Has your health provider recommended that you try yoga? Yoga is for every body, at any age. Here’s why: Increased flexibility: You don’t have to be a super “bendy” person to benefit from yoga. In fact, lack of flexibility is what initially leads many people to yoga. Practicing yoga poses correctly and regularly will help to stretch muscles and increase the range of motion in your joints. Better posture: Using abdominal muscles to maintain poses will help strengthen your core, making it easier to stand taller, and stronger. Improved breathing: The deep, mindful breathing of yoga can help you increase lung capacity and endurance, and can be very helpful for anyone looking to improve their athletic performance. Stress Relief: Yoga can give you a sense of calm, right from your very first class. Over time you will learn to quiet the mind and better handle stress and anxiety.

Susan Pederson, Owner of Suga Yoga
SugaYogaParksville.com

Want to decrease your stress levels? Try downsizing your closets, home office or garage. These are the three most likely places that need a clean-up on a regular basis, as we tend to throw stuff on surfaces or in piles rather than finding it a permanent home. Start from one corner of the desk, garage or shelf and keep going until you feel happy with the results. Schedule downsizing daily, weekly or monthly and hold yourself accountable to stick to it. Keep a recycle box close to your desk, a donation bag in your bedroom closet and a garbage can in your garage so they are close by when you need them. You won’t get distracted and defeated from having to hunt one down if it’s already in place. See if you can convince your friends or family to help with a problematic area; they may be downsizing addicts and are itching to help!

Marian Remenda, Professional Organizer, Rightsize Your Home
Right-SizeYourHome.com

A health problem may start many years before you experience a symptom. The symptom is like the tip of the ice berg. Warning signs can be plantar warts, corns, athlete’s foot or ingrown toenails. There was a man who had plantar warts at the ball of his foot. In Reflexology, the ball of the foot corresponds to the lung. The plantar warts were surgically removed. He was also a smoker with morning cough. Once he stopped smoking, the cough went away. It is important to heed the warning signs that our bodies give us. With Chinese Medicine, Reflexology, or knowledge about Meridians (Acupuncture, Acupressure), a practitioner knows where in the body a problem is starting. With Reconnective Healing® the body/Creator knows what to heal.

Anna Christine Doehring, RHFP, RCP, Energy All Around Therapies
Energy-All-Around.com

Registered Nutrition Consultant Practitioners (RNCPs) are scientific evidence-based trained nutritional professionals who can educate you about diet, lifestyle and detoxification for optimum health and energy. They can design an individualized nutrition program that respects your unique biochemistry, food sensitivities and intolerances to help you build and maintain wellness. When designing a program, environmental pollution, metal toxicity, micro-organism imbalances, medications, and other factors that can contribute to your body’s total toxic load and perpetuates chronic disease are considered. RNCPs support your body’s natural detoxification processes to help eliminate wastes and toxins that can damage cells, tissues and organs. They can help you with lifestyle changes that incorporate the benefits of regular exercise: better cardio and lung capacity, more energy, muscle tone, posture improvement, stress release, weight control, and mood enhancement. RNCPs are certified by the International Organization of Nutritional Consultants.

Crystal McMillan, MA, RNCP, Bareroots Natural Health and Yoga Centre
BarerootsNaturalHealth.com

Many seniors wish to maintain an independent lifestyle in the comfort and familiarity of their own home but find it difficult to do so as they age. The good news is that there are a wide range of services available to help seniors do just that. These cost-effective services range from general care to extended care to nursing care. The level of care required is determined with an initial in-depth assessment and consultation welcoming family members, support providers and clients to identify the specific areas of need and care required. General care may include regular or special diet meal planning/preparation, assistance with appointments, grocery shopping and light housekeeping. Extended care attendants can provide family relief/respite, personal care, medication dispensing, pre/post operative and rehabilitation care. Nurses can help with Injections, wound care, catheter and colostomy changes and more. The level of care required can range from one visit per week to twenty four hour, full time care.

Sue Williams, Owner, Sue’s Seniors Care Inc.
SuesSeniorCare.com

As important as it is to feel safe at home, that feeling shouldn’t end when you head out the door. You want to feel safe and secure wherever you might be! Whether in your home, walking to your mailbox or going on vacation, there are devices available that give you 24/7 access to help. These on-the-go devices can send an alert when you press a button, sense when you fall and send an automatic alert, and provide direct, two-way communication with a 24/7 Response Center. They are designed to help locate the user in a variety of situations – home or away, indoors and out.  It really is possible to get out there and enjoy life with peace of mind.

Joan Ryan, Nanaimo Lifeline
NanaimoLifeline.ca

What is it and how will you know when you achieve it? Many of us have learned to look outside to what society tells us, whether it be family, friends or the media. From a young age, we have been trained to look up to our elders, do as we are told and mind our manners.  Some of these things are good but some are limiting and don’t encourage us to discover our own truth. As a result, we end up in pain; physical, mental, emotional or spiritual pain, all of which is the body speaking to get our attention. A sense of feeling unfulfilled or overwhelmed is another sign of being out of balance. Fortunately, there is much that we can do to change this. Meditation, massage, essential oils and nutritional supplements can all be incorporated into our lives. Join us at the Wellnessnews Workshop on May 17 where you will receive tools and much more.

Tammy Phye, R.A., EOT, Lifestyle Harmony
LifestyleHarmony.ca

Did you know that any sound exceeding 60 decibels can have a negative impact on your hearing? A music player can reach up to 100 decibels, and at that level, it would only take 15 minutes for you to inflict some damage on your hearing. It is tempting to crank up the volume when you hear a great song, or even if you are in a noisy environment and find it difficult to hear, but your hearing health is too important to sacrifice for a moment of enjoyment. Some music players are equipped with volume locks to warn you of dangerous sound levels and/or to prevent you from turning up the volume to a dangerous level. If you find it hard to hear your music in a noisy place, wait until you are in a quieter environment; you will hear the music better anyway!

Lana Cuddeford, Nanaimo, HearingLife Canada
hearinglifecanada.ca