South Bay / Harbor Area senior calendar

Gardena

GARDENA SENIOR

CITIZENS BUREAU

Nakaoka Community Center, 1670 W. 162nd St. Call 310-217-9552 for information.

SCAMP lunches. 12:20 p.m. daily. Call for reservations at least 24 hours in advance.

Exercise and nutrition. "Be Well," a light exercise and weight management program for seniors 60 and over, includes nutrition counseling, food management and behavior modification. Cliff Holiday Room A. 9 to 11 a.m. Thursdays.

SECOND TIME AROUND

Rowley Park, 13220 Van Ness Ave.

Activities. SCAMP lunch, line dancing, cards and crafts. Noon Mondays and Wednesdays. Call 310-516-7749.

San Pedro

ANDERSON SENIOR CENTER

Activities. Senior Club features bingo, table games, bridge and nutrition. 828 S. Mesa St. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Bingo at 12:15 p.m. Call 310-548-7596.

Ave Maria Society. Monthly meeting. 1280 Santa Cruz St. 7:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month. Call 310-833-5991.

CABRILLO MARINE AQUARIUM

Activities. Free senior citizen tours led by trained docents. Each 50-minute tour will introduce participants to animals that inhabit the rocky shores, sandy beaches, mudflats and the open ocean. 3720 Stephen M. White Drive. 1 and 2 p.m. Thursdays. Minimum of 10 needed for a tour. Each group asked to donate one large bag of aluminum cans. Admission is free. Call 310-548-7562.

DALMATIAN-AMERICAN CLUB

1639 S. Palos Verdes St.

Call 310-833-7767 for information on the following:

Activities Group. Conversation, snacks and good company. 7 to 9 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month.

Day trip. Morongo Casino and Cabazon shopping outlet. 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday, July 18. $25 fee. Leaves from Peck Park, 560 Western Ave. Call for reservations.

COMMUNITY & SENIOR SERVICE CENTER

Activities. Ongoing classes in art, English as a Second Language, computer lab and other subjects. 769 W. Third St. Call 310-519-6091 for schedule.

WEDNESDAY CLUB

Activities. Weekly meetings, speakers, trips. San Pedro Service Center, 769 W. Third St. 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays. Bingo at 10 a.m. the first Wednesday of the month. Call Christine Garcia at 310-325-2170.

PECK PARK SENIORS

Activities. Bingo, trips, tours, classes. Members' birthdays celebrated monthly. 560 N. Western Ave. 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Mondays. Bingo at 11:30 a.m. Membership not required to participate in bingo, but must be at least 50 years old. Bring your lunch and stay for bingo. Call 310-516-6388.

Hey Seniors, Cleaning House is Great Exercise! | Senior Citizen ...

I was intrigued to find how many of the exercises the Physical Therapist prescribed actually are duplicated as one goes about cleaning house.  The therapist was demonstrating for me the kinds of things I needed to be doing to improve my gait, balance, and self confidence in movement.  It was practical, not at all strenuous or intimidating, but matter of fact and need.

So I decided I should go about the movements of house cleaning in a deliberate attempt not only to do a good job, one my spouse would approve, but to accomplish my regimen of activity the therapist advised for each day.  Of course, I won’t be cleaning so thoroughly every day, but when I do I will be aware of my bending, stretching, moving, lifting, and generally addressing the needs of my knees, feet, ankles, hips and legs.

Physical therapy is simply another word for exercise.  It is a way to help us be aware of the need to keep our body in shape.  It is so easy to avoid and ignore the discipline of deliberate exercise that our bodies stiffen up and leave us with aches and incite protests when we attempt to correct some of our bad habits.

If we can simply develop a pattern of daily exercise, consciousness of  our need for movements and activities that enable our joints to get their due, we will become healthier and more flexible in our daily doings.

I know the big question is:  how long will I keep it up?  The practical answer is:  for so long as its rewards and my intentions stay alert and responsive.  It is so easy to slide.  It is so easy to excuse oneself from a daily discipline.  Part of the discipline is walking our two pets twice a day.  They like to remind us and we enjoy the tour we take.  But, even with their urgings and our own cognition, we can still slough it off.  Life is worth at least as much as taking a walk, engaging in a few simple exercises and staying alert to one’s own basic needs that we do at least the minimum every day.  Isn’t it?

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