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Author: Dr. Nance Macleod Phd NMD DNM

  • Laughing your way Thin ( part 2 )

    Laughing your way Thin ( part 2 )

    Be willing to laugh with and at yourself

    This is not a step of humiliation or self-defamation because those things are definitely not fun: it is a strategy of being willing to take yourself lightly. Easing your harsh expectations you impose on yourself, realizing some of your self-administered anxiety, sets the stage for amazing personal gains.
    At this step you will make an intentional effort to take your self and your expectations less seriously. You will adopt a kindlier stance toward your fears and inconsistencies because you have been much too hard on yourself. The results will be remarkable lightness (both metaphorically and literally) of mind, body, and spirit.
    Combined with your commitment to go the extra smile, you will find your use of food to calm and comfort yourself almost extinguished because talking you self lightly helps you see your self as literally, less “ heavy “

    Stay Focused

    This step makes the most impressive difference in you actual eating habits and provides the mechanics of your weight loss. By staying focused you keep grounded in the moment, the here and now, because it challenges you to give 100% attention to what you are dong right now. Staying focused provides the dramatic weight loss break through you’ve been waiting for because your whole paradigm of eating is about to change.
    You do this by not engaging in any other activity while you’re eating. Activities that have commonly accompanied your eating are to be avoided while putting food in your mouth t- including reading, watching television, or socializing at get- togethers. With the exception of reasonable table conversation, eating becomes a focused activity for you. Not connected with any other behavior because you are about to stop the principal cause of your weight gain.

    Next publication ,… conclusion.
    Dr.nancemacleod@gmail.com

    www.thewellnessdiva.org

  • Season’s Greetings!

    Season’s Greetings!

    JobsPeopleDo.com wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday season! This year is wrapping up quickly, making room for New Year’s resolutions.

    Now is the time that good study habits come in handy, as exams will be on their way when you return to school after the holidays.

    Remember, Canada is a diverse country so try to be respectful of everyone’s customs. Also, don’t forget to lend a hand to those who need it. Be a mentor, someone needs you!

    Have fun, rest lots, and we’ll see you in the new year!

    – JobsPeopleDo.com Staff

  • Grizzly Bears

    Grizzly Bears

    British Columbia may be home to as many as half of Canada’s remaining grizzly bears — and the last best hope to maintain healthy populations south of the 60th parallel.

    Scientists believe that grizzly bears are an essential part of healthy, fully functioning ecosystems in western North America. Known as a “keystone” species, grizzlies are “ecosystem engineers” that help to regulate prey species and disperse the seeds of many plant species, such as blueberry and buffaloberry. They also help to maintain plant and forest health, both by aerating the soil as they dig for roots, pine nuts and ground squirrels, and by moving thousands of kilograms of spawning salmon carcasses into the forest, where trees and other plants absorb their high levels of nitrogen.

    “Grizzly bears are indicators of sustainable development,” says Dr. Stephen Herrero, who headed Alberta’s Eastern Slopes Grizzly Bear Project, one of the largest grizzly bear research projects in North America. “Where viable populations of grizzly bears persist, the landscape is being managed sustainably.”

    Unfortunately, grizzly bears face the same threats in B.C. as they face everywhere they live: habitat loss, damage, and fragmentation; the cascading effects of salmon collapse and climate change; and human-caused mortalities as a result of sport hunting, poaching, collisions with trains and vehicles, and the inevitable challenges grizzlies endure because of careless human behaviour. Grizzlies have already been eliminated or are currently threatened in 18 per cent of the province, including the Lower Mainland and most of the Interior.

    Scientists predict that the current rate of grizzly bear habitat degradation — from expanding human settlements, road-building, recreation, forestry, and other industrial developments — could result in grizzly bears being threatened or critically endangered in close to half of their current range in B.C. by 2065. By that time many local populations will be beyond hope of recovery and will likely be eliminated altogether.

    Human-caused mortality is also a significant problem in B.C. Between 1977 and 2009, almost 11,000 grizzly bears were killed by humans, 87 per cent of which were legally killed by hunters.

    The solution to reversing this continuing pattern of alienation and regional extinction is two-fold: reduce human-caused mortality and protect the habitat that grizzly bears need to survive.

  • Don’t say the D-word

    Don’t say the D-word

    A kerfuffle is raised every time a comedian, politician, or businessperson uses the F-word or the N-word. I understand that. But to me, the D-word is the most obscene. I’m referring to disposable. Let me explain.

