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Yoga For Pain Relief

I had the fortunate experience to learn about using Yoga for pain from  a public television station, and thought I would share that information with you along with some websites, which provide information on Yoga for seniors (not that you have to be one to benefit from reducing pain with Yoga methodologies).

 

 

Below are links for websites which have information for Yoga that I think you will find useful.

Yoga for Seniors
https://www.doyouyoga.com/7-yoga-poses-for-seniors-49052/

Poses for Everyone
AARP

https://www.aarp.org/health/fitness/info-01-2011/yoga_poses.html#slide1

Seniors ♦   Yoga Challenge
30 day yoga challenge – https://www.doyogawithme.com/content/yoga-seniors

 

Click this link for pain free Yoga information.
Survival Guide

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What is Healthy Aging?

Happy summer to all of you.  This time of year makes us more aware of our physical wellness.  We shed those winter garments to reveal bodies, which have had holiday fun and some sedentary behavior, along with sluggishness due to weather circumstances.
♥
Keeping that in mind, I was looking for some personal help guidelines for me to use in getting and staying more fit.  Not only during the summer months, but all year long.  ♥ Take a look at what the National Institute on Aging  has for us to consider doing to keep fit at the link below.  You will be glad and surprised by the many activities, which are good  for those of us who have reached their senior years to do.  It will make you more joyful.
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/exercise-physical-activity


Stay fit, and stay beautiful as you age gracefully.

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For Women: Are 10,000 Steps a Day Necessary?

Today I am celebrating 24 years since I had open heart surgery. Yes!

Walking is a really personal gift to me.  What do I mean?  After my surgery, I asked my Cardiologist,  “what type of exercise can I do?”  He recommended that I walk, which seemed easy enough to do.

However, the truth was,  after the surgery I did not have the strength to walk across a street by myself. At that point, I promised myself and the forces that guide us that if given the future opportunity to walk, I would make sure to honor that ability.
Many years/steps later, I have tried to accomplish stepping to the tune of 10,000 steps a day, which turns out to be approximately 5 miles for most people (30 minutes of exercise).

Sooner or later in life, if you live long enough, there will be changes/challenges that you will need to confront and overcome.

With that said, , a visit where my chiropractor informed me that I should not try to accomplish this 10,000 steps as day task in one exercise routine because it is not helping the issues I have with my back. He suggested that I walk half as many steps in one session.  I was truly concerned.  How would I accomplish my 10,000 steps a day???

I was encouraged by a recent New York Times article by Gretchen Reynolds. Her research revealed there is no scientific evidence connected with the 10,000 steps a day standard.  In fact, the 10,000 steps standard started in the 1960’s where a Japanese pedometer name translated as 10,000 steps. This coincidence established that guideline.

The good news is that a new study  conducted by Dr. I-Min Lee, a professor of Medicine at Harvard University,  which collected data tracking the steps of older women (median age 72), showed that reducing the walk to 4,500 steps a day gives women 40 percent more chance of longevity, than women taking 2,700 steps a day. Other key things to note are speed walking is not a requirement, strolling is OK. Only the number of steps per day was studied. Results showed that this regimen of 4,500 steps per day advanced the well-being for women in the study.  Men were not included in this study.

With these findings, I was relieved to know that it is “moving” that is important.  Steps are a pretty easy way to get that done.  So, let’s keep “moving”,  and do our best to appreciate the opportunity we have to walk.  As you know, I consider it a privilege.  Let’s get stepping!

 

 

 

 

Sources:

♦ https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/well/move/even-one-extra-walk-a-day-may-make-a-big-difference.html

♦  https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/walking/why-is-walking-the-most-popular-form-of-exercise

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Probiotics Update – FYI

As senior citizens, I think  that we are often  looking for ways to enhance our well-being: 1)  by changing what we eat; 2)  trying to exercise; and, 3) get enough sleep. And, of course, getting our regular checkups with doctors. By taking as many of these steps as we can,   we hope that  it will lead us to long and healthful lives, right?

In a earlier post ((December 2018), I wrote about Probiotics.  Probiotics are the living bacteria that can be good for your body. I don’t know whether any of you ran right out to your local stores, or drugstores, to buy items to consume in keeping up with the Probiotics craze. As we consider this popular trend,  I want to call your attention to the fact that it turns out  there is much more we still don’t know about Probiotics.  According to Dr. Alfred Roston, a gastroenterologist at Westchester Endoscopy, “the bacteria in probiotics won’t affect everybody in the same way”. Below are some suggestions if you plan on taking probiotics supplements, (which, by the way,  are not FDA regulated).

♥ Always consult your doctor first
♥  Eat a well-balanced, plant-based diet
♥ Add fermented foods to your diet like, yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kombucha*

♦ Read about probiotics and other health advice at the source links below:
https://www.wphospital.org/WPHRedesign/media/Emerge_WPHRedesign/Documents/WPH-HealthMatters-Magazine.pdf

* https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/kombucha-tea/faq-20058126

Wishing you wellness!

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Farm to Table, GMO’s, Organic: What’s the difference?

