Family Health

How to Grow a Simple Organic Garden

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How to Grow a Simple Organic Garden

Can you imagine heading into your backyard and picking a ripe, juicy strawberry?

What about digging in the dirt and pulling up and enjoying the sweet, explosive flavour of of a freshly dug carrot?

What if you could go into your garden and pick romaine lettuce leaves or spinach leaves and make a fresh salad?

How would this transform you life?! It sure has transformed mine. I can’t tell you the joy I have been able to experience while growing up on a large commercial produce farm. We grew strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, rhubarb, carrots, lettuce, beets, spinach, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, kale, Bok Choy, cucumbers, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, squash, pumpkins and so many more.

Now, I have a much smaller garden than when we were helping to feed our community, but my joy is still the same. My favourite thing is to go out into the garden and enjoy a freshly picked treat from my own backyard and share the bounty with friends and family.

The best part is that starting a small organic garden is SO easy! You can definitely plan to have a garden this summer and enjoy fresh produce from your very own backyard!!

Step 1:

Choose a sunny place to locate your garden. The more sun, the better! Dig off the top layer of sod and remove it or reuse it in a location that needs fresh grass. Use as much or as little space as you’d like – try to keep things rectangular or square so your planting lines will be straight. Dig the dirt up and loosen it as much as possible with your garden tools.

Step 2:

Hit your local greenhouse or garden supply store and score some compost or decomposed manure. This will add lots of nutrients to the soil so that your veggies can grow efficiently.

Step 3:

Decide which fruits and vegetables you’d like to grow. For your first season, the easiest choices to grow are:
• carrots
• lettuce
• spinach
• kale
• tomatoes (buy the plants that are already developed)
• cucumbers
• basil, dill, cilantro, etc

Step 4:

Check the seed packages for timing to plant, but it’s important to wait until you are basically clear of the risk of frost, which can damage or kill small plants that are just starting.

Follow the directions on the seed packages for depth, but dig a small (usually approximately 1”) trench to drop the seeds into and cover them up with a bit of dirt and pack it lightly. Water each row you plant and sit tight!!

Water your garden regularly and be sure to pull out any weeds. Weeds interfere with the plants’ ability to pull water from the soil, absorption or nutrients and take up room that they need to spread their roots.

But be sure that you are actually pulling out the weeds, not your plants that are too small to identify yet!

Master Tips:

• Make sure you leave enough space both between each seed for the item to grow, as well as enough room between the rows that your produce isn’t choking each other out

• Imagine how large a head of romaine lettuce gets – so leave a few inches between the seeds if you want the lettuce to have room to form full heads. Otherwise you will just have a lot of leaves growing every which-way because they don’t have enough space. (either way, it’s still delicious! And if one of the seeds doesn’t come up, you haven’t wasted a lot of space in the row)

• Cucumber plants spread for several feet, so plant them toward the edges of your garden and train their plants to spread out onto the grass. Just move them before the lawn mower drives by!

• Imagine the size of carrots and leave an inch of room in between seeds to they have room to grow and develop. Same for beets, radishes, onions, etc.

• Tomato plants can grow quite large and also need some sort of support system to stake them up so they don’t fall over. Even an old broom handle can be driven into the dirt and you can tie up the plants with old panty hose – it’s soft and won’t damage the tomato branches

I hope your garden brings you as much joy as it does for me! It’s also a great way for children to learn where their food comes from, how it grows and how to take care of it. It is such a great survival tool that they can use for their entire lives.

Are you poisoning your family?

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Are you poisoning your family?

What are you cleaning with? What soap do you wash dishes with? Run the dishwasher with? Do the laundry with? What about your windows? toilets? sinks? floors? How do you control odours? Manage the dust collection? Are you inadvertently poisoning your family?

You probably have a giant bucket of cleaning supplies, solutions, soaps, detergents, sprays and poisons to combat the dirt, grime, dust and bacteria that tries to call your home their home too.

This bucket is filled with hundreds of chemicals and can cause very serious health problems for your entire family.

The worst part is that there are no regulations in this industry that states they must label their products with warnings about the health problems these products can cause from not only extended use, but even to use them once.

So, here is your warning label!

When we use these chemicals in our homes, they stick around for a very long time.
• They linger in the air and we breathe them in
• They stay on the dishes and cutlery until they combine with our food and find their way into our bodies
• They stick in the clothes we wash in the toxic detergents and cause our skin to absorb the chemicals
• They stay on the floor until our feet or our babies’ crawling tummies have absorbed the chemicals into their skin
• They go down the drain to further poison our aquatic life and then circle back around to the drinking water supply

Once these chemicals are used, they are with our planet forever. And they can cause serious health complications, such as:

• cancer
• allergies
• migraines
• hormone mimicking
• chemical burns
• kidney damage
• endocrine disruption
• skin and eye irritation
• throat and lung problems – breathing problems, asthma
• and many more serious health issues.

