Seniors Site

One of the easiest tricks to a successful weight loss program is controlling hunger. Contrary to popular notion, hunger doesn’t really lead to weight loss and most of the time, it even backfires and would only make you want to eat more, therefore sabotaging your diet. It goes without saying too that crash dieting is a big no-no and won’t ever get you to lose weight effectively, nor does its effect would last.
For seniors, going hungry in the name of skinniness won’t do you any good. Just think of it this way, did your doctor ever told you to “don’t eat and you’ll be cured”? First of all, no senior is ever recommended of not eating at all, in fact, we’re always encouraged to eat healthy meals several times a day even if these meals are portioned. The point is, you just have to eat, whether you like it or not.
Excluding all would-be health issues, let’s focus on weight loss and hunger management. Below are some helpful tips on how to effectively manage hunger:
· Never, ever miss breakfast. This is the first meal you are going to give your body, this will also be the one which your body will eventually burn so there’s really no harm in having your breakfast every single day. What’s harmful though is when you skip it as there is a chance you’ll end up craving and too hungry for lunch, you’ll eat more than you should.
· Eat eggs in the morning. Eggs are fabulous at keeping hunger at bay. The protein in eggs will keep you full longer than any other kind of food taken in the morning.
· Drink lots of water. If you would like to cut back on your calorie intake, you might want to drink a glass of water before and after a meal. Water makes you feel full while ice cold water makes your body heat up to maintain ideal temperature hence boosting metabolism to burn more calories.
· Avoid anything white such as white bread, white rice as they are refined. You are better off with grainy stuff as they will add fiber in your daily intake.
· Munch on nuts. Nuts are packed full of nutrients you need to ward off hunger. Also nuts, particularly almonds are high in protein, fiber and good fat – a handful is sure to keep you full until your next meal!
· Look for diversions. I once asked a friend who just turned 70 last week what’s the big secret behind her trim and youthful body, she said that the road wasn’t always as smooth as it seemed, that there were times she was hit by cravings so strong she cried but she learned to divert her cravings into activities that instead of taking in more calories, would require her to sweat out, like running or gardening. Just imagine how uncomfortable it would be to run and eat at the same time.

Before a senior reaches a point where he or she is all mellow and embraces a come-what-may attitude, they will go through a phase when emotions run wild – some seniors don’t even get pass it! Young ones should understand that an aging body undergoes tremendous changes – at a very fast rate, at that – that these changes have become harder to accept especially when dealing with other non-age-related ongoings such as loss of a loved-one and financial problems.
The ability to cope with problems is no longer an issue a senior could focus on. Like I said earlier, if a senior couldn’t bring themselves to just accept aging as it comes, it is only natural for this person to feel angry all the time. Whether you’re the caregiver or the senior himself wanting to control your anger, this post points out some things you can do to manage your emotions particularly your anger.
Your comfort comes number one. There’s nothing more annoying than be in a place where you are not comfortable being in. If you are a caregiver, try not to move them from one place to another especially if your senior is going through a hard time. Being in a place where everything is unfamiliar can surely bring on not so good responses from our elderly friends. As much as possible, let them be in a place where they feel safe and comfortable so they could deal with their emotions better.
Try to limit changes. As you are right now, you got your plate full so try to deal with what’s in front of you right now to be able to prevent stress from happening. Take the one-at-a-time approach so you’ll not trigger undesirable emotions.
Taking up new interest and/or hobbies can also help you turn your misunderstood emotions into something more productive. When I’m angry, I go to the gym and have my rage spent on full blown exercising. You’ll not believe how much sweat you’ll be able to get out of your system after a rage-fueled session! More so, you’ll actually feel good and less angry at the end of your exercise session – it certainly beats one session with your mind doctor which usually ends up in more meds to take.
Frustrations almost always end up in anger – even young ones know that! For seniors however, it doubles up the chances since they are most likely to be frustrated how limited their capabilities have become and how helpless they feel most of the time. On top of making your senior comfortable at all times, emotionally and physically, try to make them feel they are still part of the family, and that they still have worth. This way your senior won’t feel worthless.

