OMEGA-3 IS ESSENTIAL FOR ALL AGES

Omega-3 supports cardiovascular health.

Omega-3 reduces inflammation and is the most e ective in reducing triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.

CEO & Group Publisher • Ryan Benn

Vice President, Publishing & Operations

EDITORIAL

Group Content Director, Editor-in-Chief

Senior Editor • Sandi Gauvin

Editor, CNHR • Bruce W. Cole

• Nina Wagner

• Tracy Peternell

Editors • Melissa Curman, Erin Jackson, Laura Newton, Makena Wardle

Digital Editor • Colleen Grant

Digital Assistant • Michelle von Hahn

DESIGN

Group Creative Director & Photographer • Scott Yavis

Senior Graphic Designers • Iva Zima, Lindsay Burke, Alvarro Pastorin

PRODUCTION

Director of Operations

• Devin Steinberg

Production Associate • Natasha Jayawardena

SALES

Vice President, Sales

Sales Coordinator

• Ellen Wheeler ext 619

• Phileasha Gentry

Account Executive, USA (East)

Retail Account Executive, USA

EDUCATION & ADMINISTRATION

• Bernadette Higgins 561.362.3955

• Rebecca Randolph

Vice President, Education & Administration

Executive Assistant

Office Administrator

• Hannah Dewar

• Maria Valle

• Jane Griffiths

Manager, alive Academy • Julia Wagner ext 637

Manager, Academy Admissions

FINANCE

Director of Finance

Senior Accountant

• Jan Clay ext 623

• Conroy Ing

• Maira Guzman

Accounts Receivable Specialist

Custom Publishing

• Jacqui Harquail

Vice President, Custom Publishing • Brendan Harrington

Publisher, Live Naturally • Deborah Juris

CONTACT INFORMATION

Alive Publishing Group Inc. 100-12751 Vulcan Way, Richmond, BC V6V 3C8

Phone: 604-295-9333 Toll Free: 1-800-663-6580

Cover price is $5.75. Nine issues published per year.

Canada Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40011604

ADVERTISING POLICY sage accepts advertising based upon space availability and consistency with its mission to promote a natural health and wellness lifestyle. sage is not responsible for the content of advertisements, the products offered or the viewpoints expressed therein.

EDITORIAL NOTE

The information provided in this magazine is for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a qualified and licensed practitioner or health care provider. The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Alive Publishing Group Inc., its affiliates or parent company. Different views may appear in future articles or publications. Articles in sage are copyrighted and must not be reprinted, duplicated or transmitted without permission.

Photography & Illustration credits

At long last, spring is here! The sun is shining, days are getting longer, and, here at sage, we can’t get enough. But seeing as we’re headquartered on the (famously rainy) west coast of Canada, can you blame us for wanting more?

More birds welcoming longer days, more fresh produce (yum!), and more flowers brightening up our barren winter gardens. But—as is often the case—more isn’t always better. Spring also brings more allergies, and more of those pesky cold and flu bugs.

In this issue of sage, we’ve curated a hardy bunch of articles that explore all things immunity: from changing perspectives to powerful herbs and nutrients we should be stocking up on. And to help you put Mother Nature’s bounty to work, we’ve included a variety of immune-boosting recipes featuring our favourite flavours of the season. To top it off, we’ve also included your go-to guide to a more eco-friendly, and lower waste kitchen. (Like we said, more isn’t always better.)

So, what are you waiting for? Fill your cart with fresh foods that support your health, then get out there and enjoy a little more of the good things this season!

“Natural healing exists all around us, in roots, flowers, fruits, and trees. Be open to its potential, and be wise to its power.”

What’s new in the world of natural

Put the (fun)ction back in fitness

If you’ve ever had the misfortune of pulling a back muscle while lifting heavy groceries, then you’ll know how suddenly injuries can occur. Enter functional fitness, a form of exercise that trains your muscles to work in tandem, rather than isolating specific muscle groups, mimicking everyday movement.

Although functional fitness can be done in a gym, there are a number of accessible, multi-joint exercises that don’t require any special equipment, including squats, push-ups, lunges, and jumping jacks.

A study of 24 seniors participating in a four-week functional fitness regimen found significant improvements in lower-body strength, upper-body strength, cardiovascular endurance, balance, and shoulder flexibility.

Another functional fitness perk? Giving your muscles some well-deserved TLC at any age will help you avoid (preventable) injuries that could stop you from doing what you really love.

Don’t forget to dry brush

You’ve brushed your hair and your teeth—but what about the rest of your body? Welcome to the world of dry brushing, a self-massage technique that has often been traced back to ancient Greek and Ayurvedic medicine.

True to its name, dry brushing is done on dry skin before you hop in the shower with the use of a natural stiffbristled brush. Technique may vary but often brushing guides suggest using long strokes of the brush or circular motions moving toward the heart.

The benefits of dry brushing are numerous and include stimulating the lymphatic system, exfoliation, and increased circulation. Dry brushing is also beneficial to your skin, unclogging pores, eliminating dead skin cells and softening skin, and invigorating the nervous system. Cellulite removal is often touted as a benefit, but scientific evidence to support this is still lacking.

One thing is for certain, spending a few minutes each day practicing self-care is never something you’ll regret!

Keep up with the botanical boom

Even though humans have been consuming botanicals for centuries (tea, anyone?), lately we’re seeing them in everything from food and beverage to cosmetics and skin care. But what are these naturally derived ingredients, really?

According to the National Institutes of Health, botanicals are plants or plant parts valued for their medicinal or therapeutic properties, flavours, and scents. Not only are they natural, they’re also convenient, abundant, and offer a wide variety of compounds that may have positive physical, psychological, and cosmetic effects.

So, what’s the catch? To date, there are no legal requirements to prove that botanicals in cosmetics live up to their claims. Promising though, is that existing research shows many botanicals—whether ginger for digestion or Vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil for anti-aging—do have the potential to offer health-boosting and cosmetic benefits. Coming up roses? We sure hope so!

Garden regeneratively

What if there was a way to work with the elements when planning and maintaining a garden instead of against? This is the ethos behind regenerative gardening, a type of mindful, lower-impact gardening that naturally improves soil conditions and lowers (or eliminates) carbon emissions.

Although on a much smaller scale, regenerative gardening mimics regenerative agriculture, incorporating techniques like composting, cover crops, and crop rotation with the ultimate goal of creating a garden (or ecosystem) that will thrive on its own without excessive input from the gardener. This means respecting the Earth, its natural processes, and all those we share it with (including insects or “pests”).

If you’re interested in planning your own regenerative garden, there are a few ways to get started. Healthy soil is the most important component, so be sure to enrich the soil with cover crops, decrease soil exposure by planting succession crops, and avoid tilling as much as possible (as tilling the soil can lead to decreased soil health and increased carbon emissions).

Finding better health through balance

Health had perhaps never been a more prominent topic or concern than in the era of COVID. The novel coronavirus proved to be a fierce foe that could target even the hale and hearty. But for all of us, whether we’re living in a pandemic or not, supporting our immune system is the cornerstone of our well-being.

“Health is defined now by most medical establishments as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity,” says naturopathic doctor Brian Davies, founder of Westcoast Integrative Health Inc.

“Health is something we need to continue to work toward,” he says, “and not simply take for granted. So, starting with this definition is important, because it suggests the need for balance in our physical, mental, and social-emotional well-being.”