by | Dec 1, 2016 | Uncategorized
This month Dr. Michelle Hagel and Lisa Lin collaborated to write this article for you “Good Health on a Budget”. Good health is truly possible, regardless of your financial situation. Here are some ideas to show you how you can make it happen. It is our intention that this information light a spark of curiosity in you and to open your mind to creative thinking around your finances and health.
Good Nutrition on a Budget
By Dr. Michelle Hagel, ND
Investing in health is the most important investment you will ever make; however it doesn’t have to be the largest. Here are some cost saving tips to eat healthy.
Health Tips NW Calgary
- Plan your meals ahead of time
Meal planning for the week can take some time initially but you will spend less time and money once you get to the grocery store. When we don’t plan, we end up getting foods that may or may not be consumed in time, leading to more food waste or wasted fridge space. We are also more likely to just grab something, instead of having the more nutritious, cost effective, homemade alternative. The average Canadian household throws out 215kg or $600/year, so keep that money in your pocket this year. In turn it will also have a big impact on our planet, so plan ahead, shop smart, and avoid those extras or include them in next week’s plan.
Once in the grocery store shop the perimeter of the store, avoid processed foods. Although initially it appears the pre-packaged or frozen food is cheaper, in the long run it is not. Making your own pizza is cheaper and far more nutritious that any frozen or delivered pizza- Cauliflower crust pizza is one of my favourites.
Purchasing large quantities will save you time and money. It may seem like a large purchase initially but in the long run, think of those saved trips back to the store. Having things on hand, when times get busy will save your health and your wallet. This specifically applies to things you can freeze like meat, frozen fruit/vegetables and items with a relatively long shelf life such as onions, sweet potatoes, oils and nut butters. Buying fruit and vegetables in season like blueberries will be cheaper and are very easy to freeze.
Food storage becomes another important factor when buying larger quantities to prolong shelf life and prevent waste. Understanding how to preserve certain foods is important. With produce you want to take it out of the plastic bags, the bags will suffocate the produce and speed up the rate of decay. Do not wash produce until it is ready to be consumed, the moisture will cause mould and decay. Keep produce whole, once you rip off stems it will allow microorganisms to grow.
- Get the most out of your meat
Meat is generally the largest ticket item on the shopping list. Chicken breasts can be quite costly, instead go for the whole chicken, then you’ll also have a carcass to make highly nutritious bone broth. You can also go for some cheaper cuts, where you can peal some of the skin off or cook with bone in for more flavor.
Another great way to make your dollar go further is to figure out which stores have the best prices on different types of food. For example, one store may have the best price on fresh, high quality produce but the meat is more expensive. This may require some research and shopping around, for future trips have different lists for different stores, but can go along way especially if purchasing in larger quantities. In season shopping outside the supermarket can be a great option, like farmer’s markets or other outdoor markets.
- Homemade salad dressings and dips
Making your own salad dressings and dips like hummus, guacamole, tomato sauce… etc. This is one of my favourite tips not only to save money but then you know what is in your food. Often salad dressing and dip labels are a never-ending list of preservatives, flavours and sugar. Make your own for less and stick to quality whole foods get rid of the hidden preservatives, and unneeded sugar.
Fall is one of the best times to detox, heading into that holiday season. You don’t have to do an expensive herbal detox, just go easy on your body. Kick the sugar, drink lemon water daily and practice deep breathing. To boost your body’s ability to detox try some hydrotherapy- contrast showers. These begin with 30 seconds hot water 10 seconds cold water, doing 5 cycles ending on cold. This small shower change can invigorate and improve circulation. Your body will thank you for these few changes by lowering toxic burden, and more readily absorb nutrients from foods.
Start your own garden
Not exactly a practical recommendation at this time of the year, but for next year plant your own garden. Gardening is good for the mind and the body. There are unlimited benefits of growing your own foods; it’s organic, it is loaded with nutrition because it doesn’t have to travel, good for the planet, it tastes better, it lasts longer and seeds are very low cost. You can start now by growing your own herb garden throughout the winter months. Herbs like rosemary even act as air purification plants, removing indoor pollutants. Save yourself from buying dried herbs in the store and increase your food flavor and nutrition while reducing the amount of sugar loaded sauces.
