When selecting a sunscreen, go for the “broad spectrum” protection. Sunscreens with this label protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Make sure your sunscreen has a sun protection factor of 30 or higher. The SPF number is the level of protection the sunscreen provides against harmful rays. Higher SPF numbers do mean more protection, but the higher you go, the smaller the difference becomes. Secondly, look at the ingredients. Physical blockers (titanium dioxide, zinc oxide) provide the best protection and cause less skin irritation than chemical sunscreens.
Community News
Healthy Gut = Heathy Life
Did you know that there is a direct connection between the immune system and nutrition? The intestinal tract is the main route of contact with the external environment and is a pathway that contains microbiomes that aids digestion as well as the absorption of nutrients. This makes it critical for us to consume a balanced diet with the right nutrients while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Make sure you consume an adequate amount of protein such a fish and lean meats. It’s also important to maintain a daily intake of vitamins and phytonutrients, especially Vitamin C. Increase your intake of probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids as they enhance the functions of immune cells.
Spinal Manipulative Therapy
Spinal manipulation is a treatment technique that involves a high velocity, low amplitude thrust, which is performed by the practitioner on a joint segment of the patient’s spine. The treatment is often accompanied by an audible ‘pop’, which is a change in pressure within the synovial joint. Manipulations can be very helpful in providing pain relief to a specific injury, but the effects are short-lived. The long-term rehab plan for your pain/injury should focus on active-based programming such as exercise. The combination of manual therapy followed by exercise provides more permanent results and better patient outcomes. Ask your practitioner if this is right for you!
Flattened Curve- NOW What?
NOW is the perfect time to strengthen your immune system and increase your body’s ability to fight off infection. Medical experts fear that Fall will bring a double whammy of the flu virus and Covid-19. NOW is the time to get prepared. Just as you need to stock up on essentials such as, food, sanitizer and masks, your body needs to stock up on the immune boosting essentials it requires to fight these viruses. Specific nutrients for the adrenals, spleen, lungs, and lymph nodes are vital to boost your immunity. NOW is the time to give your body what it needs to prepare for the months ahead.
A Summer of Finding Your ‘Yes’
With restrictions, social distancing and festivals closed, a summer of finding your Yes might just mean digging a little deeper and going back to the basics. Asking yourself what simple pleasures would increase more joy, laughter, ease, flow and play into my life? Spending time immersing yourself with the elements; playing in the waves and waters, walking in the forest, finding new bike paths and discovering new places, awakening the passion within with bonfires, decluttering and finding more space to breathe. Detaching from time and routine filling back up again allows the elements to awaken, nurture and bring us back to our yes within.
D’Arcy Bruning-Haid, Masters in Counselling Psychology
Words to Live By
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” -John Wooden
Product Review: RELEAF Stick
ACTIVE RELEAF aims to encourage active wellness through the use of nature’s most powerful ingredients. With a synergistic blend of coconut oil, shea butter, essential oils, and broad spectrum cannabinoid-rich hemp plant extract, ACTIVE RELEAF’s topicals offer a natural alternative for pain relief. Try the Original Formula RELEAF Stick as a reliable remedy to soothe everyday aches and pains. For extra stubborn discomfort associated with joint stiffness, and inflammation, the Extra Strength RELEAF+ Stick is specially formulated to soothe quickly and be long lasting. Apply liberally to affected areas 3 – 4 times a day or as needed.
Stress Handling With Biofeedback
Everyday we have an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts running through our minds. Considering that our minds can only handle 7-10 bits of information at a time, no wonder we start to feel overwhelmed, especially with what is going on in the world today. Unmanaged stress contributes to many health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, insomnia, depression, and a weak immune system. Alternative approaches such as Biofeedback testing and treatment are highly effective in handling stress. It detects imbalances, or weaknesses, in the stress handling areas of the body, and in turn, stimulates the affected areas to help the mind and body process and handle stress better.
Tips for Better Immunity
Maintain a strong, healthy immune system with this 3-pronged approach during the current pandemic and beyond: #1: Lifestyle: Limit stress, turn off the TV or computer, and get at least 30 minutes of exercise 3-5 times per week and 7-8 hours of sleep per night. #2: Nutrition: A diet high in lean protein, fruits, vegetables and the right macronutrients is the most important element to overall health. #3: Hydration: Without adequate hydration and the right electrolyte delivery system, your body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs to recover from illness or infection. Proper hydration is key to a well-functioning body.
Cultivating Calm During COVID-19
Challenging times like the pandemic can bring up many different feelings like anxiety or despair. While we don’t choose our feelings, we can choose how to move through them. An option to feel calmer is to ground your body in the present moment using your 5 senses. Perhaps you could notice where you are and ask yourself: What do you feel, hear, see, smell, and taste? How would you describe those sensations to someone? Grounding yourself can slow your heart rate, calm your breathing, focus your thoughts, and improve your mood so you can return to a more positive day!
Book Club: Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Soulful and uproarious, forceful and tender, Untamed is both a memoir and a galvanizing wake-up call. It offers a piercing, electrifying examination of the restrictive expectations women are issued from birth; shows how hustling to meet those expectations leaves women feeling dissatisfied and lost; and reveals that when we quit abandoning ourselves and instead abandon the world’s expectations of us, we become women who can finally look at ourselves and recognize: There She Is.
