Some Of My Favorite Educational Health Videos.....

Here are a few very powerful and informative health related documentaries that may be of interest to you.
These videos deal with anything from obesity, to organic food, to how the government and Big Pharma are the big guys behind our health care system and food chains.
Now you decide if you want to learn more about these documentaries...I actually bought Food Inc. at our local Winners a couple of weeks ago for $7...unbelievable price for so much information...eye-opening really.
You will want to learn and hear more about what is really going on in our day to day lives and who really has control of our health and welfare.
These videos have truly helped me turn my life around in the last three years and I can honestly say that I look at the world with a whole new outlook. If you have no clue where to begin to find all of these wonderful documentaries, this could serve as a great starting point. Once you realize for yourself what is really going on everyday, you will want to make positive changes to better your life as well.

 "Beautiful Truth"
Max Gerson  was a German physician who developed the "Gerson Therapy", an alternative dietary therapy which he claimed could cure cancer and most chronic, degenerative diseases. However, when Gerson's claims were independently evaluated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), it was concluded that his data showed no benefit from his treatment.The therapy is considered scientifically unsupported. Today so many people are turning to his natural and more humane method to heal themselves of cancer.

This next video is "Food Matters" it is a 2008 documentary film about nutrition, exploring malnutrition and  cancer causes.The film promotes vitamins and a raw food diet; other claims are depression treated with vitamin B3 (niacin) and cancer cured with vitamin C. This video is well put together for everyone to understand.

"The Future of Food" is a 2004 American documentary film which makes an in-depth investigation into unlabelled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have made their way onto grocery stores in the United States for the past decade.
It voices the opinions of farmers in disagreement with the food industry and details the impacts on their lives and livelihoods from this new technology, and shines a light on the market and political forces that are changing what we eat.

"Prescription for Disaster" is just one small step in alerting people what is at stake the next time they watch a drug advertisement on television. It is so easy to become addicted to these drugs that always have so many side-effects...some as dangerous as "death". Our society has become puppets that just keep going through the revolving door of more drugs and sickness.We are eating out of Big Pharma's hands and this is exactly what they want and need to survive.They certainly don't care about our health , all they care about is numbers and profit. This has to end!!!Watch this next video to see that it is all really about....very important information. 

"Fresh" features a cast of real life characters who literally spend every minute of every day inspiring the world to change our relationship with food  By examining the massive flaws of fast food and superstores, it proved that eating local and organic is truly the answer to long term physical and planetary health.

So there you have it a few of my favorite videos....I have so many more of them to share with you. We sometimes have to look outside of the box to understand what is really going on around us.Our society is just always so willing to just be a follower and never ask questions...never rock the boat.We have to take a stand and make the big guys realize that we will not just sit down and take it...we are going to be well-informed citizens that are able to stand on their own two feet and make great healthy decisions for themselves and their loved one. We have to think about our future generation...we have to leave it in better shape for them.

Stay healthy!!!

Sylvie Thibert

Seniors' Playgrounds....

Well, whoever thought of this is a very smart individual. This has to be the best thing since sliced bread for sure.These seniors can step onto a low-tech outdoor stair climber, stabilize themselves on a handrail and rotate a set of foot pedals.This is the first of its kind in Canada, there are already a couple of them in Great Britain and Beijing. This is all part of a new fitness revolution to help keep seniors active for a long time.

The starting price for this amazing idea is $150,000 Canadian. Each part of the circuit is geared for specific parts of the body, especially arm and leg movement. The project is a great step forward in the quest to keep seniors moving.

A project coordinator with the Lions Club in Delta B.C., said he got the idea for a senior-specific wellness park after a colleague visited a similar facility in Beijing. After personally visiting that park for himself ,he returned to Canada determined to bring the concept to his home community. With  help from the city council and community fundraising, Tsawwassen's Winskill Park was a dream come true. What a great way to invest money back into the community.