Indeed home safety is important, however, when caring for a senior suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, it can get doubly important since you have to anticipate situations that are usually not normal in a household. It can get a little stressful especially during your first few weeks on the job and quite frustrating too. To alleviate stress and prevent emergency situations from happening as well, you need all the help you can get most especially from the place where you too are going to spend much of your time together: your home.
When preparing your home for a senior with Alzheimer’s disease, you need to have a lot of foresight. Assess and anticipate situations just like you would when preparing your home for a baby but this time, you also have to consider their size and age. Armed with a notebook to jot down your observations, go over your home and take note of the things you think you need to change or adjust such as that rug that refuses to stay at one place or your spotless tiled bathroom.

· Take out hazardous materials you have been keeping such as cleaning agents, bleach, etc under the sink. Better to store them outside the house or in a part of your house wherein your senior cannot access. If this is not an option then try installing locks on your kitchen cabinet.
· Hide sharp objects and just about anything that can cause bodily harm such as knives, bottle opener, etc. Furthermore, remove anything that looks like food such as fruit-shaped plastics for display as these things can easily confuse a senior with Alzheimer’s disease.
· Install monitors around home. Of course, you don’t have to be all blatant about it instead, discreetly install monitors where your senior is most likely to be left alone such as their bedroom. This will also allow you to do other things inside of home while they are sleeping or not needing immediate attention.
· Be especially aware of electrical units with dials, particularly that of your heating devices. As much as possible, your water heater should be monitored by you when used. Same goes for electric blankets and heating pads.
· Avoid clear glass at all cost. A person, even without Alzheimer’s, can easily be confused by a clear glass, thinking that there is nothing that separates two parts of the house. This usually causes ugly accidents with lots of blood. To avoid this from happening, try sticking decals on clear glass so that your senior will have their point of reference.

I hate to break this to you, my fellow seniors, but there is no getting around exercising. You just have to do it. No amount of sauna sweating sessions can help you achieve the full benefits of exercising, nor those designer exercise-replicating devices you see on TV. However, the beauty of exercising is that you don’t have to spend too much on anything and thinking of all those health benefits by taking the hard road should be enough to convince you that indeed exercising is still the easiest way to a healthy you!
I won’t enumerate the benefits anymore, let’s just say that exercising delays aging, inside and out. I have seen this happen and it is never too late to exercise. Why not start now?
I have listed below everyday exercises that are suitable for seniors. This can be done at home or just about anywhere so there’s no reason for you not to do them!
· Moderate endurance exercises or aerobics. These are activities done to increase your heart rate thus training your body to improve stamina and endurance. Endurance exercises are recommended to be done at least 30 minutes everyday. For this, seniors could join health clubs and aerobic sessions or if time doesn’t permit, brisk walking and running can achieve the same effect.
· Do some squats. Squats, when done properly will strengthen your lower body specifically your hips, glutes and thighs. That means a little tighter around your fanny too! Beware though as squats can get a little tricky so you should get someone to observe you while you do some squats or perhaps do it in front of a mirror so you could see if you are doing it right. Remember that your knees shouldn’t go pass your toes and your fanny should be sticking out. To help you achieve proper form, try doing first couple of squats on a chair.
· Lift weights above your head. Ideally, do this with a fitness instructor around but if there’s none, two identical-in-weight cans or plastic water bottles can do the trick. Above head lifts will give you upper body strength.
· Do bicep curls to improve your lifting ability. Bicep curls add definition to your arms thus preventing the saggy, wrinkly look. Also, training your bicep muscles will help you in lifting everyday objects like your suitcase or your week’s groceries.
· Leg raises to strengthen your lower back. While leg raise is an excellent way of strengthening your lower back, it helps improve your balance too. You can do leg raises sideways and backwards while standing or while lying on your side.
· Stretch whenever you can! Stretching helps your muscles unknot. It also improves blood circulation. Simple stretching routines performed periodically all throughout the day keeps everything inside you oiled and moving.

