Recently, three of my close female friends have been broken up with by a text message. My girlfriends were furious. The guys responsible were instantly branded as “rude” and “total douche-bags”.

I’m in a relationship right now and haven’t been in the dating scene for a few years. I’m wondering, is this normal? Is this where we are headed? Is technology causing us to lose our manners?

(I know I shouldn’t really talk. I broke up with someone using a post-it, but now that almost seems….retro)

Speaking of retro, do you remember those days long ago, when you’d overhear conversations that sounded like this:

“I can’t believe he broke up with you on the PHONE. What a jerk. He didn’t even have the guts to tell you in person”.

I remember in high school breaking up over the phone was considered a total coward’s move. However, this was during an era when the Internet and cell phones were just starting to become popular, before our culture became saturated with smart phones, texting, bbm’s, and social media. Now, I feel like if you get a phone-call you’re lucky.

It all started in university when an ex-boyfriend of mine broke up with me via an email. It hurt so much to see four months worth of dates, kisses, and nakedness distilled into 4 grammatically questionable sentences. I was livid. My first thought when I read his message was, “He didn’t even have the guts to tell me on the phone?!”.

A year later I had another relationship end over MSN messenger. My first thought was “He couldn’t even EMAIL me?!”. I was upset but I wasn’t exactly surprised. I figured getting broken up with in this way was the downside of dating nerds (the upside being that you always have someone to fix your computer).

Still, this experience left me wondering, “What will be next?”

One of my favorite authors, Douglas Coupland attempts to answer this question in his latest book “Generation A”. The book features a short story entitled “Bartholomew is Right There at the Dawn of Language”. The story takes place in future reality where the protagonist Bartholomew, works as a copy editor for a business magazine. Bart comes from a long line of “language purists” and he abhors the many abbreviations that are now part of our daily life (JPEGS, LOL, BBM, RT, WTF, BFF). The beginning of the end for Bartholomew is when he loses the ability to decipher the text messages that are sent to him. In this future reality, people have begun to send text messages to each other that are composed of only acronyms, abbreviations and numbers. For example “xxx%ghdRTlol” would translate to “Want to go out tonight?”. When the people around him start to talk exactly like they text, he realizes he is trapped in a world where he can no longer understand anyone. Unable to communicate, he becomes a hermit. One day he wakes up to find that The Rapture has happened. Everyone who adopted this new form of communication has left the earth, and the people like Bart, who still preferred to speak in “proper English” are left behind to fend for themselves.

Is this merely one author’s apocalyptic vision or a glimpse into our future? Is it really that far off from reality?

Technology is no doubt changing the way we interact; manage our personal relationships and date. I can’t help but wonder if one day I’ll wake up to a Tweet (or whatever the future equivalent is) that will say:

@by_simone. BR/>>w///u14e6611.kthx

And, I’ll understand “Oh no, he wants to see other people”.

The advent of the “Text Message Break-up” isn’t a sign that people are bigger jerks than they used to be. It’s merely a symptom of the current state of our society. We live in a culture of mass personalization where we are continually bombarded by social media and encouraged to connect with people instantaneously. Communication has become linked to instant gratification. The downside of this is that relationships have become in some ways depersonalized. You can now tell someone something that ordinarily would have been difficult or awkward, without having to look at person in the eye, or see their tears, or hear the disappointment in their voice. The result of this is that your actions lose a sense of consequence.

I was thinking about all of this while waiting for the subway the other day. I looked up and saw a poster for Koodoo Mobile advertising their new text messaging plan. The copy said “Flirting without the awkward silence”. I couldn’t help but wonder; maybe we need that awkward silence. It reminds us that behind the screens of our iPhones and Blackberries, we are all people with feelings. Maybe its this silence that will save us from ourselves and not the other way around.

I’m always interested in reading about new ways to manage seasonal affective disorder and the benefit of vitamin D has been appearing in a lot of related studies lately. A deficiency of this vitamin may be a possible cause for SAD. Another study found that low levels of vitamin D are associated with feeling tired, depressed, foggy minded/lack of clear thinking, low mood, and disturbed sleep patterns, which are a few of the most noticeable symptoms associated with SAD. I take a healthy daily dose of vitamin D myself, and I thought since it has done me more than a world of good nutritionally and otherwise (understatement!) – that I’d provide a post on it so that you can make an informed decision on whether it’s right for you.

