ISSUE 32 NOVEMBER 2016
discover
INSPIRING A HEALTHY YOU
WELLNESS REASONS FOR STUBBORN BELLY FAT GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR FUN & CREATIVE SIDE
The Emotional
is connected to
The Physical
free
discover
WELLNESS Published monthly by Jennifer Reed, R.H.N. Discover Wellness is a monthly newsletter published in Quesnel, B.C., featuring various health and wellness articles from local (B.C.) professionals and enthusiasts, delicious recipes from holistic nutritionists and a professional directory showcasing our many local health and wellness leaders. Want to advertise your business in Discover Wellness? For more information about distribution, features and benefits, contact Jennifer at 250-255-2449 or email jennifer@spiralhealth.ca. To subscribe online please visit: www.spiralhealth.ca. The opinions expressed within are those of the writer and not necessarily those of Spiral Health. Those with health concerns should seek professional advice from a healthcare provider as all content found in Discover Wellness is for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for professional healthcare advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
The Emotional is connected to
The Physical Autumn is the season of release. The Earth is going through it’s own cleanse, and it’s important to remember that we naturally go through the same cleanse in the Autumn (and spring) as well. During my studies and through my own healing process, I’ve learned that whatever is happening on an emotional level reflects on the physical. It can be hard to believe, and it took me time to realize, but most of our physical ailments are there because there is something on an emotional level we are not addressing or processing thoroughly. This is a very deep and extensive subject and truly deserves it’s own article, but this is one of the main realizations I found that is necessary in the first steps to letting go and forgiving. Connecting your body-mind-soul. Our bodies are amazing, I’ve said this over and over, but trusting and listening is a huge part of this letting go and forgiving business. Your body is smarter than you will ever know, it tells you everything you need to know and it holds so much information, including your emotional-body. Even if you can’t feel it happening, it is. In my experience, the energy of what we can’t let go of emotionally is what our physical body holds. Some may see this in body weight, some in a pain in their hip, headaches, joints, etc… For years I wondered why it is so hard for my body to respond especially to weight loss, but I’m learning (through therapy) that everything my body is holding on to, mirrors what I’m holding on to on an emotional level. We are going to keep this airy to allow ourselves to come to terms with letting unnecessary things go, so remember, Autumn highlights the importance of self-care, and taking time to put ourselves first. Don’t occupy your emotions, thoughts, and space with unnecessary bullshit. Focus on yourself. There is a great chance you will see physical changes when you truly work on an emotional level. If you don’t process and release what you hold emotionally, your physical body will respond and hold the energy of whatever you are holding. This is why I always advise my clients and friends to cry and not suppress anything, releasing through tears and crying out loud, is great! It does wonders for our emotional state as well as our physical. Did you know that tears are a direct excretion of the liver? A good cry actually releases toxic energy from the liver which helps our physical body release the emotion. It’s okay to cry. In fact, as your virtual health-care practitioner, I recommend it. ;) This is no simple task, because this work is so deep, most people hide from that part of themselves. Some become disconnected and numb, leaving their body susceptible to illness. But I urge you, please don’t shy away from your inner world. It is part of your physical world and who you are, it is SO very important. Please do not neglect yourself. You have to make room in your life for the important things, and that’s YOU! You are the most important part of you. We must allow room for
the important stuff by letting the little things go. Make room for yourself to flourish and heal. The good news is, it’s never too late to start. Seriously. Little steps are advised. The Cozy that Comes with Fall: You can’t work on letting go and forgiving unless you have the cozy ready incase you fall. Having balance is key! Whenever we have moments of breakthroughs or breakdowns, there must always be a cozy cushion (or couch) to break our fall. Or, in my case, my big cuddly warm loving husband. So it is totally essential to be prepared with the cozy. What is the cozy? Well, the art of cozy according to the Danes is atmosphere and feeling. The Danes call it “Hygge”. It’s about living in the moment, open-heartedly. Spending quality, peaceful time in a calm environment with no agenda. It’s about humor, warmth and making connections (with others and yourself). It’s about community, love, beauty, candles, and softness you can feel in your soul. It’s about creating an atmosphere that invites all of these things in and makes you feel alive. And it all vanishes the moment your to-do list gets involved. It’s what makes you feel warm, fuzzy, comfortable, and at peace. Surround your internal and external environment with things and people who make you feel this way.
