Niru Terzolo is trying to prove that women can truly do it all. She’s President & CEO of Sensor Technology, mom to Anouk (5) and Nora (3), and wife to a very spirited Frenchman for the past 9 years. Food is a passion and stress reliever and thanks to short commutes, she tries to make it home for lunch every day. After getting pregnant with her first, Niru got some great advice from her OBGYN that she needed to start looking after her body a little better. There began her sporting endeavours which got her to her first Triathlon this past fall. In this interview with Dr. Melissa Longo Niru shares her story and success in developing a structured schedule, a solid support system (that you have to create yourself) Niru believes that you can be a mom, and fit in the things you love, without sacrificing career goals – or style! You can follow her pursuits in life via
Holiday Fit Tips!
There are lots of opportunities during the holiday season for indulgent foods, extra alcohol, and with the busier pace many people find themselves moving, workout routines can also slip away. However, this doesn’t have to be how you spend your December! You can celebrate, indulge and still feel good!
These two tips might help you:
Move Your Body Everyday – Physical activity makes every system in your body work better. Instead of taking a break from your exercise routine during the holiday season, keep it up! Or consider getting started! You don’t have to wait until January to resolve to get in better shape. The fact is, exercise is simply something most people have to build into their lives, work into their schedules. You will always find something better to do with your time!(Trust me, I make excuses and procrastinate sometimes too! Ask my trainer!) Exercise helps relieve stress and prevents weight gain. Moving your body will always give you a boost, even just a some stretching or a brisk walk will rejuvenate your body and mind.
Eat Regularly & Prepare for Outings – If you are going to a party or dinner, don’t starve yourself all day in anticipation. Doing so will slow your metabolism, leave you ravenous and more likely to overeat later in the evening. Instead, eat small meals or snacks throughout the day and you’ll be less likely to overindulge when you are out. If you are planning on consuming alcohol be sure to increase your intake of water to compensate for the dehydrating effects.
Healthy holidays ARE possible. If you make a few small adjustments to your habits you’ll feel good throughout the season. If you need a few tips to maintain your emotional wellbeing read this blog post too!
What’s Your Intention This Holiday Season?
Set an intention.
But first, be realistic and consider:
What’s happening in your life these days? Where are your children or extended family in the current stage of their lives? Given their ages and interests, what do you want the holidays to look like for you?
Every year our lives are a little different, and it’s important to change our expectations accordingly.
Maybe you have a holiday planned, maybe there is someone in your family who having a tough time, maybe your grieving a loved one? Maybe there has been a change in your home or work life somehow? Maybe your finances are more strained than usual?Depending on your reflection on these areas of your life and the people in it, you might want to adjust your plans and celebrate a little differently this year.
Decide what you want the holidays to mean, what your priorities are, and how you want feel? And then I want you to write it down.
Choose 3-5 words or perhaps write a brief statement or sentence, then put it somewhere you can see it. You can get creative with this! Make it look pretty or decorative if you like, but what really matters is that you will see it and be reminded of what you wrote. Whether you post it on your fridge, put it on your phone, or write it in a journal that you will look at every day, this is the most important step!
When you have an intention to refer to, it will help you make solid decisions about how you spend your time and money this holiday season. You’ll feel better about your choices because they will be more realistic with your current lifestyle, and this will ease your mind, and help you find more JOY (and less stress) holiday season.
Holiday Connections
We all need social connections, it’s part of our fundamental design as human beings, and research has also shown that having friendships supports our health! However, during the holiday season many people are ‘overstimulated‘, ‘overcommitted’, and ‘overwhelmed’ with too many events. This can leave people feeling emotionally and mentally drained, and certainly getting a lot less sleep than they would like!
What can you do to avoid this?
Be choosy about how you spend your social time. Be assertive and learn to say no to situations that will upset you. Decline invitations (if you can do so without grossly offending the invitee) that create unnecessary emotional stress, or will simply burden your schedule and shortchange you of sleep.
At the other end of the social spectrum is loneliness. With changing family dynamics, different living arrangements, and simple geography for some people, many are left alone during the holidays. If you feel lonely or isolated consider getting involved in different activities, volunteering your time at seniors homes, food banks or other organizations geared towards helping others. Reach out to people who may find themselves alone during the holiday season and consider including them in your plans. The rewards will be far greater than just the social stimulation.
You CAN celebrate, and still feel good in January! Make a few adjustments in your social calendar and you will enjoy the holiday season and start 2017 in good health.
ERM 031: Dr. Melissa’s Top 5 Tips For A Healthy Holiday Season!
