Blog | The Wellings

02/24/202305/03/2024

Sustainable Happiness: Nourishing the Natural Chemicals in Our Brain

Welcome to The Good Life with Kat and Nat!

Today we will explore one of the top goals for us human beings – happiness. Many of our behaviours are driven by the quest for happiness, but the feeling we get from positive experiences is often temporary. So, how can we nourish more sustainable happiness in our lives?

In this video blog, we’ll discuss the chemicals our brain produces that flood our body with good feelings: serotonin, endorphins, oxytocin, and dopamine. We’ll explore what these chemicals do, how they contribute to our well-being and happiness, and ways to increase their production in our bodies.

Let’s get started! Click here to watch the video.

in Healthy Aging, Video Blogs Posted by The Good Life With Kat & Nat

02/17/202302/17/2023

Should You Delay Drawing Your Old Age Security?

One thing we know for sure, people are retiring in numbers Stats Canada would liken to the original Baby Boom.

The number of Canadians who retired jumped almost 50 percent in the last year, according to recent data from Statistics Canada.
“The youngest baby boomers are the biggest demographic cohort, and they’re starting to get to retirement age,” said Pedro Antunes, chief economist at the Conference Board of Canada.

In August, Statistics Canada released data showing a record-high 307,000 Canadians had retired over the previous 12 months, up from 233,000 a year earlier. That flood could well continue: Statistics Canada also reported that, in August, 11.9 cents of permanent employees were planning to leave their jobs within the next 12 months, 5.5 percentage points higher than in January.

Whether it’s age or Covid related angst or we are done with the day-to-day stress of work life when we draw our “Old Age Security,” it is something we should take into consideration. And by the way, is it just me, or do you take offense to “ Old Age Security”? My, have times changed.
-Natalie

Should you delay your OAS pension?

Last summer, Old Age Security (OAS) benefits permanently increased for the first time in almost 50 years. The payment increase is 10% and applies to seniors aged 75 and older.

This increase gets a further boost when seniors delay starting their OAS benefits. Monthly payments increase by 0.6% for each month you delay payments beyond the traditional age 65 start date. That’s a 7.2% increase for a one-year delay and a 36% increase for the maximum five-year delay at age 70.

Reasons to delay OAS payments

If you work beyond age 65, it often makes sense to delay OAS payments since you likely don’t need the pension income.

If you have retired by 65, the main reason to delay OAS payments is simply to gain additional financial security at older ages. You’ll receive a higher monthly benefit that’s indexed to inflation and guaranteed for life.

Why start at age 65?

Anyone who needs OAS benefits at age 65 to help support their retirement has an easy decision to begin when eligible.

Even if the income isn’t needed, there are several reasons to start at 65. It means drawing down less from retirement savings, which may leave more assets as an inheritance. Beginning payments at 65 ensures money isn’t left on the table if a retiree doesn’t live long enough to benefit from increased payments at older ages. In addition, retirees who expect their mandatory Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) withdrawals to result in a clawback of OAS benefits at age 71 may want to start receiving OAS payments at 65.

in Financial Freedom Posted by Marci Perreault

02/14/202305/03/2024

Palentine’s Day: Celebrating Friendship and Inclusivity

Welcome to our video blog about Palentine’s Day! This special day is all about celebrating the amazing friendships in our lives and promoting a sense of inclusivity and community. Instead of focusing on romantic love, Palentine’s Day is an opportunity to appreciate the love and support of our friends and show them just how much they mean to us.

Whether you’re single, in a relationship, or somewhere in between, Palentine’s Day is a chance to spread love and positivity to those around you. So grab your besties and get ready to celebrate!

And speaking of celebrating, have you ever had a secret admirer on Palentine’s Day? This year, we encourage you to think about who your secret admirer might be. Who in your life deserves some extra love and appreciation? Is it a friend who always has your back, a coworker who makes you laugh, or a family member who you admire?

