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5 Reasons Curling is Awesome (and So Canadian!)

Haaaaaaaaaaaaard! If the games in PyeongChang have re-awakened your interest in curling, you aren’t alone. Curling clubs see membership increase every four years, as wider audiences are exposed to the drama and fun of this very Canadian sport.

Curling was invented in Scotland, but long, cold Canadian winters have driven generations of Canadians into curling clubs where community is built with every end played. Here are 7 reasons curling is awesome, and so, so Canadian!

1. Anyone Can Curl

Certainly at the elite level, curlers are in top shape. The fields at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (Women’s Canadian Championship) and the Brier (Men’s Canadian Championship) train like crazy and are incredibly fit and strong athletes, but this may not always be the case down at your local club. Wonderfully, curling is a sport that players of all ages and fitness levels can succeed at. This inclusivity is a Canadian ideal, and we’re incredibly proud of it.

2. Curlers are Mild-Mannered

Canadians don’t love the stereotype that we’re all too polite (sorry!), but in curling, it’s kind of true. The way curlers talk about the game with each other, even at the highest level, in the most intense situations, is as if they’re two buddies deciding whether or not to go for Italian or Vietnamese food tonight. One curler will mildly express an opinion on the type of shot to take: “Let’s do an in-turn tap to the four foot.” The other curler’s response? “I don’t mind that.” You must understand that “I don’t mind that” is curler-speak for: “This is the best idea I have ever heard and if you do it we’re going to win the Canadian championship.” It’s utterly refreshing to watch nice people play sports with respect for each other. And it’s so Canadian.

3. Curling is Chess on Ice

The strategy involved in a curling game is fascinating. Shots that are made at the beginning of a 16-rock end often come into play in the very last shot, and the great curlers are the ones who manage the house and their rocks throughout. What makes it fun for the viewer is that we get to hear everything the teams are discussing as they weigh their options. The commentators play a huge role in translating the curling jargon for the home viewer, and as you learn the basics, you will start to see the different strategies paying off for the teams. The mental focus and planning that great skips need to bring their teams to victory is something to behold.

4. Curlers Make Crazy Shots

Along with the thoughtful strategy in a curling game, you’ll also get to see some big weight shots that get 3, 4, or more rocks scattering around the house. Check out Glenn Howard’s shot for 3 at the 2009 Brier. Or this one from Jennifer Jones, simply called “The Shot,” to win it all the 2005 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Or here is a compilation of 10 great shots from the Canadian Curling Trials in 2010. Totally crazy shot-making from the best in the world, who just happen to be Canadian.

5. Curling Creates Community

Life in Canada can be tough in the winter months. It’s no wonder that people in towns across the country take to their community curling clubs for some shelter from the elements and good times with friends and neighbours. Camaraderie is baked into the sport, with players wishing each other good luck or “good curling” before the game and usually sharing a table up in the clubhouse after the game as well. These clubhouses also capture the spirit and history of the curlers and community members that have come before, through memorabilia, photographs, and stories. Drop into a curling club for a glimpse at the people who have made their Canadian community what it is today.

Gift Ideas That Prove Valentine’s Day is For Everyone

Valentine’s Day as we know it is all about the romance: low-lit dinners in romantic restaurants, flowery poetry on greeting cards, smoochy couple photos all over your social media feeds. If you happen to be in a romantic relationship, it can be the most wonderful day of the year. But if you’re not, it can be the kind of day that makes you want to turn off your phone and stay in bed.

At the heart of it all (pun intended), it’s true that Valentine’s Day is all about the love. But it doesn’t just have to be romantic love. Valentine’s Day should be a day when no one feels left out. Everybody loves somebody sometime, so why not use V-Day to express your love and gratitude to all the people in our lives that make our hearts feel full?

Here are some ideas about how to say “My life is sweeter with you in it” to everyone in your life who deserves it. As we all know, the more love you give, the more you get back!

