Madeline Hogan for televeda.com
Staying active is important for all ages, but it’s especially important to do as we age. Exercises has various important benefits for seniors, including:
Starting (or augmenting) a fitness routine is a great way to support healthy aging, but it’s important to find workouts that work for you. Do you have a tough time standing for a while? Do you want to improve your balance? Are you looking for something fun, or more relaxing?
Here are five exercise ideas for seniors to try at home, with some options for everyone!
Chair Yoga is a great exercise routine to help with flexibility, strength, and balance. It’s accessible for everyone, while still providing numerous health benefits including: increased flexibility and strength, reduced stress, and improved pain management.
Essentially, Chair Yoga is a modified version of yoga where you are doing most, or all, of the moves while seated in a chair. From arm strength to core work, to flexibility, Chair Yoga offers a wide range of movements you can try from the safety of a chair.
While we’re on the topic…! If you have any limited mobility or are recovering from an injury, all chair workouts are a great option to keep active. Chair workouts offer a lot of variety, meaning they can provide cardio or muscle-strengthening benefits.
Some cardio chair workout ideas:
Some strength-building chair workout ideas:
Speaking of strength training, this exercise form is incredibly important for people of all ages to include in their workout routines. Regularly including strengthening exercises in your workout routine is essential to staying strong and vital during older adulthood.
Strength training movements are relatively to learn, and have been proven safe and effective through years of research.
Strength training has a variety of benefits for older adults, including:
Note: you don’t have to start lifting heavy weights! Resistance training–using your body weight as weight–is very effective too. Plus, feeling strong physically helps promote mental and emotional strength as well.
Tai Chi is a blended mind-body practice that began in China. It’s one of the most popular exercises for older adults, and helps with balance, flexibility, and strength, as well as promotes longevity.
It also provides mental benefits, such as improved memory function and reduced cognitive decline.
There are several different Tai Chi styles to choose from, depending on goals and ability level. You can check out these beginner Tai Chi videos to get started.
5.Dance
It’s not just about having fun! Dancing improves agility, posture, and muscle memory. Studies have also shown dancing regularly reduces dizziness and helps prevent cognitive decline.
So, whether you want to learn a dance routine, or just enjoy swaying to a favorite tune, dancing is a great cardio exercise for seniors to do anywhere, alone, or as a group activity.
Flexibility is a very important (and sometimes forgotten) aspect to one’s health, especially as we get older. Increased flexibility allows for a larger range of motion in the joints, improves posture, and reduces chance of injury.
Stretch after some light cardio to make sure your muscles are “warm,” before pushing them. You can also check out these full body stretches that are perfect for seniors to increase their mobility.
Note, before starting any new exercises or exercise routines, check in with your primary care physician. Especially if you are recovering from an injury or have a fairly sedentary lifestyle, you want to make sure that the exercises you start doing are safe for you.
Once approved, get started with any of these exercise ideas. Staying active, building strength, and growing your flexibility will help you stay safe and healthy for longer.
With Mother’s Day this weekend, this is a great time to take a moment to honor all of the hard-working women in our lives — our friends, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, stepmothers, ourselves, and of course, our moms.
This Sunday, thank a woman in your life other than your mom for the contribution she has made in who you are today. And if you are blessed to still have your mother around, as I am, make her day special indeed.
I’m so grateful for my mom, Emily Link, as well as my stepmom, Christa Powell, who both instilled in me the values and beliefs that made me a better person.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of coaching countless moms who work tirelessly to grow profitable businesses while they take care of their families. Women who are hardworking and driven, while also serving as outstanding role models for their children – as my mother and stepmother both did – deserve more credit than they are often given.
I believe that the lessons we learned from our mothers can be applied to the world of business in valuable and important ways. So today, I’m going to share with you 5 of the values we learned from our mothers that are important to maintain in business.
1. Service
Mothers are the glue that hold our communities together. In giving back to the communities that have given so much to them and their children, moms teach us the importance of serving from a young age.
Many of us started our own experiences volunteering toddling after our mothers as they served at churches, schools, and other community organizations. Participating in service at a young age instills a sense of service that never goes away.
Before we move on, I want to take a moment to tell you about a very special service project.
