spreadthegoodhealth

Sunscreen, Sun Care

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 19:29:14 GMT

Warm sunny days are officially here!

When looking for sun protection, more people than ever are looking for natural sunscreens without harmful chemicals and irritants.

So what do you need to know about sunscreen to help you make the best choice for you and your family?

Sunscreen is generally categorized into 2 groups: chemical and natural. Chemical sunscreens use man made chemicals to reduce sun damage by absorbing UV rays, while natural sunscreens are made with natural elements and are said to either block or scatter UV rays, so they never penetrate the skin.

The problem with chemical sunscreens? Studies have shown that a number of the ingredients may be detrimental to your health and have a negative impact on the environment as well. These chemicals can not only irritate the skin, but can possibly cause allergic reactions, have hormone disrupting effects, cause cellular damage, disrupt the endocrine system and can increase the production of free radicals in the body.

Harmful ingredients to look out for and avoid are:

Avobenzone

Oxybenzone

Homosalate

Octinoxate

Octisalate

Octocrylene

Retinyl Palmitate

The risks associated with chemical sunscreens are numerous, so it’s easy to see why more people are interested in natural sunscreen options. Two of the best known minerals used are Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide.

Zinc Oxide has been used as sun protection for a long time. It offers broad spectrum protection, shielding you from both UVB and UVA rays. Though Titanium Dioxide works in a similar manner, it’s safety isn’t as well documented as Zinc. Zinc is the only active sunscreen ingredient approved by the FDA for infants under 6 months.

Bottom line - protect your skin! A healthy skin regime should include protection everyday, regardless if it is sunny outside or not.

Health & Wellness Tips

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 22:26:41 GMT

January 3rd marks Health and Wellness Day.

January 3rd marks "Health and Wellness Day”, and it would make sense for it to fall early in the year as most people are typically more active in trying to make a more positive change towards their health and wellbeing; people are more conscious of what they are eating, hitting the gym more times per week, looking to quit or at the very least, minimize bad habits etc …

However health and wellness goes far beyond what you eat and how many times you exercise. To me, true optimal health extends to your mental, emotional and spiritual state; the whole of you, holistic (whole) health.

Holistic health considers all aspects of the body, nothing is more greater nor more important than the other. The body is treated and looked at as a whole.

Holistic health also shifts to a more natural lifestyle, meaning eating whole foods, minimizing animal products and avoiding processed foods and taking a more natural approach to treating ourselves with the use of herbs and plants and less with pharmaceuticals.

So if 2024 is the year that you plan on taking charge of your health and becoming the best version of yourself in all aspects of life, keep on reading. Below is a list of the different things you can do take your well-being to the next level:

Exercise/Body Movement:

There is no doubt that exercise is one of the best things you can do to improve your overall health. Most people associate exercise with losing weight or bulking up, and while that is true, exercise has shown to improve not only our stamina and endurance but most importantly our mental health. Exercise and moving our bodies helps to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety by elevating dopamine levels, increased feelings of self confidence and cognitive function. While exercising, our blood flow increases and our brains are exposed to higher levels of both oxygen and nutrients.

As an adult, it is recommended that we workout a minimum of 4 times per week, 40 minutes per session. Examples of exercise include cardio, endurance training, yoga, pilates or playing your favourite sport.

Deep Breathing Exercises:

DBE has recently become popular due to Mr. Wim Hof. He believes that “DBE teaches you to develop mastery over your nervous, immune, and cardiovascular systems to help you be happier, stronger, and healthier.” DBE is essentially taking in deep breaths through the nose, filling your lungs as much as possible and slowly drawing out the breath. This practise is meant to be done for a few minutes before you begin your day. A lot of people use this as a method of meditation as well.

Drink Water:

Drinking water seems to be pretty straight forward when it comes to our health. It has tremendous benefits such as keeping the body hydrated, the skin supple, lubricates the joints, helps to flush out waste etc … there’s also the nagging question of how much water you should drink each day. I think that answer will depend on who you ask, as people have varying opinions. As for myself, I wish that I could say that I was consistent with my daily water intake but I’d be lying; so all I can really tell you is that I try to drink as much as I can throughout the day. Somedays I find myself drinking more than others.

