Live In Balance

2015

liveinbalance YOUR HEALTH + WELLNESS MAGAZINE

ENTER

challenge

OUR CONTEST page 29

THE

www.liveinbalancemagazine.com

EDITION

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

1

2

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

3

2015

liveinbalance YOUR HEALTH + WELLNESS MAGAZINE

THE CHALLENGE EDITION!

ENTER

challenge

OUR CONTEST page 29

THE

www.liveinbalancemagazine.com

EDITION

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

We will face challenges, though they are not failures but opportunities.

1

Live in Balance magazine SPRING EDITION

2015

CONTENT FEATURE: THE CHALLENGE 06 When life gives you lemons HEALTH & PREVENTION 13 Benefits of drinking lemon water 14 Say “goodbye” to sweet and salty 16 Balance from front to back 17 Smile happy NUTRITION & RECIPES 18 Stuffed strawberries recipe 19 Let’s dine in Bolton 20 Shish kabobs recipe 21 Asparagus salad recipe 22 Kitchen overhaul SUCCESS & HAPPINESS 24 Lemon dream bars recipe

25 Say “no” to GMO’s HOME LIFE & RELATIONSHIPS 26 Entrepreneur tax tips 27 Live life happy 28 Plan for the future 29 LIBTV 30 Spring art project 31 Don’t keep quiet 32 Fantastic finds 34 Halton Hills marketplace 36 Headwaters marketplace 38 Painting the walls marsala GREEN & CLEAN LIVING 40 Living green inside and out 42 Clean decorating

Popping Pomegranates!

45

4

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

BEAUTY & SELF CARE 44 Your problem skin solution 45 Popping pomegranates PET HEALTH & WELLNESS 46 Puppy preventions and kitty counteractions FITNESS & RECREATION 48 Driving hybrid 49 Total body workout 50 Detox a good way to make a fresh start

Great of

Interest Say “no” to GMO’s

Painting the walls Marsala

+ Writing | Sonya Stell

+ Writing | Sonya Stell

The Non-GMO Project is an international organization that operates in both Canada and the United States. All Non-GMO Project programs, including our product verification program, are offered in both countries.

This years “Colour of the Year” by Pantone is officially Marsala Pantone 18-1438. “Marsala enriches our mind, body and soul, exuding confidence and stability. Marsala is a subtly seductive shade, one that draws us into its embracing warmth. ” Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute.

Product verification The Non-GMO Project offers North America’s only third party verification and labeling for non-GMO food and products...

Enter Our

Contest For a chance to win your very own signed copy of Pia My Three Little Lands

25

The impactful, full-bodied qualities of Marsala make for an elegant, grounded statement colour when used on its own or as a strong...

38

29

Live In Balance TV Recipe 24 6 liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

5

Feature

The Challenge Edition

When Life Gives You make lemonade

Lemons + Writing | Sonya Stell

6

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

Feature

The Challenge Edition

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.

- Thomas A. Edison

W

e all know the old saying “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” but what does this really mean? In my opinion, it means that when you come across a challenge within your life think of it as an opportunity. The previous issue of Live In Balance magazine was entitled “The Resolution Edition” and with every resolution comes a challenge, which brought us to “The Challenge Edition”. No matter what your New Year’s resolution may have been, you probably will or have come up against some challenges. This issue is here to tell you, not to give up. Grasp hold of the opportunities that each challenge brings you, work through them and be thankful that they happened.

Accepting challenges, wrong turns down the road, and failures is all a part of creating a better, happier and more successful version of yourself. Challenges are what make us who we are, so do not shy from them, run from them or dread them, embrace them and see exactly what they truly are: endless opportunities.

Below is some advice that we can give to you, through research and our own knowledge that we have gathered along the way. I will begin with some of the most common resolutions that people often make every year and may or may not have a hard time sticking to them.

Weight Loss Losing weight can be quite a challenge for most of us. Thankfully, there are some tips, tricks and words of encouragement that will help you make it slightly easier. For those of you finding losing weight difficult and challenging, you are not alone. Losing weight is supposed to be challenging, if not, how are you supposed to get in shape? Are you already at your weight loss goals, but now struggling to maintain the weight or routine? Here are some challenges many people struggle with and how you can overcome them.

Balancing diet and exercise has to be one of the biggest challenges.

Exercising is only half of the battle of losing weight and staying fit.

Be mindful of what you eat and what you are doing to your body. If you have an exercise routine, then you have to plan for what you eat as well. Do not starve yourself just because you want to lose an extra pound or two. It will not do your body any good and all of the hard work you have put in will just go to waste.

Time management: it sounds lovely, doesn’t it? It is understandable that having a busy schedule can make it harder for you to keep any kind of weight loss routine going. However, do not use that as an excuse to skip out on your weight loss plan. You do not have to follow your plan to a tee, but make an effort to substitute for it. If you do not have time in the morning for a run, take the stairs instead of the elevator, bike instead of drive, or do yoga before bed.

Here is another biggy: lack of motivation. Think about why you want to lose weight; whether it would be because you want a beach

body by summer so you can wear that cute swimsuit you bought last season or because you want to lead a healthier lifestyle. Thoughts are quite powerful. Use them to your advantage and remind yourself that anything is possible if you work at it.

Losing and keeping weight off is the result of making a lifestyle change. As you break old habits like eating too much sugar and junk food, replace these old favourites with healthier choices like fruits and vegetables. Beware of what you are drinking too, fast food beverages and specialty coffees are filled with sugars; approximately two days worth of your recommended sugar consumption. Drinking even just one of these per day, can make a huge difference in losing or maintaining your weight goals. Try enjoying a nice cold glass of water with lemon, it will not only quench your thirst but actually aid you in achieving your weight target.

Financial Difficulties The countless benefits of dealing with financial problems: saving more, paying down expensive debt; will improve not just your bottom line but your overall mood as well. The less you worry about dealing with finances and money issues, the more you can enjoy your life. Here is how you can help reduce your money stress and get motivated to take control of your finances: Identify your stress points. Maybe it is the threat of a job loss, or the realization that you need to get more serious about saving for retirement, or perhaps you are dealing with a troublesome credit card balance. Write down your three biggest financial stress points.

Keeping the list short will help to ward off feeling overwhelmed.

Give it a positive spin. Your mindset is what will help fix your finances and keep you motivated to change. Rather than focus on the fact that you have too much debt, imagine how much better your life would be with less. Then make your vow: “Each month I will spend less and pay enough so my balance declines by at least $100.00.”

Focus on small, sustainable steps. Determine what you can reasonably achieve and then dedicate yourself to following through each and every month. Just as crash diets and insane workout routines typically lead to burnout, you do not want to set overly ambitious financial goals that you will abandon in a few weeks or months.

Hobbies You Will Love Are you tired of starting something, spending hundreds of dollars on it and then quitting after only a few months? Let’s face it. Some hobbies are not for everyone and just because a friend or family member enjoys it, does not mean you will too. You do not have to have a friend tag along with you to something that you will honestly enjoy, because if you are enjoying it, chances are you will love it anyways and maybe even meet a new friend.

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

7

Feature

The Challenge Edition

Sometimes by losing a battle you find a new way to win the war

8

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

learn to juggle

Feature

The Challenge Edition

I believe when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade... and try to find someone whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.

- Ron White

Begin your search for a new hobby by knowing whether you want to do a physical or mental/creative activity. Assuming you want something physical, ask yourself what environment you feel most comfortable in? Unless you love challenging yourself, in which case, you must find an environment that is just enough of a challenge for you and is aesthetically pleasing as well. For example: if you like water, but you are challenged by depth. Try diving, start with the beginner’s and give yourself time to learn the techniques. As you gain confidence and get better at it, you will inevitably want to stick with it. The same principle works for most nature sports, like mountain biking, windsurfing, etc.

be more aware of what your body’s capabilities are, how much time you can allot for exercising, what worked and what didn’t work. All in all, you will have a much higher success rate than last year.

If you would like to do something on the creative side, look for clubs and get-togethers, and join them for a few sessions. Some trial and error is needed to find something that you will like. Just remember, never buy into a hobby that you do not have a reasonable feeling that you will continue doing. If you start something, for example: a trading card range, just buy one or two of the latest decks and find another beginner like you at a club. Do not go out and buy yourself the latest and greatest equipment, like that $2000.00 mountain bike when you are just going to ride a couple of easy trails. Try and rent something for the first few times until you are sure.

Just because you have joined and quit 500+ clubs to date, does not mean that there is not one out there that is for you. Finding a hobby may be difficult, but keep these tips in mind and try to spend the least amount of money while finding something you truly love. Go back to your childhood memories, what did you used to love doing? Can you still do it? The answer should almost always be yes. Seek out likeminded individuals and join the club. If clubs are not for you, but you are still seeking that social interaction and meaningful purpose within your life, try volunteering. There are many organizations that want and need your help; plus, what better way to spend your spare time?

Give back to the community you belong too and often this will open up many new doors and opportunities for you to explore.

The Lemonade Now here is the best part of this entire journey you are on. The lemonade, or the opportunity. Just because you said you were going to lose 50 pounds this year and it is already well into the year, and you have only lost 10 pounds; does not mean that this was a failure on your part. Those ten pounds, or however many pounds, is weight that you had last year. Weight that was stopping you from doing something simple or maybe even something you loved. So when the ball drops this New Year’s and you set your resolution again, you will

For those who are coming through some troubling times or are just sick and tired of the debt they have accumulated, the “make lemonade” rule still applies. You cannot go back and change the past, what’s done is done. Now you can move forward, work to pay off your debt, save more and overcome these difficulties. Ultimately, this troublesome time will have set you up for a more successful, smarter and lucrative future.

