Tom Prest put his personal development over the glitz and glamour of the Hundred and the decision has already paid dividends for him and Hampshire.

Prest didn't put his name in the hat for the Hundred draft earlier this year despite his stock being sky-high after an impressive breakthrough 2021 and his exploits captaining England to the Under-19 World Cup final during the winter.

"I felt, being 19, that there is a lot of time," said Prest when explaining his rationale for leaving himself out the Hundred and the potential for at least a 30,000 contract. "I didn't want to get caught up in all that stuff coming out of the Under-19 World Cup. I just wanted to play for Hampshire as much as I could this year and gain the experience of playing.

"There was no guarantee that I would have been picked up, but hypothetically, if I had, then I probably wouldn't have started in the team. It would be a great experience playing in the Hundred or even being a part of the squad because you can pick so many great players' and coaches' brains.

"But I just wanted to be playing at the moment and we have done very well as a side. Personally, it has also gone quite well.

"It might have been nave to have turned down a potential opportunity, but if my career goes the way that I want it to, then there should be more opportunities in the future for franchise cricket when I am more ready for them. Hopefully, I'll also be a better player for it."

Hampshire are pushing hard for the domestic trebleGetty Images

Prest sprung to attention last year when he struck a triple century for the Second XI on the same day he sat his Geography A-Level exam. That summer saw him make his professional debuts in all three formats, but it was during this season's Vitality Blast where he scored three fifties on course to a winner's medal that has turned him into a crucial member of Hampshire's squad.

"Having the experience of last year of playing in the T20s and then the 50-over stuff was a great learning experience," he said. "Coming back into the county season after my winter with England Under-19s has been good and I've been really pleased with how it has gone.

"To do what I have done this year and get a few good scores has been very good for my confidence. It has been pleasing to give the club something back after putting confidence in me."

Prest has made himself an automatic pick in both white-ball formats but still harbours strong ambitions to be a part of Hampshire's LV= Insurance County Championship side. The only problem is finding a position in a team which is currently second in Division One.

Prest, who can open or bat in the middle order and adds some useful offspin, said: "We have been competing for the Championship this season and so it is obviously going to be one of the hardest teams to get into.

"It is a good challenge to get into that team over the next few years. I would be really proud of that and something I am really looking forward to trying to do soon."

Hampshire - who only lost one group stage game - face Kent at the Ageas Bowl on Tuesday and Prest is hoping to pass on his big-game know-how to his less-experienced team-mates.

Prest has been involved in two Vitality Blast Finals Days - one semi-final defeat, one victory - as well as being pivotal to getting Hampshire over the line in close games already during the Royal London Cup.

Prest captained England at the Under-19 World CupICC via Getty Images

"The two Finals Days I've been at couldn't have gone any different," said Prest. "Losing in the semi in 2021 and then to win the competition this year means I've seen both sides of it and that can only help.

"One of the big things said before those Finals Days and the quarter-finals was not to try to do anything extraordinary, just do ordinary things very well. That resonated a lot with me. "We've had a lot of close games this summer and that is only going to hold us in good stead for the semi-final and hopefully the final.

"It is a great feeling around the club at the moment. We won 13 games on the bounce before losing to Glamorgan but then bounced back to win the last two to top the group.

"That kind of shows the good space we are in as a club and how confident everyone is. Everyone talks about how winning becomes a habit and for us that has gone through to three different formats."

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Tom Prest's decision to snub the Hundred pays off for him and for Hampshire - ESPNcricinfo

AlMabarrah AlKhalifia Foundation hosted an induction day for the Rayaat Scholarship program for the academic year 2022-2023 on Sunday, August 28 2022, at the East Riffa Cultural and Sports Club. During the meeting, all new students of the program were welcomed by a speech from Ms. Noora bin Hindi, Head -Rayaat Scholarship program at the Foundation.

The new students were introduced to the Foundations objectives and various programs, as well as the general rules of the Rayaat program. Among the participants, were two graduates from the Rayaat and Ithra program, who in turn, shared their insights and experiences on university life and what the Rayaat program offers to students in terms of benefits and personal development to be gained from the program.

