Loving The Skin You’re In
In parts of Canada, winter will soon slowly begin to make its way out, and spring will make its way in. In other parts of the country…
Health and Wellness
Physical, emotional and spiritual wellness are all things we need. The Yukon has some amazing ways to achieve some or all of those needs from support groups to athletic clubs and self-care destinations. What’s Up Yukon even has an amazing roster of writer’s who share their secrets on how to find balance in the busy day-to-day lives we all lead.
Heating Up With Yukon Sauna
Yukon Sauna, started by Tyler and Joyce Rempel, originally came to be when the two wanted a portable sauna for their own use.
Making Your Mental Health A Priority
Many of us feel isolated, bombarded and overwhelmed by news of the horrors happening around the world (today)…
Choices
Making so many choices every day can be stressful. Sometimes it causes me to lose track of the big picture.
Take a Chance on Happiness
In the Wheel of Fortune, we see a giant wheel turning in a blue sky while curious winged creatures upon clouds watch…
Sauna Season
Saunas have grown a lot in popularity recently. Instagram is filled with pictures of stylish barrel saunas and wood-fired hot tubs.
The Art Of Slowing Down
Friends who know me may well be wondering why on earth Amanda Mouchet is writing about the art of slowing down.
ADHD & The Great Outdoors
The move a southeastern Ontario city to small & isolated Old Crow, Yukon had an unexpected positive change on my ADHD and mental health.
The ‘Inside’ Scoop on Healthy Poop
It turns out the Bristol Stool Scale is all about the quality of poop—not bar stools. We’ll tell you a little aobut healthy poop.
Emma’s Quick Guide to a safe and sound studio
The main things I consider, as a painter, are ventilation, natural light and cleanup. Ventilation is challenging in the Yukon because in the winter you lose so much heat by opening windows.
Categories of Violence
Use of power by which an individual in a position of force aims to control another person. There are three categories of violence.
Making the ‘impossible’ possible
Darryl Tait, from Atlin, didn’t allow an accident slow his passion for freestyle sports. Adaptive Skiing is now part of Mt. Sima training.
Brightening days, one tale at a time
Denis McCrae saw an advertisement asking for volunteers at the Thomson Centre, about two years ago, and thought to himself, I have some time to spare, I can do that. He wasn’t quite certain what he was getting into, but McCrae is glad he did. It has turned out to be one of the best …
In ‘the Zone’ – Taking each day as it comes …
I turned 70 this past summer. I’ve been pondering, How did I get there so soon? So what’s your stereotype of a 70-year-old “lady”? Grey hair? Yep, that’s me, and I earned every one! Wrinkles and brown splotches? Yes, plenty! A cane? Actually, walking sticks for long walks! Sitting in a rocking chair, all day, …
The escalation of violence
It is quite rare for physical conflict to be the first manifestation of violence. Generally speaking, violence develops gradually.
Healthy crying and how to do it
Children sometimes will look not grieving at all, then they’re in it all at once,” said Deb Higgins, with Hospice Yukon.
Pelvic floor – Sorry, why are we talking about this?
If I told you it is possible to move your tailbone by contracting your pelvic muscles, would you believe me? Indeed, not many people know about the existence of these muscles in the pelvis called “the pelvic floor.” To contract your pelvic floor, imagine picking up a ping pong ball with your anus (or with …
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Today’s the day the teddy bears have their clinic
September 9 is National Teddy Bear Day The inaugural Teddy Bear Clinic in November 2017 was a hit with families and medical professionals alike as about 200 families came through the door to get checkups for their important stuffie friends. Those attendance numbers, and the overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents and children, made it essential …
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Tai Chi? Why Not?
Many people I have spoken to about Tai Chi have the mistaken impression that it is tortuously slow or that one simply stands around holding weird poses for no apparent reason, or that there are no health benefits. Luckily, I did not have any of these misconceptions.
My Failed Pancreas …
Mikka and others with type 1 diabetes are sharing their stories at the event My Failed Pancreas: Life with Type 1 Diabetes,
Inspired by ‘place’
Anto Yukon’s 100 per cent natural and vegan soaps and essential oils are inspired by by the artist’s favourite Canadian landscapes.
Practising Aikido, the ‘Art of Peace’
The thing I remember most from my first Aikido class is falling; or, rather, how to fall properly.
Ride to Live, Live to Ride
Whitehorse’s ninth annual Ride for Dad is happening … and you can help out.
Herbal passions
When Beverley Gray started her business, over 20 years ago, it began with filling a need for her own family.
A lifeline for Yukon artists
James Kirby dedicated his life to his craft and when news of his terminal illness came to light, the Yukon Artist Relief Fund Society was there to help.
Picking our battles
As a nurse, I have a role in challenging systemic and individual racism. I challenge you to do the same.
Nursing in the North
Wow … where to start … I’ve been a registered nurse for 24 years and have worked in four countries and in about 20 different positions, from frontline staff to director. The opportunities in nursing are endless. Nursing is a diverse profession with over 100 nursing specialties. In the Yukon, nurses work in a …
Are you prepared to survive Yukon’s wilderness?
The Yukon is a pretty incredible place, but with so much wide, empty wilderness, few people and limited technology capacity in backcountry areas, it’s important to remember to prepare, plan and train before you venture out there.
Going green never looked so good
Fahrenheit Hair originally offered only hair services, but have recently expanded into further beauty services that include body sugaring, massage, threading, organic skincare and lash extensions.
That’s a real pain in the back!
Acupuncturist Stephen Potter offers advice on dealing with back pain
Put on your Canadian tuxedo for Denim Day
Until you see it firsthand, it is difficult to comprehend the personal, professional and financial complications unleashed by a cancer diagnosis.
Eat Right, Stay Bright
Breakfast is brain food. According to the Breakfast Club of Canada approximately 60 per cent of learning happens before lunch, making it even more important to get some food in their bellies first thing in the morning.
