A little action in the bedroom is good but did you know it’s also good FOR you?

If your man is using this as a reason for gettin’ a little somethin’ somethin,’ it ain’t no ordinary line ladies. He’s actually right! Such a release is good for his prostate and if you knew how common it is for men to develop cancer in this gland, you wouldn’t take his request so lightly.

Even though the subject is brought up every once in a while, people (generally of the male variety) are usually quick to change it or simply tune it out because it’s an uncomfortable issue. But why? We hear about breast cancer on a daily basis now it seems, and you can buy pretty much anything in pink these days so why is there this great imbalance?

Well, for one thing, just as you’d rather see bare breasts than full frontal male nudity, women just have a prettier package and pretty things are easier to talk about. The fact that breast cancer surgery is a lot more traumatic also warrants the attention. Consider that women can actually lose a whole breast, something that is more physically and psychologically damaging than losing an organ that you can’t see or touch. That’s why I think prostate cancer never gets the spotlight…until now!

And it’s about time! Did you know that prostate cancer is actually more common than breast cancer?! The numbers are staggering. Just this week alone, 429 Canadian men will have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and according to the Canadian Cancer Society, 1 in 27 will die from it. That’s why early detection is so critical. Like any other cancer, doctors the world over are still hard at work finding a cure so if a cancer is left to grow, it could not only be debilitating, but fatal. Prostate cancer develops very slowly so by the time you experience any symptoms, it may already be too late. However, if you are diligent about your annual checkups, early detection will ensure that you receive the right treatment so you can continue to live your life to the fullest. It is strongly recommended that men 40 and over be examined regularly but men in their mid-30s are now beginning to do so as well. Can’t hurt right? Well…maybe a little…

Granted, a physical examination of your prostate is more than unpleasant, but consider the repercussions if you ignore such a serious condition. Mad Morten’s grandfather discovered a tumor that eventually spread to his back, paralyzing him during his latter years of life and only through sheer stubbornness did he still live a relatively long one. The cancer can engulf any part of your body, not just your back as in this case. You guys out there will be happy to know that there is an alternative to being poked and prodded. As Alan explains in the video, there is a blood test called the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test that is less invasive and which produces the same results, so please consult your family physician, ask lots of questions, and learn more about it.

All this education is where Movember comes into play. Now that you’re armed with potentially life-saving info, it’s time to spread something of the good kind…awareness. And how will you do that? By sporting a MO (an Aussie slang for mustache) and becoming a Mo Bro! Unless you’re Magnum P.I., these facial accents are a rarity. That’s why when you wear one yourself, you’ll naturally attract attention and as people begin to ask you why you’re wearing such a pimpin’ look, you can enlighten them about a worthy cause. Women may be challenged in the facial hair department, but they have a part to play as well, by becoming Mo Sistas and supporting and recruiting Mo Men. This is one of the most creative ways of approaching a delicate subject and you’re encouraged to have fun with it. Conduct Mo-offs at your office! The teachers at Midland Secondary School in Ontario are raising money by selling ballots to vote on which teacher will don which ridiculous-looking mustache for the remainder of the month. All the money raised will fund each participating country’s leading prostate cancer research foundation so all the money raised in Canada will stay IN Canada. Our country’s beneficiary partner is the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada so sign up at Movember.com, start your own competition, and at the end of the month, celebrate with all your Vancouver Mo Bros and Sistas at a Gala Parté on November 29th at Caprice Night Club (check Movember.com for listings in other cities).

Knowledge is power babeh!

Stay tuned for a funky giveaway later today!

Had a little too much gravy with too many extra helpings of turkey stuffing this past weekend? If you’re looking to shed those unwanted pounds that you just put on, try Donna Hutchinson‘s easy Ten Minute Workout with that fitness ball that you have lying around your house or office. They make great chairs but they make even greater exercising tools!

