I was recently asked if I wanted to review the Floating Comfort Pillow by Mediflow.  The product is also Canadian! And you guys know how much I love supporting Canadian products!

Being an athlete and coach I know the importance of sleep. It helps me with my recovery from my hard workouts so my rest is of high importance to me. Obviously I had to say yes! They quickly shipped me over one and I have been using it for about two weeks straight.

What is it and how does it work?

The secret is in the Mediflow pillow’s supportive waterbase.  Not only is it fully adjustable to any desired level of comfort but it also provides responsive support as you sleep.  No more waking to fill and stuff when you change sleeping positions.  The waterbase adjusts as you move to maintain proper alignment of the head and neck.

More about the pillow?

 

The Floating Comfort Pillow by Mediflow, the only pillow clinically proven to improve the quality of sleep.

The Floating Comfort Pillow features an exclusive waterbase technology that provides responsive support by adapting to the shape of your head and neck as you move during sleep. No matter which way you lay, your head and neck remain in proper alignment, creating a totally different kind of sleeping experience.

Here’s more:

> It’s the only pillow clinically proven to improve the quality of sleep, as noted by a peer-reviewed study conducted at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

> Benefits include deeper sleep (no more waking up to fluff your pillow!) and a reduction in neck pain

> It’s customizable. Choose your preferred filling (fiber, foam and feather) and level of comfort – just fill the pillow with tap water until you reach your desired amount of firmness

> Invented in Canada and ranked #1 selling pillow in six countries (USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France and China)

> Over 5 million sold – reaching #1 on global e-commerce platforms including Amazon, Shopify, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Alibaba with consistent 4+ Star reviews

> Reached #1 Bestseller in Amazon Home & Kitchen during July 2017 among 24,163,959 items

We are supposed to spend about 1/3 of our lives sleeping, so help your loved ones disconnect with cutting edge technology. The Floating Comfort Pillow by Mediflow MSRP is only $49.99, but the benefits are priceless. For more information, visit www.mediflow.com.

I absolutely love my new pillow and I would recommend it to anyone who needs support for their head and neck at night! The best part is that you can customize and adjust it to the support you need! Thanks Mediflow for allowing me to test and review your product!

 

 

LOVE YOU BOOK INTERVIEW – PINK PEARL PR

Why I Wrote ‘Love You’ – Lorna Jane Clarkson

 

Australia's iconic award-winning technical fashion brand designer, Lorna Jane Clarkson, releases her fifth book, Love You.

 

Fresh from the first leg of her book tour, we sat down with our one and only leading lady and wellness pioneer, Lorna Jane Clarkson, to gain a personal insight into her latest book, ‘Love You’.

 

Interview Questions:

 

What is Love You about?

 

Essentially ‘Love You” is about the incredible power and positivity you can bring in to your life when you decide to love and believe in yourself.

 

Why did you write Love You?

 

LOVE YOU is my 5th book and surprisingly not one that I set out to intentionally write.

 

For the past 18 months I’ve been running an Active Schools program for young girls where we teach the importance of loving and believing in yourself and the more I spoke about this message and saw how much it resonated not only with the students but with their teachers and their parents – I just knew that it was something that ALL women would benefit from.

 

I wanted to write about self-love because I wanted to inspire women to stop and think about where they are going with their lives, to instil in them the importance of taking care of themselves and to show them that they CAN bring about positive change in their lives.

 

I believe that self-love is important because everything good in your life starts with how YOU think and feel about yourself and I want to encourage ALL women to invest in themselves, back themselves, challenge themselves and ultimately love and believe in themselves enough to create a life that they love.

 

In this book, I talk about self-love and self-belief, the importance of authenticity and that making mistakes is inevitable and ultimately how we learn and move forward in life. I share the real stories of my personal journey (warts and all!), the daily rituals that keep me on track despite my busy schedule and what I do to take care of myself both physically and mentally so that I can live my life at 100%.

 

How did you come up with the title?

Honestly, I’m usually at least half way through a book before the title starts to emerge and it’s not until I begin writing the introduction (which is usually after I have decided on all of the content) that I start to seriously think about what the title should be.

