Exercise Thoughts
SAFETY AFTER 50
By Grace Douglas
Even the most dedicated exercisers eventually start to weaken with age; people who don't exercise weaken sooner and faster. In addition, a chronic ailment such as hypertension and coronary heart disease - often un-diagnosed - becomes increasingly common after age 50 or so. As a result, middle aged and older people face an increased risk of injuries and ailments from exercise, ranging from simple strains and sprains to fractures, heat stroke, and heart attack. So aging exercisers, particularly beginners, need to take greater precautions or at least to practice the standard precautions more faithfully. The following safeguards apply to exercise of any kind.
1. Get checked - start no program without a visit to your physician.
2. Watch the weather - the body's ability to regulate its temperature decreases with age, so don't exercise outdoors when it's very hot or very cold.
3. Warm up - the older you get, the longer it takes to warm up your muscles, so middle- aged and older people should warm up five to 10 minutes rather than just the two or three minutes that younger folks need. To get warm, march in place, or gently go through the motion of the exercise you're about to perform.
4. Cool down - after the work-out, walk slowly until your heart rate returns to just 10 or 15 beats above resting rate. Stopping suddenly can sharply reduce blood pressure, particularly in older people, causing fainting or possibly even a heart attack.
5. Stretch - finish your work out by stretching. (Learn how to stretch properly by checking with a fitness expert). Don't bounce or stretch beyond the point when you start feeling discomfort.
6. Don't get steamed - avoid hot baths, showers, or saunas right after exercising; heat increases the risk of fainting and possibly heart attack by lowering blood pressure.
7. Drink up - older people get thirsty more slowly than younger people do. To avoid dehydration, don't wait to get thirsty. Try to drink two eight-ounce cups of water about an hour before exercise, another cup every 20 minutes during exercise, and an additional cup or two within a half-hour after the work-out.
8. Don't get jarred - the shock absorbing fat pad on the heel thins with age, the cushioning disks in the spine dry out, and the joints get weaker, so minimize high-impact activities such as running or jumping.
9. Take it slow - if you're a middle-aged or older person who's just starting to exercise you should be able to talk easily during your workouts; otherwise, you're pushing yourself too hard. You can very gradually make your workouts longer and then harder, but never so hard that you can barely talk at all.
10. Check in with a professional fitness person and you will have the time of your life feeling fit.
Grace Douglas has over 25 years experience as a fitness consultant and instructor.
Beauty and Wellness Tips
STAYING COOL IN THE SUMMER HEAT
By Barbejo Eberle
As the seasons change and the heat is on the rise, make sure that you tune into your own special needs for balance. If you find the heat accumulating in your mind/body, take the time to apply cooling therapies. The result will be a fun, memorable summer.
Jicama-Tangerine Salad
- Drink 6-8 glasses of water each day. Drink cooling drinks like peppermint and chamomile tea, watermelon, celery and cucumber juice.
- Eat cooling foods such as asparagus, cucumbers, cilantro, broccoli, apples, pears, melons, grapes, and basmati rice. Avoid hot, spicy, and sour foods.
- Wear cotton or silk clothing; avoid colors that absorb heat such as red, black or orange.
- Bathe in cool water with essential oils of rose or sandalwood.
- Massage your feet and scalp at night with coconut oil to cool the body and take away excess heat.
- Protect your skin with sunscreen when going outside. Apply a lip balm that contains sunscreen. Sunglasses should have smoky gray or green lenses (avoid blue, purple, red and yellow lenses). If you get sunburned, apply aloe vera, coconut oil or cold buttermilk.
- Enjoy the season and take time out to laugh, play and commune with Nature.
15 Minutes to Prepare
Serves 4
Prepare the dressing by mixing together;
Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 c.)
2 tsp raw honey
1 tsp. ground coriander
2 Tbsp. Sesame or sunflower oil
Peel and slice very thinly;
2 c. jicama
Peel and section:
2 c. sweet, ripe tangerines
Toss about 1/2 cup of the dressing with the jicama and tangerine. Put in a pretty serving bowl and garnish with:
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped.
Salt to taste (optional)
This recipe is from the cookbook, "A Simple Celebration" by Ginna Bell Bragg and David Simon, M.D. It is the nutritional program from the Chopra Center for Well Being.
An Herb to Know: Coriander/Cilantro
Coriander is the dried seed, and cilantro is the fresh plant. Their cooling properties make them a good antidote for hot, pungent foods. The fresh juice is good for allergies, hay fever and skin rashes. Can be used externally on skin for itch and inflammation.
Gardening behaviors and activities are improving the environment in my backyard. If you find yourself wanting to plant a tomato or green pepper each spring, listen up- - -there are endless possibilities for you to expand on this ritual and gain more than a few juicy tomatoes.
Grow something new each season. One berry-producing shrub will attract robins and other birds to your yard. Seek out and research different plants and ask your local nursery if they could special-order it for you. These requests help a retailer learn and understand what potential patrons will purchase.
There are numerous resources available in our libraries to learn about a particular interest in gardening that you may have. I understand the Mid-Columbia libraries will soon be purchasing for the periodical shelf in Pasco and Kennewick a new national magazine for gardening with Native Plants called wild Gardens.