Whatever you choose to do this Palentine’s Day, remember that it’s all about celebrating the wonderful people in our lives and spreading love and positivity. So let’s get started and make this Palentine’s Day one to remember!

Click here to watch the video.

in Healthy Aging, Video Blogs Posted by The Good Life With Kat & Nat

02/12/202302/12/2023

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice: Finding Comfort in Homemade Goodies this February

No matter how old I am, how much the wiser I get, around the consumption of sugar, I still can’t resist a little something now and again. I think of the month of February as the month of comfort food, and that includes goodies as well.

Simple guilty pleasures that are easy to make and give out to friends and neighbours. It makes me smile and feel good! A win for sure.

Enjoy the warmth of giving and the satisfaction of the flavours.

Click the link now to view the full list of 60 easy and delicious last-minute homemade Valentine’s Day treats and impress your loved ones today!

in Food and Recipes Posted by Natalie Tommy, VP Marketing, Nautical Lands Group of Companies & Wellings

02/05/202305/03/2024

What Is That Feeling of Happiness And How Can We Get More of It?

One of the top goals for us human beings, especially here in North America, is to be happy. In fact, the quest for happiness drives many of our behaviours. We look to positive experiences, expecting that they will make us happy. We relish the feeling of achieving a goal or revel in the honeymoon phase of a relationship and while both feel great, the feeling doesn’t last. So, let’s look at what that feeling is and how we can nourish more of it in our lives.

I’ve been studying and teaching what I call sustainable happiness for a long time but only recently challenged myself to explore the physiological aspect of happiness. Our beautiful brains produce chemicals or neurotransmitters that flood our body with good feelings. I wanted to share what I’ve learned here, so we can all look for ways to tap into this brilliant natural resource.

There are four main chemicals our brain produces: serotonin, sometimes called the happy hormone, endorphins, think runners high, oxytocin, known as the cuddle hormone and dopamine, think pleasure.

“The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.” -Henry Ward Beecher

There’s a very good reason why we may not feel so cheerful on cloudy days. Sunshine helps our brain produce a chemical messenger or neurotransmitter called serotonin. Its purpose is to stabilize our mood; it contributes to our wellbeing and feelings of happiness. It also plays a role in our digestion and sleep.

If serotonin is low in your body, your immune system, digestive system, and sleep rhythm can be impacted and if serotonin is too low for too long, it can lead to depression. Some people with low serotonin can treat it with diet, by eating foods containing the amino acid tryptophan. Foods such as turkey, chicken, pork, eggs, and tofu are all good sources. Also, light exposure and exercise help with serotonin levels. The prescription then to increase serotonin, in addition to diet, is to make sure you get daily exercise and exposure to sunlight. If you feel your serotonin levels are off, speak with your healthcare provider, who is very well equipped to help.

“Happiness is a direction, not a place.” -Sydney J Harris

Many of us have experienced an endorphin rush after an exhilarating activity like running, which is why we refer to the feeling as runners high. The name endorphin is derived from endogenous morphine, meaning internally produced morphine or natural pain medicine. Endorphins are produced when we participate in both pleasurable and painful activities, providing pain relief and a sense of well-being. Say you sprain your wrist; endorphins flood your body to ease the pain. On the flip side, when you laugh uncontrollably, your body is flooded with endorphins. Research is ongoing but here are a few suggestions to help boost endorphin production in your body. Exercise moderate to vigorous, hearty laughter, listening to music, including yoga and meditation in your daily routine, having sex, enjoying dark chocolate, and acupuncture treatments all contribute to increased endorphins in the body; it sounds like a great prescription to me.

“Laughter boosts the immune system and helps the body fight off disease, cancer cells as well as viral, bacterial, and other infections. Being happy is the best cure of all diseases!” - Patch Adams

Full disclosure here: I am a cuddle bug. I love to experience that feeling of connection through snuggling; it goes way back to my childhood. I can’t help myself and I don’t want to help myself because now I see that science backs up the theory that cuddling is good for us.

