Muscle health is key to your overall health and wellness. The health of your muscles is affected by nutrition, lifestyle, and activity levels. Inactivity is the biggest contributor which may result in low muscle mass and decreased strength, and function. Want to change your outcome? Start by knowing where you’re at. A baseline litmus test can assess how you sit to stand, how fast your gait is, and your overall strength and endurance. The key to a winning strategy is to be proactive about your heath! Decrease sedentary time, increase leisure activity, and have structured exercise. You only get one body – so it’s important to keep it in working order!

When working out, you may find yourself gravitating towards more intense forms of exercise, but taking things back to the building blocks of movement has its merits too. You can support both how you feel and move, prevent injury, and revolutionize what you get out of your workouts. Practicing gentler movement and attending massage therapy can help you connect with your body’s needs and tendencies. Rather than building strength on a house of cards, develop good muscle coordination and create a solid foundation.

Dustin Kseniuk is a practicing LPN who graduated from nursing school with honours from Discovery Community College in July 2018. He also has advanced footcare training with PEDEducation through the University of the Fraser Valley. Originally from Saskatchewan, Dustin moved to the island in 2014 and has been working as a nurse and living in Courtenay since 2018. Dustin started his business to provide nail trimming and filing, callus and corn reduction, complete lower limb assessment, as-needed referrals, and much more from the comfort of clients’ homes. The business is fully insured and provides easy access to professional footcare.

Did you know that up to 80% of premature cardiovascular disease is preventable with a healthy lifestyle? Yet, heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in men. Here are my top lifestyle recommendations to prevent heart disease: (1) eat a plant based diet including fruits, veggies, fiber, beans/lentils, nuts/seeds, and whole grains. Keep sugar to a minimum. Check out the heart healthy mediterranean diet (2) quit smoking (3) get up and move every 30 mins (4) limit your alcohol (5) learn to manage your stress with meditation or yoga (6) get regular health screens to check your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.

Research has shown that acupuncture may specifically benefit symptoms of stress by deactivating the ‘analytical’ brain, which is responsible for anxiety and worry. Acupuncture can help the body relax in a variety of ways, including 1) prompting the parasympathetic nervous system to release signals for relaxation; 2) improving the heart rate variability, which helps the body cope with stress; 3) calming the hypothalamus, which releases neurochemicals when we are under stress; and 4) helping with the flow of endorphins, the body’s own “feel good” chemicals. If you have any questions, book your free 20 minute consultation online at RedSageWellness.com. Kayla Storkson, R. Ac Registered Acupuncturist, Red Sage Wellness.

Q: My sister-in-law said she had a stroke in her eye. Is this really a thing? A: Yes – if you can imagine a stroke as interrupted blood flow to the brain, the same problem can occur to the nerve tissue within the eye when an artery in the retina becomes blocked. This can result in some vision loss, but more importantly can be an indicator of other unhealthy arteries in the body.

Brain function is vital to your quality of life. Whether you have an injured brain, an aging brain, or a perfectly healthy brain that you want to make even better, there are numerous tools available to help boost your brainpower. The interdisciplinary team at Broken Squirrel Wellness is passionate about brain health and can prescribe a variety of options to suit your needs. We have everything from mindfulness and meditation to somatics and yoga classes supplemented by mental health therapies and nutritional practices to support happy, healthy neurons (and a happy, healthy YOU). Come check us out at the Collective Building at 445 10th Street.

“AFA” is Amino acid Filaggrin based Antioxidants. Filaggrin is a protein in your skin. It is a natural moisturizer, containing amino acids capable of increasing the water-holding capacity of the skin. AFA peeling utilizes these valuable amino acids to promote healthier and brighter skin. AFA’s can benefit all skin types and are an ideal peel option for people with sensitive skin as well as those who suffer from rosacea, as there is little to no “down time” with AFA peeling. Other benefits include greater moisture retention, anti-aging benefits, reduction of hyper-pigmentation, deep exfoliation and less irritation than other chemical peels.