JOYFULJANUARY!
ByDaveScott ByDaveScott
JoyfulJanuary!Yep,youreadthatright!Ihave beenthinkingabouthowtospiceupJanuaryto makeitmorefun!
Iamlookingathowtofilleachdaywithalaugh andasmile.
Tostarteachday,Iwilllistentooneupbeatsong fromdaysgoneby!It'sfunnyhowmusiccanplay suchabigpartinourlives.Wemustrememberto useittoouradvantage.Musicmakesourdays brighterandallowsustothinkaboutthepastand futureallatonce.Ithasalwaysbeenapartofmy lifethatIappreciate.
Ofcourse,mymorningwalkwillbecoldand slipperythistimeofyear,butIhavemyspikesand willdresswarm.Weforgettheimportanceof gettingoutsideandenjoyingtheweather(even whenitiscold).Youmightnotbeabletobeout forlong,butyouwanttogetgoingenoughthat yourbodyfeelslikeit'sworkingandwarmsup. That'sthecriticalpart,circulatingyourbloodso youfeelgoodfromtheinsideout.Ienjoythecold weather.Ifyougiveitachance,youmighttoo.
feelwarmer,andjustgettingoutforthatlittle walkwillmakesuchabigdifferenceinyourday.
AnotherthingI'mgoingtodoeverydaythis JanuaryisI'mgoingtolookupajoke.Something tomakemesmileandlaugh,tomakethedaygo byalittlequicker,andtoremindmeofthe importanceofbeingaliveandenjoyingthe moment.Weshouldlaughandsmilewhenwe can!
AnotherchallengeI'missuingmyselfthiswinter islearningsomethingneweveryweekandsetting asidealittletimetoinvestigatesomethingthat hasbeenonmymindorthatIamcuriousabout. AsIage,I'mlookingformoreanswersandam alwaysintriguedbywhatIcanlearn.
I'mconsideringlookingupoldfriendsand reachingouttothem.Lifegoesbytooquickly.We sometimesforgetaboutthosefolkswhohelped shapeourlives.Let'sshareamomentandsee howtheirlivesaregoing.Witheverybody snuggledathome,Januaryisagreattimeto reachout.Whynottakethattimetodoa
Havefun,andplanrightnowforajoyfulJanuary andafabulousFebruary,folks!Takecare. videochatoraphonecall?Havefunwiththem andgettoknowyourfriendsagain. Don'tletJanuarygetyoudown.Lookatallthe positivesinyourlife.Beforeyouknowit,itwillbe
Nothinginthe worldis friendlierthan awetdog. ~Unknown
April,andwewillbebackoutsideplayingand doingallthefunstuffwewant.
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RandyandIareexcitedtogetour2025Boomer MusicExperienceunderway.Wewanttobring yousomewarmththiscoldJanuarywinter.We arecountingdownthetop10songswith"Hot" inthetitle!Hereareafewthatmadeourlist. Clickonourpodcastandenjoythewarmth! "HotStuff"byDonnaSummer;"HotBlooded" byForeigner;"HotforTeacher"byVanHalen; "HotFunintheSummertime"bySly&the FamilyStone;"HotChildintheCity"byNick Gilder;"HotintheCity"byBillyIdol;"HotGirls inLove"byLoverboy;"YouTooktheWords RightOutofMyMouth(HotSummerNight)"by MeatLoaf;"TheKidIsHotTonight"byLoverboy; "SomeLikeitHot"byThePowerStation. Youtube@hubmedia|Facebookhubmedia.info
WhatComesNaturaLeigh!
Ingredients
1canZeviaGingerAle or11/4cupsparklingwater
2TbspCherryLanetartcherry concentrate
1scoopNewRootsLectro-Lytes
1TbspLakewoodPureLimejuice
Directions
CombineingredientsinasmallpitcherandstiruntilLectro-Lytesdissolvecompletely. Servechilledonice.
SimcoeNaturalFoods
Running
TheHubpublished"RunningandMentalHealth"in January2016,anditscontentremainsrelevanttoday.
WhenI'mfeelingdown,Ifinditbesttostep outdoors.Thatalwaysseemstoworkforme.I dosomeyardwork,goforawalkwiththedog orgoforarun.ThemoreIdoorthefurtherIgo, thebetterIfeelafterwards.Ifeelaconnection betweenphysicalactivity,especiallyrunning, andmentalpeace.
important,anditisanactivityfilledwith physicalandmentalhealthbenefits.Ithasthe abilitytodistractyoufromnegativethoughts thatarebringingyoudown;whenyouare actuallyrunning,therewillbeplentyofother thingstooccupyyourmind.Italsotriggersthe releaseofendorphins,thebody'sownnatural anti-depressant.
