Yerba mate (YERB-ah mah-TAY) is a South American tea packed full of amazing benefits. Rich in antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, here are 4 reasons why you should be drinking Yerba Mate:

1. Enhances Your Ability to Focus Increase your mental energy without any side effects associated with caffeine. Yerba mate also helps reduce stress and insomnia.

2. Enhances Physical Endurance Yerba Mate boosts your metabolism to make your body use carbohydrates more efficiently. This means you’ll get more energy from the food you eat. You’ll also burn more of the calories your body has stored in fat cells when you drink yerba mate tea regularly.

3. Aids Digestion Yerba mate helps keep your colon clean for effective and efficient waste elimination.

4. Helps You Control Your Weight Yerba mate helps you feel fuller longer! Combining yerba mate with a healthy diet and regular exercise can help boost your metabolism to burn more calories.

Lance Pace, www.omnicareforpeopleathome.com

1) Define for you what is really necessary to get done. Make a priority list of 5 things every day. Add more as you cross off the list.  Add an activity daily wherever you need balance like exercise, family time, you time.

2) Find you own way of doing and delegating what is needed. Try new strategies that you haven’t implemented before. Be self focussed without being self absorbed.

3) Know you have done your best even if the result is less than perfect. Time is precious so consider how perfect things have to be. Take exercise for example, better to get the gear on and get on with it than waste time planning the perfect execution.

4) Take pride in knowing what you know and work with what you’ve got.

5) Hang out with people who care about you.

Roxanne Derkson, RMT GCFP
www.vivitherapy.com

If you are suffering from pain after sports, treatment options are endless. If your nervous system is not functioning properly then your body is not able to produce pain-free movement, even if the structures of the body are in working order. You experience painful movement with chronic injuries because the nervous system isn’t working properly, not necessarily because of physical damage. A dysfunction in the nervous system results in a disconnect between muscles and the central nervous system, causing not only pain but also weakness and the inability to move properly. One of the best, and most researched, therapies to treat chronic pain is contemporary electroacupuncture (also known as neurofunctional acupuncture) because of its multi-level effect in the central nervous system.  It resets your nervous system so that it stops overreacting to normal stimuli, which helps reduce pain more effectively.

Dr. Ross Ralph, Dr.TCM, RAc., DO(MP) Certified Advance Neurofunctional Acupuncture Sports Performance Specialist
Courtenay Healing Centre
www.courtenayhealingcentre.ca

Not surprisingly, many resolutions involve money issues, whether it’s sticking to a budget, paying off debt, or saving for the future. All of these resolutions are doable – with careful planning, realistic expectations, patience and hard work.  Here are a few tips when considering starting a budget:  When calculating monthly expenses, don’t forget the small things. Spending $3 a day on lattes adds up to over $1,000 a year. That’s a lot of extra money in your pocket! Change your spending habits. It’s a simple thought that most of us have already heard (over, and over again), but really, try to be mindful of your spending! Think about bringing your lunch to work a few days a week, taking public transit, and even leaving that debit card at home! Most of us don’t realize how much the little things add up. It’s all about changing your spending habits – and being more mindful.

Derek Chase & Associates

As the New Year begins, we all begin to anticipate our yearly resolutions. One goal that always seems to top the list? Weight loss! For most overweight dogs and cats, we can usually blame free-feeding and lack of exercise, though there can be some medical reasons why our pets are struggling with extra pounds. Pets’ lifestyles tend to reflect our own. We come home after work, head to the sofa…sitcoms & snacks. Burger & fries with Fido? Be aware of recommended daily caloric intake by using a measuring cup for food, and some treats can add up to an entire day’s caloric values! Don’t free feed; stick to a breakfast and dinner plan. Commit to daily exercise- 30 minutes (or longer) walking with our dogs, or using interactive toys with our cats. Please feel free to talk with your vet about successful weight loss plans for our furry family members!

Puntledge Veterinary Clinic , www.puntledgevet.ca