Love your family

Family members never get tired of hearing “I’m glad we’re related” from their loved ones, so take some time to connect. A card or a phone call can mean a lot after the excitement of Christmas has worn off. If you’re looking to treat a family member, you can tug on your mom‘s heartstrings with a thoughtful custom photo gift, help your dad soup up his Man Cave with a new beverage fridge, and what grandma or aunt doesn’t love a little Almond Roca?

Love your kids

Your kids probably don’t have any problem knowing that you love them, but Valentine’s day is a fun holiday to really show how much you appreciate them in a special way, without all of the extra hoopla of other holidays. We love this tradition of writing one reason why you love your kid on a paper heart and sticking it to their door every day in February. And even though they might try to squirm away from the real thing, no kid can resist a big box of Hershey’s Kisses. Oh, and don’t forget the cards for their school class! London Drugs has a huge selection of cute and fun Valentine’s card kits.

Love your pet

Your pets don’t know what the heck Valentine’s day is, but that shouldn’t stop you from thanking your favourite furry friends for all of the unconditional love. Spoil Benji with this Totally Pooched Bolster Pet Bed for a cushy place to take a nap, and give Tiger the gift of not having a bath with Burt’s Bees Waterless Cat Shampoo.

Love your friends

Busy lives, work demands and family schedules can sometimes get in the way of keeping in touch with close friends, but good friendships can sustain the test of time. Valentine’s Day is a perfect time to make sure your pals know that you’re thinking of them. To keep memories with friends close by when you have to be apart, a custom photo calendar can take them back every day to that hideous grad dress or that notorious weekend in Vegas.

Love your handyman/physiotherapist/babysitter

Yes, you pay them, but these are the people in your life who save your skin on a daily basis. They work hard to make your life easier, and if you’ve ever worked in the service industry, you know that a little heartfelt thank-you is all it takes to brighten the worst of days. Why not show them how much you appreciate them with a surprise gift set?

Love yourself

We all know that self-care can be just as important as taking care of the other people in your life for a healthy balance, and a little pampering can go a long way. The Homedics Shiatsu Select Foot Massager will rejuvenate your tired feet with penetrating massage and soothing heat to melt away the tension of the day.

Treating your skin right is one of the best ways to show yourself a little love, and our Luxury Beauty Event will get you a $15 bonus with a minimum $75 purchase on select beauty brands.

Love your sweetie

Of course, romantic love should also be included in the Valentine’s Day celebrations, if that is a part of your life. Great romances don’t happen by accident, and we’ve heard from people with experience that you should treat your relationship like a job that you love: show up every day, do your best work, and don’t get lazy. Adding some spice can help get brownie points with your loved one, so set the mood right with some sensual aromatherapy scents, and a sexy surprise.

Most people know Valentine’s Day as a special day for lovers, but let’s take the opportunity to remember that it’s actually meant for everyone. It’s not just a day for passion; it’s a chance to lift the people around you out of cold, drab February and warm them with the sunshine of your gratitude and kindness.

February Book of the Month

The Dry by Jane Harper
Federal Agent Aaron Falk hasn’t been back to the place where he grew up in twenty years. Not since he and his father were run out of town.
Even when Falk gets word that his childhood best friend, Luke, is dead and his entire family murdered, Falk still isn’t planning on going back. But then he gets a note: Luke lied. You lied. Be at the funeral. And just like that, Falk is swept back into the secrets of teh place and people he left so long ago.
When Falk returns for the funeral amid the worst drought in a century, long-buried mysteries resurface, along with the lies that accompanied them. And Falk will discover anew what he’s known all along: sometimes you have to go back home in order to finally leave your past behind.

Reviews
An exciting book that keeps you guessing. The story keeps you engaged and wanting to read more! – Review by Laura

Book of the Month
Every month we will be featuring a new book to be showcased in our Book of the Month. Staff members and friends will be reading the book and posting their reviews. We’d love to hear what you thought of these books as well. Post your comments and let us know. The Dry is available at London Drugs along with many other great titles and is on sale for the month of February.

