January 18, 2008

Here’s to good health in 2008

By Councilmember Forrest Williams
Special to the Times

Happy New Year San Jose! I am hopeful that this New Year will bring many joys and blessings to each and every one of you. I recently wrote about the importance of Health and Wellness in our lives and would like to continue to stress, especially with the start of the New Year, its importance for the future.

Beginning this month, I will issue a challenge to my staff to stay healthy in 2008. Members of my staff will be challenged to voluntarily wear pedometers for the remainder of the year. While worn, these pedometers will track the mileage that each staff member walks. At the end of each month, the staff member with the highest accumulated distance will be rewarded for his or her achievements.

“Being healthy is something that can be felt throughout all aspects of our lives and I encourage everyone to keep their physical health a priority.”

I have also encouraged and challenged staff members of other City Coucilmembers and Mayor Reed’s office to participate in my Healthy 2008 program. I feel that it is never too late to commit yourself to a healthy lifestyle. No matter what age, sex or body type, everyone feels good about themselves when in good health.

I am very excited about the friendly competition in which my office will participate during 2008. Being healthy is something that can be felt throughout all aspects of our lives and I encourage everyone to keep their physical health a priority. I do my part to stay healthy by completing my daily three-mile jogs before coming to work.

This challenge supports the idea that we are in control of our wellness and our health care costs. The power to reverse our dependence on the Health Care system rests in each an every one of us and all that is required is a bit of initiative.

There are opportunities all around us to stay healthy in 2008. As previously stated, Kaiser Permanente’s Thrive program is a great way to stay in shape especially since they recently released a walking guide for the San Jose area.

Coincidentally, San Jose is one of the top 10 walking cities in the US. The guide lists several areas and paths that are suitable for walking and exercising. Several are located in District 2, including the Miyuki Dog Park. For more information you can consult Kaiser Permanente’s Web site at www.kp.org/healthyliving or you can contact my office.

Healthy Silicon Valley also presents opportunities to stay healthy. Their Web site, www.healthysiliconvalley.com, contains a helpful newsletter that informs it’s readers of the comprehensive programs available in the Silicon Valley as well as healthy headlines and opinion columns.

Our health is in our control. I en-courage each and every one of you to take charge for a Healthy 2008! Happy New Year San Jose!

Ways to Contact Councilmember Williams
If you have something that you would like brought to my attention, or something that you would like to discuss with me, we can meet together in several ways:

Office Hours / Mobile Office Hours: The office hours for the months of January are as follows: Saturday, Jan. 19 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the Edenvale Branch Library and Wednesday, Jan. 23 from 3- 5 p.m. at the Southside Community and Senior Center.

My Mobile Office Hours will begin at 9 a.m .on Saturday, Jan. 26 at the Rita Ledesma School and will continue throughout the surrounding neighborhood.

If you would like to know where I will be walking in future months, please refer to the District Two Web site at www.sanjoseca.gov/district2 and click on the “Mobile Office Hours Schedule” link.

Contact Information: As always, you can reach me by calling my office at (408) 535-4902 or by e-mailing me at forrest.williams@sanjoseca.gov. You can also visit the District Two Web site for more information: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/district2.