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Blessed In Aging
~Esther Mary Walker
Blessed are they who understand
My faltering step and shaking hand
Blessed, who know my ears today
Must strain to hear the things they say.
Blessed are those who seem to know
My eyes are dim and my mind is slow
Blessed are those who look away
When I spilled tea that weary day.
Blessed are they who, with cheery smile
Stopped to chat for a little while
Blessed are they who know the way
To bring back memories of yesterday.
Blessed are those who never say
“You’ve told that story twice today”
Blessed are they who make it known
That I am loved, respected and not alone.
And blessed are they who will ease the days
Of my journey home, in loving ways.
This poem, as read by Mary Maxwell in the video
“A Reminder That Laughter is the Best Medicine.”
View the video online at CaregiverStress.com
Seniors Often Do Not Drink Sufficient Amounts of Water - Libby Deege
As we age, we may feel less thirsty than in our younger years although our body still requires the same amount of water each and every day as it did during our younger years. As Spring and Summer are just around the corner (I hope) we need to make sure our elder loved ones are getting enough water in their daily routine to stay hydrated and healthy!!
The human body, which is made up of between 55 and 75 percent water (lean people have more water in their bodies because muscle holds more water than fat), is in need of constant water replenishment
Your lungs expel between two and four cups of water each day through normal breathing - even more on a cold day. If your feet sweat, there goes another cup of water. If you make half a dozen trips to the bathroom during the day, that's six cups of water. If you perspire, you expel about two cups of water (which doesn't include exercise-induced perspiration).
A person would have to lose 10 percent of her body weight in fluids to be considered dehydrated, but as little as two percent can affect athletic performance, cause tiredness and dull critical thinking abilities. Adequate water consumption can help lessen the chance of kidney stones, keep joints lubricated, prevent and lessen the severity of colds and flu and help prevent constipation.
Factors that influence water needs
You may need to modify total fluid intake from these recommended amounts depending on several factors, including how active you are, the climate, your health status, and if you're pregnant or breast-feeding.
Exercise. If you exercise or engage in any activity that makes you sweat, you'll need to drink extra water to compensate for that fluid loss. Drink 2 cups of water two hours before a long endurance event, for example, a marathon or half-marathon. One to 2 cups of water is also adequate for shorter bouts of exercise. During the activity, replenish fluids at regular intervals, and continue drinking water or other fluids after you're finished. During intense exercise involving significant sweating, for example, during a marathon, sodium is lost in sweat, and you may need a sports drink with sodium rather than just water.
Environment. You need to drink additional water in hot or humid weather to help lower your body temperature and to replace what you lose through sweating. You may also need extra water in cold weather if you sweat while wearing insulated clothing. Heated, indoor air can cause your skin to lose moisture, increasing your daily fluid requirements. And altitudes greater than 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) also can affect how much water your body needs. Higher altitudes may trigger increased urination and more rapid breathing, which uses up more of your fluid reserves.
Illnesses or health conditions. Some signs and symptoms of illnesses, such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea, cause your body to lose extra fluids. To replace lost fluids, drink more water or oral rehydration solutions (Gatorade, Powerade, CeraLyte, others). When water loss can't be replaced orally, intravenous water and electrolytes may be necessary. Increased water intake is nearly always advised in people with urinary tract stones. On the other hand, you may need to limit the amount of water you drink if you have certain conditions that impair excretion of water - such as heart failure and some types of kidney, liver, adrenal and thyroid diseases.
Your body requires 8-10 cups (8 ounces) per day. To get an idea of how much water that adds up to, grab a measuring cup and fill a container. Throughout the day, pour your water from the container until it's all gone. Be sure to space your fluid intake out as too much water at once can prove fatal, creating an imbalance in the electrolytes.
If you enjoy a beverage throughout the day, such as juice or milk (which you should), then remove that amount of water from your daily water container. All beverages that are water-based count towards the daily intake.
Insufficient daily water intake can contribute to constipation and other digestive disruptions - yet one more reason to get in your healthy 8-10 each and every day.
Though uncommon, it's possible to drink too much water. Drinking excessive amounts can overwhelm your kidneys' ability to get rid of the water. This can lead to hyponatremia, a condition in which excess water intake dilutes the normal amount of sodium in the blood. People who are older, who have certain medical conditions such as congestive heart failure and cirrhosis, or who are taking certain diuretics are at higher risk of hyponatremia
The human body, which is made up of between 55 and 75 percent water (lean people have more water in their bodies because muscle holds more water than fat), is in need of constant water replenishment
Your lungs expel between two and four cups of water each day through normal breathing - even more on a cold day. If your feet sweat, there goes another cup of water. If you make half a dozen trips to the bathroom during the day, that's six cups of water. If you perspire, you expel about two cups of water (which doesn't include exercise-induced perspiration).
