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Want to keep your heart healthy? Finally! We’ve been looking for a valid reason to justify the afternoon nap and now we have it. This is especially helpful for the Over 50 population. Researchers at the European Society of Cardiology conference in London stated that that an hour or more nap has important health benefits. It can cut blood pressure and lower the chance of a heart attack or stroke. It also contributes to people taking fewer blood pressure medications. What a great way to keep your heart healthy! Lead researcher, Dr Manolis Kallistratos, a cardiologist at Asklepieion Voula General Hospital in Athens, Greece, said, “Two influential UK prime ministers were supporters of the midday nap. Winston Churchill said that we must sleep some time between lunch and dinner while Margaret Thatcher didn’t want to be disturbed around 3pm. According to our study, they were right because midday naps seem to lower blood pressure levels. They may also probably decrease the number of required anti-hypertensive medications.” He added: “Μidday sleep is a habit that nowadays is almost a privileged due to a nine to five working culture and intense daily routine. However the real question regarding this habit is: is it only a custom or is it also beneficial?” The findings of the study suggest that midday sleepers have less damage from high blood pressure in their arteries and heart,” according to Dr Kallistratos. The study showed that midday sleep is associated with lower blood pressure. It also found that longer ‘sleeps’ are even more beneficial. It’s interesting that the midday sleepers had greater dips in blood pressure while sleeping at night. This is associated with better health outcomes.  Patients who slept during the midday were under fewer anti-hypertension medications compared to those who didn’t have their midday nap. The conclusion was that the midday nap is associated with lower 24 hour blood pressure as well as a fall of BP at night. This results in less damage to the arteries and the heart. Check Out Our Membership Business Directory - Click Here The longer the midday nap, the lower the systolic BP levels and probably fewer drugs needed to lower BP.” Of course, there is balance in all things. You should still make daily exercise and healthy eating a priority. But, it’s nice to know we can reward ourselves with some rest on a daily basis! So, if you can, make naps a priority in your daily schedule, and if you really need an excuse, tell people you are doing it for your health!  Over 50? Indulge in a nap to keep your heart healthy!
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Short on time this Valentine’s week? These Valentine cupcakes are quick and easy. Make your favorite cupcake recipe or buy plain cupcakes from the bakery. Use white frosting and red hot candies to decorate them You now have a simple, eye-catching Valentine’s Day treat.  Source… We suggest that you use white or, even better, red velvet cupcakes. These flavors will add a special touch to this special day. These cupcakes are great for both young and old to craft. This will keep the little ones occupied for quite some time by frosting and putting on the red candies! ***************************************** Another idea!  Source… Chocolate or Red Velvet cupcake with vanilla frosting and a delicious strawberry to adorn the top! Enjoy Valentine’s Day with these Cute and Easy-to-Make Valentine Cupcakes! ***************************************** Yet, another idea! Source...  Source...
Just in time for Valentines Day…clever snack ideas for Valentines Day are easy to make. Add a festive touch to this special day with these snack ideas for Valentines Day that even the kids and grand kids can help make. 1) Easy Marshmallow Valentine Treats Use strawberry marshmallows, dip them in melted chocolate and sprinkle them with little nonpareils. Decorate them with heart picks. So easy and fun!  2) Cupid’s Arrows: candy hearts + pretzel sticks  3) Heart Kabobs – Made with strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, watermelon and black olives.  4) Valentine Cinnamon Cookie Crunch Popcorn Mix  The "Just Popping" message above is a printable and can also be used on a tin can treat…for complete instructions click below: Source… Snack Ideas for Valentines Day at Your Fingertips!
