Little Things

As fitness instructors, we know how appreciated the little things we do are!  Calling a participant to see if they're okay, sending a card, remembering a birthday, adding a new routine - they make such a difference!  We are so blessed to be working with seniors!!  They know when someone is just there because it's their job and when someone loves what they are doing!

Here is a poem to share with your class:

Little Things

by Willa Hoey

It's the little things we do and say

That mean so much as we go our way.

A kindly deed can lift a load

From weary shoulders on the road,

Or a gentle word, like summer rain,

May soothe some heart and banish pain,

What joy or sadness often springs

From just the simple little things!

Rut Blocker

Here is a fun coordination routine:

Heel taps to the front as both hands push forward. 8x's

Toe taps to the side as both arms swing.  (As R toe taps to the R, both arms swing L, etc.) 8x's

Toe taps to the back as arms do biceps curls. 8x's

Then do 6 heel taps, toe taps, taps to back...Then 4....Then 2!



A Women's Job

Here is a great "joke" shared by SilverSneakers instructor, Betty Woods:


Housework was a woman's job, but one evening, Janice arrived home from work to find dinner on the table, the laundry done, and the house straightened up.  She was astonished!

It turns out that her retired husband, Bob, had read an article that said, "Wives who work full-time and had to do their own housework, were too tired for romance."

The night went very well.  The next day, Janice told her Red Hat friends all about it.  "We had a great dinner.  Bob even cleaned up the kitchen!  He folded all the laundry and put it away.  i really enjoyed the evening!"

"But what about afterword?" asked her friends.

"Oh, that...Bob was too tired!"

Rut Blockers:

Try this fun combination stretch and coordination move during your cool-down:

Hold the ball in your R hand.  Reach up with the ball and lean to the left, stretching the right side.  Drop the ball, let it bounce and catch it with the L hand.  Repeat.

Quiz for Smart People

Your group may enjoy this quiz - Mine did!

There are only nine questions.
This is a quiz for people who know everything!

I found out in a hurry that I didn't. These are not trick questions.
They are straight questions with straight answers..
1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.

2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?

3 Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?

4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?

5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?

6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters ' dw' and they are all common words. Name two of them.

7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them?

8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.

9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter 'S.'
Answers To Quiz:

1. The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends:Boxing.

2. North American landmark constantly moving backward:Niagara Falls .. The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute.
3. Only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons:Asparagus and rhubarb.

4. The fruit with its seeds on the outside:Strawberry.

5. How did the pear get inside the brandy bottle?It grew inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.
6. Three English words beginning with dw:Dwarf, dwell and dwindle...

7. Fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar:Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation mark, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses.
8. The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh:Lettuce.

9. Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning with 'S':Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts.

Puzzles for Brain Fitness

The participnats in my SilverSneakers class enjoy putting puzzles together and we know it's good activity for brain fitness.  We often exchange puzzles.  In fact, we do a lot of sharing.  If we have coupons, books, ideas, resources, vegetables from our garden, etc. we bring them to class and share!

The Dash by Linda Ellis

Here is a poem that will help us all to put life in perspective!

The Dash

By Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth

And spoke of the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth

And now only those who love her

Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,

The cars…the house…the cash.

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend the dash.

So think about this long and hard;

Are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what’s true and real

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect

And more often wear a smile…

Remembering that this special dash

Might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is read

With your life’s actions to rehash

Would you be proud of the things they say

About how you spent your dash?