If you find yourself struggling with your intake, I suggest infusing your water with something you enjoy to add flavour. My personal favourite is fresh lemon juice; I love how it tastes and I find that that helps me a lot with my water consumption. Another tip would be to drink your water out of a cute tumbler with a straw, rather than a cap. When you’re drinking out of a straw rather than having to open up a cap, you’ll probably find yourself drinking more as there is literally minimal effort involved. Sounds silly, but it’s true!

Quality Sleep:

Sleep is one of those things that I value ALOT. If I don’t have a good nights sleep I feel like a zombie the next day. Sleep is incredibly important for our overall health as it is during this time that both the body and mind can rest. It is said that during sleep, many biological processes take place, the body repairs cells, restores energy, and releases molecules like hormones and proteins. Simple things like a quiet dark room, getting into a made up bed, clean sheets and avoiding screen time can help induce a deep sleep. If possible, try to aim for at least 8 hours per night.

Meditation:

The first record of meditation being practised dates back to 1500BCE. There are various forms and ways to practise meditation, the most common form is to sit in silence with a quiet and still mind. This isn’t always easy to achieve and takes much practise to accomplish. My favourite way to meditate is to use my singing bowls and gong. The beautiful sounds and frequency is like no other. Meditation is great for our mental and spiritual state as it offers a sense of peace, zen and calmness. It is a great tool for handling stress as well. If you’re like me and have a hard time with meditation, or you don’t have access to meditation tools, you can listen to soothing music or even go for a walk in nature. Anything that helps ground you and gives you peace is worth incorporating into your daily habits!

Eat Healthy:

This is my favourite part of this entire post as I LOVE food! LOL. Eating healthy is self explanatory when it comes to optimal health, in fact our nutritional choices is the most important as it has the biggest effect on our lives and health. Eating healthy means eating as close to nature as possible: fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains and legumes while avoiding processed junk. If you choose to incorporate animal products, be sure to eat organic and free range.

As the great Hippocrates once said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”.

Stress Management:

Stress is something that we all live with unfortunately. There are different types of stress and different ways to handle and deal with it, and which ever type of stress you’re facing, the most important thing to do is to manage it so that it doesn’t take over your life. High levels of stress can cause a variety of different health issues such as insomnia, inflammation, depression, anxiety, poor appetite … and just as there are different stress triggers, there are different things you can do to help alleviate it as well. Some of my favourites are taking long walks (especially in nature), exercising, long hot baths and sound bowl therapy. Of course you can also incorporate reading a good book, taking a break from watching the news, minimizing your time spent on social media, talking to a therapist or getting involved in activities/communities with like minded people.

Vitamin C

Spreadthegoodhealth (Lilian Arraial) — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 19:30:39 GMT

Apparently April 4th is National Vitamin C Day. Who knew such a day existed?

Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin, meaning that the vitamin is carried to the body’s tissues but is not stored in the body as it dissolves in water.

It is an important essential nutrient - that is, we must obtain it from our diet. It is found only in fruits and vegetables and its highest content can only be found in fresh, uncooked foods. Vitamin C is among the least stable vitamins and cooking can destroy much of this vitamin content in foods.

Vitamin C is readily absorbed from the intestines, ideally about 80-90% of that ingested. It is used by the body in about 2 hours and then is usually out of the blood within 3-4 hours. Because of this, it is recommended that we take a Vitamin C supplement every 4 hours or a time release capsule. Another option would be to consume foods high in Vitamin C throughout the course of the day.

Vitamin C is used up even more rapidly under stressful conditions, with alcohol use and smoking.

While each vitamin plays an important role in our overall health, one important function of Vitamin C is in the formation and maintenance of collagen, the basis of connective tissue.

It also helps thyroid hormone production and aids in cholesterol metabolism, increasing its elimination and thereby assisting in lowering blood cholesterol.

Through continued studies, Vitamin C has been shown to stimulate the immune system; through this function, along with its antioxidant function, it may help in the prevention and treatment of infections and other diseases (bacterial, viral and fungal).

Vitamin C supplements has, and continues to be widely used as a treatment for the common cold, but it is also used to support the adrenal function, helping the body handle stresses of all sorts.

