How many push-ups can you do? Or are you like me, the bigger challenge is just getting back up off the floor with some kind of grace and dignity!
Many of you are already active and can testify that you don’t have to relive your junior high P.E. class to enjoy the benefits of exercise and movement. It can be as simple as walking around the block or throwing away the TV remote — or even the TV. It can include water aerobics, gardening, dancing or movement classes. By engaging in 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity, you can improve or maintain your strength, balance, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness.
The first step is to avoid the excuses. Even with physical limitations, doing something is always better than doing nothing. If it becomes boring, mix it up and be creative. And even though you haven’t lost any weight or that extra inch around the waist, keep moving. It is still good for you.
There are also plenty of inexpensive ways to keep moving: A few plants here and a walking stick there, or classes at your community center. And if you just don’t have the get up and go to get out and move, reward yourself. Buy yourself a large chocolate milkshake. (Just kidding!)
And exercise with friends. The social connections will make it fun, more interesting, and a little peer pressure can be the motivation that keeps you going. Start small. You’re not getting any younger. Just because you were able to do something 20 years ago doesn’t mean you can expect to start at that same level today.
The point is that it is never too late to start being more active. Start small, make it fun, and be persistent. At our age we may no longer be the youthful hare of Aesop’s Fables. But we can still follow the tortoise’s example where slow and steady wins the race.
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A quick reminder. Shingles is not a walk in the park, as a friend reminded me recently. She is suffering from painful nerve damage from shingles and has been urging all her friends to get the vaccine!
The two-dose recombinant zoster vaccine Shingrix is more than 90% effective compared to the previous vaccine Zostavax, which was 51% effective. Even if you’ve already received the Zostavax vaccine or if you had shingles in the past, it is recommended that you receive the Shingrix vaccine. But if you’ve had an allergic reaction to a vaccine or have a weakened immune system, you should talk to your doctor first.
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BRAIN TEASE: You may find this one way too easy.
I am a word of six; my first three letters refer to an automobile; my last three letters refer to a household animal; my first four letters is a fish; my whole is found in your room. What am I?
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The person who served as chairman and president of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962 and served as governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969 was George Romney. Once again, because it was another Monday holiday and I needed to send in this column early, next week I will share the names of those who sent in last week’s correct answer.
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Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, there were different ideas of what was safe and what wasn’t. I didn’t wear a bicycle helmet, I put raw eggs in my milkshakes, I used baby oil instead of sunscreen and my sister and I would sleep on the mattress in the back of the Mercury station wagon while my mom and dad drove to Florida. But during the summer we were constantly reminded to wait an hour before doing what? Email your answer for this week’s “Remember When” question to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or mail it with a copy of a Sandra Dee Coppertone ad.
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Well, it’s been another week trying to decide should I or shouldn’t I. Until we meet again, as Anton Chekhov once pointed out, “Any idiot can face a crisis. It’s the day-to-day living that wears you out.”
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“The best babysitters, of course, are the baby’s grandparents. You feel completely comfortable entrusting your baby to them for long periods, which is why most grandparents flee to Florida.”
— Dave Barry
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Nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals are available at noon Monday through Friday unless otherwise noted.
Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) — Wednesdays with music on 2nd and 4th Wednesdays; Mt. Hood Townhall (541-308-5997) — Tuesdays; Hood River Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center (541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333).
For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services: Goldendale office (509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068), and in Skamania County call Senior Services (509-427-3990).
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