• Oranges and grapefruits they reduce inflammation and inhibit cancer cell growth.
• Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts decrease risk of lung, bladder, breast, stomach and colon cancers.
• Berries, they block proteins needed for cancer to grow .
• Tomatoes they lower the risk of prostate cancer.
• Green tea  stops the growth of  blood vessels that feed tumors.
• Oregano and other herbs are antioxidants.
• Cinnamon stops  the network of blood vessels that feed tumors.
• Olive oil  may reduce the risk of breast, colorectal and prostate cancers.
• Parsely has been shown to stop the development of leukemia cells.
• Flaxseed stops growing cancer cells
• Turmeric slows cancer cells.
• Garlic  gets rid  of cancer causing chemicals in the body.
• Rosemary  may help fight the carcinogenic effects of cooking starchy foods.

I think today, I will enjoy a berry fruit smoothie with a dash of flaxseed.  Green tea instead of coffee, a sprinkle of cinnamon on toast, an orange for a snack, tomato based oregano/garlic focaccia, a herb salad with  a splash of blood orange olive oil.

Tomorrow  I will try out rosemary and turmeric.

A personal training session, I was informed begins at about $80/per session and can go up from here.  One would normally see a trainer 2-3x weekly to achieve their goals. Do the math; not cheap for most, but as the instructor said “its a small price to pay for your health”.  True.  But how does one know what to look for in a personal trainer or fitness instructor before making this big financial commitment to reap the health benefits?  You may consider doing a little  research, and here are a few of my suggestions;

1. Discuss with friends, family and or your healthcare provider  regarding any recommendations they would make.
2. Once you have the recommendations, interview the trainer and the facility as you would with any job since you will in effect be their employer and if you are  paying their salary  you will want the best candidate for your dollar. Don’t be afraid to ask for a resume. Inquire about such things as; their qualifications,how long have they been working in the field, do they continually upgrade their skills, do they understand your needs and wants, can they provide references etc. It’s  simply not enough to like someone or to have a good feel about someone, they need to be competent.
3. You may want to consider taking a course that a personal trainer would take to understand what it is that you can expect. This will also ensure that you will be an active participant in your training.

So perhaps before you do the leg work do a little leg work (research) of your own.

Cheers

1.  Don’t eat  large meals as this has been shown
to trigger  heart attacks.

2.  Don’t get overly angry  for instance, at the woman who stole your parking spot, or  at the  long line at the store which  makes you want to gnaw  your arm off,   because anger has been shown to trigger  heart attacks.

3. Don’t do extreme physical activities like shoveling the driveway  if you haven’t done a stitch of exercise all year as this too will trigger,   you guessed it ——  heart attacks.

There are many factors to heart disease and many people are unaware of their heart condition.  So this holiday season  enjoy  yourself  (sort of )wholeheartedly — just don’t go overboard–

Lastly, before you embark on your New Years resolutions this upcoming year check out the Par Q and follow up with your MD.

Cheers and Happy Heartday

Yes I knew diet, exercise, and other factors were important for my health and well being, but diet reversing existing health conditions that is definetly food for thought. What else can diet do you ask?Well, I don’t want to give away the entire book, just let me say this This holiday season why not give yourself the gift of healthy insight. Your body and mind will thank you.

I’d like to share with you my most recent find while surfing the web, the Canadian Living Spring Boot camp. It’s a free 6 week wieght loss program that will end June 13 so if you haven’t seen it check it out online.

This boot camp is divided into different sections, you can choose to follow it all, some, or none.

• You can sign up for a variety of newsletters, which are emailed to you very frequently.
• There is also a menu calendar, with suggestions for breakfast ,lunch, dinner and snacks, with recepies to follow and the calorie count.
• There are also workout videos, prepared by a fitness expert
• There is even a health and wellness blog which gives you the chance to win prizes.

So what do I think?

1. I am finding the newsletters to be very informative;
2. With regards to the menus they are easy to follow/and reproduce, you should however check with your healthcare provider to see if this is the right program for you, how many calories are appropriate for you? how can you alter the plan to suit vegetarians or vegans?
3. With regards to the exercise program, you may want to check first with your healthcare provider to ensure that this type of program is safe for you and perhaps follow up with a fitness specialist as well to assist you with learning the correct technique as you may not be familiar with some of the exercises in the videos.