Please note: Remember, although I am a qualified registered holistic nutritionist - I’m not nor do I claim to be a naturopath nor a physician; the following information is of my own research only. Always consult with a certified alternative healthcare practitioner before starting any new health regimen or self-dosing.

Background Info on Vitamin D

• Vitamin D is known as the Sunshine vitamin. With the aid of sunlight, vitamin D is made from cholestrol in the skin, liver and kidneys.
• Vitamin D is actually a hormone not a vitamin. The body must manufacture it.
• As we age, the ability of the body to produce Vitamin D decreases.
• One reason for there being such high numbers of people being Vitamin D deficient is that we’re encouraged to stay out of the sun and we’re using more and more sunblocks whenever we’re outside. Sunblock and avoiding too much exposure to the sun is a good thing to prevent skin cancer but it is having an effect on your Vitamin D levels.
• If you are on a low fat or a low cholestrol diet, you will have decreased production of vitamin D.
• Other reasons why you may have a decreased level of vitamin D are if you have a liver or kidney disorder or if you’re using medication that decreases cholesterol production or inhibits its absorption from the intestines into the body.
• Stress contributes to decreased vitamin D production. The stress hormone cortisol is made from cholesterol. Therefore, a body experiencing any type of stress will, preferentially, use cholesterol to manufacture cortisol, depleting the amount left to make sufficient amounts of vitamin D.

Vitamin D Benefits

Those who take vitamin D have noted that they have an increased sense of well-being, improved sleep patterns and weight loss. These are all things that are disrupted when you suffer from SAD – so taking a recommended daily dose of vitamin D could most likely help to resolve these issues.

The Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Science, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis released a study showing that depressed patients were 11 times more likely to have low levels of vitamin D. They also determined that low levels of vitamin D were associated with low mood and also not being able to complete certain mental tests.

Other current research being done on vitamin D is showing that a deficiency in this vitamin may also play a role in 17 varieties of cancer (including breast, colon and prostrate cancer) heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects and periodontal disease. (If you’re interested, you can read some of the studies on vitamin D research from the vitamin D Council.)

Vitamin D is also an anti-inflammatory hormone and good for treating irritable-bowel problems and arthritis. Research studies are also showing that vitamin D is vital in the treatment of insulin resistance conditions such as diabetes, some forms of high blood pressure, and cholesterol issues.

Here’s an interesting article on whether Vitamin D could be the answer to fighting flus and colds. With all the things that vitamin D does for our bodies, it’s no wonder that they are now considering vitamin D deficiency as an epidemic with the US population.

How Do You Know If You’re Deficient in Vitamin D?

Studies demonstrate time and time again that living in sunny California or in a northern country like Canada does not determine if you’re deficient or not in vitamin D. In fact, a recent study done (measuring various blood tests from people in different climates and locales) found that everyone resulted with some form of deficiency or less than normal levels, regardless of their ability to sustain exposure to the sun (real or artificial).

Other factors that affect your body’s ability to absorb vitamin D properly are obesity, insufficient dietary fat or inability to absorb fat, kidney/liver or parathyroid gland problems, certain medications, genetics, and aging.

There are a few side effects of vitamin D, as it can be toxic at high doses (and we’re talking really HIGH; you’d have to be eating it all day long, or getting it via an IV for this to happen.) As mentioned already, problems with absorption and medication interaction can also occur. Best bet – get your alternative health care practitioner to measure your body’s level of vitamin D to give you the optimal recommended daily dosage, and to see if you need additional supplementation on top of dietary changes to incorportate more vitamin D rich foods into your diet.

How Do You Get Vitamin D? Can You Get It From Food?

Your #1 source for vitamin D is (fish) cod liver oil. Excellent sources of vitamin D include fatty fishes like salmon, tuna, herring, and mackerel - while very good sources include shrimp, cod, oysters, and any/all vitamin-D fortified cereal flours and related products, as well as milk and products made from milk, and calcium-fortified fruit juices and drinks. Small amounts are also found in beef liver, cheese, butter, and eggs.

What else can high-vitamin D foods do for you?

