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Just Keep Livin
  j. k. livin Foundation News and Notes 07 / 01 / 2016  
 
 
 
 
Quote of the Month: July
“Know when to lead, know when to follow. Great leaders are not always in front, they also know who to follow. Be the best in yourself and lead, see the best in others and follow. Know when to lead, know when to follow.”
M.M.  
  ~ Matthew McConaughey  
 
 
 
 
 
 

Student Spotlight

 
 
 
  Student Spotlight

Ashley is a Senior at Fremont High School who recently completed her first year in the just keep livin program. Prior to joining the jkl program Ashley was an active member in the black student union, a standout basketball player and the captain of the volleyball team. Although Ashley maintained a busy schedule during her Senior year, she always made it a point to come to the jkl program after being introduced by one of her peers. Ashley enjoys the jkl community service events, meeting inspirational guest speakers, developing positive friendships and being challenged by the jkl fitness goals. Ashley is grateful that she was able to join the program this year and be part of something so positive. In the Fall, Ashley will be attending Cal State University Los Angeles where she will be studying to become a dental hygienist.

 
 
 
 

A Successful 2016 Amazing Race

 
 
 
  A Successful 2016 Amazing Race

On Saturday June 4th in New Orleans, approximately 200 participants defied the at-times story weather to race through the French Quarter collecting clues in an “Amazing Race” scavenger hunt benefitting the just keep livin Foundation and Brittany & Drew Brees’ Brees Dream Foundation. We were thrilled to see some of our j.k. livin students from Warren Easton Charter High School come out fired up to race and meet Brees! Clues hidden at various locations throughout the area led racers, among other locations, to an apartment on historic St. Charles Avenue where Brees himself stood out on the balcony with two of his young sons throwing out Mardi Gras beads which actually served as clues themselves! The competition culminated at Walk-Ons Bistreaux & Bar where Brees presided over an “awards ceremony” and the Gordon Biersch Brewery team once again took home the top prize.

A Successful 2016 Amazing Race

The party continued later that night at the House of Blues, which featured a VIP dinner and performance by the Nashville-based country band Restless Road, who were featured on the television show, “The X Factor.” Following dinner, there was a Cocktail Reception and Live Auction run by Brittany and Drew which raised nearly $200,000 for the two charities. The highlight of the night, though, was definitely superstar Tim McGraw, who put on an incredible show! He played all his hits including “Live Like You Were Dying,” “Where the Green Grass Grows,” and “I Like It, I Love It,” for which he was joined on stage by the winning bidder of the Live Auction package to sing a duet with McGraw himself! Everyone had a great time while raising substantial funds for more opportunities for some incredible kids in New Orleans and beyond! Thank you to all who came out and supported the event.

 
 
 
 

Pinkston High School End of the Year Celebration

 
 
 
 

To close out the 2015-2016 school year in style, the jkl students at Pinkston High School in Dallas enjoyed an end of the year celebration. During this event, they also celebrated the Seniors who will be graduating with the class of 2016. These students are special because they have been with the jkl program for 3-4 years, have participated in major events like the Dallas Rock N’ Roll Marathon, and volunteered at the Texas Rangers Youth Ballpark in West Dallas. Five of the ten seniors graduating are in the top ten of their class, including the Valedictorian and Salutatorian, to whom we wanted to give special recognition:

Rosa Mendoza: Class of 2016 Valedictorian. She is planning to major in nursing. She is interested in joining the Peace Corps. Her activities include three years in jkl, the dance team and the National Honor Society.

Ruben Delgado: Class of 2016 Salutatorian. He is planning to major in biology at University of Texas at Arlington. He chose the school because of their dentistry program. Ruben also wants to study abroad one day. His high school activities include four years at jkl and the National Honor Society.

We are very proud of all of these kids!

 
 
 
 

Venice High School

 
 
 
  Venice High School

Venice High School celebrated the end of the school year by recognizing the jkl students with the highest attendance as well as their graduates, Enrique Rentierra and Jesus Rentierra. Enrique and Jesus are good friends who supported each other throughout their time in the just keep livin program by motivating and supporting each other during workouts and often times even leading group exercises! The boys created an exercise blog and have lots of followers keeping up with their workouts while they promote healthy living. Enrique and Jesus are both responsible and respectful young men and we know that they both will be successful with whatever endeavors they choose. We are so proud of both of them!


Venice High School

Perfect Attendance Winners: Michelle Castellanos, Max Buserta, Chris Recinos, Jonathan Martinez and Andres Urena. Not pictured: Enrique Rentierra and Jesus Rentierra.

