When Lynden’s brand new Farmers Market opens June 4th, all the Whatcom County markets will be up and running for the season.

Bellingham – Downtown: Saturdays 10am-3pm at Railroad and Chestnut

Bellingham – Fairhaven: Wednesdays noon-5pm at the Village Green

Birch Bay: Thursdays 4-7pm next to the C-Shop at 4825 Alderson Rd.

Blaine: [...]]]>

When Lynden’s brand new Farmers Market opens June 4th, all the Whatcom County markets will be up and running for the season.

Bellingham – Downtown: Saturdays 10am-3pm at Railroad and Chestnut

Bellingham – Fairhaven: Wednesdays noon-5pm at the Village Green

Birch Bay: Thursdays 4-7pm next to the C-Shop at 4825 Alderson Rd.

Blaine: Saturdays 10am-2pm at H Street and Peace Portal Drive

Ferndale: Saturdays 9am-3pm, Riverwalk Park at Main Street and Front Avenue

Lynden: Saturdays 10am-3pm in the parking lot at Third Christian Reformed Church, 514 Liberty St.

Art Baner has an extensive [...]]]> QiGong (or Chi Kung) is a gentle yet powerful set of meditations and exercises that focuses on building physical health and inner tranquility. Harmonize body, breath, and mind as you learn stillness within movement and movement in stillness. Reduce stress, get a workout, build energy, and develop self-awareness.

Art Baner has an extensive background in Chinese martial arts, yoga, exercise therapy, and meditation practice. Course is suitable for people of all ages and levels of physical conditioning. The course is five sessions; there’s also an option to bundle with five sessions of Tai Chi. Classes start April 12, with QiGong at 6:30pm and Tai Chi at 7:30. A second section begins May 17. Register here.

Did you know that inflammation can make it hard to lose weight and harder to heal from injuries? Learn how to identify what your problem foods might [...]]]> Eating for Healing with Dr. Cherrelyn Seegers , D.C.
Thursday, February 24 at 6:00pm
Butterfly LIFE Sunnyland (Next to Trader Joe’s)
2460 James St.
Bellingham, WA, 98225

Did you know that inflammation can make it hard to lose weight and harder to heal from injuries? Learn how to identify what your problem foods might be and how to deal with it.

Dr. Cherrelyn Seegers has had a practice in Bellingham for the past 13 years and her passion is working with all kinds of athletes. Dr. Seegers utilizes a variety of techniques to achieve complete restoration of movement. Patients are always instructed that stretching and strengthening exercises are necessary to their care and that core strengthening and nutrition are needed to keep bodies in top performance shape.

Call Butterfly LIFE at 671-0669 to reserve a seat.  For more information about this and other upcoming health-related events visit www.ButterflyLifeBellingham.com

Concerned about coming back to exercise after an absence due to an injury? Come join us as Karen Nellessen, PT discusses some basic principles of [...]]]> When It Hurts Too Much To Exercise, With Karen Nellessen, PT
Tuesday, February 1st at 6:30pm
Butterfly LIFE Sunnyland (Next to Trader Joe’s)
2460 James St.
Bellingham, WA, 98225

Concerned about coming back to exercise after an absence due to an injury? Come join us as Karen Nellessen, PT discusses some basic principles of returning to activity after an injury, guidelines for knowing when/how to progress activity, and when to rest/recover from flare-ups. Karen Nellessen is a physical therapist at Healthy Focus Physical Therapy who specializes in orthopedics. She focuses on treating a wide range of musculoskeletal dysfunctions and has a special interest in returning patients to exercise after trauma, microtrauma or surgery.

In a nutshell, the Welsh forestry commission is promoting the health benefits of walking in the woods instead of in town or on treadmills. We all know walking is good for you, but does it matter where you [...]]]> Here’s an interesting story from the UK: GPs Urged to Prescribe Wales Forest Walk Remedy.

In a nutshell, the Welsh forestry commission is promoting the health benefits of walking in the woods instead of in town or on treadmills. We all know walking is good for you, but does it matter where you walk? According to commission spokesman Richard Davies, it does.

Davies said, “Studies have shown that looking at greenery causes a rapid reduction in stress – blood pressure, muscle tension pulse rate – usually within minutes of exposure, and is most obvious when the body is already stressed.”

We’ve got plenty of greenery all year ’round here in the northwest. All the rain makes things grow. But on a wet winter day, I might just stick a houseplant in front of the treadmill and call it good.

Physical Therapy Assistant Loretta Sandoval will lead a workshop on lifestyle and activity choices for strong bones. Must RSVP to info@joyofpilates.net; wear comfortable clothes.

This May, I found I couldn’t exercise because of plantar fasciitis in both feet, and I needed some kind of head game to keep me focused on my [...]]]> Okay, so I’m not really vegan — I wear leather and have no problem preparing meat for family members — but I eat like one.

This May, I found I couldn’t exercise because of plantar fasciitis in both feet, and I needed some kind of head game to keep me focused on my diet so I didn’t gain back the weight I’ve lost in the past couple of years. I decided I would give up meat and dairy, using the book Engine 2 Diet as a guide. It’s not as hard as I thought it would be. Certainly it’s a hell of a lot easier than my excursions into low carb eating.

The weight control aspect was a resounding win. I’ve lost another nine pounds since going veg. I got a checkup in August. Here are the results of my most recent bloodwork, as compared to 2008:

Blood pressure – 110/62, no change
Blood sugar – 83, down 14 points
Total cholesterol – 166, down 22 points
Triglycerides – 98, up 46 points – yikes!
Good cholesterol – 60, down 10 points
Bad cholesterol – 86, down 29 points

Pretty good overall. My bad cholesterol was a little high at 115, so it’s good to see that number shrink. However, my triglycerides almost doubled, although they are still in the happy zone (20-149). I suspect it may have to do with the margaritas I had the night before the testing, as this measurement is supposed to be very sensitive to alcohol.

Bottom line is that I’m going to continue eating this way. Mostly because I lost weight like *BAM*! But also because meat and dairy processing is nasty, and plant based diets are obviously more earth-friendly.

Here are some great resources for recipes. If you know of more, please post them in the comments!

Fat Free Vegan
Veggie Venture
The Low Fat Vegetarian Archive

–June

http://thenorthernlight.com/news/article.exm/2010-04-07_gardener_s_market_to_open_with_slug_race