A few weeks ago I was at the Wellness Fair at Sick Kids Hospital.  I was sitting down at the booth sipping on my green tea latte watching all kinds of people walking past me; young, old, men, women, children, tall, short, thin, fat, doctors, patients, etc.  I sat back and started to watch people just move.  What I thought would be such a boring activity turned into such a surprising revelation.  Almost every person I observed was holding tension somewhere in their body; shoulders scrunched up to their ears, wrist tightness, stiff neck, belly sucker, tight hips, tense face and the list goes on.  In between the time we are born and when we die, we go through the ups and downs of life and the stresses, change and joy it brings along with it.  Our bodies go through major wear and tear from both physical and emotional experiences.   We pick up bad habits and certain areas of our bodies compensate for other areas in our body.  The functionality of our bodies start to change and we don’t even realize it.

When I was seven-years old, I went over a railing and fell down two flights of stairs and landed hard on my bum.  It was a traumatic experience for me.  My parents didn’t think to take me to the hospital because within a few minutes I was able to stand up and walk and wasn’t experiencing any pain.  For a couple of weeks after, I dreaded going to the washroom because I would sometimes get a sharp pain in my lower back.  The pain eventually went away and life went on and I forgot about it.   It wasn’t until twenty years later that I discovered that I was holding so much tension in my lower body due to that experience.  I held onto that experience in my lower back, pelvis, hamstrings and hips and instead of releasing the tension I held in these areas, I compensated by constantly holding my belly in, holding my breath and many other things that I am now trying to reverse.  With knowing all this information today, I am doing the work now to undo all the compensating I’ve been doing for many, many years.

If we do not do the work in releasing the tension in our bodies and we hold onto it, our bodies become tighter and less functional.  If left without any kind of release, it starts to affect other parts of our body, our breathing and our day-to-day activities resulting in pain, frustration and irritation.  If perhaps we knew we were holding tension in our bodies, we would make more of an effort to get to the bottom of why it was happening in the first place.  Rarely, if we’re experiencing tension in a particular area in our body is that the originating cause.  In almost all cases, it is simply an area of where the body has chosen to manifest.  It could be an old injury, a negative childhood experience, an illness, stress, whatever the cause; I think we can all agree that it’s time for some letting go and healing.  A great saying that I read in a book from an unknown source is “If we listened to our bodies when it was whispering, we would avoid having our bodies scream at us in the future.”

Are you as tired as I am about the constant media hype surrounding H1N1? Enough already! We all know that flu season is upon us and unless we live like a hermit, we are bound to come into contact with viruses and bacteria – this is a fact of life.

The food you put into your body and the nutritional supplements you take are absolutely critical to stay healthy this time of year. As is getting a good night’s rest and avoiding stress. Isn’t it wonderful that nature has provided us with natural ways to boost our immune system and avoid getting the flu? I sure think so! If you do end up catching the flu, keep eating healthy and your flu will likely go away faster than it takes to line up for a vaccine shot.

Here are my top tips for boosting your immune system:

1. Eat protein at every meal.

• Protein is a building block and used to make antibodies that fight infection
• Eat protein at least three times per day
• Good food sources include: fish, chicken, eggs, nuts & seeds, beans, protein powders such as whey (incredible immune building properties), many vegetarian protein powder sources to add to your smoothie: hemp, pea, brown rice

The American Journal for Clinical Nutrition, just updated their recommendations for protein intake. Follow these guidelines to ensure adequate protein.

Women – 1 serving of lean, complete protein (20-30g) with each meal, every 3 hours or so

Men – 2 servings of lean, complete protein (40-60g) with each meal, every 3 hours or so

2. Avoid Sugar.

• Reduces the ability of your white blood cells to kill germs by a staggering 40%!!
• Lowers the germ killing ability of your cells for up to 5 hours
• Interferes with the transport of Vitamin C, which plays a key role in immunity

The average person consumes 158lbs of sugar per year and much of this is in hidden sources. Read your labels, especially salad dressings, stir-fry and pasta sauces, energy bars, cereals and granola bars. Many of these foods items have more sugar than a candy bar. Not only does sugar suppress your immune system, but it contributes to diabetes and obesity.

