Qigong For Vitality; How To Exercise Over 65; GAPS Lemon Bars

Health Tip:

There is a gentle type of exercise that actually helps reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and can help you sleep better.  It is the system of wellness called Qigong (pronounced Chi-gong).  Our bodies have an energy flow that the Chinese call Qi (Chi) and these exercises help move that energy which can help bring balance back to your body.  Here is a super simple routine from the YouTube channel “Qigong For Vitality.”  The video is under 11 minutes.  https://youtu.be/ew3Uz7gVL_Q

Monthly Article:

How To exercise over 65 and survive

(Or Younger and Needing to Start…)

The answer to this issue really depends on where you are starting.

If you are over 65 and are new to the idea of “exercise” then I always recommend starting with the basics.  This even goes for those who are younger and realizing they need to exercise.  These basics include working muscles and systems in your body to allow you to continue functioning well.  As we age, there are a few things that determine how independent you will be.  The more you work on these things, the more self-sufficient you will be.  These exercises will improve your balance and ensure that you can get up out of a chair (and off the toilet!).  Both of these are VITAL to your independence.

Balance— yes, you can exercise your balance system!  When you have issues with the system in the body that controls balance you have a greater chance of ankle sprains, running into doorframes, and falling.  Falling can be deadly as we age!

Basic Balance exercise:  Stand next to a wall or a chair where you can reach your hand out to steady yourself if necessary.  Lift one foot off the floor, balancing on the other leg.  Hold this position.  Ten seconds is really good.  If you can only do a couple of seconds, that’s okay, it’s just like any other exercise and will take some time to build up strength.  Try not to rest the foot you lift on the leg you are balancing on (that’s cheating!).  Try working up to 20-30 seconds.  This simple exercise not only strengthens your proprioception (position sense) but also helps strengthen your leg muscles and the gluteal (butt) muscle that supports your hip while walking.

Walking:  This is your balance exercise in action.  Each time you take a step you are balancing on one leg.  You want to make sure you are able to look out in front of you and not at your feet when you walk.  If you find yourself looking at your feet even on a clear path, do more of the basic balance exercise. 

Leg strength and hip health—you have to have strong hips, legs and knees if you are going to climb stairs, get up out of a chair and even get up off the toilet!  The best exercise for this is squats.  Squats, though feared, are great for improved knee stability, leg strength, and hip health when done correctly. 

Squats:  Standing in front of your chair, move to sit back in the chair. Stop before actually sitting, and then stand back up; repeat. Make sure your knees don’t extend past your toes.  Putting your arms out in front will aid in balance.  See, you’ve been doing squats every day anyway!  It’s ok if you can’t go down very far to start with.  Do what you can and as you grow stronger you will be able to go a little lower.  Be patient with yourself!

For the more experience individual, you can do a bit more advanced exercise of each of these to reap more benefits.

More Advance Balance Exercise:  Once you feel more comfortable with the basic balance exercise, try closing your eyes for a few seconds.  Remember to have something nearby to help steady you if you need it.  While this one is more advanced, it is the ultimate goal.  When your eyes are closed you are relying totally on your proprioception (position sense) and not using visual input for help (which uses another part of your brain).

Variations:  You can do more to strengthen your balance and your muscles with these:

*You can do standing leg lifts to work your outer thighs; try not holding onto something while you do them (remember to have something nearby, though).  You can also bring your leg back at an angle instead of just to the side to work more of you gluteal muscles.

*Try balancing on one leg and moving your leg in a circle; the wider the circle the greater the workout.  Slow movements help with stability and control and give a really good workout as well.

*Make up any exercise you want that will force you to balance.  Such as standing on one leg and raising your hands up in the air.  Moving around forces your muscles to work harder and further strengthens your balance system.

Speed Walking:  Walking faster can get your heart rate up and still work basic functions that will aid in daily living.

Squats:  To challenge yourself on squats you can go deeper, add more squats, or simply add some free weights in your hands.  If you have free weights, pick a weight that is comfortable to pick up.  (You can always add more weight later; remember, you want to survive!)  Hold the weights with your arms bent, at your shoulders or you can simply hold them down at your sides with your arms straight.  Do your squat, paying attention to the proper form.  If at any time your knees hurt, stop and check your form.  Your knees should never go in front of your toes (this puts way too much stress on the knees).

I have gone over some simple and yet very beneficial exercises above.  If you are just starting, start with a few minutes of balancing a day.  You can even work this into your daily routine.  I have had several patients say they do their balance workout while they brush their teeth.  I even have one that does her squats while doing her hair in the morning!

As with any exercise, if you experience pain while performing any of the above, please stop or try changing what you are doing.  Pain is an indicator that something is not functioning properly.  It may indicate that your muscles and joints need some “tender loving care” to help them function their best.  Remember that taking care of yourself now will prevent problems in the future!

Once you have the basics in, you can do more.  Adding activity that gets your heart rate up for short times will help strengthen your heart and lungs.  It doesn’t take a lot of time either. 

Recipe of the Month:

These are fast to make, don’t call for crazy ingredients, taste great, and are paleo and GAPS friendly!

GAPS Lemon Bars

Crust:

1 ½ cup Blanched Almond Meal Flour

½ tsp Sea Salt

1-2 Tbsp. Organic Honey or Vanilla Honey

2 Tbsp. room temp butter or ghee (or coconut oil)

1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract (optional)

Lemon Filling:

½ cup Organic Lemon Juice

3 Eggs

¼ cup Organic Honey

¼ cup melted butter or ghee (or coconut oil)

Directions:

1.       Heat oven to 350 degrees

2.      Grease a 9x9 inch baking dish with butter or oil.

3.      Dust the baking dish with almond flour or coconut flour.

4.      (dry) Mix almond flour and salt

5.      (wet) Add butter, vanilla, and honey)

6.      Mix these ingredients until you form a nice ball

7.      Press your ball of almond dough into the bottom of your prepared pan

8.      Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown on top

9.      While the crust is baking, mix all the lemon filling ingredients in a bowl.

10.  Mix the filling ingredients with a whisk or in a blender

11.  Take out the almond crust and pour the lemon filling over it

12.  Return the baking dish to the oven for 15-20 minutes until edges and top is slightly golden brown (you don’t want your crust to burn, watch it carefully!)

13.  Take out the lemon bars and let cool on the counter for 30 minutes.  If you cannot wait another moment you can eat them now or put them in the fridge for 2 hours until set (makes them easier to cut)

14.  Eat and savor!

Found on www.mygutsy.com/gaps-lemon-bars/

Upcoming Activities and Announcements:

• Roots to Health talk Saturday June 24 at 10am.  Please sign up at the front desk.  Bring a friend and write a question!  This is a casual time to learn about the real Roots to Health!

• A note on same day appointments: as Dr. Smith is getting busier, same day appointments are getting harder to accommodate.  Remember that our goal is for you to have WELLNESS and to do so, regular check-ups are recommended so that you don’t get into crisis.  As a quote on the internet says, “If you don’t make time for your health today, you will have to make time for your sickness later.”

Are you happy with your care and progress? Please tell others!  We love getting online reviews to spread the word.  Not happy?  Please tell us so we can fix it!