LifeTimes Feb. 2021

Living well after 50 Tampa Bay Times

| Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Virtual

MENTORING Hillsborough Education Foundation mentor Joanne Sudman checks out Lennard High student Katherine’s cell phone photos. The retired school speech pathologist has continued their twice-monthly mentoring chats on Zoom since the cororonavirus ended their in-person visits.

Photo courtesy of Hillsborough Education Foundation.

If you’ve ever been moved to tutor or mentor, now is the time. Your experience, empathy and insights can be life changing.

Pages 6 & 7

CROSSWORD X-traordinary Character, by Merl Reagle ACROSS 1 6 9 13 17 18 19 20 21 25 27 30 31 32 33 34 36 39 40 42 44 48 51 54 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 64 66 68 71 72 74 76 78 79 80 83

X Bus. sheepskin Hornito overflow Control centers in computers: abbr.

Honshu port Fine and dandy Oldies, often Offended X X ___ Robinson Tiparillo tip-off Meth finish Old French coin As soon as Crime bosses Sailor’s saint Blackball?

Nearsighted folks Languish X X ___-Magnon Wile E. Coyote’s mail-order catalog X Sword swallower?

Chinese sleuth Chinese tea Dis or mis, for ex.

Anjou, e.g.

Peloponnesus power, once Lay out Bean or capital Done for Bring to ___ (recipe instruction) Tokyo stock index Potpourri Calico cry L-P middle Befuddled Heart-___ (tearjerker) X

84 Snoop of rap music 85 Vanna’s concern: abbr.

86 X 89 X 90 Kung ___ chicken 91 Part of a retribution phrase 94 Pretend to be 97 Fly high 99 Salinger girl and others 100 Bryn ___ 101 Derek and Diddley 104 Red chief, once 106 One way to go to work 108 Compass pt.

109 X 114 X 120 Tied 121 Low point 122 If you take this, you’re sick 123 Inflatable craft 124 Wine category 125 Aniline vatfuls 126 Funny Louis 127 X

DOWN 1

It’s a small word, after all 2 O’clock or so 3 Fannie or Ginnie follower 4 Duke Ellington’s initials 5 Yakety instrument 6 Where sedge grows 7 Punt or ketch 8 Director Kurosawa 9 De ___ accommodations 10 Hostile to 11 Fogg’s creator 12 Easy ___

13 Tobacco mouthful 14 Filch 15 Prodding 16 Nose assaulter 19 Part of the Bible’s “writing on the wall” 22 Univ. aides 23 Work ___ five 24 Ex-Notre Dame coach Holtz 26 “___ used to it!”

27 1900 28 X 29 X 30 “I’ll be with you in just ___” 35 Early Ron Howard role 37 Shakespearean hubbub 38 “What’s going ___?!” (boss’s exclamation) 39 Flock member 41 Our sun is one 42 Space operas 43 “___ a given” 45 Hawaiian tree (or 18 Across backwards) 46 Little louse 47 Newspaper pioneer Adolph 49 Skater’s feat 50 Language finish 51 X 52 X 53 Like a bump ___ 54 “A man, a plan, ___ ÑPanama” 55 X 58 Broadway zipper?

60 Joe-___ weed 61 Patton beat Monty to it, in Sicily 63 Grope 65 Alias letters

The crossword puzzle solution is on Page 5.

67 69 70 73 75 77 81 82 83 84 86 87 88

Big shots of a sort Type of acid Lineage: abbr.

Slanted reporting?: abbr.

Wrath Safety org.

Bar code inits.

Old Pontiac It makes the Sephia Mil. awards Polish nickname Bug repellents Vous ___

89 Evenly distributed, as fat in meat 92 X 93 OSHA in the UK 94 Total: abbr.

95 Notebook, in Nice 96 Number of Hercules’ Labors 98 Yellow hue 101 Iota 102 Up 103 Lamb, at large 105 “The wages ___ ...”

106 Wake-up call need?

TIMES TOTAL MEDIA LifeTimes is produced and designed by the Marketing department of the Tampa Bay Times.

EDITOR: Andrea Daly ATTENTION BUSINESSES: Reach more than 467,800 LifeTimes readers* To advertise, call 1-880-333-7505, ext. 8725 or email sales@tampabay.com Source: 2019 Nielsen Scarborough Report (r2)

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| Wednesday, February 24, 2021 | Tampa Bay Times

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107 Decorative vessel 110 Feminine sides, in China 111 Go hip-deep (through) 112 Elevator man 113 Like garage rags 115 Circle section 116 Smelly black stuff 117 Sighting subject 118 Civil guarantees: abbr.

