Come and learn how these wonderful children are playing a vital role in the evolution of humanity and our planet.

Saturday & Sunday May 26th and 27th, 2012

10am – 5pm

Cornerstone Health Centre

$199 (please pre-register at 905 702-1944)

For me exercise has always been a joy.  I try to keep it interesting by trying new things and always having variety – truly, exercise has to be fun to keep you coming back.   I learned to downhill ski, kayak, golf and play tennis, all in my 30′s.  Very soon I hope to learn how to surf.  I’m not particularly athletic and am certainly mediocre at most of the activities I do, but I am motivated to keep up with my kids.  I really don’t want to be left behind.   Good health in later life doesn’t happen by accident!  It happens by laying a foundation of fitness at least by middle age (and preferably before that).  I have every intention of continuing my daily fitness throughout the month of March.. anyone want to join me?

Please remember to send me your fitness logs in the next 5 days to be eligible to enter the draw for $100 in Cornerstone goods and services.  You can email me at info@cornerstonehealth.ca.  Congratulations to those of you who completed the 29 days of fitness and for those of you who really gave it a good try.

This was a lighter week for me in terms of intense work-outs, and I really missed them.  There is a real satisfaction that comes from pushing yourself – hard.  I really missed by tougher weekend work out because of some family commitments, but I resolve to get back to them this weekend.  My fitness log for the last week is as follows:

Wednesday February 22nd:            60 min yoga (moderate)

Thursday February 23rd:                 45 min spin, 30 min weights/strength

Friday February 24th:                       60 min yoga (moderate).  Left with a sore hip after “firelog” pose.  Who makes these things up?

Saturday February 25th:                   20 min walk (moderate)

Sunday February 26th:                       2 x 20 min walk (moderate)

Monday February 27th:                    25 min run on treadmill, 15 min abs/core

Tuesday February 28th:                     60 min spin (intense)

Wednesday February 29th:              2 x 30 min walk (moderate)

As part of my fitness challenge, I returned to Kripalu – a yoga retreat centre in the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts. I haven’t been in a few years and decided to take my husband along to experience the beautiful countryside, serene energy and excellent food, as well as to try something new to him – yoga. I still smile when I recall the look of disbelief on his face when the instructor was demonstrating “pigeon pose” (those of you who practice yoga know exactly what I mean). Nonetheless, we had a fabulous long weekend with lots of quiet contemplation, great conversations and of course, lots of yoga. Which brings me to my point – maybe its time to jump into something new in your fitness regimen. If my downhill skiing, hockey-playing husband can embrace yoga, maybe you can step outside of your fitness box and try something new too. (BTW gentlemen, yoga is excellent cross training for many sports – particularly hockey and running. It increases flexibility and prevents common overuse injuries).

Here is my fitness log for week three, as promised.

Tuesday Feb. 14th Suffering from serious body aches from Sunday and Monday’s workouts. Walked the dog – 35min (leisurely)

Wednesday Feb. 15th 60 min yoga at Studio 2 in Georgetown (moderate)

Thursday Feb. 16th 45 minute spinning class at Staying Alive in Acton. 15 min abdominal work

Friday Feb. 17th 75 minute moderate yoga class at Kripalu (Ommmm)

Saturday Feb. 18th 75 minute moderate yoga class at Kripalu; 20 minute walk including a labyrinth walk for meditation (very cool)

Sunday Feb. 19th 2.5 hours of moderate yoga (two 75 minute classes) at Kripalu

Monday Feb. 20th No yoga today. 45 min brisk walk through trails in the woods (apparently there is such a thing as too much yoga)

Tuesday Feb. 21st Back to reality – 60 min spin class at Staying Alive Fitness (intense)

Here is my fitness log as promised!

Monday, Feb. 6th               30 min jog after work (outside); 5 min stretch

Tuesday, Feb. 7th              60 min spinning class at the gym

Wednesday, Feb. 8th        60 min spin/weight/stretch class (gym), 30 min walking dog (leisurely)

Thursday, Feb. 9th            45 min spin/30 minutes weight training (gym)

Friday, Feb. 10th                60 min yoga (moderate), 45 min walking dog (leisurely)

Saturday, Feb. 11th           60 min Box-Fit class (gym) BRUTAL

Sunday, Feb. 12th              60 min walk with Weezie through a very icy conservation area (moderate).  Trying to recover from previous day.

Monday, Feb. 13th            45 min interval training (running on treadmill, skipping, interspersed with weights); 30 min gentle yoga

So this contest includes any client of Cornerstone Health who commits one act of fitness everyday throughout the month of February (minimum 15 minutes).   An exercise log must be submitted at the end of the month (either through email, or in person) and a name will be drawn from the eligible entries.  The winner will receive $100 for use at Cornerstone for any product or service from any practitioner.   As promised, my exercise log will be posted weekly on the Cornerstone site for your reading pleasure.  Good luck!