We all know how bad smoking can get. If it is not so bad, then we won’t find ourselves guiltily smoking a cigarette in hidden corners of our houses or trying to keep a straight face when found right? Smoking at any age is a no-no, more so if you are a senior whose body is at greater risk of having age-related diseases that are usually fatal, if not, really uncomfortable to have. So, in an attempt to further scare you from having another go at that stick of cigarette–and another one after that–here are your top 5 diseases which you can get from smoking:

Before anything else, let me just tell you that smoking is considered as an addiction. Like any other addiction, detecting your problem–or accepting, for that matter–can be quite hard. Listen to people around you, are they starting to notice how much cigarette in a day you are smoking? Or perhaps have joked about it once or twice? If so, then maybe you ought to think about quitting the habit before it’s too late.

* Cancer. If cancer is not scary enough for you then I don’t know what is. As you may know, cancer eats you alive and personally for me, this is the baddest of all diseases a person can have since there is no exact cause hence no definite cure. To be particular, smoking can cause two types of cancers, one being oral cancer and second is lung cancer, both of which can be very painful to have, and yes, fatal too.
* Heart problem. By now, you must know that smoking is one of the leading causes of heart problems. It encourages plaque formation which by itself causes the heart’s arteries to harden and sometimes clog. Smoking is bad for the heart.
* Reproductive system irregularities. Even if you are not planning a baby, it is important for aging adults to protect their reproductive system now more than ever. Women who are known to be smokers have higher risk of developing cervical cancer. For men, your risk for erectile dysfunction also doubles when smoking. Infertility is also a known health condition associated with smoking.
* Lung problem. Of course, this should have been on top of it all as it is very obvious for a person to develop lung problems due to smoking. The most popular ones are chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
* Mouth diseases. Think painful mouth ulcers for starters – and these are your standard-issue, curable by over-the-counter remedies ones which can eventually develop into the more fatal mouth cancer.

Between family obligations, your lifelong obsession, and whatever is keeping your hands off your weekend relaxation, weekend off – and plan for actually having one – sounds more and more of a privilege than a right. It should not be as a study showed that we need our weekends to choose whatever we want to do and leave “working” to weekdays. Professor Richard Ryan did a study relating psychology and weekends. In his study he concluded that those who take weekends off are more well-rounded and productive than those who don’t – and they feel better regardless of age.

Remember that most illnesses are triggered by stress and working yourself to death without hope for a weekend break will surely push you to the edge – or even throw you off edge. Instead of feeling guilty and unproductive by taking your well-earned weekend off, think of it as an investment, a way to save your health as well as your sanity.
Working or nonworking, retired and otherwise, it is important to set aside your weekends to yourself and as much as possible, say “no” to work during these days. Here are some simple ways you can reclaim your weekends and actually enjoy it!
·         Reorganize your calendar. Clear your weekends off of any and all work-related entries, same goes for those you feel are obligations and not in any way beneficial to your well being such as your mom’s dental appointment or your grandkid’s piano lesson. These things can be scheduled during weekdays.
·         Avoid weekend deadlines. If you have to meet a deadline, make it Friday, or if that is not possible then go for Tuesday morning – Monday evening even but NEVER on Saturday and Sunday. Make this a habit.
·         Get all your tasks done within weekdays. This way you avoid doing things on weekends as well as getting rid of that dark cloud that hangs over your head when you opt to rest on weekends. When you know there’s nothing else to do, you’ll be able to enjoy your weekends more.
·         It should be “all about you”. Do whatever relaxes you. If your idea of a relaxing weekend is a good book out the porch or perhaps gardening with your spouse, then so be it. Don’t be too concerned if you weren’t able to plan a “great” out-of-town trip if you don’t really feel like it. The idea of a weekend off is not having any pressure on you at all and enjoying the day at your own phase.
·         Declare a “no-techie day”! Technology has indeed made our lives easier but it can also bring about unwanted stress. An email or a phonecall can easily unearth an emergency task or remind you of a last minute duty. Even if you don’t act on it immediately, it can easily bring back that black cloud of guilt and break the serenity of the weekend.

