With the amount of pollution and chemicals in our environment growing everyday, comes a greater number of people who suffer from an assortment of nasal congestion problems and respiratory illnesses. Alternative health practitioners worldwide recommend the regular practice of nasal cleansing or irrigations using a saline solution as part of a daily regimen, a basic health-maintenance just like flossing your teeth or using Q-tips. Neti is a gentle, safe, efficient way to breathe easier.

Nasal irrigation with a neti pot has been used by Yogis for centuries as a way to prepare for their daily practice.  Cleaning the air passage allows for the deepest possible breathe. Many people who I first introduce to the Neti pot are very hesitant to try it out, this is mostly because they fear the unknown. Here I will give a small tutorial on how to use a Neti Pot. Keep in mind that it may take several attempts before you really get the hang of it.

Neti Pots are now sold in common drug stores such as Shoppers. They come in a starter kit that includes, the little pot (looks like a mini-teapot) and little packets of the salt mixture.

You simply, fill the pot with lukewarm water and add the packet. Make sure you test the temperature of the water with your finger before beginning. Too hot or too cold may cause stinging, something that is easily avoidable.

Next bend over the sink and turn your head to face the right. Make certain you head it parallel to the counter, this will enable to proper passage.

Once you are in position, pour the solution into you top nostril. It is very important that you do not hold your breathe through this process, to avoid this,  slowly blow air out of your mouth.

Pour the solution for a several seconds and then GENTLY blow your nose. If you blow too hard your ears with crackle and it may cause pain.

Repeat these same steps on the opposite side.  As many times as you would like, or until you finish the contents of the pot.

After you are done, take several deep breathes and take a moment to notice the difference.

In my opinion, I don’t know how I every lived without it. It is so easy to use and the results are amazing and it makes you feel fresh, and fabulous. Don’t just take my word for it, give it a go, it can make a world of difference especially for those with allergies.

FREQUENTLY ASKED NETI QUESTIONS:

1- Do you see the nasal contents when they come out the other side?

A= No, it just looks like water is coming out, the saline solution acts to gently clean the interior of your nose and sinuses.

2- Does it feel like your trying to breathe under water when you pour it in your nose?

A= No, that strong stinging feeling associated with breathing in water in a pool is eliminated. The salt solution

Popularity: 6% [?]

“No matter who you are, no matter what you do, you absolutely, positively do have the power to change.” – Charles Buxton

Here are some tips to help you find your niche and stick with it!!

- SET REASONABLE GOALS. Goal setting is a great way to motivate yourself. It is essential that you set realistic goals for yourself, otherwise you may set yourself up for failure. Try and do one thing each day to get you closer to that goal. Remember that patience is a virtue.

- SCHEDULE IT into your day the same way you might an important meeting, class or appointment. Write it in your day planner to make it “official”, if that works for you. Prepare for your workout the night before by packing your gym bag or, laying out your workout clothes so when you get home or wake up, there is nothing stopping you!

- MAKE IT A PRIORITY Try and replace your daily TV time with a workout video of your choice. Make workout “dates” with friends and family, its proven that working out with a friend will help you to stick with it.

- DRINK WATER. To stay hydrated bring a reusable water canister to sip on before, after and during your workout.

- TRY TO WORKOUT AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME TIME EVERYDAY. Morning is ideal, to get it out of the way, but it is more important to find the time that works best for you, consistently. If you chose to work out in the morning before breakfast, make sure you eat a small snack (100 calories at least), this way you can go the extra mile.

- PLAN TO EAT SOMETHING SMALL ABOUT 1 HOUR BEFORE to ensure that your blood sugar is stable enough to power you through the workout. A handful of nuts and a piece of fruit are good options for pre-workout snack. Having a balanced meal including protein and carbohydrates, 30-60 minutes post-workout is essential for building muscle. For instance, 1 cup of cottage cheese with a piece fruit and scant handful of natural nuts (almonds, pumpkin seeds, etc).

- TRY BEGINNING YOUR WORKOUT WITH WEIGHTS AND FINISH WITH CARDIO. If you begin with weights you are allowing your body time to warm up and stimulate your metabolism. By the time you get to cardio it is as if you have already run for 20 minutes, cool isn’t it?

- FOCUS ON HIGH INTENSITY, INTERVAL TRAINING WITH CARDIO. This means you can exercise for less time and get better results! Begin with 2 minutes at a low level and then quickly increase the difficulty to as high as you can manage for 3-4 minutes, then lower the challenge down again for another 2 minutes. Repeat this cycle 3-4x (for a total of 20-30 minutes) you will stimulate your metabolism in a way that is much more powerful and lasting then doing cardio at a lower level straight for 40 minutes.

- TRY A YOGA OR PILATES CLASS. If you tried a class already and were turned off by it, then I encourage you to try another or even a different studio. The teacher can make a HUGE difference, they really set the pace and feel of the class. I also find a huge difference between classes that are at gyms and classes that are at studios, I prefer studios because that is their focus and sole purpose. Yoga and pilates challenge the body in many ways to increase flexibility, abdominals and strength without using weight machines. Yoga and pilates also focus on using the breath to calm the mind which helps to reduce stress.

