East West Information

A woman at the centre of a legal battle in Ontario over how to define death died Monday morning of natural causes while she was on life-support.

When facing a disease with life-or-death stakes, matters of the heart may seem like a secondary concern. But cancer can serve as a "litmus test" for a relationship — and many fail, said Dr. Robert Rutledge, a Halifax radiation oncologist.

Hiiiii friends! I can’t believe we’re already closing out 2018. What are you doing to celebrate? I’m looking forward to eating Indian food at my mom’s house, watching the cousins play together, and playing the Netflix New year’s countdown at 9pm. #parentlife

I feel like 2018 was a good year for our family despite some transition and obstacles. We had a HUGE move across the country (which started out as temporary but we’re staying in Tucson. I finally wrote a post that explains everything about life and will have it up in the next couple of weeks), the girls started new schools, I started teaching at a local studio, and we’ve found our Tucson groove and tribe. It’s pretty incredible to set down roots a little and know they won’t be uprooted for a while now.

Professionally, I started the podcast which was a huge undertaking (it will be back January 9!), hit Director with Beautycounter, and relaunched the Fit Guides. Most of the time, I really felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants. I’m SO EXCITED to have more of a set schedule as we head into the New Year and the opportunity to create more content. I feel like I haven’t been able to create in so long since I’ve just been in survival mode. I have so many ideas for this space and for you guys, so I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to execute them all.

In our personal life, we had so.much.fun. I enjoy the girls more and more every single day – there are so many points throughout the day when I look at their little faces and really know how fortunate I am to have them – and we’ve had a blast going to Disneyland, San Diego, Disney World, the beach, Jacksonville, Atlanta, and Phoenix. Between the two of them they’re taking ballet, hip hop, gymnastics, tumbling, and swim, and it’s incredible to see them grow and learn, and be the cutest little sisters. Livi’s reading has really taken off since school started and watching them read together is probably one of my favorite things in the world.

Fitness-wise, I’ve changed things up a bit! We bought a Peloton bike and I’m IN LOVE WITH IT, and I also started taking classes at a more CrossFit-esque gym with an incredible community (TELOS). My weekly schedule is usually a mix of Orangetheory, Peloton, TELOS, strength training on my own, teaching barre, and yoga or barre3 if I can fit it in that week. I stick to a solid 5 days of workouts and am so thankful for the Peloton on the days I can’t get a workout in while the kiddos are at school. (They either play in the playroom or watch a show while I ride the bike.)

Health-wise, 2018 is the year I went back to tracking macros. I’m still enjoying it, especially since it encourages me to eat way more food and way more carbs. I was unintentionally under-eating and skipping meals, so it feels great to have some structure and encouragement to hit all of my nutrient goals for the day. I also got my hormone levels tested with Candace Burch and have made some adjustments in my supplement routine. I’ve noticed a huge increase in energy, my mood feels more stabile, and my anxiety levels are way way down. All good things.

Some of my favorite moments from 2018:

Liv’s birthday trip to Orlando

The Pilot’s promotion

Pac-12 in Las Vegas

Coming to Tucson!

IDEA World

P’s birthday party

Miraval spa day

Some of my goals for 2019:

Professional:

– I’ll continue to hit the same income numbers and work to develop Beautycounter into its own full income. I feel like in the blog world, we aren’t very transparent about the business aspect of it all. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes, and if you guys are down, I’d like to share more of that. I used to love when Pinch of Yum did income statements because it inspired me to continue to work hard. When I first started to make an income from the blog, about 99% of it was from ad revenue. Now earnings are a mix of ad revenue, sponsored posts/brand partnerships, product sales, Beautycounter, affiliate income and freelance work. I like that the change in structure has encouraged me to diversify a bit, so that if something drops off (like if I don’t have any sponsored posts that month) something else fills in the gaps (like Beautycounter or Fit Guide sales).

– Create a Home Workout Warrior video series to share in the spring. This is something I’m going to be cranking out in the next couple of weeks! So pumped about this. 

– Barre Bootcamp Round 2! The first barre bootcamp was a huge success and it was so much fun to see so many of you complete the plan, change up your workout routine, and see incredible results. I’ve been putting ideas for Round 2 together for a while now, it’s time to get the ball rolling. 

– A prenatal workout series. I had big plans to film prenatal workouts while I was pregnant with P, and ended up only filming like 2 because I felt so uncomfortable. (It all made sense when she was born at 10 lbs 13 oz.) My good friend Katie is pregnant and she said she’s down to film some prenatal workouts for you guys, so I can’t wait to write the workouts and put everything together. (In the videos, I’ll likely perform 1st trimester versions of the exercises and she’ll do 2nd and 3rd trimester modifications.)

– Continue to build the podcast. The podcast is still a little baby in the grand scheme of my brand, but it’s something that I’ve really enjoyed this year! I mean, I get to wear pajamas and talk to interesting people, so I’m obviously a big fan. 

– Continue to work with Beautycounter because I love the products and mission so much. It’s a small piece of my weekly work load, but I’m excited to continue to share these amazing products with those I love. (PS I need to do another giveaway because my stash here is getting intense.)

