VSTYLE Magazine, November 2017

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F e at u r i n g

12 Fighting Diabetes A local club helps people manage diabetes Plus

2 Look up in the sky Villagers fill the skies of Central Florida with colorful kites

4 Skip the pills Deal with your problems using your imagination

* MVESEtT yAlVeI L L A G E R

Gone with the wind A Villages resident enjoys a hobby that is way over his head.

STORY: JAMES COMBS // PHOTO: FRED LOPEZ

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I want a kite with a skeleton riding a bicycle but haven’t been able to find one yet.

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ill Eatley is happiest when gentle breezes swirl in the air.

With deft flicks of his wrist, he sends his four-line kite into the air, and after a few tugs, it whirls skyward. His facial expression changes from pure concentration to pure admiration as he watches his agile, colorful kite dance peacefully in the blue Florida sky.

Bill, a resident of The Villages, has been an avid kite flier since 1991. He serves as president of The Villages Cloud Chasers, a 60-member group of kite-flying enthusiasts who fly Tuesday and Friday mornings at The Villages Polo Club.

He has certainly come a long way since he was introduced to the hobby.

“I was on vacation in California and saw a bunch of people flying kites at a beach in San Diego. I was awed,” Bill says. “So I purchased a kite after returning to Florida.

The guy where I purchased the kite gave lessons, but there was no wind on the day I was supposed to have my first lesson. So he had me get in a vehicle with a sunroof and he drove while I tried to fly the kite through the sunroof. I kept crashing the kite.”

However, he quickly got the hang of controlling and maneuvering all types of kites.

Those include a single-line kite, which is ideal for beginners; a single-line fighter kite, known for its agility and maneuverability; and two- or four-line stunt kites, which are famous for their acrobatic stunts, loops, and dives.

Put several of them in the sky at once and they become quite a spectacle. When club members gather to fly, kites of all shapes and sizes fill the air with their vibrant colors.

“When people think of kites, they automatically picture a diamondshaped kite,” says Bill, who also flies at Clearwater Beach and Treasure Island in Tampa. “However, members of our club have square kites, triangle kites, and rectangular kites. They also have kites of different styles, including a Navy jet fighter kite and a sailing ship kite. I want a kite with a skeleton riding a bicycle but haven’t been able to find one yet.”

Of course, Bill and other club members are not the only ones who enjoy the hobby. Sometimes they bring their grandchildren to partake in the fun.

“The kids don’t even need wind because they just run with the kite,” he says. “They’re feeling kind of exhausted by the time they are done and end up going to sleep when they get home.”

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* IVNSTtHyE lV eI L L A G E S

‘Womb-think’ brings you peace of mind A positive imagination keeps retirement worries at bay.

STORY: JOE ANGIONE

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Womb-think is much like daydreaming with the sole purpose of creating a pleasant, safe, stress-free environment.

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etirement is a time to relax and enjoy our golden years. But peace of mind doesn’t always go along with retirement. Money problems… health issues…and a million other worries can keep us sad and frazzled much of the time.

How many more pills must we swallow to control our jitters and sleep well at night? None, if you have some skill in using your imagination.

There’s a way to turn down our emotional thermostats and chill out without drugs, psychotherapy, or divine intervention. It’s a mental focus—a head game—that’s easy to master. I call it “womb-think,” and I’ve been playing it with huge success for years.

Womb-think guides your thoughts to a peaceful place where you control everything.

A golfer friend would put himself to sleep each night by imagining the design of a golf course. He’d select an attractive location and give it surface features he thought most challenging. Then he’d plan the first hole. Would it be a straight-away, dogleg to the left, or to the right? Where would a water hazard or bunker be placed?

After deciding the first hole, he’d do the second, third, and so on. It might take him a couple of weeks to visualize the entire golf course. But then he was ready to start planning another.

Womb-think is easy if we focus on something that truly interests us. Have you ever envisioned a house that has everything the way you want it? What

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would the layout look like? What would it contain? If you were going to expand your current home, what additions would you make? Designing a new house could keep you pleasantly occupied for hours, even days.

Womb-think is much like daydreaming with the sole purpose of creating a pleasant, safe, stress-free environment.

Womb-think serves as your refuge, where you feel totally protected, the way you were back in your mother’s womb.

Start by selecting a single, simple object or idea. Picture it in your mind, then imagine how it might be changed to become the best, safest place it could possibly be. Womb-think subjects can be things you discover in your community, in your travels, in a book or a newspaper, or on television.

At the heart of successful womb-think is the law of mental imaging that says: “no two ideas can occupy your mind at the same time.” If you’re thinking about something enjoyable, you can’t also be focused on something that’s terrifying.

