Empowering author Elizabeth Gilbert asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.
Community News
Did You Know?
Blue corn has been popping up as an ingredient everywhere from tortilla chips to breakfast cereal. New research suggests that anthocyanins, the nutrients that give the corn its blue color, may help protect against metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer!
www.newhope.com
Clean Eating: Spaghetti Squash “Mac ‘n’ Cheese”
Ingredients:
1 large spaghetti squash
3 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp spelt flour
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion or garlic powder
pinch ground black pepper
1 cup (4 oz) any hard cheese, shredded.
Red pepper flakes, to taste. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Wash squash, cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds with a spoon. Place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 40-50 minutes. Let cool and separate into strands with a fork. Preheat medium pot on low-medium heat and melt oil. Whisk in flour and milk until smooth. Add salt, onion powder and pepper; whisk and let simmer for about 4 minutes or until sauce has slightly thickened. Add cheese and whisk again until smooth. Add squash and mix gently with a spoon to combine. Cover and let squash warm through for about 5 minutes. Enjoy!
The Mindful Valentine
Valentine’s Day.. a day for celebrating love (and chocolate). I often refer to mindful eating as a way of practicing self-care around food. Taking care of yourself by making conscious decisions that leave you feeling better after eating. Not worse. How do you show love for yourself around food? Write yourself a letter and count the ways you love thee or could love thee. “I eat sitting down. I pay attention to my first few bites. I chew thoroughly before my next bite. I eat anything without guilt. I ask myself if I’m hungry before I eat. I listen to my body to see how hungry I am before my first bite. When I eat too much, I just learn from it and move on. I eat for fuel, nourishment, and pleasure. Every day is a day for showing yourself love around food. Celebrate how you nourish your body and spirit.
Lisa Kehler, Off Your Plate Nutrition, www.offyourplatenutrition.ca
Self-Improvement 101
Is there something about your health, personal life or career you would like to improve? The first step is having the desire to change whatever is affecting you. Once you have a desire, you then begin to focus on the end result you wish to create. Sometimes it is smooth sailing to bridge the gap between a desire and reaching the goal. Sometimes it is a lot of work and effort to get there. How much do our inner blocks, limiting beliefs and self-sabotage affect and hinder our ability to reach our goals? What I have learned is that the inner struggles, strife and negative self-talk we are up against are the major contributing factors preventing us from achieving our desires and goals. The key is to become aware of these inner factors and fully resolve them, which clears the inner path to reach your goals.
Shannon Russell, BodyMind Freedom Solutions, www.thedashmethod.com
Live Life to its Fullest
We are all here on earth on borrowed time. None of us know how much time we have left. The only real choice we have is how to embrace the life we have and live it fully! The challenge is to experience and learn from the life that’s happening to you instead of wishing you could have someone else’s. What if you knew you only had one week to live? Who would you see and how would you spend your precious time? We all eventually die and leave behind our worldly possessions. What will it take for you to live the fullest every day as if was your last week? To appreciate every given moment and live it as though death is near, not with fear, but with a sweet savoring of all that is…as you embrace life to its fullness!
D’Arcy Bruning-Haid, www.souls-journey.com
Are You Addicted to Sugar?
Do you find it hard getting up in the morning, and do you crash in the afternoon? YES/NO. Do you suffer from brain fog, headaches or moodiness? YES/NO. Do you crave carbs like pasta and pastries? YES/NO. Do you ever try to hide your sugar intake, or eat it secretly? YES/NO. Do you have a hard time with controlling your cravings? YES/NO. Answer ‘YES’ to these questions? You, like millions of other Canadians, most likely have a sugar addiction. Scientists have found that sugar stimulates the same pleasure centers of the brain as cocaine or heroin. Just like those hard-core drugs, getting off sugar leads to withdrawal and cravings, requiring an actual detox process to wean off. Cutting ties with your sugar addiction can do wonders for your skin, mood, waistline, and sleep schedule. Try cutting back a little every day, and eventually take bigger steps. For example, if you are craving something sweet, have a piece of fruit, or stop adding sugar to your morning coffee.
Felly Grieve, A1 Nutrition, www.a1nutritiongrant.com
5 New Year’s Resolutions to Boost Your Health
It’s a new year and a perfect time to start good healthy habits. Here are five tips to drive your immune system into gear so you can live 2017 full of strength and vitality! 1. Exercise. The Canadian Diabetes Clinical Practice Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of cardio plus two sessions of resistance training per week. 2. Eat more fruits and vegetables. The Mediterranean diet has been proven to lower one’s risk for heart disease and improve longevity. 3. See your doctor for routine checkups. Screening early for disease can help prevent or lessen problems from the disease. 4. Get vaccinated. This allows your body to fight off infections. Check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist to see whether you are up-to-date. 6. Reduce stress. Meditate, do yoga and get plenty of sleep. Make time to pamper yourself!
Care At Home Pharmacy, www.careathomepharmacy.ca
The Best Way to a Persons Heart
This Valentine’s day, you might be thinking the best way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. While this may or may not be true, research shows one of the best ways to optimal mental health is, indeed, through the stomach. What you eat is critical to the health of your entire body including brain health. Many of the nutrients we digest are essential building blocks of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) that regulate mood, appetite, sleep, weight and a myriad of other processes that work to keep us functioning properly. Diets containing whole grains, fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, lean meat, and fatty fish as well as probiotic-rich foods like pickles, sauerkraut, and kefir are associated with better physical and mental health. Omega 3 fatty acid and vitamin supplementation can play an integral role in our mental health, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Always consult your healthcare provider before making lifestyle changes.
Sean Miller, Canadian Mental Health Association, mbwpg.cmha.ca
3 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism
Are you looking to kick-start your metabolism? Here are a few tips! 1. Build Muscle. Your body always burns calories, even when you’re doing nothing. Your resting metabolic rate is much higher if you have muscle. After a session of strength training, muscles are activated all over your body, raising your average daily metabolic rate. 2. Keep Drinking. Your body needs water to process calories. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down. To stay hydrated, drink a glass of water or other unsweetened beverage before every meal and snack. 3. Power Up With Protein. Your body burns many more calories digesting protein than it does with carbohydrates. As part of a balanced diet, replacing some carbs with lean, protein-rich foods can boost metabolism at mealtime. Good sources of protein include lean beef, turkey, fish, chicken, tofu, nuts, beans, eggs, and low-fat dairy products. Now get ready to become a lean, mean, calorie-burning machine!
www.disabilitytaxcreditwinnipeg.com
Book Club: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō. Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles? Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. www.goodreads.com