Personal:

– Continue to work on my patience and grace. I feel like this is always a work in progress, but anything I can do to make myself feel more calm and centered in the chaos is worth it to me. I’m going to dedicate more time to meditation – I’ve only been able to sneak in 5 minutes here and there lately – alone time (this is when I recharge! Even if it’s just 15-minute shower, without children drawing on the shower door with their fingers and commenting on my body lol, I feel like a new person), and letting things go that don’t matter. I’m kind of a freak about keeping the house clean and a couple of times recently I went to bed with dishes in the sink because I was so tired. It’s prioritizing the things that are worth it. 

– Read more. Reading is one of my very favorite things and I feel like I made more time for it in 2018. I’m going to be reading something at all times, even if I only have 5 minutes each day to devote to it. My brain also feels like it works better when I’m reading something. (Thank you for all of the book suggestions in my last post! The Kindle is loaded.)

– Devote time to a hobby once a week. I’ll unearth my ukulele when it gets here from Georgia and take more flamenco classes, even though I’m riding the struggle bus with putting the arm work and footwork together. 

– TRAVEL. I finally feel like we hit a sweet spot for traveling with the girls and I’m looking forward to some upcoming trips. We have a Disney cruise booked for early summer and the girls and I are taking a special trip to Orlando later this month. I’m already looking at Hawaii travel packages now that we’re back on this side of the world. 

Health:

– I don’t have any huge health or fitness goals for the year besides my annual goal for consistency. I try to consistently work out, eat well, sleep (as much as possible!), hydrate, and take care of my mental health. Sometimes things fall off the radar or are off weeks and it’s NBD. I know I get back into it when I can. 

– Try to eliminate toxins from our life where it makes sense and try to be more green wherever possible. We already pay attention to the ingredients in our food and personal/health products (yay Beautycounter), but I’ve transitioned our storage containers to glass and we recently got an Avocado mattress. (The company sent it to me but this post isn’t sponsored at all. I’ll write about it more in Friday Faves but we really like it so far.) I’m trying to use cloth more than paper towels and avoid food packaging when we can. (Recently I brought my own food containers to the prepared foods section at Whole Foods and they were totally cool about it.) I’d love any ideas you have for this! (Some ideas: these reusable straws and this on-the-go cutlery.)

Are you setting goals or resolutions for the New Year? I’d love to hear them! I’ll share some of my fave goal-setting tips this week, too.

Happy New Year’s Eve! Thanks for stopping by the blog and hope you have a wonderful night.

xoxo

Gina

The post Looking back on 2018 + my goals for 2019 appeared first on The Fitnessista.

An apartment building in downtown Washington, D.C., is catering to a new kind of family unit that is becoming more common in the U.S. and Canada in part because of the devastating toll of the opioid crisis: families where the primary caregiver is a grandparent.

Once known for its enthusiasm for alcohol, Russia has fallen steadily down the list of the hardest-drinking nations, thanks to a variety of social and political measures.

What a year it has been. It’s been an odd one in many ways, but hey, you made it! Here at MAN v FAT, we had a pretty good 2018.

In January, we kicked off the year with insight from our Amazing Losers about how to lose weight and keep it off. In short: stay positive and don’t quit – sound advice indeed. We looked at the science behind losing weight, made our very own workout playlist, and tried our very hardest to make our health kick last a little bit longer than the end of January.

In February, we looked at what’s actually in your protein bars, MVF chef Nadine came up with a brilliant way to make your eggs taste like pizza and we also found out how cutting out alcohol can boost your weight loss (with us being aghast at one pint of cider having the same calories as a McDs sugar ring doughnut – did anyone else just not even consider the fact that alcohol has calories?!). And MAN v FAT Football was on Sky Sports News with a fantastic piece from the Yeovil league.

In March we ate low-calorie pies, made Guinness beef ribs to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and published the greatest recipe ever – the not-so-dirty doner kebab, which comes in at under 600 calories and rivals anything from your local kebab shop. We also looked at why you should make an effort to cut down on salt and busted some pesky nutrition myths.

In April we said hello to the new MAN v FAT Podcast, looked at the history of diets and talked about how to tell people you’re on a diet (and more importantly, how to get them on your side). We ate chimichanga beef burritos and goji berry bites and wondered what kind of effect the new sugar tax was going to have on us (conclusion, 8 months later: not very much). 

In May we marvelled at newly-chiselled Chris Pratt, looked at how you can cut calories but still go to McDonald’s (yes please) and tried hard to not let bank holiday BBQs derail our good intentions. 

In June, MAN v FAT Football hit an incredible 100,000lbs lost and we celebrated with a book full of case studies, did our first webinar with nutritionist and MVFF coach Tom Irving, snacked on healthy snacks during the World Cup (it might not have come home after all, but we enjoyed it anyway). We went to Subway, ate giant Italian meatballs and cooled down with watermelon slush and the cherry on top of June’s cake was us winning a UK Active award for building healthy communities – yay!