Womb-think helps lock on to the positive while blocking out the negative.

Womb-think is a solitary experience that needs quiet and freedom from distraction.

Nighttime, just before bed, is the perfect time for womb-think. It’s an instant getaway from problems without leaving your home. And womb-think costs you absolutely nothing.

Give womb-think a try after you’ve had a troubling day. You might even want to try it tonight.

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Heart like a wheel

Cyclists hit the streets during Big Bike Weekend to benefit The Villages Regional Hospital.

STORY: CHRIS GERBASI

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hen upwards of 500 bicyclists take off on a ride this month in The Villages, their hearts will really be in it.

With every push of the pedal, every spin of the wheel, and every mile traveled, they will raise money for The Villages Regional Hospital Auxiliary Foundation.

The cyclists’ trails wind through Sumter, Lake, and Marion counties for anywhere from 10 to 100 miles during the Bicycle Challenge, part of the third

annual Hearts for Our Hospital Big Bike Weekend, Nov. 10-12. Individual cyclists and teams raise money by getting pledges for the miles they travel or flat-rate donations. Registration fees and corporate sponsorships also go toward the cause.

The efforts of the healthy bodies make for healthier patients at the hospital.

Proceeds, which last year totaled more than $42,000, go toward purchasing hospital equipment and funding scholarship programs for hospital team members and area high school

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Proceeds, which last year totaled more than

$42,000, go toward purchasing hospital equipment and funding scholarship programs for hospital team members and area high school students.

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students, says Shelly Scarbrough, senior development associate for the foundation.

The Bicycle Challenge on Saturday is one of three spokes to the weekend, which also includes Friday’s free Cycling Expo and Health Fair, and a free bicycle club ride on Sunday.

Big Bike Weekend lives up to its name in The Villages.

“It is the biggest cycling event by far,” race director Pat Gillis says. “It’s the 600-pound gorilla.”

So, Pat and his wife, Lori, the event coordinator, can be excused for going a little bananas while running it. They’re both members of the Sumter Landing Bicycle Club, the event advisor to the foundation, but their responsibilities keep them from riding in the Bicycle Challenge.

The challenge, which attracted 313 riders in 2016, is getting bigger each year.

A 100-mile route, or “century ride,” was added last year, and a 10-mile route for less experienced riders has been added this year. The century ride brought in about 50 additional cyclists, and Cycling Across America, or CAAM, added the Bicycle Challenge to its tour schedule.

CAAM is an event organizer known for high-quality rides throughout Florida and the Southeast.

The Villages event is appealing to cyclists because of the routes and scenery, Pat says.

“We take them out into the countryside onto rural roads, and this is a great place to do cycling,” he says. “The tri-county area has gorgeous rural roads to cycle on.”

Meanwhile, Lori has organized more post-ride activities, along

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with coordinating volunteers and communications, and designing the event jersey.

“It’s exciting. It’s a challenge to reach a goal and to improve it every year and make it more fun for everybody,” she says.

The event has been a surprising success for the Sumter Landing Bicycle Club, President John Komoroske says.

The hospital foundation approached the club three years ago to help stage the event. The first challenge in 2015 raised around $30,000.

“When this started, we were hoping to get enough money for a dedication in the urgent care waiting room,” John says.

“We thought that would cost $75,000 and would take a number of years. We got it in two years.”

Now the Sumter Landing Bicycle Club has committed to raise an additional $250,000 from as many Bicycle Challenges as it takes.

The club doesn’t do it alone, of course.

Cyclists come from all over, and teams in various categories compete for trophies for most money raised. The Sumter Landing Bicycle Club faces competition from The Village Bicycle Club and the Panthers Tandem Bike Club of Florida.

As the event takes place on Veterans Day weekend, an appropriate new category this year is the armed forces. Both veterans and active service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard will battle for a trophy.

About 75 to 100 Sumter Landing club members volunteer at the expo/fair and the ride.

“It’s a good collaboration between the bicycle clubs themselves and the foundation volunteers,” Shelly says.

At the Cycling Expo, visitors can see the newest bicycles and accessories from the local Village Cycles shop as well as national manufacturers Giant and Specialized, and check out the booths of Villages bicycle clubs and bicycle travel companies.

The Health Fair features health-related vendors and free medical information, including screenings for blood pressure, hearing, skin damage, and body mass index. Visitors can also give blood at the OneBlood Big Red Bus. More than 30 national and local health-care providers and businesses are sponsoring Big Bike Weekend, which is funded in part by a tourist development tax grant from Sumter County commissioners and the county’s Tourist Development Council.