A person would have to lose 10 percent of her body weight in fluids to be considered dehydrated, but as little as two percent can affect athletic performance, cause tiredness and dull critical thinking abilities. Adequate water consumption can help lessen the chance of kidney stones, keep joints lubricated, prevent and lessen the severity of colds and flu and help prevent constipation.
Factors that influence water needs
You may need to modify total fluid intake from these recommended amounts depending on several factors, including how active you are, the climate, your health status, and if you're pregnant or breast-feeding.
Exercise. If you exercise or engage in any activity that makes you sweat, you'll need to drink extra water to compensate for that fluid loss. Drink 2 cups of water two hours before a long endurance event, for example, a marathon or half-marathon. One to 2 cups of water is also adequate for shorter bouts of exercise. During the activity, replenish fluids at regular intervals, and continue drinking water or other fluids after you're finished. During intense exercise involving significant sweating, for example, during a marathon, sodium is lost in sweat, and you may need a sports drink with sodium rather than just water.
Environment. You need to drink additional water in hot or humid weather to help lower your body temperature and to replace what you lose through sweating. You may also need extra water in cold weather if you sweat while wearing insulated clothing. Heated, indoor air can cause your skin to lose moisture, increasing your daily fluid requirements. And altitudes greater than 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) also can affect how much water your body needs. Higher altitudes may trigger increased urination and more rapid breathing, which uses up more of your fluid reserves.
Illnesses or health conditions. Some signs and symptoms of illnesses, such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea, cause your body to lose extra fluids. To replace lost fluids, drink more water or oral rehydration solutions (Gatorade, Powerade, CeraLyte, others). When water loss can't be replaced orally, intravenous water and electrolytes may be necessary. Increased water intake is nearly always advised in people with urinary tract stones. On the other hand, you may need to limit the amount of water you drink if you have certain conditions that impair excretion of water - such as heart failure and some types of kidney, liver, adrenal and thyroid diseases.
Your body requires 8-10 cups (8 ounces) per day. To get an idea of how much water that adds up to, grab a measuring cup and fill a container. Throughout the day, pour your water from the container until it's all gone. Be sure to space your fluid intake out as too much water at once can prove fatal, creating an imbalance in the electrolytes.
If you enjoy a beverage throughout the day, such as juice or milk (which you should), then remove that amount of water from your daily water container. All beverages that are water-based count towards the daily intake.
Insufficient daily water intake can contribute to constipation and other digestive disruptions - yet one more reason to get in your healthy 8-10 each and every day.
Though uncommon, it's possible to drink too much water. Drinking excessive amounts can overwhelm your kidneys' ability to get rid of the water. This can lead to hyponatremia, a condition in which excess water intake dilutes the normal amount of sodium in the blood. People who are older, who have certain medical conditions such as congestive heart failure and cirrhosis, or who are taking certain diuretics are at higher risk of hyponatremia
Five Easy Ways To Create An Active And Healthier Lifestyle-Libby Deege
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Outside of the economy, fitness and healthy eating are among the most critical issues facing Americans today. Only 31 percent of Americans are getting adequate exercise and 68 percent of men and 53 percent of women are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health Interview survey released in March.
The good news is that the tried-and-true approach of regular exercise and smart nutrition will go a long way toward managing weight loss and an overall healthy lifestyle. In fact, the benefits of being more active can be seen within a short time after starting a new routine and include more energy, less stress, lower blood pressure, improved digestive health and a reduction in cardiovascular disease risk.
A fitness program doesn’t have to take place in the gym. Beverly Abbs, an award-winning ultra-runner, recommends outdoor fun to get started on everyday fitness. “You don’t have to run long distances in order to reap the health benefits,” says Abbs, a member of Ultra-Running Team Sunsweet. “Short distance runs and even outdoor walks are a great way to stay fit and have fun. I got my start competing in athletic events with just 2- to 3-mile runs. That turned into a life-long love of ultra-running.”
When you add in smart nutritional choices to your exercise routine, the positives pile up further. “As a triathlete and a sports dietitian, I can tell you that plenty of healthy choices are convenient and taste delicious,” says registered dietician Dr. Katherine Beals.
