LIFE, HEALTH & HAPPINESS FOR NORTH WHIDBEY’S 50-PLUS CROWD VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 8 • FEBRUARY 2016
Important Things To Remember 51ST SWEETHEART OF GEMS SHOW
FEBRUARY 13-14 SAT. 9 AM-5 PM, SUN. 9 AM-4 PM, OAK HARBOR SENIOR CENTER Whidbey Island Gem Club will hold its annual show, with member exhibits, demonstrations, dealers, jewelry, specimens, beads, rough and finished rock and gems, slabs, a silent auction, door prizes, kid’s corner and food sales Admission is Free!
5 WAYS PICKLEBALL HELPS YOU WITH LIFE! So you’ve heard about pickleball or have seen people playing it. Perhaps you’ve even played. Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in America. It may be a silly name, but it’s a serious sport. It’s fast paced and easy to learn, great exercise and lots of fun. Pickleball blends aspects of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. A pickleball court is the same size as a conventional badminton doubles court with a 3 foot high net. Players volley the ball or play it off the bounce and serve it with overgrown ping-pong paddles. The rules are simple and the game is easy for beginners to learn, but can develop into a quick, fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players. Singles or doubles teams can play pickleball. The game is mainly shot placement and game strategy, not brute power or strength. But many people don’t realize pickleball helps with life off the court, as well. Here are five ways pickleball makes you better at life. LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE
PICKLEBALL PLAYERS WANTED!
Join us at a kick-off meeting for anyone interested in playing Pickleball. No experience necessary, we have folks that are happy to teach you. It’s easy to learn and you won’t regret it! WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10 • 5:30 PM OAK HARBOR SENIOR CENTER For more information contact Janiece Black: 279-4583, or jblack@oakharbor. org.
AARP TAX AIDE
FRIDAYS, FROM 10 TO 4, BEGINNING IN FEBRUARY Free tax return preparation and e-filing for taxpayers with low to moderate income, especially those age 60 and older. Call 360-678-3000 to schedule an appointment. Supported by AARP Foundation. FYI continued on page 2
Moving your legs and swinging at the ball raises your heart rate, creating a cardiovascular workout that strengthens your heart. When your heart is strong, it doesn’t need to work as hard to pump blood through your arteries. And that lowers your blood pressure. Lower blood pressure means less risk of heart attack, heart disease, congestive heart failure and stroke. Who knew playing a game could save your life? BURN BODY FAT A casual game of pickleball can burn 250 calories in 30 minutes if you weigh 150 pounds. An intense game burns 360 calories in the same amount of time. What does that mean? Well, a pound of fat is 3,600 calories. So 14 games of pickleball while maintaining your current diet would cut a pound of fat from your body. Plus, the muscle you build takes more calories to maintain when you’re at rest. And that means more calories burned when you’re off the court. IMPROVE BALANCE Navigating the pickleball court to intercept shots and deliver winning volleys takes diverse movement. In many activities, such as running and walking, you only move forward. But pickleball players move forward, backward and laterally. Shifting your weight in so many directions trains your body to have better balance.
Plus, using your arms and legs together boost your coordination, which is another major factor in avoiding falls. SHORTEN REACTION TIME
Whether you’re driving, cycling or just going for a stroll, the time you take to react to surprises can mean the difference between injury and safety. Pickleball trains your mind and body to react: “Which way is the ball going? How fast is it going? Where is it? How can I get there?” The more you play, the quicker you can react. And pickleball drills designed to improve your on-court performance can help with everyday life. MAKE FRIENDS
Pickleball is a social sport, and most players are older adults. That means each game is a chance to make new friends or bond more closely with old ones. Those friends can motivate you to play when you’re feeling a little lazy, and the game can serve as a great prelunch activity or after-work entertainment. NEW GROUP FORMING
at the OHSC
Whether you’re excited about the prospect of starting a new sport, or you’re an experienced player looking for a place to play, we hope that you’ll join us for a pickleball ‘kickoff’ meeting on February 10, at 5:30 p.m., at the OHSC. Come meet like-minded people and help us lay the groundwork for starting a pickleball group in Oak Harbor
Adapted from an article on “Healthways FIT” - Online Community for Today’s Active Adults
INSIDE THIS EDITION Health Matters...............Pg. 2 Activities & Events...........Pg. 3 Calendar.......................Pg. 5 Library Events.................Pg. 5 Sudoku..........................Pg. 5 Travel...........................Pg. 6 Menu............................Pg. 6 Word Search.................Pg. 7 Giving Back...................Pg. 8