Archive for the 'Lifestyle Change' Category

Breastfeeding and fat loss: by team member – Frances Lea

You’ve done it!  You ran the marathon of your life and now you want to get back into shape.  WHAT????

What the hell am I talking about? How could you have run a marathon and need to get back into shape?  I’m talking about the marathon of GIVING BIRTH.  Whether it was vaginal or c-section and even if you were in tip top shape, you will probably still need to do some work to get back to they way you were (or even better).

Most women are carrying a bit of extra weight around before getting pregnant.  Add pregnancy, then delivery to the mix and you could be carrying a lot more weight around in the end.

It is suggested that lactating women consume an extra 300-500 calories to provide an adequate amount of milk to their babies.  That can be done easily with a few thought out snacks (listed below).   If you are overweight you may not need to add the extra calories to your diet.  If you are underweight you need to aim for the higher end. In general, however, you should aim for between 1800-2200 calories per day. The main thing is to consume nutritious foods and stay away from empty calories: Read the rest of this entry »

Spring Cleanse 101

Every year spring offers us the chance for a new beginning. A time to plant seeds and see what grows. After a long, dreary and sometimes sluggish winter, spring is a fabulous time to clean up parts of our lives, and our diets are no exception.

People are always asking me what my thoughts are on nutritional ‘detoxing’. It certainly is a term you are hearing more of, and it makes me wonder how many people are using it and selling it as the next weight loss fad.

With popularity comes a lot of misconceptions, so I’m here to clear up a few facts for you this spring. See if you know which of these statements are true and which are false.

1. You have to go on a detoxification program in order for your body to detoxify.

False. Your body was built to detoxify. Our liver is our master detoxifier, filtering external toxins such as air pollution, food additives, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and industrial toxins; and internal toxins such as the by-products of metabolism. Your body is detoxifying 24/7.

2. Your liver needs specific nutrients to detoxify properly.

True. There are two phases of detoxification in the liver and each phase needs a handful of different nutrients as co-factors for chemical processes. B vitamins, folic acid, antioxidants, vitamin E, vitamin C, amino acids, selenium and zinc are just a few needed for each pathway.

3. Since our bodies are detoxifying all the time, we don’t need to do seasonal cleanses.

False. In theory, we shouldn’t need to do anything special, but unfortunately our bodies have never been under such stress as we are in today’s world. Thousands of new chemicals are introduced into our environments, food and beauty products each year. We overburden our liver with these toxins and heavy diets full of processed food. There are numerous studies showing our high levels of toxicity in our blood which means our bodies have more than they can handle. If our bodies cannot detoxify and eliminate effectively, these toxins will re-circulate.

4. Cleansing involves fasting and starvation.

False. Fasts and starvation diets don’t provide the nutrients and fiber you need to cleanse efficiently. Most people feel ill on a low calorie, nutrient poor diet, while cleansing is supposed to make you feel energized, happy and clear headed. While short term fasting can rest your digestive system, it is not recommended unless you are experienced at cleanses, have a strong disposition with no pre existing health problems.

Tips for Safe and Effective Cleansing

1. Start with your diet. Increase your supply of antioxidant and fiber rich fruits and vegetables, including lots of raw vegetables. Remove processed foods and other sources of artificial ingredients and additives, and lighten your load on heavy or hard to digest foods such as red meat.

2. Clean up your environment. Check your ingredient list on your cleaning products and beauty products you use daily. These chemicals bi-pass liver detoxification by going directly through your skin into your blood. Are these daily products adding to your toxic load?

3. Open the ‘doors of elimination’. Your ‘doors of elimination’ need to be open in order to ensure toxins are being removed from your body and not being re-absorbed. Your doors include:

a. Bowels. Your liver dumps all your wastes into your bowels to be removed from your body. If your bowels aren’t moving properly (1-3 times a day), some of these toxins could be re-absorbed and re-circulate in your body. Ensure you are eating 30-40 grams of fiber a day from plant foods, or take a natural fiber supplement such as psyllium husk to help move things along. This is always important, but especially during a cleanse.

b. Lungs. Deep breathing and exercise helps remove toxins through your lungs efficiently.

c. Skin. Being your largest organ, a lot of waste is eliminated through your skin. Sweating daily, skin dry brushing and not clogging your pores with lotions and products will help you detoxify much more thoroughly.

d. Lymphatic system. Many toxins are stored in your lymphatic fluid which are eventually dumped into your spleen and bowel for removal. Ensure your lymphatic fluid is moving through movement, exercise and massaging the lymph nodes.

e. Urinary System. Drink lots of pure water until your urine is clear and odourless.