 

I decided on LOVE YOU because I wanted the message to be crystal clear to the reader as soon as she saw the book. I also wanted her to feel loved when she received the book – so the title also serves as an “I love you” message from me and the Lorna Jane team.

 

Why do you think self-love is so important?

 

I know from my own personal experience just how important self-love is, because how you think and feel about yourself has a direct impact on your life. Without self-love, you can’t have self-belief and without self-belief and self-confidence it’s almost impossible to reach your full potential in anything that you do.

 

I think right now is the perfect time to focus on YOU and what you are doing with your life instead of getting caught up in what everyone else is doing and comparing their seemingly perfect lives with yours.  Social media and our obsession with celebrity is taking our focus away from being WHO we are and taking our attention away from what we want to do with our lives. I think we need to stop seeking likes on social media and start to like ourselves. Spend less time looking at other people’s lives and start working on where we want to go with our own lives instead!

 

When you decide to love and believe in yourself, your whole world changes for the better and I want every woman to know this and understand how she can take back her power.

 

Why was this book difficult to write?

 

Honestly, it was tough to write because it was so personal. It’s a well-known fact that the media can be tough on people in the spotlight and I have certainly felt that over the last few years. There are more and more ‘click-bait’ headlines and they often lead to or report on unfounded and misleading facts.  I haven’t spoken about it publicly before, but these were difficult times for me that played havoc with my self-confidence. I felt too scared to do or say anything, especially when I learnt that ‘no comment’ wasn’t really an option either.

 

I started to doubt myself and what I was doing with my life and had to find a way to re-gain my own self love and self-confidence as well as the fearlessness and ability to be open and honest that I had lost. When I was writing this book I started thinking about all the other women out there that may have gone through something similar in their lives causing them to lose their confidence, and wouldn’t it be great if I could somehow use the stories of my journey to help them overcome their fears, find self-love and get back on track to creating an amazing life for themselves.

 

Why did you feel the need to share so many personal stories in this book?

 

I think that it’s important for people to know what it really takes to live with passion and purpose – of course I want to inspire women to follow their dreams like I did, but I also want them to know that it can (and will) be hard sometimes.

 

I think by telling my ‘own’ personal stories it allows me to share with the reader what I believe are the key ingredients to move forward towards success in their lives. What it actually takes to step out of your comfort zone and make change. And that it’s perfectly okay for people to think that you are crazy!

 

In this book I also talk about the daily rituals that I know have carried me through the most difficult times. That taking care of your health both physically and mentally is always important, and that anything truly is possible when you make the commitment to LOVE and believe in yourself every day.

 

My stories teach you that nothing worthwhile is easy. Building something important takes time. That without passion you will never begin, without courage, you will falter and without drive and determination you will never finish.

 

What is it really like to work with your husband Bill?

 

Everyone is saying ‘surround yourself with good people’ so it confuses me when they’re surprised that so many of my friends and family work with me at Lorna Jane! I mean why wouldn’t you want to chase your dreams and build something with the people that you love?

 

Right now, the official count is – one best friend, one brother-in-law, a school friend of Bill’s, two sister-in-law’s, one brother, one husband and one dog … and quite honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way.  I love working with my husband and YES we do argue (a lot!) but it just never seems to affect our personal life or how we feel about each other.

 

I think that the people you spend time with is important – and It’s nice to know that you can trust each other, that there is a genuine human connection and that we have each other’s best interests at heart.  Working with family certainly works for me, but I’m not going to say it will work for everyone!

 

What is your ultimate dream for females around the world?

 

I think that right now is an amazing time in history for women, and I want every one of them to know that they have the power to bring positive change into their lives, to reach their full potential, to be fearless and make a difference big or small in the world.

 

To pre-order your signed copy, visit Lorna Jane.

 

Lorna Jane is available to buy in stores in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto, in 45 Sport Chek retail locations across Canada, online at sportchek.ca and online at lornajane.com

 

 

Join the conversation!

#movenourishbelieve

#lornajane

 

Facebook: @lornajaneactivecanada

Twitter: @LornaJaneActive

Instagram: @lornajaneactive

 

 

About Lorna Jane

 

Lorna Jane began in 1989 when Lorna Jane Clarkson sewed her first one-off design

at her home in Brisbane, Australia. Since then, Lorna Jane has transformed her fashion vision into a world-leading activewear brand with over 250 stores worldwide and a connected community of over 3 million women embracing Lorna’s personal philosophy of Active Living.