The twelfth batch was chosen based on a specific selection process, as the qualifying applicants were chosen based on academic achievement, community service, a personal interview, and volunteer work. The scholarship of Her Highness Shaikha Moza bint Hamad Al Khalifa was presented in cooperation with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Medical University of Bahrain, in addition to the scholarship of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa for private universities.

The program offers several benefits to students, including covering all university fees, book fees, monthly financial incentives that are granted based on academic achievements, in addition to providing workshops and development courses and creating training opportunities in the public and private sectors. The program also offers a Rayaat card, which provides various benefits, in addition to contributing to community service, promoting volunteer work, and hosting periodic educational and recreational meetings.

Commenting on the occasion, Her Highness Shaikha Zain bint Khalid Al Khalifa, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of AlMabarrah AlKhalifia Foundation said: We would like to welcome our new students of the Rayaat program to AlMabarrah AlKhalifia Foundation, as we always look forward to including a distinguished group of students in our various programs targeting Bahraini youth. We encourage our students to make the most of the meetings and workshops we orgranize, as they are always related to their needs in developing and building on skills that will help them throughout their academic journey during university, as well as when entering the labor market upon graduation.

It is noteworthy that Rayaat scholarship program aims to enable students to excel in their academic and career journeys and achieve their goals, as well as provide them with the required skills and knowledge and work ethics. This program seeks to encourage students to excel by providing them with financial incentives, and aims to develop their sense of responsibility towards their nation through loyalty and social responsibility initiatives.

To date, the Rayaat program has provided 367 scholarships since its inception in 2011. There are currently 111 students enrolled in the program, including 48 university majors, in addition to 183 graduates in total.

More here:
AlMabarrah AlKhalifia Foundation Welcomed the New Students of the Rayaat Program at Induction Day -

How often do we as learning professionals take time to think about the future? Lately, weve been barraged with circumstances that require us to think in the moment, including COVID-19, mass shootings, and other crises.

Its time now to get back to thinking about our future and reassessing our priorities. As we make this shift, it sometimes feels like we are making up for lost time; many are racing back with reactive chaos, trying to catch up.

Pause for a moment. Think about what is occupying most of your attention lately. Are you engaged in activities that are more reactive or proactive? Are the things you are working on necessary or just busy work? Are you looking ahead and planning for opportunities or focusing on the past?

Use the questions below to determine if you, your leaders, or your clients are being reactive or proactive.

Four backward-facing questions:1. Whats broken?2. What needs to be fixed? (Checking a box or moving forward?)3. What problems can you solve? (Once fixed, will it help you move forward?)4. Whats wrong? (Is it time to move from whats wrong to what could be?)

If you or your leaders are stuck in this mindset, your future languishes while your best talent focuses on the past. Most leaders spend much of their time fixing broken systems, solving people problems, or trying to develop weak team members that are not going to help you move towards the future.

Four forward-facing questions:1. What future do you imagine for yourself and your organization?2. How will you bring your vision or imagined future into reality?3. Who do you aspire to become?4. How might you take responsibility to leverage your talent to accomplish a shared vision?

How can we be so frantically busy yet have no idea what we are really working to build? The future is created by applying talents to aspiration. Move from problem to possibility.Dan Rockwall, Leadership Freak Blog.

The Eisenhower Urgent-Important Principle reminds us to consider which activities are important and which are essentially distractions.

Forward-focused thinkers who live in the important principle sector are prepared for change and can adapt when applicable. They are described as being curious, innovative, non-traditional, progressive, dynamic, broad-minded, positive, enlightened, liberal, radical, and revolutionary. At the core, were talking about leaders capable of strategic thinking, which is necessary for forward thinking.

A Forbes article entitled, Are You a Forward Thinker? asked the four questions below. Lets take a deep dive into them:

1. Do friends, family, or colleagues ever acknowledge you for your imagination? If so, its a good sign that youre someone who thinks ahead. Do you engage your imagination to turn ideas into reality?

