Everyone who spreads a little of my All Purpose Edible Body Butter on their hands, lips, cuticles, or face is always so excited by it- declaring it good enough to eat. I, of course, remind them that they can. That it actually is good enough to eat, meaning everything contained within it is 100% edible. Then I suggest they get an extra jar to keep in the boudoir. Everyone has a bit of a nervous giggle and then they get a second jar.
At my recent Edible Beauty Care workshop (next one, sad for you, isn’t until April), I decided to impress my guests by whipping up, on the spot, without first testing it, a warm smoothie latte that would, in fact, taste just the same as my Edible Body Butter, and using nearly identical ingredients.
The creed series has just begun. Each week (or two) I will be breaking down my creed, line, by line. Phrase by phrase. This is my manifesto- that I learned to live by to heal from an incurable disease and that I turned into this here sweet health loving inspiration I offer you. I will tell you what the creed means to me, I hope you will share what it means to you!
There’s my momma and I up there, celebrating my 32nd birthday on Tuesday. I spent my birthday playing all day, and got to thinking- what would the world be like if we treated everyday like our birthday- a day to have the most fun, do what brings us joy and do it all with a spirit of sweetness and gratitude. With that thought, I decided that since I am now officially older and wiser than I was last week when I was just 31, it is time to start breaking down the creed. Here we go.
We carry around a lot in our purses: our personal belongings, our personalities, our fashion sense, our common sense and our actual cents. We lug our lives around in our handbags and you must admit, there is something fascinating about seeing what others have underneath their flaps and inside those zippered compartments.
Most women (and some men) live by the motto, “Be Prepared”, making their handbags an essential accessory for every outing, as it holds all essentials. Simple purse-o-nomics – the more we demand, the more they supply. We do need to face the often unattractive truths behind the stuff we buy because being connected to our purchases will help us make better choices and that matters.
Getting our bottoms in gear is no easy task. Having a trainer help push us along, intelligently is money and time well spent, if you choose the best one for you. As a trainer, my job is to motivate people to achieve and surpass their goals.
Why Get A Trainer?
Motivation – we all need it! Having someone be there to externally motivate you can do wonders for your success. Not to mention undergoing regular fitness evaluations and goal setting will help in ensuring your are tracking your progression.
Proper training/program planning – maximize your time and effort – you will be challenged to get outside of your comfort zone.
Accountability – there is power in having an appointment set, someone waiting for you and money already spent on that appointment.
It was a 5 Star event in the mud, a gathering of Ontario’s best chefs, food and volunteers in the name of saving 2300 acres of prime farmland. It is estimated that over 20,000 people gathered in Melancthon Township at the aptly named Foodstock event to protest the proposed limestone mega quarry.
In a nutshell, an American-financed company, Highland Companies, has big plans for our prime potato farmland 85 km north of Toronto. Below the beautiful soil there is approximately 1 billion tonnes of limestone and Highland wants it all.
In his own words, Ron Telpner, my dad, shares his story and experience with prostate cancer. His series, The Four Unwanted Words chronicles his experience from diagnosis to the best health of his life.
Read Part 1: Four Unwanted Words
You are what you eat.
When I was told “You have prostate cancer,” I thought my business career might be over. It was only after doing my homework that I realized that prostate cancer, when caught in its early stages, is not a death sentence. It is more of a condition. Just the same, I was scared.
Perhaps we’re too extreme? This article was rejected from The Huffington Post.
Is There Something Wrong With Government Regulated Food Guides?
Do you look down at your dinner and see 680 calories? Perhaps a healthy ratio of carbs to proteins to fats? Maybe you see some fibre, vitamin C, beta carotene and just the right amount of Omega 3’s.
This is weird right? Looking at a plate of food without actually seeing the food.
Magic seems to happen around here quite often. It’s a sweet thing. I truly believe, perhaps more than ever, that you if you give, give, give without expectation, you will get, get, get in more abundance than you can believe.