• Help prevent a growing list of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, osteoporisis, breast cancer, colon cancer, and ovarian cancer
• Help keep your bones and teeth strong and healthy
• Regulate the growth and activity of your cells
• Reduce inflammation

I don’t know about the rest of the world, but the huge (and largely unexpected) dump of snow we Torontonians got hit with yesterday sure dampened and darkened my ever-hopeful-for-spring-and-jacket-free-weather spirit. I know that all the area groundhogs told me this would happen, but can’t I hope and pray that they’ve seen it wrong? Driving and running errands despite the storm, snow, and sleet, fighting the blustery snow and the windy cold (and the dirty slush and quick thawing, as it so happens…) I just can’t seem to muster any lasting cheerfulness, hope, or kick into my better knowing that spring (and snow-free weather) is just around the corner. For all of you that are stuck in the same dismal, bleak, and blah feelings – here are a few great ways to help conquer our mid-winter cabin fever and seasonal blues.

• GO GET SOME EXERCISE

It’s probably the last thing you feel like doing right now, but as far as beating the mid-winter blues goes, it’s one of the best. A study by the British Journal of Sports Medicine proved that exercise can be more effective than drugs when treating mild to moderate depression. So the fitter you get, the happier you’ll feel. If you can’t stand the cold, get down to your local gym to take advantage of their special post-new year offers and credits to help you keep your wallet healthy, too.

• BOOK A HOLIDAY

Once the Christmas and New Year holidays are over, many of us feel like we’ve nothing to look forward to. If your calendar is looking a little light, why not book yourself a holiday? Just planning a trip somewhere warm and sunny will give you a lift. Great places to visit in the wintertime months include the Canary Islands, Egypt, Kenya and Thailand. If you’ve got sick days left over from last year, use them during this mid-winter season to take advantage of last-minute deals (there are TONS out there right now!)

• TAKE SINGING LESSONS

Singing lifts the spirits, and you don’t have to be good at it to feel the benefits (despite what your neighbours say!) If you’re not confident enough for one-to-one lessons, why not share a lesson with a friend or join a group singing class? Learning to sing will also help boost your confidence, so you’ll feel the benefit in other situations – for instance if you have to give presentations at work, or when meeting new people. Many bars have weeknight karaoke events and themes – where no one expects you to be a professional anyway, and everyone can enjoy and participate together.

• PEP UP YOUR SEX LIFE

Take advantage of it being dark and cold outside, and stay in bed! Turn up the heat on your love life by turning your bedroom into a boudoir. However fed up you feel, hot lovemaking is bound to make you feel better.

• EAT THE RIGHT FOODS

What you eat can have a profound effect on how you feel. Tempting though they are, don’t reach for traditional comfort foods such as sweets and chips, as they’ll leave you feeling worse. You need food that’s rich in amino acids – which trigger serotonin production, which in turn makes you feel happier. Your number one source are fatty fishes such as herring, salmon, and tuna – and fish oils such as cod liver (which also provide your daily ratio of healthy Omega 3s & 6s.) Other good choices are bananas, papayas, dates, chicken, nuts, avocados, and some seeds. Eat little snacks or meals, and often: this will keep your blood sugar levels stable, which should mean that your mood doesn’t go through ups and downs.

• GO FOR A CHECK-UP

It’s normal to have some days when you feel down. Don’t brush off a lasting feeling as simply a case of the “winter blues” or a seasonal funk that you have to tough out on your own — you may have seasonal affective disorder. Also called SAD, it is a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year. If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and may continue into the winter months, zapping your energy and making you feel moody. Natural treatment for seasonal affective disorder includes light therapy (phototherapy), spiritual psychotherapy, and diet changes to include helpful supportive foods; in serious cases, high doses of supplements, such as melatonin and vitamin D, would be most effective. Addressing the problem can help you keep your mood and motivation steady throughout the year; book a consult with a naturopath and/or a holistic nutritionist for further information.

• DO SOME CHARITY WORK

Becoming a volunteer helps overcome depression and stress. Research by the Community Service Volunteers (CSV) has proven that a whopping 71 per cent of volunteers said that volunteering helped them combat depression. There’s a huge variety of volunteer work available, from mentoring to gardening. Think about which of your skills could benefit others. Look at the local charity websites within your city to help find a project that suits you.

