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Proffee—the next best brew?

Just when you thought we couldn’t possibly come up with another iteration of a coffee drink, the newest craze, “proffee”—a combination of a protein shake and a coffee—may just be the next best thing for your pre-workout or morning pick-me-up. Protein fuels our bodies and assists in repairing muscles and coffee is chock-full of antioxidants. With both ingredients providing their own style of energy, it’s no wonder these two have been paired up. As a bonus, protein helps you feel full longer, so proffee may help keep you satiated on those grab-and-go breakfast days.

The recipe is simple—mix coffee with protein powder and drink up! By choosing a flavoured powder you can likely skip adding any sugar, but feel free to mix it up and personalize your concoction by adding a dash of your preferred sweetener or syrup. However, since many protein powders contain high doses of sugar, keep an eye on the label (and on your additions).

Beans have mesmerized us since childhood stories of enchanted stalks and precious legumes that make magic happen. Fairytales may be make-believe, but one thing we know is that the magic of beans is real, Jack. Case in point, adzuki beans. These small red beans are finally enjoying time in the limelight thanks to their unique sweet, nutty flavour and excellent nutritional value.

Not only are adzuki beans packed with antioxidants, but they are gluten free, are a great source of fibre, and may have anti-inflammatory effects. Plus, it’s easy to experience their magic! These delightful little beans are uber versatile and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes—from stir-fry or curry to pastry and cake. Magic beans, indeed!

Raising the bar on dish soap

When it comes to sudsing up, we’re getting back to basics, and trust us when we say it’s a good thing! Bar soap has done the job for thousands of years but it has recently taken over the cleaning scene. Our favourite part? The packaging—or lack thereof. With little to no packaging, bar soap makes for an eco-friendlier choice, plus it can do the work when it comes to scrubbing. Look for soaps wrapped in recycled paper, cardboard, or nothing at all for the eco-friendliest option. Bar soap will also last you longer since, on average, only 0.35 grams of soap are used when washing hands compared to 2.3 grams for liquid alternatives. With a growing range of scents and moisturizing formulas, it’s no wonder we’re looking to bar soap these days to tackle our pile of dirty dishes!

Pop go the water lily seeds!

What’s popping in food these days? Water lily seeds ... literally. Not only have they been tagged as a hot food trend, they’re also full of nutrients (and did we mention they’re delicious?). Also known as Euryale ferox , Mahkana, fox nuts, and gorgon nuts, you may have seen water lily seeds on a store shelf near you. They puff up to an extra-large blueberry size when roasted and have a popcorn-like texture that dissolves in your mouth. Used in Ayurvedic medicine and cooking for centuries, they’re just as good for you as they are yummy, making them a smart snack!

Not to be confused with water lotus seeds (which is a common misconception), they taste great with ghee (a type of clarified butter), salt, and spices, and come in a variety of oh-so-tasty flavours. Expect to see them on more shelves soon. Bonus? You won’t get those pesky popcorn kernels stuck in your teeth!

It’s 7 am, and your eyes open to the musical chimes of your phone alarm going off. You roll over to your bedside table, flopping your hand on your phone, luckily stabbing the yellow STOP button in the middle of the screen. With a deft flick of your thumb and quick retinal scan from your barely opened eye, you’ve jacked into nothing and everything all at once. The day’s bombardment has begun, and you just woke 16 seconds ago.

Have you thought about how much your brain might be processing during this rushed awakening from slumber to content onslaught? And the kind of mental gymnastics your brain is already performing?

Creating a morning routine can help you break the unhealthy cycle of distraction and distress that can assault your brain when you start your day with your smartphone. It also allows you to find purpose each morning and start your day with your best interests in mind.

Sample morning routine

Here are seven ideas to include in your morning routine, some that have helped me improve my own mornings. When putting your routine together, try to aim for at least 30 minutes, including waking up, making your bed, and showering, which will likely use up about half of this time.

While these morning chores are part of a valuable routine, the really positive brain work comes from meditation, journalling, and affirmation. Most importantly, you must work with what’s happening around you and with those you share a life with. Remember that a shorter routine is better than no routine.

When creating a new morning routine, add one or two pieces to begin with. Get used to doing them for two weeks, and then add on another couple, eventually creating your full routine after six to eight weeks of learning, tweaking, and growing.

Wake up at the same time every day

Creating a successful morning routine starts with finding a time at which you can comfortably wake up each day. By having a set time, you’ll be confident you have enough time to go through each part of your routine and not be rushed to get out the door for work.

Make your bed

Making your bed won’t only impress your mom, but the action of checking off something on your to-do list within mere minutes of waking up will set the tone for your day. It not only looks good but also creates a sense of pride and self-confidence.

Take a cold-water shower

Bringing planned discomfort into your morning may help you prepare for future stress you can’t predict. Ending your shower with 30+ seconds under the cold faucet may benefit you in many ways, from speeding up your metabolism to improving your immune response.

Drink some lemon water

Help your digestion with a kick-start in the morning. Drinking water with fresh lemon juice can infuse your body with health-giving phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals, while also helping to instill the habit of drinking more water during your day.

Write in a journal

Journalling is a great way to deal with the swirling thoughts in your head that arise from work, difficult relationships, and other daily life struggles. The idea of writing down your thoughts is much easier than you might think. Try starting with making bullet points and setting a timer for how long you’ll focus on this area. Remember, the journal is only for your eyes, so be straight to the point, don’t edit yourself, and don’t worry about being judged.

