Holistically Healthy Living

New Website

2010-04-09T13:14:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone, just to let you know all blog posts will now be found at www.purelifewellness.ca, under the heading "Blog".

I will keep updating this site but my main mode of operating is now my new website.. which is still very much a work in progress!

Thanks for following!

xxoo

Just a little something to perk up your Monday

2010-03-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

Did you know, Canadians are the second highest consumers of fast food per capita, followed closely by our Southern neighbors the US? In 2007 it was reported that Canadians spent $12.7 BILLION dollars on take out food.

Ironically, overweight and obesity related disorders cost the Health Care System $4.3 BILLION in 2001. Based on past trends, we can assume, 9 years later, that this number has grossly increased, as compared to 1997 when the related disorders cost the system $1.8 BILLION.

Sadly today it is not only affecting young and middle aged adults, but also children. One study reported that 26% of preschoolers qualified as being overweight and/or obese. PRESCHOOLERS?!? That's children aged 3-5 years old. How is this possible?

Well if you look at the adults in Canada, 23.1% are reported obese (meaning, they have a Body Mass Index, or BMI higher than 30. To find out your BMI, click here).

The results of the preschoolers and the adults almost mirror each other. Coincidence? Not from my perspective.

Healthy living is likely to be a learned behavior, in super impressive psychological terms, monkey see, monkey do. I don't disagree that there are cases where genetics play a role, but I also believe that to be a convenient little excuse for too many people. Being big boned does not mean you should be overweight or obese everyone!

So the way I look at it is simple: children have no control over what food is placed in front of them. They cannot control what is brought into the household nor can they go out and purchase their own food. So that said, how is it getting to the point of children eating an excess of so much food, poor quality food that they turn obese? You can blame the media, you can blame technology, but really what it boils down to is lack of exercise and a bad diet. If you bring bad food into the home, your children will watch you eat it. And they too will believe that is their source of nourishment and pass that on to their children, their children's children..... and before you know it our health care costs will be double what they are today, as too will the incidence of the obesity epidemic (yes, epidemic) we face today.

Break the cycle! Guess what? If you don't have bad food in your house and you're not eating it neither will your kids! Kids won't starve themselves, although they may try when you're making a drastic change like ridding the kitchen of junk, but here is a little something for inspiration...

A friend of mine, Samantha shared a great link with me, and I think the message is pretty clear. Fast 'food' isn't food... how can it be... Enjoy,

CLICK HERE NOW!

The Green Living Show

2010-03-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

It's almost that time of year again.... EARTH DAY is just around the corner. And with the weekend of Earth Day comes one of THE greatest shows to hit the Tdot. The green living show!

Make sure to block off some time in between April 23rd-25th and be sure to catch me there, ALLLL weekend long... I'll be promoting a great, organic product Friday to Saturday from 10am til 9pm, and Sunday from 10am-6pm.

I'll give you more clues each week as to what that product is, whoever guesses correctly first (by emailing me, leigh_mcswan@hotmail.com) will win a free ticket to the show...

Good luck!

Pink Slime

2010-03-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

Read this article from Naturally Savvy

Could this be a cause of recent bacterial outbreaks? Perhaps the reason 'meat' from fast food joints is so cheap? I guess this truly proves, you get what you pay for. And for $1.50, you can get a nice helping of pink slime, some antibiotics, growth hormones, ammonia, and perhaps a side of salmonella or ecoli.

If this doesn't change your mind about quality, I don't know what will! It's even in our children's cafeteria's?!?!

Once again, my message is to shop smart!

Bon appetite !

Not a Happy Nutritionist!

2010-03-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

I rarely watch TV, and now I remember why!

I caught the Tyra Show today, in which she had her Nutritionist, actually she's a registered Dietitian, inspiring people to get in shape. I got so steamed at the recommendations Tyra's Dietitian was giving on national TV, I wrote a little email to Ms. Fierce herself! So I thought I would share:

Tyra, I watched some of today's episode with your Dietitian. And I AM FURIOUS!!!!!!!! I work as a Holistic Nutritionist & Lifestyle Consultant, and the information your girl was giving was NOT advice I would recommend to my clients! Recommending a burger over a salad, because of the dressing. What about the vitamins and minerals packed in the spinach? Recommending a HOT DOG?!?!- Are you kidding me?!? All she talked about was calories and "getting satisfied"- on what? Sodium, saturated fats, processed, refined flour, chemical preservatives, nitrates and nitrites? How about sending a REAL message- none of these foods are advisable, pack your own! I saw a picture of Caesar salad with iceberg lettuce- no no no no!!! Deli meat? EIIIKKK, this is something Americans need to be avoiding not incorporating. Her segment on portion control was good, I'll give her that, HOWEVER, she contradicts herself by recommending mayonnaise laden deviled eggs over one of the healthiest snacks you can eat, hummus! I get that people will eat more than they should, but the message should be to share an appetizer at a restaurant and ask for veggie sticks instead of a white pita- not avoid an extremely healthy snack because the serving size is too big- wake up! Almost everywhere you eat the serving size is too big! Where is the lesson in that? Ask the waitress for a calorie count? Come on! This episode annoyed me so much I had to stop watching, as someone who works in a Holistic health field, this was anything BUT holistic.