Vitamin C supplements may also help with problems relating to fatigue and slow metabolism, relief of inflammatory pain, burns, fracture healing, bedsores, skin ulcers and to speed wound healing after injury or surgery.

It is also used to aid those withdrawing from drug addictions and other addictive substances such as nicotine, caffeine, and even sugar.

Chronic Vitamin C deficiencies are not very common as Vitamin C can be found naturally in a wide variety of different foods, however, people who deal with the following conditions may have a deficiency to some degree:

Scurvy
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Alcoholism
Very slow wound healing
General weakness
Loss of appetite and poor digestion
Anemia
Loose teeth
Bone brittleness

Food sources of Vitamin C:

When it comes to food sources of Vitamin C, naturally we think of citrus fruits, however there are other foods that are higher in C content.

Guava
Kiwi
Bell Peppers
Strawberries
Oranges
Papaya
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Snow Peas
Kale

RDA (recommended dietary allowances) for Vitamin C:

The recommended daily allowance will vary depending on the age, sex and health status of the individual. Below is the RDA to maintain good health.

Male 9-13 years 45 mg

Female 9-13 years 45 mg

Male 14-18 years 75 mg

Female 14-18 years 65 mg

Male 19+ years 90 mg

Female 19+ years 75 mg

Pregnant 19+ years 85 mg

Lactating 19+ years 120 mg

How to Naturally Raise your Vibration

Spreadthegoodhealth (Lilian Arraial) — Sat, 26 Feb 2022 23:18:59 GMT

No one would have expected or anticipated these last 2 years. Our lives changed literally in a blink of an eye. Our daily routines disrupted, schedules and patterns altered to accommodate this “new normal” (although this will never feel normal to me).

And while people were trying to adjust and do their best to make ends meet (in more ways than one), a lot of people were struggling with how to keep their spirits up.

Everything in this world is running on a frequency, from the trees, to animals, humans and even our thoughts. As humans, our frequency and vibrations are composed from physical matter to the way we think and what we think, and as a result, some of our vibrations vibrate faster and some vibrate slower. Here’s a simple example: think of how you feel when you are listening to one of your favourite songs. You put the volume up as high as it goes and you start to sing along and move your body. That feeling of joy and happiness indicates that you are in a state of high vibration. Now imagine the opposite, you’re living in a state of worry, fear and anxiety. You constantly have knots in your stomach and you’re never in a state of peace, those feelings will have you in a low vibration and frequency.

When you are vibrating at a higher level you feel happier, at ease and “lighter”, whereas lower vibrations feel dense, heavy and dark.

Based on those 2 examples, it’s pretty simple and clear that the idea is for us to be in a constant state of high frequency. Now I know it’s impossible to be this way 24/7, but we can certainly be mindful of our behaviours and manifest this great energy into our daily life.

How are you feeling at this moment? What does your surroundings feel like?

Below are a few simple ways for you to naturally raise your vibration that you can incorporate into your life to keep you in a state of high frequency:

Drink more water: pure, clean water helps to carry nutrients and oxygen to the cells, keeps the body hydrated and helps to move toxins and waste out of the body.

Practise Gratitude: expressing your gratitude each day is associated with happiness, feeling positive emotions, improves your mental health and attracts positive experiences. Even when you’re having a bad day, there is always something to be grateful for, such as family and friends, the warm sun or the given fact that you were blessed with another day. Practising gratitude each day shifts your perception while raising your spiritual awareness for the small things in life!

Eat alkaline foods: consuming a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables will provide the body with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre and phytonutrients. Because these foods are so nutritious, it will leave the body feeling “light” vibrant, and connected to the earth. When you consume “dead” foods such as processed, fried and animals products, it will lower your vibration.

Move your body: not only is exercising great for our physical health, but most importantly for our mental health. Exercise naturally raises our dopamine and serotonin levels, which leaves us feeling healthy, strong, motivated and happy. It also improves our mood, sleep, boosts our energy levels and helps to combat certain health conditions. Adults on average should exercise 4-5 days a week, 30-45 minutes each time.

Meditation: Meditation has been said to help raise vibration and frequency. Meditating can increase self awareness, which allows you to gain control and perspective on stressful situations. It also allows you to reduce negative thoughts and emotions while being and focusing on the present (which we often don’t do).

