WHY MEDITATION IS A MUST FOR OLDER ADULTS QUIET YOUR MIND, IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH
Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years and offers many benefits. The best part is that it’s accessible to anyone; you don’t need special equipment or a membership to practice, just your mind and body! While meditation is great for everyone, meditation can be particularly powerful for older adults due to its emotional and cognitive perks. Here are some key benefits you can expect. Less Anxiety For some, anxiety can be a response to a specific life event, such as a health scare or losing a loved one. For others, anxiety can appear later in life for no apparent reason. Regardless of why it starts, anxiety is both uncomfortable and harmful to your health. Anxiety often involves worrying about the future, and meditation helps alleviate it by pushing you to focus only on how your body LAUGH THERAPY
feels at that precise moment. Focusing only on the now is an excellent way to help combat those intrusive “what if” and “when” thoughts. Reduced Chronic Pain It’s not uncommon for people to experience pain as they age. And while meditation can’t treat the cause of the pain, it can help reduce the amount of pain you feel. According to a study from The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 89% of participants reported that meditation helped them cope with their chronic pain, drastically reducing their overall pain levels. Better Memory It’s normal for older adults to experience some lapse in memory as they age, but it doesn’t make the experience any less stressful or frightening. Meditation helps to boost memory as it increases blood flow to areas of the brain in charge of attention and executive function. By giving these areas of the brain more “power” through increased
blood supply, they can work more efficiently to help you retain and recall information.
If you don’t know how to start, close your eyes and focus on counting your inhalations 10 times before restarting. You can set a timer or continue as long as you feel comfortable. You can also find several guided meditation apps if you need a bit more help. It only takes a few minutes to complete a meditation exercise and begin reaping its incredible health benefits!
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INGREDIENTS •
2 large portobello mushrooms
Chipotle Marinade • 1 tbsp oil •
• • • • • • •
1 red bell pepper
1/2 onion
2 tbsp sauce from canned chipotle in adobo sauce
Salt, to taste
14-oz can refried black beans
• • •
1 garlic clove, minced
Vegan crema (optional) Avocados (optional)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
4 tortillas
DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 425 F. 2. Slice mushrooms and bell pepper into
lightly brush the bell peppers and onions. Sprinkle salt on the mushrooms. Roast vegetables for 20 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.
1/2-inch-thick slices. Then, cut onion into 1/2-inch-thick rings. On a parchment-lined sheet pan, place all sliced vegetables.
5. Heat beans and prepare additional toppings if desired. 6. Spread refried beans on warm tortillas and top with mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and any additional toppings.
3. In a small bowl, whisk marinade ingredients together. 4. Brush both sides of mushrooms with a liberal amount of marinade. Then,
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