Healthy Aging Association News - Healthy Aging Association

New Year, Fresh Start!

12/30/2020

1. Exercise 10 minutes a day, 7 days a week. Try to be as physically active as you can. Find exercises or a class you enjoy, making physical activity a daily habit. Increase time you exercise as you feel comfortable to work up to 150 minutes a week.
2. Explore new volunteer opportunities. Some volunteer opportunities can be done from the comfort of your home. Contact local organizations to see if they need help making phone calls, which can be done from home. If you volunteer outside your home take precautions to wear a mask, gloves, and ask the organization what safety measures they are taking to ensure your safety.
3. Make a phone call once a week to check in on a friend or neighbor. Try calling and checking in with a friend or neighbor on a weekly basis to see how they are doing and possibly brighten their day with your thoughtfulness.
4. Spend more time with grandkids, even if it is by virtual means. Try to get creative about visits with grandchildren, especially if you are not able to visit face-to-face. Plan a FaceTime, Zoom, or phone call with grandchildren.
5. Revisit an old pastime. Do you find that you have more free time on your hands? Take up an activity or hobby you once found enjoyable: knitting, quilting, crocheting, fishing, painting, woodworking, making homemade cards or other crafts or stamp collecting to name a few.
6. Make healthier food decisions. Try some new recipes that keep your health conditions in mind and incorporate more fruits and vegetables. Healthy food choices take time, make small changes over time.
7. Keep the brain active. Challenge your mind by doing a crossword puzzle, word search, Sudoku puzzle or other brain teaser daily to promote brain function.
8.Make your overall health a priority. Scheduling annual doctor visits or check-ups are important. If it is challenging to make a face-to-face visit, ask if the doctor can do a telehealth visit covered by your insurance. The advice and tips from your doctor help keep you healthy all year long.

While the past year has presented many challenges physically, mentally, and emotionally, let's remember to stay as positive as we can to make this year the best one yet!

Written by: Jessica Shupp Enes
Source: https://www.sunriseseniorliving.com/blog/december-2016/8-new-years-resolutions-for-seniors.aspx

My Plate Holiday Makeover

12/23/2020

While the holidays may look differently this year it is still important to keep in mind the healthier options we can make during this holiday season. Whether you are cooking for one or a small group of people ChooseMyPlate.gov has come up with some helpful reminders from beverages to the main course.

Tweak the sweets: Fruits make delicious desserts.
Bake Healthier: Use recipes with pureed fruits instead of butter or oil.
Brighten your meal: Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables.
Swap the grains: Choose whole wheat flour instead of white flour.
Cheers to good health: Drink water to manage calories.
Spice it up: Use spices and herbs instead of sugar and salt.
Skim the fat: Try skim evaporated milk instead of heavy cream.
Go easy on the gravy: A little bit of gravy goes a long way.

As MyPlate MyWins reminds us, "The holidays are often filled with time-honored traditions that include some of our favorite meals and foods. As you celebrate, think of little changes you can make to create healthier meals and active days."

Written By: Jessica Shupp Enes
Image and Information: https://www.choosemyplate.gov/infographic-myplate-holiday-makeover

Mindful Eating

11/4/2020

Kaiser Permanente reminds us of the importance of mindful eating in their "What Does Healthy Eating Mean to You?" article. Many of us find ourselves rushing through life at times, whether we are meeting a friend or family member, are involved with a volunteer group or club, or keeping ourselves busy around the home. When you make meals for yourself and/or others do you rush through the meal without fully enjoying it? Do you take the time to truly appreciate the food and those who prepared it? Keep these helpful tips in mind to help you be more mindful of your eating habits and make healthy choices for your diet:

Before eating, ask yourself if you are actually hungry.
If you're bored, sad or stressed do you find yourself turning to food? Try another activity like going for a walk, reading a book, or calling a friend.
Ask you eat, take small bites to savor the flavors and aromas. Be grateful for the nutrients and energy the food brings you.
Listen to your body while eating and stop when you are satisfied.

Written by Jessica Shupp Enes, B.A.
For more healthy living tips visit kp.org/healthyweight or contact your local Kaiser Permanente Health Education Center.
Image from the https://blog.cdphp.com/healthy-living/4-simple-mindful-eating-tips/

Let's Get Cooking!

10/27/2020

Making healthy choices for our meals can make a huge difference in our lives as we age. Healthy eating can strengthen our immune system, improve how we feel, and help us manage our overall well-being. When we practice a healthy lifestyle we obtain nutrients our body needs, maintain healthy weight, reduce the risk of chronic diseases (high blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease), and boosts energy levels.

Healthy Aging Association is now offering Nutrition Workshops from the Food Smarts program. These classes meet once a week for 5 weeks on Zoom and discuss various nutrition topics, strategies for healthy eating and recipes to try at home. These classes not only broaden our own personal thinking about nutrition, but they allow participants to discuss topics amongst each other and take part in fun activities and demonstrations.

To join in the classes Healthy Aging Association is offering you can call our office at (209)525-4670 or email us at healthy.aging2000@gmail.com to register today!