The location is perfect,because the surrounding area is largely seniors' housing. He wanted them out mingling  with each other, interacting and  exercising. He strongly feels that exercising will just make them live longer, there's no doubt about that. The playground just for seniors makes perfect sense.  The province has the most active elderly people in the country, but it also has the oldest population of any province west of Quebec.To meet the specific needs of seniors, they enlisted the human kinetics department of a local University.

After surveying the needs of the local population, professors and their recreation leadership class opted to focus on fall prevention, flexibility and strength training. The sturdy, simple green contraptions installed at the park include the "pod step," a series of platforms at various heights, the "ramp walk," a gently sloping track, and a balance beam a few centimetres high with built-in hand rails. This year five more machines will arrive, now how cool is this???

Click on the video below to see a Seniors' Wellness Park in the UK...you will start seeing the specialized equipment for the seniors at the 1 minute 31 seconds mark....worth watching...looks like fun...and notice that at the beginning of the video the gramma is pushing the grandson, which is also helping to keep her body in good shape....what a neat concept...

We usually invest dollars for the children in the community and rarely think of the needs of our senior citizens. They need to move as well if not more than children. The more active they are, the more fresh air they will get and less isolated they will feel.We tend to see growing old as a negative but if you are still feeling good and healthy at 85 yrs. old there is really no reason that you cannot continue an active lifestyle both physically and mentally. They go hand in hand really and a park like this gets our seniors outside daily, getting their vitamin D and keeping their minds and bodies active to help maintain a well rounded routine. This would surely help diminish loneliness and boredom. It allows them the opportunity to meet friends and share stories.

When we are surrounded by family and friends, we have conversations and  it helps us get through everyday struggles and challenges and it keeps the mind young. It makes us feel like we are not alone and that there is always someone there to listen to us. Lets respect our elders and give them the chance to stay young at heart as well. I personally feel that this is the greatest idea and I congratulate whoever came up with this excellent concept to make these wise individuals feel appreciated and part of our society.

An active mind is a healthy mind....why not give them this chance???

Stay healthy!!!

Sylvie Thibert

Village On A Diet.....

Dr. Zentner is an obesity expert who is part of the new CBC reality series Village on a Diet. The series began the first of 10 episodes on  Monday, Jan. 3, 2011. It focuses on the isolated northern community of Taylor, B.C. The citizens of which have vowed to lose one ton of collective weight in three months.
Taylor has a 60% rate of obesity, whereas in Canada overall we're at 30 or 35%.
Dr. Zentner knows of what she speaks on a personal level, as she used to be 170 pounds heavier than she is today. She states that our government spends 5% of health care dollars on prevention, and one in three Canadians is a prevention nightmare waiting to happen.She figures that the government is not going to do anything about it, so she will do whatever health promotion to get the word out.
One of the most striking scenes in the first episode of Village on a Diet is a family passing around a massive jug of gravy at the dinner table.
Village on a Diet will probably not change your life, but will definitely change your way of looking at the lifestyle that you are living daily....no better time than the present to start making positive changes in your daily routine to help you live the best life ever!!!

The show's goal:

To help a town shed weight, get into shape and pump up its passion for a healthier lifestyle. The residents of Taylor didn't want to come off as the silly hicks from northeast B.C. who don't know any better than to not eat the triple cheeseburger. The producers assured them that was not going to be the show's intent. Taylor, B.C., a community of  1,400 people was chosen (out of 6 potential communities) because of its daily challenges. Adding the fact that this community is so remote that they have a 24-hour McDonald's nearby but no grocery store? You can follow their incredible journey every Monday at 9pm on CBC, cheer for them and send them your positive vibes!!!!

Click on the video below to view the trailer of Village on a Diet...

This next interview is with Jamie Oliver (Food Revolution)....it is very interesting and he also gives an update of Huntington and how that town has made wonderful changes to better their lives as a community. How the whole community is making an effort to better their lives (hospitals, town councils, school programs....). Nice to see that they put everything that they've learned about nutrition and healthy eating to their advantage and this will definitely improve the outcome of their future generations. There are plans for Food Revolution II which I personally can't wait to see!!!