3. Top 3 supplements: Vitamin D, C and probiotics

• Vitamin D3 is essential for killing off flu viruses (anti-viral and anti-microbial)
• Vitamin C is an immune booster, most potent antioxidant, improves liver function and detox pathways
• Probiotics, absolutely essential for a healthy digestive tract and strong immune system. You want to have MORE good bacteria than bad. Healthy bacteria balance is very easily thrown off by antibiotics, the birth control pill, alcohol, processed foods and poor digestion

4. Eat whole foods.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be they food”

I love this quote by Hippocrates. He was really on to something! Processed foods void of nutrition require more of our own body stores of nutrients to assimilate, leaving us bankrupts. Why not eat nutrient dense foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables to provide your body with plenty of antioxidants (proven to keep your immunity strong) and vital nutrients? Makes perfect sense to me. Food truly can be our medicine. Instead of popping pills to fight the flu, pop foods into your grocery cart that will keep you young, energized and of course flu-free!

5. Get a good night’s sleep.

I live by this rule. I’m a busy gal and do get run-down from time to time. Whenever this happens and I know I’m burning the candle at both ends, I will start to feel a little less joyous. Sleep is your best medicine. Studies prove that getting a good night’s rest, at least 7-8 hours BEFORE midnight is key to a healthy immune system. Stuart Knight, creator of this fabulous blog has a wonderful quote that I always share with my clients:

“You can try and fight sleep, but you won’t win”.

Ain’t that the truth! You can’t make up for lost sleep by going to bed earlier the next night. And, as much as you try and fight sleep, you won’t win. Your body is smart and will tell you what it needs. If you keep ignoring the signs, then you are more likely to get the flu and you will have no choice but to stay in bed for 5 days.

We have the tools in our grocery store and in our kitchen to keep our immune system strong. I truly hope you take these tips to heart and share them with your friends.

Stay well, be joyous!

Joy McCarthy – Registered & Certified Nutritionist

www.joyoushealth.ca

Halloween has come and gone for another year and that’s Ok with me because I don’t like dressing up as someone else and here’s why.
If you decide to dress like Michael Jackson is it saying you like “moon walking” and “singing” or are you saying that you’d prefer to spend time with a “room full of primates” rather than spending another Christmas with family.
If your 6 year old dresses like Spiderman is that saying you think your kid has the potential of being a superhero or are you preparing your kid for a life of spandex and weird nocturnal habits?
If your daughter dresses like Britney Spears is she saying she wants to be a “pop star” or is she setting you up for early pregnancy with a guy who isn’t much of a father?
If you go as a vampire are you doing this because you like the idea of living forever or are you preparing yourself for a profession in “LAW OR BANKING?”
How about dressing like Hannah Montana? Are you saying you want a double life like she has on TV or are you saying that your dad doesn’t have a job unless you work?
if you go as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz are you saying you like ruby slippers or are you saying that you’d prefer to live in a world where many people are very short and others travel on broomsticks?
If you decide to trick or treat as Amy Winehouse are you saying you’d like the life of an eccentric or are you saying you want a life where taking 12 steps is as hard as remembering them?
If you go as Sarah Palin are you saying you are a woman who could be the next President of the United States or are you saying that if Russia can be seen from one of your windows then Europe can be seen from the other?
If you dress as Bernie Madoff are you saying you’re a money grubbing SOB or are you saying that you like spending time with grown men in close quarters?
If you went as a Star Wars character you could be saying that you think the characters are unforgettable or you might be saying that you’re just too lazy to change the costume you’ve been wearing since 1982.
So you see dressing up is difficult. Actually the last time I was dressed up I was ten. My mother sent me to school dressed as a toreador, which meant she thought her boy was going to be a man of action or she thought he was going to have to deal with alot of bull–t in life.

List night I took a break from working on the show GAMES (opening this Thursday) to go watch the Michael Jackson documentary called “This Is It!”  Being a huge fan of MJ my whole life, and I knew I had to go, not to mention the fact that the motivator needs motivating from time to time as well.