What’s up with dry, cracked heels and feet
Cracked heels and dry feet, like anything else, are never caused by one thing.
The philosophy behind yoga
Yoga, or yoga shastra (science), is part of an ancient philosophical system from India that is thousands of years old. Yoga literally means “connection with the Ultimate.”
Pilates and older adults
For us of the older generation, staying fit is essential, but so many exercises can be hard on our bodies. Pilates offers a great way to stay in shape without stressing your joints, improves balance and actually reduces the risk of injury while it helps you build muscle.
Is stress the root of your health concerns?
As a Naturopathic Doctor in Whitehorse with a focus on women’s health, I see a lot of burnout caused by chronic stress. Often my patients don’t realize that their daily pressures are adversely affecting their physical health.
What’s up with foot reflexology
Foot reflexology is an accessible touch therapy where a practitioner uses both light touch and deeper pressure techniques to stimulate points or reflex zones of the foot and lower limb. Reflexologists from all influences base their practice on the belief that our feet and lower limbs contain reflex points that share – or mirror – …
All she is saying is ‘Give Feet a Chance’
These feet were made for walking. It’s not just a song; it’s the basis for a lot of Jeddie Russell’s work at WalkOn Foot Care, Whitehorse’s new foot care clinic located in the log skyscraper.
Warrior fit
Fellow gym heroes, this an article for you – or for anyone who wants to take their fitness to the extreme level.
I am going to go over a circuit obstacle course that’s easy to create, but will challenge you.
Ride for Dad Comedy Night will tickle your prostate and your funny bone
Celebrating its fifth year, Ride for Dad Comedy Night has grown into its own as one of Ride for Dad Yukon’s premier fundraising events.
Whitehorse Walks!
In a city renowned for its trails, Whitehorse has several informal walking groups to help us connect socially – and stay fit mentally and physically – all year-round. Most Sundays and sometimes Wednesdays, Peter Long and his partner, Wynne Krangle, plan “Blue Moon” hikes with a group of friends and “anyone willing to join us.” …
Glass of wine with that pedicure?
Head to Toe is the first ever salon to offer a bar service to their customers, including mimosas, house wines, scotch, coffee and baileys, and import and local beer.
Christmas cheer and improving health care
The 15th annual Northwestel Festival of Trees will kick off on Thursday, Nov. 23 with the Business After Hours (BAH) Humbug event at the Yukon government Main Administration Building foyer. The annual fundraising event for Yukon health care concludes on Dec. 2 with the Alkan Air Grand Ball, a formal seated dinner that is already …
It’s no picnic
If teddy’s looking a bit peaked this season, you’re in luck. Whitehorse General Hospital is offering health care for bears this week.
The power of art
Looking at recorded history, humans have been using dances and music as well as storytelling and visual arts as healing rituals. Art and health are a well known pair; a healthy mind in a healthy body.
Food is Medicine
Why is it that we can go on different diets, try different workouts, use a variety of supplements but still have a hard time shedding those pounds? I’ve asked myself this question a number of times, and I’m sure there are others out there who have too. Having been at a weight of 350 pounds, …
Strengthen and lengthen with Pilates
(3) On the exhale, reach your arms long and curl your upper spine up to the bottom of your shoulder blades, no higher. Breath in to stay, and then breath out to lower your spine down one vertebrae at a time. Repeat this move five times. You should feel the effort of the move in …
Whatever the season, hypothermia can be dangerous
It may come as a surprise, but more people are affected by, and die from, hypothermia in summer and other seasons than in the winter. That may be due to people being more prepared and being more careful in winter. Taking extra warm clothing with you at any time of the year can be a …
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Shape it: Burpees
Burpees are not something that I used to include in my regular workouts at all. I probably would have never come to know this awesome exercise along with its many variations, had it not been for my friend and burpee queen Mariela Burkett. Burkett, a personal trainer and fitness instructor in the lovely city of …
Breathing In, Breathing Out
I’ve been doing yoga since I was a kid, tagging along to my mum’s occasional classes. I started taking the practice seriously three years ago and earned my 200-hour yoga instructor certification last summer. Though I mostly practice on my own, Breath of Life yoga studio piqued my interest due to their modernization of yoga. …
How Long Can You HIIT?
Want to do something this summer that you can brag to all your friends about? Its free, requires a small space and will improve your overall health. Welcome to your new summer activity called High Intensity Interval Training – otherwise known as HIIT. The technique is inspired by the principles of German coach Woldemar Gerschler …
Healing through Massage
A keen interest in psychology, bodywork and holistic health and wellness: Discovering the profound benefits of massage therapy.
Get Your Motor Running (For a Good Cause)
It’s impossible to ignore 200 motorcycles ripping down the road. That’s kind of the point, says Sean Secord, board member of the Yukon chapter of Ride for Dad. Ride for Dad is a national event that raises funds and awareness around prostate cancer, and it takes place in Whitehorse on Saturday, June 10. “It’s the …
Communication is the Key
I wanted to make people communicate better – with me and with each other. I didn’t see myself as the problem here.