10 Photos That Prove Canada is a Snowy Wonderland

As Canadians, we’re no strangers to snow. LOTS of snow. We’ve even just learned that the most snow on the planet is set to fall on British Columbia this month. We may complain about it, but most of us actually love it. Fact: everything just looks more magical when it’s covered in snow. The feeling is hard to put into words, so let’s allow these gorgeous photos of snow from around the country do the talking for us. Here are 10 photos that prove Canada is totally a snowy wonderland.

1. Dream Cottage

Photo from islandlakecatskiing.com

Fernie, BC is one of the snowiest places in Canada, so it’s the perfect location for cat-skiing resort Island Lake Lodge. Their cottage is so cozy, it kind of makes us want to just forego the skiing and get snowed in–on purpose.

2. East Coast Cool

Photo by Douglas Sprott via Flickr

The East Coast certainly gets its share of snowfall too, and the already delightful vistas of Prince Edward Island get even more stunning with a fresh load of the cold stuff.

3. Snow Doggo

Photo by @mywhiskeygirl on Instagram

Snow sports are serious business in Whistler, and no one knows that better than this proud pooch.

4. Winter Sunset

Photo by inafarawayland.com

If you’re lucky enough to catch the sunset in Canmore, AB, you’ll be treated to this stunning scene. (At 4:30 in the afternoon.)

5. Snow Doggo pt. II

Photo by @soulinesbackcountry on Instagram

Did you think we could just stop at one dog photo? We couldn’t resist this gorgeous husky pup, basking in her element.

6. Why Stop Now?

Photo by @cherrycheri_ on Twitter

We have two words for you: WINNIPEG. MANITOBA.

7. Meanwhile, In Cape Breton…

Photo by @burkedc on Twitter

Hey Winnipeg, we’ll see your stop sign and raise you…this road.

8. Snow Speeder

Photo by metronews.ca

Nova Scotia could give lessons on how to make the best of a snow storm. Hang on to your hat, little buddy!

9. The Freshest Tracks

Photo by discoverlakelouse.com

All skiers know that first tracks in the powder are the holy grail of the season, and Lake Louise is the perfect place for a powder quest.

10. Strike a Pose

Photo by inafarawayland.com

We doubt this majestic Alberta elk knows his photo is being taken, so we’ll just assume that he woke up like this.

Did we miss your #BeautifulCanada snow photo? Link to it in the comments so we all can ooh and ahhh!

How to Set Smart Health and Wellness Goals for an Awesome 2018

It’s that time again – New Year’s Resolution season. Let’s admit it: we always start off strong with motivation and enthusiasm to eat healthier, exercise more, get more sleep and take better care of ourselves, but come mid-January, that enthusiasm starts to wain. Sometimes we just need that little extra spark to keep the fires of motivation burning, and we’ve got some super-handy tech gadgets to add some fuel to your smart health and wellness fire.

Eat Better

Prep It: Of course preparing your own meals is far healthier than take-out or pre-packaged food, but cooking at home takes extra time and creativity that we don’t always have. Luckily, The Panasonic Steam Microwave will make your meal prep even easier with easy, oil-free dishes that taste great. The steam function can also be combined with microwave, grill, and convection cooking to give you limitless options for making “healthy” synonymous with “delicious.”

Kick Sugar: Everyone snacks. It’s inevitable—that yawning chasm of time between lunch and dinner will find you eventually. In fact, healthy snacking can actually be good for you, as it fends off swings in blood sugar and prevents binge eating when you’re reaaally hungry. Unfortunately, most store-bought snack foods have a shocking amount of sugar in them, so we’ve got some easy tips for cutting down on sugary snacks here.