Yesterday, The Women Of Community Impact held our annual Mother’s Day dinner service project at Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children’s Shelter. 16 special mothers and their 26 beautiful children had their days brightened by this event. They dined on a fabulous 5 course meal sponsored by individual donors, as well as Longhorn Steakhouse, Tacos & Tequila Mexican Grill, and Olive Garden on fine linen tablecloths, napkins, and centerpieces sponsored by Imagecom Group.
The children enjoyed a festive piñata filled with candy and party items sponsored by DD Faces and a craft project sponsored by Macaroni Kid, as well as a lovely Mother’s Day gift they participated in making for their moms sponsored by The Original Love Box Foundation. The mothers received gifts provided by The Lavender Bar, TABLE Ministries, Beyond the Ribbon, Plan Bee, Chick-Fil-A, and Melanie Hillstead Dame.
It takes a village to bring together an event like this one, and we so appreciate our sponsors, as well as our individual donors. If you’d like to contribute, it’s not too late! Contact me on my website or message Women of Community Impact on Facebook to arrange a donation.
2. Self-Reliance
My mother valued independence, and her aim was always to teach my siblings and I the skills we needed to thrive as adults. Never one to step in and do our homework or chores for us — even when she could have done a better job, I’m sure — she helped us develop an appetite for learning, critical thinking skills, and self-confidence that have served each of us well as we have been business owners for the last 30+ years.
I’ve applied the same method to building my team. Even if I think I can do a task faster or better, I focus on providing my team with the tools and resources that they need in order to fulfill their responsibilities up to my expectations.
Focus on creating a culture where questions are welcomed, growth is fostered, reasonable mistakes are forgiven, and gratitude is abundant. Ensure that your team gets the support they need to thrive independently, and you’ll see incredible results.
3. Achievement Through Hard Work
My mother taught us that you can’t achieve success without a strong work ethic. Indeed, all mothers are excellent examples of this. They aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty and do the less than glamorous tasks involved in childrearing and home-keeping. They wear a multitude of hats: caregiver, breadwinner, nurse, therapist, chef, confidante, friend, disciplinarian, chauffeur, and the list goes on.
The same can be said about successful professionals. Being willing and able to jump in and do any task necessary for the betterment of the business is part of leading with a servant’s heart. With determination, persistence, focus, and action, any goal is within your grasp.
4. Respect
My mother instilled in us that you can’t achieve success without a commitment to treating people with love and respect. This has been a cornerstone of my business philosophy from the beginning.
Respect and care for others make a successful business person. By always honoring your word, you build a good reputation. And good or bad, word travels fast. You’ll gain more clients — and better clients — as well as build a team by putting people before profits.
5. Delegating
I remember my mother delegating when I was a kid, and then as my siblings and I became teenagers, she often delegated to us. The happiest, most fulfilled mothers learn to delegate the tasks they can’t or don’t wish to do, and it’s the same way with running a business.
At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I encourage the business owners and professionals I work with to explore finding ways to delegate in their businesses and their personal lives. If you excel at marketing but struggle with balancing the books, delegate to an accountant. When you spend the bulk of your time doing what you do best, and delegate the rest, your business will thrive and you’ll enjoy your work more while avoiding burnout.
Do you have trouble delegating the parts of your business that you struggle with? If so, contact me today to master the ability to do what you love and outsource the rest.
5 tips you need to make your travel decisions
Does anyone, besides me, find the travel world pretty crazy and hard to follow? One day we can’t travel to a certain country. The next day we can but we need a negative COVID test. The next day, the country is closed again.
OR have you had the scenario where you booked a cruise in 2020 that was cancelled. You took the generous credit and rebooked only to have the new cruise cancel as well. You hear “cruising has opened” but the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has a “no sail” from US ports. Maybe it will be OK in July. So, now what?
Even as a travel advisor, it is challenge keeping up with the ever-changing travel openings, closings and restrictions. Let me share with you five tips I use with my travel clients to help them with the decision to travel or not to travel.
There is talk that the senior population will be the leaders in opening the world of travel. Why? They were first to be vaccinated. Of course, there is never NO risk. On a scale of 1-10, where are you on taking the risk of exposure to COVID? One is “I’m not going to leave my house. Ten is “I have no concerns.” Your score determines when and how you want to resume travel. Low scores may want to consider US travel and stay closer to home. High scores may be ready to book the cruise or travel overseas as the opportunities arise.
