August 21, 2021

by Alison Duncan, PhD, RD Foods that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition are considered 'functional' foods. They contain ingredients that aren't essential for growth and development, but promote optimal health. My name is Dr. Alison Duncan, and I’m a Professor in Nutritional Science at the University of Guelph. We all know how important nutrition is for our health as we get older. ...

August 14, 2021

It’s a big challenge to change lifestyle habits after 30 or 40 years. It’s a sad truth that as we age, many of the chronic diseases we live with are a result of our lifestyle choices. But we can prevent or manage many of these chronic ‘lifestyle diseases’ by starting to make small changes toward a healthier lifestyle. Chronic diseases affected by lifestyle choices include Type 2 diabetes, he...

August 6, 2021

by Sandra J. Hartley, MPE, EdD Fourteen years ago, I was given a walking regimen that was absolutely fail-proof -- a mandatory, no questions asked, have to do it walking plan -- twice a day. It was 1999. I was holding a piece of living fluff called Mojo (little joy) whom the breeder described as a Bichon-Shitzu. A dog! At that size, she had some difficulty organizing her legs and going forwar...

July 31, 2021

by Shelley Callaghan, (formerly) CAAWS What stops women from getting exercise as they get older? And how do women get over these barriers? To better understand this, the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) conducted cross- Canada focus groups with women age 55 to 70. We grouped the barriers that the women talked about into three categories...

July 31, 2021

Balance challenges keep you on your feet By: Lora Giangregorio, PhD After the age of 40, we lose 0.5% to 1% of the bone mass in our skeleton each year. A diagnosis of osteoporosis means that bones have weakened to the point where they could break from a simple fall. Osteoporosis affects about 1.4 million Canadians. One in three women and one in five men over the age of 50 will have a fractur...

July 17, 2021

by Sandra J. Hartley, M.P.E., Ed.D. One thing you can count on at home is dust. It settles. Dirt tracks in. “Stuff” collects. The mess just returns week after week. I envy people who do not care about dust bunnies, floor crumbs, and clutter. Yet I feel out of sorts when the place isn’t tidy.   Keeping a place clean week after week seems to be an exercise in futility... or is it? Research sugg...

July 17, 2021

Strength training to help aging bones By: Lora Giangregorio, PhD After the age of 40, we lose 0.5% to 1% of the bone mass in our skeleton each year. A diagnosis of osteoporosis means that bones have weakened to the point where they could break from a simple fall. Osteoporosis affects about 1.4 million Canadians. One in three women and one in five men over the age of 50 will have a fracture d...

July 10, 2021

New tools to help aging bones By: Lora Giangregorio, PhD After the age of 40, we lose 0.5% to 1% of the bone mass in our skeleton each year. A diagnosis of osteoporosis means that bones have weakened to the point where they could break from a simple fall. Osteoporosis affects about 1.4 million Canadians. One in three women and one in five men over the age of 50 will have a fracture due to os...

July 10, 2021

By Mark Speechley, PhD First, the good news: everybody falls – it’s normal – ask any toddler or hockey player! And fortunately, most falls do not cause serious injury. Now, the not so good news: as we age, about one third of us start to fall in situations where we would not have fallen when we were younger. Suddenly, we slip on a floor or trip over a doorsill that we’ve used safely for decade...

July 2, 2021

With osteoporosis, your bones become thin and porous. You also lose bone strength, which means you have a greater risk of breaking a bone. Although it’s often associated with women, Osteoporosis is not just a woman’s disease. It is a serious health issue for men. During their lifetime, at least one in five men will break a broken bone from osteoporosis. In fact, Osteoporosis causes over 80% of ...