Class of 2009: Colby Heynen
In May 2017, Colby Heynen drove up the highway to Whitehorse from Southern Alberta. He and his girlfriend, Karin Wall, from Coaldale, Alberta will be renting an apartment here in Whitehorse and moving in the first of June. Colby has been back in Whitehorse for two years, working at Whitehorse General Hospital as a nurse. …
Watson Lake Generosity Supports Cystic Fibrosis Month
May is Cystic Fibrosis (CF) month. A drive through Watson Lake will give you an idea of just how important this month is to our town. Numerous businesses join in “painting the town purple” by decorating windows and doors in purple, the official CF colour. You may also see purple vehicles and one distinctly purple …
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Care for the Whole Self
I want you to imagine your favourite pie – apple, blueberry, rhubarb or a rebel mix of all three. I want you to picture yourself eating this freshly baked, perfectly flakey pie, one beautiful bite at a time. In math class, you may have learned to associate pies as a metaphor to illustrate fractions. If …
A Home Away from Home
“Gaby was four when she was diagnosed in June 2016, and her birthday is in October so she’s five now,” says Keira Kucherean. Her life changed dramatically when she was told that her daughter Gabriella has medullary pilocytic astrocytoma, a type of brain stem tumor, and that she would need ongoing treatment in Vancouver. Because …
Connecting Our Mind with Our Body
In today’s world, it can be hard to feel comfortable in our own skin. This is, in part, due to a growing plague of diet and fitness advertisements hinting that our happiness stems from a leaner version of ourselves. These advertisements have accumulated to the point where body-confidence is an issue in our society. I …
What’s Up with Your Feet
Leonardo da Vinci said the “human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art,” which it is. The foot has with a complex network of 26 bones, 37 joints, more than 100 ligaments, some 20 muscles, thousands of nerve endings, tendons and tissues uniquely designed to withstand pounds of pressure and stress. …
Bend the Rules of Exercise
While Whitehorse’s newest yoga studio True North Massage and Yoga just opened, it’s already setting itself apart from the other offerings in town. The yoga studio, located at 407 Black Street, opened mid-January. Since opening, its owners Sheila MacLean and Stephanie Padfield have set their sights on community partnerships and a hybrid approach to the …
Home Is Where the Heart Is
In August of 2008, we had ground cleared so we could build a new house. It wouldn’t be very big or fancy, but it would be a clean, dry place to live. You see, the previous winter I had had pneumonia. Which was exacerbated by the mold in the existing house we lived in. It …
Wanted: Ideas
Applications are open until March 12 for the third annual Yukon Innovation Prize. The contest, which is hosted by the the Yukon College’s Cold Climate Innovation program and the Yukon Department of Economic Development, is seeking health and wellness-related entrepreneurial ideas related to the unique challenges posed by living in the North. Previous themes have …
Don’t Ignore that Gut Feeling
“Were the gut solely responsible for transporting food and producing the occasional burp, such a sophisticated nervous system would be an odd waste of energy. Nobody would create such a neural network just to enable us to break wind. There must be more to it than that.” –an excerpt from Gut: The Inside Story of …
Staying Eczema-free this Winter
For sufferers of eczema, the winter can be an especially uncomfortable time. The dry, overheated indoors and the harsh, cold outdoors can aggravate symptoms. Eczema, which is also called atopic dermatitis, is a condition that causes dry, thickened, itchy patches on the skin. Research points to it originating in the immune system. In those with …
The Streetlight Blues
“I used to stand at my son’s bedroom window, when he was two or three, and look northward to see stars,” says Forest Pearson, a resident of downtown Whitehorse. Pearson’s team gathered up the latest research and prepared a white paper to be presented to the City of Whitehorse, ATCO Electric Yukon, Yukon Energy Corporation …
The Traditional Chinese Medicine Approach to Colds and Flus
People often ask if Traditional Chinese Medicine can treat colds and flus. Although there’s no magic bullet when it comes to getting rid of those nasty winter viruses, Traditional Chinese Medicine can give us a unique perspective on how we treat them, reducing the severity, duration and frequency. Miso soup with lots of scallions – …
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Natural Energy Boosts
It’s that time of year again. With the constant darkness and the cold, many of us are feeling – and looking – a little tired. Personally, I blame the fact that I’m pretty sure outside the hours of 10 to three it is straight-up midnight all the time. If you’re feeling a little rundown, you …
Winter Dog Walk
You know the drill. There’s a beautiful, warm, cozy and glowing fire in your living room. Sweat pants are on. A nice dinner’s been eaten. It would be so easy; it would be so great, just to lie on your couch and go to sleep. But, there’s one four-legged bundle of joy wreaking havoc in …
Exercise May Eliminate the Harmful Effects of Overeating
As the season of overindulgence is upon us, binging and overeating becomes an almost daily occurrence. From cookies and treats at the office to endless dinners and potlucks, for the next month we will all likely be filling our bellies beyond their normal capacity. People who for 11 months of the year may eat well …
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Oh Sugar, Sugar, You Got Me Wanting You
That addictive white powdery stuff is in everything. From store-bought spice blends to fruit juice to ketchup to even vitamins, it’s everywhere and in much higher amounts than you might think. The average Canadian consumes about 88 pounds of sugar a year. Young people aged nine to 18 and men consume over 100 pounds a …
Food is Medicine
Is your digestion slow? Feel cold all the time? Tired and achy? Low mood? Lack the energy to get through your day? If any of these symptoms are a problem for you and you’re struggling to feel well, no matter what you try, Chinese medicine and acupuncture might have the answer for you. You could be suffering the effects of Yukon’s long, dark, cold winters. But …
Learning to Fly
Jonathan Henkelman lies on his back on a yoga mat, legs lifted and bent, the bottoms of his bare feet facing the ceiling. I am standing at his feet, looking down at him. He asks me to lean forward and let his feet press against my lower belly to support me. I try a few …
Life is Tough with The Little Nag
My dinner dishes don’t always get done after dinner. There is a chair in my living room that has a continuous pile of laundry to be folded. Sometimes I forget the kid’s helmet, or swimsuit, or permission slip for school. The dogs haven’t been bathed for two weeks. I try to be a calm and …
Boost Your Bone Health
For most of our Canadian lives, we are told that lasting bone strength is a glass or two of milk away. This is reflected heavily in the Canada’s Food Guide, which acts as a foundation piece for nutrition and wellness in doctors’ offices, classrooms and even many kitchen tables. Commercials and other ads push hard …
A Special Baby: Ellen’s Story
Ellen had four babies at Whitehorse General Hospital. Her births were always fast and she liked the support that she got at the hospital. In her fifth pregnancy her baby was diagnosed with spina bifida at the 20 week ultrasound. Spina bifida is a birth defect where there is incomplete closing of the backbone and membranes around the spinal …
How Yoga was Practiced in the Ancient Past and Today
The yoga practiced today is not at all like it was practiced in the ancient past. Faeq Biria, a well known Iyengar Yoga teacher in Europe and the director of the Iyengar Yoga Centre in Paris said that Patanjali, who wrote the ancient text The Patanjala Yoga Sutras (500-300 BC) would not recognize the yoga …
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Your Guide to Vitamin D
Facebook friends are filling my feed with photos of stunning sunrises that they are seeing on their way to work. Everyone marvels at them, yet all I can focus on is how we are about to be plunged into months of darkness. It’s that time of year. If you’re looking to get a head start …
Born at Home in Marsh Lake: Kristin’s story
Kristin homesteads at Marsh Lake with her partner Ron, her two sons and her stepson and her parents living close by. She had imagined having her babies at home since she was a teenager. “Giving birth is natural, every animal does it and we were made to do this,” she says. But when she went …
The Walking Monk Comes to Whitehorse
“I have always had a fascination with the North.” I am on the phone with Bhaktimarga Swami, a 63-year-old monk in Toronto. We are talking about the visit to Whitehorse he has planned for late September. Better known as The Walking Monk, at 63 he has already walked across Canada four times, as well as …
A Fat Chance of Healing Concussions
When I was a teenager, I took karate twice a week. One year, my instructor got really into throws. Given that he never really taught proper falling technique, combined with the class having a lot of young people in it, it is not surprising that I ended up with a concussion. It was one of …
Pelvic What Now?