2. Do you periodically audit your information diet? How healthy is your daily intake of numerous information sources, including social media, news, reports, books, content, research, emails, blogs, podcasts, trivia, or gossip? Do an assessment to determine how you can eliminate the garbage from the good stuff.

3. Do you regularly sharpen your forecasting skills? In a University of Pennsylvania study, Professor Philip Tetlock and his researchers hosted forecasting tournaments to identify people who were highly adept at forecasting. Common traits included being philosophically cautious and humble, comfortable with numbers, open minded, intellectually curious, enjoying mental challenges such as word games, and being alert to personal bias and wishful thinking. By working on these traits and reflecting on the accuracy of your predictive decisions, you can sharpen your ability to accurately forecast your future.

4. Do you benchmark the best practices of leading innovators? Noted forward-focused thinkers, such as Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson, have figured out how to spend the bulk of their time on thinking about how the world will look three, five, and ten years from now.

In my introductory article in ATDs Handbook for Training and Talent Development, I asked the question, Are you willing to shift your mindset and attitude? Its very easy to slip back into the status quo (or what I refer to as the stagnant quo). The current speed of change will not tolerate inertia. Being forward-focused when thinking about how we spend our time, work, interact with others, and develop and operate our business will determine future success.

The abilitybut more importantly the willingnessto think forwardly will be a key component of organizational and personal success going forward. The next decade is certain to be more volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous than ever before.

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.Maya Angelou

Here are 15 considerations to continue developing a forward-thinking mindset:

1. Develop and stay focused on a plan.2. Read great books and watch documentaries.3. See the bigger picture, be open to possibilities, and look for opportunities.4. Lean on your network when feeling lost, uncertain, or overwhelmed.5. Find the energy in others.6. Take time to get away, take breaks, and recharge.7. Do ongoing scenario planning to consider a range of plausible futures that can emerge from todays realities. 8. Collaborate with universities to tap into academic innovations.9. Think, work, and respond differently.10. Balance between creative and analytical thinking.11. Persevere; build your resiliency.12. Take responsibility, and practice taking initiative.13. Take risks and experiment.14. Give up control.15. Most importantly, set aside time for forward-focused thinking in your schedule.

Read more:
The Benefits of Forward-Focused Thinking - ATD

Kingdom Housing Association has been recognised as the top housing association to work for in Scotland for the second year running by Best Companies.

The Fife-based charity has also been ranked 9th best housing association to work for in the UK housing association sector overall.

In addition to being the top Scottish housing association to work for on the UK-wide housing sector list, the Kingdom Group was also ranked 18th best company to work for in Scotland across all industry sectors on the regional list.

As an employer, the Kingdom Group has also featured in the UKs Top 75 Best Large Companies To Work For list for the first time.

Bill Banks, Kingdom group chief executive, said: Its a real honour to have the Kingdom Group officially recognised for the second year in a row as an outstanding company to work for by Best Companies. Our outstanding levels of engagement from colleagues at all levels come from Kingdoms commitment to being an employer of choice. At Kingdom, everyone has an impact and everyone is important.

This inclusive culture is infectious. Personal development and growth contribute to Kingdoms development and growth, and allows the Group to continue to deliver excellent service to our customers.

My thanks go out to all of the staff for their continued hard work and dedication and I know thats a sentiment which is echoed by everyone on the Senior Management Team and all of the Boards across the Group.

Best Companies are employee engagement specialists and their annual Best Companies lists showcase organisations across the UK who have recognised workplace engagement as a vital part of their success.

Best Companies measure a range of factors including wellbeing, pay and benefits, personal development, and leadership before announcing the Best Companies to work for across a range of sectors and regions.

Andrew Latto, HR director, added: We were delighted with our Best Companies rankings on the Scotland Regional and Housing Association Sector lists last year so, to have improved our positions on those and to have made the Top 75 Best Large Companies To Work For list is fabulous and testament to the people who work at Kingdom and make it such a great place to work.

