Senior Viewpoint: Playing with the Masters, H&H

benefits of intergenerational play, UP holistic wellness, senior viewpoint, UP holistic wellness publication

Did you know the young can help keep you young?

According to Jennifer Crittendon, Assistant Director of the University of Maine Center on Aging, research has shown that spending time with kids benefits your cognitive, emotional, and physical health. It also can give you a sense of purpose, which can help minimize depression. (1) Another study showed older people who volunteered with youth had greater life satisfaction than peers who did not. In fact, a study has even shown that babysitting grandparents have a 37% lower mortality risk than adults of the same age who have no “caring responsibilities.” (2)

Research has also shown that spending time with children and adolescents improves seniors’ communication, self-esteem, decision-making skills, and memory; results in feeling they’re assisting the next generation and making a difference for our future society; and causes them to feel appreciated and valued.(3)

And with good reason! As civicsplus.com describes, children mentored by seniors benefit through improved academic achievement, feeling loved and enjoying dedicated attention, emotional bonding, gaining confidence through non-judgmental companionship, and being exposed to the knowledge and demeanor of older adults. (4)

A University of Oxford study by Professor Ann Buchanan of the Department of Social Policy and Intervention showed “a high level of grandparental involvement increased the well-being of children.” Their study of more than 1,500 children showed that those with a high level of grandparental involvement had fewer emotional and behavioral problems. The influence of positive role models is crucial as children tend to model the behaviors they see.(5)

But perhaps most importantly for seniors, children are masters of play!

And play relieves stress; boosts creativity and mental function; fosters empathy, compassion, trust, and intimacy with others; and increases your energy, vitality, and even resistance to disease.(6)

If you are fortunate enough to have grandchildren in your life, whether your own or others’, below are some tips to keep things fun and play-full. And if you don’t have young ones around, seek out opportunities at your local school, library, or community center!

Don’t be afraid to be silly.
Let mess fall where it may, so fun can take precedence! Clean-up can always be taken care of afterward.]
Be flexible. If they want downtime, go with it. If the museum you passionately wanted to share with them has them yawning, move on to something else.
Laugh together.
If you’re related, tell them stories of their mom or dad.
Find ways to be together even if you’re apart—phone, Zoom, online games, letter writing….
Don’t just give things, do things. Shared experiences will benefit both of you more than giving and receiving gifts.(7)

Not sure how to best spend your time together? Here are some ideas to get you started!

Indoors

Draw family tree – can share stories as they ask questions
Make a fort
Ask 20 questions about each other, alternating back and forth
Play cards
Make holiday decorations
Do kid-friendly crossword puzzles together
Have a tea party
Take turns reading from favorite books together
Draw portraits of each other
Bake together
Have a dance party
Make ice cream sundaes
Cook dinner together
Decorate T-shirts with tie-dye or puff paint
Play dress-up–walk around in costumes or put on a play
Play board games
Put on a puppet show
Color together
Have movie night with special snacks
Have a spa day
Make gifts for parents
Play Legos
Teach each other a hobby
Make a racetrack for toy cars with cardboard and masking tape
Make special drinks such as specially flavored lemonades or milkshakes

Outdoors

Walk
Plant flowers
Bikeride
Picnic
Paint rocks
Play hide ’n seek
Make a birdhouse
Go to a zoo
Go bowling
Draw with sidewalk chalk, including hopscotch and tic-tac-toe
Play mini golf
Visit a Farmer’s market
Go to the park
Blow bubbles—even in winter! Can make from simple online recipes
Go to a public pool
Take a class together—painting, cooking, pottery, art, movement, music….
Go berry or apple picking
Make a sandcastle together
Visit a museum
Go bowling
Go fishing
See a game
Go out to dinner
Go to a movie (8)

1 https://www.aarp.org/home-family/friends-family/info-2018/adult-kid-benefit.html

2 https://tinybeans.com/benefits-for-kids-to-spend-time-with-grandparents/

3 https://www.civicplus.com/blog/pr/six-benefits-of-intergenerational-parks-and-rec-activities

4 https://www.civicplus.com/blog/pr/six-benefits-of-intergenerational-parks-and-rec-activities