The CDD and State Department updated their travel advisory list on 4/19/2021 to include 80% of the countries worldwide that are now included in the Level 4 travel advisory. Level 4 is the “Do Not Travel Advisory”. However, the reasons for each country vary. We also have the European Union (EU) saying on 4/26/2021 that they expect the EU countries to be open mid-summer 2021 for individuals who are vaccinated. HOWEVER, on May 1 Greece opened to US tourists that are vaccinated or have a negative COVID test. You can see why going with general information does not give you the details you need to make an informed decision. Once you know where you want to go, you will need guidance and research to help you decide. You can do that on your own OR use a travel advisor. I am answering questions like this every day as more and more individuals are preparing to travel.
The travel companies used to be very strict in their cancellation and payment policies. Pre-COVID, did you ever try to change an airline ticket and have NO charge for doing so? Flexibility is the new norm. Airlines were known for their high re-booking or flight change fees. Not anymore. Zero to minimal fees have been the new policy. How long will this last? Anyone’s guess but you need to be clear before you move forward with your travel plans.
Flight cancellations or delays, medical issues and resort changes are just a few of the reasons to have travel insurance. A recent client was staying at a lovely all-inclusive in Cabo. The husband became ill with a bowel obstruction and was in the hospital for 2 days. Thankfully, he recovered well and was able to return to the resort. They needed to add 2 days to their stay to allow him to rest in order to fly home. Travel insurance covered the $4000 hospital bill and the additional resort stay. Of course, you always hope you don’t need it, but it is a safety blanket for those unexpected things that can happen while you are away.
The decision to travel or not is always up to you. Having a travel partner to assist you with knowledge and resources can take the stress out of the joy of travel. Why use a travel advisor? Here is my commitment to my clients:
Ingredients:
2 large sweet red peppers
1/3 instant brown rice
2 tablespoons hot water
3/4 cup canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan Cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 F
These stuffed vegetarian peppers are nutritionally balanced in their own right. The rice and beans combined provides the complete proteins that are needed daily. A side garden salad would be an appropriate side dish with this meal or the peppers can be the only meal since they contain all the nutrients from the food groups.
Total Calories: 361 Calories.
When you are of a certain age the word “downsizing” becomes a regular part of your vocabulary. My husband and I have been slinging it around for the last several years. Staying home during COVID motivated us to take the first step and begin what we refer to as “The Purge”. First, you must understand, Steve and I are not hoarders, we are actually neat freaks. I used to tell people that we had a couple of children, but they moved out when they were toddlers because of our stringent rules on leaving toys lying around. Seriously, not many people can live with people like us.
That said, no matter how OCD you are, you can’t help but accumulate more stuff than you ever could want or need if you stay in your home for more than a decade. We’ve been in our house for three decades. So from March 2020 through February 2021, we gave away, sold, shredded, burned, discarded, and donated a plethora of stuff. Then with the housing market high and the interest rates low, we decided it was time to put a For Sale by Owner sign in the yard. However, I’ve watched just enough HGTV to know that I still had too much clutter. The next day I took down all of the photographs, the watercolor painting of our cat, and anything that indicated sentimental human beings lived in the place. Within 24 hours the house was no longer a home, but it was ready for sale.
I created an excel spreadsheet with tabs indicating what we would take to the apartment in Ohio we’d signed a lease on, take to our retirement home in Hilton Head, or sell. There was also a list of items along with names of friends and family who at one time while visiting they made a comment that they liked it. I volunteered the antique fire extinguisher to a distant cousin who had been a volunteer firefighter, a wind chime made of grandma’s spoons was scooped up by another cousin, ceramic fruit Peg had commented on went to Peg whether she wanted them or not.
My poor sister was saddled with three loads of furniture and photo albums from our parents (who were borderline hoarders) because she actually did have children that should have things from their grandparents (of course, they won’t want said things, but now that’s sis’s problem when she is downsizing). An antique dealer made me a deal on my antique furniture (he got the deal, I didn’t). Nieces and children of friends who are moving out of their parent’s homes came by and “shopped”. My husband loaded a U-Haul and drove it to South Carolina.