Ok, so when I hear the words “pelvic floor” the folks I think of are pregnant women and the elderly. It’s also a term that has come up in yoga classes, usually in the context of maintaining strength en route to joining one of those groups of people. Shows how much I know. Sophie Villeneuve …
Not for Novices: Beyond Beginner Picking
After you’ve picked your first few batches of mushrooms, and haven’t landed in the hospital, you’ll find the mushroom conversation branches into themes of field testing, drying, and alternate uses, such as medicines, dyes and crafts. The best mushrooming advice I ever got was from experienced mushroom picker Esa Ekdahl. She told me to start …
My First Baby: Emma
We moved into our newly built log house one week before my due date. We were racing against time, because we planned our home to be one where I’d have my child, and wanted our first baby to be born in the house we built together. She took her time. I had my first contraction …
Off to the Races with Allan Benjamin
97 Yukoners aged 55 to 91 participated in the 2016 Canada 55+ Games in Brampton, Ontario from Aug.16 to 19.
Your Fibre-less Diet is Making You Allergic to Everything. Here’s Why.
You know those moments when you realize something awful? Your whole body goes cold as the dread sets in. Your eyes go wide and the panic rises from the pit of your stomach. Maybe it’s when you remember a moment from last night. Maybe it’s when you discover you just hit reply all. Maybe – …
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Finding Herself
In 2009, Ayla Sanders graduated from Vanier Catholic Secondary School and got a summer job in Paradise Alley on Main Street in Whitehorse. She did not have plans to pursue a post-secondary education, so she wrote an essay to apply for the Rosemary Burns Grant. This was the first year of the award. Since then …
In Support of Mental Health
The Second Opinion Society (SOS) is holding its annual barbecue on Thursday, July 28th, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and all are welcome. SOS is located at 304 Hawkins St. adjacent to the Yukon Conservation Society offices. There will be hotdogs and burgers, as well as vegan and vegetarian options, thanks to generous donations …
Managing Health with Meditation
Today many people practice meditation for stress relief and to improve their overall quality of life. However, is there evidence that meditation is effective? If its effects can be proven, how can meditation be practiced by people with different fitness levels and abilities to concentrate? A study conducted at Johns Hopkins University in 2013 show …
Love The Skin You’re In
Being the body’s largest organ, problems inevitably show up on our skin. It’s a complicated organ influenced by diet, stress, lifestyle and environmental factors. People of all ages suffer from dry skin, eczema, acne and a host of other troubles. Certain minerals, nutrients and foods are the key to banishing problems and getting skin you …
A Family Tradition
When the hooligan are running, the rivers and harbour In Haines, Alaska host a fiesta of wildlife that congregate to feed on this little fish that First Nations prize for its high fat content. Sea gulls, eagles, sea lions and even whales feast on the bounty when it arrives. For generations, the local Tlingit people …
Yukon’s First Lady of Physiotherapy
Mentioning Yvonne Emson’s name can trigger a response like my neighbour’s: “Oh, she saved my life! My husband’s, too.” Physiotherapists are not in the business of saving lives, but for people with severe or chronic pain, getting the right treatment can feel like rebirth. After nearly 40 years practicing physiotherapy in the north, Emson is …
Soothing Your Stomach Naturally
Feeling like a gassy, nauseous, not-quite-your-awesome-self mess? It happens to all of us at one point or another. Perhaps you overate – indulged in some food or the other – or caught a bug that’s making your life miserable. Keep your kitchen, tea cupboard and garden stocked with these tasty solutions to life’s annoying gastrointestinal …
Didee & Didoo: After A Race
I CAN SLEEP. I’M NOT NERVOUS. I CAN BREATHE. I CAN TALK. I DON’T CHOKE. MY HEART BEATS NORMAL. I’M NOT STIFF. I CAN KEEP STILL. I CAN CONCENTRATE. I CAN HEAR. I DON’T PEE MY PANTS. I CAN SEE. I KNOW HOW TO PRAY. I STOP CRYING. I DON’T HAVE A HEADACHE. I AM …
Natural Remedies for Allergies
Nothing ruins a fabulous sunny day faster than red, itchy eyes and a runny nose. With summer here (yes – I am saying it!), we enter into the wonderful season of long days, bikes, hikes and patios. But we also dive itchy face first into the season of allergies. You may have noticed the subtle …
Wisdom Teeth
I discovered that I had wisdom teeth at the ripe age of 10. Then promptly put off thinking about the matter, until I was told I needed to get them removed last summer. After obtaining this ominous knowledge, I prepared for the procedure as any millennial would: by surfing the web. Upon reading several horror …
Neuroscience and Everyday Living: Part 3
Gridlock. We hardly ever have it in Whitehorse and if we do we can likely, easily, take another route to get where we are going (okay, not over the Riverdale Bridge). It is much like the fiber optic cable that is carrying our email to Paris. One moment it might go by Rio de Janeiro …
Neuroscience and Everyday Living: Part 2
