Tag: healthy
Last weekend, I escaped to Ste. Anne’s Spa in Grafton, Ont., as I was invited there to learn more about the 2016 Green Living Show, which takes place this weekend, April 15 to 17th in Toronto.
It was my very first time to Ste. Anne’s, which will be exhibiting at the Show. Over two days at Ste. Anne’s:
I ate gluten-free meals and did a few quick cooking lessons at the bakery.
I took part in a yoga nidra class (which is also referred to as sleeping yoga). It’s more like a meditation class, which I’d hoped would be relaxing but I think I was so exhausted due to jet lag that lying in class, I just felt woozy and disoriented. Thankfully, the session was only 15 minutes.
I had my very first meeting with a homeopath, Julie Henry, who is working now at finding the right treatment for me.
I indulged at the spa where they use the signature Ste. Anne’s spa natural line of products, Skin Nourishment (where many of the essences in the products are grown right on the property). Besides a Chakra Awareness Massage (not my first choice, but it was interesting nonetheless; I was naturally drawn to pick the Crown Chakra, which makes sense as that brings up your energy to its highest point–and I was feeling quite drained at the time). I also had a chance to try one of their mineral masks, which left my skin feeling much rejuvenated and hydrated. Ste. Anne’s will be at the Green Living Show so be sure to stop by their booth
And, of course, I got to learn much about the Green Living Show from Green Living Enterprise’s President and CEO, Laurie Simmonds, and I found out the Show’s got a ton to offer everyone (it’s not just for super tree-hugger types, in case you were wondering). Check out 5 must-sees at the Green Living Show in my article over on AmongMen.
I’ll be popping into the Green Living Show this weekend…and while I’m too squeamish to try the protein powder I talk about in my AmongMen article, I hope to check out some of the fitness demos, and more.
Oh, and btw, if you plan to go to the Show, be sure to bring any e-waste (ie. anything that plugs in that you’ve been letting collect dust at home before throwing in the garbage or donating to a cause), and if you’re a Toronto resident, you’ll get the power bar pictured below (valued at $100 retail). (Non-Toronto residents, you’re not left out! You receive one worth $40 retail).
April 11, 2016
When it comes to setting goals, I’ll admit, I falter when it comes to long-term goals. And I’ve found out I’m not alone. In a survey conducted with millenial women, 67 percent find that classic job interview question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” overwhelming. I know that sometimes I feel like I don’t even know what I”m doing next month, never mind in five years.
With today being International Women’s Day comes the launch of the #3YearGoals campaign. Today, after all, is about celebrating women’s achievements, and empowering women to continue to make strides toward equal rights. So, rather than 5 year goals, which may seem overwhelming, let’s think in terms of 3 year goals. This way we can actually set goals since this is a time frame we can wrap our heads around. (The same survey found that 85 percent of the millenial women who took part in the survey feel empowered to set goals with a three-year time frame and that 80 percent know what they want to achieve in the next three years.)
And what better spokespeople for this #3YearGoals campaign that the Dufour-Lapointe sisters, Chloe, Justine and Maxime, the Olympic skiers who made Canadian history last month by placing first, second and third at the Freestyle Ski World Cup. Three women who obviously know how to set goals and achieving them.
When I think of the next three years. I’d like to set a few goals for myself centred around fitness and travel. For fitness, well, this is a goal I’ve had for a little over a year, and have yet to achieve, which is qualify for the Boston Marathon. I came so close to qualifying without realizing it in 2014 in the Chicago Marathon…and have yet to come that close again since 2015 was a very disappointing race year for me. First step I need to do when it comes to reaching this goal within the next three years: wrap my head and heart around training, really training hard, because I know I can qualify. But it may (will…) call for traveling less often so that I can train more seriously. And I will admit, I am reluctant to give up on the traveling. In any case, since I think I can only manage two qualifying marathons a year, this gives me six attempts to qualify. Deep breaths…I can do this.
As for my travel goal? Take at least one true vacation a year. A trip I don’t have to write about. Where I’m not running around to do and see as much as possible (unless that’s what I want to do!). I know you may not believe me, but the traveling I do is certainly enjoyable and exciting but it’s also tiring. I actually took a vacation last year to Vancouver and it was wonderful not to have my brain constantly thinking about work (that’s the downside of being freelance, it ain’t all workin’ in your PJs, ya know!).
And let’s just throw in a third goal since we are talking in threes right now. This one’s a biggie…I’d like to adopt a dog. This, too, is a goal I’ve had on my mind for awhile, but it’s just not been the right time. I want to be able to have the time and energy that having a dog calls for. I’ve done a ton of reading of what type of breed I’d like, but this was before I became a runner (and so I only chose low-energy dogs). I’ll start my research again. Just no one tell my two cats yet, OK? They’re already stressed out enough as it is.