    When I was a boy, we were poor and it was a big deal when my parents bought me a new coat. I would quickly outgrow it, and it would be passed on to my sister. My parents boasted that three of their children had worn the same coat. They weren’t concerned (nor were we kids) about gender differences or fashion; it was the coat’s ability to keep the wearer warm and its durability (now there’s a good D-word) that mattered.

    We now have an economic system in which companies must not only show a profit each year, they must strive for constant growth. If a product is rugged and durable, it creates a problem for even the most successful business — a diminishing and eventually saturated market. Of course, any product will eventually wear to a point where it can no longer be patched, so the market will continue to exist to replace worn products.

    But that’s not good enough in a competitive world driven by the demand for relentless growth in profits and profitability. So companies create an aura of obsolescence, where today’s product looks like a piece of junk when next year’s model comes out. We’ve lived with that for decades in the auto industry.

    I’ve always said a car is simply a means of getting from point A to point B, but it’s become far more than that. Some cars convey a sense of power, and cars become safe havens when loaded with cup holders, sound systems, and even TVs and computers. Some people even name their cars, talk to them, and care for them like babies — until next year’s models come along.It’s similar with clothing, even with outdoor attire beloved by environmentalists. We have a proliferation of choice based on colour, sexiness, and other properties that have nothing to do with function. I don’t understand torn blue jeans as a fashion statement, and I wish people would wear their pants till they spring their own leaks rather than deliberately incorporating tears. All of this is designed to get us to toss stuff away as quickly as possible so the economy can keep spinning.Nowhere is this more obvious than with electronic gadgets. When my wife lost the cord to charge her cellphone, she went to seven stores. None had the necessary plug for her phone. Finally she went back to the retailer that sold her brand only to be told that the cords for the new models don’t fit the old ones and hers was so old, it wasn’t even on the market any more. It was a year-and-a-half old.I remember when I was given the first laptop computer on the market. It had an LED display screen that let me see three lines at a time and a chip that stored about three pages of writing. But it was small and had word processing and a port to send my pieces by telephone. It revolutionized my life. I was writing a weekly column for the Globe and Mail and was able to send articles from Russia and even remote towns in the Amazon.

    A couple of years later, a much better laptop hit the market. It had an LCD screen, a huge memory, and it displayed almost a full page. I got one. A year later, I got a new model, and then half a year after that, another. Each served me well, but every year, new ones would appear that were faster, smaller, and lighter, with longer-life batteries and more bells and whistles.

    Try to get one fixed or upgraded, though. As with digital cameras, I was repeatedly told that it would cost more to fix an old laptop than to buy a new model. This is madness in a finite world with finite resources. At the very least, products should be created so components can be pulled apart and reused until they wear out.

    You see why I think the D-word is so obscene.

  • Doing Scholarships the Right Way: Tips on Application

    Doing Scholarships the Right Way: Tips on Application

    Like getting a ton of free money? Of course you do!

    Those lines might sound like the beginning of an un-reputable online advertisement but the truth is there are plenty of scholarships aiming to do just that; hand you free money to support your education.

    So how do you score some of this free cash? Start by applying to any and all scholarships you can.  The more you apply to, the higher your odds of receiving an award.

    If you’re not sure of your eligibility for a scholarship, apply anyway.  Many scholarships are not given out due to lack of applicants. Even if your eligibility is hazy you may be the lucky winner by default.  This was the case when Sandro Rocco, Niagara College Photonics alumni, applied to the Walker Technology Grant.

    “I wasn’t entirely sure if I qualified but I thought why not give it a shot, a lot of people don’t bother,” he commented.

    “Turned out I was the only person to apply for the scholarship so I won. The award was really helpful and got applied directly to my tuition” Sandro continued.

    Some students shy away from scholarship applications because they feel their grades aren’t high enough. However, plenty of scholarships are handed out as a result of achievement in other areas including extra curricular involvement, athletics or charity work. Financial aid and area of interest are also taken into consideration when handing out scholarships.

    Lara Muldoon, Relationship Manager with StudentAwards.com noted, “There are scholarships available that have nothing to do with academic performance or volunteer experience.  We have awards for everyone, from people of specific ethnicities to people that are tall ”.

    Take time out of your schedule to make great applications. Prioritize and spend time on scholarships that are most applicable to your skills and experiences.

    When asked what differentiates a successful candidate from an unsuccessful one Lara responded, “the number one thing is to be really passionate about your subject, pick applications that really speak to you, most providers are looking for students not with great marks necessarily but with a path in life that they are really passionate about”.

