It's our first newsletter!  
 
Starting with this edition, The Aquatic Fitness Center will send a regular email newsletter to our members. We hope The View will help members keep up to date about the activities and events offered at the APFC, provide health and fitness info that will reinforce their commitment to exercise, and give them a forum to tell us how we're doing.
 

We want to make The View as useful as possible. So if you have feedback that you feel will make The View more interesting and applicable to you, please let us know. 

If you have any questions or comments, please email me at mailto:jimspinelli@sfsenior.com

Thanks
Jim Spinelli

Coming Attractions:

Pickle Ball 

Have you ever heard of Pickle Ball?  It's the "fastest-growing sport in North America!" It's also becoming increasingly popular with boomers, and is now played in senior living communities, YMCAs and senior centers around the country.
 
Many readers may be thinking, what in the world is pickle Ball?  Pickle Ball is a mix of several familiar sports (tennis, paddle tennis, badminton, and ping pong). It resembles tennis, but uses a paddle instead of a racquet; players hit a whiffle ball rather than a tennis ball, it's played on a badminton sized surface, and players score like ping pong. It's a sport that has a lot to offer participants.  It's easy to learn-new players can enjoy fun rallies within 30 minutes of picking up a paddle; it doesn't require the mobility of tennis, while giving a similar playing experience; it's control not power oriented which levels the playing field for a wide variety of skill levels.
 
The Aquatic Fitness Center will soon offer a Pickle Ball program.  We'll offer lessons for new players.  To inquire and sign up for classes, contact Jim Spinelli at the Aquatic Fitness Center by stopping by, via email at jimspinelli@sfsenior.com , or by phone (415) 923-4482.
 

Foam Rollers Workshop - Basic Foam Roller Techniques

Presented by the San Francisco Sport and Spine Physical Therapy
 
We are working with the San Francisco Sport and Spine Physical Therapy group to provide a workshop on how to use the foam roller as a tool for basic stretching. Interested in learning more about the workshop or want to sign up?  Contact Jim Spinelli at the Aquatic Fitness Center by stopping by, via email at jimspinelli@sfsenior.com , or by phone (415) 923-4482.

Walking with Beth

Starting on November 6, 2009 Beth Dittmer, one of our volunteers, will lead a walk each Friday after the 10:30 Always Active Class. 

This will be a fast paced, aerobic walk. Beth will start a little slowly for the first two months then increase according to the class fitness level.

Boomercize®

We recently met with Marcie Judelson, the founder of  Boomercize®. Marcie would like to offer a Boomercize® class here at Aquatic Park Fitness Center.

To introduce herself and her program, Marcie has agreed to offer a free sample class for members if there is enough interest. If you're interested in taking the free promotional class let Jim Spinelli know.

Get fit while dancing to the best of the "American  Bandstand" Hit Parade! Move and groove to to your favorite '60s tunes, Disco songs and Latin rhythms...including hits by The Four Seasons, The Beach Boys, The Temptations, The Beatles  - and many more.
 
The Groovy '60s Workout!

- Easy-to-follow, low-impact dance moves

- '60s hits, Disco, Latin

- No prior dance training required

So grab your Go-Go boots (or better yet, sneakers) and come join the fun!
 
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102810718682&s=84&e=001D9SFTjJdBYFTmBl7eN4JSbx0p-KlGBs53HvVOmRr7Bh5o6-60KvDX4geo-TYVmB34B1w-lxEeooT7zq8i-4LtRj542uT-0iv5QXtOQbOOX5AB26VSsnqsg== 

Fitness Corner  

To stay healthy and live longer, exercise
By Jeannine Stein
 

(The following is excerpted from an article in the Los Angeles Times)

You my have heard the advice: "If you exercise, you'll live longer."  The good news is that it's true.
 
A 2007 research study supports this. Among the 2,603 adults aged 60 and older enrolled, the fittest people also had the lowest risk factors for hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol.
 
Most of the negative changes to our bodies over time are due to two things: normal aging and disease-related aging (such as diabetes and heart disease).  Exercise can reduce the severity of these changes.
 
Strength maintenance: Normal aging results in a gradual loss of muscle mass (about 1 percent a year) that begins in middle age.  Strength-training can offset this loss.   Having stronger muscles -- especially leg muscles -- and better balance may mean fewer falls, a leading cause of death among the elderly, according to the American Geriatrics Society.
 
Cardiovascular health: Over time, arteries become stiffer, paving the way for cardiovascular disease. The chemical composition of the artery walls begins to shift.  That stiffening of the arteries can cause changes in your blood pressure, putting extra stress on the heart.  Regular aerobic exercise slows or reverses some of the changes.
 
Diabetes risk: As we age, blood-glucose control becomes less robust, making us more insulin-resistant and increasingly susceptible to diabetes. People also tend to gain weight as they age, further upping the chances for developing the disease.
During aerobic exercise, muscles take up glucose from the blood and use it for fuel, keeping the body's blood sugar levels low.
Exercise also causes the pancreas to decrease production of insulin. Continuous, steady exercise especially causes the liver to take lactic acid, amino acids and fats and turn them into glucose, further feeding the muscles and regulating blood sugar levels.
 
Brain health: A small study found that older adults who did a minimum of 180 minutes per week of aerobic activity for 10 consecutive years had more small-diameter blood vessels with less twisting than a less active group that did less than 90 minutes of physical activity a week. The vessels of the more active group had a vessel pattern that was similar to those of younger people. The study appears this month in the American Journal of Neuroradiology.

November Activities Calendar

SF Senior Center News