According to Israeli physicist Moshe Feldenkrais, “hurrying is bad for learning.” How many of us hurry through our day ensuring that the garbage has been put out, the car has gas, the kids arrive at school on time, that we are appropriately attired and prepared for work, that dinner arrives on the table and that …
Yoga Through the Summer
Dawson City – get ready for yoga with Sabu Chaitanya. He’s on his way to instruct a full one-month intensive in the Klondike. The course begins June 6 and concludes on July 1 and it’s called an “intensive” for a reason. It’s a comprehensive, rigorous course requiring participation five days a week, in sessions held …
Boost Your Workout the Tasty Way
With the season of marathons and relays upon us, your training plans may be kicking into high gear. And heading into competition – whether personal or with others – you may also be looking for an edge. Enter science. The science behind athletic performance has highlighted the benefit of nitric oxide to improve glucose uptake, …
Inclusion Expo Gets Jazzy
He’s only 24 years old, but American pianist Matt Savage has had a 15-year professional career as a jazz musician, playing with some of the biggest names in jazz including Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis and Chaka Khan. People Magazine described Savage as a “…jazz phenom (who) unlocks a door to genius using 88 keys.” Savage …
Neuroscience and Everyday Living: Part 1
Can we change our brain just by thinking? Neuroscience would have us believe so. For example, a calm brain is more capable of learning, working and healing. It sounds simple. When the signal-to-noise ratio in the brain is low, learning and working and healing is easier. Signal to noise ratio means that the brain’s “noise” …
Gluten-Free to be You and Me
I came to the Yukon in the spring of 2012 and that August I noticed a full-page story in the Yukon News saying that more North Americans have gluten problems than once thought. Having been diagnosed Celiac more than 30 years ago, I was curious about the availability of support and reference material for celiacs in …
Nighttime Snacking and Breast Cancer Risk
Raise your hand if you’re a late night eater. Does this sound familiar? The sun sets, you sink into your couch, switch on Netflix and enjoy a snack. This is possibly the most relaxing way to end the day. Ok, certainly an evening meditation and gentle moon yoga practice would be more relaxing… but then …
Laughter Yoga: Heal Yourself Laughing
It is well-known that laughter is the best medicine. However, do we laugh enough in a normal life to get any benefit? Scientists say to get benefits from laughing one has to laugh 10 minutes continuously. Usually, life rarely provides us with such an opportunity. Also, one may be depressed. What to do then? Medical …
Healthy Ways to Soothe a Hangover
If you are indulging regularly in the good old Yukon Happy Hour, you may have met last night’s mean morning friend: The Hangover. He may be dependable, but he sure is a jerk. While the obvious advice may be that prevention is more effective than a cure, we all know that best intentions don’t always …
Kinnikinnick
Kinnikinnick’s Latin name, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, comes from arctos and ursi meaning bear and staphylos and uva meaning bunch of grapes. Amazing: the taste of those little grapes! I just tried something I had never tried before, but had read about several times. As it happens, I was treating a certain condition I had. I always …
Win the battle against cold and flu season
You’ve probably heard the sniffles and hacking and seen the dark circles beneath tired eyes. You’ve probably heard the murmurings around you in the café at the meeting table, really anywhere there are people. There is something wicked working its way through Whitehorse. It comes in the dark of night and knocks you out for …
Pregnancy: There’s an App for that
The excitement of a pregnancy is fuelled by the unknown and profound changes that it brings to you and your family. Filling in that information to make it a little less “unknown” can be a daunting task as you navigate from government department to non-profit organization to experienced family members and friends./ But, there is …
Taking the Stress out of Learning
My Learning Disabilities Association of Yukon colleague’s daughter will be heading to Greenland next month for the Arctic Winter Games. She is competing in snowshoe biathlon, an event that requires athletes to snowshoe as fast as they can, then stop and shoot at a small target far off in the distance. With increased heart and …
Everybody Poops. Until They Don’t.
Here is a fun health test you can do at home. Measure out two tablespoons of whole sesame seeds and swallow them with water. Take note of the time and wait and see how long they take to make their way out. This length of time is known as you “transit time.” Timely elimination is …
Don’t Panic!
My dog, Herman, once stepped between myself and a charging two-thousand-pound black Angus bull. He turned the animal back by sheer virtue of his own ferocity and unwillingness to be moved. On another occasion, he chased off a young male grizzly bear that was stalking myself and my girlfriend as we picked morels in northern …
Healthy resolutions you can keep
Some of the most common resolutions made in the New Year are about health. Almost 70 per cent of consumers surveyed by Nielsen in 2015 had made resolutions focused on staying fit, healthy, and svelte. Of course, the most commonly broken and failed resolutions are also those about health. Perhaps this is not surprising. How …
Want the good news or the bad news?
