Oxford’s Leisure Centres celebrate Older People’s Day

Wednesday 30 September 2009

Oxford’s Leisure Centres celebrate Older People’s Day

Oxford’s leisure centres are celebrating Older People’s Day with a variety of activities including free gym usage, free swimming and free badminton classes.

Older People’s Day on Thursday 1 October celebrates the opportunities, achievements and aspirations of older people and their contribution to our society and economy.

In Oxford, Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre is offering free gym usage for the over 50s as well as inductions for new members. There will also be free badminton and table tennis and free tea and coffee in the café.

And at Ferry Sports Centre they will be offering a range of free activities including a trial of the Primetime sessions, free swimming and free taster badminton sessions.

Michael Fisher, fitness instructor at Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre, says “As well as keeping active, being a member of a community is an important part of keeping fit and healthy.”

“We’re opening the gym and classes for the over 50s, and we’ll be offering free tea and coffee in the morning so people can just come for a chat and meet with friends.”

Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre will be offering:

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  • Free Gym Usage for 50+
  • Inductions from 9am – 11am and 12 noon until 4pm. Just come along with comfortable clothing and trainers. No appointment necessary
  • Free Badminton and Table Tennis from 10am – 12.00 noon. Open to all. No booking needed just turn up and play
  • Primetime Club additional Session
  • Free tea and coffee available in the café from 10am to 1pm.

Ferry Sports Centre will be offering:

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  • Free Primetime Mobility from 9.30am – 10.20am
  • Free Swimming from 1.30pm – 4pm
  • Free Taster Badminton sessions from 8pm – 10pm (booking is required at reception)
  • Free Water workout (8.45pm – 9.30pm (ladies only)

Jonathan Acott, General Manager of Ferry Sports Centre, says: “Primetime is a body conditioning class focuses on core stability and balance. The class is flexible which will allow customers to work at their own pace.

“The class is set to music and the movements are very gentle. It’s focused on improving balance, co-ordination and range of motion for all the major joints.”

Older People’s Day, which is now celebrating its third year is held to coincide with the UN International Day for Older People.

Last year, over 50,000 people took part in 900 local events across the country in the weeks around 1 October.

It is our chance to start to tackle outdated stereotypes around ageing by bringing people of all ages together. 

Councillor Bob Timbs, Board Member for Leisure and Sport, says: “It is important that the over 50s keep fit and active and I am pleased our leisure centres will be celebrating this special day.

“I am 56 years old and go to the gym at least twice a week and cycle to work and into town for Council duties.

“This keeps me active and feeling more energised to keep up with the daily challenge of meeting work commitments and Council responsibilities.”

According to research, most age associated health issues can be stemmed or even reversed with regular physical activity. Muscle strength, flexibility, bone density and cardio respiratory fitness such as blood pressure, lung function and cholesterol can all be improved or reversed by regular physical activity*.

Physical activity for the older person can mean many different things, muscle training with light weights or tai chi and yoga have been proven to help increase aerobic fitness as well as muscle strength and flexibility.

Studies have shown that aerobic exercise classes for the elderly have resulted in a marked improvement on the psychological well being of the participants as well as the associated physical improvements such as weight loss, mobility and lung function.

Physical activity does not even have to be a structured programme, a simple walk around the park, gardening, carrying the shopping and playing with the grandchildren can all add up to the recommended minimum of 30 minutes a day of activity for adults. http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/

Oxford Food

SALAD WITH A SMILE
FOUND TO LIFT THE CURRENT NATION’S GLOOM

Cheshire cheese makers, highly decorated chef Duncan Poyser and nutritional expert Rachael Anne Hill have created the definitive salad to make you smile.

Whilst consumers are feeling bombarded by depressing news in the media from job losses to ongoing wars, the team of foodie experts has concocted the perfect recipe to make us smile again and add some light relief!

Nigel White, spokesperson for Cheshire cheese said: “In these tough economic times when we are bombarded 24/7 by news programmes telling us about a global economic meltdown, any light relief is welcome.

“The phrase ‘you are what you eat’ really does ring true and by eating some simple foods, people can make themselves feel much better.”