Cozy Squash Soup INGREDIENTS: 2 kg butternut squash (or any other squash you love), halved, deseeded and cut into chunks 2 litres Seeded Nutrition Medicinal Bone Broth 2 onions, peeled and chopped 2 carrots, chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 2 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves ½ - 1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped sea salt/ freshly ground black pepper 2 Tbsp ghee, butter, or coconut oil METHOD: 1. Put a large saucepan on medium heat and pour in a couple of tablespoons of ghee, add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary leaves, chilli and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Add the squash and the broth to the pan, bring to boil then simmer for about half an hour, covered. 2. When squash is cooked through, use a hand blender to puree the soup. Serve hot. Enjoy. :) NOTE: If you like it creamier, you can substitute 500ml of the broth with coconut milk. Always taste your food to make sure the seasoning is right.
Eat whole foods that make you feel this way. Bone broth and soup are the most cleansing, warming, healing, golden, nutritious and cozy food you can eat. They will make you glow from the inside out. Root vegetables are grounding and sweet, perfect for bringing down the airy disconnected energy that comes with trauma patterns. Try eating and drinking golden foods this autumn to evoke the cozy in you, and perhaps support you just enough to try this letting go & forgive thing. Roast beets, pumpkin, and squash with a little sprinkle of cinnamon, sea salt, and pepper, for balance. All of these are ways to create cozy in your life. So what makes you feel "hygge"? I'd love to pass along one of my favorite “Hygge” recipes of November, inspired by Jamie Oliver - Cozy Squash Soup! I really hope you try this out. Sherry is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, specializing in toxicity and drainage, preventative medicine, and bio-energetics to assess imbalances, as well as empower and educate so that you can make sustainable healthy choices. www.seedednutrition.com
Ask a
NUTRITIONIST Q: I am a 65 year old male, healthy
and not on any medications - I do have persistent belly fat that is increasingly difficult to control - do you recommend testosterone supplementation and if so would diet, exercise or supplementation be best?
Jennifer Reed Registered Holistic Nutritionist
A: Eating a whole foods diet and exercising regularily are import-
ant in maintaining healthy body composition. However, there are a number of other potential culprits when it comes to stubborn fat. If your diet and exercise routine don’t seem to be maintaining a healthy weight or helping you lose weight you might consider investigating the following possibilities.
Poor Digestion Leading to Inflammation Poor digestion can cause dysbiosis (an imbalance of gut flora or “good” bacteria), leading to inflammation in the digestive tract. Inflammation can lead to leaky gut and food sensitivities that show up differently in the body. For example, you might experience weight gain and your neighbour might experience arthritis or fatigue. You can be eating a healthy diet and still have poor digestion. How? Healthy digestion is dependent on several factors. Here are a few: 1) Are you chewing your food thoroughly? This is very important for the breakdown of our food and makes the digestive process more efficient. If our food is broken down properly, less fermentation occurs in the digestive tract, providing less food for the undesired bacteria to feast on. 2) Are you overeating or undereating? Undereating can cause the body to go into stress or starvation mode and hold on tight to fat as a survival mechanism. Overeating, even with a healthy diet, can bog down the digestive system and once again, feed the undesired bacteria causing the dysbiosis. 3) When you eat are you in a relaxed state allowing the body to digest your meal? We are commonly on the go eating in a fast paced environment. When we are in a state of stress (physical, mental or emotional), our body puts digestion on the back burner to deal with the current “threat” we are facing. Once again, our food is left to ferment in our digestive tract, feeding undesired bacteria causing dysbiosis. 4) Are you drinking enough water? Poor water intake can hinder the body’s detoxification process causing inflammation from built up toxins. 5) Have you been on antibiotics in the past 5-10 years? Antibiotics wipe out not only the bad bugs, but the good bugs too. It can take time and work to reinstate a healthy balance of bacteria. This might entail taking probiotic supplements and / or introduing raw lacto-fermented foods such as sauerkraut. If this balance has not been reinstated then dysbiosis can occur. Improving digestion is a good place to start. Working with an RHN can be beneficial to get you on track.
