September 2023
Newsletter for Active Newsletter for Active Newsletter for Older Adults Older Adults Older Adults
Upcoming Events
Senior Lunch & Learn
“Wicked Women of Ohio Part 2"
Tuesday, September 5th @ 12:15 PM
Senior Lunch & Learn “DISC Presentation"
Thursday, September 7th @ 12:15 PM
Senior Lunch Outing: Taggets Icecream
Friday, September 8th @ 11:30 AM
Senior Cookies, Coffee, & Conversation
Tuesday, September 12th @ 12:15 PM
Senior Bingo
Wednesday, September 13th @ 12:00 PM
Senior Paint & Sip
Thursday, September 14th @ 2:00 PM
Senior Card Social
Friday, September 15th @ 1:00 PM
Senior Lunch & Learn "Purse-A-Nality"
Friday, September 21
@ 12:30 PM
Senior Cement Mushroom Casting Class
Friday, September 22nd & 29th @ 1:00 PM
Senior Lunch & Learn "Shoulder Pain"
Tuesday, September 26th
@ 1 2:15 PM
Senior Lunch & Learn
"Do I Own My Stuff or Does My Stuff Own Me"
Thursday, September 28th
@ 1 2:15 PM
August flew by in a blink of the eye! September snuck up on me, so my apologies that the newsletter and some of the event flyers were a touch later than normal! I feel like this time of year is a blur of wonderfulness! You may be wondering “What in the world do I mean by that?” Well, this is the beginning of the slide from Fall right into the new year! It is filled with fun times and the making of so many fabulous memories, but it seems that this is the point where the blur starts. We blink and the next thing you know it’s the new year. So, be better than me and take the time to cherish the start of my most favorite season and enjoy all the fun times and holidays in between! I do want to take a moment to mention the horrible tragedy that this community faced recently. The loss of the beautiful Dunham family from our community! I must say I was filled with shock when I heard what happened and was even more disheartened when I realized that it was one of our own Y families and part of my cub scout family! My heart breaks at the loss of these vibrant souls, but would like to point out what a very special community we live in. I grew up in the Canton area and never witnessed how special a small-town community like the one we live in can be! It warms my heart to see how this community pulls together with the loss of one of our own. I will never understand why such horrible thing happen, but feel truly blessed to be part of this community and especially this YMCA family here at Lake Community. I wish everyone a September filled with good health and happy memories.
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Newsletter for Active
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Senior Lunch & Learn: “Rewire Your Brain”
A huge thank you to Dr. Dittoe for coming to share with us his passion about “Rewiring your Brain!” Windsor Medical Center brought us delicious Chick-fil-a box lunches! It was a great event!
Newsletter fo
Active Older Adults
Bring a friend or three! Completely free and open to the public! Free chick-fil-a Lunch to the first 100 attendees! Introducing the health passport this year. Have all the vendors sign your health passport and be entered to win one of the many door prizes graciously donated by our wonderful vendors!
Newsletter fo
Active Older Adults
Newsletter for Active Older
Adults
Senior Bingo
Thank you so much to all those who joined us for Senior Bingo! It was sponsored by Ashleigh from The Canton Regency. There were tasty lunches, prizes, and most importantly fun! Ashleigh brought delicious Jimmy John’s sandwiches and chips for lunch!
Newsletter for Active Older Adults
Newsletter fo
Active Older Adults
Newsletter for Active
Older Adults
Each year, the Ohio Department of Aging celebrates September as Falls Prevention Awareness Month.
Contrary to popular belief, falling is not a normal part of aging, and most falls can be prevented. By knowing and managing your risk factors, you can live a full and active life free from the fear of falling. Here is some tips on how exercise can help you prevent falls.
Exercise is one of the most important things you or your older loved ones can do to reduce the risk of falls and minimize injuries from a fall. Below are a few easy exercises you can do in your home that have been shown to increase strength, balance, and stamina. Pick a few and try to do them at least three to five times each week for best results. Talk with your health care provider or physical therapist about exercises that are appropriate for your health and activity level.
