Author:Vancouver Health Coach

August 5, 2014 In News, Running, Spotlight, Uncategorized By Vancouver Health Coach

Getting Motivated to Go for that Run

There will often be circumstances that can derail you from your running schedule. Whether it be the weather, a bad mood, too much food in your stomach, childcare, a traffic jam, or sad news. So how do you maintain your best intentions in the midst of life's curve-balls? Establish a conscious intention to battle the de-motivators. Take inventory of what you've noticed that has taken you off course in the past, and create an arsenal of strategies to combat these factors. Some 'tools' in your arsenal could include: Have an all-case scenario 'kit': Energy gel-pack for hunger, wet and cold weather gear, alternate...

August 4, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

New to Type 2 Diabetes: Finding Peace with a Diabetes Diagnosis

The number of adults in the U.S. with Type 2 diabetes is climbing steadily. Over 25 million people have diabetes, and experts believe that as many as 7 million of them don’t even know it. If you are new to the world of Type 2 diabetes, adjustment to a new diet and lifestyle may be a difficult process. Instead of giving into despair or denial, kick-start your new life with these tips. Talk to your doctor about the possibility of avoiding medication. If you are “borderline” diabetic or if your numbers are considered low, you may be able to stave off...

August 3, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, News By Vancouver Health Coach

Quitting Smoking Successfully: Recognizing the Positive Intentions behind Your Habit

If you are planning on eradicating your smoking habit, consider what kinds of needs this ritual was meeting for you. Often we feel guilt or shame for engaging in unhealthy habits, yet if we look deeper within, we can recognize that the reasons why we do the things we do are primarily positive. Negative behaviors are born from positive intentions. Would you believe me if I suggested that at one point you began smoking to take care of yourself? If that sounds outrageous, especially in light of research indicating it is a major cause of heart disease and lung cancer, consider the...

August 3, 2014 In News, Pet Health By Vancouver Health Coach

Ear Infections: Cleaning and Medicating Your Dog’s Ears

A common complaint from dog owners is that their dog is shaking their head excessively, scratching at their ears or rubbing their head along the ground.  Often when the dogs ears are examined they are red, thickened, itchy, infected and painful. Dogs can be predisposed to ear infections because of a number of factors including recent swimming/bathing, allergies, ears that flop over and excessively hairy ear canals.  Ear infections are most commonly due to bacteria, yeast, a combination of both in a mixed infection or ear mites. To diagnose an ear infection, your veterinarian will look down the ear canal with an...

August 2, 2014 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Is Gluten Free a Hot New Trend or Here to Stay?

I’ve worked with thousands of people over my decade or so in the health industry and I don’t think I’ve ever stopped being amazed at the dramatic effect going gluten free can have on someone’s waistline and overall health. Even if you aren’t gluten sensitive, allergic, intolerant, a celiac or even believe in all the gluten hype almost everyone can benefit from going gluten free or low gluten. Why? Well my reasoning might be different than what you are used to hearing… Recently I was involved in a conversation with a couple of trainers who were talking about gluten. Their take on...

July 28, 2014 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Weight Loss By Vancouver Health Coach

How Much Exercise is Enough?

How Much Exercise is Enough? Dieting may get the scale to start moving, but exercise revs your metabolism. Learn why and find out how much exercise is needed. If one person just cuts calories and someone else just increases the amount of time spent on exercise, who will lose weight first? The answer--The person who cuts calories will lose weight more quickly, provided they cut out enough calories to get results. But that’s not to say that exercise isn’t an important part of your weight-loss efforts. Although exercise may take longer to show results on the scale people who exercise burn more...

July 28, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight, Uncategorized By Vancouver Health Coach

Visualization and Our Immune System: Using Your Mind to Stay Healthy

The cold and flu season is here. Thankfully, however, there is something you can do to improve your chances of fighting off illnesses and staying healthy.  Long overlooked by conventional medicine practitioners, imagery techniques are an extremely effective, safe, and easy-to-apply healing tool. Promising research in the field of mind-body medicine has found that the brain has the ability to influence the immune system. Imagery techniques like visualization have great potential to affect physiology, and are a useful method anyone can use to help strengthen the immune system and promote healing. What is the immune system and how does it work? The immune...

July 27, 2014 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Food Sensitivities, Intolerances and Allergies

Gluten Sensitivity Enteropathy is an autoimmune inflammatory condition that refers to a group of different types of gluten sensitivity. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and other foods derived from these grains. The most extreme subgroup is celiac disease, a genetic autoimmune condition. One percent of Americans are estimated to have celiac disease. When individuals with celiac disease consume gluten, their bodies have an immune response that results in damage to the intestinal villi. Some individuals who experience distress when eating gluten-containing products and show improvement after following a gluten-free diet may have gluten intolerance, instead of...

July 27, 2014 In Ask The Expert: Health & Fitness Advice, Fitness, News, Spotlight, Uncategorized, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

Ask The Expert: Avoiding Low Back Pain in Golf

Whether it’s the sunny skies we have seen in late March, the recently re-crowned #1 player in the world wearing ‘Sunday-Red’, or the near approaching 1st major of the season on the PGA Tour, you must be getting excited for the beginning of the golf season! Research has shown that golf injuries do occur at high frequencies.  To no surprise, the number 1 injury associated with the game of golf is Low Back Pain.  Statistics show that 1 out of 2 golfers will experience some type of low-back-pain or injury during their playing career. Why is this so prevalent, you might...

July 25, 2014 In Food and Recipes, News By Vancouver Health Coach

5 Nutrition Tips to Tolerate Exams

It’s getting close to that time.. and it does not have to be that dreadful! Nutrition plays a critical role in optimal cognitive function. Here are my top 5 suggestions to help contribute to your success when studying for & writing exams. 1. I’m sure you’ve heard it before but really, Eat Breakfast!!! Breakfast is generally best consumed within 1-2 hours of waking up. I cannot stress the importance of eating breakfast enough!! And I am not referring to your morning coffee . A healthful and balanced breakfast will help you stay focused, improve your concentration and provide you with long lasting energy...