Even better: this one's for charity!
If you’re a Flywheel fanatic and Rihanna fan, I’ve got your double-time fix right here. Center City’s Flywheel studio is hosting a charity ride on Wednesday to benefit Court Appointed Special Advocates of Philadelphia (CASA), whose mission is “to train and support community volunteers to advocate for the health, safety and well-being of abused and neglected children.”
Flywheel will provide a rockin’ Rihanna playlist during your ride (“Only Girl in the World” is a perfect workout anthem), raffles for Lululemon and Athleta gift cards, and treats from Fuel. In exchange, you’ll cough up a $25 donation for CASA. That’s fair, right?
Register for the event by going to the CASA site and clicking “donate”; on the donation page, type in “Flywheel.” Just make sure to print out the page, which serves as your ticket to ride (rejoice in the reference, Beatles lovers.)
$25 donation, May 22nd at 7:30 p.m., Flywheel Center City 1521 Locust Street, Philadelphia.
>> Have a health or fitness event you’d like to share with Be Well Philly readers? Email eleaman@phillymag.com with details.
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A small pilot study launched by the local nonprofit found that MANNA saves a lot of cash when it comes to caring for critically-ill patients.
 Stanley Wilson is first cook at MANNA, a meal program where dietitians work closely with chefs to provide meals for the critically ill. Photo courtesy of MANNA Sue Daugherty will never forget the day she got the phone call. Crying, the woman on the other end explained to Daugherty that she fed her daughter popcorn for lunch. A breast-cancer patient, the woman often found herself too exhausted to cook.
Daugherty is the executive director of the Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA). MANNA provides medically appropriate meals—three a day, free of charge, meeting very specific dietary needs—to people who are at acute nutritional risk and battling critical illnesses such as cancer, renal disease and HIV/AIDS. It serves 950 patients and 75,000 meals a month in nine counties in the greater Philadelphia region.
MANNA provides a crucial, lifesaving service—that’s why Daugherty got into the work to begin with. But as she and her team recently learned, MANNA’s work could do an even greater good, if given the chance: it could bolster health care’s bottom line.
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Plus: 8 deserving Philly-based charities that could use your help.
As 2012 draws to a close (I know, when did that happen, right?) and you’re thinking about your end-of-year giving, consider this: giving back isn’t just a good thing to do—it’s good for you, too.
“Health-wise, giving has been shown to release brain chemicals and hormones like endorphins and oxytocin, which both promote positivity and euphoria,” says Alyson Nerenberg, a licensed psychologist in Chestnut Hill. “Basically, you’re getting a lot of positive feelings.” And those feelings come with an impressive list of domino effects: an act of giving can lower stress levels, improve mood, increase self-esteem, strengthen social ties, and even help you live longer.
Of course, if you’re giving of yourself you’re probably not in it for your own benefit, but knowing how it can boost your own health might just help you to give more often. Nerenberg encourages her clients to use this time of year to plan their giving for the year ahead. “Start by asking yourself , ‘What do I believe in? What can I do to make my place in the world feel better? What pratical causes am I committed to?’” she says. You can start small by supporting a friend in a charity run, volunteering one Saturday a month at a soup kitchen, or reading to kids at your local library. The idea is make your giving more intentional—you know, so you don’t find yourself at the end of the year frantically writing donation checks.
If you want to get on the horn and are looking for some deserving charities to get started, here are eight in the Philadelphia region doing good work. Read on for ways you can get involved.
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If spinning's your jam, this six-hour indoor-cycling fundraiser is for you.
 It’s time to break out your padded shorts, Be Wellers: the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s first ever Race to Anyplace indoor cycling spin-a-thon is happening on February 23rd. Team members—you’re allowed 12 or more—will each complete two 15-minute spinning heats over the six-hour day; individuals can also take part, completing two 15-minute segments total. Teams will compete to cover as much mileage as they can over the course of the event, while individuals will go head-to-head for best heat time. Winners will be announced after 3 p.m. when the race ends.
When you’re not riding, there will be music and food to keep you occupied, and you can always cheer on your fellow riders, of course. Individuals must raise at least $40 to participate; teams must raise $500. More info is here.
$40 for individuals, $500 for teams, February 23rd from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 3020 Market Street, Philadelphia.
>> Have a health or fitness event you’d like to share with Be Well Philly readers? Email eleaman@phillymag.com with details.
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Shake your chakra for a cause.
 Get ready to shake your chakra to all the best ’70s and ’80s music—a yoga rave is coming to Boogie Nights in Atlantic City’s Tropicana Casino & Resort on Friday, November 30th. AC’s Grace and Glory Yoga will be collaborating with HotBox Yoga of Manayunk, Hot or Not Yoga of Manahawkin, and Philly-and-Jersey-based Dhyana Yoga for a groovy yogi’s night out.