    Remember that scholarship application is not limited to your first year of studies.  Many students stop applying after their first year thinking that the majority of scholarship funding is reserved for new students.  This is not the case; many awards are reserved for students in their second, third and fourth year of studies.  StudentAwards.com commented that while the majority of their application pool stems from grade 12 students, their user demographic spans between 13 and 30 years of age.

    Students are sometimes intimidated by the amount of work involved in applying to scholarships, but by using an incremental approach and developing decent time management (yes, it is possible) you will be able to handle the stress and hopefully reap the benefits of scholarship application.

    Many online scholarships allow you to save your work in their own word processors, making it easy to finish one or two parts of the application at a time.

    Having a stock application template done in advance is another easy way to save time and minimize stress while scholarship hunting.

    Have a thorough list of your skills, past experiences, awards and academic achievements on hand as part of your application template.  This go-to list will make a world of difference in the quickness of your application process.

    Also, prepare a general, but flexible essay that highlights your personal qualifications and can be tweaked to fit specific scholarship criteria.

    Keep your audience in mind when filling out applications.

    If you are applying to an academic scholarship be sure to use academic language and keep the tone of your writing as professional as possible.

    In contrast, some scholarship review panels are looking to see a more personal response.  For these, don’t be afraid to use a less formal language and be sure to highlight your own opinion, giving judges a better understanding of your personality.

    Just like that summer job, it is never too early to start the search for scholarships! So good luck and happy applying!

  • The College Transition

    The College Transition

    As you enter your first year of college, you are bound to encounter personal anxiety over the new place, new home, and new friends-don’t worry, you are not alone. Every college freshman experiences some level of nervousness when they start their college adventure. Here are some tips to make your adjustment to life in the dorms easier.

    1. Remember you are not alone. You are not the only new kid on the block. Every person in your freshman dorm is in the same situation as you. This is a great way to bond with new friends-talk to other freshman in your dorm about your own fears and anxieties. Chances are, they are feeling the same way and will be glad to have someone to talk to about it.

    2. Participate in orientation activities. Every college that has on-campus housing for freshmen has some kind of orientation program for them. Yes, it may seem like a lame thing to do, but it is a great way to meet other new students. The people who run the orientation program are generally upper-classmen who were in your shoes recently-they can serve as an excellent resource for you. Don’t be afraid to go to all of the orientation activities, they are there to make your adjustment to college easier.

    3. Step outside of your comfort zone. When you were in high school, you most likely had a core group of friends who had known you for a long time. The beauty of college is being able to start over with people who you are just meeting as an adult. They don’t know about all the stupid and embarrassing things you may have done in kindergarten; they will only know what you want them to know about you. For this reason, try new things and don’t be afraid to try on new personalities. This is a great time to figure out not only who you are, but also who you want to be.

    4. Use your resources. Your dorm provides you with resident advisors (RAs) or freshman counselors (FCs). Make sure to attend those introductory dorm meetings that your RA or FC plans for you. It’s a good way to see who else is on your floor and to ask questions about dorm life. Your RA or FC is there for you-use him or her to your advantage.

    5. Be safe. Listen to your RA or FC about various safety tips around campus. Remember to stay with friends late at night and to avoid dangerous parts of your new town. When using the shared bathroom most freshmen have, wear shower shoes and try to be cautious about leaving your things in the bathroom, you never know who is going to do what with your toiletries.

    6. Don’t forget to ENJOY it! College is about having fun and making new friends as well as learning new things. Living in a dorm is a great way to do so. You will have friends on hand to order pizza with at 3am and study partners for finals. Do crazy things, take pictures, share funny stories-enjoy yourself. Just make sure you are safe and that you have fun. You are only young once!

    Remember that your friends and parents are just a phone call away and that every person’s adjustment period is different. Take your time getting comfortable and above all else, be yourself. Your new friends will love you for it.

  • Law school applications continue to rise

    Law school applications continue to rise

    As if law school wasn’t hard enough — applying to law school is harder than ever. Universities across Canada are experiencing record-breaking application rates as a weak economy continues pushing graduates back to school.

    “Every year [law school] is in high demand,” Catherine Legault, admissions coordinator at the University of Ottawa, said. She added the law program increased the number of spots from 280 to 300 this year. In previous years, the program only had 230 spots.

    Western has also felt added demand for spots in law school.

    “We received about 2,500 applications last year for 175 positions,” said Michael Lynk, associate dean of law at Western. “We increased our intake by 12 to 15 students over the last two years, but our LSAT scores have actually gone up.”

    Eleven years ago, Lynk arrived at Western’s law school when LSAT averages were around 155. Now he says they’ve jumped to 161, making the program “quite competitive.”*

    Lynk pointed to a weak economy as the culprit for a higher number of qualified applicants.