Seems a little harsh right? Well I've never been a believer in attracting flies with honey, I prefer to take a no nonsense approach to things, and what this really is, is my opinion in a extremely honest manner.

I believe this would be PHASE 2 of my CALL FOR AWARENESS

Thoughts?

GMO Foods

2010-03-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

I am posting a link to a fabulous blog I follow, by a young woman who went to the same school as I did, IHN. It is on GMO- genetically modified organisms. I thought it was so well done I decided you should all read it as well.

I hope you enjoy

http://www.fullynourished.ca/2010/02/say-no-to-gmo/

Product Reviews!

2010-03-07T16:07:00.001-08:00

I'm thrilled to announce that I have been working with naturallysavvy.com as a product tester and reviewer. How this works is simple, companies send their products in to Naturally Savvy in order to get it approved with the Naturally Savvy Seal of Approval. The tester uses the product and then writes a review, stating why the product rocked or why it fell short. All the reviews are posted on the Naturally Savvy website: http://www.naturallysavvy.com/savvy-reviews

I'm currently testing several products including facial cloths, soaps, shampoo, bath salts, cookies, deodorant, dog treats (well, I'M not specifically testing, the dogs are), body wash, sugar substitutes, waxing products and more! Needless to say, this job is GREAT! I'm able to keep up with new natural products out on the market and I get to inform you about them !

Stay tuned for more updates on my product reviews.

I should also mention, I'm writing a monthly article for Naturally Savvy which will start in April. More to come on that too!

Dead Food

2010-03-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

Well I can't mention dead food without thinking about my Ayurveda (Ayurveda is a natural, traditional Indian practice of medicine) teacher Kamsella, you mention dead food around her and she cringes. It's what I always think about whenever I think of dead food.

Dead food is food which is literally food which is dead. Dead with nutrients, vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Even health food can be dead food- kind of shocking, but true.

Say I make a salad Saturday night and don't eat it until Monday afternoon. My once healthy salad is now dead. Most people don't think of this, including myself, until it was brought to my attention, and it makes sense! When food is left out on the counter, or in the fridge it's enzymes die. Enzymes are proteins which the body uses and NEEDS for metabolic processes- everything your body does is because of the help of enzymes, so don't kill them! If you're microwaving food, your food is instantly dead, even more dead if it's last night's dinner you're microwaving.

Dead food is also packaged food, canned food and generally frozen food (think of those Michalena's microwave dinners- yuck! Loaded with sodium, chemical preservatives and microwaving it on top, no thank you! That's the dead of the dead right there). A prime example of freshly baked dead food would be a donut. This is such a dead food because it literally offers zero health benefits. It does however offer, for the exchange of a dollar or two, saturated and trans fats, sugar, artifical colouring, white, refined flour, sodium, and is cooked at high high temperatures. You can see what I mean by dead now, right?

I always talk about being prepared and planning in advance so I thought I should talk about Dead Food. It is important to prepare, otherwise you make poor choices when you're on a tight schedule. SO, prepare, but don't over prepare. Pre-cut your veggies right before you go to bed if you don't have time in the morning, for a healthy snack the next day. Do your preparing as close to the time of consumption as possible to avoid eating dead food.

The best way to avoid dead food is to eat FRESH. Reduce your cooking time and temperature (or altogether if possible...more on Raw Food later), eat what was grown from the Earth. If it was made in a factory it's going to be closer to the morgue- so skip it!

Eat fresh, eat clean, eat living enzymes!

Cuz sometimes a girl just needs some M&M's

2010-03-07T14:56:00.000-08:00

It's kind of funny hearing the stereotype that nutritionists are perfect eaters 100% of the time. And mind you, there are some out there, and all the power to them! But me, I prefer a more laid back approach to health. I don't believe in being a militant about proper eating, I think we're all human and none of us are perfect- thank goodness for that, what a boring world we'd live in. I'm not as rigid as some people think I may be- and I'm ok with that, I don't want people to be ashamed to eat around me, or think I'm judging their food choices, that's not me! If you want my opinion or advice, ask, otherwise who cares! I think life is about balance. I think that if I'm eating well 90% of the time, 10% won't kill me- it hasn't so far anyways.

