretch for your lower back and legs!

Kathy Moore is the director of Public Health - Muskegon County and we're talking COVID-19 in the county for April 7th 2021. Spring Breaks is a very welcome relief to many all that's being asked, personal responsibility and accountability and basic courtesy in hygiene. Michigan and a handful of other states have increased positive cases, Kathy explains why in plain English. Variants that have emerged in Muskegon County. How wording in media effects reaction to what's intended when you hear it from different organizations. Certain language needs to be used at times and the general public might not get it. How to proceed? Some are ready to go faster, others are still "in the slow lane" and consideration between everyone is essential. There is TESTING available this weekend at MCC on Sunday from 11a-6p. A rapid test followed by the standard test if the rapid test shows positive. This testing is from the Muskegon Area ISD. What to expect over the next few weeks? Probably an uptick but the sky isn't falling. We all want back to normal. We'll do it again next week.

It's becoming one of the more sought after segments here on the Muskegon Channel!  Tranquil Waves Yoga with Catilin Anderson is catching on and her weekly faithful are either coming here to learn Yoga or keep up on what they already know.....or maybe they are just over due for a few minutes of quiet and relaxing interaction where the mind body and spirit can relax a little.  Sure, we launch the stories on Sunday mornings but the good vibes can be had any time right here online or on the Muskegon Channel for Roku and Amamzon Fire TV devices.  It's just a great honor to have Caitlin with us and sharing her passion with the audience.

Kathy Moore from Public Health - Muskegon County updates us on COVID in Muskegon County. The very successful clinic at Muskegon Community College last weekend was thanks to so many. How a clinic goes without any waste. Age groups are opening to anyone at this point. Younger people are showing more signs of infection, gradual but steady and hospitalization is increasing but manageable by Mercy Health who Kathy gives very high praise to. Some of this increase is due to the older age groups being vaccinated. Spring Break tips, please stay safe.

With the all age groups opening up, it's more important now than ever to get registered to get your vaccination.  You can use either link below to register at Muskegon County or Meijer for your chance to help stop the spread.

For the last few weeks, Becky has been implementing some different tools around the gym to help you get the most out of what your are putting in to being Fit and Healthy.  She strives weekly to find ways to keep you motivated, engaged and things changed up so boredom doesn't become a factor in the repetition of what's going on.  Keep in mind too, that switching up what you're doing and what you're doing it with adds to the progress your body gets internally keeping muscle groups wondering what's next and activating "pieces parts" you may have ever forgotten about.  That's where all that Certified Personal Trainer stuff comes in.  She's kind of a big deal.

Here comes the sun!  Well, half of it anyway!  Caitlin Anderson is here with a new yoga sequence for you this week on Tranquil Waves Yoga on the Muskegon Channel!  A half sun salutation is the part of the full sequence that is done at the front of your mat before you step or jump back. It is often used as a warm-up for the longer sequence and is a good way to start a home practice session.  It's a calming and relaxing way to begin your week with a a little care for your mind and body!  Caitlin loves to share the discipline with all of us and from the incredibly steady numbers she sees weekly here, we're pretty happy to say, her passion is catching on!

Kathy Moore Director of Public Health - Muskegon County speaks today about Covid in Muskegon. The biggest news is that there is FREE OPEN CLINIC SATURDAY for ANYONE 60 OR OLDER at Muskegon Community College beginning at 9am. This is a chance to get it done before the age groups open wide. Covid is still out there, and numbers are ticking up, with younger and younger age groups. Spring Break is coming up. Please remember to do your part even when taking some time off. How does Kathy address those who are in denial or defiant still? An amazing answer to this. Final reminder FREE AND OPEN CLINIC SATURDAY TO ANYONE 60+ AT MUSKEGON COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

Walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinic being held March 27 for Muskegon County residents 60+ and their spouses.

It's the return of the kettle bell!  Yes, it's an innocent enough looking thing being just a ball with a handle on it, but...the deception is in the density of it all and how they can manage to pack in so much weight into a tiny little device like this...well, that's why the fitness guru's are making the big bucks and keeping people in such good shape.  Think of it however as something that can give you a multitude of use, it's pretty easy to store if you just tuck it away behind a coffee table or couch and when you break it out to use it, you're adding all kinds of superhero powers to your strength training and cardio work out!

We're a dozen deep!!  Tranquil Waves Yoga is a pre-teen on the Muskegon Channel and this week, Caitlin is going to start showing some moves that some might struggle with at times.  We've see all kinds of things in the beginners stages, but this week it's a transition from one pose to another and it's going to require a little balance, strength and since it's new...there may even be blooper reel, but that's perfectly of because you are in the privacy of your home and learning an entirely new thing.  Sure, there might be a kid or a dog watching, but they could use a laugh.  :)

Kathy Moore from Public Health - Muskegon County joins us a ay early this week to discuss COVID in Muskegon for the week of March 16h. ZERO deaths from COVID in March or the last 2 weeks of Feb. Amazing news. How has COVID help Muskegon shine when it comes to those who rally together to solve problems. It's truly been remarkable. Common courtesy and the adaptability of our society compared to others. Where did the cold and flu season go? Find out! The speed of vaccinations, the age groups being focused on and how quickly things will open up for everyone. Final thoughts of deep gratitude from Kathy for everyone who's pitched in.

