Stepping into your "Right-Brain"

I recently re-watched Jill Bolte Taylor's TED talk. She's a neurology researcher who suffered a stroke and relives the experience for her audience, describing the sensations and thoughts she encountered at the time. I'm in tears every time I reach the end of her talk. Not just because she went through something so terrifying, but because of the message she leaves you with.

Having done a decade of post-secondary education, I'm what my family considered a "permanent student". Even now, I continue to research, to learn, to catalogue information. I use the left-side of my brain most often; calculating and analyzing journal articles and new research.

Jill, a fellow scientist, brought up an interesting point: We all have a choice of which reality we want to live in at any given moment; You can live in the analytical "Left side" - which is great while at work or when trying to figure out something, but you can also step into the "Right Side" of the brain and be connected to the world at any given moment.

What is the "right side" of the brain? 
It's the "creativity" side. Working puzzles, learning a new skill, exploring your imagination, writing, dancing, painting, drawing, colouring.

Why is this important? I think we need to access that side more often in our world. I was listening to an old podcast of comedian Bryan Callen where he mentioned the incredible fact that he gets paid to use his imagination. How many of us can say that? So why not?

Do something each day to access that side of your brain. Maybe that's another reason why adult colouring books are so popular. We now have another way of using the right-side of our brains. For adults, this isn't always easy. We have responsibilities, work, bills to pay. But life isn't just about working to make money, to pay bills and save up for retirement. It's about experiencing the world around us. Don't ever forget to connect with nature, connect with creativity - no matter what that means for you. You might think you're terrible at drawing. Maybe you actually hate colouring, but there is always another activity that you can do. Remember that this is just for you. No one will judge you. And make sure to do something that you enjoy.

Maybe that's what stops many of us from exploring our creativity: the fear of being judged. I have an entire folder on my computer of stories and novels that I've started and most I've never finished. Sometimes a girl just has to write out a chapter or two to get it off her chest. I don't expect anyone else to read it. Once every year I'll go back to it, and I can remember what it was like writing it. I take a little pride in it. And then I'll go start something new.

Things to keep in mind:

• No one needs to see it but you. Keep a portfolio, sketches of something, or nothing. Pick up some paint and a canvas from the dollar store and just fill the space. Make a mess, or put it up on your wall. It doesn't matter. You're doing it for you, no one else. 
• Dance when no one is watching. Swing your arms wildly, spin in circles - just try not to run into furniture! Or download Carmen Electra's striptease aerobics, Zumba or any other video that will teach you choreography step-by-step.
• Sing when no one is listening. My favourite is in the bathtub... you get the best acoustics. 
• Journalling and diary keeping doesn't have to be like it was in grade school. Make lists. maybe they're to-do lists, or "favourite" lists, or something more creative. Need some inspiration? Check out the List App (one of BJ Novac's projects) - other examples:
• best books that made me laugh out loud
• Most bad-ass movie quotes
• Things I say to myself out loud when I'm alone
• Favourite nostalgic moments from the 90's
• best "pump you up" music videos 
• Most impressive or surprising sports moments of the week (apparently the Bronco's had a crazy game last weekend... so document it!)

The point is, we all need time to disconnect from our "analytical" sides and step into our "right-brain" at some point. It keeps us going and nurtures the soul. Use your imagination - it might surprise you :)

How haters are incorrectly using almond milk

New stories keep creeping up and everyone seems to love bashing almond milk and other nut-based beverages. So what's the deal? Why all the haters?

There's a huge misunderstanding in the public's nutritional education. We grew up being told that milk "does a body good". We were told to wean our babies off of breastmilk and onto cow milk, and that dairy is required for calcium for our bones. Well, we know they weren't exactly correct about this one. But this isn't a "dairy-bashing" blog either.

What is (any) milk good for? Remember, we grew up putting milk in our cereal. It was a rule in my house to "drink milk with your meals", and a "double-double" at Timmy's trained me to always drink my coffee with milk it in. But since my early 20's I've been lactose-intolerant. Out goes all my dairy, and now what's a girl to think?

With enough vitamin D, weight-bearing exercise and a healthy diet (lots of veggies for vitamin and mineral support), my bones will be just fine. But it always helps to have beverages that are fortified with extra calcium and vitamin D just in case we don't meet our quotas for the day.

