World Cup Soccer

In the spirit of World Cup Soccer, here is a little tid bit of information;
Did you know that in an average soccer game players will cover between 10 to 15 km, and burn approximately 1400 calories per game?

Soccer is a good game to play to help build your overall health and wellness because it is 'interval training.' You can get more results with less time and less damage to the body with interval training versus the 'long and slow' type of exercise.

Pick up a ball, put on your sunglasses and challenge the neighborhood kids to a game of soccer- your body will thank you!

~Think Vitality!~


Source: The Globe and Mail
Image Japan Times

Slow Down to 10 mph

I watched an off beat documentary this weekend called "10 Miles Per Hour" which chronicled a journey from Seattle to Boston on a Segway- you know those odd 2 wheeled scooters that were supposed to take over the world?

It was about a group of people from "corporate America" who decided that life was moving too quickly and time was passing them by, so they decided to go coast to coast across America at the rate a horse would walk at; 10 miles per hour. It took them over 100 days and they generated some media buzz but I had never heard about them until just recently.

While the movie wasn't amazing it did bring up a good idea- slow down. For all the hustle and hurry we have in our modern day living, has it really made us healthier, happier, or more connected with ourselves or others?

As part of your regular health regime you should include something that makes time go by slowly- walk in nature, look out a window, enjoy tea in silence, go to the beach and simply observe the water, listen to music. You only need a few minutes of 'slow time' to reap the benefits, so try something simple today!

~Think Vitality!~

Sleepy Time

I read an article in the New York Times recently about sleep and the risk to our health if we just don't get enough. There is significant research that links the lack of sleep with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, premature aging, and weight gain.

A few years ago I had the fortune of spending some time in the Sahara desert and I remember feeling ready to go to bed really early, around 7:30pm or so. The reason was because there was no, I mean absolutely no, light!



When our eyes register that there is no light, a cascade of chemical processes begin and we start to ease into sleep. When we have bright lights, computer monitors, and TV's bombarding us with artificial light that chemical process does not happen as easily.

So, to help yourself sleep better try turning down the brightness on your tv and computer as the sun goes down. Most monitors and tvs have a night time setting and they are well worth it to use. Also, make sure your bathroom lights aren't too bright and shining directly into your eyes when you are brushing your teeth just before bed.

~Think Vitality

photo from dailycal.org

Kindness, Compassion, and Healing

I had the pleasure of attending a qi gong seminar this weekend presented by Dr. Steven Aung. I first met Dr. Aung several years ago when I lived in Edmonton and didn't know that there were others places in Canada that didn't have snow 10 months of the year! He was/is a family physician, a Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor, an acupuncturist, and a high level qi gong master. He is a source of unique experience and wisdom.

One of the most important lessons I learned was one that I have been noticing myself over the last couple of years; if you want to be healthy you must keep it simple.

During the question and answer period, Dr. Aung seemed to endlessly welcome questions and he kept his responses centralized around a main theme- kindness and compassion.

Bear in mind that Dr. Aung is a respected scientist and geriatric specialist and has spent a large portion of his professional career prescribing pharmaceuticals for disease. After years of careful observation he has seen the need for calming the mind, letting go of anger and fear, and approaching the world with kindness and compassion.

Drugs and serious medical intervention have their role to play in our health and healing but so does our mind and the way we see the world and interact with it. Practicing compassion is central to Eastern philosophy and studies show that it can lower blood pressure, decrease respiration rate, reduce cortisol, and decrease inflammation.

So, perform a little act of kindness and compassion today and know that it will benefit the world and your health!

~Think Vitality!~

Brendan Brazier - Thrive Fitness

Last night I heard Brendan Brazier speak about his new book "Thrive Fitness." Brendan is a professional Ironman athlete that happens to be vegan. He has developed a line of whole food supplements called "Vega" that he credits for helping him reach his fitness goals.

I have read both "Thrive Diet" and "Thrive Fitness" so I was interested to hear him speak about his area of expertise. It seems like there is always a new study, or research article that comes out telling us what we can and cannot do to keep ourselves healthy. I think it leaves the majority of people confused, overwhelmed and unable to take any action. Brendan's approach was largely based on his own experience, real results, and listening to feedback from other athletes. He keeps his message very simple- eat real, whole foods.

He spoke about how it takes a lot more energy to digest processed food compared to whole veggies, nuts, seeds, pseudo-grains and fruits. By using less energy to digest our food we have more energy to heal out bodies.

I have seen many times how important it is to keep things simple. While I may not subscribe to the idea of veganism (because it is very difficult to stay healthy without becoming obsessive about food) I think we can all benefit from infusing our diets with good, vibrant, whole foods; like this!

Blueberry, Spinach, Maca, Coconut Cocoa Breakfast Shake



~Think Vitality~