Health Pulse Clues that you’re not moving enough If the COVID-19 pandemic has led you to spend more time at home, you may have fallen into a pattern of sedentary living. Those missed walks to the bus station or runs to the neighbourhood coffee shop add up, leaving you less energetic and less healthy. Watch out for these clues that your body needs more movement: ▶Constipation: Sitting around for most of the day can lead your bowels to back up. To get things moving again, take a midday walk or stretch a few times throughout the day. ▶Muscle tightness: Unused muscles become shorter and tighter, leading to a vicious cycle of inactivity. Gentle stretching sessions three times a week can bring your muscles back into shape. ▶Stiff joints: When you don’t move much, the production of synovial fluid (lubricant) in your joints slows down. To get the fluid flowing again, make a point of walking every day. ▶Lack of stamina: If climbing the stairs or vacuuming leaves you winded, it means that your heart and lungs have lost the ability to support brisk movement. Fix the problem with some daily cardiovascular activities, such as power walks or laps in the pool. ▶Low mood: When you don’t move much, you produce fewer endorphins, a.k.a. “happy hormones.” If nothing else, get moving to feel happier. Source: eatingwell.com Warning: cataract ahead If you’re older than 60 and your vision has gotten blurry, there’s a good chance that you have cataracts − cloudy patches that form in the lens of your eye and prevent light frompassing through clearly. Left unchecked, cataracts can lead to blindness but, fortunately, they’re easy to treat. When a cataract first develops, it can temporarily improve your vision (sometimes called “second sight”) but, over time, you’ll notice some less-welcome changes. Along with the telltale blurred vision, youmay find that colours become less vibrant and whites take on a yellowish hue. You may also experience diplopia or double vision. Intense or harsh light may bother you more than before, and a reduced ability to “read” contrast may impair your ability to drive and read road signs at night. While there is no formula for preventing cataracts, strategies such as UV protection, leafy green vegetables, antioxidant vitamins and quitting smoking can reduce the risk. Annual eye exams will help your ophthalmologist catch cataracts in the early stages. If you have them, a quick surgery can generally restore your sight. Sources: WebMD, seva.ca Concentration killers Can’t concentrate? Brain all fogged up? Don’t immediately assume that you have a medical problem; concentration-busting habits may be getting in your way. Multitasking can be one. Lucy Jo Palladino, a psychologist who authored the book Find Your Focus, says that it almost always takes longer to do several things at once than to beam your attention on one task. That’s because you lose time and focus when you shift between tasks. Boredom can have a similar effect. When you’re bored, your brain seeks to distract itself with something more appealing. To counter this universal tendency, give yourself little rewards (like a cup of herb tea or some veggies with hummus) for staying focused for a period of time. Or reward yourself for what you accomplish: two yogurt-covered raisins for every page you edit. To further break the monotony, schedule short movement breaks. Chronic worry can also sap your concentration. If you’re replaying an upsetting conversation or wondering if you took your pills this morning, you’ll naturally have trouble staying focused on the pile of invoices on your desk. To dislodge the nagging thoughts from your head, transfer them to a blank sheet of paper − or discuss themwith someone you trust. Source: WebMD 44 | www.snowbirds.org
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