There will be an all-levels class co-taught by Philly and South Jersey power yoga teachers, Allie Conover, Brad Young, Stef Desatnick and Nicole Cucinotta, with a cash bar to follow; cocktails and drinks will be made with Vita CoCo coconut water. Glow sticks and body paint will be provided, but plan to bring your own mat. Costumes, of course, are encouraged.
Advance tickets can be purchased through the box office here. All proceeds from this event will go to Off the Mat Philly and South Jersey.
$10 in advance and $15 at the door; November 30, doors open at 6:30, class from 7:30-8:30; Tropicana Casino & Resort, 2831 Boardwalk, Atlantic City.
>> Have a health or fitness event you want to share with Be Well Philly readers? Email eleaman@phillymag.com with details.
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Whole Foods Plymouth Meeting and Aston's IceWorks are drop-off spots for donated goods.
Hurricane Sandy relief efforts are still happening throughout the region if you haven’t yet gotten on the horn but want to contribute. This weekend, volunteers are hosting a “Fill That Truck” donation drive at Whole Foods Plymouth Meeting (500 West Germantown Pike) and IceWorks in Aston (3100 Dutton Mill Road). The group is aiming to fill three trucks with goods: a 53-foot tractor-trailer and two 24-foot box trucks. The donated items will be delivered to Shore Fellowship Church in Egg Harbor Township, where they’ll be processed and delivered to Sandy victims throughout South Jersey.
Organizer Sarah McDaniel says she hatched the plan just a week ago and has been astounded by how its taken off. She leveraged connections through her job as a project manager at a furniture manufacturing company to secure a truck, and had planned on filling just one tractor-trailer. But when she realized they’d fill likely have more goods than one truck could hold, she lined up the two box trucks.
“That’s a lot of stuff,” she says. “A tractor trailer is huge, especially when you’re talking about cans of food.”
Check out the full list of needed items, including bottled water, canned tuna and soup, baby food, cotton balls, Q-tips and more. Trucks will be at Whole Foods tonight from 6 to 9 p.m., and tomorrow and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. They’ll be at IceWorks tomorrow only from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Hurricane Sandy Fundraisers at Philly-Area Fitness Studios
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Sweat for Sandy relief.
Wondering what you can do to help Hurricane Sandy victims? If you’ve already donated to the Red Cross and Salvation Army but are itching to do more, head to one of these local yoga and fitness studios, where the Philly wellness community will be coming together to raise funds, collect food and more for hurricane victims. Here’s to bidding a sweaty so long to Sandy.
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Lace up your shoes this weekend for a good cause.
 The Rothman Institute has teamed up with the Lauren Rose Albert Foundation for a 5K this weekend in Gloucester County. The event raises funds for the foundation, which provides assistance to working mothers in need the Delaware Valley. The race will be held at Washington Lake Park on Sunday; prizes will be awarded to the top finishers. Discounted early registration closes on Thursday at 3 p.m. Learn more and sign up here.
$20 for early birds, $25 on race day; October 28 at 9 a.m., Washington Lake Park, 626 Hurffville Crosskeys Road, Sewell.
>> Have a health or fitness event you want to share with Be Well Philly readers? Email eleaman@phillymag.com with details.
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Sample yummy eats while you support a good cause.
 After cooking all 10 of our fall-inspired pumpkin recipes (you’re planning on it, right?), you’ll deserve a break from the kitchen. On Sunday, October 14th, head to the Smith Memorial Playground & Playplace in East Fairmount Park for the third annual Taste of Fall Cooking Competition and Exhibition, which will feature food tastings from local restaurants, items for sale from local farms, specialty food vendors, beer and wine tastings, cooking demonstrations and live music. A kids’ tent will feature activities such as face painting, contests and yoga for children.
Proceeds will support the Junior League’s Apple a Day program, a community initiative with the goal of creating a positive impact on the health and wellness of adults and children in the Philadelphia area. The Junior League of Philadelphia is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. For more information, click here. Visit the JLP website to purchase tickets.
$40, October 14, 1 to 4 p.m., Smith Memorial Playground & Playplace, N. 33rd St & Oxford St, Philadelphia.
>> Have a health or fitness event you’d like to share with Be Well Philly readers? Email eleaman@phillymag.com with details.
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Take a swing at helping the National Adoption Center.
 Golf, BBQ, awards, open bar, gourmet dinner, and a live auction featuring top notch sport items—how’s that for a hole-in-one? The National Adoption Center invites you to its Tee-Off for Kids Golf Classic at the Radnor Valley Country Club on Wednesday, October 3rd.
This year’s tourney celebrates the event’s 40th anniversary. You’ll get to play 18 holes on a top PGA-rated course with a par-70 layout. Proceeds will support the National Adoption Center’s mission of expanding adoption opportunities for children living in foster care. Sign up here.
$295 for individual player, Wednesday October 3 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Radnor Valley Country Club, 555 Sproul Road, Villanova.
>> Have a health or fitness event you’d like to share with Be Well Philly readers? Email eleaman@phillymag.com with details.
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