119 Twisty shape

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STEP BY STEP Sally Anderson

Photos by Dan Canoro

Strength and Balance with Resistance Bands

Are you a skeptic when it comes to using resistance bands for a strength training workout? When choosing between a small band and a heavy-duty weight, you might believe there is no comparison. However, resistance bands are a great tool for toning and strengthening the entire body and add a dash of variety when you incorporate them into your workout routine. Elastic bands target not only the larger muscle groups, but also help stabilize the smaller muscle groups. Bands allow you to strengthen muscles from different angles, which can help with your everyday activities.

Resistance bands challenge your muscles in a different ways than free weights.

Slow repetitions and adding pauses are key for working with resistance bands. The resistance from the bands increases as they are stretched through your range of motion.

There are a variety of bands, some are flat, some have handles and some are loop bands that look like a big rubber band. Bands come in different ranges of resistance from very light to extra heavy. Please consult with your physician before starting a resistance training program.

Resistance Band Benefits

• One size fits all. To increase resistance, simply shorten the band by adjusting your grip. To decrease resistance, lengthen the band.

• Multifunctional. Bands are excellent not only for strength training but also for physical therapy rehabilitation, balance and stretching.

• Convenient. Bands are small, lightweight and flexible, making them a welcome addition to your gym bag or suitcase.

• Easy to modify. Bands are designed for both standing and sitting, making it easy to modify movements to fit your needs.

• Versatile. Make your workouts more interesting by using bands in different positions with different movements. Bands work well with compound movements, like incorporating a bicep curl with a squat. See Step by Step.

Your Move | Demonstrated by Gary Keller Begin with a warm-up such as brisk walking, marching with arm movements or a few knee lifts and hamstring curls with arm movements. Keep tension on the bands, so your muscles are always working. Perform movements slowly with control as you work against the resistance when you both pull and return to the starting position.

Shoulder Blade Squeeze

Lateral Walk

(flat resistance band) Stretches chest, strengthens shoulders and upper back.

(loop resistance band) Improves hip stability and increases stability of knee joint.

Stand tall with back straight, feet shoulder-width apart and abdominals contracted.

Wrap a band around thighs, just above knees.

Standing with feet hip-width apart, place hands extended at chest level or on your hips.

Wrap band around hands if you need to shorten band.

Holding band with palms facing upward begin with bent elbows tucked into your sides.

Lower bent knees into a modified squat position.

Maintaining tension in the band, take four steps to the right, then four steps to the left, repeating pattern 3-4 times.

Keeping elbows at your sides, squeeze shoulder blades together as you slowly lengthen arms out to the side.

Keeping tension in the arms with elbows remaining in contact with your sides, return arms to original position Repeat 8-10 times.

Bicep Curl and Squat

(resistance band with handles) Targets both upper arms and lower body.

Arms moving from elbows, slowly bring arms downward as you perform a squat position.

Stand tall with abdominals contracted, knees slightly bent and feet hip-width apart.

Remember to move hips to the back as though you were sitting in a chair and avoid knees extending over toes.

Place resistance band under feet and hold a handle in each hand with palms facing upward, avoid rolling wrists inward.

Return to standing as you bring arms upward into another bicep curl.

Repeat pattern 8-10 times.

Arms by your sides and elbows close to your torso, slowly curl hands up toward shoulders: avoid curling wrists inward.

Triceps Press

(flat resistance band) Targets back of upper arms Stand on the middle of resistance band holding on to each end of band. Keep ankles under hips and knees slightly bent.

Bend elbows straight back pulling shoulder blades together and slowly straighten arms behind you with palms facing up.

Pause, then slowly return to beginning position with bent arms.

Repeat pattern 8-10 times.

Check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program. Sally Anderson is happy to hear from readers but can’t respond to individual inquiries.

Contact her at slafit@tampabay.rr.com SSP Tampa Bay Times

| Wednesday, February 24, 2021 |

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I found my secret to feeling younger and stronger The pandemic stole it away

By Bruce Horovitz Back in early January, before COVID-19 was as familiar as the furniture, I went in for my annual physical. My doctor looked at my test results and shook his head. Virtually everything was perfect. My cholesterol was down. So was my weight. My blood pressure was that of a swimmer. A barrage of blood tests turned up zero red flags.

