Happy 2022! Let’s make this our healthiest year yet! If you feel overwhelmed with where to start, it turns out even small daily adjustments can have a surprisingly big impact on your health! Here are a few ways you can help yourself feel good and age well: Eat more nutrient-dense foods. You need fewer calories with aging, but twice as many nutrients. Get active. Indoor walking, swimming, and doing yoga are all great activities to ease yourself into. Stay connected and make new friends. Social engagement and participation are especially important for older adults. These are linked to better cognition and overall health, and lower risk of depression and disability.
Community News
Community Support
You are not alone – we are here to help. The Alzheimer Society of Manitoba is your first link to a community of support and resources for those living with dementia and their families. On our website, you’ll find easy access to knowledge, services, programs and information for every phase of your journey. Take the first step and reach out today – we have staff ready to provide a listening ear. We can help you navigate your dementia diagnosis. Discover more at Alzheimer.mb.ca or call us at 204-943-6622 or 1-800-378-6699.
Bell Let’s Talk Day is January 26
Did you know, according to the Mental Health Commission, on any given week, more than 500,000 Canadians are unable to go to work due to mental health problems? Have you experienced this in your workplace? I would encourage employers to have a Workplace Mental Health Strategy that includes the 13 factors of the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. When considering each factor, read the definition, and then come up with action plans that make sense for your workplace. You will see a return on your investment. Take small steps to make positive changes today!
Benefits of Walk-In Bathtubs
Did you know that slips and falls in the bathtub or shower contribute to nearly 25% of hospital admissions for people aged 65 and older? We want to help you make your bathroom as safe as possible. Consider a walk-in bathtub, which is safer and easier to access than your traditional standard tub. With a low step entry threshold of a few inches, getting in and out of a new walk-in tub is quite easy. You can literally walk right in and sit down. With a bathtub conversion kit, you turn your existing tub into a walk-in tub with multiple opening and sizing options for you to choose from.
Make The Most Of Your New Year’s Resolutions
If you’re planning to adopt a healthier lifestyle this year you need to know an important fact – no matter what stress handling techniques you use, how well you eat, or how much exercise and sleep you get, to achieve your goals and get the most out of your efforts, your body must be functioning optimally. That is why it is important to find out if your body is lacking the crucial nutrients needed to properly function. Specialized nutritional testing can help you get the answers you need to improve your health and make your New Year’s resolutions a reality.
Inspiration vs. Obligation
A new year is an opportunity to re-evaluate, prioritize and upgrade your life. What do you feel most inspired to do, learn, and explore in your life? Are you living with inspiration or obligation? Who brings out the best in you and what obligations and responsibilities are you ready to release that no longer serve you? How can you give yourself full permission to do more of what fills you up and let go of the rest? Decide what kind of life you really want, then say no to everything that isn’t that.
Mindful Eating
To be a smart eater, you need to take a more considered approach to what is on your plate. Some health advisors suggest Mindful Eating. This involves eating slowly without distraction and learning how to distinguish between actual hunger and non-hunger triggers. Since it takes roughly 20 minutes for the brain to get the message from your stomach that you are full, eating quickly means there is more chance of unnecessary food being consumed. Mindful eating is based on appreciating your food and understanding the link between how you consume it and how it contributes to your well-being.
Acupuncture for Back Pain
Chronic back pain can often be caused by things like muscle or ligament strain, bulging or ruptured discs, arthritis, osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, or osteoporosis. Anyone can develop chronic back pain at any age, and factors like lack of exercise, excess weight, disease, and physical injury can increase your risk. Acupuncture may help to lessen symptoms of chronic back pain by unblocking energy and restoring your body’s energy and flow. Studies have shown that acupuncture may improve chronic pain by reducing the brain’s response to the pain, as well as improving blood flow to the area causing pain.
Hearing Loss and Brain Health
Hearing involves not only your ears but also the brain, so it’s no wonder that hearing loss can go hand in hand with thinking and memory problems. Studies are increasingly linking hearing loss to issues such as faster brain shrinkage, earlier onset of significant cognitive impairment, and up to a quintupled risk of dementia. Addressing conditions such as hearing loss, however, could help prevent a third of dementia cases worldwide, per a UK research collaborative. With hearing health and overall wellness so connected, it’s important to seek regular hearing checks and address listening difficulties early.
Have a Smoke-Free 2022
Something about leaving an old year behind and looking ahead at the clean slate of a new one inspires most of us to try. We think about making lasting positive changes in our lives, and we do it with hope and enthusiasm. If you’re planning to start the new year without a cigarette in your hand, but have had no luck sticking with past New Year’s resolutions, consider laser therapy. Laser therapy can help to control cravings and withdrawal symptoms. In clinical studies, patients report a noticeable reduction in cravings, and have a higher chance of success in quitting.
January Brain Teasers
1. How come hyenas are so healthy? 2. What will a bee get from visiting too many flowers? 3. What game can be dangerous to your mental health? 4. What is the healthiest kind of water? 5. What ring is actually a square?