 

The technical fashion label designed for women by women provides the perfect mix of fashion and function. Lorna Jane delivers active, innovative and inspirational activewear that aims to inspire all women to lead an active and fulfilling life.

 

 

 

Australian Technical Fashion Brand Lorna Jane Now Available at Sport Chek Stores Across Canada

 

Lorna Jane Expands Across Canadian Market with New Partnership at Sport Chek, Canada’s Largest Sporting Goods Retailer

 

October 2, 2017 (Vancouver, BC) – Australia's iconic award-winning technical fashion brand, Lorna Jane, has recently launched in Canada and is available for purchase in Sport Chek stores across Canada and online at sportchek.ca

 

Since opening their first Canadian Lorna Jane store in Calgary in November 2016, the proven demand for fashionable and functional activewear saw the opening of a showroom in Vancouver last December and a second store recently in Toronto.

 

Less than a year after their Canadian launch, Australian active lifestyle trailblazer, Lorna Jane, has expanded with products now available to purchase at Sport Chek, Canada’s largest retailer of sports clothing and sports equipment. The full range of products including sports bras, leggings, and tanks is now available at 45 Sport Chek stores across Canada.

 

Founder of Lorna Jane, Lorna Jane Clarkson said, “It’s exciting! We aren’t just onboarding another stockist, we are making the brand accessible to so many more women worldwide and in turn introducing them to our renowned Active Living Philosophy, that continues to inspire women across the globe to constantly strive for more and live at 100%”.

 

The Lorna Jane brand is widely recognized as an extension of Clarkson’s personal philosophy of active living, achieved through the daily practice of ‘Move, Nourish, Believe’. This philosophy allows Lorna Jane to uphold its brand promise to motivate and inspire women to live their best life.

 

“It’s humbling and a credit to everyone involved in the brand that we are making such great inroads in challenging times. In tough times, great brands can flourish and that is just what we will continue to do by keeping the customer at the heart of our business,” stated Clarkson.

 

Lorna Jane is available to buy in stores in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto, in 45 Sport Chek retail locations across Canada, online at sportchek.ca and online at lornajane.com

 

Join the conversation!

#movenourishbelieve

#lornajane

 

Facebook: @lornajaneactivecanada

Twitter: @LornaJaneActive

Instagram: @lornajaneactive

 

About Lorna Jane

 

Lorna Jane began in 1989 when Lorna Jane Clarkson sewed her first one-off design

at her home in Brisbane, Australia. Since then, Lorna Jane has transformed her fashion vision into a world-leading activewear brand with over 250 stores worldwide and a connected community of over 3 million women embracing Lorna’s personal philosophy of Active Living.

 

The technical fashion label designed for women by women provides the perfect mix of fashion and function. Lorna Jane delivers active, innovative and inspirational activewear that aims to inspire all women to lead an active and fulfilling life.

Technical Fashion Brand Designer Lorna Jane Clarkson Releases Fifth Book, Love You

 

October 2, 2017 (Vancouver, BC) - Australia's iconic award-winning technical fashion brand designer, Lorna Jane Clarkson, is set to release her fifth book, Love You.

 

The inspiring 22-page handbook will be available through Lorna Jane stores nationwide as well as an exclusive signed edition online. In this heartfelt book, Clarkson opens up about what it takes to run a successful business, how you can master your own potential and how to stay healthy no matter how busy life gets.

 

Love You is without a doubt Clarkson’s most intimate and compelling work yet. Readers will have the opportunity to delve into the ‘real life’ of the woman behind the brand, Lorna Jane, and experience their very own journey of self-love, self-discovery and self-belief.

 

“As women, we can be our own worst enemies. We get so caught up in the things we don’t like about ourselves that we forget how amazing we actually are. You can’t have a great relationship with anyone whether it’s a partner, a work colleague or even a family member, if you don’t first and foremost have a good relationship with yourself and that’s exactly what Love You is all about,” said Clarkson.

