Baltimore County, MD Time of Your LIfe, 3 Jul 2023

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From YouTube: Cigna Continues Commitment to BCDA's 5K Run,1 Mile Walk In Twelfth Year

Description

Jason Youngblood, Senior Director,
Cigna Healthcare’s Behavioral Center of Excellence and Operations

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Welcome back to the time of your life, I'm your host, ethel rasmussen.,.

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Events like bcda's get ready, get set, get fit, 5k run,.

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1-Mile walk is only possible through the generous support of sponsors.

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With us today is jason youngblood, senior director,.

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Cigna's behavioral center of excellence and operations.

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Welcome to the show, jason.

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Hi, ethel., it is so great to be here with you. Today. thank you.

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Bcda is thrilled to offer the run, walk in person and virtually for.

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All of baltimore county. for the 12th year, cigna healthcare is the presenting sponsor of baltimore county's department of aging.

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Get ready, get set,, get fit, run walk.

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jason,. Can you talk about cigna's commitment to the event,, their level of.

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Participation, and also the relevance of this event to the health of mature adults?.

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Yeah, absolutely., I think this is the 12th year. Cigna is the presenting sponsor of this.

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Event, the get ready, get set, get fit, 5k run, 1-mile run walk.

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So we are very excited about that.

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baltimore county department of aging has hosted this event for.

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The last dozen years.- it is always a terrific event..

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It brings members of the community together..

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It brings out a lot of seniors in the community and family members and friends.

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You mentioned it's in person,, so you can be there in person,, but.

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Also, there's virtual components as well., so people who maybe can't participate in person can still get the experience.

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But bringing members of our community together to focus on health and.

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Well-Being and connectedness., so it is a very exciting event.

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I know cigna healthcare's philosophy strongly supports physical activity.

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Can you explain to our viewing audience why?.

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Yes, absolutely. exercise doesn't just help your body stay stronger and more flexible,.

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It helps our brains as well., it helps with our emotions and the ability to regulate our emotions, and.

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It helps with our cognitive capabilities,, especially as we age.

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So for seniors,, staying physically active and.

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Fit actually reduces falling risk and it increases overall stamina and.

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Essentially, improving quality of life, as we age.

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So, let's break it down into two different kinds of physical activity.

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First, there's weights and weightlifting.

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now sadly,. Once we hit 40 every year,, we start losing muscle mass, very slowly.

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And so as we get older,, it is really important to focus on building some muscle.

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So lifting weights,, when you lift weights,.

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It actually decreases arthritis,, it decreases weight, gain,.

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It decreases back pain,, but it also helps decrease depression as well.

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Endurance or cardio activity also really important, as we age.

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And when I'm talking about cardio,, I'm thinking about things like walking and.

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Running, swimming and dancing., it is good for our heart,, our lungs,, our overall cardiovascular system.

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It's important to know: though, exercise doesn't have to be pricey or expensive.

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You don't have to have a gym membership to do. It.

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If you are a member of cigna, healthcare,, medicare, advantage, or.

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Another medicare advantage program that could include things like a gym.

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Membership,, a discount, or even weights where people can work out at home.

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So it's never too late to begin an exercise. Program.

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Always good to check with your doctor before you do,, but.

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Events like this are a great place,, maybe to start or.

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Be with others who are participating in this active lifestyle.

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The social aspects of the run walk are also beneficial.

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Can you talk about how events like these can energize attendees?.

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Yeah, absolutely. well, physical activity for me, being active, sometimes is the only time.

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In my day, where I'm not with people in my home and I love them or with my coworkers.

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So sometimes physical activity is the only time I'm connecting with members of.

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My community. and as we think, about vitality and having higher levels of vitality,, especially as we get older,.

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And vitality really is the ability to pursue our lives with health and vigor.

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Not only is physical health and emotional health important,.

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But that social connectedness is essential.

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And so activities like this, as you prepare for them and.

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As we gather together to celebrate,, you are a member of.

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A community celebrating the mind and the body and the connection.

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And these events energize people not just on that day, but moving forward.

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I just participated in a running event.

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and I'll. Tell you,. There was one point, ethel, where I wanted to stop running and.

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There were some people cheering on the side..

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They physically transmitted their energy to me, and I'm still feeling it today.

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So,, I think events like this really help pull the community together and.

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Just get people connected., hey, and there's a little bonus when you do exercise and activity improves your sleep and your mood, and your memory.

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So it's a win, win all around.

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It definitely is. as you know, jason,. This is an intergenerational event.

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Please share how attending can be fun and beneficial for all ages.

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Yeah,, so having done this event,, one of my favorite things is seeing families in multiple generations.

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Young children in strollers or toddling along,, their parents,, grandparents, and.

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Great-Grandparents, sometimes three and four generations from each family,.

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And people who love and support them in the community.

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And so it's nice to see these generations all coming together and.

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Focusing on the common theme of health and well-being and fitness and community.

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And so I think it is very exciting for younger folks.

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My team from cigna healthcare will be there., we'll be giving out some fun trinkets and things for everyone.

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But I think, as we age,, it becomes really important for us to set examples for.

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Those who are a little younger.

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frankly,, I think younger folks, often think that we've got things figured out,.

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But ethel, I'll never forget seeing my own grandmother lift weights.

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And she didn't have weights., she used canned goods. and so every morning, when I would see her, she would be lifting weights and that.

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Has stuck with me because without saying it,, she demonstrated that taking care.

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Of her body was as important of taking care of her mind and everything else.

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So I think inspiring our children to have healthy lifestyles from.

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An early age is a gift that will keep on giving for generations to come.

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It definitely is. jason,, thank you for being on the show today.

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on behalf of the department of aging,. Thank you for cigna healthcare's support and sharing your valuable time to discuss the runwalk.

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I look forward to seeing you there.

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Yes, thank you, ethel,. You too.

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We're gonna take a short break,, but first, mark your calendar for.

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The power of age expo on october, the 26th at the maryland state fairgrounds.

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Expo returns with a show that offers resources and information,.

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Continuous live, entertainment,, special feature areas, and a wide range of.

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Exhibitors or vendors, vaccines,, free health, screenings, and so much more.

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For sponsorship and exhibitor information or program book advertising,.

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Please give me a call at 410 887-2002.