A Friendly Nudge
...because we all could use a little encouragement!
I’ve got severe arthritis in my left shoulder and I’m constantly negotiating with it about limits. I may think an exercise is perfectly acceptable and I certainly get a vote, but my shoulder’s vote counts a lot more than mine does.
If I get a little too ambitious with a bench press, my shoulder almost seems to go along with it, but then after careful consideration it lets me know about 2 AM that I need to dial it back a little.
My orthopedic surgeon and physical therapist both said that pain will let me know where the boundaries are.
Exercising as we age is essential if we want to retain or improve our strength, mobility and balance but it also means that we have to discern and appreciate the difference between pain and discomfort.
Pay attention to your body and dial your intensity back a little if your level of soreness is preventing you from exercising or if you’re moving from mild discomfort into the painful category.
Getting stronger and improving our balance and mobility takes time and it takes patience. We want to make sure that our ambition and enthusiasm don’t get ahead of our connective tissue.
Enjoy the journey.
Now let’s make something delicious!
Chicken Mango Salad
I got the idea for this from Elizabeth Rozin’s Crossroads Cooking but I changed it up a little. (Play with your food).
I love the way that the various flavors play off of and compliment each other. Salty, funky, spicy, sweet, this one balances all of those flavors and more. I’ll be making this one a lot this summer and I hope you will too.
Ingredients
Salad:
⅓-½ head Napa cabbage, chopped
2 handfuls of baby spinach
4 green onions, sliced thin
½ jalapeno, stem and seeds removed
½ rotisserie chicken, deboned and chopped
1 red & 1 yellow beet, scrubbed, roasted and chopped (optional)
Handful of cherry tomatoes
½ cup goat cheese crumbled
2 mangos cubed
Dressing:
1 tbsp fish sauce
2” piece of ginger, minced
½ jalapeno stems and seeds removed, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
juice from ½ lime (I said lemon in the video)
1 ½ cups plain yogurt
1 large handful of cilantro leaves and thin stems
This one is super tasty and super easy.
Add all of the salad ingredients into a large bowl and then buzz the dressing ingredients in a blender cup with an immersion blender. You could add a ½ cup of mayo if you want the dressing a little thicker, but I think it’s great without it.
Enjoy!
Now let’s make an investment in your resiliency with a workout!