 
 
 
 

Roosevelt High School End of the Year Celebration

 
 
 
 

On June 10th, the just keep livin students from Roosevelt High School in Washington, D.C. enjoyed a field trip to New York City. The jkl team partnered with the school’s 9th Grade Academy and the GAFSC program to make up the 45 students who got to experience a day in the Big Apple! During the trip, students took the Staten Island Ferry into the city, visited the Ground Zero monument, enjoyed a ride on the subway up to Central Park and walked down to Times Square. It was a fun filled day in the big city and a great way to close out the school year!

 
 
 
 

Thank You to Clif Bar and I Am Waters

 
 
 
 

Now that the school year has ended and most of our programs are taking a hiatus for the summer, we wanted to take a moment to thank two of our biggest in-kind sponsors, Clif Bar and I Am Waters. For the past several years, Clif Bar has generously provided enough product for each of the 2,400 kids we serve nationwide to enjoy a nutritious and tasty Clif Bar at each session throughout the school year! Our students love them and we are so thankful for this impactful donation and continued partnership.

Thank You to Clif Bar

I Am Waters is an amazing non-profit organization whose mission is to enrich the lives of America’s homeless by providing a continuous source of fresh, clean bottled water, delivered with a daily, inspirational message of hope, love and a sense of belonging to the greater community. They have generously donated water bottles to just keep livin programs throughout Texas and New Orleans for several years. Clean drinking water is something we often take for granted, and it is so important for our kids to stay hydrated while they are exercising in j.k. livin sessions! Thank you to both of these stellar organizations for helping to support our programs!

Thank You to I Am Waters
 
 
 
 

Buy One | Give One backpacks benefitting
just keep livin Foundation

 
 
 
 

We’re so excited to partner with Sydney Paige to bring quality backpacks and school supplies to high school students at inner-city schools/sites nationwide! Sydney Paige’s mission is to promote the importance of education and enrich the life of a child in need while empowering those more fortunate to help break the cycle of poverty…one child at a time. For every product they sell, another is donated to a student in need, with the goal of giving underserved children the tools and confidence they need to learn and thrive in school. We’re proud to be one of Sydney Paige’s “Giving Partners” that customers can choose to donate their “free” backpack to upon checkout. Help us reach our goal to donate 2,400 backpacks + school supplies to the children we serve. Buy a SydneyPaige backpack and another gets filled with supplies & donated to a j.k. livin student!

Thank You to I Am Waters
 
 
 
 

Coaches Corner with Jenn Zerling

 
 
 
 

3 Minute Plank Challenge

Planking has become one of the most popular “core” exercise known in the fitness industry. And as many of you might have noticed, it requires a lot of upper body strength, especially in the shoulders, abdomen, back and arms. Let’s be clear. The plank should actually utilize every muscle in the body, including the legs. Because this exercise requires one to suspend their body in mid-air, and be supported by their toes and forearms (or hands), the trick to a good plank is to hold every muscle in an isometric contraction, including your lower extremity. The other trick to a good plank is to ensure your pelvis is in a neutral position (not tilted forward) so that you can also contract your “core” muscles including your obliques, transverse abdominis along with the diaphragm which we also need to use to breathe during this exercise. And get this; you need to figure out how to keep your diaphragm engaged for the exercise while using it to breathe. A lot of multi-tasking at its best.

Most planks are static, meaning, you just hang out in a basic plank. Not this plank. Instead, there is a dynamic component to it in that you will be timing the transitions and throwing your balance off within the basic plank format. There is a little bit of proprioception involved, or spatial awareness, so that you can train the brain while training the muscles. You must focus on breathing throughout the transitions and keeping the spine neutral the whole time. Keeping the spine neutral means not arching your lower back and not protracting your shoulders inward towards the ground.

According to physical therapist Dr. Mike Shapow, PhD, RPT of Joint Effort Wellness in Beverly Hills,“Attaining good core strength is preventative as well as curative for people with back and neck problems. Planks also help in creating muscle memory for good posture.”

So while planks might be challenging to do, they certainly benefit you in more ways than not.

So are you ready to do this 3-minute plank challenge? Do it, time yourself and be open to getting better at it over time. Be patient with yourself. If you hold it for less than 3 minutes on your first attempt, just do it again another day. Practice is king! Once you’ve done it, consider introducing it to your loved ones, your peers, and everyone you know. Friendly challenges are always fun and give people a purpose to get more fit. Read more HERE.

This is the breakdown:

First Minute: Basic Plank
1:00-1:30: 15 seconds lift your right arm up, then your left arm for 15 seconds
1:30-2:00: 15 seconds lift your right foot off the ground, then your left foot for 15 seconds
2:00-2:30: 15 seconds lift your right foot and left arm off the ground, then your left foot and right arm off the ground for 15 seconds
2:30-3:00: Basic Plank
3:00: DONE

 
 
 
 
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