What Food Labels Really Mean

Food labels can both help us and deceive us. They are generally there to guide you but unfortunately many of them are misleading. It’s hard enough to eat healthily already and the last thing we need is confusing labels. This infographic from HappyCleans takes you through what to keep in mind about food labels for your next trip to the store.

Natural vs. Organic is always an interesting one as many people would assume they are somewhat similar. However, it’s important to know organic is a much more powerful label than natural. Amazingly, the word ‘natural’ helps to sell $40 billion worth of food every year but it has no official definition and any guidelines relating to natural are only recommended. What you should really look for in the store is the organic label as this means that the food contains at least 95% organically produced ingredients.

Another label you may see at the store is one for brown eggs with many believing that they are a healthier and more natural alternative. However, egg color is determined by the breed of chicken that laid it and it does not mean the egg is healthier to eat. Find out more in the infographic.

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Exercise for the Elderly

If you’re an elderly person who has retired, what can you do with 30 minutes of your day? Watch a classic TV sitcom? Complete a crossword puzzle? Try out a new recipe? These are all worthwhile suggestions for passing the time, but here’s another idea to fill a spare half-hour: exercise.

Your physical abilities might have diminished from your middle age years, but it doesn’t need to be hard exercise. A leisurely walk, cycle or swim allows you to get a highly beneficial form of exercise without leaving you gasping for air afterwards. Studies show that obtaining 30 minutes of exercise five days a week can be just as beneficial to an elderly person’s life expectancy as giving up smoking, which we all know is a major step in the right direction.

Exercise doesn’t just help you physically, either. Over time, you’ll genuinely enjoy going for your 30-minute walk, swim or cycle and warming up or cooling off with some handy stretching and balance routines. You’ll feel a lot happier and you’ll have a renewed vigour for other aspects of your lifestyle.

You’ll also experience a welcome self-confidence boost and you may even be the envy of peers who see you merrily describing your day while sporting healthy features!

The below infographic from Home Care Plus (http://www.homecareplus.ie/) outlines an ideal exercise plan for older people and offers encouraging pointers on how to take up (and, crucially, stick with) your 2.5 hours of moderate weekly exercise.

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Resource:

http://www.homecareplus.ie


THE AGING PROCESS AND HAVING FUN WITH IT

The knees hurt. Life is changing but as many great and simple philosophers have said, “It is what it is”. So, do we give up? Many folks have said “My running days are over” when they feel that it’s time to move on to lower-impact workouts such as swimming, walking, weight training, treadmill, among the many to choose from to prolong the fitness’ well-being years. So what do we do at sixty or seventy years of age? Do we run for fun or cutback our training routines? Do we retire from racing or stop running altogether?

It is the old adage of “pay attention and listen to your body”. Can dynamic stretching or more intense weight training, or having a personal trainer, help prolong your running days? I say yes to all the above but for sure this is indigenous to us, the individuals. Meaning, pay attention to injuries. You can do this by researching, doing the trial and error method, or seeking professional opinions. The professionals can be doctors, sport medicine specialists, chiropractors, or whomever you feel is deemed fit to help.

As a sixty year old man, I run 45 minutes in the morning, 5 days a week, and running at a seven minute per mile pace, or less. I lift weights at home, 7 days a week, and my routine is indigenous to me and not the norm. I rarely race anymore but this is more a personal choice, and it’s certainly not to discourage anyone.

It seems some people think that the more running and racing they do, these become the magic bullets to youth, or their savior of sorts. Well we all understand, but you must respect the aging process. I have the body of a 30 year old in my humble opinion, ha ha, but look-wise, of a 60 year old. I have long lean muscles and am at my optimum weight, not a sag on my body from the neck down. But I do not have the same physical ability I had when I was 50 years old. Why, it just happens. One can use clichés but you know them all, about mother time.

I have a long-term acquaintance who was a champion runner and was 8th in the 1968 Marathon Olympics in Mexico City. He is now in his mid-seventies and runs every day and is not fit for running but addicted. He is in severe pain and hobbles when walking. He has not paid attention to nature and it is sad to see. All he needed was a good weight lifting routine and he could possibly have survived if he had a running routine of calculated distances with other smart changes for his advanced age.

Sport is play and running is our favorite sport. I am no expert and I only know what works for me. I have a very interesting variety of a diet which really sticks to laws that are non-traditional. I eat lightly all day long and much heavier night time. I eat pretty much what I want but avoid processed food and eat a highly nutritional diet for breakfast which would be more like someone’s lunch with an off-the-charts salad. I believe strongly in building the immune system, which again is indigenous to me. I have not been bed-ridden from illness for 36 years now. But one must balance the body and not ignore that building strength through weights or resistance exercise will allow us to do what we love to do with a passion, and that is our running.

So get smart and learn. Do not do crazy things like running a marathon unless at the age of 60 or 70 years of age, you are a rarity and the accomplishment for you outweighs the pounding, pain, and the aftermath. But who am I to judge? Although in my opinion, 5k or 10k seems much better, and at our advancing age we can enjoy them. If you must compete and be at the top of your age group, there’s nothing wrong with that. Make sure to have fun!