Mental Health Awareness

It's October 10th, World Mental Health Day, a day we are dedicating to promoting awareness.  Awareness, so that we are not insensitive to the people around us that may be suffering from poor mental health.  I think we become insensitive because we do not know much about it and not many of us go and learn about it.  

I know that people can suffer from depression, anxiety, panic attacks, migraines and dementia, and we might think it is something that can be taken care by taking drugs or adjusting how you perceive a situation.  Not so, in some cases, the reason is a brain chemical imbalance which is as a result of blood sugar levels.

According to Acupuncture Today, "the brain is the most dependent part of your body to sugar".  It needs energy from the sugars in our food to form blood sugar.

http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=32621

Acupuncture Today also says that when the brain does not have enough energy, especially over many years, a depletion of serotonin is the result.  With a depletion of serotonin, our brains cannot respond to pleasurable events which results in depression.

Now that we know that depression, anxiety, panic attacks, dementia and migraines are sometimes due to brain chemical imbalance, we can now look at some solutions.

Western Medicine's approach is to prescribe anti depressants, which for some is an option.  It takes care of getting rid of the symptoms (shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain, trembling, feeling unreal or detachment from surroundings etc) for the short term and has side effects.  

Looking at it holistically and in the Traditional Chinese Medicine approach, we can treat the root cause the imbalance.

1.  Shiatsu Therapy Treatment (no needles) or acupuncture twice a month

2.  Eat in a way that keeps a constant but slow flow of glucose to your blood.  Protein-rich breakfast, snack every two-three hours with protein in it.  Do not finish meals with a sugar rich dessert and avoid bread and simple carbohydrates in between meals that will cause your blood sugar to spike like crazy.

3.  Take supplements and herbal medicine that fix the chemical pathways that are broken to restore insulin sensitivity.

This sounds like how a diabetic would eat, you say?  Well, if this chemical imbalance is not corrected, Type 2 Diabetes is what is going to result.  Keeping our mental health in check is very important, because everything is connected.

Symptoms are our body's way of telling us there is something wrong.  It is an early warning to us to change our lifestyle, eating habits, the way we think etc.  So the next time you get a headache or experience anxiety, ask yourself what you can do differently.    How do we support our loved ones who have panic attacks and depression?  Let's be aware of our mental health.

To your health,

Christine

ShiatsuShaman's Wife

Vancouver Entrepreneurs Group: An Open Invitation

I took the definition of "entrepreneur" from Merriam Webster's dictionary and Dictionary.com and combined the two and this is what it says, "A person who organizes, operates a business or businesses, and exercises initiative by organizing a venture to take benefit of an opportunity, taking greater than normal financial risks.


I never really thought of myself as an entrepreneur until now.  After I graduated from Langara College in Vancouver, I started working for the Royal Bank, at that time I thought I was going to be an employee forever, even after getting married and having children.  That changed quickly and I had the pleasure of staying at home to raise my three beautiful daughters.  Now, that I have remarried I am a self employed entrepreneur!!!!!!  Go figure.

I have so much to learn.  My husband, John and I both know the value of networking and creating connections.  With the Launch of the Vancouver Entrepreneurs Group on Tuesday, September 30 at the Firefighter's Public House, we now have a dynamic group to network with as well as a results oriented education portion during the 3 hour interactive meeting.   Ricky Shetty, Daddy Blogger was the MC and co-organizer, along with Dan "the Man" Lok was the Keynote Speaker, sharing his rags to riches story with the jam-packed room.  The room was buzzing with excitement, like something magical was going to happen.

Well, Ricky Shetty did an awesome job as the MC!  I love his passion for being a dad and entrepreneur.

Then, the moment we were all waiting for, Dan Lok.  He gave us so many insights and I'd like to share a few here:

Your business is a reflection of you.

No one can succeed in business alone.

80% Mindset and 20% Mechanics


Wealth is committing to one idea over time.

Here are the rules for the group:

1. BE YOURSELF, be the most powerful and most authentic that you can be.

2. NO Energy drainers allowed!

3. NO Excuses!

4. NO Bad Apples


He continued to give us advice that really hit home.  

Don't take advice on "How to get rich" from broke people.

Develop alligator skin and stop worrying about what people think of you.

Get a mentor


I love Dan's story of how he got his mentor.  If you join us, maybe he will tell it again!

Rosalyn Cua was the featured entrepreneur.  She is a foodie, writer, personal growth junkie, eco-friendly entrepreneur catalyst creating a more beautiful world.  She talked about people and compared them to apples.  The 4 types of apples:

1. Red apples are positive people and action takers which is on about 20% of the people we will meet.
2. Green apples are dreamers but not doers
3. The 3rd type of apples are the ones that are left to sit, the ones who turn brown because of inactivity.  They are the nay-sayers.  Do not not spend anytime with this type.
4. Rotten apples, need I say more?!?!

