Nurturing Health nutrition that works
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C A N A DA
July – August 2020 • Volume 10 Edition 4
Seeking Calmness This Summer 2020, thus far, has been a year of significant changes and uncertainty in the world, and of course the new pressures and concerns have placed an extra layer of stress and worry on almost all of us. In fact, if we were living in generations past, right to the earliest periods of human existence, worry would have helped us survive. In unfamiliar or dangerous situations, we would be vigilantly considering possible hazards and “what if’s.” Neuroscientist, Dr. Alan Watkins notes that, “Worry becomes damaging to physical well-being only if it persists longer than the perceived threat.”1 This sustained fight-orflight mode causes your body to overproduce the hormone cortisol, thus curtailing its most important functions. Symptoms such as anxiety and trouble sleeping can then arise or increase.2 Karol Ward, psychotherapist and author of Worried Sick: Break Free from Chronic Worry to Achieve Mental & Physical Health, notes the following strategies: • Live in the moment rather than constantly assessing what could go wrong and what actions you have to take. Set aside a specific period – 15 minutes? 30 minutes? – each day to focus on troubleshooting, thereby consciously containing your worry. Write it down, clarify your actions to take, and then move on. Giving yourself a few minutes to pause and slow your breathing and heart rate can be a great way to transition out of this troubleshooting. • Practise gratitude so that you can remember that there is indeed balance in life to be found. There are always elements in our lives for which we can be grateful, and with practice, we’ll become better at appreciating them and using them to keep worry from overwhelming us. • Do what makes you feel good, even if it’s as small as adding your favourite song to that moment’s activity or giving a dear friend a quick phone call. Don’t think of this as being selfish but rather as a smart way to stay healthy and more fit to support those you care about! • Include the right supplements, and Ward specifically mentions the value of References: 1 https://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/how-worryingaffects-your-body#1 2 https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-cortisol#1
magnesium. AIM, of course, provides this amazing mineral in the forms of Mag-nificence CWR bath additive and magnesium lotion, but we also offer the following: AIM Composure • Reduces restlessness • Relaxes muscles • Calms nervous tension • Promotes restful sleep • Supports a general sense of well-being AIM GinkgoSense • Helps to maintain memory, concentration and mental clarity • Helps maintain mental acuity • Helps to maintain blood flow to the extremities • Improves neuroplasticity • Powerful antioxidants Sam Owen, author of Anxiety Free: How to Trust Yourself and Feel Calm, suggests we “reframe anxiety as a benign force, guiding us towards our goals, health, happiness and survival.” She notes that anxiety exists because it’s “our brain’s way of trying to keep us alive and well.” By following some of the strategies in this article and making use of AIM supplements, we can perhaps be the masters of our bodies’ responses to stress as we complete the year and look with optimism at 2021.
We Are Doing Our Part The coronavirus pandemic is impacting everyone around the world and every aspect of our lives: our social interactions, our communities, and needless to say, our AIM family. At AIM, staff are working to do their part by ensuring safety at the workplace and the continual supply of top quality AIM products for our Members. At the same time, Members are doing their part to maintain their health as well as supporting each other in the AIM family. Some of our Members and staff have shared what they’ve been through during this challenging time.
