Cancer Prevention with Inspire Health

On April 11^th 2012 Bentall Kennedy’s Fitness month hosted Dr. Janice Wright to tell us about evidence based cancer care and prevention. Dr. Wright is a physician with Inspire Health which is a non-profit society established in 1997 which is recognized as a national leader in Cancer care. Here is a summary of the principles at Inspire Health which they use as a platform for wellness promotion and cancer prevention & treatment.

•         Person empowerment and the right to choose

•         Whole-person approach – Not just the sum of the parts

•         Self-efficacy and engagement vs. passive and dependent

•         Belief in our body’s ability to heal

•         Focus on prevention

•         Healthy role modeling by health care professionals

•         Transforming fear associated with a cancer diagnosis into inspired action

•         The optimal time-frame to engage and be inspired is during the ‘window of opportunity’ soon after diagnosis

•         Ripple effect to family, friends and community

•         Group work provides support for this shift

•         Evidence based, wisdom-informed: 7,000+ research abstracts

For more information regarding Inspire Health’s unique life-changing cancer care and recovery programs they can be reached online at www.inspirehealth.ca or by calling 604 734 7125. There office is located at 200-1330 West 8^th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V6H 4A6.

So, here’s a summary of 5 interesting points regarding cancer care that Dr. Wright addressed in her talk. *** This (of course) is in conjunction to participation in regular vigorous physical activity and stretching!!

1) Don’t eat Peanuts or Peanut butter. Period.

Aflatoxins clearly linked to liver cancer

Recommendations: avoid peanuts or peanut butter.

*Safe, healthy tree nut butter options: almond butter, cashew butter

2) Broccoli and Green tea

Not necessarily to be eaten together, but they have been shown to be cancer reducing for both men and women by regularly including them in your diet. 

3) Sleep

Lack of sleep and stress are some of the leading causes of immune- suppression. Try to get as much undisturbed, high quality sleep, with uninterrupted darkness... It is an unappreciated endogenous mechanism of cancer prevention. ( That means if your body is adequately rested your immune system can fight illness better)

4) Laughter
Sing, Dance, Laugh. Basically have some fun.

5) Minimize Toxin Exposure

This is a no brainer: Don’t Smoke Tobacco.

Another underappreciated way to minimize toxin exposure is to watch what you put on your skin. The average person uses 12 products a day on their skin from hand soap, body soap to shampoo & conditioner, shaving cream and cosmetics. In this stuff is a cesspool of mineral oil and nasty chemicals that end up directly in your bloodstream through contact with your skin and can directly affect your body’s health. To find out more about the worlds healthiest skin care products from Arbonne click: http://welcomeyourwellness.myarbonne.ca/ or contact johanna@myarbonne.ca (ID:115531483) 

                                    

Dirty Dozen:

Here is a list of the common fruits containing the most pesticides and harmful residues. Y’know… the ones at the supermarket that don’t have the organic label! Additionally,  Dr. Wright mentioned imported grapes are some of the worst culprits for holding chemicals with in due to the thinness of the skin. Wash them all before you eat them, and avoid the ones listed below if you are unsure of its origins or farming practice.

1.  Peach
2. Apple
3. Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (Imported)
11. Carrot
12. Pear

That’s about it for now. Thanks to Inspire Health and Dr. Janice Wright for speaking to us about how we can stay healthy and live longer.

CH

Fitness Month

Every April, for the past 18 years BentallKennedy ( the owners of the Bentall Centre Athletic Club) has put on a heath and wellness fare for their 250 employees in the Vancouver business district. "Fitness Month" as we call it, consists of 36 fitness classes, outdoor recreation, and wellness seminars in 30 days. It has been my pleasure to be the coordinator of Fitness Month for the past 5 years, which has brought a great deal of fun, wellness and healthy living to each of the participants, as well as myself.

Here's some details about what's happened this month so far.

Snowday at Mt. Seymour on April 1st wasn’t anyone’s fool. The thick fog lifted to present a perfect afternoon of fresh soft snow and unlimited sunshine!! For the first time in 5 years the clouds lifted to make for a perfect Bentall Snowday. Yaahoooo.

