|News & Know How| News
Augie’s Quest Update: ALS Cause Identified
D
Dr. Teepu Siddique
iscovering a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)—the defining goal of Augie’s Quest—came a step closer to reality recently when scientists reported a breakthrough that could lead to treatment. Dr. Teepu Siddique, a neurosci- entist at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, in Evanston, Illinois, announced that researchers had, for the first time, identified a common cause of the disease: a breakdown of cellular recycling systems in the neurons of the spinal cord and brain of ALS patients. “This is the first time we could connect (ALS) to a clear-cut biome- chanical mechanism,” Dr. Siddique
told the Chicago Tribune. “It has really made the direction we have to take very sharp and clear. We can now test for drugs that would regulate this protein pathway or optimize it, so it functions as it should in a normal state.”
The announcement appeared in the research journal Nature.
ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, a progressive neurological disorder, struck Augie Nieto, the cofounder of Life Fitness, in 2005. He and his wife, Lynne, subsequently created Augie’s Quest to raise funds to search for a cure. Since 2006, the Quest has raised more than $30.7 million. The seventh edition of its main fundraising event, the Bash, will be held on March 16 during IHRSA’s 31st Annual International Convention and Trade Show, March 14–17, in Los Angeles. —|
> “Our company mission is ‘strengthening women,’” points out Diane
Heavin, the cofounder of Curves. “And it’s not just about strengthening their bodies, but also their spirits and their families. Curves’ Not for Sissies Day and the Joining Forces program allow us to do all three simultaneously.” On Not for Sissies Day, participants wore military-style T-shirts, tank
tops, pants, jackets, and dog tags, and demonstrated how much physical fitness makes possible. They walked, ran, and biked; climbed rocks, mountains, and telephone poles; lifted cars and pulled tractors and air- planes; participated in roller hockey, rope courses, zip lines, whitewater rafting, and trapeze workouts; and painted houses for charity. —|
Short Takes | ‘Off Duty’ Exercise Boosts Worker Productivity
Taking time off from work can actually increase productivity—if the time is spent exercising— according to a new Swedish study. Researchers Ulrica von Thiele Schwartz and
Henna Hasson, of the Karolinska Institute, in Stockholm, enrolled 117 of the employees of a large Swiss public dental health organization in the study. They then divided the workers into three groups: one exercised 2.5 hours during the workweek; one had 2.5 hours off, but simply rested; and one, the control group, worked without break. At the end of 6 and 12 months, all of the partici-
22 Club Business Internat ional | DECEMBER 2011 |
ihrsa.org
pants were asked to measure their own productivity and absenteeism due to sickness. Those who had exercised reported that they were more productive and absent less frequently. “Work hours may be used for health-promotion activities, with sustained or improved production levels,” the researchers con- cluded, “since the same, or higher, production level can be achieved with lesser resources.” The results of the study were reported in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, published by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM). —|
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Short Takes |Curves Enrolls in Joining Forces Network
Each year, Curves International, Inc., the largest fitness franchise in the world, stages a Not for Sissies Day, and members don camouflage gear and perform feats of strength and courage in their local communities. This fall, though, during the third annual event, the military outfits had special meaning—a total of 586 Curves facilities have now enrolled in IHRSA’s Joining Forces Network (JFN). Unveiled at the White House last May by First Lady Michelle Obama,
JFN is a network of IHRSA-member clubs that are providing free memberships to the immediate family members of actively deployed Reservists and National Guard members. The program is part of Mrs. Obama’s comprehensive Joining Forces initiative, designed to assist the families of military personnel.
Canadian Curves contingent went whitewater rafting
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