These are some of the highlights from the Project Purple Lighting Ceremony in Boston. Help VITALITY+ and support Chris Herren and Project Purple in their quest to bring awareness to the dangers of substance abuse and shed light on effective treatment practices.
Vitality friends & family recently participated in the Pat Tillman Run in Tempe, Az. What a fantastic event!!! If you haven’t heard of their foundation here is a small rundown of who they are and why this foundation was created back in 2002.
In 2002, Pat Tillman proudly put his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals on hold to serve his country. This decision was just one of many he made over the course of his lifetime to help others and serve a cause greater than his own self-interest.
Following Pat’s death in 2004, while serving with the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan, his family and friends established the Pat Tillman Foundation.
The mission of the Pat Tillman Foundation is to invest in military veterans and their spouses through educational scholarships; building a diverse community of leaders committed to service to others.
To find how you can participate in a race near you please visit their website at www.pattillmanfoundation.org
Project Purple is an initiative of The Herren Project, a non-profit foundation established by former NBA basketball player, Chris Herren, that assists individuals and families struggling with addiction. Project Purple was launched to break the stigma of addiction, bring awareness to the dangers of substance abuse and shed light on effective treatment practices.
The Project Purple concept was developed when Chris spoke at a local high school in 2011 and the front row of students were wearing Purple shirts. After Chris shared his story, one of the purple shirts raised her hand and stood up to speak. As snickering and laughter could be heard throughout the auditorium, the student said “Thank you Mr. Herren for validating what we do. We are the sober students of this high school and each year we take a pledge to not use drugs or alcohol.” Chris was captured by the courage it took to not only stand up and share the symbolism of the purple shirts, but was inspired to make a difference amongst adolescents across the United States.
In the US in 2008, almost one third of adolescents ages 12 to 17 drank alcohol in the past year. – SAMHSA, 2010
In an average day 4,365 used an illicit drug for the first time – SAMHSA, 2010
90% of addictions get their start in the teenage years. – The Partnership at Drugfree.org
On April 24th students across the United States will stand together against substance abuse wearing Project Purple shirts and awareness bands. Additionally, the Prudential Center will light the Boston sky Purple in support of Project Purple. It is our hope through Project Purple we can all join together to make a difference, celebrate life and support one another.
Join The Herren Project as we stand up and “Go Purple” on April 24th showing support for the fight against substance abuse. Together we can make a difference, celebrating life and supporting one another.
BUY YOUR PROJECT PURPLE AWARENESS BAND TODAY: http://www.vitalitybrand.com/project-purple
Roxane Cohen Silver, PhD, the University of California, Irvine
http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/emotional-wellbeing-benefits-of-adversity
Researchers have found that a lack of sleep diminishes your attention and concentration, thereby affecting your problem solving abilities. Without adequate rest, you cannot learn well. It also keeps you from “consolidating” memories, so you cannot remember what you learned from day to day.
http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/10-surprising-sleep-facts
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409205827.htm
While Steve Prefontaine became one of the most decorated long-distance runners of his generation in college, few remember how bad Prefontaine was in high school. Prefontaine could barely run a race during his freshman and sophomore years of high school, but was determined to change course during the summer of his junior year. His work ethic led him to become one of the most popular athletes of the 1970′s, though his untimely passing in 1975 was described as the “end of an era,” for distance runners. His spirit lives on with the inspirational quote, “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”
http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=754&sid=536906&pid=11
If you want to exercise before work but aren’t a morning person, try this trick: For a set period—say, 4 weeks—force yourself to get up 15 minutes earlier than normal and do any type of physical activity (walking, for instance). “Make it so easy that you don’t even have to change into your workout clothes,” says John Raglin, Ph.D., an exercise researcher. As you near the end of the 4 weeks, you’ll have a new habit and will then be able to progress to greater amounts of exercise.
Read more: http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/100-best-fitness-tips/Get_Up_and_at_Em.php?page=4#ixzz1lAYUygu4
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