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Kingdom Housing Association retains best housing association to work for in Scotland accolade - Scottish Housing News

Eilidh Edgar, programme manager at DYWICH, said she was thrilled to have Aquascot sign the Young Person's Guarantee.

A Ross-shire salmon and trout processing company has become the latest to pledge support to young workforce by teaming up with a Highland association supporting young people in the world of work.

Alness-based Aquascot which supplies seafood to Waitrose signed the Young Persons Guarantee in association with Developing the Young Workforce Inverness & Central Highland (DYWICH).

The firm, which is a fully employee-owned business, said they place high value in the welfare and personal development of its team and that they have engaged in a number of initiatives designed to introduce young people in the Highlands to its field.

Joanne Brogan, HR advisor at Aquascot, said: Signing the Young Persons Guarantee with DYWICH has validated the work we carried out in 2021 and early 2022 to engage young people with our company and our industry as a whole and gives us focus to continue that work.

It is important that we support the next generation of workers and future leaders, as they are key to our future economic success providing a new perspective, and helping companies with resource shortages and skills gaps.

In 2021, Aquascot recruited two undergraduate interns through Entrepreneurial Scotlands Saltire Scholars scheme. Each completing a 10-week project, one focused on reduction of single-use plastics while the other carried out vital data analysis work.

We have also had great success with the Government Kickstart programme, creating roles for three young people who were at risk of unemployment, said Ms Brogan.

As well as providing training in a range of skills that are transferable to a wide variety of food production roles and other industries we were able to secure permanent employment for one Kickstart participant as a junior food technologist.

We are passionate about nurturing homegrown engineering talent through our modern apprenticeship programme, too. With our former apprentice having just finished his four-year appointment, a new apprentice has now started his career journey with us.

The firm has also recently adapted the role of production operative, opening up new career paths for young people in the region that are flexible to fit around their existing commitments. Through initiatives like these and engagement with local schools the firm hopes to encourage young people in the Highlands to stay in the area when looking for employment.

Eilidh Edgar, programme manager at DYWICH, said: It is only natural for young people to consider moving away from home when looking for their first job however it is vitally important for our local economy and community that we showcase the incredible variety of opportunities that are available on our doorstep, too.

We are thrilled that Aquascot has signed the Young Persons Guarantee, building on incredible foundations of supporting young people into employment after school.

Whether choosing to go on to further education, an apprenticeship, or into an entry-level position in their chosen field, its the work of companies like Aquascot that lets young people in the Highlands know about all the amazing careers and training available to them locally.

Ms Brogan added: It can be difficult for a young person to secure high quality employment without experience, and they may not realise their potential at a young age. It is therefore vital for employers to engage with young people and provide opportunities for them to develop transferable skills and build their experience, with good management that coaches and encourages young people to achieve their potential to build a successful career.

Aquascot aims to be the employer of choice for young people. The work we do internally to develop a continuous learning and development culture, and the work we do externally in the community to showcase our company as a values driven organisation with career development opportunities, is our pathway to achieving this.

DYWICH is part of a national framework of regional employer-led boards across Scotland. Formed as part of the Scottish Governments youth employment strategy, and hosted by Inverness Chamber of Commerce, the groups aim is to develop sustainable links between schools, colleges and employers. Working in partnership with employers, DYWICH is shaping the workforce of the future and helping to better prepare young people for the world of work.

For more information about the Young Persons Guarantee, visit DYWICH' s website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Excerpt from:
Aquascot to work with a Highland skills development association to help support young workers in the region - RossShire Journal

The post How Nathan Fielders The Rehearsal Affirms My Experience with Autism appeared first on Consequence.

In a 2017 Rolling Stone profile, comedian Nathan Fielder discussed researching Aspergers syndrome to shape his character on the popular Comedy Central program Nathan For You. Although Fielder did not disclose that he personally identifies on the autism spectrum, his latest project HBOs fascinating and deceptively moving docu-comedy The Rehearsal reflects an experience that many autistic individuals such as myself have dealt with: masking, a survival mechanism in which autistic individuals suppress their neurodivergent traits in order to adapt to their surroundings.