And today is Sunday, Sunday is my day of relaxation, heck it's after 6pm and I'm still in slippers and a robe! Sunday is my "cheat day", it's the day I pick up a DVD to watch with my boyfriend, a bottle of wine, we eat whatever we feel like (tonight it's peanut M&M's and layered nacho dip with Multigrain Tostito's). I LOVE Sunday's- yoga pants, my Trent U hoodie, a movie under a blanket with a good looking guy and some treats, and wine, what's not to love?!?! Oh I should also mention this is a make-up free, messy hair day- my fav, I'm not too sure it's Blake's fav tho ;)

The point of this post is BALANCE. We could all use some. Even on my "cheat days" I make sure I'm still taking supplements, I eat a good breakfast, and have it in my head that Monday is a mega veggie day. Whenever I'm stocking up on snacks for Lazy Sunday, I still try to keep my portions in check (I also find that because I eat well, I can't eat as much of the bad stuff as most can). I bought the smallest sized M&M package I could find, and we share it- neither one of us is willing to risk bodies we work hard for over a few extra M&M's. I put the Tostito's in a bowl and never eat from the bag- once that bowl is gone, that's it, no more! And we always stock up on water, not pop!

Depriving yourself of certain foods you love is not what Holistic living is meant to be about- it's about treating yourself once and a while, managing what you're eating and the amount you're eating- these are habits that once established, should never be revised.

I urge you to take cautious steps if you have, or are thinking about having a cheat day in your week. Sometimes people run with this idea and will have ice cream for breakfast, pizza and wings for lunch a bottle of wine for dinner and a jumbo bag of chips before bed- this is NOT (!) what cheat days are for, that would be known as a "Predisposing the body to Cardiovascular Disease Day".

Follow my guidelines for "healthier" cheat days, and you won't worry about CVD or weight gain!

New Recipe Alert!

2010-03-04T20:43:00.001-08:00

So I'm getting all packed up for tomorrow, when I head over to Naturally Savvy HQ's (www.naturallysavvy.com), and at the last minute realized I'd need to pack not only several snacks and a lunch but also a dinner, since I'm going straight to another job from Toronto.
I managed to whip up my entire days worth of food in a surprisingly short period of time, and I was quite impressed with my results of a healthy meal in such a crunch, I'm posting "A day in the life of a Holistic Nutritionist, on the go!"- sorry there are no measurements, just eyeball it according to how many people it's feeding.

Breakfast

Smoothie
-1 scoop Hemp protein (i will one day find a way to make this stuff taste good i promise)
- 3 large scoops Kefir
-2 kiwi's
-frozen mixed berries
- flax seed oil (about 1 tbsp)
- ice

BLEND- 2 minutes. DONE.

Snack
Hard boiled egg.

Snack
-1 large blood orange chopped
- carrot sticks

Lunch
Roasted veggie wrap with Dijon

Take any and all veggies you have. I used red peppers, shallots, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, and baby bok choy.

Preheat oven to 350.

Slice all your veggies Julienne style, toss in cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil with pepper, garlic, and parsley (use any herbs you like in addition).
Throw all veggies BUT the baby bok choy into a ceramic dish and bake for about 35 minutes.

Add the baby bok choy for the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, this will serve as your "lettuce", for a nice crunchy texture.

Keep in a bowl overnight.

In the morning, I'll be throwing some Dijon mustard onto my whole wheat and flax wraps, rolling 2 of these up, and boom there's lunch.

Snack
Banana, handful of pecans

Snack
Cucumber slices with hummus

Dinner

1 cup cooked quinoa with 1 roasted beet, 1/2 avocado, hemp seeds and finely chopped parsley.
Dressing- I make my own to avoid bad oil, fillers and binders:
1/2 fresh squeezed lemon
1/2 fresh squeezed orange
extra virgin olive oil (can use flax here too)
a little bit of grated ginger
tiny bit of blue agave syrup

Toss together done!

I was able to prepare all of this with cooking time in one hour, while doing loads of laundry (including folding and hanging), packing my laptop for the next day and checking email. So there you have it, a day in the life! Eating right is still very manageable even for a hectic lifestyle, the key is preparing the night before and choosing snacks that are pre cut, or are just grab and go!

Is your Digestion Laggin?

2010-03-03T22:33:00.000-08:00

Want to know if your digestion is too slow? Generally most people need to awaken their digestion and get it moving! My method of testing involves a little #2 and some beets!
All you have to do is this: Eat 1-2 beets first thing in the morning, record the time. Then, all you do is check to see when your beets "reappear"- code: Check to see when your poop turns purplish red, here's the catch... you want to note when it STOPS showing up in your #2- this is known as your transit time (the time it takes from entering the first stage of digestion- via the mouth to the final stage- excretion.

If you would like to know how well your digestion is, email me your transit time!
leigh_mcswan@hotmail.com

Happy hunting ;)

Marathon Training Day 3

2010-03-02T19:25:00.000-08:00

My goal has been set. I'm running the Toronto half marathon this year. This is my year! Last year I signed up for it, got pumped up to do it, but my faulty knees just wouldn't keep up with me.
Since I was in high school, I've had painful knees. I love running, I loved track, I love the treadmill, I love my Nike Frees! In my first year of University I finally went to my doctor because it was unbearable. I have Patella Femoral Syndrome, a common problem for women and a common sports injury. I was in physio therapy for some time and my knees felt somewhat better. However, the advice was not something I could follow, stop running (but Im an addict!), no high heels (are you joking, I'm 5 foot 3?!?!) and stop crossing your legs (but I wear skirts and dresses, and my mom told me its un- lady like!!)

