Thank You for being part of Our Journey!

Wow!  What an amazing day to Celebrate!  We couldn't have asked for nicer weather for our Client Appreciation and Grand Opening- bright, clear blue skies, warm sunshine and a gentle breeze.

I feel so blessed and fortunate to share our space and transformations with so many of you in attendance.  There were about 100 energetic guests who went home nourished, uplifted and inspired.  Following the ribbon cutting, Mary Anne shared two beautiful poems and there was an impromptu labyrinth walk to the centre where cello (Allanah), guitar (Thommas) and drum beats (Brendan) shared their gifts.  It was a truly magical experience for me!  Sharmaine challenged our guests with a light-hearted, lively and fun quiz about "Outrageous Vitality" tips.  Then Dr Norm shared a personal, heart-felt account of his introduction to Nanaimo, our process of buying the house and the vision and transformation of the space.

As Dr Norm spoke earlier today, "I feel like Royalty".  You, the Lifehouse Community, our friends, family and neighbours certainly treat us very well.  Thank you so much for all your generosity with contributions to our growing, blooming garden, cards, gifts, well-wishes and kind words.  They all mean so much to Alita, Dr Norm and myself.

Special thanks to:
Cory Anderson for assisting with the ribbon cutting, Mary Anne Moore's poetry reading, Sharmaine Henophy's enthusiastic 'Miss Plum Bloom' clowning, Delaney Madisen for supporting Ms. Plum Bloom and creating poster, Missy Nobels for her energy and support, David Seath for his creative photography work, Bart Long for leading powerful "Lion Walk" experiences, musical talents of Allannah Dow, Thommas Michaud and Brendan Holm, Alita Madisen for assisting in preparing nourishing, healthy snacks.

And to all of you who joined in our celebrations ~ Thank you for being part of our very special day!  It was a very enjoyable, lively day because of you.

Shine bright!
In gratitude for such a special Lifehouse Community within Nanaimo and with Much Love,

Heather & the Lifehouse Crew

Genes

One of the things that most pains me is when I hear people say,” I have this (condition) but they think it is because of my genes”. 

People like this are being fed a lie and we need to remember that though genes play a role in health, they are certainly not the sole determiners.  The unfortunate piece is that people do feel they have no power in regards to their genes, so they end up feeling powerless, victim to their situation, and resume living a lifestyle that may or may not promote health.  Study after study shows that health is a result of both our genes and our lifestyle and that our lifestyle switches aspects of our genes on or off. 

Genes are predetermined, and they provide a baseline or possibility.  Our lifestyle is what provides the variants and this is what we get to determine.  The MacArthur Foundation produced a study that showed only 30% of aging is due to our genes and 70% was due to our lifestyle.  Another similar Chinese study showed that a whopping 90% was due to our lifestyle.  Regardless, whether it be 70% or 90%, it is by far more significant than your genes! Lifestyle is the only thing that you can choose, so it makes sense to focus our attention on how we can influence our health positively regardless of which genes we have.

As you are seeing, the influence of our lifestyle choices is very large.  I would like to walk you through a simple exercise to build on this.

What age was your oldest grandparent who ever lived? 

Now take that number and minus it by your own age.  Take that number…..This is your minimum potential years remaining.  Meaning if genes were it, this would be the minimum years that you have left.  Now implementing the current research we also know that by adjusting your lifestyle you will add both quantity and quality to the number of years remaining.  How do you want to spend your years remaining?

A healthy lifestyle includes regular exercise, healthy nutrition and regular chiropractic care.  It is as easy as that.

Oh and as an aside, I wrote a while back a heartfelt story about my father, who was being faced with some heart challenges.  If you haven’t read that story yet I strongly encourage you to read on below - the post called "Way to Go, Dad".   An update to his story:  for the past six months Dad has been busy improving his diet, adding regular exercise and getting adjusted regularly.  And guess what?   Two days ago he took his last Lipitor pill (and my guess the last one he will ever take!)  His body has balanced itself.  His heart has improved and he is ready now to move on without the need of pharmaceutical intervention.  Way to go Dad! 

Remove interference to your innate health potential: 

A properly functioning body can do everything naturally 

that pills attempt to do chemically.

Have a great weekend, enjoying the sun, moving your body and nurturing yourself with great food.

Dr. Norm