There's Nothing Better Than A Good Night's Sleep

Dream Essentials Luxury Sleep Mask

All Natural Sleep Mask

IMAK Eye Pillow

Have you ever donned a sleep mask? I've been using an Air Canada sleep mask (sweet-talked a steward on my last flight home to London); it's not the most luxurious - but I put that mask on and I'm in my own cocoon, ready to fall off the ledge into deep sleep. The feeling is addictive. Because there's nothing better than a good night sleep! 

A sleep mask can help us all enjoy a better night's sleep by working with our body's natural circadian rhythms: Here's how:

• Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland in the brain which helps to control our sleep and wake cycles
• Normally, melatonin levels begin to rise in the mid- to late evening, remain high for most of the night, and then drop in the early morning hours
• However, light affects how much melatonin our body produces
• So if we are exposed to artificial light such as street lights curling around the curtains, or blue and white lighting from electronic devices in the bedroom, our melatonin production is interfered with
• A sleep masks helps block out all these sources of light, telling the photosensitive receptor cells in our eyes that sleep is upon us

So don't wait until your next flight .... invest in a sleep mask and give yourself the gift of a better night's sleep.  You've earned it. Night, night! 

Fed up with New Year's Resolution Failures? Here's a Better Way!

Come the end of December, the pressure to make a new year's resolutions is on! There's a lot of 'chatter' on how we should turn over a new leaf, make a change for the better and improve ourselves. It's curious, since according to the Statistics Brain Research Institute, only 8% of people are successful in achieving their new year's resolutions. So why set ourselves up for failure? Let's set ourselves up for YEAR-ROUND SUCCESS with these tried and tested tips:

• K.I.S.S. - choose ONE goal at a time i.e. loosing 10 lbs.  Taking on several goals can be over-bearing and lessen your likelihood of success
• BREAK the goal down into mini goals; i.e. loosing 1-2 lbs per week over 5 months
• MAKE a game plan that maps out the road to your goal
• REVIEW your goal daily in your ical or diary - this will help keep it at the forefront of your mind
• CELEBRATE reaching each mini goal - this will help to keep you motivated
• SHARE your goal with friends as once you've said it out loud, you'll probably want to avoid the embarrassment of not reaching your goal, which also increases your commitment
• BUDDY-UP! Find a work colleague or friend who has the same goal - leaning on each other can really help you make it through any challenging times. PLUS sharing the success is more sweeter together
• SEEK out a professional if you know you succeed better with guidance and support 
• BE STRONG! If you falter, just get back on the horse right away and continue pushing forward to your next mini goal. It's just a set-back - it's NOT a failure it you keep going

Remember - the way to success in reaching any goal is by taking small steps that are doable and not intimidating. This way they become part of your EVERY DAY routine without disrupting your life's rhythm.

BTW, I would wish you good luck, but if you follow these tips, you're not going to need it! :) 

My Favourite Food Stores in Toronto

I'm always on the hunt for that magic combo of quality, variety and competitive prices when it comes to food shopping. I have yet to find one store that has it all! That means I'm a busy bee buzzing from one store to another. Even though it makes for a few more stops in the car than I would like, coming home with bags of healthy food that tick all the boxes feels very satisfying. 

So to save you from doing the run-around looking for the best food stores in Toronto, I've done the research for you. Here are my 3 top current favourites (in my shopping order): 

HERBS AND NUTRITION

Location: Bloor & Bathurst (opp. Honest Eds)
Variety:  Very similar to Noah's except they have a extended personal care section
Quality:  Good depth in the quality of products: organic, gluten free selections in all departments
What keeps me coming back:  The prices! I usually start my shopping here for all the basics, then head to Noah's for the bulk items and finally to Whole Foods for veggies/fruit, fish and meat. Plus it's clean, check-out is quick and they play classical music which is very soothing!

Noah's Natural Foods

Locations:  With locations in midtown, uptown and the core, Noah's is very accessible
Variety:  For small stores, Noah's carries a surprisingly broad range of products, including a small offering of the most popular fresh fruits/veggies
Quality:  The store carries premium products as well as mid/low range offerings for all budgets
What keeps me coming back: They have THE best selection and price when it comes to  organic bulk bin items: seeds, beans, nuts, flours, dried fruit, grains, teas and herbs, to name a few. Plus on the last Friday of every month, they have a 10% sale... it's a great day to stock up! 

Whole foods Market

Locations:  (Yorkville, Yonge & Sheppard & Bayview/Eglinton (sometime in 2015)
Variety:  Pretty much has it all covered.
Quality:  Top quality in whatever you are looking for
What keeps me coming back:  Three main reasons: Meat, fish and produce + 1.5 hours of free parking right under the store if you spend $25 which isn't hard to do!  