It's beautiful new week on tap and Becky is ready to help get you toned up for Spring with a lower body workout this week.  We're at The Gym in North Muskegon and ready to reshape those legs, thigs and buttocks so when the swim suit season is finally upon us, all you'll have to really worry about is getting a nice healthy little tan on them and then strut your stuff all up and down the beach.  It's part of Becky's over all approach of making sure that from your head down to your toes, you're in the best shape you can muster and she's here to guide you every step of the way.

There's another one of those new words!  Here you thought that we'd only be doing some body moves and stretching stuff on Tranquil Waves Yoga with Caitlin Anderson.  Nope!  Not here on the Muskegon Channel!  You're getting the whole immersive experience lingo and all so that when you have had your samples here and things get back to "normal" and you're thinking about being part of a yoga experience in person, you'll walk right in ready to go!  We're super smart like that! 

  MUSKEGON, Mich. March 12, 2021, Mercy Health Muskegon and Public Health Muskegon County hosted a discussion to update media and the public on the community’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution response. The update included information on their goals for vaccinations, a new vaccine clinic activation at Shape Corporation and additional planned efforts to help make the vaccine accessible for our more vulnerable populations.

An update from Kathy Moore at Public Health - Muskegon County for March 10th. Muskegon County numbers are still lower than surrounding communities and that's a good thing. 2 variants have been found in the county and they are being monitored closely. Our timeline on returning to normal and why things are still getting cancelled. Vaccines are coming in to Muskegon at a much more steady pace. People can turn down a particular manufacturer of a vaccine and wait, however they can't pick and choose. Setting up a specialty clinic for members of the community under special circumstances. The next few steps? Slow and steady as it goes, please follow the relaxed guidelines but be cautious and how thankful we all are to have the community we do around us. We're the best at circling the wagons in Muskegon.

Here we are!!!  Spring fever is grabbing hold quick and we're all ready for the sun, sand and the great outdoors.  However, let's take a look at those chicken wings you've got going there.  Hey, it's time to face the music that tank tops are coming back out and a little toning up can't hurt.  While we're at it, how about a little help for the rest of the upper body?  Well, my friend, you've come to the right place!  It's a new week and a new episode of Fit and Healthy With Becky on the Muskegon Channel brought to you by Merch Health!

Tranquil Waves Yoga with Caitlin Anderson is the Sunday morning we love to provide!  Take away the hustle and bustle of the daily 9-5 and focus on yourself for a little bit.  Let go of the stress, try something new when it comes to your mind and body and use the comfort of your own home to see if it's right for you and if so, take the next step to a virtual visit with Caitlin for the time, and when she opens her own place, you can dive in head first. 

Any Muskegon County resident who is 75 and older and has not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine can quickly do so at a local health provider.

We catch up on the numbers and percentages. All trending down and good. Vaccinations are going quicker and the call is out to anyone 65 or older to get it done. If there's been any confusion, call and make an appointment 65+ Kathy has "5 Minutes of Facts" on some of the speculation, fear and reactions all over. Great advice on how to adapt on easing restrictions, where to still be safe and when to give a little if you see something and what to report if you feel the need. How the vaccine is going community to community. The J&J vaccine arrived today. Fatigue all around and we'll plan on hopefully more good news next week!

By Roger Rapoport

Muskegon County's outstanding mental health services will be the focus of a special Zoom event Wednesday March 3 at 4:30 pm.  Coming Up For Air Director Robert Cicchini, will join Actor/Production Designer Kirk Wahamaki, Health West’s Michael Pyne and myself, the film’s producer and co-screenwriter, for this hour long community conversation.

Welcome to Monday and a new opportunity to shine!  Becky is ready to roll at The Gym in North Muskegon on the 4 Corners and this week she's packing a step to add in a little variety and resistance.  Becky's workout's are always planned to be accessible to just about any fitness level.  If you are just starting out and don't have all of the stuff, that's ok.  A step on your stairs will do just fine.  If you are a little more advanced and have some of the equipment you see, great get to it!  The important thing is...participation at any level.  It's just as simple as moving.

Sunday Morning!!  Let's find some balance and center and let's have Caitlin Anderson be our guide on Tranquil Waves Yoga!  It's a great way to give yourself a little break and learn some skills that you can carry with you for years and you can kind of get the feel for in the privacy of your own home.  It's been an emerging practice in the USA for a while, but worldwide, it's a daily event for millions and they rely on this ancient discipline.  Caitlin is working digitally now, but in time and as her audience grows, she'll open her own yoga studio some day, but for now, between her shows here and her private tutorials that you can learn more about on her website, she's building a client base and to have her pick us to help get started, we're honored!

With the current pandemic still holding on like it is, after the first of the year the US Government made a move to help those who need insurance coverage be able to get it through the Affordable Care Act with a special enrollment period that lasts from February 15th 2021 - May 15th of 2021.  This special enrollment period will allow individuals and families in states with Marketplaces served by the HealthCare.gov platform to enroll in 2021 health insurance coverage.  It's very much needed as we have all seen what impact can happen with our health in all kinds of situations.

