Halloween Riddles

We love to have fun with our classes and here are some ideas for you!

Fun Halloween Riddles

1.  What kind of mistake does a ghost make?

     A Boo Boo

2.  How does a witch tell time?

     With her witch-watch

3.  Why don't mummies take vacations?

     They're afraid they'll relax and unwind

4.  What is a witch's favorite subject in school?

      Spelling

5.  Why couldn't the mummy come outside?

     Because he was all wrapped up

6.  Why don't witches ride their brooms when they're angry?

      Because they're afraid of flying off the handle

7.  What is the best way to communicate with a monster?

     By Long Distance

8.  Why did the Vampire get fired from the Blood Bank?

     He was caught drinking on the job.

9.  What do you call a witch who lives on the beach?

     A sand-witch

10. What road has the most ghosts haunting it?

      A Dead End

11. What do you call a skeleton who won't work?

      Lazy Bones

12. What room is useless for a ghost?

       A Living Room 

     

Last year I gave class participants each an orange with a jack-o-lantern sticker on it.  It was the orange's costume!

Things We've Learned About Happiness

Here is some information found in a wonderful article on the Huffington Post:

The 8 Most Important Things We've Learned About Happiness http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/23/science-of-happiness_n_7154918.html

1.    We get happier as we get older.

Although we tend to focus on the downsides of aging, a robust body of research suggests we’ve got a lot to look forward to as we get older. Duke University researchers found that 70-year-olds tended to rate themselves as being happier than 30-year-olds.  Why?  Greater appreciations for life’s little triumphs and acceptance of life’s trials likely play a role, as well as lower stress levels.

“As we age, we have the opportunity to accept who we are, instead of focusing on who we feel we need to become.  We relax into being ourselves,” says psychoanalyst Ken Eisold.

2.    You can rewire your brain for happiness by focusing your attention on positive experiences and emotions, says neuropsychologist Rick Hanson.  When you linger on a positive experience, it becomes encoded in your neural chemistry.  “The longer the neurons fire, the more of them that fire, and the more intensely they fire, the more they’re going to wire that inner strength- that happiness, gratitude, feeling confident, feeling successful, feeling loved and lovable,” Hanson said.

3.    Happy mind, healthy body.  We know now that cultivating a positive state of mind isn’t just good for your mental health- it can also keep your body healthy and protect you from disease.

4.    Social connection is key.  “Over a given period, people who have strong ties to family, friends, or coworkers have a 50 percent greater chance of outliving those with fewer social connections,” says Dr. Sanjay Gupta.  “If our relationships can have such an effect on our overall health, why don’t we prioritize spending time with the people around us as much as we do exercising and eating right?”

5.   We can thrive in the face of life’s challenges.  The field of post-traumatic-growth, which investigates how people not only survive but come to thrive in the wake of adversity- is one of the most exciting in all of psychology right now, says Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania.

“I believe we need to move beyond positive emotions and incorporate trauma and anxiety, and investigate how these “negative” emotions can lead to greater personal growth and well-being” Kaufman said.

6.    We’re happier when we are helping others.  Being kind and helping others is an effective way to combat feelings of disconnection in our online world.  Volunteering makes people happier and boosts their longevity.

7.   Lasting happiness is born of purpose.  “Happiness cannot be persued; it must ensue,” wrote Holocaust survivor, Victor Frankl in his 1946 manifesto Man’s Search for Meaning.  “One must have a reason to be happy.”

In recent years, psychologists have demonstrated what Frankl long held to be true:  Happiness doesn’t just come from chasing pleasure or positive experiences.  As mounting research has demonstrated, sustainable happiness and good health comes from having a deep sense of purpose in life.

8.    Mindfullness is a gateway to happiness.  “You don’t have to be a yogi or a meditating monk to make yourself at least 10 percent happier through a mindfulness practice,” says ABC anchor Dan Harris.  Studies have shown that meditation boosts positive feelings and psychological well-being in addition to warding off stress, depression and anxiety.

It seems to me that SilverSneakers had already figured most of this out!  We help to keep our participants fit through "Fitness, Fun and Friends!"

Thank you, Rick Barlow, for sharing this article with Google+!

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

Lonliness

"It is easy to think of the poverty far away and forget very quickly. Today a great disease is that feeling of terrible loneliness, the feeling of being unwanted, having forgotten what human joy is, what the human feeling is of being wanted or loved.  I think this is found in very well-to-do families also.

We may not have people hungry for a plate of rice or for a piece of bread in New York City, but there is a tremendous hunger and a tremendous feeling of unwantedness everywhere  And that is really a very great poverty."                                                                              ~Mother Teresa

When we think of doing good, we often think of material things or deeds that take a lot of time.  Sometimes the biggest things we do are the small things that tell someone they matter.   One of my favorite quotes says that we may not remember what a person did or said, but we will always remember how they made us feel.

A note, flower from you garden, a few homemade cookies, sharing something you found on sale or anything that tells someone that you took a minute to think about them can change someone's day or maybe even their life.

Do something today to relieve the loneliness of someone around you and  remember, it may even be a family member!

Drugs of Fifty Years Ago

The other day I was talking to an older gentleman, about my age, who had read that a meth lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county.  "Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?" he asked.

I replied, "I did have a drug problem when I was young:

I was drug to church on Sunday morning.

I was drug to weddings and funerals.   

I was drug to the woodshed when I was disrespectful to adults, told a lie, brought home a bad report card or didn't perform my best in everything that was asked of me.

I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profane four-letter word.

I was drug out to pull weeds in the garden and cockleburs out of the fields.

I was drug to the home of family, friends and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard or repair the clothesline or chop some firewood; and if my mom had found out that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say or think.  They are stronger than cocaine, crack or heroin and if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America and the rest of the world would be a better place."

Thank goodness for parents who drug (and drag) their children.  They are doing them and all of us a great favor!

I don't know who wrote "Drugs of Fifty Years Ago" but I thank them for sharing their wisdom!

Juggling Five Balls

"Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. And you're keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls...are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered."  ~James Patterson

What a profound observation! Seniors know how true this quote is!  We've lived long enough to see the consequences of putting work before family and friends.  We've known friends who've grown old before their time because they've spent too much time sitting on the couch.  We've seen how someone letting down their guard for just an instant can impact their integrity for a lifetime.  

Each day, let's ask ourselves:  "What will change because of the choices I make today?"  Will I be more connected to people I care about?  Will my health be better?  Will I be the kind of person other people can respect? 

Let's find our balance and go play ball!

Mother's Day Gift and Quote

It's always a challenge to find fun, inexpensive gifts for our groups for Mother's Day.  This year I made Pretzel Flowers.

I put two pretzel flowers in a small ziplock bag and the quote.  They turned out really pretty and were delicious!  

Here's how I made the flowers:

I used mini pretzels and Bright White Candy Melts by Wilton (found at Michael's in the cake decorating section).  I, also, used M&M's with the M side down.

You can use the small square pretzels, too.  Put pretzels on a cookie sheet and center one candy melt  on each pretzel.  I put them in a 200 degree oven for 2 minutes.  You don't want the melts too soft or they will drip down through the pretzel.  When they come out of the oven, have fun decorating them with the M&M's to look like flowers!  So fun!!

Rut Blockers

Stand with legs out and arms straight and held out overhead - like the letter X.  Hold the ball in the L hand.  The R hand sweeps over the head toward the upheld ball -oblique stretch. Repeat 8x's and repeat on other side.