1 simple habit that may change your life amazingly!

You've heard all about it - how meditation is so good for you, but you just don't have time - and you're not even sure how to do it. Well I'm about to change all that - and I'm asking you to try it for 7 days and then take note to see if you notice any change in your health.

According to the Mayo Clinic, meditation can can help with concentration, relaxation, inner peace, stress reduction even fatigue - it quite possibly can also help relieve anxiety, depression, pain and insomnia. Meditation can also assist in improving physical health, such as heart health, rheumatologic conditions and digestive problems combined with conventional medicine.

There are many ways to meditate, however the easiest way to start is simply to close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Don't try to get rid of thoughts as they pop into your head, just allow them to pass through while you continue the focus on your breath. Try to start by doing this for about 5 minutes each day. Increase the time as you desire. Its honestly that easy! Once you feel good about this practice and incoporate it daily, explore the myriad of other ways to meditate.


You can do it anywhere, anytime, for free, so why not? 

Enjoy your day guys <3

-Laura

So you started your new years resolution – in December even – and you haven’t lost one pound. In fact, you’ve gained 4 even though you didn’t over indulge during the holidays. You ask yourself why and blame the 2 tablespoons of creamer you put in your morning coffee. Before you make your morning coffee boring, read on to discover 5 reasons why you might not be seeing the results you want.

5 reasons why you may not be seeing the weight loss results you want.

1. You don’t have enough lean muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the more calories you tend to burn. This is a major reason why men generally have an easier time losing weight than women.

What to do about it:

Get lifting! If you’re not already using resistance training in your fitness program, now is the time to start. Not only can resistance training such as weight lifting increase your calorie burn at rest, it can stave off conditions such as osteoporosis.

2. Genetics. If both your parents were heavier set, there’s a good chance you will be too. Thanks Mom & Dad!

What to do about it:

Don’t worry, even though you don’t have control over your genetics, you do have control over what you do with those genes! A study published in PLoS Medicine in 2011 found that only about 2 pounds can be blamed on so-called “fat genes”. If you have a genetic predisposition to being overweight, regular exercise will reduce its effect by 27%.

3. You think you’re eating & drinking less than you are. If you are new to portion sizes, you can be quite shocked when you realize how small a proper portion size seems when you are conditioned to societal norms.

What to do about it:

Use a portion size guide - here is an excellent one by eatrightontario.com --> https://www.eatrightontario.ca/getmedia/255dbbe6-23cd-4adf-9aba-f18310f09e3d/Handy-Servings-Guide-English-for-web-FINAL-October-2015.aspx - or a food tracking app like myfitnesspal for a period of time until you become more aware of what sizes your portions should be. It doesn’t take that long to get used to it – you won’t need to track forever. I often return to tracking for a few weeks at a time if I feel my intake gets off track.

4. You think because you can exercise you can eat anything you want.

What to do about it:

Newsflash…although you do burn calories at rest, an average workout burns 200 to 400 calories – not really a huge percentage of an average daily caloric intake of 2000 calories. Also, regular exercise can actually increase your hunger. So – just like in #3, be aware of your daily calorie target and do your best to stick to it. It might mean splitting meals up into 6 instead of 3 so that you are constantly “refeuling”, but the results will be worth it!

5. You are depriving yourself.

What to do about it:

When you deprive yourself of a taste you are craving, you tend to eat calories in other ways trying to negate the craving – this can add up your daily calories significantly. Sit down and make a list of your most common food indulgences. Think about each one and decide if you really enjoy it or just end up eating it due to boredom or some other reason – cross off anything you really don’t absolutely love. Then, of the remaining items, plan to have a small amount each day or every few days. You will feel less deprived, and will be less likely to binge!

What are some ways you try to balance your diet? Please leave a comment below with your ideas!

Guys - what a fall, hey? Strange elections...economy changes...job changes...regardless of our position, we have all felt the pinch. Maybe it was more like a grab & twist...

In come the holidays which for some brings joy, closeness and happiness, for others melancholy of holidays past (miss you Dad), and for some outright depression. There are some things we can all do to make sure we are putting our health up a rung rather than down during this busy and stressful (good or bad) time.

1. Move everyday - even when you are not working. As I've said many times, it doesn't need to be the gym, and it doesn't need to be 60 minutes (heck it doesn't even need to be 45 if you can't swing it). Pull up the good old interweb and type in YouTube and search for some crazy fun kickboxing video or anything you enjoy (prancercise is a real thing and I won't judge) - do 15-20 minutes and I guarantee you'll feel better. Sometimes at my house we even put on the Dreamworks Trolls soundtrack, put up the disco ball and rock our hearts out for 30 minutes. Yes, we do have a disco ball. I said I wouldn't judge now neither should you...

2. Eat a ton of fruits and veggies. You'll be eating alot of other stuff and this is typically the group that gets missed so make it a priority.