Oxytocin, known as the love chemical, is released when we’re hugging, cuddling a person or a pet, kissing, and when we’re being kind to one another. Imagine that: you’re producing the love chemical for yourself, while you’re being kind to someone else. It’s no wonder kind people always seem to be so happy.

Oxytocin plays a role in reproduction, in birthing babies and bonding; any time we’re in a situation that gives us the warm and fuzzies, we’re feeling the effects of oxytocin. Ways to increase this cuddle hormone are staying connected with people you love, doing acts of kindness and hugging. There’s an added benefit if you can hold the hug for between 6 and 20 seconds because you’re lowering the stress hormone cortisol. Music, especially singing in groups, massage and making love all contribute to increased levels of oxytocin. Let’s get cuddling.

“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” -Guillaume Apollinaire

Finally, dopamine, known as the pleasure chemical, travels through our nervous system and affects many areas of our lives including motivation, movement, mood, sleep and even our heart rate. It’s a big part of our unique ability as human beings to think and make plans. Dopamine also plays a role in our brain’s reward system. The creators of social media understand this very well; it explains why the apps keep us coming back. Likes and shares give us a dopamine hit, so we must be careful to manage how much time and energy we invest in this type of reward system, to keep our happy hormones in check.

When dopamine levels are low, we can lack motivation and feel chronically tired; low dopamine levels can contribute to addictive behaviour. Ingesting too much caffeine, alcohol or sugar can deplete dopamine, as will high stress. That’s the bad news; the good news is that there are supplements including some B vitamins and vitamin D that you can take to increase dopamine production.

I’m a big believer in the power of expressing gratitude and showing appreciation; it makes me so happy to see that mainstream science recognizes the benefit of these practices. I believe in the power of exercise, laughter, eating a healthy diet rich in colourful fruit and vegetables and exposure to sunlight. I believe in the power of dancing like nobody’s watching and one of the most important contributors to our happiness: connection and community because sharing our journey with others decreases stress and increases happiness. Here’s to a year filled with your own flavour of happiness and a wish that you share it freely with others.

This Wellings blog by Kathie Donovan was exclusively written for Wellings Communities and appeared first on MyWellings.com.

in Healthy Aging Posted by Kathie Donovan

01/26/202305/03/2024

From Cluttered to Clear: The Importance of Creating Space for Personal Growth

Creating space in our lives is essential for inviting in new opportunities and experiences. Whether we’re in a season of transition or simply looking to improve our current situation, making room for the next best thing requires a willingness to let go of what no longer serves us and actively create space for what will. In this video, we will explore the benefits of decluttering both physically and mentally and discover ways to actively cultivate the space needed to bring in new and exciting things in our lives. Click here to watch the video.

in Healthy Aging, Video Blogs Posted by The Good Life With Kat & Nat

01/20/202301/20/2023

Healthy Habits for a Stronger Immune System: Infused Water, Bone Broth and Berries

Welcome to our video on boosting your immunity with vitamins and antioxidants. In this video, we’ll be discussing the benefits of infusing water with immune-boosting ingredients and the power of incorporating berries into your diet and bone broth. We’ll show you how easy it is to incorporate these simple changes into your daily routine and how they can significantly impact your overall health and well-being. So sit back, relax, and get ready to learn about the natural ways to boost your immunity. Click here to watch the video.

in Food and Recipes, Video Blogs Posted by Chef Robert Mills

01/13/202301/13/2023

Ensure Family Harmony When Planning Your Estate

When you leave an inheritance to your loved ones, you intend to give each person some welcome help in meeting their financial and life goals. No one wants an inheritance to cause discord among the beneficiaries. Unfortunately, that can happen in certain situations if plans aren’t shared with beneficiaries in advance.

By communicating your plans, you can find out if each person is comfortable with what you have in mind. If you discover that someone feels they’re not being treated fairly, or that your plans might strain the beneficiaries’ relationships, you can make changes to remedy the situation.

