Inspiration | Silver Magazine

Health

The fight of my life

It all started when I was 35. I went for a run and mid-way through my foot started killing me, with pain right in the toe and metatarsals. I stretched it, rubbed in some pain lotion and moved on, or so I thought. Question: What was causing my foot so much pain? I went to my doctor and he gave me a cortisone injection directly into my foot. It did feel much better for the short term and thought that I was on my way, but I was wrong. My foot continued to be in so much pain that I had to go back to the doctor; he sent me for blood tests to test for arthritis. It was great news to find out that I didn’t have arthritis at all when my blood test came back negative -- but what was causing all the pain? I still hadn’t been

Max Brennan November 20, 2021

Longevity

Meet Marvins, my protagonist

These are a series of fictional stories by Canadian writer, Sherry Cassells featured exclusively on Silver. I took an online writing course which I tried to cancel but it was too late. Our first assignment was to tell one truth and one lie and our fellow writers had to determine which was which. I said I am purple and I am looking forward to this course… They all got it wrong. Give your characters something to want, create conflict, show don’t tell, write what you know. Say hello to Marvins, my protagonist who wants for nothing. He is not based on my father or my teacher or a dead uncle or anyone else. His name is because his mother named him thrice, once for him, and once for each identical brother who didn’t make it. Another important thing when writing fiction is plausibility. Marvins is an old man. His veins are squished

Sherry Cassells November 5, 2021

Fitness

Fuelling your body to exercise

Meet Karen Graham, a registered dietitian and a certified diabetes educator. Karen shares her tips in how to properly fuel your body. In a Zoom interview Karen explains about healthy eating into their exercise routine. “I think what’s really important is to have regular meals and snacks. So for snacks, you may not want to have snacks, but regular meals and snacks, if you wish, and that’s the basis of your healthy eating and then your exercise, you build in around that. But you still maintain that regularity in terms of the time, because we know that for people who maybe they’re trying to lose weight or just eat healthier, that having a regular schedule is very important. So I think establish your schedule first.” She further explains, “So really it’s, what’s going to work with your schedule. The most important thing is that you build that exercise into your

Christine Blanchette July 16, 2021

Longevity

Indigenous Awards “Indspire” 2021 Winners

Canada’s First Nations people are a wonderful mosaic of peoples with a rich and ancient history. The awards are run via the Indspire charity organisation that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people across Canada to help foster long-term benefits for individuals, families and communities. This year, award winning actor and director Jennifer Podemski will be the executive producer of the awards show, scheduled for June 22nd on APTN, Canada’s national broadcast television network for indigenous peoples. “This year, through the production of the Indspire Awards we have proven that with hard work, perseverance and collaboration, we as Indigenous people can rise above adversity and achieve our goals when we work together and support one another,” says Podemski. June is the National Indigenous History Month in Canada. Podemski is a highly acclaimed director, producer and actor, whose work has garnered international recognition and received numerous accolades.

Simone Waters May 21, 2021

Mind

Human motivation is the most elusive quality of all

The internet is awash with self-help advice. Some of it is good. Evidence based and all that. Here is what’s usually missing, in my view: motivation. Let me explain. I don’t mean how to get motivated. I don’t mean how to ratchet up your motivation. I mean the opposite. Well almost. Here’s an example: There’s a small team working on a project. It could be a group of theoretical physicists, interior designers, carpenters, coders, chefs, medical personnel, athletes, artists, entrepreneurs, managers, knitters, or soldiers. At some point it becomes obvious to outsiders that these people are experts. They know their stuff. They work well as a team. In the modern world we would to learn some of their tricks. Why are they so good as individuals and as a team? We would like to be able to “hack” some of that good stuff. And up to a point, that is

David Holt May 11, 2021

Longevity

Best Podcasts for Canadians over 48

If you’re already into podcasts, hopefully there’s some interesting ones on this list. If you’re not into podcasts, well, hey, here’s a great list to get you started. Listening to podcasts is easy. You can get them through your smartphone, Android or iPhone, a tablet or laptop and even from a smarthome speaker like Echo, Google Home or Apple HomePod. If you use a smart speaker, just holler at it to play the podcast you like. Nice and simple! They can be great to listen to when driving, walking or just relaxing on the couch. Dear Seekers This is a really cool podcast by Toronto-based journalist Sasha Xiao who explores the intersection of life, creativity and spirituality. She interviews women primarily. It’s an inspiring anthology. You can her podcast here. Nighttime This is a great Canadian podcast, with stories from across the country, mostly based on mysteries and interesting events.

Alex Hurst February 22, 2021

Korean vegetable stir fry featuring chopsticks

Healthy Recipes

Korean Sweet Potato Noodles

This sweet dish is sure to travel your family’s tastebuds to Korea! Travel may be limited right now but we can still experience it’s flavours through the foods we bring to the table. INGREDIENTS 2 zucchinis, ribbons or julienned 2 carrots, julienned 1 large yellow onion, sliced 1 package of cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced 1⁄4 cup of chopped green onions 1 package of sweet potato starch noodles 3 Tbsp of soya sauce 1⁄4 cup of vegetable broth 2 Tbsp of sesame oil For Serving (optional): Chopped romaine Sliced avocado Chopped cucumber Kimchi Sesame Seeds DIRECTIONS Heat a large pot of water for the sweet potato noodles and follow instructions on the package. In a wok or large frying pan, heat the vegetable broth until it’s bubbling. Add sliced onions and cook until translucent. Add the carrots and mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes, then toss in zucchini ribbons and

Max Brennan January 10, 2021

Longevity

What the future wasn’t

Looking back over half a century, we had some incredible visions of the future. One historian said it was the end of history at the turn of the century. Until it wasn’t. For those of us over 45, we’ve often recalled the cartoon series The Jetsons, mostly because they had flying cars. They haven’t arrived yet, but there are over 50 companies working on them. Some funded by major automotive companies like Hyundai and Volkswagen. The most promising of them use drone helicopter technology. But the reality of flying cars for common, everyday use by anyone is still very far off. Mass use is constrained by battery technologies, lack of regulation around navigation methods and more. Which of course, brings us to self-driving cars. Elon Musk opined they would be available by 2020. We all know what a dumpster fire 2020 turned out to be and no self-driving cars from

Giles Crouch December 28, 2020

Healthy Recipes

As-you-like-it Roasted Veggies

Tis the season for delicious and nutritious root vegetables and it’s time you take advantage of them! This is a great recipe to make in bulk and reheat throughout the week. Be sure to pick vegetables that have a variety of colours, textures and flavours to keep it interesting. Veggie Inspiration: Parsnips Turnip Celery root Butternut squash Brussels sprouts Pumpkin Carrots Beets Potatoes Instructions Preheat oven to 400°F Drizzle 2 Tbsp of olive oil in the bottom of a rectangular baking dish. Place your veggies of choice in a large bowl. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and toss gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Place vegetables into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Nestle a head of garlic into vegetables, cut-side up and drizzle bare cloves with olive oil. Roast vegetables 40-60 minutes to your desired tenderness, gently tossing every 20 minutes. Squeeze the

Jessica Clerke October 29, 2020