So, whether you aspire to overhaul your diet and exercise program or are just thinking about taking a few first steps to a healthier life, smart choices can start with a few simple steps. Abbs and Dr. Beals offer these tips for getting started on achieving overall better health.
1. Get and stay active: Adults should get 2.5 hours of aerobic physical activity per week and perform strengthening activities two days a week, according to the U.S. Health and Human Services department. Fortunately, it is easier than you might think to incorporate exercise into your routine. For example, take the stairs instead of the elevator and find the parking spot that is farthest away to get extra steps in between your car and your destination. Play tag with your kids, or consider signing up for a community fun run 5K. Not only do these runs usually provide an opportunity to race for a good cause, you can use it as training motivation.
2. Use interval training: Experts say varying your cardio work with a combination of easy/hard intervals will result in faster fitness gains. It also mixes up your workouts and staves off boredom. Next time you go for a run, instead of keeping the same pace, try mixing in a few sprints. Start with 30 seconds on hard and 10 seconds on easy.
3. Go for convenience: Abbs says dried fruits like Sunsweet Ones, individually wrapped prunes, are a convenient and nutritious snack whether you’re training for a marathon or just a busy person on the go. “These delicious snacks are portable, don’t spoil and deliver calories that count.” Plus, prunes are known to support digestive health.
4. Fill up with fiber: High-fiber foods are critical to digestive health and any weight loss program because they fill you up and help keep the hunger pangs at bay. The typical American eats only about 11 grams of fiber a day, according to the American Dietetic Association, and health experts recommend a minimum of 20 to 30 grams of fiber a day for most people. Fruits (dried and fresh) and vegetables are great fiber sources including apples, pears, prunes, peas, broccoli and sweet corn.
5. After an intense workout: Carbohydrate-rich foods that are energy dense, easy to digest and familiar and appetizing – like bagels, granola bars, crackers, dried plums and fruit juices – are good choices for post-workout fare to replenish any lost nutrients. Exercise also increases the loss of water from the body, primarily through sweat, so the harder and longer the workout, the more lost fluid that needs replacing.
“Drinking fluids like water, sports drinks, and fruit juices or eating water-containing foods can replace these lost fluids and, in the case of fruits, fruit juices and vegetables, replace much-needed potassium,” Dr. Beals says.
Regardless of your current level of activity and commitment to nutrition, it is never too late to make smart decisions. Make the commitment today and take these steps toward a more fit and healthy you.
Aprils Fools Day-Did you Fool Anyone?-Libby Deege
Friday, April 1, 2011
In honor of this blog falling on April's Fool Day I thought I would do a little internet research on the day. We have all tried to pull the occasional prank but I started to wonder, what are some of the "greatest" pranks ever pulled on this day of fun? Enjoy!! And Happy Pranking!!
The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest
1957: The respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in. Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC diplomatically replied, "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."
Instant Color TV
1962: In 1962 there was only one tv channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station's technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that, thanks to a new technology, viewers could convert their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their tv screen. Stensson proceeded to demonstrate the process. Thousands of people were taken in. Regular color broadcasts only commenced in Sweden on April 1, 1970
The Taco Liberty Bell
1996: The Taco Bell Corporation announced it had bought the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell was housed to express their anger. Their nerves were only calmed when Taco Bell revealed, a few hours later, that it was all a practical joke. The best line of the day came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale. Thinking on his feet, he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold. It would now be known, he said, as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial
Nixon for President
1992: National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation program announced that Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, "I didn't do anything wrong, and I won't do it again." Accompanying this announcement were audio clips of Nixon delivering his candidacy speech. Listeners responded viscerally to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and outrage. Only during the second half of the show did the host John Hockenberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke. Nixon's voice was impersonated by comedian Rich Little.
The Left-Handed Whopper
1998: Burger King published a full page advertisement in USA Today announcing the introduction of a new item to their menu: a "Left-Handed Whopper" specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new whopper included the same ingredients as the original Whopper (lettuce, tomato, hamburger patty, etc.), but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. The following day Burger King issued a follow-up release revealing that although the Left-Handed Whopper was a hoax, thousands of customers had gone into restaurants to request the new sandwich. Simultaneously, according to the press release, "many others requested their own 'right handed' version."