The Rehearsal initially follows Fielder helping people practice difficult conversations and momentous life events by designing intricate simulations for them. To do this, he hires actors to inhabit these sets, and crafts dialogue trees in order to prepare his subjects for living out a future encounter or a significant milestone. These controlled environments essentially guide people to avoid mistakes with real consequences, while maintaining an illusion of verisimilitude.

Fielder also participates in The Rehearsal himself and as he becomes more and more entrenched in this convoluted orchestration, the series gradually shifts its focus more toward his dilemma with interpersonal ineptitude. Case in point: In Episode 1, Fielder calculates the most optimal way to socialize with his first client by constructing a replica of the clients house to rehearse potential small talk, clever quips, and body movements with a stand-in.

His subtle deception works at first, but after telling an off-color joke and sitting in a chair at an uncomfortably low angle, Fielder worries about the uneven social dynamic between him and the client and that the joke came off more as a criticism. Watching that moment almost felt like a direct adaptation from my own memories of trying to navigate precarious social terrain while dealing with and hiding my autism.

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Though neurological disability and social awkwardness arent necessarily mutually exclusive, The Rehearsal captures how autistic and other neurodivergent folks are conditioned to interact with the world around them. To paraphrase an observational tweet on the matter, Fielder dramatizes the anxieties that many individuals with autism face in the pursuit to belong, by breaking down the cultural norms that uphold and reward neurotypical behavior, ultimately revealing their inanity and futility.

The Rehearsal Autism Nathan Fielder

The Rehearsal (HBO)

Speaking as someone who is autistic and has an extensive history with masking, I find The Rehearsal a deeply affirming watch. Seeing Fielder as both architect and subject of this social experiment reminded me of the 10+ years I spent in speech and language therapy, where I learned to develop critical thinking skills, study body language, read social cues, and communicate ideas in a thoughtful and succinct manner. Basically, I spent the majority of my childhood and adolescence rehearsing for all different kinds of scenarios, especially ones that involved conflict and confrontation like in The Rehearsal.

From preschool to eighth grade, speech and language therapy thoroughly prepared me on how to appropriately greet people, actively listen and engage in conversation, and express anger without resorting to rage during moments of frustration. Although Im grateful for the many professionals who provided me with an instrumental toolkit for my emotional management, they also radically altered how I saw myself in relation to other people: someone who needed to be trained and tamed in order to be successful and well-liked.

Consequently, the constant cyclical stream of constructive feedback and self-interrogation created a lingering angst and a whole batch of insecurities around whether or not I could be my true self around people. I knew that I was curbing certain behaviors seen as socially inappropriate, like monologuing or impulsive bluntness, so that I could be embraced by my peers and the world at large.

Despite this, I wrestled with how often I was mirroring and mimicking people around me in order to blend in and how that made me feel like an imposter, how frequently I was adhering to other peoples needs rather than attending to and advocating for my own. Even now, I still have an urge to fixate on past faux pas and rigorously run through potential conversations by myself to avoid any potential disappointment, embarrassment, or incoherence.

Masking is essentially what each person in The Rehearsal is asked to do: act out social scripts and embody certain roles over and over again, to create a better sense of predictability and eliminate as much collateral damage as possible.

The Rehearsal Season Finale Recap

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Because we live in such a conflict-averse, results-oriented culture, Fielders unconventional approach can be both a comforting and healing frame of reference for anyone who fears rejection and failure and struggles to articulate their feelings. But because the real world is not tailored for predictable outcomes, when our reality doesnt align with our expectations this method of camoflauging can also prove to be extremely disorienting and painful.

That tricky tightrope walk is exemplified in The Rehearsals first episode, where Kor Skeete, a New York-based trivia obsessive, asks Fielder to guide him through the process of confessing a long-held secret to his friend that could potentially end their relationship. Together, they map out every single possible factor that could occur from telling this secret, going so far as to construct an uncanny copy of the bar Skeete and his friend frequent to better choreograph his delivery of the news.