In July we pondered how much water we should be drinking, rejoiced in the release of low-calorie thin Hobnobs, did a lot of meal prep with these healthy meal prep recipe favourites, and went shopping for clothes that actually fit. We tried something new with Gochujang Korean pork, started batch cooking and learned why you should eat nuts for the health of your nuts. We also headed to St.George’s Park again for an amazing MAN v FAT Football shindig and beta-launched MAN v FAT Progress.

In August we were on the BBC One Show with highlights from St. George’s Park, talked about why setting realistic weight loss goals is so important, chatted about food addiction in a webinar with addiction specialist Justin Marsh, ate some low-cal but satisfying breakfasts and answered the age-old question that apparently lots of people want to know the answer to if our Google analytics are anything to go by – does masturbation help you lose weight?!

In September, we got all cliched with some motivational weight loss quotes, launched MAN v FAT Soccer in Australia, talked to the Lions Barber Collective about men and mental health and ordered quite a few pumpkin spice lattes.

In October we banged our heads against the wall and tried to figure out the reasons why you’re not losing weight, wondered if losing weight will help with back fat, drank some cinnamon flavoured Coke (jury’s still out on that one), cheered on our Instagram fave Dan as he told us how he lost weight and tried to keep on top of our mental health as the days got darker.

In November our heads were swayed by Christmas food and drink from coffee shops, but we managed to fit them into our calorie allowances – hurrah! We got some top tips for managing stress, finally got over our fear of the gym, and did our best to do the ultimate in low-effort weight loss with our tips for cutting calories without even realising it. Over on MAN v FAT Football, we announced a series of super exciting new developments with MAN v FAT Extra Time, including the first-ever MAN v FAT Festival plus the chance to play for your COUNTRY as MVFF goes global. We were also featured on the BBC’s website and became the most-viewed news video for that weekend, beating Harry and Meghan, which was payback for our invite to their wedding getting lost in the post.

In December we mostly spent the month trying to resist mince pies with our healthier Christmas food swaps. We made pigs in blankets mac n cheese that was so indulgent we had to double check the calories (615!), got our nutritionist pals to give us tips for how to have a healthy Christmas and planned for all the Christmas leftovers we knew we’d end up with, with recipes for turkey pad thai and Christmas dinner hash browns. Yum. MAN v FAT Football hit 150,000lbs lost and popped up in local newspapers across the country. 

From all of us here at MAN v FAT – we hope you had a good Christmas, and happy new year! Our New Year’s resolutions? More Amazing Losers, more competitions, more recipes and more tips, tricks and guidance to help you on your way to smashing your weight loss goals. See you in January! 

The post Happy new year from MAN v FAT! appeared first on MAN v FAT.

Instead of a subscription to stream TV and movies on demand, a growing number of companies want to sell you a subscription for on-demand, unlimited fitness sessions. Peloton, Echelon and Fly Anywhere are three U.S. companies that want to cater to Canadians with a convenient way to work out.

The rumoured minimization of meats and dairy in Canada's new food guide has some producers concerned it could cause a blow to their industries and negative health effects to boot.

It took a few years, but my friends and family are very supportive of my diet and fasting.  In fact, most of them try to watch their intake of refined carbs and fast here and there throughout most of the year.  Notice how I say MOST of the year.  They rarely stick to it during the holidays, which makes it difficult for me when I’m trapped in a house full of gingerbread on Christmas Day.

Regardless of how supportive (or unsupportive) our family members are during the holidays, we are still bombarded with temptation.  I often feel like my mother’s home is a crack house on Christmas Day, and I’m a recovering crack addict.  Just replace the crack with crackers in my case.  It can be really tempting to go off the deep end with carbs during this time of year when we’re surrounded by all these treats.

My biggest issue over the years has been the “all or nothing” syndrome.  I either eat ALL the processed carbs or NONE of the processed carbs.  Note how I say processed carbs.  I’ve ever eaten enough brussels sprouts to kick me out of ketosis (fat burning).

If I caved and had one cracker, then I ended up eating the box of crackers.  I would think “to hell with it!”  A few hours later I would feel sick, tired and would be very upset with myself for what I had done.  This would often lead to several days of bad eating before I would get back on track, often undoing a lot of the good progress I had made.

I had to come with terms that I couldn’t be all in with my diet 100% of the time.  If I kept up that mentality, I would only yo-yo in weight and never really make any improvement in my health.  Pizza is going to happen.  Duck fat French fries are going to happen.  Ginger bread cookies at Christmas are going to happen.  Crackers are going to be at almost every party not hosted at my own home.  These foods are going to be available until the entire world gets onboard with my lifestyle.

Soon as I changed my mentality, I started to shed the pounds and experience all the benefits of fasting and being in fat burning mode (ketosis) that I wasn’t experiencing before.  It also made me “cheat” a lot less.  I could have French fries if I really wanted them on occasion, they were no longer a completely forbidden food.  This made it a lot easier to turn down subpar French fries or fries cooked in extra terrible fats during special feasts.  Same with breads, crackers and ginger bread cookies.  Also, I wouldn’t be as compelled to eat the entire box of crackers or cookies because I hadn’t “blown it”.