• BUY FLOWERS

Fresh flowers are a great way to cheer yourself up, so fill your house with blooms this season. Choosing spring flowers will help you focus on the season ahead – as well as add a splash of colour. Make over any window boxes or garden tubs too, and you’ll soon be thinking happy spring-time thoughts.

• HIT THE SALES

If your credit card’s got any slack left over from Christmas, why not hit the mid-season sales? Choose your purchases carefully – don’t invest in a whole new wardrobe of clothes that will look out of style by next winter. Instead, focus on picking things for your home that you’ll love whatever the season. There’s tons of sales out there right now still on since the holidays (especially on housewares), so get out there and treat yourself!

• UPDATE YOUR SKILLS

Whether it’s a new skill that will boost your career prospects or something that’s just for you, learning a new skill will kick your brain into action and make you feel more positive about the months and year ahead. You can take a class in just about anything – from car mechanics to counselling, film studies to floristry – so there’s bound to be something that interests you. Consult local community centres, college websites, and talk to friends about taking them together.

• SORT OUT YOUR SOCIAL LIFE

Having a decent social life often falls by the wayside during the winter. When it’s cold and dark outside, we tend to curl up at home rather than get out and see friends. Make it your mission to go out at least twice every week. Get together with friends and come up with a list of things you want to do: films you want to see, plays or bands you want to book tickets for, restaurants you want to try. Pretty soon you’ll have something to look forward to each week!

• TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

Treat yourself to a massage, spa day, or a special treat (as with shopping, food, flowers, or all of the above!) There’s no reason that after the holidays are over for another year, that we have to put ourselves or self-care on hold, just because our credit cards are! Find something simple yet enjoyable, and most importantly that makes YOU feel good both inside and out, and try to at least once a week. This will help to keep yourself feeling great, your forward momentum strong, and your mind, body, and soul taken care of. Remember that if you’re not in working order, you can’t expect your life to be!

Stephanie

xoxo

I don’t usually look this happy when dealing with phone companies but here’s how to communicate with them so you get the phone service you need.

Whether it be cell phone, or land line, Blackberry or iPhone, no one is immune to the pitfalls of technology. What can be even more frustrating is communicating with the phone companies when your phone service doesn’t meet your needs. Here’s how to haggle and negotiate your way to better service.

Know your facts

Before you pick up the phone, know exactly what the terms of your phone service are. Sean Provencher, a Toronto-based entrepreneur who is well-versed in dealing with phone companies says that knowing your numbers such as how much you pay per month and per year is key.

“Use [these numbers] when negotiating and remind them how much money you bring them and how long you’ve been a good and loyal customer,” Provencher says. Pointing out how many minutes you use, how long you have been with them or how many of their other services you use can all play a part in the negotiating process.

Provencher also advises knowing your facts. If you’re experiencing problems with your service have the dates when the issues started, length of time and frequency to make your point that it has genuinely affected you.

Keep track of your calls, because getting results from a phone company may require more than one phone call. Track the times and dates of all previous calls, not to mention who you spoke to and about what, otherwise you’ll just go in circles.

Take what you can get

Although it may be money or a reduced bill you’re after, that may not be what you end up getting. Provencher notes that compensation these days mostly comes in the form of tweaks to your hardware or plan, such as monthly discounts, free services for a while or free handset upgrades.

Timing is everything

The best time to try to negotiate your services is when your contract (if you have one) is set to expire. Providers want you to sign a new one and may be more willing to throw in a few extras for that commitment.

Watch your attitude

Although you may be upset when you call staying calm and polite will get you further than rude and aggressive. It also indicates that you are an intelligent, rational person who is honestly concerned about your service. Getting upset and angry will likely only result in the representative disconnecting the call.

Know who you’re speaking with

If you’re not speaking with someone who has the authority to resolve your problem or offer compensation you’re at a dead end. As Provencher points out, the person answering the phone is likely not a manager, so clarify what their capabilities are and if they aren’t able to help you ask to speak to someone higher up. You will likely speak to several people before you reach someone who can help you, so don’t give up after the first try.

Do your homework

Know what other providers offer in order to get what you want. If they are hedging on agreeing to something you are looking for, point out that their competitor would only be too happy to provide the same thing.

Know where to focus

Poor service is the easiest issue to complain about because it’s very hard to dispute. What may not be bad service to one person is terrible to another. Items under warranty are a no-brainer as you have the proof in your contract of what you should be owed.

