As we age, maintaining mobility becomes one of the key factors in preserving independence and quality of life. Mobility is not just about moving easily; it’s about feeling confident in your ability to stay active, enjoy your favorite activities, and support your overall health. Whether you’re in your early 60s or approaching your 70s, it's never too late to focus on maintaining and improving your mobility. Here are some holistic, natural ways to ensure that your body remains strong, flexible, and mobile as you age.
### 1. **Stay Active with Low-Impact Exercises**
Regular movement is vital to maintaining joint flexibility and muscle strength. Low-impact exercises like walking, swimming, cycling, and yoga can provide a full-body workout without putting excessive strain on the joints. These exercises not only keep muscles and joints strong but also improve cardiovascular health.
Consider adding these gentle movements into your routine:
- **Walking**: A brisk walk for 30 minutes daily helps keep the hips, knees, and ankles healthy.
- **Swimming**: Water-based activities are excellent for joint flexibility without the risk of injury.
- **Yoga or Tai Chi**: Both practices focus on balance, flexibility, and controlled movements, which can enhance stability and reduce the risk of falls.
### 2. **Strength Training for Stability and Support**
As we age, muscle mass naturally declines, which can impact balance and stability. Engaging in light strength training, even just 2-3 times a week, can prevent muscle loss and improve bone density. Strength training also enhances joint function by supporting the muscles that surround and stabilize them.
Focus on exercises that target major muscle groups:
- **Bodyweight exercises**: Squats, lunges, and push-ups help strengthen legs, arms, and core muscles.
- **Resistance bands**: These are gentle on the joints but effective at strengthening muscles.
- **Light weights**: Incorporating light hand weights (or even household items) in your routine can boost strength without over-exertion.
### 3. **Maintain Flexibility with Stretching**
Regular stretching promotes flexibility and keeps your joints moving smoothly. Simple daily stretches can alleviate stiffness, especially in the morning or after long periods of inactivity. When stretching, focus on major joints such as the hips, knees, and shoulders.
Try these stretches to improve mobility:
- **Hip flexor stretch**: Opens up the hips and helps with lower body mobility.
- **Hamstring stretch**: Loosens tightness in the legs, especially if you sit for long periods.
- **Shoulder stretches**: Keeps the upper body mobile and helps prevent stiffness in the neck and shoulders.
### 4. **Support Joint Health with Proper Nutrition**
What you eat has a direct impact on joint and muscle health. A balanced diet rich in whole foods can help reduce inflammation and promote joint flexibility. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish like salmon and flaxseeds, are particularly beneficial for joint health. Additionally, supplements like collagen and glucosamine can help maintain joint integrity and reduce discomfort.
Some key nutrients for mobility include:
- **Collagen**: Supports joint cartilage and overall skin elasticity. Consider adding a high-quality collagen supplement to your diet, such as **Young Living’s Inner Beauty Collagen** for holistic support.
- **Calcium and Vitamin D**: Essential for bone health and preventing conditions like osteoporosis.
- **Anti-inflammatory foods**: Turmeric, ginger, and leafy greens can help reduce joint inflammation.
### 5. **Prioritize Balance and Coordination**
Falls are a major concern for those over 60, but practicing balance exercises can reduce the risk. Balance training, such as standing on one foot or practicing slow, controlled movements like Tai Chi, helps improve coordination and strengthens stabilizer muscles.
Incorporate these balance-focused activities into your routine:
- **Single-leg stands**: Hold on to a sturdy surface for support and gradually lift one foot off the ground.
- **Heel-to-toe walking**: Walk in a straight line with one foot directly in front of the other to practice balance.
- **Balance board exercises**: Use a balance board to challenge your stability safely.
### 6. **Stay Hydrated and Rested**
Proper hydration is often overlooked but is critical for joint lubrication and overall muscle function. Drinking enough water throughout the day keeps your joints supple and supports muscle recovery, especially after exercise.
In addition to hydration, prioritize rest and recovery:
- **Sleep**: Ensure you get 7-8 hours of restful sleep to allow your body to repair and rejuvenate.
- **Active recovery**: Gentle activities like stretching or a light walk can support circulation and prevent stiffness.
### 7. **Holistic Therapies for Mobility**
Holistic therapies such as massage, acupuncture, and the use of essential oils can further enhance mobility and flexibility. Regular massage therapy, for example, can help reduce muscle stiffness, improve circulation, and promote relaxation. Essential oils like peppermint, lavender, and frankincense can be used to soothe sore muscles and support recovery after activity.
Consider these natural remedies:
- **Essential oil blends**: Young Living’s PanAway or Deep Relief oils can be applied to muscles and joints to ease tension and discomfort.
- **Hot and cold therapy**: Alternating between hot and cold compresses can relieve inflammation and reduce joint stiffness.
