Author:Vancouver Health Coach

August 21, 2014 In Fitness, Green & Healthy Living, News By Vancouver Health Coach

Fitting in Health & Fitness When Your Life is Jam-Packed: Part 1

Another evening of mottled sleep leaves you wandering around like a strained zombie? Deadlines at work are looming, yet more keeps piling on your plate? When these are your primary experiences, it’s a challenge to make time for exercise and healthy eating. Does your work life stretch you thin and leave no time for extras? Or perhaps your children and busy life consume most of your waking hours and leave you exhausted, with hardly any energy left at the end of the day for more than a glass of wine and some primetime TV viewing. If you find yourself way too...

August 20, 2014 In Food and Recipes, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Benefits of a Carbohydrate Rich Diet

A very popular weight loss concept today encourages the avoidance of a high carbohydrate diet. By eliminating complex carbohydrates, which are broken down into sugar - or glucose-  we are restricting the body’s preferred fuel source. This leaves the body with no choice but to switch from burning sugar to burning fat so that faster and more rapid weight loss will be achieved. While having the body in this fat burning state may be considered beneficial as suggested by specific diet plans, there are definite concerns that arise when carbohydrates are being consumed in very minimal amounts or not at...

August 20, 2014 In News, Yoga By Vancouver Health Coach

Yoga Backbends for better Posture

Practicing backbends is integral to maintaining height and good posture while one ages. The purpose of backbends has very little to do with your back – which is ironic given that is where the pinch and ache is felt later on if wheel, camel, or even bridge pose, are approached too aggressively. The goal of any backbend is to counter the long term forward slouching posture exaggerated by daily routines such as hunching forward over a computer for eight hours. In a backbend, the length of the back side of the body shortens while the distance between both ends move closer...

August 19, 2014 In Fitness, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Running App Runtastic 5.0: Makes You Want To Run More Often

If you love running, the running app Runtastic may be for you! Runtastic – an innovative suite of apps, products and services that track and manage health and fitness data to motivate individuals to get in shape, stay healthy and improve overall fitness – has announced a brand new version of their flagship app, Runtastic. Over the past year, the award-winning app has undergone a complete transformation, incorporating user feedback, expert knowledge and industry trends. The result is a revamped design and user experience, as well as new features and improved functions. This announcement comes as the company surpasses 70 million downloads worldwide. It's impossible to make progress by standing still or becoming complacent,” says...

August 19, 2014 In Fitness, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Lower Abs Myth Explained

Of all the myths floating around in the wide world of fitness, one of my favorites is the legend of the "upper and lower abs." One of the reasons this ranks high on my list is because even though its so easy to debunk, this myth is so persistent, that it just refuses to go away. Hundreds of years of anatomical research are conveniently brushed aside in seconds by every late night infomercial selling the latest gadget or contraption to help sculpt, tone or chisel your lower abs for a perfect washboard, six-pack stomach. And, it'll do it in less than...

August 18, 2014 In Emotional Health, News, Yoga By Vancouver Health Coach

Eyes closed: The art of staying present in yoga and life

We tend to spend so much time living in the future or dwelling in the past, we recognize something special has happened when we spend some time in the present moment. You know, like when you get really absorbed in a task or project, and upon finishing you feel like you just took a mini vacation from the constant underlying state of stress. That “mini vacation” is what life would feel like all of the time if we mastered the art of staying present. There’s no need to worry when you stay in the present because there’s nothing to worry about....

August 18, 2014 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Top anti-inflammatory foods

In past articles, I have discussed how inflammation is the underlying cause of most chronic and autoimmune disorders.  The major cause of inflammation in the body is the food we eat so eating anti-inflammatory foods is important for good health. Food allergies and intolerances have been implicated in a wide range of medical conditions, affecting every part of the body: from mildly uncomfortable indigestion, to severe illnesses including celiac disease and diabetes, to developmental disorders such as ADHD and Autism. The inflammatory reaction occurs when an ingested food molecule acts as an antigen, a substance that causes the immune system...

August 17, 2014 In Editor's Picks: Must Haves for Staying Healthy, Food, Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, Holistic Health, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Raw Vegan Recipe: Brazil Nut Hummus

Raw brazil nuts are one of the lesser-known nuts to Americans, but a staple to Amazonians, revered for their exceptionally high levels of selenium, a mineral that plays a key role in metabolism and for its cell protecting antioxidant properties.  The antioxidants in Selenium help the body absorb Vitamin E, digest protein, and stimulate the thyroid. Just one or two Brazil nuts a day provides enough of this trace element’s Recommended Daily Allowance of 55 to 100 micrograms per day. Among healthy people in the U.S., selenium deficiencies are uncommon. But some health conditions, such as HIV, Crohn's disease, and conditions...

August 16, 2014 In Monthly Giveaway's | FREE STUFF, News, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

Fitness Goop’s July Giveaway is from PumpOne

July Giveaway is from PumpOne Fitness Goop's July Monthly Giveaway has begun! This month's giveaway is 1 Year FREE Access to FitnessBuilder & FitnessClass from PumpOne About PumpOne: Since 2005, PumpOne has been the leader in portable personal training with state-of-the-art fitness technology for consumers and professionals. We have built the world's largest exercise image, video & workout libraries and coupled them with the most innovative & comprehensive mobile technologies resulting in our two flagship products, FitnessBuilder & FitnessClass. About FitnessBuilder: FitnessBuilder is the most comprehensive fitness database in the world. It contains the largest library of exercise images & videos, the most challenging workouts across...

August 16, 2014 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

The Power of Matcha Green Tea: DoMatcha Review

An infamous superfood known for its high antioxidant content, matcha green tea has gained popularity in recent years, being called for in smoothie recipes, lattes and even baked goods. Matcha is a ceremonial Japanese powdered green tea, traditionally used by Zen monks to symbolize harmony, purity, tranquility and respect. Matcha comes from the leaf of the tea and has an impressive nutrient profile, containing roughly 15 times the nutrients as a cup of traditional green tea. Matcha is most abundant in vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll and the cancer fighting antioxidant, EGCg (epigallocatechin gallate.) It also contains L-theanine, a mood enhancing, and anxiety...