Learning about the shrub-steppe habitat which we enjoy outside our urban areas in the Tri-Cities gives me a greater appreciation for native plant material. They are tough and adapted to our climate and attract beneficial insects, which in turn, attract insect-eating birds. Columbia Basin chapter of The Washington Native Plant Society is involved in salvaging plants that are destined to be destroyed. I find homes for these drought-tolerant plants in the dryer corners of my property where the irrigation does not reach sufficiently.
Benefits received from my garden are more then juicy tomatoes since I have implemented plantings for wildlife. Careful planning of our urban land scapes can befriend birds and insects and surround us with beauty. Time spent in the backyard relaxing in this pleasant atmosphere can reduce stress and settle nerves.
It's always fun to share gardening with friends. I encourage families to accommodate their small children's love for digging in the soil by setting aside a small plot that is their very own garden to grow radishes and a few beans. Mother Earth needs our care and it is our responsibility as adults to perpetuate this nurturing through learning to garden at a very young age.
Diane Ackerman nurtures many green things in her back yard and has expanded her interior plant care business, "The Plant Lady", to include exterior garden consultation, design and installation. She is also the vice-president of Columbia Basin Native Plant Society and can be reached at 509-547-3471 or ACK7777@aol.com.
By Diane Ackerman
Until my veterinarian told me to have a chiropractor look at my horse, I had absolutely no idea what a chiropractor could do for me, much less animals! It all started when I thought my horse was having leg problems. She was very subtly going lame in her back legs. My veterinarian checked her out and said her legs were fine, but that I should have a chiropractor who worked on race horses examine her. Knowing nothing about chiropractic, but trusting my vet, I called the chiropractor.
Dr. Baze checked my horse's spine and told me she had subluxations in her neck, middle back and low back. Apparently she was hurting herself repeatedly by jerking back while tied. My curiosity was peaked, so I asked Dr. Baze to also check Rex, my husband's horse.
Rex is an ex-cowhorse that was very stiff and not striding evenly in the rear. We hadn't told Dr. Baze anything about Rex's background, so it was quite surprising when he listed all of Rex's motion problems (without even seeing him walk) by just checking his spine. Then the chiropractor adjusted Rex's hips with a little hand-held device called an activator. Immediately Red could walk evenly and smoothly.
My husband and I were quite amazed! My horse, on the other hand, took four months to start to show improvement. I've since learned that it is not unusual, for the rate of healing to vary. Some people (or animals) have miraculous recovery, while others take time.
The question is, why does chiropractic help animals? Other than having spines that are structurally a bit different than human's, animals still have a brain, protected by the skull. Pets have a spinal cord with branching spinal nerves protected by the vertebrae of the spine. Just as in people, when the vertebrae move out of their proper position or motion, the nerves get squeezed causing a malfunction in the communication system of the body (the nervous system). This is called a vertebral subluxation, or subluxation.
Effects of subluxations can be very serious. According to Gray's Anatomy (a textbook used at all chiropractic and medical schools), every cell, tissue and organ is supplied by nerves. The nervous system coordinates everything within our bodies, telling our hearts to beat, our lungs to absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide, the muscles to contract as we walk or run, and so on. It also coordinates the immune system so we can fight diseases. According to a University of Colorado study, pressure on these nerves, equal to the weight of a dime, interferes with the function of the nerves by up to 60%! That leaves the body working at only 40% of its potential.
So how does the spine subluxate? Often through accidents, sometimes from birth. Pets, like people have accidents, playing roughly. Miracle Guinea Pig (MG) was a class pet who was dropped and paralyzed. Her owner was going to put MG to sleep when she found out about chiropractic care. After one adjustment on the neck and one of the low back, MG stopped screaming. By the next day she was fine.
Hansel is a dachshund who came in with a "slipped disc". Expensive surgery had been recommended, with only a 50% chance of success. After two months of chiropractic care, Hansel is now capable of playing with his six-month old puppy friend.
Since your pet can't talk to you in human-speak, you'll have to watch for more subtle clues. Subluxations are quiet. They don't necessarily cause pain. You may notice your pet walking in an unusual manner. They may be off their feed or simply not be acting normally. One dog that came into my Seattle office was brought in just because she wasn't acting right. With a few adjustments, she was more perky.
I've encountered numerous dogs with paralysis of the low back and legs respond to chiropractic care. although, it is not an overnight fix! Pets that are paralyzed or traumatized take a lot of time and effort to help them heal. And due to the limited capacity of the spinal tissue to heal or compensate, a full recovery may not always happen. Still, it's worth the effort for a faithful pet.
Chiropractic care for animals is relatively new, your vet may not be aware of its benefits. It is extremely important to rule out an emergency or other life-threatening problem first. If in doubt, call your veterinarian. Then call a chiropractor. While chiropractic care is not a substitute for veterinary care, it is a distinct
and separate health care system that recognizes the important role of the spine and nervous system. Chiropractors who work on animals take special courses to learn the specific anatomy and adjusting techniques.
Like any sophisticated and complex system, the spine needs to be checked regularly, just like getting regular dental check-ups, or getting a yearly physical. The frustration of being a chiropractor is that often a problem has been left alone for years and has become very difficult or impossible to correct, when it would have been an easy and simple process early on. Whether your pet is showing signs of problems or not, it's a good idea to have his spine checked. Considering everything you do for your pet, chiropractic is a natural way to improve your pet's health.
Dr Faletti can be reached at 509-736-3348.