Weight Shifting
Standing with your feet at hip-width, shift your weight to one side, lifting your opposite foot off of the floor.
Hold the position as long as you can (about 30 seconds), then shift to the other side and repeat three times (or as many times as you are comfortable).
If you are unsteady when you first start, use a wall, countertop, or sturdy chair to help you keep your balance, or ask a family member or friend to help.
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One-legged balancing
Start with your feet at hip-width and your hands on your hips.
Lift one leg, bending at the knee. Hold this position for up to 30 seconds.
Alternate with the other leg and repeat five times (or as many times as you are comfortable).
If you are unsteady when you first start, use a wall, countertop, or sturdy chair to help you keep your balance, or ask a family member or friend to help.
Heel-toe walk
Stand with your arms straight out and your feet side by side.
Focusing on a spot in front of you, take a step forward, placing the heel of the front foot directly in front of and touching the toe of your back foot.
Take 10-20 steps this way, as you are comfortable.
Leg raises
Sit in a sturdy chair with only your toes and the balls of your feet on the floor.
Slowly extend one leg in front of you as straight as possible, but don't lock your knee.
Flex your foot and point your toes toward the ceiling.
Hold for 1 second then slowly lower your leg.
Repeat 10-15 times, then switch to the other leg.
Foot taps
Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart in front of a step (the bottom step of a staircase will work) or a low piece of furniture.
Slowly raise one foot to tap the step in front of you, and then return it to the floor.
Perform 15 to 20 taps, then repeat on the opposite leg.
If needed, hold onto the wall or a sturdy piece of furniture for balance. As you get stronger, perform the move without holding onto anything.
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Newsletter for Active
Older Adults
Head rotations
Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
Slowly move your head from side to side then up and down while keeping your body as still as possible.
Do this for 30 seconds, then repeat.
If you start to feel dizzy, pause and move your head more slowly. If you ’ re still dizzy, stop.
If needed, hold onto the wall or a sturdy piece of furniture for balance. As you get stronger, perform the move without holding onto anything.
Standing marches
Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
Lift one knee until your thigh is parallel to the floor (or as close to parallel as you can go) while you keep your torso straight and avoid any leaning.
Pause, then slowly return your foot to the floor.
Perform 20 marches, alternating between legs with each march.
If needed, hold onto the wall or a sturdy piece of furniture for balance. As you get stronger, perform the move without holding onto anything.
Sit-to-stands
Stand tall with your back facing a sturdy chair and your feet hip-width apart.
Sit back and slowly lower your hips onto the chair as gently as possible.
Without swinging your torso, push through your heels to stand up. Perform 10 times.
If you need to, hold onto the wall or a sturdy piece of furniture for balance. As you get stronger, perform the move without holding onto anything.
Walking
Walking also is a great exercise, and public places like indoor shopping malls and museums can give you the opportunity to get some steps in, even when the weather outside is frightful.
Check with your local senior center for indoor walking groups or exercise programs.
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Newsletter for
Active Older Adults
Newsletter for Active Older Adults
Newsletter for Active
Older Adults
8 Delicious Ways to Eat Your Way to Better Brain Health
By Matthew Kadey, R.D. | July 24, 2023
A growing body of research shows that how you eat may help keep your mind sharp. Here are 8 takeaways from the research.
It’s normal to experience the occasional “ memory slip” — like forgetting where you put your keys. As you age, these slips can start to happen more often. But there’s lots you can do to keep your mind sharp.
A recent decade-long study found that people who had more healthy lifestyle factors had slower memory decline than those with less. The healthy lifestyle factors they looked at included things like exercising regularly, socializing, and doing “cognitive activities” like reading and puzzles.