 

Learn Clarkson’s secrets to Active Living in a whole new way and uncover some of her most personal untold stories, never before heard.

 

To pre-order your signed copy, visit Lorna Jane.

 

Lorna Jane is available to buy in stores in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto, in 45 Sport Chek retail locations across Canada, online at sportchek.ca and online at lornajane.com

 

 

Join the conversation!

#movenourishbelieve

#lornajane

 

Facebook: @lornajaneactivecanada

Twitter: @LornaJaneActive

Instagram: @lornajaneactive

 

 

About Lorna Jane

 

Lorna Jane began in 1989 when Lorna Jane Clarkson sewed her first one-off design

at her home in Brisbane, Australia. Since then, Lorna Jane has transformed her fashion vision into a world-leading activewear brand with over 250 stores worldwide and a connected community of over 3 million women embracing Lorna’s personal philosophy of Active Living.

 

The technical fashion label designed for women by women provides the perfect mix of fashion and function. Lorna Jane delivers active, innovative and inspirational activewear that aims to inspire all women to lead an active and fulfilling life.

 

VAPING – E-CIGS HAVE RISKS OF THEIR OWN, SAYS VASCULAR SURGEON
Vascular patients should not use electronic cigarettes

CHICAGO, Illinois, Oct. 17, 2017 – Are electronic cigarettes, which have been booming in popularity over the past 10 years, safer than regular cigarettes?

Like so many things, it’s complicated. Most research looks at whether vaping helps people quit smoking better than nicotine patches (inconclusive) and at the effect of vapor on the lungs (no tar is delivered by e-cigarettes, but plenty of chemicals are).

Vascular surgeons see vaping from a different angle; they are concerned about its effect on the body’s veins and arteries.  With e-cigarettes, it’s easy for vapers to inhale an unhealthy amount of nicotine, or even accidentally give themselves a sky-high dose. Several recent studies have found that nicotine contributes to hardening of the arteries. It also constricts the blood vessels, which causes the heart rate to go up and blood pressure to rise. Together it’s possible that those symptoms could cause a dangerous heart arrhythmia.

People who have any kind of vascular disease should avoid tobacco and e-cigarettes with nicotine, said Dr. Jeb Hallett, a vascular surgeon at the Medical University of South Carolina and a board member of the Society for Vascular Surgery. Because vascular surgeons treat diseases of the circulatory system, it is common to see patients whose arteries are severely compromised, due in large part to a lifetime of smoking.

“Not only can vaping nicotine fluids be toxic,” Hallett noted, “just getting the liquid on your skin is also dangerous, because nicotine can be absorbed through the skin and cause abnormal rapid heartbeat, which can sometimes lead to heart failure.”

The liquid is especially dangerous for children. The liquids are sometimes manufactured to smell like candy or food, and just skin contact with the liquid can cause children to overdose on nicotine.  According to an article in the journal Pediatrics, roughly seven children a day are poisoned by vaping fluid.

Nicotine is not usually a problem at low doses, but causes trouble at high doses, particularly for women. Women have more nicotine receptors in the brain than men, Hallett said. “They are more susceptible to the effects of nicotine, and if they are vaping continually over a long evening, for example, it could mean they are taking in a very high dose of nicotine.”

Electronic devices are filled with a flavored vaping fluid that is sold in different concentrations of nicotine.  This ranges from zero to 36 milligrams per milliliter, and sometimes higher.  (Traditional cigarettes also vary in nicotine content, from 6 to 16 mg per cigarette, according to the National Institutes of Health.)

While vaping is most popular with smokers who are hoping to break their addiction to cigarettes, a recent study reported in the Journal of Vascular Surgery found “a very modest effect on abstinence rates through the use of electronic cigarettes.”

If someone is committed to trying vaping to get off cigarettes, Hallett might agree that for some people, it’s the lesser of two evils.

“If you are determined to quit smoking and vaping eventually, vaping can be a temporary solution,” he thinks. “But you should have a plan for reducing your nicotine over time – and be very skilled at filling and not spilling the device.”

For smokers who are serious about quitting, he said, more reliable options would be to ask their physician for a prescription such as Chantix SP or to call the 800-QUITNOW hotline for assistance.