(edited) Alright, now that I’ve been thinking about nothing other than #3YearGoals all night, I have one to add, and this one is a biggie: In three years, I’d like this blog to be my main focus and source of income. Right now, I focus more on freelance writing, which I enjoy. and do want to continue doing. But to be earning enough on my own little project, well, that’d be major.
What would your #3YearGoals be? By March 2019, where do you want to be in terms of career, finances or school (those were the top ranked priorities in the survey)? While you’re thinking about this, do you want to have a baby in the next three years? 60 percent responsded they do not want to have a baby in the next three years. If you were to unintentionally get pregnant, how would this impact your goals? If having a baby in the next three years isn’t in your plans for the next three years, talk to your doctor about what your contraceptive options are, and you can also learn about some different contraceptive options on www.birthcontrolforme.ca.
Because when setting your goals, you also have to make a plan to help you reach them, and this includes foreseeing any possible barriers and having tactics ready to overcome them (you know what, this goal setting and planning calls for doing a SWOT analysis…ah, so I DO remember something from my marketing degree from Concordia after all!).
So, ladies, let’s do this together. Three years from now, where do you want to be?
Oh, and stay tuned for the next #3YearGoals post to come in the month of April!
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(Goal Digger image from BelleChic)
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March 8, 2016
February’s come to a close and I’d say so long to the February blues, but the thing is, I didn’t experience them this year.
Part of the reason is the mild winter we have been having here in Toronto (I’m grateful every day that we haven’t been in a deep freeze for weeks and weeks). And yet, we still have many gray skies, and the daylight hours are still limited. The difference in my life this February? Using the Philips Wake-up Light.
To get you up to speed, if you follow me on Twitter, you may be aware I have some pretty poor sleeping habits. And towards the end of last year, I was suffering from insomnia. Then during the Christmas holidays, I simply could not fall asleep until 5 or 6 a.m. And this meant I’d sleep until noon at the earliest. This wasn’t ideal but I was able to let it slide during the holidays, but once we hit the new year, and I attempted to get up at a more reasonable hour, so that I could email and hold phone calls with people who work regular office hours, well, I was an exhausted mess. Either I’d get up late and miss time I could be working, or on the days I managed to force myself up in the morning, by 1:30 p.m., with my eyelids heavy, I’d nap for several hours.
And when Philips asked me to try out their Philips Vitalight products, I was desperate and ready to try anything. I’d heard of the Wake-up Light before, but I’ll be frank, I thought it sounded like it made sense in theory but I was doubtful and how much better it’d make my wake up routine and how much more refreshed I’d feel. How it works and what it says it’ll do: The light simulates sunlight and it increases in brightness over a period of 30 minutes (so if you set your alarm for 7 a.m., starting at 6:30 a.m., the lamp starts to glow until reaching its maximum brightness at 7 a.m., at which time an alarm goes off — you can choose between two natural sounds or FM radio). The idea is that it’s meant to be a more natural way to wake up (with the sunrise) and as a result, you wake up feeling more refreshed and so rather than dragging yourself out of bed, you can get up more easily.
Sure sounds nice, but c’mon really? I was open to trying it (again, I was feeling so horrible from my wacky sleep pattern) but how could a fancy light and the sound of nature make that much a difference? I’d be in the same tired and weary position by the end of the month.
I WAS WRONG. SO WRONG.
Using the Philips Wake-up Light in February has managed to help me shift my sleep schedule to a more reasonable time (I was also more diligent about forcing myself to get into bed earlier); I now go to bed anywhere from midnight to 2 a.m. most nights and get up before 10 a.m. More surprising to me, though, as I have had to shift my sleep patterns in the past, is how much more pleasant my wake-up routine is. When I’m still in a sleepy phase, I can sense the “sunshine” getting stronger, even though I haven’t opened my eyes yet. Then comes the birds chirping (that’s my preferred alarm choice) and it’s such a welcome sound — now that I live in a downtown condo, that’s a sound I hear rarely (and it’s one that I miss from my house where I had a huge front yard tree and I’d always hear birds chirping). I usually hit snooze once or twice, but that’s it; then I get up. In the last month, I’ve had the occasional night where I’ve set the alarm clock on my cell phone instead, and I get jolted awake, disoriented and hating the incessant beeping of the alarm.
I know it sounds too good to be true, but I feel like this Wake-up Light has changed how I wake up and face each day, turning it from a dreaded groggy, okay cranky, ordeal, to a calm and agreeable routine.
(Looking for the Wake-up Light for yourself? It’s available at London Drugs and amazon.ca and retails for $99.99)
The Philips Wake-up Light isn’t the only Vitalight product I tested out in February. Stay tuned for my review of the goLITE BLU, which is designed to help you feel more energized.
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P.S. I’m not the only one who’s enjoyed the Wake-up Light. This one’s basking in it like it’s actually sunlight!
March 1, 2016
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