Farewell Cleanse 2016!

The 2016 cleanse has now officially come to a close!  Overall the cleanse went well and, as always, felt like a great way to start off the new year.
I was able to do some of the things I had hoped to at the outset - I read more (finished the magnificent book, Just Kids,  by Patti Smith), I went to a few yoga classes and did a few sessions to a DVD at home.  I don't know that I did any better with getting more sleep, but I will continue to try with this one!
One of the new additions during the 2016 cleanse I am most excited about is that I got a juicer!   As a mainly water drinking person, I haven't ever been sure about actually committing to juicing, so I have put it off and put it off.  But the 2016 cleanse inspired me to move forward and so far I had a few juices (mainly using combinations of green apple, beet, ginger, celery, mint, pineapple, orange) which have been delicious!  I look forward to seeing how this new adventure unfolds during 2016.

Instagram account!

I now have an instagram account!  I can be found @nurtureyourhealth .   I look forward to seeing you there!

Consciously Change the Channel

Each of us has certain thought patterns or behaviours that we fall into when we are feeling stressed.  These patterns/behaviours have generally been with us for a long time - they are a familiar space to return to when we are feeling ungrounded.  
Unfortunately though these patterns/behaviours can contribute further to our stress load because they usually aren't truly helpful for us (common patterns can include:   procrastinating/worst case scenario worrying/being unkind to our selves or others etc).  
Most of us are aware of these patterns/behaviours within our selves, but it is really difficult to shift them even with this awareness.  We have very well worn channels or tracts in our brains that carry us into these patterns/behaviours, channels that have been formed over many many years and are the easiest direction for us to go when stressed.   
One of the ways that we can start to slowly shift our ingrained patterns/behaviours is to change the channel, not TV wise, but landscape wise.  Create a new channel, a new tract for our brain to default to in times of stress, one that serves us and supports us more fully.  This requires daily practice - bringing our awareness to how we respond when we are stressed, aiming to pull our selves out of the pattern as soon as we can, and consciously creating and building a new way to respond instead.  
The more we travel down a new channel, a new tract in our brain, the more familiar it becomes and the easier it becomes over time for it to be our conscious 'default' when we are feeling stressed.  It isn't easy and it doesn't happen quickly (and we never become 'perfect' at it), but it is possible if we are engaged in the process and do the work around it. 

Biologically Active Nutrients

One of the ways we can optimize the support supplements offer us is to take the biologically active form of nutrients.  The biologically active form of nutrients can be used directly by our body and do not need to be further converted upon absorption.  

Some examples of biologically active forms of nutrients includes:

Vitamin D - Vitamin D3

Folic Acid - L-5-Methyltetrahyrdrofolate (5MTHF)

Vitamin B6 - Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate (P5P)

Vitamin B12 - Methylcobalamin

CoQ10 - Ubiquinol 

Aiming to pick up supplements that contain nutrients in their biologically active form ensures we are buying good quality, well absorbed, easily utilizable supplements. 

Water!

Water is an essential building block of our body - if we are dehydrated, we have a harder time moving through all of our day to day processes.  Improper hydration leaves us open to headaches, lower energy, foggy thinking, body pain, suboptimal functioning.

For most of us, we want to aim for 2 litres of water per day.

If we do a work out, we want to add at least an additional 500 ml to our daily water intake total.  

Most of us aren't natural water drinkers - we have to train our selves to drink water.  

The best way to get our selves to drink more water is to slowly increase our intake by 1 additional cup (250 ml) per day each week (i.e. - week 1 - 5 cups per day, week 2 - 6 cups per day and on).  This allows our body to adjust to the increased water intake and for it to slowly become a part of our regular routine.  

Setting out our goal amount of water (in a pitcher or reusable bottles) at the start of the day is helpful too.  This serves as a visual reminder of how much we have already drank and how much more we have to go.  

We want to slowly drink water throughout the day rather than gulping down large amounts at a time.  This allows for the best hydration of our system. 

Room temperature (or warmer) water is the easiest on our body - it is best to avoid ice cold water because it does place extra stress on our system.  

For most of us, after having drank 500 ml of water, we will have to go pee within 1 hour - this is helpful info to have when on a long road trip or during a concert!

The only thing that counts as water is water - unfortunately coffee, tea, juice, pop all don't count as water because the body will relate differently to each of these drinks and not receive the same amount of hydration as it does from water.  

We don't want to use thirst as a daily guide/signal for us to drink water.  Unless we have eaten a saltier than normal meal or it is very hot outside (or we have an underlying endocrine concern), we shouldn't really ever feel thirsty.  Drinking water regularly throughout the day and properly hydrating our system generally prevents thirst from occurring.  

Deep Breathing Practice

It is important for each of us to have some form of daily stress release built into our routine.  Stress release practices help to calm and relax our central nervous system and support healthy adrenal function.  Stress release practices help us to feel more grounded and more able to manage the sources of stress in our lives.  

Deep breathing is a simple form of stress release that anyone can do - it requires no equipment, no extra training, and is free! 

Pick a space that is quiet and private/with no distractions.  Pick a length of time that feels manageable (5-10 minutes is great) and set a timer for the length of the practice.  Sit in a comfortable/upright position.  When we breathe in, our abdomen should rise/come out.  When we breathe out, our abdomen should fall/go in.  If we find this difficult, it is helpful to place one or both of our hands on our abdomen - it acts as a good guide/encouragement for deep full breathing.   For many of us, it is helpful to count our breaths (or repeat a mantra/saying if more comfortable) - in, out, one, in, out, two and on.  Everyone's mind wanders during deep breathing - when we catch our self thinking and no longer counting, we just start back at one and continue forward from there.  Reaching a certain number isn't a goal - committing to sitting for the length of time we have set out each day is.  The more consistently we practice deep breathing (or any other form of quiet/internal focused stress release), the easier it becomes to focus more clearly and deeply, the less frequently we will find our selves returning to the number one.  As well, the more consistently we practice deep breathing, the easier it will be to note the impact it has on our daily lives and the way we respond and react to stressful events.  

Some Supplement Basics

Supplements can be helpful in supporting our base level of health and can also be deeply tonifying and strengthening for the different systems in our body.

Good quality supplements are generally not found at the drugstore, the grocery store, or large chain/box stores.  Instead we want to buy our supplements from a health food store or the practitioner we are working with.

It is best to take supplements that are in a liquid, powder, or capsule form.  Tablet based supplements tend to be lower quality and are very difficult to break down and absorb.  

Iron is best absorbed with vitamin C, but needs to be taken away from all other supplements.

Any supplement with a fat base (fat soluble vitamins like vitamin D, essential fatty acid rich supplements) is best taken with food.

Zinc also needs to be taken with food because it will cause noticeable nausea on an empty stomach.

As well, regardless of what is recommended on the label, probiotics are best taken with food - if they are taken on an empty stomach, we lose approximately 70% of the probiotics we are taking.

Any supplements that can boost our energy (multivitamin, greens product, vitamin B complex, adrenal tonifying formulas) are best taken in the morning and possibly again at noon, if necessary - we want to take these supplements when our energy needs are at their highest rather than in the evening when our energy/body is meant to be starting to settle and prepare for rest and regeneration.

Iodine is generally best left out by people with auto immune mediated thyroid concerns (graves' and hashimoto's) because it can cause extra confusion/place extra stress on the body and further throw off thyroid function.

It is important to have a clear understanding of why we are taking each of the supplements that are part of our routine.  We want to ensure that we are taking well indicated supplements only and aren't including supports that aren't necessary or beneficial for our body.