People are afraid of the unknown. If an older adult is losing control over their physical abilities, independence, or cognitive abilities, their world gets filled with more and more unknowns. Establishing routine is extremely important for seniors. A daily routine offers a level of stability that individuals often enjoy, as it allows them to settle into a schedule that they understand. Doing the same basic activities like eating, dressing, and bathing at the same time every day is known to improve sleep quality. A predictable routine also helps to reduce stress and anxiety.
Community News
Have You Tried Kefir?
Kefir is a unique cultured dairy product and one of the most probiotic-rich foods on the planet. Drinking Kefir has incredible medicinal benefits for your digestion and gut health. It’s tart and refreshing flavor is similar to a drinking-style yogurt, but it contains beneficial yeast as well as friendly probiotic bacteria found in yogurt. The naturally occurring bacteria and yeast in combine symbiotically to give superior health benefits when consumed regularly. It is loaded with valuable vitamins and minerals and contains easily digestible complete proteins. Drink up for benefits to your immune system and your bowels (see you later, IBS symptoms!)
On The Menu
There’s no question that our diet affects how we function physically, mentally, and emotionally. Planning meals amid a myriad of options can be a daunting task but it doesn’t have to be. Often, popular diets are unnecessarily restrictive and demand an all or nothing approach, making lasting change difficult to maintain. Instead of quitting all unhealthy dietary habits at once, work at replacing one unhealthy choice per week with a healthy one. Need a coach? Naturopaths, dietitians, and nutritionists are great partners to help you identify best choices and stay the course to the healthiest version of you possible.
Book Club:
Weight Loss for People Who Feel Too Much: A 4-Step, 8-Week Plan to Finally Lose the Weight, Manage Emotional Eating, and Find Your Fabulous Self, by Colette Baron-Reid. This 4-step, 8-week program will show you how to finally let go of what’s weighing you down, physically and emotionally. You will learn how to: – Reverse empathy overload and establish healthy boundaries. – Avoid the “noisy” trigger foods that lead to autopilot eating. – Deal with challenging situations and avoid your detours, from procrastination to perfectionism, that sabotage the success you deserve.
So, You Didn’t Have a Valentine?
Didn’t get shot by cupid on Valentine’s Day? Maybe you’re looking for love in all the wrong places. As a professional matchmaker with over 24 years of experience, I have facilitated thousands of successful love connections that are still going strong many years later. Receiving service tailored to you and your specific needs is always going to give you a better chance of getting what you want. Do you want to spend 30 minutes filling out an online questionnaire, or a couple of hours with a matchmaker trained in asking you the important questions and understanding you as an individual? Have a professional matchmaker be your cupid.
Cats and Essential Oils
There has been much talk recently about cats and essential oils. Are oils safe, or unsafe? What should you believe? The truth is essential oils are indeed a toxic threat to cats. They are rapidly absorbed both orally and through the skin, and are then metabolized in the liver. Cats lack an essential enzyme in their liver, and as such, have difficulty metabolizing and eliminating many essential oils. Cats are also very sensitive to phenols and phenolic compounds, which can be found in some essential oils. The higher the concentration of the essential oil (i.e., 100%), the greater the risk to the cat.
Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
• 1-1/2 cups black beans (drained and rinsed well)
• 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or honey
• pinch stevia or sweetener
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in a good food processor, and blend until completely smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips, and then pour into a greased 8×8 pan. Cook 15-18 minutes, and then let cool at least 10 minutes. Enjoy! Your kids won’t even know they’re healthy!
Get Your Greens
Spring is just around the corner, and the timing is perfect to start adding more colours into your diet. Leafy green vegetables contain many important macro and micronutrients. In 1 cup of broccoli or kale, there is actually 3 grams of protein! Try adding vegetables such as spinach, kale, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage to your salad. These vegetables will not only add flavour and a richer colour to your meal, but also drastically increase the amount of vitamins A, C, and K, which help with immune function and vision, decrease cholesterol, and assist in synthesis of protein and the binding of calcium for bone health.
The Power of Touch
Did you know that massage not only helps us relax, but it also gives our immune system a boost? Any type of touch can reduce the heart rate, lower chances for depression, and lower blood pressure. Receiving a 45-minute massage has been found to increase the number of white blood cells that help defend the body from disease. Do you suffer from sleep problems? When a body receives massage, it instantly gets relaxed and the stress level in the body is reduced. Furthermore, 60 minutes of massage have the same effect on your body as 7 to 8 hours of good sleep. The antidote to a stressful day or health ailments could lie right at our fingertips.
Make the Most of Your Workout
Eat a balanced diet
Proteins, fruits, vegetables, complex carbs, and healthy fats give you a steady source of energy without having to rely on bursts from sugar. Also, drink plenty of water!
Eat about half an hour before exercising
This will give your digestive system enough time to get started, and the blood will start diffusing back to the rest of your body, which avoids cramping. This will help make sure you have plenty of energy.
Get some rest and a massage
This can help keep aches and stiffness from setting in. Keeping your muscles more relaxed will help improve the quality of your workout and better your performance.
The Connection Between Your Eyes and Your Ears
As we age, we’re more susceptible to hearing loss and vision changes. Both conditions can creep up on us, making preventive measures essential to sustaining the quality of life we’re used to. According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), you’re at greater risk of social isolation and reduced community participation if you have a vision loss. The same goes for hearing loss. Having both a vision and hearing problem can affect your ability to lip-read, which is detrimental to communicating with co-workers, family, and friends. A decreased ability to socialize is linked to a greater risk of dementia. However, Statistics Canada reports that 90 percent of people with hearing loss can improve communication with a properly fit hearing aid, counseling, or environmental changes.
