The state of your mouth can offer valuable insights into your dental, oral and overall health. Any bleeding when you brush your gums is a sign that you should see your dentist. Unhealthy gums can affect your overall health. Atherosclerosis, clogging of the arteries, has a strong link to gum disease. Pain on biting might mean a cracked tooth. Sugar sensitivity usually indicates a cavity. Tenderness to cold might just need a change of toothpaste. Tenderness to hot is likely to be more serious. The only way to find out, for sure, what’s going on is to see your dentist.

If you’ve overindulged this holiday season, here are some great tips for getting back on track! 1) Practice modified intermittent fasting – start by eliminating nighttime snacking to help support fat burning and better sleep. 2) Increase fibre in the diet for good colon health and binding fat-soluble toxins so they won’t get reabsorbed. 3) Start your day with some warm/room temperature water infused with citrus, cucumber, herbs, ginger, etc. to support fluid intake and liver/kidney health. 4) Practice yoga, Pilates, Qi Gong, or Tai Chi in the mornings to breathe and get blood/lymph moving. 5) Do a sugar detox.

When your loved ones reach a certain age, deaths and funerals become common place; scanning the obituaries becomes a morning habit. Dealing with these losses can take a toll. Funerals play an important part in honouring and remembering the life of someone who was important to you. The living can come together, support each other and share their grief. If your loved one has recently attended a funeral, talking about what they liked or did not like about it, may lead to not only discovering what their wishes are for their funeral, but can help them cope with the loss they have just experienced.

Decluttering is the first step to successful Downsizing. Decluttering has many advantages. It relieves stress through organization, makes room for those things you really need and use, prepares your house for sale and reduces family tension while settling an estate. One of the most important considerations is the fact that 80% of the time we only use 20% of our stuff. This helps us define the first things to consider passing on to family members or donating. Meet your Seniors Real Estate Specialist, SRES®, Sheri Willick – REALTOR® and Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker Signature in Saskatoon for more information on downsizing.

Many people exercise for weight loss, but what about working out so you are better prepared for the activities of everyday life, like carrying in groceries and putting them up? Like having the stamina for a busy day of errands and grandkids? Or climbing up and down the stairs without getting winded? That’s the idea behind functional fitness, an approach that’s increasingly popular with all sorts of people, including those over 50 who want to maintain their independence and quality of life without spending countless hours in a gym.