After my 800 kilometer Camino walk through Spain this past May, I reported having lost 15 pounds. It’s possibly not a majorly difficult achievement to lose weight walking between 25 and 35 kilometres each day. My biggest fear is how I would progress once I returned to a less rigorous exercise routine. 

Here are just a few thoughts on coffee - such an important start of the day for so many. I buy unroasted organic green coffee beans when I am down in Mexico. On a baking tray, I spread out enough beans in a single layer to last about three days. Then I place them in an oven at 450 degrees F for fifteen minutes. The result is coffee even richer in antioxidant properties than an orange. Freshly roasted coffee also lacks the bitterness common in the store-bought variety. Is coffee good for us? There are usually two different answers so I will briefly state them in point form.

Just after the Canadian Thanksgiving celebration, I am feeling very grateful for all the positive things that I have in my life. I have my family, my health and I have a vocation that I truly love. I have been practising as a shiatsu and massage therapist now for more than 21 years. Above all, I have a loyal clientele that have supported me in my journey so that I could make a livelihood. I offer you all a very big thank you. I will try to keep you in good health and will share with you any new learnings that may be relevant.

Now that summer is over and the return to a more structured routine, the following blog may help you plan your childrens’ lunch time meals so that they receive the nutrition that they need for growing minds and bodies. Gwen was for many years the nutritionist at my old location of Healing on the Danforth.

Reblogged by kind permission by Gwen Calleya-Cortis, MA, RHN (Registered Holistic Nutritionist)

Very seldom, if ever, does a massage or shiatsu therapy treatment session work exclusively on the physical plain. There is always a component of the emotional. Perhaps you don't need to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.

http://massreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/emotional-pain-chart-lo...

In a couple of weeks it will be two months since my return from walking the Camino and, so far I have managed to keep off the 15 pounds that I lost on this 800 kilometer journey through Spain. It can easily be explained by the exercise of walking. So often, people lose weight by following a specific diet or exercise routine but then gain it back very soon after stopping. Well, mine was a diet of exercise: walking between 25 and 35 kilometers a day for 5 weeks. Along the way, I still enjoyed the bread and copious amounts of good wines from the Rioja district and elsewhere.

In a previous blog entry several years ago, I reported several years ago that I had come back from Mexico to find that my blood pressure was elevated to 155/95, or thereabouts. (120/80 is normal) In consultation with my GP, I wanted to treat it naturally without resorting to conventional medication. By increasing my cardiovascular workout and taking supplements that included additional Vitamin C, Hawthorn berries in a tea, Magnesium, Coenzyme Q10, I effectively brought it under control - more or less, but enough to satisfy my doctor.

Spring is a great time for rejuvenation both physically and mentally. Accordingly, Tim, our massage and shiatsu therapist will be away from the clinic from April 23rd until June 10th walking the Camino for his second time. 

At last a blog entry that doesn't need many words of introduction. The cartoon explains all. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLwIP8cBaWA

I’ve mentioned many times in previous blogs that Spring is the time when we do our planting. If you didn’t follow through on New Year resolutions to attend to your wellness program this winter - especially this last intensely cold one, then you can be forgiven. Winter is a time for hibernation. Now that the snow is rapidly disappearing, it’s time to correct that imbalance and gain strength and flexibility so that you can enjoy the coming spring, summer and its accompanying outdoor activities.