Cholesterol is a type of fat produced by the liver. Essential to proper body function, it aids in hormone production, supports nerve and brain development, helps the liver digest fats and is a key substance in every cell of the body.

While cholesterol is important to your health, it is possible you can have too much of a good thing. Cholesterol travels to your cells through your bloodstream. Because it is a fat, it does not mix well with water or blood, and must be wrapped in protein. This is called lipoprotein cholesterol, which is categorized into two forms:

Have you ever used the excuse “I just don’t have the time to exercise”? Well, that simply won’t work any longer. All you need is one minute to feel revived, refreshed and full of energy. Plus, you can do all of this in your cubicle or office.

1. Open and close your hands with your arms (a) extended in front of you (b) over your head and (c) to your side. Repeat each motion three times.
2. Stand behind your desk chair and raise your heels for five seconds. Then, lower your feet and repeat this motion five times.
3. Place your arm across your chest and press gently on your elbow. Hold this position for five seconds while turning your head to the opposite direction. Repeat on the other side.
4. Shift your weight forward, keeping your knee over your ankle and your heels flat on the floor. Hold this lunge position for five seconds and then repeat this motion 10 times. Repeat with the other leg.
5. Stand with your legs slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Slowly squat down and hold this position for five seconds. Then, bring your body back up to standing position. Repeat this position 10 times.
6. Stand up straight and then bend down and touch your toes.
7. March in place for 30 seconds while rolling your shoulders forward and backward.
8. Do 10 jumping jacks.
9. Make sure that your chair is stable and then place your hands next to hips.  Move your hips in front of the chair and bend your elbows while lowering your body until your elbows are at 90 degrees. Repeat this dipping motion 10 times.
10. Hold a water bottle in your right hand with your elbow bent and your arm extended overhead. Repeat on the other side.
11. Hold a water bottle in your right hand and with your abs in and spine straight. Slowly curl the bottle towards your shoulder.  Repeat with the other arm.

Now that you’re done with your mini workout, grab a refreshing glass of water. If you need to go to another floor to do so, take the stairs instead of the elevator to burn some additional calories.

Squeezing a workout into a busy schedule is easy. Simply incorporate three 10-minute workouts or one 30-minute workout into your day on most days of the week. This will get your heart pumping and your muscles working, and it will burn some calories too!

There have been a number of warnings from media and the insurance industry about Alberta rate increases over the past while. Weather and flood damage has take it's toll on insurance company coffers over the past couple of years and it's true that they are making adjustments to help sustain insurance products that work for all Canadians.

In a statement released to brokers this afternoon Wawanesa Insurance announced that they have released a new option for reporting car insurance and home insurnace claims online. 

We want to send you to the movies!!
If you’re happy with our service please tell your friends and family. Every time someone you refer chooses Armour for their insurance needs we’lll send you and a friend to the movies.  Click here for details.

September's Fuel Up For Free Contest Winner!!!

Congratulations to Laura Richardson of Calgary. She has just won a $100 gas card in Armour's Fuel up for Free Contest! Post a "Congrats" to her on our facebook announcement!

Tricks to Lower Your Cholesterol

Amidst an economy of rate increases and deductable adjustments resulting from substantial losses to flooding in Alberta this year comes some good news. Wawanesa insurance announced today that they are increasing limits in two areas of their base property insurance policy.

Pain and stress can end up causing physical, mental or emotional issues. Often this physical or emotional pain significantly impacts our health, happiness and overall quality of life. Learning how to relax can lessen the impact that this pain has on your life.

The Pain Cycle

Perhaps the first step to healing ourselves is learning to understand how our bodies react to and deal with stress and pain. Once pain occurs, whether from an injury or other source, your psychological reaction to it can have a strong effect on its intensity and duration. For some people, pain can become a vicious cycle: pain causes anxiety and tension, and anxiety and tension cause more pain. Many common health disorders, such as migraines, involve tension as a contributing source of the initial pain. By using relaxation techniques, one can release tension, greatly reduce certain types of pain and sometimes actually prevent the pain from occurring. Relaxation techniques, such as meditation and breathing exercises, are simple methods you can use to relax and break your pain cycle.

Filling up your gas tank may seem like a pretty simple task, but if you were to watch people at the pump you'd begin to notice some nuances to how every one does it. For example: you may be the type of person who plays the market and only puts $20 in, hoping that prices will go down next time you need gas. Or you may fill your tank right up stopping when the pump clicks off. OR you may be the one who always tops up the tank even after the pump has stopped once.

Research shows that those who are physically active are likely to live longer, healthier lives.

The benefits of physical activity include:

It's flu season again and time to start thinking about getting vaccinated. Health Canada recommends that everyone over the age of 6 months get a flu shot each year. Still, many people refrain because they wrongly believe one or more of the following myths.

Myth #1: The flu isn’t so bad.

Fact: The flu can lead to serious illness, including hospitalization for pneumonia or other complications – even for healthy people. Plus, even without complications, a normal bout of the flu can keep a person out of work or school for several days.

Myth #2: The flu vaccine will make you sick.

Fact: The flu vaccine cannot give you the flu, although you may get side effects like a sore arm, low fever or achiness. Side effects are mild and short-lived, and definitely better than getting the flu.