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2020
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VOL. 12 NO. 6 FEBUARY/MARCH 2020
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CONTENTS
DEPARTMENTS 6
Guest Editor’s Letter: It’s my pleasure to be part of the OptiMYz journey. By Aeryon Ashlie
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Social club How our readers are inspiring us.
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Our editorial advisory board OptiMYz appreciates the guidance provided by our industry experts.
10 Fresh Start RECIPES How to scuttle good sex, packing 101, fuel yourself with quinoa salad, top 5 digital devices plus hot digital dating tips, the early warning signs of breast cancer—and more. 14 Ask a Pharmacist: Get that flu shot By Heather Cross 66 Healthful Gourmet RECIPES
These simple box lunches will help you get through your busy week. By Andrea Saliba
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88 Ask the trainer: The power of boring WORKOUT
Just ask the experts. Some of the dullest routines give the greatest rewards. By Nichelle Laus 90 Yoga Corner: Brahmacharya: The power of restraint In the West, the search for pleasure can extract a heavy price. There is a better way. By Lisa Greenbaum 93 Wellness Marketplace 96 Mind Coach: A knock on the door I knew it was time to change my health habits. Either way, my daughter would follow in my footsteps. By Aeryon Ashlie
FEATURES 22 Cover Story: KARINE VANASSE Actress Karine Vanasse of Québec is now an international star and a role model for Canadian women. Motherhood is her best teacher. By Robyn McNeil 28 OptiMYz TOP 100 Health Influencers These experts, role models, advanced thinkers and passionate doers are dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of Canadians. They will make our lives better—and those of our children and grandchildren.
ON THE COVER MODEL KARINE VANASSE P @optimyzmag
MAKEUP SIMONE OTIS FOR P1M.CA P @simoneotis
PHOTOGRAPHY ALEX EVANS P @alexevansphotography
STYLIST FLORENCE DURAND P @florenceodurand
HAIR KIRSTEN KLONTZ FOR P1M.CA P @kirstenklontz
DRESS BY SOPHIE THEALLET P @sophietheallet
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Tag us @optimyzmag on Instagram or use the hashtag #optimyzyourlife for a chance to be featured in the next issue!
2019 Vol.12 No.6 OptiMYz is a bi-monthly magazine for women who care about improving their health, fitness and lifestyle. Guest Editor Aeryon Ashlie Contributing Writers Drs. Marco and Paolo De Ciantis, Nichelle Laus, Andrea Saliba, Lisa Greenbaum, Valeria Nova, Doris Ward, Sonia Jhas, Marci Warhaft, and Debbie King. Designer Denise Swan Publisher Max Brennan Associate Publisher David Holt Director Business Development Terry Keough Accounting Angeles Hopkins Director of Consumer Marketing Craig Sweetman CRS MEDIA Chief Digital Officer Giles Crouch Social Media Manager Jessica Clerke Digital Consulting Jason Chen Printing Lowe-Martin Group How to reach us: OptiMYz Inc. 300 Prince Albert Rd. Suite 109 Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4J2 Canada
@lindabrookscreates No matter what’s on my daily “to do” list this guy insists on a little playtime. I think he’s onto something.
@artisan.nutrition Love never fails! Good food changes everything. Our children learn what they see and it’s our purpose to help them become the best versions of themselves. Our challenges are our blessings, and life is beautiful!!!
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The information in this magazine is not intended to constitute specific medical, fitness or health advice. It is not a substitute for advice from your physician or qualified healthcare professional. Before adhering to any information or recommendations, consult your physician or qualified healthcare professional. Any reliance on the information in this magazine is solely at your own risk. OptiMYz is not responsible for the return of unsolicited manuscripts. All contents are the property of OptiMYz Inc. and cannot be reproduced in any form without written consent. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertising and bears no responsibility for advertisers’ messages. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 41578041 ISSN# 1925-9875 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: OptiMYz Inc. 300 Prince Albert Rd. Suite 109 Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4J2 Canada © 2019 OptiMYz Inc. Please recycle this magazine.
Become an OptiMYz Subscriber $42.95 (plus tax) for 6 print issues and exclusive subscribersonly content. Visit www.optimyz.com to join! @tara_mkb Ask yourself: What makes me jump out of bed in the morning? And then: Do more of that EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
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@empowered.life.coach The most amazing experience. If anyone is struggling with addictions or has friends or family struggling with addictions, I highly recommend checking out Poundmakers Lodge Treatment Centre.