Every goal that we set, whether it is successful or not, teaches us something. Who cares if you have “failed” multiple times? Do not look at it as a failure, but rather opportunities that you have learned from. Never stop trying and learning. One of these times, you are going to succeed and it will make you a happier, healthier person who has a positive can-do attitude and has mastered the technique of living in balance.

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

9

Publishers' Note

Live in Balance and face the

Insight

L

Challenge

ive in balance while you handle the “challenges” of life giving you lemons. We started the New Year off with a lot of enthusiasm and optimism that this was the year. We said to ourselves “I am going to stick to my New Year’s resolutions and achieve the goals I have set” only to find out that it is not as easy as we thought.

By this time of the year, many resolutions have already been put to the wayside. Long forgotten due to our “all or nothing” attitudes. This issue dedicated to the challenges that every resolution often brings, will hopefully encourage you not to look at your challenges as failures, but rather as opportunities to learn and grow.

Perhaps, your New Year’s resolution was to shed some pounds and lose that unwanted weight.

You spent countless sleepless nights plotting and planning just how you were going to accomplish this, determining that you would eat only healthy foods every day. A couple of weeks in and the cravings hit - sugary, salty, fatty junk foods are knocking at your door. Finally, you cave and indulge, let those awful foods back into your home and devour them. Now, feeling like you have failed, you continue to make the same poor choices day after day. What if you looked at it completely different?

Say to yourself: “I have done a great job for the past two weeks, I had a little lapse and indulged myself. Now I am going to get right back on track.”

Now that you are aware of the fact that these tasty foods are an addiction that is not going to be easy to break, you can redesign your plan. Perhaps, allowing yourself a special treat every Friday for dessert will help to curve those cravings and keep you on track. The most important part of anyone’s journey is to “live in balance”, do not go overboard on your new and improved lifestyle choices or else you will not be able to stick with it. Setting 10

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

too many or unrealistic goals is the main reason that our resolutions fail. In fact, statistics show that approximately 88% of people fail at achieving their goals. This in itself shows us that as human beings, we are going about this completely wrong.

The Challenge Edition is here to discuss with you how you can alter your thinking and set yourself up for success. Learning from those so-called “failures” and thinking of them as opportunities to better yourself and your resolutions. Applying this theory in both your personal and professional lives will allow you to experience a more fulfilling lifestyle and an overall feeling of happiness.

Sometimes a change is as good as a rest... and we have some changes this issue. We hope you will enjoy them just as much as we have enjoyed creating them. Live in Balance has continued to trudge forward through our path of creating a magazine that everyone of any age can enjoy, remaining unbiased to the many different lifestyles our readers choose to live. For those who have pledged their lives to forging the ultimate crueltyfree, health-benefiting life, we have editorials and partnerships that are surely of interest to you. Not forgetting, the busy mother, father or individual whom just wants to add a little balance into their lives and create a lifestyle that is functional for them and healthier for their families. Our newest addition this issue are our “Fantastic Finds” where we select an individual item from some of our participants that we find of great interest and share it with you - take a look on page thirty-two.

Live in Balance proudly sponsored the all-new Wellness Centre at the Caledon Home & Lifestyle show in April of this year. We are so pleased that we had the opportunity to meet and speak with some of you; the positive responses and amazing compliments were simply overwhelming. Thank you all for your support and continuous love of our magazines. Please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel LiveInBalance to enjoy the many upcoming segments brought to you by LIBTV. Nancy & Sonya Stell

Publishers' Note

Insight

Giving every member of the community the opportunity to live a healthy, positive and balanced life.

PUBLISHERS AND EDITORIAL DIRECTORS Sonya Stell and Nancy Stell

DESIGN AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sonya Stell

PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY Sonya Stell

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS HEALTH & PREVENTION

NUTRITION & RECIPES

SUCCESS & HAPPINESS

HOME LIFE & RELATIONSHIPS

Sonya Stell Karoline Kaminski David Kostynyk

Nancy Stell Sonya Stell Jenny Allen The Non-GMO Project

Corey Ferrier Andrea Seydel Nancy Stell LIBTV

Cathy Mount Nancy Stell Sonya Stell

BEAUTY & SELF CARE

FITNESS & RECREATION

PET HEALTH & WELLNESS

GREEN & CLEAN LIVING

Carla Furfaro Sonya Stell

Sonya Stell Nancy Stell 9Round

Sonya Stell

Sonya Stell

TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR NEXT ISSUE CONTACT:

PUBLISHER/MARKETING: Nancy Stell

nancy@liveinbalancemagazine.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR:

MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE: ORANGEVILLE & SHELBURNE AREA

Sonya Stell sonya@liveinbalancemagazine.com Stacey Valente stacey@liveinbalancemagazine.com

EDITORIAL: Written contributions and photos are welcome. We appreciate content from our local professionals.

However, all content is subject to editorial review and becomes the property of Live In Balance magazine. Submit your editorial to info.ourspace@gmail.com 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 Our Space Publishing, its affiliates, or divisional companies. Different views may appear in feature articles and publications that may not be the opinion of Live In Balance and its affiliates. Articles in Live In Balance magazine are copyrighted and must not be reprinted, duplicated, or transmitted without permission.

Printed in Canada by Our Space Publishing Copyright Š 2015 by Live In Balance magazine.

All rights reserved. No part of this magazine, including photography, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Printed on 30% post-consumer paper with vegetable oil based ink. 100% recyclable. Please share this publication with friends and family and recycle when finished.

OUR COMPANY HEAD OFFICE

PUBLISHED BY

P.O. Box 482 Erin, Ontario, N0B 1T0 | (519) 833-7157

Our Space Publishing

nancy@liveinbalancemagazine.com | sonya@liveinbalancemagazine.com

DESIGN + MEDIA COMPANY

www.liveinbalancemagazine.com | liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

11

12

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

Health

Prevention

Benefits of

drinking lemon water + Writing | Sonya Stell

Avid water drinkers are often refreshed to learn a new spin on an old favourite. You may just begin to enjoy lemon water because of the delicious taste, but did you realize just how many added health benefits there are to lemon water? Here are the top five: 1) Reduces inflammation: if you drink lemon water on a regular basis, it will decrease the acidity in your body, which is where disease starts to occur. It removes uric acid in your joints, which is one of the main causes of inflammation.

2) Aids digestion: lemon juice not only encourages healthy digestion by loosening toxins in your digestive tract, it helps to relieve symptoms of indigestion, such as heartburn, burping and bloating.

3) Helps you lose weight: lemons contain pectin fibre, which assists in fighting hunger cravings.

4) Cleanses your system: it helps flush out the toxins in your body by enhancing enzyme function, stimulating your liver.

5) Keeps your skin blemish-free: the antioxidants in lemon juice help to not only decrease blemishes but wrinkles too!

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

13

sweet an Health

Prevention

Say “Goodbye” to

+ Writing | Sonya Stell

Our government and food industry both encourage more “personal responsibility” when it comes to battling the obesity epidemic and its associated diseases. They say people should exercise more selfcontrol, make better choices, avoid overeating, and reduce their intake of sugar-sweetened drinks and processed food.

We are lead to believe there is no good food or bad food—that it’s all a matter of balance. This sounds good in theory, except for one thing... new discoveries in science prove that industrial, processed, sugar, fat, and salt-laden food (“food that is made in a plant, rather than grown on a plant”—Michael Pollan) is considered to be biologically addictive.

Imagine a foot high pile of broccoli, or a giant bowl of apple slices.

Do you know anyone who would binge on broccoli or apples?

On the other hand, imagine a mountain of potato chips, a whole bag of cookies, or a pint of ice cream. Those are easy to imagine vanishing in an unconscious, reptilian brain eating frenzy. Broccoli is not addictive, but cookies, chips, or soda absolutely can become addictive drugs.

The “just say no” approach to drug addiction hasn’t fared very well.

It won’t work for our industrial food addiction either. Tell a cocaine or heroin addict or an alcoholic to “just say no” after that first snort, shot, or drink. It’s not that simple. There are specific biological mechanisms that drive addictive behaviour. Nobody chooses to be a heroin addict, cokehead, or drunk. Nobody chooses to be fat either.

14

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

The behaviours arise out of primitive neurochemical reward centers in the brain that override normal willpower and overwhelm our ordinary biological signals that control hunger.

Why is it so hard for obese people to lose weight despite the social stigma and health consequences such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and even cancer; even though they have an intense desire to lose weight? It is not because they WANT to be fat. It is because certain types of food are addictive.

Food made with sugar, fat, and salt can be addictive. Especially when combined in secret ways the food industry will not share or make public. We are biologically wired to crave these foods and eat as much of them as possible. We all know about cravings, but what does the science tell us about food and addiction and what are the legal and policy implications if certain food are, in fact, addictive?

The Science and Nature of Food Addiction: Let’s examine the research and the similarities between high-sugar, energy-dense, fatty and salty processed junk food and cocaine, heroin, and nicotine. We’ll start by reviewing the diagnostic criteria for substance dependence or addiction found in the bible of psychiatric diagnosis—the DSM-IV and look at how that relates to food addiction.

1) Substance is taken in a larger amount and for a longer period than—a classic symptom in people who habitually overeat.

nd salty Health

2) Persistent desire or repeated unsuccessful attempts to quit— consider the repeated attempts at diet so many overweight people go through.

3) Much time/activity is spent to obtain, use, or recover—those repeated attempts to lose weight take time.

4) Important social, occupational, or recreational activities given up or reduced—many patients who are overweight or obese suffer from this.

5) Use continues despite knowledge of adverse consequences (e.g. failure to fulfill role obligation, use when physically hazardous)— anyone who is sick and fat wants to lose weight, but without help few are capable of making the dietary changes that would lead to this outcome.

