I’ve started playing a card game called Hand and Foot with a group of women two weeks ago. It’s a variation of Canasta, and I’m surprised by how much I’m enjoying it. I remember my Mom used to play cards once in a while, and this was what she played.

Playing Canasta makes me feel connected to her.

I was fortunate to have two amazing teachers – both incredibly patient, with a gift for explaining the hows and whys. I sat at the corner of the table and watched as they played. Everyone took the time to explain moves and answer my questions as they played.
Two different days and 10 games later, I played for the first time, making some mistakes (just to get them out of the way) yet my partner and I won! I’m looking forward to playing again this Friday… right after I finish my second Spanish class!

I am finally taking that Conversational Spanish course. I signed up for a Thursday morning class, because it was convenient, but I was the only student who showed up! I had the teacher all to myself and we talked (in Spanish) about everything in our lives – she is also the oldest of five girls! I struggled, of course, but we covered a lot in 90 minutes. When I left I was certain that I was in over my head, but that evening la maestra texted me to ask if I could do her Friday class instead. She thinks I am “more advanced” with my Spanish and would enjoy the Friday class more.

Now, every other Friday I will have to rush from Spanish class to the card game. Ándele!

On Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons I take a Restorative Yoga class. I wrote about this in my book, in the chapter on Yin Yoga. I love it.
These slow, supported poses (3 -5 minutes) relax your body deeply, which enables your nervous system’s fight-or-flight response to let it’s guard down. When you feel safe, your body relaxes. We use blocks, bolsters, belts and blankets to lean against, lie on, or prop-up, in order to take the effort out of a pose/stretch. After everything we ask of our bodies, it’s a nice respite. I always feel completely chilled-out after class.

It’s a wonderful way to overcome feeling stressed and anxious about everything that is beyond our control. I didn’t realize how tense I was until I felt my body relax completely. I may have even had tears running down my face as I lay there.

These poses increase flexibility of both body and mind, and lubricate your joints, which is a good thing!

Speaking of flexibility – I read an article by the Arthritis Foundation the other day about maintaining knee health as we age. (My rheumatologist sends them to me.) If you have knee issues and are overweight the study shows that losing 1 lb. of weight resulted in 4 lbs. of pressure being removed from the knees. Losing just 10 lbs. will relieve 40lbs. of pressure on your knees, AND that same 10 lb. weight loss will relieve 60 lbs. of pressure from your hips!

Also – new studies show we don’t need to walk 10,000 steps daily to extend our lives, Just 4,000 will do the job! After that, each additional 1,000 steps will reduce your risk of dying “from any cause” by 15%. And the more you move, the better – adults older than 60 saw a 42% decline in mortality risk when they walked between 6-10K steps daily. I know lots of people don’t like to exercise, but I swear to you, making it a fun part of your life will have huge benefits when you’re older and can get around easily: climb stairs, get in-and-out of chairs, cars, airplanes, boats, etc. The hardest part is always getting started. Once you do, momentum, and how well you will feel (body and mind) will keep you going!

Stay well, and take good care of yourself. Until next time,

XO Donna