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3 Healthy Heart Changes in 3 Weeks…Are you up to the challenge?

It is Heart Health Awareness Month and a fantastic opportunity to make healthier choices for you heart.

To help you, I have developed my first ever Healthy Heart Challenge and I am challenging myself and all of you to join me!

THE CHALLENGE: Make 3 heart healthy choices every day for 3 weeks. These lifestyle choices have been shown to decrease risk factors for developing heart disease.

  1. Eat 4 servings of fruits & vegetables daily.
  2. Eat 1 serving of nuts & 2 servings of healthy oil daily.
  3. Be physically active for 150 minutes over the course of 1 week.

These 3 choices were chosen for their effectivity & simplicity. With our busy lives, they can be anything but simple to follow through with. I thought the idea of a community challenge to help keep one another motivated would be a great way to make these changes more achievable.

THE REWARD: Reduce your risk of heart disease. Improve your overall health & well-being.

START DATE: Sunday, February 8th, 2015

END DATE: Saturday, February 28th, 2015

For complete details please follow this link.

I hope you join me in this challenge!

Good luck to you all,

Dr. Odette Bulaong, ND

 

 

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Let’s talk. Period.

Menstrual health is not an easily discussed topic and yet it is vital for all women – especially those trying to conceive. To put things simply, the first step in trying to get pregnant is ensuring that your menstrual cycles are regular and healthy. This will help determine when you are ovulating which is necessary for having a chance to conceive that month.

With all of this in mind, the health tip of the day is simple: start tracking your menstrual cycle today. Regardless of whether or not you are trying to get pregnant, your menstrual health is an important part of your overall health. You can start simply by marking the first day you get your next period on your calendar or on the many free apps that exist, and continue for every future period. It is helpful to track the length of your period, the length of your cycles, heaviness and your premenstrual symptoms.

As a naturopathic doctor, I can use this information to determine if your menstrual health is reflecting good overall health or not. I can also use natural therapies like nutrition and acupuncture to help regulate your cycle and promote your fertility chances, if that is your goal.

Remember, it’s your body, your health. Period.

Happy Naturopathic Medicine Week,

Odette Bulaong, BSc (Hons), ND

Check out what a Naturopath in Markham Does here 

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Exercise for women 60+ …even a little goes a long way!

A recent study in women aged 60-74, showed that exercising even just two times per week (1 aerobic workout and 1 strength training workout) for 16 weeks can improve aerobic fitness and strength, and reduce fat mass. The greatest benefits were seen in women who exercised four times per week (2 aerobic workouts and 2 strength training workouts). Interestingly, benefits decreased when women exercised six times per week (3 aerobic workouts and 3 strength training workouts).

If you’re a woman 60 years or over, use this study as motivation for safe and effective physical activity levels because even a little bit of exercise can make a difference (just don’t overdo it!). Before starting a new exercise program, make sure your health care professional assesses that you are healthy enough to do so. Exercising is an important step to helping improve your health physically and emotionally, so that you can live your life to the fullest.

So women of all ages: let’s keep moving!

Odette Bulaong, ND

 

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Maximize Your Fertility…as a Couple

Did you know that for Canadian couples experiencing infertility concerns, 30% are found to be due to male fertility factors, 40% are found to be due to female fertility factors and 30% are due to a combination of male, female, and unknown factors? With this current statistic, why is it that it is often only the woman that gets treated for infertility?

In order to truly maximize your fertility potential as a couple it is important for both the man and woman to take an active role in optimizing their reproductive and overall health. Take a look at the following tips to see if you and your partner are doing everything that can be done to maximize your chances of getting pregnant.

 Nutrition Tips:

  • Choose whole foods at each meal (i.e. food that does not come out of a box).
  • Eat a variety of antioxidant-rich foods, including bright & dark coloured vegetables and fruits. Antioxidants help protect the egg and sperm from DNA damage.
  • Get individualized recommendations for nutritional supplements to support reproductive health, especially if there are diagnosed or suspected reproductive conditions (e.g. polycystic ovaries and fibroids in women; low sperm count and motility in men).

 Lifestyle Tips:

  • Ensure you are getting restful, restorative sleep every night. Develop a sleep routine and consider acupuncture if you are having trouble.
  • Do activities that will encourage relaxation on a regular basis (e.g. acupuncture, breathing exercises, meditation).
  • Address any mental & emotional obstacles to fertility, including age-related fears, work burnout, and relationship strain. Make use of lifestyle counselling and acupuncture to help you manage these concerns effectively.

The above tips are a great start to evaluating your fertility health, however there are many other important issues to consider. To truly maximize your fertility potential, consider making a complimentary 15 minute appointment to learn about the Optimal Fertility Program that was developed using research and clinical experience to enhance your ability to get pregnant as a couple.

Wishing you optimal health and fertility,

Odette Bulaong, ND

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Does this baby make me look fat?

That was the link title of an eye-opening  Huffington Post article I recently read. It discussed a topic that people seem to overlook: pregnancy and body image issues. A healthy amount of weight gain during pregnancy is important for both the health of the baby and the mother. While there is a concern when too much weight is gained, more and more women are becoming over-focused on gaining too much weight. This can lead to dieting during pregnancy which is dangerous and may even lead to disordered eating that endangers both the mother and baby.

So before you decide to cut calories during your pregnancy, make sure you speak to a trained health professional who can help you make the best nutrition, self-care and lifestyle choices for you and your growing baby. If you are afraid or worried of how your body (and life) will change during pregnancy (and after), be sure to talk to your partner, loved ones, other moms, and a health professional trained in lifestyle counselling. This way you can get the physical and mental-emotional support you need to ensure a healthy pregnancy, delivery, and post-partum period, all of which will help you best take care of your baby into childhood and beyond.