Did you know that heart disease remains the leading causes of death in Canada? The good news is that 80 per cent of cardiovascular diseases are preventable through healthy lifestyle and diet. By adopting a healthier lifestyle, you can delay the onset of heart disease or stroke by as much as 14 years! You can further reduce your risk by considering these heart-healthy steps:
• Be smoke-free
• Be physically active
• Control your blood pressure
• Keep your blood cholesterol levels in check
• Eat a healthy diet
• Achieve and maintain a healthy weight
• Manage your diabetes
• Limit alcohol use
• Reduce stress
Community News
Clean Eating Recipe
Healthy Breakfast Egg Muffins: INGREDIENTS: 12 large eggs, 1/4 cup milk, 1 cup chopped spinach, 3/4 cup quartered cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup diced onions. INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir in the spinach, tomatoes, and onions. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Add sliced avocado, salsa and crumbled feta or a shredded cheese before serving. This recipe freezes well for future easy healthy breakfasts.
Tuning Into Ourselves
The demands on each of us during this global pandemic continue to take their toll on our health and well-being. Intuitive Counselling can be an effective tool to support ourselves during this time of crisis. Everyone is intuitive and we all have the ability to tap into our own inner knowledge and wisdom. Intuitive Counselling provides support and guidance to help you: connect with your intuition; process emotions and blockages; and develop holistic practices to reduce stress, feel more grounded, and move forward with clarity and confidence. If this type of holistic support resonates with you, reach out to Safe Harbour Therapy.
January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that destroys brain cells, causing thinking ability and memory to deteriorate over time. Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging and is irreversible. While it’s difficult to predict symptoms, the order in which they will appear or the speed of their progression, there are some warning signs you can look out for. Sudden changes to your loved one’s personality are often another sign that something is not right. These changes can include anxiety, paranoia, depression, and socially inappropriate behaviors, as well as sudden mood swings and physical aggression.
A Keto New Year
The Holidays can leave us all feeling sluggish, tired and heavier than usual. That’s where the keto diet can help. It’s great for boosting your energy, getting rid of excess weight and helping you feel healthy again. The purpose of the keto diet is to switch your body’s metabolism from burning carbohydrates/sugars for fuel to using fat instead – that metabolic state is called ketosis. And during ketosis, your body breaks down fat into molecules called ketones, which it uses as an energy source. A Keto diet can help you lose fat, manage your appetite, and increase focus and concentration.
Dry January? Try Solbrü
The “sober curious” or “sober sometimes” movement started as a challenge for those who felt they’d partied a little too hard over New Year’s weekend. A 2016 British study of about 850 men and women who volunteered to abstain from alcohol during Dry January found that participants reported a range of benefits. For instance, 82 percent said they felt a sense of achievement. “Better sleep” was cited by 62 percent, and 49 percent said they lost some weight. They had improvements in insulin sensitivity, their blood pressure numbers improved, and their livers looked a little healthier.
Treat Your Jaw Pain
Clenching and grinding your teeth, whether during the day or at night, is the most common cause of jaw pain. Over time, the heightened muscle activity can lead to trigger points within the chewing muscles that may cause pain, soreness, limited mouth opening, and even headaches. Physiotherapy can provide effective treatment for temporomandibular dysfunction. Your therapist may use a combination of manual therapy, intra-oral massage, dry needling, and home exercises to decrease muscle tone and encourage relaxation. Try to avoid the forward head posture, common when in front of a computer, as it negatively affects the biomechanics of the jaw.
Cannabis for Arthritis Pain
Did you know that cannabis is gaining popularity as a treatment for arthritis? Cannabis can be used to ease pain and reduce swelling related to arthritis. It can also be a far less harmful and less addictive way to treat those suffering from chronic pain associated with arthritis. This can be done without getting “stoned” or feeling “high”. Products that are CBD-based (cannabidiol) can help manage pain and relieve symptoms without any “high”, while THC-based products (tetrahydrocannabinol) can cause a more intoxicated feeling. Some products offer a balance of both CBD and THC for another effective option for pain relief.
Enriching the Life of Your Pet
Keeping your pet in good physical shape is an important part of their wellness, but it’s crucial to provide mental stimulation and enrichment for them as well. Depending on the breed and personality of your dog, a walk doesn’t always provide enough stimulation. Drop-in visits from a pet sitter give your dog the opportunity for an extra play session during the day. For high energy dogs, or those needing more socialization, daycare is a great option. Even if it’s not every day, it gives your dog something to look forward to during the week. There are also many cognitive enrichment toys and puzzles you can purchase for your dogs, cats and birds to keep their minds sharp.
Avoid Overdoing It
If you’re starting to work out for the first time in a while, not only can it be easy to lose motivation, but it’s also easy to suffer an injury if you rush back too quickly. Listen to your body. There’s a difference between feeling sore after a good workout and being in pain. If something feels weird, gives you pain, or hurts more than you feel it should, take a break and slow down. Include a warm-up and cool-down. A good warm-up prepares your body for activity and a cool-down helps you recover. Both are important. Don’t skip them because you want to rush into things. Increase gradually
Have a Smoke-Free 2021
Something about leaving an old year behind and looking ahead at the clean slate of a new one inspires most of us to try. We think about making lasting positive changes in our lives, and we do it with hope and enthusiasm. If you’re planning to start the new year without a cigarette in your hand, but have had no luck sticking with past New Year’s resolutions, consider laser therapy. Laser therapy can help to control cravings and withdrawal symptoms. In clinical studies, patients report a noticeable reduction in cravings, and have a higher chance of success in quitting.
