Community News
Live Life to its Fullest

We are all here on earth on borrowed time. None of us know how much time we have left. The only real choice we have is how to embrace the life we have and live it fully! The challenge is to experience and learn from the life that’s happening to you instead of wishing you could have someone else’s. What if you knew you only had one week to live? Who would you see and how would you spend your precious time? We all eventually die and leave behind our worldly possessions. What will it take for you to live the fullest every day as if was your last week? To appreciate every given moment and live it as though death is near, not with fear, but with a sweet savoring of all that is…as you embrace life to its fullness!

D’Arcy Bruning-Haid, www.souls-journey.com

Are You Addicted to Sugar?

Do you find it hard getting up in the morning, and do you crash in the afternoon? YES/NO. Do you suffer from brain fog, headaches or moodiness? YES/NO. Do you crave carbs like pasta and pastries? YES/NO. Do you ever try to hide your sugar intake, or eat it secretly? YES/NO. Do you have a hard time with controlling your cravings? YES/NO. Answer ‘YES’ to these questions? You, like millions of other Canadians, most likely have a sugar addiction. Scientists have found that sugar stimulates the same pleasure centers of the brain as cocaine or heroin. Just like those hard-core drugs, getting off sugar leads to withdrawal and cravings, requiring an actual detox process to wean off. Cutting ties with your sugar addiction can do wonders for your skin, mood, waistline, and sleep schedule. Try cutting back a little every day, and eventually take bigger steps. For example, if you are craving something sweet, have a piece of fruit, or stop adding sugar to your morning coffee.

Felly Grieve, A1 Nutrition, www.a1nutritiongrant.com

5 New Year’s Resolutions to Boost Your Health

It’s a new year and a perfect time to start good healthy habits. Here are five tips to drive your immune system into gear so you can live 2017 full of strength and vitality! 1. Exercise. The Canadian Diabetes Clinical Practice Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of cardio plus two sessions of resistance training per week. 2. Eat more fruits and vegetables. The Mediterranean diet has been proven to lower one’s risk for heart disease and improve longevity. 3. See your doctor for routine checkups. Screening early for disease can help prevent or lessen problems from the disease. 4. Get vaccinated. This allows your body to fight off infections. Check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist to see whether you are up-to-date. 6. Reduce stress. Meditate, do yoga and get plenty of sleep. Make time to pamper yourself!

Care At Home Pharmacy, www.careathomepharmacy.ca

The Best Way to a Persons Heart

This Valentine’s day, you might be thinking the best way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. While this may or may not be true, research shows one of the best ways to optimal mental health is, indeed, through the stomach. What you eat is critical to the health of your entire body including brain health. Many of the nutrients we digest are essential building blocks of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) that regulate mood, appetite, sleep, weight and a myriad of other processes that work to keep us functioning properly. Diets containing whole grains, fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, lean meat, and fatty fish as well as probiotic-rich foods like pickles, sauerkraut, and kefir are associated with better physical and mental health. Omega 3 fatty acid and vitamin supplementation can play an integral role in our mental health, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Always consult your healthcare provider before making lifestyle changes.

Sean Miller, Canadian Mental Health Association, mbwpg.cmha.ca

3 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

Are you looking to kick-start your metabolism? Here are a few tips! 1. Build Muscle. Your body always burns calories, even when you’re doing nothing. Your resting metabolic rate is much higher if you have muscle. After a session of strength training, muscles are activated all over your body, raising your average daily metabolic rate. 2. Keep Drinking. Your body needs water to process calories. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down. To stay hydrated, drink a glass of water or other unsweetened beverage before every meal and snack. 3. Power Up With Protein. Your body burns many more calories digesting protein than it does with carbohydrates. As part of a balanced diet, replacing some carbs with lean, protein-rich foods can boost metabolism at mealtime. Good sources of protein include lean beef, turkey, fish, chicken, tofu, nuts, beans, eggs, and low-fat dairy products. Now get ready to become a lean, mean, calorie-burning machine!