Almond milk isn't a "health food" necessarily. It's a substitute for those of us who want something with that "creamy/milky"-type of consistency and flavour. I drink my coffee black now, but every once in a while whisking in a little coconut milk makes for a nice creamy treat. And almond milk? It's a nice alternative to plain water (or cow milk) for making my smoothies and post-workout shakes.

What almond milk is not:
1) A good source of protein:
Seriously, to make almond milk you soak the almonds, drain them, combine with water in a blender, strain them and press out the "milk" from the almond paste and that's about it. I read a crazy article in which the company Almond Breeze was being sued for how few almonds were in their almond milk. Well... duh. What did you think you were drinking? It's not a liquid trail-mix.

2) A substitute for breastmilk or any infant formula.
I hope this is common sense, but according to an article on IFLS a doctor in Spain told their patient to use almond milk as a formula. This parent had never breastfed their infant and instead had given her baby cow's milk for the first 2.5 months. The problem here is a lack in education for new mothers. This story also came out of Spain so I can't comment on the availability of education for new parents as I really don't know. Either way, the whole thing is ridiculous - IFLS commented "... this latest report highlights the need for parents to take into consideration the nutritional content when choosing a diet for their infants", but seriously? Choosing a diet for your infant: Breastmilk or formula (breast is best, but there are some circumstances that may prevent this). At 6-8 months, or when your kid hints that they're ready, you can slowly introduce solid foods in the form of mashed up veggies (baby food). What isn't an option is choosing a "milk-substitute" as an infant formula. And most companies will actually print on the carton "NOT TO BE USED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR INFANT FORMULA".

Almond milk isn't the bad-guy here, and sorry IFLS (I really do effing love science!), but it also doesn't cause scurvy as your article title implies.  It's a lack of education and really bad advice from a doctor.

What almond milk is:
1) A substitute for milk for those who can't drink it but like to use it in stuff like: coffee, tea, granola/cereal, baking, smoothies/shakes.

Haters, please don't hate on the almond milk. You're just not using it correctly. Please leave it for us lactose-intolerants (or dairy-sensitives) who just want something creamier than water in our smoothies and a splash of something white in our coffee.

Washing off your day: how to change your whole attitude after a tough day

As a healthcare practitioner it's hard to come home without lingering thoughts and emotions from my day. Patients and their stories, their moods, they rub off on you. I used to take my days home with me. I'd walk through the door, start talking to my partner and he immediately recognized that something was off. I'd get easily annoyed, I was angry or upset and I'd snap. This wasn't a good thing.

It's hard not to take work home with you. It's even harder if you commute and you carry those frustrations with you on top of everything else. So I created a game plan - with some help of course.

I had to change my energy and change my routine. The first thing was to make it known that once I walk in that front door of the house, I will say hi but then I am NOT to get into any conversations until I've dealt with myself. I go straight upstairs and "wash my day off" myself.

You can take this literally or figuratively - or both! Here are things you can do to wash your day off and change your attitude after work:

1) Brush your teeth: if you talk all day, like me, you need to wash everything out of there. Have "clean words" and conversations for the rest of the evening

2) Brush the tangles out of your hair. Again, literally and figuratively: As I brush through my long hair, I'm brushing out all the "tangles" from the day. It's refreshing!

3) If you're on your feet most of the day: take off your socks, wash your feet in the tub, give yourself a quick little foot massage and then put on some fresh dry socks. Your feet will feel so good!

4) Change your clothes! You're wearing work clothes - take them off! This is the best time to change either into your comfiest clothes, or your "Super suit" (Clothes that are comfortable and that represent you. Putting these on make you feel empowered). Peel off the layers from the day and put on fresh new ones.

5) Wash your hands. Wash your day off of you. Some of you might want a full shower. That's cool. But if not, just wash your hands and imagine that you're washing off all the garbage and emotions from your whole day. Watch it run off your hands and down the sink. It's gone. You don't need to carry it around with you anymore.

Lastly, make sure you're giving your body what it needs. If you haven't eaten since lunch, have a snack in the afternoon or at the end of your workday so that you don't have a hypoglycemic crash by the time you come home. Drink a glass of water - rehydrate.

This also applies to anyone working from home. It's important to separate work from family. Taking just 10 minutes for yourself when you get home or finish work isn't that much and it can make a world of a difference!