On our way back from dropping off the moving van in Savannah, Georgia we sold our home in Ohio. The good news is the buyers want 80% of the furniture that is left. My sister-in-law’s-neighbors-daughter-in-law wants 10% of the remaining 20%, but somehow the math doesn’t add up because I still had a house that was about 50% full so I held a two-day moving sale. Even then, the AmVets truck was full when they pulled out.
In the midst of “The Purge” I came across this plaque that hung just inside our front door of our childhood home.
“My house is small,
No mansion for a millionaire.
But there is room for love
And there is room for friends
And that’s all I care.”
At 900 square feet and lifelong friends met on that street, no truer words have been spoken.
When Steve and I bought our place on Old Farm Drive – three times larger than the homes either of us grew up in – we felt like millionaires. But it wasn’t just the size that made us feel wealthy, it was the neighbors we met over the thirty plus years – some that have moved on, some that have sadly passed on. It was the Mother’s Day brunches, the Father’s Day grill outs, the Christmas Eve-Eve celebrations, the summer parties and the small intimate backyard gatherings we hosted that made us feel like Moira and Johnny Rose before they lost it all.
Steve was the one who wanted to move back in 1990. I could have stayed in our quaint little ranch on the West Side forever. I’m not a transient person, but he bribed me with the promise of getting a cat. So we did what very few West-Siders do, we crossed Vine Street and moved to the East Side. It was like relocating to another country. I didn’t even speak the language. But shortly thereafter, a sweet little calico kitten named Ali found her way here and all was well.
We began to fill the rooms with furniture, put color on the walls, and made our new house our own. Over the years Old Farm Drive served as an animal shelter, a party hall, gym, soup kitchen, corner office and even a nursing home when parents lived with us or Steve and I convalesced from colds, backaches, heart-aches, heart failure, cancer and COVID. The four walls sheltered us from many a storm, both hypothetical and from Mother Nature. It wouldn’t be nearly as hard to leave if Steve hadn’t created such a lovely oasis. Oh how I’ll miss eating dinner on the patio listening to the trickle of the fountain! I’ll miss seeing the daffodils blooming in the woods from my office window. I’ll miss the chirping of crickets on warm summer night. I’ll miss the predawn, faraway sound of a train from the bottom of the hill. I’ll miss the beauty of nature just outside our back door – deer, hawks, cardinals, turtles, squirrels, chipmunks, field mice and rabbits. I’ll even miss the moles or occasional snake (but I know Steve won’t miss those). I’ll miss the front grass with stripes that rival Great American Ballpark.
But it’s not a yard or dwelling that makes a home. It’s the neighbors and the neighborhood. I can’t imagine how many steps I’ve logged on my Fitbit over 31 years traipsing through the adjoining subdivisions but I know the time is right to follow a new path.
Steve keeps telling me it’s just a house. But to me it’s been so much more.
As I walk through the now-vacant rooms I wonder how something so empty can make my heart so heavy?
Wasn’t it just yesterday that I walked through the front door wondering how something so empty could make my heart so full?
“I don’t feel old.” Andrea was in her late seventies when she told me she still feels like a teenager most days. I met her a few years earlier when we started working together. A vivacious modern woman with a voguish coiffure and stunning smile. She appeared to move with conviction, but told me she mostly felt “invisible” and wanted to “boldly move into the next chapter with confidence– so what now?”
She is not alone.
It is common for older adults to lose confidence as their body changes and they face life-altering events, like retirement, health issues, and loss of a spouse. Although age often brings a lifetime of experience and valuable wisdom, older women especially are vulnerable to feelings of unworthiness. Feelings that they are unattractive or undeserving of attention from others, or that society no longer cares about them occupy their mind. The result is self-doubt, fear, and negative self-talk take residence during their golden years, while confidence gets evicted.
“Don’t feel bad if you can’t do everything you once did, or at the same level of intensity,” I told her during one of our coaching sessions. Adding, “It is important to stay focused on your achievements and keep growing and learning when these negative feelings arise.” After working with hundreds of women, I know that it is never too late to regain confidence. However, there is an art on how to do it so it sticks. We must address the obstacles that keep us from feeling confident, for our ambiguous friend (confidence) to reappear.
