Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Eating Healthy through the Holidays

Is it even possible to eat healthy during the holidays? Yes! You are invited to “Healthy Sweets and Treats” to learn how to enjoy the holidays without some of the traditional holiday indulgences. The program will take place on Wednesday, December 13th at 12 noon at The Dale Association, 33 Ontario Street, Lockport. Marla Guarino, RDN, CDN, SNAP-Ed Nutritionist from Cornell Cooperative Extension will present the program and take a look at holiday recipes and ways to use delicious alternatives in each food group. There will be ideas for healthy sweets followed by sweet treat samples. The cost is free and the public is invited. Also, On Monday, December 18th at 10:30am, Jennifer Johnson, Health Promotion Coordinator from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York will present “Nutrition Jeopardy”. It is a fun competition based on everyone’s favorite game show that will put your knowledge to the test. This fun activity is also free and will take place at The Dale Association, 33 Ontario Street, Lockport. I hope these workshops will help you stay healthy and mindful as you celebrate the holidays with friends and family. You can eat well and be well this holiday season!

Cribbage for fun, stimulation and fellowship

Playing cards can be a pastime that offers pleasure and social enjoyment. A game of cards is a way of entertaining yourself in a group and it is one of the most popular indoor activities adults play. Have you ever played cribbage or need a refresher? Cribbage is played each Tuesday from 9:15am to 11:30am at The Dale Association, 33 Ontario Street, Lockport. It is a fun game with a friendly and congenial group and new players are always welcome. The cost of $5 is distributed as prizes. Cribbage evolved from an earlier English game called "Noddy," and the man credited with inventing it is Sir John Suckling, a wealthy English poet. Cribbage affords players both the anticipation of the luck of the deal as well as ample opportunity to exercise their skills in discarding and play. One of the novel features of Cribbage is that a Cribbage board is used for scoring rather than the usual pencil and paper. The rectangular wooden board is equipped with holes that accommodate pegs. The board speeds up scoring, and in this fast-moving game, pegging greatly reduces the chances for errors in computing scores. In our hectic, modern lives, many of us focus so heavily on our commitments that we never seem to have time for fun. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we’ve stopped playing. Play is not just essential for kids; it can be an important source of relaxation and stimulation for adults as well. Playing cards can be relaxing and stimulating at the same time. And, playing cards or pursuing other fun activities that challenge the brain can improve brain function and the social interaction can also help ward off stress and depression. In the words of George Bernard Shaw, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” If you’ve ever thought that you’d enjoy playing cribbage I hope you will consider joining this friendly group on Tuesdays.