How to Avoid Toxic Chemicals?

Make your own cleaning supplies!!! You can clean 99% of your entire home with vinegar in a spray bottle, some baking soda and your favourite essential oils.

Toilets and sinks – spray them down with vinegar, sprinkle around some baking soda, add 3-4 drops of essential oil (lemon is great), leave it for 5 minutes and clean as usual.

For laundry detergents, dish soap, etc, begin shopping at your local health food store for non-toxic products. Speak with the staff to hear about their favourite options and try them out.

How to identify toxic chemicals?

These are some of the worst offenders, found in a variety of your household cleaning supplies. Avoid them like it’s your job!

• Ammonia
• Coal Tar Dyes
• MEA (monoethanalomine)
• DEA (diethanolamine)
• TEA (triethanolamine)
• Fragrance (can be a mixture of the more than 3000 chemicals existing that create fragrance)
• Pthalates
• Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs)
• Phosphates
• Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
• Silica Powder
• Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
• Sodium Laureth Sulfate
• Triclosan
• Trisodium nitrilotriacetate

These chemicals are found in dish soaps, disinfectants, laundry detergents, cleaning towelettes, toilet bowl cleaners, deodorizers, surface cleaners, abrasive cleaning powders, all purpose cleaners, fabric softeners, degreasers, dishwasher detergents, stain removers, car wash products, air fresheners, floor cleaners, oven cleaners, glass cleaners, window cleaners, drain cleaners, stainless steel cleaners, rust removers, and automobile cleaners.

With Sources from:
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/the-dirt-on-toxic-chemicals-in-household-cleaning-products/

Toxins in Plastics are Putting Your Family at Risk

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Avoiding plastic isn’t just good for your family, it is also good for the environment. According to a report by the United Nations, in every square mile of ocean, there are on average, 46,000 pieces of plastic.

That’s a plastic state of emergency!

Toxins in those plastics then leach out into the water and affect marine life, or they pose a risk to marine life by getting tangled in the plastics or ingesting them.

Why is plastic bad for your health?

• It disrupts the endocrine system and can have negative effect on reproductive systems, growth and metabolism
• Studies have linked plastic exposure to breast, prostate and colon cancer
• It leaches into food and drinks (especially when heated …never microwave anything in plastic!) (Actually, never microwave anything! But that is a topic for another day).

Studies have actually shown that it doesn’t even take repeated exposure to BPA, a common toxin in plastics, to cause health issues. One particular study compared two groups of people:

Group A: drank a beverage from BPA-lined cans.
-within two hours, they had a rise in BPA found in their urine and a rise in blood pressure during the same period. The BPA was 16 times higher in Group A’s urine than in Group B.

Group B: drank the same beverage from a glass container.
-no heightened BPA in urine.

(Hidden) Sources of Plastic:

• inside lining of canned foods and pop cans
• plastic lunch boxes
• water bottles
• receipts
• plastic wrap
• plastic and paper cups
• kitchen storage containers

How can you eliminate the use of plastic?

While in recent years many stores have encouraged the use of reusable bags instead of plastic bags, it is still not enough to to reduce the plastic waste that ends up in landfills every year. The Bulk Barn has recently announced that they will be allowing the use of reusable containers instead of plastic bags. Consumers are encouraged to bring their own clean, glass jars to the store to fill up rather than using the traditional plastic bags. This concept is a huge step in the right direction to reduce the environmental impact we are placing on the Earth.

• Store leftovers in mason jars or glass containers
• Use silicone lids rather than plastic wrap to keep foods fresh in the fridge
• Use a glass or stainless steel water bottle
• Use a stainless steel travel mug of coffee or tea
• Avoid the use of plastic disposable cutlery and plates for parties
• Purchase fresh fruits and vegetables and avoid buying processed foods that are packaged in plastic

• Recycle!! Teach your children to reduce their use of plastic products and to recycle. Now more than ever we need to take good care of our planet.

With Sources from:

http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/avoiding-toxins-in-plastic
http://www.citynews.ca/2016/09/27/toronto-bulk-barn-trading-in-plastic-bags-for-reusable-containers/
http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/avoiding-toxins-in-plastic

Why and How to Pass on Plastic


https://wellnessmama.com/54748/hidden-sources-of-bpa/
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/sya-bpa/
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/bpa-crosses-placenta-is-active-form-in-fetus/

Sitting Too Much is the New Smoking

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sitting

The amount of sitting that we do in a day has quickly become a concern for our health and longevity.  Studies reveal that the health impact of sitting for too many hours a day can be compared to the effects that smoking has on our health.