There is lots of buzz around eating organically, and there is no doubt organic is the healthier, cleaner option. However it can be an expensive option, if you are on a tight budget I generally suggest getting familiar with the dirty dozen. There are 12 fruits and vegetables that will expose us to more chemicals than others these are known as the dirty dozen. I highly recommend these foods be consumed organically whenever possible. While the Clean 15 foods are foods that will expose our bodies to less chemicals, are not as important to be consumed organically.
Show yourself love and book in for a self-care package! Call 403.452.6262 for booking now!
by | Nov 16, 2016 | Uncategorized
By Lisa Lin, RMT, HHPR (and Mom of 2)
Self Care Practices Northwest Calgary
Becoming a mom for the first, second or more times is the most amazing, awe inducing and exhausting times of a woman’s life. Whether you had a delivery as planned, or experienced complications of any sort, your body has gone through a tremendous amount of trauma. Our north American culture doesn’t seem to honor the postnatal healing process as many other cultures do around the world. Too often I hear a new mom talking about going up and down the stairs as soon as she is home from the hospital, taking care of other children or returning to an exercise program too early. There is a cost to this. Time and space to rest and bond with baby is very important. If you are breastfeeding it helps support milk production. In addition, the tissues of your pelvic floor need time to heal and build strength – why – to prevent bladder and pelvic floor issues as your body ages.
Here are a few tips to support your healing:
- Let go of expectation. You cannot expect to be able to do everything you did before baby arrived. Patience really is a virtue right now. If you are feeling blue, do not judge yourself and let your doctor, public health nurse or midwife know asap.
- Allow others to help. Whether it be entertaining baby, cooking, cleaning, laundry or lending a supportive shoulder for you to rest on.
- Your back and neck (not to mention chest) are probably feeling a bit beaten up at the moment. Try to lay down when you can, even use a cloth covered hot water bottle on your upper back for 10 min. This will help soothe the muscular tension and ease the postural stress. Massage can also help ease tension and support a healthy posture to prevent chronic muscle imbalances caused from nursing or bottle feeding and carrying all the luggage that baby comes with!
- Your abdominal core may also be feeling like jelly. It will get stronger; don’t rush it or start lifting heavy objects too soon as you can tear and seriously injure your abdominal muscles as they are stitching themselves back together from pregnancy. Follow your doctor’s orders for when it is safe for you to return to physical activity. Generally this is around 8 weeks postnatal.
- I could mention get some rest here as it is important, but enough said. Simply do what you can to take care of yourself while you get through this stage. Drink lots of water, and eat regularly. It will get easier!
- Most of all, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF – You are amazing. You just brought this tiny little being into the world with love and commitment, and you will get this all figured out.
Give yourself time to rest and enjoy the moment with your baby.
Call us now and book in for a self care package.
by | Oct 3, 2016 | Uncategorized
By Lisa Lin, RMT, HHPR
You are hardwired to heal. This is evident when we cut our finger, get a bruise or a cold and it magically gets better; often you don’t even notice this capacity of your system is always at work. Sometimes the body and mind encounter environments, disease, infection, and injury which can overwhelm the healing system.
THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE YOU CAN MAKE IS TO LOVE AND CARE FOR YOURSELF THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
This builds your healing ‘bank account’. When you do acts of self care and self love, your health bank account grows. When you don’t take care of yourself (physically, mentally and emotionally), you are using up the funds in your account to manage the distress on your system. If you have been running your account lower and lower without filling it up, your system has fewer and fewer resources to prevent and manage illness and injury when it naturally comes along. It becomes harder for the body to cope. Examples of what this might look like: chronic illness and pain, injuries that don’t heal, frequent colds and headaches. There is infinite possibility in your ability to heal. We don’t have a crystal ball for our health, but we can learn, do the work, build on positive thinking and change outdated beliefs that no longer serve us. Here are a few very basic tips.
Docere Wellness Center NW Calgary
1. Always speak kindly about yourself – eliminate negative self talk
2. Listen to your body and your heart – what do you need to be well? (you know, the answer just might be hiding if you haven’t been listening)
3. If you know you are not taking care of yourself and something needs to change – pick one simple change, such as drinking more water or going to bed at the same time everyday.
4. Get educated. Learn about your health. Read a book, watch a documentary, surf the web (with a critical eye of course), take a class, consult a wellness practitioner.
