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Independent & Free Press, Wednesday, August 22, 2007 21 Ask The Professionals Town to host Green Plan experts forum As part of its efforts to create a Green Plan for Halton Hills, the Town will host a Municipal Experts Forum at the Civic Centre on Thursday, September 6, 8:30-11 a.m. In May, Mayor Rick Bonnette assembled the Mayor's Green Plan Task Force with the aim to prepare a "Green Plan" for the town byNovember. Members of the task force include: members of Halton Hills council and staff, Halton Hills Hydro, HOPE, POWER, Christ the King Secondary School, TEAC, Neilson Dairy, Halton Federation of Agriculture and the Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce. To date the task force has met on a regular basis to develop actions that are practical, affordable, reasonable, enforceable and educational. Next month, they will get "expert" help from other municipalities who have gone through the process as well. The first portion of the forum will be open to the public and will include presentations by municipal experts thereby providing an opportunity for an expanded audience. The municipal experts' presentations will focus on municipal initiatives and best practices as they relate to environmental strategies and sustainability frameworks. Following the open portion of the forum, Task Force members will stay to dialogue directly with the experts to seek their input regarding appropriate applications for Halton Hills. If you are interested in learning more about the forum, please contact Damian Szybalski, 905-8732601 ext. 2289 or at damians@haltonhills.ca. Ask Questions. Get Answers. "Ask the Professionals" E-mail your questions to: features@independentfreepress.com GEORGETOWN PHYSICAL AND SPORTS THERAPY CLINIC (905) 877-8668 83 Mill St., Suite B Georgetown, Ont. L7G 5E9 Elayne Tanner & Associates Inc. Elayne M. Tanner B.A., B.S.W., M.S.W., R.S.W., DIP. SOC. ADM. Counselling & Psychotherapy Marta Masley B.Sc.(PT), M.C.P.A. Milton Elayne M. Tanner 905-854-0801 www.etasolutions.com My 10-year-old daughter is competitive gymnast. Over Q:the (sprained ankles, muscle astrains, etc.). had numerous years of intensive training, she has injuries, Should she be wearing any type of braces, or have her wrists/ankles taped before she performs? most sports that A:Gymnastics, or anywhere theforsoundsmatter, involves stress on different body parts. By of it, your daughter is probably practicing from 10-20 hours weekly. Muscle strains or joint sprains can occur either due to overuse, or because of a traumatic episode. Either way, precautions should be taken if a sprain or strain does occur. Seeking immediate physiotherapy treatment can help expedite healing, and your physiotherapist can advise you on when it is safe for your daughter to return to gymnastics. Usually this is done on a gradual and progressive basis. Initially, taping or bracing a joint or muscle may be necessary, but this is not a long term solution. A 10 year old child should not have to rely o n splints to prevent injuries. It is imperative that the injured areas be rehabilitated so that the child has a proper `internal support system'. Again, you physiotherapist will know how to re-condition all components involved - strength, flexibility, proprioception. Q:Will learning to delegate help me manage stress? A:When we feel that we are the only ones who can do a job right we set our self up for a very overwhelming and stressful situation. Even though it may initially take longer to teach someone how to do the job, in the long run it will save you from more stress and will be worth it. Whether it is at home or at work, learn to delegate. It is not a sign of weakness. Asking for help appropriately is a skill. Here are some steps that will make it easier. 1. Learn how to ask for help. Recognize that it will make your life easier and it will not hurt your family or coworkers to learn how to be sensitive to the needs of others and learn to do the job. 2. Be clear as to why you need the help and what help you need. You do not ask for help just to bother others. 3. Find the appropriate person to help you. People do not like to feel taken advantage of but there are logical reasons for the right person to help you. Others like to be needed too. 4. Hire skilled help. Sometimes delegating involves hiring a person who has special skills or talents in the specific area. 5. Care for yourself. Caring for everyone else and not accepting care in return is not demonstrating self-respect. If you do not take care of yourself, no one else will either. Society conditions us to try to do it all. Asking others for help makes you human and less stressed so that you can do the things you really need to do. " H E L P I N G Y O U H E L P Y O U R S E L F. " SUSAN S. POWELL BARRISTER & SOLICITOR FAMILY LAW 350 Rutherford Rd. South, Suite 320 BRAMPTON, ON L6W 3M2 324 Guelph St., Georgetown 905-702-1774 Susan S. Powell www.powerzone.ca www.bkathletics.com brad@bkathletics.com Brad Keeling Personal Trainer 905-455-6677 Q: A: My husband and I have decided to separate. Our 15 year old son wants to live with my husband but our younger daughter wants to live with me. My husband says he doesn't have to pay me child support if we each have one child