After we assembled approximately 60 of us in The Three Peaks Lodge at 9am, everyone grabbed their tickets and rental passes and ventured off in roughly 5 directions. First, the Tubers and Tobagganers hit the park, next the snowshoers headed out with their guided tour, while the skiers and snow grabbed their equipment and headed for lessons, and the young parents (me & Johanna) held down the fort in the lodge. Everyone had a blast!! As usual, the lunch Mt. Seymour lunches from the Grillworks were below average, but everyone happily munched back French fries, dogs, soda, or cardboard pizza. No one seemed to mind.

On Tuesday April 3^rd the regular season of Wallyball kicked off with some serious ricochets and great team enthusiasm. Denial of Service took the early lead winning both games and only allowing 41 points against. The Outcasts also winning 2 games, but allowed 44 points against which placed them in second position. Daily Special: SERVED hot and SPIKED took third with the strongest effort in the one win and one loss category. I’m very interested to see how things play out next week.

Have a great Easter Break, and we’ll see you week for the Cancer Prevention seminar and next Sunday for the Vancouver 10km Sun Run!

Best

CH

It’s a new year!!! Wow - 2012. For some, now is the time to kick-start that new Strength and Fitness Program, but for others, now only marks halfway in a dedicated training program which can lead to the peak of physical fitness in the coming months.

Regardless of where your fitness lies, with the seasonal festivities out of the way, now is the perfect time to settle down, get some work done and Reward Yourself with Exercise. After years of working with every type of athlete, from serious to recreational, I've seen the affects of regular exercise and the resulting fitness that spans positively into every aspect of their life. I’d also like to emphasize how important the consistency is, and not just the intensity that makes the difference.

Ok, maybe you knew that? But keep reading.

It’s important to pick activities that you find fun, enjoyable, and challenging. Here 's the top 7 reasons why I think you should set your physical training program to top of your priorities this year ... and stick to it.

• Feel Good about Yourself – Bulk up or Trim Down.
• Energize the Mind
• Go Faster, Higher, or Stronger
• Reduce Your Work Stress
• Beat the Winter Blues (or that nasty cold that everyone else has.)
• Improve those Trouble Areas or Ailments
• Have Some Fun

FYI: Here are some of the services I can offer you this year as a Registered Kinesiologist through The Bentall Centre Athletic Club

1) An Exercise Appraisal – As a Bentall Club member, come for free and set your Fitness Benchmark to Witness your own improvements through out the year with your VO2max(aerobic capacity), Body Composition, Musculoskeletal Ability, and Body Kinesthetics.

2) A Personal Training Coach – Strength and Fitness sessions which are both effective and engaging which aim to leave you inspired ... not expired.

3) Outdoor Recreation – Believe it or not there is a vast array of Trail Running, Mountain Biking, and Climbing right at our doorstep. Let me be you guide through a lucrative personal stock of Vancouver’s best inner city single track and outdoor fun… And be back in the office with in an hour!!!

4) Functional Capacity Evaluations – If you require FCE’s or medical legal documents we offer ½ day to 2 day evaluations which are used to objectively evaluate a client’s present functional capacity and physical limitations. The reports are clear & concise and provide the readers with a better understanding of a client’s current ability. This service is available in conjunction with Marpole Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation and uses the BTE Functional Testing Systems which employs highly accurate real time monitoring and standardized testing procedures with reference to peer reviewed literature. These reports set a new standard for the quality and speed of production of the Functional Capacity Evaluation.

Lastly, here's my focus this year as a Kinesiologist as I endeavor to improve my wellness craft: I have found great interest in these topics and will add them more completely to the list above shortly. I'm training in...

• Ohashi Shiatsu – Studying with Ohashi Institute to get a better understanding for the healing arts. www.ohashiatsu.org

• Anatomy Trains – Advanced Posture Training to gain more knowledge of myofacial meridian theory by Thomas Myer and apply it to specific posture training techniques to restore balance to people’s bodies through movement. www.anatomytrains.com

• Gymnastic Strength Training – to integrate some of the proven essentials of gymnastic body-weight strength exercises for real functional strength improvements for myself and my clients. Via Christopher Sommer. http://gymnasticbodies.com/

Here's to a great year in WELLNESS!!!

Make it Happen

Hi!

A few things to catch you up on regarding the last couple of posts…

1) The Vancouver to Whistler GranFondo was awesome! They couldn’t have ordered a better day to take a ride from Vancouver to Whistler. My job as a bike medic was great, and I’m glad to have finished the race without having to attend any medical emergencies. My time was a leisurely 4hrs 50mins. Although, next time I’ll skip the bike commute from home and save myself the extra 15km before a 121km ride. Chalk that one up to experience.

