In this edition
- Setting Your 2025 Aspirations
- Celebrate National Radon Action Month with
Extension’s Radon Education Program
- Extension’s Healthy Aging Teams 2025 programs for Nevada’s Elders.
- Quick and Healthy Black-Eyed Pea and Corn Salad
About the Newsletter
Happy New Year! Let's start the new year off by reading about setting goals so you can set your 2025 goals. In this article, you can also read about the programs that Extension's Healthy Aging Initiative team offers, as well as Extension's Radon Education Program. We also provide a free Southwestern Black-Eyed Pea and Corn Salad recipe.
Setting Your 2025 Aspirations
By: Ellen Grossman
Aspirations, bucket lists, goals and resolutions —
Are these all on your mind for the New Year? Understanding the importance of having goals, writing them down, and discovering strategies that align with your personal goals
and benefit those around you and the community can have a positive effect on your health.
Where to start?
Setting goals clipart
If you wish, you can have multiple lists. Goals should be something YOU want to do. Goals can be related to
health and well-being, social activities, hobbies, relationships, work, education or whatever you want to
work on. Start with simple, small, achievable goals. There is no goal too small. Write down your goal and be
specific. WHAT are you going to do? WHEN will you do it (day and time)? HOW OFTEN (one time or ongoing)?
Are you confident you can complete this task? (You should feel a confident #seven out of 10). If not, reevaluate and break it down into smaller steps. An example is: I am going to clean out my closet for one hour, for one time, this Tuesday, between one and two p.m. I am a confident #eight. If you were a #two confident- set the goal for less time or change the goal to finding someone to assist you with this goal, as an example. Track your progress.
Do your aspirations align with your personal beliefs and goals? Is it an expression of your life’s journey? What is
it’s cost financially, in time or resource wise? Perhaps it connects to the season or a holiday or a family project.
Think outside of yourself and imagine the impact your goal can have on you, your friends, family, your community, or the world. Check out Alexslemonade.org. Alex was diagnosed with cancer at age four. She decided to have a lemonade stand to raise money for childhood cancer. When she passed away at age eight, her little stand project had raised over one million dollars. And in the past 20 years, the organization has raised over 300 million dollars and has funded over 1,500 research grants to fight childhood cancer. Never underestimate the success of that first “baby step.”
Think about random, simple acts of kindness as a small weekly goal. Some examples are make someone laugh, mail a note to someone, call a friend or family member who may be lonely, hold open a door for someone, make cup of coffee or tea for a neighbor, walk with someone who wants to get more exercise, or letting someone merge in traffic. Research shows that older adults who give support to others live longer than those who don’t. Setting our
aspirations, bucket lists, goals and resolutions is a great way to start the New Year. Begin thinking about the changes you want to make and try them throughout the year.
Ready to start? Try it, adjust it and get ready for success! Good Luck and wish you all the best in 2025!
Celebrate National Radon Action Month with
Extension’s Radon Education Program
Radon is a gas that happens naturally in the ground. You can’t see it, smell it, or taste it. This gas can move from the ground into the air. It is harmless in the outdoors, but if it gets into buildings, it can get trapped inside. Too much radon in a building can lead to lung cancer. University of Nevada, Reno Extension’s goal is to educate Nevadans about the health risks of having too much radon in their homes. The program offers literature, maps, educational presentations, and low-cost radon test kits. We recommend only hiring certified radon professionals. Hiring non-certifed radon
professionals is risky to your home, health, and pocketbook.
Call (775) 336-0254 for assistance in locating the nearest Extension office.
Nevada Radon Education Program
Extension’s Healthy Aging Team is starting off 2025 by
offering programs for Nevada’s Elders.
Join us as we start the New Year having fun, laughing, staying fit and eating healthy.
Aging Mastery Program is a fun and engaging way to motivate behavior change for aging well. AMP participants not only learn but also create their own late-life flexible playbook. They set actionable goals for practical behaviors, engage socially, and cultivate gratitude, all of which contribute to a healthier and more fulfilling life.
Extensions Healthy Aging Programs
Bingocize Class
Cooking Matters is a program offering cooking resources throughout the lifespan, food skills education and
learn about cooking, meal prep, grocery shopping, food budgeting and nutrition.
For more information and to get registered for our classes, please contact us at healthyaginginfo@unr.edu.
Our Bingocize class will be sure to get you moving while winning. Bingocize is a 10-week class bringing bingo
to life — moving, shaking, and learning about nutrition education and how to reduce falls through easy-to-do
exercises while playing an exciting game of bingo.
Bingocize with Extension
Quick and Healthy Black-Eyed Pea and Corn Salad
Black-eye peas are a traditional New Year's dish for some people and a healthy way to start the year.
Makes 10 servings.
Ingredients:
• 1 medium bell pepper
• 1 small red onion
• 2 (15½ ounce) cans black-eyed peas
• 1 (15¼ ounce) can corn kernels, no salt
added
• 3 Tablespoons canola oil
• 2 Tablespoons vinegar
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
Directions:
1. Rinse and dice bell pepper, removing core and seeds. Peel, rinse, and dice onion.
2. If using, rinse and chop cilantro leaves.
3. In a colander, drain and rinse black-eyed peas and corn.
4. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
5. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
For Chef’s notes and Nutrition Facts, please visit Cooking Matters at:
https://cookingmatters.org/recipes/southwestern-black-eyed-pea-and-corn-salad/
Southwestern Black-eyed Pea and Corn Salad Recipe