Flying Penguins
2008: The BBC announced that camera crews filming near the Antarctic for its natural history series Miracles of Evolution had captured footage of Adélie penguins taking to the air. It even offered a video clip of these flying penguins, which became one of the most viewed videos on the internet. Presenter Terry Jones explained that, instead of huddling together to endure the Antarctic winter, these penguins took to the air and flew thousands of miles to the rainforests of South America where they "spend the winter basking in the tropical sun." A follow-up video explained how the BBC created the special effects of the flying penguins
The Body of Nessie Found
1972: On March 31 1972, a team of zoologists from Yorkshire's Flamingo Park Zoo, who were at Loch Ness searching for proof of Nessie's existence, found a mysterious carcass floating in the Loch. Initial reports claimed it weighed a ton and a half and was 15 ½ feet long. The zoologists placed the body in a van and began to transport it back to the zoo. However, the police chased down their truck and stopped it under a 1933 act of Parliament prohibiting the removal of "unidentified creatures" from Loch Ness. The body was then taken to nearby Dunfermline for examination. The discovery of the carcass received worldwide media attention. The British press dubbed it "Son of Nessie." But upon examination, Edinburgh scientists identified the creature as a bull elephant seal from the South Atlantic. The next day John Shields, Flamingo Park's education officer, confessed he had been responsible for the body. The bull elephant seal had died the week before at Dudley Zoo. He had shaved off its whiskers, padded its cheeks with stones, and kept it frozen for a week, before dumping it in the Loch and then phoning in a tip to make sure his colleagues found it. He had meant to play an April Fool's prank on his colleagues, but admitted the joke got out of hand when the police chased down their van
The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest
1957: The respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in. Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC diplomatically replied, "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."
Instant Color TV
1962: In 1962 there was only one tv channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station's technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that, thanks to a new technology, viewers could convert their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their tv screen. Stensson proceeded to demonstrate the process. Thousands of people were taken in. Regular color broadcasts only commenced in Sweden on April 1, 1970
The Taco Liberty Bell
1996: The Taco Bell Corporation announced it had bought the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell was housed to express their anger. Their nerves were only calmed when Taco Bell revealed, a few hours later, that it was all a practical joke. The best line of the day came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale. Thinking on his feet, he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold. It would now be known, he said, as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial
Nixon for President
1992: National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation program announced that Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, "I didn't do anything wrong, and I won't do it again." Accompanying this announcement were audio clips of Nixon delivering his candidacy speech. Listeners responded viscerally to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and outrage. Only during the second half of the show did the host John Hockenberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke. Nixon's voice was impersonated by comedian Rich Little.
The Left-Handed Whopper
1998: Burger King published a full page advertisement in USA Today announcing the introduction of a new item to their menu: a "Left-Handed Whopper" specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new whopper included the same ingredients as the original Whopper (lettuce, tomato, hamburger patty, etc.), but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. The following day Burger King issued a follow-up release revealing that although the Left-Handed Whopper was a hoax, thousands of customers had gone into restaurants to request the new sandwich. Simultaneously, according to the press release, "many others requested their own 'right handed' version."
Flying Penguins
2008: The BBC announced that camera crews filming near the Antarctic for its natural history series Miracles of Evolution had captured footage of Adélie penguins taking to the air. It even offered a video clip of these flying penguins, which became one of the most viewed videos on the internet. Presenter Terry Jones explained that, instead of huddling together to endure the Antarctic winter, these penguins took to the air and flew thousands of miles to the rainforests of South America where they "spend the winter basking in the tropical sun." A follow-up video explained how the BBC created the special effects of the flying penguins
The Body of Nessie Found
1972: On March 31 1972, a team of zoologists from Yorkshire's Flamingo Park Zoo, who were at Loch Ness searching for proof of Nessie's existence, found a mysterious carcass floating in the Loch. Initial reports claimed it weighed a ton and a half and was 15 ½ feet long. The zoologists placed the body in a van and began to transport it back to the zoo. However, the police chased down their truck and stopped it under a 1933 act of Parliament prohibiting the removal of "unidentified creatures" from Loch Ness. The body was then taken to nearby Dunfermline for examination. The discovery of the carcass received worldwide media attention. The British press dubbed it "Son of Nessie." But upon examination, Edinburgh scientists identified the creature as a bull elephant seal from the South Atlantic. The next day John Shields, Flamingo Park's education officer, confessed he had been responsible for the body. The bull elephant seal had died the week before at Dudley Zoo. He had shaved off its whiskers, padded its cheeks with stones, and kept it frozen for a week, before dumping it in the Loch and then phoning in a tip to make sure his colleagues found it. He had meant to play an April Fool's prank on his colleagues, but admitted the joke got out of hand when the police chased down their van
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