Blog

03/04/201909/03/2020

Rise & Shine!

“Living well, starts when you start your day” – here’s a few tips on how to boost your goodness intake and shine from the inside out…

Why is it important to get started with a decent breakfast?

“Breaking the fast” the first meal of the day after you’ve had a good night’s sleep.
Many seniors like quick and easy starts to the day.

Many are on the go with tea and toast.

Is there a better way to eat a tea and toast style breakfast?
Try adding a teaspoon of unflavoured collagen, great for your bones, skin, hair and nail growth.

Choose a hot cup of bone broth over a hot cup of tea. It has nutrients your body needs like collagen and essential vitamins and minerals, electrolytes and is warming first thing in the morning. Chicken bone broth, Beef bone broth or Vegetable bone broth are great choices.

Ginger and Lemon Tea as a warm alternative, it’s great for digestion and ginger warms the body, internal organs, also calming for an upset stomach.
Add a protein and some nutrients to your toast, some spreadable cream cheese, peanut butter, avocado and try some nut butters such as almond, pumpkin, tahini, egg salad, salmon, spreadable proteins to give you energy. If you want to add good fats to your diet, add butter or spread coconut oil.
If you are taking medications and the practitioner suggests they be taken with food, tea & toast won’t be enough. This is often the reason why your stomach feels upset, you may lack concentration, or experience brain fog, a feeling of malaise.

You’ll need to add sea salt to your diet. A pinch in a glass of water first thing in the morning and sipping throughout the day will keep you hydrated and the sea salt contains minerals your body needs. Also, sea salt helps you absorb the water and lessens the need to urinate as often.
Want to turn it up a notch?

Overnight oats are a great way to have breakfast and a good solution for those busy people on the go. As you head out the door to an appointment, to your golf game, to a meetup, or your next adventure.

Grab this Overnight Oats Jar from your fridge & bring a spoon.
Here’s the easy recipe:

Start by using a 500ml mason jar
Add ½ cup of quick oats (we like Only Oats because they are gluten-free)
A pinch of sea salt
A pinch of cinnamon
*A scoop of your favourite protein powder (we like IronVegan vanilla sprouted protein because it has 17g of protein, 3 g fibre, 4g carbohydrates, 0g sugar).
Then add your favourite liquid to fill the jar.
We suggest 1 ½ cups of unsweetened Almond Milk and ¼ cup of unsweetened coconut milk or use any combination you choose: Such as milk, almond milk, coconut milk or soya milk.
Leave some room to add berries, a teaspoon of maple syrup a few nuts, pumpkin seeds & chia seeds the next morning. Or if you have a sweet tooth add a few nibs of dark chocolate.

Note*If you don’t have protein powder you can make a substitution and use ½ cup of Yogurt in the morning & stir.

The next morning grab your Overnight Oats and a spoon and head out the door. This delicious nutritious breakfast will keep you feeling full, fueled and energized as you begin your day.

Susan Stephen

Susan Stephen is the Vice President of Living Science Wellness Centre located in Stittsville. A Mind Body Spirit & Business Coach, UFH Unity Field Healing Practitioner, Relational Clearing Practitioner and a Business Transformation Advisor. To connect with Susan and her team: https://livingscience.ca/

in Carefreedom Living® Posted by Susan Stephen

02/25/201912/15/2023

An Open Conversation About Change

Has this Happened to You?

You go to the produce department of your grocery store and they’ve moved your favourite vegetable or fruit. Now you have to go searching for its new location and along the way you notice some items you didn’t know were on the shelves.

You might even pick up one or two new things. Discovering date butter recently, while looking for fresh blueberries was a revelation for me.

Retailers understand the need to change their displays to keep things fresh and their customers interested but the idea doesn’t always apply to our day to day life. Really, many of us are what financial planners call risk-averse.

I’m guilty as charged when it comes to managing my finances however the rest of my life is filled with risk because I’ve learned to use my superpower of courage. Believe me, I wasn’t always so eager to change things up.

Embracing change is not a natural thing for us humans and we find ourselves complaining about it because we’re wired for safety. When we think change, often we think discomfort, right?

We’ve been trained through how we’re wired as humans and through social conditioning to resist changing anything. Our beautiful brains have intricate systems to keep us protected. When we feel threatened or pushed to make some kind of change or change is happening around us and we can’t control it, we freak out a little…or a lot depending on the circumstance and all we want is to get back to the safety of life before this perceived disruption.

What we’re really afraid of when it comes to change is being outside, what we describe as, our comfort zone. It’s that feeling of familiarity with surroundings and behaviours, where we can predict what will happen with some confidence.

Stepping outside that zone makes us feel unsettled because we can’t predict what will happen and often we choose not to take action as a result.

Of the 40,000 – 60,000 thoughts that we have rolling around in our brain every day, I’d be willing to bet some of them are about changes you’d like to see happen in your life and others are about why you shouldn’t do anything about it.

So How Can we Learn to Embrace Change?

First of all, we need to understand that our brain can change how it operates; the great news is that we’re not stuck with the wiring we came into the world with.

The science is called Neuroplasticity and it refers to the idea that we can rewire our brains not to fear change so much, in fact, we can learn to embrace change; it’s all in how we choose to think.

