Meal planning can save you money, time, and energy. Don’t let these myths keep you from adding it to your life. MYTH 1: Meal planning takes too much time. TRUTH: Meal planning does take a bit of time at first, but when you have a plan, you can blast through a meal plan in minutes. You don’t have to spend hours a week meal prepping. MYTH 2: Meal planning means eating the same thing every day. TRUTH: You don’t have to eat only chicken breasts, rice, and broccoli. Meal planning simply means planning your meals, so plan whatever you like! MYTH 3: Meal planning makes you eat gross leftovers. TRUTH: You don’t need to cook once and eat the same thing all week long. You can meal prep for only a couple days; even simply spending 10 minutes to pre-chop vegetables can save you tons of time during the week.

Allyson Potrebka, Holistic Health Coach, HealthAndHappiness.ca/meal-planning

When someone has been labelled with a ‘learning disability’ (ADHD, OCD, autism, etc.), people tend to have the point of view that there is something wrong with those individuals because they don’t learn the way the rest of us do. Many times, people assume that children who don’t ‘fit in’ need to be taught how to behave so they can learn to function as if they were ‘normal’ and ‘average’. The reality is that these children pick things up in a totally different manner and we need to step up and find out how they learn, not try to teach them using methods that might have worked for us but definitely don’t work for them. What if what we perceive as a wrongness in them is actually a strongness? Access Bars is a great option to explore for both you and your loved one dealing with a learning disability.

Kori Gordon, FindingYouNow.com

In June, we celebrate Father’s Day and this is a perfect opportunity to prove that essential oils (EOs) aren’t just for women! Most men are scared off by EOs because they either think that they won’t work on them or are scared they’ll smell too girly. But in fact, there are many EOs that are used specifically for men’s issues and lots of essential oils are used in men’s colognes, so they inherently smell manly! Men have different needs than women do, and there are many interesting ways for men to use EOs for a variety of concerns. Examples include wintergreen and copaiba to soothe sore muscles, marjoram to reduce snoring, peppermint to relieve heartburn, cedarwood to tackle hair loss, tea tree to treat athlete’s foot, lemon to remove goop and grime from hands, and peppermint to cool the skin while working outdoors in warmer weather!

Sylvia Provenski, CanadianMoms.ca

Fireworks can be fun for humans, and with all of the coming summer weekends, they are inevitable. Dogs don’t always hold the same enthusiasm, however. Here are some tips for helping your dog cope with fireworks season. Make sure your dog is wearing identification or has a microchip in case they run away. Keep your dog indoors during the fireworks, as far away as possible from the noise. Place a thick blanket over their kennel to help muffle the sounds. Make sure the kennel is in an area where they will not overheat. Make sure your dog is tired by nighttime when the fireworks begin. Lots of exercise may be necessary during the day. Give your dog something yummy to chew on in their kennel, such as a Kong toy filled with goodies.

Rob Lamont, APetLovers.com

Pelvic floor muscle-training exercises can strengthen the muscles under the uterus, bladder, and bowel. They can help both men and women who have bladder and bowel control problems. It has been described as pretending that you have to urinate and then holding it. You should feel movement in the muscles: the vagina, bladder, or anus closes and moves upwards. You should not feel other areas of your legs, hips, or pelvis move or lift. It is important to keep other muscles relaxed while performing a pelvic floor muscle exercise. However, many situations exist which create a different picture. Sometimes, the pelvic floor muscles are held tight and cannot relax or let go. Because this is often not recognized by the individual, it might appear there are no contractions. For women who have a tight pelvic floor, concentrating on contracting the muscles would be extremely difficult.

Marita Dowsett, B.P.T., Physio 4 U, Physio4u.net