If you are a beginner or would like to start meditating, it can be hard at first to just sit there in silence, alone with your thoughts, as a result, I highly recommend using guided meditation. Guided meditation can help with controlling your thoughts, while getting you to the state of relaxation and peace.

Spend time in nature (Grounding): When you take the time to go out in nature, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, you instantly feel relaxed and calm. The sounds of the animals, the smells of the earth, the sun’s warm embrace and the cool wind blowing, instantly puts you in a zen like state. Being in nature connects you to Mother Earth in which you can build a connection with her if you are open to it. Grounding (which means to be bare foot and with the earth), has many health benefits, it can help to reduce pain and inflammation, increases circulation throughout the body and calms the nervous system. Connecting to the earth also helps us to connect with our selves and the divine. Going for hikes or long walks in the forest is my absolute most favourite way to centre myself. I encourage you to do the same!

Acts of kindness: when we stop and take the time to do something nice for someone (whether big or small), we are raising our vibration. Seeing the smiles of those we have offered our help to is rewarding and stimulates the pleasure sensors of the brain. The warm feeling we get of wellbeing that overcomes us instantly raises our frequency, knowing that we did something good that helped to brighten someone else’s day! Be kind to everyone!

Refrain from toxins: While smoking, drinking and eating junk food feels good at the moment, it is a temporary feeling. Consuming toxins can lower our perception, lower our energy levels and is a suppressant to the body, resulting in lowered vibration. Rather than numbing ourselves, adapt a more holistic lifestyle and approach to life. It will leave you feeling more healthy, energetic and full of vitality, this would include adapting a whole foods diet, exercising, and consuming herbs and natural supplements.

Channeling your time, energy and efforts into raising your energetic frequency is one of the best things you can do for yourself. When you lift yourself, you lift others around you … your vibe attracts your tribe!

“ As you think you vibrate. As you vibrate you attract.”

- Abraham Hicks

Be Blessed!

Lilian

Stay Motivated and Inspired

Spreadthegoodhealth (Lilian Arraial) — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 22:44:37 GMT

Hello 2024! Goodbye 2023!

January 1st of 2024 coincidentally falls on a Monday, which means new day, new week, new month, new year, new everything; the ultimate reset! It also means that there are millions of people around the world ready to get a start on their new years goals. For some folks it might be wanting to quit smoking, or wanting to lose weight. For some it may be to stay more focused and consistent with exercise or learning how to cook and being more proactive in the kitchen.

Whatever the goal, staying motivated and inspired is key in order to achieve success. However, for a lot of people, that’s easier said than done. Most people will be so determined and focused for the first month, but sadly lose touch and sight of those goals and slowly wean themselves away, inevitably not attaining or achieving what they initially set their hearts out for.

This is all too very common. I think it’s because most people are looking for quick results. We live in such a fast paced world where everything is on the go and so many products are designed for our convenience, that it has subconsciously affected our way of thinking … “Why hasn’t this happened yet?” “How come I’m not seeing any changes?” “How long will this take?” “I need to see results quick!”

With this sort of negative mindset (and I too am guilty of this), we can easily get annoyed, frustrated and discouraged and ultimately give up.

So how do we stay motivated to keep moving forward? What can we do to remain inspired?

I’ve complied a list of things that you can refer to when you need that friendly reminder. I hope that you will find this list useful.

Set realistic goals: when you set achievable goals, you increase your chances of success. Setting realistic goals maximizes your time and resources, keeping you motivated.

Create a vision board: a vision board is a visual representation of your goals. Creating one makes your goals clear, provides motivation and focus, enhances productivity and increases your chances of success.

Listen to motivational tapes: listening to motivational tapes can help you stay focused and on track. It’ll serve as a reminder as to why you started in the first place, and to keep moving forward!

Celebrate the big and small victories: celebrating your wins helps to track all of your achievements, whether big or small. Small achievements helps to work towards larger goals.

Have a support system: surround yourself with people who will be a positive light, hold you accountable and help keep you on track.

Don’t compare yourself to others: everyone’s journey and progress will look different from yours. It’s best to stay focused on yourself and your needs. Remember, it’s YOU vs YOU. Comparing yourself to others will only be a distraction.