Of all the observations I made throughout the film, there was one that stuck in my mind as I was leaving the theatre and I’d like to share that thought with you.  Obviously, thousands of people auditioned to be one of Michael Jackson’s premiere dancers for the tour.  And you can be sure that every dancer that auditioned wanted the part.  However, you can be sure that some of them wanted it more than others.  And you could see it when you watched the film

This is an observation that I’ve made throughout my entire life, especially with the work I do.  People often say they want the dream life, or that they want a life of adventure and excitement.  And guess what?  They do!  Unfortunately, they don’t want it as badly as other people.

For example, there was a dancer that was interviewed in the documentary who said as soon as he heard Michael Jackson was holding auditions in New York City, he jumped on the next flight from Australia.  I’ve met dancers, actors and singers that wouldn’t take a bus across town for an audition if they thought the weather was bad enough.  And in the same vain, I’ve met thousands of people who won’t even take the slightest risk to get what they want from life.  They go on and on about how they wish they had a better job, relationship, apartment or car.  They say they want more adventure, knowledge or opportunity.   And when the time comes to get their hands a little dirty, they run the other way.

So many people think there’s a magical formula to life and there isn’t.  In fact, many people use the “magical formula” theory as an excuse for not taking a chance.  They convince themselves that they were one of the unlucky souls that missed the “magical formula” sale and by the time they found out, the store was sold out.  Let me be the one to say that you didn’t miss a sale and you didn’t miss a secret lesson that was taught the day you were sick and had to stay home from school. But I will say that if you don’t take huge chances, you WILL miss a life.

Starting this Thursday, I’ll be putting everything on the line like I have so many times over the past fourteen years.  The show is called GAMES, and like every show I have produced before, it will make you laugh a lot, think a lot, and live a lot.  If you want, you can choose not to go and instead spend the same amount of money on a few drinks at the bar, two packs of condoms or five frappaccinos.  I really want you to see this show as I think it’s the best piece I’ve ever written.  Since my shows have been seen by over a million people, I hope that means something.  Whether you show up is entirely up to you.  One thing you can be sure of is that I will.  And by the end of GAMES, I will have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt how amazing life is when you do.

Much love,

Stuart

You’ve all heard about the governments “economic action plan” right? This is the plan where billions of dollars are being spent on infrastructure so that thousands of Canadians can be employed. What we didn’t know is; what the FEDS considered infrastructure.
True story: In P.E.I. a huge sign hung out in front of an RCMP office building stating “Stimulus Money at Work.” What they were doing was replacing doorknobs or as the bureaucrats who worked on the proposal called them “internal door hardware”. By the way the RCMP office in question already had doorknobs because reliable sources had said, NOBODY had to climb through the windows to get to their offices.
Now of course doorknobs are essential but at what cost?
Over the years we’ve all heard the horror stories of governments spending $5000 dollars on a screwdriver, $100 dollars for a 3″ screw and $20 dollar items costing in excess of $400 dollars.
Now I don’t know what these doorknobs cost but you can bet they weren’t cheap and upon reflection I don’t think doorknobs were what people were thinking when they heard about the stimulus package. But there are alot of doorknobs so replacing them will create alot of work.
Here are some other ideas that I believe will have the same significance as replacing doorknobs.
Replace all lights bulbs in all federal buildings with energy efficient light bulbs, but don’t do it once do it twice.
Take apart all the hockey rinks in the country and re-build them with the left wing on the right and the right wing on the left.
Knit every Canadian a toque a condom and a pair of mitts.
Remember Canadian winters are long.
All Federal buildings should have all their windows boarded up so employees won’t be distracted on what’s going on outside. If they complain take them all to lunch and tip big.
You could double the size of the Canadian army by telling people that instead of going to dangerous places like Afghanistan and the Middle East. The army will now only go to places where bar tabs are in dispute like Cancun or Turks & Caicos.
How about taking down all the STOP signs and replacing them with signs that say “stop”.
Now you might think these suggestions are ridiculous but I’m serious. Only a “doorknob” would think these suggestions are silly and at a time like this there is no time to be silly.