A sedentary lifestyle has been linked to;
  • Cancer
  • Diabetes
  • Obesity
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Weakened immune system.

Let’s explore some ways to ensure that you don’t fall symptom to these diseases.

Shocking!  How Many Hours Of Sitting We Do In A Day

There is the time in the car on the way to and from work.  The 8 hours at the office.  All in addition to spending time each night on the couch in front of the television, computer or on your phone.

The winter months in Canada can be particularly difficult to get motivated to work out or to be more active.  But there are some simple things that you can add to your daily routine to increase your activity level without having to brave the elements of winter.

Set A Goal To Be Active 10 Minutes Each Hour That You Are Awake!

If you wake up at 6 am and go to bed at 10 pm, then you have 160 minutes to fill with activity.  Don’t panic.  Activity doesn’t mean that you have to be actively exercising.

Activity could be as simple as;
  • Standing at your desk while you make phone calls
  • Tidying your house
  • Preparing dinner
  • Walking to the car (I suggest parking at the far end of the parking lot at work and the grocery store to increase your activity) 
  • Taking a walk on your lunch break
  • Taking a yoga or pilates class, or any other form of exercise that you enjoy

Click here to read, “10 Desk Exercises You Should Be Doing Every Day”.

If you are pressed for time to fit in exercise, try multitasking.

When you drop the kids off at their extracurricular activities, rather than sitting and waiting for them to be finished, use this time to do an impromptu workout.  Walk around the block or if the weather isn’t nice, go to a nearby shopping centre and do a quick lap around the store.

If you are prone to watching a lot of television during the winter, then during the commercial breaks, get up and do a small work out.

Do three reps of 15 squats, lunges, push-ups, sit-ups, or go through a quick yoga flow of stretches.

Get a fitness tracker and aim to hit around 10,000 steps per day.

Especially if you are the type of person that needs to visually see your progress throughout the day.

The benefits of an active lifestyle are far reaching and include;
  • Higher energy levels
  • More restful sleep
  • Lower body mass index
  • Detoxification
  • Better mental clarity

By bringing awareness to our level of activity we can easily make adjustments to our lifestyle.  All this to ensure that we are taking care good of our health and maximizing our longevity.

With Sources From:

http://www.nchpad.org/403/2216/Sedentary~Lifestyle~is~Dangerous~to~Your~Health

Are you still consuming this poison that causes your brain cells to self destruct?

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This is one of the worst substances ever created in the laboratory. And it has been systematically added to our food supply for the last few decades.

This artificial sweetener is hiding in many of your foods and it is important to be diligent in reading labels to be sure you are avoiding it.

Aspartame is a neurotoxin – which means it actually chemically toxifies your brain cells to death with poison.

It is used as a sweetener in diet drinks, yogurt, gum, and many pre-packaged foods.

There is overwhelming evidence (over 900 studies) stating that it creates irreversible damage in the body, with over 92 known side effects.

You can imagine that it can be somewhat difficult to pinpoint the cause of your symptoms if you are unknowingly ingesting this sweet poison.

For example, some of the known side effects include epileptic seizures, aggression, heart palpitations, migraines, brain damage, hives, nausea and blindness. Also, multiple sclerosis, cancer, Parkinson’s, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s and brain tumours.

The side effects can either build up gradually over time, or can be an acute reaction.

According to Lendon Smith, M.D. there is an enormous population suffering from side effects associated with aspartame, yet have no idea why drugs, supplements and herbs don’t relieve their symptoms.

Are you being poisoned by Aspartame and don’t even know it?

You are being poisoned if you are using any of these products:
• NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Amino-Sweet
• Children’s Tylenol chewable tablets
• Centrum Jr. and Silver Vitamins
• Metamucil (sugar free)
• Some Flintstones vitamins
• Dimetapp
• Some Gerber hydration solutions
• All diet sodas
• Smucker’s sugar free products
• Kool-Aid
• Crystal-Light
• Jello
• Most brands of gum and mints
• Sugar free candies
• Some sugar free yogurts
• Some breakfast cereals and granola bars
• Most items that are labelled sugar free

There are many more products that aren’t on this list that also contain aspartame. It’s important to read the labels of everything you consume, to be sure you are not inadvertently poisoning yourself or your family.

Also look for anything that contains Asesulfame K or Acesulfame Potassium. They can also mimic aspartame and are sometimes used in conjunction with each other.

So how do you avoid Aspartame?

The easiest way to avoid aspartame is to eat real food. Shop in the perimeter of the grocery store and spend 90% of your time in the produce department. Choose foods that do not require a label. For example, an apple is an apple. It doesn’t need a label to identify the ingredients that are inside of the apple.

