What You Need To Know About Intermittent Fasting

What is it? Intermittent fasting is tool, a pattern of eating and not eating. One of the most important tools to trigger 2 important hormones when it come to weight loss - growth hormone (anti-aging and fat-burning hormone) and insulin (fat-storing hormone - in its presence you cannot lose…


THE MANY USES COCONUT OIL

There are a few things I cannot live without, those being yoga, quiet time in nature, and coconut oil. Allow me to share my many uses of this amazing superfood. Try them, share them and fall in love with them. Body lotion. I always have a container of cold pressed coconut oil in my bathroom, my…


Arthritis? Joint Problems? You may benefit from avoiding these foods

There is strong a correlation between arthritis and diet. Certain foods have a tendency to cause inflammation or an immune response in some people. This is a big contributor to joint pain or worsening pain and suffering associated with arthritis. Avoiding the most common offending foods can really…


THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP

Sleep is essential to health and well-being, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Despite that,  millions of people do not get enough sleep and many suffer from lack of sleep or lack of quality sleep. Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Sleep…


8 Reasons to Drink a Detox Tonic Every Morning

Hydrates your body Staying well hydrated is key to vitality and health as the body consists of more than 70% water.  Starting each morning with a detox tonic containing lemon, raw apple cider vinegar, turmeric and Ceylon cinnamon rehydrates the body after a night of sleeping and not hydrating.…


KETOGENIC DIET AT A GLANCE

A ketogenic diet is a way of eating that allows your body to get into ketosis and start burning fat for fuel or energy (instead of carbohydrates or glucose).  This increases your metabolism and decreases carbohydrate and sugar cravings. It involves eating a high healthy fats, low carbohydrate and…


REACTIONS TO OUR 3 DAY WARM DETOX

Here at Healthy Habits we've been busy with our latest 3 day warm and gentle detox.  We've had an overwhelming response and participants couldn't believe the wonderful changes that took place in just 3 days! First, let me start by saying that our detox is composed of real, whole foods. No…


5 Daily Detox Rituals

        5 WAYS TO DETOXIFY & CLEANSE DAILY We're all exposed to toxins on a daily basis.  From water, food, environment, beauty and personal products to stress and negative thinking, toxins accumulate in our body.  The good news is that our body innately detoxifies these…


METH VS RICE: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

According to new research, the RICE method may be out of date. It is thought that Rest Ice Compression and Elevation (RICE) could be hindering the healing process of an acute injury by disallowing good blood, full of nutrients and white blood cells to infiltrate the area. When an acute injury is…


Our Love Hate Relationship with Dairy

North Americans love dairy.  Cheese, cheese sauces, milk, yogurt, and ice cream are commonly found in the majority of food diaries that I see…and lots of it.  Many people eat cheese 3 meals a day as a main source of protein (bagel and cheese, pizza, pasta and cheese).  Others are drinking milk like…


Are Unnecessary Beverages Filling Up Your Bucket?

Last week we got you thinking about your bucket.  That is the empty bucket inside your body determined by your genetics.  Fill it up with chemicals, alcohol, stress and other threats to our cells and it can overflow leading to chronic inflammation and illness.  Empty your bucket with healthy habits…


Inflammation – An Epidemic

Allergies, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, skin disorders, irritable bowel syndrome and many other common illnesses and health challenges are closely linked to chronic inflammation. Inflammation is now considered to be a more important risk factor for heart disease than high cholesterol levels.…


Leucine and Weight Loss

Here at Healthy Habits we like to stress the importance of a diet low in carbohydrates for weight loss.  Often we see clients who need to significantly reduce starchy carbohydrates, especially the processed white stuff, and increase good quality protein in their diet. There is much research to…


Happy New Year!

Traditionally it is the time of year to make resolutions.  Unfortunately for most we find ourselves making the same resolutions again January 2014.  To help you keep yours here’s a tip... Make sure your resolution is a WANT and not a SHOULD.  For example, everyone wants to be healthier because…


Is Your Nutrition Getting in the Way of Good Posture?

At Healthy Habits we help people permanently thrive through posture and alignment, as the root of lasting physical improvement.  So why do we offer nutritional services?  How does nutrition link to postureandalignment?   Since the foods we eat affect the health of all soft tissue and bone it…


WATER FOR ENERGY!!