All goes well, thankfully, but Fielder expresses guilt for tricking Skeete into winning the trivia game by subtly feeding him the correct answers during their time together, so that the blow of the secret wouldnt be as harsh. Fielder even rehearses divulging his secret with the Skeete stand-in from earlier in the episode, in order to face the potential emotional blowback for lying. The real Skeete is more understanding than the fake one, but throughout the rest of The Rehearsal, Fielder and his clients continue to come up against the discomfort of immersing themselves in fake situations that require real vulnerability.

In Episode 2, the devout Angela commits to simulating domesticity, playing mom to a rotating group of child actors. But after Robbin, a man Angela briefly dates, decides he cannot practice fatherhood with her and Fielder steps in to be her non-romantic co-parent, Angela becomes disinterested in the performance and less inclined to suspend her disbelief. During the rest of her multiple episode arc, she grows alienated and disillusioned by Fielders presence, noting how the simulation is becoming more about his journey than her own and subsequently leaves the production on her own volition.

Later, in Episode 3, a man named Patrick experiences a breakthrough in rehearsing a conversation over his grandfathers will with an actor playing his brother. But when hes called to do the actual heart-to-heart, Patrick disappears, likely overwhelmed from the emotional rawness of his performance.

Frustrated with and confused by these results, Fielder decides to unspool his already labryrithine premise even more by literally putting himself in his clients shoes. In Episode 4, Fielder strives to understand the psychology of Thomas, one of his Fielder Method students who expressed doubt around his class, by staging an exact reenactment of the course and attending it as Thomas.

He again creates a rehearsal for himself in Episode 6 when Remy, a young boy acting as Fielders son, believes Fielder to actually be his real father, refusing to call him by his name and only referring to him as daddy. Fielder dresses up as Remys mother, right down to her leather jacket and hand tattoo, and recreates their experience together with other actors to see if he could have done something differently to prevent Remys emotional attachment to him.

By stepping outside of his own mind and body, Fielder is able to better empathize with others, but loses sight of himself in the process. His predicament presents a pretty ethically thorny paradox: Is it possible to have meaningful, organic experiences and arrive at our true, authentic selves, even if its under the artifice of masking and performance?

The Rehearsal Autism Nathan Fielder

The Rehearsal (HBO)

To me, The Rehearsal effectively gets at the root of this sticky contradiction. Being the creative puppeteer of this operation gives Fielder power over every single variable and their expected outcomes, a way to play God (or Willy Wonka, as Skeete puts it) in order to protect Fielder from any loss or grief he might encounter.

But since masking is inherently an unnatural, deceptive, and oppressive agent of conformity, that power simultaneously distances Fielder from ever becoming fully emotionally invested in whatever mindset hes trying to hack.

Once Fielder eventually surrenders that power and embraces the messiness of his actions and the nuances of his consequences, he remains relatively unscathed, even somewhat relieved. He reaches the ultimate conclusion that theres no perfect way to create the right experience or get the correct reaction, no matter how premeditated the approach.

If anything, The Rehearsal displays the impossibility of applying our cultures one-size-fits-all social logic to everyday experiences. More often than not, the situations like the ones Fielder puts himself in only seem daunting and stressful because our culture does not value compassion, only flawlessness. This inevitably normalizes a very narrow idea of what a favorable outcome is supposed to look like.

Its so immensely satisfying to see an acclaimed piece of media not only question the validity of this social logic, but also showcase the exhaustion of keeping up with it, especially for autistic people and other disabled folks who fear acting on their desires in a system that sets them up to fail.

Itll be interesting to see where The Rehearsal goes in its second season and what other emotionally squirm-inducing scenarios it will explore (a Fielder family gathering, perhaps?) that could further point to the ineffective and unsustainable nature of masking. Given the first seasons lightning success, Id be curious if these experiments could actually create material impact beyond funny, insightful entertainment if it can actually help viewers build stronger communication in their own lives rather than just watch them play out on TV.

