Healthier You 2023

A NEW YEAR OF FITNESS GOALS

Q&A with Darren Maywood

Q: Any tips on diet?

A: Diet is always the most challenging, yet the easiest to address. Even with the best intentions, sometimes life gets in the way of workouts, but you likely still ate food. Your diet needs to match your daily exercise and long-term goals. Everyone reacts differently based on gender, age and genetics. Preparing your own meal is much more effective than eating out as you can 100 per cent control what you ingest. There are also pre-made meal prep options available. With quality food becoming more challenging to find and prices soaring, supplementing with quality protein and other nutritional supplements makes a huge difference and saves money in the long term. A scoop of quality protein is a lot cheaper than the equivalent chicken breast or a half-dozen eggs.

Q: How important is sleep and is there a magic number of hours?

A: Think of sleep as the workers putting your body back together. If you’re not getting enough sleep, your body isn’t healing and repairing as much as it should. We all have different natural requirements for sleep and we have different life schedules that may affect how much sleep is available. If you find that you’re tired and need more sleep, then do the best you can to increase your rest. Stop the late night TV watching and get the extra sleep. The results of proper rest are real.

Q Is it better to work out first thing in the morning or at night?

A: This is strictly a personal preference. Some people use the workout to fire them up and start their day, while others use it for the opposite effect. However, depending on your schedule, you may not have a choice. I personally love to start my day off with a workout. It fires up my metabolism, clears out the cobwebs and I can go through the rest of my day knowing I have already committed time to my health and fitness.

Q: What effect does alcohol have in impacting a fitness goal?

A: For starters, alcohol is nutritionless calories. So, if you’re on a weight loss journey and we go back to calories in, calories out, alcohol is not doing you any favours with creating a calorie deficit. Alcohol also affects the quality of sleep, therefore negatively affecting your health and fitness progress.

Q: We hear rest days are important. What are

A: Rest days are days when you give your body all the nutrition it requires without the breakdown of muscles from the workout. Many people utilize an active rest day, whereas they are still burning calories doing an activity, whether it be a walk, hike or something else. These days are important as it’s your body’s time to catch up on rest and repair from your other workout days.

Q: What are your recommendations to someone trying to get back on track after having COVID-19?

A: COVID-19 affected people in many different ways, with symptoms lasting both short term and long term. If an individual has any health concerns regarding exercise, they should seek advice from a physician or health professional before beginning and follow any guidelines or restrictions given.

Q: How does one stay motivated after hitting a plateau?

A: Our bodies adapt and become more efficient when performing any activity. Normally, this is a good thing and it is Mother Nature’s way of conserving calories and giving us the ability to do more with what we have. The downside to this is it feels like we have reached a plateau and stalled our progress. When this happens, it is time to change things up so we are doing things we are no longer efficient at, which generally kickstarts our bodies to start progressing again. It can seem overwhelming when first starting out but there are many qualified trainers to assist with workout programs and nutritional coaching.

No Limits Fitness co-owner and trainer Darren Maywood (left) works with client Earl Mills as he performs kettlebell lunges.

LENDING PROGRAM IS MUSIC TO YOUR INTELLECTUAL EAR

The Wellness Wheel has eight pieces related to various health and wellness parts.

These include physical, financial, environmental, occupational, social, emotional and spiritual wellness.

An eighth piece of that wellness pie is intellectual wellness and the ThompsonNicola Regional Library (TNRL) has just a program to help you recognize your creative abilities and find ways for you to expand your knowledge and skills.

Along with books and music and myriad other items, the library system has a guitarand ukulele-lending program, created with Riversong Guitars.

The guitar-lending program was launched in April 2022, with ukuleles added in December.

“It just made sense that we would extend the program to include ukuleles,” said chief librarian Judy Moore, noting the guitar-lending program has been highly successful, with holds placed on all 20 guitars since the program was created.

The ukuleles are local in origin, provided by Riversong Guitars, which also built and supplied instruments for the guitar-lending program.

“Music, I think more than ever, is something that brings us all together. For children especially, to be introduced to music at their

own pace, in their own communities, is a huge boon,” Moore said.

Mike Miltimore, who owns and operates Riversong Guitars, said it felt like a dream to make such a difference in his hometown.

