I saw this 100 Things to Do this Summer list on a blog I follow and thought what a great idea…but then I realized (as did the author) that :
1.) my kids don't like to do a lot of this stuff anymore and
2.) neither do I.
But the more I looked at it, the more I thought it WAS a great summer "to do" list. There are some standard things on here that mean “summer” to everyone…like swim, fireworks, ride bikes, beach, and BBQ with friends. And there are some items that just won't happen for me this summer .... I am way past making potato stamps, and cereal necklaces and I am sure my teens would laugh hysterically if I said we were going to have a “reading party”. But I am all over the “kids plan dinner” – that should be on every season to do list! As I really read each item, it kind of makes me wish for those days when blowing bubbles was so much fun and catching bugs was an adventure.
Whether you have old kids, young kids or no kids at all, I think if we all did a few of these simple activities with friends and family this summer it would make the season that seems to fly by that much more enjoyable. How many will you check off?
P.S. Does anyone know what “Peculiar P Party” is?
 I am embarrassed to admit that a few years ago; I would laugh at those who did yoga – glorified stretching I thought – waste of time. But then I took a few classes (forced by a friend) and I quickly realized how wrong I was. I really enjoyed those introduction classes – not only did the “stretching” feel great – I found it very calming. So then I apologized to all my yoga friends for mocking them and signed up for an actual class. And at the end of those 10 weeks – I actually felt stronger.
Soooooooo, not a waste of time.
I will fully admit I am not a yoga expert – and I realize there are many many
different types of yoga. So I thought I would list a few of the more popular ones to see if I can convince anyone else that yoga is worthwhile. And if you want to chat with an office expert – I would recommend Sue and Stephanie.
Even though yoga is all based on the same poses, each style has a particular focus.
For example, one style has a purpose to improve flexibility, while another style
primarily strengthens your core.
Here's a quick introduction to some of the most common and popular types of
yoga:
Hatha: Hatha originated in India in the 15th century. This type of yoga is slow-paced, gentle, and focused on breathing and meditation, so it's a great type of yoga to wind down with at night.
Purpose: To introduce beginners to yoga with basic poses and relaxation techniques
Benefits: Relieves stress, provides physical exercise, and improves breathing
Good for: Beginners and people wanting to learn the basics of yoga
Vinyasa: Much like Hatha, Vinyasa covers basic poses and breath-synchronized movement. Commonly called "Vinyasa flow" or just "flow", you'll definitely be moving, flowing from one pose to the next. Other than starting with a sun salutation, no two classes will be alike. It's the most popular style of yoga in America.
Purpose: To link the breath with movement and to build lean muscle mass throughout the body
Benefits: Helps improve strength and flexibility, tones the abdominal muscles, and reduces the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes
Good for: Beginners and advanced yogis alike seeking to strengthen their bodies
Ashtanga: Ashtanga yoga metaphorically focuses on eight limbs. Ashtanga is fast-paced and intense with lunges and push-ups. Commonly called Power yoga, ashtanga is definitely physically demanding. It's probably best suited for an ex-athlete or someone looking to really push their body.
Purpose: To help improve one’s spiritual self
Benefits: Relieves stress, improves coordination, and helps with weight loss
Good for: Fit people looking to maintain strength and stamina, and those who want to get in touch with their spiritual side
Iyengar: Iyengar covers all eight aspects of Ashtanga yoga and focuses on bodily alignment.. Standing poses are emphasized, and are often held for long periods of
time. Expect lots of props with this type of yoga such as blocks, harnesses, straps,
and even cushions. There's also a lot of focus on alignment so Iyengar can be great for physical therapy.
Purpose: To strengthen and bring the body into alignment
Benefits: Helps improve balance, speeds up recovery from an injury, and builds up body strength
Good for: Beginners who want to learn the correct alignments in each pose and those with injuries, balance issues, and chronic medical conditions like arthritis
Bikram: Also known as hot yoga, Bikram is practiced in a 95 to 100 degree room. It’s
typically a series of 26 poses that allows for a loosening of tight muscles and sweating.