Have you checked on these retirement expenses lately? What we’re talking about is the annual cost of a private room in a nursing home or even home health aide services. The amount for a private room in a nursing home has cracked the six-figure mark ~ $108,408! The amount for home health services averages $26 per hour These amounts are according to Genworth Financial in their 2021 Cost of Care Survey. This rising cost of care has outpaced inflation. Where you live in the U.S. makes quite a difference. You can calculate the cost of care by state here: Cost of Care If you are interested in Local Senior Research Guides, this is an excellent resource: Senior Care Their local senior guides show community demographics, senior housing, long term care choices, healthcare quality ratings as well as other very helpful information. A growing number of older adults need specialized care. However, there is a shortage of skilled workers — both of which raise care expenses.  Look at these numbers of growth between the years 2020 and 2021:
Why Cost of Care is Increasing The core driver of increases in the cost of care services remains supply and demand. Every day until 2030, 10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 and seven out of ten of them will require long-term care services at some point. The level of care needed by this rapidly aging population has itself increased over the years. The high turnover rate and insufficient supply of professionals to meet this growing demand pre-date the COVID-19 pandemic, but are now amplified as those providing care on the frontline must consider their own risk of exposure against increasing opportunities for competitive salaries in alternative lines of work. Source... It’s Time to Plan Ahead by Identifying How You would Like to Receive Care: Planning for your care as you get older is very important and can be daunting. You might want to work with an advisor to lay out a plan of where and how you would like to receive care. Make sure you select trusted individuals to oversee your medical care decision making. This may include family members as well as other expects in the field of financial planning and medical care.  We have gathered together resources for older adults which were helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic and are valuable today. Some of the resources are local to the Colorado Springs area while others are on a national level. Let us know in the "Comments" section of additional resources you would like added to this list: A Seniors Guide to Budgeting and Couponing couponfollow.com/research/seniors-guide-to-budgeting-and-couponing Grants & Resources for Seniors https://grantsforseniors.org/ myvision.org https://myvision.org/guides/alzheimers/ https://myvision.org/guides/aging-and-eyesight-guide/ Pikes Peak Library District https://ppld.org/ iReviews www.ireviews.com/online-scams Tech Enhanced Life https://www.techenhancedlife.com/ Privacy and Your Cell Phone https://www.cellphonedeal.com/blog/privacy-and-your-cell-phone Internet Basics for Seniors https://www.allconnect.com/blog/internet-basics-for-seniors Privacy in the Digital Age https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/privacy-in-the-digital-age Retire Guide - Senior Benefits Discounts retireguide.com/guides/senior-benefits-discounts/ Retire Guide - Medicare retireguide.com/medicare/ Senior Resource Council seniorresourcecouncil.org/ Seniors Blue Book www.seniorsbluebook.com Colorado Springs Senior Center www.csseniorcenter.com Silver Key Senior Services https://www.silverkey.org/ Innovations in Aging https://innovationsinaging.org Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments/Aging http://www.ppacg.org/aging/ NAMI Colorado Springs https://www.namicoloradosprings.org/ The Senior List www.theseniorlist.com/ Silver Sneakers https://tools.silversneakers.com/ Today we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., the historical civil rights leader. His birthday is actually on January 15, but is observed on the third Monday of January each year. King was an American Baptist minister and a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. King is best known for his role in civil rights in using nonviolent civil disobedience which were based on his Christian beliefs. He led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott. King helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957 and served as its first president. He helped organize the 1963 nonviolent protests in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1963 he helped organize the March on Washington where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. In October 1964, King was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. During the final years of his life, he expanded his focus towards improving poverty levels and the Vietnam War.  Martin Luther King, Jr. King was planning a national occupation of Washington, D.C., called the Poor Peoples Campaign. However, he was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee before that event took place.
