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Archive for the ‘Body-Mind Health’ Category
Tuesday, September 20th, 2011
Our bodies heal through movement.
This is a bold statement to make without referencing studies to back it up, which would normally be my style, but then there is something to say about the innate sense of something that intuitively feels right. (And, of course, tons of studies have been done to back this up.)
I spent all day Sunday in a seminar with my good friend and colleague Scott Kuhagen, of Functional Evolution. He teaches a revolutionary way to heal tender muscle tissue and reverse the aging of cells, thus slowing down our aging process. I know, that also sounds like a bold statement to make without citing studies, but broken down into physiology, it makes all the sense in the world. This new tissue healing system has two specialized research and practicing MDs who have helped to develop the program.
In simplified language, our physical movement is our metabolism. When we move, we convert nutrition to energy and expel toxins and waste products. That is what gives us energy to move. We are a moving, detoxifying organism just by doing what we were born to do: move! So what happens when we don’t move? Disease, depression, obesity, aches and pains in our backs and joints. Worst of all, this decline accelerates the older we get. Not a fun story at all!
There is also a somatic response to emotional trauma, which resides in our muscle tissues. I have encountered many incidents where a traumatic event from someone’s childhood has impaired their range of motion. By implementing psychotherapy with movement therapy, I’ve seen many people return to a normal range of motion. Once again, while there are case studies to reference, we don’t need the studies to know what is true when we feel it for ourselves.
Emotional release is a natural part of the healing process. We need to connect our bodies and minds again, by allowing movement to be not only a guide, but a therapeutic tool. You may have heard of NIA and Dance Therapy, which are both movement systems used in cases of eating disorders and other types of body dysmorphic disorders. These programs help individuals learn how to trust their bodies again and, through movement and sensation, feel themselves and slowly heal.
The next time you move, train, or workout, try to use all your senses. Be less intellectual and just start exploring what is really going on in your body. What do you feel? Maybe you will cry or maybe you’ll laugh out loud. Whatever you feel, you are making a good start in the healing process.
Live Life Loud!
Image: Elvert Barnes
Tags: emotion, healing, movement
Posted in Body-Mind Health, Fitness | 6 Comments »
Thursday, September 15th, 2011
Even if you are an avid fitness enthusiast who keeps a consistent training regimen, the likelihood of hitting a plateau with your progress and energy levels is a given. Your body’s energy systems work hard to adapt to your energy output. But the demands you put on your body, doing the same thing over and over again, will slowly make it seem as if your body is changing less and less frequently. It might show up as actual weight gain or lack of energy.
This stagnancy not only happens to your physical body, but to your mind and spirit, as well. Do you ever have the feeling that you’re standing still or stuck when it comes to certain situations in your life? That uncomfortable feeling starts growing inside, and perhaps you want to jump-start some kind of change.
The bottom line is: you need to change it up, shock your body, give it something new to chew on!
One of my favorite ways to break through a plateau is to do a plyo workout. Make sure you feel strong enough first, and thus safe, and then try adding a few jumps to your training schedule. It can be as easy as including 3×20 squat jumps, 3 times per week, in the middle of your regular workout. Not only are they energizing, but it’s also a great way to incorporate all that core work you have been working on. You will be amazed at how much energy you will gain after just one week, not to mention the boost in your metabolism!
Now transfer that process to real life. What needs a boost in your daily life for change to happen? Is there an area where you feel you want to improve? Which tools can you use? Do you long for more focus? Maybe a short daily meditation practice could be implemented. Do you feel a lack of motivation at present? Perhaps an inspiring book about someone’s true life story about overcoming hurdles is the tool to use. A few of my personal favorites: reading poetry for instant inspiration, listening mindfully to the lyrics of my favorite musical artist, or reading a new book. It isn’t difficult or complicated to create change in the status quo. It only takes action.
Here’s a quick energy-booster workout:
1. After a short warm-up, do 5 sun salutations in a row. Be mindful of breath and movement. Reach arms overhead, do a swan dive forward, stay in a forward bend for a few breaths, and the return to a standing position.
2. Squat deep and jump up in the air, landing back into another squat. Repeat for 20 if you can.
3. Do 3×30 second planks, in a push-up position.
4. Repeat the squat-jump sequence.
5. Do 10 slow roll-ups lying on the floor.
6. Repeat the squat-jump sequence a third time.
Repeat this short energy workout three times a week for two weeks, and experience an uplifting change in your energy, metabolism … and in your smile!
Live Life Loud!