The holiday season is a time of celebration, joy and so much fun! But for many moms it’s also a time of added stress with more cooking, baking, gift wrapping, concerts, shopping, and entertaining to do – while still parenting, working and trying to make time to take care of themselves! This isn’t good for our physical or emotional wellbeing. It can be different though! With a few small lifestyle adjustments and fresh perspective you can indulge during the holiday season, feel great, and be present with the people who matter most to you.
On this episode with Dr. Melissa Longo we discuss the importance of setting your holiday intention, exercise and food hacks, and some ideas for gift giving that make a world of difference to both the giver and receiver.
ERM 030 Barbara Andrews: Using Your Intuition, Changing Careers & Taking Care of Yourself As A Woman
Barb Andrews is a 63 year old single mother of 2 grown children, and proud grandmother of Brooke! Barb is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and work with clients both privately and at Stonetree Naturopathic Clinic in Collingwood. She also works as a children’s preschool teacher at Pretty River Academy, and feels blessed to have family and 2 jobs that she loves.
In this interview with Dr. Melissa Longo, Barb shares her experiences throughout motherhood, from the infant and toddler years, through the teens, and now continuing to nurture her adult children. Barb shares some of her biggest challenges, her greatest successes as a mother, and how listening to her intuition as a woman has never failed her.
Barb also discusses how and why she made a shift in her career at the age of 50, and the impact of this decision on profoundly changing her health and life.
Another great conversation with an everyday mom who rocks!
ERM 029: Mindy Willis-Menard Talks About Postpartum Depression & Finding Our Untapped Potential As Women
Mindy is an entrepreneur, yoga teacher, health coach, wife, and mother to a sweet toddler named Mayla. She is passionate about teaching yoga, running teacher trainings, and working with women to help them discover the places where they need some support in their life and how to best move forward. Mindy loves adventures and when not working or with her family you’ll find her rock-climbing, snowboarding, running or getting out on her road bike to explore.
On this interview with Dr. Melissa Longo, Mindy gets real about how motherhood has been the greatest joy and scariest thing she has ever done. She candidly shares her struggle with Postpartum Depression, how it has taken time to ‘get herself back’ and why her commitment to natural health has been a powerful part of her healing. Mindy also shares a strong belief in the importance of self care, and gives some tips about how she makes it a priority and why its important for her whole family.
Mindy has been on a healing journey since the birth of her daughter, and it’s given her more strength connection, and helped her realize her own ‘untapped potential’ as a woman.
Another great conversation with an everyday rockstar mom!
Leg Pain & The Chiropractic Approach
Every part of your body works better with a spine that is moving properly. Many people come into the practice complaining of pain in their legs, and it often starts within their spine.
Challenges with walking, running, climbing, jumping or general mobility can be resolved with Chiropractic care – from kids through to seniors!
Spinal misalignments called vertebral subluxations cause muscle imbalances, joint irritation, inflammation, and early degeneration. Spinal subluxations alter the healthy mechanical and neurological functions in the body. Subluxations weaken all organ systems, leading to sickness, pain, and a lesser quality of life. As a Doctor of Chiropractic my role is to correct spinal subluxations to restore proper motion and function within the body.
Subluxations in the hips and lumbar spine can lead to leg pain, numbness & tingling in the legs or feet, and muscle weakness. They can also contribute to pain and dysfunction in the knees, ankles, and feet. It’s amazing to watch people’s flexibility return, pain subside, walking patterns change and athletic abilities soar when we address spinal function and restore the body’s natural mechanical function.
If you’re suffering with cramping or pain in your legs, knees or feet, instead of relying on medications (with side effects!) help your body heal from the inside-out. Consider Chiropractic first!
Clear It Out With Chiropractic!
I never knew once in practice I would get so many email, calls and texts from happy mothers who report that after their child’s adjustment their bowels were working better! We all know how uncomfortable constipation, diarrhea or any gastro intestinal dysfunction can be. There can me many causes of these ailments, such as food sensitivities, dehydration, stress, food poisoning…lack of movement within the spine and nervous system!
Chiropractic isn’t a ‘cure’ for anything, but rather a way to support the body so that it can heal from within. When there are misalignments in the spine (subluxation), particularly in the lower spine where the nerves branch off the spinal cord and supply energy to the digestive organs, it will lead to dysfunction. When we restore proper joint movement through a chiropractic spinal adjustment, this also relieves tension within the nerves and allows them to function the way they were designed to. The colon works better, the heart works better, the lungs work better, your legs work better, and so does your brain, reproductive system and virtually every other part of your body!
If you’re struggling with digestive system complaints it’s time to take a look at the cause and start restoring proper function to your whole digestive tract. Chiropractic care will remove any structural imbalance, and then we can work at examining your diet, stress levels and making some other adjustments to your lifestyle so that your body can heal from the inside out.
