How to address toxins in water (and avoid them)

Although we know that proper hydration is important to our health, most of us don’t put too much thought into our drinking water. If it’s the public water supply, then it MUST be regulated, right? And they wouldn’t sell bottled water if it was bad for our health, would they? Let’s take a closer look…

What you don’t know about water

The fact is, our public water supply is dangerous, and many people don’t know that it contains many toxins, heavy metals, pesticides, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other harmful compounds that can affect you and your family. In 2009, The Environmental Working Group conducted a 3 year study examining tap water throughout the United States. The results detected a shocking 316 chemicals, 202 of which were either not regulated or didn’t follow legal guidelines/regulations. These chemicals include heavy metals, pesticdes, plastics and even pharmaceuticals like pain killers, birth control and antibiotics..YUCK!

Water health is more than what we drink

Beyond the water we drink, there are many other ways we interact with water on a daily basis. It’s important that we consider all of these factors when deciding on what kind of water to use. Here are our top hacks to make sure you are using clean, healthy water:

TMB’s 6 tips for safer water

1. Switch to filtered water

As we’ve mentioned, tap water is high in toxins such as heavy metals, pesticides and BPA’s that negatively impact our health. Contrary to popular belief, boiling is NOT the same as filtering; it does not kill the harmful substances in your water, so the next time you’re making a cup of coffee or steaming some veggies at home, remember that filtered water is the safer option. Don’t forget to use filtered water when making ice too!

2. Opt out of using plastic bottles

Not only are plastic water bottles an added expense, but they’re also bad for you AND our oceans. The industry is poorly regulated, which may help explain why a single bottle of water can contain up to 24,000 chemicals. Additionally, the plastic itself leaches into the water which is estrogenic and hormone disrupting. If you’re driving up to the cottage, or traveling, be extra careful about leaving plastic bottles in the heat of the car as this can enhance this process. Consider switching to glass bottles to lower these risks and to be more environmentally conscious.

3. Avoid chlorinated pools

Chlorine is a strong oxidizing agent and irritant used to disinfected swimming pools that has been linked to various health problems, including respiratory conditions and allergies. We recommend avoiding chlorinated pools as much as possible to reduce exposure. Chlorine acts like an antibiotic, so if you do swim in chlorinated water, shower off right after so doesn’t sit and absorb into the skin and disrupt your skin and gut’s microbiome.

4. Use spring water when available

Fresh spring water comes from a natural source in the earth that flows to the surface and is free of contaminants and is rich in minerals. Mineral-rich water often has a neutral or slightly alkaline pH, which has been shown to help neutralize acidity in the body, reduce free radical damage and help keep bones/teeth strong and healthy. If you’re a cottage owner, double check to see if you have access to spring water!

5. Choose “alive” water vs. “dead” water

Living water is water that has tumbled over rocks, waterfalls, streams etc, causing it to flow in specific ways and absorb the minerals & energy of the ground underneath it. As a result of this process, the water becomes more fresh, vibrant and energetically alive. Research shows that living water has anti-aging properties, can increase cell performance, enhance your energy levels and can benefit your overall health. If you don’t have access to spring water, you can throw a pinch of pink sea salt into your water to re-mineralize it since it comes from a natural, living source.

6. Drink sparkling mineral water

As you may have guessed from it’s name, sparkling mineral water contains a variety of health-promoting minerals, such as magnesium, calcium and potassium. It also contains bicarbonate which helps buffer acidity. Alkalinity has been associated with disease prevention and helps with blood sugar regulation. For all of you soda drinkers out there, opting for a sugar-free, unflavored sparkling mineral water (ideally in a glass bottle!) is a much healthier and safer alternative.

About The Movement Boutique in Toronto – Pilates, Chiropractic, Functional Medicine

Located on Yonge Street in Toronto, The Movement Boutique serves the areas of Summerhill, Rosedale and Yorkdale with Pilates classes and much more. Our philosophy is centred on a holistic, multimodal approach to health, grounded in the latest therapeutic techniques and clinical research. Our approach: Optimal health cannot be attained through a single therapeutic lens; injuries are often the result of a constellation of lifestyle issues, including dysfunctional movement patterns, trauma, nutritional deficiencies or destructive habits of mind.

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The challenge of practicing mindfulness in the modern world

For many of us, after a long, stressful, calendar-packed day, our instinct is to make a cocktail or snack and sit in front of the television to “relax” when we get home. In reality, this doesn’t help our mind or body unwind or de-stress at all. In fact, it can make us even more restless, keep our sympathetic nervous system activated and cause us to have difficulty falling/staying asleep. If we really want to feel optimally relaxed, we need to practice mindfulness.