Here are 5 useful tips to get you started:
How do you deal with negative self-talk or low self-esteem?
Do you need help setting boundaries, removing self-doubt, or speaking up to be heard?
It is never too late to develop confidence. Whether you are ready to find your voice or re-enter the workplace after a change of life, these are only 5 of the numerous tips you can learn by working with a confidence coach.
ABOUT DARA
Dara Connolly is the author of the new book Flip Your Fear and founder of PTC™– an award-winning confidence program for women. Dara helps women who are tired of getting talked over or ignored– speak to be heard, kick fear to curb, be TEDx confident!?
A nationally recognized expert in the field of confidence, Dara has coached over 10,000 women and has been featured on FOX, CW, The Connect Show, Dr. Laura, and other media outlets.
************************************** WATCH DARA’S TEDx!
Ingredients
4 Tbsp Sweet chilli sauce
Juice of 1 lime
4 – 5 oz of skinless salmon fillet, cut into large chunks.
oil, for drizzling
Method
Step 1 Combine the sweet chili sauce and lime juice in a bowl. Pour half
the mixture into a bowl for serving. Thread the salmon onto 4
skewers and brush with the remaining chilli sauce. Marinate for
20 minutes
Step 2 Heat a griddle pan until very hot. Shake excess marinade from the
kebabs, then drizzle withoil, season and griddle for 8 minutes,
turning occasionally until the salmon is opaque and comes away
easily from the pa. Serve with the dipping sauce
Total time for prep 30 minutes. Easy to follow Serves 4
We all love a good road trip. What’s better, particularly with flying a little challenging, than loading up in a car and driving somewhere new? Check out these wonderful scenic drives in the USA.
Scenic drives in the USA are a little different. We’re talking driving for the sake of driving, journeys that don’t have a destination, but instead offer beautiful views and new perspectives, giving passengers a chance to meditate as the surroundings slip by. As Alain de Botton says, “Journeys are the midwives of thought,” and few pastimes offer such opportunities to cogitate like a pop philosopher.
WEST
Chuckanut Drive, Washington
Distance: 21 miles
The quickest way between Vancouver and Seattle is the I-5. But like any direct route, the fast food–ridden freeway can get monotonous. So detour for a few miles along Chuckanut Drive, which laces its way along the coast between Chuckanut Mountain and Puget Sound past locally owned cafés, a generous handful of parkable viewpoints, and Bat Caves trailhead (a wooded path winds down to the flying creatures’ rocky home).
Pacific Coast Scenic Byway, Oregon
Distance: 350 miles
Completing the whole of this curvey coastal 101 route in one day wouldn’t be fun (it’d take you hours), but the scenic drive can be taken in smaller doses. Start at Garibaldi, a 90-minute drive from Portland, then head north to Astoria in Oregon’s northwest corner, passing artsy Cannon Beach, wildlife hot spot Ecola State Park (also great for tidepooling, hiking, and surfing), and another outdoor recreation favorite, Nehalam Bay State Park. Or turn south, visiting Tillamook (home to the eponymous creamery) before heading west along the Trees to Sea scenic byway and then south for the Three Capes Scenic Loop. End with a beer on the beach at Pelican Brewery in Pacific City.
Hurricane Ridge, Washington
Distance: 17 miles
Hurricane Ridge is the most accessible mountain area in the near-million-acre wilderness of Olympic National Park, offering memorable views without overly technical driving (although it’s often closed in the winter).
Pebble Beach, California
Distance: 17 miles
You have to pay for this drive, but it’s worth it. Your $10.50 gets you more than a dozen miles of circuitous roads winding between Monterey cypress trees along California’s surf-drenched rugged coast near the equally pretty town of Carmel. Lone Cypress is a popular spot, but there are numerous places to pull off the road. The coastline further north, in Pacific Grove, is another (free) scenic drive worth an hour or so.
Los Caminos Antiguos, Colorado
Distance: 128 miles
Colorado has 26 scenic and historic byways, but Los Caminos Antiguos is among the state’s most memorable. Winding its way through the San Luis Valley, it passes Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (where you can slide down 750-foot dunes on a disk) and Fort Garland, a historic military outpost with an exhibit that describes the role of African American soldiers in the expansion of the West.
