Thursday 31 October 2013
Friday 25 October 2013
Quick Tip - Lamp Timers
If you or your loved one likes to read in bed before sleeping, get yourself a timer for the lamp nearest to them (or you) and set it to go off one hour after you want the sleep time to be. Also, have the timer be a minimum of 6 hours before you have to wake (more is way better).
The advantage I've found with this is that, if you fall asleep before your light goes off, you are still getting the benefits of a darkened room (proven to improve mood, stress levels and fairly recently to help prevent Alzheimer's and behavioural problems in children) because your light isn't on all night and as an added benefit you also you don't waste electricity.
Other advantages are that these timers usually have a "turn on" time and when they do you can also set it for the time you want to get up. I found that if I set mine for about one a.m. and 7 a.m. I could still do my studying, watch TV, have a bit of down time and generally read a bit in bed before I had to start again (I try to get to bed between 11 p.m. and midnight).
One strange thing I found is that now that I personally use a lamp timer, I sleep better and I also have such a regular sleep pattern that I usually wake before my alarm clock, which can sometimes suck especially on weekends.
By the way these timers are sometimes sold on sale during holiday time for things like Christmas/Hanukkah lights and also plant lights for things like African violets. They are usually available in your local hardware store year round.
| Image from Google Search Images |
The advantage I've found with this is that, if you fall asleep before your light goes off, you are still getting the benefits of a darkened room (proven to improve mood, stress levels and fairly recently to help prevent Alzheimer's and behavioural problems in children) because your light isn't on all night and as an added benefit you also you don't waste electricity.
Other advantages are that these timers usually have a "turn on" time and when they do you can also set it for the time you want to get up. I found that if I set mine for about one a.m. and 7 a.m. I could still do my studying, watch TV, have a bit of down time and generally read a bit in bed before I had to start again (I try to get to bed between 11 p.m. and midnight).
One strange thing I found is that now that I personally use a lamp timer, I sleep better and I also have such a regular sleep pattern that I usually wake before my alarm clock, which can sometimes suck especially on weekends.
By the way these timers are sometimes sold on sale during holiday time for things like Christmas/Hanukkah lights and also plant lights for things like African violets. They are usually available in your local hardware store year round.
Wednesday 16 October 2013
Quick Tip
Sore Muscles? Don't have Tiger Balm? Use Vick's Vapor Rub... Eucalyptus and Menthol ( mint) are both great for sore muscles. ( It's even on the label)
Monday 14 October 2013
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
And a Happy Columbus Day to our American cousins!
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| Image from Pinterest |
Saturday 12 October 2013
Article Recommendation
The article is for anyone, but if you are a cancer survivor and live in the Calgary area it may really interest you.
The article is from the CBC Calgary site regarding how light therapy may energize cancer survivors and also about looking for cancer survivors who may be interested in participating in the study at the University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services. Check out the link above.
The article is from the CBC Calgary site regarding how light therapy may energize cancer survivors and also about looking for cancer survivors who may be interested in participating in the study at the University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services. Check out the link above.
Quick Tip
I don't know about you, but there are times (way, way too many) where I wake up in the morning and feel as if I have an hangover when I haven't even been drinking. You probably know what I mean, the headache, blurred vision, fatigue, groggy, fuzzy tongue and sometimes nausea. Well I decided to try and figure out why this kept happening to me. What I discovered was that I was probably waking up dehydrated!
So this is my quick tip: The very first thing upon waking up, without even getting out of bed or very soon thereafter, have a glass or bottle of water. For an added benefit, add some lemon to the water. The lemon will help kickstart your digestion and apparently has an alkalizing effect on the body's Ph balance. Lemon also makes the water taste better. Because you are drinking water the very first thing in the morning, you are also rehydrating yourself before you have your morning caffeine jolt (caffeine is a diuretic) and you are also filling your stomach with something so you'll be less likely to eat too much for breakfast!
I've been doing this for about a week now (though I don't use the lemon myself) and I've found that I wake up faster (it used to take me over an hour feel like I was awake) and those hangover-like symptoms went away really quickly.
So this is my quick tip: The very first thing upon waking up, without even getting out of bed or very soon thereafter, have a glass or bottle of water. For an added benefit, add some lemon to the water. The lemon will help kickstart your digestion and apparently has an alkalizing effect on the body's Ph balance. Lemon also makes the water taste better. Because you are drinking water the very first thing in the morning, you are also rehydrating yourself before you have your morning caffeine jolt (caffeine is a diuretic) and you are also filling your stomach with something so you'll be less likely to eat too much for breakfast!