This project has been made possible [in part] by the Government of Canada.
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BEHIND THE SCENES
Our editorial advisory board OptiMYz appreciates the guidance provided by our industry experts. These six experts provide direction to the magazine’s editorial team to help provide you, the reader, with the best and most inspiring information on our five brand pillars: health, fitness, nutrition, adventure/life and mental wellbeing.
Marci Warhaft is a body image advocate, speaker and author of The Body Image Survival Guide for Parents: Helping Toddlers, Tweens and Teens Thrive. Her Fit vs Fiction workshops tear down the myths related to beauty and fitness and empower people of all ages to appreciate who they are. www.fitvsfiction.com Sonia Jhas is an award-winning health and fitness expert. An MBA, Jhas is a certified personal trainer, nutrition specialist, and media expert having been featured in some of Canada’s leading media outlets. Jhas is a champion for mental health awareness, and is an ambassador for the Canadian Mental Health Association. www.soniajhas.com Andrea Saliba is a holistic nutritionist, health coach and fitness instructor in Vancouver, BC. She offers nutrition plans to gain energy, strength, confidence. Her approach is to inspire people to make healthier food choices while educating her clients on the importance of the mind-body connection. www.andreasaliba.ca Lisa Greenbaum, E-RYT 500 and C-IAYT yoga therapist, has a strong passion for fitness, yoga and movement. She has worked with countless individuals by using yoga to release trauma, find ease from chronic pain and tension and develop a deeper connection to Self: mind, body and spirit. Known for bringing an easy-going style to her teaching and encouraging everyone to honour and listen to their bodies, she has over 750 ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS
hours of yoga education and logged 4000+ teaching hours. She is also a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer with canfitpro, and a Women in Fitness Association (WIFA) Global Ambassador. www.lisagreenbaum.com
P @soniajhas
Dr. Jessica O’Reilly is a teacher, author and sex educator. Her practical relationship advice reaches millions of people as she travels extensively across the globe to work with couples to transform their relationships. Her passion is inclusive classroom-based sex and relationship education and she continues to volunteer with teachers, students and parents to promote programming that empowers youth and produces positive health outcomes. www.sexwithdrjess.com Debbie King is a multi-sport athlete with inspiring track and field goals. At 43, she's on a mission to medal at the 2020 World Masters Athletics Championships. Under the tagline “Supafitmama,” she produces content that connects active women with resources across sport, fitness and wellness. In 2018, she added Fast & Female Ambassador to her resume, to help promote participation of girls in sport. She promotes broader ethnocultural representation of women's health and fitness. www.supafitmama.com
P @lisagreenbaum
Advisors emerita Stacy Chesnutt Heather Wilson-Phillips
P @fit_vs_fiction
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COVER STORY
Actress Karine Vanasse of Québec is now an international star and a role model for Canadian women. Motherhood is her best teacher. BY ROBYN MCNEIL 24
WOMEN'S WELLNESS
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COVER STORY
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Karine Vanasse is no longer in her 20s, and she’s happier for it. “As you get older, it’s good to remind yourself every year is new, and you can reinvent yourself a little bit,” says Vanasse, who plays detective Lise Delorme on CTV’s award-winning dramatic crime series, Cardinal.
“You might have old dreams, but you realize that those dreams are not really your dreams anymore. They belong to the past. It’s good to make a new list of what it is you want now.”
Vanasse won the 2019 Canadian Screen Award for Lead Actress in a limited series for her portrayal of the French-Canadian detective opposite partner John Cardinal, played by Billy Campbell. She embraces the opportunity to redefine herself and her limits. “You might have old dreams, but you realize that those dreams are not really your dreams anymore,” she says. “They belong to the past. It’s good to make a new list of what it is you want now.” When we spoke, two days after she turned 36, she tells me about her acting coach in LA, and how she spent her birthday there (“It was a really great day”), with a small group of fellow actors, writers, and directors learning and pushing boundaries. “It’s good to get older,” she says.
