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Showing posts with label Healthy Habits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Healthy Habits. Show all posts

Thursday, October 14, 2010

From the Founder: Alcohol

Sipping on cocktails or wine is something I enjoy a few times a month. Whether for relaxation purposes or as a social release during the times I catch up with my friends, having a drink is part of my life. However, there is a shot of irony with alcohol when it comes to living a balanced lifestyle.

It seems for most of us the scale is tipped too far when it comes to alcohol. Let’s not kid ourselves; we all tend to go a little too far with alcohol in some way, shape or form. Anyone who knows what a hangover feels like has put a boulder on the scale, which we know makes it very difficult to get the scale even with those odds.

I have had some really unforgettable hangovers where all I could think about was the next minute giving me some salvation from the horrible feeling. You may be wondering, why drink to the point where I feel like that the next day, and my answer to you is that when I am drinking I am serving another aspect of my well-being (as mentioned above).

When I think about wellness, I think about Balance- keeping everything in your life that makes you happy while learning how to make adjustments to keep the scale even to achieve goals. So for me when it comes to drinking alcohol, for the most part, I incorporate preventative measures to combat any of the extreme side effects of a happy hour gone wild.

First, I make sure I eat. Of those unforgettable hangovers 99% of them were the result of me not having enough food in my system giving the alcohol an all-access passport to travel throughout system wrecking havoc. On top of eating, I also eat a banana, take Vitamin B complex and OPC-3 (antioxidant with Pycnogenol) before or after my alcohol consumption. The banana is pretty hearty, plus the potassium rehydrates. In the home remedy world, Vitamin B is said to fight off the toxins in alcohol leading to that crushing headache due to its depletion. The antioxidant is just an overall back up fighting off free radical damage. I really notice a difference when I do not follow this regimen.

Now for my liver, I eat apples for breakfast during the work week. Even though it is a home remedy, I believe in the power of natural solutions. Twice a year I do a 7-day cleanse which includes a liver component that contains Milk Thistle, N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (amino acid), Dandelion Root, Garlic Bulb, Hawthorn Berry Extract, Schizandra Chinensis Fruit and Seed Extract, Yellow Dock Root, Burdock Root, Licorice Root, Barberry Bark and Root, Rosemary Leaf, Ginger Root, Green Tea Leaf Extract, Hyssop, Red Clover Flower, and Turmeric Root Extract.

If you’re a drinker like myself, consider how to be a ‘Well-Drinker’. Cheers!

Source: http://balanceboost.blogspot.com/

You Snooze, You Don't Lose

With A recent study by the National Sleep Foundation reports that the average American gets 6 hours and 40 minutes of sleep per night (down from the 7+ hours reported last year). We know that sleep is needed for mental clarity, immunity, preventing premature aging and mood stabilization, but did you know that a good night's sleep also provides cellular detoxification and renewal of the skin?
Sleeping is actually the easiest way to look better! It will therefore come as no surprise that many orally administered medications prescribed by dermatologists for skin conditions such as acne and eczema contain small amounts of sedatives; looks like even modern medicine is forcing us to sleep more for enhanced beauty results.
Even if you don't have specific skin problems, puffy under-eyes and a pale complexion is never a good look, so why do we routinely deprive ourselves of this much-needed restoration? An increased average workday is the top culprit, but other factors such as lifestyle, increased stress levels, poor food choices and sleep disorders are also to blame.

Ever-dedicated to encouraging all to reach full wellbeing potential, the spa world's answer to this imbalanced dilemma is The Sleep Spa, of course!!

One of the top trends in the spa industry in 2008 is the prevalence of sleep programs in the spa environment, according to Spa Finder's CEO, Susie Ellis. That's right, the power nap has returned, and this time, it's trendy! For European and Latin Americans, the siesta midday break has been more of a staple than a trend- they may have been on to something this whole time. If you pay attention to your inner circadian rhythm, you'll find that there is a late afternoon lull, about 8 hours after you wake up, and that it is natural to want to sleep. So, instead of going for that 4pm coffee jolt, it's actually more natural and beneficial to take a 20-minute nap.