Prevention

6) Tolerance (marked increase in amount, marked decrease in effect)—in other words you have to keep eating more and more just to feel “normal” or not experience withdrawal.

7) Characteristic withdrawal symptoms; substance taken to relieve withdrawal—many people undergo a “healing crisis” that has many of the same symptoms as withdrawal when removing certain foods from their diet.

Few of us are free from this addictive pattern. If you examine your own behaviour and relationship to sugar, in particular, you will likely find that your behaviour around sugar and the biological effects of over-consumption of sugar match up perfectly. Many of the criteria above are likely to apply to you.

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

15

Health

Prevention

+ Writing | Karoline Kaminski MSc, D.O.M.P of Complete Integrative Care

balance from front to back With mindfulness on the rise, we are constantly asked to be mindful of the tensions within our body. It is easy to notice tension in our necks, shoulders and hips but rarely is it easy to detect any abdominal tension we may have.

This is often because our abdominals can feel like anything but tight. This tension can show up as abdominal pain, low back pain, digestive issues, poor concentration, depression, irritability or even an inability to lose weight.

Tension in the superficial muscles over our abdomens can occur as a result of repeated straining with abdominal crunches or excessive holding your tummy in. Both actions are capable of flattening the lumbar spine, creating a weakened spinal structure or a ‘weak back’.

This can be quite costly in terms of your flexibility and freedom of movement. Sitting for long periods in the day achieves the same effect. This prolonged state of sitting pulls the rib cage down and induces restrictions of tissue in and around the abdomen leading to abdominal spasms.

These restrictions exacerbate the tension in your diaphragm, the muscle we use to breathe, making it harder to take in deep breaths of air reducing the amount of oxygen we take into our bodies. If we want to stay mentally focused through the day, than we need adequate amounts of oxygen circulating within our bodies.

Taking breaks to stretch and to walk around within your work day is a great way to achieve balance within your core as well as great for circulation of essential nutrients. When we breathe, we don’t often notice that our internal organs move up and down with our diaphragm.

This oscillation is crucial for the circulation of fluids within your abdomen. Your body’s fluids need to flow unimpeded.

Any obstruction of any of the body’s systems whether it be delivery of nutrients, or removal of wastes will likely result in the opposite of balance, in Osteopathy we call this: dis-ease.

After a meal, you might want to consider a nice stroll in the spring air as this will aid in the natural digestive process whereas sitting down may be impede your digestion.

16

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

What else can we do to strengthen our cores and support our low backs if not do crunches?

When we do crunches we only work the rectus abdominus. In the picture, rectus is peeled away and we can see we have deeper core muscles that wrap around your trunk like the transversus abdominus muscle (T.A).

The T.A plays an important role in maintaining a toned abdominal wall. You engage this muscle when coughing, sneezing, or exhaling forcibly.

Unlike the other three abdominal muscles, the T.A;s don’t move your spine, however it does play a considerable role in stabilizing it.

Many low back pain sufferers have shown weakness in this stabilizing muscle. Abdominal muscles should be toned but not tense; the first step in abdominal fitness requires learning to sense this core, becoming familiar with it from the inside. This is really not hard to do; it just requires a little re-learning.

Learning to activate the T.A properly can be done in less than 4 weeks with proper instruction and requires no crunching. Planks are one exercise that when done properly can substantially increase the strength of your core muscles. With a strong core, we experience inner strength, support and balance. This balance is fundamental in happy, pain free living.

Smile happy Health

Prevention

+ Writing | David Kostynyk of The Kostynyk Denture Centre

When teeth are failing or missing, the whole person’s well-being and outlook suffer. Full or partial dentures can be a great way to achieve a bright, healthy smile and enable proper chewing, clear speech and a more youthful facial appearance. In other words, dentures can improve your self-confidence, letting you feel more like you.

If you are missing some of your teeth it is not only embarrassing, but also it is causing damage to the teeth beside the space as well as the ones above and below. It also makes it very difficult to chew some of the foods you like and need to eat to stay healthy. A partial denture can replace the missing natural teeth giving you the confidence to smile and eat like you used to. If you are missing teeth on only one side, you are now being forced to chew only on the other. This can lead to popping and clicking of the jaw, which can become painful and annoying at the dinner table. With new procedures and materials, many of the difficulties and apprehensions people had about partials can now be eliminated. Today’s modern dentistry gives a clean natural look when you open your mouth. No more telltale flashes of metal around the natural teeth.

Even if you are missing only one tooth, it is important to have it replaced as soon as possible. Teeth are like fence posts, when you take one out the teeth beside it want to move into the space left. There are several ways to replace a single tooth, which vary in cost.

These include dental implants, fixed bridges and removable partial dentures. Visit your denturist to discuss which option bests suites you.

What you should know about dentures Obviously, dentures are not the same as natural teeth. It takes time and practice for facial muscles to adjust to wearing dentures and to speaking and eating with them. Your denturist will carefully evaluate your mouth to determine what type of dentures is best for you: Full, permanent dentures are made of tooth- and pink-colored plastic resin. After the denturist examines your mouth and takes x-rays or other imaging, he/she will take an impression to send to the dental lab for fabrication of the new dentures. Immediate, temporary dentures

may be used for a short time before permanent appliances are placed. The temporary denture allows you to leave the office with a naturallooking smile and gives the gums and jaw bone time to heal and shrink up after tooth extraction. Implant supported dentures work well when the person has sufficient bone to accept 2 or more small dental implants to anchor and support the denture. If possible, the denturist may leave some natural teeth to help hold a denture in place. Partial dentures replace one or more missing teeth, filling in embarrassing gaps and preserving the proper alignment and bite of remaining teeth. They are made of natural-looking plastic resin and a light, strong metal for the frame and clasps.

How to care for dentures Dentures that fit well rarely slip or cause other discomforts such as gagging or excessive saliva.

In other words, the patient can speak and eat confidently in public. However, to maintain good oral health as a denture wearer, the individual should practice diligent oral hygiene habits such as: Brushing and/or soaking the appliances with a paste or solution specific for dentures: Look for the seal of the Canadian/American Dental Association on the product packaging. Daily cleaning reduces plaque build-up and staining and eliminates unhealthy and odor-producing bacteria. Rinsing and brushing the mouth twice a day: Use a soft toothbrush to gently clean any existing teeth, gums, and tongue to avoid plaque and promote circulation.

Keep routine dental appointments, and report any sore spots in your mouth. Your dentist will continue to watch for signs of oral cancer or other health issues and will ensure dentures fit properly for best bite, eating, speech and appearance. A great smile equals confidence!

You may not realize it, but smiling has a significant impact on how others perceive you.

It tells people that you are happy to be in their presence as it sends a huge positive message to those around you. The mere act of smiling changes the blood flow to the brain and actually makes you feel happier. Don’t let missing teeth deprive you of this very positive and natural interaction we often take for granted.

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

17

Stuffed

Nutrition

Recipes

stawberries + Writing | Nancy Stell

1 pint fresh strawberries (approximately 12) 1 package (8 ozs) cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup coconut sugar 2 tablespoons orange flavoured liqueur, kahlua or extra flavour that you prefer.

Cut the green tops off of the fresh washed strawberries and stand them upright on the cut side.

Make a 3/4 cut through the strawberry down from the tip, then make another cross cut. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar and liqueur until smooth. Place into a piping bag and fill each strawberry. Top off with your favourite topping like blueberries, chocolate covered coffee beans etc.

18

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

The nice weather is here and enjoying some of the great eateries in Bolton is a must do. Whether you are looking for a light lunch or a delicious dinner, there is something for everyone and every taste bud.

LET’S DINE IN BOLTON Nutrition Recipes

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

19

Nutrition

Recipes

Shish Kabobs

+ Writing | Nancy Stell

A great choice for the grill as you can choose any type of meats, add fruits and vegetables, put everything on skewers and you are ready to go.

Marinate your vegetables in a complimentary dressing also sealed up in a container and stored in the refrigerator. Zucchini, mushrooms and peppers are a great choice.

Tips: Make sure you cut the meat uniformly so it will cook evenly. Usually 1 to 2 inch cubes work best. If using fish, be sure to choose firm textured fish like salmon or tuna.

When you are ready to grill, alternate your meat, vegetables and fruit on the skewers. If you want to include potatoes or carrots, you should partially boil them first so they will finish cooking on the grill at the same time as the rest of the kebob.

Marinate the meat with your choice of sauce. Seal it up in a container and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to grill. A minimum of 30 minutes works best. Discard any extra marinade.

Wipe the grill with cooking oil to help prevent the kebobs from sticking and turn them often until evenly cooked.

20

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

asparagus Nutrition

Recipes

Salad

+ Writing | Nancy Stell

Ingredients:

Asparagus 1 pound Tomatoes 6 cups cherry, grape and pear tomatoes Goat Cheese 1/2 cup Avocado 1 cup Basil Leaves 1 cup Olive Oil 1/4 cup Lemon Juice 2 teaspoons, freshly squeezed Dijon Mustard 2 teaspoons Pink Himalayan Salt 1/2 teaspoon Fresh ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon (or to taste)

Try this!

Directions:

Trim asparagus and cut into medium sized pieces. In a large pot filled with salted water, bring asparagus to a boil for two minutes.

Drain water and rinse with cold water.

Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl and stir in asparagus. Stir until everything is coated evenly with dressing. Optional: you can also add in other favourites like zucchini and red onion.