Wednesday, February 1^st:  Today I had commitments from 8am until 9pm and only managed a 30 minute walk/jog with my dog Louisiana (Weezie for short) (moderate)

Thursday, February 2^nd:  30 minute walk with Weezie (easy) and 60 minute spinning class (intense) at my gym, Staying Alive Fitness in Acton.

Friday, February 3^rd: 60 minute yoga at Studio 2 in Georgetown (moderate)

Saturday, February 4^th: 60 minute “Box-fit” class at Staying Alive (intense)

Sunday, February 5^th: 60 minute brisk walk with Weezie (sore back from yesterday’s exercise)

How’s your fitness log coming along?

Recently, Dr. Mark Hyman, MD, who is the chairman of the Institute for Functional Medicine was again a featured guest on the daytime talk show Dr. Oz.    Dr. Hyman is a family physician, a four-time New York Times bestselling author, and an internationally recognized leader in functional medicine. Dr. Hyman serves as Chairman of the Board for The Institute for Functional Medicine, and was awarded its 2009 Linus Pauling Functional Medicine Award.

Nicole Meier, ND is a proud member of the IFM, and incorporates a functional medicine philosophy into her daily practice.

Nicole is seen here with Dr. Hyman at the 2011 IFM Conference.  From left:  Jill Valerius, MD (Alaska), Nicole Meier, ND, Mark Hyman, MD, Teri Jaklin, ND

I guess I’m holding a grudge.

Then I got to thinking about something our counsellor Natalie says – “who is your mirror?”  When you have conflict with a person in your life, it likely reflects a part of your own personality that you don’t like.  I thought about that suddenly, in that moment during the conference, and realized (with a sick feeling in my gut) that Natalie is absolutely right.  The feeling was dark, uncomfortable and sat in my abdomen like an ugly black ball.  I KNOW that these feelings are toxic, and that they play a role in disease.  We may not be able to explain it physiologically or academically, but we know that it is true.  Healing your emotional self is as important, if not more important than your physical body.

Which brings me to my real point – what am I doing, or, what are you doing to heal your emotional self?  Every day I am struck by the incredible commitment and passion that so many of my patients hold for their physical health.  This pursuit of wellness is very outward – very tangible.  You eat well, you exercise, you take supplements, participate in a detox once or twice a year, maybe see an osteopath and massage therapist for your structural self…  But what about your emotional and spiritual health?  How do you address that?  Does it strike fear in your heart to even consider it?  It does in mine.  What a daunting task!  It would be so much easier to keep “fixing” what is obviously broken – your diet, your supplements, your exercise routine.

This year, in 2012, perhaps it is time to take a first step toward tackling that intangible spiritual-self.  What does that look like for you?  For some, it will be attending church more regularly, prayer and quiet contemplation.  For others it may be talking to a counsellor and healing a specific area of their life – a relationship perhaps.  For others, seeking spiritual guidance and energy work opens the door to finding your true-self.   No matter what method you choose, it is undeniably essential to your ultimate wellness.

When I created Cornerstone Health, I wanted to work with professionals that reflected all aspects of wellness and health.  I thought that having one health professional in each area would be sufficient to meet the needs of my patients.  It is interesting to me that we now have three different professionals who specialize in emotional and spiritual wellness – the need is so great for this kind of care.  I am extremely impressed and proud of the work they do.  As many of you can attest, your health reaches a new level after this kind of healthcare (I like to call it spirit-care).  Unresolved emotional issues are massive roadblocks to your complete and ultimate health.  I really and truly believe that these old injuries fester, grow and eventually cause disease.  It really is the missing piece of your wellness puzzle.

Yours in health,

Nicole

Eileen has over 25 years of professional counselling experience, assisting clients with diverse challenges, including depression, anxiety, addiction, grief, fertility, family dynamics, the workplace, physical disabilities, and life transitions.

Eileen is a Registered Rehabilitation Professional and Canadian Certified Rehabilitation Counsellor.  She holds program certificates in Rehabilitation Counselling (Seneca College) and Death and Grief Studies (Center for Loss and Life Transition, Colorado), and is currently in fourth-year psychotherapy training at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto.

Please contact us at (905) 702-1944 to book an appointment with Eileen.

Not surprisingly, the survey indicates that naturopathic medicine helps contribute to reduced use of prescription drugs, along with fewer visits to doctors and hospitals.

You can read the results here:

http://www.ccnm.edu/ontarians_say