Where Great Health Begins
High Cortisol Levels from Stress Stress comes in many forms, physical, mental and emotional. All of which have the same physiological function in the body. Chronic stress will elevate your cortisol levels and can cause weight gain or stubborn fat around the abdomen. This is a good time to evaluate the stressors in your life. For example: Do you over-exercise? Do you have a toxic relationship with someone? Do you have anxiety or a negative outlook on life in general? You can ask your health care practitioner to test your cortisol levels and how to proceed if there is an imbalance.
Insulin Resistance Stubborn fat can be a result of insulin resistance, the hormone released by the pancreas in response to sugar intake. Sugar intake isn’t only in the form of candy, pop and junk food. It can be from grain consumption or too much fruit. Remember, Type II Diabetes is often a disease of lifestyle, meaning you could find yourself on the blood sugar imabalance spectrum. You do not have to be obese to be on this spectrum. Type II Diabetes or blood sugar imbalance has been proven to be managable and in some cases reversable with a strict dietary and lifestyle plan. Dr. Mark Hyman has an excellent book, The Blood Sugar Solution. It provides thorough education on the subject and a complete dietary and lifestyle plan to get your blood sugar under control. I followed his plan as I was possibly facing gestational diabetes while pregnant and it was remarkable the change in my blood glucose levels (I monitored my levels several times per day). You can ask your health care practitioner to test your glucose and insulin levels. Please don’t rule this out as a possibility. Blood sugar imbalance and insulin resistance is more common than we think!
Exercise Weight-bearing exercise can naturally boost testosterone levels. The heavier the weight the better, for very few reps. Short burst workouts can be more beneficial for weightloss as you tend to burn fat rather than muscle. Power poses have been proven to increase testosterone levels by up to 20% and decrease cortisol levels by up to 25% in just 2 minutes. To learn more, check out the TED Talk “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are” by Amy Cuddy, a researcher at Harvard University. Very interesting!
Supplementation As an RHN, it is not within my scope to recommend hormone therapy such as testosterone. This is something best discussed with your health care practitioner. However, you can support your body’s natural testosterone production by including foods high in zinc such as pumpkin seeds and oysters. Maca root is a supplement that has shown to help balance the endorcine system. Maca can be taken in capsule form or powder form added to smoothies. You might find a boost of energy when taking maca too! I hope this information helps you achieve your health goals. Have a question?
Visit www.spiralhealth.ca to submit your nutrition questions anonymously. They might just be published in the next issue!
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43405246
professional DIRECTORY
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR
fun + creative side
Aromatherapy Imagination is more important than knowledge. So said Albert Einstein.
Body - Mind - Spirit
Before iPads and video games, X-box, Warcraft and the other endless parades of new games, kids used their imagination. Like a muscle that goes unused, imagination can atrophy over time. We come to depend on someone or something else to manage our time and emptiness, our moods and boredom.
Business / Marketing Angela Neufeld- Business & Marketing Coaching/Consulting Providing small business consulting and coaching support services to grow or expand your business success. Ready to take your business online as well as in person? Free custom business and planning session strategy. Skype online & In person service available to any location. Learn fresh ways to take your business to the next profitable level! www.angelaneufeld.com/250-981-8152
Healing & Body Therapies
We can become addicted to this reliance on others to invent our way out of our daily dilemmas. It’s often said that each of us has creativity as part of our makeup. If this is true, and if being creative is so useful to us, why then do so few of us use it? How does our innate creativity get lost and how do we go about retrieving it? Businesses increasingly say “we want someone who can think outside the box.”
Massage, Registered
How do we learn to do that? In our recent newsletters we have been exploring William Glasser’s theory that in order to be happy, we must have five needs met. 1. Survival, food, water and safety. 2. Love and belonging. 3. To be significant and competent. 4. Freedom and autonomy. 5. Fun and learning. Fun and learning, is closely connected to the need to be creative. Children seem masters at being creative, it’s called play.