Meditate

Take advantage of the peace and tranquility of the morning. Meditation comes in many forms, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t feel like a Yogi Master. To start your new meditation routine, find a quiet, comfortable area where you can sit upright. Then close your eyes, focus your attention on your breathing, and take in the quiet surrounding you. Start small and work up from there.

Practise daily affirmations

One of my favourite ways to end morning routines is to take my thoughts and speak them out loud to the universe. It’s one thing to daydream and hold our desires inside, but it’s another thing to voice those thoughts out loud: it can have a greater effect on our actions in making them real. Here are a few suggested affirmations that might get you started.

> I’ve been through hard things before and have survived them. I will survive.

> I wake up every morning ready for a new day of exciting possibilities.

> I’ll surround myself with positive people who will help bring out the best in me.

> I’m grateful to be alive. It’s my joy and pleasure to live another wonderful day.

How to maintain muscle and bone health as we age

I was gliding backward. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, praying as much for bravery as for success. Then I committed, stepping forward and launching myself into the air. After completing one-and-a-half rotations, I landed cleanly—thud. My Axel had been mastered.

For months I had been having more success with increasingly complicated jumps. Singles became doubles, and I was gaining more height and speed. I was finally becoming the athlete I had envisioned when I began figure skating at the age of seven (after watching my older cousin perform in an end-of-year show to Kermit the Frog’s “Rainbow Connection”—I have always been sentimental).

Then I landed it again. And again. And again. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Now, if only that knee pain would subside

Swelling had appeared just below both of my kneecaps. Ice packs helped for a while. Eventually, I would swallow a couple of antiinflammatories with my post-practice blueberry slushie. Then two became four, which became eight.

My pediatrician sent me for X-rays; I was diagnosed with Osgood-Schlatter disease. The tops of my shins had been shattered as a result of the repeated pounding they sustained while cushioning my jumps. My orthopaedic landing gear was failing. My career path to triple Axels was over.

What now? I had to not only heal but also find another way to stay active doing something I loved.

A natural part of aging

I was experiencing at an early age what we all eventually will be subjected to: joint and muscle pain. While mine was triggered prematurely due to excessive wear and tear, all of us will suffer degradation and loss of our cartilage, bone density, and muscle strength. It is a natural part of the aging process.

Dr. Pascal-André Vendittoli, a professor at the University of Montreal, is an orthopaedic surgeon with a sub-specialty in hip and knee replacement. He says that past the age of 40, we lose about 1 percent of our bone density annually. (Rue the day we live to be 140 years old: our hearts will be beating, but we’ll be boneless piles of goo waiting for a very able-bodied Uber driver.) He adds that for many people, the degradation can be more severe.

“We know that in the general population there are about 15 percent of people who will really suffer from wear and tear on their knees and hips throughout their life. They will need to receive treatments to try to improve their condition. This can be a medical treatment, or a surgical treatment to replace the joint with a prosthetic,” says Vendittoli.

Vendittoli emphasizes that surgery is a last resort, to be considered only once the chronic discomfort and lack of function interfere with daily tasks such as walking, standing, or being able to perform your job.

Cherries can help

Tart cherry juice may be especially beneficial against joint pain caused by gout or osteoarthritis. If guzzling a glass full of tart juice furrows your face, eating about 20 tart cherries will do the job of battling inflammation.

Managing joint pain and bone and muscle loss

So, what can be done throughout those intervening years? How can one manage joint pain and bone and muscle loss before they become unbearable?

Manage stress

Amanda Capasso is a naturopathic doctor at The Root Natural Health Clinic in Mississauga and Connected Health and Skin in Toronto. She says that one of the most important steps in managing bone loss is managing stress. This will reduce your body’s natural hormonal reaction to anxiety and worry, which can be damaging.

“Having long, chronic elevated cortisol is not great for bone health. It creates a lot of inflammation, and it just changes ... your bones, how much calcium they release back into your bloodstream, and how much they take out.”

Capasso says that stress reduction can be as simple as reorganizing your priorities and giving yourself a little bit more time for a walk, yoga, or meditation.

She says that your stress reduction should not be an additional burden to your already busy life. “Some people are going to hate meditating, and some people are going to hate yoga ... So it’s just individualizing care and finding what works for them. For a lot of people ... it’s just taking a bath or going to get your nails done.”

Consider your diet

Diet also plays a big role in bone and muscle health. Capasso has seen a lot of success with patients who have switched to the Mediterranean diet—reducing red meat and adding more vegetables, oils, and fish. Even that, she says, should be as simple a process as possible to avoid discouragement.

“Buy some broccoli. And if people are like, ‘Really, I can’t do this,’ buy some frozen broccoli,” she says. “[It’s] really easy to throw in the oven.”

“In the morning, add a handful of spinach to your smoothie just to get some greens in. Make a homemade salad dressing with a cup of [extra-virgin olive] oil in it that will last you for the week. There, you’re getting a ton of olive oil.”

If you do find yourself on the floor of the produce aisle strangling your arch nemesis, the broccoli floret (I once lost a battle with a particularly spiky artichoke), supplements can also promote healthy joints.