- KEEP A FITNESS JOURNAL. Writing down your activities throughout the day and how your felt after. This will help you to see which activities make you feel best and will help you to stay motivated day after day. Write everything down! Even going for a 10 minute walk.

Popularity: 46% [?]

Dancers Pose

Besides nutrition, yoga is another one of my passions. It has amplitudes of health benefits and I think that everyone should give it a fair chance!

There is a stigma surrounding yoga, most men have it classified as a female sport, but this is far from the truth! Yoga has become the new cross training for men and women who are looking to increase their flexibility and condition their ENTIRE body. It will provide that extra little edge in your golf swing or hockey game, and makes you feel amazing all around!

It improves skeletal and muscular strength. While practicing yoga, pilates and weight training your body develops fast twitch muscle fibres, which help to boost your metabolism. Activities like running hockey help your body to develop slow twitch muscle fibres, these promote endurance during activities but they are less beneficial to your metabolism. A great marriage of activities is yoga and running, as you will develop a balance of both types of muscle fibres and both activities will balance each other out. Running is fantastic for your cardiovascular fitness, but like any activity, it can cause wear and tear on your joints and muscles, that’s where yoga comes in, stretching releases tension and tightness in your muscles that lead to soreness.

Yoga is a full body workout. 
In most sports such as hockey or soccer, you tend to utilize only 10 to 15 per cent of the muscle groups, whereas yoga provides movements that include every muscle, joint and organ. You use muscles you would never know you even have.  The movements oxygenate the blood, creating more energy when you finish the exercise as opposed to depleting the body of it. When I first started practicing yoga, what kept me going back to classes was the rush I felt  after a class, my teacher described it to me as a “yoga buzz”, its remarkable.  Cardiovascular, skeletal, muscular and endocrine systems are all exercised during practice, as the organs are massaged and cleansed during a class.

Stay tuned for part 2 ….

Pumpkin Curry

1 ½ tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 tbsp garlic, minced

½ large can pumpkin

1 can chickpeas or mix beans, rinsed

1 cup broccoli

¾ cup cauliflower

2 large carrots grated

1  green zucchini, cubed

1 ½ cups green beans

1 cup baby spinach

2 tbsp marsala seasoning-Club House brand

2 tsp hot red pepper flakes ( or more if you prefer)

Season to taste. (salt and pepper)

PREPARATION:

1- Soften onions, garlic  in the hot oiled wok or pan until fragrant. Add red pepper flakes.

2-Add vegetables starting with the green beans and broccoli. Stir for 5 minutes.

3-Add pumpkin, chickpeas and seasoning and baby spinach.

4- Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Try this delicious dish with quinoa and a toasted piece of whole wheat pita for dipping! Halved Brussel sprouts are a nice addition to the variety of vegetables in this dish!

Looking for a protein boost? Add some chicken or tofu!

Popularity: 71% [?]

Now here is a hot topic, the many benefits of green tea (Camellia sinensis). As you read through this keep an open mind, all of these benefits are not going to happen over night, aswell they are still being investigated.

Since ancient times green tea has been considered a health-promoting beverage. In recent years, researchers worldwide have investigated the potential benefits of green tea and its most abundant catechin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This very powerful antioxidant has been plastered all over health products recently and is labeled as green tea extract.

Unlike black tea, green tea production involves very little processing and fermentation and therefore, green tea brews are rich in catechins. Green tea has been rumored to have a number of potential health benefits in areas such as cardiovascular disease, cancer prevention, glucose homeostasis (blood sugar spikes and dips), bone and dental health. In addition to serving as antioxidant, green tea polyphenols may increase the activity of andioxidant enzymes in the small intestine, liver and lungs. While doing my research for this entry most studies concluded that although there is some promising evidence in all of these areas, more research and clinical trials are needed.

Due to the dramatic rise of obesity, metabolic syndrome (see definition below) and type 2 diabetes, green tea is now being looked into for its connections in these areas more than ever. Diet and exercise have been proven to be particularly important for prevention and early management of metabolic syndrome. It has been shown that green tea, when consumed on a daily basis, combined with a healthy active lifestyle supports health.

Finally, green tea may also boost you metabolism and fat oxidation and in particular during physical activity. Small and collective effects on digestion and metabolism could be responsible for the longer-tem effects of green tea on the body, and these long-term effects especially with moderate physical activity.

The September 2009 edition of Oxygen Magazine had an article that really caught my eye, called “Lose fat with green tea”. They suggest that ‘the more you drink, the more fat you can shed’. Now, I agree that there have been connections made between green tea and health benefits, but I feel that is a little early to be making statements like ‘loose 11 pounds’. Now don’t get me wrong, I love reading Oxygen for motivation but I just have a hard time believe such strong statements,  there is more to the story.

Even though there green tea lacks the scientific backing, I still give it a thumbs up, this is because it is packed full of antioxidants and with all the environmental stressors that we encounter each day it is essential that we fight back. I look forward to the results of future studies on green tea, I really do hope all of the potential benefits are true!