Purpose: To flush out toxins and to deeply stretch the muscles
Benefits: Speeds up recovery from an injury, enhances flexibility, and cleanses the
body
Good for: Beginners and advanced yogis alike who want to push themselves and those with physical injuries
These are only a few of many styles of yoga. Try one or all of them to figure out
which one suits your needs the best.
Looking to begin yoga?…before you head to class, check the Yoga
Poses for Beginners library to become familiar with some of the most common poses.
 Top food trends
Remember cake pops? They went from virtually nowhere to everywhere last year. And vegetable chips…especially kale. Well those trends are soooo last year. Not that they are over but they are kind of like day-old cookies: not quite so hot-and-fresh anymore. I took a little tour of the internet and read a lot about what new food trends are happening in 2013 (Canada and the US) . Below are the most common items I found on various lists.
So what’s new?
Quinoa
Once you learn to pronounce it correctly (keen-wa), you may learn to love this light, crunchy whole grain. This gluten-free grain packs 8 grams of protein in a cooked 1-cup serving. I cooked it for the first time this month for my family – no sale with the teens – but I will try again with a little more added flavour. There are millions of quinoa recipes on line!
Gluten-Free Everything
It was last year’s trend, too, but gluten-free is still surprisingly hot. Gluten-free products now have their own section in most supermarkets. Generally people who follow a gluten free diet have celiac disease. Celiac is an inherited autoimmune disease. The symptoms are triggered by "gluten", the name given to certain proteins in wheat (including spelt and kamut), barley, rye, and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye). In celiac disease, the body's immune system responds abnormally to gluten. Currently the only treatment for celiac disease is to continually maintain a strict gluten-free diet. Some people avoid this protein for a variety of other reasons, such as they believe being gluten-free to have some nutritional value. Some say avoiding gluten will help alleviate stress. The good news: there are lots of other grains, and delicious recipes for gluten-free meals and desserts.
Elimination Diets
It’s not just gluten people are avoiding. Gone are the old days of people following doctor-authored, best-seller diets. Incoming trends are “elimination diets” or "cleanses" whereby people are banning whatever ingredients they feel may be doing evil to their bodies. Speak to Jean - she makes up her own cleanse.
Organic Food
While scientists continue to debate whether organic food is healthier or not, consumers seem to have made up their minds. People are also choosing organic because it is one of the few guarantees that produce, meats and other products are created without using synthetic pesticides or herbicides, genetically modified ingredients, antibiotics or growth hormones.
Breakfast
Eight out of ten adults say they eat breakfast—which is good news, since breakfast eaters tend to be healthier and less likely to eat more empty calories later in the day. And from our SA profiles it seems eggs and smoothies are a popular breakfast
favourite. Not only that, our favourite breakfast recipes are becoming mainstream dishes during the rest of the day. Who doesn't have pancakes/waffles for dinner sometimes? .
Goat
Yes, goat. It was on a few lists! And a little digging found that it is the most-consumed meat in the world (nearly 70 percent of all red meat consumed globally is goat). However, on the wave of the goat cheese, goat milk and goat yogurt comes the inevitable appearance of goat meat. There are now complete cookbooks devoted to goat!
Slow Cooker, Year-Round
In the last 10 years, Grandma’s crock pot has made a comeback and with it, all of her classic comfort food recipes. Slow cookers have become the hot wedding gift and now people are using them year-round for everything from breakfast (check out this oatmeal recipe from cooksmarts.com) to dinner. Try the Ginger Garlic Slow Cooker Meatballs from healthcheck.org.
Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is trendy right now, but it does live up to its nutritional hype. Greek yogurt provides "a good dose of protein and is an important source of calcium, potassium and phosphorous."
For Health Check dietician Carol Dombrow’s take on health food trends and a list of the top 50 healthy foods read her article from the Huffington Post.
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