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

21

Nutrition

Recipes

Kitchen overhaul + Writing | Sonya Stell

By removing the following meals and snacks from your kitchen cupboards, you will maximize your chances of staying fit and healthy for as long as possible: #1 Coleslaw Looks can be deceiving when it comes to coleslaw. While it is often served right next to a healthy, green salad, coleslaw itself is anything but good for your body. Although it provides you with carrot and cabbage, it contains a disproportionate amount of calories per serving, and it is full of fatty mayonnaise. The average portion of coleslaw will provide you with at least 260 calories, and more than 20g of fat. Some popular brands of coleslaw are even worse. For example, fast food coleslaw contains close to 26g of saturated fat, making it worse than a portion of fries.

If you like coleslaw, why not try making it yourself ? Using fat free yogurt or a reduced fat mayonnaise, you can easily create a healthier version that tastes great with your salad. Make sure that you add cabbage, but try spicing up the flavor with lemon juice or vinegar. Better yet, try to get used to eating a side salad without pairing it with another side dish. With a light dressing and a creative mix of herbs, salad portions can be extremely tasty, and you may soon find that you don’t even miss the fatty coleslaw that you once enjoyed. #2 Frosting If you love to bake, you are probably very familiar with the tubs of delicious frosting that you can buy from most major stores. While you may be aware that frosting is not exactly a health food, you probably don’t know just how bad it really is. In truth, it is so terrible for your body that you should avoid consuming even small amounts.

Frosting typically contains trans fats, which are hazardous food additives that undermine weight loss and promote a range of health problems. They lower your cardiovascular health by increasing the level of LDL (i.e. ‘bad’) cholesterol in your body and decreasing your levels of HDL (i.e. ‘good’) cholesterol. In addition, they encourage your body to store fat, particularly around your abdomen. There is also some evidence that regular consumption of trans fats is linked to an increased likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes.

Finally, the amount of sugar in frosting is enough to spike your blood sugar way past healthy limits, providing you with empty calories that make it difficult to lose weight or to maintain a healthy figure. No matter how much you might enjoy the taste of frosting, the cons of consuming it clearly outweigh the pros. #3 Packaged Sandwiches When you want to eat a sandwich, it is always better to make it yourself, because the sad truth is that the bulk of packaged sandwiches lining the shelves in grocery stores have a surprisingly large amount of calories given their relatively small size. Indeed, the average sandwich will contain over 400 22

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

Nutrition

Recipes

calories, and many people think that a lunch should contain closer to 200 or 300 calories. You are also likely to find that these sandwiches contain large amounts of fat and saturated fat, as most of them are stuffed full of mayonnaise or cheese.

Even the sandwiches that are advertised as lighter options for dieters may contain at least 50% of your recommended daily intake of fat.

The ideal sandwich is made with whole wheat bread, healthy salad vegetables, a little margarine, and a light dressing. Lean meat is an excellent addition, and if you are vegetarian then you can add an extra source of protein (like soy, or meat substitutes). Alternatively, you could switch to having a healthy vegetable soup for lunch, or opt for egg on toast. Although prepackaged sandwiches are convenient, it will be easier to stay slim if you make the extra effort and create your own lunch. #4 Tomato sauce for pasta or chili When you are cooking a pasta dish or making a big pot of chili, it is easier to buy a large jar of tomato sauce from a store than it is to make your own at home in the kitchen.

However, these tomato sauces are often packed full of refined sugars, promoting weight gain and increasing your risk of developing diabetes at some point in your life. Many people have no idea about this surprising sugar content, as it makes sense to assume that vegetables are the dominant ingredient in tomato sauces. Thankfully, you can make a sauce that is simple to prepare, low in fat and low in sugar. Just follow these instructions: Heat a small amount of vegetable oil in a pan, and then fry one finely chopped onion until it is soft.

Add one chopped garlic clove, then pour in one can of chopped tomatoes, two to three tablespoons of tomato puree, and your favorite herbs (good suggestions include oregano and basil).For a spicier sauce, try adding one chopped red chili or sprinkling some chili flakes over the sauce.

Simmer the sauce until some of the liquid boils off and you are pleased with the consistency.

Instead of adding sugar, add chopped or pureed carrots. This is a healthier way to reduce the acidity of the sauce.

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

23

Bars

Lemon Dream Nutrition

Recipes

+ Writing | Jenny Allen of Jentree Whole Health

LiveInBalance

(No gluten, grain, dairy, soy and refined sugars) For the base: 1 cup pecans 6 soft pitted medjool dates Ÿ cup organic unsulphered shredded coconut 1 tbsp coconut oil Pinch of sea salt For the lemon filling: 1.5 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp agave syrup or honey 2 tbsp coconut oil Juice and zest of 1 lemon Pinch of sea salt 2 tbsp organic unsulphered shredded coconut (to garnish) Directions: 1. Line an 8� square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In blender or food processor, combine ingredients for base until smooth (base should stick together when squeezed in your hand).

2. Press base into prepared pan and chill in freezer until topping is ready.

3. Drain cashews. In clean blender or food processor, combine cashews, coconut oil, sweetener, lemon juice, lemon zest and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth, spread over chilled base and top with remaining 2 tbsp coconut if desired.

4. Cover and chill in freezer for at least 2 hrs before cutting into bars. Serve immediately. Uncut bars will store tightly wrapped in freezer for up to 1 month.

24

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

s

Nutrition

Recipes

Say “no” to GMO’s + Writing | Sonya Stell + Information | The Non-GMO Project

The Non-GMO Project is an international organization that operates in both Canada and the United States. All Non-GMO Project programs, including our product verification program, are offered in both countries.

Product verification The Non-GMO Project offers North America’s only third party verification and labeling for non-GMO food and products. The Non-GMO Project is working with dozens of companies selling products in Canada to ensure that their products are Non-GMO Project Verified. Search verified products.

Educational Outreach The Non-GMO Project is committed to ongoing outreach and education in Canada to help inform manufacturers, retailers, and consumers about the risks of GMOs in our food supply. Our recent efforts include attending trade shows and educational events, providing informational materials to aligned organizations to help support their efforts throughout the Provinces, and promoting the efforts of the companies and organizations in Canada that are actively working to support the mission of the Non-GMO Project.

Retailer Engagement The Non-GMO Project’s Supporting Retailer Program offers Canadian retailers simple, year-round programming to connect supporting retailers with conscientious shoppers, and provides an opportunity to support the Non-GMO Project’s work in a way that directly benefits store customers and staff.

Non-GMO Month occurs every October and has been an overwhelming success with over 1,850 retailers participating across the United States and Canada.

What is GMO? GMOs (or “genetically modified organisms”) are living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering, or GE. This relatively new science creates unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods. For consumers, it can be difficult to stay up-to-date on food ingredients that are at-risk of being genetically modified, as the list of at-risk agricultural ingredients is frequently changing. As part of the Non-GMO Project’s commitment to informed consumer choice, we work diligently to maintain an accurate list of risk ingredients.

Agricultural products are segmented into two groups: (1) those that are high-risk of being GMO because they are currently in commercial production, and (2) those that have a monitored risk because suspected or known incidents of contamination have occurred and/or the crops have genetically modified relatives in commercial production with which cross-pollination (and consequently contamination) is possible.

Non-GMO Project located at 1200 Harris Avenue, Suite #305, Bellingham WA for general questions visit our website at www.nongmoproject.org or email us at info@nongmoproject.org.

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

25

Success

Happiness

Entrepreneur Tax Tips + Writing | Corey Ferrier of Investors Group

As an entrepreneur, operating your day-today business and planning for the future can consume a lot of your time. Paying less tax, although important, may not always be top of mind. There’s no time like the present to ensure you are taking full advantage of all the tax minimization strategies available to you. As you review these key tips, consider how you may be able to apply one or more to you and your business.

Employ your spouse and children Whether you carry on your business personally or through a corporation, you should consider paying a salary to your spouse and/or children.

Canada’s progressive tax system, which assesses higher income earners at higher tax rates, provides an incentive to split income with family members in a lower tax bracket.

Paying a salary to a spouse and/or child who pays tax at a lower rate than you can create net tax savings. But, you must ensure that the salary is reasonable for the services they perform for the business.

Incorporate your business If your business produces more profit than you need to satisfy your personal cash flow needs, then incorporation could produce a sizeable tax deferral by accessing the lower small business tax rate for active income. This deferral benefit, however, is only available if the profits are left in the company. The longer the profits are left in the company, the larger the tax advantage. It is important to note that investment income earned on prior deferrals and rental income do not receive this lower rate.

The tax deferral achieved through incorporation can create a permanent tax saving if the shares of the business are eventually sold and are eligible for the lifetime capital gains exemption.

However, if you are incurring losses this will not be the best option. Other potential advantages of incorporation include having family members own shares to have access to multiple capital gains exemptions, or paying out dividends to family members who are taxed at a lower rate. We can help determine which strategies work with your situation.

Invest excess cash Since the biggest bang for your tax buck is accomplished by leaving profits in the 26

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

company, the question becomes what to do with those profits. If paying down debt or reinvesting in the business operations are not options, then a smart investment plan is your best alternative. This strategy is most effective for active business income subject to the small business deduction. I can help you build the right investment portfolio for your business.

Plan for your retirement In order to make the maximum allowable registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) contribution for the business owner next year, you’ll need to create the contribution room this year by maximizing reported earned income.

If incorporated, you will want to review the best dividend/salary mix for your situation. As part of your overall plan, you may also want to make a contribution to your tax-free savings account (TFSA). Talk to us about achieving balance in your personal investment plan given all the variables and how it will fit with this year’s maximum contribution limits for business owners.

Don’t forget to think about RRSP contribution room when setting and reporting remuneration for services provided by family members who also work in the business. A corporation with taxable income over the small business limit may want to explore the use of an individual pension plan (IPP).

An IPP is ideally suited to business owners in their mid-forties or older who have a past history of earning employment income from their company in excess of $100,000 per year.

An IPP will allow you to shelter even more earnings from tax than your RRSP while still offering some protection from creditors.