They need you

Always remember that any provider is a service that needs customers, and they want to keep your business. It may not hurt to remind them that you pay them a lot of money when asking for something so have these numbers readily available when you call.

Know when to fold

Know when to walk away and save yourself the hassle. Provencher advises if you have asked for the supervisor three times and they have refused to transfer you, you’re not likely to get any further during this call.

Similar in make-up and deliciousness to banana bread (but with way less sugar) – this zucchini spice loaf is really simple to make, and you can store and slice it up through your week as a quick healthy treat while on the go. I’ve adapted this recipe from a standard/conventional one, substituting the listed fats and refined sugars/flours for more healthful alternatives. Feel free to further omit the eggs for xanthan gum, brown sugar for agave, butter for earth balance butter spread, and zucchini for any of your favourite root vegetables such as carrots or squashes. If you plan to bake this bread in a smaller loaf pan, be sure to fill it no more than 3/4 full to prevent the batter from overflowing in the oven. Add 3/4 cup each of your favourite nuts (pecans and walnuts work great), raisins, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, a medium carrot (grated), or a 1/2 cup crystallized ginger to the batter for a bit more sweetness, heartiness, and colour. To really give yourself a treat, slather on some cream cheese icing for an additional indulgence!

Zucchini Spice Bread

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces, or 1 stick) organic butter, softened
• 1 cup unrefined organic brown sugar, packed
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups grated zucchini (about 3 medium zucchini)
• 3 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

1. Place an oven rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 350F/175C.
2. Prepare your loaf pans: line the pans with parchment paper, or butter them and dust them with flour.
3. If adding in nuts/etc., combine them in a bowl and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and spices and set that aside as well.
5. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
6. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition.
7. Add the vanilla extract and mix well; then add the zucchini and stir until everything is combined.
8. Add the flour mixture in two additions, stirring only until just combined; again, if using them, gently fold in dried fruit, nuts, and crystallized ginger.
9. Divide the batter equally among the pans, and use a spatula to smooth it out a bit. Place the pans on a baking sheet for easy maneuvering.
10. Bake for about 40-45 minutes for regular loaves, or 30-35 minutes for small loaves. They are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, or even a bit of almost-done batter.
11. Cool the loaves in their pans for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.

Notes

• A food processor, fitted with the grating blade, makes wonderfully quick work of grating zucchini.
• Vary the fruit, nut, etc. combination as much as you like, perhaps staying close to the rough guideline of about 2 cups total additions.
• Keep a close eye on it as it bakes; the loaves will be dry if you overbake them, so err on the side of underbaking for a nice, moist cake.

Makes 2 4×8-inch loaves, or 4-6 mini loaves

Fetishes can be experienced and enjoyed with all your senses. Here are some common ways.

Sight: Color Fetish
Some people get turned on by colors. Are you or your partner among them? Experiment by wearing various colors and see if anything turns you or your partner on. If you hit on one that gets your partner’s attention, try to don it as often as possible— whether that means special lingerie or boxers, or even wearing shirts in that color around your partner.

Smell: Scent Fetish
It’s a little- known fact that many men get turned on by the scent of pumpkin. Others, men and women, have been known to get turned on by the scent of chocolate- chip cookies baking. Next time you’re feeling amorous, why not bake something special for your beloved and see what happens.

Feel: Buried in Sand Fetish
If you don’t have a beach nearby, you’ll have to save this for a vacation. And yes, it’s messy, but just try it. Your partner lies down on their back in the sand and you cover their whole body except their face. This works better if the sand is a little wet, but try it both ways, with wet sand or with dry.

Sound: Listening to Sexy Sounds Fetish
Some people get more turned on by what they hear than what they see. Does that describe your partner or you? You can find out by watching a porn DVD that features a lot of vocalizing. Either close your eyes or have your partner blindfold you (or the other way around) as you listen to all the “Ooohs” and “Aaahs” and “Oh Gods.”

Taste: Fun with Food
Some of the best sex happens when it’s just you and your partner, exploring, savoring, devouring each other. But sex can also be fantastic when you add a little texture and flavor into the mix— literally.

Excerpted from A Little Bit Kinky by Dr. Natasha Valdez Copyright © 2010 by Dr. Natasha Valdez. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved.

