Spotlight

October 14, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

When Does Alcohol Become Bad For Your Health?

Alcohol is one of the most commonly used stimulants.  Even with economic stress, bars were and have continued to run smoothly.  People can’t wait to have that post-work beverage after a long and challenging day.  I definitely don't disagree with this - I think moderate consumption of alcohol is fine.  But I am talking 2 glasses a week.  Why?  Don't be foolish - alcohol consumption has many, many short and long-term side effects in the body.  Yet people find it therapeutic at times.  This is because alcohol releases GABA, a neurotransmitter which has a calming affect.  Are there any foods...

October 13, 2014 In Ask The Expert: Health & Fitness Advice, Fitness, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Ask The Expert: Healthy and Fit Travelling Tips

Ask The Expert is a health & fitness advice column. If you have a question for one of our Fitness Goop experts, please email [email protected]. This question was asked by Jennifer from Vancouver B.C, Canada. My work requires that I travel and spend time away from home. I am finding it very difficult staying healthy while travelling from one city to another. I am feeling fatigued, having a hard time making good food choices and having a hard time working out without my own gym. What advice can you give for avoiding getting sick and keeping fit while travelling?” Hi Jennifer, first...

October 13, 2014 In Emotional Health, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Stress and Digestive Issues

Did you know that the reason your gut may be rolling may be due in large part to stress? Whether it is Irritable Bowel Syndrome, ulcerative colitis, or simply a stomach ache before you are about to give that really important speech, stress may be playing a significant role in the health of your stomach. If you are hiking in the woods, you round a corner and come face-to-face with a grizzly bear, your body is not going to prioritize digestion at this moment. Instead, it’s going to go "Oh sh*#t" - quite literally! If you were given enough of a...

October 12, 2014 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

The ABCs of Smart Training: Part 1

When designing a training program, it is wise to follow the concepts outlined in the ABCs of smart training. Apply them during all training and encourage them in daily activities. Following the ABCs will help increase training potential, improve skills, decrease recovery time, and minimize potential for injury. If you are new to exercises or have any injuries or aches and pains it would be best to get clearance from your Physician before beginning this or any other exercise program. The exercises may look easy but when you are beginning they may be more difficult than you thought. A1–ATHLETIC STANCE AND...

October 11, 2014 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Enzymes: You Are What You Digest

The raw food diet is a diet of fresh, whole food that has not been refined, chemically processed, denatured, or heated above 118°F, so its nutritional content is preserved, including the living enzymes. Enzymes are functional proteins essential to all living things that act as catalysts for numerous chemical reactions including digestion.  As Chief Nutrition Officer of Hail Merry, a company dedicated to making the healthiest and best tasting plant based snacks, Dr. Claudia Pillow is on a mission to demystify the concept of living enzymes in raw food and separate myth from fact.  Below is a reprint of an...

October 10, 2014 In Food and Recipes, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Gluten-Free and Vegan Pizza Crust

Dear Gluten-Free Fans, what are you craving? Sometimes I just want a pizza and beer! TGIF! And good news, now we can have our pie and eat it too! Plus, the gluten-free beers on the market keep getting better and better (yes, most regular beer is made from barley hops and contains gluten). I love this easy to make pizza crust for the crispness, the omega-3 fatty acids, and the normalcy of sharing a gluten-free pizza and beer with loved ones on a Friday night. N4AO- kids will happily eat it up but hold the beer. Vegan or Gluten Intolerant?...

October 9, 2014 In Food, Food and Recipes, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

A Diet for Balancing Pitta

The diet to balance pitta corresponds to the many of the so-called “balanced” diets out there, such as the Mediterranean or Indo-Mediterranean diet, that display a mostly balanced ratio of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. In Ayurveda this diet is good for people that have an average metabolism, neither very fast nor slow, providing a balanced source of energy. In particular, this diet is good for people that have a hot temperament, and tend to get warm easily. Some of the recommendations of this diet are contraindicated for people suffering from excessive coldness. Pitta-reducing diet A pitta-reducing diet is predominant in sweet,...

October 9, 2014 In Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

The Impossible Dream: Overcoming Insomnia

Current studies report up to 30 percent of North Americans are currently suffering from insomnia. Insomnia can be a difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Some people lie in bed for hours before properly falling asleep; others fall asleep only to wake up a short while later, unable to fall back to sleep. This is a chronic and severe problem in our society. One quarter of the population takes prescription and/or over-the-counter drugs to help them sleep. Insomnia drugs have many serious side effects including cognitive impairment, falls, tolerance and dependency, withdrawal, plus they tend to leave people drowsy and lethargic...

October 8, 2014 In News, Spotlight, Yoga By Vancouver Health Coach

Yoga: Practice How You Feel

Compare your most prevalent underlying state of being with the yoga routines you find most comfortable, and chances are there will be some parallels. Passive personalities tend to feel at home with gentle flows, while those who tackle life's issues head on gravitate towards power yoga. And the similarities can be looked at even closer when analyzing your level of comfort during specific postures. Child's Pose, for instance, is a restorative posture in which one feels safe and supported. This is so because your heart is protected, and your face is hidden from the world. It's natural to enjoy being in...

October 8, 2014 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Spring Cleaning Means Clean Eating

As you may know, our diet should rotate with the season.  Summer is the the time for light, refreshing food, while Autumn is the time for nourishing root vegetables.  Winter becomes the best time for hearty stews, meats and breads.  We are now in full swing of Spring, the best time for  cleaning and clean eating.  How can we clean up our diet?  What are some foods we should be consuming more often during these warming months?  I will discuss in detail a few important changes that are necessary for this time of year. Hydration:  We should always be drinking enough...