THE SCIENCE – supported by nutritional expert, Rachael Anne Hill

“It’s commonly accepted that the way we feel can affect our food choices. For example, when we’re feeling tired we might reach for a cup of coffee to perk us up and at times of sadness or stress we choose comforting foods such as chocolate to give us a lift. However, the link between food and mood works both ways and the way we can feel can also be directly affected by the foods that we eat.

“Research shows that taking too many food ‘stressors’ such as caffeine, refined sugars, alcohol and processed foods can have a negative effect on mood. However, eating a diet rich in food ’supporters’ such as fruit, vegetables, oily fish, protein rich foods and dairy products can significantly improve the way we feel.
“The foods in this salad will all help to promote both good health and a good mood. In addition to bone building calcium, the Cheshire cheese contains protein which will slow the absorption of the meal helping us to stay feeling upbeat and productive for hours after eating. It’s also a good source of vitamin B12 which plays an important role in promoting positive emotions. It’s thought this could be because it helps the body to create serotonin – otherwise known as the ‘happy hormone’.
“The avocado contains tryptophan, the precursor to serotonin and the pumpkin seeds are a great source of mood enhancing zinc – a mineral that the body automatically needs more of in times of stress.”

Cheshire Cheese is high in protein for a mental boost and considerably lower in salt that feta so it is much better for you. Cheshire cheese is also an excellent source of calcium.

Rocket leaves are a great source of folic acid that can counteract low or depressive feelings, making you happier!

Onion is rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, chromium and vitamin B6 and is great for fighting a cold. If eaten regularly, onion can help to can reduce inflammation, can prevent cancer, lower blood pressure and cholesterol which in turn helps to reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Avocado is naturally high in tryptophan that can lift you mood, self-esteem and feelings of optimism! It is also high in monounsaturated fatty acids that can be difficult to get in the diet. Avocado can also promote calm feelings and sleep

Chilli and hot peppers will give you an extra boost to brave the wide outdoors. Capsicum in peppers can stimulate the nervous terminals in the mouth, causing a burning sensation and the brain segregates endorphins that can produce temporary euphoria.

Pumpkin seeds have high zinc content – zinc deficiency is the most common cause of exhaustion and depression so the more pumpkin seeds, the happier you’ll be!

Brazilian walnuts and Sunflower seeds are rich in selenium, which is related to pleasant disposition and prevents bad moods

Wholemeal bread is an excellent source of fibre, which is great for a healthy digestive system

Basil contains essential oils with antioxidants that have anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-microbial properties.

Olives are high in monounsaturated fat, iron and vitamin E. Naturally ripened purple/black olives contain anthocyanins, which are very powerful antioxidants and one of the benefits of these antioxidants can be their ant ageing properties.

Watercress is a ‘super food’ containing significant amounts of iron, calcium and folic acid, together with vitamins A and C. The benefits of eating watercress are that it acts as a mild ‘pick-me-up’ and can help with a healthy digestive system

Garlic is widely known for its health benefits including helping to reduce cholesterol and preventing and fighting the common cold
METHOD – by Duncan Poyser, Head Chef at 39 Steps in Styal
• Preheat oven to 165C. Place onions and pepper in an ovenproof dish, drizzle with the olive oil for the dressing and place in the oven. Roast gently for 15 mins until golden brown, stirring once half way through. Remove and pour into a sieve over a bowl to drain and cool.
• Toast the slices of bread lightly, while warm rub all over with the half of garlic clove then cut roughly into 1cm dice.
• For the dressing; mix the lemon juice, chopped chilli and olive oil previously drained from roasting the peppers and onions.
• In a large bowl place the washed rocket, watercress, half the crumbled Cheshire cheese, diced avocado, the roast vegetables, chopped basil, olives and the diced toasted bread. Season with a little sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, add the dressing and toss gently but thoroughly.
• To serve place on 2 individual plates making sure all the salad ingredients are evenly distributed, crumble over the remaining Cheshire cheese, and sprinkle over the pumpkin and sunflower seeds and the crushed walnuts. ENJOY!
For more information and for further Cheshire cheese recipes, visit www.cheshirecheese.org  and http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/Oxfordfood.htm.