According to the Canadian Cancer Society Advisory Committee on Cancer Statistics, Canadian Statistics 2015, one out of every four Canadians will die of some form of cancer in their lifetime. Research in 2009 showed that about 2.4 per cent of the Canadian population or 1 out of every 41 Canadians was living with cancer: in …
Stay Healthy in Old Age with Vitamin D
Until December 21, the days will continue to get shorter. The light will be limited and far from adequate to produce Vitamin D, even in those who manage to expose their skin to the sunniest parts of the day. According to a Statistics Canada report called Vitamin D Blood Levels of Canadians, 40 per cent …
Hypnosis is a serious business
The office is spacious, warm, comforting. An oh-so-welcoming leather sofa and recliner are along the far wall under a soft pool of light. One wall is painted a deep blue; another, a deep purple. “Those are my favourite colours,” says Lee Ann Thomson in a profoundly soothing voice. Then she admits, “And, yes, blue and …
Tea Time
Named one the hottest food trends of 2015 by Canada’s Hospitality Business Magazine, Canadians are drinking almost 10 billion cups of tea each year. Second only to water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world, and with good reason. With endless combinations of healthful herbs, spices, and fruits, there is a tea to …
Making A Choice to Think Positive Thoughts
As the days become shorter and colder, the desire to hibernate like a bear becomes stronger. Those dealing with stress, anxiety or depression may be more likely to succumb to this feeling. The Mental Health Association of Yukon is offering a course to teach people a different way of thinking. In the course, called Living …
Holding Images in Our Mind
In his most recent show, Jesse Devost investigates how we gather and hold images in our mind. Optic Nerve, showing at Arts Underground until Nov. 28, explores how the optic nerve continuously captures images and transmits them to the brain, regardless of whether the brain can handle them. His art employs a variety of mediums, …
Boost Your Health with Flax
If you’re not eating flax every day, it’s time to start. While it may not seem like the sexiest superfood in its tiny boring brown package, its many nutritional superpowers will soon have you thinking otherwise. High in fibre, omega-3’s, and lignans, just two to four tablespoons of ground flax a day can offer huge …
A Buffet of Freaky Treats
Halloween parties for the mature crowd can’t simply offer a feast of candy and chips. We have issues such as cholesterol, blood pressure and the adult palate to keep in mind. Luckily, there are many healthy party snacks that can be served. Here are some ideas. For a sophisticated-but-creepy appetizer try black caviar. Grab some …
Beyond Thought
walking trails. We live not close to nature, but in nature. What is great is that so many of us are out there daily on the walking trails enjoying it. But we are also busy folks. We go to our jobs, get the kids to school and back, volunteer, coach and generally spend time being …
Five Steps to a Healthier Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving has long been my favourite holiday. Surrounded by friends, family, and food, without the stress that bigger holidays like Christmas bring, what’s not to love? Traditionally a celebration of the season’s harvest, Thanksgiving is a holiday of abundance. While that abundance is something to be grateful for, it can also lead to food hangovers …
Thanks Dr. Jim
It’s been a month and a half since the Traditional Chinese Medical practitioner Jim Zheng passed away. Those who he helped will remember him fondly, and those who depended on him to help manage ailments will be wondering how to manage the void he has left in their lives. “Dr. Jim,” as he was known, …
It’s Slow, but It’s So Good For You
If you really think about it, you probably can remember several key life transforming walks that you’ve taken over the years. They may have been as short as a walk down a church aisle or a month long trek along El Camino de Santiago. These strolls or treks may have confirmed life choices, fulfilled a dream …
Curing without killing
Nitrates, nitrites, nitrous… makes me think of big industrial fertiliser companies, laughing gas, and that wheee sound the cars in videogames used to make when you gave them an extra burst of speed. They also raise a flag as something to be consumed in moderation, or not at all, because of various reports over the …
Didee & Didoo: My Gym
’When I mention my gym, it doesn’t have a basketball rim. My gym is the great outdoors, I share it with animals on all fours. I share my gym with the bear where there’s lots of fresh air. I share my gym with the porcupine where there’s lots of sunshine. I share my gym with …
Unjunk your junk food…
Whether it’s to get you to your next meal, for the kids to fuel up between their many activities or just for a tasty treat, snacks are central to our daily eating. With the growing number of snacks and treats that can be bought at the grocery and health food store, it’s definitely more convenient …
Chewing the Fat
Dietary fat. Few issues in the world of healthy eating spark as much debate. While some stay away from it, others put tablespoons of butter in coffee. Over the past few decades, we, as a culture, have been on and off with fat more times than most of us were with our high school sweethearts. …
Love Your Liver
We usually think of our liver in relation to alcohol, but in reality its relationship to our health is much more complex. The liver is a living organ that processes and filters almost everything that goes into our bodies. Every day we are bombarded with toxins that have the potential to damage our body. These …
How To Cancer
My first idea was to write about women building for Habitat for Humanity. That fell through; no one got back to me. Then, I tried to get in touch with the Victoria Faulkner’s Women Centre to talk to about May being sexualized assault awareness month, but I was too last minute about it. I was …
Finding your way in the woods
Who runs through the woods with a map and compass, searching for small orange and white flags? That would be a person who is orienteering. This popular Yukon sport combines running or walking and navigation using a map. It is suitable for all ages and fitness levels. It can be enjoyed as a leisurely walk …
Yukon gets D- for diabetes mortality rate
Yukoners are among the least healthy people in Canada according to a February 2015 report released by the Conference Board of Canada looking at the health status of Canadians and citizens of a select number of other countries. The report gave the territory a (D-) grade. British Columbia received an A. Canada received a B, …
Didee & Didoo: Poem “I Almost Kicked the Pail”
I think I looked pale an’ I almost kicked the pail. I was feeling worse so I went to see the nurse. She hooked me up to an IV and she tested my pee. She also tested my blood but it looked more like mud. I took morphine for pain and I went on a …
Didee & Didoo: Poem “Flu Season”
WHEN YOU START TO COUGH YOU’LL TAKE THE DAY OFF. YOU WILL FEEL SORE AN’ YOU WILL LOOK POOR. YOU’LL HAVE A SORE CHEST AN’ YOU’LL TRY TO REST. YOU’LL HAVE A HEADACHE AN’ COUGHING WILL KEEP YOU AWAKE. YOU WILL BE REALLY WEAK AN’ YOU’LL BARELY SPEAK. YOUR NOSE WILL BE RED AN’ YOU’LL …
It must be true – I saw it on the Internet
One of the conveniences of the internet is that it allows anyone to be a publisher; this is also one of its biggest problems. Before the internet, there was usually a filter between you and outrageous claims. However, in many cases that filter no longer exists and people are still learning to take internet assertions …
Filling in the Gaps
This is the last article of the series. We’ve looked at the ineffectiveness of synthetic nutrients, benefits of nutrient-dense foods, and explored how to improve digestion to make the most of what we eat. Still, many people also choose to support their health with supplements. Here are some tips to consider when selecting a product. …
Who is the fittest?
