Community News
Book Club: Metabolism Revolution

Bestselling author, leading health and wellness entrepreneur, celebrity nutritionist, and motivational speaker Haylie Pomroy has the answers. Drawing on her fundamental “food as medicine” techniques, she’s created the Metabolism Revolution diet, which strategically manipulates macronutrients to speed the body’s metabolic rate, a guaranteed way to kick start a stalled metabolism. Following the Metabolism Revolution plan, you will burn fat, build muscle, improve your skin, boost energy levels, and look and feel great—all while losing weight quickly and keeping it off for life.

Crunchy Citrus Salad

Enjoy this refreshing summer salad! Ingredients: 1 zucchini, chopped and peeled; 1 carrot, chopped and peeled; 1/2 napa cabbage, chopped; 1 green pepper, thinly sliced; 2 stalk green onions, minced; 1 grapefruit, peeled and segmented; 1 lime, peeled and segmented; 1 bunch fresh basil, chopped; 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped; 2 handful bean sprouts.
Dressing: 2/3 c water; 1 handful cashews; 1 piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped; 1/2 garlic clove, peeled and coarsely chopped; 2 tbsp lime juice; 2 tbsp soy sauce. Simply add all ingredients together, toss in dressing, and serve! Recipe adapted from LowFatLowCarb.com

Family Gathering Tips

Family Gathering Tips. Enjoying the company of relatives you don’t see very often is one of the best parts of family gatherings.

Enjoy your day to the fullest by taking every opportunity you can to connect and speak an encouraging word to every person in attendance. In doing so, you will start a ton of great conversations and learn fun facts about your relatives. Here are a few more family gathering tips to help you make the most out of your time spent with loved ones.
Enjoy your Tribe to the Fullest with These Family Gathering Tips
1. Talk about past memories. If it’s an annual gathering that’s been going on since you were a kid, start a conversation to bring up some of the funny and heartwarming memories of years gone by. Include aunts, uncles, and cousins as you relive the “good ole days”.
2. Get into a conversation with your favorite relatives. If you just them a hug or a handshake and move on, you may be missing out on special stories and memories.
3. Changing up your surroundings where you normally host your gatherings are both great ways to encourage fresh conversation and connections. Make an effort to create a Family Gathering Committee. Rotate members in and out every gathering so everyone has a chance of honing their leadership and planning skills.
4. Crack a joke at an unexpected time, or grab a smaller group to go hunt down some hot chocolate.
5. Exchange phone numbers and emails with cousins and others you’ve grown distant from. You might have lost your childhood closeness, but why not bring that closeness back as adults? That way, when the next family gathering rolls around, you’ll already feel connected, both as family members and as friends.
6. Whip up some of your favorite recipes as a special treat. Or make it a recipe swap, either with or without the actual dishes. Start a fun new family tradition by creating a family “Secret Recipe” collection that can be added to over the years.
7. Create some completely new Family Traditions. Whether serious or funny, family traditions are the catalyst for bonding opportunities that can be continued for hundreds of years. Just make sure they’re memorable and a somehow representative of your family.

So, dust off your electronic family address book and plan a get-together. Gather for an annual winter marshmallow roast, a monthly poker game, or a quarterly brunch where you all wear your finest clothes and drink orange tea. After all, anything goes. It’s tradition!

Check out more great tips on our Edge Blog www.wildernessedge.com/blog 

Wilderness Edge Retreat & Conference Centre

Ride Don’t Hide

When we hide, mental health stays hidden. When we ride, we create change. This year, on June 24, ride in plain sight. Ride Don’t Hide. It’s more than the name of the event. It’s also the reason we’re riding. Think about joining the Ride Don’t Hide movement, a Canada-wide community bike ride to build awareness for mental health. Ride Don’t Hide is for riders of all skill levels; it is not a race, but, rather, an opportunity to celebrate mental health and honour the recovery journeys of people who live with mental illness. Join the Ride Don’t Hide movement and celebrate mental health!

Expressive Therapies & the Autism Spectrum

Expressive therapies can serve as a complimentary form of treatment for autism, meeting the pervasive challenges that present in children, in wonderfully creative ways. In improving sensory, social, and emotional functioning, the expressive therapies provide stress relief and a boost to self-confidence, and can serve as a subtle opening for growth and connection. Symptoms can be mitigated by engaging in creative activity that is soothing while also increasing tolerance to stimuli. Behaviours can be channelled into an expressive outlet; compulsive shredding of paper can turn into beautiful collages. Working alongside a therapist can also help with social skills and allow a powerful bond to be forged.

Self-Care

We read about the importance of taking time for self-care. Is it spa time, meditation, yoga classes, or beautiful outdoor places to breathe, and is it really necessary? Yes, it can be all of those things and it is necessary. But more than that, it is the opportunity to honour and respect YOURSELF, and appreciate YOUR mind, body, and feelings. If you feel guilty or selfish for honouring and respecting yourself first, please seek out a counsellor. We can talk about balance – your balance – and bring it back to including YOU in the people you need to care for.

Dealing with Breakups

Breaking up can be unbelievably stressful, on both sides. It’s heartbreaking to be left. And partners don’t always respect the decision to end things. How can you handle the breakup, without wrecking anyone (including yourself)? Do you argue, get insulting, or make life difficult – or do you just give up? It’s hard to be your best self when triggered and disappointed – and when feeling deeply alone. Counselling can be a safe and neutral place to consider how to carry yourself through this time – how to behave, how to set boundaries, how to make a plan, and how to support yourself better.

Laptops and Health Effects

Wireless technologies such as laptop computers emit energy known as electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Some peer-reviewed studies have suggested that EMFs could be linked to health effects on not only laptop users, but also those near laptop users. A few ways to reduce your exposure to EMFs include: 1) Avoid using a laptop when it is connected to the internet to eliminate the wireless transmissions between the laptop and the router in your home. 2) Avoid using your laptop on your lap. Instead, place the laptop on a desk or other stable surface. 3) Use a keyboard and mouse that are separate from the laptop.

Community Profile: Saint Elizabeth Health Care

Since 1908, our mission has been to share our talent and wisdom to serve the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of individual and families in their homes and communities. In keeping with this ideal, we have become pioneers in the development of community health care and capacity building education services. Inspired by our historic roots and traditional respect for human dignity, we strive to care with professional excellence and compassion. All of our employees have specialized knowledge, experience and/or advanced skills certification in all areas of community health care.

What is Holistic Nutrition?

Holistic Nutrition is an integrated look at health that incorporates the whole person – body, mind and spirit. It explores how diet, supplements, lifestyle choices, the health of our minds and spirituality all contribute to, or prevent, many diseases and poor health conditions. Holistic nutrition strives to find a balance amongst them, using evidence-based science and taking into consideration the health of the individual, society and the health of the planet. Natural nutrients have properties that are best described by these words: “live, natural, good quality”. These simple words can serve as a guide to everyone wishing to improve their health.

Benefits of Dog Ownership

Research supports the statement that ‘people who own dogs live longer’, and pet owners have some great advantages in balancing daily living. Your dog gets your day started with a much-needed walk, and possibly a couple more throughout the day. You are loved unconditionally by your furry friend. You take time to groom, train, talk to, and play with your dog – social interaction that can offset hours spent on the computer and phone. A dog can change your life, add to your life, give you a life, and extend your life! Not a bad thing to consider.