5 https://tinybeans.com/benefits-for-kids-to-spend-time-with-grandparents/

6 https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/benefits-of-play-for-adults.htm

7 https://shebuystravel.com/how-to-be-the-fun-grandparent/

8 https://mommypoppins.com/boredom-busters/activities-for-grandparents-to-do-with-kids

Green Living: PLAY NICE in the U.P. Outdoors, Steve Waller

green living, sustainable fun in the UP, UP holistic wellness, UP holistic wellness publication

Summer is here. School’s out. Time to play. Remember what mom said years ago…. “Play nice!” She meant have fun while treating others and things respectfully. If you play nice, friends always want to play with you, and playthings won’t get broken. So, call those nice friends and schedule some fun activities in the U.P.

Take the kids to a U.P. zoo. Go whitewater rafting down the Menominee River. Google “Hiking Upper Peninsula Trails” for an exhaustive list of some of the best and most beautiful hiking in the Midwest, right here near home, healthy and inexpensive!

Google “Upper Peninsula waterfalls map,” then go. We in the U.P. have the best waterfalls. Lower Michigan has only one puny public-accessible waterfall. Too bad for them!

There are five-hundred-and-fifty miles of the famous North Country Scenic Trail running from St. Ignace at the Mighty Mackinac Bridge to Tahquamenon Falls State Park, to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, through Marquette to the virgin forest in the Porcupine Mountains, then to the Wisconsin border and beyond—enough to wear out two pairs of hiking boots!

Our outstanding U.P. state and national parks and forests are great for fishing, hunting, canoeing, kayaking, camping, photography, birding.

There’s no need to fly to some other state. Instead, experience what the U.P. has to offer!

We have some of the cleanest beaches in the nation thanks to the sparkling waters of Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron—so many beaches, so little time. There are centuries of shipwrecks to explore. If you haven’t been snorkeling, do it! Don’t let all that crystal clear water go to waste. If needed, rent or buy a wet or dry suit, mask, and snorkel. There is a whole world of subsurface surprises waiting for you.

Bike trails—some are paved and relaxing, some are rugged and exciting. Take your pick. Michigan offers more rail trails than any other state and is home to the International Mountain Biking Association Silver Level Ride Center in Copper Harbor. From top-rated singletracks to thousands of miles of family-friendly rail trails, Michigan is one of the most bike-friendly states in the nation. Some trails are e-bike friendly. Call your local bike shop for details.

The above activities all share some critical qualities. They’re local, interesting, healthy, fun, and a great way to be with friends respecting the outdoors by minimizing recreational gas burning.
Notice none of the activities above require an airplane, an outboard motor, a jet ski, motorized dirt bike or ATV. I just suggested more than a few summers’ worth of activities that require absolute minimal gas burning. Don’t fly in fuel-guzzling airplanes to play in some other state. Instead, save those fuel dollars or spend those dollars on an electric vehicle rental for your “play nice” local adventure.

Burning fossil fuels just to have fun is not how we play nice in the outdoors.

The International Panel on Climate Change issued its comprehensive summary report earlier this year. They are desperately pleading to get people, especially Americans, to burn less fossil fuel. All regions, including the U.P., are experiencing “widespread adverse impacts.” Oceans and ice caps routinely break high temperature records.

People are slow to change. Marketing relentlessly entices us to distant exotic vacations, powerful, speedy gasoline engines on land, water, and in trucks, and suggests that a beach in another state is better than our own beaches. I’m not convinced.

So, play nice this summer. Leave the gas can at home. Breathe clean fresh air and less CO2. Help keep the climate stable and our amazing U.P. playground beautiful and unbroken, today and tomorrow.

Steve Waller’s family lives in a wind- and solar-powered home. He has been involved with conservation and energy issues since the 1970s and frequently teaches about energy. Steve can be reached at Steve@UPWallers.net.

