Welcome to The Club v4.1 Winter 2023/24

Welcome to...
THE Club
You’re not getting older, you’re just becoming a classic!
VULNERABLE PERSONS REGISTRY
Do you know someone living with dementia?
3 out of 5 people living with
dementia will go missing at some
point, a frightening experience,
and a dangerous one.
That’s why the Alzheimer Society
of Sarnia-Lambton is partnering
with The Sarnia Police Services and
OPP to provide an opportunity for
individuals living with dementia to
be registered as someone at risk of
going missing. Critical information
collected provides searchers with
quick access to key information to
assist in locating the individual and
returning them home safely.
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Can you find the 12 words related
to the vulnerable person registry?
Registration
is easy!
Let’s all do our part to help individuals with
dementia live safely in our community.
Simply call Alzheimer Society Sarnia-Lambton
at 519 332 4444 to learn how.
If you ask hikers how this pastime
impacts their well-being, get ready
to listen! These folks understand
the rewards of physical activity, but
especially that which takes us into the
natural environment and away from
the stresses of life. Regardless of age or
ability, you will probably hear similar
versions of how nature nurtures us.
As a “whole-body” aerobic activity,
hiking challenges the heart and lungs to
deliver oxygen to working muscles. The
beauty of hiking is that we control the
intensity of our workout depending on
the trail we choose and the speed we
travel. As well, we control the duration
and frequency of our workout. Even
25-30 minutes of cardio exercise three
or four days a week can improve heart
health. So, if you’ve become a couch
potato, hiking might be a gentle way
to ease yourself out of that vegetative
state!
A walk in the woods has an edge over
a walk around the block when it comes
to maintaining strong muscles and
bones. Navigating changes in elevation,
maneuvering over uneven ground
or around obstacles, and carrying a
backpack utilize different muscle groups
in different ways. We engage leg, hip,
arm, shoulder and core muscles to keep
us confidently moving forward, up,
down and sometimes backwards—and
this weight-bearing exercise promotes
denser, stronger bones.
Our bodies are also constantly
working to maintain their balance in
response to even minute changes in
the terrain. This increased core strength
and stability is an asset as we age
because it reduces the risk of falls. If
we do fall, stronger bones and muscles
mean there’s less chance of injury.
Nature Nurtures:
Take A Walk in the Woods
By Mary Lou Tasko, Lambton Shores Nature Trails • www.lsntblazers.com
Finally, physical exercise, especially
outdoor exercise, is recognized as a
sleep enhancer. Not only does it tire the
body, but research suggests that exercise
may increase nighttime melatonin
production—a hormone believed to
help regulate sleep-wake cycles. While
it doesn’t induce sleep, melatonin can
put us in a restful state that makes sleep
easier.
Exercise clearly improves the physical
function of our bodies; however, many
folks who turned to hiking during the
Covid pandemic discovered that it has
other, perhaps surprising, therapeutic
benefits.
Physical exercise encourages the
body to release endorphins or “feelgood”
hormones which help us feel less
stressed and happier. Research has also
linked exercise to enhanced feelings of
self-esteem and confidence—possibly a
result of setting and meeting goals for
activity, or simply making an effort.
Since regular exercise improves the
body’s ability to deliver oxygen to cells,
over time we feel more energetic and
capable… and we are!
There is a growing body of evidence to
suggest that physical exercise improves
cognitive function, including attention,
memory, flexible thinking and selfcontrol.
Just as elsewhere in the body,
improved circulation in the brain may
enhance our thinking skills and help
us maintain cognitive function as we
age. Some researchers are examining a
potential link between creative thinking
and exercise, suggesting that exercise
can promote new neural connections
or temporarily dampen “systematic”
thinking so we can better “think outside
the box.” Intriguing work!
Perhaps most interesting is research
that focuses on the link between mental
health and time spent, not just in
physical activity, but in physical activity
in the natural environment. While
more research is needed, it appears
that exercise in a natural environment,
called “green exercise,” may offer more
emotional, mental and social benefits
than that which is conducted in other
environments. A review of research
suggests that green exercise causes
greater feelings of revitalization and
positive engagement in people. They
also tend to feel less tension, anger and
depression than people who exercise in
non-natural environments. One study
noted that people who walked for 50
minutes in a natural setting performed
significantly better on memory tasks
than those who walked in an urban
area. Researchers who study the
creative thinking-exercise relationship
have found that there appears to
be a stronger connection when the
exercise is green. They suggest that our
minds may be more likely to generate
novel ideas while we are engaged in
“mindless” exercise and immersed in
the natural environment. Finally, when
we engage and socialize with others in
a natural environment, studies show
that we are likely to feel a stronger
connection to those individuals—and be
more empathetic, helpful and generous.
Hiking is the perfect vehicle to
capitalize on these benefits. We can
improve our physical health—strength,
endurance, balance—without it seeming
like hard work. Mental fatigue and stress
melt away as nature commands our
attention. Navigating trails, following a
map or blazes, and watching for plant
or animal life challenge our cognitive
skills and quite possibly build new ones.
When we hike with others, we create
opportunities to forge strong social
bonds and participate in a community
that holds our natural environment in
high regard.
Not bad for a walk in the woods!
Lambton Shores Nature Trails is a local
volunteer organization that promotes and
maintains several hiking trails in Lambton
Shores and vicinity. We are proud of
the work we do to keep these ‘Gems of
Nature’ accessible for our community. For
more information about our organization
and the trails we maintain, please visit
www.LSNTBlazers.com or check out our
Facebook page.
P A G E
6
“Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.” (Groucho Marx)
WINTER 23/24