Hippohelp assists travellers in living for free in peoples homes across the globe, in exchange for helping out with various tasks, mainly in the garden.

Leopold Huber created Hippohelp, while living with his wife in Guilin, China, a smaller city with beautiful scenery and lush land where they grow passion-fruits, tomatoes, carrots, beans and potatoes.
 
Guilin is a popular tourist destination, which led to the thought that travellers would be interested in helping in exchange for free food and accommodation.
 
Where in the world are you going for free?
 
CALIFORNIA – Help convert a school bus into a mobile kitchen fuelled by veggie oil that will drive all the way down to South America, visiting people living in alternative ways.
 
NEW ZEALAND – Join the boat crew that takes you to isolated islands in the Pacific Ocean.
 
SPAIN – Live off grid, but hands-on with nature and participate in spiritual ceremonies with the community.
 
INDIA – Join the camel-safari and help take care of the camels and guide tourists throughout the dessert.
 
Hippohelp is free to use for all members, and the members find each other using markers they place on a global map.

Free help, free food, free accommodations, and meet new friends from all over the world.
It's a win-win-win situation!

What do you think the outcome will be of the raised prices of produce?

I asked a table of 10 grocery shoppers how they're reacting to the high cost of their groceries. Some joked that they wouldn't buy an 11 dollar cauliflower, but most said they would just pay the difference and keep their shopping lists the same. 

I found that those who buy organic products will not let the cost stop them from eating healthy and what they prefer. There are some saving options that people will resort to whenever they can such as buying frozen organic fruit. (fresh strawberries can be between five and 8 dollars while frozen organic strawberries can be between $3-$6).

Others have said that they just walk past and snarl at the inflated prices and not buy the products like zucchini and grapes. This will either result in "sales" or a whole lot of wasted produce. 

Why are the prices so high anyways?

According to the Canadian Press, "El Niño-fueled floods have created supply shortages and contributed to price increases on produce from California and Mexico. Analysts say the shortage is the worst they've seen in 30 years. 

In addition, about 80 per cent of produce is imported to Canada and traded in U.S. dollars. Thus, a large portion of the cost increase consumers are seeing on the shelves is because of the decline in the value of the dollar". Leeanna McLean Digital Reporter, The weather network

Analysts say the dollar could fall as low as US$0.59, the lowest it's ever been (the current record low is US$0.6179, set in January, 2002). That's one factor, alongside growing conditions, that's leading to more expensive grocery bills across the country.

Try to stay healthy during these expensive times and remember that when it's about the will of a hungry healthy stomach there's a way to feed it. 

It’s quite difficult to do everything that is required to reach your fitness goal, or ideal weight goal for health purposes. You hear it all the time, abs aren't made in the gym, because 80% of your results are determined by diet. Whether this is true or not, one thing is for certain, you cannot out train, out run, or out exercise a bad diet. Everything begins with the food that you eat.

If you are someone that has a corporate 9-5 (and for some 5:30), you know that between the office and home, there is hardly any time left to do anything except relax. Some people can allow themselves to relax their bodies with yoga or meditation but it is likely not the only factor they're incorporating into their healthy repertoires.

Now tell that to someone that spends two hours commuting. Finding an hour to exercise is just as imaginable as spending that time finding a needle in a haystack. 

By focusing on a balanced diet you immediately begin making the healthy changes that are required to live a healthy lifestyle. When you get a craving at work or during your commute you naturally have the tendency of grabbing a chocolate bar or going through the drive through because it’s quick and you're hungry. If you have already prepped a fruit bowl for work or your commute you are replacing the unhealthy snack with a healthy one. Don't you think that by prepping your entire week with healthy meals would have a tremendous effect on your eating habits?

*If you have a chef you can stop reading. *

Prepping a meal isn’t hard. As a matter of fact it takes less time than it would for you to go to restaurant and order a meal, as well as a lot less money. Why is it that athletes just exercise and not worry about what they eat? They can’t. Imagine if Michael Phelps ate burgers and drank pop everyday. He would make Olympic history, as the worlds fastest sinker. Taking some time from your Sunday to prep the meals that you want will benefit you in ways that you never thought possible, even if you only cut the food in portions to make cooking faster. That alone will save you time to do things that are can benefit you in the long run, like reading, working on a personal project, or spending time with the family. Make time by saving time.

