Fall is here — don’t you just love to see the changing leaves in Atlanta? And what about the crisp air that greets you each morning when you walk outside — we are motivated! This week we found ourselves in perpetual motion, aligning with active positive folks, making a difference in our senior community.

To champion healthy aging and encourage Active Positive Lifestyles we keep our senior friends informed on what’s happening around town, that way we all may be a positive influence in our own backyards. Here’s what’s up, and what went down:

Monday morning was a planning session for the 2013 Gwinnett Senior Golden Games. Last spring over 300 seniors participated in the 35 plus games, this year even more. Several of our friends from Gwinnett Golden Games also scored in the Georgia Golden Olympics last month and qualified for the 2013 National Senior Games in Cleveland, Ohio…way to go!

This year we personally hope to encourage a lot of our tennis peers — some of the younger Boomer seniors — to sign up for the Gwinnett Senior Golden Games by moving their tennis events to early evening, since many are still working. Stay tuned! 

Monday evening was Scrabble night at Bethesda Senior Center. We originated this weekly event earlier this summer, and we love the variety of seniors who join us,  some retired, some not, for some “word-smithing” fun. I mean who knew that “phon” and “mawn” were actually real words! We're fond of colorful four letter words! 

Tuesday afternoon we attended one of the Gwinnett Parks 2013 Capital Improvement Plan Update sessions held at Bethesda Senior Center. We joined community members of all ages, providing our seven cents worth of input to the county about what we want to see happen with our Gwinnett Parks. Our parks are a wonderful resource encouraging active positive lifestyles for folks of all ages. 

Wednesday morning, we scooted back to Bethesda Senior Center, enjoying a seminar on “Senior Nutrition and Fitness.” As part of Healthy Aging and an Active Positive Lifestyle, nutrition and fitness are both high on our list! Guest speaker, Hans Foraker, a Certified Personal Trainer and fellow senior, reminded us that for proper nutrition, limiting salt and sugar intake is key — read those labels! He proposed that frozen veggies are perfectly fine over fresh, with nutrients having been captured in the freezing process. And for fitness, Hans took us through a full body workout routine seniors can do at home. It is important to strengthen our muscles to support our bones, which become more brittle as we age — walking is NOT enough!     

We rounded out our week by attending the October meeting of the Gwinnett Council for Seniors, hosted by Ivy Springs Manor. Council members heard an annual county update from Gwinnett Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash, Director of Community Services Phil Hoskins, Director of the Department of Transportation Kim Conroy and Gwinnett Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Mike Boyd. Everyone had input related to our senior community, including parks and sidewalk improvements, road signage visibility, traffic management, senior services allowing seniors to remain independent, and efforts to control fraud against elderly seniors in our community. And volunteering — the skills and knowledge that seniors contribute by volunteering in our community — allows our county government to maintain services in spite of reduced budgets.   

No surprise here: Last week’s events each reflect one or more of the four components of an Active Positive Lifestyle: Nourish your body, Stay Active, Stimulate Your Mind, and Connect with Others. Challenge yourself each day to focus on at least one component of an Active Positive Lifestyle. Let’s all remain vital members of this growing senior community, projected to represent 20% of the total population by 2020. Simply amazing!   

As photo journalists, public speakers and Seniors, we promote Active Positive Lifestyles and Healthy Aging in America. If you would like us to promote your event or speak with your group or organization, please contact us…we would love to hear from you! 

Positively speaking,
Sheri and Bill Eppright,
Positive Public Image, Inc.