Riversong recently won the Best Acoustic Guitar Award from Musical Merchandise Review magazine. The Kamloops company up against global giants such as Fender and Gibson.

Thompson-Nicola Regional District board chair Barbara Roden said the program shows libraries are not what some might remember from the past.

“Libraries are so much more and programs like the musician in residence, the guitar-lending program and now the ukulele program show that libraries — I think more than almost any other thing I can think of — have been able to adapt and change over the years. They’re very nimble,” Roden said.

Guitars and ukuleles are available at the two libraries in Kamloops (downtown at Victoria Street and Fifth Avenue and on the North Shore at 693 Tranquille Rd.) and at libraries in Ashcroft, Barriere, Cache Creek, Clearwater, Clinton, Logan Lake, Merritt and Savona. The musical instruments can also be borrowed via the mobile Bookmobile.

To request a ukulele, visit the library or go online to tnrl.ca/ukulele-lending.

Mike Miltimore of Riversong Guitars holds one of his ukuleles, which have been supplied to the TNRL as part of its ukulele-lending program.

A Riversong Guitars ukulele available for lending at all branches of the Thompson-Nicola Regional Library.

TNRL chief librarian Judy Moore stands in front of an inflated Riversong guitar during December's announcement at the TNRD Building in downtown Kamloops.

INVEST WELL. LIVE WELL: NEW YEAR, NEW YOU?

New Year’s resolutions — love them or hate them, it is the time of year many of us make goals to change for the better

For those that are curious, a quick Google search yielded the following top 10 resolutions, in no particular order, per the GoSkills website:

• Improve fitness

• Eat better

• Quit smoking/drinking

• Self-care (ex: sleep more, reduce screen time)

• Travel more

• Volunteer

• Learn something new

• Spend more time with family/friends

• Read more

• Save more/spend less/reduce debts

A 2021 Forbes story found a staggering 80 per cent of resolutions fail by midFebruary. Research conducted by fitness company Strava in 2019 found most people had given up on their goals by Jan. 19. I guess that begs the old adage that “resolutions were meant to be broken”?

So how does one overcome the odds? As Benjamin Franklin said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Given our background in financial planning, below are a few tips to help hit those financial resolutions:

Set a goal: Many may have heard of setting SMART goals. They should aim to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. Sharing your goals with friends, family or co-workers can help keep you accountable. One main reason resolutions tend to fail is the goal set is either too strict or not realistic.

Do your homework: Regardless if your goal is to save more or pay down debt, they both require the same thing — more cash. A monthly budget is critical to highlight the ins and outs of cash flow. Are

you paying top dollar for cable TV, but in reality only watching Netflix? You might also be surprised how quickly frequently dining out adds up. A few common places you may be able to free up some cash include dining out, bringing lunch to work, reviewing monthly subscriptions, checking cellphone plans (particularly data overages) and reviewing recreational expenses, as well as smoking, alcohol and shopping.

Break it into smaller pieces: If you are saving for a trip in a year that costs $5,000, then you know you will need to come up with roughly $100 per week in savings for 12 months. Cutting back in small places such as one less meal out a week or two fewer coffee runs can quickly add up.

Automate where possible: One can easily set up automated savings plans that coincide with paydays. The old adage of “pay yourself first” works here. When money is allocated to a key priority, there is less for discretionary expenses or what is called slippage.

There’s an app for that: Several budgeting and finance apps are available to help with spending, tracking and goal setting. For example, when TD launched its MySpend app in 2016, TD reported that users saw an average drop of between four and eight per cent in their spending after using the app to track their budgets.

Start now: Too many people fall to the mindset of “Once this is paid off, then I will …” The reality is there often is another conflicting priority that will emerge. Commit to your goal now, even if only a small amount, and review it in three to six months.

Seek help: If debt reduction is your primary goal, tackle the highest interest bills first, which typically are credit cards. It may be worth seeing if a debt consolidation loan could help roll multiple payments into one. If your goal is saving, it can be tough choosing which avenue is best between RSPs, TFSAs and RESPs. We suggest consulting a trusted advisor for help.

For those of you who already max out your TFSA each year, 2023 brings a new limit of $6,500. We encourage you to make the most of it. All the best to investing well and living well in 2023.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is now.”