Other scenic road trip options in the West include a stretch of the famous Highway 1 on California’s Mendocino Coast and the Beartooth Highway that stretches from Montana to Wyoming.
NORTHEAST
Connecticut River Byway, Vermont
Distance: 410 miles
This is another long one, but pick a stretch and you can’t go wrong—particularly in fall when the leafy backdrop is painted shades of red, orange, and yellow. Running from Vermont’s Green Mountains to New Hampshire’s White Mountains, on both sides of the Connecticut River and past 53 communities and 10 waypoint centers, it’s Vermont’s only designated National Byway.
Hawk’s Nest, New York
Distance: 70 miles
Starting in Port Jervis, about a 90-minute drive out of New York City, and snaking along a mountain ridge by the Delaware River, this scenic drive commands you to slow down and enjoy it—due to both the views of the wooded cliffs tumbling into the river and the winding nature of the section of State Route 97 it follows. Continue all the way up to tiny Hancock, where you can get out and kayak down a stretch of the river for another view.
State Route 169, Connecticut
Distance: 36 miles
Rolling hills, pristine woodlands that come into their own during fall, quaint New England towns, colonial farms—this short ride has it all. Running north to south through the northeastern portion of the state known as the Quiet Corner, it’s a calm, peaceful drive that’s part of the undeveloped and rural Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor.
Other great road trips in the Northeast include New Hampshire’s Kancamagus Highway, Massachusetts’s Mohawk Trail, and Maine’s Park Loop Road.
SOUTH
Overseas Highway, Florida
Distance: 125 miles
Running from Miami all the way south and west to the tip of the Florida Keys, this stretch of U.S. Route 1 follows the course of the historic Florida and East Coast Railroad. A hurricane knocked out the tracks in 1935, but a few years later the road reopened as a highway, often suspended high above the archipelago of some 1,600 islands, that whisks visitors past palm trees, beaches, coral reefs, and crocodile habitats.
Loop 360, Texas
Distance: 14 miles
A short drive out of Austin, Loop 360 gives you a whistlestop look at Texas Hill Country, with views of the state Capitol and the University of Texas, as well as a crossing over the Colorado River on the striking Pennybacker Bridge. It gets busy at rush hour, so plan your drive outside the usual commuting hours. It’s accompanied by a bike trail, too.
Longleaf Trail, Louisiana
Distance: 23 miles
The Louisiana Byways program includes 19 scenic drives, taking in all the state’s famous signposts: bayous, live oaks, and more than a few alligators. This trip, though, winds its way through the Kisatchie National Forest, passing the eponymous pine trees and a rockier terrain of mesas and buttes, as well as plenty of opportunities for hiking if you need to stretch those legs.
Looking for longer road trips in the South? Set the nav for 200 miles of Texas Hill Country or try Alabama and Georgia’s Civil Rights Trail.
MIDWEST
Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive, Illinois
Distance: 26 miles
Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive is a must for architecture fans who like their buildings complemented with parks and beaches. Following the contours of Lake Michigan, it’s a scenic drive featured in several movies (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Blues Brothers) and best driven northwards. The Chicago Lakefront Trail is a mixed-use walking and cycling path if you want to see it all at a slower pace.
Lake Superior Byway, Wisconsin
Distance: 70 miles
Another scenic drive that’s particularly pretty in the fall, the Lake Superior Byway follows the southern shoreline of its namesake lake, through the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness Area, taking in several sandy beaches and cute harbor towns along the way. The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is here, too, a small archipelago with one inhabited island (Madeline). Hire a boat or a kayak and explore the sea caves, which turn into magical ice caves in winter.
Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway, South Dakota
Distance: 70 miles
With the Crazy Horse Memorial, Mount Rushmore, and Badlands National Park, South Dakota is home to plenty of impressive sights set among memorable scenery. But for a truly stunning drive, try the Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway, which curves its way through granite tunnels and around pigtail bridges as it passes through both Custer State Park and Black Elk National Wilderness Area before passing the famous presidential faces.
For more road trip ideas in the Midwest, try Minnesota’s North Shore Scenic Drive or Michigan’s Historic Upper Peninsula.
