15 minute read
WELL AND GOOD
Health Before Hustle The body needs time to recharge and rebuild
WORDS KAISHA SCOFIELD
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We are a culture that celebrates the hustle, measuring our days by the number of items we can check off our to-do list. We strive to work harder, faster and smarter and will often power through mental fatigue and physical injuries or illness, looking to the next stimulant, painkiller or digestive aid to pull us through each day.
We ignore our own wellness needs. The idea of slowing down or recharging can seem like a nuisance, but what happens if we deferself-care for too long? The body needs to recharge and rebuild. Rest is crucial for cellular regeneration, digestion, mental clarity and emotional stability. Pushing through an injury, working despite illness or ignoring mental fatigue can actually lead to more serious issues and negatively impact system performance. There are three main body systems that can be compromised when we defer wellness: mental, structural and functional. Despite operating individually, each of these systems is profoundly connected and interdependent. When one is pushed too far — for example, by increasing caffeine intake in place of getting a decent sleep — this can affect how the whole bodyfunctions. And a malfunction in one system can advance over time to affect other areas.
Mental
Have you ever seen co-workers slump over their desk at around three o’clock, or witnessed the entire office head out for coffee between lunch and quitting time? Mid-afternoon is fatigue o’clock because it is when our daily cortisol levels are lowest. Cortisol is our stress hormone, and it is released by the body whenever it perceives urgency, whether you’re being chased by a tiger or speeding down the highway to catch the last ferry. In today’shigh-pressure world, cortisol is in high demand despite a limited supply. Low cortisol leads to mental fatigue and can be exacerbated from overwork, lack of sleep, consistent stress or simply ignoring the importance of taking time to process challenges or emotions. We ignore the warning signs and rarely recognize that these stresses and challenges compound, taxing the endocrine system and leading to hormone imbalances.
Structural
We are all familiar with the phrase “no pain, no gain,” and while there’s no doubt that crushing a workout feels great, overdoing it — especially if the body is being undernourished — can have negative consequences. Pushing through an injury or failing to give the body enough recovery time can lead to inflammation in the affected area and the surrounding tissue.
As Curtis Tait, a physiotherapist at Tall Tree Integrated Health inVictoria says, “Our systematic level of inflammation can have a compounding effect on local inflammation, which can affect our symptom sensitivity threshold ... local inflammation is a natural and good part of healing tissue damage, but it is the high levels of systemic inflammation that usually are a notable contributor to prolonged symptoms or poor recovery.”
Functional
The food we eat fuels our body. Our digestion can be quickly overwhelmed when we are careless about this fuel. The digestive system can be stressed when we make drastic dietary changes too suddenly, reduce caloric intake too severely, eat too quickly or consume apoor-qualitydiet. Continued disruptions to the digestive system can cause long-term, sometimes complicated, digestive issues.
Our microbiome, the flora living in the gut, are dependent on thefuel our diet provides, and microbiome and gut health has been linked to mental health and cognitive function. As a consequence, digestive issues can not only influence our digestion but impact our mental state as well.
Along with our microbiome, our emotional relationship to food is important to our mental health. In the case of dieting or caloric restriction, changes that are made too quickly and enforced too rigidly can lead to digestive and mental stress. Because we are constantly considering and weighing our food options, the actual process of digestion can be compromised. We are unable to digest our food properly if we are in a parasympathetic state, meaning if we are anxious about our meal before we even start to eat, chances are it won’t be digested properly. In some cases, the emotional stress of a restrictive diet can be as harmful as the digestive stress of a poor diet.
Compounding issues in any of these areas of structural, mental or functional wellness can lead to prolonged illness. The body will eventually recognize persistent ailments as chronic and as a result will start shifting resources away from healthy systems to deal with imbalanced ones. Slowing down can be hard. Most people knowself-careis important, but don’t actually make wellness a priority. Activities like bubble baths, massages, reading a book or taking a nap may seemself-indulgentor luxurious, but what if the idea of caring for ourselves was less about damage control and more about prevention? What if instead of measuring our hustle, we celebrated our wellness? “Self-care” is more than just a buzz word. Conscious practice of self-care is gaining in popularity for good reason. The art of unwinding and the activity of inactivity are being reintroduced to our busy society. Self-care focuses on recharging, repairing and regenerating, learning to check in and respect the body’s needs. To unwind we must try to be realistic about our abilities and acknowledge where we may have pushed ourselves too far.
Yes, it is important to strive for our goals but also to recognize that in order to wind up the hustle we must first learn the importance of winding down to recharge. By paying attention to physical and mental well-being and resisting the urge to push through fatigue, illness and injury, we give ourselves the ability to recover fully.
good taste
Brad Boisvert at Cure Artisan Meat and Cheese.