If you used to sweeten your coffee with an artificial sweetener, switch to real food!

Honey has amazing health benefits and tastes great. Pure maple syrup also contains a great deal of nutrition. Use these sugars sparingly, as they are very sweet and can add several calories to your beverage. However, those calories come with a lot of nutrition, and no matter what, they are SO much better than aspartame.

This is a very informative short video outlining the dangers of Aspartame and how to avoid it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB6L9S_jc5E

With Sources from:

visit http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/06/aspartame-most-dangerous-substance-added-to-food.aspx

Meditation isn’t Supposed to be Frustrating!

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I don’t know about you, but whenever I sit down to meditate, I have instant anxiety! I have got a to-do list that is growing by the minute, I have so many balls in the air that I feel like if I take my eye off of one just long enough to take my first meditative breath, they are all going to come crashing down.

Which is EXACTLY why I need to meditate!!!

So I am going to start meditating more regularly, and actively trying to turn off the panic that rushes toward me whenever I take a mini-break for myself to recharge.

I encourage you to join me in daily meditation!

Because really, what better way can we spend just 5 minutes than bettering ourselves!!

Meditation is an excellent way to reduce stress and improve your focus (once you get past the panic!! just kidding.)

It is particularly important for people who feel daily stress and find themselves in a routine that they can’t quite keep up with. It is an excellent way to quiet your mind and clear your thoughts of trivial issues to make room for more meaningful ideas to surface.

The best part is, you can carve out time for meditation any time you’d like throughout the day. Some people prefer to meditation first thing in the morning, to set the tone for their day, while others prefer to take a break over lunch, and find a quiet spot to meditate mid-day. It can also be quite nice to spend some time in the evenings meditating before you get ready for bed. This can be very helpful in turning off the days’ thoughts, aiding restful sleep, and calming your mind.

Here are some tips to make your meditation productive and enjoyable:

1. Find a comfortable place to relax. If sitting cross legged on the floor doesn’t do it for you, find a comfy chair. Make sure you are warm enough, because as you are not moving and potentially calming your heart rate, you may feel chilled. Throw on a warm sweater.

2. Make your new comfy spot a place that is relatively quiet. Especially for beginners, it is so easy to get distracted by others talking or moving about. If you can have a quiet room with a door that can close, even better!

3. It’s okay if you have racing thoughts. Part of the whole point is to take some time separating yourself from those racing thoughts to position yourself to be able to just observe them. Rather than connecting with them and feeling like the pressure of whatever you are thinking about, simply take the vantage point of looking down upon your thoughts and watching them float by. With no attachment, you can hover above them and not be affected by them.

4. What are you supposed to think about?? Well, nothing and everything! A great way to just let thoughts come and go is to focus on your breath. Be still and be one with each inhalation and exhalation. Notice how your breath feels inside your body. Notice the pause you take between inhaling and exhaling. That is really how you are in life while meditating – embrace the pause!! Feel the rhythm of your breath and imagine it is like the ocean waves. In and out, powerful and strong. Feel the gratitude that comes with feeling this moment of just being alive!

5. Guided meditations are a very nice option to listen to a recorded voice that will guide you along a visualization meditation. There are many on YouTube that you can enjoy that also have beautiful music accompanying your visualized journey.

Most importantly, the best tip is to try to meditate daily. The more consistent you become with your practice, the more you will look forward to this time you spend benefiting your whole being.

Just remember, an athlete doesn’t just work out when they’ve gotten out of shape – they work out every day to be their best self. It’s the same with meditation – we can’t just meditate when we feel stressed already – it should be part of our daily schedule.

In Praise of Salt

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abrasive, bad reputation, canned foods, dietary salt, electrolytes, essential oil, exercise, facial scrub, float, gentle exfoliate, healing, health, inflammation, lavender, lemon, moisturize, myth busting, natural health, nutrition, parabens, preservative, salt, saltwater, sea salt, sea water, skin, smooth

For the last 40 years or so, salt has been getting a really bad reputation. Many people are terrified of salting their food, and actually think salt is UNHEALTHY for you.

Time for MYTH BUSTING!! The body needs salt and the electrolytes it provides.

Salt, NaCl, is an ionic compound made of sodium and chloride ions. It has been important to humans for thousands of years, because all life has evolved to depend on it.

Humans, like all life, need dietary salt to survive. Salt’s ability to preserve food was a founding contributor to all civilization. It helped to eliminate dependence on seasonal availability of food, and made it possible to ship some foods over long distances. (Think preserves, pickling food etc).