Generally, three types of situations may lead to inheritance troubles:

When siblings’ inheritances of cash or financial investments are intended to be fair but are not equal
When a property is being shared
When one beneficiary receives an indivisible asset

Fair versus equal
Some parents face a situation where they question if it’s fair to divide an inheritance equally. If one child is a well-paid chief executive officer and the other faces health issues and has often been unemployed, do they receive the same inheritance? If parents gifted one child the down payment on a home, is that amount deducted from their share? If one child left their job to care for their aging parent, does that child receive a larger inheritance? When a parent wants to give inheritances that aren’t equal, it’s best to have a discussion with children to make sure they accept the plan.

Sharing a property
Siblings may have different ideas on what to do with an inherited property. Say that a parent handed down a vacation property that had been in the family for generations to their three children. Two of the children want to keep the property, but one wants to sell it and use the proceeds to fund their children’s education. Situations like this do arise and can lead to bitterness between siblings. If you find out in advance about your children’s wishes, you can work with your advisor to develop a solution that is acceptable to all.

When an asset won’t be shared
What happens when only one child will be taking over the family farm or small business, or inheriting the vacation property? You need to find a way to compensate the other child or children. If there won’t be enough cash or other assets available to equalize the inheritance, you could consider naming the other children as beneficiaries of a permanent life insurance policy on your life. Whatever solution you choose, it’s important that all children agree it’s fair to everyone.

in Financial Freedom Posted by Marci Perreault

01/06/202305/03/2024

Moving On To Create Space For Your Best Life

Happy New Year. May this year bring you much joy, kindness, and blessings too many to count. January always feels like a fresh start to me. It’s an opportunity to look at where we can edit out what no longer serves us and invite in new experiences.

Last fall, I spent some time looking at what’s in my clothes closet because it was time for the annual clear out. While I feel very blessed to have a lot of clothes, some of them have been waiting for a turn for far too long. My lifestyle has changed a little during the pandemic and some of my pants seem to have shrunk, so it was time to evaluate what clothing matched my current life.

Timing is everything because as I was thinking about clearing out my closet, I received a call from a local charity, offering to pick up any clothing or household items I didn’t need any longer. All I had to do was leave bags on my porch and they would swing by and pick them up. In a flurry, I edited my wardrobe and my surplus gift drawer, filling bags and my heart, knowing that the beautiful items I was parting with would be well received by someone else.

We humans have a habit of hanging onto stuff, people, and situations sometimes for too long. We’re attached to the past because it’s familiar, so even when situations, relationships and sometimes pants are no longer a fit for our current life, we hang on, allowing these things to take up space that we really need for something or someone more in line with our current circumstances.

I understand the courage it takes to edit people and situations in our life that aren’t aligned with our current needs. It’s been a personal project of mine, over the last ten years or so. Sometimes, those of us who are recovering people pleasers must learn that unless a situation or a relationship is an enthusiastic yes then it’s really a no or a not right now. That means setting healthy boundaries to ensure we’re not compromising ourselves any further.

“If we don’t say yes authentically, we say yes resentfully, and that leads to far more problems than if we’d said no in the first place.”
-Natalie Lue

In my experience, we must let some things and people go to create space for what truly reflects wherever we are right now. I love what Eckhart Tolle says about surrender: “To some people, surrender may have negative connotations, implying defeat, giving up, failing to rise to the challenges of life, becoming lethargic, and so on. True surrender, however, is something entirely different. It does not mean to passively put up with whatever situation you find yourself in and to do nothing about it. Nor does it mean to cease making plans or initiating positive action.

