Posts from the “Health & Wellness” Category

Ease In – Practice Two Minute Mornings

Posted on December 10, 2022

You know how, first thing in the morning, you usually throw off the covers, groan, then rush into your day without conscious thought? The beep-beep of the alarm or the pressure of a full bladder gets you bolt upright, feet on the floor, shuffling to do your business and greet the morning in whatever mood you’re in. Well, it’s time to hit pause and choose a different wake-up routine. Gratitude is a popular buzzword, but being grateful – taking the time to catalogue the small and big things that keep us going – is critical to mental and physical health. One of my favourite authors, Neil Pashricha, of The Book of Awesome fame, has a great idea about “Two Minute Mornings: A Journal to…

Tagged: gratitude

Living Brave

Posted on August 17, 2018

As corny or over-the-top as some of Oprah Winfrey’s programs were (a car for everybody!), she did interview many amazingly talented folks over the years. This one, with Brene Brown, touched on the topic of bravery, a trait we tend to associate with grand acts rather than the simplicity of soldiering through our day-to-day lives. But we are all brave, in our own way! Here’s a quote from her website – “The bottom line: I believe that vulnerability – the willingness to be “all in” even when you know it can mean failing and hurting – is brave. I do NOT believe that cussing and praying are mutually exclusive. And, I absolutely believe that the passing lane is for passing only.”

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Categories: Health & Wellness, Modern life

For 2016, I resolve to…be better

Posted on January 5, 2016

Here we go. January 5th, for heaven’s sake, and I’m just gearing up for the New Year. Time for new starts and cleaning up old stuff. Embracing tranquility. Yup, that’s on my agenda. Along with finishing not one but two novels, home renovations, yada, yada, yada. How am I doing? Well, I haven’t reached flea-market status yet. I have not embraced the KonMari Method nor have I gone on a purging binge. The weather has been too lousy for facing the emotional tug of throwing out old stuff. But I was re-reading some of my blog posts from 2013, when I wrote over 320 entries about my journey to mindfulness and weight loss. I’m not sure if I became any more mindful, but I…

23 and 1/2 hours – Make the Most of Them

Posted on September 17, 2014

Thank you Dr. Evans – a media savvy Canadian physician. His video is clever and eminently watchable. Easy to understand. Excellent advice for everyone. In fact, our family Doc recommended this. A Doctor-Professor answers the old question “What is the single best thing we can do for our health” in a completely new way. Dr. Mike Evans is founder of the Health Design Lab at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, and a staff physician at St. Michael’s Hospital. I found out that he has another website called Evans Health Lab. The ‘whiteboard medical school’ website has some useful infographics on various health issues. They just started crowd sourcing…

Tagged: useful information

June 26, 2014 – Game on, Noah!

Posted on June 26, 2014

I’m feeling reflective today for some reason. Remembering folks that we’ve lost, things that I wish I’d done. My aunty in Montreal died two weeks ago, about one month after my uncle Ken passed away. She was angry and lonely and lost her will to go on.I held on to her shoulders as the funeral director closed Uncle Ken’s casket before taking him away to be cremated. Her bones were as fragile as a sparrow’s and her flesh as translucent as crepe paper. She kept saying, “I’m all alone My soul-mate is gone.” Her insubstantial body trembled like a tuning fork under my hands and it felt like she’d float away if I didn’t press down. I knew she wouldn’t be with us for…

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Categories: Health & Wellness, What I'm Doing

Tagged: working on it