As the creed says, we must “Offer the planet what you want the planet to offer you in return”. The creed I developed for my life and my work is how I strive everyday to live. In the coming weeks, we will be breaking down that creed step-by-step, almost as a guide, so I might explain what it means to me and you might decide what the words mean to and for you.
October is breast cancer awareness month. Slightly redundant really, as I am pretty sure we are all aware it is out there, our options if we are diagnosed with it and so we can wear pink ribbons, use special pink lipstick, eat pink M&Ms, host pink themed bake sales and even drink a little pink Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
I think we’ve been aware for some time now, and it doesn’t seem to be doing all that much. Between being aware, donating money to who knows where, and stressing our poor nervous systems with all these crazy marathons for the “cure”, maybe we should take a different look at things. We’re all aware, now let’s work on prevention.
It is a rare treat when I can simultaneously show off the best shower ever and my adorable (or so I proclaim) cuddle rolls all at one go. This was at the Tofino Hot Springs cove last summer.
The photo may be sweet but did the title catch your attention? I hope it did.
Remember a few weeks back when I wrote all about water and how I love to bits drinking my fresh Spring Water? We often get so caught up in the water that we drink, that we forget about the water we are bathing in every single day.
It’s approaching that dreadful time of year again- saying goodbye to Summer and hello to Fall. Shifting from season to season is a lot like shedding a layer of your earth’s suit. Its time to let go of the past (Summer) and look forward to the future (Fall), but ALWAYS remember to stay focused in the present. One way you can honour your self during this time of transition is to practice yoga.
Read below to learn the top 10 reasons why you should continue to and/or begin practicing yoga!
We all get them from time to time. They creep up on us and it’s all we can think about for the rest of the day. We get a bit cranky and feel like taking a snooze. We may even resort to digging deep in our pantries to see what we can come up with. I’m talking sugar cravings. We all know that when we get them they’re super beastly and relentless. We often find ourselves giving in just to stop that “need” we feel.
It’s okay to admit you give in. It’s not the end of the world, it just means we need to take a look at why they’re happening and what emotions we’re experiencing and nutrients we’re missing out on that are the driving factors. When we get down to it, stress is often the real culprit here. As Meghan has outlined this week, stress is a huge problem we face in our day-to-day lives. It seems to be especially prominent this time of year when our routines are changing, kids are off to school, and we have a million things on our to-do lists.
What a week it has been. I have been doing my very, very best to abide the rules I wrote myself with my 21 Days To Health, program. My most favourite challenge of course is on day 3 when we must get ourselves to bed early. There are three things I love to bits that help me sleep like a baby.
Sleep mask to block out the light.
Lavender essential oil sprinkled on my pillow
3 capsules of Peaceful Spirit- my most fave bed time supplement in the whole wide world (more on that next week)
I have been loving these things even more as I spent just three nights last weekend on the other side of the country, 3 time zones away in Vancouver and then came back right in the swing of things. And you know what? No jet lag! Not even for one night. It was amazing.
I digress, as today I sit in the audience at TedX Toronto, invited to participate as a delegate, I wanted my brain powered up and ready to rock. And you know what does it? A green juice breakfast and a smoothie brunch.
Guest: Dr. Joel Fuhrman is a world renowned speaker and author on the subject of health, nutrition, disease prevention and super immunity. His latest book comprises the best super immunity food tips with some fantastic recipes making it an ideal book for a transition to a disease fighting, health promoting way of life. What sets Dr. Fuhrman apart from most doctors is his firm belief and practice with his patients that dietary and lifestyle changes are the key to sustained weightloss and longevity. In my interview with Dr. Fuhrman, we discuss the top super immunity foods, the role of the immune system in cancer, the connection between diet and auto-immune diseases as well as his perspective on flu shots. It was a fascinating interview that is sure to ruffle a few conventional medicine feathers.
As childbirth becomes more and more medicalized, savvy women are contracting the services of women in a rather traditional line of work. They’re hiring a doula.
A doula is a trained and experienced professional who provides informational, physical and emotional support to expectant families throughout pregnancy, labour and the first few weeks of their baby’s life. She can be a vital part of your birthing team.