Regardless, Im pushing through and I will be documenting my progress, as well as adding another mini-series: Eating and training like an athlete (a healthy one, not an Olympian who apparently eats a certain sponsors certain fast food every chance he gets- not naming names!).

The purpose of this mini series is two-fold. I want to complete a race, and eventually do a full marathon and qualify for the Boston Marathon, Im thinking 5 years from now (surgery time included- hehehe), for the big 3-0! eeiikkk.
And I want to eat (maybe test some products along the way) and train like a real athlete while documenting my progress- successes and failures.

In order to off set my knee pain I will be back in physio, I'll be taking weekly yoga classes and swimming as often as possible.

So this is Day 3, Day 1 was off to a good start, Day 2, I managed to slightly injure myself as I slammed my car door into my jaw and thigh trying to prevent my dear puppy, Bruster from jumping out into a parking lot! YIKES, the abuse I take!!

But tomorrow is a new day, Im starting fresh, like I have never run before in order to prevent immediate injury to my knees and I look forward to my early morning 2k light with my dogs- I have a greyhound, he's very encouraging.

Stay tuned for helpful recipes, exercises, healing tips and my progress as a half marathoner!

A Note on L-O-V-E

2010-03-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

Did you know that "love" is a word that is incapable of a solid definition? That's because it means something different to everyone. I also believe there are different types of love. Or maybe the guys writing the dictionary just never experiened it and could put it into words.

I know what my love is, and I know what it feels like to be loved. I know when I need love and when I need to give love. My love is bold, it is strong, concrete and undeniable. I think the love I give is based on the love I have received in my life, from my family, friends, pets, experiences and dreams. I hope you know what I mean by this.

Why am I talking about love on a Nutrition and Wellness blog? I'm a strong believer in love, I think it is give and take, sadly sometimes it is a one way street and we decide whether we keep that one way running or pull a U-turn. I'm a hopeless romantic and dream big. Everything I plan to do in my life is because I love what I'm doing or I love the destination it will bring me to- I thank the people in my life who have allowed me to see this.

The reason I want to write about love today is because love is essential to human life- to happiness. In terms of health, love is a huge factor. When you love yourself you make good choices and show your body respect. If you don't, you abuse your body, put foreign substances into it and treat it poorly. You need to discover what in your life is missing to make you do this and fill the void. Are you not receiving the love you deserve? Are you not surrounded by people who love and support you? What is it, find your answer, make changes. You are the director of your own fate.

I just want to say that because of the love and support in my life, I am in a good place. There were many dark times in my life, times when I was not happy for a long time, I'm not perfect nor do I claim to be, I'm human. I learned, I grew, I'm here now. The people I CHOOSE to surround myself with, people I call, people I text, people I see and keep in my life are here for a reason. I want them there. I learn from them, and hopefully they learn from me. The people who enter into your life are likely here for a reason, to guide you, to build your character and to show you new things. I strongly believe everything happens for a reason.

If you feel like you need to make changes in your life but are in a rut and can't seem to push through, are you missing something in your life? Are you in need of something you are not getting? Maybe your inner circle needs to be adjusted and modified, maybe more people need to be brought in. We cannot expect love to happen without risks and without putting ourselves out there. Support is essential to success, I believe I have mentioned this 2 or 3 times from other posts, but it's because I really emphasize it.

Add some love into your life and see how not only your perspective changes, but also your emotions, your motives and your drives. Are you smiling just thinking about how happy you could be. Don't be afraid of love- the rewards far outweigh the risks.

To everyone past and present in my life, I love you, you keep me motivated and focused, thank you!

Namaste

A Word (or 1500) on Laughter Therapy

2010-03-02T18:22:00.001-08:00

I recently did a presentation to the Pine Ridge District School Board on Weight Management. I had such a great time with the ladies here (teachers rock, esp. you Deb), that I told almost all my friends and family about what I presented to them. One of the sub topics we discussed was on Laughter Therapy, a way of managing stress. And yes, I actually made them do this as part of my presentation, and they were all such good sports!

Now most of you who know me know I LOVE to laugh and it can be a pretty loud one, inherited from Ma Dukes no doubt! I love smiling, I love laughing, I love being around people who make me smile, and I love passing on my contagious laughter and smiles to everyone I know.

:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)

So I've decided, as part of my Haley mini-series to empower the rest of you to experience Laughter Therapy as a way of managing stress.

So, what is Laughter Therapy?

It is a form of therapy which encourages us to use the natural physiological process of laughter to release the painful emotions of anger, fear and boredom and STRESS.
Because the brain cannot differentiate true laughter from “forced” laughter, we get the same benefits from pretending as we do from the real thing!

