Health & Wellness

Getting Fit Tips with Personal Trainer Natalie Barratt

Sunday, January 16th, 2011

If you’ve been to the gym lately you have probably noticed it is a bit busier than normal. People are working hard to accomplish their New Year’s resolution to finally get fit. It can be tough to know where to start in your journey so I met with a personal trainer for some expert tips.

Natalie Barratt didn’t need to set a resolution to get fit this year, she has been active her entire life. At 14 she started weight training and also enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, dance and martial arts. She started her personal training courses while still in high school and is now a certified personal trainer. She is also working towards her Kinesology degree.

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Skin Solutions Beyond the Spa

Saturday, September 11th, 2010

Spa treatments are great. I enjoy the relaxing atmosphere, the trickling fountains, soothing music and low lights. It’s a nice place to go every now and then, but let’s be honest, sometimes the type of skin problem that we have isn’t really getting addressed with a treatment like a basic facial.

As we get older, problems ranging from age spots and deep wrinkles to rosacea and loss of elasticity become more apparent. Before we even get to the point of age related concerns, men, women and teens may be experiencing problems with acne, excessive sweating or the need for hair removal.

This is not to say or suggest that you stop going to the spa; I definitely won’t.

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Torture Device or Effective Workout Machine?

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

We all know that an active and healthy lifestyle contributes to our immediate and long term wellbeing, but with so many options out there on how to stay fit and active, it’s easy to get confused and overwhelmed very quickly. I’ve done my fair share of classes, from boot camp to dance cardio, as well as organized group sports, and straight-up “hitting” the gym to lift weights, so I’m always looking for something new to keep and maintain my interest.

Despite my previous exposure to a variety of exercise options, there is one type of exercise that has piqued my interest and left me wondering for a while. I’ll admit it though; I’ve been a little scared to try, mainly because of the machine that I call “the torture device”, otherwise known as the Pilates Reformer or Apparatus machine. It’s a contraption that you may have seen before, but let’s face it, it doesn’t look like a very enjoyable time.

Let’s first clarify the difference between Pilates and yoga, since many people seem to interchange the two words and while there are some similarities in the benefits of each, they are, in fact, very different from each other.

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Interview: Summer to Fall Transition

Monday, August 30th, 2010

For most people, the end of summer brings an end to lazy days and the return of a more scheduled existence. To help you with the transition we asked personal coach, Jennifer Priest, for some tips on adjusting.

Q. How should people prepare themselves for the summer to fall transition? Should they ease into the fall or go full force?

A. It really depends of the type of person you are. As a coach, the approach I use is tailored to the individual. Sometimes the end of summer is a time of preparation and then almost hibernating for winter.

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Keep Your Pets Safe This Summer

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

We are all aware of the dangers of too much sun and take steps to prevent sunburns and heat exhaustion. Luckily, our bodies are equipped with defensive mechanisms, like sweating, to prevent us from getting too over-heated. Unfortunately, some animals like cats and dogs can only sweat through their paws and can be at extreme risk for heat stroke when the weather is warm. We asked Lisa Robinson, Owner of Elemental Canine which offers nutritional advice, top quality food and unique accessories, for some summer pet safety advice.

Q. How can you tell if your pet is over-heated and what is the best way to keep them cool?

A. Panting is your first clue that your pet is over-heating!

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Man Feet

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Hey guys! Guess what? Your feet, in general, are not so nice to look at! Not because they are big burly “man feet”, but because you haven’t looked after them all winter, or ever, and now summer is here and you’re showing them in public on a fairly regular basis.

Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean that we love you any less. It just means that we’d like to stage a mild intervention on behalf of your feet. Think about it for a minute. Your feet support all those muscles you carry around each day, they take you to and from your job, they run you around the sports field and they are the first things you kick up when you’ve got a cold beverage in hand. Don’t you think they deserve a little extra attention?

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Get Your Glow On, The Safe (and Sunless) Way!

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

I love having a beachy, tropical glow to my skin from a tan. It makes me feel healthy and confident and less in need of so much makeup. Like many other people, however, I don’t love the harmful side effects that come from being in the sun or using a tanning bed. Wrinkles and skin cancer, to name just a few, are things I definitely want to avoid. So I was thrilled to hear about a mobile airbrush tanning service that comes to you and provides you with natural color for a lot less than what you’d pay to go somewhere hot and tropical to get those same results.

Envy Sunless Mobile Tanning is a Fraser Valley company that will travel to you to provide you with the airbrush service. Airbrush tanning has been around for quite some time, but the mobile service is a convenient way for customers to experience the treatment in the comfort of their own home at a time that works best for them.

Believe me, this is not just a service for fitness competitors or contestants on Dancing with the Stars.

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Interview: Winter Weight Loss Tips With Kathie Marshall

Monday, April 12th, 2010

With only six weeks until June we’re starting to think about bathing suit season. The good news is that six weeks is enough time to make a significant difference in your body shape if you are committed. We asked a Langley-based Personal Trainer, Kathie Marshall, for guidelines on how often to exercise and how to stay motivated. Kathie and her business partner Juan Lombana run Equilibria,a pilates studio and gym in Langley. Kathie has been a Personal Trainer for over six years and holds one of the highest certifications in pilates training in Canada.

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Interview: Workplace Stretches from Gaylene Thoeny

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

In office jobs, we are often in positions that are unnatural to our bodies – most often we’re hunched forward sitting at a desk. Even just everyday bad posture can add up to put stress and strain on our bodies. Compounded over time this can eventually cause injury and damage. By stretching on a regular basis we can avoid injuries. We interviewed Yoga Teacher and Personal Trainer, Gaylene Thoeny, to learn about stretches we can do in the workplace.

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Interview: Marinella Tevely, Golden Naturals Skin Care

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Not long after Marinella Tevely gave birth to her daughter in 2001, she realized that her newborn was allergic to many chemicals found in skincare products. Marinella, herself, suffered from severe headaches and nose bleeds after using common household products. She had to find a way to keep her family clean and moisturized without irritating their skin.

Frustrated by the lack of affordable organic skin care choices, she researched the process of making skin care herself. After reading books, attending workshops and countless trials she developed her own line.

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