The sponsors take good care of the cyclists and volunteers. KR Management, a senior care provider, is putting on a preride breakfast, and HarborChase assistedliving communities is taking care of lunch.

The post-ride rewards include a World of Beer Biergarten and DeConna Ice Cream, because what better way to shake off a day of exercise than to indulge in beer and ice cream.

As if Saturday’s Bicycle Challenge is not challenging enough, another new addition to the weekend is the free club ride Sunday morning. It’s an endurance event of 2½ to 3 hours, but the cyclists helping the hospital foundation are accustomed to going the extra mile.

BIG BIKE WEEKEND SCHEDULE Friday, Nov. 10: Cycling Expo and Health Fair, 10am-2pm, La Hacienda Recreation Center, 1200 Avenida Central, The Villages.

The OneBlood Big Red Bus will be onsite until 5pm for blood donations.

Saturday, Nov. 11: Bicycle Challenge, 8am for first ride group, starting and ending at La Hacienda Recreation Center. Cyclists may register online until 5pm Friday, Nov. 10, at raceroster.com/events/2017/12766/ hearts-for-our-hospital-big-bike-weekend or register the day of the race at the ride start location.

The five start times and routes include: 8am for 100 and 64 miles; 8:15am for 32 and 17 miles; and 8:30am for 10 miles. The entry fee for distances of 100, 64, 32, and 17 miles is $60 up until race day and $70 on race day. The fee for 10 miles is $25; $35 on race day. Each registrant gets a free event moisture-wicking T-shirt. A Hearts for Our Hospital jersey also is available for $60.

The after-ride festivities include a World of Beer Biergarten (one free beer), lunch with ice cream, music, and door prizes.

Sunday, Nov. 12: Free club ride of 2½ to 3 hours for Bicycle Challenge participants, 8am, starting at La Hacienda Recreation Center and ending at Spanish Springs Town Square. All ride levels. To register or for more information on all events, go to h4hbikeweekend.com.

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* LVI VSItNyG lHeE A L T H Y

Got diabetes?

Join the club A local club helps people manage diabetes, the seventh-leading cause of death in the U.S. STORY: JAMES COMBS // PHOTOS: FRED LOPEZ

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Knowledge is very important in fighting this disease, and that’s why having support groups such as ours is a tremendous benefit.

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D

ick Bright has no feeling in his feet when he takes his first step after exiting an automobile or golf cart.

He endures occasional shooting pains in his fingers. And the excruciating toe pain around midnight can ruin a good night’s sleep.

“It feels like someone is taking a pair of pliers and squeezing my toe,” he says.

Dick, a resident of The Villages, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 30 years ago. He suffers diabetic neuropathy in his hands and feet.

For him, managing the disease is as much a part of life as eating and sleeping. Four times a week, he pricks his finger, drops the blood on a test strip,

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and runs it through a blood glucose monitor to check his blood-sugar level.

He also makes annual visits to medical specialists who examine his eyes, liver, kidneys, and heart.

If ignored or unchecked, the disease may have a debilitating effect on his health. Fortunately for him, the wealth of knowledge he has accumulated about diabetes helps him control blood-sugar levels and live an active lifestyle. He swims 20 laps daily and plays golf four times a week.

Much of that knowledge, he says, comes from involvement with the Diabetic Community Support Club, a Villages-based group that allows

diabetics and caregivers to ask questions, exchange knowledge, and share experiences.

The 250-member club meets the first Thursday every month from 1-3pm at Savannah Center, 1545 Buena Vista Blvd.

“Our two goals are education and support,” says Dick, who has been president of the club since 2014.

“Knowledge is very important in fighting this disease, and that’s why having support groups such as ours is a tremendous benefit.”

Club members run the gamut—from Type 1 diabetics and Type 2 diabetics to pre-diabetics and caregivers. The first hour is spent listening to a medical professional discuss a particular health issue related to diabetes. In the past, guest speakers included podiatrists, endocrinologists, neurologists, ophthalmologists, and dietitians.

During the second hour, members divide into groups of six and have roundtable discussions.

Much value comes from those discussions. With a disease like cancer, doctors tell patients where to go and what to do. With diabetes, it’s about selfmanagement skills.

“Having knowledge about the disease may save your life or, at the very least, help improve your quality of life and health significantly,” Dick says. “New members are very comforted by the fact they have others to talk to, and they make connections at the roundtable discussions and call each other with information. Members definitely learn from one another, and when we invite guest speakers, we make sure we are covering every medical aspect of diabetes.”