Martin Luther King was awarded two honors posthumously – the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. The federal holiday to honor Dr. King was created by a bill signed by President Ronald Reagan on November 2, 1983. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was dedicated in 2011. A point of interest – King’s legal name at birth was Michael instead of Martin (his father’s name was Michael as well). The elder King changed his and his son’s name in honor of the German reformer Martin Luther after attending the Fifth Baptist World Alliance Congress in Berlin in 1943. Source… To celebrate this special day, King’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech text can be found by clicking the link provided below. Click Link for “I Have a Dream” speech. Oh, no…arthritis pain! Sooner or later, according to statistics, those Over 50 will be dealing with some sort of arthritis pain in their bodies. Did you know? By the year 2030, an estimated 67 million Americans will have arthritis unless the trend is reversed. This is reported by the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). However, there are ways to combat it: “Arthritis affects nearly 60 million adults and 300,000 children according to the Arthritis Foundation. It is the second most frequently reported chronic condition in the United States. It costs the U.S. economy $128 billion annually. Gain insight on natural ways to help ease the pain of one of the nation’s leading and most costly health ailments.”  Arthritis strikes 1 in every 4 American adults. It is the nation’s leading cause of disability. But, be encouraged! You can use natural remedies to help ease the pain of arthritis!
Dr. Jones-Born provides tips on how to help ease arthritis pain using natural remedies. Remember to consult your health care provider to determine the right exercise plan and diet for specific health conditions. Natural ways to help ease arthritis pain: 1 Weight Loss 2 Chiropractic Care 3 Fish, Green Tea and Ginger 4 Acupuncture 5 Physical Therapy 6 Regular Exercise 7 Vitamin C and Flavonoids 8 Glucosamine and Chondroitin 9 Proanthocyanidins 10 Capsaicin (Chili Pepper) Cream Source... The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers the following tips to help baby boomers avoid injuries:
Remember, variety is a virtue. Include in your fitness program several different kinds of exercises. Aerobic activity and strength training will help you keep your joints strong and flexible. This will help you reduce the risk of injury, especially from overuse. Source… Listen to your body. Your joints will let you know when you’ve gone too far. Living with arthritis can sometimes lead to extreme anxiety and depression. Professional counseling or an arthritis-specific support group will give you an outlet to talk about your emotions. They will also provide you with coping mechanisms. Be Encouraged – There are Ways to Combat Arthritis Pain! When there’s a big game on TV, there’s sure to be lots of family, friends and food close by. People are always coming and going, cheering and yelling, munching and eating. Football season is full of excitement! Would you like to know how to make an epic wooden snack stadium? This is, indeed, a clever way to manage the snacks for the football game and at the same time no one misses any of the plays! Thanks to our friends at niftymom.com - you will find the instructions here: Snack Stadium For more food items: 1) Eat & Drink 2) Recipes  Gotta love those Winter Workouts! No matter what time of year it is, exercising in the cold weather has many benefits. Many people use exercise for weight control which is great but don’t forget the myriad of other benefits. Just to name a few:  *Keeping your spirits bright during the short days of winter. *Combating “cabin fever” by getting out of the house and into the fresh air. *Controlling stress and keeping balance in life. *You get beneficial Vitamin D from the sun to support muscle strength, muscle mass and bone density. Walking and running are good ways to exercise outside in the winter. The key to sticking with an outdoors workout in cold weather is by layering with adequate and appropriate clothes for the weather. You will definitely want to invest in winter weather gear like a headband to cover your ears, gloves with special smart phone-compatible fingers, even "traction devices" for your shoes to run on ice and snow without slipping. One of my favorite pieces of cold weather running gear is a neck warmer…absolutely love it! Layering up is the key to working out in the winter weather. And, don’t be afraid to modify your workout. If you normally run a bit longer but are worried about getting cold or it getting dark, go for quantity not quality. Maybe start a running streak where you run every day, even if it’s just a mile, but at least you get out and get moving regularly. Where are other places to workout? 1. School bleachers 2. School track, football field or public park 3. Park fit trail 4. Parks 5. Playgrounds 6. Your yard If all else fails, head to the gym for a spinning or “Zumba” class. Another suggestion is walking or running on the treadmill. If the treadmill seems too boring, try downloading some new fast-paced music to put a “spring in your step.” An Arc Trainer or elliptical are also great pieces of cardio equipment for a great workout! For more details, Click Here Winter Workouts Can Be Invigorating As Well As Enjoyable!! |
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