Protein is constantly in the spotlight. High Protein Diet is all the rage. Protein Supplement sales are booming. The food industry is adding protein to everything from breakfast cereals, snack bars, pasta,and smoothies. Benefits of Proteins include their importance for brain growth, healing and for living power. Most people do not need all that extra protein and there are some downsides to over doing it. Most Americans already get more than the recommended amount of dietary protein. At this point time, research does not support the need for excess protein in the healthy and sedentary population.
The actual amount of dietary protein your body needs depends on a number of factors including your age, weight, height, age, sex, activity level and health status. In the U.S. the Recommended Dietary Allowance(RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day or .36 grams per pound of body weight. However a lot evidence supports a high protein intake for weight loss and other health benefits.
Protein performs the following roles
Appetite and Fullness. Eating more protein may help suppress hunger and appetite for hours after eating. Protein is digested much slower in the body than carbohydrates and fats
Protein digestion boosts metabolic rate by 20 to 35% compared to 5 to 15% increase for digesting carbohydrate and fat. When caloric intake is reduced the metabolism slows down. This is partly due to muscle loss. This suggests that a higher protein intake can help protect against muscle loss and keep the metabolic rate up.
Protein has the ability to suppress appetite, promote fullness and increase metabolism to facilitate
Besides having favorable effects on weight protein may help improve health in several other ways:
The optimal amount of protein to eat is controversial. Another factor is that protein requirements are “not a one size fits all” approach to determine the caloric requirements. Protein requirements are difference from one individual to another.
The protein needs are calculated based on size (weight/height), sex, activity level, and health status. Clients in a sedentary state will require less protein than the clients that are highly active such as an elite athlete. Protein is calculated using the following formula 0.36/lb or 0.8g/kg/day. This ratio is used for clients that are mildly active or sedentary. For an elite athlete or very highly active client, the following formula would be appropriate: 1.5-2.0g/kg/day or .75 or >/lb.
A high protein diet is easy to follow and can be customized according to food preferences and health related goals. For example the client may want to follow low carbohydrate, high protein diet to keep blood sugar under control. If dairy products need to be avoided, a diet rich in proteins like meats, chicken, eggs, and legumes can be in a meal plan. Even the vegetarian diet can be high if it includes eggs or dairy and plenty of legumes and plant proteins.
Here are the basic guidelines for following a high protein diet.
Sample Of High Protein Meal Plan
Breakfast : 3 eggs, 1 slice of whole grain toast with1 tablespoon of almond butter and a fresh pear.
Lunch: Fresh Avocado and Cottage Cheese salad and an orange.
Dinner: 6 ounces of steak, chicken, or fish. Sweet potato and grilled zucchini.
Around 65 percent of adults in the US report they are trying to eat more proteins. Unfortunately many high protein diets tend to be low in plant food and rely on animal products. This dietary pattern can be high in sodium, saturated fats, and heme iron and ow on healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and healthy plant oils. There are some health concerns associated witha very high protein diet.
Some studies have shown that excessive dietary protein could stress the pancreas and insulin secretion long term. Other ingredients in high animal protein diets like too much heme iron from red meats could also be harmful.
Protein influences how hard the kidney works. Current studies seem to indicate healthy kidneys can handle excess protein intake. However for clients with reduced kidney function would benefit from adhering to the recommended formula: 0.8/kg/day or 0.36/lb for slow kidney function decline.
Generally the high protein diets are safe and healthy for most people. On the other hand clients who already have moderate to advanced kidney disease will need to reduce their protein intake in order to preserve remaining kidney function. In addition, people with liver disease or other serious health conditions will need to check with their doctor before beginning a high protein diet.
Replacing some animal proteins with plant proteins was associated with a protective effect according to some studies. A healthcare provider or a Registered Dietitian can advise on the amount of protein that is needed in every client.
Overall a high protein diet that is balanced with fruits, vegetables, grains, and plant oils is to be considered safe.
Mary Anne Chadbourne
Growing up in the suburbs meant that weekend journeys to my maternal grandparent’s farm were out of the ordinary adventures. We would climb into the car, each of my four-person nuclear family in their respective seat and make the two-hour trek. As soon as we saw the seasonally suited penguin statue at a specific house, my sister and I knew we were in the final leg of the trek. Soon, fields surrounded us, and the scent of fresh manure periodically engulfed the car. I did not even mind. It meant we were in the country.