    “It’s a bad economy, so more people are staying in school after their undergrad rather than going out and working.”

    The competitive nature of law programs doesn’t stop after acceptance, according to Casey Marvin, first-year law student.

    “Avenues that are normally available to all are also a competitive arena, which sucks,” she said.

    While students are encouraged to enroll in first-year clinics, she said some had to turn students down.

    “People were shocked to not get into a clinic that usually lets in everyone,” she said.

    Marvin noted her classmates seemed to be in a league of their own in terms of the calibre of student admitted.

    “A higher proportion of people are mature students and have very impressive backgrounds. Some people are certified accountants or have done mergers and acquisitions, especially people in the economic and business sector that got laid off,” Marvin said.

    Like Lynk, Marvin suspected the depressed economy is the driving force behind increased applicant rates.

    “LSAT scores were significantly higher this year because of the recession. Lots of people have decided to go back to school. They can’t find jobs.”

    A highly qualified applicant pool means younger students will have to compete with mature students — who might be more qualified — when entering the job market after graduation.

    “We want to find jobs for our students, but now that law schools are letting in more students, we are running into a problem of slack economy,” Lynk said. While Ontario sees 1,300 to 1,400 law students graduate every year, Lynk said seven to 10 percent have a problem finding articling positions.

    “There doesn’t seem to be that many jobs for them.”

    Tyler Goettl, fourth-year economics student, has filled out his application but remains uneasy about getting accepted.

    “About one in nine or 10 applicants are admitted. Knowing your chances generally aren’t that great is frightening,” he said. “I’m confident but at the same time there’s a lot of confident people that don’t make it in.”

  • Laugh your way THIN ( part 1 )

    Laugh your way THIN ( part 1 )

    If you follow the steps below you will laugh more frequently. Laughter is an excellent form of aerobic exercise: a hearty, belly laugh produces the same physical response as thirty minutes on the Stairmaster. When you laugh it gives your heart and lungs a good work out so….you are burning additional calories just by having fun.
    Step One: Go the extra smile
    Smiling is a premeditated and controllable behavior that almost always calms inner anxiety and attracts external fun. Smiling unleashes the natural medicine of humor anytime and anywhere because it has a profound physical and emotional impact. Your internal physiology is fooled by your smile. Whether impulsive or unnatural, your body thinks you’re having fun when you smile, whether you are or not, because smiling activates the pleasure centers of your brain. By smiling you literally become more physically relaxed and enjoy a greater sense of fulfillment and enjoyment.
    The amazing benefit of the Diet tactic is that the reduction of your internal anxiety decreases your cravings to eat when you’re not really hungry. And, as a bonus, your smile attracts more social attention. –leaving you less time to stuff yourself because people are mysteriously attracted to you without quite knowing why. By Going the Extra Smile your well on your way to weight loss by filling your emotional void with fun rather than food. !

    Next week : Part 2
    By Dr. Nance Macleod.

  • Bringing Bedtime Back

    Bringing Bedtime Back

    In adapting to a fast-paced lifestyle, students have forgotten a basic necessity: sleep! With demanding class schedules, study cramming, and endless party opportunities, the level of sleep deprived Canadian college students is measured at 20 percent and climbing, according to the National Sleep Foundation. But is this a passing trend or organic inevitability? There are some biological reasons that sleep deprivation and college lifestyles exist hand in hand, but it’s still very possible to keep sleep under control. Building healthy sleeping habits even before hitting post-secondary schedules can help decrease your chances of falling into that insomniac bracket, and increase your chances of academic success.
    High school senior Andy Scarfone feels defeated in his efforts to conquer his body clock. “It’s awful trying to get up for school in the morning,” he claims. “My body just refuses to function that early! I’m definitely no stranger to falling asleep in class.”

    Andy doesn’t face this problem alone, and his personal activities may not be to blame. The National Sleep Foundation claims that teen circadian rhythms are naturally different from those of younger children or adults, thus having school hours initially set by adult workers means it’s often difficult for teen bodies to match the schedules laid out for them. No earlier than 11 p. m., adolescent bodies begin producing the hormone melatonin, a powerful sleep-inducer. By 8 a. m., melatonin still hasn’t stopped pumping through their systems. When student sleep patterns are forced to adjust to suit class schedules that vary day-to-day, midnight study sessions, and the occasional party marathon, the instability causes narcoleptic symptoms to arise, hijacking alertness and contributing to failure and dropout rates.