##

The Society for Vascular Surgery® (SVS) is a 5,800-plus member, not-for-profit professional medical society, composed primarily of specialty-trained vascular surgeons, which seeks to advance excellence and innovation in vascular health through education, advocacy, research and public awareness.

 

Resources:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub3/full "Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation"

http://www.jvascsurg.org/article/S0741-5214(96)70038-1/fulltext   "Nicotine... smooth muscle cell"

http://www.jvascsurg.org/article/0741-5214(87)90132-7/fulltext “Prostacyclin… Effect of nicotine…”

Canadian journalism award puts spotlight on workplace mental health

 

LONDON, ON, Oct. 17, 2017 /CNW/ - Journalists will compete for an award recognizing outstanding reporting this year on mental health issues in the workplace. The $1,000 prize is being offered by the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, in connection with its widely-used journalist-to-journalist guide, Mindset: Reporting on Mental Health.

Digital Poster (CNW Group/Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma)

The Mindset Award for Workplace Mental Health Reporting will be open to Canadian journalists or media organizations working in any medium, in English or French, the Forum announced today. Submissions must have been published in Canada in the calendar year 2017. Self-published work is not eligible.

In French, the award is styled le prix En Tête pour le reportage sur la santé mentale en milieu de travail.

The award, inaugurated last year, is sponsored by the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace. The Centre is a leading source of free, practical tools and resources designed to help all Canadian employers with the prevention, intervention and management of workplace mental health issues.

"This award is intended to encourage bold acts of journalism in the public interest - stories that are incisive or investigative," said Forum president Cliff Lonsdale.

The award's rules define "work" and "workplace" broadly, to capture volunteer as well as paid work and include the wide variety of places in which work is carried. Last year the main prize was awarded to the team that wrote The Globe & Mail's Unremembered series exposing the extent of suicide among Afghanistan war veterans.  Subsidiary prizes were awarded to work published in The Ottawa Citizen and The Tyee.

Applications will open on January 22 and close on March 2, 2018. Details of the free application process will be posted on the Mindset and En-Tête websites.  The award or awards will be presented in May, 2018, at the national conference of the Canadian Association of Journalists in Toronto.

"There's growing awareness that mental illness affects about 20% of Canadians at any given time," Lonsdale said, "so it's clearly an important issue for everyone – paid workers and volunteers, management and unions – in all kinds of work settings. There are lots of important stories for journalists to bring out of the shadows, breaking down stigma."

Mindset, and its French counterpart En-Tête : reportage et santé mentale, were published in 2014 to help general assignment reporters deal with breaking stories that involve mental illness. About 7,000 copies are in use in newsrooms and journalism schools across the country.  The guides are supported by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, using a grant from Health Canada, and by CBC News. The Forum is solely responsible for their content.

The Forum is an educational charity concerned with the physical and emotional wellbeing of journalists, their audiences and those they report about.

Our thanks to CNW Group for supporting this announcement.

SOURCE Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by  Green’s Your Colour. They wanted to send me one of their bottles! I said yes because it sounded right up my ally! Which it was. Not only did they send me a really pretty coloured bottle but  Green’s Your Colour is perfect for my lifestyle! And probably yours if you are reading my blog!

Firstly they are a Canadian company! I love support Canadian products, especially in the health and fitness industy. Not only are they Canadian but they are also very local to me. Green’s Your Colour was founded by Sandy Costa in 2011. She realized that she wanted to design and manufacture her own line of products, which began with GYC bottles! She wanted to offer products that were safe and wanted to continue to promote sustainability.

They sent me a 500mL bottle in limited edition. You can find it here.

A little bit more about the bottles:

  • Triple Insulated Vacuum Technology.
  • Stainless Steel 18/8 (304) food grade inside & out.
  • Keeps temperatures hot for 8+ hours and cold for 36+ hours.
  • BPA Free, no toxic inner liner.
  • Sweat proof, leak proof, no leaching flavours of any sort.
  • Temperature of outer wall remains cool to the touch despite temperature inside of bottle.
  • Wide neck able to fit large ice cubes and easy to clean.
  • Small drinking spout for easy, clean, and comfortable consumption.
  • Carrying handle.
  • Screw-on lid attached to the bottle, won’t be misplaced and/or lost.
  • Comfortably fits into all standard sized cup holders.
  • Tea and ice strainer included.
  • Optional universal accessories (sports lid, deep tea strainer, fruit infuser basket and coloured lids - sold separately).
  • Designed and tested in Canada.
  • 1yr.  manufacturer’s warranty.

