BY TERRI IVANOSKI, Fitness/Wellness Supervisor
Healthy Heart Month continues with our Residents logging in another 8,500 minutes! Our total to date is 26,375 minutes of cardiovascular activity for February. Coming up this week we have a special Pool Volleyball Match pitting our Resident All-Star Team against President and CEO, Kevin Burke’s team member All-Stars! Stay tuned for the results next Wednesday.
We know that exercise can help to keep your heart healthy, but so can managing your stress. We all have it in our lives: getting to an appointment on time, waiting for a call from your doctor, or presenting to a committee you serve on are all examples of every day stress. Did you know that a certain amount of stress can actually be good and help us to perform at our best? Finding the tools to manage stress is important. Consider the following recommendations from the American Heart Association.
- Talk with family and friends.
A daily dose of friendship is great medicine. Call or write your friends and family to share your feelings, hopes and joys.
- Engage in daily physical activity.
Regular physical activity relieves mental and physical tension. Physically active adults have a lower risk of depression and loss of mental functioning. Physical activity can be a great source of pleasure, too. Try walking, swimming, biking or dancing every day.
- Accept the things you cannot change.
Don’t say, “I’m too old.” You can still learn new things, work toward a goal, love and help others.
Remember to laugh.
Laughter makes you feel good. Don’t be afraid to laugh out loud at a joke, a funny movie or a comic strip, even when you’re alone.- Give up the bad habits.
Too much alcohol, cigarettes or caffeine can increase stress. If you smoke, decide to quit now.
- Slow down.
Try to “pace” instead of “race.” Plan ahead and allow enough time to get the most important things done.
- Get enough sleep.
Try to get six to eight hours of sleep each night. If you can’t sleep, take steps to help reduce stress and depression. Physical activity also may improve the quality of sleep.
- Get organized.
Use “to do” lists to help you focus on your most important tasks. Approach big tasks one step at a time. For example, start by organizing just one part of your life — your car, desk, kitchen, closet, cupboard or drawer.
- Practice giving back.
Volunteer your time or return a favor to a friend. Helping others helps you.
- Try not to worry.
The world won’t end if your grass isn’t mowed or your kitchen isn’t cleaned. You may need to do these things, but today might not be the right time.
Adding stress reduction and regular exercise to your daily routine are two steps closer to a healthy heart!
Terri Ivanoski, Fitness & Wellness Supervisor at North Hill, gives us an update on North Hill’s Healthy Heart Program.
As I mentioned last week, 55 members of the North Hill community are participating in our Healthy Heart Program in recognition of National Heart Month. Two weeks into the program, they have collectively logged in 17,205 minutes of exercise!
Our recommendation is accumulating 30 minutes of exercise five days each week. The activities our residents enjoy include: taking one of our many exercise classes, walking on a treadmill, stationary cycling, swimming, or aqua aerobics. Walking outside has also been a viable option with the nice weather we have enjoyed this winter.
In a recent report, the Surgeon General listed just a few of the benefits you may realize from regular exercise:
- + Reduce the risk of developing heart disease
- + Reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure
- + Reduce the risk of developing high cholesterol
- + Build and maintain healthy muscles, bones and joints
- + Improve psychological well being
- + Improve strength, balance and functional ability
So join us as we commit to a heart healthy lifestyle and enjoy all of the important benefits for continued well being! Tell us what your favorite exercise is below in the comments.
We here at North Hill take exercise and healthy living pretty seriously, but we also love to have fun with it.
Terri Ivanoski, Fitness & Wellness Supervisor at North Hill, talks about a February initiative for this Wellness Wednesday update.
In an effort to prevent heart disease and increase awareness of its effects, North Hill Wellness Center is proudly participating in National Heart Month. Over 50 Residents are taking part in our Healthy Heart Program. They have committed to getting 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week for the month of February. 
They are completing weekly exercise logs and the trainers are tracking their progress. Our goal at the start of the program was to accumulate 2,000 minutes of exercise for the month. After just one week, our Residents have surpassed that goal – logging 8,512 minutes!
You can greatly reduce your risk of heart disease through lifestyle changes. Exercise and physical activity is a great place to begin. Some guidelines to follow are:
- + Talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise program
- + Monitor your breathing
- + Warm up prior to exercise and cool-down after
- + Stretch following your workout
- + Drink water to stay hydrated and have fun!
Follow us throughout the month to see how the Residents are doing and receive more tips on how to keep your heart healthy!
Like most New Englanders, the team members and residents at North Hill are very excited for this Sunday’s big event: The Super Bowl. Also like most New Englanders, we want to keep our waists and hearts in check.
Eric Moore, Director of Dining Services for North Hill, provided the following tips for a super Super Bowl Buffet.
The top three foods to avoid come Sunday are pizza, potato chips, and fried chicken wings. Instead, try some fresh salsa & guacamole with vegetables or baked chips. Maybe cook up a little turkey chili with beans. And try out this recipe for creamy spinach dip – it’s a favorite among our vibrant seniors and team members.
Ingredients
- 1 small shallot, peeled
- ½ cup reduced-fat cream cheese
- ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
- ¼ cup nonfat plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 6 ounces baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Preparation
Pulse shallot in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add cream cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, lemon juice, salt and pepper and pulse until just combined. Add spinach and chives and pulse until incorporated. Serve with pita chips.
Now that the warm weather is finally upon us, why not get out and take a long hike? North Hill is surrounded by conservation land, and people who live and work here really enjoy getting out to stretch their legs.
The turkeys are gobbling, the forsythia is in full yellowy bloom, and the trees are starting to flower. What’s not to like about spring? Especially if you aren’t the one who has to mow the lawn! Spring is a great time to visit North Hill. We’ve got lots going on, and a flowering and fragrant backdrop in which to participate. Come see us soon.
It’s that time again!
For an update on what’s cooking (literally and figuratively) here at North Hill, click here to read the latest incarnation of the True North Newsletter.
Enjoy!
At North Hill, we take pride in being easy to do business with. We cater to a clientele that cares about the environment, and one of the ways North Hill has responded to that is by adopting single stream recycling. All this means is that for those who participate in recycling, we make it easy. We provide easily accessible bins into which one can deposit any recyclable material… paper, cardboard, glass, and metal. Our vendor takes care of the sorting. It’s easier for the customer, and encourages more people to recycle. Live well, live green!
North Hill is delighted to announce the unveiling of its new art gallery. Located just off the main lobby, adjacent to the library and newly renovated bistro space, the gallerey offers a permanent collection of paintings and sculpture, as well as rotating exhibit space. The premier guest artist is local Photographer Andy Caufield whose brilliant work has garnered gasps of delight and praise from those who have paused to view it. If you’d like to see Andy’s work yourself, please call 877-736-4371.
Delicious Italian wines, cheeses, and other savory pairings served in the company of good friends in the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the Skyway Cafe.
Sound good?
That’s what a few of the folks who live here at North Hill were treated to this afternoon. Choreographed and served by resident Italian cuisine expert, Eric Moore, the event pictured above and described here was the first of a series that are designed to delight the people who live here in this fun new space.
Live North Hill. Live Well.