And why Should We Laugh more Often?
Dr. Lee Berk and fellow researcher Dr. Stanley Tan of Loma Linda University in California have been studying the effects of laughter on the immune system. To date their published studies have shown that laughing lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, and boosts immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gamma-interferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies.
Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being.

Now, it's no secret I'm kind of a dork and can laugh at "stupid humour", so here are some great resources to help you find your inner comedian and begin feeling like a lunatic.
Movies which will never let you down and make you laugh time and time again...

Home Alone
Zoolander
Wedding Crashers

Ok, I'm going to stop right there and basically say any movie staring Ryan Reynolds, Vince Vaughan, Owen/Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler or any and all of the above work great!

So get that funny scene in your head:

Sit down, placing your feet firmly on the ground, back erect
Gently soften the eyes and close.
Now, imagine your funny visual and laugh,
Laugh really really loud, laugh harder, fake it if you have too!
LAUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah :)

Breakfast, of course it's the most important meal of the day!

2010-02-28T21:35:00.001-08:00

Your mom was right, sorry it happens. Breakfast is soooo important and sooooo often it is skipped.
Breakfast is the meal that breaks the fast. In fact, if you don't eat breakfast you're more likely to binge throughout the day and make poor food choices? Who wants another reason to eat bad?
So, listen up! Eat your breakfast. And good news! I have a great recipe that doesn't require you lifting a finger in the morning to do so- except to put the spoon to your mouth. I actually gave this out as a Christmas present this year because the gift of health is the best gift you can give, and I pass it on to you- You're welcome!

Museli

1 1/2 cups rolled oats- you can also add rye, kamut, barley, wheat or other flakes or small soft grains like buckwheat or kasha
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 cup unsulphured dried fruit of your choice
1 cup nuts and seeds of your choice

Take all these ingredients and store them in a mason jar, or some type of container.
The night before, grab your breakfast bowl, scoop out the desired amount of museli from the mason jar and cover generously with water.

To enhance digestibility add 1/2 tsp goat's whey powder or 1 tbsp goat's yogurt to the bowl.
Let rest over night in the fridge.
In the morning, take out and enjoy- the grains have "cooked" themselves overnight without heat- so essentially, this is a raw meal- GREAT!
If you wish you can add 2 tsp freshly ground flax seeds, or 1 tbsp flax oil to get those essential fatty acids and awaken the brain.
Top with fresh seasonal fruit, or granola- add honey or agave if desired (kids usually prefer it).
There you have it, a wholesome, zero time, raw breakfast full of protein, vitamins and minerals.

The Skinny on Crash Dieting- A CALL FOR AWARENESS

2010-02-28T21:06:00.000-08:00

Current Mood: Annoyed, frustrated, DETERMINED!

I'm still shocked at times when I hear how successful a new diet out on the market is. I'm not going to sugar coat things- crash diets don't work. There is no "Magical" weight loss pill. What that really is, brilliant marketing. Yep, that's it.

I can't believe how many people out there still live by the Laws of Atkins- low carbs, extra protein, eat all the bacon you like, 3 steaks a day, absolutely! cheese, sure! No problem! MMMM! Can you hear your heart slowing, your ateries clogging?? Can you smell the acetone on your breath from your body's inability to use energy from its preferred source? BUT WHOA, slow down!- don't you dare touch that whole grain! No, that's what will cause you to gain weight! And that fibreous, vitamin packed piece of fruit- forget about it!

Ugh it annoys me that these things are sold, and so effectively! Does anyone else think it should be illegal? Isn't it false advertising in a sense?
If you're not loading up on saturated fat and high sodium from Atkins, perhaps you're starving yourself with Bernstein- but then again you will get "filled up" when you go to get your weekly injections of vitamins- BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT EATING ENOUGH TO GET THEM FROM A FOOD SOURCE!!. Maybe you're microwaving all your meals with Nutri System, do you measure and count calories all day with WW? Do you fall into the trap of purchasing anything and everything "Low fat", "Diet", or "Half the cal's?" Or! my personal fav! Maybe you're chowing down to 2 meals of Special K cereal or cereal bars, YUM! 2 meals a day of processed, refined, chemically laden "food" ;p

Please please please, come to the realization that this is nothing short of marketers who are paid very very very well to design something that seems easy, healthy and effective, when in reality it is FAR from it. Who can honestly say they can live on one of these diets? That's right- you cannot! And if you cannot LIVE on it, then why would it keep your weight under control?????? IT CAN'T!!!!!!!!!

There is only one solution to losing weight, and you'd think by now with all the brilliant minds out there, it would be realized by now: eat well and exercise. Ahhh so simple- so simple we forgot about that.

Drop the quick fixes, make changes for your life, not for 2 weeks of your life. Get real Canada. Start thinking critically, stop being the perfect consumer and let's shut down these people who don't care about making the world healthier (they just care about making $$$$)- I support a holistic lifestyle and I want to change the mass media's powerful hand and send out a real, truthful message. This is phase one. Pass it on.