Prepare for the sale of your business It’s never too early to plan your business exit strategy. If you’re planning on selling all or part of your business at some point, confirm with your accountant whether you’re eligible for the lifetime capital gain exemption and what steps need to be taken.

Make use of R&D expenses Expenses related to research and development activities incurred to develop and enhance your products and production processes, may qualify for valuable tax incentives in the form of refundable and non-refundable tax credits.

Success

Happiness

Live life

Happy

+ Writing | Andrea Seydel

Why am I not living life happy?

All people experience difficult and challenging circumstances at some time in their life. Reaching out for assistance is a healthy and positive step towards getting your life back in order. As an experienced positive psychology practitioner and certified life coach, I have experience in helping individuals, couples and family members who are going through a tough time with relationships, low self-esteem, life direction and/or circumstances that are affecting their ability to cope, function and live life happy. It is not uncommon to feel your life is out of order from time to time.

What is positive psychology?

Positive psychology counseling is a cooperative confidential process of working with a professional that focuses on the strengths that enable individuals to thrive, thereby helping the client to cope, manage and achieve clarity with challenging life situations. The field of positive psychology is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experience of love, work and play. Working with a positive psychology practitioner will help you move in the direction of improvement with confidence and optimism. I am a genuinely caring, understanding and down to earth professional who demonstrates a positive warm initiative to help others in an honest, objective, confidential, and realistic manner.

Sometimes reaching out for a little support is all you need to Live Life Happy! You deserve it.

What are some action steps I can take now to Live Life Happy?

Fake it till you feel it: Feelings follow actions. If I’m feeling low, I deliberately act cheerful, and I find myself actually feeling happier.

Exercise to boost energy: I knew, intellectually, that this worked, but how I feel after teaching my classes is amazing. Exercise is one of the most dependable mood-boosters. Even a 10 minute walk can brighten your outlook.

Stop Complaining: You can actually feel a big happiness boost from stopping your tendency to complain. Start appreciating what is good!

See the world through rose colour glasses: Choose to put your attention on the things in your world that make you happy and that are good. You will end up seeing more and more of these things!

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

27

Plan for the future

Success

Happiness

+ Writing | Nancy Stell

Plan your work and work your plan was something I learned early on in my business career and following this strategy in both your personal life and your professional life can help ensure you have a successful future.

Here are some tips on how to achieve your future goals: 1. Take a moment and go to a quiet place where you can think without being interrupted. Clear your thoughts and start to imagine what your future will look like.

2. Take a close look at yourself. What is your gift? What is your passion? Something that you would enjoy doing even if you didn’t get paid for it. Consider too what other people have always told you that you are good at or should be doing.

3. Write it down. This makes it real and is the first step towards achieving your goal.

4. Now plan your route. Write down what it will take to reach your goal. Consider the amount of time and money you might need to achieve success.

28

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

5. Visual reinforcement: now put your piece of paper where you can see it and remind yourself everyday of your goals.

6. Start a tax-free savings account and commit to a monthly amount that you will deposit faithfully. Sign up for automatic withdrawal so you’re not tempted to miss. This will ensure you have the funds already available, as you need them in your pursuit of your objective.

7. Don’t let negativity influence your goals.

Misery loves company as they say and often you will find that people are best at telling you why you won’t succeed.

8. Begin to speak your future in the present.

This will assimilate into your mind and help you to persevere towards your dream.

9. Remember my rule: plan your work and work your plan. A stick to it attitude will ensure that you will ultimately reach the target you have set.

Take note of these simple tips that you can integrate into your life and plan your future.

Success

Happiness

& n be a c r s sc i b su

This year Our Space Publishing proudly sponsored the new Wellness Centre at the Caledon Home & Lifestyle Show in Bolton. It was a huge success; the visitors to the show learned about new products and services that can help them “live in balance�.

The businesses that supported our Wellness Centre included: Downsizing Diva, Saunaco, Caledon East Wellness Clinic and Medical Spa, and Core Solutions; who all had their own booths.

Rotating guests through our booth included: Complete Integrative Care, Bolton Curves, Ladylyn Hair Stylist, Harmony Health Clinic, and Teak Barn who loaned us their beautiful teak and wicker furniture for our display. Everyone shared some

great tips that we were able to capture on film and have created an amazing and informative segment for our LiveInBalanceTV. We also had great prizes that were donated for the contests that we ran all weekend long, provided by our guests plus these additional local businesses: Amped Nutrition, Crock A Doodle, Pia, Calm Waters, Credit Creek Country Store and Edible Delights who also made us some amazing cupcakes that everyone enjoyed for the weekend.

It was a great show with lots of new things happening all weekend long. Congratulations to the team at the Caledon Chamber of Commerce for the excellent job they did on this years show.

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

29

PA RT I E S CHOOSE FROM: POP ART, PAINT SPLATTER, CLAY, ARTIST INSPIRED & MORE! FOR ALL AGES & OCCASIONS

PA RT I E S PA RT I E S

4Cats Arts Studio Caledon 12 Parr Blvd. Unit 2, Bolton · 905-857-6912 4Cats.com/caledon · caledon@4Cats.com

30

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

Home Life

Relationships

SPRING ART PROJECT + Writing | Cathy Mount of 4Cats Arts Studio Caledon

This is a great outdoor art activity now the weather is getting nicer.

Pendulum Painting: You will need a few fun colours of acrylic paint, a canvas, some string, a plastic cup and some scissors.

STEP 1: Poke three holes evenly spaced around the top of the cup about a 1/2” down from the top.

Make sure they are large enough for the string to fit through. String three equal length pieces of string through holes and secure them with a knot at holes. Then tie the three stings together at the top.

STEP 2: Poke a hole in the very centre of the bottom of the cup, not to large but enough to allow the paint to flow through. Lay your canvas on the ground. Fill the cup with your paint.

You may have to experiment with the consistency of the paint so it will run through the hole.

STEP 3: Ok, so now swing the cup from the top of the string. Get it going like a pendulum and see the amazing patterns it creates!

Try a couple of colours, even two at once! That’s it! Cool pendulum art!

Home Life

Relationships

Don’t keep quiet + Writing | Nancy Stell

Viewed as just being shy or quiet, often these individuals are passive when it comes to communicating at work, within the family or in everyday human interactions.

Not sticking up for yourself or saying “yes” when you really want to say “no” can lead to a lifetime of communication and behavioural problems affecting a persons relationships.

Having a fear of disapproval, passive people have been rewarded for their submissiveness over the years often by teachers, parents and their peer groups who view them as co-operative. Sometimes this behaviour is actually comfortable as you can deflect any responsibility from yourself avoiding blame when things go wrong. But long term this passive behaviour can lead to unsatisfying relationships.

Completely disengaged from intimacy as they hide behind the ‘nice guy/girl’ mask. Ultimately an emotional eruption resulting from all the built up resentment can burst out and be seen as passiveaggressive behaviour. Passive individuals think they are managing their emotions through suppressions, but often anger shows up in many more harmful ways than if the person had actually dealt with it upfront.

Suicide is the ultimate outcome of emotional suppression.

Learning to be more assertive; taking control over your personal space and knowing how to get what you want while giving others what they want, allows you to live a more well round and fulfilling life. You’ll enjoy the personal growth that comes from taking initiative, making decisions and yes, even making mistakes and taking responsibility for them.

Assertiveness is not to be confused with aggressiveness. Rather it is the ability to express feelings, wishes, wants and desires appropriately.

An important personal and interpersonal skill, assertiveness is expressing yourself in a clear, open and reasonable way, without undermining the rights of yourself or others. Aggressive behaviour fails to consider the views and feelings of others and often results in an unfavourable outcome.

If you struggle with the challenges of effective communication, seek out professional help. Life really is too short and going through it with low selfesteem and a lack of self-confidence is not doing yourself justice. liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

31

fantasticfinds Home Life

Relationships

...welcome to our newest feature; gathered here are three unique finds found right here in our regions, that we are sure you will love!

Fun, bright and stylish. This beautiful sky blue, beaded double necklace was found at Credit Creek Country Store in the hamlet of Belfountain. Known for having “just lots of neat stuff� be sure to drop by this spring: 17277 Mississauga Road, Belfountain or call (519) 927-5033 to see what is in store.

Keep warm and cozy on those cooler spring nights, as you cuddle up around this modern, stylish fire pit table. Found just outside of the small town of Erin at Teak Barn Fine Furniture and Home Decor. For more information call (519) 833-9972, visit them at 8809 Wellington Road 124, Erin or online at www.teakbarn.ca

Looking to give your kitchen an upgrade this spring? Do not replace, revive! As they say at Kitchen Revivall, who is more than ready to help your kitchen dreams come true this year. Give them a call at (519) 265-6070 or an email at delby@rogers.com, and check out their amazing services at www.kitchenrevivall.com 32

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

Home Life

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

Relationships

33

34

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

Enjoy shopping, dining and exploring all that the region of Halton Hills has to offer this spring season. There is something for everyone and every want... your home, your body, and your hungry tummy. So get out there and have some fun in this beautiful region so many of us have the pleasure of calling home!

HALTON HILLS MARKETPLACE

Home Life

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

Relationships

35

36

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

Here we have brought together some of our local businesses that help you live in balance.

Enjoy utilizing their services, shopping at their stores and and engaging with these passionate entrepreneurs that bring a special quality to our communities. Shop for your home, yourself and your families and discover what the surrounding areas have to offer.

HEADWATERS MARKETPLACE

Home Life

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

Relationships

37

Painting the walls

Home Life

Relationships

Marsala + Writing | Sonya Stell

This years “Colour of the Year” by Pantone is officially Marsala Pantone 18-1438. “Marsala enriches our mind, body and soul, exuding confidence and stability. Marsala is a subtly seductive shade, one that draws us into its embracing warmth. ” Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute.

