A Breath of Fresh Air
SENIOR POWER ON: “A BREATH OF FRESH AIR”
Dear Friends,
The above has been somewhat difficult to come by this past week, with the smoke filled air leading to multi “Air quality alert days.” For many of us that means more time indoors hugging our air purifiers & less exercise to keep us healthy. We need first to understand some basic principles before we talk of solutions. Social media is fond of discussing the “AQI ” or Air Quality Index. It is used to report daily air quality & focuses on the health effects from breathing polluted air after a few hours. www.weather.gov or www.accuweather.com Basically, they have identified 5 air pollutants that the EPA uses to calculate the AQI & set regulations according to the Clean Air Act. These include: ground-level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide & nitrogen dioxide. The smoke from the wildfires that plague California is a complex mixture of gases & fine particles produced when wood & other organic materials burn. The biggest health threat from smoke is from the fine particles which are microscopic & can penetrate deep into your lungs causing a range of health problems from burning eyes & runny nose, to aggravated chronic heart & lung diseases. If you have a heart, vascular or lung disease (including asthma) talk with your health care provider to see if you need special protections. Generally, you might consider buying an air purifier (room size) to reduce particle levels. They come in all sizes depending on your need. {ww2.arb.ca.gov} Your outdoor protection is your old friend ‘the mask.’ Pick one that protects you from COVID as well & wear it properly. And, while you’re busy with all this, don’t neglect your physical activities to keep your body healthy. No sedentary sloths allowed. Recent studies confirm a simple fact: physical activity decreases the harmful effects of sedentary behavior & an increased risk of mortality. {https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs.journals/lancet}. Outside, walk, bike, jog. Inside: try walking around every time you have a phone call ; “invent” reasons to use your stairs; tune into a zoom class & join the group. (see below). Treat yourself to a pedometer, start small & gradually increase your steps/day. If walking is not an option, set yourself up for some chair exercises or just practice “standing tall (back up against a wall, feet flat on the floor, head high & hold for a count of five.) You get the idea: don’t let one problem create another. For goodness sake….keep breathing.
If you are stuck indoors (for any reason) consider the following CLC activities. They are all free, open to the public & occur weekly. You can join any of them online:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85941543946 or call in by phone: 888-475-4499 Meeting ID: 859 4154 3946 ##
Qi gong with David Wei (bilingual) Mondays, 4-5P
Dance for Strength with Kyra Tuesdays 10-11A
Always Active Wednesdays 10-11A
Chair Yoga with Kyra Wednesdays 11:30A-12:30P
Dance for Strength with Kyra Thursdays 10-11A
Always Active Fridays 10-11A
Qi gong with David Wei Fridays 2:30-2:30P
Movement & memory Saturdays 10-11A
And some other fun:
Don’t Forget to Vote: Sept 14, 2021 California Gubernatorial Recall Election
Golden Gate Park Band: is back @ Spreckels Temple of Music in the Music Concourse of Golden Gate Park for free concerts till Oct. 3. Check to be sure not COVID cancelled. www.goldengateparkband.org
Aug 24: 11:15A: Grow Beautiful Herbs/A Digital Herb Walk. Join Master Gardener Arete to learn about herbs that grow well in SF. Enjoy the walk through the history of herbs, which to plant together & how to use. CLC sponsored. See above links to join.
Aug 26, 12:30P: Native Contemporary Arts Festival Presents: Winnama Ba-Kay Yacma Pomo Dancers. Free. Yerba Buena Gardens. www.info@ybgfestival.org
Aug. 27: 12P: No Dr. Chodos Chats this week. She will return Sept 10 for news & updates on COVID & special topic: “Eye conditions in the elderly.”
***SAVE THE DATE: SENIOR POWER BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
SEPT 9, 2021
Margaret Graf, Senior Powerv