— Chinese proverb.

Until next time, Invest Well. Live Well.

subject to change based on market and other conditions. Davis Wealth Management Team is part of TD Wealth Private Investment Advice, a division of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. which is a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. For more information: 250-314-5124 or keith.davis@td.com.

Written by Keith Davis. The views expressed are those of Eric Davis, Senior Portfolio Manager and Senior Investment Advisor, and Keith Davis, Associate Investment Advisor, TD Wealth Private Investment Advice, as of November 16, 2022 and are

MEDITATION CONNECTS YOU WITH YOUR NATURAL STATE OF MIND

After a long pandemicrelated closure, the Kamloops Shambhala Meditation Centre has reopened on a new, larger location downtown.

The meditation practice is based on the Shambhala School of Buddhist Meditation, which was first introduced to North America by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.

Meditation is a natural state of the human mind — at rest, open and alert. The practice of meditation has been taught for more than 2,500 years as a vehicle for realizing the beauty and magic of the ordinary world without aggression or manipulation.

The teachings of Shambhala Buddhism emphasize the potential for enlightenment inherent in every situation or state of mind. Through discipline, gentleness and a sense of humour, the practitioner is invited to let go of conflicting emotions and wake up on the spot.

Mindfulness/awareness meditation is the foundation of all that is done at the Shambhala Meditation Centre. The ancient practice of self-discovery is rooted in the simple, but revolutionary premise that every human being has the ability to cultivate the mind’s inherent stability, clarity and strength in order to be more awake and to develop

the compassion and insight necessary to care for oneself and the world genuinely.

Shambhala Vision is rooted in the principle that every human being has a fundamental nature of basic goodness. This nature can be developed in daily life so that it radiates out to family, friends, community and society. According to the Shambhala tradition, we are living through an age of greed and aggression. We harm ourselves, each other and our planet.

Shambhala teachings offer an antidote to this crisis. This was the basis of the legendary Kingdom of Shambhala, a society that fostered the inherent goodness of its people. Shambhala Vision tells us we can experience a natural source of radiance and brilliance in the world, which is the innate wakefulness of human beings.

In action, Shambhala is both a spiritual path of study and meditation that helps people work with their minds, as well as a path of serving others and engaging with our world.

The first Sakyong (“Earth Protector” in Tibetan) in modern times was the Tibetan meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He was the head abbot of the Surmong Monastery, which was established 600 years ago. Prior to his escape from Tibet in 1959, he was the

holder of numerous meditative lineages and leader of a large monastic complex.

Having witnessed the demise of his own culture, and how full of turmoil and pain the world was, Chogyam Trungpa went into a great period of self-reflection and meditation. He came to realize the ancient teachings of Shambhala were more relevant and necessary than ever. Beginning in the 1970s, he began to present a societal vision based on the Shambhala principle that proclaims the inherent goodness of all humanity.

Meditation instruction is available to anyone, free of charge, at the Kamloops Shambhala Meditation Centre’s weekly public meditation sessions. The centre offers an array of ongoing offerings free to the public, including weekly public sitting meditations and dharma talks. No prior meditation experience is required to attend. All are welcome and all meditation styles are welcome. Meditation sessions are held Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

GET COOKING AT HOME

Cooking food at home is one of the simplest ways to gain greater control over personal health. Cooking at home is the easiest way to know precisely what you’re putting into your body each day. Cooking your own meals also enables you to customize recipes so they align with any dietary restrictions or personal preferences you may have.

Increased creativity and confidence in the kitchen, as well as the fact that cooking at home helps to save money and enables one to eat healthier, is driving the ongoing increase in dining in.

When cooking at home, cooks can consider various tips to make meals that much healthier:

Increase fibre intake: Fibre improves bowel regularity and helps a person feel full between meals. High-fibre foods also help stabilize blood-sugar levels. Two servings of fibrous foods at each meal and an additional fibrerich snack each day can ensure your body is getting the fibre it needs.

Swap Greek yogurt for other varieties: Greek yogurt contains up to twice as much protein as regular yogurt, providing roughly 10 grams per 3.5 ounces. Protein along with fibre helps a person feel fuller longer, which can manage appetite and reduce overeating. Greek yogurt also can replace mayonnaise or sour cream in certain recipes.

