From the President Easter, the heart of Christianity is a time when we as believers reflect on God

and the ultimate sacrifice he made for us. It is also a time to personally reflect and renew our faith in Christ Jesus. So let us take the time to look inward and discover what Christ has for each of us to do while here on earth because God certainly has a divine plan for each of our lives; and what better time to spend with him than now to find out what those plans are.. This unwelcomed pan-demic has given us nothing but time to reflect, pray and to seek God’s face. Prayerfully my sisters you are hearing his voice. For we realize we are not alone, HE is with us always. In Holy Week as we close out the Lenten season, we are reminded of all the good God is and will continue

to be in heaven and on earth. Let us go forth and show his love by loving one another as he has loved us.

And let us continue to be his disciples by letting our light shine before man that they may see our good

works and glorify our father who is in heaven.

My Sorors, I leave you with Psalms 91:1-9 during this time of uncertainty.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

I pray that you and your families are safe and well.

Hope you had a Happy Easter.

Myra Key Carter, President

APRIL 2020

April is National Minority Health Month. The Office of Minority Health (OMH) and the Office of Disease

Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) are working together to focus on the theme of being Active &

Healthy. The objective of this initiative is to motivate the public by highlighting the tremendous benefits

of maintaining an active lifestyle (“National Minority Health Month”, 2020). Minor amounts of moderate

to vigorous physical activity has been shown to dramatically decrease the probability of being afflicted

with many of the diseases that disproportionately affect minorities, including heart disease, stroke, diabe-

tes, and cancer. Additionally, physical activity improves sleep, strengthens the heart, controls weight,

strengthens bones, improves mood, boosts energy, promotes better sleep, and enhances your sex life

(Mayo Clinic, 2019).

Maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle is imperative and key to understanding some of the health dis-

parities between African Americans and other populations. A central goal of the Office of Minority

Health is to decrease these health disparities.

According to Census Bureau projections,

the 2015 life expectancies at birth for

blacks are 76.1 years, with 78.9 years

for women, and 72.9 years for men. For

non-Hispanic whites the projected life

expectancies are 79.8 years, with 82.0

years for women, and 77.5 years for

men. The death rate for African Ameri-

cans is generally higher than whites for

heart diseases, stroke, cancer, asthma,

influenza and pneumonia, diabetes,

HIV/AIDS, and homicide.

PHYSCIAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

To combat these social health disparities, one of the easiest things we can do get more physical activity.

Small changes to one's daily routine can transform lives and reduce the risk of chronic diseases and other

conditions that often are more common or severe among racial and ethnic minority groups ("National Mi-

nority Health Month", 2020). According to

the Department of Health and Human Ser-

vices adults should maintain adhere to the

following recommendations:

At least 150 minutes a week of moderate aer-

obic activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous

aerobic activity, or a combination of moder-

ate and vigorous activity (running, swimming,

walking, jogging).

Strength training exercises for all major mus-

cle groups at least two times a week (i.e., include lifting free weights, using weight machines or doing body-

weight training. (Mayo Clinic, 2019)

The United States Health and Human Services recommends various ways that you can exercise and add

physical movement into your routine. These exercises include aerobic, muscle training, bone-

strengthening, and balance and stretching activities. ("Ways to be Active" 2020)

Aerobic activities cause you to breathe harder and your heart to beat faster. Aerobic activities can be mod-

erate or vigorous in their intensity levels.

How do you know how hard you are exercising?

Moderate activity feels somewhat hard. Here are clues that your exercise intensity is at a moderate level:

Your breathing quickens, but you're not out of breath.

You develop a light sweat after about 10 minutes of activity.

You can carry on a conversation, but you can't sing.

Vigorous activity feels challenging. Here are clues that your exercise intensity is at a vigorous level:

Your breathing is deep and rapid.

You develop a sweat after only a few minutes of activity.

You can't say more than a few words without pausing for breath.

Another way of knowing how intense you are exercising is to measure your heart rate. The American Heart

Association generally recommends a target heart rate of:

Moderate exercise intensity: 50% to about 70% of your maximum heart rate

Vigorous exercise intensity: 70% to about 85% of your maximum heart rate

So how do you know if you're in your target heart rate zone?

You can use an activity tracker to check your heart rate regularly while you exercise

Or use these steps to check your heart rate during exercise:

Stop briefly.

Take your pulse for 15 seconds. To check your pulse over your carotid artery, place your index and third

fingers on your neck to the side of your windpipe. To check your pulse at your wrist, place two fingers

between the bone and the tendon over your radial artery — which is located on the thumb side of

your wrist.

Multiply this number by 4 to calculate your beats per minute.

Use the chart above to determine if you are in the range for your age.