These snacks get our hearts pumping, literally and figuratively. They’re delicious alternatives to the ho-hum bag of chips or candy bar. Skip the drive-through or the candy aisle and load up on some heart-healthy snacks that will not only maintain your cardiovascular health, but may help you drop a few pounds as well.

1. Vegetables dipped in hummus.

Fresh vegetables are low in calories and have many antioxidants, and many have no fat with plenty of fibre to satiate you. Fibre has also been shown to lower cholesterol. Hummus, made from chick peas, is a great alternative protein without saturated fat.

2. Fruit skewered on a stick with a little dark chocolate for dipping.

Fruit has a variety of antioxidants to fight cancer and heart disease. Dark chocolate has a high concentration of flavinols, a type of antioxidant, to fight heart disease.

3. Half of a cantaloupe filled with fat free cottage cheese, a dash of cinnamon and some berries.

The cantaloupe and berries have antioxidants, and the fat-free cottage cheese fulfills a serving of dairy without the saturated fat.

4. Fat-free yogurt with fruit and a sprinkle of nuts.

Get another serving of dairy without saturated fat as well as antioxidants from fruit and unsaturated fat from the nuts.

5. Smoothies with silken tofu and berries plus a dash of grape juice or pomegranate juice.

Tofu is a great alternative protein source without saturated fat. Berries, grape juice and pomegranate juice have a high concentration of antioxidants.

6. Homemade soup.

Start with a vegetable base. You can buy a frozen vegetable base or containers of vegetable base to load up on antioxidants and fibre. Make sure its low in sodium. Then add in a bag of frozen or mixed vegetables, as well as a couple of cups of beans – making sure to rinse the beans beforehand to remove sodium. Season with fresh herbs. If you want to make it creamy without artery-clogging fat, use low fat soy milk or evaporated skim milk. It’s the most amazing liquid that you can add for creaminess without the harmful fat.

7. Pureed prunes — sneak them into your brownies.

No, really – they can help to make even the most amazing chocolate brownies fudgier! Pureed fruit will make the chocolate taste more chocolatey, plus you’ve added in something that use less oil or less butter and you’ve added antioxidants because of the pureed fruit. Also fruit has fibre to lower your cholesterol.

8. Silken tofu or soy milk — substitute for regular milk in recipes.

It can add heart healthy protein, yet cut down on heart-clogging calories of the other oils you might have used.

9. Applesauce or apple butter — use in place of oil for muffins.

Apple butter is one of best ingredients you can add to moisture and pleasant fruit flavor that won’t combat your other ingredients.

10. Nuts and small chunks of fruit — sprinkle on top of muffins.

If you substitute applesauce for the oil, you’ll be making a muffin low in fat, chock-full of antioxidants from fruit, fibre from nuts, and heart-healthy protein from the nuts.

11. Meatloaf — really! Use tofu and chopped white chicken meat instead of red meat.

You can’t taste the tofu at all. Plus, you get extra protein.

source: Valerie Denny @ yourtotalhealth.com

Some researchers claim that nicotine is more addictive than heroin – you’ve seen the pictures on the cigarette packages, you’ve received countless warnings, you’ve probably even tried quitting before. It’s hard! But not impossible, so here’s what you can do.

Chances are pretty good that if you’re reading this article you’re probably a smoker. And whether you are a smoker who is trying to quit, a smoker who is thinking about quitting, or even a smoker who has no intentions of quitting, this is a good place to start.

Know your options

The first and most important step is to decide what method of quitting is going to work best for you. With countless different methods out there right now, including nicotine replacement therapy (ie. the patch, Nicorette gum etc.), hypnosis, prescription drugs, and cold turkey, choosing how you will quit is a daunting task.

Krista Bennett from the Canadian Cancer Society’s Smokers Helpline, advises consulting your physician as well as one of their quitting specialists.  Canadian Cancer Society’s Smokers Helpline is a free confidential service available by phone, text, or online, to those who are quitting smoking.

Bennett says that nicotine replacement therapy combined with supportive counseling appears to be one of the the most successful methods of quitting.

Set the date carefully

“Set a quit date and mark it on your calendar,” advises Bennett, who says that having a date fixed in your mind often helps smokers to mentally prepare for the process of quitting and encourages them to  cut down their habit leading up to their quit date. Bennett advises that the day be picked specifically so  there is nothing stressful or prominent happening that could cause you to cave.

