Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing With 5 Tips to Help With Belly Fat Loss

As the years go by, it’s more difficult for our bodies to shed those pesky extra few pounds in the midsection—especially after so many people put on the so-called “COVID 19” during quarantine.

Certain changes that the body goes through—including not being able to burn energy stored in fat cells as easily as in our younger days–make it more difficult to shed that belly fat.

Fortunately, dieticians say there are things you can to do kick-start that weight loss, you just have to be more disciplined about it. Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has five tips for you to lose those extra pounds in time for the summer months.

1. Add More Fiber

Those over 50 are recommended to take in between 21 and 30 grams of fiber per day. In addition to keeping you regular and promoting gut health, fiber can also help reduce bloating and belly fat.

2. Hydrate!

In addition to keeping your body going as it should, staying properly hydrated will help with appetite control and increase your metabolism. Even if you’re a little bit dehydrated, your body will have a harder time breaking down fat cells.

3. Keep Inflammation at Bay

Chronic inflammation will make it nearly impossible for you to lose weight in a healthy way, and it’s also bad for your overall health. Including at least two servings of fish in your diet helps, as does avoiding sugary and heavily processed foods along with alcohol.

4. Take B12 Supplements

Ask your doctor if a B12 supplement may help you. It’s common that our ability to absorb the vitamin decreases as we age, and it’s key for metabolism and fat loss.

5. Focus on Lean Proteins

Protein is great for your diet, but too much fatty protein, such as red meat, can create other issues. Focus on lean proteins like beans, lentils, legumes, poultry, and fish.

 

To learn more about Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://bronx-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org.

Campaign: Care that Moves You

Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing on What Type of Credit Card is Best for You

As spending has increased in the United States over the past year, credit cards are again offering great incentives to sign up for their products. There are many ways that you can benefit from these offerings, as credit cards can be great deals—as long as you spend within your limits.

Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has the details on the best type of credit card for four types of people.

1. Responsible Spenders

If you are a responsible spender and pay off your credit card balance each month, your best bet is a credit card that offers cash-back rewards. You can sort through offers to find ones that offer bonus dollars on things you spend more money on, including gas, grocery store, and restaurant purchases.

2. For the Jet-Setters

If you love to travel, a card offering either airline miles or hotel points is for you. Cards in both industries will offer a bunch of free miles or several free nights just for signing up, so you can plan a vacation that will have a large expense already covered!

3. Frequent Shopper Cards

If you’re loyal to a specific store or brand, a credit card associated with that merchant is likely the best one for you. A branded card can bring discounts on every purchase as well as special offers throughout the year.

4. Pay Off That Balance

If you already have a card that has a steep balance and high interest rates, consider switching to a card that has 0% APR for the first year (or even 18 or 24 months). You will pay a fee to transfer the balance to the new card, but then you’ll have a number of interest-free months to pay off that balance.

 

To learn more about Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://bronx-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org.

Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing on Getting More From Your Mask During Omicron Surge

With yet another COVID-19 variant making its way across the country, it’s again time to mask up and take proper precautions. Experts, however, are saying that cloth masks may not be as effective against the omicron variant due to how contagious it is.

Before, if small particles of the virus got through your mask, it likely was not enough to make you sick. Omicron seems to infect people with fewer particles, and it finds its way around vaccines as well, though being boosted does seem to give greater protection, and it’s almost always a mild case if you get a breakthrough case.

So how do you get more from your mask? Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has a look at a few tips to boost your protection.

Upgrade to N95 or KN95 Masks

N95 masks are 95% effective at filtering all particles, but the problem with those masks in the general public are that they are required to be fitted properly.

A better alternative is likely a KN95 mask, which has multiple layers of protection and fit snugly over the nose and mouth.

The trouble with these masks, however, is that it’s hard to find a good one, as there are loads of counterfeit masks or ones of lesser quality that claim to be an N95 or KN95. A list of approved manufacturers for these types of masks can be found on this CDC web page.

Doubling-Up Alternative Method

Surgical procedure masks and cloth masks offer at least 50% less protection than N95 or KN95s, but the CDC advises doubling up a surgical procedure mask and a cloth mask to give yourself added protection, especially if you’re in close quarters for an extended period of time.

Apply the disposable surgical mask first and then put a cloth one over it. You can also double-up on cloth masks if you’d like, but it’s advised that you do not wear two surgical procedure masks over each other.

 

To learn more about Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://bronx-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org.

Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing With 5 of the Best Holiday Gifts for Mom or Grandma This Year

With the holiday season upon us, perhaps the best gift this year will be the ability to safely gather once again after many 2020 holiday festivities took place over Zoom and other video-conferencing platforms. But come equipped for the holidays with the perfect gift for Mom or Grandma as you head to your celebrations.

Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has a look at five of the best holiday gifts that any senior leading lady will love.

1. Microwavable Scented Neck Wrap

Get through those chilly days and nights while smelling great at the same time! Up to 90 seconds in the microwave will make it toasty warm and a scent of lavender will add to the relaxation. And don’t put it away in the warmer months, as you can also let it chill in the freezer to cool off when those hot days and nights roll back around.

2. Bird Feeder for the Window

Don’t strain your eyes trying to see the birds congregating by the bath or feeder in the middle of your backyard—bring nature right to you with this acrylic bird feeder that sticks against the window of your choice.

3. Massaging Dual Showerhead

Add the best of both worlds to the bathroom with a dual showerhead that can either run separately or at the same time. A total of 12 spray modes will help ease muscle tension all over the body.

4. Stonewall Kitchen Favorites Gift Basket

If the person you’re buying for is the entertaining type and is making up for lost time after 2020, consider this gift basket of crackers, dressing, spreads, and dips.

5. 2022 Weekly Coloring Planner

Adult coloring books are all the rage, and add some functionality with this weekly coloring planner for next year, featuring room to store all of the appointments and birthdays that a mom or grandmother needs.

 

To learn more about Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://bronx-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org.

Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing With 4 Additional Reasons to Exercise

When it comes to reasons for exercising, most will stem about either losing weight or wanting to get stronger to help improve their quality of life, especially as they get into the senior years.

There are other great benefits, however, that you might not think about, but once you do, they can provide additional motivation to keep you moving down the right fitness path.

Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has a look at five of these great additional reasons to exercise.

1. Delay the Aging Process

Along with benefitting your general health, studies have shown that people who exercise regularly have longer segments on their DNA called telomeres. Shorter telomeres are linked to the aging of human cells and can lead to more general disease.

2. Improve Your Sleep

Quality of sleep is just as important as quantity, and exercising between 30 and 45 minutes a day has shown that even people dealing with insomnia (officially defined as having trouble falling asleep or getting back to sleep) can enjoy better and longer sleep.

3. Better Body Image

Just exercising, regardless of how you feel about your weight or fitness level, brings out more positive feelings about your body image. Studies show that this is the case not only because those who workout regularly tend to have fitter bodies, but it’s also due to the release of hormones during and after a workout that are natural mood enhancers.

4. Good for Your Eyes and Teeth

You might not think that exercising can benefit your eyes and teeth, but research suggests that it does. It’s believed that lowering inflammation levels due to exercise is the reason that adults who do 30 minutes or more of moderate activity five days a week are 42% less likely to have gum disease. A British study also found that regular exercise can cut your risk of macular degeneration, the most common cause of blindness after age 60, by up to 70%.

To learn more about Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://bronx-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org.

Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing on Employing 4 Mind Tricks to Save More Money

While there are many people that understand the need for saving money for retirement even though you would probably have many other uses for that money, for some, it’s downright impossible for them to save—the impulse to use that money in the now is too strong.

But if the second type of person describes you, you may just have to play some tricks on yourself to help you save money. And it’s easier than it sounds!

Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing is sharing four mind tricks to help you keep saving that money.

1. Temptation Bundling

This allows you to spend money on something you are looking to buy now—with one caveat. You must match the money you spend, dollar-for-dollar, into your retirement fund. Anything that you would consider a splurge must also come with a responsible move to go along with it.

2. Save in Small Amounts

If you tell someone who isn’t saving anything that they must put $150 per month away for retirement, they may not be able to do so because it’s a big change. But if they were told they needed to save $5 per day, research shows that more were willing to do that. In addition, there are accounts that will roll up purchases to the next dollar and put the change into a separate savings account.

3. Imagine Using the Money in the Future

If you’re saving for a large purchase like a condo or for vacations you may want to take, envision your future self doing those things. It can help justify the sacrifice you’re making in the present.

4. Budget for Saving

If you have money withheld from your paycheck or drawn from your checking account every month, it will give you no choice but to work that money into your budget. In other words, that money won’t be available to spend if you don’t have access to it.

 

To learn more about Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://bronx-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org.

Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing on Updated CDC Guidance Regarding COVID-19 Delta Variant

With the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus spreading across the country—especially in areas that have a lower overall vaccination rate—the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued updated guidance to help slow the spread of this new variant which has proven to be more contagious than other former versions of the virus that caused this global pandemic.

Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has a look at these new recommendations.

Mask-Up Again Indoors…In Some Places

Using the link above, you can see whether your county has low, moderate, substantial, or high COVID-19 community transmission. The CDC is recommending that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas with at least a substantial spread, which is defined at 50-100 cases per 100,000 residents and a 8-10% positivity rate over a seven-day rolling period.

Most areas of the northeast and Midwest have moderate spread, but some counties are substantial or high. Much of the southeast has high community transmission, and the Mountain and Pacific time zones are varied among moderate, substantial, and high.

Vaccination Is Still the Best Preventative Measure Against Serious Illness

CDC director Rochelle Walensky said that vaccinated individuals have a low risk of contracting a serious bout of COVID-19 that would require hospitalization, but recent data has shown that vaccinated people can spread the virus easier than first thought due to this contagious new variant.

The CDC reports that 49.1% of all Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and 57.5% of those eligible for the vaccination are fully protected. Children under 12 are not yet eligible to receive the vaccine; emergency approval for that age group is expected sometime this fall or early winter.

Because children are not yet vaccinated, the CDC is also encouraging everyone to wear masks for the upcoming school year—all K through 12 students, teachers, staff, and visitors regardless of their vaccine status.

 

To learn more about Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://bronx-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org.

Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing on the Benefits of Vitamin K

Many people confuse vitamin K for potassium, but potassium is a mineral, not a vitamin. The confusion likely comes from the chemical symbol for potassium on the periodic table being K.

Potassium is an electrolyte that helps cells complete basic functions and can help control blood pressure. Vitamin K, meanwhile, is best at helping your blood clot and improving bone metabolism, which slows calcification.

And there are benefits of vitamin K that go beyond those reasons. Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has a look at those benefits and the foods that are the best sources of vitamin K.

Why Is Vitamin K Important as You Age?

Studies find that half of Americans age 51 and older aren’t getting enough vitamin K, and that number jumps up to two-thirds for those over 70. It’s important to get enough, however, because studies show that a deficiency in vitamin K can lead to a higher chance of having coronary heart disease.

Another study found that people over 70 with adequate vitamin K levels performed better in cognitive tests than those who were deficient.

The bone metabolism benefits also shown in studies that people getting the correct amount of vitamin K have stronger bones and are less likely to break a hip or other bones in a fall.

What Foods Are Rich in Vitamin K?

The recommended daily allotment of vitamin K is 120 micrograms (mcg) in men and 90 mcg for women. Fortunately, there are some foods that provide you with the enough vitamin K for the day in just one serving.

Topping the list is raw spinach; one cup gives you 145 mcg of vitamin K. A cup of raw kale, meanwhile, is 113 mcg, and broccoli is another great source, as ½ cup of chopped and boiled broccoli is 110 mcg.

Other foods don’t contain as much as those three greens, but soy beans, edamame, okra, pine nuts, blueberries, and chicken breast are also good sources of vitamin K.

If you’re wondering or concerned about your vitamin K levels, you should talk to your doctor before taking any supplements, as the clotting properties of vitamin K can interfere with certain medications and conditions.

To learn more about Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://bronx-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org/.

Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing With 3 Things That Will Make You Look Older Than You Are

Whether its creams, serums, or other therapies, there’s a whole burgeoning industry for anti-aging products.

But there are several things that you might be doing on a regular basis that damage your skin far more than aging itself, and cutting back on those activities could provide you the benefits you’re looking for without having to buy expensive products to keep your skin looking young.

Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has a look at three things that will make you look older than you would like.

1. Drinking Alcohol Excessively

Drinking too much alcohol on a regular basis can do a number on your skin. Overall, alcohol dehydrates you, which can take its toll on your skin. In addition, booze causes inflammation, which can lead to broken capillaries and swelling in your face and puffiness under your eyes.

2. Not Keeping Up With Water Intake

We mentioned dehydration with alcohol, so it naturally leads to the fact that staying hydrated with keep your skin looking its healthiest. Most adults do not get enough fluids per day, as the oft-heard eight glasses of water per day isn’t enough for many people. A good rule of thumb is to divide your body weight in half, and that’s the amount of fluids you should be taking in (in ounces) per day.

3. Consuming Too Much Sugar

You probably know that too much sugar isn’t good for the inside of your body, but it can also harm the outside as well. When you have too much sugar, the glucose and fructose damage the amino acids in collagen and elastin, which prevents your body from repairing and producing healthy skin.

 

 

To learn more about Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://bronx-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org/.