L-theanine Capsules

Spring cleaning can mean so much more than a 2-week juice cleanse. Have you ever looked at the mental and emotional side of cleansing? As we move into longer days, and more time outside, can an emotional or mental detox help you feel more energized? Many people can find that long and cold winters leave us feeling like an attic that hasn't been tended to in a while. Cluttered, and maybe a little dusty. But once the sun comes out, we're getting out the dust pans and "donate" bins. The same thing can be said for our mental and emotional states. In the winter, our minds can get bogged down with clutter - whether its from binge watching a new television series on a cold day, or forgetting how long we've been scrolling Instagram. To help you get ready for spring, try out these 3 tips for a mental detox: 1. Let go of what doesn’t serve you. Mentally and emotionally we hold on to a lot of ‘toxins’. They harbor in our minds and take up space in our bodies. Thoughts and feeling have an energy. If the energy is not positive and serving you, then it is important to let it go. Everyone has their own way of dealing with matters such as these. Yoga, talking it out with a friend, or mindful meditation are just a few ways people chose to heal and help themselves let go. The first step is to acknowledge the extra fluff. What are the things that no longer serve you? Are these things holding you back? The second step is to find ways to eliminate these things in whichever way best suits you. Being less consumed by things that do not benefit you, opens up more time for what really matters. 2. Consider doing an electronic detox! Even if it is only for one extra hour a day, mindfully putting away your contact/social media devices will give you an opportunity to be more in the moment. Being less distracted also helps you manage time better and centers you in a way that creates more productivity. Try putting your phone on silent after dinner for the remainder of the evening. Or choose to leave your your phone alone for the first hour of being awake each day. Using this time for meditation, or time with loved ones can set you up for a more successful day. 3. Clean your closet or garage or whatever it is that has been driving you bonkers! Donate what you do not need and clear up the clutter. I cannot speak for everyone, but my head feels less cluttered when my environment is less cluttered. Take a day out of the week and tackle a mess. You might breathe a little easier once that chore has been checked off your list. And if tacking one big mess at one time seems daunting, choose one area to work on each week. For example, if you are planning to "Marie Kondo" your wardrobe, choose one area of clothes at a time (i.e. Monday is t-shirts, Tuesday is Pants, Wednesday is socks, etc.). There are so many ways to gently give your life a spring cleaning. Many of the ones listed above can be a new, every day habits. Health is a journey, and wherever you are on the journey, implementing little changes daily, weekly, or even monthly, is always going to be a step forward towards better health and a better you! How do you detox your mind? Send us a message on Instagram or Facebook and tell us! Take care everyone! Be happy, be healthy! Amy Wilson Amy is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist with over 7 years of experience working in the health and fitness industry. She is currently in her third year as a Naturopathic Medical Student and has a special interest in gut and brain health. Find her on Instagram: @amy_kwilson

The winter can be a magic time, but sometimes the cold days seem more of a drag than an inspiration. In the heart of Winter, it’s important to keep looking after ourselves; taking time to relax and nourish ourselves physically and emotionally. It's no wonder that many people report feeling "down" around this time of year. In fact, we're physically burned out. One major symptom of adrenal fatigue is depression. It's important to know that the winter season is THE most important time of the year to heal the adrenals. We are given shorter days by Nature for a very important reason…so that we can rest, rejuvenate our adrenal and Valentine's energy…and be ready for rebirth, renewal and of course, reproducing in the happy, warm, beautifully-romantic days of spring. The creation of electricity took us another step away from nature. Today many of us check our emails late at night, play computer games or watch TV with light shining brightly into our eyes. This is more damaging to our health than most of us realize. The winter blues are so common that we even have a name for them: Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. SAD typically involves a pattern of depressive or manic episodes that eat more. Common symptoms are: Craving sugar and carbs Sleeping more Feel more tired Weight gain Withdrawn socially If so, you could be experiencing the aptly named, SAD. The causes of SAD vary. They could include less sunlight, colder temperatures, more social isolation or even the stress of coping with winter holidays. There are plenty of ways to counteract SAD using diet and lifestyle choices. Here are a few simple ideas to avoid winter blues: 1. Exercise! Moving your body pumps blood and oxygen into all of your systems, warming up your body during these cold months. Taking a walk outdoors is especially invigorating, but be sure to bundle up before you head out! Exercise is also a wonderful way to decrease stress and naturally increase your dopamine levels (your feel-good hormone). 2. Let there be light! Embrace those crisp sunny days when we get them! Even the weak winter sun gives us tangible health benefits, like helping your skin synthesize vitamin D, giving us those breathtaking views and naturally brightening up our days. 3. Sleep more. Set your internal clock with the sunrise and sunset. Wake with the sun and start to wind down your day when the sun sets. You can wind down after dinner by playing board games with your children or reading a chapter in an inspirational book. CREATING THESE NEW HEALING HABITS CAN GO A LONG WAY TOWARD BOOSTING YOUR MOOD. Try to avoid the blue light that shines from our cell phones, TV screens, and tablets. When blue light shines into our eyes, it has been shown to decrease the amount of melatonin being released by your pineal gland. Melatonin, our sleep hormone, is responsible for making you fall asleep. The hours you log in before midnight are the most beneficial for your sleep, and overall feeling of rest and rejuvenation. This natural sleep rhythm will help your body (and your mood) adapt to the season. 4. Watch your sugar consumption. Many of us know that consuming too much sugar can affect our body in negative ways. Sugar has been shown to have a negative impact on your moods, energy levels, cravings and even immunity. Reducing your sugar intake or opting for natural sugar like substances such as Stevia can still give you the sweet taste without the unhealthy components of sugar. In recent studies, sugar has been linked to mood disorders and may even cause depression. 5. Make homemade soups. Warming and nutritious soups are the perfect meal for cold days. Try adding in our Bone Broth to your favourite recipes, increase your immunity and enjoy the comforts of the cold weather favourites. You can find our warming recipes on our website. Another warming favourite is Maca hot chocolate. Maca & cacao are great for the adrenal health, balancing hormones and naturally boosting mood. 6. Spend time with friends and family. Laugh, play fun games, and spend time in the company of people who are positive. Surrounding yourself with positive people can affect your outlook and mood, and it can also help you stay away from the winter blues. Take time to enjoy a yoga class or dive into that book you have been meaning to read. 7. Meditation or prayer. Meditation focuses your attention and decreases stress. Taking 30 minutes out of your busy schedule to relax and regroup with meditation or easy yoga poses can be an amazing way to welcome the darkness of winter with joy. 8. Find calm. Take calming supplements like Holy Basil, Ashwagandha, L-Theanine and GABA or drink a cup of herbal tea. Good old-fashion chamomile tea with lemon and honey is great for children. You can also go a long way toward boosting your mood by creating these new healing habits AND by changing your perspective to a positive outlook. If you nourish your body and your soul during this darker time of the year, you’ll emerge in spring with renewed health and vitality.