So this year when you’re living your New Year's resolution, like saving money, spending more time with the family, exercising more, remember that your emotions, your mood, your energy, things that are required to accomplish anything, stem from a clean and healthy diet.

Many of us, especially some woman and vegetarians struggle with iron deficiency. In fact, almost 3.5 billion suffer from this ailment.  Iron deficiency can make it hard to live a happy and productive life with symptoms including fatigue, shortness of breath and general weakness.

If you are like me, you have tried many different methods to keep those iron levels up. I have tried things including, over the counter iron pills, health food store liquid iron supplements, powdered supplements, and just trying to eat as much iron rich foods as possible. But, not only are leafy greens expensive but, for some, they just don’t cut it.

Let me introduce to you the Lucky Iron Fish; a literal fish, made of iron that is helping the iron deficient in Cambodia, and around the world enjoy iron-rich meals without the fuss. All you have to do is clean the fish, add it to a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes, add your ingredients and enjoy an iron fortified meal. They say to add a teaspoon citrus to the pot to help your body absorb the iron.

You can use the Lucky Iron Fish once a day and it will release 60-300mg of iron each time you use it. That’s 75% of the iron you need each day. Not only is the Lucky Iron Fish helping people get their iron but they are doing it in an ethical way. As stated on their website they are, “committed to hiring local staff, using recycled and biodegradable materials, and supporting like-minded businesses and organizations.”

So far, the Lucky Iron Fish has helped 89,000 iron deficient people. To get involved you can become a partner of Lucky Iron Fish, volunteer, or buy a “School” of Lucky Iron Fish for a family in need. Do this, and keep your iron levels up by purchasing your own Lucky Iron Fish for $25 at their website HERE. For every Lucky Iron Fish that is purchased, the company provides multiple Lucky Iron Fish to people in need. Let’s help them put a fish in every pot.

Eating healthy when you are wiped out can be challenging! we all know it! 
We’ve all had those days when you collapse on the couch, hungry and drained. Frozen meals are tempting, the snacks in your cabinet are calling your name and delivery sounds like heaven. However that’s not going to help you regain the energy you need for tomorrow’s work day. 

For someone like myself that lives an everyday busy lifestyle I make sure I consider the following key components:

1. Have the right intention 
2. Organization 
3. Preparation 

Have the Right Intention
Eating healthy, whether you’re busy or not, has to start with a dedication to yourself! You have to want to do it and the best reason is self-motivation to feel energized and alive! 

Organization
I’m a list person at work and in my personal life. Grocery lists keep me in line and are critically important in maintaining a healthy life style. Figure out what you’ll be making for the week and write out every ingredient you will need - trust me this saves my life and I get to say goodbye to impulse purchases. 

Preparation
For busy people like myself, planning a week’s worth of meals seems impossible. However, preparation is a huge factor in maintaining a healthy diet. Figure out how your week will look, how many meals you can prep in advance and how many set meals can you make. I typically dedicated my Sunday’s to meal prep and grocery shopping, it helps me stay organized and well-balanced. Just remember even if you’re not a planner doesn’t mean you can’t set up some time to prep the night before because we all know the reward is worth it. 

You can do it!
Xo, 
The Busy Organic, Melissa Mendes

Many people suffer from sleep depravation or insomnia. With life constantly being on the go and obligations taking over our time for relaxation, we can become over worked and under rested. The practice of Yoga and Prana(breath) are great tools to assist you in the art of relaxation.

It can be as easy as setting aside 30 minutes before bed. Gentle night Yoga or relaxing Prana can give your mind and body the attention it deserves.

Allowing the time for rest in very important. Some studies have shown, people with insomnia or lack the recommended amount of sleep per night, are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, diabetes and congestive heart failure.

Yoga Nidra is a form of cognitive meditation that helps relax all sensory distractions and free the mind of unwanted clutter. There is usually a script along side calming music. While setting up for Yoga Nidra make sure you find yourself in a comfortable position laying on your back in Savasana (corps pose). Pillows, blankets and blocks are all highly suggested.
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Mindful breaths combined with a few Asanas (postures) can help put you right to bed.