p18, v6.08 — The Good Life — Mountain Views News

The Good Life

Mountain Views News Saturday, February 25, 2012

MVNews this week: Page 18

THE GOOD LIFE

Mountain Views News Saturday, February 25, 2012

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

YOGA IS JUST STRETCHING.

RIGHT?

FEBRUARY ACTIVITIES

Senior Programs have returned to the Hart
Park House enior Center, 222 W. Sierra
Madre Blvd. in Memorial Park - Come by and
see the changes!!

February Birthdays

Lorraine Bush, Hilda Pittman, Susan
Henderson, Sylvia Lorhan, Ann Luke, Janet
O’Day, Ana Ptasinski, Jan Reed, Winifred
Swanson

by René Quenell

Many people say to me,
“Yoga is about stretching,
right?” or “All you do is
lie around and stretch and
contort your body into
weird positions, right?”

Well, one element of yoga
is stretching. There is also strengthening
and breath work and the list goes on. As a
matter of fact a yoga practice can tone all
10 systems of the body, starting with the
muscular system (strength and stretching)
and moving on through the skeletal system
(alignment and bone strength).

Yoga also improves the digestive, endocrine,
nervous, energy and mental systems. Did
you know yoga does all that? Still not
convinced? The list is huge. Ask any yogi,
they’ll tell you how it helped them. AND
you don’t need to be flexible. Yoga helps you
become flexible.

Yoga is not about putting the body in all
kinds of weird positions. It’s about the art of
healing, the art of finding your inner

strength, the art of getting to know yourself

better. And oh, getting stronger, more
flexible, losing weight and looking better just
happen to be by-products. You see, when you
address all 10 systems of the body the body
starts working together - a union, hence the
word YOGA (which literally means union).

Ah, yes, then there is stress reduction.
Learning to cope a little more effectively
in the world today is essential. In case you
did not know, yoga was mainly designed for
men, so don’t think it’s just for the ladies. It
benefits us both.

Depending on the class you take you can
get the toughest workout you’ve ever had or
the most relaxing. You can help your back
or your PMS. Do some research. Find a
good, credentialed teacher that knows their
stuff. Tell them your ailments and find the
right class for you. You’ll be amazed at the
transformations that can take place and the
piece of mind.

So next time someone tells you yoga is just
stretching, you can say “well, actually…..”.

Meals-On-Wheels

MONDAYS: City Hall & Lunch Café

12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café: Come enjoy
a hot meal with others. Donation for seniors
(60+) of $2.00; visitors $3.75. Call 355-0256
to make your daily reservation.

1:00 pm to 1:45 pm: Strength Training with
Lisa Brandley. FREE class of stretching with
light hand weights while you sit.

TUESDAYS:

FREE blood pressure checks by Methodist
Hospital Nurse; 11 am to 12 noon.

1:30 pm to 3:30 pm: BINGO; cards are only 25
cents each so stop by & play

5:15 pm to 6:45 pm: Yoga; $6.00 - 50 & over.
Please call 355-5278 for more information

WEDNESDAYS:

11 –11:45 am: Balance Class with Teryl. FREE
class designed to improve balance & refresh
the joints

12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café; daily reservations
needed 355-0256

2nd Wednesday of the month: FREE Legal
Consultations: 10-11:30 am. Appointments
call 355-7394

Wii Wednesday - 1:00 pm or call the senior
desk at 355-7394 to arrange another time &
day to learn how to play. No previous experience
or skills required and it is great exercise.

THURSDAY:

1:00 to 3:30 pm: Game Day. Join us for Poker
with Bridge on the 2nd & 4th Thursdays; so
please call for more information.

FRIDAY: City Hall closed on Dec. 16, 23 & 30
and Lunch Café closed on Dec. 23

12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café; daily reservations
needed 355-0256

Saturday: 11:30 am: Senior Club brown bag
lunch and BINGO at 12:30 pm.

Meals are delivered to home-
bound seniors by volunteer drivers
through the YWCA Intervale
Lunch Program M-F (with frozen meals for the
weekend.)

Meals are delivered to the home-bound seniors
by drivers through the YWCA Interval Lunch
Program M-F (with frozen meals for the
weekend.)

Call the YWCA at (626) 214-9460 for more
information.

HOW TO SAVE MONEY
ON YOUR PRESCRIPTION
DRUG COSTS

LUNCH & LEARN

Join the Senior

Community Commission

at the

HART PARK HOUSE

for a FREE presentation. Lunch is
available for a

$2 donation

Call (626) 355-0256 by

12 noon the day before.

2012 EXCURSIONS

SAVE THE DATES

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

SATURDAY, MARCH 3RD - Community
Whale Watching Trip; $28 per person. The
bus will leave the Community Recreation
Center at 10 am and return at 3:30 pm. Cost
includes transportation and a 2 1/2 hour
charter boat tour out of Long Beach.

