13 Ways to Celebrate Health, Fitness and Local Parks this Summer

Passions Grow, Passions Bloom: Cultivating Wellness at Willow Valley Communities Among the most popular passions at Willow Valley Communities is gardening. And, Residents here have a wide variety of ways to indulge. Three generous gardens are situated across our sprawling 210-acre campus for Residents to use in a multitude of configurations of their choosing. Willow Valley Communities hardworking Grounds Team tills each garden in the spring and plows them in the fall, making them ready for Residents to dig right in. Whether Residents are experienced pros or novices, gardening is a wonderful way for them to get outside, enjoy nature and each other, and learn new things. Some Residents have been gardening for decades, while others have only started gardening after moving to Willow Valley Communities. In keeping with our Life Lived Forward philosophy, some Willow Valley Communities Residents take their love of gardening to deeper levels. For example, several Residents from across the country have achieved the distinction of Master Gardener. Master Gardeners are certified in their home state, and the program can take six months to a year to complete and includes a minimum of 40 hours of classroom training, a score of 80 percent on the final exam, and 50 hours of volunteer service. In another example, Residents Annabelle Simpson and Susan Kelly worked with the Penn State Extension of the Pennsylvania State University to have one of their gardens certified as an official Pennsylvania Pollinator-Friendly Garden. The stunning garden is well-known for attracting huge numbers of bees, butterflies, insects, and birds, helping our ecosystem to thrive. Residents are also able to partner their gardening skills with their desire to volunteer and give back to the Lancaster community. With the areas rich, fertile soil, and the extra special care and attention the plants receive, Residents often have an abundance of vegetables and donate them regularly. Throughout the growing season, the Solanco Neighborhood Ministries food bank receives a variety of beans, lettuce, kale, peas, carrots, eggplant, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, spinach, and much more from Willow Valley Communities Resident gardens. Additionally, every fall, a harvest of hundreds of pounds of sweet potatoes and butternut squash goes to the Lancaster County Food Hub, a community resource for free, nutritious food and gently used clothing. Some Residents maintain gardening plots every year just for this purpose.Annabelle Simpson and Susan Kelly Gardening time is couple time for Residents Mike and Susan Ziegler. Sue is an avid gardener, and Mike loves being outdoors supporting her gardening passion at Willow Valley Communities. They both love being together in nature, and Sue is amazed by how magical gardening can be. Its just a miracle when the seeds come up, she says. Resident Pat Mortensen challenges herself every year by growing something completely different. Once she enjoyed a robust harvest of King Tut Purple Peas, a very rare garden pea said to have been taken out of the tomb of King Tut! Resident and Master Gardener Angela Booker-White is originally from Virginia but has lived all over the country. Her interest in gardening grew as she read and learned more about it. In her plot at Spring Run, Angela grows all sorts of fruits, vegetables, and flowers and always tries something new. She has the most success with seeds she purchases from the dollar store! Angela has also learned how gardening can help during challenging times. She is grateful to her garden, as well as to her fellow Willow Valley Communities gardeners, for helping her during the difficult time of her husbands unexpected passing. Gardeners, and she doesnt know exactly who, would come and help by doing extra work around her plot. Residents just came in and helped, Angela says. Weeding, cutting, trimming, harvesting whatever work needed to be done. Thats the way Residents are here at Willow Valley Communities: very supportive. Resident Keith Yoder, who coordinates the Spring Run Garden, is not at all surprised by the variety of gardeners at Willow Valley Communities or by the reasons they enjoy the activity so much. He agrees that gardening is definitely a hobby that enhances well-being. Though hes known this himself for years, he refers to an article put out by CNBC that states how gardening can add years to your life. And life to your years, Keith adds. Gardening gets you into nature. Its good exercise for your body and your mind plus, you get to eat what you grow!

