Kristi's Friends and
Family Jan/Feb 25 New Years Page!
Greetings all! I hope the New Year has started well for you! I
apologize for the late send, we have been enjoying the sun and
warmth of Belize! I shared a couple of photos below. This past year
has been a delight (2024) with opportunities with friends and
family, many travels, and my reduced .75 9 over 12 contract
(basically means I take about 6 or 7 weeks off a year and am at a
.75 otherwise- it still is considered full time so very nice.
I too sent out a Family Christmas page, you can access it below.
For those who missed recent events, we had some wonderful bike
rides, a couple nice breakfasts including our 40th Annual Christmas
breakfast and we plan to have our next in early February. I hope you
can join us!
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Social Update
Sometime in the first two weeks of February- Next breakfast
(probably at Fat Nats)
Spring- We will resume training rides for the 30th Purple Pumpers-
all are welcome
June 2025- our 30th Purple Pumpers team again heads on the MS
150! We have a few spots left, let me know if you'd like to
join us!
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A look back at the past year
Fun in New York at the US Open and On Broadway!
The grandkids are getting bigger every day!
Left- One of our many aerobics
breakfasts!
Right- Purple Pumpers 30th! Join us!
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Health and
Fitness Information
* According to the American Council
on Exercise active seniors are healthier and enjoy life
more. In addition, exercise has been shown to decrease
age related declines in a number of areas. ... As we know,
exercise is great for persons of all ages! For several years I
have been working with colleagues to study the effects of a
dance and story making program on Seniors. We have had some
excellent results in areas of well being, balance, and
cognition! There too are a number of research articles on the
benefits of dance and health and fitness on seniors. Be
sure to check with your health professional to assure you are
in good health and to determine your fitness needs.
*On December 26th 2024 CBS News covered Lifetime and the
importance of seniors continuing strength training and
exercise in order to minimize muscle and bone loss. Again
assure you are cleared by your health care providers.
*According to Experience Life magazine,
you shouldn't microwave plastic containers (unless specially
designed) as they may leak harmful chemicals into your
food. Most plastics are not designed to be microwaved. instead
it is recommended you pull the food out of the plastic
container and put it into a microwave safe container.
*A study completed a couple years ago by the US Track and
Field group looking at the length of a runner's stride found
that the most energy efficient was that which was most natural
for the runner (vs. trying to elongate or shorten the stride).
*Probiotics often get press on their importance for good gut
health. Prebiotics (indigestible fermentable fiber) are
also very important as they facilitate growth of probiotics.
Plant based fibrous foods such as asparagus, artichokes,
lentils and chickpeas are all foods with prebiotic properties.
*A small Harvard study found that getting up every 30 minutes
to an hour for a short light walk can reverse some of the
detrimental effects of too much sitti
* Scientists from the University of Missouri
Columbia have found that your daily activity and engagement in
activities outside of exercise is just as important as those
spent in exercise. Persons who are physically inactive
for hours at a time suffer from lower fat and cholesterol
metabolism. Persons can reverse this trend by moving around
and taking stretch breaks during the day.
* Barbara Frederickson, Ph.D. psychologist
(University of North Carolina), found that the "good life"
ratio requires three positive emotions for every negative one
but that most American's test out at t 2:1 ratio. The
test is available at www.positivityratio.com.
*
Amidst
sad news stories over the past few years on carbon monoxide
poisoning, remember to make sure that your carbon monoxide
detector is in working order-- it is especially important in
the winter months as houses are closed and furnaces are
running. Minnesota has a law that all homes must be equipped
with a detector.
*A recent study in Metabolism-Clinical and Experimental found
that sleep deprivation has a number of adverse effects on the
body (and I would say mind)... practice good sleep hygiene, in
addition to falling asleep, one way to improve sleep quality is
to increase your wakefulness in the morning, use of lights,
music, etc. in the morning can help this (I'd say group fitness
/ aerobics class helps us awake too! ) :0)
*The past Experience Life magazine had some good
suggestions for keeping clean air in your home including:
changing your filter on a timely basis, b) reducing artificial
scents such as synthetic air fresheners, reduce chemical
exposures in your home, and provide fresh air once in awhile.
As we head to the New Year and folks
begin a new decade, let us be mindful of the importance of
intentional and healthful living,
The Hope Heart Institute in
Chicago identified 10 principles of healthy living:
1- Breathe deeply
2- Drink adequate
amounts of water
3- Sleep peacefully
4- Eat nutritionally
5- Enjoy activity (and I'd add enjoy others
and those special people in your life!)
6- Give and receive
love
7- Be forgiving
8- Practice gratitude
9- Develop acceptance
10-Nurture your
spiritual side
* A past Experience
Life magazine discusses the benefits of a gratitude
journal. Some of you know that I have been studying
personal writing and journaling for the past 3 years (I have two
peer reviewed articles and two textbook chapters on my research.
If you are interested in this research, notify me for a copy or
look for them in the Journal of Poetry Therapy and Arts
and Health). Writing and focusing on that which you
are thankful for, can facilitate a positive attitude
change. In addition, my research found that personal
writing often helps perspective taking, gives insight, and ties
into our spirituality. Happy writing!
As the New Year is upon us, there are several suggestions on how
to positively complete new years resolutions. Key suggestions
include having only a few resolutions (e.g., 2-5), develop
habits around the resolution, and repeatedly revisit and
evaluation the resolution through the year. As many know,
this past year I retired from teaching aerobics/ group fitness
after 35 years. Initially it was a difficult decision so I
daily prayed about the decision and took a 3 month leave to try
it out as I had differences in philosophy with Lifetime over how
the weight lifting was being taught (they did make some changes
after I expressed concerns locally and national based on my
knowledge as a rehab therapist). I too wished to see if laying
off the type of lifting we were doing would decrease the number
of shots I needed (due to a rare congenital condition). ... I am
happy to report that it was a great decision as I still see many
of my fitness friends (please join us for our events), and too,
I ended the year with the least amount of shots that I have ever
taken in a year since I first started recording! I relish the
decades of teaching, the aerobics/ fitness family, and now my
extra sleep (get to sleep in until 6am). I too have kept active
with running, biking, and my own type of lifting. ... I
want to thank each of you for sharing my fitness journey!
*The above information is for
informational purposes only and is not meant to replace
the advice of your health professionals.
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Belize (end of December / early January)- Just a couple
photos to bring warmth to the soul!
From our family to yours- blessings in the New Year!