Thursday, January 28, 2010

Relaxation Segment/Thinking Fast

Valentine's Day is coming up. Do any of you have any great ideas for a social event for seniors? I'd love to hear them!

For Your Relaxation Segment:
Thinking Fast

An elderly man in Florida owned a large farm. He had a pond on the property and he had spent many years planting orange and grapefruit trees around it. He had made a beautiful swimming area with picnic tables and horseshoe courts nearby.

One evening, the old farmer decided to go down to the pond and pick some fruit. He grabbed a five gallon bucket to carry the fruit back.

As he neared the pond, he heard women shouting and laughing. As he came closer, he saw that it was a group of young women skinny-dipping in his pond.

He made the women aware of his presence and they all hurried to the deep end of the pond.

One of the women shouted to him, "We're not coming out until you leave!"

The old man frowned and shouted back, "I didn't come down here to watch you ladies swim or make you get out of the pond." Holding up the bucket he said, "I'm just here to feed the alligator."
The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent SilverSneakers' positions, strategies, or opinions.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

A Different World

If you're like me, you go to a workshop and see all these great moves and after a few months you're back in a rut again!! I'm going to add a segment in these blogs called: Rut Blockers
Please share your favorite moves, too!

Rut Blockers
Sitting with a 6 - 9 inch play ball on your R thigh, place your R elbow on top of ball and press elbow into ball. If you are short, you may want to lift heel off the floor. As you press your elbow into the ball, bring your bellybutton to your spine (like a sitting crunch). Do 8-12 reps and then give participants the option of placing the ball on the L leg. Still using the R elbow, do 8 more repetitions (Now you're working the obliques). Repeat on the other side.
For Your Relaxation Segment:
A Different World
Once, at the University of California, a student got up to say that it was impossible for people of Ronald Reagan's generation to understand the next generation of young people. "You grew up in a different world," the student said. "Today we have television, jet planes, space travel, nuclear energy, computers...."
When the student paused for breath, Ronnie said, "You're right. We didn't have those things when we were young. We invented them."
-Nancy Reagan with William Novak
My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan
The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent SilverSneakers' positions, strategies, or positions.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

'Twas the Month After Christmas

"Twas the month after Christmas, and all through the house,
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse!

The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist!

When I got on the scales there arose such a number
I knew that my walk would be more like a lumber!

I remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared,
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared.

The wine and the rum balls, the crackers and cheese,
And the way that I'd said, "I'll take some more, please."

As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt,
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt.

I said to myself, as only I can,
"You can't spend the winter disguised as a man!"

So-away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip.

Every last bit of holiday food must be banished,
'Till all the additional pounds have vanished.

I won't have a treat-not even a lick,
I'll just chew on a long celery stick.

I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly sigh.

It was fun while it lasted and dietings a bore,
But isn't that what January's for?

I smiled as I remembered-It was fun, such a riot!
Happy New Year To All and To All a Good Diet!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Who Am I?

Hello! I'm Jeannine Carroll, a SilverSneakers instructor and an Instructor Coordinator in the VA Beach and Richmond, VA areas. Being an IC lets me see almost 100 different classes a year!!
This is such a wonderful opportunity to get great ideas for effective and fun moves as well as social events and relaxation segment ideas.
I'd like to share these ideas in this blog and get your ideas, too!

Idea #1: I heard Sheila Durkin from VA Beach, describe the warm-up in this way:
"Our muscles are like pieces of bubble gum. At first they are hard. We have to move to make them supple."

What a beautiful picture that anyone who has had a piece of pink bubble gum can relate to! Now they can see why we warm-up before we stretch!!

Thought for the Day:

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that at it's end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

Have a great class and let's share ideas!

The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent SilverSneakers' positions, strategies, oropinions.