Muscle-strengthening activities make your muscles stronger. Everyone knows lifting weights will strength your muscles. But others are also useful such as working with resistance bands, heavy gardening, such as digging and shoveling, climbing stairs, hill walking, cycling, dance, push-ups, sit-ups and squats.

Bone-strengthening activities make your bones stronger and are especially important for children and ado-

lescents, as well as older adults. These activities produce an impact or tension force on the bones that pro-

motes bone growth and strength. Examples of bone-strengthening activities include hopping, skipping,

jumping rope, running, gymnastics, lifting weights, volleyball, tennis and basketball.

Balance and stretching activities enhance physical stability and flexibility, which reduces the risk of injuries. There are several websites that have suggestions for stretching exercises but this particular one had instruc-tions and pictures with ease of use. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cardiac-rehab/getting-physically-active/stretching-and-flexibility-exercises. Balance exercises help strengthen your core and thus prevents back injuries and falls. Yoga and Tai Chi are great exercises to improve your balance. Exercises you can do at home are heel to toe walk, weight shifts, and one leg balance. Health and Human Services further provides ways that we can add more movement into our daily lives with-out much effort. These include:

• Taking the steps instead of the elevator/escalator • Get off the bus/subway one stop earlier and walk the remaining distance • Replace your coffee break with an outdoor walk • Walk the golf course instead of using a cart • Wash your car (manually & at home) • Plant and maintain a vegetable garden • Get yardwork in (shovel snow and rake the leaves) • Experience your inner child (Play & have some fun) • Enjoy Nature (Go for hike or bike ride) • Join a community Sports League • Walking with your Sorors

Information submitted by Marlena Brown. Edited by Tanya Randall, MD

References

https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/Content.aspx?ID=12481&lvl=2&lvlid=12 https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/aahealth/images/graphic-a_920px.png https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389

https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/be-active/ways-to-be-active/index.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise-intensity/art-20046887

A word from Ritual and Ceremonies

The sorority’s jewels are featured every month in various chapter venues. They remind us of why

we became members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and the importance of uplifting

the ideas of sisterhood.

In March the jewel Honesty was the focus:

Honesty

“When you walk a life of honesty you live a life of truth” – shared by Soror Janice Keener

When you stand for honesty, you believe in yourself and everything you represent. When you stand for hon-

esty, everything you say carries the voice of credibility. But, when you’re dishonest, your soiled reputation will

do the speaking for you. - Frank Sonnenberg.

There are several things you can do to demonstrate honesty:

• Think before you speak. • Bend over backward to communicate in an open and honest fashion. • Simplify your statements so that everyone clearly understands your message. • Tell it like it is, rather than sugarcoating it. • Present both sides of each issue to engender objectivity. • If you have a personal bias or a conflict of interest, make it known. • Tell people the rationale behind your decisions so that your intent is understood. • If something is misinterpreted, quickly correct the record. • Don’t shoot the messenger when someone tells you the truth. Thank them for their honesty and treat the information provided as a gift. • Willingly accept responsibility by admitting a mistake or an error in judgment — in a timely fashion • Hold people accountable when their words do not match their actions. Never compromise your integrity and reputation by associating yourself with people whose stand-ards of integrity you mistrust. Source: https://www.franksonnenbergonline.com/blog/honesty-the-plain-and-simple-truth/

For the month of April we present the jewel Justice:

Justice

Words to live by

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will

never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou

“Stand up for Justice! Nothing will work unless you do.” - Maya Angelou

“Overcoming Poverty is Not a Task of Charity, It Is an Act of Justice” – Nelson Mandela

“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its desti-

nation full of hope.” Maya Angelou

A word from Ritual and Ceremonies brought to you by Rituals and Ceremonies Committee

Chapter Meeting Dates

Sept Oct Nov Dec

27 25 22 20

Jan Feb Mar April

24 28 27 24

May June

15 26

TO CHAPTER MEETING

All chapter meetings and execu-tive board meetings will be con-ducted via Zoom until further no-tice. You can either download the Zoom App or use the internet Zoom.com to gain access to the conference meeting.

A link with the meeting number and password will be sent to chap-ter members via email.

Our Technology Task team plans to host a Zoom tutorial as well as a mock election prior to April’s chapter meeting

Meetings are held on the 4th Friday of the

month, 7PM, Jersey Shore Medical Center .

Lance Auditorium (Oct-June) unless other-

wise noted.

BUSINESS ATTIRE

Business attire is traditionally a business suit

or other clothing that reflects a professional

style. No denim

E-Board Meeting Dates

Sept Oct Nov Dec

8 13 10 8

Jan Feb Mar April

12 2 8 5

May June

3 14

April 15

Karen Lake

April 22

Patrice Huggins-Dickey