The Co-op Corner: Play with Your Food, Marquette Food Co-op

Marquette Food Co-op, play with your food, UP holistic wellness, UP holistic well-being publication

Cooking can sometimes feel like a chore, but it doesn’t have to be! By inviting play and exploration into your cooking, you can turn it into a fun and creative activity. Here are some of our favorite ways for finding play in preparing your food:

Visit the farmer’s market: Visiting a farmer’s market can be a great source of inspiration for cooking. Seeing all the fresh produce and talking to the farmers can spark ideas for new recipes. You might find yourself drawn to a particular ingredient or combination of flavors that you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

Try a new recipe with an unfamiliar ingredient: Cooking the same dishes over and over again can get boring. Creating a dish with an ingredient you’ve never used before can be a fun challenge. Use an interesting vegetable, herb, or spice as your starting point, and search online for a recipe that features it.

Host a food-based party: Themed parties can be a blast, especially when the theme is food-related. Consider hosting a party where everyone brings a dish from a particular cuisine, or an ingredient to create a dish such as Greek spanakopita, burritos, samosas, or pizza. This can be a great way to try new foods and learn about different cultures.

Have a family cooking night: Cooking with family members can be a bonding experience. Assign everyone a role, such as chopping vegetables, stirring the pot, or setting the table. You can even make it a competition by seeing who can come up with the most creative dish using a particular set of ingredients.

Take a cooking class: The Marquette Food Co-op offers public and private cooking classes. We share a full range of food experiences, from half-hour food demos to multi-course feasts. We can host bridal showers, birthday parties, business team building meetings, or friend groups looking for a unique culinary experience. Visit https://marquettefood.coop/outreach/ for more information.

By finding play in cooking, you can make it a more enjoyable and fulfilling experience. Whether you’re exploring new ingredients, trying new recipes, or cooking with loved ones, there are many ways to inject some fun and creativity into the process. Give it a try and let us know what you make!

Spanakopita Recipe

Have a spanakopita making party! Everyone brings an ingredient, helps prepare the pie, and can leave with leftovers! This dish freezes well, so it’s perfect to make ahead and bake as needed, straight from the freezer.

Ingredients

1/2 package fillo dough (thawed)
3 eggs
3/4 lb feta cheese
plenty of butter – about 1 lb
3 C chopped fresh spinach or 20 oz. frozen cooked spinach
1/2 medium onion chopped
1/4 C dried dill

Directions

Whisk eggs in a separate bowl and set aside.

Mix together the chopped spinach, onion, feta cheese, and dill. Pour the whisked eggs over spinach mixture and mix. Smell the mixture. If the dill scent is not the first thing you smell, add a little more dill. Set mixture aside.

Melt the butter in a separate dish. While the fillo dough is still rolled up, cut it into equal thirds. Take two and set aside wrapped in a damp cloth to keep the dough from drying out. Unroll the dough. Place one sheet of dough down and with a basting brush, lightly butter the dough. Place another sheet on top of the buttered one and repeat. Do this with 5 sheets of fillo dough.

Take about 2/3 cup of the spinach mixture and place it at the bottom of the 5 sheets of fillo dough. Shape the mixture into a right triangle so that one corner of the “spinach triangle” is in line with a corner of the dough. Proceed to fold the mixture into the dough in a “flag fold” fashion. When you reach the end, butter the end to the wrap, and lightly butter the top of the wrap. Continue doing this until all fillo dough is used.

Place wraps on a lightly buttered cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

*Article sponsored by the Marquette Food Co-op

Natural Wellness: SHAPE-Up Your Health to Live & Play Full Out, Dr. Linzi Saigh-Larsen, ND, MSAc, CNS

21-day cleanse, natural wellness, UP holistic wellness business, UP naturopath, UP holistic wellness publication

From fatigue to body aches and pains, mood challenges, and metabolic imbalances, there are many symptoms preventing individuals from living their best life. As these symptoms worsen, the activities that one normally engages in begin to decrease. This creates a vicious cycle of decreased health.

Why do I bring this up? #1: We can halt this downward trajectory and restore our health! #2: Most of us want to be healthier, happier, more fit, and truly feel our best so we can live and play full out. But what are we actually doing to make a positive difference in our body, mind, and heart? As the saying goes, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” Isn’t that the truth! How in the world can we expect anything to change, to live our life to the fullest if we keep doing the same things that aren’t working?