### Conclusion
Maintaining mobility after 60 is about more than just exercise—it’s about a balanced lifestyle that incorporates movement, nutrition, and self-care. With the right approach, you can stay active, independent, and feel your best as you age gracefully. By embracing natural solutions, nourishing your body with whole foods and supplements, and incorporating gentle but effective movement practices, you can ensure long-term mobility and well-being.
Whether you’re just beginning your wellness journey or have been focused on your health for years, it’s never too late to improve your mobility and continue enjoying the activities you love.
Our feet are the foundation of our bodies, supporting us in virtually every activity we undertake, from walking and running to squatting and climbing. This emphasizes the importance of taking care of our feet, as they're not only crucial for movement but also serve as our primary sensory connection with the ground. This connection enables us to respond adaptively to our environment, highlighting the need for both strong and well-cared-for feet.
Many common foot conditions, such as bunions, plantar fasciitis, and ingrown toenails, can be attributed to the neglected state of our feet. Comparing the natural spread and arch of a baby's foot to the cramped toes and flat arches common in adults, it’s clear that our footwear choices and lack of attention to foot health can lead to numerous problems. These issues can significantly impact our balance, shock absorption, and overall foot function.
Addressing the structural issues caused by narrow toe boxes, positive heels, and the stiff body of modern footwear is essential for improving foot health. These elements can restrict mobility, reduce sensory and mechanical input from the environment, and lead to a variety of foot ailments. By understanding the importance of our feet's health and functionality, we can take steps toward better foot care and, by extension, improve our quality of life.
Read more...A skincare system that is right for whatever type of skin you have. BLOOM skincare by Young Living was designed to brighten the appearance of your skin and restore and even skin tone. What I like the best is that it is an effective skincare with the highest quality ingredients. You will see a quick hint of radiance with a shimmer effect from the crystalline mica it contains. The long term brightening results come with consistent use.
Let’s Take A Closer Look
The Brightening Complex in the BLOOM skincare system is formulated with plant-based natural ingredients that can brighten the appearance of the skin. The Brightening Complex contains pure Young Living essential oils including: Vetiver, Blue Cypress, Davana, Royal Hawaiian Sandalwood, Clove, Jasmine, Carrot Seed, Spearmint, Geranium and Frankincense.
BLOOM will help revitalize and rejuvenate your skin allowing for your natural radiance to shine through. This is a 3 part skincare system.
Step 1 Brightening Cleanser
I love the Brightening Cleanser it has a smooth gel consistency and feels terrific on the skin. It smell elegant and leaves the skin feeling clean but not tight and overly dry. It does not strip the skin like many other traditional facial cleansers on the market. Skin is left soft and healthy. It is gentle, yet effective leaving soft and moisturized skin. It contains Plumeria a flower known and used to soften and smooth skin and hair for centuries. More info here.
Step 2 Brightening Essence
The Brightening Essence hydrates skin up to 88% more and leaves skin looking hydrated and radiant.
This step supports your skin’s barrier function, reduces the appearance of pores. The essence is heavy un-like toner, not sticky like serum, glides and sinks into skin, feels luxurious.
It contains apple extract which helps with brightening you see instantly.
A special ingredient is the quartz crystalline mica, which is a naturally occurring mineral from France & the U.S. using sustainable practices. Very fine particles leave a shimmer. This creates an optical illusion that bounces light off skin and makes it glow on your skin. Some might call this “magic in a bottle,” but you will have to be the judge of that. More info here.
Step 3 Brightening Lotion
The Brightening Lotion is the last step in the BLOOM skincare system. It contains a very special ingredient, Pili Pulp Oil from the Happy Pili Tree Farm in the Phillipines. It gives the skin a light layer of hydration. 2 pumps is what most will use to leave the entire face hydrated. The lotion contains ginger root for brightening the skin and balancing skin tone. It has seaweed derived ingredients.
Bloom brightens, evens skin tone, contains naturally derived, safe pronounceable ingredients.
This product is for people interested in an even skin tone and brightening skin. As we become more aware of the damage caused from the environment, sun and free radicals along with other stressors which damages the DNA and causes the first signs of aging, it is time to fight back with clean skincare.
BLOOM can help to restore even skin tone and brightens dark spots. BLOOM was formulated to be used as a set and should to last 30-45 days. Bloom Skincare System
81% participants who sampled said their skin appeared more even in color after using the BLOOM brightening collection. More info here.
Best way to Use BLOOM skincare
Step 1: Use eye make up remover first, then Brightening cleanser and gently massage into face.
Step 2: Gently shake essence, pour quarter sized amount into palm, gently pat hands together, gently press into face, neck and décolleté.
Step 3: Use two pumps of the Brightening Lotion, pat product and press into skin over Brightening Essence.