5. You are never alone. There is a whole community in this big wide world of compassionate and kind people who will naturally show up in your life when you make the decision to become healthier and happier.
by | Sep 6, 2016 | Uncategorized
by Joel Ashworth, Craniosacral Therapist.
Do you feel refreshed when you wake up in the morning ? Restful sleep is so important to us because without it – it is can be difficult to recharge, heal and be ready to face the day.
CranioSacral Therapy NW Calgary
Craniosacral therapy is a great treatment for helping the body get back to a state where you can get rested and sleep more soundly.
Quality sleep is deeply effected by stress and tension within the body. When stressful events have reached a certain threshold it is very difficult to unwind and relax before going to bed. Another factor in our sleep problems is that our fast paced lives mean that we often rely on our adrenaline and a speed up sympathetic nervous system to have the energy to get through the day.
Craniosacral therapy addresses both of these problems. It treats areas of the body that allow you to come back into a balanced and calm nervous system state. We also treat areas of the body that have become tight and tense. When the body is treated in this way, clients report a sense of overall well being and symptoms often melt away.
Craniosacral therapy looks at the body from a wellness model. That the body can heal itself as long as the right conditions exist. From this therapeutic perspective the therapist is tracking how well the body fluids can move. These fluids can become restricted often from chronic tension patterns related to stress or injury. It is amazing what healing can occur when the body gets the nutrient rich blood flow and can easily remove toxins from unobstructed veins. It is amazing how well the brain and nervous system function when tensions that pull on the nerves are resolved and the CSF fluid flow allows the brain to be operating well. People are often very surprised with the results from having several sessions of Craniosacral therapy as the results of the therapy can be far reaching and greatly increase quality of life and increase in health.
So by resolving chronic patterns of tension we can restore normal healthy function of the body. This calms the body, the mind and the nervous system and allows you to face the day feeling healthy and with the energy you need to face the day.
Receive 30% off your FIRST VISIT – call 403.452.6262 to book your treatment TODAY!
by | Aug 24, 2016 | Uncategorized
by Lisa Lin RMT
The end of August brings the harvest of summer, evenings of cooler temperatures and golden leaves starting to fall. In the natural world, our bodies flow with this rhythm. As human beings we are also gifted with the powers of our mind and free will choice in all that we do. We make decisions, organize, plan and participate in life. All of which require our energy. So what happens to the laid back play of summer? Back to School of course! Programs and activities, homework, families getting up early and out the door with lunches packed.
How does overwhelm happen? I think sometimes it just does; no matter how much we plan for Sept to be organized, ready to go for packing lunches, program registrations, the pile of school forms that are headed our way, it seems to land all at the same time. We feel overwhelmed with so many things to do and are wondering how we will get them all done.
What are a few of the symptoms? Headaches, tense neck and shoulders, back pain or soreness, fatigue, irritability, shallow, rapid breathing, difficulty sleeping, endless thoughts, and feeling alone. Looking at your calendar for the week and wanting to go back to bed and hide under the covers. Your child, spouse or coworker asks you a simple question and you want to burst into tears.
What can we do about it? Care for ourselves. Thinking kind and loving thoughts about ourselves, applaud our own efforts and the hurdles we jump, even if it is just getting out the door on the first day of school. Aiming for perfection in all that we do is setting ourselves up for tension, frustration and rushing around chasing the invisible carrot. It will get us no where. When we care for ourselves, our bodies, minds and hearts say thank-you and make our days easier because we will feel better.
Massage Therapy Calgary
Massage can help reduce feelings of being overwhelmed. The beauty of massage therapy is it incurs relaxation in the body. Bodywork releases tension from the muscles and supports the body in letting go of what it is holding onto. It stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest mode) and soothes and comforts the sympathetic nervous system (stress, fight/flight mode). This is beneficial whether you have physical maladies or are even just feeling stressed and anxious. A massage session, in my style of practice is completely your time to unwind. If you need to talk about how you are feeling or just rest quietly during the bodywork, you are in charge of that. If you want some deeper tissue work done, or simply long, soothing relaxation strokes, it is my job to support your healing. I am always open to questions too, and can provide suggestions for simple self care practices customized to your well-being and lifestyle. I can also provide references to other practitioners if what you need is beyond my scope of practice.
Reduce feelings of being overwhelmed and BOOK your massage session today!