4. Make a sacrifice. Not in biblical terms, but modern terms. Give up at least one thing you feel may becoming a vice, something that may be making you feel sluggish or you could do without temporarily. Coffee, bread, sugar, alcohol, processed foods and or red meat are good options.

5. Support with supplements. Taking a high quality multivitamin and mineral supplement along with digestive support supplements such as probiotics and fiber can ensure you are getting the detoxification support nutrients and eliminating properly.

6. Re-introduce slowly. This is a fantastic and affordable way to test for allergies and sensitivities. Re-introduce any eliminated foods one at a time and watch to see how you feel and react. Take 1-2 days for each suspected food.

Cleansing does not have to be complicated, expensive, or extreme. It is always a good idea to be educated and supported when doing cleanses for the first time. If you have further questions or want to make sure you are doing a cleanse safely and correctly, seek the guidance of a health professional such as a nutritionist or naturopathic doctor

Kerri Cooper BSc., CNP  is a Holistic Nutritionist and a nutrition educator. She has a special interest working with women throughout their reproductive years, advising them on issues related to fertility, pre-conception detoxification, pre and post-natal nutrition and breastfeeding.

Meditation for Moms – or anyone who doesn’t want to lose their mind.

And you know exactly what I am referring to.

If you’re a new mom, there comes a point when you give up trying to “keep up” and give in to reality. Your life has changed, permanently. And it’s not going to get any easier either. This is true. There must be a way to cope.

If you are more of a veteran like myself, you have come to this conclusion probably years ago, but just accepted that craziness is the new norm and everyone yells at their kids trying to get them out the door for school, don’t they?

Well not anymore and at least not this mom. Read the rest of this entry »

Energy survival tips for moms

It makes me giggle sometimes when a client will comment on how “good” I look or how “full of energy” I am. Hey…don’t forget, looks can be deceiving but then I do have a few secrets up my sleeve.

Like every mom on the planet, my days are filled with schedules, routines and lack there of. As much as I try my best to prepare, life still throws me curve balls to keep me on my toes. Having said that, if something does come up out of the blue, I try my best not to panic because we all know what that does; it only creates more panic and the domino’s begin to roll…

Now although we would love to control the way the universe works, there are somethings that we just need to put out there and let things fall where they may. However, we DO have a choice on how good and energetic we feel so we are better prepared for nature’s surprises. Read the rest of this entry »

Creating balance in your pregnancy and postpartum. By team member – Carla Parchment

“Everything is energy that’s all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way.  This is not philosophy. This is physics.”  – Albert Einstein

There is a shift taking place when it comes to pregnancy and birth in our modern culture. The truth about birth is returning to the light and is being embraced by more and more women and their families.

Many mothers-to-be are reclaiming their natural rite of passage. “Our children deserve to be brought into the world with trust, gentleness and love. ” Read the rest of this entry »

Training your body as a “whole” – By team member: Alycia Spadafora

I personally believe in training our bodies as a whole. What do I mean by that? To train whole means to incorporate not only our physical body but also our mental and emotional bodies into our workouts. How our physical body reacts to our chosen lifestyle (good or bad) is a direct reflection of how our minds feel. Lets take a look at each element in more detail.

Physical: the things we can see, feel and touch

We are very familiar with our physical body, especially after we have a baby. The postpartum body can be difficult for some when the media does an extensive job on examining what is accepted as “beautiful” or “normal”. We often compare ourselves to others and expect our bodies to transform instantly. Working out is not just a quick fix it’s a lifestyle change. It takes time and hard work to succeed. So when you’re looking through magazines and watching what seems like perfection, don’t sit there and compare.  How can you compare your beginning to someone else’s ending?  Read the rest of this entry »

So now that you’re a mom, how do you stick to your plan? Great advice from team member: Michelle Crispe

To stick to your plan you have to change how you think-completely. It is not enough for you to just decide to change. You must repeat new patterns of thought over and over to reprogram your beliefs or your new habits will never stick.

You see most people just decide they are going to change and start going to the gym but that is a function of your conscious mind which is not the part of your brain in control. Have you ever noticed that when you decide you want to change something like perhaps you want to be more organized, that you go to work and clean out your office only to find it a mess in two weeks? Or you say I’m giving up sugar only to be eating it the following day? Read the rest of this entry »

A moms dream!! Increase your energy and mood in 60 seconds flat! – By team member: Donna Foster-Larocque

As we head into the third month of the winter season, you might find your energy level is low and that you feel tired or simply exhausted all the time! If you’re like me, you’re also looking forward to waking up to warmer weather and to more sunshine!

But there are ways that you can kick start your body to increase your energy level and improve your mood in just 60 seconds! Yes, you read correctly, in just 60 seconds you can improve your overall mental and physical health.

First, let’s focus on some tips to help improve you mentally. Read the rest of this entry »