That is my rant for the day, thanks for listening.

Some tips to kick some butts

2010-02-28T20:22:00.001-08:00

Cigarette butts that is.

Oy, the challenge of quitting smoking, or any bad habit for that matter. I've never been a smoker but I know how much I love chocolate and a nice glass of Masi and I can only imagine it's a million times more difficult than either of those two things. I've got 3 basic steps to simmer the fire at the tip of your fingers.

STEP ONE..

WANT TO QUIT! You won't get anywhere unless you are 100% committed to kicking your bad habit to the curb.
A psychology professor of mine once said, "If you're not willing to give up your habit right at this very second, even if it's been 10 hours since your last butt...if you say you want to quit, but you tell yourself, 'I will on Monday', you're not ready".
I agree with this statement. I think setting quit dates is a method of procrastination- and that's ok! Maybe you aren't ready to stop, maybe you don't want to. But when you do decide, enough is enough, go full force, take control!
I think for most addictions there needs to be a rock bottom. In terms of smoking, I'm not saying this needs to be something like discovering you have cancer- everyone seems to think a rock bottom is a near death experience, it doesn't have to be but can often lead to that unless you take control.
For example, a rock bottom could be getting fed up with the cost of smoking. You can keep track of how many cigarettes you go through a day, and realize the cost of your habit, and say "NO MORE", I'm done wasting my money on something that is a poor investment. You could also have a rock bottom such as realizing the social inconveniences of smoking- not too many places allow you to smoke anywhere near their front doors let alone in their building. You can say "I'm sick of feeling socially isolated because of this weight that is holding me back".
Figure out your rock bottom, and decide if it's worth quitting for....

STEP TWO...

Is it worth quitting for? Why are you quitting, who are you quitting for? Motivation to quit is crucial. New habits need to be formed in order to replace what you are dropping, to do this effectively you want to replace the bad with the good. i.e, you don't want to quit smoking and start drinking [heavily anyways ;)]. You want this to old habit to be removed from your life for good.
So, to start: we want to create new habits. To do this, you make almost like a pro's and con's list.You want to list the downfalls of your habit:
i.e. "If I continue to smoke I am going to be wasting $200 a month".
"If I continue to smoke I am going to feel socially isolated"
"If I continue to smoke I am harming my body and may get sick"

Then you want to write down and strongly focus on what will happen if you quit smoking:
i.e. "If I quit smoking I will have an extra $200 a month for myself and I can save up to travel to Europe"
"If I quit smoking I will not have to remove myself from a social event to go outside and light up"
"If I quit smoking I am healing my body and will not get cigarette-related illnesses".

Look at this list daily.

STEP THREE..

Find people with similar goals to you. There is a reason Weight Watchers is so successful and it's not because they let you eat chocolate cake! It's because of the support system it comes with. An inner circle with people who are encouraging and who want to see you achieve your goals is crucial to success. One way to do this is to do more things with people around you who don't smoke. Find that friend who likes to go the dog park, and join (regardless of whether you're a dog owner), call your friend who watched Sex and the City every night at 7:30, and hang out.
Surround yourself with people who truly want to see you achieve your goals. This may mean creating a new network of friends which is hard, but it is a growing processes and if you really commit to doing it, you will reach your destination.

I hope all of you who have ever considered quitting will use this advice as inspiration and pass it along to those who need it. IT'S YOUR LIFE, TAKE CONTROL. TREAT YOUR BODY AS A TEMPLE, NOT A ROLLER COASTER- YOU ONLY GET ONE. LIVE FOR NOW, AND THE FUTURE.
NAMASTE.

Dear Haley :)

2010-02-26T08:54:00.000-08:00

The next 5 or so of my blogs will be dedicated to a young woman I went to Jr. High with (shout out to the PINES, holla!). She is someone I am using as my inspiration for the next week, and I'm so proud of her strength, determination and motivation to change her life and lead a healthier life. This mini series of blogs will focus on my friend Haley, but can be applied to any lifestyle at any life stage.
Here's to Haley, namaste.

We are starting off with a recipe I have used and loved from one of my teachers at IHN, Eva. Eva is like the walking Earth Mother, she lives, eats and breathes a way of living which so many of us, myself included need to strive towards to better our planet, our bodies, our children and the animals who grace the earth with us.
This is a raw soup, depending on seasons it is ideal to eat between 40-60% raw food. This will increase energy, get more nutrients into the system, and what I love most about this soup it's simple, quick, inexpensive to make and you can take it with you without zapping it in the microwave!

Raw Cream of Carrot Soup

This raw soup is great for summer days when you don’t want to use your stove, or great for carrying to work to avoid use of a microwave. Raw ingredients hold more vitamins and minerals than cooked because cooking often destroys heat sensitive nutrients.

