Wellness: Optimal LIving

Environmental

Pet Wellness

Benefits of Dog Ownership

There are many acknowledged benefits of owning a pet. A pet fills your heart with love. Pets are a great way to beat the blues as they offer unconditional love and give us a sense of purpose. My furry friends bring me joy, happiness and often laughter in their companionship. Pet ownership gives us an instant icebreaker, whether Brandy Kissing Macthey’re with you or you’re just using them as a topic of conversation. It is believed that we get sick less. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) have both conducted heart-related studies on people who have pets. The findings showed that pet owners exhibit decreased blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels. For those who have already experienced a heart attack, research indicates that patients with a dog or a cat tend to have better recovery rates as they help reduce their owners’ overall stress levels. Continue Reading

Social Wellness: Family Memories & Health

This week I was going to  change the emphasis and talk about Occupational Wellness, but this week became a week full of family & friends  and I just had to share how important our social wellness and friendships can be. As I mentioned before, Social Wellness is the ability to interact with people around us and I think this is extremely important as we age. I started and ended last week with car problems and one of my neighbors helped me at least 5 times including 6:50am on Monday before my service appointment. Another friend took me to a doctor’s appointment and yet another friend picked me up. It was also a week to build family memories.

Our featured picture this week of buckwheat pancakes doesn’t look healthy but the social interaction with family is healthy. And surprise, actually buckwheat pancakes are healthy for you and gluten free. Buckwheat flour is  not actually a grain. Buckwheat also is nutritious and has a low Glycemic Index .  Each March since 1951, Burton has been serving pancakes every spring to over 20,000 guests.  Continue Reading