Switching to this mentality isn’t easy.  It took a couple of years for me to embrace the idea that “all or nothing” wasn’t a sustainable way of living.  In the meantime, I had to come up with strategies for myself to help me get back on track after a holiday meal that ended up in the consumption of too much sugar

Protocol for getting back on track after a few too many carbs: Fasting

*Make sure you always consult with your doctor before you do any sort of fasting

As we become more accustomed to this way of eating and receive more acceptance from our families, the more likely we’re going to be able to stick to it throughout the holidays.  We may not be perfect nor do we have to be during times of celebration.

1. Drink plenty of water before bed – hot, cold, room temperature, flat or sparking. Just drink water.
2. Drink more water again in the morning.
3. Have a large cup of home-made broth (I use chicken bone broth) or drink pickle juice first thing in the morning and then every three to four hours throughout the day.
4. Drink two cups of water for every cup of tea and coffee you drink throughout the day but try to keep the tea and coffee consumption to a minimum.
5. If you’re struggling to fast, then add some fat to your tea or coffee. Heavy cream, butter, ghee, coconut oil and MCT oil are great fats to include.

Protocol for getting back on track after more than a few carbs: Meal timing

Sometimes we get a little carried away during the feast without going wild.  You might think you’ll be safe to fast the next day but are really struggling with food cravings and headaches.  You don’t need to jump into a fast right away after a feast.  This is my preferred protocol to follow after I consume any excess carbs during a celebratory meal with friends and family.

1. DO NOT SNACK! Get back to basics and focus on meal timing.  Eat a low carb, healthy fat breakfast, lunch and dinner.
2. Try to eat your heaviest meal at lunchtime.
3. Try to eat your dinner earlier on in the evening if you can,
4. Between meals stick to water, tea, coffee, broth and pickle juice.
5. Drink two cups of water for every cup of tea and coffee you drink throughout the day but try to keep the tea and coffee intake to a minimum.

Protocol for getting back on track after A LOT of carbs: Fat fasting

One of the biggest problems I see is when people feel SO BAD about overdoing it with the carbs, that they decide they’re going to do a long fast after.  Don’t.   You’re likely going to get too dehydrated and feel miserable.  This is where the fat fasting is your best tool to get you back on track.  You’ll find that it takes usually between three and seven days to get you back on track.  You’ll still drop those holiday pounds when you fat fast too!

Click here to review our protocol for fat fasting.

– Megan Ramos, IDM Program Director

The post How to Recover from Holiday Feasting appeared first on Intensive Dietary Management (IDM).

Put it off no longer: We are planning our next Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Challenge that starts on Wednesday, January 9th. This is your opportunity to seize control over health and weight, maybe even turn the clock back 10 or 20 years, look and feel better, be freed of numerous, if not all, prescription drugs.

In addition to our Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Private Facebook page that provides videos, success stories, and plenty of feedback and answers to your questions, the next Detox Challenge will also include:

1) LIVE Facebook sessions with Dr. Davis and April Duval, our main Facebook page administrator. I will personally kick off the Detox Challenge on Jan 9th. And because April is herself an example of a fabulous Wheat Belly Detox success, she knows the ins and outs of this lifestyle like the back of her hand.

2) Free access to the Suggestic smartphone app for the first 7 days of the Detox— The Suggestic iPhone app helps you navigate the Wheat Belly Detox with even more recipes, daily suggested recipes, a restaurant locator to identify eating places consistent with our lifestyle with suggested menu items, the ability to track health measures such as water intake and sleep, and all personally customizable. It is your chance to get acquainted with the useful Suggestic app while helping you succeed on your Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox.

• Visit wheatbelly.suggestic.com/challenge by Jan 9th
• Sign up to get 7-day free access to my challenge on the Suggestic app
• On Jan 9th, go to the app’s homepage and tap “start program” so we can start the challenge together

Our goal: to help you succeed in turning around your life and health and achieve all your health goals including weight loss, getting off prescription medications, and turning back the clock 10 or 20 years.

Why the Detox Challenge?

Through my New York Times bestseller, Wheat Belly, millions of people learned how to reverse years of chronic health problems by removing wheat from their daily diets. But, after reading the original Wheat Belly or the Wheat Belly Total Health book, or even using the recipes from the Wheat Belly Cookbook and Wheat Belly 30-Minute Cookbook, people still said: “I’ve read the books, but I’m still not sure how to get started on this lifestyle.”

That’s why I wrote the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox  and now help readers along in this Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox CHALLENGE. This is the quickest, most assured way to get started on regaining magnificent health and slenderness by adopting the Wheat Belly lifestyle.

We are kicking off the next Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Challenge on Facebook LIVE on Day 1: Wednesday January 9th, 12pm EST/11 am CST/10 am MT/9 am PT. Come join us on the private Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Facebook page: http://bit.ly/2yBsz0z

You will also be given free access to the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Suggestic smartphone app for the first 7 days of the Detox!

The Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox supplies you with carefully designed meal plans and delicious recipes to fully eliminate wheat and related grains in the shortest time possible. Perfect for those who may have fallen off the wagon or for newcomers who need a jump-start for weight loss, this new addition to the Wheat Belly phenomenon guides you through the complete 10-Day Detox experience. And we will kick off this next Challenge with a live Facebook session with Dr. Davis!

In addition to this quick-start program, I’ll teach you:

• How to recognize and reduce wheat-withdrawal symptoms,
• How to avoid common landmines that can sabotage success
• How to use nutritional supplements to further advance weight loss and health benefits

The Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox also includes:

Inspiring testimonials from people who have completed the program (and have now made grain-free eating a way of life)

Exciting new recipes to help get your entire family on board

To join the Detox Challenge:

Step 1
Get the book. And read it (at least the first 5 chapters).

Detox Challenge participants should be informed and active in order to get the most out of the challenge and private Facebook group. READING THE WHEAT BELLY DETOX BOOK IS REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE. PLEASE DO NOT PARTICIPATE IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK or else the conversations will not make sense and you will not enjoy full benefit. It is a very bad idea to try and piece the program together just from our conversations. (Note that the Wheat Belly Detox program is NOT laid out in the original Wheat Belly book.)

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1JqzMea

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/wheatbelly10daygraindetox-bn

Indiebound: http://bit.ly/1KwcFTQ

Step 2
Come join the Private Facebook Group.

http://bit.ly/WheatBelly-PrivateFBGroup

Step 3
Head back to the Private Facebook Group starting Tuesday, January 8th (the day before the official start of the Challenge) and onwards for tips, videos, and discussions to help you get through your detox and reprogram your body for rapid weight loss and health. Dr. Davis and site administrator, April Duval, will be posting video instructions and answers to your questions.

The post The Next Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox Begins Wednesday, January 9th appeared first on Dr. William Davis.

While those in the prime of their life were victims of both the war and the flu, the war took young men. Women (mainly volunteer nurses and expecting mothers), Indigenous people, and members of the working class were hardest hit by the influenza.

A Brampton woman is on a mission to find the man who received the gift of her son's heart earlier this year. Keerin Reid died in September 2017. Through a series of letters, she learned the recipient of heart is a 54-year-old father of two. But she wants to know more.

A nurse practitioner from B.C.'s Interior is lending her expertise to help contain the Ebola outbreak in the Congo.

For many, New Year’s Eve is code for slim-down sabotage. Between the celebratory spread, the bounty of adult beverages and the late night curfew, it’s no wonder so many people vow to jumpstart their diets the very next day. But you can still ring in the New Year without packing on the pounds. Here’s how:

Eat!
Stick to your normally scheduled mealtimes, and don’t “save room.” Showing up for a party ravenous is a fast-pass to diet failure. Eat your meals as you would on any other day and don’t forget to drink your water—it can help you feel fuller and slow down your noshing. If you feel like you have to eat once the festivities begin, pile your plate with raw veggies and fresh fruit. Remember, if you’re on Nutrisystem, we don’t recommend drinking alcohol—especially since it can cause your willpower to wane. If you decide to break the rules tonight, opt for one light beer or small glass of wine, then switch to seltzer with lime or mix it up with a festive mocktail.

Bring a Healthy Appetizer
Ever head to a party with the best of intentions, only to find there isn’t a single healthy option available? Take the guesswork out of the equation by arriving with your own guilt-free dish. Offer to bring a big salad, fruit tray or some healthy appetizers. Or be the healthy hit of your party with these fun and simple skewer recipes. The hostess will thank you—and so will your waistline.

Exercise Before You Go
You know it burns calories. But did you know it may also keep you from overeating? A study published in 2009 in the American Journal of Physiology revealed that vigorous exercise may suppress a key hunger hormone for up to 30 minutes after workouts and can increase the levels of a key appetite-suppressing hormone for as long as three hours after exercise. Plus, exercising may play a role in what you put on your plate. A 2013 study published in the journal Neuroreport revealed that participants who exercised craved healthier foods, like fiber-rich beans and veggies rather than those packed with refined sugar, like cookies, cakes and other sweet treats. The natural mood-boosting effects of exercise may also keep you feeling so content, you won’t feel the need to dive into all the diet destruction at your disposal.

Pay Attention
Practice mindfulness: hone in on why you’re eating and always give your body time to tell you it’s full. In a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers found that people who ate more mindfully weighed less than those who reported eating when not hungry or in response to anxiety or depression.

Go Ahead, Wear THAT Dress
You know the one—it fits like a glove and doesn’t leave much room for overindulging. Although there isn’t much science to back this one up, we all know what happens when the elastic waistbands come out. Wearing something snug may just be the thing to help you skip seconds.

The post How to Enjoy New Year’s Without Falling Off Track appeared first on The Leaf.

Researchers believe psychedelic drug therapy could have the potential to treat everything from PTSD to cigarette addiction. Here are the stories of three people whose lives have been changed by the research.

The post How These Runtastic Users Lost Between 30 kg (66 lb) and 59 kg (130 lb) appeared first on Runtastic Blog.

