News

July 21, 2014 In Food and Recipes, News, Spotlight By Rich Ralph

Fitness Goop’s Top 12 Food Films

Documentaries have always been an effective method used by film makers to shed some light on various subjects that may otherwise go unnoticed. In the past, however, documentaries have often held a misconception of tiresome, mono-toned narration and boring cinematography. Fortunately, as the real food movement continues to build in momentum, and as the filming technology evolves, many critically acclaimed documentaries have been produced and popularize in the mainstream. With the ever-increasing number of food documentaries being produced, I thought it was time to take a moment to acknowledge my top picks of must-see Foodie Films. These films cover a...

July 20, 2014 In Fitness, News, Running, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Stretching Offers More than Flexibility

We have all heard that stretching is one of the essential components of fitness. But many of us continue to avoid the flexibility part of our workouts. Not only does stretching reduce risks of injury during physical activity, but it helps prevents post-exercise muscle soreness, otherwise known as DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness). A recent study done at Louisiana State University showed that stretching could possibly make people stronger as well as help to increase their endurance. Researchers believe that stretching works muscles in a method very similar to strength training, but on a very smaller level. It is also being suggested...

July 20, 2014 In Fitness, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

10 Reasons that Exercise is Not Just About Losing Weight

You can lose weight by eating healthy and watching your portion and calories but you can lose more weight faster and get fit by adding exercise to the picture. Let’s be realistic, exercising can be hard, it’s a matter of time or lack thereof. Between work, kids, making dinner and going to bed, when are you supposed to fit in that hour of exercise? The answer is, you’re just going to have to make it happen—no one else can do it for you, because exercise is not an option. If losing weight and looking good weren’t enough… Here are 10 reasons to...

July 19, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

The flu shot: What are your options?

There are several options for preventing the flu and it is important to me that my patients are educated about their options before they make a decision.  With any flu shot or vaccination, the decision is ultimately up to you, but your ND can help you make an informed choice. Why are we so worried about the flu? The flu is caused by the influenza virus, of which there are over 500 different strains The flu can cause symptoms of fever, cough, chills, sore throat, body aches, fatigue or headaches, which usually abate after 1 week It is spread by coughing, sneezing and direct...

July 19, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight, Yoga By Vancouver Health Coach

Yoga Detoxification: Cleansing the Body the Natural Way

Do you find yourself affected by “lifestyle” health issues caused by stress and nervous disorders? Your body reacts negatively to stressors, building up toxins and chemicals and causing illness. A critical step in turning around your physical health is through detoxification, or by removing the harmful elements from your system. You may have seen advertisements for “detox wraps” or “detox health drinks,” but in truth, the most natural and straightforward method of detoxifying yourself is to engage in a healthful yoga program. Yoga not only cleanses your system, purging it of toxins; it also enables you to de-stress and addresses...

July 16, 2014 In News, Spotlight, Yoga By Vancouver Health Coach

Finding Your Edge in Yoga

Finding Your Edge in Yoga Disappointment is just unrealized expectations. We only experience disappointment with an outcome if our expectation is greater than the reality which manifests. Thus, satisfaction is not realized by accomplishing a goal because of the goal itself; but, rather, satisfaction is relative to an outcome as measured against the desired expectation. Each asana (or pose) you perform during your yoga practice is perfect if done with intention and focus, and takes you to your edge – regardless of where your edge is at that time. “Your edge” is the limit to which you are able to push yourself...

July 13, 2014 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

Gym Etiquette: Don’t Be That Guy in the Gym

It’s that time of the year again when the newbie’s hit the gym with the best of intentions. Unfortunately a lot of freshmen gym goers are not so well versed in some basic “rules” of the weight lifting area. You've definitely seen one, you may know one, or you may even be one. I'm talking about that annoying guy (or girl) in the gym who either doesn’t know what they are doing or just plain ignores some basic rules. This is my list of the top five weight training no-no's. 1. Don’t be that guy doing curls in the squat rack It's called the...

July 12, 2014 In Fitness, Food and Recipes, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Estimating Your Daily Caloric Needs

Calories; they are everywhere these days. We spend an awful lot of time and energy trying to count how many calories we consume per day, per meal, even per forkful. Yet many of us usually spend little if any time trying to figure out exactly how many calories we actually need, otherwise called our caloric needs. It's pretty easy to look up in any number of nutrition tables how many calories a certain food contains. It’s also pretty easy to add up all the calories you have eaten in a day to get your total daily caloric consumption. It's a little...

July 12, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight, Uncategorized By Vancouver Health Coach

Controlling Diabetes with a Balanced Diet and Exercise

Lifestyle changes can make a profoundly positive difference when it comes to controlling diabetes, not only from day to day but also over the long term as well. Because many medications associated with diabetes can create complications — such as the link between the Actos and bladder cancer — many people with diabetes are trying to reduce their need for medications and insulin injections in favor of a natural, balanced approach to blood sugar control. A balanced diet, meaning one that contains the right nutrients in the right amounts, is quite capable of reducing the need for diabetes health medications over...

July 10, 2014 In News, Running, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Run, Race and Set Goals

It's the start of a new year. What a great time to sit down and organize a running and racing schedule to keep you motivated and inspired all year long. Choosing one or two main goal races then organizing other races to support that goal keeps training fresh and fun. If your goal is to compete in your first race, run a marathon, or compete as an elite athlete you can benefit in many ways from goal setting. One of the benefits is you can visualize your goals, and re-read them weekly to remind yourself and stay motivated through tough training...