“What are you doing differently?” he asked, almost dumbfounded.

After all, I’m a 67-year-old balding guy who had spent much of his life as a desk-bound journalist dealing with nasty ailments like hernias (in my 30s), kidney stones (40s) and shingles (50s).

I ruminated over what had changed since my last physical. Sure, I exercise more than 90 minutes daily, but I’ve been doing that for five years.

And yes, I watch what I eat, but that’s not new. Like most families with college-age kids, mine has its share of emotional and financial stresses — and there’d been no let-up there.

Only one thing in my life had registered any real change. “I’m volunteering more,” I told him.

I’d been spending less time in my basement office and more time out doing some good with like-minded people. Was this the magic elixir that seemed to steadily improve my health?

All signs pointed to “yes.” And I was feeling great about it.

Then just as I realized how important volunteering is to my health and well-being, the novel coronavirus appeared. As cases climbed, society shut down. One by one, my beloved volunteer gigs in Virginia disappeared.

It used to be that missing even one day of volunteering made me feel like a sourpuss. After almost eight months without it, I’m downright dour.

Science helps explain why. “The health benefits for older volunteers are mind-blowing,” said Paul Irving, chairman of the Center for the Future of Aging at the Milken Institute, and distinguished scholar in residence at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, whose lectures, books and podcasts on aging are turning heads.

When older folks go in for physicals, he said, “in addition to taking blood and doing all the other things that the doctor does when he or she pushes and prods and pokes, the doctor should say to you, ‘So, tell me about your volunteering.’”

A 2016 study in Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Behavioral Medicine that pooled data from 10 studies found that people with a higher sense of purpose in their lives — such as that received from volunteering — were less likely to die in the near term. Another study, published in Daedalus, an academic journal by MIT Press for the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, concluded that older volunteers had reduced risk of hypertension, delayed physical disability, enhanced cognition and lower mortality.

“People who are happy and engaged show better physiological functioning,” said Dr. Alan Rozanski, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital, a senior author of the Psychosomatic Medicine study.

People who engage in social activities such as volunteering, he said, often showed better blood pressure results and better heart rates.

Volunteers share a dirty little secret. We may start it to help others, but we stick with it for our own good, emotionally and physically.

Dr. David DeHart knows something about this, too. He’s a doctor of family medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. He figures he has worked with thousands of patients — many of them elderly — over his career. Instead of just writing prescriptions, he recommends volunteering to his older patients primarily as a stress reducer.

“Compassionate actions that relieve someone else’s pain can help to reduce your own pain and discomfort,” he said.

I think of my personal rewards from volunteering as cosmic electricity — with no “off” button. The good feeling sticks with me throughout the week — if not the month.

When will it be safe to resume my volunteering activities? Truth be told, there is no one-size-fits-all way to safely volunteer during the pandemic, said Dr. Kristin Englund, staff physician and infectious disease expert at the Cleveland Clinic. She suggests that volunteers — particularly those over 65 — stick with outdoor options.

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| Wednesday, February 24, 2021 | Tampa Bay Times

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CROSSWORD ANSWERS puzzle page 2

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| Wednesday, February 24, 2021 |

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Virtual Mentoring With traditional school-based mentoring disrupted by the coronavirus, virtual support and tutoring are more vital than ever.

Photo courtesy of Pinellas Education Foundation

When COVID-19 prevented mentors from meeting with scholars in person, Take Stock in Children director Kimberly Landry of the Pinellas Education Foundation helped fill the gap with virtual group sessions on Zoom.

BY AMY SCHERZER LifeTimes Correspondent

TAMPA - Think back. Was there a teacher or caring adult who changed the trajectory of your life?

If you’ve ever been moved to repay that connection, now is the time. With traditional school-based learning disrupted by the coronavirus, virtual mentoring and tutoring are vital to vulnerable students.

“We know that before third grade, students learn to read.

After third grade, they read to learn,” said Robin Ingles, CEO of Seniors in Service Tampa Bay. Founded in 1984, the organization assists more than 5,000 underserved people annually, including economically disadvantaged children, disabled adults, isolated seniors, overwhelmed caregivers, struggling veterans and hungry families.

During the 2019-20 school year, the non-profit’s Foster Grandparent Program placed tutors in 135 HeadStart through third grade classrooms at Title I schools in Hillsborough and Pinellas county school districts.