The Solution! One thing I recommend for patients at least once per year is a 21-day cleanse, to jump start the body and to create the change that is needed for individuals coming out of the long winter months. The most popular time to do this is heading into summer. The reason being—people want to look and feel better so they can fully enjoy the active summer months.

What is this 21-day cleanse?

It is a health restoration and lifestyle modification program that combines a patented homeopathic supplement with the nutrition protocol for a simple, effective, and safe way to achieve optimal health. The goal is to teach you new skills and help you embrace a healthy lifestyle. We work on creating small habits that will be a part of your life well after you complete the cleanse.

I find this cleanse simple and effective. It is organized into three phases: cleanse (the 21 days), stabilize (3 weeks), and live (your lifestyle moving forward). These three phases are designed to first balance your brain chemistry, strengthen your immune system, and cleanse your body of excess weight and toxins.

This program is customized to your bio-individual needs, meaning I use your health history, symptoms, and urinalysis results to adjust this protocol specifically for you. This will ensure you feel satiated and achieve optimum results. You receive your own program guidebook, nutrition guide, dietary supplement, and any other recommendations I have found beneficial for your healing journey. A urinalysis is used to measure your improvements, and we meet weekly to answer questions, hold you accountable, and help you establish positive health habits, and learn how to take control of your health. 

Individuals have experienced a decrease in inflammation, fewer joint problems, better digestion, normalized blood pressure, lower cholesterol and triglycerides, balanced blood sugar, cognitive improvements, reduced dependence on prescription medications, optimal weight, and better overall health. 

I look forward to the opportunity to help you on your health journey and would love to be a part of shaping-up your health. I work with individuals locally in my office, and remotely via phone or zoom. Call, text, or email the office to schedule a free twenty-minute consultation to see if you are a good fit and ready to take control of your health.

Dr. Linzi Saigh is a naturopathic doctor (ND) and a certified nutrition specialist (CNS) with a Masters’ in acupuncture (MSAc). Naturopathic medicine is a system that uses natural remedies and therapies along with lifestyle changes to help the body heal itself.

*Article sponsored by Upper Peninsula Natural Wellness

Bodies in Motion: Time to Play! Kevin McGrath

physical fitness, time to play, UP holistic wellness, UP holistic well-being publication

Do you remember how important play was when you were a young child? All your time was configured around playing in some manner or another, whether on your own, with a sibling, or with a group.

Playing was all-encompassing and could take place in your imagination, a small space, or a larger one where you could be physically active in some type of game. Often the rules were fleeting and varied depending on who was involved.

As we become adolescents, our play often becomes more structured and complex as our brains develop. As we continue to mature, play often starts to fall by the wayside as more important grown-up roles begin to take over. Career becomes an important word, and most of our time is now spent on making a living. How are you going to become a productive, integral part of society?

At some point in the mix, love arises and adds its own complexities. In other words, life happens, and before you know it, play is no longer the driving force it once was when you were young and still trying to figure out who you were and what you could do mentally and physically. Play helped in figuring those mysteries out in a mostly fun and enjoyable way. Physical play also helped your body develop or not, depending on the choices you made.

Remembering the fun you had playing as a child can help you bring this fun and playfulness into your daily life.

Any kind of movement can be fun if approached in a playful, lighthearted way. As adults, we need to make an effort to regain that healthy past time and find the activities we consider to be play.

Getting our aging bodies back into motion through play-full activities helps keep us active longer and can only benefit us throughout the remainder of our lifetime. Make life fun again! Become active in ways you may have forgotten about, whether gardening, creating crafts, playing with children or grandchildren, dancing to favorite music, or going to the lake for a swim.

Playing is a mindset that makes moving more enjoyable, and thus we’re more likely to do it longer and more often, making us healthier and happier. Sometimes limitations restrict us from these playful activities; however, some strategizing can get us back in the fun. For example, if gardening is your enjoyable outlet but your knees or hips now prevent this, perhaps a gardening stool or chair would solve the issue.

Finding solutions to the issue instead of abandoning the activity altogether could help add both years and fun to your life.

Remember, doing what’s enjoyable to you is key in helping you restart or continue an active lifestyle, so keep playing to keep your body in motion!

Kevin McGrath can be found playing in the woods, by the water, or in a group of friends.