Blog

Summer is the time to relax and unwind. At Southgate of Shrewsbury, we encourage all of our residents to spend their summers doing things that make them happy, whether that be enjoying our countless amenities, taking daily walks, or visiting with family and friends.

A great way to make summer memorable is finding a comfy seat to hunker down with a good book. Here are some book recommendations to make this summer even more enjoyable:

Nonfiction:

“The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams” by Stacy Schiff

Nonfiction history fans can enjoy this biography centered around one of America’s revolutionary activists. This 500-page book takes a look back at the life of founding father and politician, Samuel Adams, comparing and contrasting Adams’ ideals with current politics, urging readers to ask themselves if history does in fact repeat itself.

Cookbooks:

“West Winds” by Riaz Phillips

This cookbook not only provides you with delicious Caribbean recipes but also explores Jamaican culture! If you’re looking to try out new meals and read about tales from Jamaica, this is the perfect book to get your hands on this summer!

“Smitten Kitchen Keepers” by Deb Perelman

Named a 2022 New York Times bestseller, “Smitten Kitchen Keepers” is a cookbook filled with classic yet delicious recipes you’ll want to make over and over again! These recipes are deemed “essential” by Perelman, with great instructions to make it easy for you to replicate her favorite meals, snacks, and desserts.

Fiction:

“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus

If you’re looking for your next fiction read, try “Lessons in Chemistry”. This bestselling novel by Bonnie Garmus follows Elizabeth, a young woman in the 1960s who is struggling in her career. She winds up hosting a cooking television show where she has the opportunity to educate other young women on scientific topics, which she happens to be an expert in.

The book is in the process of being adapted as an Apple TV+ limited series and was named Barnes and Noble’s 2022 Book of the Year.

Coffee Table Book:

“Yellowstone: A Land of Wild and Wonder” by Christopher Cauble

If you’re looking for a beautiful book that you and your guests can flip through, consider “Yellowstone: A Land of Wild and Wonder”. This contemporary picture book is perfect for your coffee table, with beautiful visuals of Yellowstone National Park. It will show you scenes seldom seen by visitors to the Park, making it a special addition to your coffee table book collection.

No matter which genre is your favorite, there is always something worth reading. You can also visit our library at Southgate to browse the shelves and find a new favorite not on this list.

It’s safe to say that people are more health conscious than ever before. Seemingly every day, medical research reveals additional evidence confirming the critical roles that diet, lifestyle and exercise play in maintaining our mental and physical well-being.

Significantly, health experts constantly reinforce that physical activity need not be strenuous—or inordinately lengthy in duration—to be beneficial. The key is to adopt an exercise regimen that is within your range of capability and participate in it on a consistent basis. (As always, your safety is the number one priority, so you should consult your healthcare provider before beginning any exercise regimen.)

At Southgate, we emphasize fitness in both mind and body. (Remember: Even activities that have few physical requirements can do wonders in helping enhance your concentration and cognitive abilities.) That’s why we offer a wide range of activities—from more strenuous (e.g., bowling and swimming) to less strenuous (e.g., card playing, woodworking and arts & crafts), with low-impact activities like Tai Chi, yoga and Pilates falling somewhere in the middle.

In our on-site health club and spa, we offer periodic sessions for all three of these low-impact activities. In fact, each resident can get a customized exercise plan developed specifically for them to accommodate their current fitness level and goals.

Since there is generally less familiarity with these types of activities, this blog provides a brief overview of each one.

Tai Chi –  Originating in 12th-Century China, Tai Chi is a discipline devoted to achieving unity and harmony between mind and body. Tai Chi is highly influenced by Taoist and Buddhist traditions and recognizes maintenance of one’s health as a basic tenet (further defined as comprising the three modules of health, meditation and martial arts).

Principally involving the practice of slow movements, Tai Chi helps improve a person’s ability to balance under a variety of conditions, while simultaneously helping enhance their stability.

Pilates – Named after an early 20th-Century German physical-culturist, Pilates is a combination of exercises that promote flexibility, muscle strength, fat loss and endurance. Specifically, Pilates tends to focus on spinal and pelvic alignment, development of core strength and improvement of physical coordination and balance.

Yoga – With its roots in Northern India dating back 5,000 years, yoga is a mind and body practice that combines physical postures, stretching exercises, breathing techniques and meditation. Yoga can improve flexibility, muscle strength and range of motion. Yoga styles vary from slow and gentle to athletic and vigorous.

Many people find it easy to engage in low-impact activities, since they do not put stress on the body’s joints. In general, the benefits of Tai Chi, Pilates and yoga often include:

• Lower blood pressure
• Improved balance and flexibility
• Improved sleep
• Reduced anxiety and stress levels
• Reduced back pain

Here at Southgate, we encourage exploring, growing and learning as the means to expand your horizons—and thereby enrich your day-to-day life. So who knows? You just may discover that one (or all!) of these low-impact activities works for you like no other you’ve tried!

The next time you visit Southgate, you just may happen to see a friendly—but sometimes competitive,
nonetheless—game of bocce (or horseshoes … or even someone using our putting green to perfect their stroke). It’s just one of the many outdoor activities available on our sprawling 30-acre campus. (But watch the forecast; you know what they say about the changeability of New England weather!)

Our grounds are perfect for playing, since there are very few hilly spots. Of course, it’s all too easy to get distracted by our beautifully landscaped park, complete with gazebo and fountain. (Then again, that wouldn’t be such a bad thing!) By the way, spectators are gladly welcome, since our campus also includes lots of benches and leisure walkways quite conducive to pausing to allow for event viewing!

While we’re not sure what existed in our current location approximately 7,200 years ago, we can say with some degree of certainty that, far away somewhere in Egypt, a game similar to today’s bocce was being played. (Archeologists have discovered a painting on an ancient tomb showing two boys who are apparently playing.)

From that point onward, the history of bocce is fairly well documented. The game—or some variation thereof—made its way to Greece and then to Rome (seems like everything happened in Rome in those days, doesn’t it?). Roman soldiers played during the Punic Wars in the Third Century B.C. and, later, Emperor Augustus was a diehard fan.

During the Middle Ages, bocce was banned in Rome (and in Spain, too) for being a distraction from military matters. (Interestingly enough, fate may have proven those edicts extremely practical and wise, since, according to legend, English Admiral Sir Francis Drake—when told while playing bocce that an attack by the Spanish Armada was imminent—reportedly quipped: “First, we finish the game; then we have time for invincible Armada.”

Score one for Sir Francis!

The rest, as they say, is history. While bocce was once banned for instigating gambling, over the years it developed a strong following—first in the streets, alleyways, parks and town squares of Europe, and then across the pond here in America … and, eventually, here at Southgate!

We encourage all our residents to enjoy our varied outdoor activities—whether it be bocce, horseshoes or our putting green. They’re all fun ways to stay in shape, socialize and soak up the sunshine … while, in a sense, taking a step backward in time!