Get On Board Creating the perfect charcuterie
In 15th-century France, charcutiers produced a range of cooked or salted and dried meats. With no side-by-side fridge/freezer combos, these ancient preservation methods were used to ensure that meats would have longer shelf lives for the peasant class.
A few centuries later, the role of charcuterie is not nearly so cut and dried. Today it’s a sought-after and celebrated luxury menu item found everywhere from the toniest of restaurants to the humblest of eateries. Judging by the vast array of social media images paying homage to these boards of plenty, home cooks have embraced the trend, making it mainstream fare for casual nights at home or entertaining on a grand scale.
Brad Boisvert, chef and owner of Cure Artisan Meat and Cheese in Cowichan Bay, has been paying close attention to the evolution of charcuterie and has built his business catering to those who are on board with this popular food phenomenon. “People are dining more casually and charcuterie suits that relaxed approach perfectly,” says Brad. “Many people think of it as an appetizer, but we’re creating boards that serve as dinner entrées and even as a ‘dessert’ course.”
Most boards move beyond a meat-centric tradition to incorporate a variety of cheeses, patés and other accompaniments. But there’s more to this style of eating than merely putting food on a board. Part science and part artistry, the key to creating sensational charcuterie, according to Brad, is in the mix.
“Charcuterie is about combining different textures, flavours and colours to deliver a balance that is ultimately appealing. Yes, people eat with their eyes first, which is partially what makes charcuterie so enticing, but it also has to taste great, which is where the quality and the combinations come in.”
Whether you are creating your own board or relying on the pros, here is what you’ll need to know to put your best board forward, according to Brad: Amp up the texture
“We often start with a couple of dry cure items like salami, which is a sausage, and then add in prosciutto and perhaps a coppa shoulder of pork, which has a bit more marbling. Each of these meats has a different texture as well as different seasonings and spices that make for a more interesting flavour experience.”
Use the same approach when selecting your cheeses. “We may choose a Triple Crème Brie from France, which is always a crowd pleaser, and then we’ll add in a few harder cheeses like Manchego, a sheep’s milk cheese from Spain, or a semi-firm like an 18-month aged Gouda with its deep orange colour from Holland. If you like blue cheese, it’s a fantastic and unique flavour addition, or try a tangy goat cheese to round out the cheese component.” Spread the love
The spreadable world of patés, terrines and rillettes elevates your board with savoury goodness. Made from chicken, duck, rabbit, pork or even a vegan version made with lentils, their richness pairs beautifully with chewy baguette and the vinegary crunch of cornichons. These items look delicious served in small mason jars or crocks set between the meats and cheeses. Condiments for compliments
Simple touches take charcuterie to the next level. Think flavoured mustards and tart jams or a drizzle of fruity olive oil or aged balsamic vinegar to create that perfect bite. “We make a beer mustard from local beer as well as a red onion jam and a quince paste. Quince is a cross between an apple and a pear and when you pair the quince jam with a salty cheese like Manchego, your taste buds will just come alive. It’s about balancing the flavours.” Neutralize the breads
While meats, cheeses and condiments are the flavour stars of the show, breads and crackers take on more of a supporting role. “We like fresh-from-the-bakery baguette, a simple thin cracker, olive oil breadsticks, or even our homemade crostini to serve as the backdrop. Keep the flavour neutral so the other flavours don’t compete.” “Charcuterie is about combining different textures, flavours and colours to deliver a balance that is ultimately appealing. Yes, people eat with their eyes first, which is partially what makes charcuterie so enticing, but it also has to taste great.”
Pick a peck of pickles
“Rather than raw veggies, we use a variety of pickled elements, such as pickled mushrooms, smoked olives, roasted red peppers or wild onions or zucchini in olive oil. It’s colourful and if you have some fatty cheeses or meats then the acidity really helps to cut through that.” Assemble like a pro
“We put out the crocks of patés and jars of condiments on the board first because they’re bulky. Then we place the cheeses and weave the meats around them going for more of an organic shape. Some of the meat, like prosciutto, we drape in mounds, while others such as salami we can roll and stack. Layer in the bread and crackers and consider adding height to the board by standing up the breadsticks in a jar or even a glass. We finish by filling in the gaps with nuts, dried apricots, cranberries or fresh fruit.” Ready. Set. Serve.
Boards are a great make-ahead item and easily kept in the fridge. “For the best flavour, cheeses should be served at room temperature, so pull out the board 15 to 30 minutes in advance. Meats should be served cold so you may want to add those in at the last minute or incorporate the meats onto a second board and keep it in the fridge until guests arrive.”