 

My favourite feature of the bottle is that it came with a tea strainer! That way I can use it for water and tea!! How cool is that! I was also really impressed with the quality of the bottle along with its aesthetics!

Thank you Green's Your Colour!

 

 

 

Torontonians Get Physical at Rethink Breast Cancer’s 16th annual Boobyball soiree

Toronto, ON – On Friday, Oct. 13, REBEL (11 Polson St.) was full of Torontonians dressed in their best 80s and 90s apparel to celebrate the 16th edition of Rethink Breast Cancer’s Boobyball fundraiser. Themed Get Physical, the annual bash promoted regular physical activity as a means to reduce a woman’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.

Notable celebrities, television personalities and YouTube stars including Amanda Brugel, Cabbie Richards, Chloe Wilde, Karl Wolf and Tara Spencer-Nairn were in attendance to celebrate Boobyball: Get Physical, raising money and awareness for breast cancer support and education. Partygoers were seen shimmying in lycra, legwarmers and shoulder pads, while several aerobic dance-offs took place.

This year, TOPSHOP once again returned to Boobyball as the lead sponsor and wowed the crowd with their Get Physical Lounge. Once inside guests had the opportunity to sweat for a good cause - for every 50m cycled on their 80s retro bike, TOPSHOP would donate an additional $1 to Rethink. Additionally, Toronto kicked off Booyball with a Facebook Live segment from the TOPSHOP Canada Stage showcasing this year's retro-themed bash and hosting interviews with MJ DeCoteau, Founder of Rethink Breast Cancer and Canadian actresses, Natasha Negovanlis, Sarah Fisher and more! Watch the full video here.


Amanda Brugel, The Handmaid's Tale
Photo Credit: Ryan Emberley


Craig McKinnon, The Bachelorette and Cabbie Richards, Sportscentre
Photo Credit: Ryan Emberley


Chloe Wilde, reporter and host, eTALK and E! Canada
Photo Credit: Ryan Emberley


Karl Wolf, Canadian Singer & Songwriter
Photo Credit: Ryan Emberley


Torri Webster, Life with Boys
Photo Credit: Ryan Emberley

Since 2002, Boobyball has raised over $4.2 million dollars for Rethink Breast Cancer’s work for young women concerned about and affected by breast cancer, with this year’s Toronto event raising more than $185,000.

Images from the event are available for download here.
Photo credit: Ryan Emberley

Toronto’s fetch activations included:

  • TOPSHOP Get Physical Lounge invited guests to sweat for a good cause. For every 50m cycled on their 80s retro bike, TOPSHOP would donate an additional $1 to Rethink
  • Yummy cocktails by teapigs and Tito’s Handmade vodka
  • Oxygen Bar, courtesy of Medreleaf
  • Tasty treats from Sweet Jesus
  • Retro-hair touch-ups and mini manis by Her Majesty’s Pleasure
  • VIP eats by STK and Hickory Farms
  • Shwinging Suds by Beau’s
  • A sweet ride home courtesy of Beck Taxi
  • Retro photos by The Kit
  • Old school beats by DJ Brains4brkfst
  • Like, totally major gift bags
In addition to the Calgary event on October 14, three additional Boobyball events will be hosted nationwide including Vancouver (Oct. 21), Ottawa (Oct. 27) and Halifax (Oct. 28).
Website: boobyball.com
Twitter: @Boobyball
Instagram: @Boobyball
Facebook: RethinkBreastCancer
Hashtags: #Boobyball