Slow down eating: The pace at which a person eats a meal can affect his or her overall health. Healthline reports that fast eaters are more likely to eat more and have higher body mass indexes than slow eaters.

Choose whole grains: Choosing wholegrain breads or cereals over refined grains can make for a more nutritious diet. Whole grains are linked to a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Add a vegetable to every meal: Vegetables are loaded with essential vitamins and minerals. Plus, they tend to be high in antioxidants that strengthen the immune system. Increase vegetable intake by eating vegetables with every meal.

Cut out sweetened beverages: Sodas and other sweetened drinks are leading sources of added sugar in diets. Opting for water or naturally sweetened fruit juices can improve overall health.

Choose healthy fats: While a person should minimize the amount of oils and other fats used during the cooking process, when it’s necessary for a recipe, select the best fat possible. Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat that is packed with antioxidant polyphenols. It is considered a heart-healthy oil and it may promote a healthy brain and memory function.

The ability to work remotely has opened up different opportunities for millions of people. While the advantages of remote work are too numerous to count, logging hours from the sofa is not necessarily a panacea for all working ills. In fact, many remote workers often lament how much their work-life balance has been adversely affected.

Remote work has grown: The pandemic accelerated the number of people working from home. According to Statistics Canada, as of December 2021, 26 per cent of core-age employees (ages 25 to 54) in Canada worked from home In its 2020 Household Pulse Survey, the U.S. Census Bureau found that more than one-third of U.S. households reported working from home more frequently than before the pandemic.

Putting in longer hours: Switching to remote working certainly may have improved flexibility for many workers, but it also has led to them putting in longer hours — something that may affect home life. The business support company NordVPN Teams said the average length of time an employee working from home in Canada, the U.K. Austria and the U.S. is logged on at their computer has increased by more than two hours a day since the arrival of the pandemic.

Home and work life blurred: As home offices have become a more common feature, workers admit to taking shorter lunch breaks, working through sickness and being available during times that would normally be devoted to leisure or family. Technology has made it possible to get alerts on mobile phones even when workers have seemingly logged off for the day.

Reclaiming control: Mastering control of one’s time can take some trial and error. However, there are some tips that can make it easier to achieve:

• Set limits and stick to them. Don’t over schedule yourself. Figure out what you can handle in terms of work and home responsibilities and limit those actions.

• Detach from work. Try to keep work equipment in a separate area from the living room or kitchen. This way, you can turn off the computer and call it a day. Turn off alerts on your phone when the work day ends.

• Schedule fun times with the family. Make it a priority to fill the calendar with plenty of activities to enjoy in your leisure time, which can help to offset the demands of work.

• Prioritize and assess frequently. Everyone has different priorities. Remote work may help you realize those priorities more easily, such as working specific hours to be able to care for an elderly parent or an infant. Don’t feel the need to compensate by taking on more work.

Remote work benefits many people. But to benefit fully from such situations, professionals may need to make a concerted effort to achieve a greater work-life balance.

With renewal in mind in the new year, those seeking to improve their health may be able to use supplements to help them achieve their goals.

Supplements can be used to aid in weight loss, performance, energy, fatigue, muscle gain, recovery, sleep and overall health and wellness.

Deidre Delgado has been managing the Supplement King store in Kamloops. She's been part of the team for four years and said she enjoys educating people on supplements and helping people find their passion in the fitness community.

"My specialty is simplifying ingredients and sharing knowledge," she said.

Delgado said use of supplements is usually tied to specific goals,

based on direction from a doctor, dietitian, personal trainer or coach.

"Anyone can take supplements, it's finding what suits your needs is where we step in," she said.

At Supplement King, the best sellers are creatine, used to help build muscle mass; proteins, used to build muscle and support recovery; pre-workout and aminos.

For someone just getting started with working out, Delgado recommended sticking with the basics: protein and recovery drinks.

But some more creative products, like Muscle mac and cheese or protein donuts are also available — products Delgado called enjoyable alternatives to drinking your proteins

or only eating chicken or fish.

Delgado recommended doing some research before getting into supplements, but she said getting help from others will also make success more likely.

