by Ruth Griffiths

At the end of one of the yoga classes that I lead, a participant gave me a big hug.  “That’s from my chiropractor,” he said. He had noticed the difference since he started doing chair yoga.

Yoga has become increasingly popular for many reasons, including relaxation, strengthening and stretching. But many people shy away from yoga because they don’t like the idea of being “stretched into a pretzel” and they worry that if they get onto the floor, they’ll never get up again. The solution is chair yoga. The chair frees me of the fear of falling so that I can practice balancing and stretching in a relaxed frame of mind.

Yoga has been shown to improve overall health. One of my new participants says yoga was recommended because the deep breathing will help her lungs. I know from personal experience that yoga has increased my core strength and eliminated lower back pain. A recent study suggested that chair yoga helps control the pain of arthritis.

Here are some other benefits of chair yoga, taken from doyouyoga.com:

1. Improved Strength — As we age, we are better able to continue with hobbies and daily activities if we keep active. A strong body is better able to withstand an injury, if we do fall.

 2. Improved Flexibility — Regular neck stretches allow me to drive more safely because I can move my head enough to lane check. Chair yoga can help those with mobility issues to undertake activities they have perhaps been unable to, such as reaching down to tie shoelaces or pick things up.

3. Improved proprioception — Proprioception is the skill of knowing where your body is in space, and coordinating your movements accurately. This is particularly important for elderly people and can prevent falls. For people with disabilities or conditions such as MS, it may mean having greater control over your body and its movements.

4. Reduced stress and improved mental clarity — Chair yoga can lessen the impact of chronic illnesses and pain. It may also help us cope with feelings of isolation, especially during our cold winters. Being calmer and more relaxed inevitably leads to a greater feeling of happiness and wellbeing.

5. Opportunities to socialize — Attending chair yoga classes is another way to meet people and make friends. Choose a class that is adapted for the older body.

6. Improved stress and pain management — Yoga includes breath work, which can help with stress management but also for coping and managing pain. Through meditation and paying attention to your breath, you can help your body and mind to cope with the pain of an illness or condition.

I lead a drop-in yoga class for adults each Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Calvary United Church, 114 25^th St. E. The room is wheelchair accessible but most participants are able to stand. The fee is a donation to the church. I invite you to come out and try a chair-assisted yoga class and realize its benefits for yourself.

by Ruth Griffiths

Most of us live our lives on autopilot. We have a series of habits that get us through the day without too many decisions to make. But some of those habits are unhealthy.

You may have chosen to change one of those habits. The first step to changing a habit is making a plan.

Pick just one habit to change. Many people fail at their New Year’s resolutions because they tackle too much change at a time.

Start small. The smaller the better, because habit change is difficult, and trying to take on too much is a recipe for disaster. If your goal is to exercise 30 minutes each day, you can do it 10 minutes at a time. Don’t wait to go to the gym. Build the exercise into your everyday activities. Park the car at the far end of the lot and push your groceries through the snow for a great workout.

Put it on paper. Just saying you’re going to change the habit is not enough of a commitment. You need to actually write it down, on paper. Post that paper on your fridge door.

Make a plan to achieve your goal. Include your reasons for changing, the obstacles you might face and how you will overcome them. List people who will help you achieve your plan.

Pick a healthier habit to replace the habit you are trying to change. If you want to cut out snacking while you watch TV, what are you going to do instead. Maybe you could drink herbal tea or chew gum.

Go public. Tell everyone about your plan. Post it on Facebook Make this your Big Day. It builds up anticipation and excitement, and helps you to prepare.

Telling other people about your plan will encourage you to stick to your plan and allow them to support you in your desire to become a healthier you.

Find a buddy to support you on your plan. You are more likely to head out to a walking program at -30C if you are going to be joining a friend. You will do for others what you won’t do for yourself. Support each other in your plan to make a healthier you.

by Ruth Griffiths

Carrots are part of the cuisine of cultures around the world. Everywhere I have traveled, carrots were on the menu in one form or another.

Carrots are the most popular vegetable in the UK, edging out the potato in popularity. China produces half the carrots grown worldwide.

Carrots are used in many cuisines both cooked and in salads. For the past 30 years, baby carrots (carrots that have been peeled and cut into uniform cylinders) have been a popular ready-to-eat snack food in local supermarkets.

The carrots we grow today, Daucus carota sativus, have been cultivated for centuries. They are thought to have been selected from the wild carrot, Daucus carota carota (Queen Anne’s Lace), which originated on the Iranian Plateau, an area that now includes Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. Wild carrot grows in temperate regions around the globe, particularly Western Asia and Europe, and is widely distributed across much of North America.

Carrot flowers, seeds and roots were first used for medicinal purposes. The domestic carrot has been selectively bred for its greatly enlarged, more palatable, less woody-textured taproot.

According to Wikipedia, carrots appear to have been introduced into Spain by the Moors in 8th century. In the 10th century, in West Asia, India and Europe, the roots were purple. The Jewish scholar Simeon Seth describes both red and yellow carrots in the 11th century. Cultivated carrots appeared in China in the 14th century, and in Japan in the 18th century. Orange-coloured carrots appeared in the Netherlands and England in the 17th century. European settlers introduced the carrot to colonial America in the 17th century.

Carrots are a healthy vegetable, high in Vitamin A, but eating carrots will not help you see in the dark, contrary to what many of us were taught years ago. According to Wikipedia, this myth was propaganda used by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War to explain why their pilots had improved success during night air battles, but was actually used to disguise advances in radar technology and the use of red lights on instrument panels.

Carrots are relatively easy to grown. Because they take only 90 days to mature, carrots can be grown almost anywhere below the tree line in Canada. Pulling a carrot root from the ground and eating it fresh is one of the great pleasures of gardening. As you plan your garden this summer, don’t forget the carrots.

by Ruth Griffiths

Last week I graded my predictions for 2016 and proved my inability to see into the future. But, buoyed by support from readers, I again embrace my fallibility and offer the following predictions for the coming year: 

1. Despite the Christmas market bombings in Germany and an unprecedented influx of refugees during 2016, Angela Merkel will be returned as Chancellor of Germany in national elections this fall.
   
2. Donald Trump will initiate legal action against Hillary Clinton. Why? Because he can.
   
3. Was it hoax or reality that Russia interfered with the U.S. presidential election? I predict that nations around the world will spend more on cyber security this year.
   
4. Oil prices will continue in a slump, continuing to drain the Saskatchewan economy. With workers caught in the pincers of rising prices and dwindling employment, labour unrest will erupt this year.
   
5. Nano technology with a link to Saskatchewan will facilitate the first head transplant. A mesh one molecule thick has been developed to provide a “trellis” on which the spinal column can make connections between the head and the donor body.
   
6. A vaccine for HIV (AIDS) will become commercially available.
   
7. Farmers’ Almanac predicts average snowfall for the Prairies and colder temperatures during the beginning of the year. I predict that colder temperatures will curtail some Winter Festival activities in February.
   
8. The summer of 2017 is predicted to be a little cooler and drier than usual. The dry weather will tend to increase the risk of forest fires. I predict that Prince Albert will see an influx of fire evacuees this summer.
   
9. With the legalization of marijuana on the horizon, I predict that Saskatchewan police will be trained in the use of a device for roadside testing for driver impairment due to marijuana.
   
10. Some of the oil spilled into the North Saskatchewan River last summer still lurks in the riverbed. When spring runoff scours the riverbanks, oil will again become a problem for Prince Albert’s water treatment system. Prepare for water restrictions again this spring.