Mandatory Moisturizing

With the temperature taking a serious dive and the air changing, ensuring your face is properly moisturized is a must this winter. I am still on my green beauty mission to choose products that are both environmentally friendly and don't use excessively harsh chemicals. I am beginning to find products that I know are both reliable and of high quality. I am a fan of Korres, a Greek company's make-up, but hadn't tried their skin-care line till now. My somewhat oily skin needed something with moisture, but not something over-the-top oily. I found the perfect balance with Korres Pomegranate Moisturizing Cream Gel sold a Sephora. I tried three different products over a three week period before I came to the conclusion on this one. The cream absorbs quickly and never makes me feel like I am not getting the moisture I need. Make-up sits nicely on top and a little goes a long way! That alone is making me happy this fall. Korres is available at Sephora stores across Canada. 

Exploring Alternative Treatments - Healing Touch

I am pretty open minded person when it comes to alternative forms of medicine. I have seen different naturopathic doctors and have experimented with diet changes and supplements over traditional western medicine. I figure I am open to trying pretty much anything (within reason) if it could have positive benefits. I think a holistic view of health is very beneficial overall and have experienced first-hand there isn't one heal-all solution. Generally I use these treatments proactively as opposed to reactively but that changed a few days ago when I was rear ended by a large pick-up truck. The experience was brief but after I felt very "off." Not only did I experience a stiff neck and back pain, but I was also very rattled by the whole experience. It was weird, it was a small accident and I am completely fine, but for some reason I couldn't shake this feeling of being unsettled.


A friend suggested that I try out Healing Touch to re balance myself after the accident. She knew someone in Nanaimo who was quite gifted at this.  At first thought healing touch sounded a little out there for even me. Visions of patchouli scented candles, beaded curtains and healing crystals floated in my head, could this really be legit? After some research on healing touch I put my preconceptions aside and opened myself to trying it out.  


After approaching the Healing Touch Practitioner she told me that often after a car accident the electro-magnetic energy emitted by our bodies are impacted and pushed to one side or another making the body's energy off balance.


It seemed to fit with what I was feeling and decided to see her. She suggested that I work with other practitioners and made it clear that healing touch is not a replacement for traditional medicine, rather a complement. That seemed inline with my personal beliefs and decided to have my first healing touch session. 


During my healing touch session I have an introductory informal interview with the practitioner to determine why I was looking for healing touch, questions about myself and explanation of what will happen. The actual healing touch is done while lying down on a massage style table with blankets and pillows.  First portion for me was done while lying on my back, the next part while lying on my front to focus on my neck area. The practitioner uses her own energy to balance my energy and open up my energy fields. The opening focuses on the energy fields and the energy centres (Chakras).


I personally found the experience highly beneficial, both mentally and physically. During the opening of my energy fields I could feel my body tingling, at first I thought it was a coincidence, but the feeling on intensified. I left the treatment with a buzzed  feeling and with reduced pain in my neck. The pain reduction could be due to various factors, including time, a chiropractic treatment and the healing touch - but regardless I am pleased with the results. It is interesting to experience different ways of looking at the body and how to treat it holistically. 

Foodie Fatigue

Tonight I enjoyed a glorious meal of delicious pizza at Urbana Pizzeria with two my most food savvy gal pals. We started the evening with gloriously rich red wine and then noshed on a tantalizing selection of thin crust deliciousness. The meal was topped off with sweet and creamy tiramisu - pretty much a perfect evening.

I love food and I love talking about food, where I will eat next and how good it was. I am ever curious about the next good place to eat and love to keep a pulse on food trends.  

However, what I am came to the realization when I came home is that being a true foodie can be really tiring. Being a foodie is more than just eating, it is eating with a keen eye, appreciating every detail and examining every bite.  Sometimes I just want to eat and say nothing more than it tastes good.  I don’t always want to analyze where the flavour origins come from or if it tastes authentic.

I would rather not be overwhelmed with guilt when I crave a McChicken over chicken piccata – it’s really not the end of the world. I love food, but when eating becomes a bit too serious I need to take a step back and enjoy every bite!

Take me to the River

Anyone who is anybody and grew up in Nanaimo knows about the Nanaimo River - a tucked away piece of beauty not often seen by tourists. It is not a provincial park, nor well marked or labeled from the road, but it is a joy when you do find it.

