Spotlight

April 13, 2015 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vreni Gurd

Glycemic Index vs Glycemic Load

The Glycemic Index is a very useful way to determine how quickly the carbohydrate (sugar) in a food will be absorbed into the blood stream, but the Glycemic Load is an even better measure of determining the insulin response and therefore how fattening a food is. The Glycemic Index is a list of foods that compares how quickly 50 grams of carbohydrate within the food will raise your blood sugar as compared to 50 grams of sugar alone. To calculate the Glycemic Index of a food, scientists measure out the quantity of a particular food needed to obtain 50 grams of...

April 7, 2015 In Health & Wellness, Holistic Health, Spotlight, Yoga By Carolyn Anne Budgell

Simple Tips for Staying Mindful

“Mindfulness” is blowing up as the new hot word among neo-spiritual, new age, western, hippy, yuppy, yogi, meditators. In spite of its trendiness, mindfulness is truly such a valuable practice. One who is mindful strives to be aware of the habitual nature of the mind. One who is mindful has the desire to deepen the understanding of ones own mind. The practices of mindfulness need to be embodied and remembered in all situations. Of course, we will rarely maintain perfect and consistent awareness through all the ups and downs but we can try. A saying that captures this point is “two steps forward and one...

April 3, 2015 In Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Brandi Wagner

Healing Your Skin With Food

Skin problems, such as acne, aren't an uncommon health concern/complaint among both genders and can occur at any age, from early teenage years into adulthood. In the past year, I've talked to more than a handful of people who have experienced acne at some point in their life and have been on acne medication to help treat it. Some have had success and become acne free, some experienced no change at all and some have even experienced a temporary change until coming off the medication (which usually isn't intended for long term use) only to see their acne flare up...

March 23, 2015 In Holistic Health, News, Spotlight, Yoga By Suzanne Zilkowsky

The One-Breath Meditation

We have all heard how meditation can be a useful way to calm the mind, reduce stress and gain energy, and yet the thought of trying may seem somehow daunting. The image of the yogi sitting peacefully for hours may just seem too far from our reality to consider meditation as a viable method to de-stress and centre oneself. Yet the fact of the matter is that probably every single one of us has at one time or another been in a meditative state when we are doing something that completely occupies us, whether it is painting, rock climbing, playing...

March 17, 2015 In Fitness, News, Spotlight, Yoga By Suzanne Zilkowsky

Athletes and Yoga

Yoga isn’t just for yogis. Many athletes have turned to yoga for good reason. Olympians use yoga, as do professional golfers, football players, basketball players, street performers, and even power-lifters. No matter what your sport, and if you are a professional or simply play on a recreational team, yoga can help you by: Making You More Injury Proof Yoga helps to stretch and condition not just the muscles, but all the connective tissues of the body, so that when you reach, jump, or kick, you are less likely to pull a muscle – like a hamstring or groin – because the muscles...

March 16, 2015 In Emotional Health, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight By Suzanne Zilkowsky

Mid-Life and Mood Swings

Unfortunately, temper tantrums and mood swings aren’t just for toddlers and 14-year-old girls anymore. If you are a lady lucky enough to be encountering perimenopause or menopause, these emotional rollercoasters may have become part of your daily life. But what can you do about them? For some women, it can be easy to let menopausal emotions wreak havoc on interpersonal relationships, while others try to fight any emotion tooth and nail. Read on for simple, natural tips for managing menopause and its wacky moods. Take Up Yoga Yoga is widely touted for its ability to center the mind and improve the body’s health....

December 16, 2014 In Fitness, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Suzanne Zilkowsky

New Service to Target Stressed Clients

In today’s world of endless distractions, always-on connections, and breakneck speed work, it’s easy to feel drained. Instead of addressing the root cause of low energy, too often we medicate it away with caffeine or even prescription drugs, which, over the long run, run our batteries still lower. These symptoms of low energy include: feeling frequently tired, anxious or overwhelmed and over time, this will lead to deficiency in self-care, especially around energy and health. It’s an unfortunate fact, but in today’s world of endless distractions and rapid pace, self-care in the area of health frequently falls to the bottom of...

December 7, 2014 In Editor's Picks: Must Haves for Staying Healthy, Food, Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, Holistic Health, Spotlight, Uncategorized By Suzanne Zilkowsky

5 Tips to Eat Healthy and Convenient

If you could choose just one culprit that could halt your eating healthy intentions, what would it be? If convenience is what you answered, you’re certainly not alone. So what's a busy person like you to do when you’re not only tired and starving but in between meetings, appointments, work or school (or all of the above?) Who could blame you for craving a chocolate chip cookie and a latte? The not-so-tricky trick is to make eating healthy more convenient than the stop at the coffee shop. Here are some simple tips to help you with your eating healthy choices, so that...

December 6, 2014 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Inflammation and Chronic Degenerative Diseases

Numerous articles in print and media have identified inflammation as the common denominator in today’s chronic degenerative diseases, ranging from cancer, to osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. For example, the February 23, 2004 cover of Time magazine was entitled “The Secret Killer – The Surprising Link Between Inflammation and Heart Attacks, Cancer [and] Alzheimer’s”. Furthermore, numerous articles from respected scientific journals have reported a link between chronic inflammatory processes and cardiovascular diseases like atherothrombosis (whereby fatty plaques dislodged from blood vessels increase the risk of strokes or heart attacks), endometriosis, bone loss in post-menopausal women, rheumatoid arthritis and peridontitis to name a...

December 3, 2014 In Food and Recipes, Green & Healthy Living, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Organic Versus Local Food: Which is Best?

There’s always been debate around the nutritional value of organic food.  In recent months, some studies have come out suggesting that organic food is no better than that which is conventionally grown.  But there’s also plenty of information suggesting organic food is superior to conventional grown crops.  So who do we believe? What is the truth? When it comes to ‘organic’ I think it’s important that we remember what this term really means.  Although I am a huge supporter for organic food, organic does not mean the food will be higher in nutrients.  In order to be certified organic, the food...