What is mindfulness?

Many people associate mindfulness with zen, structured yoga & meditation sessions. Although meditation is widely-used and can be a big aspect of mindfulness, it’s not the “be all and end all” of it. Simply put, mindfulness can be defined as the physiological process of being present, un-reactive, and aware of your surroundings & experiences.

Mindfulness trains our brain to find a place of calmness and focus so we can be more present in our daily lives. It can come in the form of writing in a journal, deep breathing, taking a walk, or simply being still and pausing what we’re doing to connect ourselves with whatever is infront of us. It’s being “unplugged”, living in the “now” and expressing gratitude, and more and more, science is showing that there are significant physical and mental benefits attached to it.

How can mindfulness be applied to everything we do

Mindfulness can be applied to everything we do. You’ve heard of “living in the moment” and sure, it might sound a little cliche, but it’s actually extremely powerful. By being present and “in the moment”, we can dramatically enhance our quality of life. One of the areas that we recommend using this approach and cultivating a mindful and intuitive practice is eating. When you think about it, we eat so often and have such abundant access to food resources that it’s often something we take for granted in our culture.

Dr. Bhat’s top five tips to start implementing a mindful eating

1. Prepare your own food

Cooking for ourselves and preparing our own meals is a great way to teach our body to eat mindfully. During the process of chopping, peeling, sauteing etc, the visuals and smells will alert our brain which will signal the rest of our body to prepare for nourishment. When we prepare our own food, we’re usually also more grateful for it because we can better understand that it took time and effort to make.

2. Put away electronics

You know those ringtones, beeps, e-mails, and emojis? Well having those in front of us with food in the mix can lead to overeating and eating too quickly, which can have a negative impact on digestion. Take the 15 minutes out of your day while eating a meal to put away electronics!

3. Sit down while you eat

Studies show that when we sit down while we eat, we’re more likely to pay attention to the actual food that’s infront of us and express gratitude. It gives us the space we need to tune it with ourselves, recognize our hunger signals, and eat intentionally & slowly.

4. Take in the food with all of your senses

The next time you sit down for a meal, ask yourself the following questions: What is the colour of your food? What are the sounds you hear? Does it smell sweet or savoury? What does the texture feel like when you chew? Are there any ingredients or flavours you can identify? Doing this can not only give you a deeper appreciation for your food but also prepare your body for digestion.

5. Practice “hara hachi bu”

This is a Japanese practice used by the Okinawan people that promotes eating until you are 80 percent full. How many times do you finish a meal and say to yourself “I’m full!” – The goal of hara hachi bu is to stop eating BEFORE you reach this point. The Okinawan are known to be one of the longest lived, healthiest communities on the planet!

About The Movement Boutique in Toronto – Pilates, Chiropractic, Functional Medicine

Located on Yonge Street in Toronto, The Movement Boutique serves the areas of Summerhill, Rosedale and Yorkdale with Pilates classes and much more. Our philosophy is centred on a holistic, multimodal approach to health, grounded in the latest therapeutic techniques and clinical research. Our approach: Optimal health cannot be attained through a single therapeutic lens; injuries are often the result of a constellation of lifestyle issues, including dysfunctional movement patterns, trauma, nutritional deficiencies or destructive habits of mind.

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What you don’t know about sugar and your health

Sugar has a confusing reputation and it can be overwhelming to decipher what types are and aren’t healthy. Consuming sugar can affect everything from your mood, energy levels, quality of sleep, brain health, weight, and skin.

Today we’re busting five popular myths about sugar that you might be surprised to learn!

Myth #1: If it says “sugar-free”, it’s healthy.

From children’s snacks to “health food” bars, many products out there are labeled as “sugar-free”. Keep in mind that just because it’s marketed this way, it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily healthy, which is why it’s essential to carefully read labels.

Often when packaged foods are classified as “sugar-free”, sugars have been replaced with artificial sweeteners (such as aspartame which is a known neurotoxin and often found in gum) and fruit juice concentrates that can increase blood sugar, sometimes even more than sugar itself.

Myth # 2: All sugar is bad, even fruit.

Fruit can be a sneaky sugar source because it contains fructose, but it’s also full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that nourish our bodies. Like anything else, it should be consumed it moderation, but if you’re debating between eating a candy bar or an apple, go for the apple!

