INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Shoulder joints are susceptible to various injuries involving numerous tissues, such as muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bones, nerves and blood vessels. But keep in mind that the degree of the shoulder pain is not always commensurate with the seriousness of the injury. Some serious injuries can generate only mild-to-moderate pain, whereas relatively minor sprains and strains can cause severe short-term pain. As such, get your doctor to examine your shoulder pain to make sure that it's stable enough to participate in yoga classes. Your doctor may take x-rays of the shoulder joint or send you for an MRI or CT scan to get a better idea of what's causing your shoulder pain.  Less serious causes of shoulder pain that could possibly benefit from yoga exercises / positions include mild ligament sprains, bursitis and osteoarthritis (the wear and tear type); mild-to-moderate muscle strains and contusions (bruises). Shoulder injuries and conditions not appropriate for yoga include glenohumeral dislocations, acromioclavicular separations, inflammatory arthritis (rheumatoid), advanced osteoarthritis, nerve impingement, severely torn ligaments or tendons, and any type of bone fracture or tumor. Yoga involves a number of poses or positions that put pressure on the shoulder girdle. If your shoulder pain is caused by an injury or condition that makes the shoulder joint unstable (severe arthritis, cartilage tear, nerve impingement, broken bones, dislocation), then joining a yoga class is not a good idea at all. Get your family physician, chiropractor, physiotherapist or even personal trainer at the gym to assess your shoulder for stability, which includes testing it for normal range of motion and strength.  If your painful shoulder has near full range of motion and strength, then doing yoga poses that put weight on your upper body is likely okay and maybe even beneficial. Too much movement in the shoulder joint is the hallmark sign of instability and usually caused by severely stretched or torn ligaments surrounding the joint capsule. Reduced range of motion in the shoulder is often caused by arthritis, cartilage damage, excessive scar tissue or build-up of inflammation. Yoga postures require a base level of strength, flexibility, balance, body awareness, and coordination to accomplish. Doing the postures without proper alignment can increase your risk of a musculoskeletal injury.   While standing, reach around the front of your body to the opposite elbow or wrist. Gently pull across your chest until you feel a stretch in the corresponding shoulder. Hold for 30 seconds and do at least 3x daily. Also while standing, reach behind your back and grab the wrist or elbow of the other arm (the one with shoulder pain). Slowly pull down until you feel a good stretch in the affected shoulder. Again, hold for 30 seconds and do at least 3x daily. Good strengthening exercises for your shoulders include rowing, swimming, push-ups and pull-ups. You can modify these exercises or use assistive devices to make them easier if you are not ready to bear weight on your shoulder. Recreational activities that can strengthen and mobilize your shoulders include tennis, bowling and archery.

SUMMARY: Consult with your family physician. Make sure your shoulder is stable and functional. Consider light exercises and stretches before attending yoga classes.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Use a sharp knife to chop the lettuce, tomato, and bell pepper into small, cubed pieces. Set the lettuce and tomato aside — you'll use them later on. To save time, you can chop the bell pepper first, then finish the other vegetables while you're waiting for the ground beef to finish browning in the next step. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef with a little cooking oil and use your spoon or spatula to break it into small chunks. After a few minutes, add the chopped bell pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until brown all over and no pinkness remains. This should take about five to seven minutes.  When you're done cooking, there will be a little excess grease in the pan. Carefully drain this into a container that won't melt from the heat and toss in the garbage. Don't pour it down the sink — this can clog the drain. In a pinch, you can also microwave ground beef for five to seven minutes, breaking it up and stirring at the three minute mark. Pour your bottled salsa directly into the pan with the drained beef and bell pepper. Stir well to combine. Do not attempt to drain the salsa or get rid of excess moisture. Let this mixture cook until it reaches a healthy boil. When you notice boiling, reduce the heat to medium or low. The boiling should decrease to a light simmer. Cover loosely (with a gap in the lid to allow steam to escape). Simmer at this heat for 10-12 minutes or until the mixture is pleasantly thick. Stir every few minutes. Keep an eye on the texture and thickness of your mixture to prevent burning. The cooking time here will vary greatly depending on the starting thickness of your salsa. Very liquid salsas may take the full 12 minutes to thicken, but chunkier salsas will be ready much sooner. When it's done, your mixture should be thick enough to hold together in a spoon without running over the edges. Take a generous pinch of your chopped lettuce and set it in the center of each plate. Spoon a helping of the meat/salsa mixture over this bed of lettuce. When each plate has a serving of meat over a bed of lettuce, sprinkle each with the chopped tomatoes, crumbled chips, shredded cheese, and the rest of the lettuce. Your easy taco salad is now ready to eat. This dish can be eaten with a spoon or fork, but you may want to serve it with additional chips or hot tortillas for a rustic "eat with your hands" experience.

SUMMARY:
Chop your vegetables. Brown ground beef with the bell pepper on the stove. Add salsa to the mix and heat to a boil. Simmer until thick. Layer lettuce and meat mixture on each serving plate. Top with chips, remaining vegetables and cheese.