Lessons abounded growing up, and the time at Grandma and Grandpa’s house was not exempt from learning and now life-long memories. I can still hear Grandma’s shrill call to the cats which signaled the stampede of outdoor cats for mealtime, “Here kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty! Here kitty, kitty, kitty, kit-ee” with the final syllable pronounced with an upward inflection. I can still smell her homemade bread that always used a bit of lard that perpetually sat on the kitchen counter. And mealtime was flanked with before and after prayers. Grandpa would occasionally offer some special one-on-one time and drive us around for the ride of our lives on the riding lawn mower. He was the one who taught me corn should be “knee high by the Fourth of July”. His work ethic! He was not one to brag, yet his grade school education, hard work, and perseverance truly helped him excel at life and provide for his Catholic family of ten children.
Decades later, I have a broader lens of the lessons I gleaned from my lineage. You see, grandpa was a farmer. He grew, harvested, and sold sweet corn. Every year, he would plant the seeds in the field. He also did the work of tending to the corn throughout the growing season, so that he could ultimately harvest and reap the reward of his work. Yet if my grandpa had not planted the right and best seed, he would not have had a crop worthy of his needs and aspirations. If he had planted a different seed, he would have grown popcorn – which would not have been what he or his customers needed. He would have grown something, but it would not have been what he wanted.
My grandpa’s business was all about finding and planting the right and best seed to accomplish what he desired. It was not my grandpa’s business to stand over each seed and whisper, “grow, grow, grow”. It was his business to know what he desired and to do the work of planting that seed.
The lesson of this seemingly obvious story only recently came into clear view for me. Could it be more basic? The right and best seed must be planted for a farmer to create his ideal life. Yet, the deeper message pertains to all of us – whether we are country folk or city dwellers. Our work – every person’s work – is to plant the right and best seed. To do so, we must know what it is we desire. The right and best seed is the life you would love to live! Sure, there are everyday realities such as sleep, nutrition, and adulting. The question, however, is – are you paying ANY attention to the life you would love to live? Or are you trying so hard to do the work of making the seeds grow – (How will I sustain myself in retirement? How will I get the kids to practice and make sure dad is not alone? What diet or exercise regimen do I need to adopt to finally lose the weight I have tried to shed the past decade? Will this project finally secure my promotion? Etc., etc.) – that year after year the crop you harvest is not at all what you want? Do you have any picture of how you want to feel, who you want surrounding you, how strong and healthy you want to be, what memories you want to create? If your answer is no, I suspect you are spending far too much time doing work that is not your business to be doing. You are planting seeds, but you are not getting what you really want.
Our culture teaches us to manage as many details as possible. We have been brain washed to believe that if we are organized and responsible, we are at our best. While these attributes are often helpful when raising a family, caring for an aging loved one, and juggling everyday life, we also must dance with the reality that we are not in control of every little thing. We must come to terms with the fact that our level of organization and responsibility are subjective and more importantly, they are external labels placed on our accomplishments and tasks. Wouldn’t it be more meaningful to consider what you need to feel fulfilled, peaceful, joyful, and every good feeling you desire? Instead of continually investing your energy in the external situation and expectations, try shifting a part of that energy internally to assess what it is that makes you tick. Those are the right and best seeds of your life. Those are the seeds begging to be recognized and planted!
Are you growing popcorn when what you really want is sweet corn? Are you continually the manager of your circumstances when really you could be the creator of your life? Do not worry! Now that your wheels are turning, you can begin pursuing the right and best seeds to plant in your beautiful life. Every day is a new day for planting. No matter your age or situation, you can and should be planting the right and best seeds to live the life you love living. Spring is a season of planting and growth – now is the time to plant the right and best seeds in the areas of your life where you crave growth.
Note from the author: Another important lesson Grandpa taught me was to always look for pennies (or nickels, dimes, and quarters if you were lucky!) when walking and to save my pennies – the ones I earned as well as the ones I found. Such a wise man – on so many levels!
If you’d like support in identifying your right and best seeds for planting, please contact Krista Powers at krista@poterecoaching.com.