Move More

Pump It: The perfect playlist can make or break an intense workout. If you’re addicted to the energy that music gives you, make sure you’re taking full advantage of your tunes with a great set of headphones. Skullcandy’s XTFree Wireless Sport Headphones eliminates the hassle of cords and and keeps you free to pump it up. The lightweight buds have a tight comfortable fit, and you’ll get up to six hours of battery life on a charge to keep you going longer.

Get Up: New studies have shown that there’s a direct relationship between time spent sitting and your risk of early mortality. Doctors suggest that for every 30 consecutive minutes of sitting, standing up and moving or walking for five minutes at brisk pace will reduce the health risks from sitting. If you work at a sedentary job, a standing desk is a great way to avoid sitting for long periods of time. Our Certified Data Standing Desk easily changes from sitting to standing position and has a large surface area to accommodate all of your work activities.

Get Down: Fitness is more fun when it’s a family affair! Get the whole gang grooving with Just Dance, available for Nintendo Switch, PS3 & PS4, Wii & Wii U, and Xbox One and 360.

Track It: Some people need a little bossing around to stay on track with their fitness. If you don’t want to hire an expensive personal trainer, go for some wearable tech to keep you accountable. London Drugs has a wide range of Fitbit fitness trackers in lots of different styles and price ranges that can help you reach your goals. With the Fitbit app, you can track your daily steps, caloric intake and output, heart rate, sleep habits–all while looking sleek and stylish.

Get more sleep

Light It: Everyone knows that getting enough sleep is essential support for good health: it helps our bodies repair damage, clean out waste products, balance hormones, renew cells, and so much more. New studies have even shown that a good amount of sleep helps you form memories, solidify learning, reduces your risk of depression, increases fitness levels, and helps to avoid weight gain. If the thought of trying to get more sleep seems intimidating, there is some great technology available to help create optimal conditions for a good night’s rest, like the Sleepace Nox Music Smart Sleep Light. It can help you fall asleep easily with soothing light and sound and wakes you up naturally with a smart light alarm. It also collects data from your bedroom environment that impacts your sleep quality and makes smart suggestions on how to improve your sleeping experience.

Hear It: If you like to listen to music or podcasts as you fall asleep but wake up in a tangled mess of headphone wires, the Furo Bluetooth Sleeping Mask helps you rest in comfort while listening to whatever sounds are needed to take you to dreamland. A soft micro-fibre sleeping mask with built-in Bluetooth speakers and a 6-hour battery life will give you a comfortable, tangle-free sleeping experience.

More self-care

De-Stress: Ideally, we’d all have a live-in massage therapist to help us work out the knots after a stressful day or a hard workout, but alas, most of us aren’t so lucky. The next best thing could be the Homedics Neck & Shoulder Massager with Heat. This invigorating vibration massager adds heat to soothe tense muscles, and the portable design flexes and shapes to your body, providing the perfect fit for the perfect massage. Makes you want to let out a big “ahhhhhhh” just reading that, doesn’t it?

Breathe In: It’s amazing how scent can affect your mood and well-being. Just ask any of your friends who have jumped on the therapeutic essential oils bandwagon recently: lavender can help you sleep, pine can alleviate stress, citrus can help you feel more energized, and peppermint may boost concentration, just to name a few. An aromatherapy diffuser will help fill your home with whatever scent and mood you crave.

Hopefully, with a little help, we can all stick to our goals for the year (and stay off the road that they say is paved with good intentions), and make 2018 into twenty-GREAT-teen!

4 Simple Ways to Organize Your Life in 2018

Hi everyone, Amanda here again from The Mommy Mix.

I’m not going to lie or try to pretend I’m something I’m not, when it comes to being organized I’m a hot mess mom! I’m lucky if I can remember to send in my kids’ milk orders on time and unless I have an appointment written everywhere I’ll most likely miss it. Not this year, 2018 is going to be my year to get organized and stay that way. It can be your year to get organized too if you join me in following some simple steps.