Stay Healthy!!!

Sylvie Thibert

Who Are We To Judge?????

Meet Ted Williams, a 53 year old homeless man that has become famous overnight. This man had made bad choices in his life , drugs and alcohol and one thing led to another and he lost everything. Watch how quickly he becomes someone that everyone wants a part of....this guy will become a millionaire for sure and finally live a life of dreams....

Get the whole story right here (click below).....such an inspiration to all of us for sure
....has already had over 5,000,000 hits on You Tube.

He has been paid $10,000 to make 4 voice overs for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese commercials....
Click on the video below to see Ted putting it all together....such talent!!!

You have to watch this touching moment when he finaly meets his 90 year old mom after 20 years. His only wish was that he wanted for her to see that he had rebounded and that he was on the right track in life again.

   

Now this has to teach us that its never too late to live out your dreams. Sure life will throw us some challenges and hardships but we have to try to find the positive and a higher power when we are down to help us get out of that rut.

This is an amazing story of courage and determination and I'm sure it touches everyone of us and makes us realize that some people really don't have it easy in life. We have to stop looking down on the homeless and stop judging them. These people come from all walks of life and we have no idea what brought them to where they are today (depression, mental illness, bankruptcy, tragedy???).

The following movie trailer "Pursuit of Happyness" starring Will Smith and his real life son has to be one of the greatest movies made on this subject. It is so realistic and really makes us see the daily struggles of the homeless. The daily stress of when their next meal will come, where they will sleep tonight, if the streets are safe tonight??? What a horrifying life to face everyday...

We have to be unselfish and  feel the pain of others and try to make their cross a little less heavy to bear. Instead of judging them, lets try to make planet earth a better place to live in 2011....

Just to finish this blog off on a positive note, you can check out this next movie trailer that is really worth watching as well "Conversations with God"...a true gem....

Enjoy and stay healthy...

Sylvie Thibert

New Year Resolution!!!!

As the New Year begins, quite a few of us choose "dieting" and "exercising" as a the #1 resolution.
This has to be for a good reason, it has to be a life changing commitment , you have to be willing to make the change permanently...your body will thank you.
You have to let your body know that you are willing to give it all of the best always. Not just because you are getting married, you are going on holidays, your daughter is getting married etc....it has to be something that you are willing to promise yourself forever.
When choosing a resolution make sure that it is an attainable one, create some realistic goals that are possible to reach. Try to live it in a way that doesn't abuse your body (like extreme work-outs 7 days a week or eating one apple a day???).
You have to let your body know that it will always have good healthy food choices coming to it each day (eat 6 times a day, three main meals and three snacks). That you will also give it plenty of water, good nutrients and vitamins, great tasting organic food and lots of rest. Don't forget that relaxation, pampering and reasonable exercising does a body good as well.
We rarely take the time to make ourselves #1. Why don't you try my resolution ( I call it more a way of life).This is the one that I personally choose every year and it seems to work for me.

"I promise to give my body the best that I can give it (it is the most important tool that I have , God gave it to me and I have to respect it). I promise to eat a good balanced diet and exercise regularly (to relieve daily stressors and help myself stay in good form). I promise to love and respect my family and friends (they are the most important beings in my life). I promise to try to do something that can better the lives of others (cooking seminars).

There you go, these are all attainable and realistic goals and I know that I can achieve every one of them if I maintain a good well-balanced healthy lifestyle...go ahead and try it you will see that you get out of life what you put into it....

Click on the following videos to learn more about how we have become a society that consumes way too many calories, when healthier alternatives are always there in front of us daily. These videos are real eye-openers and make us realize how easy it is to put on the pounds without realizing it and how the big companies that profit from this everyday just keep getting a fatter wallet and are laughing all the way to the bank.

Stay healthy and best of luck in 2011, may all of your dreams come true!!!

Sylvie Thibert