A_Candle_Undimmed

Seventy-One Year Old Cures Hip Pain

For months, at night in bed I’d feel nagging pain in my left hip. Then I discovered, after walking several miles one day, that pain didn’t bother me that night.

I realized that when walking, I’d allowed my upper pelvis to tilt forward and with each step, my torso to sway right or left. (I’ve seen obese people walk with this side-to-side swing of their body.)

I concentrated on walking with my back straight and pelvis upright, and didn’t allow my body to slump sideways with each step.

Since I started walking with correct posture I don’t battle hip pain at night, whether if I walk one mile or three miles in a day.

For someone with arthritis or a damaged hip, similar results may not happen. Walking with proper posture should help your body, but ask your doctor if this method is okay for you.

Fat Body, Skinny Soul?

Proverbs 18:20
From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled;
With the harvest of his lips he is satisfied.

IF I’d spent as many hours in the last five decades praising God as I have worrying about weight control,
I’d have a fatter soul (desirable)
And a leaner body (also desirable).

Yenna Buchay

Stay out of Nursing Homes? By Yenna Buchay

I read, years ago, the most folks must enter a nursing care facility because they can’t lift themselves off the bathroom stool. So I practice every day standing up from a chair ten times without help. That keeps my legs and back stronger so I’ll never get caught on the john with my pants down.

Balance Yourself?

By Yenna Buchay

Jack and Jill went up the hill…Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after.
Falls are the most common cause of traumatic head injuries.

If Jack were a senior citizen forty-five percent of the time he’d die from that fall.

The Center for Disease Control reports that among Senior citizens falls are the leading cause of injury deaths, the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and of hospital admissions for trauma

Falls also cause broken bones, bruises, fears of more falls and over $19 billion per year in medical costs in the USA.

Seniors can prevent many falls. One good way is regular, simple exercises to keep a good sense of balance.

People of any age could benefit from the exercises I do nearly every day.

I started slowly and gradually increased my ability to balance. First, I walked a two or three steps, toe to heel, heel to toe. Now I can do thirty or forty steps like this, even on a curb, although I’m over seventy-one years old.

My latest, to put on my socks by balancing on one foot. Don’t you try that without gradually practicing every day for as long as you need.

I can also stand on one bended knee, and circle my other foot in the air as if riding a bicycle. Again, that took months of practice. IF you try this, have a sturdy walking stick in your hand to hold you up until you gain proficiency.

Want to lose weight?

Years ago, at lunch with a dozen friends, I noticed something important.
Observations since have confirmed that fact:

THIN PEOPLE EAT FAR FEWER CALORIES THAN OVERWEIGHT FOLKS…

EXCEPT WHEN the heavy eater does LOTS of exercise.

Lower Back Pain?

When my lower back aches, almost always I'm wearing slacks with a waistband just a smidgeon too tight. So if you know your back is generally okay and you have pain, check first the degree of constriction around your waist. That might make a big difference---it sure does for me.

© 2005 Geni J. White, RN, MS

INEFFICIENCY AND EXERCISE

The father, in the original Cheaper by the Dozen was an efficiency expert. When I read the book in my younger age, I thought the man’s methods were sensible. He taught folks to perform tasks with the least possible movements.
For a year, I studied and practiced efficient housework—which gave me time to join an exercise class—for a price. When I realized I’d paid dollars for actions I do at home for nothing—called housework--I regained common sense. That’s when I redesigned my kitchen for healthy exercises instead of efficiency.
Now, every morning I stand on tiptoe to reach juice glasses on a top cupboard shelf. I bend at the knees and waist to remove mixing bowls from a lower cupboard. As I unload my dishwasher, I stretch and move in a dozen ways to place dishes on difficult to reach shelves. I practice full-scale exercise efficiency, not housework type.
I lean toward my toes to sweep dust into my dustpan. My hair dryer rests under the sink—a stoop retrieves it. I exercise arm and shoulder muscles to aim the dryer at my hair. I’ve found dozens of ways to improve my health. The result: at nearly seventy, I’m as flexible as many forty-year olds.
Does this mean I spend hours in my kitchen? No. I’ve learned to ‘Do it Now’. If I unwrap steaks, I toss the wrapper in the trash at once. If I dirty a dish, I stow it in the dishwasher immediately. Even my guests stack their dishes in the dishwasher. When I cook, my kitchen always appears tidy because I clean up after myself ‘right now’. My bed is made a minute after I get up mornings, except on laundry days. Extra movements for exercise don’t mean sloppy housekeeping.
Is housework women’s secret for longer life spans than men? If so, don’t tell the guys in your life what you now know about exercise. They may insist on doing all your housework.

By Geni J. White, RN, MS

Oh, Oh, Oh, Woe is Me. : c D

CHOICES
The other evening, I ate something, (I’m not sure what) that caused me big troubles. All night I belched, felt bloated and dashed for the bathroom. (No vomiting—I seldom do that.) As a nurse, I knew what to do—get on a liquid/bland diet and stick with it for a day or two, until my gut behaved again.

My husband, dear well-meaning man, offered to make supper. That always means a trip to the deli. He asked what I wanted and I said, “Something bland.”

I didn’t explain bland, and suspected that meant more trouble. Generally I want tons of veggies, so he brought home—several pounds of veggies, in various dishes.

Veggies are the farthest thing from bland. They contain roughage—fiber—that increases intestinal activity. That, I did not need right now.

Bob brought spinach pie, for one dish. My eyes overcame my common sense, and I ate a small piece.

Woe, woe, woe. More runs, more bloating from gas, more restless sleep. I had to deal with the consequences of my choice, a wrong choice for that moment.

Lord, please help me remember that I suffer when I chose wrongly. Strengthen me to choose what is best, please, please, please.

Goals--For A Healthy Mind

Yesterday in church, I sat by a white-haired lady, short and ample-bodied, a delight to know because her face wears a roundness from frequent smiles. However, she doesn’t remember that we’ve met half a dozen times. I enjoyed tales she shared about her childhood in Kansas, but felt badly for her when she apologized about her memory problems.

I’m convinced that if we allow ourselves the trap of dwelling on past memories, instead of thinking up plans for the future, we encourage brain atrophy.

This elderly woman keeps her house, visits with friends, and stays in touch with family. However, she has no long-range goals for her life, and maybe never has had, other than to live every day as it happens.

Every day of our lives, we need goals—clear plans to be productive—to keep our brains alive. We must exercise our minds, learn new things and face challenges that stretch us. We can ask God for an active future, even if we’re a hundred years old.
© Geni J. White, 2005

Treat Yourself to Fun

AN INSTANT DOSE OF PLEASURE

One time I discovered something satisfying, easy and unexpected, and I now repeat that moment whenever possible.

Often I meet store or office personnel who wear nametags. When I call service people by name, they suddenly change, and I’m immediately treated differently. I feel warm vibes that hadn’t flowed a moment earlier, even from already cheerful folks.

How neat--a brief encounter that enhances others’ emotional health and mine, too—something as simple as reading a tag and saying a name.

Try it and watch the reaction. You’ll like it, too.

© Geni J. White, RN, MS (Psych)