KEEP A LIST

When it comes to remembering things that need to be done you can pretty much guarantee that they’re going to pop into your head at the worst times; while you’re lying in bed, out shopping, sitting at work… Make sure you’ve always got a Notepad and pen nearby so you can start a list and every time your memory decides to start working you can add a quick note about the task you need to get done. You can make your “reminder notepad” super personal to who you are and what (or who) motivates you with your own images and text.

FIND A CALENDAR THAT WORKS FOR YOU

Whether you’re looking for something that allows you to enter specifics or you just want to circle a few important dates, you need to find a calendar that works for you. At the London Drugs Photolab you can create unique and personalized Photo Calendars in a variety of themes and styles with your own pictures that can also act as reminders of birthdays or any other special events in your life. The calendars span 12 months, but you can start the calendar on any month, so you can create new calendars any time of year!

MARK IT ON YOUR CALENDAR ASAP

If you’ve chosen a Traditional, one of the Coil Bound Photo Calendars or even something compact like the Desktop Photo Calendar than I’m sure it’s safe to say you want to be able to track details, and now you can. Remember the lists that you’ve been making; transfer anything from it of importance on your calendar, write down any bill payment due dates plus don’t forget birthdays, anniversaries and appointments. Make it a point to look at your calendar at least once a week.

WRITE IT WHERE YOU’LL SEE IT

You go in your fridge every day, right?! Stick a Magnetic Memo Board to it so every time you go grab the milk for your morning coffee or cook dinner, your bake sale tasks, appointments and special days for the week will be staring you in the face every day!

What tips do you have for getting organized in 2018?

For more personalized organization tools visit the London Drugs Photolab online, in-store, or simply download the London Drugs Photolab App (available for both iOS and Android devices)!

The Candy That Will Help You Kick Sugar: Smart Sweets

Smart Sweets founder, Tara Bosch (image via Facebook)

This post marks the first in a series of product profiles that we plan to publish on the London Drugs blog, exploring the talented people producing some of the exciting Canadian products on our shelves.

22-year-old founder Tara Bosch launched the confectionary company Smart Sweets in 2016, and in doing so, shook up the candy world. If you picked up a bag of her treats at your local London Drugs, you may have wondered in fact whether you were getting candy or a health product.

You’re getting both.

Bosch set out to create a treat that wasn’t loaded with the usual amount of sugar. Where a 56-gram bag of Skittles contains 43 grams of sugar, Smart Sweets contains just 2 grams of sugar per 50-gram pouch (not to mention 24 grams of fibre and 5 grams of protein). It’s a sweet snack that you can feel a little better about enjoying.

An up-and-comer in the business world, Bosch has already been on the popular TV program Dragons’ Den (earning praise from all the judges) and has been honoured in the Pitch for the Purse contest as well as in the most recent BCBusiness 30 under 30 issue.

“It was amazing to see and hear the stories of how people’s lives have been impacted by sugar. There is no better time to be part of the wellness industry in Canada as more and more people are realizing the impact that food, specifically sugar, has on our body and are eagerly waiting for options to be innovated so they can make smaller, smarter choices in their daily lives,” says Bosch.

“It was so cool to see people who watched our episode reach out and share their stories about how they are kicking sugar, too. Smart Sweets has the opportunity to make a massive impact in people’s lives. At the end of the day, it’s about being able to feel good about enjoying the foods we love, and life’s too short not to be able to eat candy everyday.”

When asked where Bosch sees Smart Sweets going from here, the entrepreneur doesn’t balk. “Smart Sweets is revolutionizing candy consumption. Tackling one of the largest and most concerning problems hidden in our everyday foods, we are driving innovation through creation of the first candy products that kick sugar naturally … We want to empower people to live their best lives by giving them the choice to kick sugar.”

Bosch’s dream of seeing Smart Sweets take up space on shelves across the world–including shelves at London Drugs, of course–just may become reality. We wish her the best.

Smart Sweets is currently available in stores across Canada, including London Drugs. The product will be launching in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2018.