I dont know if I would be where I am today without speech and language therapy. It haunts me, honestly, to think that I probably wouldnt have the relationships or career path I have now were it not for my early behavioral intervention. But by having this meta-cognitive awareness around my autism, I can appreciate the help I received while recognizing autism as a vital part of my identity and acknowledging my limitations rather than suppressing them.

That moment of Fielder trying to make a good first impression on Kor is something most of us can relate to. But through a lens of disability, it speaks to the loneliness of how masking deprives autistic people of our humanity, of not being afforded the space for awkwardness and messiness in order to make other, more neurotypical, people feel comfortable and secure.

Disabled or not, people are awkward and messy and say and do the wrong thing all the time. Thats what being human is. The Rehearsal recognizes that, while also acknowledging that getting and giving support to learn from our mistakes is essential to our personal development. Without clarity and precision, theres risk, but with risk comes joy and catharsis.

How Nathan Fielders The Rehearsal Affirms My Experience with AutismSam Rosenberg

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How Nathan Fielders The Rehearsal Affirms My Experience with Autism - Yahoo Entertainment

Senior Week kicks off in St. Petersburg

Justin Matthews reports.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation Department is celebrating older adults this week and is using the next several days to bring awareness and opportunities for local seniors.

On Sunday the "Senior Fit Fair" kicked off at the Azalea Recreation Center. This is the first time the city has dedicated an experience for seniors.

"We need to get up and move, also were going to have various food demonstrations, as well as some dance and yoga and that type of demonstrations also here," said Lucinda Grant, the recreation manager.

Heres the schedule for the rest of the week:

Taste of the Gardens: Monday, August 22, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Enoch Davis Recreation Center, 1111 18th Ave. S. The center is bringing area gardens to the table. Learn about the process of garden-to-table through a cooking demonstration. Also, enjoy a peek at the center's garden and the neighboring Youth Farm.

Senior Games Showdown: Wednesday, August 24, from 12 to 4 p.m. at Bay Vista Recreation Center, 7000 4th St. S. Get ready for some friendly, fun competition. Bring your friends and enjoy board games, outdoor activities, goodies and more while learning about available resources and programs offered to the senior community.

Senior Gala: Thursday, August 25, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, 559 Mirror Lake Dr. N., next door to the Sunshine Senior Center. Spend a night out with your partner and friends at the Sunshine Senior Center's semiformal gala. Enjoy music, hors d'oeuvres, signature mocktails and more while exploring the senior programs and resource opportunities offered by the Sunshine Senior Center.

LINK: For more information about Seniors Week, visit, https://www.stpeteparksrec.org/seniorsweek/.

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A week dedicated to seniors health and fitness kicks off in St. Pete - FOX 13 Tampa

As the ageing process speeds up post 60, factors like maintaining a healthy weight apart from keeping muscle mass and focussing on bone health become important for optimum fitness. It is no longer about hours of intense gymming or trying fad diets, but a slow and steady attempt to supply your body with essential micronutrients, boost your immunity and strengthen yourself to age gracefully. (Also read: Fitness tips for older adults: 6 easy exercises for agility, balance in seniors)

Nutrition needs for elderly are different from those of young and one needs to eliminate certain foods like sugary items and processed foods completely. Also, if one finds it hard to chew certain foods due to decaying teeth, soups, khichdi and lentils are the best ways to increase intake of the nutrients.

Karishma Shah, Nutritionist and Wellness Expert shares fitness tips people should follow after the age of 60, on her Instagram page.

1. Rely less on convenience foods

Regularly eating convenience foods such as fast food, candy and processed snacks is associated with weight gain and may hinder your weight loss efforts. Convenience foods are typically high in calories and tend to be low in important nutrients like protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals.

2. Strength training

While it is normal to lose muscle mass in old age, strength training can help reverse it. You should talk to a fitness expert to discuss age-appropriate exercises that build strength and endurance. A good muscle mass can also help you shed that extra weight.

