With September quickly approaching, you’ve got a few more weeks of summer activities to look forward to before the school year begins. But don’t let the sweltering heat drive you to the couch; you’re a busy person who needs to use some of that free time. We’ve listed some fun things to do during September for the whole family that won’t break the bank. 

Visit a Market Out of Town

September is a great month for spending time outdoors because it’s still warm enough to spend time outside. So why not check out some local county fairs? You can usually still get funnel cakes and some good rides on a budget. And who knows, maybe you will discover your love for something new (like a new neighbourhood).

Go School Supply Shopping

School supply shopping can be a fun family outing. Kids love getting new supplies, and it helps them get more excited to head back to school. Everyone can participate in the process by picking out their favorite pencils, notebooks, and pens. You may want to let your kids choose a few extra things for school, like some fun binders or maybe even a new folder with their names on them!

Go on a Final Summer Season Hike

September weather is still perfect for outdoor family fun. If you don’t have any plans on Labor Day weekend, pack everyone up and go join the throngs of people who will be out hiking. Try a new area, or hike a few different hikes in one area you haven’t explored before.  

Take a Sunset Drive

Take a drive up to the mountains and enjoy the beautiful views. This is a fun activity that the entire family can do together. Take along some snacks, map out your route ahead of time, and stop often to take pictures and enjoy nature.

Go Pick Apples

Have a family outing to a local orchard and pick apples. Lots of farms have apple picking parties in the fall, which are also a lot of fun for the kids.

Take Advantage of the End of Patio Season

With patio season drawing to a close, it’s time to get out and enjoy the outdoors while you can. Hit up a local restaurant that has a patio. Enjoy the weather while you can because we all know fall is just around the corner!

Try Your Hand at Some Gardening

Haul out the gardening supplies and take control of your own patch of land. Have some fun in the dirt together. Grow a little indoor garden to enjoy this fall and winter!

Do Some Outdoor Painting

Pick a fun theme, like fall leaves. Decorate pumpkins or gourds, and then paint them! Have an old t-shirt that could use some new life? Why not try your hand at screen printing on it? Let the kids have their imaginations run wild as they decorate to their hearts’ content!

10,000 steps. 4 miles. An hour and a half a day. No matter the measure, we all know how good walking is for us. Or, do we? With the advent and subsequent seismic boom of the step counter, we’re all obsessed with walking and steps. Have we really taken the time to consider the why when it comes to walking? Walking is low impact, which means that long-term, walking won’t harm your joints like other aerobic activities. Walking can help reduce inflammation and joint pain. It also doesn’t call for equipment, save for a good pair of sneakers!

Walking is one of the most underrated physical activities. Hitting the elliptical or rowing machine will get you huffing and puffing pretty quickly, and the same could be said for walking. It’s all about the speed, and you should be able to talk at an optimal aerobic pace but not sing. 

Why Walking Is Good For Your Body

• It helps increase bone density, which is essential because our bones become more brittle and susceptible to breaks as we age. Walking can also improve balance. 
• Walking helps keep your cardiovascular and respiratory system healthy, which can also help reduce heart and lung disease risk.
• Just approximately 30 minutes of walking a day can decrease body fat percentage, as well as increase muscle tone and overall endurance.
• Walking helps to lower and stabilize your blood sugar in addition to boosting your immune function and even your energy levels too.

Ways to Kick Your Walk Up A Notch

• Find an incline. Whether it’s walking up and down small hills in your neighborhood park or more aggressive inclines found in forest areas, inclines will make you feel the burn in no time.
• Carry weights. Only one- or two-pound weights will escalate the intensity of your workout, even if you don’t feel it at first. Some people prefer other options like ankle weights or weights with straps to keep their hands free. 
• Walk a dog. If you don’t have a dog, ask a friend or neighbor to borrow theirs. Fido will likely be pulling on the leash, and the added resistance will intensify your workout. 
• Don’t skip the stairs. Try to find some staircases, inside or out, that you can scale a few times if you’re looking to get your heart rate up.
• Walk for longer and walk faster. Any kind of activity that gets your body burning energy is a good thing, and a few thousand steps extra a day can mean the difference between sustaining weight and losing weight. 

Above the physical benefits of walking, it’s also beneficial to your overall wellness. As many of us are still working from home, it’s easy to forget how important, rather, imperative it is to get up and move around every few hours. Even if it’s for a short time, feeling the fresh air, hearing the birds chirping, and (hopefully) the sunshine on your face is restorative beyond measure and should be added to your daily routine. 

If you’re interested in finding a home closer to walking trails, check out some of the great features of living near Wasaga Beach here. If you’d like to be closer to nature and perhaps living in a smaller home, too, check out our article on finding the best property for your lifestyle. 

“I can’t remember the last time I had a salad,” you say to yourself as you indulge in another chocolate-covered blueberry, which, by the way, does not count in terms of daily fruit and veg intake. It’s easy to fall into a slump, dietarily speaking, but now that spring has sprung, it’s time to reconsider salad. Salad is the ultimate chameleon, offering a rainbow of delicious flavors, but sometimes, it needs an added spark. Consider adding in these in-season ingredients that are both highly nutritional and delicious.