Meat

I like to know where my meat comes from and how the animals were treated. WF's have a Global Animal Partnership 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating which I find very helpful when deciding what I'm going to be feeding my family with.  

Step 1:  No crates, no caging, no crowding. No antibiotics/hormones. May be fed with grain
Step 2:  Enriched environment (ie: pigs have balls to play with)
Step 3:  Enhanced outdoor access
Step 4:  Pasture-centred.  100% grass fed from birth
Step 5:  Animal-centred. Entire life of the animal is spent on one farm (not available in Toronto) 

fish

• WF's partnered with the Blue Ocean Institute (BOI) to independently audit the fisheries which supply their stores and the Marine Steward Council (MSC) only using fisheries that are committed to sustainable fishing practices.
• Whole Foods Market® is ranked #1 in Greenpeace’s 2013 Seafood Sustainability Scorecard as the retail leader with the most rigorous sustainable seafood policies in the industry.
• They also have a  sustainability ratings program for wild-caught seafood, through their partnership with Blue Ocean Institute and Monterey Bay Aquarium.  I can use their color-coded ratings to make informed decisions about my seafood purchases.  I find this really sways my buying choices. 

Produce

WF's offers a wide range of organic and locally grown produce. If you don't like the look of the produce on offer, just ask their friendly staff to check in the back for fresh supplies. 

So there you have it!  Please let me know if you have any stores you find are a 'must' on food shopping list. I would LOVE to check them out. 

Love Your Skin. How Clean are Your Beauty Products?

I'm always looking for clean beauty products that are void of harmful toxins and chemicals so when Think Dirty hit the market I was excited! 

Think Dirty is a beautifully designed mobile app that can help us all make informed decisions about the products we use on our skin everyday.  The app allows you to search the names or scan the barcodes of your beauty products and tells you exactly what’s in them, along with any potentially harmful ingredients. The Think Dirty app will rank your products on a scale from one to ten on its “Dirty Meter”, as well as offer healthier, cleaner alternatives. 

So if you’re looking to detoxify your makeup drawer, this is the app to get!  Check it out: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/think-dirty/id687176839?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Apps that Fuel Me

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Ananda Chopra

Are you ready to embrace the vision of your best self? In this transformational journey, you will awaken to greater health, peace, and joy. Deepak Chopra is your personal guide in all 22 guided meditations.

Nike Running

Track your progress, keep motivated - this app is the one for runners of all levels. It's been an amazing motivational tool for me in my training for my 2015 Sprint Triathlon. 

Feeling Pretty Remarkable (Running, Knee Programs)

Easy, quick training programs that I find fit easily into my day and prevent injuries.  Created by Dr Kevin Jardine, on  my BRIT BEET Network.

One Sweet App

This app is your personal sugar dectective.  Plug in your favourite foods and find out how much added sugar is REALLY in that food.

Period Tracker

Fantastic app for keeping track of  one's cycle - very useful for planning a pregnancy or preventing a pregnancy!

Houzz

Home design, decorating, remodeling ideas and inspiration - great for just browsing through when you are feeling like looking at gorgeous spaces. 

Documentaries

Food Matters

Food Matters' features interviews with leading health experts who reveal the best natural healing choices you can make for you and your family's health. In the film you'll discover what works, what doesn’t and what’s potentially killing you when it comes to your health. A must see!

Forks Over Knives

This powerful film examines the claim that  most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods. You may find yourself rejecting that yummy steak and reaching for the plate of hummus and raw veggies after this. :) 

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

This is an inspiring film which chronicles Aussie Joe Cross's personal mission to regain his health. With doctors and conventional medicines unable to help long-term, Joe turns to the only option left, the body's ability to heal itself. He trades in the junk food and hits the road with juicer and generator in tow, vowing only to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice for the next 60 days. Across 3,000 miles Joe has one goal in mind: To get off his pills and achieve a balanced lifestyle. Such an empowering message. If this doesn't start you juicing on a daily basis, I'm not sure what will! 

Fast Food Nation

This is an oldie but a goodie (2001).  Eric Schlosser exposes the dark side of the fast food industry; how it altered the landscape of America, widened the gap between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and transformed food production throughout the world. It caused a sensation when it was released and even today, it packs a heavy punch. 

Food Inc

This film gets up close and personal with corporate America's agribusiness, concluding that corporate farming is producing food that is unhealthy, environmentally harmful and abusive of both animals and employees.  Not a pretty picture but an important one for us to be aware of.