If there’s one thing we, seniors, avoid the most, it would be falls and slips as we all know the health implications that come with it. However, as we age, it gets a little harder to avoid falls and slips considering those several factors which might lead to a fall or a slip are the exact same things we can’t do without.
I, personally, am conscious of my surroundings and as much as possible, I avoid situations that may lead to a fall and ultimately, bone breakage. But I would rather plan ahead to prevent falls and slips rather than always be on the lookout for potentially bone-breaking situations hence my fall-injury-proof plan, so far, it is working.
It is important to note that the changes in our body are some of the causes why seniors are vulnerable to falling and slipping. Our diminishing sensorial capacity, reaction/reflex time and coordination can all result to falls and slips. Also, the medications we take everyday can also make us disoriented and dizzy doubling our chances for falling and slipping. Below are some useful tips on how to develop your own fall-injury-proof plan:
•    Ask your doctor for bone strengthening supplements which are safe to take considering your current health condition. You cannot just take calcium especially if you are under medication so it is best to consult a doctor and know what it really safe for you.
•    Exercising can strengthen your bones. Lifting weights can improve your muscle tone hence protecting your bone from breakage. Yoga and pilates on the other hand can help you improve your balance.
•    Avoid alcoholic drinks. These things can impair your sense of balance.
•    Avoid extreme temperatures. They can make you dizzy.
•    Avoid wearing high-heeled shoes instead go for rubber-soled, low-heeled ones.
•    Use handrails, guidebars and other assistive devices whenever possible. They will help you maintain proper balance hence avoiding unnecessary falls and slips.
•    Install rubber mats on wet areas of the house particularly inside bathrooms.
•    Wear non-skid, rubber slippers inside your house. This will prevent you from slipping on slippery areas.
•    Never stand on chairs and table. If you need to reach for something, have someone get it for you but never stand on chairs and tables as they might break and fall, bringing you down with them.
•    Adequate lighting inside of home. Or anywhere you walk for that matter. Well-lit areas can help you see if there is an obstacle on your way thus preventing you from falling or slipping on it.
•    Remove rugs and carpets to avoid slipping on them. If this is not possible then have them tacked so they won’t ever move when walked on.

Seniors have been living long enough to distinguish a fad from a real cause. I have had my share of fads, I should know, I was once a flower baby—a hippie, if you call it that—and I am not an ounce ashamed of it. My last fad would be the cleansing diets or liver flushing for some, in an attempt to adapt a somewhat healthy lifestyle, however I was quick to drop that one as I realized I won’t be able to make to another 10years if I keep on “cleansing” my ever resistant body. See? I still have some sense in me!

The first time I ever heard of the word organic, I almost fell off my chair. I whined to myself, “Oh no, not again. Not another fad..” that was me a week after the cleansing diet fiasco. So you could just imagine how adamant I was not to even pick up and read an article about “going organic” or anything with the word “organic” in it. That was me rebelling against fad.

What actually brought me around was a seminar I was able to attend which tackled how little things affect the world as a whole. Profound, but if you were there, you would have realized the little choices we make in life have an effect far greater than we could ever imagine. Just simply forgetting to bring your reusable bag with you and opting to use paper bags while shopping means one less tree to absorb pollution. You may not have intentionally cursed the ill-fated tree but just because you have gotten lazy in remembering the reusable shopping bag, the tree suffered.

I try not to be overly emotional about it however, if you take some time to think of all those floods, earthquake, tsunami along with other natural disasters that have been happening around us, going organic really makes sense and may even be the only way to go.

Going organic, in a way, supports reviving chemically-dead soil—and they be many! It promotes healthy farming by way of organic farming such as composting, crop rotation and natural pest control. I put emphasis on the word “revive” as I consider our soil as badly damaged, if not beyond repair. Futhermore, organic farming eliminates water pollution since crops are cultivated naturally and without the use of chemicals which can eventually seep in to water reserves.

Ethical. That is one good word associated to being organic. Ethical and responsible, I say. Why? It is because going organic encourages you to respect other living things too, animals and plants alike. Commercially-raised farm animals are often subjected to abuse and cruelty and in my honest opinion, it shouldn’t be like that at all. Animals are to be respected too.

It promotes local produce too, if you must know since organic produce has shorter shelf life and won’t survive long hauls and did I say going organic is healthy?