Registration can be done either in person
or online at www.cityofsierramadre.com/
onlineregistration

THURSDAY, APRIL 26TH - Palm Springs
Follies. Spend the day in sunny PS and see

the new show Hot! Hot! Hot! celebrating
those memories of endless summers with

music and dance. COST per person is $58
(includes transportation, tip & show).

Lunch will be on your own at one of the
many restaurants next to the theatre.

Registration can be done either in person or
online at:

www.cityofsierramadre.com/
onlineregistration

Dear Savvy Senior:

What tips can you recommend to help me
save on my drug costs? I’m 62 years old, and
currently take six different prescription medications
that I can barely afford.

Poorly Insured

Dear Poorly:

There are actually a variety of ways you can
reduce your medication costs without cutting
quality, but you’ll need to take a proactive
approach. The following tips can also
help seniors with a Medicare prescription
drug plan avoid the “donut hole” coverage
gap, or reduce their costs once they reach it.
Here are some cost-cutting strategies to try.

Check your insurance: If you have drug coverage,
your first step is to find out what your
plan does and doesn’t cover. You can do this
by visiting the insurer’s website or by calling
their 800 number on the back of your insurance
card. Once you have this information,
share it with your doctor so (if possible) he
or she can prescribe medications that are
best covered by your plan. You also need to
find out if your insurer has a mail-order service.
This would help you to purchase your
medications for 20 to 40 percent less.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist: Find out
if the medications you’re taking are available
in a generic form or a less expensive brand-
name drug (you can also look this up online
at sites like destinationrx.com). About 75
percent of all premiums drugs on the market
today have a lower-cost alternative. Switching
could save you between 20 and 90 percent.
Many chains like Wal-Mart, Target,
Costco, Kmart, CVS, Walgreens and Kroger
sell hundreds of generics for as little as $4 for
a 30-day supply and $10 for a 90-day supply.

Another cost cutter is to buy your medications
in bulk. Many pharmacies give discounts
if you buy a three-month supply of
drugs versus a 30-day supply. Also, find out
if the pills you’re taking can be cut in half.
Pill splitting allows you to get two months
worth of medicine for the price of one.

Shop around: Drug prices can vary form
drugstore to drugstore, so it’s definitely
worth your time to compare prices at the
different pharmacies in your area. Using
U.S.-based online pharmacies are another
way to save 25 percent or more. Drugstore.
com and familymeds.com are two good sites
that provide solid savings, but there are dozens
to choose from. If you opt for an online
pharmacy, be sure you purchase from ones
that have the “VIPPS” seal of approval (see
vipps.info) from the National Association
of Board of Pharmacy. Seniors enrolled in a
Medicare prescription drug plan also need to
make sure the online pharmacy they’re buying
from is included in their network. Otherwise,
the purchase may not count toward
their deductible.

Get a discount card: Many pharmacies have
free or low-cost discount card programs that
will let you buy generics for $4 or qualify
for steeper discounts on other drugs. Other
drug card programs worth a look include
togetherrxaccess.com, rxsavingsplus.com,
yourrxcard.com, rxfreecard.com, pscard.
com and familywize.com.

Search for drug assistance programs: If your
income is limited, you can probably get help
through drug assistance programs offered
through pharmaceutical companies, government
agencies and charitable organizations.
To find these types of programs use benefitscheckup.
org, a comprehensive website that
lets you easily locate the programs you’re
eligible for, and will show you how to apply.

Buy from Canada: This option offers savings
between 50 and 80 percent on brand-name
drugs, but it’s important to understand that
it’s illegal to import drugs from Canada. The
FDA, however, does not prosecute anyone
who imports prescription drugs for personal
use. If you’re interested in this option, see
pharmacychecker.com, an independent resource
that finds the lowest prices from licensed
and reputable Canadian pharmacies.
(Note: This is not a good option for Medicare
Part D beneficiaries because it will not count
toward their deductible.)

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior,
P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit
SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor
to the NBC Today show and author of “The
Savvy Senior” book.

DIAL - A - RIDE TICKETS

Tickets can now be purchased at:

Sierra Madre City Hall

Sierra Madre Recreation Center

Sierra Madre Library

Pasadena Highlands, an independent and assisted
living community, is proud to provide a special
gift basket on the first Tuesday of each month.
Accredited In-Home nursing care will provide a
special prize on the 4th Tuesday of each month.
Bingo takes place every Tuesday at 1:30 pm at the
Sierra Madre Recreation Center while the Hart Park
House is under remodeling. The game begins at
1:30 pm but those wishing to play must arrive 10
minutes before to secure your Bingo cards. Join
us on the 1st & 4th Tuesday of each month

626-351-8444482 N. Rosemead Blvd., #201 | Pasadena, CA 91107www.elitedentistryofpasadena
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