living with us. Is this true? His income is much higher than mine. Split custody is where one child lives with each parent and the other parent has access. In these cases the Child Support Guidelines set out the amount a person would pay for child support for one child based on their income. These amounts are then set off against each other to determine the set amount, for example, if your husband's income is $50,000 per year, he would pay you $429.00 per month. If your income is $25,000 per year, you would pay him $222.00 per month. These amounts are set off so you would receive from your husband $207.00 per month. Q: A: How can I get my child to stay on the right path? Am. Civil War reenactment at Heritage Park Country Heritage Park presents the American Civil War Re-enactment, which depicts the Battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10th, 1861. This event takes place on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Travel the "time tunnel" from 2007 to 1861 and experience military and civilian life of the American Civil War Era. In addition to the smoking guns of battle, there are many things for the entire family to enjoy such as authentic artillery and cavalry demonstrations. Learn about the 1860s at the medical or ladies etiquette talks. Enjoy the fashion show and refreshments at the ladies afternoon tea. There will be a Civil War spy mission (scavenger hunt) for children of all ages and after all the excitement of the day, wander through the Suttler's Market Place for unique homemade souvenirs. For more information on this event, as well as up coming attractions and facility bookings, please call 905-878-8151 or visit www.countryheritagepark.com One of the most important responsibilities of being an adult is to help children and teens get on and stay on the "right path". Logically, part of the right path is to be involved with fitness, since involvement plays a huge role in the prevention of diabetes, hypertension and obesity, not to mention that it helps our young people to be stronger, more flexible, more alert, more confident, and more optimistic. As is true of most things in life that are "good for you", sometimes our kids need a gentle push in the right direction, and sometimes we, as adults, need to be reminded to provide that push. The Canadian Revenue Agency has announced a new "Children's Fitness Tax Credit" to help make fitness a more important, and affordable part of their lives. The credit is available to children 16 years of age and under. So what programs qualify for this tax credit? Well, for starters, a membership at PowerZone qualifies! And specialized programs (for members & non-members) like Personal Training, Self Defence, Sport Specific Team Training and Teen Training also qualify. If you would like more information on the Tax Credit, our membership and specialized programs that we offer, come into PowerZone and we'll be glad to go over it with you! And let's help keep our young people on the "right path". Activity & Motion Clinic Chiropractic Care - Massage Therapy - Personal Fitness Training More Reasons to Shop Local 4. Shopping local retains our distinctiveness - no clone towns allowed! Independent shops create distinctive shopping experiences and stock different products. They respond more quickly to the needs of local customers, stocking products to meet the changing population needs. They can also be more innovative. 116 Guelph Street, Georgetown Ontario Telephone (905) 702-1072 DR. TED NIEJADIIK Q: What is Acupuncture? A: Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most commonly used medical procedures in the world. Originating in China more than 2000 years ago, acupuncture is a method of encouraging the body to promote natural healing and to improve functioning. This is done by inserting needles and applying heat or electrical stimulation at very precise acupuncture points. 6. Local independent shops invest more in our communities. Sole traders and independent stores are proportionally more generous in their support for local charities, carnivals, schools and community events. So supporting local shops means a financial return for our community. Q: How does Acupuncture work? A: The modern scientific explanation is that needling the acupuncture points stimulates the nervous system to release chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals will either change the experience of pain or they will trigger the release of other chemicals and hormones which influence the body's own internal regulating system. The improved energy and biochemical balance produced by acupuncture results in stimulating the body's natural healing abilities and in promoting physical and emotional well-being. Common conditions treated with acupuncture: -Low back pain - Shoulder pain - Carpal tunnel syndrome - Knee osteoarthritis - Headaches - Muscle/myofascial pain - Tennis elbow - Chronic pain - Golfer's elbow - TMJ pain For more information you can contact Dr. Ted Niejadlik at Move Activity & Motion Clinic who is a chiropractor and acupuncture practitioner. SO......shop smart, shop local. Coming SOON AUGUST 29, 2007 Ask your sales rep for details! Brought to you by: Contact Amy Sykes to add value to your local advertising 905-873-0301, ext. 237 features@independentfreepress.com