You Can Stretch Anywhere,Anytime

I've been nursing a groin injury for the past few months. It has been frustrating since it hurts to run or even walk fast. So I was interested in learning that stretching can help with injury recovery time.

As you age, your muscles tighten and range of motion in your joints can be minimized. This can put a damper on your active lifestyle and even put a crimp in normal motions. (and I'm finding that as I age, my body is healing slower.)

Stretching increases flexibility, which will help you perform daily activities and reduce the risk of muscle, joint and tendon injuries. Stretching also improves circulation, increasing blood flow to the muscles. Increased blood flow provides more nourishment to the muscles and gets rid of more waste by-products in the muscle tissue itself. Improved circulation can also help speed up recovery time if you suffer a muscle injury. Everyone can learn to stretch, regardless of age or flexibility. Stretching should be a part of your daily routine, whether you exercise or not. You can stretch while you watch tv, use the computer or are getting ready for bed. 

The staff at the Mayo Clinic give these benefits of stretching:  

Stretching increases flexibility. Flexible muscles can improve your daily performance. Tasks such as lifting packages, bending to tie your shoes or hurrying to catch a bus become easier and less tiring.  

Stretching improves range of motion of your joints. Good range of motion keeps you in better balance, which will help keep you mobile and less prone to falls — and the related injuries — especially as you age. 

Stretching improves circulation. Stretching increases blood flow to your muscles. Improved circulation can speed recovery after muscle injuries. 

Stretching can relieve stress. Stretching relaxes the tense muscles that often accompany stress. 

You can find some quick and easy stretches here.  Try them tomorrow. It would be a great way to start the New Year!


 

New Year's Resolutions

 

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? I have in the past but after a few weeks it seems like they are kind of forgotten. So this year I decided to make a simple chart based on one that I saw by the Sits Girls.  I decided that maybe one word reminders that are posted where I can see would help me to stay on task. Some of these have specific meaning for me and some can be applied to different situations in my life. 

I'm going to give it a try this year. I'll let you know how it turns out...

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas to you and yours! I hope you have a delightful day filled with family love, smiles for the camera, and gifts from the heart. 
Remember to take time to soak in the joy of the season. Look around and just breathe it in! Have a very Merry Christmas today!

 

Wordless Wednesday

                                                            Having fun inverting colors. 
 

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Treats

 My sister-in-law Rose makes some of the best Christmas treats. She always makes the pretzel rods dipped in chocolate which are a hit. The only problem for me is that once the chocolate is gone, you've got a lot of pretzel left. I do like pretzels, just not so much at one time. So I was happy to find this recipe using pretzels, chocolate and caramel.

For these yummy little pretzel treats you'll need:



Small pretzels-- twists or the square ones-- I used the square ones (you won't use the whole bag)
Bag of caramels
Approximately 1 bag of Milk Chocolate chips (or chocolate almond bark)

Place wax paper or a silpat mat on a large cookie sheet and lay out your pretzels. Unwrap the caramels and cut each one in half. I would have given anything to have had the grands here to help with this step!!

Top each pretzel with a caramel half and place in a 250 degree oven for 5 minutes or so, until caramel is soft to the touch. Remove from oven and top each pretzel with another pretzel, GENTLY squeezing in the middle of each pretzel to sandwich the caramel.

Melt your chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, stirring every 30 seconds until just melted.

Grab a pretzel sandwich and dunk it completely in the chocolate  and shake to remove excess chocolate. (I used a fork to help with the dunking.)Place them on another cookie sheet covered in wax paper.  Repeat with remaining pretzels and allow to set up completely at room temperature. (I shook a little Christmas decoration on the top before the chocolate set up.)

If you want to see where I got this idea and a really cute way to finish off your treats check out this blog post.

Wordless Wednesday

                                                       Having fun with starburst effect.
 

If Only For A Second

If you watched the Country Music Christmas show last week you saw a little girl get to meet Luke Bryan. Tatum is the greatniece of my best friend. Tatum's wish has been to meet Luke and the Make a Wish Foundation made it possible. The family was treated like royalty and Luke Bryan was so good to them. It's heartwarming to see people's kindness in the face of such tragedy and pain. 

Today I came across this post about another group that helps cancer patients. 

The Mimi Foundation is an organization for cancer patients whose goal is to make sure their patients’ personal and emotional needs are met, in addition to their medical needs. The foundation has centers in France, Belgium and Switzerland. Individuals are provided with a serene, relaxing atmosphere, psychological counseling, beauty treatments, and advice on ways to approach hair loss.
“If Only For a Second” is a book and accompanying video that documents an experiment in helping cancer patients to forget their illness, however briefly. For the project, twenty people were given over-the-top makeovers and asked to keep their eyes closed the entire time. When their transformations were complete, they were asked to open their eyes in front of a two-way mirror, on the other side of which sat a photographer.

The cover of the book "If Only For A Second".

The Mimi Foundation’s book of photos, titled “If Only For a Second,” is a wonderful example of such a project – watch here:

It's a hoot to see how the make-up and hair stylists made up these men and women. Even more fun to see their reactions. What a fun idea to take away the reality of cancer if only for a few seconds! God bless all who help to ease the suffering of others!