With regards to the blogging, well I have not actually got that far yet, so I will leave it up to you to tell me what you think.
All in all the idea of a boot camp to kick start your health and fitness is an interesting concept.  Sometimes we need something to get us going, to get us moving, to spark the momentum especially when we break our health and fitness routines.

Eat healthy, keep moving and be well.

As per the Disney Institute:

“ Walt Disney was, and will always remain, that rare breed: an artistic genius who, with the unflagging and essential support of his brother, Roy, created an effective organizational model and efficient work environment where employees were recognized for their achievements, encouraged to work as a team and, by striving for excellence, continually broke the confines of the status quo to surpass the expectations of the world.“

We must attempt to go beyond the status quo in healthcare and make some Disney magic.  Imagine what healthcare would be like if it was up to Disney?  In the words of MD Bill Crounse’s If Disney did Healthcare :

“If Disney did healthcare our hospitals and clinics would be impeccably clean, safe and extremely efficient despite the press of humanity seeking services there every day.“

I think that the innovative story app that Disney created for the iPad encourages kids to read.  Imagine, from a health prevention perspective, if that Disney magic were leveraged to create an app that encouraged healthy behaviour and habits in kids.  That would truly be magical!

1. Home Care–Day Programs, Assistive Devices, Care Providers, on call MD, Dental and Foot Care….
2. Residential–Long Term Care, Nursing Homes, Palliative Care….
3. Alzheimer/Dementia–Day Programs, Home Care, Memory Clinics, Support Groups…
4. Community Support–Caregiver/Family Support, Hospices, Housing, Veterans Affairs…
5. Health and Medical–Dentist, Doctors, Diabetes, Hospitals….
6. Financial–Accountants, Drug Benefits, Estate Planning…
7. Legal–Abuse and Neglect, Fraud, Lawyers…
8. Moving House–Charities, Movers, Real Estate…
9. Transportation–Ambulance, Assisted Transportation, Volunteer Drivers…
10. Recreation–Activities, Clubs, Community Dining…
11. Shops and Services–Grocery, Home Medical Equipment…
12. Bereavement–Support, Organ Donations…

Navigating the Health Care System is difficult at the best of times. If you compound that with work, having to take care of children/family and the elderly it becomes a daunting almost unimaginable task. What should I do? Where do I begin? Who should I call?
Having a tool like Help’s Here on hand will enable you to navigate the complex health care system with greater ease, as they have completed a lot of the leg work for us.

1. They have produced an educationally  rich website with information that covers  nutrition,  including a tool to build your own food guide based on your age and sex, an interactive tool on how to read food labels, information for physical activity, injury prevention, health promotion, travel health, drugs, and emergency preparedness.
2. They  have  a collection of videos on You Tube, with such topics including oral health, mould in the home, cell phone and health safety.
3. You can also stay connected with Health Canada by signing up for RSS feed, which will update you on news releases, warnings, advisories and recalls.
4. Or you can follow Health Canada on Twitter.

There are many ways to stay connected to your health.  Remember you have to be an active participant in your health.  It’s nice to see that our Canadian government has taken steps to assist you in that goal.

For your information, the Ministry of Health Promotion of Ontario has a strategy to address the issue of diabetes.

Their website provides good information/education for both the individual either living with diabetes, knows someone who has diabetes or is interested in prevention of diabetes. There is something for everyone including videos, tool kits, diabetes programs, and so much more. It is definetly work looking at because the reality is at some point we will all need to “Stand up to Diabetes”.

How Soft Drinks Could Cause Rapid Aging . In the last 20 years food companies have been adding “significant amounts of phosphate to soda and other processed food”.  So why is this a problem?  Well,  while we do need phosphorus for our bodies, there must be a balance.  Research shows that there was a toxic effect to mice fed a high phosphate diet, which the article states could have the same effect on other mammals including humans. As per Fast Company

“In the 1990s, phosphorous-containing food additives contributed an estimated 470 mg per day to the average daily adult diet. However, phosphates are currently being added much more frequently to a large number of processed foods, including meats, cheeses, beverages, and bakery products. As a result, depending on individual food choices, phosphorous intake could be increased by as much as 1000 mg per day.”

Once again, as per above, yes we need phophorous for healthy living, but as the study indicates perhaps too much of a good thing is not so good after all.  I’m sure further testing will be required to prove or disprove this research. In the meantime, perhaps a call to the dietician is in order to determine what amount is right for you, so that the next time you need to quench your thirst you can make an informed decision for your health.