AMANDA HOLDEN: “IT’S HARD JUGGLING WORK AND BEING A MUM”

 

AMANDA HOLDEN TALKS ABOUT THE DIFFICULTY OF BEING A MUM AND A CAREER WOMAN

As a national survey shows that a SHOCKING one in three mums living in Britain admit to spending less than an hour a day with their children because they are tied up at work, super mum Amanda Holden also admits, 

“The hardest thing about being a working mum is juggling work with spending quality time with Lexi. I sometimes feel guilty about not spending enough time with her and I’m constantly making sure I make time and the most out of every precious moment we do get. I’m very lucky that my family is very close, so when we are all together, rather than watch TV, we tend to play games and interact with each other.

“Holding a Family Game Night is a great way to create a family occasion and help build relationships between family members through playing board games – it’s a chance for children to learn, as well as parents to learn more about their children, while at the same time having loads of fun!”

An online national poll of 2,008* British parents, commissioned by Hasbro Family Game Night, discovered that today’s parents are spending less and less vital ‘quality’ time with their kids due to work worries.

Worryingly, half of the mums lamented that they didn’t spend enough time talking and playing with their children, with 40% blaming long working hours and work commitments and stating that sometimes they leave before their children wake up and come home after their bedtime.

61% of Mums in London blamed work commitments, stating that during times of economic hardship the pressure to keep jobs is ever present and therefore working above and beyond usual hours has become the norm in a competitive workplace.

The survey also made another shocking discovery – of the one hour a week that mums do spend with their kids, 20% of them believe that sitting in front of the TV with their children constitutes that ‘quality time’.

Mums living in the Yorkshire and the Humber area are the worst culprits for it, with a third revealing that sitting in front of the TV with their children is how they spend their quality time.

With the pressures of work, and lure of TV, it seems families are being drawn further away from each other – the report uncovered that FOUR in 10 kids living in the UK watch more than 14 hours of TV a week, with a disturbing 7% living in the Yorkshire and Humber region watching more than four hours a day, well above the recommended daily amount.

As a nation, the UK does generally (60%) play board games with our children, however, a worrying 55% of those living in Northern Ireland admitted to never playing them with their children.

Spokesperson for Hasbro, Craig Wilkins comments; “Family time is really important, we sometimes forget to spend time with those closest to us.  Family Game Night is a great excuse to get the whole family together, invite the extended family or even the neighbours round and make an occasion of playing a board game.”

Kicking off September and running through to October 18, Hasbro Family Game Night is an incentive to bring families together by encouraging them to put aside time to play games such as Monopoly, Cluedo and Pictureka – so mums, dads, brothers, sisters, granddads and grandmas can increase the time they spend together.

http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/

Learning From Failure

Technology Business Starter Guide: Food For Thought for High-Tech Entrepreneurs

by David Blair, DBA Group 2009

A book review by Nicholas Newman 25 September 2009

Reading this brief new twenty page guide ‘Technology Business Starter guide: Food For Thought for High-Tech Entrepreneurs’ made me realise why the BBC television’s Dragon’s Den, is so addictive amongst hopeful aspiring entrepreneurs. No, it’s not the prospect of being humiliated in front of a nationwide audience that attracts them; it’s not really much to do about the money, though it helps. In truth, it’s about the business skills the dragon’s can bring to their new enterprise. To read more

http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/technologyybusinessstarterguide.htm

JUST DANCE with Davina McCall

JUST DANCE with Davina McCall

JUST DANCE is a big live dance competition for broadcast on Sky1 HD in early 2010 hosted by Davina McCall - and filming gets under way in October.

JUST DANCE will kick off with a series of nationwide auditions for dancers of all styles, combinations and ages; ballroom, break, bhangra or ballet; dance tap, morris or sword, Irish, Scottish or English country dancing – they’re all welcome!

Following professionally choreographed, mass participation “Dancing in the Street” routines in major cities across the UK, the most entertaining dancers are now being invited into our Dance Dome to audition for the judges who’ll then select the very best to compete in live Semi Finals – and this is where you come in, as we need an audience to cheer them on!

If you would like to join Davina McCall on the following dates, then apply now!

Edinburgh – on Thursday 8th, Friday 9th or Saturday 10th October, the first round of heats takes place in Edinburgh’s Ocean Terminal adjacent to the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Manchester – on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October the second round of heats will be in Manchester’s City Stadium.

Booking is now open via our website at http://www.sroaudiences.com