Understanding Shoulder Pain The shoulder joints represent some of the most complicated architecture in the body. Multiple joints connect your shoulder blade, upper arm, and collarbone.  That is why you can pick up a ball and throw it, carry your groceries in from the car, and reach that thing hiding on the top shelf of your closet.  As people age, shoulder pain becomes more common. According to studies, 21% of people develop shoulder pain as they get older. These injuries are more common in women than men. The damage can be to the joints or the soft tissue around them. What Caus ..read more

Best Low Carb Recipes for Spring Spring is here, and so are the spring fruits and vegetables! There are several low carb chicken recipes and other low carb meals that you can enjoy this spring using in season produce and your favorite protein sources. About Low Carb Recipes As a general rule of thumb, a low carb diet limits carbohydrate intake to 20 to 57 grams of carbs a day. Many low carb diets greatly limit carbohydrates during the early stages of the diet to promote quick weight loss. A low carb diet focuses on protein and some non-starchy vegetables, while limiting grains, fruits, breads ..read more

Back Pain in Older Adults As you get older, you can become vulnerable to back pain. According to Spinal-Health.com, 84% of people over the age of 55 experience some degree of back pain. The exact cause depends on many factors, but one possibility is osteoarthritis of the facet joints in the spine.  There are things you can do to help manage your pain and be more mobile, like stretches for your lower back. These are some of our favorite stretches for back pain.  When Should You See a Doctor About Back Pain? If you are noticing stiffness in your back or lower back pain, then home care ..read more

Guide to Intermittent Fasting Intermittent fasting is a form of dieting that’s been popular for some time, so let’s shed some light on it. This article dives into what intermittent fasting is, how to do it, how intermittent fasting can be beneficial, and ultimately whether or not it is worth trying! What Is Intermittent Fasting? Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where you cycle between eating fasting. It ultimately falls into the category of caloric restriction where in a sense you are limiting the amount of calories you eat each day. How to Intermittent Fast Intermittent fasting comes ..read more

If you are a senior trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, you know how tough it can be. You may already know that you can drop those extra pounds and keep them off by reducing your intake of carbohydrates. But do you know what to eat on a low carb diet? Low carb diets became popular in the United States more than 150 years ago, after a British undertaker published a diet book in 1860 that called for limiting sweets and starchy foods. Popularity of low carb diets resurged with the introduction of the Atkins diet in 1972. These early diets were hard to maintain – the 1860s plan re ..read more

What Are Some Good Balance Exercises for Seniors?  There is more involved in good balance than being upright. Balance is a primary key to moving through your daily life and to injury prevention. That's true if you are a world-class athlete or someone enjoying retirement.  Exercises for balance strengthen that critical asset. For seniors, that becomes even more important to prevent falls and stay active. What Is Balance?  Put simply, balance is the ability to stay upright despite environmental stressors. Balance is so important that it takes three separate systems to ensure it: v ..read more

Best Ways to Lose Belly Fat It gets harder to lose pesky belly fat as we get older because of hormonal changes that make our metabolism slow down and any potential pain or mobility issues you may be facing that make it more difficult to exercise. However, the best exercises to lose belly fat are ones that give the abdominal muscles a workout. These muscles make up your core, which is the group of muscles that surround your spine, abdomen, and hips. Working these muscles is the best belly fat burner known. What is Belly Fat? Humans have two main types of fat: subcutaneous fat and visceral fat ..read more

Stretching helps to reduce the effects of age-related diseases such as arthritis. It also makes your body more flexible, which, in turn, helps improve your balance and is crucial for fall prevention.  No matter your age, dynamic stretches are the key to injury prevention and increased mobility. Work through stiffness, tightness, and pain with these dynamic chair stretches! These deep stretches improve the range of motion and tension release.  This class includes neck stretches, back stretches, core stretches, hip stretches, glute stretches, hamstring stretches, ankle stretches, and i ..read more

Ankle Mobility and Ankle Pain Mobility refers to how you move, which is critical to staying flexible. Flexibility is something that tends to decrease as a person gets older. Maintaining it allows you to do those everyday things you love, like gardening, walking, or playing with your grandkids.  Staying flexible will help reduce your risk of injury, too. You are less likely to strain muscles or tear ligaments. For example, ankle weakness can cause you to roll your foot unexpectedly when you walk, tearing the ligaments. It may also be beneficial if you have chronic ankle pain. Mobility exer ..read more

Get Your Green On with These St. Patty’s Day Recipes For this year’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities, deck yourself out in the green – food, that is. This holiday is usually filled with salty, fatty foods (we’re looking at you, corned beef) that can be very bad luck for your waistline and for your overall health. Fortunately, there are several St. Paddy’s Day recipes that are better than a pot of gold – here are just a few. Kiwi Parfait Kiwi parfait is an easy snack or quick breakfast treat that you can make in 10 minutes or less, without ever turning on your oven or stove! Kiwis are delightful ..read more