Education

My goal for the New Year has been to keep up with regular health treatments such as acupuncture, massage therapy and chiropractic.  It’s January 26th and I’m happy to say that I’ve had two acupuncture treatments so far this month!

I have to admit, that I usually only do things for my health when I am in desperate need- so massage therapy was the one thing I kept up with last year. Whenever I had aches and pains or was feeling like I needed some healing touch, it was the first thing I would turn to.

With acupuncture, I tried it, but because the needles are addressing unseen and unfelt organs, and the treatment involved less sensory stimulation, I don’t think that I appreciated it in the same way that I did massage therapy. That was until my first treatment this year…

Since I got back from my Holidays, my partner and I have made a concentrated effort to eat really healthily- salads for lunch with shredded beets, carrots and ground flax seed, lots of lean proteins and vegetables with dinner. I have also been going to yoga regularly. These steps had me feeling like I was right on top of my health.  Then I had my acupuncture treatment and a whole lot of ’shifting’ occurred.   I won’t get into detail, but I apparently needed some balancing out internally and the acupuncture facilitated that.

This experience really gave me a strong appreciation for the understated nature of acupuncture. It made me realize how I take my body for granted and assume that everything is functioning optimally, unless I feel something drastic. I now have a whole new respect for the needle and this will be a habit that I keep up.

If you’re curious about acupuncture- make sure to come to our Whole Health Event February 4th. Our doctor of Chinese Medicine, Mahsa Ahmadi, will be discussing the benefits of regular acupuncture.

Have you ever done a detox? There seems to be a wide variety of methods available, and it’s being done more commonly. I was privy to witnessing the aftermath of several staff trying the Master Cleanse. I won’t comment on the results, but I can only state that for me, only taking in a liquid concoction for days on end, is not something I could do, or want to do!

I do however think that doing a periodic seasonal detox is healthy. I’ve personally tried the Wild Rose Cleanse twice. The first time I did it, I cheated quite a bit and didn’t really see the full benefits. The second time I did it, I met with greater success. I really noticed a difference in how I felt. My eyes were clearer, I had better energy and I felt lighter. Unfortunately, I celebrated a little to intensely after finishing that cleanse, undoubtedly undoing the restoration of my organs!

In spite of this, I think that I’ve benefited greatly from the experience of changing my eating habits and learning to appreciate food for it’s nutritive quality, rather than it’s satiating character. From having to abstain from things like sugar and flour for a few weeks, I learned that I could indeed live without it and eating becomes more of a choice rather than an urge.

That being said, I think that making big changes in diet doesn’t come easy- and the more supportive a detox can be, the better.

I’ve become a big fan of the GliSODin Advanced Detoxification Formula which has a less extreme approach to detoxification. You simply drink a sachet of the formula twice a day, once in the morning, 30 minutes before breakfast and then at night before going to bed. There is a diet plan that you can choose to follow, but its a suggestion rather than a rule. The formula will still aid in detoxification, even if you’re still eating cheeseburgers.

Along with the potent antioxidant qualities of GliSODin, the formula uses berries and chardonnay grapes which provide a full-spectrum of nutritious antioxidants for optimal health and radiant skin; alpha lipoic acid to chelate heavy metals and neutralize several types of free radicals; milk thistle which contains a mixture of flavanoid complexes that protects and promotes liver cleansing; nutraflora (sc-FOS) as an excellent source of soluble fibre to aid in digestion and elimination which assists in weight loss; and finally broccoli, which is high in sulforaphane that induces phase II detoxification enzymes for enhanced cleansing.

No running to the bathroom with this cleanse- thankfully! So if you’re looking for a fresh start to the new year, why not cleanse your system and give your organs a helping hand?

You can learn more about detoxification at our upcoming Whole Health Event, February 4th. Stay tuned for more details. For a direct email invitation, join our mailing list or facebook group page.

I’m a little late getting back to my blog- the Holidays and the New Year have flown by and I find myself struggling to get back into routines. I’m sure I’m not alone in this.

The Holidays impose a total shift in lifestyle that throws most people off- mainly in the areas of excess. ie: lots of drinking, eating and not so much exercise.  To make matters worse, if one dares not to take part, the scrooge moniker is rapidly applied.

Then we have the New Year welcoming us after all of our Holiday extremes. Back to reality- or perhaps an unrealistic version of reality for some- I’m speaking of New Years resolutions of course!  Weight loss, not drinking, not eating sugar, running a marathon- these are all common resolutions that people set for themselves. I wonder if peoples’ zeal for the fresh start of the year sets them up for failure.

This in turn, creates the ‘anti-resolutioners’. People that see no point in resolutions because they’re never really actualized.

It makes me sad to think that because people set unattainable goals, they give up on improving themselves all together.

I personally love the New Year. I feel like it’s an opportunity to reflect on what worked for me in the year before  and what I’d like to see come to fruition in the year ahead.

When it comes to more long-term lifestyle changes, I’ve learned that I need to make a commitment to whatever it may be, create a plan and stick to it.

This year, my goal is to use my extended benefits- chiropractic, acupuncture and massage therapy, to their fullest. In 2009, I used a fraction of my benefits. Why? My only excuse is that I didn’t prioritize it. So my goal is to book regular, repeat treatments, so that I get into a routine and it becomes second nature.

I think the same can be said of any goal you may have- enlisting the help of a professional who can steer you in the right direction and keep you accountable is going to set you up for success.

I’m resolved to be realistic about my goals. It makes life a lot more fun and I can actually accomplish something.

Do you have any health-related goals for 2010? What’s your plan to get there?