Good Health on a Budget

by | May 22, 2019 | Uncategorized

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 Good Health on a Budget.

Plan your Meals Ahead of Time

Meal planning in Calgary for a 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. This 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.

Ditch the Junk

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.

Purchase Bulk 

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 mold 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.

Know your Stores

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 favourites 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 my favourite 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 and can be done all year long.

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. You can save yourself from buying dried herbs in the store and reduce the amount of sugar loaded sauces you use by increasing your food flavour in a healthy way.

Organic

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.

Leadership Lessons from my Littles: Focus on your Strengths

by | May 9, 2019 | Uncategorized

In addition to teaching me how to dance the “floss” and “orange justice” (If you are curious, there are many entertaining videos online – and you are welcome for not including a video of myself doing these dance moves!), my kidlets are fabulous examples of what leadership looks like.

This weekend was a great example of my kids owning and focussing in on their strengths.

Kids are so much better than adults at not getting preoccupied with the “have to’s” and the “should’s”. They just totally trust what they feel, and let themselves be all-in with where they are and what they want in the moment. It is so refreshing! They may not be aware that choices they are making reflect their strengths – “this is what brings me a ton of joy” and “this is something I am really good at”, but they are honouring themselves just the same.

Kids are also so much better at not trying to be the “best” at everything. They just go with what they enjoy (which is likely also something they are naturally really good at). Think about when your child comes home with their report card, or when you have a performance review at work. How much time do you spend on celebrating those A’s and B’s, or an amazing accomplishment over the pas year? Probably not much time at all, compared to how much time is spent on asking our kids to bring that C up to an A, or the time we spend with our supervisors talking about how we need to get better at conflict management or presentation skills. What would happen if instead, we supported one another to focus our energy on our strengths?

I think about my son, who is in kindergarten and working through math problems at a grade 3 level, or how he wants to shoot pucks at the hockey net and draw Pokémon characters in detail for hours, and how he goes shopping with me to keep me company (strengths: achieving, discoverer, caring). Or my oldest daughter who loves to create treasure hunts and set up obstacle courses for the family, how she loves doing things together, and how she loves to create and perform stories and plays (strengths: includer, presence, relator, expression). And how our youngest takes charge of the other two like nobody’s business, is constantly singing or humming, and wants to play with playdough all day long (strengths: confidence, woo, creative). They don’t overthink it. They just trust themselves. They play to their strengths.

What happens to us as we age? Why do we lose that instinct to put our focus on doing things we love to do, the things we are really good at. What is this need to be good at everything?

My husband and I chat daily about how one of our important roles as the parents of these amazing little people is to not get in their way or hold them back from expressing who they are. Sometimes, it may mean taking some deep breaths, but it is so worth the reward of watching them shine!

We also need to have that chat with ourselves quite often! We want to lead by example. It is our responsibility to create space for us to honour our strengths too.

So what happens when you let yourself be “all-in” with your strengths – those things you not only love doing, but that you’re also really good at? What’s that energy like? What if you got out of your own way, and let yourself do more of what you’re naturally good at and enjoy? What becomes possible when you focus on your strengths?

Let’s explore together!

Amanda Delamer is a self-awareness and fulfillment coach. Amanda coaches and supports people in living healthy, balanced and joyful 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, and beyond – and they value and appreciate that all parts of their lives are connected, and we all have responsibility in and for the world around us. She lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with her husband and three children.

Types of IV Therapy

by | Feb 13, 2019 | Uncategorized

IV therapy stands for Intravenous Therapy. Vitamins and minerals are administered directly into the venous system which therefore, allows for 100% absorption into the body. Oral administration of vitamins and minerals (or by mouth) are not as highly absorbed, and even less so if one has any known gastrointestinal issues. Some of these include IBD (irritable bowel disease such as crones or colitis), IBS (irritable bowel disease), gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), and any other possible absorption issues such as multiple food sensitivities, or leaky-gut syndrome.

It is also commonly used to help treat low energy, fatigue, fibromyalgia, or for general health maintenance. The Immune Enhancer IV therapy blend, because of its high dose immune factors are great for helping support the immune system from already existing infections, or as a preventative measure before getting sick. As well, it is also commonly administered before or after long flights, to help rebuild the immune defenses when sitting in a small closed environment with recycled air. The Love Your Liver IV, is wonderful for speeding up the detoxification processes of the liver, or if one has been exposed to environmental toxins as well as, excessive alcohol consumption. Glutathione is the most abundant antioxidant found in the body. It is very poorly absorbed orally, and therefore it is very commonly added as a liver detoxification agent in an IV therapy protocol. It is also well researched in the management of liver detoxification and liver disorders and is known to have anti-aging effects.

Types of IV Therapy Offered at Docere Wellness

Meyers Cocktail IV: Vitamin and mineral IV therapy.

B-complex vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6, B12), vitamin c, magnesium, calcium, multi-trace minerals (zinc, copper, manganese, chromium, selenium).

Immune Enhancer IV: Meyer’s cocktail with extra B-complex vitamins + added high dose immune factors such as:

High dose vitamin c

High dose selenium

High dose zinc.

Love Your Liver IV: Meyer’s cocktail with extra B-complex vitamins + added high dose liver detoxification factors such as:

High dose magnesium

Glutathione

Amino acid (Taurine).

Click HERE to book your IV Therapy at Docere Wellness Centre TODAY! 

*These are the most common IV therapy protocols-more to come as requested.

Busy, busy, busy!

by | Feb 5, 2019 | Uncategorized