My mom, age 85, is having sciatic pain. If anyone can share some gentle movements to improve her movement with less pain, we would both appreciate it! I am trying to encourage her to join our movement sessions--I let her know that she can also do these movements from a chair to start with--just 10 minutes! I think these sessions would help her (they sure help me!) I'm having trouble persuading her to just get started...any advice would be welcome! 😻

Recently, a new friend shared that he’s grateful he rarely remembers his dreams—when he does, they often arrive as unsettling nightmares. His quiet confession nudged me back into my research files from the Nutritional Sciences department at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, where scientists study the delicate relationship between what we eat, how we sleep, and how our health unfolds over a lifetime. Their work pays special attention to adolescence, while also examining how sleep’s rhythm—its length, timing, and depth—shapes our cardiometabolic well-being as the years go by. What emerges is a gentle truth: there is no single food or nighttime remedy that magically invites rest. Sleep, like health itself, responds best to steady, caring patterns. Nourishing the body throughout the day—especially by eating more fully earlier on—seems to support the body’s natural ability to settle, restore, and dream in peace. What you eat in the evening can quietly shape the quality of your sleep— and even the tone of your dreams. To encourage calmer, more pleasant dreams, focus on foods that support the body’s natural sleep chemistry. Nutrients such as tryptophan, melatonin, vitamin B6, and magnesium help regulate serotonin and melatonin, the hormones that guide sleep cycles and dreaming. Foods like almonds, walnuts, seeds, eggs, poultry, fatty fish, spinach, bananas, kiwi, and tart cherry juice can be especially supportive. A light pre-bed snack that combines whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats— paired with chamomile tea—often promotes deeper rest and gentler dream recall. On the flip side, certain foods are notorious for disrupting sleep and triggering restless or disturbing dreams. Caffeine (including coffee, chocolate, and soda), alcohol, sugary desserts, spicy or greasy meals, and acidic foods can all interfere with digestion and blood sugar balance. These disruptions fragment sleep, shorten restorative REM cycles, and increase nighttime awakenings—conditions that often lead to vivid or unsettling dreams.

I have been reading about foods that contain nitric oxide and the health benefits. In the body, it aids in relaxing blood vessels to improve blood flow, which can lower blood pressure, enhance exercise performance, and support brain function. I also read that nitric oxide can alleviate joint pain and reduce inflammation for improved mobility for various forms of arthritis. Here are a few foods that boosts the body's ability to make nitric oxide - leafy greens, beets, garlic, and citrus fruits. And of course showing up everyday for regular movement helps!

There was a time in my life when I didn’t like them much. I didn’t want the attention. I didn’t want the reminder of another year. Now I see it differently. A birthday means we’re still here. Another year lived. More experiences. It's something to be grateful for. Today this feels especially important to me because it’s my mom’s birthday. Someone who has given me everything. Someone who showed me how to love and be loved. Someone who has always been there for me. Today, I celebrate her. I also think about how my wife shows up for our boys every year. Not with piles of gifts. But with intention. Balloons and banners when they wake up. Their favorite breakfast. Their favorite dinner. A quiet message that says this day matters and so do you. We understand how important that is when we’re seven. I think it’s just as important when we’re seventy. To pause. To acknowledge another year. To be seen. That’s something I’d love for us to do more of in this community. Please tell me when your birthday is coming, ideally a week or so ahead, so we can acknowledge it when the day comes. It matters. Our birthday is one day each year that marks a life lived. Another year experienced. That deserves to be celebrated.

Phytate acts as a natural coating that protects plants but disrupts nutrient absorption in humans. In this podcast with founder of Goodphyte, Amy Puzey, The Enzyme That Could Change Global Health | Hope & Health with Mathew Embry EP006 she explains how the power of the phytase enzyme can break down this barrier, enabling the body to fully digest food and absorb vitamins and minerals. This is interesting no matter if you are vegan or consume a general diet. https://youtu.be/fW1CYi1h35Q