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Seniors keep on the move
By LINDA M. LINONIS
CANFIELD
Eve Bevilacqua encouraged participants in a “Well of Body” program at the Ursuline Center here to “keep moving” and “have a positive attitude.”
“No matter what your age, keep moving. It will make a difference in your life,” she told the 20 or so participants in the program designed for those 50 and older.
As for an outlook, the fitness enthusiast said Tuesday that it’s whether you wake up and say, “Good Morning, God” or “Good God!”
Bevilacqua, who most recently retired as wellness director at Copeland Oaks, has devoted 40 years to fitness. She’s known in the Mahoning Valley as the former owner of Body Works, was on local TV with fitness segments and continues as a personal trainer.
Bevilacqua said food choices play into our fitness status. Eat four small meals daily and make better food choices, she urged. Her breakfast choices are eggs, Canadian bacon, yogurt, dried cherries and walnuts or pecans. “The nuts have good Omega-3 fat,” she said.
“If you’re hungry after 6 p.m., you’re not getting enough protein,” she added.
Many people opt for a sugar-laden afternoon snack. “It’s a nice sugar high, but then you drop again,” she said. Try five to seven almonds to stave off hunger pangs.
Before a meal, drink two glasses of water. She noted Americans tend to keep eating until they feel full, which is past the time they are full. “When you feel 80 percent full, stop eating,” she advised.
Bevilacqua suggested a breathing exercise to do three times in the morning and then throughout the day. Put your hand on your navel and breathe in, hold it for four counts then breathe out slowly through the nose. “It will help you breathe deeper,” she said.
Before you get out of bed in the morning, start exercising, the fitness expert said. In bed, raise your knee to your chest 20 times for each leg. This helps the circulation in your back and lungs and stretches the lower back. “You’ll feel good the rest of the day,” Bevilacqua said.
She also demonstrated “chair exercises” that she said “can’t reverse but will slow down nature’s clock.”
With music playing in the background, Bevilacqua led participants. For one exercise, she told them to sit on the edge of a chair, tap toes, then heels, then march with their feet and swing their arms. In another, she asked them to extend their legs, pull their toes toward their knees and lean forward. “You’ll feel it in your lower back,” she said.
Bevilacqua noted that as people age, their balance declines. To combat that situation, stand parallel to the back of a chair, squeeze your buttocks, stare at a spot on the wall to focus, then lift one knee to the waist, let go of the chair and try to hold 15 seconds. “Do this, and you’ll have a sweet butt,” she promised. For another, hold onto the back of a chair, keep your knees over your ankles, then squat.
Elaine Jones of Austintown, who had her knees replaced in 2008, said she realized she “has to get motivated” and thought Bevilacqua’s program would help her get started.
George Guju of North Jackson said he exercises daily but he learned some new methods at the program.
The Ursuline Center also offers Silver Sneakers, a wellness and exercise program for older adults, at 9 and 10 a.m. Mondays and Wednesday. For details, call the center at 330-799-4941.