The INDEPENDENT, January 21, 2010 Do you know this quilt’s history? Judges needed for VHS projects A few weeks ago this lovely old feathered star quilt (red star on white background) was left at the Vernonia Senior Center. The quilters at the Center would appreciate learning more about this quilt and its history. If you can help, please call Sue at 503-429-7014. Community members are needed as judges for the Ver- nonia High School class of 2010 Senior Career-Related Learning Experience presenta- tions, scheduled for March 31. Judges will be asked to come to Vernonia High School library on Wednesday evening (March 31) for a short orientation, view seniors physical projects, enjoy light snacks, spend about two hours listening to presentations and, after each speech, com- plete an evaluation of the stu- dent’s speech. If interested, please contact Rachel Wilcoxen at Vernonia High School at 503-429-3521, ext. 2019 or email her at rwilcoxen@vernonia.k12.or.us Page 7 Senior News Good news for ice cream lovers: On the last Wednesday of each month, there will be free ice cream after lunch. There’s good news for bargain hunters, too: Next week, Janu- ary 25-29, is Half-Price Week in the Thrift Shop! Other programs and events are on the calendar, too, as the schedule develops for a new year. Join us at lunch on Friday, January 29, to share the Birthday celebration for all of our members with January birthdays. Lunch is served Monday through Friday at noon. A $3.00 donation is suggested for those 60 and older, and $4.00 for those under 60. Get your blood pressure checked, free, from 11 a.m. to noon on the 4th Wednesday of each month. Free hearing checks will be performed by a representative from Columbia Hearing Aids on Monday, February 8. Please call the Center at 503-429-3912 for an appointment. Don’t forget the great breakfasts on Fridays at the Senior Cen- ter, from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. Breakfasts are open to everyone for just $3.50 per person. Not ready for breakfast? How about a maple bar? They’re made fresh daily for $1.00 each! If you want enough for a gathering of any kind, call 503-429-3912 a day or two ahead and place your order. Vernonia Senior Center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. If you haven’t been in for a while, or if you’re new in the area, drop by, say “hello”, and see what’s on the schedule. Study finds every hour in front of television increases risk to heart Couch potatoes beware: every hour of television watched per day may increase the risk of dying earlier from cardiovascular disease, ac- cording to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Australian researchers tracked the lifestyle habits of 8,800 adults and found that each hour spent in front of the television daily was associated with: • an 11 percent increased risk of death from all causes, • a 9 percent increased risk of cancer death; and • an 18 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related death. Compared with people who watched less than two hours of television daily, those who watched more than four hours a day had a 46 percent higher risk of death from all causes and an 80 percent increased risk for CVD-related death. This association held regardless of other independent and com- mon cardiovascular disease risk factors, including smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, unhealthy diet, ex- cessive waist circumference, and leisure-time exercises. While the study focused specifically on television watch- ing, the findings suggest that any prolonged sedentary be- havior, such as sitting at a desk or in front of a computer, may pose a risk to one’s health. The human body was designed to move, not sit for extended peri- ods of time, said David Dun- stan, Ph.D., the study’s lead author and professor and head of the Physical Activity Labora- tory in the Division of Metabo- lism and Obesity at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Victoria, Australia. Dunstan said the findings apply not only to individuals who are overweight and obese, but also those who have a healthy weight. “Even if some- one has a healthy body weight, sitting for long periods of time still has an unhealthy influence on their blood sugar and blood fats,” he said. Although the study was con- ducted in Australia, Dunstan said the findings are certainly applicable to Americans. Aver- age daily television watching is approximately three hours in Australia and the United King- dom, and up to eight hours in the United States, where two- thirds of all adults are either overweight or obese. The benefits of exercise have been long established, but researchers wanted to know what happens when peo- ple sit too much. Television- watching is the most common sedentary activity carried out in the home. Researchers interviewed 3,846 men and 4,954 women age 25 and older who under- went oral glucose-tolerance tests and provided blood sam- ples so researchers could measure biomarkers such as cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Participants were en- rolled from 1999–2000 and fol- lowed through 2006. They re- ported their television-viewing habits for the previous seven days and were grouped into one of three categories: those who watched less than two hours per day; those who Mariolino’s Buy a Large Pizza and Get 3 Dollars off 2nd Large Pizza! Coupon expires 2-4-10 721 Madison Ave.,Vernonia • 503-429-5018 watched between two and four hours daily; and those who watched more than four hours. People with a history of CVD were excluded from the study. During the more than six-year follow-up, there were 284 deaths – 87 due to CVD and 125 due to cancer. The association between cancer and television viewing was only modest, researchers reported. However, there was a direct association between the amount of television watched and elevated CVD death, as well as death from all causes, even after accounting for typi- cal CVD risk factors and other lifestyle factors. The implications are simple, Dunstan said. “In addition to doing regular exercise, avoid sitting for prolonged periods and keep in mind to ‘move more, more often’. Too much sitting is bad for health.” Co-authors are: E.L.M. Barr, Ph.D.; G.N. Healy, Ph.D.; J. Salmon, Ph.D.; J.E. Shaw, M.D.; B. Balkau, Ph.D.; D.J. Magliano, Ph.D.; A.J. Cameron, Ph.D.; P.Z. Zimmet, Ph.D. and N. Owen, Ph.D. May God love you, when you do not feel loved; help you love others, when you do not feel capable. Protect your mind, when it is invaded or it needs protection; protect your body and soul, when you feel unsafe and vulnerable. Virtually hug you, when you need affection; direct you, when you feel aimless. Give you answers, when you have questions; give you peace, when you are in turmoil. Sustain you, when you need sustenance; mend you, when you are broken. Heal you, when you feel unhealthy; comfort you, when you are uncomfortable. Fill you, when you empty; guide you, when you are lost. Keep you, when you feel unkempt; fulfill you, when you need purpose. Satisfy you, when you are unsatisfied and bless you now and forever. Lee Anne Krause Independent Senior Consultant for Pampered Chef 503-816-9810 leeannekrause@gmail.com