    Sleep-deprived students typically have poorer grades and higher frequencies of health problems than their cozy counterparts. Researchers discovered that activity occurs in the same area of the brain during sleep as it does during learning information; sleep being a crucial step in organizing and strengthening memories. Without these hours of unconscious convalescence, sleep deprived students are prone to falling behind. Sleep deprivation contributes to skin problems like acne, and instigates aggression and depression. Stressed and tired teens reach for fried and sugary foods to boost energy, garnering higher chances of unhealthy weight gain (often the dreaded “freshman fifteen” can be attributed to such behaviour). Lack of sleep also deepens the effects of alcohol, dangerous for college students whose bodies are at an age where consumption is barely legal in the first place.

    So how can we melatonin over-producing, unstable schedule-fighting students find sleep peace? It’s all about making conscious efforts towards being unconscious on a consistent basis. Teens need an average of eight to nine hours of sleep every night! A National Sleep Foundation survey found that college/university-aged students get an average of only 6.8 hours. Freshman students faced the highest amounts of sleep loss due to the stressful transition period between high school and post-secondary lifestyles. Keep that ideal average (eight to nine hours) in mind when watching late-night TV or browsing Facebook for hours on end.

    It is also important to relax your mind when preparing for a full night’s sleep, reducing stress and loosening up after demanding academics and extra-curriculars. That means no 24, Flashpoint, or Call of Duty before bed. Take it easy and read a book or a magazine – this helps your mind unwind and lets you get to sleep more quickly.

    Another way to keep a steady circadian rhythm is resisting the urge to nap. Sleeping for more than 30 minutes during the day can throw off your sleep schedule and do more harm than good, so save up those tired feelings to ensure a full night’s sleep instead.

    As for all-nighters, it is best to avoid them. That exam will be kinder to you if you have a good night’s sleep under your belt than if you stay up all night cramming information into your tired head. Your test will be less stressful and less drool-stained. Once a healthy sleep pattern is achieved, you may be able to absorb the information better in class in the first place.

    When it comes to sleep, every minute counts. By taking small steps, acknowledging your need for sleep, and making the conscious decision to maintain healthy and consistent sleep schedules, you will always be waking up ready to fulfill your potential.

  • Just Say No

    Just Say No

    Yes we can! Or can we?

    Saying yes to too many commitments can lead to overexertion and an inability to complete tasks to the best of your ability. The Obama administration learned the hard way that yes-saying can cause trouble.

    According to Politifact.com, 29% of Obama’s political promises are stalled or in the works. His presidency is promising, but the over-approximation of short-term capabilities has led to a slower than expected change for the United States.

    Let us use this as an opportunity to evaluate how we project goals for ourselves, and how yay-saying attitudes should be swapped for healthier, more realistic ones.

    The truth is that we are capable of achieving our goals, whether they be curing the economic crisis or earning higher academic grades. Yes we can join that club, pass that test, get that acceptance letter, do that favour, or make that deadline. But perhaps not all at the same time, and perhaps some goals aren’t worth the time anyhow.

    Saying yes to every request and opportunity that comes along is dangerous and unwise. You will be able to better focus your efforts and garner more overachievements than shortcomings if you kill your inner “yes-man”.

    The simple plan of attack: be prioritized, be organized, and be selfish.

    In prioritizing, you must decide what is most important or most valuable, and cater to that. Priority number one should always be your own health and safety. This means that if you are asked to do something and you have already taken on so much that your sleep is being deprived, don’t say yes. If you can’t find time to eat because you have too much on your plate, don’t say yes. If your responsibilities are already taking a toll on your mental health and well-being, don’t say yes. Usually following your health on the chain of priorities is your education, then extra curricular commitments and social matters, but each person will have their own list of priorities and you must decide what is most important to you. Try to keep both long and short-term goals in mind when making these decisions.

    Your “yes-man” can also be overcome through organization. Sometimes yes is the answer, when you can thoroughly understand your personal capabilities and organize yourself accordingly. If you have that knowledge, you can give honest responses when asked to do something because you know of the amount of time and resources you are prepared to give. The answer can be yes with stipulations that suit your schedule, or yes because your have the time management and organization skills to take on more responsibility.

    Lastly, be selfish in choosing to say no. Your life is yours alone, and you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.  With a solid list of priorities and the organizational skills to carry them out, you are fully equipped to make decisions that you feel are best. Your opinion matters most, but public opinion of you will probably rise too, when you over-achieve in a few choice aspects instead of coming short in many. Like that yay-saying presidential campaign advertised, it’s time for a change. This can happen by giving your life the focus and control that comes with saying no.