3. Give yourself a break at those parties. Yes, there are typically gatherings you will be attending where the main focus is food. Eat it. Enjoy it. Have chocolate or chips or whatever you love, just be mindful on the other days of rule number 2.

4. Relax. Seriously, build it in to your holidays. Book a massage (I'm open except the 25th - shameless plug), start a good book, sleep in even if it means with a kid and 2 dogs on the bed with you watching cartoons (this is my life), leave the dishes. 

5. Instead of planning resolutions for the new year, make it a goal to keep following these rules throughout the year. 

I know you already drink a ton of water so that one is not on the list. Right? Right? 

One bonus rule that my husband has taught me and I find it works well especially in times of uncertainty...don't stress that which you have no control over - just manage the things you can control. Its so true! Much of our stress is based on the "what ifs" and not the "what is".

I wish each and everyone of you reading this a wonderful holiday however you celebrate - enjoy the season and all the chaos and relaxation it brings!

Much love to all of you, see you in the New Year <3

- Laura

BloomWellness kale & banana muffins

3 bananas

1/2 cup mini choc chips

4 eggs

2 cups kale

1/2 cup butter

1.5 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 tbsp (or a pinch or so) salt

Blend until smooth. Pour into 12 muffin tin equally. Bake at 350* for 25-30 min.

          My daughter is 6 years old, and has type 1 diabetes. Yes, thats the kind you have for life, and you have to weigh all your food and take insulin for every little carbohydrate that passes your lips. She was diagnosed 3 years ago and actually, we do pretty well and she is a very compliant gal when it comes to T1. In fact, she is my hero! 

          It is always a struggle for us to find healthy foods that she likes, much less health food (I especially love when random people tell me to put her on a "Paleo diet" to decrease the need for insulin...as if a 6 year old will eat "Paleo" food........LOL but I digress).

            Anyway, the other day I was searching smoothie recipes when I decided to use my 2 years of holistic nutrition education combined with my maternal determination to come up with something super healthy that she would actually like. Fast forward to the Olivia Jean Smoothie. 

          In your blender (I use the Ninja, since I am kind of a Ninja.....) combine the following:

          - 1/2 banana

          - 1 small serving of Activia (or your fave) yogurt

          - 1/2 - 1 TBSP of ground flax

          - 1/2 cup water

          - 1/2 cup mixed frozen berries

          - 10 leaves of fresh spinach

          - 10 leaves of fresh kale

          - 1 TBSP honey

          - 1/2 TBSP pumpkin seeds

          Mix well and drink up! This recipe makes approximately 1 & 3/4 cups which in our house we call 2 servings. Based on that, each serving has about 15-20 carbohydrates for those fellow T1 carb coutin' ninjas. My hubby and I loved it too....I hope you and your family will!

          Want more recipes and healthy tidbits? Follow me on Facebook (bloomwellness.ca) Twitter (@BloomWellness) or Instagram ([email protected]).

          Happy blending y'all!

          -LB

          Do you suffer with inflammatory pain & illness like the other 80% of us? Are you popping ibuprofen like its going out of style? Then this might be of interest to you. Read on....

          Turmeric has been studied rather extensively for it's anti-inflammatory properties, but has been shown to correlate with some other preventative health measures. Have a look at this article from the University of Maryland Medical Center Website.  Heart Disease? Alzheimer's & other neurodegenerative diseases? Bacterial & Viral infections? Why aren't we all taking this?

          You can purchase it in pill form or make foods / teas out of the powdered spice. 

          Here is a lovely little infographic on the possible (they are not all scientifically verified...yet) benefits of this happy little plant:

          I'm definintely trying it - I don't expect immediate results as with most natural remedies it takes at least a few weeks to start noticing change. I'm pretty excited at the thought of what this can bring to many of my arthritic / chronic pain clients though!!

          Ok I am off to make myself a turmeric tea...you should too. Happy anti-inflammatorying....er....spicing!

-Laura

First of all, I'd like to wish you the happiest of holidays from my home to yours! I hope you are enjoying family, friends, rest and of course great food!

          I often get the chance to review health related apps and many of them people submit are weight management related. I try them out and quite honestly most of them will "do the trick" if used correctly and consistently. I have recently been working with one I really like and find to be user friendly and motivating. (For you iOs users - it also syncs with the "health" app on the new update which is kind of handy!) Its called "my diet coach" and you can enter meals, exercise, weight goals, etc. Granted it is a little femicentric (sorry guys) but if you can get past that, it's a great tool.

          I like the layout and ease of using this app, as well as the look of it. I got the free version (because thats how I roll) and its been pretty good so far - but if a person did want more motivation, water consumption tracking, etc. it is pretty cheap (around the $3 mark) to upgrade. Click here http://www.mydietcoachapp.com/ to check it out.

          Do you have any health / wellness apps you love? Have any you'd like me to review? Shoot me an email.

          Okay now I gotta go enjoy some leftover good eats...we're still on holidays at my house....all in moderation, right? LOL Happy New Year guys!

-LB