So as most of you probably already are aware … we are hosting a contest till the end of June and are so excited to share it with you!
How does it work??
We will be choosing locations all over Vancouver and posting a picture via Instagram (Username: thejuiceryco). The lucky winner will find a message and after following instructions they are welcome to come on in and get a free bottle of juice!
Locations will be posted weekly so keep those eyes open and good luck!
How often do you hear the phrase “work-life balance” mentioned in one week? I do a lot of reading and learning about the (sometimes elusive) idea of “life balance” – partly because I want that for myself, and partly because I will be educating my future patients in how to attain it. Walking to work, smelling the fresh air, standing up out of your work chair to stretch, practicing yoga on your lunch hour, laughing at a funny movie…it’s some combination of these that we’re supposed to do every day to be “in balance”, right? I mean, doesn’t it sound wonderful?
These are tidbits of suggestions that really do make a difference in your day-to-day, hour-to-hour physical and mental wellbeing – an abundance of research supports these claims. Yes…even adding one or two of these to your daily routine will definitely help you relax, but while these are all wonderful pieces of advice that we should all integrate…let’s be a real for a second
There are times when if feels like you can’t, just CAN’T, stop to smell the roses. You “know” the things you should be doing to reduce the feelings of stress you’re under at work, or in life. In fact, you’re probably hearing those suggestions from your friends or family who sympathize with your exhaustion (and if you’re not, I KNOW you’ve seen those “10 healthy living tips” articles pop up on your Facebook and Twitter feeds!)
Is this ringing any bells for you?
This is how I felt between January and April, in one of the hardest terms of my medical education. With my regular Monday to Friday, 9am-4pm class schedule, plus at least 20 hours of studying outside of class, as far as I was concerned, roses didn’t even exist. Smell them? Not a chance. Ironic for a future Naturopathic Doctor to say, but here’s the kicker: if you’re like me, what tends to happen, is your regular stress-releasing activities are pushed aside, and what then? You feel guilty for it.
We start to think things like “I know I SHOULD take an hour break to relax but…” followed closely by “ugh I know better, I haven’t seen my friends in weeks,” and “I can’t remember the last time I went to the gym…” Then you go to bed late and annoyed at yourself for the lack of ‘balance’ during the day, then wake up irritable only to do it all over again. With this in mind, I’d like to suggest to you an alternative concept of “work life balance” that one of my teachers suggested to my colleagues and I.
First and foremost: really do try to take those little stress-relieving breaks, however those look to you. But before I sound like a hypocrite, let me continue…
Rather than constantly evaluating that idea of balance in the short term from day-to-day, what if you evaluated it over a long term as in month-to-month, or every several months?
For example:
Maybe the next 8 weeks of overtime work during tax season will be rough, but for the weeks following, you’ve planned to resurface and catch up with friends over dinner at least 3 evenings of the week.
Or, for the winter you have to hunker down with studying for board exams, but once it’s over, you’ve registered yourself in to a weekly running group/painting class/yoga challenge/baseball league.
Or, maybe eating take-out every day for a month will be replaced by your usual healthy habits and cooking with your family once again after your massive project is complete.
In the short term, work seems to be the priority and tips the scale; but over the course of the month, you do actually attain some condensed, though valuable, days of enjoyment to balance it all out, albeit over that longer period time. But voila, the scale is brought back into balance.
It was in this manner that I was able to accept the following: yes…I have 7 final exams in one week…BUT I am really going to take care of myself and enjoy my time during my one week off.
I know those roses are there but I’m going to let them be until I can fully commit my time and attention to really, and fully, enjoy them.
It was after realizing this that I accepted that it is my CHOICE to work hard, tipping that work-life scale off balance—and that I will, actually, have the opportunity to balance it all out again over the long term. Suddenly, that nagging feeling of “guilt” disappeared. Indeed, after multiple hikes with my dog, working out, visiting friends, playing beach volleyball (and some sore muscles), I feel refreshed, back in balance, energized, and ready to get back at it for another 12 weeks.
If you can change your own expectations for yourself to encompass a greater period of time, maybe that work-life balance isn’t so elusive after all.