For three to six hours every day, between hugs and high fives, trained volunteer grandmas and grandpas from surrounding neighborhoods worked on reading, writing and social-emotional learning.

Independent teacher assessments show a whopping 97 percent of the students improving in each challenge area.

COVID-19 imperiled that progress. Seniors in Service moved fast to acquire the technology to continue tutoring virtually so the children, now learning at home, didn’t fall further behind.

schedule,” said Anna Corman, director of Take Stock in Children for Hillsborough Education Foundation. “New mentors are drawn to the flexibility and not having to drive anywhere. For older mentors especially, it’s been equally impactful helping with isolation and quarantine.

Some say meeting on Zoom is the highlight of their week.”

Ingles formed two critical partnerships, first with Canada-based Cyber Seniors to provide digital training, followed by a discount purchase agreement with T-Mobile to supply computer tablets and internet service. Volunteer age and neighborhood residency requirements were expanded to boost tutor recruitment during the pandemic.

The downside? “It’s harder, frustrating to communicate on Zoom because there are distractions,” said Joanne Sudman, a Hillsborough mentor to Lennard High student Katherine. “The phone rings, people walk past, but at the same time it’s such a rewarding experience.”

“I’m so proud of our seniors,” Ingles said, noting computer experience is benefiting two generations as the adults and children advance simultaneously.

“It’s not easy — some are off and running, others are still getting there; but everyone’s learning and we’re doing it together,” Ingles said.

Take stock in children Well aware that educational inequities follow at-risk students all their lives, the state of Florida created the Take Stock in Children mentoring program to offer academic and life skills guidance to sixth through 12th graders from lower-income families in every county.

Students who maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA, remain drug and crime free and graduate high school are rewarded with a Florida Prepaid Scholarship to college or technical school.

Adult mentors help them fulfill that promise by caring about their education, well-being and future plans.

Photo courtesy of Seniors in Service

Foster Grandparent volunteer Annie Benjamin earned a grateful thank-you note from a student benefiting from the Seniors in Service tutoring program.

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| Wednesday, February 24, 2021 | Tampa Bay Times

Since March 2020 and the coronavirus outbreak, the face-to-face format evolved to online sessions, in pairs and in groups, including college readiness workshops. A convenient mobile app also allows students and mentors to text and video chat as their schedules permit without exchanging phone numbers.

Mentors and students adapted, finding both pluses and minuses. “Virtual mentoring is a lot easier to fit into your SSP

Before COVID-19, the retired school speech pathologist would travel twice a month to meet with Katherine, now 15, during her Spanish class. “The students always chose the time, always on school grounds, and she is already fluent in Spanish,” said Sudman, 74, of Sun City Center.

Over the past two years, Katherine sought her mentor’s insights on some tough choices, such as giving up gymnastics for cheerleading and whether hosting a birthday celebration would be okay during the pandemic.

“It’s a learning experience on both ends of the continuum,” Sudman said.

At the Pinellas Education Foundation, the state’s largest Take Stock in Children initiative, Mentor Manager and College Success Coach Dee Mortellaro has transitioned most of the 1,000 students to virtual group sessions featuring guest speakers conversant on a wide variety of subjects. School liaisons moderate seven sessions a week.

“Remember, we’re a mentoring, not a scholarship program, so the more diverse the topic the better,” she said, naming recent discussions on mindfulness, robotics, and barcoding fish eggs.

“Think of it as giving a Ted Talk and please share your hobby or special interest. Your words may launch a student’s future.”

Amy Scherzer can be reached at AmyScherzersDiary@ gmail.com

INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING? WHAT: Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay Foster Grandparent Program WHO: Highly trained, culturally relevant adult volunteers tutor and assist underserved children in PreK-third grade to overcome adversity through improved literacy, social and emotional skills.

REQUIREMENTS: Able to communicate through email and video-calling platforms such as Zoom.

Ability to read and write the English language; subject to background check.

COMMITMENT: 5 hours a week online or on site at Title I schools or after-school resource centers in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

For more information, visit https://seniorsinservice.org/ or call (813) 492-8925.

WHAT: Virtual Mentoring with the Hillsborough Education Foundation/Take Stock in Children WHO: Volunteers meet virtually with their student (eighth-12th grade) several times per month to mentor, motivate and maintain student’s confidence to earn at least a 2-year Florida Prepaid Scholarship to a college/community college/technical school.