Before we get started, it’s important to address one of the biggest complaints about salad. Typically, it’s that it doesn’t keep you full for long. The secret is to add a protein including any of the following:

• Eggs
• Almonds
• Cottage cheese
• Chicken breast 
• Tuna
• Lean beef
• Lentils
• Quinoa
• Fish
• Pumpkin seeds
• Peanuts
• Brussel sprouts

These options can be attuned to whatever dietary restrictions you have. If you find that even after adding some more protein to your salad, you still feel hungry, add a bed of whole-grain rice or root veggies to the bottom of your bowl. The rice/veg will soak up all the salad dressing and the gorgeous flavors of your in-season produce, making your salad even more enriched and satisfying. When it comes to a good salad, it’s helpful to think less about caloric intake and more about nourishment. Eating the rainbow is such a great way to get the nutrients your body needs to get you through the day.

Now onto the salad that’ll have you seeing stars…

There are two major reasons to eat in-season produce. The first is that they’ll taste better and are far more affordable too. The second is sustainability. Picking, packaging, and transporting produce to far-off lands leaves a huge carbon footprint. When the options are endless at home, it’s time for a stellar in-season salad. 

Fruits and Vegetables: In Season This April!

• Rhubarb: jam-packed with antioxidants and roasted to perfection, this barb of goodness is as delicious in a salad as it is in a pie.
• Beets: add some color to your palette with a beautiful purple beet. They pack a punch because they’re high in fiber and folates too. You can even use its juice in your vinaigrette.
• Parsnips: supports immune function and high in fiber. Delicious sauteed or roasted, these give a salad a density and richness other veggies don’t have. 
• Rutabaga: another stellar root veggie, and in addition to adding tons of fiber to your salad, it can also help you feel fuller, longer. 
• Sprouts: mixing them with lettuce makes an amazing texture and a delicious bed for traditional salad, and they’re packed with folate, magnesium, phosphorus too! 

Salad is all about experimentation, and now that Spring is here, there are so many more types of fresh produce available. Challenge yourself to add one thing to the salad you’ve never had before! If you’re especially inspired by this week’s article and are thinking you’d like a bigger garden to kick your sustainability efforts up a notch, Collingwood has the gardens and homes you’re looking for. If you’d really like to get the ball rolling, check out our article on tips to spruce up your current home. 

Ahhhhh! Spring has finally sprung, and as we take our meals, fun, and even work outside, one cannot help but wonder, what about meditation? Typically, meditation is saved for a quiet and dark room where you can genuinely zero in on the present moment, but the benefits of bringing zen from the den to the great outdoors could kick your overall well-being up a notch.
The current global challenges and the extended bouts of isolation have been difficult for everyone to endure. Many people have been trying to find ways to gain some solace, and meditation is one of the most effective modes of achieving that.

What is Meditation?
That’s a pretty broad question because it can take so many shapes, but essentially it’s a way of giving your brain a break because, in meditation, you’re meant to clear your mind of all thoughts. Achieving this is easier said than done, and it definitely does take practice. Some yogis recommend that the best way to teach your brain how to “shut off” is to work towards quieting the mind for even five minutes a day.

Health Benefits of Meditation
Stress buster: when you’re stressed, your body creates cortisol, and in one study, scientists found that after an eight-week stint of daily meditation, participants’ Cortisol levels were sliced in half!
Kick anxiety to the curb: in a similar eight-week study, different participants with a variety of generalized anxiety disorders found that after committing to daily meditation, they also found themselves able to better cope with stress and other emotional triggers.
Win the pain game: for people who suffer from chronic pain, feelings of limitation and depression can be overwhelming and pretty prevalent. However, with the magical powers of meditation, participants noticed a marked improvement in their pain levels and an ability to manage pain flare-ups better.

Time to Trek Into the Great Outdoors: Next Stop, Meditation Station
Many people the world over believe strongly in the spiritual powers of being amidst nature, and it doesn’t have to be spent meditating. It’s thought that being outside – and it doesn’t have to be an ancient forest. It can be your backyard or balcony, though being in real nature is ideal – it helps make your meditation skills more potent.
It’s easier to quiet the mind outside because zoning out from the world and turning inward is much easier with the sound of a trickling creek or birds chirping, not the bustle of the street with all its
There’s something about being outside with the great Mother Nature that helps you to put down your darn phone for once. Some people have found that meditating outside also allows them to connect with nature. A lack of connection with nature, which is fundamental to wellbeing, is actually an issue for individuals living in metropolises.
Do some double-time good for your body: as previously mentioned, the health benefits of meditation are a-plenty, but so is the effect of getting in 20 minutes of vitamin C, compliments of the sunshine.
In the market for a leafy backyard to really get your zen on, or maybe need the beach within reach? Check out our tips for finding the best home to suit your lifestyle.