Exercise | Silver Magazine

Health

Eye Care Tips For People Over 50

It’s always important to look ahead so you don’t bump into things. The same goes for looking after our eyes as we age. When we get over 50, our eyes begin to age as well due to cataracts, diabetes, diet, and overall health. So, we pulled together some quick insights about keeping those peepers healthy and strong as we age! As we age, our eyes’ lenses gradually stiffen (like our muscles some days!). This can become noticeable in our 40s but accelerates into our 50s. We can notice this through changes in near-vision activities such as reading, sewing, or even using a smartphone. If you have to move objects farther away to gain focus, this is why. Our pupils also become smaller and less responsive into our 50s. You’ll notice this if you need more light for reading or doing detailed tasks. It’s often why people over 50 tend to

Staff April 2, 2025

Cover Story

Life Changing Exercises

These are our top 5 exercises you can do to not only stay fit but also maintain your flexibility and overall health after 50. #1 Squats Squats are a game-changer for the human body. You do squatting every day — sitting down and standing up is the most basic version of this exercise. So, if you can sit on a chair, you can squat! Three Levels of Squats: Beginner: Sit down and stand up 6 to 12 times without using your hands. Try to stand up as soon as your butt touches the chair. Intermediate: Try deep squats without a chair, focusing on maintaining balance and control. Advanced: Hold light dumbbells at your sides while squatting to add resistance. Super Advanced: Squats with heavier resistance using a weighted bar. 💡 Secret Nugget: Try doing this three times, twice a week, and you’ll notice significant changes in your strength and balance!

Staff April 1, 2025

Nostalgia

Oh, Those Old Fitness Gadgets!

Remember the days when getting in some exercise meant more than just setting your smartwatch, ensuring your phone was connected, choosing the right playlist, and finding earbuds that wouldn’t fall out? Back when we had the THIGHMASTER, and Suzanne Somers wore her bright leggings, telling us we too could have thighs of steel in just a few easy workouts from the comfort of our living rooms while we watched the afternoon soaps. And then, just a few months later, it would poke out from under the couch in the rec room, haunting us and collecting dust bunnies. Maybe it was the way the springs creaked and groaned, the feeling of being empowered by a future vision of ourselves—ripped and sleek on the dance club floors, putting John Travolta to shame! Thanks, StairMaster! Let’s not forget the Ab Roller—the wheel of wonder that whispered promises of washboard abs but simply delivered

Giles Crouch September 1, 2024

Health

Keep Your Heart Pumping

Take a closer look at what factors affect heart health. The heart never takes a break. It is the ultimate survivor. Even if you are physically drained and exhausted, your heart keeps pumping at about 4,800 beats per hour. But it is not invincible. Taking care of your heart should not be taken lightly. Heart disease is the leading cause of premature death in Canada and globally, according to the 2017 Global Burden of Disease study. While there are multiple causes of heart diseases, health conditions such as diabetes and obesity play an important role. Diabetes increases heart disease risk Adults with diabetes are four times more likely to die of heart disease or stroke compared to those without diabetes, according to the American Heart Association. The alarming statistics indicate that diabetes and cardiovascular diseases have a direct connection. Cardiovascular diseases refer to conditions that involve narrowed or constricted blood

Sonia Koshy March 7, 2024

Fitness

How to Fall in Love With Exercise Again

How does exercise improve mental health? Even if You Hated Exercise All Your Life: Try This 7 Step Fun Strategy Based on Neuroscience.

Dr. Christine Sauer May 3, 2022

Health

Interesting new research on walking

We walk without thinking about it. But it turns out, walking helps our bodies in several interesting ways that may surprise you. There is a constant, complex dance of molecules in our body. Rushing to and fro. Some are doing good, others not so much. And it turns out, walking plays a huge role. Research has even been done on walking and its impacts on breast cancer in the form of the estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer which is seen in about two thirds of all cases. Basically, estrogen circulate in the bloodstream causes breast cell tissues to grow and divide and this is normal. Sometimes mutations occur and it’s not a big deal. Sometimes it is. A mutation could for example, occur that causes those tissues to settle in the lungs, heart or brain. This is called metastasis with the result being stage IV breast cancer. The Canadian Cancer Society predicted

Alex Hurst November 1, 2021

Fitness

Busting 8 myths about nutrition & exercise

When it comes to creating a healthy lifestyle, we often don’t make the progress we’d like because we’re operating under erroneous assumptions. Here, Warren Honeycutt shines a light on eight common myths about nutrition and fitness. Fitness and weight loss When it comes to losing weight and getting fit, do you find yourself unable to make progress despite your best efforts? If so, you’re not alone in your frustration—and it may not be entirely your fault. According to Warren Honeycutt, fitness and nutrition expert, marketers in the nutrition and fitness industries are very good at obscuring inconvenient facts that might keep consumers from buying their products. And beyond that, he says, misinformation about what’s healthy and what’s not often masquerades as “common knowledge” and “common sense.” “If you want to move the needle on your fitness, you have to separate fact from fiction, once and for all,” says Honeycutt, author

Warren Honeycutt October 25, 2021

Mind

Train your brain like an Olympian

Jean François Ménard’s new book teaches us how to have an Olympian mentality at work. You’re training some of the country’s elite athletes. Within that inner circle, there is a technical coach, a strength and conditioning coach to train their body, a physical therapist, chiropractor, nutritionist, and a mental-performance coach. Being a part of that inner circle is a huge responsibility considering that when an athlete reaches an elite level, what separates the winners from the rest of the field isn’t their physical preparation but how well they build that brain muscle strength and call upon it when their performance hits a curve. Like any coach in this arena, you’ve put in the work and navigated your way successfully at various international competitions – World Cups, Pan American Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. Each event is getting you closer to the holy grail – the Olympics. For the first time in

Marylene Vestergom September 20, 2021

Health

Aging, brain health and omega-3

We know omega-3 oils can help with inflammation and joint health. Research suggests it may also help our brains as we age. As we age, omega-3 can play a key role in joint and muscle health, but it can also help with brain cognition and diseases such as dementia and Alzheimers. Since 2005, research has been increasing and we’re understanding more of the benefits it may bring. While more studies are needed, those that have been done indicate increased amounts of omega-3 can help reduce inflammation in the brain, which can lead to depression and dementia as we age. Other research is pointing to omega-3 playing a role in helping children with ADHD as well as adult sufferers in combination with their medications. We note that omega-3 does not cure or offer an alternative treatment to pharmaceuticals, it is a supplementary treatment that can be included in ongoing care of

Simone Waters September 1, 2021