Set a time each day to do a few minutes of exercise.

by Leslie Sokol

No matter your age, a regular routine is extremely important. If you consistently make time to do something and stick with it, you’ll find it easier to maintain the habit. The idea of a “routine” can bring to mind words such as “mundane” or “ordinary,” but routines can be powerful tools. They support cognitive function, boost health, provide meaningful activities and social opportunities.

For instance, if you set a time each day to do a few minutes of exercise, it will increase your energy, help you get in shape and keep you healthy, both physically and mentally. Regular participation in social activities can also contribute positively to mental health.

Whether you are retired or still working, having things to look forward to each day is rewarding. If you find yourself with time on your hands, then doing volunteer work, socializing with friends, working out, or pursuing a new hobby is a great way to be create a daily routine and become consistent with your schedule.

Here are a few suggestions to help you with your daily routines:

1. Use a day timer or smartphone app to organize your activities. A simple notepad or a daily planner and a pen can work too.
2. Choose a regular sleep schedule and try to stick to it most days of the week.
3. Make physical activity a priority. In-home workouts, walking, hiking, gardening, playing sports, and dance and fitness classes are great options.
4. Keep an eye out for activities they are happening in your community, such as a book club at the library or a social walking group.

Routines have the power to help you manage your daily activities and feel meaningful, productive, happy and healthy. Always remember – variety is the spice of life!

The healthiest foods come in their own wrapping, such as fruits and vegetables. They come from nature fat free! A well-balanced diet will keep you healthy, energized and strong.

You are what you eat. Always make fruits, vegetables, and salads a major part of your daily meal plans. Lean proteins and complex carbohydrates are essential too. Be sure to get enough water as well because it carries nutrients and oxygen to all of the cells in your body. A proper diet will stabilize your heart beat, regulate your body temperature, cushion your joints and more!

Leslie Sokol is the creator and founder of the adult dance and fitness program For the Young at Heart. She has been teaching adults and children for forty-five years. You can watch For the Young at Heart by visiting her YouTube Channel or on TVSB. She also teaches in retirement communities throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

For more information contact Leslie at [email protected] 805-312-8089
or visit the website: www.LeslieSokolDance.com

“I became a volunteer in the program through my membership with a local church.”

More than 35 years later, Jack Colling’s investment in CAREGIVERS: Volunteers Assisting the Elderly is now his legacy.  Next year, he will witness volunteer caregiving celebrate 40 years of demonstrated success throughout the nation, knowing that he had a small role in helping launch one of the original pilot programs in his hometown.

Here’s one volunteer who started making his imprint on CAREGIVERS from the moment he arrived on the scene. Sister Veronica of the order St. Joseph of Carondelet, who helped to establish the organization, welcomed Jack in the second year of operations when volunteers were serving 105 seniors. Within the year, Jack was leading presentations for the Interfaith Retreat Day, which was fostering participation from congregations throughout the community. He volunteered with seniors, he picked up manicotti for the volunteer recognition dinner, and eventually he was invited to serve on the board of directors serving alongside Mary Braitman, Harry Walsh and Wayne Dugan and he supported the rummage sale to help raise money for operations.

“I am 30 years old, an owner of a small business. I became a volunteer in the program through my membership with a local church. After experiencing the need in my own family, I chose to work with the elderly. I see this as a very positive means of channeling my energy,” Jack wrote in 1987 further describing the transportation, grocery shopping and errands he provided for an 86-year young woman.

In 1991, Norm Weitzel joined the CAREGIVERS’ Board, and together Norm and Jack launched the Wearin’ o’ the Green golf tournament, one of CAREGIVERS’ signature fundraising events that has since been adopted by the McGrath Family Clan—cousins Berry, Borchard, Coultas, Doud, Dunbar, Haynes, Laubacher, McCormick and Morris families—who have helped to set new heights surpassing recent years’ high gross of well more than $50,000 last month.

“From a decade of close observation, I can attest that our CAREGIVERS leadership team runs an extremely efficient organization, with a commitment to quality,” said Honorary Director Dan McGrath.  “Jack Collings has been instrumental in setting that standard.”

Jack will be the first person to tell you that he never thought the tournament would be a major force of friends and funds more than 30 years later. “We were so happy to make a profit the first year,” Jack said, adding that it was always important to both Norm and him that the tournament be open for golfers of all skill levels to play. Upon Norm’s passing, it was Jack’s suggestion to name the tournament “The Norm Weitzel Open.”

Jack’s leadership continues to set the bar higher and higher as he remains an active advisor and Honorary Director—even returning to serve on the Board of Directors once again this last year.

With his wife Wendy, Jack is among the most avid and generous supporters of volunteer caregiving in Ventura County, ensuring the advancement and ability of the organization to reach and serve seniors in every city.

“Bingo, and now I get to exercise.”

Bingocize, a nationally recognized evidence-based program, will join the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging and the Ventura County Elderly Fall Prevention Coalition’s award-winning lineup of classes next month.

Bingocize strategically combines the game of bingo, exercise and health education, according to the National Council on Aging. During the 10-week program, participants play a traditional game of Bingo twice a week, with each session also including exercises (range of motion, balance, muscle strengthening, and endurance) and health education questions.

Health outcomes include improved lower/upper body strength, gait, balance, and range of motion; increased social engagement; and improved knowledge of falls risk reduction and nutrition.

The first Bingocize class will be held at the VCAAA (646 County Square Drive in Ventura) on Mondays and Wednesdays between April 24 and July 7. Classes will run from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Classes, which are free, are designed for individuals 60 and up. Please click on the PDF for additional information, or visit vcaaa.org/falls. To register for the class, call the VCAAA at (805) 477-7300, option 6, or email [email protected].

Other Fall Prevention classes currently being taught are A Matter of Balance, Stepping On, Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance, and Walk With Ease.

Individuals concerned about falls or those who have recently experienced a fall, as well as those who are interested in improving balance, flexibility, and strength, are encouraged to participate. Nationally recognized research shows that one in four adults over the age of 65, and half of the population over the age of 75, fall each year. One out of every five falls results in a serious injury, and about three million older people are treated at emergency departments for fall injuries each year. Approximately 32,000 older adults die each year as a result of falls. However, studies show that participants in these evidence-based classes build skills that allow them to lower the risk of falls, to better manage chronic conditions, to engage in physical activity, and to proactively manage mental health.