Water For Energy!! In our blog Recharge After Exercise – But Not With Chocolate Milk! Posted Wednesday July 25, 2012 we challenged the belief that chocolate milk is a great post-recovery drink.  For the majority of exercisers water still stands out as the ideal beverage for recovery and for…


Saving Your Low Back

  Our last post, “Activate Those Glutes! Stretch Your Psoas” dated Friday August 12, 2012 talked about how to activate the glutes.  An important motivator for using your gluteal muscles (your buttocks) is to avoid lower back injuries.  Not using your glutes places too much strain on your…


Activate Those Glutes! Stretch Your Psoas

When exercising with a professional you’ll often be asked to activate your glutes.  The gluteal muscles are the three muscles that make up the buttocks: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus muscles.  Often they are underutilized, during every day activities and during exercise,…


SATURATED FAT – THE MYTH

This week I’d like to expand on an earlier topic, the butter is bad myth (see blog, Stop Eating Dry Toast, from Monday, July 2, 2012).   The butter is bad myth is directly related to the myth that all saturated fats are bad for us.  For disease prevention we’ve been told to get no more than…


Weight-Loss, Diet, Exercise and Sleep

Getting enough quality sleep a night is an important component of a weight loss plan yet it is often overlooked.  The recommended number of hours of sleep a night for an adult is 7 to 9, but in our fast-paced and often over-scheduled days many adults do not get enough. When you sleep your body is…


Recharge After Exercise – But Not With Chocolate Milk!

Statistics provided by the Dairy Farmers of Canada show that 63% of males reported drinking chocolate milk to recover after a workout in June 2011 compared to 23% in November 2008 (Globe and Mail, July2,2012).  Why the jump?  In 2008 an advertising campaign was launched by the Dairy Farmers of…


Hydration for Summer Sports

Don’t believe the hype – chocolate milk is NOT for exercise recovery. It is being promoted by the Dairy Farmers of Canada and research is centered on elite athletes. Unless you are travelling to Lon


Laryngopharyngeal Reflux and the connection to Foods we eat. Acidosis – acidity weakens all body systems. When excess acids must be neutralized our alkaline reserves are depleted leaving the body in aweakened condition.   pH – potential of hydrogen is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of…


STOP EATING DRY TOAST

The myths about butter being bad for us have misled people long enough.  Stop eating dry toast!  Avoiding butter is unnecessary and can actually be hazardous to your health. We learn that butter is bad because it is a saturated fat, and that saturated fats have a negative impact on our blood…


Bloated Again

You may notice that by the end of the day your pants are tighter, could it be that you are a regular sufferer of bloating?  Abdominal discomfort isn’t always linked to a holiday feast, although overeating is surely a contributor.  Bloating can occur for a number of other reasons such as swallowing…


Raising Your Blood Cholesterol: Eggs or Lemonade

You may be surprised to learn that research linking blood cholesterol levels and heart disease is weak.  This is surprising because in the media and in the doctor’s office there is much focus around keeping blood cholesterol levels less than 200 mg/dl.  Many cholesterol lowering medications are…


http://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-and-nutrition-pictures/bad-eating-habits-and-how-to-break-them.aspx check out this article by: Kathleen Chu


Safe Summer Grilling

Cooking meat, poultry or fish at high temperatures when grilling (broiling or frying too) creates chemicals called heterocyclic amines (HCAs).  HCAs are carcinogenic. These carcinogens may increase the risk of certain cancers. Fat dripping onto hot coals, stones or burners creates additional…


To Carbohydrate Load or NOT?

This is the season when we see swells of 'runners' take to the roads.  The sunshine inspires and compels so many of us to take on physical challenges, like running road races.  The recreational runner is a special breed. One that deserves unsung praises. Firstly it is the recreational runner's race…


Cut the Foods that Make you Fat

Sorry I've been away for so long. I had no idea that there was a group out there following this blog. Thank-you for your interest. When you have the chance please sign up for our blog so we know you are out


Aerobic versus Anaerobic Training

When I first started training and coaching regular individuals (as opposed to athletes) there was a well entrenched notion for weight loss. Long, slow, distance was believed to be the only way to burn excess fat.


Cholesterol Readings

Statin drug therapy decreases the level of LDL (low density lipoproteins) circulating in the blood. This has been the accepted measurement for determining 'risk' of future heart disease.  However consensus regarding LDL indicators for heart disease is not universal.  Before statin drugs were…


The FAMOUS ROTATION DIET

Metabolism is an intricate dance between glands,(pineal, thyroid, pituitary, adrenal, pancreas, gonads), fluids that are intracellular and extracellular, muscle activity, and the liver and kidneys. Rotation diets are an easy way to integrate essential nutrients that support the glands (endocrine…


Correcting Posture Imbalances

Muscles and movement are integrated into body-wide fascial webbing. Myofascia refers to muscle tissue and its web of connective(fascial)tissue.


Dignitas Cycling Fund Raiser

Milne Cycling and Melissa Putt cheerleadingSunday June 5, 2011 Healthy Habits Team participated in a fund raiser for HIV/AIDS treatment in Malawi.Fun was had by all and we were one of the top fund raisers


Food and Mood

The contents of your last meal affect which neurotransmitters are predominant in your brain. Neurotransmitters are tiny proteins that electrically interconnect the nerve cells in the brain. At any given


Fats are not the villian to your diet. Saturated fats from coconut, lard, palm, and tallow are much needed nutrients to any balanced diet. In fact, saturated fats have less calories than the unsaturated