If you have any insulin-resistance or aches and pains, look for deeply pigmented, smaller-sized fruits that are higher on the NDI (nutritional density index) and lower on the glycemic index such as berries and seasonal fruits. If choosing higher glycemic fruits such as mangoes and grapes, choose smaller portion sizes to avoid spiking blood sugar.

Myth #3: Natural sweeteners are always a healthier alternative.

While natural sweeteners, like honey and maple syrup, contain health enhancing amino acids and antioxidants, it’s important to make sure that you are buying high quality products coming from a reliable source that vigorously test their products. As there is little government regulation, beware of low-grade commercially produced honey found in most grocery stores, as it is often stripped of it’s nutritional value, and can even be laced with high fructose corn syrup which is detrimental to our health. Erythritol, on the other hand is a TMB approved option – It’s 100% natural, sourced from monk fruit and has zero impact on our glycemic index (aka it won’t raise our blood sugar).

Myth #4: Stevia is better for you than sugar

Stevia (the herb) has been used medicinally for centuries, but it has only been used as a sweetener alternative in recent years. Although it’s natural form is generally considered healthy, stevia in the white powdered form goes through almost a dozen steps to turn it into what we use it for, including chemical processing and bleaching.

Myth #5: Fruit juice is a healthy drink

At the end of the day, sugar is sugar, and whether or not it’s from a natural source, it’s still going to spike your blood sugar and be processed by the same metabolic pathways in our body. Fruit juices contain high amounts of sugar, and even though they may contain vitamins, minerals and other healthy components, they should be consumed in moderation. Moreover, many brands even ADD sugar to their juice! As an alternative , eat whole fruits, which are generally lower in sugar and a much healthy option.

Busting sugars about myth can help improve your health

We hope you can take these myth-busting facts with you the next time you head to the grocery store! Remember, when it comes to sugar, don’t believe everything you hear, do your research, and always read labels.

About The Movement Boutique in Toronto – Pilates, Chiropractic, Functional Medicine

Located on Yonge Street in Toronto, The Movement Boutique serves the areas of Summerhill, Rosedale and Yorkdale with Pilates classes and much more. Our philosophy is centred on a holistic, multimodal approach to health, grounded in the latest therapeutic techniques and clinical research. Our approach: Optimal health cannot be attained through a single therapeutic lens; injuries are often the result of a constellation of lifestyle issues, including dysfunctional movement patterns, trauma, nutritional deficiencies or destructive habits of mind.

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How to get a flatter stomach and lose weight with less effort

Ever feel like you’re putting so much effort into counting your calories and getting your cardio in? What if we told you that when it comes to your fitness, less can be more? And when it comes to calories, more can be less! Intrigued? We thought so!

A popular myth when it comes to fitness is…

Everyone likes to exercise differently but if you’re a high intensity cardio junkie, avid spinner, or bootcamp addict, you may be surprised to learn that repetitive high intensity workouts might not be doing you any favours when it comes to losing weight or achieving your fitness goals. Moreover, counting calories can sometimes make us avoid nutrient-dense foods necessary for building muscle tone/repair and helping our body burn fat for fuel.

The idea that we need to be going hard with cardio workouts and limiting our calories is outdated and old school! Excessive cardio and limiting your calorie intake can tax your adrenals and cause a shift in cortisol levels, which signals your body to enter “fat conservation mode”. We’re not saying your workouts shouldn’t include cardio – they definitely should! But there are factors we need to be mindful of to ensure we’re getting the most of it and reaping the benefits.

7 simple ways to optimize your workouts and get a flatter stomach

Here’s what you can do to optimize your workouts and support your fitness goals as we get closer to summer:

1. Practice active recovery

In order to repair micro-tears, restore glycogen fuel stores, and ensure our muscles are recovering properly, it’s essential for our body to rest. If we don’t, our muscles can actually weaken from being tight and overused. This makes us more susceptible to injuries and depleted of energy when it’s time for our next workout. With that being said, a rest day doesn’t have to mean being a couch potato – It can still include moving our body, but we can engage in lower intensity physical activities such as walking, gentle Pilates, yoga, stretching or foam rolling – This is what we call active recovery!

2. Work smarter, not harder

This is our philosophy at TMB. It means incorporating slower, more focused movements that activate multiple fascial sleeves and muscle groups simultaneously, which will help you tone and sculpt three dimensionally. You can blow through 500 calories in a spin class, but it will also cause your cortisol levels to shift and for those of us who are already stressed, this can put the body in a catabolic state, which means it will start breaking down the muscle you’ve been trying to build.