Hoorrrah for Bentall Centre Athletic Club members: Michel Pelletier 4hrs 20mins, Mike Fertuck 3:55, and Damon Williams who finished with the lead pack at 3hrs 33mins. WOW! (Probably more members whom I’m not aware about – Yaah hooo!)

2) Our Bentall Floor Play Ball Hockey Tournament was postponed to Saturday November 19th due to lack of entries. So… C’mon get off your asses and sign up!! It’s cheap, it’s for charity and it’s going to be a blast!

Please follow http://www.regonline.com/bentallfloorplayballhockeytournament to enter yourself and or/a team for Floor Play on November 19th. More details about event written below

Last, Some Inspiration...

3) Do something real every day. Like really exercise. Ignore all that talk out there about exercising three or four days a week. Ignore it! (Like the cholesterol guidelines… ) 3-4 sessions of physical activity a week is the bare minimum. This amount could be equated to a desperate plea from the medical profession to a nation of couch potatoes.

Just know that your body craves the daily chemistry of exercise. Whether the exercise is long and slow, slow and steady, short and intense; is less important. What is important is the “dailyness” of it. Be consistent and be physically active six days a week.

Experiment with what you like to do. Remember the whole point is to give your body and brain sustained signals to grow younger. Regular exercise will achieve this. Try it. It works.

CH

Bentall Floor Play - Ball Hockey Tournament

On Saturday November 19^th we are please to announce that the Bentall Centre Athletic Club will be hosting a ball hockey tournament in the Bentall 4 parkade. Known as “Bentall Floor Play”, 16 teams will be going head to head in a 4 on 4 double-knockout style tournament, with 50% of the proceeds going to support the BC Cancer Foundation.

The event starts at 10am and will feature complimentary refreshments from Molson Canadian, and catering from the Ringside Lounge. All teams competing will receive logoed T-shirts, food, refreshments and of course a chance to win the coveted Bentall “Floor Play” Cup! DJ Alltunes will be mixing it up all day to provide a festival atmosphere that will rock the downtown core.

The registration fee is $50 per individual or $200 for a team of 4. We are still looking for teams to fill the competition roster. Please call 604 837 6026 for entry details or email cameron.a.hunt@gamil.com. Or call the club 604 689 4424 and ask for Robin Russell.

The location of the tournament is on levels 1 and 2 of the Thurlow Parkade, and is found just off on the cul-de-sac of Eveleigh Street, which is just off Thurlow Street between Dunsmuir and West Pender. You can also find us by entering the Bentall Centre Athletic Club, which is located in the lower plaza of Bentall tower 4 at 1055 Dunsmuir Street Vancouver.

Please bring your hockey stick and gloves are recommended. We are encouraging Co-Ed teams, featuring small nets (no goalies), and Non-contact family fun. All friends and family are welcome to come play, or just enjoy the event.

I hope to see you there!!

Cameron

GranFondo Whistler - Sept 10th 2011

I’m pretty excited to be apart of the RBC GranFondo Whistler this summer. There’s so much happening around this year’s Sea to Sky bicycle festival, I barely even know where to start!!!

How ‘bout here…

This year I’m volunteering with the medical team. Talk about an awesome job!! My role is to ride the course, provide first aid (hopefully no casualties), and officially drink beer at the finish line. I knew this position was for me when I volunteered for the Granfondo Kelowna earlier this summer. I remember seeing the bike medics pull into the finish line full of smiles and then enjoying a few cold ones. Man was I envious! Not only did they get to ride the course, but as soon as the race was over… refreshments!!! Ahh the life! Thanks to Dr. Sian Spacey for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the team. Whoa Yeah!

The other role I’m involved in this years “Fondo” is the rider package program. My job to assemble and distribute 7000 rider bags with the help a small army of volunteers. Inside the rider bags are all the free sponsorship items like coffee, chocolate, water bottles, socks, batteries and the like. After stuffing them full of loot, we will then distribute them one by one when the riders come through the plaza to collect their dockets & timing chips. It’s actually a 3-day process, a BIG process. Go commercialism!!!