When it comes to sleep, it is not only important that you are getting enough, but it is also important that are you getting good quality sleep. Sleep is important for physiological reactions all throughout the body, such as hormone regulation, mediating mood, and healing and supporting our immune system. Basically, if your sleep is off, everything will be out of balance. In North America, it is more common than ever for individuals to be sleep deprived. This may be due to many different factors. It really comes down to the health, environments and lifestyles of the individual experiencing sleep issues. There are some common practices that can help improve the quality of a person’s sleep. Below are what I find to be most important when working towards a healthy sleep regime. 1. Blue Light Blocking In today’s society, we are surrounded by blue light; both natural sources such as the sun, as well as unnatural sources like LED lights. Backlit devices (blue light) is artificial light that surrounds us in our homes and is on all screens including smartphones, TV’s, tablets and computer monitors. Staring at these screens into the evening hours can be disruptive to our hormones that play a role in helping us fall asleep. Melatonin is an important hormone involved in helping us to fall asleep and stay asleep. Melatonin is produced in a small part of the brain called the pineal gland. The production of this hormone is stimulated by our natural circadian rhythm regulated by the setting of the sun. When it gets dim out, melatonin is produced making us feel sleepy. If instead we are staring at and surrounded by bright lights come sunset, our melatonin production is inhibited, and we struggle with falling asleep. Consider the below modifications to help keep your melatonin regulation optimal: No screen time two hours before bed. Depending on current habits, this may be something you take small steps to work towards. Start small such as 30 minutes and work your way up to two hours. Unless you have the latest iPhone that automatically is programmed with a blue light filter, you can download an app called f.lux for all of your screen devices. This blue light concept is not new, and there are programs and apps available to filter the blue light from your screens. Consider putting a few red lightbulbs in lamps around your home. When the sun begins to set, turn off the main lights and switch on the red lamps instead. Putting salt lamps near the bed or in the bathroom for those middle of the night trips is a calming way to see your surroundings without stimulating yourself too much in the night with blue light. Another option to block blue light is to buy blue light blocking glasses. You can purchase those on Amazon or at your local department store. You can purchase some orange safety glasses and wear them in the evening hours. The shade of the glasses will block blue light. You may look funny, but trust me, your sleep health is worth it! 2. Make your room sleep-friendly Blackout your room. This means putting up blackout blinds and place a towel in front of the door where light might shine in. There is a ton of research on the adverse effects of even a small amount of light exposure while you are asleep. Light exposure in the middle of the night may make for a groggy morning. Do your best to make your sleeping accommodations as dark as possible. Keep your room simple. You should use your room for sleeping and cuddling only! Try and avoid studying or doing work-related tasks in your bedroom. Keep your bedroom free of clutter. Leave the technology out of the bedroom. 3. Create healthy habits that will enhance your sleep quality Practice going to bed and waking up at the same time every morning. When you are trying this keep in mind that if you are not falling asleep after 30 minutes, it is best to get out of bed and go back when you are ready to sleep. However, if you get up and out of bed, remember your blue blight blockers! When you wake up in the morning, expose yourself to natural light. Head outside for an early morning walk. Exposing yourself to early morning light for as little as 20 minutes will help regulate your natural circadian rhythm. Eat your last meal at least 3 hours before bedtime. This is important because digesting food takes a lot of energy. If you eat close to bedtime, your body’s energy will go towards digesting and absorbing food instead of other actions such as efficiently producing hormones that help you with sleep. Meditate before bed. Try and slow down your mind in the evening. If meditation is not your jam, try reading a book or magazine. Sleep is important! When we are not sleeping properly we will notice it! Weight gain, negative mood changes, and weakened immunity are just some examples of the many problems we encounter with poor sleep quality. The above lists are suggestions that may help to improve your sleep, starting with incorporating one or two small things into your daily routine is a step in the right direction for improved sleep quality. Depending on each individual, there are many ways to help improve sleep quality including supplementing with vitamins, minerals and herbs. If you struggle with sleep it is best to talk to your Naturopathic Doctor to find a health regime that best suits your unique needs. Sleep well, be happy, be healthy! Amy is a certified nutritionist with over 7 years of experience working in the health and fitness industry. She is currently in her third year as a Naturopathic Medical Student and has a special interest in gut and brain health. Find her on Instagram: @amy_kwilson