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Bright Ideas Blog

Bright Ideas is your source for information about health and wellness for older adults

Bright Ideas is your source for a variety of information about health and well-ness for older adults. You’ll find articles to help you stay active, tips on coping with change, and even how to get a better night’s sleep. Visit the Bright Ideas blog often because we’re always adding new content!

06 Apr
Fitness & Active LivingHealthy LivingHobbies & InterestsLifestyleBy Tyra Daniel0 Comments

5 ways to explore the Greater Toronto Area on a budget

How well do you know the area you call home? Wouldn’t it be fun to be a tourist in your own city? Visiting quirky neighbourhoods and neat stores, tasting food from around the globe, taking in...
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07 Dec
Food & NutritionHealthHealthy LivingBy Tyra Daniel0 Comments

Eating well and staying healthy on a budget

In these times of food insecurity and rising inflation, it’s more important than ever to be savvy when shopping for nutritious and wholesome food. A great variety of food sources are competing for...
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05 Oct
Fitness & Active LivingHealthLifestyleBy Tyra Daniel0 Comments

5 budget-friendly ways to stay fit and active

Exercise benefits people of all ages. For older adults, keeping fit and limber becomes even more important to stay healthy in body and mind. Regular exercise can be varied, fun and achieved on a...
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09 Aug
HealthHealthy LivingMental HealthSpotlight StoriesBy Tyra Daniel0 Comments

Explore the benefits of mindfulness meditation with coach Slobo, a YMCA employee

Slobo came to Canada from Serbia in August 2006, and by November of that same year, he was volunteering at the North York YMCA. By January 2007, Slobo worked as a part-time swim instructor and...
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29 Jun
Fitness & Active LivingHealthy LivingLifestyleSpotlight StoriesBy admin0 Comments

Lessons in living from Karen, a long-time Y volunteer who turned 80 this year!

Karen joined Central YMCA in 1978 right after her first child was born. She joined with a friend, and they put their kids in child-minding and never looked back. Since 1984, Karen has volunteered as...
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16 Jun
Fitness & Active LivingHealthHealthy LivingBy admin0 Comments

YMCA member’s remarkable story of healing

This story of recovery and healing shows just how important a healthy mind and an active body are for longevity and well-being. We originally published this story when The Bright Spot first launched...
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08 Apr
Fitness & Active LivingHobbies & InterestsBy admin0 Comments

The health benefits of pets

What would we do without our pets? We love our dogs, cats, guinea pigs, iguanas, rabbits, and snakes because they make us feel good. But why does being with our pets make us feel so much better? It...
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11 Mar
Food & NutritionBy admin0 Comments

Healthy food choices for older adults

The choices we make about the foods we eat are an important part of what will keep us healthy in the long run. We eat to provide our bodies energy and give us the vitamins, minerals, protein, fats,...
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08 Feb
Hobbies & InterestsMental HealthBy admin0 Comments

Ignite your brain with books

How many books are you reading right now? Maybe you have two or three books on your nightstand plus that page-turner you just picked up and can’t seem to put down. Reading books offers several health...
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13 Jan
Healthy LivingMental HealthBy admin0 Comments

4 alternative ways to find comfort and warmth on National Hug Day

National Hug Day was first recognized in the U.S. in 1986 when Kevin Zaborney, a Michigan native, realized there wasn’t a day set aside to encourage friends and family to reach out and give someone a...
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30 Nov
Healthy LivingHobbies & InterestsMental HealthSpotlight StoriesBy admin0 Comments

Staff Spotlight: Samantha Casmey, manager of adult health and fitness

There’s no such thing as a typical day for Samantha Casmey, Manager of Adult Health and Fitness programs at the YMCA of Greater Toronto. That was especially true on March 14, 2020 when COVID-19 shut...
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12 Nov
Healthy LivingMental HealthBy admin0 Comments

Aging in place: Is your home the best place to spend your golden years?

In many ways, the face of the pandemic in Canada has been a person peering through the glass of a window separating them from the outside world. Those windows have often been at long-term care (LTC)...
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