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Happy Mother's Day from Ableworld 

This entry was posted in March 17, 2023

Ableworld want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to every mum across the country. We would like to take out some time to reflect with others on the importance of being a mum and what it means to be one. It should be a truly special day for Mothers around the nation and Ableworld want to shout about the great things that they do.

It’s a day to appreciate and thank those responsible for shaping us into the person we have become. Mothers are there every step of the way as we make our journey throughout the world, it’s the little things that we should all be eternally grateful for.

We can get caught up in our own lives especially as we get older so, it’s important to stop, reflect and appreciate how we got here in the first place. Truly understanding and appreciating this is the greatest thing a mother can ask for although, flowers and chocolates don’t hurt either!

At Ableworld we understand people may find themselves in a different set of circumstances when it come to celebrating this special day. Some people may have grown up without a Mum, others may have lost their mum recently. No matter the case we should all respect each other’s circumstances and celebrate those who have raised us to be the best person we can be.

With that in mind here are a few examples of how you can celebrate Mother's Day this year.

  • Cook and Clean – Your mother has probably cooked and cleaned up after you for most of your life, its time to repay the favour.
  • Appreciation – Take some time out of the day to let your mum or someone who has cared for you, know just how much you appreciate them. Whether it be a card, a poem or a bunch of flowers, its guaranteed to make their day.
  • Be present – You take away all of the materialistic pressures away from gift buying and instead just be there for your Mum! Especially as we get older, beginning to lead our own lives we tend to grow apart from our parents. So, join your mum for the evening and reminisce about all that has been, it can be fulfilling for us all.  
  • Commemorate – If your mother is no longer with us then celebrate her life with friends and loved ones this Sunday. Spending time reflecting and celebrating their life is a great way to honor them. 

No matter who, how or why you are celebrating Mother’s Day. Ableworld wishes everyone an amazing day, full of love and admiration for those you have cared for us for our entire lives. 

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Ableworld Celebrates National Bed Month 

This entry was posted in March 13, 2023

Ableworld wish to celebrate National bed month by recommending some helpful tips and tricks to ensure you get the best nights sleep.

We all know the importance of a good night sleep and we have all experienced the lasting effects from a bad one. So, whether you are constantly waking up in the middle of the night, or struggle to drift off in the first place. Ableworld are here to provide you with some useful information about sleep which may help you to drift off sooner!

As a nation we tend to take sleep for granted with many of us not getting the correct amount of sleep on a daily basis. You may have been surviving on 5 hours of sleep a night, thinking you have trained your body to function on such a short amount of sleep. However, taking some time out to concentrate on sleep could help improve cognitive function, energy levels and mood. As well as reducing our risk of disease, illness and stress. 

Everyone knows the average time recommended to us by professionals is 6-8 hours, during our lifetime that amounts to a whopping third of our lifespan. Not to say that everybody is alike, the amount of sleep needed to feel refreshed is different for everybody but one thing is for sure not getting enough affects us all the same. 

It's truly incredible the process in which our brain and body goes through when we sleep. During sleep our body fight off illnesses such as the common cold, cuts and bruises begin to heal and our brains also try to process the emotions we experience throughout the day to help protect our mental health. 

As humans we sleep in 90-minute cycles and throughout this time we would experience 4 different stages of sleep, Wakefulness, light, deep and REM sleep. Most of us wake up throughout the night without realising as our bodies naturally try to reposition. 

For example, did you know during the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage of sleep we tend to dream the most. This is the stage of sleep in which we process a lot of our emotions that we experienced throughout the day. 

The importance of sleep should not be underestimated, we know now know that during sleep our bodies are on the mend and our brains are preparing for the day ahead. Below I shall list tips and dispel myths around sleep to ensure you sleep soundly.

  • Counting Sheep – Yes, this common saying has no truth behind it, it’s even said to prolong our wakefulness.
  • Caffeine Consumption – Even though many of us have a love (addiction) for tea and coffee, it really hinders our sleep performance. Caffeine has a half life meaning its sleep defying affects last longer than we think. Try having your last caffeinated cup of tea/coffee before 2pm.
  • Bright Lights - Avoid bright lights especially before you got to bed or between 10pm-4am. Please ensure you have enough light to move around your house with ease though.
  • Nap Time - Limit naps to 90 minutes or do not nap at all.
  • Temperature - Our core temperature has to drop 1-2 degrees in order for us to fall asleep, and has to rise 1-2 degrees when waking up. 

Sleep plays a vital role in our overall health and should be taken seriously. So, celebrate national bed month by taking your sleep seriously!

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Keep Fit with Ableworld - Strength 

This entry was posted in March 3, 2023

Our fitness is an important factor in determining the quality of life, that we get to enjoy in our old age. One aspect of our fitness that is essential to our mobility and independence is our strength. It is clear to everyone that when we start to age our strength starts to decline, so why isn't there a bigger conversation around this?

As previously discussed, strength like muscle mass are terms usually affiliated with athletes or bodybuilders, not enough effort is put into the discussion around everyday strength. However, I wish to explore this throughout a series of blogs concentrating on strength.

The truth is, maintaining your strength is fundamental to your wellbeing later on in life. Your level of strength can impact your balance and coordination, which in turn plays a vital role in the outcome of falls taken in later life.

Your strength doesn’t just determine the results of a fall, but we use strength in everyday life. Ask yourself, what do you use when opening a jar? What helps you pick up an object that is in your way? Or, even something so trivial as standing up from a seated position, it's all thanks to your strength!

A determining factor of your strength is your grip. As we age the rate at which our grip strength decreases is significant and comes with a manner of health risks. A weak grip strength has been linked to increases of diseases such as strokes, arthritis and heart attacks, the latter of which increases up to 17%.

Understanding the risk of suffering from these diseases increases with age, due to a multitude of reasons not just our strength. It however, still doesn't detract from the important role our strength plays in maintaining our muscle mass meaning we stay active for longer!

Training your grip strength is particularly effective at combatting Arthritis. Arthritis is a debilitating disease that is common among people in their mid 40s or above, or can occur in younger people especially if they have experienced a severe injury. Arthritis of the hands can really deter us from completing everyday tasks, as our thumbs become unable to move our ability to grip objects becomes nearly impossible. 

Ableworld recommend our Hand Grip Exerciser which you can purchase from the Ableworld online shop. Hand Grip exercises can help reduce the symptoms and pain associated with arthritis, as well as increasing your everyday strength. The muscles in your hands are like any other, they can be trained to become stronger and more durable.  

A simple training protocol that anyone can follow is completing 8 repetitions of the exercise for a total of 4 sets, when you close your hand around the hand gripper and squeeze hold this form for 10 seconds. As you get progressively better at the exercise, you can start to increase the amount of time. Rest between each set for approximately 60-90 second.

The hand grip exerciser can be used anywhere, it is effective, efficient and easy to use. It’s a simple way for anyone to increase or maintain their strength, especially for everyday activities.

This is just one aspect of your fitness that needs attention to help maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. We hope you have managed to learn some interesting facts around strength, more importantly we hope you get to improve it!

Keep an eye out for the next blog on the first Friday of each month, where we shall discuss other protocols you can follow to help improve your strength.

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