Green & Healthy Living

November 25, 2014 In Emotional Health, Green & Healthy Living, News By Vancouver Health Coach

Taming Your Saboteurs

Have you met your saboteurs? I’m not talking about the spouse who brings home your favourite dessert to celebrate your sticking to a meal plan, or the friend who compliments your weight training achievements with “you’re really getting cut – does it bother you that people will start to think you look like a man?” The saboteurs I’m thinking of live even closer to home, in your own psyche. They sometimes act up just when things start going your way, and sometimes wait until you’re getting close to reaching a goal you’ve been striving for before they pounce. When I’m working with...

November 24, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Natural Treatments for Skin Problems During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a time of growth, change, and-for many women-skin trouble. Although the “glow” of pregnancy is often envied, some women experience less attractive changes in skin appearance. From rashes and dark spots to stretch marks and raised bumps, soothing your skin during pregnancy can be simple and safe. According to an article in American Family Physician, some of the most common skin conditions during pregnancy are stretch marks, hyperpigmentation (melasma, chloasma, or the “mask” of pregnancy), and pruritis (dermatitis or rash). Women may also experience a wide range of other skin changes during pregnancy. Some of these require immediate medical...

November 20, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

What You Need To Know About Stimulants and Skin

Most people depend on stimulants to get them through their day.  It may be that morning coffee to start the day, that sugary afternoon snack to keep going, or that glass of wine at night.  “Everyone has a vice” is something I hear all to regularly.  But what are these vices, or stimulants, doing to your skin?  Is your coffee the reason why your skin has acne?  Everyone is different, however I feel the need to highlight some important effects stimulants have on our bodies.  Specifically, the effects of coffee, alcohol, smoking and sugar on our skin. Coffee.  The aroma of...

November 18, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Check Your Baggage: Preventing Lifestyle Stress on Our Body

Many health problems are related to chronic day-to-day lifestyle stresses placed on the body – one being the unilateral use of purses, bags or backpacks. When carried on the same side, day after day – for many years, bags have an effect on posture and the muscular system; thus having an effect on your overall health. Women tend to wear their purse on the same shoulder, men carry their message bags slung on the same side and kids tend to have their backpack over one shoulder. Over time, this will cause muscles to become overdeveloped on the weight-bearing side. This results in...

November 16, 2014 In Emotional Health, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Payday: Learning to Accept Financial Uncertainty

With change being the only certainty in life, one would imagine that humans would adapt and become comfortable in this state of constant reformation. But, no; instead we anticipate that the bad moments are going to last forever, and we try to stop time when we find a warm spot in which to rest. Learning to accept uncertainty is a Buddhist teaching, but there’s no need to climb a mountain in order to challenge oneself with this lesson. In fact, there’s a very real-life ritual we go through every month that shows us quite quickly how we lack in this area....

November 15, 2014 In Fitness, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight, Uncategorized By Vancouver Health Coach

The Importance of Purpose: What is the Purpose Behind Your Health Goals?

When meeting a client for the first time I always ask a few questions about their health goals going forward. This helps me determine if their goals are realistic and how they've gotten to the point of sitting and talking with me. I can usually tell a few minutes into our conversation how dedicated this person is going to be, how much energy and time it's going to take from me to help them and whether they'll actually achieve the health goals they've mentioned. The reality is, not everyone has the drive, determination, dedication and purpose driving him or her hard...

November 14, 2014 In Fitness, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight, Uncategorized By Vancouver Health Coach

Why It’s Not Too Late to Make Your New Year’s Resolutions

As the ball dropped and millions welcomed the start of 2014, countless people made a promise to make a fresh, healthy start – after all, a new year means a New Year's Resolutions and a new you, right? Well, according to new proprietary research from Gold's Gym, that new you might just have an expiration date.  Culling through four years of membership check-in data from Gold's Gym locations throughout the country, the brand began noticing a drop-off in membership check-ins starting around February 12th and leading to large number of consumers quitting the gym altogether by February 18th – the day that Gold’s...

November 14, 2014 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Natures Medicine: The Top 3 Foods for Preventative Health

Preventative health is commonly overlooked in the western world.  It is unfortunate that many wait long into disease to look for nutritional advice.  Food either feeds the disease, or fights it.  We really are what we eat!  Food is digested, absorbed and transformed into every cell of our body.  We need to consider the power we have when choosing our meals.  Can you switch that afternoon coffee to an herbal tea?  There are so many little steps we can take to improve our health.  All it takes is changing small habits. On the other hand, with so many superfood articles on...

November 13, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Water, Our Critical Solvent

The medical community tends to examine the solutes of the body for imbalances, which is important, but it is critical to also consider the solvent. After all, it is the fluids of the body that transport pretty much everything via the blood, lymph, cerebrospinal fluid, saliva, urine, synovial fluid, extracellular fluid, tears, and milk in lactating females, and it is obvious that nothing would happen if everything were dry. Fluids are needed within each cell to keep them juicy and round so they can function properly.  Our organs can be considered water balloons sloshing around in the sea of water that is...

November 11, 2014 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News By Rich Ralph

Does Coffee Have an Impact on Blood Sugar?

  While some research has indicated that moderate amounts of caffeine may be beneficial in the prevention of type II diabetes, recent literature has indicated otherwise, especially if intake of caffeine is high. A recent article published in Diabetes Care 2008; 31(2):221-2, examined blood glucose levels in those with type II diabetes over a 24 hour period; test subjects were given caffeine pills equivalent to about four cups of coffee per day versus placebo. Those taking caffeine pills showed a significant impact on glucose regulation causing an overall net increase of glucose level over 24 hours of 8%; caffeine also resulted in a significant...