3. Get into a “Gain” mindset

Let’s be honest, cardio culture is often built around tapping into our body insecurities to get us to lose more, get skinnier and sweat ourselves away. What if instead of focusing on losing, we focused on gaining? If cardio is something you truly enjoy doing, try switching your mindset away from that negative “less-than” self-talk to empowering reasons like building endurance, releasing endorphins and fostering mobility.

4. Stress less

Stress leads to a rise of cortisol in the body and when cortisol metabolism is imbalanced, you could have a tougher time losing weight. One way to balance your cortisol levels is by engaging in daily relaxation techniques that put you in a calm, meditative state. Research shows that simple things such as meditation, yoga, an Epsom salts bath, and breath work are all beneficial ways to de-stress and put your mind/body at ease. Try setting a timer on your phone to remind yourself to take 3 deep breaths daily!

5. Schedule your workouts appropriately

Did you know that regular exercise can also promote a deeper, more restorative sleep? The problem is, we have to be careful of the timing of our exercise. If we exercise too close to bedtime (especially if it’s a high-intensity workout like cardio), it will get our adrenaline pumping, which can actually keep us awake and interfere with our sleep. While we always promote moving your body on a daily basis, try to exercise earlier in the day to prevent adrenaline and cortisol from affecting you at night and save the lighter exercises, like yoga and stretching, for the evening.

6. Choose the right exercise for your cycle phase

Ladies, listen up! Did you know that you can have more successful workouts if you plan them according to your cycle? The type of exercise you should be doing when you’re ovulating is different to what you should be doing in the days before your period. Studies show that days 7-14 of our cycle are when we have the most energy, so this is when we should engage in more intense workouts. Days 1-7 (menstruation), we’re better off practicing low intensity movements and sneaking in some active rest days.

7. Acupuncture Treatments

Many athletes and active individuals rely on acupuncture to support the function of their body. Not only does it minimize muscle and joint pain, but it also reduces inflammation, improves circulation, enhances energy, builds endurance and shifts us from our sympathetic state into a parasympathetic state. The former is the part of the nervous system responsible for our “fight or flight” functions, whereas the latter is our body’s “rest, digest and heal” mode.

About The Movement Boutique in Toronto – Pilates, Chiropractic, Functional Medicine

Located on Yonge Street in Toronto, The Movement Boutique serves the areas of Summerhill, Rosedale and Yorkdale with Pilates classes and much more. Our philosophy is centred on a holistic, multimodal approach to health, grounded in the latest therapeutic techniques and clinical research. Our approach: Optimal health cannot be attained through a single therapeutic lens; injuries are often the result of a constellation of lifestyle issues, including dysfunctional movement patterns, trauma, nutritional deficiencies or destructive habits of mind.

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What is intermittent fasting and how does it impact your health?

You’ve probably heard of intermittent fasting, right? Whether you read about it from a celebrity lifestyle site or overheard someone talking about it at a fitness class, we bet you’ve been curious about it. It’s one of the hottest trends in the wellness world lately, and for good reason! But as with all wellness trends it’s important to buckle down, do your research and understand the science before hopping on to the proverbial health bandwagon. Let’s dive in!

How do you do intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting is an eating cycle in which you go through periods of “fasting” and shorten the window in which you consume food. Although there are many ways to incorporate this process, one of the most popular ways to intermittently fast is to stop eating after your last meal of the day (let’s say dinner at 7pm, for example) and fast until the first meal of the day (breakfast). This will usually allow for a fasting period of 12-16 hours, the majority of which you’ll sleep through.

The intermittent fasting trend has been around for ages

Although it’s becoming increasingly popular among wellness gurus today, intermittent fasting isn’t a new concept. In fact, many cultures and religions have incorporated fasting practices in their society for centuries. Think about it – historically, people weren’t living by the “3 meals a day” concept with mindless snacking in between.

From an evolutionary standpoint, human beings evolved in periods where abundant amounts of food weren’t always readily available. Our ancestors didn’t have grocery stores and restaurants around the corner from their huts and caves. Instead they had to hunt and gather their food, and even lived through periods of famine where they were forced to fast and food sources were scarce.

Should you practice intermittent fasting?

There are many benefits that come with fasting and it’s been proven to be an effective method to improve overall health and wellness. For starters, it can significantly improve our gut health and digestion. Our migrating motor complex (MMC), a major factor in the digestion process, is only activated when our bodies are not digesting and are in a fasting state. This is the mechanism that scans our body, creating a “sweeping motion” to push food debris down to the large intestine. Think of it like a zamboni on the ice – it can only successfully do a “deep clean” of the ice if there isn’t anyone skating around!

