Spring means two things: yard work and stiff, sore muscles. Stretching to prepare muscles for strenuous activities that have not been done since fall is very important. Simple things like doing arm circles, shrugging your shoulders, and touching your toes should be done before and after activity. If you do over exert and your neck, shoulder, arm, or back pain is not going away within a week, there are natural alternatives that can help. Options such as designed nutritional formulations, Biofeedback, or NIR Therapy will reduce inflammation and stimulate muscle repair to help you recover quickly and get back to enjoying spring.
Community News
Stay Limber and Pain Free
85% of our population will have an episode of disabling back pain at some point. Sedentary and sitting lifestyles are significant factors that reflect our busy lifestyles, commuting to work, driving kids around, sitting at a desk, etc. We’re meant to move; prolonged positions of any kind can be aggravating. Simple tips are to stretch in the morning before getting out of bed, use pillows between your knees while you sleep, get up and move at least once per hour. Both passive and active treatments are very important for back health such as physiotherapy, massage therapy, and exercise.
Becoming the Creator of Your Life
Why not create beauty in the face of adversity and uncertainty? See raw vulnerability as the courage to be fully acknowledged and understood. Allow yourself the permission to listen to your body’s wisdom and hear what it yearns to share. How can I allow my heart to open wider, create more space and release all that is no longer required? Each moment you are presented with the choice to fully show up, be brave and courageously walk through the threshold of fear, pain, and uncomfortable situations. Or we can choose to run, hide, and lock the doors, freezing into our pain and power. I will hold space and deep prayer as you choose your vital life force!
Inhaling vs. Consuming Cannabis
When cannabis is inhaled the effects are felt quickly, peaking within 30 minutes, lasting up to 6 hours. Inhaled cannabis has a different metabolic process than when you ingest it. Ingested cannabis must first travel to your stomach then to your liver before getting into your bloodstream and brain. When eaten, the same amount of cannabis will deliver more potent effects than when inhaled. When you eat or drink cannabis, you will feel its effects within 2 hours, with full effects peaking within 4 hours and lasting up to 24 hours. Edibles have enhanced bioavailability and greater potency in comparison to inhaled cannabis.
Let’s Talk About Stress
Now more than ever, people everywhere are under immense stress. It’s important to know that stress can manifest in many ways, including headaches, dizziness, weight gain, digestive disorders, insomnia or decreased libido. If any of these symptoms sound a little too familiar or if you, a loved one or someone you know is experiencing other troubling symptoms with no identifiable “cause,” it might be time to assess the stress levels in your life. Many effective coping strategies exist and can be easily incorporated into a person’s daily life – ask your pharmacist or other health care professional today!
Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet
Many people are interested in reaping the benefits of a keto diet, whether for weight loss or other health goals. Some of the benefits you may see from following a keto diet include: 1. Reducing appetite – can help with weight loss. 2. Reducing harmful abdominal fat – can decrease the risk of conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. 3. Increasing levels of good cholesterol – can lower the risk of heart disease. 4. Lowering blood pressure – can help prevent heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. 5. Treating brain disorders – burning brain ketones can help treat epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
Downsizing? Time to Declutter!
Decluttering is the first step to successful Downsizing. Decluttering has many advantages. It relieves stress through organization, makes room for those things you really need and use, prepares your house for sale and reduces family tension while settling an estate. One of the most important considerations is the fact that 80% of the time we only use 20% of our stuff. This helps us define the first things to consider passing on to family members or donating. My Smaller Nest has created a Downsizing Made Easy Guide full of useful information on Senior Housing Options and Decluttering tips. Contact us for your personal copy.
It’s All About Energy
Whether it’s working, playing, eating or sleeping, our bodies need energy and problems occur when you’re not producing enough. Our bodies need energy to transport the nutrients we digest, to allow our immune system to fight infection, and for our cells to repair and rebuild. Muscles, such as the heart, need lots of energy to function properly. If energy supplies to the brain are low, brain fog, confusion or apathy can result. One of the best ways to make sure that your body is producing enough energy to function optimally is with nutritional testing. It will determine if any of your energy producing organs are nutrient deficient and therefore unable to produce the necessary energy for you to thrive.
Tropical Banana Smoothie
We can’t travel to the tropics, but we can bring the tropics to us! Enjoy this delicious and healthy fruit smoothie. INGREDIENTS: 1 cup CO-OP GOLD Tropical Banana Blend Strawberries, ½ cup Strawberry Liberté Kefir, 1 ½ cups Vanilla Silk Oat Beverage, 3 tbsp CO-OP GOLD PURE Hemp Seeds, 2 tbsp chia seeds, 2 tbsp oats, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp lime juice, 3-5 ice cubes. DIRECTIONS: Place all ingredients into a blender. Run on high speed for one minute or until smooth.
Spring Cleaning for Your Body
Whether March comes in like a lion or lamb, it signifies the coming of Spring, an optimum season of transition to consider receiving a hands-on session of Lymph Drainage Therapy (LDT). Closely linked with our immune system, lymphatic flow seeks and carries away pathogens, toxins, and metabolic waste, enhancing our overall health and well-being. A sort of “Spring Cleaning” for our body. Lymph Drainage Therapy sessions support a calmer nervous system as well, so helpful for stress reduction. Other benefits include relief from digestive problems, hormonal imbalances, and skin conditions.
Abs of Steel or Jelly Belly?
Your pelvis is a ring of bones held together by ligaments and muscles. These muscles engage every time you walk, sit, stand, run, or even breathe! Weak stabilizing muscles cause your pelvis to move too much and surrounding muscles contract to control the excess movement, leading to chronic muscle tightness. By strengthening the core, our bodies are able to withstand these forces without muscle spasms. Some of the best exercises for core involve maintaining a neutral spine position and resisting forces. Your physiotherapist can give you specific exercises to improve your strength, while relaxing other muscles through manual therapy techniques.
