Better health

Emily Zaynard

Food: Healthy, local, and delicious

WHEN THE GRAY DAYS OF WINTER PASS to a fresh new spring we often fantasize about the bounty of food to harvest from the garden. If you haven’t been gifted with a green thumb but crave the nutrient-dense punch of local produce, then Community Supported Agriculture(CSA) might be right for you.

A CSA is an arrangement where local food producers create shares on a (usually) weekly basis throughout the growing season. These shares are a sampling of the produce or products that were harvested that week. At the beginning of the year farmers and producers offer these shares up for purchase and they go fast!

Not limited to just fruit and vegetables, some CSAs offer meat, eggs, bread and even flowers in their weekly shares. To find your perfect CSA match and ring in the spring, visit: www.localharvest.org/fort-collins-co/csa.

Mind your head

AS WE AGE, our bodies change and the same is true of our minds. Emotional regulation, word recall and thought processing speed can take on a different rhythm from what we may have become accustomed to. Daily stress as well as the stress created by our “new normal,” contribute to these. The good news is that small habits of mindfulness and movement can have a positive impact on our stress levels and long-term health.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a secular combination of meditation and movement that is popular with active adults. It is often taught as an 8-week course to build mental and physical health. In a 2019 Washington University study, MBSR was found to increase awareness and self-reflection as well as foster a more selfaccepting attitude. Participants reported improved self-care habits and better familial and social relationships.

Learn Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction online from expert Jon Kabat-Zinn with a masterclass subscription (https://bit.ly/3516h9K) or explore an MBSR retreat at the Shambhala Mountain Center (www.shambhalamountain.org) in Red Feather Lakes.

Feeling fit with Fido

FINDING TIME THESE DAYS to stay fit can be “ruff.” Fortunately, having a pet in your home provides health and fitness benefits that you might not immediately think of.

A pet’s need for play and exercise is great motivation for their human caregivers to become more active. A study published in the BMC Public Health Journal reported that people with a dog walk—on average—22 minutes longer each day than those without.

Caring for an animal is also linked with health benefits such as decreased blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The healing benefits of companion animals are often used in hospitals, rehabilitation programs and even memory-care programs.

Companionship provided by a dog or cat helps to keep depression, loneliness and isolation in check. A pet also serves as a way to create and maintain social bonds among people. Dog-walking groups or online “cat chat” groups keep people connected and provide them with a community of fellow animal fans. With plenty of animals in shelters and rescues, now might be the purrfect time to adopt a cat or dog.