If you are like most people, creating personal change can be overwhelming. There’s a good chance you find it overwhelming for one of three reasons: you don’t know where to start (awareness), you don’t know what you actually want to achieve (clarity), you don’t know how to get there (confidence). If this sounds familiar, you may want to consider a coach. A good personal coach will help you clarify your values, identify negative thought patterns and encourage you as you execute your plan. The key is to find the coach that is right for you. Consider their combination of qualifications, experience, and strategies. But also attempt to get a sense of their communication skills, sense of humour, and their desire to help. The right combination can make all the difference.

Brent Tocher, Authentic Coaching, www.chooseauthenticity.ca

Picking up a pair of knitting needles or a crochet hook and watching the rhythmic movement of your fingers manipulating the yarn encourages a relaxing of the mind, and can provide the knitter with the same level of relaxation obtained from yoga or meditation. Once the knitter is through the initial learning curve, their mind becomes focused on the hand movements and allows an escape from the stress and anxieties of the day. Knitting has been known to lower heart rate and blood pressure as well as reduce stress hormones. Knitting can be the preferred method of meditation because as you knit your way into relaxation, you will create a project that you can feel proud of. Knitting also allows the knitter to take their project wherever they go so that should they find themselves in a very stressful situation, they can pull out their needles and reach their place of Zen.

Connie Harvey, The Knit 2 Scrap 2 Store, www.knit2scrap2.ca

Ingredients:

1 cup Medjool Dates (pitted)
1 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut or rolled oats
1/4 cup raw cacao
¼ tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1 – 2 tbsp almond milk

Directions:

1. Place dates in food processor and pulse until it forms a ball. Break up the date ball with a spatula and add almonds, raw cacao, coconut and salt.

2. Process for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add vanilla, almond milk and maple syrup.

4. Process until mixture forms a ball. Add more almond milk if the mixture is not forming.

5. Roll mixture into balls and dip in shredded coconut if desired.

6. Can be stored in an airtight container or frozen.

Stacie Rasmussen RNCP, Blossom Nutrition, www.winnipegnutritionist.com

It is the Vision of the Counselling Centre to provide hope, healing and encouragement for daily living through the provision of professional, affordable therapeutic counselling. This Vision is carried out, day to day, by our team of dedicated, compassionate and highly skilled counsellors who assist individuals, couples, families and groups with such issues as stress, conflict resolution, anger management, grief support, life transitions, marriage & family, depression and anxiety. Professional counselling can successfully improve an individual’s sense of well-being, increase harmony in relationships and improve their ability to cope at home, in their work environments and in the community. Working with a professional therapist will help you to discover what you are feeling, identify your options and help you learn to make positive life choices. Remember: “The problem is not problem; the problem is your attitude about the problem!”

Heather Karrouze, The Counselling Centre, www.counsellingcentre.ca

Did you know the body’s nervous system only has two modes of functioning? Either you are in a sympathetic mode which is the flight/fight mode. What most people do not realize that when one is in this mode – one is not resting, digesting nor healing. Having a huge “To Do” list creates people to be in this mode. Thus, your aches and pains are more prevalent, and you may eat more because you are not ingesting the nutrients from the food you are ingesting. One’s goal is to get the body and the mind into the Parasympathetic mode in which you are healing, digesting and the body is able to rest and recuperate from stressors more easily. Anything to get you out of your mind and into your awareness of your being and your body will quickly bring you into this mode. Try a yoga class, a Reiki treatment, meditation, or Access Bars session.

Robin Chant, Inspire You Studio, www.inspireyoustudio.com

It is great to be seeing an emphasis on information and education for pre and post-partum women. We all understand the significance of exercise to maintain weight and to have healthier easier deliveries. There are now many opportunities to join fitness or yoga classes. However, what do we know and understand about the function of the pelvic floor muscles? Remember, these are the muscles that support our organs and assist with labour and delivery. How is this vast and dynamic muscle affected after traumatic deliveries? What is the recovery time? When can the muscle accept the loads demanded of it with regular routines? Can you prepare yourself in advance? Are Kegel exercises just a simple exercise? Or is the muscle part of a very integrated and complex muscle movement pattern? These questions are important, and a physiotherapist knowledgeable and trained in pelvic floor health can guide you.

Marita Dowsett, B.P.T., Physio 4 U, www.physio4u.net

In looking for safe, natural ways to help reduce the effects of inflammation, one particular culinary spice is gaining much attention. Curcumin has a long tradition of anti-inflammatory use and a present and future as one of the most research-backed nutraceuticals on the market. Although curcumin, naturally occurring in turmeric root, has tremendous potential for overall health due to its anti-inflammatory properties, its poor absorbability has been a challenge. It’s estimated that as much as 75% of curcumin is directly excreted after ingestion. New research suggests that a patented complex of curcumin with phosphatidylcholine improved blood levels 29 times over standard turmeric extracts and even higher levels in the liver. More absorption means better anti-inflammatory effectiveness. Whether you’re suffering from the common inflammatory disease of osteoarthritis, or want help in preventing some of today’s other major health conditions, curcumin can be helpful in putting out the inflammatory fire.

Hedley’s Heath Hut, www.healthfirstnetwork.ca/hedleyshealthhut