For the fourth year, the Polarettes Gymnastics Club is challenging anyone and everyone to see who is the fittest. On Feb. 13, at its facility attached to Vanier School, the gymnasts will defend their title from last year … a title they earned by beating 13 other teams. “Our gymnasts are looking forward to this …
Tennis moves indoors
The tennis season in the Yukon is too short … so it has moved indoors. To help get the word out, Tennis Yukon is holding the 40 Below Indoor Tennis Tournament at Yukon College March 1 and 2. Low compression balls will be used for the adults to compensate for the floor and the children …
Breathing New Life Into the Depressed
All our emotions coexist with each other. Anger and anxiety often coexists with depression. We’ve all experienced the sensations of an accelerated heartbeat, a rise in blood pressure, tightness in the chest, excessive sweating, not wanting to get out of bed, insomnia, excessive sleep, disinterest in food, excessive eating or the feeling that we are …
Relay for Life celebrates, remembers and fights back
“It’s one day, one night; one community, one fight,” says Donna Hogan, co-chair of the Relay for Life steering committee. “It’s the largest cancer fundraiser event in the world,” adds Scott Kent, regional manager of the Canadian Cancer Society. There are 52 relays in the Yukon and B.C. and over 300 across Canada. Hogan has …
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You are what you eat …
Options for locally-produced and higher quality food are about to get a whole lot better in Dawson City, if the Dawson Food Secure Advocacy Group (DFSAG) has anything to say about it. The organization, founded in 2012 and run by volunteers, is providing a platform for people interested in healthy, local food to come together, …
Good for What Ails Ya
I’m a walking mass of contagion. Well, if I were honest, I’m currently reclining on an IKEA futon, propped up precisely so that I don’t leak mucous onto the keyboard. I got a good ol’ “knock you on your arse” cold. More than just your usual sniffles, I have the kind of infection that makes …
‘Forward, onward, says the wind.’
For our children: Tashina, Alysia, Aprile and Joshua My eyes are closed, but I can feel the gentle wind blow my hair lightly into my face. Forward, onward, it says. The fragrance of moist earth, decaying leaves and living things, envelope my senses. Branches creak and leaves flutter, letting me know what I’m leaving behind. …
Montréal Danse: Up close and personal
It will be an unusual connection between the audience at the Yukon Arts Centre and the dancers of Montréal Danse when it presents On the Ice of Labrador on Saturday, Feb. 28. The seven dancers will each be presenting their own stories – stories of aviators, trombone players, blood-sugar cycles of a diabetic, Alzheimer’s disease …
A tsunami of love
How do we stem the tide of AIDS in Africa? Linda Hallet of Victoria, B.C. is working with the Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) and with groups, Canada-wide, to do just that. Hallet works with a group called Grandmothers to Grandmothers: “A tsunami of Canadian grannies helping a tsunami of African grannies.” Audrey McLaughlin co-ordinates the …
Where I Go to Know When
So I went on this website to see when I’d die. The Internet, being the general purveyor of naked people and random crotch shots, can also tell you how long you’ll have to live. You simply enter a little personal data. You type in your age, history of disease in your family and, generally, how …
You are invited … to a ‘no-troublesome-thoughts’ evening
Serenity is set in subdued mauves and pinks as the sun sets above the Yukon River in a mural where trees and plants are alive with birds and butterflies. Serenity is the purpose of the Serene Room – a fulfillment of the vision Linda and John Lemphers-Fenton had for the Serenity Centre. “It was a …
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Being safe is just overreacting
Back when I was a high school student, I faced a conundrum every time an exam came around. Do I study for it or not? It seems it happened every time: if I studied for an exam, the teacher would give us an easy one. If I didn’t study, that would be the time that …
Watching the Scale Ain’t Where I’m At
I can’t say I’m one who watches my weight. I mean, where’s it gonna go? (Zing!) I’ve had the same basic kind of body shape since hitting puberty. A slightly rotund body, finished off with stick arms and chicken legs. I ain’t no Mr. Universe, but at least I’ve had the same pant size for …
An alcohol-free life
May I just say this once and never have to revisit it again? I am not an alcoholic. Just because I don’t drink, it doesn’t mean I have a problem with alcohol … even on religious grounds. I just don’t drink. You would think that anyone would be thrilled to say such a thing. But …
Well on my way to becoming a big ‘loser’ …
Crystal Light has become my new best friend. You see, you can take your mundane water right from the tap and, one powdery package later, you have one instant ticket to flavour country! Even as my two fingers scurry across the keyboard, my taste buds are enjoying a journey of tangerine goodness. I don’t usually …
An extraordinary way of living with the ‘ordinary’
This isn’t about an extraordinary family—not even about an extraordinary child (because all children are extraordinary). Rather, it’s about living with an “ordinary” disease in an extraordinary way. Nathalie Dugas and her husband, Sean Mather, are parenting Liam, 8, who wa s diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes (Type 1 Diabetes) when he was five. Nathalie says …
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Unless you’re Santa, I’d say it’s one of those …
Everybody knows beer causes beer bellies, right? Why else would they call it a beer belly? Not so fast: a recent study, by German and Swedish researchers, of 20,000 people, calls that traditional wisdom into question. This was no flash-in-the-pan study but an eight-and-a-half-year period involving 7,876 men and 12,749 women. And, expected, they learned …
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Suffer a new day
What an eccentric thing is the sky When at close of day it dances colours for my eyes. What beauty folds itself in swaddling clouds And wraps horizon in misted shrouds. Where stars turn course, and gaily gleam, Night creeps forth its shadowed seam. Where on high the moon does glow, Silent watchman, earth below. …
Big View, Small Budget
While the rest of the country is obsessed with the H1N1 virus and cure, Yukon amateur astronomers seem to be looking for a cure of their own — a cure for bad weather. This time of year is renowned for volatile, unstable weather, making for cloudy nights mixed with snowstorms. When cloudy nights persist, however, …
I can see clearly now
I can’t remember when it began, but I had been noticing that the knuckleheads at City Hall were using street signs that cannot be read until you are right on top of the intersection. And homemade signs that advertised yard sales were mostly useless. Then, proving only that I am marginally smarter than a frog …
Blue Christmas
Blue is more than a colour. And that is why Whitehorse United Church minister, Beverly Brazier, is planning another Blue Christmas service. “Often when your life isn’t at all like a Hallmark Christmas card … the conclusion that you draw is that there is something wrong with you,” begins Brazier, resting her chin in one …
Budget meals for backpacking
I haven’t had any freeze-dried back-packing meals for a long time. They may have changed, but I always found them to be very expensive with very small servings. In order to fill my stomach and keeps the costs down, I’ve always travelled with the food described in this article. The first step is getting an …
Pass the popcorn! It’s the Health Care debate!
