WELLNESS NEWS By Nanette Wiser
Save Money on Meds: It pays to shop pharmacies for prices on your meds and include mom-and-pop shops in your comparison shopping. An app like GoodRx can help you compare prices and offers coupons for their 70,000 pharmacies in its network. You can also ask your pharmacist if there are manufacturer coupons. Some brand-name drugs offer patient-assistance programs. And even Fido gets a discount; Publix added a number of tick and other medications to its free/reduced meds list. While spring cleaning, be sure to get rid of expired medications or items that you no longer need including vitamins, which can lose their potency. And when picking up your medications, be sure to doublecheck to make sure the dosage is correct.
Get Fit: If your modern life involves too much sitting and clicking and not enough standing and moving; if your body is sending regular messages involving neck, back or foot discomfort and/or restricted mobility, then give Pilates/Contrology a try! The Pilates School owner Lyn Wilkinson moved The Pilates School from Cape Cod to St. Petersburg.
Her state-of-the art St. Petersburg studio offers both virtual classes and starting June 1 in-studio classes with no more than four people in the studio. They installed all new air cleaning systems and re-arranged the studio equipment for socially distanced workouts and the staff is fully vaccinated. Open House May 22 10am-2pm features free half hour class and tour. Limited availability. Sign up www.ThePilatesSchool.com.
May Health Holidays: Change your outlook on aging for Older Americans month. Research shows that if you believe your later years will be happy and healthy, you may live longer thanks to the mind/body connection. Challenge yourself to learn new things, try out brain-training games, engage in 10-minute audio guided mindful meditation (AARP/Silver Sneakers or other apps) and commit to moving your body every day. Staying social (virtual or in-person) or getting a fur-baby can ease loneliness, which can contribute to mental and physical decline. Finally, even if you can’t go out, bring nature in with nature videos/programs and even webcams for zoos and parks/preserves.
Protect Your Peepers: It’s also Healthy Vision month, so be sure to exercise and protect your vision with polarized or UV-protection sunglasses. Exercise can reduce blood vessel overgrowth, which contributes to macular degeneration and other eye diseases. Stepping away from the screen and using eye drops to deal with dry eye is important. Be sure to purge your mascara every three months and clean contact lenses properly. Eating and drinking eye-friendly colorful veggies/fruits (carrot/beet/apple or spinach/kale/berry) and maintaining a healthy weight and low-sugar diet can help. An annual check-up is essential. And while you’re summarizing your eye routine, be sure to slather on that sunscreen.