Written by Anna Breidenbach, Adult/Senior Programmer
It seems to me that every year the retailers are jumping the gun for the Holiday Season. The last doorbell had rung for trick-or-treat as the deluge of holiday merchandise hit the stores! My children are very excited with all of the commercials on television showing them the toys and doodads that they ‘need’ to celebrate this season. Watching a child’s eyes light with wonder is an exciting thing!
The tough thing to realize is that there are some families that are going without this season. I’m not talking about missing out on the new video game or the hottest trend- but families that are going without the necessities. Every year the seniors involved at the Springdale Community Center have donated items to those that are in need through our Giving Tree in the Senior Lounge. This year we will be placing the Giving Tree within the SCC lobby so it may be easier for people to participate without trekking back to the Lounge. You will find items ranging from socks and silverware to bath towels and books.
The best part? These are families from Springdale that we will be helping. So- choose an ornament off the tree, make sure the front desk writes down the number of the ornament and then bring the item (wrapped or unwrapped) to the SCC by Friday, December 10. Your generosity will make a huge difference to these families within Springdale.
Thank you!
by Anna Breidenbach
Fall is in the air and everyone is dressed in their team colors (any other fellow Hawkeyes out there?)- that can only mean one thing… Tailgate! No, don’t fight the crowds down at Paul Brown- it’s the perfect time to hold a pigskin party in your own house! What’s that?- you don’t have any ideas on what to make- no problem! Our popular What’s Cookin’? class is back and full of ideas. With a menu of homemade pretzels, hoagies, salad (yes, we threw in something green) and dessert. Everything is covered! And best of all- it is healthy, easy and inexpensive!
Are you still a little hesitant to try a cooking class? Jay and I both know our way around a kitchen and have a lot of fun teaching the classes. We try out new products, wrangle over the recipes, and fist fights are quite common…well, that is just in our practice sessions. Jay does everything by the book, while I cook off-the-cuff- pretty entertaining combination and the result is some really good food. Plus you will learn about my love of infomercials (shamWOW anyone?) and Jay’s crush on Martha Stewart. So throw some measuring cups to the wind and give us a try! Sign-ups are going on now- stop by the front desk or call 346-3910.
Do you have some late-season tomatoes and not quite sure what to do with them? Try my favorite fresh salsa recipe:
Salsa Fresca
Ingredients:
2 medium size ripe tomatoes
¼ medium size onion
4 sprigs cilantro
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp garlic salt
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 jalapeno (1/3 for mild, 2/3 for medium, all for hot and spicy)
Chop tomatoes, onion, cilantro and garlic, place in a bowl. Add chopped jalapeno if desired. Sprinkle garlic salt and lemon juice. Toss and serve with tortilla chips. Store in refrigerator in airtight container.
By Jay M. Dennis
Walking is one of the easiest and best exercises there is to reduce your risk of disease, help you lose weight and live longer. You can walk all year and anywhere - your neighborhood, the mall, local parks, on a tight rope (although the tight rope method may not be best for everyone ) . A great way to keep track of your walking is with a pedometer - it helps keep track of how many steps you take per day.
But how many steps per day should you walk? 4,000? 6,000? 10,000? Where does this number come from? More importantly, can I really walk that much in one day? Does it really correlate to better health or weight loss? Is this another fitness myth or is there really any research that shows it works? Why am I asking all these questions when I should be giving the answers? Well, keep reading.
The long standing guideline has been 10,000 (*magic number alert*) steps per day. But there was no scientific data to back this up. Luckily, new research has shed some light on this.
Trying to maintain your health?
The CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. This can be broken down to five 30 minute exercise sessions. Research has shown that 100 steps per minute (a brisk walk) is considered moderate exercise. So by walking 3,000 steps in 30 minutes, you have just exercised moderately for one session this week. Add four more and you are good to go. See how easy that was? Just aim for five exercise sessions of 3,000 steps in 30 minutes every week. This could easily be accomplished in one of the many exercise classes we offer at the Community Center.
Trying to lose weight?
Think about this: 2,000 steps is roughly one mile. One mile burns roughly 100 calories. If you want to lose one pound per week, you need to burn 3,500 calories per week. Or walk 35 miles. Or five miles per day. Which is 10,000 steps.
Stop by the Fitness Center to see how you can get a FREE pedometer. And be sure to pick up a Walking Packet to learn a realistic way to build up to 10,000 steps a day.
Written By: Anna Breidenbach
As a kid, I was always excited for summertime- the break from school, the pool, the annual summer trip! Our annual summer trip consisted of loading the family station wagon with our family of five, the dog and enough games and books to keep us kids occupied so as not to drive my parents nuts. We played endless games of Spy, license plate tag, and my parents even fancied us as the Van Trapp family and had us sing rounds throughout the car trip! It still amazes me that my sisters and I never made it big in showbiz- those long trips from the east coast to Iowa- we were ready for the stage!
Now that we are adults, there is no reason that we- members of the SCC- can’t take an annual summer trip- especially since all of the work has been done for you! You don’t have to map out the best route, or find a place to eat, or even worry about gas prices. You just sign-up for the trip (with payment), show up at the designated time and place and you are on your way. We have several trips this summer- one day, multi-day, cruises- you name it. Stop by the SCC and pick up a travel packet for more information. Or feel free to call me, Anna, at 346-3910.