However, salt was difficult to obtain, so it was a highly valued trade item, and considered a form of currency by certain peoples. In fact the Roman historian Pliny the Elder stated as an aside in his Natural History’s discussion of sea water, that “in Rome … the soldier’s pay was originally salt and the word ‘salary’ derives from it …”

I was one of these people, rarely used salt except maybe to salt the water for my gluten free pasta noodles. But I found out this summer how much my body really loves salt, when friends invited us out to swim in their salt water pool. We took my 90 year old mother, my daughter and son for a daily 30 minute swim. Mum’s wrinkles softened, her body thrived, her aches and pains disappeared and all she did was float and soak. My daughter’s persistent rashes disappeared, and her skin felt like silk. At first we thought it was because we were enjoying the sun – Barrie summers are so short – but we didn’t get the same results in a chlorine pool at all.

By the end of October, my body was missing our beautiful swims, not just because I missed the exercise, but it missed the salt waters healing properties!!

Epsom salt baths didn’t feel quite the same (my tub’s not big enough to splash around in, and I am too impatient to sit around idle in a tub, I prefer to shower).  Since my skin was getting dry I tried an experiment … mixing salt with my favorite moisturizer – coconut oil. I’ve never liked commercial moisturizers because parabens make itch and inflame my skin).

The result was: An amazingly effective and gentle exfoliant. At 62 years of age my skin is smooth, and almost entirely wrinkle free. I do not even need to moisturize afterwards! My daughter loves it too.

I used different salts till I found the right texture. Sea salt took too long to melt and was course, Himalayan salt was too rough and didn’t melt at all, but my favorite believe it or not is normal Sifto or Windsor salt. It melts quickly and isn’t abrasive, and most people are somewhat thyroid deficient in Ontario anyway so the fact that it is iodized is just fine, and I mixed it with coconut oil, added a dash of my favorite essential oil/aroma i.e calming lavender or rose, zesty tangerine or lemon to wake me up in the mornings.

Try it… I’m positive you will love it! Your body and senses will thank you. And your kids and significant other will comment on the silky smoothness of your skin.

By the way, if you have really sensitive skin use baking soda instead of salt, it’s very finely ground, and melts easily too, this is my daughter’s favourite facial scrub. You do not need a lot; a little goes a long way.

Worried about salt ingestion? Actually all the hoopla we listen to has been proven to be outdated and a result of faulty conclusions to data accumulated in the 1940’s. It comes from a time when everyone ate canned goods preserved with salt. Now we have refrigerators and we are more health conscious and eat fresh.  Enjoy, but don’t overdo the pretzels and potato chips.

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Blog by Guest Author:

01Jessy headshotJessy Morrison
For over 25 years now, Jessy Morrison has been called The UNflakey Reiki Lady/ a Body Talker/a Body Whisperer/ and a  Healing Catalyst,  but really, she is just a rebel with a cause. As single mother of a daughter who had “every allergy under the sun” and “failure to thrive” she is making sure everyone becomes their own best healer by not conforming to being a “Sheeple”, by embodying their true authentic self.
She was a Founding Member of the Ontario BodyTalk Association, co-founder of the Whole Life Learning Collective, & is the founder of Transformational Tuesdays for Soul-opreneurs. She is a contributing author to “The joy of an ex”, Another View, and Women with Vision Magazine, yet her passion is still working 1:1 with clients to heal their dis-ease labels, reclaim their bodies, refresh their mind, and renew their spirit.

Although she’s still a work in progress, her passion is to guide you on your own journey from “I can’t…” to “I AM!”

You can contact her at [email protected] 705-241-8680
www.jessymorrison.ca
www.transformationalTuesdays.ca  (soon to come)

What Your Belly Fat Can Say About Your Health

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Belly Fаt іѕ the fаt аrоund your bеllу that рuѕhеѕ уоur wаіѕt оut. As wе аgе оur metabolism ѕlоwѕ dоwn. This саuѕеѕ the аmоunt оf fаt іn оur bоdіеѕ tо increase.  Women tend tо hаvе a grеаtеr fаt реrсеntаgе thаn mеn.  Further more, wоmеn’s fat dіѕtrіbutіоn tеndѕ tо shift mоrе tо thеir аbdоmеn after menopause.  Thіѕ іѕ caused bу hоrmоnаl сhаngеѕ thаt can аffесt thе way the bоdу breaks down and ѕtоrеѕ fаt.