Well, it's not a message of gloom and doom this week as we speak with Kathy Moore who's the Director of Public Health - Muskegon County.  A momentary ZERO figure at Mercy Hospital with Covid.  How we are all overly fatigued on all things Covid.  The UK variant was found in the county, but it was handled appropriately.  A question from a viewer on finding variants.  How does it work?  The pace of Muskegon's vaccination is improving, learn some more.  The low average numbers for a while and things are in the right direction.  Stay safe!

It's our partnership with Mercy Health that affords us the incredible opportunities to bring the most incredible guests right to you when it comes to health and wellness in Muskegon.  I mean, it's not every day you get to sit down and speak with a Structural Heart Specialist like Dr. Noah Thormeier.  Not only do you get the chance to talk with him, it's not limited to 30 second sound bytes that may leave you with more questions than answers.  It's an amazing way of engagement and we're so thankful to the organization and the good Dr. for the time.

Up and at 'em and let's get to another glorious week kicked off by the one and only Fit and Healthy With Becky!  It's been a great way for Becky to continue her passion for fitness for all and to help stem the tide of all the shutdown's and restrictions and the difficulties they have caused for so many.  While all the numbers are down and the restrictions lift, things are slowly creeping back to normal.  The Gym in North Muskegon is once again open, as are other work out facilities, but...we were into home workout programs before they were even cool.  So, here we are to get this week started again!

It's a Sunday morning and it's a chance to decompress a little.  We welcomed Caitlin Anderson at the beginning of 2021 to assist with that and to help her get her feet planted a little as she works to grow her life's passion of sharing yoga with people and one day, maybe open a studio to complete her dream one day soon.  Opening a studio at the moment?  Might be a little on the challenging side as we're riding out the tail end of all we've been through, but hey, we can adapt and Caitlin has too offering more personal experiences via digital classes and introductory segments like you'll see here today.

It's a time to remember. Would like you to think back to when you were little and first forming your thoughts about going to the Doctor for any number of things.  Maybe is was a check up, maybe it was for those shots we all had to have as kids, or maybe you were a kid that needed a little more attention.  Those formative years probably dictate how you see visiting a Dr. now and how you were treated, that can continue to have an impression.  Today, I got to do something most grandparents don't, I got to visit with a Pediatrician and we talked a little about the importance of making sure that your kids are still being seen for all the "normal" kid stuff while they are growing up and we talked too about some of the extenuating circumstances that he as a physician sees today.

Kathy Moore, Director of Public Health - Muskegon County joins us for her update on Feb 17th. Numbers are averaging down, it's a sigh of relief. Doesn't mean all bets are off when it comes to safety needs. Supply is short and coming in as fast as it can. The question about vaccine lists and how to get on them. There are a few. Great info here. We try to clear up some of the confusion around who and when gets their shot. How fragile are these vaccines? It's all been a moving target for almost a year. It continues to change all the time. Kathy asks that you help those who might not know how to get on a list to be vaccinated. We close for this report. 

Winter finally hit us.  For some, enduring the pandemic has been hard.  The days grew short over the last few months and the never ending cycle of everything we see in traditional media......it's getting to the point of needing to blow off some serious steam and a stationary bike might not exactly be enough of a release.  It's time to use physical fitness to hit something!

We're back on a Sunday and that means a super chill start with some Tranquil Waves Yoga With Caitlin Anderson.  This is a great way to clear your mind, set a relaxed pace for the day and the week and maybe even try something out new in the comfort of your own home before you take it to the next level.  Super cool too that your helping Caitlin as she's working toward her goal of opening her own yoga studio some day here in town where the masses will attend and grab some collective Zen while practicing this ancient discipline.

Was the invention of dumbbells the greatest step in the history of working out?  It might very well have been because Becky is able to find more things to do with them than just about any other implement in The Gym on the 4 Corners in North Muskegon and she's here today to help put them to use for the betterment of everyone in this weeks episode of Fit and Healthy.

If you can't pronounce it, it's gotta be good when it comes to yoga right?  Hey, it's all new to us as well and Caitlin Anderson is here with another episode of Tranquil Waves Yoga on the Muskegon Channel.  This week, the discipline is called Ujjayi Pranayama.  It's pronounced "ooh-JAH-yee prah-nah-YAH-mah".  You'll want to fill your lungs completely and breathe through your nose.

An update from Kathy Moore Director of Public Health - Muskegon County about COVID here for February 3rd. Some numbers. Our death rate is higher still than surrounding communities, why the disparity? Vaccination rollout is going, but it's understood everyone is in a rush. Patience is asked. None of the new strains have been identified in Muskegon yet thankfully. Over all, communicable diseases are down, like the flu, Kathy explains why. Restaurants, school sports. Hopes that more vaccine soon and know that everyone is all on on getting things moving as fast as it can.

We take great pride in our relationship with Mercy Health in Muskegon and the thousands of people who make the organization what it is.  We have world class health care available to all of us, right here in a fairly small community and the fact that we don't have to travel far for much, is a great blessing to all of us.