The province recently announced a new nursing graduate recruitment program, but a former nurse says much more needs to be done to improve working conditions.

Lise Pigeon believes a service such as Pair — which automatically calls its elderly members at a set time every day, and contacts family members or police if there is no answer after three tries — could have helped her after a fall.

Listeners of The Morning Edition offered words of support and shared their experiences with two specialists who recently told CBC News they left their positions due to excessive workload without much relief

The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario has confirmed a third case of acute flaccid myletis, a rare polio-like illness that causes paralysis in children.

High triglyceride levels are as common as muffin tops and man breasts. You will find a triglyceride level among the four values on any standard cholesterol panel. High triglycerides are either ignored by most doctors or reflexively “treated” with drugs, such as fibrates (Lopid, fenofibrate), prescription fish oil (Lovaza, Vascepa) and, of course, statins. But buried in this single triglyceride value is tremendous insight into diet, metabolic efficiencies, and cardiovascular risk, with control using natural, non-medication means easy to accomplish with absolute NO need for overpriced Big Pharma scam products.

Why are triglycerides important? Triglyceride levels of 60 mg/dl or higher will:

• Block insulin, thereby adding to weight gain and higher blood sugars
• Cause formation of small LDL particles. Triglycerides occur in the bloodstream mostly as Very Low-Density Lipoproteins, VLDL, that interact with other lipoprotein particles. Abundant triglycerides in VLDL encounter LDL particles and make them triglyceride-rich. This leads to yet another process that leads to formation of small LDL particles that causes coronary heart disease and heart attack. Key point: It’s triglyceride availability that drives cardiovascular risk. 
• At triglyceride levels above normal, pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin are subject to lipotoxicity, irreversible damage from triglycerides that can lead to inadequate insulin production by the pancreas over time.
• At very high triglyceride levels above 1000 mg/dl, triglycerides cause pancreatitis, pancreatic inflammation that damages delicate pancreatic tissues.

What causes triglycerides to rise?

First of all, dietary fats are triglycerides by definition. Fat on pork or beef, olive oil, coconut oil, and butter are all triglycerides. When we consume fats and oils, there is therefore a modest and nearly immediate rise in blood triglycerides as particles called chylomicrons, large particles formed by the intestinal tract to “package” fats for digestion. Chylomicrons are cleared rapidly and efficiently by the liver over several hours. In most people, fat intake is—counterintuitively—only a minor contributor to blood triglyceride levels, a non-contributor to high fasting triglycerides.

There are two processes that are much larger determinants of both fasting and after-meal (“postprandial” or “non-fasting”) triglyceride levels:

1. Carbohydrates in the diet are converted to triglycerides by the process of liver de novo lipogenesis, the creation of fat from carbohydrates. This is also the process that leads to fatty liver, as some of the triglycerides manufactured remain in the liver. 
2. Whenever the liver has fatty acids delivered to it, it manufactures triglycerides (each triglyceride molecule contains 3–tri–fatty acids). Visceral fat–deep abdominal fat in the abdomen–is resistant to insulin and thereby provides a continual flow of fatty acids to the liver, a process that runs 24 hours a day.

These last two processes yield much greater rises in both fasting and postprandial triglycerides than that provided by dietary fat. These two processes explain why, for example, someone has a triglyceride level of 210 mg/dl fasting, 400 mg/dl 6 hours after eating.

Understanding these phenomena thereby lead us to practical dietary and natural methods to reduce triglycerides to a level of an ideal level of 60 mg/dl or less:

• • Eliminate grains and sugars—Contrary to the conventional advice to reduce fat and eat plenty of  “healthy whole grains,” the amylopectin A carbohydrate unique to grains provides dietary carbohydrates that fuel liver de novo lipogenesis. High blood sugars that result from grain amylopectin A also lead to insulin resistance. The result: high triglycerides. Eliminate grains and sugars and both processes unwind quickly and dramatically. Most people need to also limit carbohydrate consumption to no more than 15 grams net carbohydrates per meal (net carbs = total carbs – fiber) to further prevent liver de novo lipogenesis from proceeding. Do not reduce dietary fat, as this raises triglycerides substantially. (Personally, when I was an ultra low-fat vegetarian 25 years ago, my triglycerides rose to 350-390 mg/dl; they are now in the 40’s.)
  • Reverse insulin resistance—Beyond grain and sugar elimination, vitamin D restoration, getting adequate sleep, magnesium, and physical activity all help reverse insulin resistance. A very quick way to reverse insulin resistance is through intermittent fasting, fasting for periods of 15-36 hours (while hydrating more than usual). Salting your food also helps reverse insulin resistance—yes, another natural health practice contrary to prevailing health advice. Reversing insulin resistance reduces visceral fat over time, further amplifying triglyceride-reducing benefits.
  • Supplement omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil—The EPA and DHA of fish oil activate the enzyme lipoprotein lipase that helps accelerate clearance of both postprandial chylomicrons and VLDL particles. This does not apply to the omega-3 fatty acid, linolenic acid, from chia, flaxseed, or walnuts, nor can it be accomplished by the trivial quantity of EPA and DHA in krill oil; it must come from fish oil. It also requires greater supplemental total daily intakes of 3000-3600 mg EPA + DHA per day (divided into two doses). And not only do you not need the 10-fold more costly prescription fish oil, you can actually purchase fish oil that is superior to prescription fish oil (such as the liquid triglyceride form found in Nordic Naturals). And the prescription form that only contains EPA? What about brain health and protection from dementia that comes mostly from DHA that is not present in an EPA-only product? Use fish oil in the way it occurs in fish: both EPA + DHA and ignore absurd pharmaceutical marketing. 
  • Cultivate healthy bowel flora—“Feeding” bowel microorganisms the fibers they need to convert fiber into butyrate, a fatty acid that yields metabolic effects that include reduction of insulin resistance, reduced blood sugar, reduced LDL values, and reduced triglycerides. This important strategy is discussed further in this Wheat Belly Blog post, as well as a full discussion in Wheat Belly Total Health and Undoctored books.