About Boobyball

Boobyball was launched in 2002 by a group of dedicated young women in support of their friend Sarah O’Regan who, at just 23 years old, was diagnosed with aggressive, advanced breast cancer. Fast forward 16 years, and Boobyball is now one of the most coveted and high profile fundraising events for young philanthropists in Toronto, Calgary, Ottawa and Winnipeg, and Sarah is a thriving mother of three. Since 2002, Boobyball has raised over $4.2 million dollars for Rethink Breast Cancer’s work for young women concerned about and affected by breast cancer. For more about Boobyball, visit www.boobyball.com.
About Rethink Breast CancerTM
Rethink Breast Cancer’s mission is to empower young people worldwide who are concerned about and affected by breast cancer. Rethink is the first ever Canadian charity to bring bold, relevant awareness to the 40s and under crowd; foster a new generation of young and influential breast cancer supporters; infuse sass and style into the cause; and, most importantly, respond to the unique needs of young women going through it.  By taking a breakthrough approach to all aspects of breast cancer – education, resources, advocacy, community building, and fundraising – Rethink is thinking differently about breast cancer.  To find out more about Rethink Breast Cancer, visit rethinkbreastcancer.com.

Sodexo and the University of Ottawa Make Sense of Seniors' Quality of Life

 

New audit tool paired with real-world solutions gathered by researchers helps long-term care communities create "sense-sensitive" environments for seniors with hearing, vision, smell, taste and touch impairments

OTTAWA, Oct. 16, 2017 /CNW/ - Sodexo, world leader in quality of life services, and the University of Ottawa Life Research Institute today released the first comprehensive study of how the five senses impact quality of life for those living in long-term care communities. All five senses can diminish as we age, and "How and Why the Five Sense Matter for Quality of Life: A Guide for Long-Term Care Communities" reveals the importance of understanding sensory impairments when creating environments for seniors, whether at-home or in a long-term care community.

Research in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society shows that the rapid growth of the world's senior population, minimal awareness exists regarding the negative effects sensory impairments have on seniors living in long-term care communities. In fact, 94 percent of people will experience diminishment of at least one of their senses as they age.

With this reality in mind, the Sodexo-uOttawa study presented strategies for creating "sense-sensitive" environments that will facilitate person-centered care for seniors. For example:

  • Seniors with low vision may have difficulty distinguishing between similar colors, so long-term care communities might use high-contrast colors to help them see different items and areas.
  • Sense of smell can diminish with age and impact the ability to taste. Creating an open kitchen area helps residents better smell food—which can stimulate appetite.
  • Hearing impairment can make participating in conversations difficult. Minimizing background noise from heating and cooling systems, equipment and cleaning services to may make it easier for seniors to hear others.

"Good care must begin with empathy," said Marc Plumart, Sodexo CEO of Healthcare & Seniors Worldwide. "This study helps senior-care managers put themselves in the shoes of their residents to understand how they experience the world—which is different for those with diminished senses. By understanding their needs, they can design services and environments to improve quality of life."

In addition to the guide, the research team developed an audit tool to help long-term care communities assess and improve their level of sense-sensitivity. This tool is a useful, practical way to gauge quality of life through resident perceptions, physical environment, and existing policies and procedures. The audit includes a series of questions targeting residents, family members, clinical, technical and administrative staff.

"Healthcare today is complex, but many answers lie in taking care of people's needs—and how these are affected by their diminishing senses," said Hélène Perrault, Professor and Dean of Faculty of Health Sciences at University of Ottawa. "This guide and audit tool will give users benchmarks and a strategy to track the impact of sensory loss on quality of life."

"The guide and audit tool produced by our research collaboration demonstrate clearly the value of genuine engagement between Sodexo and leading researchers." said Thomas Jelley, Vice President of the Sodexo Institute for Quality of Life.  "It's been a privilege to broker and support this partnership with the University of Ottawa."

To download the study "How and Why the Five Sense Matter for Quality of Life: A Guide for Long-Term Care Communities" visit www.qualityoflifeobserver.com.

About Sodexo
Sodexo Canada delivers on-site services at nearly 750 locations for more than 230 clients in the Healthcare, Education, Business & Industry and Energy & Resource sectors. The company's 10,000 employees work together to improve the Quality of Life for their customers by designing, managing and delivering a wide range of solutions—from project management to energy planning, from technical building maintenance to concierge services, from housekeeping to fitness centre management, and from catering and food services to clinical technology management. Sodexo has been operating in Canada for over 40 years.

