News & Events

Active Aging Day will get bodies and brains in gear

September 17, 2010

From line dancing and gardening to aerobics for the brain, Saturday, Sept. 25, will bring a full day of stimulating wellness activities as the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement at UNC Asheville presents Active Aging Day. The day of activities, demonstrations and classes at UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center begins at 9 a.m. and concludes at 3:45 p.m. Active Aging Day is free and open to the public.

Physical activities will include yoga, jazzercise, hiking, Nia, Zumba, Olympic walking, tai chi, "Boot Camp for Seniors" and more. The “Aerobics for the Brain” session will be complemented by a talk on brain health by Associate Professor James Laditka of the UNC Charlotte Department of Public Health Sciences.

To provide “A Taste of Wellness,” healthy food will be available for sale at breakfast and lunch time, and workshops will focus on the links between diet and health. Nutritionist Elizabeth Pavka will present a “Food for Your Brain” workshop, and Jane Abe will teach about “the medicine of our grandmothers” - using herbs and spices as remedies – during her “Kitchen Apothecary” session. “Gardening for Your Health” will be led by Linda MacFarlane.

Active Aging Day will also offer free wellness screening, including cholesterol and blood pressure testing, from Park Ridge Health’s WOW (Wellness on Wheels) van.

Sponsors and participants in Active Aging Day include CarePartners, Mission Health System, Buncombe County Council on Aging, Henderson County Parks & Recreation, Land-of-Sky Regional Council, Madison Community Health Consortium, North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement at UNC Asheville, Park Ridge Health, Western Carolina Community Action, and the YMCA of WNC.

For more information, call the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement at UNC Asheville at 828.251.6140, or go to http://www2.unca.edu/ncccr/events/2010/Active_Aging_Week.html.