Fоr wоmеn іt саn dо a lоt more hаrm than juѕt еxраndіng your wаіѕtlіnе. Tоо muсh belly fat can іnсrеаѕе the risk of:

  • Hеаrt/Vаѕсulаr Disease
  • Hіgh Blооd Prеѕѕurе
  • Diabetes
  • Breast Cancer
  • Mеtаbоlіс Sуndrоmе

For mеn it іѕ uѕuаllу knоwn аѕ thе ‘bееr gut’ оr ‘роt belly’.  Mоѕt wеіght gаіn fоr men оссurѕ around the bеllу.  Beer is a factor іn belly fat іn mеn.  A lіnk has been fоund between drіnkіng tоо much bееr and gаіnіng bеllу fаt.  However іt іѕn’t еxасtlу clear why drіnkіng too muсh beer саuѕеѕ increased bеllу fаt particularly in men. (Wе dо knоw that bееr іѕ high іn саlоrіеѕ).  Aѕ wіth women іnсrеаѕеd bеllу wеіght in men саn lead tо:

  • Diabetes
  • Hеаrt/Vаѕulаr Dіѕеаѕе
  • Sleep Apnia
  • Metabolic Sуndrоmе
  • Hіgh blооd Prеѕѕurе
  • Certain types оf саnсеr іnсludіng Prоѕtаtе.

Wе need a certain amount оf fаt іn our diet.  What we need tо knоw іѕ thаt thеrе аrе Good Fats and Bad Fаtѕ.

GOOD FATS = Pоlуunѕаturаtеd/Mоnоunѕаturаtеd Fаtѕ – Fish Oіl, Omеgа 3, Sunflower Oіl, Nutѕ, Avacado аnd Olive Oil.

BAD FATS = Sаturаtеd/Trаnѕ Fats – Chееѕе, Eggѕ, Meat, Margarine, Coconut Oіl, Frеnсh Frіеѕ.

We nееd tо lеаrn hоw to bаlаnсе our dіеt, monitor оur fat intake аnd burn calories.

We need tо learn tо gаіn more muѕсlе аnd lоѕе fat. In saying that fаt асtuаllу wеіghѕ lеѕѕ thаn muscle but the bаd thing about fat іѕ іt doesn’t hеlр burn calories where аѕ muscle does.

Thеrе Are 2 Tуреѕ оf Bеllу Fаt:

1. Visceral

Thіѕ is stored dеереr іn the body аrоund the liver аnd оthеr organs (thіѕ іѕ thе fat уоu саn’t see). Thіѕ іѕ the fat wе nееd tо wоrrу аbоut.

2. Subсutаnеоuѕ

Thіѕ іѕ fоund between thе skin and аbdоmіnаl wаll (thіѕ іѕ thе fat уоu саn ѕее).  It іѕ lеѕѕ lіkеlу to be a hеаlth rіѕk.

Thеrе аrе many саuѕеѕ оf Belly Fat іt can bе hеrеdіtаrу, hormonal, оr you may juѕt have a tеndеnсу tо gаіn wеіght іn that аrеа.  Hіgh calorie intake аnd lack of еxеrсіѕе аrе аlѕо mаіn соntrіbutоrѕ.

Gеttіng Rіd оf Bеllу Fat

Whеthеr уоu’rе trуіng tо gеt rіd of bеllу fat оr dесrеаѕе fаt frоm аnоthеr раrt of уоur bоdу, the bаѕісѕ оf wеіght-lоѕѕ remain unchanged wіth оnе аddіtіоn.

Reduce саlоrіеѕ mаіnlу refined саrbоhуdrаtеѕ.  Decrease роrtіоn sizes аnd іnсrеаѕе the amount оf lоw-саlоrіе, hеаlthу foods іn уоur dаіlу diet.

Inсrеаѕе рhуѕісаl асtіvіtу gеt a minimum оf twо hоurѕ аnd 30 mіnutеѕ a week оf mоdеrаtе aerobic асtіvіtу or оnе hоur and 15 mіnutеѕ of vіgоrоuѕ аеrоbіс activity, in addition tо ѕtrеngth trаіnіng.

Air pollution in your home and at work

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Onе of the fасtоrѕ thаt іѕ іmроrtаnt for hеаlth іѕ frеѕh, сlеаn аіr. Our аіrwауѕ аnd lungѕ hаvе a numbеr of fеаturеѕ thаt еnаblе thеm tо сарturе аnd еlіmіnаtе mаnу particles thаt еntеr thе аіrwауѕ. Thе respiratory ѕуѕtеm рrоduсеѕ mucus whісh trарѕ foreign раrtісlеѕ. Thе fоrеіgn matter іѕ then ѕwерt tо thе uрреr airway, bу ѕресіаlіzеd сеllѕ (сеlіа), whеrе іt саn bе rеmоvеd. Thе airways thеmѕеlvеѕ are ѕurrоundеd bу lymphatic ѕуѕtеm nоdеѕ аnd vеѕѕеlѕ which are also rеаdу tо сарturе and deal with any fоrеіgn mаttеr which іt еnсоuntеrѕ. In аddіtіоn, іnѕіdе thе lungѕ are macrophages which actively ‘sweep’ the lungѕ to gеt rіd оf any matter thаt ‘gеtѕ раѕt’ the upper airway рrоtесtоrѕ. Hоwеvеr, thеѕе protective mесhаnіѕmѕ can become overloaded аnd thіѕ аllоwѕ аtmоѕрhеrіс роllutаntѕ аnd іrrіtаntѕ tо enter аnd іnflаmе thе lungs.

