Here is your Seniors Alive! for September. You can get your copy and back issues at the tab above. 

I want to call your attention to Pat's editorial

There are two items of especial note in this issue: Don't retire from Life: take steps to avoia social isolation. GHSS can help with this!!

 

 Senior Luncheons will resume on September 24th at noon at the  Deering Community Church.The menu will include B-B-Q chicken and the charge is $5.00 per person. To reserve, call Marie Mogavero at 464-4726 or Marie Merrow at 464-3067.

A second 8-session program of Tai Chi, or Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance will commence on !4 September in the Deering Town Hall. The instructor is again Paul Carey. Sessions will be held on Mondays and Fridays at 10:00. The cost for the entire class is $45.00. The class fills quickly. To reserve your spot contact Marie Merrow at 464-3067 or Marie Mogavero at 464-4726.

 

GHSS Bus takes Seniors to Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, Mass

July 29th was a blazing hot day in southern New Hampshire when the GHSS Bus traveled to Bridge of Flowers. Summer flowers were abundant, and in all their diversity ofcolors and scents. Some of the more spectacular blooms included the Sea Holly, Devil's Horn, the dahlias and the wisteria, which had grown so tall and hardy that it was tightly wrapped around a light post. Some seniors toured the town, while others choose a pub with a great view of the river and the bridge. All in all it was a most enjoyable outing for everybody! We hope to see YOU on one of our many day trips!

MYTH AND CHARLATANS

You ever hear the rule that you have to drink eight 8 oz glasses of water every day or you will wither up, dehydrate and blow away? Seems that's a myth, according to something I read today in the NY Times. We get a lot of water without even thinking about it. It's in fruit, vegetables, tea and, yes, coffee. There is no evidence that drinking more water will keep your skin smooth, wrinkle free. There is at least anecdotal evidence that drinking too much water can flush medications and electrolytes such as sodium from your body; that's definitely a bad thing. Despite the 'Drink UP campaign sponsored by our First Lady, Michelle Obama in response to a supposed fact that 40 percent of Americans drink less than half of the recommended amount of water daily, there actually is no formally recommended daily amount of water intake. How much water you drink is determined by what you're doing, how big your are and what you eat. Your body will tell you when it wants water long before you become dehydrated! I've recently been experiencing a lot of leg cramping following a hike or other exercise that taxes my legs. Drinking more water has reduced this problem: my body spoke and I responded. Yes, water is definitely a much better alternative than sodas -- with all that added sugar -- that contribute so very much to the obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemic that is sweeping the western world. Insofar as the Drink UP campaign redirects our drinking habits away from that sugary stuff, it's a winning plan.

A couple of studies of children, one in France and one in New York and Los Angeles reported that the majority of children studied were not getting enough water. This supposed lack of water was determined by a test that determines urine osmolality level, and assumed a certain 'ideal' osmolality level. However, other experiments, have shown that the osmolality levels in perfectly healthy kids range hundreds of points above and below that supposed 'ideal' level. It turns out, maybe not surprisingly, that the studies finding that kids weren't drinking enough water were supported by corporations that have vested interests in getting more of those plastic bottles into our hands: the French study was supported by Nestlé Waters, the US study was supported by Nestec, a Nestlé subsidiary. 

This reminds me that the Coca Cola Corporation, which also sells water, has provided financial and logistical support to a new nonprofit organization called the Global Energy Balance Network. This foundation promotes the argument that weight-conscious Americans are overly fixated on how much they eat and drink while not paying enough attention to exercise. At least some scientists who receive funding from the Foundation contend that there is too much emphasis on the effect of how much fast food and sugary drinks we consume in type 2 diabetes and the spread of obesity;that exercise can off-set a bad diet. Interestingly, this new Foundation is established amid the growing trend to tax sugary drinks and a global decline in the consumption of Coke and other like drinks.

Of course we don't exercise enough. Nothing wrong with that message, but evidence is that for weight loss, you’re going to get much more impact with diet changes. And,of course, the more you exercise the hungrier you become -- and the more you eat! It's about: Calories in should equal calories out.  Exercise expends far fewer calories than most people think. A 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola, for example, contains 140 calories and roughly 10 teaspoons of sugar. According to one independent expert, “It takes three miles of walking to offset that one can of Coke."

But, what's my point?   We've got to exercise critical thinking and ask questions. Who is behind the message? Who supported the published research ... or the political message? What is THEIR aim in getting us to think and act their way? There are a lot of charlatans out there.

STORY HOUR IN DEERING

STORY HOUR! 

 Story Hour will be held on Saturday morning, August 22 at 9:30 in Deering's historic one room school house, on Deering Center Rd beside Town Hall. We'll read from Curious Geoerge and Martha the Talking Dog and maybe we'll have a spooky story or two. As always there will be freshly home-made muffins, juice, milk and coffee. 

Everybody is welcome. Please contact Gary Samuels with questions: 464 3143, samuelspatty@gmail.com

TRIPPING WITH GHSS

THE GHSS BUS SCHEDULE FOR THE REST OF AUGUST

Since it's adoption by GHSS, this bus has had a busy summer. Something for everybody. Maybe you missed the trip to the JFK library on the 14th of August, but here is a list of outings  for the remaining couple of weeks of August.

August 19,  Wednesday: Great Island Common (cost $8,  leaving Shaw’s 9 am.) 

August 27, Thursday: Trader Joe’s and the Christmas Tree Shop  (cost $9 transportation, $8 lunch leaving Shaw’s at 10 a.m.)

August 31, Monday:  The Vermont Country Store and Frank’s/Fred’s Fabric store. (cost $8 leaving Shaw’s at 9 a.m.)

Reservations must be made by calling Marie Mogavero at 464-4726.

JFK LIBRARY TRIP: SEATS AVAILABLE

GHSS will travel to Boston in its NEW BUS to the JFK Presidential Library and Museum next Friday, 14 August, and there is room for just two more passengers. Don't miss this chance to go there with your friends! Transportation is $10.00 per person and admission is $12.00 for seniors, $10.00 for veterans and kids 13 and younger,and $14.00 for 'adults-who-are-not-seniors.' Click on the  link above to see the many things going on at this wonderful institution. To reserve your place phone Marie Merrow at 464-4726. The Bus will depart Shaw's parking lot at 9:00 am.

JFK believed that each person in our society can make a difference, and that everyone should try. His influence reaches across decades because of his extraordinary ability to articulate fundamental principles of democracy, freedom, and patriotism.
  At the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, people of all ages learn how they can give back to their communities and their fellow citizens. Through our museum exhibits, public forums, and research archives, we inspire individuals to get involved and to solve today’s problems with the same energy that my father addressed to the challenges of his time.

August 2015 ISSUE OF SENIORS ALIVE!

The August 2015 issue of the GHSS newsletter Seniors Alive! is available here or at the Seniors Alive tab above. 

I especially recommend the article 'Wooden Bowl' to you. It is a very thoughtful reflection on aging and the relationship between older parents and their adult children.