THE WONDER YEARS Vanasse caught the performance bug early. After winning a lip-sync contest at the age of nine, she began booking commercials and supporting roles in French Canadian TV movies, with the DREAMS DON’T WORK UNLESS YOU DO
help of her mother, her manager at the time. Her first break came at 13 when director Léa Pool cast her as Hanna in Set Me Free (Emporte-Moi), after seeing her on Les Débrouillards, a Frenchlanguage science show for kids. Garnering critical acclaim and awards, the role of Hanna and her experience working with Pool helped set the tone for the rest of her career—so far. “She was so good, and she gave me so much space,” says Vanasse. “She believed I had the emotional intelligence to really get to the truth of the character. And that was very powerful at that age.” In 1989, when Vanasse was six, a gunman walked into a mechanical engineering class at École Polytechnique in Montreal, separated the women from the men and, in the name of “fighting feminism,” proceeded to shoot and kill 14 women, injuring another 14 people (including four men) before turning the gun on himself.
“It’s the most defining moment I’ve had to experience in my career— professionally. On a human level, the effect it had on me, what it represented, and the seed it planted—I don’t think I realized then why it was so important.” Decades on, Vanasse is still involved with the healing. In a ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary in Montreal on December 6, 2019, Vanasse is also the narrator of a new documentary by Judith Plamondon: Polytechnique: what remains of December 6 which debuted this past December on ICI TV, CBC’s French Canadian video-on-demand platform. In recent years Vanasse has made inroads on American TV, playing French stewardess Colette Valois, on ABC’s Pan Am, and French businesswoman Margaux LeMarchal on the third season of Revenge. But it wasn’t until she landed the role of Lise Delorme that she was able to realize a longtime dream
Twenty years later, Vanasse (as producer and actor) helped spearhead the telling of the story of the massacre in the film Polytechnique. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film reenacts the events of December 6, 1989—still the deadliest shooting in Canadian history —through the eyes of two student witnesses, Valérie and Jean-François, played by Vanasse and Sebastien Huberdeau. Featured at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, Polytechnique won many honours, notably nine Genie Awards, including Best Actress for Vanasse and Best Motion Picture. “What a journey,” says Vanasse of her experience on the film. 25
TOP 100 HEALTH INFLUENCERS
TOP 100 PHOTO CREDITS: CTV / DAVID LEYES / TIM LEYES / PAUL BUCETA / LEIGH MILLER / WALKER JORDAN / WTA (WOMEN’S TENNIS ASSOCIATION / CHARLENE TORTOSA / DAVE LAUS / ALKAN EMIN
2020 SPONSORED BY
HEALTH • FITNESS • NUTRITION • MIND • LIFE
UPWARD SPIRAL These experts, role models, advanced thinkers and passionate doers are dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of Canadians. They will make our lives better—and those of our children and grandchildren. Canada is a healthy society by global standards—but we still have a long way to go. Poor nutrition, lack of exercise and education, limited resources and the constant stress of our fast-paced life take a toll on too many individuals and their families. Even for the healthiest, an illness, accident or difficult life event can cause the needle to dip sharply. Then loved ones and colleagues get drawn into the downward spiral as well.
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That’s why OptiMYz presents our annual list of TOP 100 Health Influencers. This remarkable group of people represent our five brand pillars: health, nutrition, fitness, life/adventure and mind/metal wellbeing. Together, these five categories present a holistic view of a healthy body and mind— and also of a healthy individual within a healthy society. These influencers are on the cutting edge of health in Canada—and indeed in the world. From medical researchers and business people to athletes and media stars, from policy makers and not-for-profit leaders to chefs and psychologists, they are showing the way forward. By example, they show that it is possible to lead a healthy life. And that broad social challenges have solutions that we can embrace collectively. Influence is a simple word. It means that ideas have power, that individual and small groups can have a big impact. We have selected 100 who make a difference, but indeed there are thousands of people across Canada dedicated to making the future healthier than the present. It’s a group we are proud to follow.
TOP 100 HEALTH INFLUENCERS
BIANCA ANDREESCU
JANN ARDEN
Tennis player Bianca Andreescu was ranked No. 178 in the world at the beginning of 2019 and ended the season ranked World No. 5. Besides winning the BNP Paribas Open and the Rogers Cup, she defeated Serena Williams at the US Open Finals, making her the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title. She credits meditation and visualization, as well as hard work in the gym and on the court, as the recipe for her success.