Acknowledge your progress: attaining goals and keeping them isn’t easy. It requires time, patience, consistency and a certain mentality. When you make progress, acknowledge it! It will help keep you inspired to continue.

Take it one day at a time: there is no rush or time limit to achieve success. Rather than jumping the gun or having high expectations, just take each day as it comes. Approaching your goals this way can increase your chances of success.

Give yourself credit: stepping out of your comfort zone and taking the steps necessary to make big changes in your life can be daunting and intimidating. Give yourself credit for accepting the changes that you need to make and taking the steps to do so.

Be kind to yourself: during your journey you will most likely face bad days and difficult challenges. The key is to remind yourself why you started and to tackle those moments head on as best as you can. If you feel defeated, don’t beat yourself up. Tell yourself that these moments are not a reflection of who you are, that they will only make you a stronger person. Love yourself throughout the process, you are worthy!

Having goals and setting out to achieve them is a wonderful thing. It helps us to grow as an individual and even teaches us a thing or two about ourselves. We learn to quickly recognize our strengths and weaknesses and helps to build character. Setting goals also helps to maintain positive behaviours and promotes a sense of self mastery.

If you are currently working towards a dream or goal, I wish you well on your journey. No dream or goal is too big. If you can imagine it, then you can achieve it.

“A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its achievement.”

- Bo Bennett

Foundations of a Good Diet

Spreadthegoodhealth (Lilian Arraial) — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 20:35:26 GMT

There are several, upon several different types of diets consumed around the world, all boasting and convinced that their diet is the one that provides the utmost nutrition, OR the best option if your looking to lose weight, OR the preferred choice if you’re looking to bulk up and get shredded.

There are diets out there that promote the consumption of higher amounts of one type of food group over the next, diets that have you counting calories or macros and/or diets that have you consuming 75% uncooked foods.

With so many varying diets, contradicting information, doctors, nutritionists and dieticians promoting polar opposite diets, it’s no wonder why people are left feeling confused or misinformed. What diet is really best for me? Which diet is health promoting? Which diet will leave me feeling and looking my best?

The answer, is actually quite simple: The best diet that promotes longevity and good health is a wholesome diet of whole foods.

But what exactly qualifies as a wholesome diet? Well I guess it depends on who you ask, as everyone will have varying opinions, but as for myself, based on my own experience and what I have learned through schooling and research, a wholesome diet is a diet that is high in fresh, raw fruits and vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, high quality proteins, legumes and whole grains, all while avoiding processed and refined foods.

The idea of a wholesome diet is to eat as closely to whole foods as possible, as nature intended it, eating nutrient dense, low calorie foods. It is these types of foods that will provide the body with the nutrients that it needs: the vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants and fibre. Now while you are consuming these whole foods, it is best to avoid (if you can eliminate them, even better!) processed foods, refined sugars and carbs, saturated fats, foods high in cholesterol, refined oils, trans fats, enriched/fortified products and foods containing additives and preservatives. This may all seem daunting and even impossible to achieve, but I assure you it can be done! With a health coach by your side to teach you and guide you on proper food choices, you can easily transition to a more healthier whole foods diet. Hit me up if you need assistance!

A wholesome diet also includes eating locally grown foods, choosing organic whenever possible, consuming seasonal foods, food combining and balancing different types of foods so that all essential nutrients are met.

Nowadays, too many of us are consuming the SAD diet, the Standard American Diet, which consists of high calorie, low nutrient foods, foods that are manufactured at labs with ingredients that you either can’t pronounce or have never even heard of. As a result, society is overweight and getting sicker at an alarming rate. Most illnesses and diseases are a direct result of our food choices and can be avoided if we just chose to be more mindful of what we put on the end of our forks. That is why a whole foods diet is imperative to long lasting health. Eating whole foods not only helps us to stay lean, but it promotes a clean and healthy gut, provides us protection against cancers and diseases, improves our mood and memory and provides us with energy to go about our day!

All in all, to obtain and maintain optimal health lets DECREASE: empty calories, saturated fats, acidic, processed and refined foods and lets INCREASE raw fruits and veggies, water, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Your body will thank you for it!

We must remember that our body is a temple, an extension of the universe, and with this gift, we must learn to nourish, nurture and take care of it. If we take care of it, our bodies will take care of itself and us.