Staying Sharp In The New Year!

I was lucky enough to receive a Party Host Pack, courtesy of House Party.  In keeping with my complete willingness to embrace my "2nd phase" (being over 50) and proud of my AARP membership, I was stoked to host an AARP "Staying Sharp in the New Year" party.  Since I love presents, I was giddy with excitement when my party pack arrived:

A box of goodies for me, and some to share!

I unpacked everything, and there was a lot to work with!  Bigelow Tea, photo props, recipe cards, a great recipe book and a Fit Bit!  Yes, I can now track my movement, set goals, and stay organized.  It tracks your sleep too!  I definitely am learning as I get older, just how much my sleep habits affect my health so this is a great tool for me.

The party was a great way to let others in on the benefits of an AARP Staying Sharp membership.  As an addition to a traditional membership, with all of the perks and discounts it carries, this is all about staying fit as we move into the next phase.  You know, the one where you get to do what you WANT to do...whatever that may be. I knew that everyone would love the brain fitness exercises, which are online puzzles and games, that test your memory, your reaction time and your cognition.  You challenge yourself to beat your own time.  Competition is good, but it can be intimidating.  With the brain fitness series, your only opponent is yourself.  Now, if you don't play fair...that's on you.

We talked about health challenges and exchanged information and ideas, using the Staying Sharp website as a guide.  There's so much information there!  For me, it's also pretty cool to have my own online games and have my teenager looking over my shoulder saying "hey, that looks like fun!"  It is, but run along now to your XBox.  This is ALL MINE.  

Of course no party would be complete without food, preferably good food.  Great food is even better.  We kept it simple and healthy:

  And we threw in a little fun, courtesy of the photo props.  I had one tiny visitor who joined in by donning a mustache.  He's adorable either way: 

Shucks!

Hey, I have an idea!  You can host your own Staying Sharp party!  Just go to aarp.org and join in the fun.  You'll find a wealth of information, videos, games and other tips for not just staying fit, but Staying Sharp!  

Yeah, we're sharp but we're gonna stay that way!