Jann Arden is a singer, songwriter, broadcaster and author. Her memoir Feeding My Mother, recounts her voyage with her mother in her final years with dementia. Now a vegan who exercises regularly, she is public about her struggles with alcohol and poor health habits. She starred as a fictionalized version of herself in the CTV original series, JANN, and has been awarded the Order of Canada.
JILL ANDREW Dr. Jill Andrew, PhD, is an awardwinning community advocate, educator, writer, and speaker on issues of body image, body-based discrimination, anti-bullying, race, women and girls’ empowerment, media representation and fashion equity. Andrew is advocating for the end of size and appearance-based discrimination through amendments to the Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC). Andrew’s philanthropic work supports feminist, LGBTQ2, eating disorders and racialized communities. She was also recently elected an ONDP MPP, and is the Culture Critic, Official Opposition.
AERYON ASHLIE After struggling with her own issues of hormonal, sleep and weight management, Ashlie established Aeryon Wellness to produce natural, scientifically formulated support supplements. Her autobiography Bulimia to Balance hit number one on Amazon. She hosts a daily wellness segment on a Vancouver radio station and is a regular speaker at wellness shows and consumer events.
SARA L. AUSTIN Sara L. Austin is founder and CEO of Children First Canada, a national non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and empowerment of children. An expert in international human rights law, she has led global
advocacy campaigns, shaped policy, and launched philanthropic campaigns. She was inducted into the Women’s Executive Network Top 100 Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame and has been named as a Top 25 Women of Influence in Canada.
LESLIE BECK Leslie Beck’s nutrition advice can be found in the pages of her best-selling books and weekly column in The Globe & Mail. She’s also a regular guest on CBC Radio. Beck runs a private practice in nutrition in Toronto and acted as nutritionist to the Canadian International Marathon and the NBA’s Toronto Raptors Basketball Club.
BRETT BELCHETZ Dr. Brett Belchetz, is a practicing emergency room physician and the CEO and co-founder of Maple, a medical platform that provides online access to physicians, 24/7/365. With a network of over 400 doctors, Maple provides care for over 400,000 patients, with an average wait time of less than two minutes.
LINDA AND DALE BOLTON Linda and Dale Bolton are the founders of Natural Calm Canada, which specializes in magnesium products.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST BARRIER TO DELIVERING HEALTHCARE TO PATIENTS IN RURAL AREAS? HOW CAN IT BE OVERCOME?
Canada has one of the lowest population densities of any nation, so it’s difficult to provide healthcare access evenly to our citizens. By embracing new technologies like virtual care, we can remove location as a barrier and ensure all Canadians have access to the healthcare services they need. – Dr. Brett Belchetz
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TOP 100 HEALTH INFLUENCERS
WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF WHILE RECOVERING FROM POST-CONCUSSION SYNDROME?
I learned the value of rest and listening to my body. Before then, I had always been a go, go, go type of person with a “no pain, no gain” mentality. Now I am much more in tune with my body. Sometimes that means scaling back my workouts or workload. I’ve learned to be okay with that. - Melissa Boufounos
They are founders of the non-profit organization Thrive For Good, which is located in Kenya. Thrive teaches sustainable organic gardening, nutrition, natural medicine, and income generation. Dale has worked in the non-profit arena for over 40 years with a focus on helping to end poverty. The CEO of Natural Calm Canada, Linda has helped to develop the curriculum for Thrive.
AMY BOMBAY Anishinaabe Dr. Amy Bombay of Dalhousie University explores relationships among historical trauma, stress exposure, and well-being among Indigenous peoples. She and her colleagues have shown how Indian Residential School trauma is transmitted across generations. Their work was cited in a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decision that the federal government discriminates against Indigenous children by providing inequitable child welfare services.
MELISSA BOUFOUNOS An elite obstacle course athlete and Certified Holistic Nutritionist, Melissa Boufounos helps fellow race athletes around the world achieve personal bests. Before hanging up her skates with Post-Concussion Syndrome, Boufounos was a competitive hockey player. She was named the MAKE YOURSELF PROUD
official nutritionist of the 2019 North American Obstacle Course Racing Championships.
LOUISE BRADLEY As President and CEO of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, Louise Bradley oversaw development of Canada’s first Mental Health Strategy. She helped to launch the Opening Minds anti-stigma initiative and the globally recognized Knowledge Exchange Centre. The recipient of three honourary degrees, she has been recognized by the Canadian Psychological Association (Humanitarian Award) and the Canadian College of Health Leaders (Innovation Award). She is a member of the Order of Canada.