The impactful, full-bodied qualities of Marsala make for an elegant, grounded statement colour when used on its own or as a strong accent to many other colours. Much like the fortified wine that gives Marsala its name, this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal while its grounding redbrown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness. “Nurturing and fulfilling, Marsala is a natural fit for the kitchen and dining room – making it ideal for tabletop, small appliances and linens throughout the home.” Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute.

Add elegance to any room by incorporating this rich and welcoming hue in accent pieces, accessories and paint. Marsala’s plush characteristics are enhanced when the colour is applied to textured surfaces, making it an ideal choice for rugs and upholstered living room furniture.

The Versatility of Marsala: Equally appealing to men and women, Marsala is a stirring and flavourful shade for apparel and accessories, one that encourages colour creativity and experimentation.

Flattering against many skin tones, sultry and subtle Marsala is a great “go-to” colour for beauty, providing enormous highlight for the cheek, and a captivating pop of colour for nails, shadow, lips and hair.

38

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

Dramatic and at the same time grounding, the rich and full-bodied red-brown Marsala brings colour warmth into home interiors.

An earthy shade with a bit of sophistication, texture is the story in print and packaging. A matte finish highlights Marsala’s organic nature while adding a sheen conveys a completely different message of glamour and luxury.

Whether in a flat or textured material, or with a matte or gloss finish, this highly varietal shade combines dramatically with neutrals, including warmer taupes and greys. Because of its burnished undertones, sultry Marsala is highly compatible with amber, umber and golden yellows, greens in both turquoise and teal, and blues in the more vibrant range.

Prior to the selection of Marsala, Pantone had chosen Radiant Orchid, Emerald, Tangerine Tango, Honeysuckle and so on to be their colours of the year.

Relationships

COLOUR OF THE YEAR

Home Life

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

39

Green

Clean Living

Living Green Inside and Out + Writing | Sonya Stell

As much as we have to look after our own insides, we have to also take care of the insides of our houses, because, if nothing else, that’s where we live, and if we’re to stay healthy, we should live in a clean and healthy environment.

In this green living cleanse program, we discuss the importance of purifying the air you breathe, water you drink and cleaning up your environment. The tips listed below go beyond the health benefits from a green living environment and focus on quick, easy and costeffective things you can do to save money on your electricity bill, as well as help the environment at the same time.

1. Start Recycling Hopefully, everybody is recycling by now, but we know that is not true. Recycling really is an easy thing to do. Save your plastic, aluminum and steel, and put it out by the curb in a separate container once a week or drop it off at the closest recycling facility. The longterm benefits of recycling should be all the motivation you need.

Every city has different regulations as to what they will pick up for recycling. Be sure to call and find out what exactly you’re allowed to recycle, in order to avoid any confusion.

If you have young children, you can make recycling a game and teach them the benefits of conserving. Don’t just limit your recycling to your home either. Buy recycled products. Look for the labels that will indicate a carton has been made from recycled materials. Buy your children recycled paper notepads for their schoolwork. Learn what the recycling symbols on plastic mean, and only buy products that can be recycled.

2. Use Environmentally Friendly Detergents The laundry detergent you use is very important. As a matter of fact over 95% of all detergents contain toxic chemicals or by-products.

Though the variety of toxic detergents — for dishes, clothes, etc — has always been many, with the green craze, we now have companies developing environmentally-safe, organic laundry detergent and organic dishwashing liquid. By using organic products, even if you are unable to capture the water out of your sinks or washing machine, the water that gets away will still do the least possible harm to the environment.

And while we’re on the subject of washing clothes, think about giving your clothes a cold wash. More often than not, your clothes will get nice and clean even if you don’t have the water heated.

3. Turn Off Electricity When Not In Use This tip may seem very redundant, and the fact is, it still needs to be 40

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

mentioned. But in this day and age of computers and everything else electronic, maybe the information is still a bit vague.

Turn off your computer when you are not using it. Those fans that keep it from overheating take up a lot of energy.

Turn off the lights when you’re leaving a room. Do you really need a light on in your bedroom when you’re in the kitchen or living room?

Want to keep warm during winter? Put on socks or a sweater instead of turning up the heater.

When possible, avoid using the clothes dryer. Hang clothes up, either outside or inside, either way you won’t be using electricity to dry your clothes.

If you’re in the market for new appliances, make sure you get one with the Energy Star sticker on it. They’re more efficient, and they will last longer. Therefore, they stay out of landfills and save you from having to go buy another one in a few years.

4. Start Saving Water One of the biggest things in Australia at the moment is the need to save water. They are going through a terrible period of drought, and are seeing dams and reservoirs drop in levels each summer. They are now saving water in whatever way possible. But regardless of where you are, saving water is a good way to play your part for the environment.

Saving water can be really easy as well. One of the easiest and cheapest ways involves lots of buckets. Buckets in the shower, buckets by the sink, buckets for shaving, buckets outside to catch rain. These buckets can then go to water the garden or fill up your toilet tank.

5. Use Energy Efficient Lighting Many homes and offices have now made the switch to energy efficient CFL’s. While CFL’s are definitely more efficient and “greener” than the traditional incandescent light-bulb, be cautious of the use of fluorescent lighting.

Fluorescent lighting has been linked to a wide range of symptoms and illnesses. Researchers have found that exposure to fluorescent lights at night can disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm and another found that fluorescent lighting can increase the likelihood of developing certain cancers. This is especially troubling for anyone that have to work for extended periods every day under this type of lighting. Exposure to fluorescent lights has also been linked to an increase in stress hormones. Instead of CFL’s, we would recommend

Green

either full spectrum or LEDs (Light emitting diode) as a safe and energy efficient alternative.

Moving outdoors...

Summer is a great time to spend more time in your outdoor home.

Whether you are working on your landscaping, enjoying entertaining family or friends, or resting and soaking up the summer sun – your outdoor home is the hub for it all! It also is the perfect place to carry your eco-friendly lifestyle to your outdoors with green outdoor decor, re-purposed amenities and taking advantage of sustainable design ideas that you and the Earth will love. If you’ve been trying to think of unique ways to green your outdoor home, here are 10 ecofriendly ideas to get you started.

1. Marry the outdoors with your interior home: One of the easiest ways to green your outdoor home is to blur the lines between your interior and exterior home. While opening up your windows and doors is a great way to let in fresh air, architectural options such as window walls that open up to the outdoors as well as glazed doors with operating windows can let in a fresh breeze without allowing pests in during hot and humid summer months.

2. Use green materials when remodeling and renovating: If you are considering adding a wood deck – consider using recycled or reclaimed wood from other buildings for your exterior deck project. Many lumber yards have suppliers to provide a great selection of reclaimed and recycled timber for your outdoor home projects. Concrete, wrought iron, and even railroad ties are becoming gorgeous materials to use throughout outdoor projects. You will be surprised how your garden or DIY outdoor home project will be enhanced with one-of-a-kind green materials.

3. Replace worn out lighting with energy-efficient ones: Your outdoor home can have an aesthetic eco-friendly appeal as well as a functional appeal, and that’s where lighting fixtures are essentials.

While you may not think about it outdoor lighting, especially old fixtures use a lot of energy and they can drive your energy bill soaring! Replace old fixtures with energy-saving varities or even solar powered fixtures. Old incandescent bulbs can be replaced with LED lights that burn cooler and give off a brighter glow of light. Consider using these for lighting your walkways, front and back entryways, as well as illuminating your garage and landscaping around your home.

4. DIY Outdoor home ideas using re-purposed decor: If you love to re-purpose household items and use them in new and inventive ways, what better place to start than your outdoor home?

Re-purposing can be as simple as using an old piece of furniture that has been sitting in your garage and now using it for a decorative planter for your front porch. Re-purposed home decor you see at your local yard sale or salvage yard can be painted, refinished, and given a new purpose in your outdoor home. Create an outdoor butler’s pantry table adjacent to a summer kitchen, made from a salvaged wrought iron balcony and a slab of bluestone.

5. Install innovative technologies to save energy Some of the most eco-friendly options for your outdoor home have to do with systems and technology as opposed to physical embellishments. Motion detectors placed near your exterior lighting will help save electricity. This will enable your lighting to only come

Clean Living

on when a person, animal, or other motion is sensed. These detectors work best on floodlights in the rear of your home as opposed to architectural and landscape lighting. Consider having your home security and outdoor lighting systems connected to a “smart-home” technology. There are many examples of your electronic or e-home being able to be controlled through internet access. Turning off and on your home from your smartphone, tablet or anywhere around the world can help save energy as well.

6. Beautify your home with reclaimed water solutions While you may love having luscious greenery around your home, you may not enjoy the high water bill that is associated with keeping your lawn looking gorgeous.

Try installing reclaimed water solutions when designing your outdoor home. A drainage system that collects the rain runoff from your roof and down from your water and downspouts can be transported to feed your lawn and landscaping is one solution. Consider hiring a landscape architect or sustainability specialist in your area to see what green solutions can be devised in your outdoor home.

7. Decorate children’s play areas with eco-friendly materials Ensure your children’s outdoor area is built with the same sustainable ingenuity as the rest of your outdoor home. Schools and playgrounds have been using recycled rubber tires for years and rubber mulch as ground cover. Consider this option for your child’s playground.

Rubber is softer underfoot than traditional wood mulch and the recycled tires last longer and come in colorful varieties to appeal to children’s imaginations!

8. Create soil naturally for your landscaping Many homeowners spend a fortune at their local nursery or home improvement store each season buying mulch, soil, and other ground cover for landscaping.