Like anything else, however, bio-individuality comes into play, and what works for one person may not necessarily work for another. Women, for example, should practice intermittent fasting differently than men, because the results and side effects can vary.

How is intermittent fasting different for women and men?

Due to our hormones and menstrual cycles, the rules are a little different when it comes to intermittent fasting for us ladies. Because of this, fasting shouldn’t be practiced every day of the week, as doing so can throw our hormones out of whack. Moreover, it’s best for females to practice fasting through days 1-14 of a 28 day cycle. Studies have shown that it can even be helpful on the first day of a period to help mitigate any PMS symptoms!

It’s also important to keep in mind that there are certain factors than can affect a fast . If you have a heavy load of refined carbs or alcohol the day before, for example, your body might not have a positive reaction to intermittent fasting.

What are the benefits of intermittent fasting?

So what’s all of the buzz about? Science shows that there are numerous benefits our body experiences when we fast. Just like our cells, brain, organs and other mechanics of our body require sleep/rest in order to optimally function, so does our digestive system. Research has shown that intermittent fasting results in an increase of good gut bacteria, a decrease in insulin resistance and reduced inflammation. Here are some other scientifically proven benefits:

7 benefits of intermittent fasting

1. Boosts mitochondrial biogensis (the creation of new mitochondria)

Mitochondria provide the cells in our body with energy. All of our cells are powered by hundreds of mitochondria that act as “batteries” to help our body fulfill it’s functions. Their job is to take the food we consume and convert it into energy. When this happens, we have more brain power to complete tasks and tackle our day.

2. Reduces inflammation

Inflammation is the source of many health issues, including fatigue, skin irritation, low energy and digestive discomfort. Intermittent fasting stimulates autophagy, which is a process in which the body destroys old/damaged cells (that cause inflammation) as a way of repairing, cleansing and protecting itself. As a result, we experience less free radical damage and a boost in our overall health.

3. Supports weight loss

Intermittent fasting can help us burn fat by helping our metabolism to work more effectively. When we eat, our body uses glucose (sugar) as its primary source of energy and stores whatever is left over as glycogen. When there’s no glucose in our body, it begins breaking down the glycogen to use as fuel, and when this runs out (during a fasted state), it will begin to use fat as it’s main fuel source. This is also known as ketosis.

4. Increases energy

It turns out eating consistently throughout the day can be a recipe for fatigue, brain fog and low energy. Carbs, for example, are a great source of energy, but our body converts them into blood sugar, and after it’s either used up or stored, our blood sugar drops, taking our energy and mental clarity down with it. The difference with intermittentfasting is our body uses fat as it’s main source of fuel, which is digested at a slower rate and needs to be processed by the liver. With this process, there are no “rises” and “drops”, meaning we have more energy and generally feel better.

5. Improves digestion

Fasting is similar to rebooting a computer. Sometimes, when we have too many tabs open, our computer can freeze, and we don’t exactly know where the main issue is. But if we turn it off and re-start it, more often than not it starts working again. Fasting is a great way to give our system a “reboot”, and it allow it to take a break from digesting & assimilating food. In the long term, this can actually improve digestion, limit inflammation, promote healthy gut flora, decrease bloating and more.

6. Enhances immunity

Do you ever notice that when you’re sick your stop eating or just don’t eat as much? When we’re fighting infection, our human instinct is to focus on resting and our body looks for ways to reduce internal stress so it can use it’s energy on beating the bug. Whenever we eat, our immune system kicks into gear to scan our food for any threats, so fasting allows our immune system to rest and preserve it’s energy. Since fasting also stimulates autophagy processes old damaged cells are destroyed, ultimately making our immune system stronger.

7. Optimizes brain function

As we age, there’s less blood flow/circulation to the brain and our neurons actually get smaller, which can affect things like memory and focus. Research has shown that intermittent fasting actually protects our brain cells from regeneration, helping us to stay mentally sharp, boosting our memory and protecting us from diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

About The Movement Boutique in Toronto – Pilates, Chiropractic, Functional Medicine

Located on Yonge Street in Toronto, The Movement Boutique serves the areas of Summerhill, Rosedale and Yorkdale with Pilates classes and much more. Our philosophy is centred on a holistic, multimodal approach to health, grounded in the latest therapeutic techniques and clinical research. Our approach: Optimal health cannot be attained through a single therapeutic lens; injuries are often the result of a constellation of lifestyle issues, including dysfunctional movement patterns, trauma, nutritional deficiencies or destructive habits of mind.

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