The Greensburg Elementary School gymnasium was awash in neon colors and flashing lights Wednesday evening as the 
Decatur County Memorial Hospital (DCMH) chapter of Spirit of Women’s annual Day of Dance returned. DCMH Women’s Health Education Coordinator Annie Wilkison said the turnout for the event was likely the highest – in terms of active participation – in the event’s local history. Illustrating that point was a cross section of Decatur County women – ladies both young as well as those young at heart. As always, the heart was the focus of the Day of Dance program. Scheduled to coincide with February’s designation as American Heart Month, the goal of the event was to get people off the couch for a couple hours in the hope that bit of cardiac-centered exercise would provide motivation to continue making healthy choices. “As long as they’re out here and they’re doing this for their heart health, that’s all that matters,” Wilkison said. Wilkison was encouraged by Wednesday’s exuberant Day of Dance attendees, who wore neon green tank tops, covered themselves in fluorescent paint, and attempted to match the movements of seven different Zumba experts. Zumba is an exercise program that incorporates dance and high energy music, and for those behind Day of Dance it’s a perfect match for the annual heart healthy event. The result of the Zumba “hook” was better attendance for the program’s “main course” than ever before – exemplified via a cross section of participants from Greensburg, Batesville, Columbus, Shelbyville and other areas, Wilkison said. No matter from where they came, Wednesday night’s attendees appeared to enjoy their time under the lights and the spectrum of glow sticks. The dancing ceased, for most participants, only for brief breaks of water and refreshmentsWhile taking those few moments to rest, about a dozen representatives of DCMH were on hand at various booths set up in the elementary school’s hallways, handing out educational materials on how to establish and maintain heart health. To that end, DCMH is urging sign-ups for heart scans from now through mid-March. Signing up for a scan before March 13 will enter patients into a drawing to win a Fitbit, a wearable health device that monitors sleep, activity and diet, Wilkison previously told the Daily News. To be entered into the drawing for the Fitbit, the patient must say “heart month” when registering. The phone number to schedule a cardiac scan at DCMH is 812-663-1157. Registration can also be completed online at dcmh.net/heartscan. Written by the Greensbueg Daily News