The Sea to Sky Highway

As a Vancouverite born and raised, I’ve often driven up and down the Sea to Sky highway on my way to and from some of BC’s finest destinations. So, to have an opportunity to ride my bike on a lane dedicated to just cyclists, the GranFondo has become a very exciting venture. The extra appeal for me is that I would not typically ride the Sea to Sky. In the past due to the huge amount of fast paced highway traffic, an almost non-existent bike shoulder, and crazy tourist drivers have all been things that have kept me, and my bike from riding the 99. But now with major highway improvements, a proper shoulder installed, and a lane especially dedicated to the GranFondo, this Sept 10th is now awesome way to safely spin the highway, and take in some of the most amazing scenery that British Columbia has to offer.

The Event Company

I gotta tip my hat to Toit Events. I’m constantly amazed at the creative energy, dedicated hard work, tight team cohesiveness, attention to detail, and never ending enthusiasm in order to create, produce, and vet every detail to deliver an event like this. After seeing them in action, and visiting the Toit headquarters, I gotta shout out to Kevin, Neil, Sian, Alison, Johanna, Matt, Liz, Kaileigh, Lindsay, Krista, Stephan, Alex, Bruce, Janice, Chelsea, Baily, Lindsey, and Jen. ... “Hell yeah!!”

The Volunteers

An event like this couldn’t happen with out the help of volunteers…. 805 of them to be exact. (Holey Shit!! that’s a lot of volunteers) To volunteer is a great experience, which I can personally testify is a great time. Why so fun? I got the chance to meet some really cool people, I got fed and watered, and received some really cool Lululemon clothes that has gotten me a lot of recognition since I’ve been wearing them around town. And last, it might sound a bit cheesy, but I got a lot of satisfaction in knowing that I was a cog, albeit a small one, that helped create a fantastic event that everyone seems to know about.

So, if this interests you, Toit still needs a few more volunteers this week. Please go to the volunteer registration www.rbcgranfondowhistler.com/volunteers/volunteer-registration and sign up for the time of your life. You’ll be happy you did.

See you on Race Day,

CH

Things That will Give You Cancer

When you visit the Witness Your Fitness clinic, there are a few measurements that I will use to determine your risk of getting cancer or cardiovascular disease. You might ask.... How can you tell? Well, our lifestyle habits consisting of Exercise / No Exercise, Good Diet / Bad Diet, tend to show up around the mid section. If you maintain a good balance between your diet and exercise levels, your waist line will be in check and you will be likely to live long and prosper, and if not, yer pretty much screwed!!!

So, why is the waist size so important? It's important because research has proven having large fat deposits over your liver, hepatic portal vein, and vital organs causes bad things to happen in your body. However, the larger fat masses aren't just about physical inactivity but also about the types of foods you have consumed, and substances you're exposed to along the way. The good news is: that by initiating a routine to restore the right composition to your body, you will start to mitigate the risks of cancer and cardiovascular disease almost immediately. If you need help putting the right routine together, or are unsure whether you are at risk ... I'd be happy to meet with you. Email cameron.a.hunt@gmail.com.

For Interest Sake: Here's a list of some the things that could give you Cancer along with physical inactivity.

Agent Orange
Alfatoxin (nut mold, nasty)
Alcohol (over consumption)
Arsenic
Asbestos
Atrazine
Barbecued Meat
Benzene
Benzopyrene
Beryllium
Betel Nuts
Bread (refined white bread)
Charred Foods
Carbon Tetrachloride
Chlorodiphenyl
Chlordane
Chlorinated
Camphene
Coke Ovens
DDT
Dichloryacetylene
Dieldrin
Diesel Exhaust
Diet Soda
Dimethylsulphate
Dinitrotouluene
Dioxane
Dioxin
Epichlorydrin
Ethylenedichloride
FAT!!!
Formaldehyde
Free Radicals
Frying
Gasoline
Granite
Gulf War
Hair Dye
Heliobacter Pylori
Hepatitis B virus
Hexachlorbutadiene
HRT
Kepone
Lead
Lindane
Malonaldehyde
Methylenechloride
Mold
Nickel
Night shifts
Nitrates
Not Breastfeeding
Nuclear Power Plants
Oestrogen
Oxygenated Gasoline
Ozone Depletion
Passive Smoking
PCB's
Pesticides
Physical Inactivity
Radon
Red Meat (sausages most linked to bowel cancer)
Stress
Sulphuric Acid
Sunbeds
Sunlight
Talc
Tight Bras
Tobacco
Tichloroethylene
Unvented Stoves
Uranium
UV radiation
Vinyl Acetate (in chewing gum)
Vinyl Bromide
Vinyl Chloride
Well Water
Wood Dust

Got it? Cool.

CH