Director Letter – July 2022
I am reading a book called “Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit and Sexy until You’re 80 and Beyond”. This isn’t an ad for the book but it woke me up to how much the senior center is doing that this doctor advises to help you live your best life now. I’m inherently lazy. My hobbies are reading and puzzles both pretty sedentary. But lately, I’ve been motivated to try to do more to be healthy. The author says “Play like a dog” which brought up interesting images, but the point is to have fun. The first key is exercise. The senior center has so many fun things to do get your body moving!
Laughter Yoga is a ridiculously fun way to get healthier. You should check it out. Then there’s the hiking group out in the local forests and trails. And the drumming class is energetic but you don’t even feel like you’re exercising. I hear the bursts of laughter from the balance class Otago so I know they’re having fun! Chair Yoga is relaxing yet impactful. I have enjoyed Enhance Fitness and really missed it during the pandemic. It’s not the same doing it alone at home. Our fitness classes fit the bill for health in two ways – exercise and socializing.
A second key is as mentioned above – socializing. We need people. It’s easy for me to let inertia take over but I know it’s important to get up and get out. The pandemic put us out of the habit of socializing, but it’s so key to our mental health. A good way is to share your hobbies with others which is why I’m part of a book group. SVSC has a good one! There’s also bridge, handwork, Bunco, table tennis, art, singing group, armchair travel and more. Just pick something you’d like to learn about or enjoy doing now. You’ll find a warm welcome. I moved recently so I’m trying to meet people by joining some art classes and clubs. It’s important to feel part of a group. Volunteering is a great way to get involved too!
One part of connection is technology which is here to stay. So we hired Lance as our Digital Equity Coordinator which is a fancy way to say he can help you with your phone, tablet, computer or help you obtain a tablet or a mobile hotspot so you can get internet. You might be surprised at how much you enjoy it. We’ll have some classes coming with some ideas how to use technology and not get used by it!
A third key is intellectual stimulation which is why we have the brain fitness group which enjoys puzzles and games together and laughs together. But even armchair travel keeps us learning new things as do the many adult education classes we have. The trips Kira plans are always a fun way to learn at a museum or tour or what have you but it’s also a great way to meet new people.
The final key is nutrition. I just did the Trimazing class at SVSC on eating healthier to avoid diabetes. I learned a lot. We often offer classes on nutrition. Jennifer’s homemade meals are checked by a dietician to confirm we are meeting your full nutritional needs. The homemade desserts are just for the joy of it. You can’t beat Jennifer’s cookies!
Anyway, get as much as you can out of the Center’s programs and introduce us to others. You might find out that you are living a longer, happier, healthier life just by having fun with us.
Feel free to tell me or Kira if there are programs you’d like to see or improvements we can make to programs. We’re here for you.
Lisa Yeager, Director Lisay@soundgenerations.org or 425-333-4152, ext 1
P.S. We’re still working on gathering the final $300,000 to build our senior housing. Bricks are still available for purchase! Information on our website www.snovalleysenior.org or at the Center.