Why would you do 200 sit-ups when you can do just a fraction of that and still get the same results? Unless you’re a glutton for pain, you should watch this video and get some helpful hints from Donna Hutchinson of On The Edge Fitness Educators. Incorporating tools such as the weighted balls (or anything else that provides resistance) will enhance your workout and give it the variety it needs to keep you motivated to continue exercising. Believe me, you’ll feel the difference in your abdominals almost right away and remember, it’s very important to maintain the proper posture for these exercises to ensure that your lower back is protected.

No one likes to do ‘em and that’s why they’re the most overlooked area on the body. Strengthening and maintaining your core is much more important than you realize because it is what holds your spine up. If you sit in your chair in front of a computer day in and day out like I do, you neglect this area to such an extent that you inevitably start to develop pretty severe pains down your lower back and sides (and believe you me I feel ‘em). Since you really can’t avoid doing abdominal exercises and you can’t ignore them forever, why not at least learn how to do them efficiently; in other words, spend less time doing ‘em.

Donna Hutchinson from On The Edge Fitness Educators shows you the exercises that can maximize results. And because our bodies and muscles adapt as they grow stronger, she also provides progressions so that you can continue to be challenged. If you can do all of her suggested progressions and hold them for a minute each, you have my supreme admiration for your fitness abilities. Just doing the simple plank at the end of a workout can floor me…literally!

If you’ve ever experienced any type of pain, you know very well how interconnected your muscles are to your nervous system. One small movement while you’re in discomfort can sometimes send paralyzing bolts of pain up and down your body. As one who spends much too much time in front of a computer, I know what I’m talking about. Those of you who’ve experienced pregnancy really know what I’m talking about. This relationship between muscle and nerve is the core of the Bowen Technique, which was first developed by an Australian osteopath by the name of Tom Bowen in the 1960′s.

The easiest way to understand this is by using one of our most basic body movements as an example: If we want to bend our arm, we consciously bend it. However, once moved, we no longer think about keeping it bent. This is because the nerves innervating each muscle involved send a message to the brain that we have shortened some muscles and lengthened others. The brain understands these messages and resets the length of each muscle to hold that position. With a series of gentle rolling motions applied by the thumb or other fingers, a Bowen therapist such as Dr. Heidi Rootes from Vitality Clinic can ‘challenge’ a muscle without actually changing its length. Even though your muscles aren’t contracting and extending during this procedure, a ‘default’ message is still being sent to the brain, which shoots a signal back to the muscles, telling them to reset to their resting position. This relaxes a tight muscle or shortens a stretched muscle and by reseting the entire muscular system in such a way, you eventually achieve relief from pain; any kind of pain.

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If you’re like Kalpna Solanki, only the very best foods make it to your child’s plate. Nutrition is all-important at any age, but particularly in the first year. She saw many parents feeding their babies solid foods too early or feeding them only a few foods, making their nutrition limited and less than perfect. So Kalpna developed BOBOBABY – the first frozen, organic, age-appropriate baby food available in the country. Her own daughter was the inspiration for wanting to assist other parents with the ‘baby’s first foods’ mystery.

Kalpna recreated her daughter’s menu plan to reflect a baby’s critical and changing needs from 6 – 9+ months. The recipes for each phase are backed by the latest research in infant nutrition, are all certified organic, kosher, and also offer baby foods that contain no added salt, preservatives, sugar, colour, peanuts, nuts, soy, wheat, sesame, dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, poultry or meat. Research indicates that feeding a child a vegetarian diet for the first 10 to 12 months of life can decrease the risk of diabetes and obesity in childhood.

For our featured recipe, and to learn more about BOBOBABY and your child’s important nutritional needs, read on!

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DABBLER GIVEAWAY DETAILS AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE!

We’ve all had to endure someone else’s snoring at one point or another. If you’re lucky, this is a rare occurrence, but there are many out there who have partners that keep them awake at all hours of the night. Until now, there have been expensive and impractical methods of treatment, but a Vancouver man has come up with a simple solution to your or your partner’s snoring problems. If you find it impossible to have a good night’s sleep due to persistent snoring, and can’t afford the usual treatments, click on the video to learn more about this condition from Dr. Najib Ayas, followed by Sean Kerklaan’s personal story and how he developed the Anti-Snore Shirt.

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