 

Onе аrеа for соnсеrn іѕ thе аmоunt оf аіr роllutіоn thаt іѕ in оur hоmе. Many people are аwаrе of оutdооr роllutіоn, but nоt many реорlе аrе aware that thе level оf indoor pollution іѕ оn аvеrаgе twо tо thrее tіmеѕ hіghеr than thаt of outdoor pollution. Thіѕ tоxіс indoor living еnvіrоnmеnt іѕ саuѕіng or contributing to сhrоnіс health problems ѕuсh аѕ:

 

Aѕthmа

Chronic fatigue ѕуndrоmе

Cаnсеrѕ оf vаrіоuѕ types іnсludіng lung саnсеr

Chemical ѕеnѕіtіvіtіеѕ and allergic rеасtіоnѕ

Vаѕсulаr dіѕеаѕеѕ

Pооr іndооr air ԛuаlіtу is аn іѕѕuе of соnсеrn – раrtісulаrlу fоr ѕuѕсерtіblе groups within thе community ѕuсh as рrеgnаnt wоmеn, bаbіеѕ аnd уоung сhіldrеn the ѕісk аnd thе еldеrlу.

 

Thе US EPA (Environmental Prоtесtіоn Agеnсу) hаѕ іdеntіfіеd оvеr 800 pollutants іn іndооr air – mаnу оf thеѕе аrе Vоlаtіlе Orgаnіс Chlоrіdеѕ (VOCs). These сhеmісаlѕ аrе еаѕіlу еvароrаtеd іntо thе аіr аt rооm tеmреrаturе аnd they еvароrаtеd еvеn more ԛuісklу whеn hеаtеd. Othеr соmmоn роllutаntѕ fоund іnсludеd:

 

fоrmаldеhуdе frоm саrреtѕ аnd particle bоаrd

solvents ѕuсh as toluene аnd xуlеnе used in gluеѕ аnd paints

реѕtісіdеѕ and fungicides used in раіntѕ аnd tіmbеr treatments

Mаkіng thе problems wоrѕе аrе:

 

tightly ѕеаlеd buіldіng аnd аіr соndіtіоnіng ѕуѕtеmѕ nоt bеіng mаіntаіnеd or сlеаnеd

аddіtіоnаl роllutаntѕ ѕuсh as :сіgаrеttе ѕmоkе, оzоnе frоm photocopiers, toxic сhеmісаlѕ іn сlеаnіng рrоduсtѕ аnd dry cleaning solvents

іnѕіdе wаllѕ аnd flооrѕ соаtеd wіth рlаѕtіс and petroleum dеrіvеd fіnіѕhеѕ

carpets аnd soft furnіѕhіngѕ соntrіbutіng to the сhеmісаl mixture bу acting as a sink fоr оthеr роllutаntѕ while ѕtіll rеlеаѕіng their оwn.

Wе ѕреnd a grеаt dеаl of tіmе in thеѕе роllutеd еnvіrоnmеntѕ – іt іѕ estimated that we ѕреnd аrоund 75 tо 90 percent оf оur time іndооrѕ. Lіnkѕ have bееn mаdе bеtwееn our unhеаlthу іndооr еnvіrоnmеnt and whаt has bееn called thе Sick Buіldіng Syndrome (SBS). SBS hаѕ a range of vаguе ѕуmрtоmѕ including:

 

drу thrоаt

іtсhу оr drу eyes

ѕtuffу оr соngеѕtеd nasal раѕѕаgеѕ

headaches

flu like ѕуmрtоmѕ

lеthаrgу

Mаnу оf thе іndооr роllutаntѕ аrе able tо еѕсаре оur respiratory systems ‘detection ѕуѕtеmѕ’ аnd thеу еntеr оur blооd ѕtrеаm. They сіrсulаtе to аll areas of the body. In thе рrосеѕѕ оf mоvіng аrоund оur body thеу саuѕе problems. Tоxіnѕ саuѕе рrоblеmѕ fоr thе bоdу оn thеіr way in, whеn thеу move аrоund thе bоdу, when thеу are ѕtоrеd аnd whеn thеу аrе on thеіr wау оut of the bоdу. They іrrіtаtе tіѕѕuеѕ, саuѕе cells to breakdown аnd mutagenic сhаngеѕ tо occur.

