February marks Heart Month, and it's not just because of Valentine's Day. It serves as a crucial reminder to raise awareness about the leading cause of death among women worldwide. According to the Canadian Women's Heart Health Centre, a staggering 24,000 Canadian women succumb to heart disease annually—nearly 5 times more than breast cancer-related deaths. While some risk factors like ethnic background, specific life stages such as pregnancy and menopause, and genetic factors are beyond our control, there's a pivotal factor we can influence: taking care of ourselves. Often overlooked a ..read more

  As we age we start seeing and feeling a great shift in our bodies. Slower metabolism, muscle and bone density changes, quality sleep gets really tricky and other not so fun normal effects of aging. What makes the aging process even more interesting is that our past choices come back to haunt us. Those days of sunbathing without sunscreen, late nights filled with drinking, smoking, and all sorts of fun activities can leave their mark. The skin, being the largest organ of the body, can really say a lot about your overall health. While I am not talking about wrinkles (not my area of expert ..read more

  Have you ever stood in the supplements aisle and wondered, "Do I really need all of these?" It seems there's a supplement claiming to fix nearly every problem we may or may not have. I've never been a fan of taking numerous supplements, and even after becoming a Certified Nutritionist, I still believe that nothing beats a healthy lifestyle and obtaining most of your nutrients from wholesome foods. Nature, in its wisdom, packs food with the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and cofactors that promote better absorption. Our liver doesn't have to work as hard processing supplements, and let's n ..read more

  Many of the women I work with, typically in their late 30s to mid 40s and nearing menopause, often express their primary concern as weight gain. As we grow older, our bodies naturally lose muscle & bone density and there’s a decrease in metabolic rate, which means we burn fewer calories. This, combined with our increasingly sedentary lifestyles (the average Canadian spends over 8 hours a day sitting) and a preference for convenient processed foods, sets the stage for weight gain. The hormonal changes that come with menopause make things even more complicated. Estrogen and progeste ..read more

  Raise your hand if you went a bit (or a lot) overboard this summer. Maybe you had a few extra cocktails, ate out a lot, and your exercise routine was barely there. No judgment or regrets here. We all need to relax and unwind from time to time, even if it means indulging a bit. Especially if you did it with loved ones and it helped you forget about life's stresses for a while. But if you're finding it hard to get back to a healthier routine, here are some things I've been focusing on to help me combat that post-holiday sluggishness and feel more energetic and productive. These are the st ..read more

  Excited about the summer? Me too! Who doesn't enjoy getting together with friends and family, eating al fresco and enjoying refreshing drinks?! It is no surprise that alcohol consumption goes up during the hot summer months. But as you probably know, the new regulations in Canada indicate that drinking more than 2 standard drinks per week can take a toll on your health and increase the risk of developing several types of cancer. In Canada, a standard drink is 17.05 ml or 13.45 grams of pure alcohol, which is the equivalent of: A bottle of beer (12 oz., 341 ml, 5% alcohol) A bottle ..read more

  Exercise is a beautiful thing! It is not only great for our bodies but it is also the most underutilized mood booster. Running, cycling, swimming, walking are great options that help keep your heart strong and happy. But when it comes to making muscle, keeping strong bones and changing or maintaining a lean body composition, lifting weights will give you, pound for pound, the most bang for your buck. When you lift weights, your body not only uses up your stored energy, it also creates tiny tears in your muscles, and puts a lot of strain on your heart and nervous system. This may sound s ..read more

  If you are a woman over 40 who wants to lose weight, you’ve probably heard the standard advice: eat better, exercise, and reduce stress. But when you’re juggling a busy life, it can feel like a daunting task to get started or to make those healthy habits stick. As a mom of pre-teens, a business owner, and a wife, I understand the struggle. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and neglect your own needs. Unfortunately, stress doesn’t just make you feel bad—it can also contribute to weight gain (especially visceral fat, the kind that sits around your waist and makes you more prone to chronic dis ..read more

  Do you feel like you’ve fallen out of love with food because your current diet labeled them as bad? This might come as a surprise to you but one of the hardest obstacles women have to overcome in order to reach their fitness/health goals is to let go of old eating habits and beliefs.  It’s not easy to do when you’ve spent most of your life hearing things like: Remove carbs if you want to lose weight… Grains are bad for you… Fruits are fattening… And the list goes on and on. Mis-information, food myths and flat out incorrect approaches to dietary management lead us to devel ..read more

  When people are eager to lose weight they start cutting calories front, right and center. Often women eat so little that their calorie intake is not even covering the minimum needed for their bodies to function properly.  Our bodies are great at adapting, so when eating very little, many of the main functions start to slow down to compensate and you see and feel the consequences including missed periods, extreme fatigue, low endurance, not recovering well from exercise, stress injuries and becoming more prone to infections. Granted this kind of caloric intake might lead to some c ..read more