www.disabilitytaxcreditwinnipeg.com

Book Club: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō. Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles? Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. www.goodreads.com

Home Remedies for a Cough

Did you know that onions can be used to cleanse airways and reduce congestion? Try a poultice of roasted onion to the chest every few hours. They can also be drunk as a warm broth. Cabbage also works well, as it has an extraordinary ability to draw out toxin. Crush the leaves with a rolling pin until the juice starts to appear. Place 3 or 4 leaves over the chest and cover with gauze. You can also drink the juice of a cabbage sweetened with a little bit of honey. Adapted from the book “The New Guide to Remedies” by Paragon Staff

6 Ways to Alkalize Your Body

Did you know that your immunity is based on how alkaline your diet is? Having an overly acidic diet eventually leads to a weakened state, and our bodies become susceptible to disease. Here are six ways to alkalize – and healthify – your body! 1. Drink plenty of water. Drink half your body weight in ounces every day to keep your body systems regulated. For an extra boost in alkalinity – add lemon! 2. Trade coffee for tea. Green tea is highly alkaline. Try jasmine, Sencha or Matcha. 3. Kick that sugar habit. Use stevia, coconut sugar or small amounts of honey in place of sugar. 4. Eat more greens. Vegetables are highly alkaline and oxygen rich. Consume fresh green vegetables often as possible. 5. Move. Exercise to create more oxygen and qi flow in the body and to avoid stagnation. 6. Reduce stress. Meditate as often as possible, practice deep breathing, do yoga, and get plenty of sleep

4 Ways To Supercharge Your Immune System

Ugh, January. Some may feel that this month is the worst of all months. Stay healthy, and you may find that January is actually enjoyable! There are plenty of natural remedies to help you boost your immune system and stay healthy all winter long: 1. Focus on Vitamin D. Did you know that most people have low vitamin D levels? Even dangerously low, within a range that could severely limit your immune system. 2. Eat More Garlic. Garlic is one of the most potent of all superfoods that goes back thousands of years for treatment of illness. 3. Get Your Probiotics. 70% of your immune system lies in your gut flora and the health of the friendly organisms in there to protect you against pathogens and sickness. 4. Avoid ALL processed foods and sweetened soft drinks. This is no time to bombard your body with processed foods, fried foods, high-fructose corn syrup, refined sugars or chemical additives.

Felly Grieve, A1 Nutrition, www.a1nutritiongrant.com

History of New Year Resolutions

January gives us an opportunity to reflect on the previous year, and also plan for the year ahead. Many of us will make new year resolutions for specific goals or self-improvements. It is believed that the Babylonians were the first to start this tradition! They made promises to their gods that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts. Later, the Romans would make promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named. In the Medieval era, knights took the “peacock vow” to re- affirm their commitment to chivalry. We hope that improving your oral health will make your resolution list this year! Schedule your yearly check up and cleaning, commit to flossing, cut back on sugar, and kick your tobacco habits.

Dr. Sarah Keating Sangalang, Reflections Dental, www.reflectionsdentalhealth.ca

Physio Support for Breastfeeding

Physiotherapy can benefit many people for a variety of reasons, but did you know that it is also beneficial for breastfeeding mothers? If milk is not being removed effectively from the breast, it can cause a milk stasis which will result in a blocked milk duct. It will often cause a hard, tender lump that can include swelling. Risk factors for developing include improper baby positioning and latching, sore or damaged nipples, fatigue or stress, engorgement, compression from a tight garment, inadequate breast drainage, hurried or missed feeds and a pump with an ill-fitting breast shield. Physiotherapy treatment includes a combination of ultrasound, manual techniques, education, and heat. Mothers will be encouraged to bring their baby to the session and breastfeed immediately afterward. Treatment frequency is every day until symptoms resolve – usually 1-3 days.

Kristi Hunter MPT, BSc, Prairie Trail Physiotherapy, www.prairietrailphysio.ca