BALANCE: IT’S MORE THAN JUST AN ACT
PLUS 3 WAYS YOU CAN IMPROVE IT!
Sit to Stand In a chair, sit with your feet planted firmly on the floor in front of you. Then, rise from the chair without using your arms to help push you up. If this is too difficult, feel free to add a pillow or foam pad to the seat to reduce the distance between sitting and standing. Once you’re standing, slowly lower yourself back into the chair. Try not to fall back into it (which allows gravity to control the fall); instead, ease yourself into the seat. Repeat as many times as you can. Heel-to-Toe Walk Standing straight, place one foot directly in front of the other so the heel of your leading foot is touching the toes of the one behind it. Hold this position for 30 seconds before moving the back foot to the front of the previously leading foot, with its heel touching the other foot’s toes. Repeat as many times as you can.
More studies reveal that balance is a great indicator of life span or disease. In fact, a recent study released by the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed that people who could not balance on one foot for at least 10 seconds were nearly twice as likely to die within the next 10 years. But as we age, balance can become more challenging, and losing your balance can lead to falls or other serious accidents.
according to the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, doing so can reduce the risk of falling by up to 40%! Here are a few simple exercises you can do at home to improve your balance. For safety, we recommend completing these exercises near a sturdy surface you can use for support if you need it.
Standing March While standing, slowly march in place for
Luckily, these mishaps are preventable with some help from balance training.
20–30 seconds. How fast or slow you complete this exercise is up to you, but once you feel it becoming easier, you can pick up your marching pace or move to a different floor texture, like carpet, grass, or hardwood, for a challenge. The idea here is that marching forces you to temporarily stand on one foot, even for a few seconds.
Balance training just means taking a few minutes each day to perform simple exercises that help improve your balance, and
LAUGH THERAPY
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Inspired by MarthaStewart.com
INGREDIENTS •
1 lb flank steak, room temperature Kosher salt and ground pepper 3 tbsp massaman curry paste, divided
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1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, white and light-green parts separated from dark- green tops 8 oz sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved on the bias
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1 1/4 cups white rice
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2 1/2 cups water, divided
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
DIRECTIONS 1. Season steak with salt and pepper. Brush with 1 tbsp curry paste, and let stand 10 minutes. 2. In a saucepan, combine rice, 1 3/4 cups water, 1 tbsp oil, and 3/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then stir, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer about 15 minutes before adding white and light-green scallions. Cover to steam. 3. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in 1 tbsp oil. Add the steak, flipping once; cook this for 7–9 minutes, then transfer to a carving board. 4. Reduce the skillet to medium heat, then add 1 tbsp oil and the remaining 2 tbsp curry paste. Cook this for 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup water and cook until reduced, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and cover. 5. Wipe skillet clean, then add remaining 1 tbsp oil. While stirring, add snap peas. Season with salt and cook this until crisp-tender, about 2–3 minutes. 6. Fluff rice before stirring in scallion tops. Slice steak against the grain, then serve with rice, peas, and curry sauce. 3 (858) 675-1133
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