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WITH SHEILA WARREN
Passion and Intuition
WORDS LAURA LANGSTON X PHOTOGRAPHY DON DENTON
When she first started to paint, Sheila Warren received an important piece of advice. “Pick something you really care about because if you don’t love your subject, it will show.”
The Nanoose Bay artist took the suggestion to heart, letting passion be her guide and embracing what she calls an empathetic relationship with her art.
“I try to pull out the soul and energy of what I see,” she adds. “That’s the reason I do art; I need to have that emotional connection.”
Sheila’s oil paintings feature bold, deeply saturated colours and a strong sense of light and movement. Nature is her muse and the deep affinity she feels for the natural world is apparent in everything she paints, especially trees. “It physically hurts when I see trees cut,” she says.
“They are often my inspiration.”
Nature greets you when you step into Sheila’s Nanoose Bay home. The hilltop house, where she has lived since 2012, offers sweeping views of gardens, trees and the natural world from almost every room. Sheila says the light-filled space gives her the solitude she craves to pursue her art, while the nearby hiking trails and kayaking options provide her with endless changing scenery.
Nanoose is a far cry from the Montreal area where Sheila was born and raised. While her family wasn’t artistic, her father always encouraged her artistic pursuits. Sheila’s first hero was Monet, though she didn’t realize who he was when she insisted on hanging a Monet poster in her room.
“I loved his interpretation of the natural world, his colour choices and compositions, but I certainly had no language to explain that when I insisted my parents buy the poster,” she says. “And while I knew I wanted to do something artistic with my life, I never thought I’d be a painter like that one day.”
Instead, while still in elementary school, Sheila spent so many hours drawing and designing clothes she was sure a career in fashion design was in the future.
However, pragmatism intervened. “I wasn’t brave enough to just paint,” she admits. “I needed and wanted security.”
So, Sheila embraced commercial art as a way to marry the creative with the practical. She attended Dawson College in Montreal for two years, majoring in commercial art, before moving with her family to Alberta where she finished a degree in visual communications from the Alberta College of Art and Design (now called the Alberta University of the Arts).
For decades, Sheila excelled as a graphic designer and illustrator, working as in-house talent for large organizations and design firms, as well as taking on freelance work. She found pockets of time for personal art but the day job demanded most of her focus. However, as the graphic design field evolved and became less hands-on and more digital, Sheila’s desire for a more personal artistic outlet began to grow. And then 9/11 happened. It was the catalyst that would change her life.
“I realized things could end in an instant, that nothing is guaranteed, and that I couldn’t waste any more time,” Sheila says. “I wanted to give something back; leave something of me after I was gone. And with the global energy feeling so dark and out of whack, I wanted to add a little beauty to the ugly world too.”
So in 2001, Sheila began to paint in earnest. “I started off in a more realistic vein, but as I progressed, I naturally became more impressionistic,” she says. “I want my art to be more evocative and leave room for people to interpret it for themselves.”
Along with an impressionistic feel, her art also evokes a Group of Seven influence, which is fitting since Sheila has been deeply inspired by Tom Thomson.
Sheila’s studio is tucked in beside her living room and she’s there just about every night after finishing her day job in the strategic marketing department at Vancouver Island University. “Painting is my reward at the end of the day,” she says.
Sheila begins each image by underpainting or mapping it out with acrylics. She overlays with oils, sometimes allowing the colour underneath to poke through. She loves depth, saying, “It breathes life into the work,” so layering has become a large part of her process too.
She knows the rules well enough to understand how and when to break them. She always mixes paints because she finds the colours in the tube “too raw,” adding that she likes “to contaminate but at the same time refine.” And she uses brushes typically for acrylics to paint with oils because she likes the effect they give. Listening to her instincts is a large part of her process. “Art is my safe place to do what I want and I am always guided by my intuition.”
Some paintings come together easily, but Sheila labours with others for a long time. Once she thinks a piece is done, she’ll take it off the easel, and put it in a different area of the house to see how the light affects it. Sometimes, even as long as six months later, she’ll see it needs tweaking and she’ll take it back to the studio for a little adjusting. That’s all part of her process, she says.
As for the future, Sheila doesn’t like to plan too far down the road, preferring to go with the flow. Her goal is to keep growing, interpreting, sharing and exploring art.
Her biggest wish is that her art helps people look at things a little differently, “because sometimes you need to look at the world through a different lens to appreciate its value.”
Sheila says that unfortunately some of the galleries where she has previously displayed her paintings have closed, but her work is still periodically available at the Village Gallery in Sidney or through her website at sheilawarren.com.