The Sodexo STOP HUNGER Foundation is an independent charitable organization that has donated more than 1,000,000 meals to at-risk youth in Canada since it was founded in 2001. Globally, Sodexo operates in 80 countries and serves 75 million consumers each day. Follow us on Twitter @SodexoCanada

Key figures (as of August 31, 2016)
20.2 billion euro consolidated revenue
425,000 employees
19th largest employer worldwide
80 countries 75 million consumers served daily
17.1 billion euro in market capitalization (as of July 5, 2017)

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Put the News on Snooze… Taking a Break is Healthy

by Dr. Sanam Hafeez PsyD, Neuropsychologist

Overloaded on bad news? You're not alone. When we tune in to see what's going on all we see is suffering from natural disasters, shootings, terror attacks, reports about economic uncertainty and a divided political climate, plus celebrity deaths and just mean people being mean. We hear about a tragedy or disaster and we become glued to our TV’s and news feeds growing more and more anxious as rapid updates flow in.

 

While it is important to be informed being a “news junkie” can be very damaging. It can cause insomnia, stomach and headaches due to anxiety. It can also lead to mindless eating, alcohol consumption and other coping behaviors that are unhealthy. What’s worse, is constant attention on negativity creates neuropathways in the brain that tell us we are unsafe activating a constant state of fight or flight. This fight or flight conditioning damages our cells depletes our immune systems allowing disease and chronic conditions to fester.

 

The opposite is taking a self-imposed weekly break from the news, TV and social media. What follows is a list of some benefits of unplugging or “going off the grid” and what we can do to shift our mood from doom and pessimism to hope and optimism.

  1. You reconnect with yourself.When you unplug from the outside, you plug into the inside of who you are. You’re able to think of the kind of world you want to live in and assess what you can do within your own life to live well. People make the mistake in feeling guilty, selfish or uncaring if they aren’t commiserating with others on some negative news event. What you are doing is self-preserving and protecting how you feel.
  2. You’re attentive to those who matter most.When you watch the news, you get absorbed and tune out everyone around you. Your kids may try to get your attention or worse, may hear the news on in the background while they are around making them anxious and concerned for their safety. 
  3. You have time to take action! We have to remind ourselves watching the news helps no one. Some people find it helpful to volunteer in some way. Donating blood, collecting clothing or other supplies from neighbors and organizing a donation gets you away from the TV and into positive action.
  4. You become mindful of your mood and make how you feel top priority. When you’re filling your mind with negativity, you attract more of it into your own life. This impacts your work, family, friends, even your pet! When you don’t feel happy and optimistic you can’t possibly be there for the people and things you care about. Substituting negative news for an audio book, a new course or workshop, even a more entertaining uplifting TV show will lift your spirits.
  5. You’re less distracted and more focused. When you’re not preoccupied with the constant barrage of negative news, you’re able to be more present and focused. This impacts everything from driving your car to meetings at work. When you’re clearer, tasks are done right the first time with attention to detail.
  1. You laugh more and worry less. Taking a break from the news frees you up from worry. You immediately open yourself to more fun topics of conversation and aren’t taking life so seriously anymore.
  2. Your energy rises! When people are pessimistic their facial features and posture sags. Their eyes lose their sparkle. No one wants to be around sluggish energy zappers. When you consciously decide to take a break from the news, you aren’t starting your day with negativity but instead perhaps a nice morning walk or some other form of exercise.

Try a no-news is good news approach every weekend and pay attention to how you feel. Create your own good news!

About the Doctor:

Dr. Sanam Hafeez PsyD is a NYC based licensed clinical psychologist, teaching faculty member at the prestigious Columbia University Teacher’s College and the founder and Clinical Director of Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services, P.C. a neuropsychological, developmental and educational center in Manhattan and Queens. 

 

Dr. Hafeez masterfully applies her years of experience connecting psychological implications to address some of today’s common issues such as body image, social media addiction, relationships, workplace stress, parenting and psychopathology (bipolar, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, etc…). In addition, Dr. Hafeez works with individuals who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), learning disabilities, attention and memory problems, and abuse. Dr. Hafeez often shares her credible expertise to various news outlets in New York City and frequently appears on CNN and Dr.Oz.

Connect with her via twitter @comprehendMind or www.comprehendthemind.com