3. Focus on body composition

Although body weight is a good indicator of health, your body composition which is the percentage of fat and fat-free mass in your body is important as well. Muscle mass is an important measure of overall health, especially in older adults. Packing on more muscle and losing excess fat should be your goal.

4. Improve your sleep quality

Not getting enough quality sleep may harm your weight loss efforts. Many studies have shown that not getting enough sleep increases the likelihood of obesity and many hinder weight loss efforts.

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Fitness tips after 60: How to maintain healthy weight - Hindustan Times

Anna Schuchman, 41, is a PT, nutritionist and owner of aceLIFESTYLE living in London

Growing up, I was always the chubbiest in the family and my mum was more careful with what she gave me to eat. As an adult, I decided to take control. I got into health and fitness in my twenties and found my happy weight was about nine and a half stone. But after the birth of my fourth child when I was 32 I felt like I had ballooned. I had really low blood-sugar levels and just ate and ate and ate the kind of hunger where you just inhale food. I put on nearly four stone and weighed 13 stone (81 kg). I hardly recognised my body as my own.

So I got back into fitness doing classes like body pump, which uses a light barbell, and body combat, where you punch and kick your way to fitness, once or twice a week.

At the time I was working in logistics, but I decided to use my maternity leave to retrain as a personal trainer, along with another year studying nutrition.

My professional training changed the way I personally ate and worked out, too. As I learned more about which types of exercise are most effective, I changed my workouts to focus on strength training, and made sure I incorporated much more protein into every meal, which is so important for building and maintaining muscle.

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I lost four stone by adding protein to every meal - The Telegraph

Dr. Miranda Lanning| For The Register-Guard

CDC relaxing its COVID-19 guidelines

The nation's top public health agency relaxed its COVID-19 guidelines Thursday, dropping the recommendation that Americans quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person. (Aug. 12)

AP

The start of the school year is just around the corner. As you stock up on new clothes and school supplies, its also a great time to call your pediatricians office to schedule your next well child check.

Infants, children and adolescents need regular well child checks. Infants are scheduled every two to three months and children 2 and older should be seen yearly by their pediatrician. Well child checks are covered as preventative care by Oregon Health Plan and commercial insurances. Yearly well exams are separate from sick visits and other office visits and are important to assess the health of the child. We include regular screenings like blood pressure, hearing and vision tests. At these visits, we also review important guidance about topics such as healthy eating, exercise, screen time, injury prevention, growth and development.

Another important component of well care is updating vaccines. We will make sure that your childs vaccines are up to date during their visit and check if youve missed any recommended immunizations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 6 months and older. If you would like your child to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, ask about it when you schedule a well child check as some clinics will have separate COVID-19 vaccine clinics. Remember that the Pfizer series for young children takes 13 weeks to provide maximum immunity so I recommend starting the series soon for optimal protection this fall and before holiday gatherings or travel.

Well child checks are also a perfect opportunity to complete your childs sports physical and to fill out a pre-participation form prior to sports this year. As we are filling out this form, its important to tell the doctor if your child has had a COVID-19 infection and particularly if any symptoms are ongoing. We want to make sure that your childs heart and lungs are healthy before participating in sports or physical fitness activities.

We know the COVID-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of our lives and I am noticing that many families missed regular medical or dental appointments over the past few years. Various families I work with are surprised to discover more than a year has gone by since their childs last appointment.

I have also seen many changes in my patients over the course of the pandemic. The effects of the pandemic have been far reaching and I have seen patients with everything from new vision problems or changing mental health concerns. We can identify and discuss these changes during a well child exam and create a comprehensive plan for follow up care.

No matter how long it has been since your childs last visit, were glad to see you and will do everything we can to help ensure that your child has a healthy start to the new school year.

Dr. Miranda Lanning is apediatrician with PeaceHealth Medical Group. PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Washington, is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Oregon, Washington and Alaska. For more ways to stay your healthiest: peacehealth.org/healthy-you.

Excerpt from:
Back to school includes annual well child check - The Register-Guard