The circus has come to town and brought with it some fitness experts who love clowning on the job.
The Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus clowns gave seniors in the YMCA’s Silver Sneakers program some fitness tips Wednesday.
Among them, how to use circus tricks to stay fit.
Gyrating 74-year-old, Joe Stockwell exclaimed, “We’re doing the hulla hoop and balancing.”
The balancing act was performed by holding a peacock feather in the Read the rest of this entry »

Seniors should have recently received an “annual notice of change” package stating the changes that go into effect next year.
The Medicare Rights Center advises seniors to call their plans and check whether their medications are covered. They should be sure to make a list of all drugs and the dosages prescribed in advance.
Seniors also will want to ask about drug copayments, which pharmacies are in the network and whether the plan has placed Read the rest of this entry »

A group of seniors is raising canes to stay in shape. It’s a class that is designed to defend, called “Cane Fu.”
At first glance, a
class may look like a group of ordinary seniors, but you’d be wise not to cross them. That’s because in Cane Fu class, the sticks are made for more than just walking.
“We use these canes and we put them around the neck and toss them down, and go at them until they leave us alone,” said Laura Moore, who enjoys Read the rest of this entry »

Three out of five seniors living in California had high blood pressure in 2005, up from half in 2001. Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Sacramento, Yolo, Madera, Merced, Tulare, Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties all saw statistically significant increases in high blood pressure, according to a
.
“If those trends continue . . . we’re going to come up against a wall as to what medicine can do to keep these people alive,” said Steven P. Wallace, Read the rest of this entry »

On the second floor of a brick building in Wakefield, sunlight streaking in through slatted shades, the class is cranking.
Side-to-side shimmies. Karate chops. Squats. Lunges. Butterflies with pastel-colored hand weights. All in reps of 10.
But contrary to what you’d expect, there are no tanned, lithe, and muscled bodies here.
Instead, there are wrinkles. Arthritic knees, hips, and elbows. Unyielding joints.
This might not be Richard Simmons’s Read the rest of this entry »

The finding “could have importance in the prevention of falls, and the maintenance of health and independent living in elderly men and women,” said study author Jeffrey Stout of the University of Oklahoma.
BA is an amino acid that helps form carnosine, which plays a major role in normal muscle function during intense exercise. The more BA, the higher carnosine levels in muscles, the researchers said.
In this study, Stout and his colleagues assessed Read the rest of this entry »

Three out of five seniors in California had high blood pressure in 2005, up from half in 2001. Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Merced, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, Tulare and Yolo counties all saw statistically significant increases in high blood pressure, according to a
.
“If those trends continue . . . we’re going to come up against a wall as to what medicine can do to keep these people alive,” said Steven P. Wallace, a
Read the rest of this entry »

tools being offered to seniors housing residents as part of
comprehensive wellness initiatives. The Brief was prepared for ASHA by
Alvaro Fernandez, co-founder and CEO of SharpBrains, a recognized
thought leader in the growing science-based brain fitness market.
The 15-page report, entitled “Brain Fitness Centers in Senior Housing: A
Field in the Making,” provides an overview of the brain fitness field
with four Read the rest of this entry »

EL PASO — Before most other people start their day, Pat Woodhouse and other senior citizens are getting their morning exercise at Sun Bowl Stadium.
Don’t get any mental images of seniors taking slow walks around the stadium or doing simple stretching exercises.
Divided in groups, these invigorated adults are taking turns jumping over small hurdles, performing squats on balances and tossing a medicine ball to each other.
“At first, we used to Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON (AP) — Note to President-elect Barack Obama: Health reform doesn’t have to be all about expanding health insurance. It can be about the little things too, such as shorter waits in the doctor’s office and putting in place incentives such as free checkups that catch little problems before they became big ones.
That was the message Tuesday from two-dozen seniors who gave their views about what ails America’s health care system to Read the rest of this entry »