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to focus more attention on what type of groceries I am purchasing.  In addition, I want the recipes I make to be creative, tasty and healthful.  My grandmother cooked what could be called ‘soul food’, which was always delicious and she was healthy all her life. She lived to be 94 years old.  My grandmother was not the only person I know of who lived a long life and ate things like collard greens, macaroni & cheese, biscuits. I also remember her having a garden, where she grew all kinds  of vegetables and from which she used to cook her dinner. I actually don’t recall her using a lot of fertilizer on the vegetables she grew.

Recently, I treated myself  and bought the TV Chef Carla Hall’s Soul Food cookbook.  I trusted that when I have seen her on TV she is always doing the right thing by food.  It’s tasty and the ingredients are the best she can find for the occasion. She is creative. Often, when she’s cooking a version of ‘soul food’, Carla makes it a point to prepare her food lighter – by cutting calories – and cutting out fat.  This is how she was trained to cook by her grandmother; and, her grandmother was a dietitian at a hospital.  What better way to learn how to cook ‘good-for-you-soul food’?  Exciting!  Continue reading “Farm to Table, GMO’s, Organic: What’s the difference?”

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Healthwise – Yogurt – Probiotics – Diet

Are you aware of the benefits that senior citizens (referred to as elderly people) can receive by eating yogurt?  Are you aware that not all yogurt give you the same benefits, and why you might choose one type versus another type?

First off let’s discuss some of the health benefits of eating Greek yogurt : helps with digestion; controls blood pressure; provides protein, it is also an excellent source of calcium. So there I was eating my Greek yogurt, and something told me to check the ‘benefits’ of the one I was eating. I went to  Fooducate.com

Fooducate is a website that provides detailed information about the nutrition facts of the food you are eating. It also gives the food brand a rating.  There is an app that you can put on your smartphone. It’s considered to be one of the best food rating apps.  To my surprise, I found out that the yogurt I was eating received a B-  for one cup of the yogurt, which is worst than average!   Further details indicated it had over 50% of daily saturated fat, and 6 teaspoons of sugar per serving.  I also checked whether the yogurt I was eating  had probiotics. It did not. Continue reading “Healthwise – Yogurt – Probiotics – Diet”

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The Aspirin Question

Just when we thought we had the right information about taking aspirin,  a new study comes out to create confusion.  Even though I have had heart surgery, I must admit I do not take aspirin.  As a matter of fact, I only took it immediately after my open heart surgery 23 years ago.  My surgery   was not because of a heart attack. I stopped taking aspirin because of an allergic reaction one time, and I never took it again.  Now, it turns out that I am on the right side of what is healthy for my age.  Below is a summary of my findings, which I hope helps clear up a few things for you. Please use the source links for more detailed information.

♥ If you are 70 and older, there is no benefit at all to taking an aspirin a day, unless you have had a heart attack; have a stent; had a bypass surgery; suffer from angina, or had a stroke.
♥ The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that those in their 50s with a 10 percent higher risk because they have high blood pressure/high cholesterol, should continue to take aspirin.  The same is true for people in their 60s.
♥ Aspirin can cause bleeding, which can be dangerous. Find out from your doctor whether there are benefits for you. Continue reading “The Aspirin Question”

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Tips for Home Alone Seniors

Have you ever heard that ‘Aging is not for Sissies’ ? Well, some people make fun of this saying, but on a more serious note, living alone as a senior and aging can be difficult, which is why it is good to know some of the ways seniors can take precautions to protect themselves.  Here is a list of things that we seniors should take note of:

♣ Safety Precautions for home alone seniors:
– Remove clutter.
– Remove tripping hazards (electrical cords, throw rugs).
– Use the grab bars in the shower (or install if you don’t have them).
– Prepare an emergency kit: flashlight, batteries, matches, candles. Put it in a place that is easy to remember.
– Keep track of your keys (put them in the same place every time you come in the door).  Don’t put your name and address on your key chain.
– If the doorbell rings call out,   ‘I’ll get it’,  which will alert the person ringing the bell that you are not alone.
– If you are expecting a service person like cable, or other repairman, have someone keep you company while the service is being handled.
– Have a list of friends that you speak with at least once a week.  You can set up a ‘buddy system’ with each other on specific days to touch base. Continue reading “Tips for Home Alone Seniors”

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Tweaking Your Workout Activity

I realize that many of us are not  revved up about getting to a 30 minute exercise class, or walking continuously for 30 minutes.  In addition, many seniors do not have the extra income required to spend  on a health club membership.

I was encouraged by a  recent study, which finds that continuous activity is not a requirement to attain the benefits of exercise.  That is to say, you do not have to workout 30 minutes at a time to gain the health benefits! You can actually accumulate those 30 minutes of activity 10 minutes at a time.

♥ The latest studies, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association are summarized below:
– “Movement strongly influenced longevity. Men and women who exercised fewer than 20 minutes a day, were at the highest risk of premature death.  Those who moved more often, especially if they were active in a day, cut their mortality risk in half”. Continue reading “Tweaking Your Workout Activity”