Instead of purchasing all of your ground cover and soil consider making a composting pile from food scraps and remnants in a composting area in your backyard. This helps create nutrient rich soil, helps keep landfills clearer from throwing out food and your plants will grow more bountiful and beautiful in return.

9. Install energy efficient heating and cooling systems While your heating and air conditioning units work to control the temperature for your interiors, ensuring you invest in ones that are energy efficient and don’t emit dangerous greenhouse effect gases is important. In North America, Energy Star certified units will help you choose systems that are better for the Earth and help save you energy. Look for a product with a higher SEER rating (Seasonal Energy Efficient Ratio). The higher the number, the better energy efficiency it should have.

10. Choose outdoor furniture that is eco-friendly When greening your outdoor home, don’t forget about your leisure areas – patio and garden furniture. Consider second hand patio furniture from a garage sale that you repaint and give it a new look – or look to the Forest Steward Council (FSC) certified wood or recycled plastics. Your outdoor home should be a comfortable and relaxing place to enjoy – but also should take into consideration the Earth’s resources. Follow these simple tips and start living a cleaner, greener life tomorrow!

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

41

Green

Clean Living

Clean Decorating + Writing | Sonya Stell

Creative reuse and recycle ideas turn ordinary objects into interesting and functional room decor. Do it yourself enthusiasts find clever ways to reuse and recycle old, broken or useless items into new, functional and original home decorations.

This collection of creative ideas is inspiring, encouraging you to look for opportunities to reuse and recycle clutter in your home and design fabulous home decorations and functional decor items.

Creativity is part of do it yourself enthusiasts and designers nature.

These impressive works give great inspirations to all who are new to DIY projects and recycling, demonstrating that the possibilities are endless.

Recycled Bottles Instead of throwing them out, there are so many cool ways to reuse plastic bottles. They can be used for a variety of interesting home decorations, such as curtains or room dividers, vegetable or herb container, Jewelry Stand, Chandelier and so on. Many of these handmade items just require a little time and only a pair of scissors‌ 1) Making curtains or room dividers from the bottoms of plastic bottles.

2) Creating a foot stool from old plastic bottles.

3) Using painted plastic bottles to decorate the wall or fence.

4) Hanging light designs from old plastic bottles.

5) Cutting up and stringing plastic bottles together to create a chandelier.

6) DIY plastic bottle storage ideas. Using the bottoms of bottles as brush holders, cotton ball storage, etc.

7) Making a vegetable or herb container by cutting out just a section of the bottle.

8) Creating a half fence by stacking plastic bottles into a wooden frame.

9) Stunning parking canopy created from painted plastic bottle bottoms.

10) Designing wreathes from painted plastic bottles.

11) Using the bottle caps strung together to create a hanging curtain.

12) Taking the bottom of large plastic bottles, painting them and using them as a candy stand.

13) Creating your own recycled piggy bank out of a two-litre pop bottle.

42

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

Green

Clean Living

Think outside the box, anything has a potential to be upcycled.

Follow your instincts and add more beauty and comfort to your interior decorating with handmade home decorations. Look at ordinary, lacking any interest objects from a variety of angles, you never know when interior decorating ideas are going to hatch. Flea market finds, old, broken and unused items around the house and in your garden are an excellent material that provides an endless source of DIY home decorations.

Creative reuse and recycle ideas are opportunities to put your personal style, like a stamp, on your designs. It’s all about you and your interior decorating ideas and preferences. Mix your favourite colours and use the everyday objects you do not want to throw away, giving them a fresh look and new life.

Clever reuse and recycle ideas save money by turning old objects and home clutter into interesting and unique handmade home decorations, functional furniture and decor accessories. Do it yourself projects and crafts celebrate your style and bring your personality to life.

Think of it as a time to empty that recycle bin, right into your craft room! With an amazing collection of recycled DIY crafts online, you will find hundreds of uses for Mason jars, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, paper plates, and even old sweaters! From funky jewellery to beautiful home decor ideas, these trash to treasure projects are the perfect way to use up all those extra bottles and jugs that you have lying around your home.

Crafters of all ages and skill levels are sure to find something they will love in the collection of endless DIY projects you can find. Children will get a kick out of the egg carton projects and paper plate crafting ideas, and adults will enjoy learning what they can do with those empty wine bottles and bottle caps.

If you have been saving everything from worn out toothbrushes to Mason jars, you are going to love some of the amazing things that you can do with them.

How to plan your projects this spring?

1) Gather all of your recyclable materials and even potential garbage (as long as it is clean and won’t expire).

2) Do your research by referencing online tutorials, local craft stores, magazines... anything you can get your hands on that has some awesome ideas.

3) Wait for a rainy dreary day outside, gather your friends and family armed with fun ideas and get to work!

Recycling and reusing is an excellent way to create a more sustainable, healthier future for yourselves and your children. Finding fun ways to keep items out of the landfills (and out of our garages) is something that should be incorporated into every home. liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

43

Beauty

Self Care

Your problem

skin

+ Writing | Carla Furfaro of Calm Waters Day Spa & Laser Cling

If you suffer from acne, rosacea, eczema, or sensitive skin, you know too well how challenging it can be to find a makeup solution. You’re looking for adequate coverage for the imperfections, but not at the expense of aggravating your skin condition further. Consider mineral makeup as a remedy; it has been known to provide excellent coverage with the added benefit of being antioxidant and antiinflammatory to calm and condition the skin.

Unlike traditional makeup, 100% mineral makeup is free from ingredients that can cause possible skin irritation and allergic reactions. What are not added are preservatives, parabens, chemical dyes, mica, mineral oil, fillers, alcohol, talc, wax, and fragrance. It is made from natural minerals. Mineral makeup is also oil-free; it won’t clog pores or support the growth of bacteria – which helps acne-prone skin. Mineral makeup has the added benefit of providing broad-spectrum sun protection and helps to prevent signs of aging. Its main ingredients, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, block harmful UVA and UVB rays from the sun. Zinc is an antioxidant that helps to fight free radicals that cause cell damage – which can lead to wrinkles. Titanium dioxide is extremely light refractive and helps gives skin a radiant appearance.

Our minerals of choice are jane iredale. For 20 years, mineral makeup pioneer Jane Iredale, has been creating quality products that adhere to the highest standard of integrity for her makeup line, jane iredale. With a clear vision of the future, Jane created a mineral foundation that would utilize the most current technology available to provide a makeup that looked and felt exceptional and gave full coverage and broadspectrum sun protection. In addition, the use of pharmaceutical grade and certified organic (where available) botanicals and antioxidants were a further commitment to this quality. Plastic surgeons were the first to recognize the benefit of mineral foundations and were confident enough to use them on skin that had just undergone laser resurfacing. jane iredale has extended their beauty line to include eye shadows, blush, lipstick and more with over 400 items to chose from. Though mineral makeup has been around for several decades, its many benefits are getting more attention than ever before from the beauty industry. It not only helps to cover wrinkles, red spots, and acne, but it also provides a more natural solution for today’s more health-conscious, earth-friendly, savvy women.

solution

44

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

Beauty

Popping

Self Care

Pomegranates

Sun Protection

Pomegranates have sun protective compounds that protect the skin against free radical damage, helping to prevent skin cancer, relieve sunburn, and reduce the signs of sun damage

+ Writing | Sonya Stell

Cell Regeneration

Pomegranates help protect the outer layer of your skin, adding circulation and healing

Anti-Aging

Pomegranates protect against premature aging by helping reduce the signs of skin aging, such as wrinkles, fine lines, hyperpigmentation and age spots

Dry Skin

A great ingredient for skin care, due to its small molecular structure allowing it to penetrate deeply into the skin

Youthful Skin

Pomegranates promote smooth, firm skin by protecting collagen and elastin production

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

45

Pet Health

Wellness

Puppy Preventions

& Kitty Counterac

+ Writing | Sonya Stell

Our pets are more than just furry little friends, they are family and we know that you want the absolute best for them. Some veterinary practices are pushing more and more medications and heavy dosages of drugs to cure our pets of simple illnesses or anxieties, which may make you wonder if there is a healthier, natural alternative. There is: homeopathy. However, please use great caution and do your research before practicing homeopathy on your pets, and always consult your vet if symptoms continue or worsen.

Homeopathy is fun to use and the fact that it works so very well with so many medical problems makes it all the more rewarding.

Most of the commonly used remedies are inexpensive and easy to find. They can be found at most Health Food Markets, some human pharmacies, online at a multitude of sites and even at Wal-Mart. We suggest you compile a kit of common remedies to have ready and waiting when minor emergencies occur because there’s often not the time to run to the store and this stuff always seem to happen late at night or on a major holiday! Homeopathy has particular rules associated with using it and this can be confusing and put off prospective students. But for many simple and common accidents

46

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

and illnesses, it can be pretty simple to use. The first thing to do is to assemble a homeopathic kit to have at home and then buy a book or two about homeopathy. Homeopathic remedies number in the thousands and are made from anything and everything. But you only need to learn some of the rules of homeopathy and have about a dozen remedies to be off and running.

Homeopathy Simplified Here is the straight facts on how to work with Homeopathic remedies: Homeopathic remedies need to melt on the gums so they should not be hidden in a treat or in food. Our dogs have a built in pouch on the side of their mouth and the remedies can go right in there.

Try not to handle the remedies but drop them straight from the bottle into your dog’s cheek. Remedies come in tiny white pellet or liquid form. Either form can be placed directly into your dogs cheek.