Yelo, a Manhattan-based sleeping haven, is on the cutting edge of this trend. They offer signature YeloCabs, ideal cubbies for optimized napping that can be booked in 20 or 40-minute increments. I treated myself to their 20/20 therapy (20 minutes of reflexology followed by a 20 minute nap), and the experience was unlike any other I’ve had.

The anti-gravity chair positioning was truly restful, and before the reflexology was over, I had already succumbed to nap-land. A LED light mirroring the sunrise awakened me naturally, and I felt completely rested and revived! This natural awakening process was key in rounding out a truly restful and restorative nap, and left me with a peaceful feeling as I returned to reality. I treated a friend to this same sequence, as he had complained recently of chronic exhaustion (and looked it!). Doubting the power of the power nap, he went in a skeptic, only to emerge a believer! I took pride in complimenting him on his newfound de-puffed and bright-eyed, refreshed appearance, and he felt, to his surprise, well-rested. It was fantastic to know that I was not the exception to the rule and that the Yelo formula and its components were truly vetted and right on point.

In just one nap therapy I saw a dramatic shift in appearance in my friend, as if he had just received a facial! The drained face and puffy eyes were replaced with color and an awakened gaze. Looking and feeling well-rested brings an obvious change in appearance and also attitude!
Look for more dedicated sleep spas and designated sleeping areas and therapies to be incorporated into your local spa soon...sleeping never looked so good!

Will you be a true sleeping beauty?

Friday, April 30, 2010

Ways to Flourish with Diabetes

Managing diabetes is vital if people are to flourish and live their lives to the fullest. A diabetic condition can leave you feeling low in energy and depressed at a point. Increase in blood sugar is triggered by ailments such as flu, nausea and colds. A wound may also leave your sugar levels high or low leading to fatigue. When such ailments occur, it is advisable to keep the sugar levels in check in intervals over the day.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

7 Reasons To Power Walk

Healthy Habits
By Nneka Kelly

When I was in college my roommate and I would take a 30 minute power nap every afternoon. One week her mother was visiting and was outraged that this was a regular occurrence. By the third day she joined us in our afternoon siesta, but warned that this would not go over well when we hit the “real” world.

Bye-Bye Bloating

Healthy Living
Healthy Habits

Just yesterday you were happily considering buying a new pair of jeans – one size smaller. And today, your tummy is ballooned so much that even your regular pair of jeans seems to be crimping your belly. Blame it on bloating.

Sharing Combs and Towels

Healthy Living
Healthy Habits

When you share a comb or a head towel – you might be sharing more than that. You might be sharing some germs, infections and lice. So, for sake of your crowning glory’s health do not ever share combs and towels.

Flushing you clean –A Guide to Detoxing

Healthy Living
Healthy Habits

Toxins in the body are the underlying cause of almost all illnesses, both minor and major. From fast foods to environmental pollution, there are many factors that lead to the accumulation of toxins in the body. Some of the main sources of toxins in the digestive system include pesticides, chemical additives, denatured processed food and undigested stored wastes from foods.

Resolve To Butt Out In The New Year

Healthy Living-Healthy Habits
Success Quitting Smoking Depends On Early Preparation

TORONTO, Dec. 20 /CNW/ - Smokers have many reasons for smoking, but the reasons for quitting outweigh them all, says Health Promotion Minister Margarett Best. "A New Year’s resolution is a great way for Ontarians to quit smoking, but it is important that they prepare themselves properly," said Best.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

A Positive Mind: Your Passport to Longevity

Healthy Living
A Positive Mind: Your Passport to Longevity
Healthy Habits

Whether you call it self-hypnosis or self-induced brain washing, the fact remains that the power of mind over body can prove to be a great tool to ensure a sounder health for yourself. Your body will do wonders if you can simply make yourself believe that it is relentlessly busy in keeping the diseases away.