That need to talk—and more importantly, learn—is vital to slowing the rate of diabetes complications and deaths.

The number of adults worldwide with diabetes quadrupled from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014, according to a study published in the Lancet, an independent medical

journal. Compounding the problem, an estimated 86 million American adults have prediabetes that puts them at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Unfortunately, many do not manage the disease, and others refuse to acknowledge their illness.

“We have caregivers who come to meetings, but the patient they’re caring for does not accompany them,” Dick says. “There is a lot of denial in the diabetes community.”

For those who fail to control their blood-glucose level, diabetes can potentially wreak havoc on every organ in their bodies. Diabetics often experience retinopathy, restricted blood flow, and poor digestion of food.

Additionally, diabetics may develop heart disease at a younger age than people without diabetes or endure limb amputation.

That’s precisely why diabetes support groups are valuable. Members gain knowledge, which is a powerful tool in managing the disease. And the friendships forged there are equally beneficial.

“I’ve made a lot of friends by being in this group,” Dick says. “If you’re a social person, you are happy, and if you’re happy, it can have a positive effect on diabetes.”

For more information about the Diabetic Community Support Club, call Dick Bright at 352.751.7599 DICK BRIGHT

DIABETES BY THE NUMBERS (2015 DATA):

30.3 MILLION the number of Americans with diabetes

1.25 MILLION

the number of American children and adults with Type 1 diabetes

7.2 MILLION

the number of Americans undiagnosed with the disease

1.5 MILLION

the number of new diabetes diagnoses each year

252,806

the number of death certificates in 2015 listing diabetes as an underlying or contributing cause of death

$176 BILLION

the total direct medical cost of diabetes in 2013 Source: American Diabetes Association

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* BVOSOtK yR lE VeI E W

“Mindful Aging: Embracing Your Life after 50 to Find Fulfillment, Purpose, and Joy”

By Andrea Brandt, PhD, MFT. Seniors are encouraged to throw out stereotypes and make the most of their lives.

STORY: THERESA CAMPBELL

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You don’t need to go through a health crisis or the loss of a loved one to learn this lesson, if there is something you always wanted to do, why wait?”

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ging is inevitable. “How we age is largely up to us,” writes psychologist and author Dr. Andrea Brandt in “Mindful Aging: Embracing Your Life after 50 to Find Fulfillment, Purpose, and Joy” (PESI Publishing).

A fascinating and thought-provoking read, “Mindful Aging” had me hooked early on when the author writes: “There is no magical age at which we need to abandon our dreams and surrender our possibilities.”

She strives to help readers rethink aging, get in touch with their desires, and embrace the last leg of their life’s journey.

“To remain our healthiest and most vibrant physically, emotionally, cogitatively, we must continue to learn and do new things—to keep stepping into the territory of the new and unknown,” she writes. “When we have a purpose, we don’t let the unimportant things get to us. Our focus is on something higher and more meaningful.”

The book encourages readers to raise the bar of our expectations.

“Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was his most prolific between ages 60 and 90. It’s

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never too late to move to a more positive direction,” she writes.

However, Andrea notes many people only make a life change following a cancer diagnosis, heart disease, diabetes, or arthritis.

“You don’t need to go through a health crisis or the loss of a loved one to learn this lesson,” she says. “If there is something you always wanted to do, why wait?”

Life doesn’t just happen, the author notes.

“Our own choices and actions affect what we experience. It serves no purpose to beat us up over past choices and consequences they caused,” Andrea says.

“We are much stronger when working to create the positive than working to avoid or fix the negative.”

Instead of the fear of dying, she encourages seniors to focus on the joy of living, and “to make gratitude your foremost attitude.”

Research, she says, shows those who keep a gratitude journal, where they record things they feel grateful for, “enjoyed better physical health,

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were more optimistic, exercised more regularly, and described themselves as happier than a control group who didn’t keep journals.”

Throughout the book, Andrea provides a series of mental exercises for readers to practice—all aimed toward generating more joy and fulfillment in life after 50.

8 The Girl Who

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BY DAVID LAGERCRANTZ

About the author Andrea Brandt, PhD, has more than 35 years of clinical experience as a psychotherapist, speaker, and author. She has helped patients with anger issues, anxiety, aggression, aging, the workplace, women’s issues, and relationship dynamics. She has appeared on numerous television programs, radio shows, and podcasts. She is a featured editor for Psychology Today magazine and has written blog posts for Huffington Post, Mind Body Green, Psych Central, and more. She also trains therapists across the nation. For more information, visit www.abrandtherapy.com.

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