Kathleen Mahannah is a second year student at the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine in New Westminster, BC. After completing her Diploma of Exercise Science at Capilano College followed by a Degree in Physical Education and Health at the University of Toronto, she is ecstatic to be pursuing her passion in a career in preventative healthcare.
Follow Kathleen @VanCityHealth or www.kathleenmahannah.weebly.com
By Sisley Killam (The Pure Life Blog)
When travelling, I like to keep things simple and totally affordable while staying true to living my healthy, pure lifestyle. During a flight or long trip, I make sure to stay hydrated, pack lots of yummy snacks, stick to health-(ier) airport food, and keep my body moving. I hope you enjoy my simple tips!
• HYDRATE: Water will refuel and replenish your body. Snag a coconut water once through customs for extra hydration.
• EXERCISE: Go for a quick run outside or try simple stretches and yoga poses before you leave the house.
• EAT: I suggest a nice warm cup of lemon water and a smoothie. Try to eat lots of hydrating fruits and veg such as cucumbers, watermelon, or oranges. Juicing will do nicely. My go-to superfood breakfast smoothie is:
• 1/2 banana
• 1 handful spinach
• 1 handful frozen pineapple or frozen berries
• 1 tbsp hemp seeds
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• ½ cup coconut water (optional)
• 1 tsp maca powder (optional)
• 1 tsp acai powder (optional)
• WHERE TO BUY:
• Find fresh salad bars in airports or vegan sushi rolls like yam/avocado or mango/cucumber on brown rice to snack on (the sushi place in the Vancouver International Departures Gates has an awesome Quinoa salad too-yum!) Stuck? Head to the nearest Starbucks and grab a few bananas and an oatmeal to-go.
• WHAT TO PACK: Most fruits aren’t allowed through security (citrus & tropical fruits, avocado, tomatoes, etc.). What I pack: bananas, dried fruit, a large water bottle, superfood bars (I like ProBar and Luna Bars), and my delicious Bliss Balls.
- 1 cup assorted raw nuts (cashews and pecans are my fave)
- 1 cup dates, pitted
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- Blend all ingredients in food processor and roll in cacao powder and cinnamon
- ½ cup dates
- ¼ cup almonds
- 1 banana
- 1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
- 1 tsp maca powder
- Blend all ingredients in food processor and roll in cinnamon and coconut
Form into little bite-sized balls and store in fridge/freezer! Will last for about 1 week.
• EARTHING: Dig your feet into the earth (dirt, sand, grass, ocean, etc.) and ground yourself. Stick to fresh food for the rest of your day and stay away from heavier foods like bread and spices due to digestive off-balance. Remember to drink plenty of water once you land because your body will be super dehydrated from being in the plane cabin.
• ENJOY YOUR TRIP: Enjoy your trip- relax, and have fun!
Any questions, suggestions, or comments? Shoot me an email at [email protected] or leave a comment on www.thepurelife.ca
Love,
Sisley
The Amazing foodie blog To Die For Vancouver just did our three day juice cleanse! Here is a detailed account of their experience:
The Juicery Co. is a new stunner of a juice bar in North Vancouver that specializes in cold pressed, organic juices. Their spacious seating area (complete with reclaimed wood communal table), make them Vancouver’s second juice company with a dine-in (drink-in?) area — great for meetings and friend dates.
The passionate, healthy family behind the business offers cleanses, too. If you need to hit the “reset button”, consider theirs. I tried the three-day and definitely recommend it. Not only are most of their juices delicious, an Almond Pear Nut Mylk is included in your daily drinking schedule and it will blow your mind. I counted down the minutes for it daily. As part of the cleanse, you’ll also receive a cute little chiller bag so you can cart your juices around with you when you leave your house.
Here are the unedited notes I took during my cleanse (*note: I’ve felt the same type of exhaustion during all of the four three-day cleanses I’ve done)
DAY 1:
12pm – So far so good. Still have enough energy to run around with my dog. Loving the juices. The melon turmeric was amazing! Such a unique juice. There were super tiny chunks of melon which I loved too…mmm, texture. The greens were are also nice and THICK.