Considering the fact that I live right next door to the ocean, I didn’t understand the appeal of the river until I visited there with a local friend a few weeks ago.

My friend had a secret spot to get to the river, as some areas can get pretty busy with locals soaking up with sun and going for refreshing dips.

We made our way along the Nanaimo River Rd and stopped at a small clearing.  I could have easily zoomed by; it was so well hidden. With our bags in tow and sporting my flip flops we headed into the trees and then down a fairly steep slope to the river. The trek was only five minutes but it seemed like five hours as I maneuvered my way down.  When we arrived I was overjoyed to find a beautiful pocket of trees, rocks and of course, the flowing crystal clear river.

At the river there are not a lot of beach areas, so you set your stuff up on the rocks and enjoy. The afternoon literally melted away. There was no cell phone service to feed my blackberry addiction, no chores calling my name, only eating, swimming and reading were in store for me and it was glorious.

Nanaimo is one of those places where the wonder of it is less obvious, but over time you begin to discover it is full of hidden gems that make living here so amazing.

My Garden Grows

It has been about two months since I started my little edible patio garden experiment. As I am completely new to gardening, I am happy that my plants are actually growing. It is quite miraculous to watch these little plants sprout vegetables from their blossoms.

After a cool start to May, the weather has been consistently warm and sunny for the past three weeks. This has definitely helped the growing process, together with the fact that I am actually remembering to water and watch my plants flourish.

It turns out that I have become a bit obsessed with my veggie plants. After battling fungus problems with my zucchini resulting in shriveled produce, the plant seems to be back on track. My peppers are thriving, proudly displaying over 12 little peppers waiting to ripen.

My two tomato plants are doing well, with lots of little green tomatoes and a few that are ripening. Basil, rosemary and peppermint are thriving. My dill didn’t really do that well and the chives look a bit sad. You win some, you lose some!

Half the fun for me is just watching everything transform and hopefully eating mouthwatering produce later this summer.

Away from it all is not that far away

One of the best things about living on Vancouver Island is that outdoor activities are so close-by. This past weekend I was able to hike up Mt. Benson and camp at Nanaimo Lakes, both less than a half hour drive from home.

As a city slicker this is still all a bit new to me, but I have been enjoying my close proximity to nature. No need to make the two-hour plus drive just to see some greenery.

My overnight camping trip to Nanaimo Lakes certainly wasn’t a “roughing it trip”, as we were right next door to our car. Roughing it or not, it was fun to be able to experience that “far away from it all” feeling when you really are just a stone’s throw away.

Setting up our tent alongside the crystal clear lake, fishing from the rocks, cooking on a camp stove and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over a campfire with good friends is the epitome of summer.

Summer has a way of speeding by and I am hoping to experience all the Island has to offer while the sun is still shining.

The Little Things

My first official summer in Nanaimo found me reflecting on how to appreciate the little things in life. Our lives can be a fast ride filled with lofty aspirations of happiness, success and achievements. I often fall victim to wondering what is next and how will I get there? This manner of thinking keeps me motivated and helps me to accomplish the things I want to achieve. However, sometimes I find that focusing too hard on these goals can cause me to overlook what inspires me and why.

 

A few days ago a blazing crimson sunset, edged with the silhouette of the mountains and the ocean, left me feeling awestruck. I am very lucky right now to live in a place filled with such natural beauty at every turn. It would be easy to dismiss this landscape as part of the backdrop of life and take it all for granted. Lately I find that no matter where I go there is something that forces me to live in the moment, whether it is my surroundings, daily experiences or interactions with people.

No matter where you live in the world there are many forms of beauty. It may not be the glory of nature; it may be about energy, people or activities. The most powerful element of this is being able to appreciate your surroundings and embrace it in a way that touches your life. The freeing power of a bike ride can set the wheels in motion for exploring the next level of creativity and spark inspiration.  A challenging hike can push your body physically and challenge your mind. The silent reprieve of fishing can calm the mind from its daily chatter.

This summer I am going to embrace the moment as much as possible and spend as much time as I can doing what I enjoy. The rest should fall into place naturally.