The post Reduce HIGH TRIGLYCERIDES naturally and safely . . . without scam products appeared first on Dr. William Davis.

The B.C. Coroners Service's latest figures show almost exactly the same number of people died by drug overdose between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30, 2018 as during the same period last year.

One batch is "not expected to meet the registered burst pressure specification at end of shelf-life," according to Health Canada.

When the temperatures drop, our eating habits change. The average adult’s produce consumption is lowest in winter, rises in spring and summer, and declines again in autumn, according to the 2015 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. This may not be too surprising, since fresh produce is abundant and tempting during the warmer months. But no matter what the weather is like outside, vegetables are a critical part of a healthy diet. We all need at least four servings (Two and a half to three cups total) of vegetables each day, every month of the year. The good news: Fall is the harvest season, so lots of fresh produce is available in stores. And frozen vegetables are easy to include in many popular cool-weather meals, too. Try these simple strategies when you’re looking for ways to winter-proof your diet and keep enjoying your four servings (or more!) of vegetables this season:

1. Pancakes Plus
Winter (hardshell) squashes such as butternut have a naturally sweet flavor, lots of fiber, and a load of powerhouse nutrients such as vitamin A. After cutting the squash in half and removing the seeds, bake it until its fork-tender, scoop out the flesh, and puree it thoroughly. Blend it with your pancake mix and you get a serving of veggies with your hearty breakfast.

2. Eggs Extra
Chop sweet peppers, onions, and mushrooms and saute them with a splash of olive oil and ground pepper. Toss in a handful of spinach at the end, when the other vegetables are soft and juicy. Whip two eggs, pour them into the hot pan with the saute, and your ordinary omelet comes with a healthy serving of vegetables.

3. Soup Booster
A bowl of vegetable soup has a half to a full serving of vegetables. Get in more by adding a serving of frozen mixed vegetables when you heat up any packaged soup.

4. Super Sauce
The tomatoes in bottled or homemade spaghetti sauce give you a serving of vegetables. Get in another by stirring grated carrots, zucchini and broccoli into the sauce during cooking.

5. Squash Pasta
Max out the vegetable content of your spaghetti dinner with the well-named spaghetti squash. Bake it in your oven until tender, then fork out the strands in a bowl. Substitute them for half or more of the pasta you’d normally eat.

6. Mash Up
Comfort foods like mashed potatoes help us feel warm and cozy on cool autumn days. Replace half of the starchy white potatoes in your recipe with baked and mashed turnips. If turnips are a little too zesty for your taste, use steamed and mashed cauliflower instead.

7. Pizza Topping
When your busy schedule calls for pizza night, skip the pepperoni and order your pie with broccoli, mushrooms, or roasted red peppers–or all three. Better yet, add them yourself to the Nutrisystem Italian herb flatbread pizza.

8. Smart Snacks
Whether you are watching your favorite team play on TV or taking a break at your desk, reach for a bag of baby carrots, cucumber slices, or celery sticks and a single-serving size of hummus. Dip and crunch and enjoy a serving or more of the vegetables your

The post 8 Easy Ways to Winter-Proof Your Diet appeared first on The Leaf.

Montreal Children's Hospital's Dr. Dominic Chalut answers the Dos and Don'ts of when to bring your child to an emergency room during flu season.

Space travel exposes astronauts to forms of radiation that are uncommon on Earth, and that are linked to cancers and heart problems, but a U.S. study suggests this doesn't significantly shorten their lives.

Grant Koturbash, 52, says TTC driver told him to get off the bus and to put money on his Presto card after it was declined. The problem is, Koturbash is unable to load the card on his own, and relies on a social worker or family.

Hi friends! Happy Friday and happy last weekend of 2018. I feel like I haven’t seen you in so long! We have so much catching up to do. I’ve spent the past week enjoying the holidays with the crew and each day has been incredibly full. There were many days that have blurred together – so often I can’t remember what we did yesterday – and this week, I’ve found myself constantly wondering what’s happening and what day of the week it is.