Additionally, guest presenters are always needed to facilitate virtual workshops and career-informational sessions.

REQUIREMENTS: Mentors must be 18 or older and a high school graduate; complete a 90-minute training session and pass a criminal background check.

COMMITMENT: Minimum of one school year.

For more information, visit EducationFoundation.com/Mentor-A-Student.

Or email Anna Corman at acorman@educationfoundation.com or call (813) 463-4283.

WHAT: Virtual Mentoring with the Pinellas Education Foundation/Take Stock in Children WHO: Volunteer mentors passionate about helping change the lives of deserving students through college scholarships.

REQUIREMENTS: Mentors, but not guest speakers, must register through the Pinellas County School District.

COMMITMENT: Virtual mentors meet twice a month; guest speakers are invited for 30-minute sessions.

For more information, email dee.mortellaro@pinellaseducation.org or call (727) 455-2529.

Photo courtesy of Seniors in Service

Seniors in Service Foster Grandparent volunteer Bertha Glover helping in a Title I classroom, shares her young student’s pride in his improved reading skills.

ASTRONOMY Daryl L. Schrader March Skies:

The vernal equinox will occur at 5:37 a.m. March 20, when the Sun crosses the celestial equator and spring returns. On that day, the Sun will rise directly in the east and set 12 hours later, directly in the west.

Evening: Mars, with Aldebaran and the Pleiades, will be visible in the evening all month. The Earth increases its distance from the red planet this month to 160 million miles.

Dawn: Low in the east-southeast, Jupiter rises to join Mercury on the 5th and then passes it. Saturn is to the upper right of Jupiter all month.

Mercury will be too low to see by midmonth.

Sky Calendar March March 2: The moon is closest (perigee) to the Earth at 227,063 miles.

March 5: Last quarter moon.

Look to the south, an hour before sunrise, to find the red giant star Antares below the moon. Very low in the east-southeast, Mercury is just to the left of Jupiter, with Saturn to their upper right forty minutes before sunrise.

March 13: New moon.

March 14: Daylight savings time starts at 2 a.m.

March 18: The moon is furthest from us (apogee) at 251,812 miles.

March 19: At dusk, in the west, Mars, the Pleiades and Aldebaran form a triangle. The moon is to the upper left of Mars.

March 20: The vernal equinox occurs at 10:40 a.m. Spring begins.

March 21: First quarter moon.

March 26: Venus is in superior conjunction – directly on the other side of the Sun. March 30: The moon is again at perigee (223,886 miles).

Daryl L. Schrader is professor emeritus at St. Petersburg College and has taught astronomy at the University of South Florida.

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| Wednesday, February 24, 2021 |

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Ron Goins, 70 MY FAVORITE CAR Wesley Chapel

1971 Chevrolet Corvette

I bought my 1971 Corvette in the spring of 1974. It had a 454 cubic inch engine, automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes and factory a/c. A few months later, I went to a Corvette meeting where I met my future wife Emalie (Emily). During our courtship we drove to many locations throughout Florida. I sold the car a few years later and to this day it remains my favorite car.

Tell us your love story What’s the story behind your favorite or first car? We’d like to share it. Please send: • Your name, city where you live and your age (with your date of birth).

• The year, make and model of the car, with a description of the car and why you love it.

• A high-resolution photo or a scanned image.

(Must be of the actual car.)

• Send to drive@tampabay.com and put My Favorite Car or My First Car in the subject line.

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It’s better in a protected space where the general public isn’t moving through, she said, because “every time you interact with a person, it increases your risk of contracting the disease.”

Englund said she’d consider walking dogs outside for a local animal shelter as one safe option with some companionship. “While we do know that people can give COVID to animals,” she said, “it’s unlikely they can give it back to you.”

Meanwhile, my next annual physical is coming right up in January. It’s got me to wondering if my labs will be quite as pristine as they were the last go-round. I’ve got my doubts. Unless, of course, I’ve resumed some sort of in-person volunteering by then.

Last year, an elderly woman staying at the homeless shelter pulled me aside to thank me after I handed her lunch of tomato soup and a turkey sandwich. She set down her tray, took my hand, looked me smack in the eye and asked, “Why do you do this?”

She was probably expecting me to say I do it to help others because I care about those less fortunate than me. But that’s not what came out.“I do it for myself,” I said. “Being here makes me whole.”

Bruce Horovitz: brucehorovitz@gmail.com. KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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