Some of the change we experience in life is a result of being alive…anybody else noticing a little drooping of this and that? Other change is within our control and some change is out of our control.

Faced with any of the above, we have a choice: we can either accept or resist and this is where the magic happens. It’s in our choice.

If you’ve met an older person with a youthful spirit, someone who was interested in you and has a lot to offer, then you have witnessed what I’ve just described. Remaining open-minded, being kind and courageous, making ourselves life-long learners all contribute to making us feel ageless.

I like to joke that people 55 plus today are part of generation ageless because that’s how I want us to see ourselves. Sure, change happens but when we’re open-minded, change looks more like an opportunity for growth than a threat to our safety and when we grow, the focus is always on improving our lives.

We, Humans, Crave Continuity, Yet One Thing We Can Be Sure of in Life is Change.

I think the best question we can ask ourselves is what are we really afraid of? In the answer will be the key to acceptance because when we start to get clear about why we’re afraid, it’s usually not as overwhelming as we initially perceived.

Having compassion for ourselves is a big part of learning to embrace change and sharing our fear with others who have compassion for us is important as well.

See change as a natural part of life instead of an interruption because it is natural and learning to embrace it by participating in it instead of fighting against it will bring surprising results.

When We Know Where We Fit In, We’re More Likely to Take a step in a new direction.

We need to feel like participants in every step of our life’s adventure. While it may be tempting to allow someone else to take care of your business, they may not give you the result you really want.

So, navigate change with your friends and family; don’t be afraid to seek a professional’s advice if it’s an unfamiliar subject. Continue to educate yourself and share what you fear, so you can find clarity.

Do the research, ask questions and talk it out with others going through similar experiences. It’s important to know what your priorities are, when it comes to navigating change, so you can prevent others from imposing their ideas on you rather than remaining neutral and giving you the space to make informed choices.

Enjoy your life….go to the movies, set up coffee dates, do yoga, whatever makes you feel good and fills you up, will be great support as you navigate change. Learning to embrace change is work and its work worth doing because your happiness depends on it.

Changes in our lives should be working for us; not the other way around. Live well; be well.

Kathie Donovan

Currently a Wellings Ambassador and Living Well Advisor, Kathie was Canada’s broadcasting sweetheart and co-host of Regional Contact for almost 30 years. Kathie travelled the Country shedding light on attractions, causes and talented artisans tucked away- off the beaten track. Her love of connecting people, caring and sharing is inspiring. Kathie has authored three books, continues to build on her workshop series “ Refresh Your Passion”, and is currently taping a new TV show, yet still has time to love what she’s doing and live well.

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

in Carefreedom Living® Posted by Kathie Donovan

02/18/201903/11/2020

How To Live A Vibrant And Healthy Life

So you recognize, it’s time to change a few things in your diet and fitness level and want to know where to start…

Are you asking yourself some of these questions?

I know my energy level is decreasing, what can I do?

EAT

Eat smaller meals, snacking or grazing more often throughout the day. Add protein, a boiled egg, a bowl of oatmeal, nuts, seeds, and good fats, a slice of avocado, a spoonful of coconut oil in your morning coffee.

LIVE

Get moving, a few jumping jacks will increase your heart rate. Next a few arm circles: extend your arms, shoulder height and do a few arm circles, five forward and five backward. Smaller at first and larger circles. Staying active: Go for a walk around your landscaped grounds enjoy the water feature and stroll along the walking trail through Poole Creek to explore. Listen with your ears. Notice what sounds you hear, birds singing, planes overhead, people laughing, music playing, leaves swaying in the trees. Memory recall think of something or somewhere or someone the last time you heard that particular sound.

LOVE

February is heart health month, learn to love yourself, wrap your arms around yourself and give you a great big heartfelt hug. Trees emit energy so hug a tree & feel energized. Look at yourself in a mirror, make eye contact and tell yourself how much you love you!

I want to live a vibrant and healthy life for as long as possible, what do I do now? Answer: Just start

Is it ever too late to start? The answer is no it’s never too late to begin to live vibrantly. Look around you there are remarkable adults 55+ doing some amazing things and they didn’t start them until after their elite years. Light yoga, a stretch class, walking, exercise do something every day to keep moving or your body will seize up. Keep your mind active too! Try puzzles, sudoku, scrabble, yahtzee. And keep your spirit vibrant too try meditation, affirmations, deep breathing, a new hobby or joyful experience to add vitality.

I don’t want to focus on what I eat all the time, what are some tips I can start using now?

Some supplements we recommend for boosting energy and adding nutrients to your diet include: BioSteel greens as simple as adding a tablespoon to 250ml/1 cup of water can add 6-8 servings of vegetables to your diet. So the answer is yes you can drink your vegetables.

Deep breathing – this is another simple solution to change your mood, boost your energy and increase your vitality.

Sit quietly, feet firmly on the ground, sit up straight and tall, take a deep breath in, and imagine the word Live as you inhale, exhale the word Live, then imagine the word Live going up through your body and out the top of your head.

Your lungs will thank you for the deep breathing break.

Just breathe

The Science of Wellness, Eat. Live. Love ~ Susan Stephen