Many seniors are enthusiastic about gaining strategies for healthier living — and the members of the Potomac Community Village are no exception.

More than 40 members and guests came out to listen to a presentation by certified personal trainer Stacy Holstein who spoke on the “Ten Best Ways to Increase your Wellness and Decrease your Stress.”

Holstein, owner of Personal Velocity, a personal training company for body and mind, has been consulting and training clients since 2003: “I specialize in developing individual programs encompassing personal training, nutritional guidance and wellness coaching.”

She trains clients in their homes or at the Potomac Tennis Center and also teaches fitness classes at the JCC, Fitness One and Gold’s Gym.

Holstein opened the evening with the topic of “Get a Reality Check.” She explained that how you feel about yourself has a lot to do with whether you keep yourself in good shape and eat properly — it’s also important in setting a better direction for yourself.

She began with a discussion of how to “eat smart.” Portion control, limiting soda, reducing trans-fats, checking the labels, eating slowly and sitting down at the table to eat are all important for maintaining or losing weight. She said, “It’s OK to eat anything — but the key is to control how much food you are stuffing into your body at any one time. When too much goes in, it goes right to your belly. Belly fat is dangerous.”

She explained that nutrition is extremely important. “The best plan is to replace saturated fats and refined grains with fiber and whole grains. Eat more protein and fewer carbohydrates. Make your food colorful to ward off cancer. Diet soda is definitely not good for you.”

Holstein suggested that a good plan is to drink a glass of water before each meal. “You need to drink 64 oz. of water each day.”

Another recommendation is to power up your exercise program. “You should be walking, jogging, biking or getting some sort of cardio exercise three times a week. Cardio equals energy.”

Other tips included focusing on strength training and balance training, maintaining good posture and working your core with exercises. She said, “Most importantly, find ways to reduce stress and take time each day to do something positive for you.”

During the evening, Holstein asked each attendee to stand and balance on one foot, holding their other foot in their hand. “It is particularly important for seniors to practice balancing each day. You need good balance to keep from falling as you get older. It’s essential.”

Holstein also introduced her new program called Core^poral Punishment to tone abs and strengthen the back. It uses a 9” inflatable CORE ball, comes with a DVD, instruction sheet or digital download. The ball is deflatable, making it easy to travel with. “This small ball is a wonderful piece of equipment you can use every day and everywhere. The exercises are perfect for anyone who wants to skinny down the core,” she said. The price of the Core^poral Punishment program is $44.95 and it can be purchased by contacting Holstein at Stacy@PersonalV.com or by calling her at 240-997-1698.

The Potomac Community Village meets monthly at the Potomac Community Center. The concept of community villages is growing all over Montgomery County. The idea encourages “neighbors helping neighbors” in order for seniors to be able to remain in their homes as long as possible, even as needs increase. Community villages foster socialization, volunteerism and engagement in the neighborhood and community as long as possible. Their next meeting is on April 24 at 7:30 p.m. when the program will feature Pazit Aviv discussing “Montgomery County Programs and Resources for Seniors. Aviv is the Villages Coordinator for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. For information about this organization, go to www.potomaccommunityvillage.org or call 240-221-1370.