It’s not important if you give one drop of the remedy or five, or one homeopathic pellet or three because homeopathy is an energy medicine and there is typically none of the physical substance left in the remedy. One tiny white pellet could treat an elephant and 10 pellets could treat a mouse. That’s a hard one to digest, but people are

Pet Health

Wellness

ctions always worried about how much to give and how often to give. The amount is no big deal and you give it until they get better. If it’s not working at all, you stop giving the remedy. We’re all just too used to using antibiotics that have to be calculated to the weight of the dog and have a certain time they need to be given. This is simply not the case with homeopathy. Because homeopathy is an energy medicine the remedies should not be stored next to heavy electromagnetic appliances such as televisions and computers or left in the bright hot sun for a long time.

What dose should I give?

Unlike drugs, Homeopathy does not work by body weight (e.g., give 500 mg per 25 pounds of body weight). With Homeopathy, the original physical substance is sequentially diluted and this is why you have the funny numbers after the name of the remedy. Arnica 6x does not mean that you have to give it six times! It means that the remedy has been diluted six times. To confound you even more, the more dilute the remedy the more powerful it is, so very highly diluted remedies are usually only available to doctors. The potencies most commonly available to you are 6x and 30x (diluted 1/10 either 6 or 30 times) and 6c and 30c ( diluted 1/100 either 6 or 30 times).

What makes it better or worse?

Homeopathic remedies are chosen in accordance with how the patient experiences his illness. For instance, one person who has a cold may want everyone in the house at attendance and worrying about him while another wants to be left alone to lie quietly in the dark. Each of these individuals would need a different remedy based on the individual picture they present. Let’s say your dog has arthritis and stiffness. Look that up in a Homeopathy text book and you’ll be given a choice of remedies. The specific way the problem presents in your dog will determine the remedy you choose. For example, look at arthritic stiffness in dogs. Your choice of remedy might depend on whether your dog is worse or better when he first gets up after resting.

If he’s better after resting, he might need the remedy Bryonia. Most dogs are stiff at first but after walking a bit they get less stiff after

they move around for a bit. Oftentimes these same dogs are worse in cold damp weather. With this presentation you’d likely choose the remedy Rhus toxidendron. Rhus tox, as it is commonly known, is much cheaper than NSAID’s and also much safer to use. If you were to determine that Rhus tox was the best remedy for your dog, you would simply put a few pellets to melt in his cheek pouch about three times a day and watch him over the next week, noting changes in his condition. If he gets better, you’ve got the right remedy and if there is no change, there’s no harm done. Go back and do a little more reading in your handy books on homeopathy. When you have the right remedy, and you’ll know because there will be improvement.

6 Handy Remedies You may want to go out and purchase these commonly used remedies to have on hand in case the need arises. They are small and make a great travel kit too.

Apis mellifica - great for bee and other insect bites. Give every 20 minutes for a few doses after a bee sting.

Arnica - good for general pain, stiffness due to overexertion, soreness and musculoskeletal injuries.

Arsenicum album - great for GI upsets from eating spoiled food where there is both vomiting and diarrhea. Give twice an hour for a few hours.

Borax (the remedy, not the powder) – excellent for fear of thunderstorms and fireworks. Give this at the 6c potency twice a day for a month during the season.

Calendula (can be used both as an oral remedy and as an external ointment) – use for skin infections or any kind of external infection.

It’s a remarkable healing agent and a tube of the ointment should always be on hand to apply topically to scrapes, infections and wounds. You can also buy a tincture and dilute it 1/10 and flush any cuts or wounds with it.

Hepar sulphur - is wonderful to treat painful abscesses anywhere on the body and painful infected anal glands.

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

47

Fitness

Recreation

Driving Hybrid

+ Writing | Sonya Stell

There are many good reasons to consider driving a hybrid vehicle.

Some are for the benefit of the planet, some involve national security and self-sufficiency, but many others are directly related to the pleasure, comfort and satisfaction a hybrid vehicle offers. Let’s take a look at five good reasons to drive a hybrid car.

Reduce fuel consumption: Plain and simple, hybrid vehicles use less fuel than standard vehicles. With today’s gas prices, every litre of gas that you save puts a considerable amount of money back in your pocket. Not only is that a financial boom for you, it’s also a plus for our environment because your hybrid car is putting fewer emissions into the air. It’s good for our nation, too, as it reduces our dependency on foreign oil.

Increase long-term savings: Besides all of the fuel savings, a hybrid vehicle can save you even more money in the long run.

Generally speaking, the cost of insuring hybrid automobiles is about 10 percent less than an equivalent model with a standard gasoline engine. In addition, hybrid cars maintain a much higher resale value, meaning when it’s time to sell or trade in your hybrid, your next hybrid will cost less.

Build a bridge to the future: The more hybrid cars that are purchased by consumers, the greater the market becomes. When the volume of sales of hybrid automobiles increases, the auto industry places greater value on creating better and less expensive hybrid

48

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

vehicles for the future. Because of their rapidly increasing popularity, several major auto manufacturers now produce, or have announced plans to produce, at least one hybrid car.

Enjoy special benefits: Because federal, provincial and local governments have identified hybrid vehicles as key to reducing pollution, they are offering some appealing benefits to consumers who drive them. Besides benefiting from federal and provincial tax write-offs, drivers of hybrid cars can use carpool lanes or other privileged traffic lanes in many metropolitan areas, regardless of the number of passengers. Some areas even offer perks such as free parking and free bridge tolls in the USA for hybrid drivers.

Flaunt your image as an ecologically aware motorist: While there are many material benefits in choosing a hybrid car, you’ll also enjoy the satisfaction of showing off your environmental awareness to all who see you greenly cruising along. Many provinces even issue license plates indicating that your vehicle is helping to cut down on pollutants. By flaunting your ecological attentiveness, you may be influencing others to take an active role in making tomorrow’s environment a better place for future generations.

Fitness

Recreation

total body wo rkout

+ Writing | Nancy Stell + Information | 9Round

The ultimate body transformation program that works for everybody! Only 30 minutes, no class times ~ means no wait times, workouts change up daily; you can get in and get fit! 9Round, the ultimate 30-minute kickboxing workout, is now available in Bolton and Georgetown offering you an exciting new way to get fit.

Say goodbye to the boring big box gyms while you challenge yourself with this full body workout. No matter what your skill level is, 9Round will work for everybody and it is not intimidating as you can follow at your own pace. It’s quick and the trainers are always there to help and motivate you. It’s a full body work out, not just kicking as it’s developed around a special system of 9 circuit stations working your arms, core etc. ~ every muscle, every time.

Total body results in only 30 minutes changing up every time!

Dedicated to serving those with a fun, unique and proven workout for any skill level, the trainers are there to help you every step of the way. So whether you are a beginner just getting started or a seasoned gym junkie, 9Round’s circuit format is specifically designed to allow

you to work at your own pace. Truly unique, this format allows 9Round to help every body type, safely and effectively.

Stations 1 and 2 consist of Strength Building.

Using dumb bells, kettle bells, medicine balls and more, you will build strength and stamina.

Stations 3 to 8 are where the real fun begins.

Striking a variety of bags that will help you build power, increase hand and eye coordination as well as develop shoulder conditioning and speed. Station 9 is dedicated to the core. The core is the key and this station is devoted to strengthening the most important part of your body.

Burn up to 500 calories in 30 minutes; you will never want to go to a regular gym again.

A new workout starts every 3 minutes and your program not only includes a trainer with you every step of the way, but also a virtual nutrition coach that will teach you how to lose pure body fat for life.

A complete program to help you get fit and stay fit! For more information on 9Round visit their website: www.9round.com

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

49

Fitness

Recreation

Dr. Terry Willard, CIH, PhD, is a practitioner, teacher, director of the Wild Rose College of Natural Healing in Calgary, Alberta, and author of 12 books, including Flower Essence: Emotional Alchemy and Spiritual Evolution You can follow: Dr. Willard on his twitter @willardterry or his Blog: DrTerryWillard.com

Detox A Good Way to

Make a Fresh Start

Detoxification or cleanses are one of the basic foundations of good health and natural healing. Most of us have considered cleansing and know we could stand to benefit from it, but we just keep putting it off and continue to bombard our bodies with greasy foods, fats, alcohol & sweets. Every year we keep complaining about how tired we feel and notice that we’ve put on a few extra pounds, but we keep promising ourselves that things will change. Is that next week? Next month? Next year? Unfortunately things rarely do ever change and we get back into our usual routines. Is this the time you finally take charge of your health, cleanse your body and make that change?

A good detox program cleanses the intestinal tract, the urinary tract, the liver, gallbladder, the blood and lymphatic system. It should include a wholesome diet focused on alkaline forming foods and should also include lots of pure water and moderate exercise. The advantage of a detox diet or cleansing program is that you can eat like royalty as long as what you eat are primarily alkaline foods. All foods can be classified as acid forming, neutral or alkalineforming. Since many health problems result from our bodies being overly acidic (90% of people), a good detoxification program addresses the acidalkaline balance of the blood. This means a number of dietary changes and an increase of fluid and supplement intake for 12 days.

Essentially a detox program should not allow for any flour products (cakes, cookies, breads, pasta, etc…), dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt …), tropical fruits (pineapple, papaya, bananas kiwi …), dried fruits, processed food or preservatives. The key to making this a success is to keep it as easy as possible for you to manage the meal plan. The Wild Rose detox kit comes with a complete meal plan, dietary suggestions and tracking area to help ensure that you get the most out of the 12 day program. It doesn’t get any easier than this.

The liver, kidney and intestinal tract are the primary organs of detoxification.

The skin and lungs will also participate in the elimination of toxins to some degree. The liver plays several roles in detoxification: it filters the blood to remove large toxins; it synthesizes and secretes bile, which is full of cholesterol and fat-soluble toxins; and it has an enzyme system that disassembles unwanted chemicals. Some of the built up toxins will be neutralized and excreted in urine and feces. Other toxins are stored in fat and bone tissue.

50

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition

51

52

liveinbalance | The Challenge Edition