If you are a coffee drinker, green tea everyday may seem unreasonable. What I did was try substituting green tea where I would normally have coffee. This was hard at first but once you get into the green tea groove, you’ll find that you have completely forgotten about that wonderful taste of coffee.

What is metabolic syndrome?

It is a group of conditions that put you at risk for heart disease and diabetes. These conditions are:

-High blood pressure

-High blood sugar levels

-High levels of triglycerides, a type of fat, in your blood

-Low levels of HDL, the ‘good’ fat, in your blood

-Too much fat around your waist (visceral fat)

There is much debate over the definition or cause of metabolic syndrome. The cause might be insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone your body produces to help you turn sugar from food into energy for your body. If you are insulin resistant, too much sugar builds up in your blood, setting the stage for disease.

MEDLINE PLUS

Tips for preparation:

-For green tea, heat the water to just below a boil, all other teas bring to a boil.

-steep for 3-5 minutes, if you are using a tea bag, dunk it a few times.

-try adding honey or lemon, it can help increase the absorption of all the green tea goodies.

-try it cold! It will keep for up to 3 days if refrigerated.

Turkey Burgers:

1 package of extra lean ground turkey

1 tsp dry mustard

1/2 diced sauted onion

Pinch of salt of pepper

1 egg- try the Omega 3 variety

1/2 cup bran ( a sneaky way of adding fibre)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 pinch of chili flakes (optional)

Preparation:

1- place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

2- Form 4-5 patties. Preheat grill.

3- Spray grill with cooking spray and place patties on the grill.

4-Cook until they are no longer pink inside.

Popularity: 99% [?]

I’m sure you have all heard of or seen what varicose veins look like. They are those unsightly blue veins that pop up usually on the leg. Some people are more prone to them because they run in their families, or get them when they are pregnant, but another main cause of these painful, enlarged veins are- you guessed it, not enough fibre! What happens is when you have a low fibre diet, it is harder to release bowel movements. This extra effort and strain increases the pressure in the abdomen, with slows down the blood flow into the lower part of your body. This increased pressure can over time weaken the walls of the veins, leading to varicose veins and even hemorrhoids!  The take away message here is make sure you eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains to promote a healthy gut!

From the Condensed Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, pg: 914

Here is a high fibre meal idea that will keep you going! I make it all the time, try it, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!

Lentil salad

-one can lentils ( be sure to rinse thoroughly before use)

-one can of corn

-one tomato diced

- one half of a cucumber diced

- one diced pepper ( any colour of your choice)

-1 tbsp lemon or lime juice

-1 tsp cumin

-2 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinager

-2 tbsp unsalted, dry roasted sunflower seeds

-1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

- pinch of salt… lots of pepper

Preparation:

Make certain that all of your vegetables are cut up to around the same size.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and chill before serving. Try substituting a bowl of this for lunch one day! To complete the protein, add cheese cubes or serve with a glass of low-fat milk.

Sick of lentils? Substitute chickpeas or a chickpea-fava bean mixture!

A nice addition to this salad, especially in the summer is halved grapes and a little goat milk feta cheese . Refreshing! Or maybe you want a little kick, if so try a pinch of red pepper flakes or tabasco.

Popularity: 32% [?]

Do your best to avoid processed foods or foods that are “WHITE”. The method of processing used to make these products takes away some valuable nutrition, so it is better to choose less processed foods. The simplification process actually makes it easier for your body to burn. But in order to get the most from your diet, you want foods that challenge your body to digest, high fibre, complex foods. Think about it, if your body has to work hard to digest complex foods, its going to burn more calories doing so!  They keep you fuller for much longer and help to stabilize your blood glucose levels throughout the day. Ideally, you want to keep you blood sugar as stable as possible, huge spikes or dips are what cause your body to produce counteractive hormones they also leave you hungry again in no time at all. I suggest eating smaller portioned meals more often throughout the day to avoid a large spike and dip that follow after a feast.

“The results, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggest that high-fibre diets keep weight gain at bay by reducing insulin secretions. Consuming plenty of fibre lowers blood sugar and insulin levels and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease. ” (Tosca Reno, 53)

I also read an interesting little tidbit on how oat bran has beneficial effects on blood sugar. “Adults with type 2 diabetes who were given foods high in oat fibre or given oatmeal- or oat bran- rich foods experienced a much lower rise in blood sugar than those who were given white rice or bread.” – From the Condensed Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, pg: 289

Therefore, always look for 100% whole wheat over white breads and grain products. This applies to cereals, crackers, flour, pasta, wraps, breads etc. Try making your own healthy pizza with my recipe below!

Personal Pita Pizza

PERSONAL PITA PIZZAS:

1 high fibre, whole grain pita

2 Tbsp pizza or tomato Sauce

½ cup sliced vegetables (I suggest, peppers, onions, zucchini etc. but really whatever your heart desires)

30 g  grated allegro cheese (4 % milk fat) OR a low fat cheese of your choice

Preparation:

1-     Pre heat oven to 375 C

2-     Assemble pizza and bake for 7-10 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is crispy and the cheese is melted.

3-     ENJOY

Popularity: 37% [?]