Community News
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!

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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

Home Remedies for a Cough

Did you know that onions can be used to cleanse airways and reduce congestion? Try a poultice of roasted onion to the chest every few hours. They can also be drunk as a warm broth. Cabbage also works well, as it has an extraordinary ability to draw out toxin. Crush the leaves with a rolling pin until the juice starts to appear. Place 3 or 4 leaves over the chest and cover with gauze. You can also drink the juice of a cabbage sweetened with a little bit of honey. Adapted from the book “The New Guide to Remedies” by Paragon Staff

6 Ways to Alkalize Your Body

Did you know that your immunity is based on how alkaline your diet is? Having an overly acidic diet eventually leads to a weakened state, and our bodies become susceptible to disease. Here are six ways to alkalize – and healthify – your body! 1. Drink plenty of water. Drink half your body weight in ounces every day to keep your body systems regulated. For an extra boost in alkalinity – add lemon! 2. Trade coffee for tea. Green tea is highly alkaline. Try jasmine, Sencha or Matcha. 3. Kick that sugar habit. Use stevia, coconut sugar or small amounts of honey in place of sugar. 4. Eat more greens. Vegetables are highly alkaline and oxygen rich. Consume fresh green vegetables often as possible. 5. Move. Exercise to create more oxygen and qi flow in the body and to avoid stagnation. 6. Reduce stress. Meditate as often as possible, practice deep breathing, do yoga, and get plenty of sleep

Call for Nominees

The YWCA Brandon is now accepting nominations for our 30th Annual Women of Distinction Awards Gala coming up on March 2, 2017 at the Keystone Centre, Brandon. The Women of Distinction Awards Gala is a formal event held to promote and showcase women’s achievements in the City of Brandon and Westman. This prestigious award recognizes women’s individual accomplishments, women who are inspirational role models and women who have made significant contributions to the community. Proceeds from this event support the essential programs and services provided by the YWCA Brandon. The YWCA Westman Women’s Shelter operates a domestic/family violence shelter for women and their children fleeing abuse and 24 hour crisis line (204) 727-3644. Our Meredith Place location operates 3 family emergency homeless units and a 21 bed coed transition housing residences. For nomination information contact BJ or Lorna at ywca2@wcgwave.ca, (204) 571-3680 or visit our website www.ywcabrandon.com

Acupuncture for Menopause

Many menopausal women complain that “hot flash” is too mild a word for an experience that they say is more like jumping into a fire. Hot flashes can include feelings of intense heat, profuse sweating and rapid heartbeat. Fortunately, a new study suggests that acupuncture can help to reduce the severity and frequency of hot flashes with regular treatments. The most effective treatment for hot flashes is hormone therapy – the use of medication that contains estrogen or progesterone. However, such treatment can increase the risk of other health conditions, including stroke, heart disease and cancer. Many women also experience unwanted side effects from hormone therapy. This is why Acupuncture works so well as an alternative treatment. If you’re a woman experiencing painful hot flashes, give acupuncture a try!

Dr. Li Lin, Brandon Acupuncture, www.brandon-acupuncture.com

Innovation in Pilates

Pilates is a full-body exercise. It focuses on the core while training the entire body as an integrated system. The workouts include ones that improve strength and balanced muscle development, flexibility and increased range of motion. The moves may look simple but take a lot of precision and control. You can do Pilates on a mat in class, at home, or individually with an instructor. Areas that Pilates targets are core areas and legs with focus on stabilizing and strengthening your abdominals and back. It generates flexibility and strength using your own body weight! Top benefits of doing Pilates include becoming stronger, longer, leaner, and more able to move with ease. Pilates can be done by anyone, including athletes, in rehabilitation phases post injury, seniors, pregnant women and everyone in-between. There are literally hundreds of exercises and modifications for each client.

Marita Dowsett B.P.T., Physio 4 U

Find Balance in an Unbalanced World

Are you feeling stressed, overwhelmed, out of balance? Do you lack purpose in your life? A new year often brings thoughts of promising to make a positive change! These changes can help you move towards a balanced life. There are 7 key areas of life that everyone deserves balance in; fitness, finance, family, field (career), faith, friends, & fun. This balance is called living an Oola Life! Oola is a program created by Dr. Dave Braun & Troy Amdahl that teaches you how to have that feeling of awesomeness or “ooo-la-la!” Check out the Community Events for info on the live Oola Balance: A Personal Growth Workshop in association with Young Living where you can learn how to construct a personal growth plan to enhance each of the 7 key areas of life & how essential oils can enhance your journey!

Sylvia Provenski, Young Living Essential Oils, www.canadianmoms.ca

What are the Bars? – Synergy in Motion

“The Bars” are 32 points on your head, which, when lightly touched, release old energies stuck in the brain and the body allowing for tremendous and easy change. The Bars take all the considerations, thoughts, feelings, emotions, decisions, judgments, and beliefs from any lifetime, that are electrically stored in the brain and releases them. This release occurs when the Bars are touched; it allows that stored junk to be released. What can Bars change? Phobias, depression, body pain, deeper sleep, more energy, dissipate stress, unlock creativity, find clarity and calm, melt emotional overwhelm, money flows, relationships, body bliss, the ease with exams, helps people who suffer from depression, anxiety, ADD, addictions, and so much more! How long does the effect of a Bars session last? Once you have your Bars done, the Bars “run” or continue to release stuck energy forever. The most dramatic effects tend to be noticed within 3-4 weeks of the session. Wendy Enns, Access Consciousness Bars

Yin & Yang

Yin Yoga is a slow-paced style of yoga with postures, or asanas, that are held for longer periods of time. For beginners, it may range from 45 seconds to 2 minutes; more advanced practitioners may stay in one asana for 5 minutes or more. Yin Yoga postures are more passive postures, mainly on the floor. The majority of postures equal only about three dozen or so, much less than the more popular Yang-like practices. Yin Yoga is unique in that you are asked to relax in the posture, soften the muscle and move closer to the bone. While Yang-like yoga practices are more superficial, Yin offers a much deeper access to the body. It is not uncommon to see postures held for 3 to 5 minutes, even 20 minutes at a time. The intimate practice of Yin Yoga requires students to be ready to get intimate with the self, with feelings, sensations, and emotions. We offer Yin classes (that we call “Soothe” classes) that are fun and accessible for all levels and abilities!

Robin Chant, Inspire You Studio, www.inspireyoustudio.com