Lawrence Community Matters December 2016

Commun ty Matters Lawrence Presbyterian Manor

December 2016

How to keep off extra pounds during the holidays With the holidays right around the corner, your calendar is probably already filling up with friendly parties, formal dinners and family gatherings. All of that celebrating can take a toll on the body. Polls and scientific studies estimate that many Americans gain between one and five pounds during the holiday season.

This wouldn’t be so bad, except that most of us won’t lose that weight over the next year. By the time we reach our fifties and beyond, the accumulation of those holiday pounds can pose a significant health risk.To help you enjoy this holiday season without gaining extra weight, here are seven tips you and your family can use: 5 practical, everyday tips These tips are specific little things HOLIDAYS, continued on page 3

Resident Maggie Carttar turns her kitchen into Christmas treat heaven.

A sweet tradition From the beginning of November, the sweet scent of holiday baking begins wafting from Maggie Carttar’s apartment at Lawrence Presbyterian Manor.

Every year, Maggie bakes nearly 200 stollen, a traditional German fruit and nut bread, for family, friends, and almost everyone else she meets. She’s modified the recipe over the years, but it’s based on the stollen her mother and grandmother grew up making in Germany.

“By the time you make something 192 times you change the ingredients a little so you can afford them,” Maggie said.

The loaves are about the consistency of a bundt cake, but made with yeast.

Maggie bakes hers with raisins and walnuts. She does them in batches of about 10, over 15 or so baking sessions.

“I had decided if the Manor didn’t have a stove for stollen, I wasn’t moving in,” Maggie said.

Then, she starts giving them away – first to her six children and their families, including 17 grandchildren. The school-age children get an extra STOLLEN, continued on page 2

STOLLEN, continued from page 1

stollen to give to a teacher.

The stollen also come along when the family goes on its traditional night of caroling throughout Lawrence.

Maggie said this is their 60th year of spreading cheer, and it will include a swing through Presbyterian Manor.

They’ll hire a bus to take them to about 10 locations. And at every stop, everyone gets a stollen.

Baked into Maggie’s stollen tradition is the history of the family who handed the recipe down to her.

Maggie’s mother, Johanna “Jenny” Meyer, was born and raised in America. When she was a young woman, her family sent her to visit

relatives in Germany. There, she met Theodore Stieghorst, and they fell immediately, madly in love. Jenny wanted to marry Theodore before she returned to America, but her grandfather convinced her to come home and exchange letters with her beau for a while instead.

story about a sick grandmother that got her on a ship first to Sweden, then to Denmark. She made her way into Germany - enemy territory even though the U.S. was not yet in the war - and eventually got a job at a bank.

Theodore survived the war, and he “They got engaged by mail,” Maggie and Jenny finally married in 1920. said. “He decided he would come over (Post-war conditions in Germany from Germany to marry his fiancée. were so poor that one of their best He quit his job, bought his ticket - and wedding gifts was a dozen eggs.) then the First World War broke out.

Maggie and her brother were later He was stuck. None of the ships were born in Hamburg. With such a rich leaving.” origin story, Maggie’s stollen is not your average holiday treat.

Theodore was conscripted into the German army and sent to battle.

“It’s part of me. It’s absolutely part of Jenny was undeterred. She faked a me,” she said.

Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Lawrence Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org.

Christie Patrick, executive director Angela Fonseca, marketing director To submit or suggest articles, contact afonseca@pmma.org.

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Telephone: 785-841-4262 Fax: 785-841-0923 Address: 1429 Kasold Dr., Lawrence, KS 66049-3425 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

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Community Matters December 2016

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head to the party. Some good options legumes and whole grains, you’ll be that are easy to implement throughout are a lightly dressed salad with plenty less likely to overeat when the dessert of veggies and legumes, a bowl of bean tray comes rolling by. the holiday season and will help keep soup or a healthy whole grain pilaf. you from consuming more calories 4. Double down on exercise. than you burn.

2. Employ the every-other rule Another good way to fight holiday with alcohol.

One of the biggest 1. Eat before attending events. weight gain is by offsetting extra calorie culprits at holiday gatherings Knowing that you have a holiday calories consumed with more calories is that cup of cheer. Alcoholic drinks party coming up in the evening, you burned. If you already exercise can contain 80 to 500+ calories per might think it’s a good idea to eat serving and, what’s worse, studies have regularly, now is the time to ramp up less throughout the day, but that’s your routine, either by adding more shown that drinking alcohol makes actually setting yourself up for an minutes or by upping the intensity. it likely you’ll consume more food overindulgence disaster. By eating calories as well. One of the tactics If you don’t exercise, but are healthy healthy meals and snacks throughout I describe in my weight-loss book, the day, you’ll ensure a constant supply RebootYour Body: Unlocking the enough to do so, then starting now of energy and reduce the likelihood of Genetic Secrets to Permanent Weight — rather than waiting for Jan. 1 to party-time cravings and the associated Loss, is what I call the “every-other” roll around — is a good idea. If you bingeing. rule, which requires you to drink a full can’t dedicate a big chunk of time to glass of water between every alcoholic exercise every day, look for ways to Your best buffer against consuming a beverage you consume. Doing this work more activity into your normal ton of empty calories at a party is to makes you feel fuller and keeps you daily routine. Breaking up a workout eat a fiber- and nutrient-dense meal hydrated, which can be important for into two shorter sessions is one good or substantial snack right before you regulating hunger strategy, but doing many short bouts signals. of exercise throughout the day is just 3. Go green, as effective in terms of the calorie and red and burn.These short “activity snacks” orange. Some can also be a good way to re-energize holiday events whenever you find yourself feeling are more formal sluggish. affairs, involving sit-down dinners 5. Rethink your holiday rather than traditions. There’s no doubt that roaming appetizer food and drink are important elements platters. In those of many holiday traditions, but I instances, you can encourage you to ask yourself whether greatly reduce the they should be the central elements number of calories of those traditions. Imagine a holiday you consume season that places more emphasis on by opting for the gathering and fellowship among the plant-based friends and family and less emphasis entrée and by starting with a on the meals and treats.

Make a difference in the lives of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America large salad free of seniors who no longer have the resources to care for themselves. Every gift to the Good Samaritan Program remains local and helps residents meats, cheeses and I don’t know about you, but this who are living right here in our campus. To make your gift, visit the creamy dressings. holiday season I’m looking forward front desk, go online to PresbyterianManors.org/GoodSam or call us at 316-685-1100. to a Jan. 1 that doesn’t involve an By filling up on fibrous vegetables, emergency weight loss plan!

HOLIDAYS, continued from page 1

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Enriching lives with art We will focus on art and how it’s used on our campuses to enrich life in an upcoming issue of Community Matters. How do the arts help you stay sharp? How do you exercise creativity? How does your campus support your exploration of the arts?

If you’ve got a story to share, contact Marketing Director Angela Fonseca, and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.

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Community Matters December 2016

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