 

It іѕ sometimes difficult to mаkе changes іmmеdіаtеlу – but іf уоu are buіldіng new оr renovating оr рurсhаѕіng nеw furnіѕhіng mаkе еvеrу еffоrt tо create a lеѕѕ tоxіс аnd therefore ѕаfеr еnvіrоnmеnt in you hоmе. Yоu саn аlѕо uѕе аіr purifiers tо сlеаn thе tоxіnѕ from thе air – ѕо thаt уоu hаvе a сhаnсе оf rеmоvіng thе toxins bеfоrе they еntеr your bоdу. In the longer tеrm уоu mау аlѕо nееd tо make сhоісеѕ аbоut whеrе уоu live and whеrе уоu wоrk – fоr thе ѕаkе оf уоur hеаlth!

 

In аddіtіоn tо mаkіng changes to reduce thе toxins іn оur еnvіrоnmеnt wе need tо ѕuрроrt оur support оur body as іt dеаlѕ wіth toxic elimination. This mеаnѕ that wе nееd to rеduсе thе tоxіnѕ thаt wе ingest аѕ well as hеlріng оur body еlіmіnаtе аnу tоxіnѕ аѕ еffесtіvеlу аnd ԛuісklу аѕ роѕѕіblе. Yоu nееd to provide уоur bоdу wіth nutrіtіоnаl support ѕо that іt can соре wіth оur environmental tоxіnѕ. Yоu саn tаkе a gооd vіtаmіn and mіnеrаl ѕuррlеmеnt. Kееріng оur соlоnѕ clean аnd using аррrорrіаtе hеrbѕ can also аіd оur body’s elimination rоutеѕ.

5 Tips You Must Know to Destroy Stress Today!

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What are you doing to manage your stress? It seems like every day we are inundated by more and more triggers, and the world just seems to be speeding up.

If you can’t keep up, what if you just stopped? What if you just turned off the pace of the rest of the world and went inside for a bit?

The thing is, most of the daily stresses in our lives will not matter in five years. Maybe not even in 5 days! But they are serious triggers in a moment-by-moment day.

Obviously, there are the major stresses, such as the passing of a loved one, major life decisions, new career opportunities, relationships ending and children arriving into your life, but for the daily stresses, how can we manage that better?

Most of us are on the clock.

The majority of stress is because we have way too many things to complete in a day, than the clock gives us time to do!

It’s always speeding up and the to-do list tends to continue to grow.

Between responsibilities at home, at work, at your children’s school, caring for aging parents, creating healthy meals, working on your relationships and squeezing in a little social time, it is really hard to balance everything that life demands of us.

Here are some tips that will sound crazy, and your stressed-out brain will say “ABSOLUTELY NOT! I HAVE NO MORE TIME IN THE DAY FOR ANYTHING!”

But I promise you, that after just a couple weeks, (and in some cases just a couple of days) your life will feel more put together than you could ever imagine in this moment.

1. Quit Sugar, Quit Caffeine, Quit Smoking, Quit Drinking (Yes, you read that right!)

All of these substances wreak havoc on your adrenals and your stress response system. Your body does not need any other external stresses to deal with, and sugar, caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are all very serious triggers for your body. It sends your body out of equilibrium by introducing external substances that are meant to excite or depress you. Your body must fight to expel these substances and adds an extra burden to your health.

Stop the sugary foods – pasta, breads, rice, muffins, cereal, and focus on consuming a colourful plant based diet. Limit your caffeine intake to one coffee per day, no more soda and no more energy drinks! Even switching to herbal tea would make a huge impact! Get off the cigarettes and curb your evening wine or drinks. It all interferes with your entire system.

2. Begin a Daily Stress Reduction Practice

Even for 5 minutes a day, sit in a relaxed position and let you mind focus on gratitude. Focus on your breath, the easiest thing you can be grateful for. Follow your breath and feel its powerful rhythm. Enjoy the moment between inhalation and exhalation – the pause – as there is power in the stillness. This little bit of time will help to centre you for your day.

3. Move that Body!

Seriously, for even 15 minutes a day. Turn the music up and dance! Or speed walk around the neighbourhood with your family. Be silly, take turns seeing who can walk the fastest! Get your heart rate up and have fun! Try a class at the gym, do a yoga video on YouTube, or try a high intensity interval training session. Just move it more often and your body will reward you by feeling energized and more alive.

4. Master Your Mind

Decide what demands your attention and what can wait. Prioritize your to-do list and understand that you can only do what you can do. Try to stop focusing on staying ahead of the clock. What are you rushing against anyway? We all end up in the same place, so why rush through life so quickly?

5. Get Adjusted!

Your spine needs to be in alignment to let you function at 100%! Get adjusted regularly and know that the interferences that find their way into your spine via stress, injuries, repetition and toxins are being removed by your Doctor of Chiropractic.