Ingredients
2 cups pure water
3 medium carrots
1-2 tsp chopped ginger
1 medium local apple
1 avocado
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
½- 1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp whole cumin seed
½ tsp whole coriander seed
½ tsp Celtic sea salt or Himalayan rock salt
2 dashes cayenne powder

Directions
Pour water into a blender. Add coarsely chopped carrots and ginger, cored and chopped apple, spooned out avocado. Squeeze and add fresh lemon juice. Add all the spices and salt. Blend until smooth.
Serve with your favourite fresh herbs and edible flowers. Enjoy!

Are you getting the zzzzz's your body needs?

2010-02-25T08:25:00.000-08:00

One of the things I'm hearing about lately is people's insomnia. Let's face it, insomnia is bound to happen once and a while especially during crucial points in our lives, like a big presentation at work the next day, a party we're excited to attend, relationship stress- all of these things can lead to an inability to get good quality sleep to be productive at work, feel good and avoid over using the under eye concealer the next morning.

I have a few things to share about ensuring good quality sleep, and trust me, I've suggested it to many people and gotten great feedback. I use it on myself and I rarely get less then 8 hours of good deep sleep.

1. Cut the caffeine!
Seems obvious and we've heard it all before, but many people still do it! If you're suffering from interrupted sleep or trouble falling asleep, that cup of joe or tea after dinner may be the problem. Recent research has suggested that even one cup of coffee in the afternoon has an impact on the way we sleep. Avoid it! It's not worth it! If you need a boost, water with lemon is better for the body and actually is naturally energizing.
But coffee and tea aren't the only sources of caffeine. Pop has caffeine too, even "diet" pop. Skip it all together, go for water, you won't get the 12 grams of sugar that temper with your mood and cause you to crash, plus you're passing on the aspartame which turns into formaldehyde in the body.
Chocolate! That after dinner dessert may be a key player in your sleep as well. If you are going to go for a sugary dessert or a chocolate one do it at lunch, you're body needs to pass that through your system before you hit the hay.

2. Exercise!
You want to exercise of course, but if you're exercising right before you go to sleep your body is pumped up and can't settle down. When you exercise you are sending oxygen into the blood stream and energizing your entire system, we want this! But not before bed, if you are a night exerciser end your work out 2 hours before you start getting ready to retire for the night.

3. Supplement!
One of my favourite, can't do without supplements is my liquid Calcium Magnesium Citrate. Magnesium is a natural relaxant (and we are, as a nation generally extremely deficient in Mg), and calms the body before sleeping, All you need is one tbsp 30 minutes before bed. You can also try Valerian Root capsules which also aid in sleep. And yes, they can be taken together.

4. Shut down!
Falling asleep with an Ipod, the TV on, lights on, the computer all, all tells the body, "Hey I'm still awake, I need to be productive". This does not encourage sound sleep and may continue to disrupt you throughout the night. If you aren't one of those people who can just lay your head on the pillow and pass out, change your habits. Instead of the TV or Ipod, grab a boring, non stimulating book, with low light and just start reading. Reading a boring book won't over stimulate the brain like light, noise and movement will. It's just black print on a white page- very simple. Get into the habit of doing this 30 minutes before you want to fall asleep to allow yourself to wind down.

5. Essential Oils!
I can still remember my Mom putting essential oil drops onto my pillow Christmas Eve night (ya, I was, and still am that kid who would be awake til 4am hoping to hear Santa) so I would fall asleep. And it works! She used Lavender, which is calming and relaxing to the brain and can trigger sleep waves. You can also try chamomile. All you need is 1-2 drops (essential oils are extremely strong) right on the pillow and you instantly feel like you're at the spa.

Proper sleep= looking good, feeling good and everyone around you will love you for it!
SLeep well

Even Love can be Eco-friendly!

2010-02-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

I love anything that is GREEN, supports the maintenance of our planet, isn't animal tested, and is made from organic materials..... and it's coming from the most unexpected places!

This month is Heart Month, what better way to get your heart into shape then with some eco-friendly sex toys?!?!
SO, my favourite items of February are here: http://bit.ly/agqMMK

I hope you enjoy the link I've shared ;)

Start Moving Canada!!

2010-02-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

Did you know that most of us are lazy? Yes, I know no shocker there! We as a nation lack the physical activity that is needed to keep us healthy. Really, we need to be doing 45 minutes of physical activity every day to stay in shape and feel great. One way of doing this is without the use of fancy gym equipment, expensive classes- all you need is a pedometer (a device that you clip to the wasit of your pants or belt and measures the number of steps you take) and your own 2 feet.

Today I gave a presentation about smoking cessation through a great organization called COnnex Health. The topic on today's agenda was combating stress and fitness. We gave each of the participants a pedometer and asked them to record their steps every day for 1 week, doing their regular day to day routine.
Then, after a 7 day observation the next step is to set goals for yourself to increase the number of steps you take each day and thus increase your physical activity. The goal is to reach 12,000 steps per day. This can be done by taking the stairs, parking far away from the mall, walking to the grocery store, walking on a lunch break etc.
The response was very positive and everyone seemed to like the idea of tracking their progress so I decided to blog about it.
There exists a website which helps you do this. It allows you to track your steps, creates a clear chart for you to see if you've been improving, gives you tips and even sets you up with walking groups in your community. I love this!! What a great way to meet people, start an exercise program and just get your butt movin'!