Numerousstudieshaveshownthatregular exercise,suchasrunning,canhelptoalleviate symptomsofsadnessanddepression.Many exercisechoicesareavailable.Youshouldselect somethingyoucanenjoylookingforwardto andthatyouwanttocontinue.Iwillfocuson runningbecauseitisanactivitythathas engagedmeforthepastfortyyears.
Iwanttobrieflylookatsomeofthemanyways thatrunningcanhelponeto maintainmentalwell-beingor canassistyouwhenyouare sufferingthroughaperiodof sadnessorstress.Itcanbe virtuallycost-freeifthatis
Veryimportantly,inmyview,running encouragessocialinteractionthroughpeople youmeetrunning,throughrunninggroups,or byparticipatinginraces.Ihavebeenamember ofseveralrunningclubsduringmycareer, includingtheGeorgetownRunners,the EtobicokeHuskiesStriders,theParisRunners andScotBrockbank'sNorthShoreRunners.My battlehasbeentodealwiththelossofmylife partner,Juta,andIcansaythatwithoutthe supportofmanyfriendsIhavemadethrough Inthesilverlightofearlymorning
Infact,therearemanyotherwaysinwhich runningcanhelptocounternegativepressures thatmayhavebecomeapartofourlives.Some oftheamazingpositivequalitiesofrunning follow.
&MentalHealth
running,Iwouldbeinaverybadplacementally. Forme,thecharactersandthoughtfulnessof thesespecialpeople,particularlythosein theNorthShoreRunnersduringthistime, cannotbeoverstated.
Ithinkrunningimprovesself-confidence.We feelbetterwhenwearefitter,andwelearnthat weactuallyhavealotofdeterminationand resilience.Theknowledgethatwearestrong helpsustodealwithchallengingsituationsand depression.Also,forsomepeople,running leadstoweightlossanddefinitelyimproved muscletone,sothiscanhelpwithfeelingbetter aboutone'sbodyimage.
diet,whichplaysanimportantrolein maintaininggoodphysicalandmentalhealth. Aninadequate,poordietcanleadtofatigue, obesity,poordecision-makinganda suppressedimmunesystem.Whenyoubecome arunner,youwillneedandwanttofeelyour best.Ihavelearnedagreatdealaboutproper nutritionfromotherrunnerssharingtheirfood decisionsandknowledge.Itseemstome tobeanareathatyounaturallybecomemore interestedinasyoucommitmoretoanactive lifestyle.Propernutritionisakeytoenhancing one'straining.
Runningcanreduceanxietyasitreducesthe body'sstresshormones,includingadrenaline (althoughnotatthebeginningofarace!)and cortisol.Ifyousufferfrompanicattacks, exerciseisbeneficial.
Thisactivitycanabsolutelyimproveyoursleep patterns.Insomniaorirregularsleep worsensthecharacteristicsofdepression. Regular,sufficientsleepiskeytomuscle recovery,reducingstress,optimizingbrain functionandwakingupeachdayfeeling refreshedandreadytogo.Inaddition,Ican prettymuchguaranteethatifyougoforareally longrun,youcanhavearestful,soundsleep duringanapafterwards.
Becominginvolvedinrunninggenerallyleads onetoprogresstowardabalanced,nutritious
Lastly,runningleadstosettinggoals.Iamafirm believerinthebenefitsofhavinggoalsto pursueinordertokeepusfocusedandonthe pathourbestselfwantsustobeon.Goals keepusheadinginpositivedirections.For many,includingme,pickingandenteringarace orselectingakeyracefortheseason encouragesonetokeeptrainingonaregular basisregardlessofhowyoufeelatthemoment, theweather,etcetera.
Ibelieveifyoulearntoembraceapositive activity,overtime,thoughts,planningand engagingintheactivitywilloccupyyourmind tosuchanextentthattherewillbelessroom availablefornegativeanddepressingthoughts. Youwillmeetmanywonderful,positivepeople, andyou,too,willhavestoriestoshare.Make 2016[2025!]thebestyearyoucan.
“RECONNECT”
LIFE&THEFOODCHAIN LIFE&THEFOODCHAIN
I'mblessedandproudtosaythatIwasa countrified,farm-lovingtomboygrowingup. Thoseofuswhowereluckyenoughto experience,live,andlearnaboutlifeinthis beautifulandconnectedmannercertainly appreciatethefoundationweweregiftedwith. Throughthemiraclesandgloryofnature,you witnessedthemiracleofbirthandthe inevitabilityofdeath.Weplayedhard,worked hardandslepthard.Livingonandaround farmsmayhavebeenalifestyletakenfor grantedasachild,butasadults,youlikely recognizeandappreciatelifedifferently. Ihaveahealthyrespectfordirt,soil,bacteria, andourrelianceonnature,itsrhythms,cycles andawesomepower.Ihonourandrespectthe blood,sweatandtearsthatgointothepassion andlifeworkofallthosewhofarm.These heroesfeednotjustthemselvesbutalsothose ofuswhoworkinotheroccupations.Yearin andyearout,theydedicatethemselvesto navigatingthetrials,tribulations,losses,and bounties.