LORI A. BROTTO Lori A. Brotto, PhD is the Executive Director of the Women’s Health Research Institute at BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre. Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, with a Joint Appointment in the Department of Psychiatry, she holds a Canada Research Chair in Women’s Sexual Health. She teaches psychological and sexual health interviewing for medical students and supervises residents. She completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Washington where she worked with Seattle’s major cancer centers.
ASHLEY CALLINGBULL Ashley Callingbull, from the Enoch Cree Nation in Alberta, is a model, actor, and First Nation’s activist who was Mrs. Universe 2015 and a contestant on The Amazing Race Canada. She is a spokesperson and model for the Nike N7 organization and has worked with the Stollery Children’s Hospital, Walk for the Cure and Run for the Lung.
PAUL RIVETT-CARNAC Paul Rivett-Carnac is CEO of St. Francis Herb Farm. Born on a biodynamic farm on Vancouver Island, he spent 15 years learning the family business from ground up, including leading the company through the new Health Canada regulations, obtaining organic certifications and leading St Francis to become one of the leading herbal companies in Canada.
DOMINIQUE CHARRON Dominique Charron is a feminist and an expert in public health, environment, and sustainable international development. She holds a Ph.D. in epidemiology and is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. She is a VP at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), which funds research in developing countries. At IDRC, she supervised research on agricultural 33
MIND COACH
A KNOCK ON THE DOOR I KNEW IT WAS TIME TO CHANGE MY HEALTH HABITS. EITHER WAY, MY DAUGHTER WOULD FOLLOW IN MY FOOTSTEPS. Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. – VIKTOR E FRANKL
From my own experience, making the decision to change is just a small component of achieving the final result. Years and often decades of learned behaviours, trauma and patterns become ingrained in who we are and how we respond. For lasting change to occur, we can begin with mindfulness or other self-reflection practices that open our hearts and minds to the patterns of cause and effect in our lives. The tough work begins when we move from awareness to a complete shift in whatever area we determine change needs to happen. Often it takes a rock bottom moment of discomfort to make the shift. It is in that pain that we recognize our responsibility to act or not to act. These become our life’s defining moments. For me, rock bottom occurred eight years ago. After a 25-year toxic relationship with my body and food, I had my “aha” moment. It was in that space between the stimulus of binging and my response to my daughter’s knock on the bathroom
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door that I decided to create a new pattern. As I caught the glimpse of myself in the mirror I knew that if I did not heal my relationship with food and body, my daughter could follow my example. That was a nonnegotiable for me. This moment of clarity led me to make a wise choice—but not an easy one. It was not a magic wand. Admitting who I was in that moment and being honest has set me on a path in my inner life to become the person and mother I wanted to be. For the past eight years, I have been consciously stepping into a new way of being with food and my body. Creating new patterns has meant letting go of limiting beliefs and learning to let go of my addiction to the scale, counting calories and tracking each movement. Personal self-reflection, empathy and self-understanding allowed me to take the giant step—or leap—I needed to move in a new direction, with new behaviours. With the support of family, friends and resources in the community I created a pattern in my life around food that was empowering. Finding a supportive community was key for me in facing the daily grind of seemingly smaller to often daunting challenges.
So here we are in a new year and, more importantly, a new decade. Many of us have a list of tangible goals, but how do we shift from resolutions to creating the life of our dreams? I believe it is in the “spaces” in our lives that we decide who we want to be in the world. It all starts with a commitment to creating new patterns and practicing these over and over, until we have stepped away from habits that no longer serve us. I am a strong believer in the holistic intuitive approach. After years of working through my own struggles and those of my clients, I realize that unless your internal dialogue aligns with your personal goals, finding consistency will be a challenge. May this be the decade of Growth and Freedom!
Aeryon Ashlie is the founder of Aeryon Wellness. She is a No. 1 bestselling author, radio personality and Certified Holistic Nutritional Health Coach. Her latest venture of support supplements are a result of personal experience with adrenal, weight management and sleep issues. She resides in British Columbia with her beautiful daughter Mekaella and their prized poodles.
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Each moment we have the choice to create a new life. Perhaps starting a new health regime, ending a toxic relationship, embarking on a new career or quitting an unhealthy habit.
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