A Recipe for an Improved Memory

Healthy Living
A Recipe for an Improved Memory
Healthy Habits

Competition is the catch word today! And crucial to competition is a good memory. For this, you got to get your grey cells working hard for you.

Outdoor Allergies

Healthy Living
Outdoor Allergies
Healthy Habits

May is spring time. We re-immerge after our months of winter hibernation to enjoy the warmer weather, the fresh breezes, the budding trees and first blooming flowers of the season.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Healthy Habits

Healthy Living
Boost Your Immunity
Healthy Habits

Canadian society is largely health conscious and has good healthcare facilities like other developed nations. But when it comes to developing our immune system, which is a vital element in the protection against diseases, the Canadian society surprisingly lags behind the rest of the developed nations in the world. Researches show that 30% of the post World War II Canadian population is affected by diseases such as asthma and hayfever, indicating our weak immunity power.

How to improve immunity

Fortunately, improving your immune system does not require lots of time, energy or efforts. Some simple changes in food habits and lifestyle along with proper vaccinations will boost the immune system of your body.

Following are the super seven ways to boost your immune power:

1. Change your food habits: Switch to “immunity friendly” food habits. Start using more of fresh lemon juice in your food because lemon restores acid-alkali balance in your body. Add lemon to water, tea, salads, baking or cooking, and use them often. Eat foods rich in proteins and drink enough water.

Include fresh fruits and vegetables in your daily diet.. Raw fruits and vegetables provide antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fibre and enzymes to your body. Many vitamins found in these fruits and vegetables, such as Vitamin C, protect the cells in your immune system from getting damaged by the toxins in the environment.

Knock off the junk foods and caffeine from your food list completely or reduce as much as possible. If you are advised by your doctor that your immune system needs improvement, stop drinking coffee. Caffeine in the coffee takes away minerals and vitamins, dehydrating you in the process. If you can’t live without your coffee, at least make sure that you drink two more glasses of water for every cup of coffee you drink. Also, stop eating refined white sugar as it can be the single most important factor in decreasing your immunity.

2. Sleep well: A simple, but very effective way of boosting your immune system in the body is to sleep well. A goodnight’s sleep not only keeps you and your skin fresh, it also improves your immune system significantly.

3. Get vaccinated: Vaccines provide you the disease specific immunity. According to Dr. Monika Naus, medical director of the immunization program at the BC Centre for Disease Control in Vancouver, you need to keep checking with your doctor or public health authority on a regular basis to get the required vaccinations for adults and children.

4. Maintain cleanliness; but don’t overdo it: While maintaining clean surroundings is definitely a good thing, overdoing it can work against your immune system! When you clean your house to maximum possible extent, you kill even the milder germs present in the environment. Your immune system needs these milder germs to practice its skills and be ready when the more dangerous germs attack your body. If there are no germs at all, your immune system may be ill-prepared when faced with a real danger.

5. Stop smoking: When you smoke your body gets flooded with the toxic mixture of chemicals that exposes your body to illnesses. Also, smoking blocks the airways’ natural mechanisms, which clean out the infectious agents in the body. So, the message is loud and clear. If you want a better immune system, stop smoking, now!

6. Use Antibacterial sanitizers with care: No doubt, antibacterial sanitizers keep your house clean; but if you overuse them, even the less dangerous viruses may be wiped out of the atmosphere and your immune system may loose out on the opportunity to practice its skills for the big fight!

7. Exercise: Because of our modern lifestyles, most Canadians spend a better part of their lives within four walls, hardly getting any exercise. Getting a good workout is imperative to boost the immune system in your body.

Conclusion

As we can see, boosting your immune system is not just about introducing one or two elements in your daily routine. It’s about adopting a new lifestyle. But doing this can be both easy and fun. And of course, it will definitely boost your immune system!







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