February 2026 News
- February 1, 2026
In honour of this, the shortest month, I’ll keep this note short and sweet. And by sweet I mean sweet in the Heather way- probably cut way back and substituted with something not as tasty. I’d stop reading now if I were you. See how short that was. You’re welcome!
Office Stuff
Welcome to the sunny side!
We are super excited to be able to direct bill Sun Life Financial for your visit. For those who have Sun Life as an extended benefits provider, just bring in your benefits card on your next visit and Angela and Colleen will be happy to get it organized. Hooray!
Deceptively Simple and Curiously Effective
This season has hardly been winter-y so I haven’t needed to provide sage words on proper shovelling technique. Instead, I’ll give you some tips on how to properly transition from sitting to standing, proving that indeed, we can’t do even the simple things correctly 😬.
Leave the questions for Jeopardy!
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1. The problem starts with slouched-sitting especially because we tend to sit like that for too long.
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2. When it comes time to stand up we throw ourselves over our feet, bent over like a human question mark…
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3. … and have to walk our hands up our legs to get upright.
Take the elevator
The better way is to start with decent posture using a support for your low back. When it’s time to stand up scoot your bum to the edge of the chair, and this is the most important part…
GET YOUR FEET UNDERNEATH YOU
When you stand up, you can stand straight up like an elevator, moving from the hips and knees, preserving your low back.
 
The curious thing is that people who are struggling with acute low back pain tend to do this naturally as it feels easier. Learn from the experience of those of us who’ve been through it- the elevator stand is the winner, no question!
Kitchen Experiments & Recipe Adventures
Creamy Vegetable Instant Pot Soup
My neighbour gave me this recipe and it is incredible- super fast, works every time and can help use up veg that are getting a bit long in the tooth. The baking soda creates some pH-changing magic and your straw turns to gold in 12 minutes. For those without a pressure cooker, this soup may make the investment worth it. Enjoy!
I double this recipe but here is the original. Have fun, it’s super flexible.
- 1/4 cup butter (or butter/oil combination)
- 6 cups chopped vegetables (really, anything works)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 – 1 tsp dried herbs (you choose based on the veg)
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 1/2 cups stock (you choose based on the veg)
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1. Press the SAUTE button and melt the butter in a 3 or 6 quart cooker
2. Add the chopped vegetables and stir until coated with butter; turn off SAUTE
3. Add salt, herbs and baking soda, and stir well then pour the water over everything
4. Press the HIGH PRESSURE button and set the time for 12 minutes, KEEP WARM off
5. When it’s done, do a Quick Release and open the cooker
6. Pour in the stock and use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree the soup until smooth.
This is a bowl of velvety goodness that you will love!
Finally, a little funny…
This made me laugh especially during these fraught times. Sometimes you just need a moment.
And that’s a wrap, my work here is done. As always, please reach out with any questions or suggestions for things you would like to see in future episodes.
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