Staying Healthy

1. Improve vision with perceptual training. Just one hour per day of perceptual training may improve vision. Perceptual training helps your brain quickly recognize what your eyes see. Many exercises can be downloaded online. Here are a few: 

• Visual Training Activities 1 – PDF
• Visual Training Activities 2 – PDF
• Visual Training Activities – Online

If you already do perceptual training, please share your activities so we can share them with others.

2. Become more active by drinking beetroot juice. With growing age, we take in less oxygen, making it difficult for us to exercise because our muscles need a lot of oxygen. Beetroot juice has been shown to lower blood pressure and reduce the amount of oxygen muscles need for exercise. It reduces the amount of effort required to do anything you use your muscles for! When drinking beetroot juice, be sure to mix it with other juice, because it’s very strong, and talk to your doctor before trying it. For some easy recipes, go here.

3. Reduce risk of falls with exercise and Vitamin D. Did you know that falls are the leading cause of death and injury for the elderly? Help prevent falls with a Vitamin D supplement and daily exercise. The exercise can be very simple exercises aimed at improving gait, balance, strength and flexibility needed for every day activities. This is especially true for people over age 65. Check with a doctor before taking a Vitamin D supplement and to find out the right dose for you. For more information you can review the summary of an interesting study here.

Remember to check with your doctor before making any dietary changes!