Once you have made the decision to start looking at options for your future living arrangements, there are a number of things you should keep in mind. Focus on what you want, not what anyone else thinks you should want. When looking, remember that first impressions count. Consider things such as the building design and the services and activities offered to see if they appeal to you. Are the residents and staff friendly towards you and to each other? Check out the dining room and ask the residents about their dining experience. If the first impressions are favourable, book a tour with the Site Manager.
Trouble Falling Asleep?
If you have trouble falling asleep, here is something that you may not know. The National Sleep Foundation suggests that having warm feet when going to bed sends a signal to your brain that it is bedtime. Sleep research indicates a correlation between falling asleep quickly and increased blood dilation in our extremities. Wearing socks to bed warms your skin and dilates your blood vessels. Having a restful night is essential for a good day so go to bed wearing a clean pair of socks. Today there are socks with built in technology that will not only keep your feet warm but may provide relief from restless leg syndrome.
Weight Loss Naturally
The metabolism of an individual needs to be assessed to determined what areas can be assisted naturally to speed it up. The mitochondria or energy part of the body’s cell structure needs assistance to burn more fat. Natural herbs and medicines can be added to help the metabolism. Increased physical activity and an exercise routine tailored to your age, size and general health also helps. The most effective way to increase your body’s natural ability to burn fat and stay healthy is ozone therapy. The treatments effectively remove unwanted toxins, stimulates and drains your lymph system and kills unwanted bacteria and viruses.
You Think what you Eat
Do you lack energy? Do you become anxious or tense easily? Suffer from depression? Never before have our bodies been exposed to so many chemicals. Our psychological environment is changing. There is more traffic and less nature to balance our needs. Many people are struggling just to survive; with very few thriving well into their elder years. Nutritional and lifestyle changes can help decrease the effects on our brain and other areas of our body that accumulate oxidative stress and age us prematurely. We need to ensure our blood sugars are balanced, eat complex carbohydrates like legumes, lentils and healthy grains and smart fats like olive oils, free range eggs, salmon and coconut oil.
Common Changes in Behavior in Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s causes changes in behaviour that many people find most distressing. The progressive deterioration of brain cells is the main cause of behavioural symptoms. In the early stages, these can be irritability, anxiety and depression; in later stages, anger and agitation, aggression, restlessness, pacing, physical or verbal outbursts, delusions, sleep disturbances and hallucinations. It is important to get supports in place while the disease is in the earlier stages. A medical evaluation can determine if changes in behaviour are due to other factors such as drug side effects, discomfort from infections and other conditions.
Does your Gut Dislike Travelling?
Laying on a sunny beach in February means you had to travel to get there. Travel frequently involves air travel, time zone changes, and disrupted eating and sleeping patterns. These can lead to irregularity or uncomfortable digestive issues, which in turn affect our immune system. Our body will also likely be exposed to unfamiliar germs and bacteria that we do not normally encounter. Taking probiotics before and during your trip helps keep your gut and digestive system normal and happy so that you can really enjoy your holiday. Your local health food store can help you choose the best ones for you.
Dieting with the Enemy
Want to really bring out the worst in people? Try weight loss! It won’t be unusual if you’re showered with fattening food or sabotaged by people who claim to love you. The problem usually starts when you are in change mode, but your friends and family are not. Your success may make them feel guilty, which in turn pricks at their conscience. They may be thinking they should be pursuing weight loss too. The best thing you can do is to make friends with the enemy. Be firm with your boundaries and acknowledge that your goals are important too. You got this!
Wellnessnews Women’s Expo – February 10
The Wellnessnews Women’s Expo is the place to Explore, Indulge, Escape & Shop. It will be a day of fun and new approaches to nutrition, fitness and overall wellbeing. Bring your girlfriends, mom and neighbours to visit over 80 exhibits, indulge in pampering in the Diva Oasis, participate in the activity area and attend sessions on Nutrition/Healthy Aging. The Expo is FREE. VIP tickets can be found where you get your Wellnessnews, from an exhibitors or off our website. While not required to attend, tickets redeemed raise funds to help women in our communities. See you on February 10th at the VI Conference Centre in Nanaimo.
New Year Resolutions
It’s wonderful to want to make changes in your life. The problem is, change doesn’t happen overnight, and most resolutions end up being abandoned. Then we feel guilty about it. Consider, instead, small sustainable steps towards a healthier lifestyle. Being healthy isn’t just about what we eat and how much we weigh. Real wellness includes how we talk to ourselves, our outlook on life, and how we deal with stress. Feeling better can start with any of these things. See January as only the beginning of your wellness journey!
Vegan Cashew “Cheese”
Are you interested in trying a vegan diet, but aren’t ready to give up all cheese? You must give this recipe a try! Here’s what you need: 3/4 cup raw cashews, 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ cup water, ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar, black pepper to taste. Here’s how to do it: Place cashews in a bowl with warm water and soak for at least 2 hours. Drain and add to food processor along with all other ingredients. Pulse until thoroughly combined. Enjoy this “cheesy” alternative!
Adapted from www.eatliveandplay.com
Book Club: Ageless Soul
Living a Full Life with Joy and Purpose by Thomas Moore. Aging is the process by which one becomes a more distinctive, complex, fulfilled, loving, and connected person. Using examples from his practice as a psychotherapist and teacher who lectures widely on the soul of medicine and spirituality, Moore argues for a new vision of aging: as a dramatic series of initiations, rather than a diminishing experience, one that each of us has the tools―experience, maturity, fulfillment―to live out. Ageless Soul will teach readers how to embrace the richness of experience and how to take life on, accept invitations to new vitality, and feel fulfilled as they get older.


