Saskatchewan Archives - Page 291 of 322

Is Your Spine Winter-Ready?

We all take the time to get our homes and yards ready for winter, but what about our bodies? Eat warm, nourishing foods that naturally increase your circulation, and stock up on vitamin D and zinc to help support your immune system. It’s also important to keep active throughout the winter. If you’re exercising outdoors, warm up prior to beginning and have the proper equipment so you don’t slip on the snow or ice. Maintaining your wellness routine is essential – talk to your Chiropractor about personalizing your routine to optimize your health in the upcoming months!

Socializing and Mental Health

Socializing regularly is an important way to maintain good mental health, but seniors can sometimes find themselves feeling isolated from family and friends. Lack of socialization can have a negative effect on the brain, and has been linked to conditions like depression, anxiety, and dementia. Socialization has been shown to improve cognition, mood, and memory recall, and can also improve physical health. Some ways to increase socialization include: joining exercise classes or walking groups, speaking with friends and family on the phone or via video conferencing, getting together with a friend to play card games, or joining seniors support groups.

Tips for a Healthy Prostate

Prostate cancer can have very similar symptoms to benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), caused by an enlarged prostate, or sometimes none at all. Signs to look for are urinary symptoms (frequency, urgency), fatigue, back pain or blood in the urine/semen. What can you do to maintain prostate health? Get quality sleep; stick to a diet rich in vegetables/phytonutrients, good fats, lean protein; and exercise! Supplementation (herbal and nutrient combinations) is very beneficial and a non-invasive treatment for BPH. Naturopathic medicine can provide additional support for prostate cancer. This can include decreasing side effects from conventional treatment and supplementation (oral and IV).

Flu Prevention is Key

For some, the flu can bring serious health risks. With flu season being right around the corner, prevention is crucial. Seniors and those with medical conditions, such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, for example, may have a hard time fighting the virus. Whether you’ve been getting a flu shot for many years or you’ve never had one at all, chat with your local pharmacist. They can help you learn more about the available vaccine and additional methods to protect yourself. Get the facts on the flu and stay healthy throughout the season.

HALT Emotional Eating

We are social and emotional beings and while we need food for energy, we also eat for pleasure, social connection, celebration and sometimes to avoid strong emotions. This is normal; however, problems can arise when food is the go-to relief for emotional discomfort. HALT, an acronym formed from: hungry, angry, lonely, and tired is a technique that involves becoming aware of the reason you are reaching for food. If hunger is not the primary driver, take a moment to pause and identify the emotion or situation at play. Then from that place of mindful awareness, you can choose to eat, or you can explore other options to meet your needs and soothe your emotions.

Finding the Courage Needed

There are 6 types of courage required to navigate a pandemic. Physical courage helps us keep strength, balance and resilience. Social courage gives us the ability to be yourself unapologetically when tough decisions need to be made. Emotional courage welcomes the permission needed to feel all our emotions without guilt or shame, learning from our experiences. Intellectual courage strengthens our back bone to do the right thing even when uncomfortable or unprecedented. Spiritual courage allows us to live with purpose and meaning with a compassionate heart with one’s self and others.

One Change at a Time

Fitness is a life long journey. It can’t be earned in one workout, gained by eating well for one week, or through one eight hour sleep. The long-term benefits only come to those who stick with the plan, adapt as life changes, and most importantly enjoy the ride. We call this building healthy habits. Imagine if you ate one apple a day and did 20-30 minutes of varied physical activity 3 days per week. Over one year that would be 365 apples and 78 hours of physical activity accumulated through your habits. Focus on making only one change every 2-4 weeks and watch your life change.

Combining Massage and Movement

Time spent being passive on the massage table feels wonderful, and for those living with insomnia, anxiety, and stress, for example, it’s just the ticket. However, relief is only temporary for those living with a fear or lack of movement due to pain. Another side of treatment needs to happen through movement. Are you ready to take a more effective approach? Would you like to feel more in control of your wellness? Work with a registered massage therapist to explore a combination of movement and massage therapy, and watch your trust in your body’s abilities to heal grow!