Lanny & Ken Donald, dentists and Chairman’s Club Directors, Surrey, BC As usual, Lanny and Ken attended the Pacific Dental Conference 2020, which was held March 5 – 7 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. At the time, the conference organizers told all attendees that the coronavirus risk was low and that they would bolster cleaning and sanitizing at the event. However, no one had expected this large-scale social event (nearly 15,000 attendees) would result in one death and 87 cases of COVID-19. All attendees were told by the Vancouver Health Board to self-isolate for 14 days due to possible exposure to the virus. “We self-isolated and boosted our health with increased intake of the Donald’s ‘Vital Eight’: BarleyLife, Just Carrots, Redibeets, ProPeas, PrepZymes, Proancynol 2000, Fit ’n Fiber and FloraFood. I made sure my whole family took a substantial amount of AIM nutrition, especially the three musketeers (their three adorable grandsons),” said Lanny. “I trusted that the Garden Trio and ProPeas give our bodies essential nutrients, antioxidants and active enzymes. Fit ’n Fiber (prebiotics) and FloraFood (probiotics) improve our gut flora strength and promote stronger immune function. The enzymes in PrepZymes aid the digestion of foods. Proancynol 2000 supplies antioxidants which help keep our immune systems strong. We watched what we ate, limited our sugar intake and disciplinarily practised physical distancing.” Everyone in Lanny’s family has thankfully remained healthy. “Initially, I was quite happy during the self-quarantine as I had much more time to focus on my AIM business. I spoke to many of my downline Members, including those who have stopped taking AIM products for years but now wanted to get back to health. The threats of COVID-19 and the uncertainty forced people to think about their physical and spiritual well-being,” said Lanny. They finished the quarantine and were ready to resume their dental practice, but the pandemic situation heated up in late March. The College of Dental Surgeons of BC (CDSBC) requested all dentists to stop all non-essential and elective services. The dental office could only be opened if it is equipped with the CDSBC approved personal protective equipment (PPE), which was on backorder at that time. “I was stressed by their required protocols for reopening our dental office, but I always remember the importance of practising good health – cleansing, replenishing and nourishing our bodies daily.” 2
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Lanny and Ken resumed their dental practice in early June. “It is even more stressful practising dentistry now with the new high standard safety measures involving patient pre-screening, treatment protocols, in-between patient appointments, and the extreme cleaning and disinfecting procedures for the entire office. The craziness and the consequences of COVID-19 have impacted our physical, financial and psychological health. But the pandemic has driven me even closer to God, and to lean on His faithfulness, guidance and wisdom in this uncertain time. I thank Him for the blessing of good health with the aid of the AIM products, and the opportunity to help people through our profession,” added Lanny.
AIM Canada Team The AIM Calgary warehouse and Vancouver office remain fully operational to provide uninterrupted product supply and service to our Members. To avoid a potential outbreak at our workplace, all AIM staff and facilities are adhering to standard operating and safety procedures recommended by Canadian public health officials, such as practising good personal hygiene and physical distancing, cleaning and disinfecting all work stations and hightouch areas daily, limiting guests entering and exiting our facilities, and taking additional precautionary measures in receiving product shipments and order packing. “Products received at the warehouse are kept shrink-wrapped and quarantined for at least three days prior to storage. For order picking, verifying and packaging, all staff members sanitize their hands first and wear masks throughout the entire process. To maintain good physical distancing when processing orders, we let only one staff member finish one step at a time, then walk away before another staff member steps in to finish the next step. All equipment and working areas are disinfected daily. We mop and sweep the entire warehouse floor more frequently ever since the outbreak,” said Andrew Gearey, Calgary warehouse manager. Currently both Calgary and Vancouver facilities are limiting the access of local Members and visitors. “This is to ensure we are able to continue providing the great products and services
we are known for and that you deserve,” said Janice Chan, administrative manager. “Although we cannot resume our normal service for walk-in orders, we provide contactless pickup of prepaid orders every Friday. We welcome and encourage Members to contact us via phone, email, and/or video conferencing for product or business consultations. The health and well-being of our Members and staff, and the effective operation of our facilities are of paramount importance. We will remain flexible but take a cautious approach as we return to normal operation.” Testimonials should not be construed as representing results that everyone can achieve.
