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Archive for September, 2010
« Older Entries |The Cherry Orchard
Thursday, September 30th, 2010
by Anton Chekhov: at Shaw Festival until October 2
reviewed, in brief, by Ron Singer
The Cherry Orchard in this play – written by Anton Checkov and first produced in 1904 in Moscow – is no more about a cherry orchard than a story today about someone losing their house in the sub prime mortgage fiasco is about the house. This play is about the people involved in the society that helped to shape them in turn of the century Russia.
The loss of the family orchard in question, merely stands as a symbol for loss and change, since this classic play is, in fact, about everyone having to adjust to loss and change and to old values meeting new. And not unlike some of the economic woes we’re facing in our society today, this play reflects the difficulties all levels of society had to deal with while coping with the radical social and economic change that was taking place in Czarist Russia, just prior to the upheaval of the Bolshevik Revolution.
In a Chekhovian play, you’re fairly well guaranteed to meet fascinating characters in transition and who are always longing for something unattainable. And at The Shaw Festival, you can almost always expect a high level of performance and production. In fact, the acting was outstanding and the directing unusual, but brilliant, since I’ve seldom experienced as many successfully executed long pauses in a Chekhov play. Overall, yet another exhilarating, thought-provoking production at Shaw.
About Ron Singer: Artistic Director Emeritus of The Randolph Academy of the Performing Arts, former Chair of the Department of Theatre at York University, former entertainment critic (CFRB Radio and Standard Broadcast News), and former arts and entertainment reporter (CBC Variety Tonight).
Tags: Anton Chekhov, Ron Singer, Shaw Festival, The Cherry Orchard, theatre reviews, Toronto theatre
Posted in On Stage, Out About | No Comments »
Osteoporosis & Exercise
Thursday, September 30th, 2010
Creating a Safe Cardiovascular Exercise Program for People Living with Osteoporosis
by Kathleen Trotter
If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis or osteopenia, chances are your doctor has told you that performing weight-bearing cardiovascular activities is a must. This is because performing weight-bearing activities – for example walking – will decrease the chances of further bone density loss, and hopefully even regenerate some of density that is already lost.
Even if you have not been diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis, I would recommend incorporating weight-bearing activity into your daily life as a preventative measure.
What Cardiovascular Activities are Safe?
Walking is an excellent weight bearing activity that is both osteo-safe and convenient because it can be done virtually anywhere. I highly suggest walking at least thirty minutes every day.
Walking in multi-directional patterns is also beneficial because it will stimulate your bones differently than simply walking forward. As an added bonus, walking in “odd” directions will help sharpen your nervous system. Working your nervous system will help keep you well balanced and coordinated.
Suggested walking variation:
• Walk backwards
• Take big walking steps sideways
• Walk in a zig-zag pattern forwards and backwards
Other weight bearing cardiovascular activities:
• dancing
• light jogging
• skipping rope
• jumping
Important note: activities like biking that force you into a flexed forward (hunched) position should be avoided.
Creating a osteo-safe cardiovascular program
Walking, jogging, dancing, skipping and jumping are all weight bearing activities. In theory, they should all be beneficial for people with osteoporosis. However, it is important to keep in mind that everyone’s joints will be able to bear different amounts of weight depending on the degree of bone density one has lost.
The trick is to challenge your bones enough that they get stronger, but not push yourself so hard that you injure yourself. Since there is no exact formula that will tell you how much force your bones, joints, tendons and ligaments can withstand, make sure you err on the side of caution. Build your tolerance up gradually by increasing the duration of your longest cardiovascular activity by only about 10% per week. For example, if you are walking for 20 minutes the first week, do not walk longer than 22 minutes the week after.
Sample Cardio routine
Perform this routine only if you can already walk for 30 minutes holding proper technique.
-Walk at a leisurely pace for 10 minutes to warm up. If possible walk towards a park.
-after 10 minutes, pick up the pace so you are walking at more of a brisk pace.
Once you are in the park, do:
-1 minute of lateral stepping right
-1 minute of lateral stepping left
-1 minute of diagonal steps forward
-1 minute of controlled jogging on the spot
-1 minute pony step side to side (with a pony step you lightly hop from foot to foot).
After you have finished your multi- directional walking:
-walk towards home for 10 minutes
-then walk gently for 5 minutes to cool down
Kathleen Trotter is a personal trainer and Pilates equipment specialist located in downtown Toronto. She is currently completing a Masters degree at the University of Toronto in Exercise Science. Visit kathleentrotter.com.
Tags: exercise & osteoporosis, fitness over 50, osteoporosis
Posted in Fitness Over 50, Wellbeing | 2 Comments »