I can explain why I find it so fascinating: I don’t play online games, I don’t watch sports and I don’t read fiction. Why would I need to, when this health care debate had it all – strategy, an interesting cast of characters, winners, losers, twists, turns, deception, plot twists – and it all happened …
A friend in the house
I’ve discovered that if you want to meet some terrific people, just advertise your house for sale. Immediately, people start phoning you to ask to drop by to have a look. This is what happened to Daisy and I last month when we decided to sell our house privately. These really nice people came by …
Didee & Didoo – Poem “Health is Wealth”
Health is Wealth Put a stop, to drinkin’ pop. If you drink Coke, you will be broke. Put a halt, to food with salt. Don’t touch, sugar too much. Don’t let potato chips, ever touch your lips. It’s not wise, to eat french fries. Food cooked with lard, makes you breathe hard. Food that’s junk, …
Walking is a good skill to have
Daisy and I received a very nice gift last month: it’s a book on walking. Hmmm, you know, I’ve always felt that my Mom and Dad did a good job of teaching me how to walk. Seventeen years later, their lack of follow-up and obvious lax standards were efficiently cleaned up by Sergeant Hannah. Indeed, …
A Lifetime of Caring
Marny Ryder seems to have her thoughts in order. The high-energy septuagenarian sits in her Riverdale dining room and recounts her life —in almost perfect chronological order. She starts in December 1959, when she first arrived in the Yukon as a newly minted nurse. She worked in Whitehorse for a little over a year before …
Didee & Didoo – Poem “My health is my wealth”
“My health is my wealth” I put a halt to using salt. Sugar I don’t taste ’cause it’s a waste. Not only that, I don’t eat fat. I don’t eat junk food ’cause it’s rude. I put a stop to drinking pop. I don’t smoke ’cause I’ll choke. I don’t chew snuff I don’t like …
Get a Good Summer Workout in the Garden
By becoming active in your garden, you have the perfect opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors while feeling good about yourself and your garden. Gardening is a wonderful way to work all of the major muscle groups and even lose a few pounds. Here are a few noteworthy statistics: mowing the lawn with a power …
Down and dirty in Dawson
They’re getting down and dirty in Dawson City – dirty actions of the gardening kind, that is. Dawson City Community Gardens, now in its third year of existence, is alive and thriving with more people joining every year. “It’s about coming together to develop relationships with the garden, each other and the community,” says Derrick …
Play Makers: Produce pains
Wash your produce. We are taught this from a very young age, but it particularly holds true up here in the North. Some of the things I’ve seen people to do in the fruits and veggies department is especially appalling. They squeeze it, they sniff it, they caress it, they poke it, and they throw …
Rally Round
Kendall Sullivan knows exactly how she and her daughter contracted Lyme disease. “I was rock climbing in Banff 16 years ago.” says the one-time Yukoner. After the climb, her friend noticed a tick on her head, which they promptly removed and brought in for examination. They were told if they’d gotten the whole tick, she …
A Condition of Kings
When it’s your turn to step up and spin the wheel of old man diseases, “gout” ain’t that bad a spot for it to land on. See, I woke up some time ago, to my foot suddenly deciding it didn’t want to be walked on. Either I was kicking footballs all night in my sleep, …
Beer Saves
It’s empty calories, I know. If you are on a diet, beer kills—one imperial pint (20 ounces) of Yukon Red could be a tenth of your allowable intake of calories for the day. But beer also heals. If you drink bottle-conditioned beer (the stuff that is unfiltered and has the yeast sediment in the bottom), …
Take It In Stride: Rock the Walk!
Every Saturday morning just before 10 a.m. there are taps at the door of the Law Courts Building in downtown Whitehorse. Voices echo and feet shuffle, sometimes more quickly on the cold days. The Whitehorse Walkers energetically gather and get ready for their weekly two-hour walk. The group has formally been getting together since 2003 …
Yoga for Youthfulness
It’s just after 6 a.m., and 14 men and women are stretched out on their yoga mats. They’re partaking in one of Sabu Chaitanya’s month-long intensives at ShantiYoga in downtown Whitehorse. Each participant is attending a class like this five days a week for four weeks, accepting the challenge and growth that comes with this …