"Pairing a proper diet with our products is a sure way to success, but a diet plan is something a dietitian, personal trainer or coach can better direct you with, especially when it comes to calories, macros or a meal plan fitted to a goal," Delgado said.

Supplement King has stores across Canada, including 16 stores in B.C., with other interior locations including Kelowna, Vernon, Prince George, Penticton and Terrace.

Its Kamloops store is located outside the Northills Shopping Centre, 700 Tranquille Rd., beside The Chopped Leaf.

Early detection of breast cancer is critical for medical interventions to effectively impact survival rates and health experts encourage all genders to conduct regular breast cancer screenings.

One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, according to the BC Breast Cancer Screening society.

The Kamloops Breast Cancer Support Group meets every third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Kamloops United Church’s Ponderosa Room, located to the right and down the stairs in the church downtown at St. Paul Street and Fourth Avenue.

Adele Wiseman, district manager and certified fitting specialist for Nightingale Medical Supplies, said when the storefront began serving breast care needs in Kamloops about 12 years ago, clients were typically septuagenarians.

Now, however, Wiseman said, breast cancer screenings have become more common and people of all ages visit Nightingale Medical Supplies for support. Wiseman feels the Rae Fawcett Breast Health Clinic at Royal Inland Hospital has helped promote the importance of breast health in Kamloops, making screenings more accessible.

Nightingale Medical Supplies offers pre- and post-operative care for people

with breast cancer and is located downtown at 211-450 Lansdowne St. The company also offers education and equipment for women who have recently undergone procedures for mastectomy, breast reduction, breast augmentation and implants.

British Columbians over the age of 40 are eligible to self-refer for regular mammograms. To book a mammogram in B.C., call 1-800-663-

9203 or book online at bccancer.ca.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have breast implants, you may not be eligible to book a mammogram. You can find out the eligibility criteria online at: bccancer.bc.ca/screening/ breast/get-a-mammogram/whoshould-get-a-mammogram.

Contact the Kamloops Breast Cancer Support Group on Facebook or by email at kamloopsbcsg@gmail.com.

HOW TO COMBAT SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER

The common cold is synonymous with times of year when temperatures dip. When people spend more time indoors, they’re more vulnerable to contagious cold viruses.

But the common cold is not the only health issue that presents itself most often when the mercury drops. According to the Mayo Clinic, SAD is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — it begins and ends at about the same times every year.

If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. These symptoms often resolve during the spring and summer months. Less often, SAD causes depression in the spring or early summer and resolves during the fall or winter months.

Treatment for SAD may include light therapy (phototherapy), psychotherapy and medications.

Researchers are unsure about the exact cause of SAD, but in most people, its onset is believed to be

connected to the reduction in hours of sunlight during the winter.

People who suspect they have SAD should relay their concerns to their health-care provider, who will then ask patients to fill out a questionnaire to determine if symptoms meet the criteria for SAD. If such a diagnosis is confirmed, individuals may be presented with any of the following treatment options.

Light therapy: It has been used to treat SAD since the 1980s. The crux of light therapy is to expose individuals with SAD to bright light every day, with the hope that such exposure can serve as a stand-in for natural sunlight. Individuals undergoing light therapy typically begin their day sitting in front of a very bright light box for between 30 and 45 minutes. The boxes filter out potentially harmful UV light, but alternative therapies may be recommended for individuals with certain eye diseases or those taking particular medications.

Psychotherapy: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been adapted to help treat people with SAD. CBT is a type of talk therapy and CBT-SAD typically

entails two weekly group sessions for six weeks. These sessions focus on replacing negative thoughts related to winter with more positive thoughts. The therapy also tries to help individuals identify and schedule pleasant, engaging indoor or outdoor activities. Researchers’ comparison of CBT-SAD with light therapy found both treatments were effective at improving SAD symptoms.

Medications: Doctors may recommend patients with SAD take medications known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. Various types of depression have been found to disturb serotonin activity and SAD is no exception. SSRIs have been proven to effectively improve patients’ moods, but it’s important that individuals discuss the side effects of SSRIs with their physicians prior to taking medication.

Vitamin D has been linked to improving symptoms of SAD, but the National Institute of Mental Health in the U.S. notes this is a misconception, as the research regarding vitamin D supplementation as a treatment for SAD has thus far produced mixed results.