This is the second year that the Daily Hampshire Gazette has partnered with UMass to create this free event open to public on the important topic of Active Aging. This year they have included mindfulness as one of the topics and invited me to offer 2 workshops on how mindfulness can support active aging. You can view the slide deck for the workshop here.
In this workshop, I propose that creating sustainable change is not about more will power or working harder or more information or continuing to “should” ourselves. Systemic and sustainable change is about simple awareness, inner calm, and self-compassion and all of these qualities are developed by mindfulness. Mindfulness is the awareness that arises when we pay attention with the attitude of non-judgment, compassion and a gentle curiosity (Learn more about what mindfulness is and what it is not in this blog post).
What made this event special is to see the coming together of people from Pioneer Valley, local businesses, and UMass to engage and explore best practices in promoting healthy lifestyles. There was research and information shared on the power of sleep, exercise and nutrition and so happy that they included mindfulness this year.
11:30 – 12:30 Exhibit Hall Open
Free Health Screenings with Kinesiology Students
Free Hearing Screenings by the Department of Communication Disorders, UMass
1:00 – 2:00 pm Event Introduction by Dave Madsen, News Anchor for Western Mass News
Opening Keynote Talk: “Exercise as Medicine: Cardio-Metabolic Health in Older Adults,” Dr. Stuart Chipkin, MD, Endocrinologist, Valley Medical Group
2:05 – 2:45 pm Workshops:
“Fitness on a Fixed Income,” Judi LaBranche, Lecturer, Umass Department of Kinesiology
“Resistance, Balance & Back Care,” Tom St. Laurent, Lecturer, Umass Department of Kinesiology
“Eating Right for Healthy Aging,” Lisa Troy, Assistant Professor, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, The Commonwealth Honors College Professor of Nutrition
“To Jumpstart Your Health Routine, Be Mindful, The Science & Practice of Mindfulness,” Shalini Bahl, Downtown Mindfulness
Exhibits Open
Free Health Screenings with Kinesiology Students
Free Hearing Screenings by the Department of Communication Disorders, UMass
2:50 – 3:30 pm Workshops:
“Maintaining Balance as We Age,” Beth Bronner, MPT, Cooley Dickinson Hospital
“Supporting Pelvic Health as We Age,” Carolyn Bentley, DPT, M.Ed, Cooley Dickinson Hospital
“Healthy Aging for Women,” Sarah Witkowski, Assistant Professor & Director of the Molecular and Cardiovascular Physiology Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, UMass
Panel Discussion: “Don’t Just Sit There, Stories of Success.”
Exhibits Open
Free Health Screenings with Kinesiology Students
Free Hearing Screenings by the Department of Communication Disorders, UMass
3:35 – 4:15 pm Workshops:
“Fitness on a Fixed Income,” Judi LaBranche, Lecturer, Umass Department of Kinesiology
“Resistance, Balance & Back Care,” Tom St. Laurent, Lecturer, Umass Department of Kinesiology
“Eating Right for Healthy Aging,” Lisa Troy, Assistant Professor, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, The Commonwealth Honors College Professor of Nutrition
“To Jumpstart Your Health Routine, Be Mindful, The Science & Practice of Mindfulness,” Shalini Bahl, Downtown Mindfulness
Exhibits Open
Free Health Screenings with Kinesiology Students
Free Hearing Screenings with the Department of Communication Disorders, UMass
4:20 – 5:00 pm Closing Keynote: “The Power of Sleep for Healthy Aging,” Rebecca Spencer, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at UMass Amherst
5:00 – 5:30 pm Heart of the Valley Chorus Concert