The website that I adore of the month is wwww.active2010.ca

Get moving Canada and tell me your progress!

My Mid-day Snack

2010-01-21T09:45:00.000-08:00

I love things that are quick to make, don't require a fancy presentation and are loaded with vitamins and minerals, that is why I absolutely am a slave to my blender! I love smoothies, and thought I'd share one of my commonly used "pick-me-ups" with you!

1/2 cup plain Kefir
1/2 cup wild blueberries
1 large, fresh pitted date
1 tbsp raw wheatgerm
3-5 ice cubes, and blend!

Viola, there you have it, a quick snack or even breakfast idea with 5 ingredients you can make in 3 minutes!

Stay healthy

The Harmful, and Surprising Effects of the MICROWAVE

2010-01-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

Microwaving does several undesirable things: first and foremost it negates from the idea of raw, wholesome foods; as well it has MANY adverse health effects.
Blance and Hertel (1991), confirmed that microwave cooking significantly changed food nutrients. They studied the effect that microwaved food had on 8 individuals, by taking samples immediately after eating. They found that after eating microwaved food, hemoglobin levels decreased- the results showing anaemic tendencies in these individuals- the results became more pronounced during the second month of study: consider the effects of a lifetime worth of microwaving.

The violent changes to the food molecules also form new life forms called “Radiolytic Compounds”. These are mutations that are unknown to the natural world- this causes a deterioration in your blood and immune system. In addition, they found that the number of leucocytes increases after eating microwaved food, something which is often a sign of highly harmful effects, such as poisoning.

Eating microwaved food also causes cholesterol levels to increase. In Hertel’s study, cholesterol markers increased rapidly after the consumption of microwaved vegetables- a cholesterol-free source.

The risks associated with eating microwaved food doesn’t stop with the food itself. Standing in front of a microwave is also highly damaging to health. Consider this- a single celled organism, like an egg, will explode within 30 seconds when microwaved- we ourselves are made up of trillions of cells. Consider the number of cells are getting damaged by standing around your microwave as your food warms for 5-10 minutes.

The body cannot find its way back into balance when its electrical pathways are being altered or blocked. The first step is to remove the microwave from the home entirely in order to start healing.

My alternatives to microwaving:
o replace the microwave with a wok to re-heat food
o keep food warm on a plate by putting a saucepan lid over top
o put a plate of food on a simmering saucepan of water
o incorporate more meals which do not require heat- RAW food!

Sleep Health

2010-01-19T16:32:00.001-08:00

Below is a link to a website with a great article written by David Wolfe. The article really gets into great detail about how and why we aren't getting proper sleep and how this relates to what we eat and drink throughout the day, plus ways to get proper rest, deep sleep and feel great upon awakening.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-wolfe/sleep-deeper-with-better_b_414911.html

Is anyone else shocked?!?

2010-01-17T20:51:00.000-08:00

I was watching TV tonight with my mom, and a Kellogg's commercial comes on advertising Froot Loops cereal. Cute kids, playing house, one is a Doctor, prescribing fibre as part of a healthy diet. No biggie right? Well it was, and should be seen as a big deal, because now they are advertising the cereal as an excellent source of fibre! For children! EIIIIKKKK! I cannot believe this is being allowed, it's almost, or just as bad as the McDonald's commercial advertising their food as part of a complete meal for children.... how does this happen....why do we let it happen???

I went online to the Kellogg's website just to see a Froot Loops label- ey yi yi yi yi! What a maze it is to get to their "nutrition" information- brilliantly conducted marketing behind that one I'm sure! Yet, they have blurbs about Fibre, about Vitamins, Diabetes, Nutrition facts etc, all over their pages. Needless to say I left the site and Googled, Froot Loops nutrition info, and got a label- Hurray! Here's what it stated:

ONE GRAM OF FIBRE (!) per 1 cup serving (they did however manage to squeeze in 12 grams of sugar)- if you know anything about fibre you'll know that one gram a day simply isn't cutting it, and the proper source is also what matters. We, as North Americans consume about 5-7 grams of fibre per day. What we need for optimal living and health is 35 grams of fibre per day- I don't know about you but it seems 35 cups per day of Froot Loops doesn't sound too appetizing. Not to mention the refined, processed, deadness of this so called source of fibre- what about the artificial vitamins and minerals which have been added, and the artificial colours- if that is a complete meal suited for your children, please please please email me, I'd love to hear from you!

Stay healthy with real, whole foods! And don't be suckered into commercials like these, they are the root cause of many health conditions and the conditions which will be learned and brought into the next generation.