by | Dec 29, 2016 | Uncategorized
“Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.”
Matsuo Basho
Mindfulness is a state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations. Mindfulness involves paying attention to thoughts and feelings without believing there is a “right” or “wrong” way to think in the moment. It is used as a therapeutic technique. Substantial research has demonstrated how mindfulness-based interventions improve mental and physical health. In particular, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy has been found to decrease the risk of recurrent depression.
Much of our stress comes from thoughts that are focused on the past or worries about the future. Mindfulness works because it involves living in the present and focusing attention on what one is doing right now. As a result there is no room for thoughts such as regrets or fears such as rejection or failure. By being fully open to the present and one’s internal experience, external stressors and uncomfortable thoughts and feelings are not pushed away. Instead, there is a deep acceptance and ability to rest in the moment.
Healthcare Professionals NW Calgary
In the beginning stages of mindfulness practice, the focus is often on the breath. Present-moment awareness is encouraged as one opens up to internal experience such as sounds, feelings or bodily sensations. Other practices such as Tai Chi or yoga can help to cultivate mindfulness as well as meditations that involve walking or eating mindfully. From here, one can also practice passively observing the natural flow of thoughts, feelings and sensations. This is done without being concerned about the meaning or relationship between thoughts, feelings or sensations. Visual imagery can also be helpful, for example, imagining thoughts as leaves on a stream or clouds passing in the sky.
Mindfulness meditation can enhance insight and acceptance of internal experiences by promoting calmness, relaxation and improved mood. Docere Wellness Centre can guide you living a more fulfilling life. Give us a call now!
by | Dec 1, 2016 | Uncategorized
Life Coaching NW Calgary
Coaching creates space for more joy, more fulfillment, more self-awareness. Coaching is about getting you from where you are to where you want to be. Coaching is about you creating more space in your life for – for what is important to you and making it happen. Coaching encourages you to make intentional choices that honour all parts of you – mind, body and spirit.
I have had the honour of working with an amazingly diverse and dynamic group of people over the past six years. There exists a common thread – they are looking for change and someone to champion them on their journey.
Six common reasons that people seek out and hire me as their Coach include:
Health
– Whether looking to integrate better nutrition habits, an exercise program or connecting in with mind, body and spirit, people want and benefit from linking in with their bigger picture, with their whole self. My clients are self-aware – they discover their “why” and tap in to the motivation needed to achieve and maintain their goals.
Life/Work Balance
– Whether a seasoned executive, entrepreneur, stay-at-home mom and/or a wide array of other professions, our work can leave us wondering “when did I forget about me, about what I want for me?” Even when our work fulfills us, it can be easy to put the needs of others before our own – our boss, our children, other commitments, etc. My clients are living lives that honour their values, their goals, their dreams, their passions AND honour others in their life.
Overwhelm
– Whether starting up a new business, transitioning careers, or wanting to simplify your everyday, anxiety, urgency and overwhelm can creep in. My clients make intentional and informed decisions from a place of clarity regarding what is important to them, and in line with their values and goals, instead of from a place of overwhelm and urgency.
Relationships
– Conflict with co-workers, stress with children, tensions within the family, and with friends can arise when we are not clear on our values and honouring what is important to us. In honouring who we are at our core, the better able we are to honour and have strong relationships with those in our lives – family, friends, colleagues and all we cross paths with. My clients enjoy strong, fulfilling and meaningful relationships in their lives.
Leadership
– You don’t have to be in a management position to be a leader. Regardless of position held, to take your leadership to the next level – to expand as a leader in service of yourself and those you lead and work with – means starting with yourself. It takes courage to live a life that is meaningful and fulfilling to you AND acknowledge and honour your presence, your impact on and responsibility in the world around you. My clients are everyday leaders who inspire and elevate those around them.
Career Transition
– Making the decision to change careers, or having the decision made for you through lay-offs, can be overwhelming and stressful. It is also an opportunity to consider what meaningful work looks like for you. It is an opportunity to explore your strengths, your values and your passions, and ask yourself “what do I really want to be when I grow up?” My clients love what they do and have clarity around work that honours their strengths and passions, and they seek out careers that fulfill them – not just another job.
Not sure what to expect, or want to try out coaching before you commit?
Book your complimentary coaching sample session TODAY! Call 403.452.6262
Make 2017 an amazing year! WINTER/NEW YEAR special – sign up for three months and receive 10%off! Sign up for six months and receive 25% off!
Amanda is a self-awareness and fulfillment coach. Amanda coaches and supports people in living healthy, balanced and fulfilled lives. She coaches and honours the whole person – mind, body and spirit. Her clients experience fulfillment in all parts of their lives – health, family, relationships, career, etc. – and they value and appreciate that all parts of their lives are connected. She lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with her loving husband and three energetic and inspiring children.
by | Dec 1, 2016 | Uncategorized
Good Health Strategies on a Budget
Many a time in social situations I’ve heard people say “I can’t do (X) because it costs too much, so I can’t do anything to get better”. Some of the motivations around this belief could stem from (and no judgement here): excuse making habits, believing there is only one way to approach getting healthy, not believing in yourself, not having support or feeling defeated. Until we start to think differently or realize doing the same thing over and over again may elicit the same results, you can start feeling stuck. We don’t want stuck. I would like to see you believe in yourself, put your creative thinking hat on, get determined and be well! So here are a few ideas to get you started:
Health Tips Northwest Calgary
- Look at Where You Spend Your Money
Is it on your values or on things that are not meaningful to you? For example, paying into a gym membership you never use, eating takeout instead of bringing food from home. Those extra costs could go towards self care practices (egs. fresh produce, yoga classes, new runners to support your joints). Please read Dr. Hagel’s section for the how-to on nutrition.
Before stopping care due to financial challenges, talk to your health practitioners – work out a plan and some ideas for care that will get you the support you need. You do not have to figure everything out by yourself.
Do you know if you have employee health benefits? Does your spouse? First find out what your plan covers, how much and if your family is covered too. Second check the professional designations and insurance recognition of the practitioners you want to see. Third, check if your practitioners do direct billing to insurance, saving you having to pay up front and be reimbursed later. One of the reasons employers provide health benefits to employees is they recognize that if their employees are healthy, there is reduced sick time and improved productivity. Insurance plans often cover naturopath visits, chiropractic, physiotherapy, acupuncture, psychologists, massage therapy, orthotics and prescription medication. Some companies even provide partial reimbursement for gym memberships. Please use these plans ethically.
- Self Care is Cost Effective
You are your own inner healer. By doing your self care (ie nutrition, exercise, rest, social support, recreation) this is where much of your healing will come from and it is simple and cost effective. Practitioners provide tools, techniques, practices and support for your healing. It is up to you to be an active participant to get the most therapeutic effect from each office visit.And Last But Not Least
- Listen to Your Inner Wisdom
The human body shows symptoms, sometimes hollers with them when we are not paying attention to our health. When life gets busy, and people take on more external responsibilities with family, community and work, it is easy to disengage from the self and stop listening within. Your inner knowing will never lead you astray; it will direct you on the clearest, most financially feasible and grounded path to healing. It really is that simple, when you regularly practice listening to your inner self with love.
Good Health is the greatest blessing of life. Be determined to well. Sign Up and get started today!
by | Dec 1, 2016 | Uncategorized
Good Nutrition on a Budget
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
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.
