One of the reasons that this year's annual conference was such a success was the variety of workshops offered to attendees.

Among the best attended of these break-out sessions were the lifestyles workshops. These classes focused on giving people with disabilities the building blocks to live a more healthful life.

The morning started off with a standing room only session on “Healthy Cooking,” presented again this year by Ann Marie Sheldon of Wegmans.

Sheldon's cooking class is always well attended. The presentations are always quick, informative and fun, and there wasn't a question she couldn't answer from the enthusiastic crowd.

Sheldon says the key to a quick and accomplished meal is achieved in a four-step process. First step is to get everything together and ready before you go on to step two, then no time is wasted scrambling for ingredients and utensils in steps two, three and four.

We watched Sheldon pan sear salmon, grill a chicken kabob and blanch a jicama asparagus red pepper corn salad. The recipes from the session can be found in Wegmans Menu magazine.

After getting a first-hand demonstration of how easily achievable a good meal can be, attendees went on to a workshop that helped identify how to ensure that those delicious meals were as good for you as they taste.

Becky Crawford and Julia Tucker of Cornell Cooperative Extension treated the conference to a session on nutrition.

Fresh in season berries on French toast, English muffin pizza with veggies and smaller portions (of course) were on the menu of things we can make and do to eat better, feel better and live a long, healthy life.

The presenters sang the praises of olive oil, anti-oxidants and local farmers markets, as ways to help your nutrition and improve your meal's flavor.

At the end of the seminar, attendees were treated to a nutritious snack of low fat vanilla yogurt sliced bananas and other fruit, and took home a surprise gift of measuring cups or spoons.  

After lunch the topic turned to an often overlooked aspect of our quality of life: Stress reduction.

Lesley Kennedy, of Down to Earth Yoga, presented the workshop with the premise that stress relief is not a function of getting things under control out side of our selves, but rather breaking the habit of thinking about stressful and anxious “stories” that we continually play in our minds.

These stories are constantly rehashing the past or arranging the future. Both miss the point of present moment; the only real time that we have. Our lives tick by moment to moment and this is where we must live our lives.

According to Kennedy, mindfulness is a method in how to respond to the here and now.

She demonstrated her technique by guiding attendees through a five minute relaxation technique. Attendees were instructed to focus on their breathing to help them concentrate on the moment rather than the past or the future.

This relaxation exercise was the perfect way to conclude the conference and move forward with a healthier, more serene life.

Options thanks all of our presenters.

 

Collin M. Sullivan is the ADA/access advocate for Options for Independence.