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Vitamin B12 Boost After age 50, our bodies have trouble absorbing vitamins like B12. This B vitamin is essential for older adults as it supports vital functions, including:
prevent constipation, improve digestion, and help our stomach feel full when we eat. Fiber can also reduce the risk of certain cancers, diabetes, and heart disease. Unfortunately, 95% of adults are not getting the fiber they need, according to the National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging. You can improve your fiber intake by eating whole grains (not processed), beans, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. The top three fiber- rich foods are beans, broccoli, and berries. Calcium for Bones Bone loss is more likely as we age, but you can counteract this by getting more calcium in your diet. Calcium is a mineral that promotes strong bones and teeth, which we all need to pay more attention to as we age. If you want to increase your calcium intake, I recommend making dairy your new best friend! Milk, cheese, and yogurt are all excellent sources of calcium you can add to your diet.
• Healthy red blood cell count (preventing anemia) • Bone health • Brain health and memory
• Higher energy levels • Better heart health
Some foods rich in vitamin B12 are meat, fish, chicken, dairy, and fortified breakfast cereals. It may be difficult to absorb the appropriate amount of vitamin B12 from foods alone, so be sure to speak with your doctor about the possibility of taking the vitamin in supplement form.
People say getting older isn’t for the weak for a reason, but you can make the process go a little easier! When you incorporate proper nutrients into your meals every day, you can know you’re doing your best to keep your body nourished and healthy.
Fiber-Rich Foods Fiber is a type of
carbohydrate the body can’t digest. This nutrient can help
America’s Fastest-Growing Sport WHY PEOPLE CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF PICKLEBALL
If your friends and neighbors aren’t talking about pickleball, they will be soon. In 2021, news outlets reported an explosion in the sport, with NPR estimating 4.8 million players. By 2022, that number had ballooned to 36.5 million players — an astonishing 14% of Americans. Even star athletes like Lebron James and Tom Brady are playing. For the uninitiated, pickleball is often described as a combination of tennis, badminton, and pingpong. Three fathers invented the game in 1965 to entertain their bored children on vacation. They rounded up the limited equipment they had on hand, including a wiffle ball, pingpong paddles, and a badminton net they lowered to tennis height. As the game developed, they realized the ball bounced nicely on asphalt — even though legend says a family dog named Pickles kept running off with it.
played by four people in teams of two, a player can hit the ball back over the net from in the air (a volley) or after it bounces on the ground (a groundstroke). But the creators instituted a 7-foot no-volley zone, or "kitchen,” next to the net. The extra space deters spiking and minimizes running. Those are the basics. Learn a few rules about serving, scoring, and when different hits are allowed, and you’re ready to play. But that still leaves a question: What’s the big deal? The ease of learning the sport is one of pickleball’s greatest appeals, but the reasons people love playing it go far beyond that. One of pickleball’s key advantages is that it rewards skill — not size, age, strength, or fitness. Thanks to the kitchen, young and old alike can fairly square off. Professional athletes can enjoy the sport, but so can children and seniors. Best of all, they can play together on mostly even footing.
With its low-impact nature, pickleball first found favor among adults 65 and older. But as its popularity grew, the sport began attracting younger and younger players. USA Pickleball reported in 2021 that most growth was in players under 55. Pickleball courts are in high demand, and they’re popping up everywhere. So, if you want to try the game, you shouldn’t have to travel too far. Enthusiasts predict the sport has a future in the Olympics — not too bad for a game that began with a family trip and a rowdy dog.
Like in tennis, pickleball involves hitting a ball back and forth over a net. Usually
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