Image: d’n'c
Tags: change, energy, inspiration, life force, motivation, plateaus, plyometrics, progress
Posted in Body-Mind Health, Fitness | No Comments »
Thursday, August 25th, 2011
Is the economy or other stress distracting you from your health? I have found that in times of stress, physical exertion is one of the most important and effective actions we can take. Exercise releases feel-good hormones such as endorphins and adrenaline, and reduces stress hormone levels.
Yet our natural reaction to stress seems to be to remove things from our day that feel superfluous and time-consuming. Often that includes the time we spend on our health. We sacrifice that time, and ourselves, to other more “important” causes at hand, despite the fact that the stressor might be something we don’t have any control over, anyway.
Endless studies have confirmed that the right amount of exercise relieves stress and boosts the immune system. I would like to add a few other reasons to exercise that are highlighted less often, but are great incentives to find that time every day to just move:
• Taking time for yourself can have a meditative effect. Focusing on just your physical exertion and breath gives you space and time to disconnect from your worries for that moment. It’s a golden moment given to yourself by yourself.
• In times when you feel out of control, a planned workout gives you the ability to influence your environment, thus helping you take a break from feeling helpless.
• My favorite reason to exercise is that it’s a cathartic outlet. Exercising helps us let off steam and build coping skills. The time that we give ourselves to take care of our bodies is an act of self-love.
30-Minute Stress Relief Workout
Breathing is an important aspect of stress relief workouts. Yoga teaches us that nose breathing is proven to actually calm down the nervous system. Combine it with a workout, and you will experience several benefits just by moving and breathing! Try this workout where all elements are involved: high and low heart rate intervals, stability and mobility exercises, and a focus on nose breathing.
In 5-minute intervals, alternate the following moves:
1. Do plié squats with arms reaching overhead. When you come up, straighten legs to standing, gaze upward, and bring arms down alongside the body.
2. Dance, jump, skip, hop, jump rope, step up and down on a curb, or do jumping jacks.
3. Slowly do a sequence of sun salutations or upward and downward facing dog.
4. Dance, jump, skip, hop, jump rope, step up and down on a curb, or do jumping jacks.
5. Do a quick sequence of ab work: standing twists on a ball if available, or lying on the floor.
6. Do lying down stretches on the floor or, if you have a foam roller available, use the last 5 minutes to roll out leg and back muscles.
Image: stuartpilbrow
Tags: breathing, breathwork, stress
Posted in Body-Mind Health, Fitness | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
When setting fitness goals, it is important to address all aspects of your personal wellness. You can include number goals (“I want to lose or gain 15 pounds”), emotional goals (“I would like to feel more happiness and joy and less anger”), and other goals such as having more energy for your kids or completing a marathon within a given time frame. Cover all the bases and think about whatever makes YOU tick. Let yourself dream as well as set realistic, incremental goals so that your path is filled with little successful events!
Buy a diary, and answer the following questions:
• Why are you starting this process right now in your life?
• What are your goals? Not just a weight goal, but also any goal that crosses your mind, heart, and soul. Be honest and loving. Be crazy and irrational. Give yourself a vision, a promise, and most of all, PERMISSION to do all of this without guilt and pressure, but only for YOU!!
Get a highlighter and highlight each goal so you can easily find them whenever you go back to compare and refresh!
Ultimately, one of the most important things about your fitness journey is learning how to listen to yourself. I know I am telling you what to do here, which might seem like a bit of a contradiction! But my point is, from every lesson you can learn something new and helpful, and then adapt it to your own life and heart. This will become the most genuine motivator for you. And the amazing thing is that it affects your environment, too. If you are happy, the people around you will be happy … and it spreads like rings in water.
Image: swimparallel
Tags: diary, goals
Posted in Body-Mind Health, Fitness | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
 One of the advantages of meditation is that it can be done anywhere, by anyone, at any time of the day to give yourself a welcome pause in an otherwise buzzing and noisy life. Here is a 5-minute breathing exercise that you can do first thing in the morning, while you are at work, or even sitting in traffic.
- Inhale through your nose and count slowly to 4.
- Try to fill your lungs from the lowest part to the highest part, pushing out your abdomen…
- … then your lower ribs, then your chest as your body fills with air.
- Hold your breath for 3 seconds.
- Exhale, and try to let air out as you let it in – from the lowest to the highest parts of your lungs.
Repeat for 5 to 10 minutes.
If you become lightheaded at any point, alternate 6 regular breaths with 6 deep breaths.
Exercise adapted from the Hendricks Institute.
Tags: breathing
Posted in Body-Mind Health | No Comments »
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