OK. OK. I’ve already lost some of you with the word ‘ginger’ — I know. I find ginger to be a lot like cilantro, either you love it or you really, really hate it. But I’m here to tell you that you should LOVE it, and IT will love you back! Ginger has been used in ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines for over 4,000 years to cure and treat a variety of conditions. Gingerol - the active oils found in ginger...
Waking up early in the morning and getting your workout on may feel like a hard chore. These workouts can boost your mental and physical energy as well as promote a healthy frame of mind for the entire day. Waking up to morning workouts will help kick-start your metabolism, allowing you to burn tons of calories hours after your workout. Here are five energy boosting moves you should do every morning: Jumping Jacks Jumping jacks are a classic full-body, calorie-burning exercise. 10 minutes...
Most Marriage & Family Therapists (MFTs) and psychotherapists who deal with couples’ counselling often come aboard once there’s a problem within the relationship that requires addressing. Couples heading into commitments and marriages will more often seek premarital counselling from their chosen officiants or more familiar spiritual caregivers, but MFTS are increasingly privileged to have the chance to work with clients embarking on these kinds of commitment processes. It’s a great deal of fun, most of the time, to sit with...
She Means Business - An Interview with Certified Clinical Sexologist and Psychotherapist, Kelly McDonnell-Arnold Today we’re using the hashtag #shemeansbusiness to shine a light on inspiring women and women-run businesses in celebration of International Women's Day. This interview with Kelly McDonnell-Arnold was a special treat. While her professional bio is certainly impressive, she makes us want to do better in our own lives and in our work. She could be the poster lady for #SheMeansBusiness. Let’s dive in! Tell us, why do you...
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, self-esteem is the value we place on how we feel about ourselves, both inside and out. Self-esteem involves understanding our strengths and weaknesses, accepting them, and doing the best we can with that we have. In this piece, Chad Bouma, a Clinical Social Worker and Therapist in the Waterloo region, shares his personal and professional experience on self-esteem. Think to your own life. Did you (or do you still) look towards others for affirmation and validation that your choices (career,...
Keeping the spark alive in your relationship, especially when parenting and blended family struggles kick in, can become challenging. Therefore, being on the same page as your partner despite these stressors is essential to maintaining a healthy relationship. Bliss Counselling's very own sexologist, Kelly McDonnell-Arnold, and Stepmom coach, Jamie Scrimgeour, discuss tips and tricks on preventing these stressors from entering the bedroom! Check out the video below! ...
Let’s kick it up a notch and talk about desire this week! Has sex become a chore for you? Do you and your partner constantly have disagreements about the frequency of your encounters? Is your partner seemingly disinterested in sex? Are you and your partner never in the mood for sex at the same time? Reality is, we’re not in a romantic film or fairy tale TV show. Partners don’t always remain passionate for one another at the same time throughout their...
You think of herbs, and you think of the cute little garden you plant every spring, and kill by summer. You think of your standard chives, cilantro or thyme — anything green and summery. You’ve got to think a little broader than a summer garden here, because herbs and spices are far more vast than a little basil and group together things like cinnamon, garlic, ginger root, cilantro, coriander, tumeric, paprika and so forth. Who knew? They are the thing that takes...
After reading my Being Mindful Of Your Nice To Nag Ratio post, I heard from K.J. Dell’Antonia at The New York Times Well Family Blog. She wondered, “What do you do when you have to correct a child because it is necessary, as in the case of a special needs or speech issues?” This is a great question! It’s very easy to get into a negative pattern of correcting or nagging too much to the point where our children feel...
To imagine that one can survive horrible hospital stays, car accidents, multiple deaths of a loved ones, traumatic life situations and, yes, even insomnia by simply practicing meditation is a radical thought. We know that meditation has been around for thousands of years and practiced by people from all walks of life and on all parts of the globe , but there is one common myth about meditation, however, that often leads to a sense of failure and why people give up...