“When I finally decided that I was going to quit [smoking] I chose the day exactly one week after my last university exam,” said 26-year old Melanie, a smoker of six years who kicked the habit two years ago in June. “This way all the stress from those last few months was gone, but I was still able to go out and enjoy my post-exam celebrations in that week in between finishing school and quitting. And it worked.”

Get support

As soon as you have your date set, your next step is to start telling people about it. Making sure that your friends, family and co-workers know your quit date will hold you accountable, but will also prepare those around you for the process when you may not be in the best mood (to say the least).

“The first people I told were my parents and my sister,” said Melanie. “I knew they would be my strength through it all and they were. They jumped right on board with me, and my dad, who was a casual smoker himself, agreed to join me in quitting so we’d have that moral support. They were all really great. And now my dad and I have both been smoke-free for nearly two years.”

Have an action plan

“I scoured websites for different ways to deal with cravings,” said Melanie. “I figured out what my weak spots were and I figured out ways I would deal with each of them.”

For Melanie those weak spots were her morning coffee break and driving in her car. “I loved smoking when I was driving, and since my job involved a 45-minute commute every day I knew it was going to become one of my biggest obstacles,” she said. So after cleaning her car to get rid of the smell, Melanie bought a bag of sugar free mints and dumped them into her centre console where she used to leave her cigarettes.

“Every time I felt myself needing to reach there for my pack I would grab a candy and suck on it. By the time it was gone my craving would have passed and the minty taste in my mouth was so much better than the taste of cigarettes.”

At the Smokers Helpline they enlist the “Four D’s” to help combat cravings. “When someone is experiencing really bad cravings we give them the four D’s, which are Delay, Distract, Drink water, and Deep breathing,” explains Bennett. “It works because it is easy to remember, even at the worst of times.”

If at first you don’t succeed…

The old adage stands true here. If you slip up and find yourself smoking, do not be discouraged. Take pride in knowing that you took the first steps towards becoming a non-smoker and be confident in the fact that you will succeed when you are truly ready to do so.

“It took me three serious attempts to completely give [smoking] up,” said Melanie, who cited a poor support system (she didn’t tell her family about her quitting until her last attempt) and a lack of preparedness for her relapses. “The last time was different. I just knew that this was going to be it for me. I knew I was 100% ready to never smoke again…When you are really, truly ready to quit you will know it. It won’t make it any easier to succeed but, for me at least, it kept my will power stronger and that made a world of difference.”

The Canadian Cancer Society’s Driven to Quit Challenge is on now. Sign up at www.driventoquit.ca before February 28 and stay tobacco-free for the month of March for your chance to win a Ford Escape Hybrid.

February is National Heart Month!

As many of us already know, we don’t have to be our parents’ age(s) to suffer from a heart condition; heart irregularities can occur at any time, any age, and range in many different degrees of severity. One of the most (if not THE most important) organs our body has, our heart literally keeps going, and keeps us going – for the duration of our life (talk about needing a vacation or spa day!)
Whether you’re predisposed to a condition or simply wanting to know how to take better care of yourself, it’s never too soon to start being mindful of your body’s needs or your own heart health. Here are 9 simple and extremely effective ways that you can keep your heart healthy, happy, and in proper working order, in addition to preserving your overall well-being and longevity.

GET AT LEAST SEVEN HOURS OF SLEEP
That’s per night, not week. And men—the needier breed—require eight. Getting by on less can cause metabolic changes that increase your risk for obesity and diabetes. And one recent study from the University of Chicago found that the fewer hours of sleep adults get each night, the more likely they are to have calcium deposits in their arteries.

KNOW YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE
What’s the fastest way to age an artery? Subject it to high blood pressure, which will harden it like a garden hose that’s been left out in the sun. A range of 120/80 to 130/85 mmHg is considered below the hypertension point, but it’s not ideal. In fact, reducing your blood pressure from 130/85 to 115/76 can make your body up to ten years younger. There’s no data to show that using drugs to lower blood pressure offers the full youth effect. So for now, you guessed it: Exercise, lose weight, reduce stress. The good news is, the benefits from physical activity are just about instantaneous.

