Here in Calgary we have one of the most exciting times of the year. It is the time of the Calgary Stampede and there are parties, free pancake breakfasts and of course a world famous rodeo that lasts right through next week.

The company that I work for had a stampede breakfast and mini rodeo on Saturday at the Calgary Stampede and I went along with my wife and two kids. We met some people there and although we brought our own lunch we did have the sausage, pancakes and hash browns for breakfast. The lunch was packed by my wife and was healthy fruit and sandwiches which were great for all of us and helped us avoid the crazy prices for food on the fairgrounds.

But this story is not about the food or the food on the grounds.

I always get excited about hanging out and playing with the kids. I am a pretty active guy when it comes to looking after the kids running behind and trying to keep up with them and that was the case on Saturday, but I did not bring any water to drink and really did not think about drinking anything. Just like anyone on a really hot day I was fine until it was a bit too late. Just before we left in mid afternoon I started feeling a little light headed and went a little downhill from there. We got in the car and went to the first 7-11 we could find to get a drink for me. After sucking back some liquids I was fine but I would bet that there were others that day that did not fare as well as me.

It is really important to drink a lot of liquids when you are active and at these times most people realize it and do get in the liquids and electrolytes that they need to keep them in peak condition. But, when you are just running around and away from home on a hot day quite often you don’t really think about the water just as I did on Saturday. If you were to go to the first aid tent at any event during the summer you should see that the majority of people are suffering from heat exhaustion or dehydration not from being active but just from drying up in the heat.

The easiest way to avoid these problems is to make sure that you drink a lot of liquids throughout the day. Mix it up drink fruit juice for the sugar, water for the pure hydration and try to keep yourself in the shade whenever possible. This time in July and August is prime time for these problems. Especially when it is really hot take care of your kids as they are not nearly as good at regulating their temperature and can get heat stroke which is an even worse problem and can require hospitalization.
Read the rest of this entry »

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: blisters, calgary, cramps, dehydration, emergency treatment, fever, first aid, food, heart disease, heat-related illness, high blood pressure, low-sodium diet, mental illness, muscle pains, nausea, obesity, pain, Parkinson�s disease, rash, sports beverage, stroke, sunburn

No way, is it really true? Next time you are about to unwrap a chcolate bar or pop open that pop think about this list by Nancy Appleton, a PHD that wrote the book Lick the sugar habit. .I thought I knew why sugar was bad but here are well over 100 reasons why you should avoid it.

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).
6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose.
7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.
9. Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.
10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.
11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
13. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.
17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
19. Sugar can cause premature aging.
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: adhd, alcoholism, Alzheimer�s disease, appendicitis, arthritis, Asthma, atherosclerosis, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bacterial infection, biliary tract cancer, bowel disease, breast cancer, cancer, cancer of the rectum, Candida Albicans, carcinoma, cardiovascular disease, cataracts, central reward systems, chromium deficiency, colon cancer, constipation, copper deficiency, Crohn's disease, depression, diabetes, dizziness, drowsiness, duodenal ulcers, eczema, endometrial cancer, epileptic seizures, excessive food intake, food, food allergies, gallbladder cancer, gallstones, gastric cancer, gout, headaches, heart disease, hemorrhoids, high blood pressure, hypoglycemia, infectious diseases, intravenous feedings, irritable bowel syndrome, kidney stones, laryngeal cancer, learning disorders, liver tumors, lung cancer, memory loss, metabolic syndrome, migraine, multiple sclerosis, myopia, Nancy Appleton, nearsightedness, neural tube defects, obesity, osteoporosis, pancreatic cancer, Parkinson�s disease, periodontal disease, peripheral vascular disease, polio, prostate cancer, schizophrenia, stomach cancer, sugar, sugar habit, Sweet food items, toxemia, travel time, ulcerative colitis, varicose veins, yeast infections