Did you know? A Variety of Healthy Eating Patterns Associated with Lower Heart Disease Risk A study was published online in JAMA Internal Medicine on June 15, 2020, indicating greater adherence to a variety of healthy eating patterns was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. The researchers of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Nutrition reviewed the dietary scores for four healthy eating patterns: Healthy Eating Index – 2015, Alternate Mediterranean Diet Score, Healthful Plant-Based Direct Index, and Alternate Health Eating Index. Although the scoring methods are different, these eating patterns emphasize higher intake of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes and nuts, and lower intake of red and processed meats and sweetened beverages. The researchers looked at the dietary data collected from 74, 930 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study, 90,864 women in the Nurses’ Health Study II, and 43,339 men in the Health Professional Follow-up Study. They created four dietary scores for each participant. Higher dietary scores represented greater adherence to healthy eating patterns. After adjusting for factors such as age, BMI, and smoking status, the researchers found participants who adhered the most to healthy eating patterns (those top scorers) had a 14% to 21 % lower risk of cardiovascular disease when compared to those who adhered the least (those in the bottom quartile of the scores). “These data provide further evidence to support current dietary guidelines that following healthy eating patterns confers long-term benefits on cardiovascular disease prevention,” said corresponding author Frank Hu, Fredrick J. Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology and chair of the Department of Nutrition. “There is no one-size-fits-all diet that is best for everyone. One can combine foods in a variety of flexible ways to achieve healthy eating patterns according to individuals’ health needs, food preferences, and cultural traditions.” AIM’s Living Well concept – Eliminate, Nourish, Replenish – encourages a healthy eating pattern to achieve good health with the right food choices and supplementing with plant-based AIM products. Reference: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/following-a-variety-of-healthy-eating-patterns-associated-withlower-heart-disease-risk/
Online Corporate Training for AIM Members Available from Thursday, July 16, right through Monday, August 31. There are two ways to watch or listen to the training: • Click the AIM Users YouTube icon at the bottom of the AIM website and then click on the Clear 2020 Vision Corporate Training image at the YouTube page. • For those without access to the internet, you can listen to the training over the telephone by calling AIM toll-free at 1-800-456-2462, option 2. Nurturing Health • July - August 2020
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Eat Healthily While Working from Home Working from home has become the new normal to many of us over the last few months. It sounds great in theory ‒ no more morning commuting, wearing whatever you like, having time to cook healthy meals, working out any time you want. However, if you are not used to the structure of setting up a home working routine, it can be a challenge to keep things in order. Your day could be slammed with projects, video meetings, and household chores. You could easily forget to eat breakfast as the Zoom meeting keeps going on and on; you could be eating peanut butter and crackers all day long because you don’t have time or energy to cook lunch; your daily exercise could be a walk to the kitchen every 30 minutes hunting for “brain foods” or “stress relievers”- bags of chips or candies. Overeating and undereating can be the worst enemies for many remote workers. Here is some advice to ensure working from home doesn’t derail your healthy eating habits. Stick to a schedule – Set up your work-from-home day like any regular office day, with a lunch break, a couple of short breaks, and a focus on the most important meal: breakfast. A protein-rich breakfast keeps you full and your sugar levels balanced, so you are not looking for a snack every hour. Start your day strong with a healthy AIM breakfast smoothie. Eat away from your desk and devices – You may think tapping on your laptop or checking work emails while eating at your desk can help you end the day early; however, it doesn’t always work this way because there is usually more to do. Being distracted during a meal can lead to a decrease in satiety and overeating. Hence, having a lunch break completely away from work helps you clear your mind and promote better food digestion and absorption. When you eat, just eat.
Keep snacks ready, not handy – Overcoming the temptation to snack is a big challenge, especially when your desk is just a few steps away from the kitchen. Avoid keeping snacks on your desk and try to stage your home working station farther away from the fridge or pantry. Make sure you have healthy snack options, such as unsalted nuts, seeds, chopped fresh carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, or unsweetened protein bars (cut into small bites) rather than family-sized bags of chips, cookies or candies. For a handy snack choice, mix 1 scoop each of Peak Endurance and RediBeets in AIM’s 28-ounce blender bottle filled with water. This hypotonic beverage hydrates your body, helps you feel full and gives you a boost of goodness.
Quick & Easy AIM Breakfast Smoothie Mix one scoop of ProPeas, one scoop of Fit ’n Fiber, and a teaspoon of BarleyLife or LeafGreens and blend with a cup of unsweetened almond milk or rice milk until smooth. Add half a banana, a quarter of avocado or ¼ cup of fresh berries for extra flavour and nutrition. ProPeas provides natural vegan protein from peas without impeding your body’s pH balance. The dietary fibre in Fit ’n Fiber keep you full and prevent overeating later in the day. BarleyLife and LeafGreens provide natural vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and active enzymes for overall health.
Holiday Closures AIM Canada Vancouver office and Calgary warehouse will be closed on the following holidays: • Monday, August 3 for Civic Holiday • Monday, September 7 for Labour Day 4
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