Written By: Jessica Shupp Enes
Source: https://www.choosemyplate.gov/browse-by-audience/view-all-audiences/adults/older-adults
https://eatfresh.org/
https://www.leahspantry.org/what-we-offer/cultivate-nourished-communities/food-smarts-curriculum/

Summer Energy Saving Tips

8/5/2020

Consider a range of appliances to cook with during these hot summer months. Not only will this help to not heat up your whole house, but they can also be great options for cooking in small spaces or when cooking for one.

A slow cooker, or crock-pot, uses very low heat to cook food slowly. It can be left alone for hours and uses less energy than many other appliances.
- Great for soups, stews, tough meat or dried beans.
A rice cooker uses medium heat to steam food. It works faster than a slow cooker. For safety it shuts off automatically and has no exposed heat source.
- Great for grain or bean dishes, soups, stews, or steamed foods.
A toaster oven is a very small oven. This option is more energy efficient than a stove for cooking small items and is great for small spaces.
- Great for sandwiches, pizza, or reheating small items.
An electric skillet works like a skillet on a stovetop. This appliance is great for cooking small items and is safer than a hot plate.
- Great for eggs, stir fries or whole grain pancakes.
A microwave cooks food very quickly and is great for small spaces.
- Great for thawing, hot beverages, steaming items, ready-to-heat foods, and leftovers.

For more energy saving tips during the summer months visit pge.com or join Healthy Aging Association’s 5-Week Nutrition Class from Leah's Pantry to learn more about cooking with these appliances.

Written by Jessica Shupp Enes, Fitness Program Coordinator
Sources: https://www.pge.com
https://www.leahspantry.org/

Healthy Eating for Life!

5/11/2020

As we age, having good nutrition plays a vital role in our overall well-being. Making sure we are getting the vitamins and nutrients our bodies need helps to give us the energy we need to go about our normal day, build up our immune system to fight infection and other diseases, and have strong skin and bones, to name a few benefits. There may be challenges we face to be able to eat healthy and get the nutritious food our bodies need.

The National Institute on Aging advises us, "Different foods in each food group have different nutrients. Picking an assortment within every food group throughout the week will help you get many nutrients. For example, choose seafood instead of meat twice a week. The variety of foods will make your meals more interesting, too." EatFresh.org remind us of the importance of making sure our plate is colorful with a variety of fruits and vegetables, this is also a great resource to find new recipes to try!

EatFresh.org has come up with a Mini Course to "boost your nutrition, cooking and healthy living knowledge". Take this fun course to learn more ways you can eat healthy, save money, and cook easy, tasty meals.

Written by Jessica Shupp-Enes, Fitness Program Coordinator
Source:https://eatfresh.org/eatfreshorg-mini-course
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/vitamins-and-minerals

Snack Time Made Easy

4/9/2020

If you are a snack-er, being home at this time may come with its own added challenges to limit the amount of snacks you have in a day. MyPlate MyWins has come up with some simple steps to "Hack Your Snacks" while remaining healthy and keep you moving toward your nutrition goals.

Build your own snacks such as trail mix to allow you to customize your snack to your liking.
Pre-portion snacks in baggies to save time and avoid overeating.
Combine food groups for a snack - yogurt with fruit or apples with peanut butter.
Keep your snacks colorful by trying raw vegetables with dip to take in more vitamins.

Another helpful resource for making your own snacks or trying new recipes can be by visiting eatfresh.org for snack recipes like smoothies, dips, wraps, trail mix, and more!

Written by Jessica Shupp-Enes, Fitness Program Coordinator
Resources: https://www.choosemyplate.gov/myplate-mywins-tips-hacking-your-snacks-0
https://eatfresh.org/recipe/filter-meal-type/snacks-7
Image: https://foreignpolicyi.org/the-best-healthy-snacks/

Water Infusion

7/11/2019

This summer, to quench your thirst try to drink options that contain less sugar like water! Water is a wonderful alternative to sugar sweetened beverages especially if you add different fruits or herbs.
Next time you grab a glass of water try to add thin slices of lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, cucumber, apple, berries, melon, pineapple or fresh ginger.
You could even try adding fresh whole leaves or sprigs of mint, basil, rosemary or parsley.
Stay hydrated this summer by giving these flavors a try!

Source: Leah's Pantry
Image from:
https://www.culinaryhill.com/8-infused-water-recipes/

Feeling Blue? Eating more fiber could help!

1/15/2019

An article in the January ACE Fitness Journal showed that eating 21 grams of fiber a day may reduce depression. This study followed nearly 17,000 Americans and found that increasing your fiber intake by consuming more fiber rich grains, vegetables, fruit and beans may make you happier. The typical American eats about 15-18 g a day, but fiber can provide your body with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that improve brain function and can improve our gut. So, eating fiber makes your whole body happier - mind, body, and gut.

Source: ACE Fitness Journal, January 2019 | Volume 16 | Number 1

What's on the menu this holiday season?

11/16/2018

As we get ready for the holiday season and the social gatherings to come SNAP-Ed Connection has come up with some delicious recipes that are sure to please any crowd. Whether you have special family recipes that you make every holiday season or are willing to try a new spin on some holiday favorites these recipes will not only make your mouth water but give you confidence when making healthy choices this holiday season.
Not only is it important to make healthy food choices during the holiday season, but we should remind ourselves to stay active even with the weather cooling down. Some physical activities may be more difficult to perform in the winter time, but check out local senior centers or community centers to try the exercise classes they may offer.