Nutritionists / Healthy Food
Refflexology
Everyone, it’s been said, is an artist of sorts. The carpenter, the millwright, the doctor, the mechanic, the mother, the child, the fly-tying fisherman, the builder of kites, the disabled person who paints with his mouth or foot, the computer program designer. Who doesn’t have some source of inspiration from which they draw enjoyment, deriving a sense of well-being, confidence, and capacity? Every person has natural resources, despite how hidden or forgotten they have become. To get in touch with our often forgotten creative or fun side, it helps to think back to things you enjoyed doing as a child. Research has shown that things we enjoy doing tend to stay constant over our life time, like a personality trait.
Unfortunately, many of us simply quit doing the things we enjoy, claiming to be too busy, or just forgetting how important these activities are to us. To help you reclaim fun and creativity in your life, start by making a list of things you enjoyed doing as a child or young adult. Include in your list anything you can think of that makes you laugh, that brings you joy, and makes you smile.
recipe
BOX
Dijon Chicken Breast Recipe created by Hillary Shearing Certified Holistic Nutritionist My Awesome Foods www.myawesomefoods.com
Once you have a list, look for themes. Are you with people or alone? Are you outside or inside? Are you creating or deconstructing, contemplating or active, peaceful or pleasantly stressed? Keep a log over the next few weeks of things that cause you to genuinely relax, smile, or to laugh. It is also important to pay attention to anything you might be engaging in that creates a false sense of fun. False fun is anything that appears fun at the moment but has negative consequences for which you later regret. As adults we often settle for false fun like getting drunk, having affairs, gambling, or pornography, simply because it’s quick and easy. Unfortunately, false fun often increases our guilt and shame, and robs us of the opportunity to experience genuine joy, creativity and fun in life. If you have difficulty getting in touch with your creative, fun side, you may find mindful meditation helpful in accessing that hidden side of you. Jon Kabat Zinn is the founder of the mindful meditation movement and by clicking onto YouTube, you can find endless examples and free demonstrations which you can follow at your own pace. Creativity doesn’t need to be de ned only as art, music, movement or writing, since any gesture you make towards recovering your own inner voice will lead you in new directions. Will it take effort? Of course, anything worthwhile does. We develop new skills and ideas and solutions by practicing.
Rob Ziegler, MA MPCP Article courtesy of Walmsley Counselling - Wellness - Organizational Services www.walmsley.ca
Ingredients 2 Chicken Breasts 1/2 cup of Grainy Dijon Mustard (preferably organic or home made) 2 Tbs of Balsamic Vinegar 1 Tsp of horseradish (optional) 1/2 Tbs of olive oil 1 tsp of garlic powder/spice 4 cracks of rock salt (optional) 1 tsp of pepper Instructions 1. Turn up your tunes! 2. Combine all of your ingredients (minus the chicken of course) in a large bowl, whisk away…. 3. Slice your chicken breasts in half lengthways. You do NOT need to eat an entire breast. Fact. 4. Toss your boobies (the chickens of course - not yours) in the marinade and place them into a glass baking dish. 5. Spoon the rest of the marinade on top of each piece of chicken. 6. Find a home in your fridge and marinade the chicken for a few hours… the longer the better and more flavour 7. Bake for 15 min @ 375, then @ 450 for 15 min. 8. Eat, chew - don’t forget to chew and enjoy!
HEALTH &
wellness EVENTS Kundalini Yoga with Anna
Kundalini yoga derives its name through a focus on awakening kundalini energy through practice of meditation, pranayama, chanting mantra and movement. It is known as the “yoga of awareness” as regular practice cultivates the creative spiritual potential of a human to uphold values, speak truth and focus on the compassion and consciousness needed to serve and heal others. Saturday, November 26th 1pm-2:30pm Sun & Sage Yoga Studio The class open to all levels and will focus on the immune system and balancing chakras. Admission is $15 cash.
Soup for Syria Quesnel - Volunteer Meeting
Soup for Syria Quesnel is continuing to work towards raising enough funds to support Syrian refugee families coming to Canada and hopefully to Quesnel. We are in need of committed people to assist with fundraising and the work needed to move the process forward further. Please join us for an informational meeting and update on the progress so far, and to participate in building on the plans to reach our goal of a minimum of $30,000. The meeting will be in the Lounge at the Rec. Centre on November 3rd at 7pm.