HereinNorfolkandHaldimand,weare particularlyblessedwithsomeofthemost amazingfarmlandandversatilecropoptions. Myowngardeningskillsareimproving,butI, forone,amsogratefulfortheMeadowLynn FarmsCSAprogramwejoinyearlytonourish ourselves.Thesearewholesome,nutrient-
dense,localandorganicproduce,eggsandmeat. Farmer'smarketsandroadsidestandsareplentiful anddeserveoursupport,gratitudeand encouragement.
Recently,therewasagooddealofhype,publicity, conjectureandridiculeduetothe"ButterRecall". Themediahadalottosayaboutthelackof labelling,warningusthatbuttercontainsmilk.So, yes,folks,thatblockofbutterydeliciousnessisa byproductofthemilkwegetfromdairycattle.
Onthesurface,thismayseemhumorousand ridiculous,buttome,itspeaks,sadly,togreater problems;thegapingdisconnects,lackof educationanddisassociationofourknowledgeof foodasvitalfuelforourhealth,vitality,qualityof lifeandsurvival.AsaRegisteredHolistic Nutritionist,Iworkhardto"peelbackthelabel"to fullyeducateindividualsandtheirfamiliesonthe
nuancesoffoods,fromwholesomeand nutritioustodownrightharmful,toxic,ultraprocessedconveniencefoodswhichcostusour healthandwellness,notjustoutofpocket.Yes,I cantellyou,manypeopledonotknowwhereor whattheirfoodcomesfrom!Ichoose"educating overinsulating".Thisisempowerment.
Ourfoodindustry,throughlawsandlabellingor lackthereof,isthecatalystformassiveamounts offoodwaste.Inaworldwheresomanyare goinghungry,perhapswecouldfindawayto educateandhaveadvisoriesinsteadofwasting whentherearethoseinneed.Yes,ofcourse, therearethosewithsevereallergiesand intolerances.Iunderstandthatfirsthand educationandknowledgeareempowering.How canwehelpoursocietiestoberesponsiblefor thedecisionsandchoiceswemake?Weshould knowwhereourfoodcomesfromandwhatit doesforourbodies.Insteadofridicule,weneed torecognizethathugesegmentsofour populationhavehadzerointroductiontothe wondersoffarmingcommunities.
Atwhatpointdidasimple,wholesome, homegrown,home-preparedmealbecome victimtoindustryandtechnologyandridiculed orseenasdeprivationorpunishment?Our franticlybusylivesandoutwardfocushave seeminglyrobbedusofreasonandseducedusto acceptconvenienceandprocessedfoodsas rewards,allthewhilecontributingtochronic disease,inflammation,andallmannerof disconnect.Preventionandpreservationof healthismucheasierthancleaningupdamage afterthefact.
Theworldisabig,busyplace.Manypeoplehave neverbeenoutsideofacity.Theymaynever haveevenvisitedthecountryside,nevermind livedinthecountry.Mycitysmartswouldbe abysmal,butI'mbeyondgratefulthatmy foundationincludedmilkingacowbyhand,that Icanidentifyandhavephysicallygroomed, nurtured,named,fed,riddenandcaredformany typesofanimals.I'vedrivenastandard,
gardened,harvestedandpreservedfood,hayed, drivenatractor,choppedandstackedfirewood, climbed(andfallen)fromtrees,armwrestled,had snowball,greenappleandchestnutfights,laidon mybackwatchingcloudsandstars,playedinthe rain,mademudpies,swamandfishedinponds, builttreefortsandthankfully,I'veseenthe beautyofsmallfamilyfarms,naturalgrazing animals,bakedbreadandcaredforsiblings,and hadchoresandresponsibilities.
Igrewupwithsiblings,parents,grandandgreatgrandparents,andsoverymanycousins.Irealized allfamiliesaretheirownformofnormaland dysfunctional,andIlearnedthatactionshave consequences(notbecauseofmorelabelling)but throughtrial,errorandexperience.Overthe years,thishasbroadenedmyhorizonsandmade meappreciatemyupbringingandheritage.Ialso holdspaceandgraceforothersbecausenoneof us"knowswhatwedon'tknow."
Aswegreet2025,Iencourageyoutostepinto growing,learning,embracingspecialmoments, simplifyingandlivinginthosemoments.I encourageyoutoconsumelesstoxicfoodand information,groundandreconnect,trynew hobbiesandexperiences,spendmoretimein natureandlesstimeinspacesoflabellingand judgingandmoreineducating,empoweringand applyingthatnewknowledgeforbetterhealth andwellness,nurturing,honouringand respectingyourself,othersandourplanet.