AVOID SECONDHAND SMOKE
Don’t let people puff away in your space. An hour of passive smoke can cause the same amount of aging as having two to four cigarettes. (If you’re doing the smoking, we’re not going to bother nagging. You know what to do.)

TAKE A WALK EVERY DAY
A Harvard study suggests that for every hour you exercise during your life, your longevity increases by two hours. It’s important to get your heart pumping every day—rather than the “30 minutes,” though, fixate on the “every day”; moving regularly is the active ingredient in exercise’s powerful antiaging effect.

EAT FISH THREE TIMES A WEEK
It may not be just the omega-3s in the oil that keep the heart and arteries humming along; a number of animal studies have also indicated that a protein in fish provides a separate boost to cardiovascular health. Eat a variety of low-mercury fish (such as wild salmon, catfish, or tilapia). And if you’re not nuts about seafood, an ounce of walnuts a day will give you a good dose of omega-3s.

LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS
Feeling out of control financially can affect not only your sleep (see number one) but also your arterial health due to chronic stress. And a bankruptcy can put miles on your body’s odometer, as anxiety, worry, and fear age you well beyond your years in less than an instant. Read on for ways to reduce your internal stress levels naturally.

FLOSS AND BRUSH
Periodontal disease, such as gingivitis, does not affect just the gums. Any chronic infection stimulates your body to defend itself, and part of the response is to protect against bleeding with an increase in clotting tendency—a recipe for heart attack.

DEFUSE STRESS NATURALLY
Deep breathing, meditation, yoga, running, knitting—you can’t have too many ways to defuse stress. Even scrunching up your face as tightly as you can for 15 seconds and then releasing can deflect the pressure before it gets to you and starts wearing and tearing your cells.

LEARN SOMETHING NEW. LOVE SOMETHING YOU DO.
Continuing to challenge the brain and being passionately engaged increases neuroplasticity, prompting the growth of extra connections. If you then have an injury like a stroke, the brain is better able to compensate for the trauma and lessen its effects.

source: www.oprah.com

Andrea Belvedere was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women of 2009 (at just 22 years old!) and is currently the VP of Business Development for the Ryerson Entrepreneur Institute. Here’s her advice for starting your own business and becoming a successful entrepreneur.

What sparked your interest in entrepreneurship?

I was always a natural leader, and when I was in high school, I took an entrepreneurship course to try something different. As part of the course we got to run a venture, I took charge of it and long story short, I was the president of my entrepreneurship class for two consecutive years and headed the ventures. That really sparked my interest in entrepreneurship and got me thinking about what I wanted to do later in life. In my first semester of first year, I got involved with SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise) Ryerson, and that reinforced my positive thoughts about entrepreneurship. The experiences with SIFE made me realize that I want to run my own business one day; I’m determined to make that happen.

What skill set is required to be an entrepreneur?

I don’t think there’s a specific skill set as much as I think there are certain characteristics. Entrepreneurs are driven by their passion for their idea and doing what they love: you won’t find a successful entrepreneur who wasn’t passionate. Entrepreneurs are incredibly hard workers. They don’t know what a 40 hour work week looks like; they know they need to put in the time it takes to get things done. Entrepreneurs are problem solvers, they see opportunities and issues, and create solutions. Finally, entrepreneurs have to be a mix between confident and humble: confident enough to persevere and sell others on their idea, but humble enough to know when to ask for help.

What advice would you give to someone hoping to start their own business?

Get critical feedback on your idea. Everyone thinks their own ideas are revolutionary – sometimes they are, sometimes we need a wake up call or to be redirected. How do you know if your idea really is a good one if you don’t get feedback on it? How can you build a team if no one knows what you’re doing? Friends and family are great for providing supportive feedback – but find people with relevant experience that will give you objective, candid feedback. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or admit that you don’t know something. It’s OK to make mistakes – the hardest part about experience is that the lesson comes after the test. Asking questions, seeking support and building a team are all important aspects of the development process.

What has been your favourite project to work?

Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) Canada. When the opportunity came up, I wanted to make it happen right away. SAGE was directly in line with what I was doing and it was an opportunity to provide high school students with the same great experience I had while in university. It’s still small and growing slowly, but seeing the positive impact it’s having is so rewarding.

Where do you see yourself (and your career) in 10 years?

I see myself owning my own business. I don’t know what that looks like yet, I do know I’m excited to make it happen.