In observance of Easter Sunday, I am giving you amazing egg facts and some good reasons why you should enjoy them today!

•    What to know if an unassuming egg sitting inside your fridge is already rotten or not? Dip it in a glass of water. If it sinks, it is still good to eat, if it floats, it is already rotten.
•    Eggs are good for your eye sight. They were proven to fight macular degeneration since they have lutein, a nutrient important for eye care. Here is an informative brochure about eggs and eye care: Egg: A Delicious Way to Protect Your Eyes.
•    Contrary to popular notion, egg is not a big no-no for those seniors with cholesterol problem. It was found out that an egg a day won’t affect your cholesterol levels in any way.
•    Egg is packed with essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals but it doesn’t have vitamin C. On the other hand, its yolk is one of the few foods that naturally have vitamin D.
•    Egg’s protein is found in its albumen, or the white part, along with other nutrients like niacin, riboflavin, chlorine and magnesium.
•    Eggs are very suitable for seniors since it can be prepared in several ways. It is soft and very easy to chew so seniors, even those without a full set of teeth can enjoy an egg with their meals.
•    Egg is naturally low in calorie which makes it ideal for toddlers, seniors and weight watchers.
•    Egg whites are fat-free and cholesterol-free while the yolk has unsaturated fat—not the type that would raise your cholesterol levels.
•    Eggs are easily perishable especially when raw so make it a habit to always refrigerate eggs, raw or cooked.
•    You could tell the age of the egg by its whites. A cloudy one is very fresh, a clear one is days old while a pinkish one is old or rotten.
•    Keep a healthy hen and you’ll have an egg a day all year round! An average hen will yield around 260 eggs per year.
•    It doesn’t matter what color your egg is—all of them are the same. It’s only a matter of which hen laid the egg.
•    It takes a day for an egg to form inside the hen so if you own a healthy hen, you’ll be rewarded with an egg every single day.
•    Eggs came first since dinosaurs were laying them way before a chicken existed on the face of the Earth.

Since you are starting with—or thinking about—low sodium diet, I would assume that it has something to do with hypertension or managing your blood pressure. If you are a senior or nearing the golden age, it is an already given fact that you will need adjustments with your diet as not every type of food can be accepted by your body anymore. Not everything can be digested and absorbed by your body properly anyway so it is, more or less, useless to fight what nature has in store for you.

In a nutshell, sodium per se, regulates the fluid balance inside the body therefore maintaining proper blood volume and pressure. If your salt intake has become too high for your body to handle, it causes, naturally, hypertension and fluid retention. Do take note too that these conditions are not for seniors to suffer alone. In fact, even kids can suffer from these conditions considering the kinds of food they eat nowadays.

While health implications are just too high to ignore, seniors are finding it hard to maintain proper salt intake since almost all edible things are prepared with salt. Just step into a grocery store and I bet, you’ll find one unsalted—and I mean, really really salt-free—for every 10 digestible-but-laden-with-salt items there. So, here’s a guide, simplified, for seniors who would like to lessen their salt intake:

* Never touch anything “processed”. Anything that is processed is also prepared with salt, in fact, they have the highest sodium levels of all edible things so you might want to avoid them like plague. Your best bet would be fresh, organic produce, even if they cost more.
* Inspect labels and assume the worst. Notice how many items are on the racks nowadays that bear the labels salt-free or less salt or whatever. You don’t just go believing what these manufacturers tell you. If you encounter “salt-free” assume that there is a little salt in it; if you encounter “less salt” then assume that there’s an acceptable amount of salt in there but never believe that there isn’t a grain of salt involved in the preparation, that’s just impossible.
* Plan your meals. Better yet, “rebalance” your diet, only this time, you have to load up on more fruits and veggies which are naturally low in salt. This way, your body will be able to adjust its sodium levels properly.
* Find other salt alternatives. I’m not talking about branded salt substitutes, instead look for natural spices which can give your dishes flavor but not put you at risk for hypertension.
* If you have to use salt, try natural sea salt. Truth be told, refined table salt causes hypertension, not your old, regular sea salt and it is saltier than the refined one so you’re most likely to use less than you normally would.