Another lifestyle factor they looked at? A healthy diet. That’s right — you can add brain health to the long list of benefits of healthy eating. A growing body of research shows that certain nutrients and eating patterns are linked to a lower risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
And it’s never too late to make changes to the way you eat to help keep your brain performing well. Here are 8 delicious ways to get started.
1. Try the MIND Diet
This brain-healthy eating pattern is a hybrid of the Mediterranean diet and DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). It stands for “Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.”
The MIND diet focuses on food groups that research shows can help protect against agerelated cognitive problems like Alzheimer’s disease. The diet can also help lower blood pressure, which is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.
The MIND diet encourages eating more of these food groups:
Beans: 3 servings a week
Berries: at least 2 servings a week
Fish: 1 serving a week
Leafy greens: at least 6 servings a week
Other vegetables: at least 1 serving a day
Nuts: 5 servings a week
Olive oil: use as your primary added fat
Poultry: 2 servings a week
Whole grains: at least 3 servings a day
And it recommends eating less of these foods:
Pastries and sweets: less than 5 servings a week
Red meat: less than 4 serving a week
Cheese and fried foods: less than 1 serving a week
Butter: less than 1 tablespoon a day
Newsletter for Active
Older Adults
8 Delicious Ways to Eat Your Way to Better Brain Health
By Matthew Kadey, R.D. | July 24, 2023 continued.
2. Go Big on Green
Here’s another reason to get your greens: leafy green vegetables, like spinach, kale, and lettuce, have been linked to slower age-related cognitive decline.
Certain antioxidants in leafy greens, particularly lutein and beta-carotene, may be responsible for their brain-boosting powers. One study in Frontiers of Aging Neuroscience found that older people with higher levels of lutein had neural responses that were on par with younger people.
Other science has discovered that greater intakes of both lutein and beta-carotene can lower the odds of moderate or poor cognitive function in women as they age.
So think green when you are making salads and sandwiches. You can also add handfuls of greens to soups, scrambled eggs, and even smoothies.
3. Crack an Egg
When it comes to our brains, choline is a nutrient you certainly don’t want to skimp on. This essential nutrient is the building block for a compound called acetylcholine, which regulates memory and helps your brain cells communicate properly.
Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggest that eating more choline is linked to a lower risk for dementia and better overall cognitive performance.
Eggs, more specifically the yolks, are just about the richest source of choline in the supermarket, second only to beef liver. A single egg delivers about 30 percent of your daily need for brain-benefiting choline.
If you ’ re worried about the cholesterol in egg yolks, you may not need to. Dietary cholesterol may have less of an impact on blood cholesterol than scientists originally thought. But talk to your doctor if you have concerns.
4. Scale Back Ultra-Processed Foods
Cutting back on packaged foods and fast foods like pastries, sugary drinks and French fries could benefit your brain. These so-called “ultra-processed foods” are high in added fats, sugar, and salt, and low in healthful protein and fiber.
A recent large-scale study found that replacing just 10 percent of ultra-processed foods in your diet with less processed foods — like fruits and vegetables — was associated with a 19 percent reduction in dementia risk.
5. Sprinkle in Chia Seeds
Working more soluble fiber into your daily diet may help ward off cognitive decline. A 2022 study discovered that people who consumed the most dietary fiber, and specifically soluble fiber, were at a lower risk of developing debilitating dementia.
Scientists aren’t exactly sure why soluble fiber seems to protect the brain. Soluble fiber can help lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels, which in turn is good for your brain. It might also have something to do with the gut-brain connection. Fiber encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut microbiome. And those beneficial bugs may be good your brain, too.
One easy way to get more soluble fiber is with chia seeds. They have a whopping 10 grams of fiber in each 2-tablespoon serving. That’s about half the fiber you need in a day. You can add chia seeds to oatmeal, salads, smoothies and yogurt. Other sources of soluble fiber include beans, oats, barley, apples, pears, and flax.
Newsletter for Active
Older Adults
Newsletter for Active Older Adults
Newsletter for Active Older Adults
Newsletter for Active Older Adults
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