The girls are the best ages right now and it’s been my favorite winter break so far. We go to bed, and instead of feeling totally spent, I can’t wait to wake up and do it all over again. I also don’t miss school drop off AT ALL. We’ve slept until at least 8 or 8:30 every day (a Christmas miracle! Just don’t ask what time we go to sleep), and it’s such a treat to enjoy slow mornings instead of the usually before-school hustle. We’ve had such a blast together already and I’m already sad we only get one more week of break. Yesterday while I was putting Christmas stuff away, P said, “Why are you taking down the decorations?” I explained that Christmas was over so it was time to put things away and get ready for New Years. She said, “I’m so sad right now. I miss Christmas already.” Me too, girl.

Some fun pics from the past week:

Gingerbread decorating party with the cousins. I picked up these gingerbread sets at World Market on Black Friday and they were PRE-ASSEMBLED, which was clutch. We listened to Christmas music while we decorated, and the kiddos ate about 5 pieces for every one that went on their house. Doin’ it right. 

Cheese board from our girls’ night gift exchange. My friend asked me to make a board, so I rolled up with my enormous paddle and all of the cheeses/toppings in a bag. It still came together pretty well and I added some festive touches (rosemary, pomegranate) along with the usual staples (different cheeses, charcuterie, Skinny Dipped almonds, Whisps, Simple Mills crackers, olives, jam, mustard, dried fruit, fresh fruit, etc.).

Holiday nails. I still love the dip powder! I found an awesome place in Tucson if any of my local friends want the info. 

Christmas Eve, getting ready to head to my dad’s house. We feasted on tamales, enchiladas, beans, rice, and a festival of desserts before opening gifts with dad’s side of the fam. The weather was also gorgeous so all of the cousins could run around and play on their backyard playground.

Our favorite guy was missing the festivities, but we’re excited to see his face again soon. No egg nog was consumed in his honor. It just isn’t the same without him exploding it all over the kitchen.

Santa came!! The girls were pumped. They loved all of their gifts, but some of the hits were the melting snowman in their stocking, the enormous giraffe, this doll house, this ET book, and their Caboodles. They’ve absolutely loved filling them with little treasures. P also asked for “gym clothes” this year – I told you guys that she’s really into running right now – so she really enjoyed trying on all of her new outfits. She’s rocked athleisure every day this week.

My dad and stepmom got Liv a Hatchimal and watching that thing hatch was a hoot. We were all huddled around the Hatchimal intrigued and elated by everything that was happening. You’d think a live baby animal was being born at my dad’s house. No, it was an electronic bird pecking its way out of a giant toy egg. What is this life?

Cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. We had brunch here at the house, so I made nana’s famous egg dish, the best cinnamon rolls, mimosas, and coffee, and madre brought over tamales, rice, beans, grammies, and coffee cake. I also set out a cookie tray from all of the baking we did over the past couple of weeks. (It makes it so easy to freeze everything and they set it all out on xmas. It tastes totally fresh and you can have a better variety that way!) We spent the day eating, opening gifts, drinking mimosas, and watching Christmas Story before heading out to see the new Mary Poppins movie. (I LOVED Lin and Emily Blunt, but don’t hate me.. I found the music to be underwhelming. We still had a great time and let’s be real, if you put me in a dark room with an enormous vat of popcorn I’m going to be happy no matter what happens.) 

Beauty/fashion:

This hair tie holder! This holds your hair ties so you don’t get weird dents in your arm. 

Beautycounter is having a HUGE sale. Check it out here! (If you haven’t tried anything yet and need help with products, please let me know.)

They’re selling out of a lot of products quickly, but you can still get the Instant Awakening Trio (which has the peel — my very fave product), mini lipgloss vault (all of the colors are flattering ) and this gorgeous palette. If you have New Year’s goals so switch to safer skincare, now is a great time to try out some of these incredible staples.

Read, watch, listen:

Thank you so much to WebMD for featuring me in this article about the new exercise guidelines.

My latest post for the WebMD blog can be found here! This one is all about working out when you don’t really feel like it.

This is an awesome dad!

The best news of 2018.

Hilarious tweets from parents.

Give me all of the scheduling and productivity hacks.

If you’re starting to plan for New Years, here are some of my most popular New Years-ish posts:

5 things to keep in mind for New Year’s resolutions

4 workouts everyone needs to try

Meal prep ideas here!

Steps to accomplish your fitness goals

Back in the fitness game workout

Eats/ recipes:

This Pinch of Yum chicken, lemon, and asparagus recipe. It was so easy to put together, and we enjoyed it one evening with sweet potatoes from the Instant pot. Dinner was served in about 15 minutes. 

This glorious plate of grammies on the table on Christmas morning. 

Happy Friday, friends! I’ll see ya on Monday sharing my goals for 2019 and some tips for going after your fitness and health goals!

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by the blog today. <3

xo

Gina

Random question: what was the best book you read in 2018? After finally finishing Eleanor Olliphant is Completely Fine (and feeling very down when it ended. No spoilers, but the ending just was rough/sad for me) I’m on the lookout for something new!

The post Friday Faves appeared first on The Fitnessista.