10am – “Melon one” (with canteloupe, orange, carrot, ginger and turmeric) is AMAZING and unique. Maybe my new fav juice
1pm – Feeling cold…could just be my apartment.
4pm – Not feeling like doing any mental heavy lifting. Not thinking too well. Relaxing on couch with fire on because I’m chilly.
5:30pm – Great energy, went shopping for two hours and was in no pain, surprisingly! (I usually feel exhausted during juice cleanses, which is normal. This is my fourth.)
7:30pm – “Citrus two” (with pineapple, pear, fennel, mint and ginger)…amazing. So thick I can chew on the pulp. Feels like I’m cheating.
9:30pm – Fell asleep. I always get tired early during juice cleanses.
DAY 2:
7:15am – Woke up feeling quite hungry.
8am – Alex (co-owner of Juicery) emailed to see how I was doing and to give some support – really nice touch.
9:45am – Already really feeling the need for 10am juice, had a few sips of it early.
10am – Went on a 30 min walk. Feeling lethargic, no energy, looking forward to getting back to the couch! (Note: This is normal. I have felt this way or worse during the other three cleanses I’ve done)
12pm – Very slight headache, still tired, want a nap.
1pm – Took an hour nap.
2pm – Doing some light work from bed, juice in hand.
4pm – Spurt of energy, was able to walk the dog and felt good.
5pm – Really uninterested in talking or socializing. Really hard being around fam who’s eating dinner. Brain not functioning, hard to think of correct words to use.
Overnight – Bad sleep. Was quite hungry.
DAY 3:
7:30am – Woke up feeling extremely hungry and weak.
8am – No energy on 30 minute dog walk, feeling lethargic, weak, no energy.
9:30am – Went out to meet a friend and felt up for it. I think fresh air and casual social activities help get your mind off the lack of food.
11am – 2:30pm – Spent day driving around town taking photographs of restaurants – energy was okay, but found it tough to make convo. The brain didn’t want to work. Chill bag really coming in handy today! Also love that their bottles fit in the car’s cup holder (two of the four cleanses I’ve done offer bottles that don’t).
2:30pm – Went to the beach with Effie – fresh air definitely helps! Feeling boosted.
4pm – DYING OVER ALMOND MILK. OMG. It is why I am sad the cleanse is ending. Need more. Love.
5pm – Burst of energy. Feeling great. Cleaning house, cooking, no problemo!
DAY 4:
6:30am – Done cleanse! Not feeling desperate for food. At this point could probably go on. But I can’t lie, I’m looking forward to eating…and coffee! I’m feeling light and clean from the inside out. Definitely lots a few pounds. The cleanse is a great way to feel extra for a photo shoot (or a beach holiday). Another thing I liked about Juicery Co’s cleanse is that the juice schedule varied each day — it kept things interesting.
My Juice Cleanse Tips
-Treat yourself. Since you’re not “pleasuring yourself” with food, treat yourself in other ways. eg. massage, pedi/mani, shopping.
-Bring toothbrush to work. Fruit sugars make teeth quite grimy.
-Be prepared to pee lots (especially since you should be drinking about three litres of waters a day and herbal teas during cleanse).
-Stay warm, you’ll be so much comfier and less hangry.
-Sip your juices slowly over. Don’t gulp all at once.
-In winter, pull juices out of fridge 30 min beforehand so they can warm up slightly – then you won’t get as chilly.
Finally we are ready to open our doors to all on Thursday, February 6th.. Come check out our brand new space! Find a map in our contact section
Buying quality produce for juicing is very important. You don’t want to be juicing vegetables containing toxins and pesticides that are used in commercial grown fruits and vegetables.
Farmers markets are the best way to stock up on fresh local veggies! There are lots of markets in Vancouver and a few that run all year round. Check out http://www.eatlocal.org/ to find out which markets are closest to you! By supporting local and organic farms you’re using your purchasing power to not only better your community but also benefit your health.
To make your fruits and vegetable last longer, we have a few tips for keeping them fresh!
Note: Make sure you only buy what you need for your juice.
• Do not store your fruits and vegetables together.