The Willow Valley Communities Day Spa is a destination for wellness and renewal. Its a critical component of the comprehensive Mind, Body, Spirit approach to wellness of Willow Valley Communities. The Day Spa offers many ways to soothe, calm, invigorate, or rejuvenate. A full range of professional services, all performed by our attentive and inviting staff, allows Residents to create their own regimen for personal well-being and beauty. These services include manicures and pedicures, skin care, facials, revitalizing peels, waxing, tanning, microdermabrasion, and body treatments with a wide range of different massage modalities, wraps, and scrubs. The Relaxation Room, with its beautiful waterfall and Himalayan Salt Wall, is a main feature of The Day Spa. It provides a peaceful and well-appointed environment in which to relax and offers a perfect and welcome respite between services. Himalayan salt rich in negative ions and essential nutrients and minerals offers numerous health benefits for our bodies, such as stress reduction, energy increases, and mood boosts at a biochemical level. Day Spa Manager Diamando Wallace says, Self-care is essential. Although manicures and pedicures are a well-deserved treat, they offer so much more to Residents sense of well-being. You can see the boost in a clients self-confidence as they walk out feeling refreshed.  Massages are one of the most popular services requested by Residents, and The Day Spa offers a wide menu of options, including hot stone and aromatherapy. Emily Ransing, Willow Valley Communities Day Spa Massage Therapist, says, Massage is meant to enhance your well-being physically and mentally. I frequently remind my clients that this is their time to focus on themselves to feel healthier. I do all I can to send each client home feeling better than when they arrived. A Willow Valley Communities Resident was asked about her massage as she was leaving The Day Spa one afternoon. She said, After a massage with Emily, your body is so relaxed that you can focus on the things that you often overlook the air is sweeter, the birds are more melodious, the day is brighter. You are better equipped to face the next days, whatever they may bring. As she walked out of the Cultural Center to her car, she added with a smile, Its also a way to take the tension out of your body although theres not much tension at Willow Valley Communities!

Retirement planning isn't a one-time task you check off a list it's an ongoing process that shifts as you get closer to the finish line. Certain ages come with specific opportunities, rules, and decisions worth paying attention to. Here's what to review as you hit three key milestones: 50, 60, and 65.Age 50: Catch-Up Contributions and a Reality CheckTurning 50 unlocks the ability to contribute more to tax-advantaged retirement accounts a meaningful opportunity if you're behind on savings or simply want to accelerate.What to review: Catch-up contributions. At 50, you become eligible to contribute additional amounts to 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and IRAs beyond the standard annual limits. Where you actually stand. This is a good age to take an honest look at total retirement savings versus what you'll likely need, rather than assuming things will work out. Debt payoff timeline. Consider whether your mortgage, car loans, or other debt will be cleared before retirement and if not, what that means for your budget later. Insurance coverage. Life and disability insurance needs often shift as kids become financially independent and other assets grow. Long-term care. It's worth starting to think about long-term care planning now, while more options and better rates are typically available. Age 60: Getting Specific About the TimelineSixty is when retirement stops being a distant idea and starts becoming a plan with actual dates attached.What to review: Social Security strategy. You can't claim before 62, but this is the age to start understanding how your claiming age affects your monthly benefit waiting longer generally means a larger check. Healthcare bridge to Medicare. If you're considering retiring before 65, you'll need a plan for health insurance in the gap, whether through COBRA, a marketplace plan, or a spouse's coverage. Withdrawal strategy. Start thinking through the order in which you'll draw from taxable accounts, tax-deferred accounts, and Roth accounts the sequence can meaningfully affect your tax bill in retirement. Pension decisions. If you have access to a pension, review your payout options (lump sum vs. annuity, single life vs. joint survivor) well before you need to decide. Estate planning documents. Confirm your will, beneficiary designations, and powers of attorney are current and reflect your actual wishes. Age 65: Medicare, Timing, and Final AdjustmentsSixty-five brings one of the most important deadlines in retirement planning: Medicare enrollment.What to review: Medicare enrollment window. Your Initial Enrollment Period runs several months before and after your 65th birthday. Missing it can mean penalties that follow you for years, so this deadline deserves attention even if you're still working. Coordinating Medicare with other coverage. If you or a spouse still have employer coverage, you'll need to understand how that interacts with Medicare enrollment rules. Required minimum distribution (RMD) planning. While RMD age has shifted in recent years, this is the point to start mapping out when distributions will kick in and how they'll affect your taxable income. Finalizing your income plan. Pull together Social Security, pension, investment withdrawals, and any part-time income into a single picture of what your retirement cash flow will actually look like. Tax bracket planning. Review whether Roth conversions or other tax-planning moves make sense before RMDs begin and potentially push you into a higher bracket. Why These Ages MatterNone of these milestones are arbitrary they're tied to real rules around contributions, benefits, and enrollment windows that can be costly to miss. Reviewing your plan at each stage, rather than waiting until retirement is imminent, gives you room to adjust course while you still have options.Wherever you are on this timeline, it helps to have a second set of eyes on the plan. Contact Zunic Advisory Services to talk through where you stand and what to prioritize next.