This is just a short summary of what I got out of the evening.  You will need to come and experience the Vancouver Entrepreneurs Group for yourself and see what results you get!  After the 3 hours of speakers and activities, John and I went downstairs for a drink with Dan and the others.  It was nice to chill and absorb what we learned and get to know the other entrepreneurs.  

What a magical evening of inspiration!  You won't want to miss the next one!  We meet every two weeks, so head on over to the Meetup.com and register and pay so you, too can experience the magic.  Oh, ya....I have homework to do (yes there is homework!!!)
http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Entrepreneurs-Group-Business-Network/


Connect with me on Twitter (@shiatsuwife) or Facebook on my personal page https://www.facebook.com/christine.ferreira67 or check out my business page https://www.facebook.com/shiatsushaman?ref=hl

Would love to hear about your entrepreneurial adventures!

http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Entrepreneurs-Group-Business-Network/


Blessings,
Christine

Motivation, Music and Movement at Fitwells for Women

Since I started my blog, I have met so many amazing people.  Being part of this special and amazing group of women at Fitwells For Women in Maple Ridge and Coquitlam has been so much fun!  

I found out about the Fitwells Bloggers Outreach from Salma Danini Dewji of thewritebalance.ca.  We are both members of YVR Bloggers, a community of bloggers in the Vancouver area.  I thank her for this great opportunity. 

Fitwells is a "Community within a Community" and has become a staple in many communities.  In the heart of downtown Maple Ridge, Fitwells has become THE place for health, fitness, and nutrition.  Here you will find it all--from Group Fitness classes, world class equipment,  personal training, boot camps, nutrition, childminding, tanning studios and massage.

If you know what you are looking for in your fitness goals, you can get started right away with a Fitness Assessment, so that you have a starting point to set goals.  If you are unsure as to what to expect,  you can start with sampling the services with the 3 Day Trial membership.

The Body Composition Analysis Report is a helpful tool for you to look at for goal setting.  My report was very informative because it told me that my muscle mass was awesome and that it is the reason why I got a high score for overall health.  My goal is to decrease my body fat composition so I can finally be at my optimum weight.

As a stay at home mom of years ago, I always heard about fitness facilities and how some people feel they have to wait until they are in shape before they would feel comfortable about joining, for fear of being judged.  That does not make sense to me.  Fitwell's has a friendly and supportive staff that keep you accountable and motivated.  It is a great place to connect with women who are experiencing the same challenges.  It is also a place where you can come and just let some steam off.  There is something for everybody.  For a fitness program to be effective, the activity needs to something that you can see yourself doing regularly and it needs to become a part of your day.  For example, because Fitwells is located centrally in Maple Ridge,  it is  easy to get to as you are coming home from work,  after you drop the kids off to school, or you are going grocery shopping.

The before workout look, no sweat, still smiling!

I LOVE the Group Fitness Classes!!!!!  Love the music, movement and motivation I get from the members and the instructor.  I even went to the 6:05 classes, when I was not able to attend the other classes because of my appointments during the day.  It's a great way to start your day.  There are also class times at noon, if you prefer to come at your lunch hour from work or just before you have to pick up the kids from school.  Of course, on the days that I have many appointments with our Shiatsu Practice, I can choose to come in the evening.  My favourite classes are as follows, Group RX, Step and Sculpt, Zumba, and yoga.  There are plenty of other classes to choose from.  If you prefer a bootcamp style,  XLab or spinning that is available as well.

I'm all set for the Group RX class

During Group RX class when I increased my weight factor--very intense!

On October 20th Fitwells is having a Birthday Party, and John and I will be there to celebrate with Shiatsu Demos at the Coquitlam location and the Maple Ridge location.  It will be a whole day of festivities for the whole family starting at 9:00am and going until 8:00pm.  Some of the activities will be FREE Zumba classes, FREE food, Face Painting, Personal Training Demos, 50/50 Draw and Prizes!  

Come celebrate and check out Fitwells Facilities!  Here is a great way to celebrate, enter to win a 3 month membership and one XLab class.  Just follow the instructions for the Rafflecopter below, you can just bypass the comment below (still working out how to be able to have comments).  If you want to get started right away, just go into Fitwells and do the 3 day trial. 


www.fitwells.ca


Here is to your health!  
Christine

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blogelina is AMAZING

As you all know I just started my blog on September 21st of this year.  This is my 4th post.  I wish I had discovered blogging when my daughters (now 22, 21 and 17) were younger.  I know I would have had so much to share about my experiences as a stay at home mom, school volunteer, Girl Guide Leader and the each milestone that each daughter had.  Well, there is no reason why I couldn't share them with you on this blog or I can start one that is dedicated to those beautiful memories!  So many options!  I am loving it!!!!!