The product set is meant to be used together and will last up to 45 days .
Inside the BLOOM carton you can color the flower pattern for up-cycling and creating on your own decoration. Coloring has been shown to be a stress reducer and decreases the carbon footprint.
Create your own and use #BloomBeauty to showcase on social media.
Young Living High Standards
This new product follows a VERY Strict Young Living standard for clean beauty!
Free from:
synthetics
fragrances
parabens
phthalates
phenoxyethenol
sulfates
Free from:
synthetics
fragrances
parabens
phthalates
phenoxyethenol
sulfates
"It has been said that when essential oils are diffused in the home, they have the ability to increase the atmospheric oxygen. They do this by releasing oxygenating molecules into the
atmosphere. Oils increase ozone and negative ions in the home .... Essential oils have the electrical magnetic attraction to fracture the molecular chain of chemicals and take them out of the air. This process renders them non-toxic to the body. Scientists in the European countries have found that essential oils will BOND TO METALLICS & CHEMICALS and carry them OUT of the body! They do this by working as a natural chelator, inhibiting these toxic substances from staying in the tissues.
These are all wonderful attributes of essential oils. Essential oils remove dust particles out of the air, and WHEN DIFFUSED IN THE HOME, CAN BE THE GREATEST AIR FILTRATION SYSTEM IN THE WORLD."
[ from "Aromatherapy; The Essential Beginning" by D. Gary Young ]
Sweet Ones, if you have not yet ditched the synthetic fragrance warming trays, hot pots, plug-in's and candles, let this please serve as the oar needed to propel you from the side of the stream you are in, and over to the side of the stream that carries you onward to healthy, clean, restorative air in your home. What you breathe in plays a critical role in your overall well-being. Both emotional AND physical well-being! THE AIR QUALITY INSIDE YOUR HOME has been found to be up to TEN TIMES MORE toxic than the air OUTSIDE of your home.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN DITCHING:
▪︎ candles with fragrance
▪︎ wax Pods with fragrance
▪︎ room.sprays with fragrance
▪︎ room sprays with phenoxyethanol
▪︎ room sprays with isopropyl alcohol
Get👏🏼 them👏🏼 out👏🏼
I have a diffuser in every room of my home and they are always running and they serve their purpose well!
So... what's in YOUR diffuser today?
What I am loving right now is :
Is a blend from Young Living called Rise Above.
You can find it here
These are all wonderful attributes of essential oils. Essential oils remove dust particles out of the air, and WHEN DIFFUSED IN THE HOME, CAN BE THE GREATEST AIR FILTRATION SYSTEM IN THE WORLD."
[ from "Aromatherapy; The Essential Beginning" by D. Gary Young ]
Sweet Ones, if you have not yet ditched the synthetic fragrance warming trays, hot pots, plug-in's and candles, let this please serve as the oar needed to propel you from the side of the stream you are in, and over to the side of the stream that carries you onward to healthy, clean, restorative air in your home. What you breathe in plays a critical role in your overall well-being. Both emotional AND physical well-being! THE AIR QUALITY INSIDE YOUR HOME has been found to be up to TEN TIMES MORE toxic than the air OUTSIDE of your home.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN DITCHING:
▪︎ candles with fragrance
▪︎ wax Pods with fragrance
▪︎ room.sprays with fragrance
▪︎ room sprays with phenoxyethanol
▪︎ room sprays with isopropyl alcohol
Get👏🏼 them👏🏼 out👏🏼
I have a diffuser in every room of my home and they are always running and they serve their purpose well!
So... what's in YOUR diffuser today?
What I am loving right now is :
Is a blend from Young Living called Rise Above.
You can find it here
Hotel rooms always remind me of CSI and horror movies, even the nice ones. Maybe that’s too much TV or maybe it’s just the nature of what they are, but I am always ready to make sure no one catches cooties while on my watch.
My secret? Thieves spray or thieves Household cleaner.
All the counters, the toilet, the handles, desks, side tables, all of it, it all gets wiped down. Then we can get everything else in there and make it our little home away from home.
And since we’re mostly there to sleep, I make sure I have all the heavy hitters on deck. KidScents Unwind helps the kids calm down and actually feel ready to go to bed instead of asking to go back out to the pool 32 times.
RutaVaLa Roll-On will have all of us sleeping well. Just roll it on the bottom of the feet and voila! Night night time. But if someone is really struggling to sleep, I make sure to break out the SleepEssence or the ImmuPro. ImmuPro gives that added immune support boost, so that’s usually the choice, but SleepEssence definitely does the trick when someone is having a hard time counting sheep.
After that, it’s just making sure the Thieves Wipes are handy for any messes. Easy peasy hotel life.
Find these products Here