This past long weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving. I went up North to mom & pops for a weekend of indulging, laughing and enjoying myself. I must admit, I probably ate a few too many slices of that organic free-range turkey which I fully enjoyed every last bite. Did you eat more of mom’s turkey and mashed potatoes with gravy than you probably should have or a second helping of apple pie? Don’t waste another second feeling guilty about it. Instead, take the control back into your hands do something about it.

Get back on track today! Here are 3 tips:

1. Keep your energy high with a “greens” drink. There are no shortage of juice bars in the city of Toronto and if you live outside of Toronto, I’m sure you’ve got great options (just google “juice bar”). Here’s the rule when you buy fresh juice – GO GREEN! Avoid high sugar juices such as those with only fruit. Instead, go for kale, spinach, celery, ginger and some apple. The apple gives the juice a bit of sweetness. And if you are feeling a little experimental, go for a shot of wheatgrass. I love green drinks because they are soooo very alkalinizing (and goodness knows most of us are all far too acidic), blood sugar balancing (keep cravings away) and energizing. Green drinks are like liquid energy and very balancing.

2. Plan your snacks to keep your metabolism revved. I know you are busy throughout the week, and this is precisely why you want to organize what you will eat during breaks at work. Instead of running to starbucks for a latte and a muffin that sends your blood sugar on a roller coaster leading to eventual cravings and weight gain, aim for a healthy snack like veggies and dip or almonds and apricots.

2. Avoid mindless evening eating. Do not eat 2-3 hours before bed and if you have to snack avoid carbohydrate snacks like a bowl of cheerios, right before bed. If you are starving before bed and you’ve already drank a large glass of water with lemon, then try 2 spoonfuls of yogurt or 10 raw almonds – this is sure to cut the craving. Foods with good fat are your secret weapon for curbing cravings.

-Joyous

From time to time I call the kitchen the “nutrition lab”. I give the kitchen this title because that’s exactly what it is. It is a place where we take one item (food) and change into another item (a meal) to make it edible, and hopefully enjoyable. We can use the nutrition lab to manipulate the foods we eat in order to get the most out of it. Below I illustrate a few tricks in order to get the most nutrition out of your food.

Popeye had it right when he said “spinach makes ya strong”. What he didn’t tell us is how to prepare spinach to get the most nutrition out of it. Raw spinach is loaded with nutrients. It has plenty of iron, vitamin C, and fiber. It also contains high amounts of potassium, magnesium, and calcium. However, if we consume spinach in the raw state, the minerals are not easily absorbed. They are bound to a compound called oxalic acid. When spinach is cooked, the minerals become unbound and thus available for us to absorb.

Eggs can be a great food to have as part of a complete diet. They have received some bad press over the years, attributed to their high cholesterol content. This has since been debunked by various scientific studies and deemed ‘pseudoscience’. Eggs contain high quality omega-3 fats in their yolk. In order to get the full value of these fats, eggs should be cooked at as low a temperature as possible. This is due to the fact that the omega-3 fats are very unstable and get destroyed when exposed to high heats. Therefore, in order from best to worst, eggs should be eaten soft-boiled, poached, hard-boiled, lightly fried, then scrambled. (Stay away from fried and scrambled eggs due to the high cooking temperatures)

Nuts can be hard to digest for some people. If you are one of those people, you might want to consider soaking your nuts. Nuts are essentially the seeds of a plant and will only start growing (germinating) once they are watered. To prevent a seed from growing before it is planted, it has enzyme inhibitors. These are compounds that bind up the nutrients in the nut so they can’t be used for growth. But, once we soak the nut, these nutrients become more available to the nut and therefore more available to us when we eat them. Presto, a more digestible nut!

There you have it. Simple ways we can increase the nutrition of spinach, eggs, and nuts. With this information you can get the most out of every dollar spent on whole, nutritious food. Have fun in the “nutrition lab”.

Have fun in the lab!