I've been doing this for about a week now (though I don't use the lemon myself) and I've found that I wake up faster (it used to take me over an hour feel like I was awake) and those hangover-like symptoms went away really quickly.
Sunday 6 October 2013
A Fall Recipe
This is my father's recipe that got me to eat spaghetti squash as a kid and now it is one of my comfort foods. I'll say this about it...it is not low fat, low sodium or gluten free but I'm sure that it can be adapted. It is basically a stuffed squash recipe and it's the flavours that are more important rather than the ingredients. I'm going to give you the original recipe and let you figure out the variants. This recipe feeds four people easily.
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
1 Medium-large Spaghetti Squash about 3 pounds
1 Box Stuffing mix
1 Package Breakfast Sausage (it has to be breakfast sausage)
Preheat oven to 350 F
Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds.
Make Stuffing mix according to directions on the box.
Place squash halves into a baking dish (about 1"x9"x13") and add about 1 cup of water to the dish.
Put roughly equal amounts of stuffing into both halves of the squash into the hollow left from the seeds.
Cover each squash with roughly half of the sausage.
Once it is altogether, place the dish into the oven and bake until the squash is soft, about 1 hour. If the squash is not soft after 1 hour, take some tinfoil and place over the top of the sausages and continue to cook in the oven until the squash is easily pierced by a fork, usually this takes 15 to 30 minutes. (it's all about the squash). Add a bit of water into the baking dish if necessary.
Once the squash is easily pierced by a fork the meal is ready.
Cut the Squash into quarters and serve.
Enjoy!
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
1 Medium-large Spaghetti Squash about 3 pounds
1 Box Stuffing mix
1 Package Breakfast Sausage (it has to be breakfast sausage)
Preheat oven to 350 F
Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds.
Make Stuffing mix according to directions on the box.
Place squash halves into a baking dish (about 1"x9"x13") and add about 1 cup of water to the dish.
Put roughly equal amounts of stuffing into both halves of the squash into the hollow left from the seeds.
Cover each squash with roughly half of the sausage.
Once it is altogether, place the dish into the oven and bake until the squash is soft, about 1 hour. If the squash is not soft after 1 hour, take some tinfoil and place over the top of the sausages and continue to cook in the oven until the squash is easily pierced by a fork, usually this takes 15 to 30 minutes. (it's all about the squash). Add a bit of water into the baking dish if necessary.
Once the squash is easily pierced by a fork the meal is ready.
Cut the Squash into quarters and serve.
Enjoy!
Saturday 5 October 2013
Why I Like Yoga
When I was studying Holistic Health at College, I HAD to do a practicum at a place that was willing to let us practice what we had learned. The place I chose to volunteer at was a local yoga studio as I knew that this would be a place that I may be able to work at in the future.One of the advantages of volunteering at this yoga studio was that I could take free yoga classes.I should let you know that this was hot yoga and I have a heart condition where heat and I don't really mix.
Any way, I started practicing hot yoga and I noticed that I felt better and was more able to care for the DH. My back pain was better, as were my mood and energy. I enjoyed the community and that the community allowed you to be separate because each yoga practice is individual. One of the things that I also liked was that the classes were geared to everyone. It didn't matter that you were a novice or if you had been practicing yoga for X number of years.( I had last done yoga I was 9 and the started it again when I was hitting middle age)
There have been many studies on yoga and heart health, mental health, balance and mood.
I'll say this, since my DH passed away, I want to get back into my yoga practice, and I wish I had the energy. I'd recommend yoga to anyone who is caring for another and, if possible, have your loved one come with you.
Any way, I started practicing hot yoga and I noticed that I felt better and was more able to care for the DH. My back pain was better, as were my mood and energy. I enjoyed the community and that the community allowed you to be separate because each yoga practice is individual. One of the things that I also liked was that the classes were geared to everyone. It didn't matter that you were a novice or if you had been practicing yoga for X number of years.( I had last done yoga I was 9 and the started it again when I was hitting middle age)
There have been many studies on yoga and heart health, mental health, balance and mood.
I'll say this, since my DH passed away, I want to get back into my yoga practice, and I wish I had the energy. I'd recommend yoga to anyone who is caring for another and, if possible, have your loved one come with you.
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