• Remove the elastics and ties from your greens before putting them in the fridge.
• Beets, yams, and ginger do not need to be refrigerated.
• Remove rotten produce before you put anything in the fridge. One bad apple rots the whole bunch!
• Try not to overload your crisping drawer, the closer together everything is the quicker it will rot.
When washing your vegetables at home stick to the basics. All you need is white vinegar and baking soda. We use half the amount of vinegar as water and add a spoon full of baking soda to fill our sink. (Surprisingly the vinegar does not change the flavour of your juice!)
Let your produce soak for at least two minutes. A great investment that will go along way is a quality vegetable brush; we got ours at West Elm. It should definitely be used on Apples and Beets. Although Apples at your local grocery store look fresh, they can be up to nine months old. You may need to squeeze some lemon juice on your brush to scrub off this wax finish.
For leafy greens such as Kale, we also spray the leaves with the vinegar baking soda mixture and then run our hands over the entire leaf to make sure we don’t miss any dirt. Rinse everything thoroughly, trim any rotten bits off and then you will produce that is ready for juicing!
Here is a list of commonly juiced fruits and vegetables that need to be peeled:
• Oranges
• Lemons & Limes
• Melons
• Ginger
•
We suggest using ceramic knives as they cause less oxidation to the produce.
The last step is to enjoy your delicious juice!
I turned to Heartmath to learn how to deal with stress in a more effective way. My hectic life as a psychiatric nurse and single mother to three was taking its toll on my physical and emotional wellbeing. I looked into Heartmath because intuitively it made sense; take control of your autonomic system through heart based breathing and feeling, and let go of frustration and agitation. Not only did it help me, but I used it with patients and saw good results too.
Heartmath’s mission is to assist individuals to bring their physical, mental and emotional systems into alignment with the heart’s intuitive guidance. We have more information, opportunities and education than ever before but we are more stressed, anxious, depressed, reactive and over medicated than ever.
Over 20 years of research by the Institute of Heartmath on Stress and it’s affect of emotions on the body has shown that the quality of the emotions that affects how your body responds. Heartmath technology is able to measure this through the beat to beat changes in our heart rate.
The Heartmath system offers both technology and training options to help harness the power of your heart rhythms to manage emotions. Thus reducing stress, improving health, ability to focus and in turn more balanced interactions.
The Heartmath mission is: to facilitate a fundamental shift in health, well-being and consciousness.
It worked for me and I became a 1:1 provider back in 2007. I practice the tools daily. I’ve moved away from the medical model of healthcare and now focus on nutrition as a means to heal oneself and others.
See the Heart Math website for more information-
http://www.heartmath.org/
Christina Prevost
Psychiatric Nurse and Co-founder of The Juicery.
Almond milk has come a long way in the past few years. Instead of it just being recognized as an alternative for those who are lactose intolerant, people are choosing almond milk for the health benefits and the amazing taste. Although almond milk is easy to purchase in stores, store bought almond milk usually contains unhealthy additives such as sugar and chemicals.
I’ll be honest, the first time I made almond milk it tasted like salty water- a complete mess! However, after learning some simple tips the process has become simple.
• Place almonds in a bowl and cover with water. It’s suggested that you soak them overnight (for 8-12 hours) in the water, but you can get away with soaking for 1-2 hours if you’re in a rush.
• Rinse and drain the almonds, place into a blender along with the filtered water and chopped vanilla bean. (If you choose to use the whole bean instead of powder.)
• Blend on the highest speed for 1 minute or so.
• Place a nut milk bag over a large bowl and slowly pour the almond milk mixture into the bag. Gently squeeze the bottom of the bag to release the milk. This took me about 3-5 minutes to get all the milk out.
• Rinse out blender and pour the milk back in. Add the cinnamon and pinch of sea salt and blend on low to combine. (Also add vanilla powder if you didn’t use a full bean.)
• Pour into a glass jar to store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. Shake jar very well before using as the mixture separates when sitting.
If you’re not a big fan of cinnamon there are lots of other alternatives which will sweeten up your Almond Milk, dates and maple syrup are just a few of my favourites!