Josh

It’s Thanksgiving time again, the weekend for family and friends to get together to “enjoy a feast in each others company”. A bit corny, you’re probably thinking. I got scolded today when I was at one of my childhood’s friends house enjoying an amazing dinner with friends and I gave that answer when we were asked, “What are you thankful for this year?” After making a mini fuss about it, I was punished to go last :P. Making our way around the table, everyone had a few seconds to say what they were thankful for this year. Some were thankful for their travel experiences this year, others were thankful for new jobs/careers, and some were thankful for the new people in their life, and also the old who are still around. As I looked around the room, I realized how happy I really was to be right there, sharing that moment with most of my dearest friends. Dating back from my diaper days to my middle school days to high school and then university.. it’s amazing to see who has stuck around till now. I know whatever happens, they are always the people that I can turn to for whatever reason. There are some that are closer than others, but I can accept that fact, and it’s often that friendships change too over the years.

When reflecting on what I am really thankful for this year …

- The special someone that has entered my life and has become my rock, my other half.

- Having a direction for my career path and getting a clearer vision of what I want to be, where I want to work, what I want to be doing for the next couple years of my life.

- My family, that has stuck together through the best and the worst times.

- Knowing Mimi for 15 years. RIP.

- And of course, Twitter!

What made 2009 so special for you this year? What are you thankful for?

It’s that time of year again; my father has reaped the benefits of his hard work in the garden. Our Thanksgiving is about gathering to have a taste of the garden harvest, taking the first sip of the still fermenting red wine, and to celebrate the life of my grandfather now past.  Who said you had to stick to the Pilgrim’s story when you have your own story!

Over the last 13 years, my sister has cooked Thanksgiving dinner and for the last 13 years, she has managed to make a different dish, either the potatoes, the squash, the stuffing, and even for me as a vegetarian, she makes a different fish dish.  There is a different recipe, different flavour and different presentation. We are excited about what she will cook up each year.  So I began to think, what is different about me this year? What’s new about me? Do I have a new recipe for how I live my life? What is different about you? What have you gathered over the past year that has added value and makes you a better you at this time in your life? What have you dished out, let go and gotten rid of?

The table is full of food, the wine is passed around several times between each course, and inevitable I forget to bring the salad to the table..and the same conversation ensues…’ohhhh catzo!!!, wat, my mom say…..I forgot to bring the salad upstairs………Shema!! Watsuposetodo now? Who wan salad?…no one ma, we are all full…ohhhh che fregatura…wat a waste of good olive oil!!!….

It is by far our best family tradition!  What are you bringing to the table this year?

Till next time, love yourself and your family

Pina

P.S…I bring the apple crumble

I feel as though I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity that I did, to have been able to reach out to industry experts on what I am interested in learning about. In the past week alone, I’ve had several amazing mentorship sessions where I’ve been able to sit down and drill a few experts on something that seemed to be such a big mystery to me, yet it’s two little letters that you hear about ALL the time. My flavour of the month (or rather I should say, for the rest of the calendar year) is learning more about the world of PR – Public Relations. When I was assigned the daunting role of Director of Communications for Impact Entrepreneurship Group, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I’ve never had any previous academic background in the field of public relations, journalism, broadcasting, all areas of which I should have probably gotten myself into, now as I reflect in hindsight.

In the interactions that I’ve had, I’ve come to realize something. It always astonishes me when I have to face reality of the fact that everyone has their own style of the way they do things. The PR experts were a perfect example. There is no set way of approaching media and garnering their interest. Sure there were common elements between their advice, but really, there were some that were formalized, and then there were those that focused more on the aspect of building relationships. There were certainly suggestions that stood out more to me than others, of which I am sure I will be building upon and refining as I make my way through the PR world. It is the same way with my coworkers whom are developers and programmers. Although the coding language is the same, they each have their own style in which they code that makes sense to them. Same way with the way I view religion. I believe in the beauty of every culture expressing their faith in their own way. I believe in the beauty of everyone being different, adding to our ever-evolving human race.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how you come to achieve something, it is the result and the delivery of your achievement that matters. There is never a right or wrong way. It’s simply up to you to soak up all the knowledge around you, learn from the tried and tested cases and make the decision for yourself as to how you are going to tackle the next challenge coming your way. This is definitely something I need to learn as it’s always hard for me to see things in a different light if I’ve conjured it up in my mind in a certain way. Let’s hope I am able to practice what I preach!

Till the next one :)