“Surrender is the simple but profound wisdom of yielding to rather than opposing the flow of life.”
-Eckhart Tolle

When we yield to the flow of life, in other words, when we accept our circumstances instead of wishing our life could be different, we’re creating space for new opportunities and we’re setting ourselves up to take clear action toward the next steps on our adventure. At this time of year, we’ve been conditioned (I say conned) into thinking that if we make resolutions to change our habits or introduce new ones, we’ll finally achieve our dreams and goals. Then there’s the inevitable lunch bag letdown that sneaks in because the pressure is overwhelming, and we feel disappointed in ourselves once again because we didn’t get something right. It’s such a waste of our precious energy and time. Wouldn’t it feel better and be more productive to focus on some healthy thinking habits and take small action in the direction we want to be going in? For those of us who are recovering people pleasers, choosing to focus on saying no or not right now to an invitation that we really don’t want to accept is empowering. Practicing even this one thing will help you to feel increasingly convinced that the decisions you make are right for you. Choosing to prioritize your own health, happiness and well-being by saying no is not a negative, although at first it may feel that way. Trust me, with practice and kindness, this gets easier.

Habits become habits because we choose something repeatedly until it’s an engrained part of who we are. I wasn’t always a grateful person, I lived in a lack mindset for many decades of my life, thinking I didn’t have enough, I wasn’t enough, and I couldn’t do enough. The result was that I lacked happiness, enjoyment, and satisfaction. Once I started nurturing the habit of focusing on what I’m grateful for in my life, the results shifted. I started noticing all the ways I had enough because I had learned to count my blessings instead of noticing what was wrong with everything. I learned that I am enough exactly as I am, and I am doing enough because I’m committed to doing my best. It’s remarkable how powerful we human beings are when we acknowledge that life is a beautiful, challenging, dynamic experience and every one of us is deserving of all the good life has to offer; all we have to do is create space to receive it.

This Wellings blog by Kathie Donovan was exclusively written for Wellings Communities and appeared first on MyWellings.com.

in Healthy Aging Posted by Kathie Donovan

12/30/202212/30/2022

Pivoting Back to Normal Once the Holiday Fun Stops

Being thought of as “The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year,” the holidays tend to be a time that brings family and friends together to enjoy lots of food, drinks, sweets, and good cheer. It also tends to be when fitness routines and healthy eating are abandoned, sleep schedules are forgotten, and stress levels climb. All this change can take a toll on your body and mind, leaving your routine a mess and you discombobulated with little hope of returning to normal.

There is no need to worry or regret your choices. Enjoying the fun and excitement of the holiday season with family and friends is essential to creating a happy, healthy life. Embrace the moments and plan to pivot back to your “normal” routines once the holiday fun stops.

At Fitness Powers, we can help. Our team has shared below six quick and easy tips we use to reclaim our “normal” and revive from all the holiday fun.

1. Give yourself a breather!

The holidays can drain you physically and mentally after the holidays, so find your happy place where you can spend some quiet time alone and reconnect with yourself. Do something that allows you to find peace and feel contentment—for example, journaling about all the positive experiences of the holiday season.

2. Get outside!

Being in the sun and enjoying the fresh air is a great way to relax your mind and redirect your thoughts. Take a walk focusing on what you see, feel, and hear.

3. Create a plan!

Having a plan is a powerful step in returning to a “normal” routine. It allows you to reflect on your daily routines to identify the habits required to create change. A clear plan can also influence how we feel and think about our ability to change.

4. Create Motivation!

We don’t automatically have motivation, so we must create it. Finding resources that build up our drive, knowledge, and support to make positive change can be done in various ways. Connect with a fitness professional, such as The Fitness Powers team; find an online resource like Participaction or listen to a podcast on wellness topics, such as “How To Accelerate Your Wellness By Clarifying The End Result” on Podtail are a few examples.

5. Get your Sleep!

A good night’s sleep is a vital component of overall health. Allowing your body and mind time to rest and recover leads to more focus, energy, and patience during the day, all of which are needed to change back to your “normal.”

6. Dump the Sugar!

Not everyone can go cold turkey so take it one step at a time. Start with something simple and doable. For example, give half your sweets away if you don’t have the willpower to remove all of them. Put the rest in the freezer, where you don’t see them all the time. Out of sight, out of mind.

Remember, creating change isn’t all or nothing. Even one small positive step moves us forward, so as the holiday fun ends, give yourself time and celebrate all those little wins as you pivot back to normal.

in Health and Fitness Posted by Fitness Powers