Is the glass half-full or half-empty? Did you know how you interpret this can affect your overall health? A new study, published in the Psychological Science Journal, finds that having a positive outlook on life can be as good for your health as a well-balanced diet and regular exercise. Always seeing the glass half-empty? Turn that frown upside down and attempt to see the good in every situation.
Shine: Positive outlook and friends may be as good for you as diet and exercise, claims study
There are many new products that can help you get your 8 glasses per day, however, many are full of sugars, sodium and unnecessary calories. Are you making the right choices? This interesting article by Rodale Wellness discusses the new trend in “fancy” fortified water beverages and helps you decide which are worth the extra money and which are just empty calories.
Do you have trouble remembering where you left your keys? Is it hard for you to remember the name of the person you were just introduced to? We live in an age of information overload and it is becoming increasingly difficult for many to keep their memory sharp. This article by Good Housekeeping discusses excellent tips to keep your mind sharp and improve your memory.
Are you forever trying to bring new houseplants into your home only to have them die or wither away? The Nest online has compiled a list of must have houseplants that will spruce up your decor, improve your health, help purify the air you breathe and are super easy to take care of! Check out the article and add some green to your home.
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
I see a huge similarity between coaches and therapists. Are therapists not just coaches of rehabilitation? A recent experience with organized sport reminded me that as coaches (and therapists) we need to believe in our clients and often we believe in them more than they do. Yet, it is only through believing in them will they be able to develop the confidence to succeed.
I was at a provincial volleyball tournament with my daughter. She is 12. All season she has been working on her overhand serve. She is the tiniest kid on the team and all year was continuing to build the strength required to execute this serve successfully. Just before the tournament she starts landing these in practice. All tournament she was getting her overhand serve over and in. Then, they are playing the bronze medal game. She gets to serve twice and misses both times. Two points for the other team. Game point and she is serving. Knowing her struggles, she serves underhand, they win the point and the first game. In the second game she tries her overhand serve again and misses. The score is now 23/22 for them and she is serving again. She looks at her coach and he says “give’er” (code for serve overhand and give it all you have). She does, and lands her serve and one point later they have won the game and the medal.
I was brought to tears reflecting on this. Her coach had more faith in her than she had in herself. Given the choice, she would have played it safe and served underhand. But he knew she could do it, and was more interested in her own development as a player, then in the impact of a missed serve on the game. That is a great coach.
As a therapist, I use this as a reminder regarding my role. I find that my clients will thank ME for “everything” and I have to remind them that I didn’t do anything, THEY did. I just believed in them and provided them with encouragement, strategies and tools to be successful. My daughter’s coach did not serve overhand in the final seconds of an important game, but he gave her the strength to believe that she could. That is our role as parents, coaches and therapists: believe in those we are leading and they will obtain the ability to believe in themselves and later in others. That is truly paying it forward.
There are many ways for Canadians and people across the globe to live the “Me to We” lifestyle. The following article written by Craig and Mark Kielburger for the Huffington Post, discusses how literally donating from within yourself can make a difference in the lives of many.
The Huffington Post: “Donating Blood Canada: How Sharing Your Health Can Help”
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
Do you find or make time for television, personal reading, social media, meditation, exercising, or hitting the spa? Then perhaps you can find time in your schedule to donate blood.
As a health care professional I am reminded daily that blood is a lifesaving resource. In fact, it is likely that most, if not all, of my clients were a blood recipient at their time of injury. Yet, according to Canadian Blood Services there is a problem. As per their website, less than 4% of Canadians donate blood, while over 60% of people are eligible to do so. Reasons for non-donation include people having a fear of needles (a legitimate an insurmountable problem for many), but most people simply say they “don’t have the time”. Yet, Canadian Blood Services has estimated that as early as 2014 they will have a blood crisis as loyal and repeat donors (mostly seniors) will start exceeding donation age and will become recipients making the already large gap between low supply and high demand even larger. This gap will be worsened by the baby boomers over the next two decades. It is time the next generation takes on this important responsibility.
This Friday, June 14th, is World Blood Donor Day. As someone that has never donated (under the category of “no time”) I have since realized that I make time for other things that I consider less important, so it is time for me to become a donor. I am doing this for several reasons. One, I have memories of my grandfather, a war veteran, wearing his red blood-drop pin. I always noticed his pin, worn proud on his lapel, and the thought of becoming a donor reminds me of him. Two, I have no fear of needles and can make the time because this is important to me. Three, Canadian Blood Services has made this easy – there is a donation center less than 5Km from my home and I was able to book an appointment online. Four, as a parent I want to model this behavior for my children. And five, I recently lost a client who told me that he needed 14 units of blood at the time of his injury and this was a “record”. His passing has motivated me to finally make the time for this important contribution.
My plan? Take a book, relax, and take an hour to myself while giving back at the same time. Based on my blood type after donating I will give myself a big A.
This great article by “Readers Digest” can help you find new and simple ways of relieving aches, pains, and itchy rashes. The 5 household items discussed here are cheap, easy to find and can help alleviate pain without the reliance on medications.
Do you ever wonder how your brain works? The human brain is very complex and difficult for the untrained individual to understand. This interesting interactive Brain Map by CBC Health takes you inside the human brain allowing you to explore up close.
Concussions are a hot topic in sport. Yet the management of these continues to vary. It is now felt that if someone sustains a head injury during sports, they should not return to the game and should be checked by a professional. Take a look at this article about concussions and the changing guidelines for treatment. In the article, an expert, Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, states: “If in doubt, sit it out,” and points out the important fact that “you only get one brain; treat it well!”