Anyway, being new to blogging also means I need a lot of support and resources.  I am part of a great community here in the Vancouver area called the YVR Bloggers and have met so many bloggers that are so supportive.  I am sure that I will be sharing their blogs in my blog from time to time.  Ricky Shetty, Daddy Blogger is the founder and organizer of YVR Bloggers, YVR Foodies, YVR Masterminds and adding many more groups to support our love of connecting with the community and blogging.

AND I found this AMAZING website called Blogelina!  It's really about people helping people!  I would love to help them get 8000 likes on Facebook. At this moment they are at 6615 likes.  When they reach 8000 their 99 cent blog transfer deal will go live.  That deal is unheard of!  The other amazing thing is the deal they have on now is also unheard of.

Here is the link to the deal.  You will not believe your eyes!  It's so good that you may not even wait for the 99 cent deal to go live.  


http://www.blogelina.com/2014/10/0-99-blogger-to-wordpress-transfers-hosting-included/

http://www.blogelina.com/join-a-community-of-women-who-love-to-blog/blogelina-services-products/have-your-blog-transferred-and-save/





Please like them on Facebook


https://www.facebook.com/blogelina

Happy blogging!  And don't be surprised when my blog gets transferred to Wordpress and has a new domain name.  

Shiatsu: Tradition and a Family Practice

Before I reconnected with John I did not even know that Shiatsu Therapy was.  I can only imagine that there are many people that are in the same boat as I was.  I was socialized to follow doctors orders and to believe that there was no other way to look at health care.  I came from the Philippines where the tendency was to follow the medical trends from the west just to show that we were a modern country.  There is nothing wrong with that as long as traditions are not forgotten.  This is what happened with "Shiatsu" a Japanese word meaning finger pressure.  

"Touch" is the very basic in human needs.  A pat on the back, a high five makes us feel good and connected.  It is very important in infant development.  It is an exchange of energy.

It may be confusing at first that I talk about Chinese Medicine because, Shiatsu is Japanese but I will explain why.   The origins of Chinese Medicine goes as far back as 8000 years old from the Han Dynasty, in China where archaeologist found stone needles used for acupuncture.  Neolithic ice mummies with tattooed acupuncture needle marks were also found.  Needless to say, it has been around a long time.  Many countries adopted the Chinese view of medicine and hence the origin of Shiatsu from Traditional Chinese Medicine.  John's style of Shiatsu works with the same points as acupuncture points.  It was through experimentation that acupuncture points came to be mapped out.

The points make up pathways called meridians, which corresponds to the different systems in our body.  In a healthy body, life force energy flows without blockages.  When blockages occur, this shows up as pain on a certain body part or as disease if left untreated. The Chinese word for energy is "Chi" and "Ki" in Japanese.   The concept of "Ki" became central in Japanese culture dating back to 6th Century so much so  that it is demonstrated in the Japanese language.  "How are you?" translates as "How is your Ki (or energy)?"  

The story of how Shiatsu remained in the minds of some is a "touching" story.  In those days, there were no doctors in the villages so families healed each other.  A little boy of 7 years old wanted to comfort his mom who had symptoms of what we know now to be rheumatism.  This was in 1912.  He noticed that when he used his thumbs, palms, fingers on certain points in her body that her pain seemed to be relieved as opposed to just rubbing her.  Moreover, he noticed that certain points were more effective than others.  Call it the work of love or science his mom got better and lived to be 88 years old.  This little boy was  Tokujiro Namikoshi, who went on to study what he had discovered as a child and established an anatomical and physiological theory in shiatsu.  He established a school and clinic where he trained students in Shiatsu Therapy.  Many of his students went on to create their own style with research and study.

Much like the martial arts, Shiatsu has different styles.  The one that John learned from Ted Thomas' school, Sourcepoint Shiatsu,   offered by Langara College in Vancouver is Zen Shiatsu.  Zen Shiatsu is the style that Shizuto Masunaga developed which incorporates western psychology and Chinese Medicine.  It recognizes the presence of meridians and energy.

Another student, of both Namikoshi and Masunaga, had great influence in John's style of Shiatsu, is Tetsuro Saito.  Because John and I had the privilege of learning from Sensei Saito, I will talk about him more in another blog post.

Shiatsu and its origins have been around for a long time.  It is hard to believe that it is known as an alternative healing therapy.   I believe it should be at least recognized as a complimentary therapy.  In this day and age of surgeries and prescriptions, isn't comforting to know that a natural, holistic approach to healing is still thriving and remains a choice when it comes to our family's health and wellness.