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Archive for the ‘Body-Mind Health’ Category
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011
Fall is here! It’s the season of dramatic color and chilly nights. In the colder and darker areas of the country, the decrease in sunlight signals our bodies that it’s time to hibernate. (California might not experience it to the same extent but trust me, we feel it here, too.) It can be difficult to find motivation, but slowing down is not necessarily an obstacle, just merely a bump in the road on our long and exciting journey to a healthier body and lifestyle.
A big part of living a healthy life is listening to what the body needs, and accepting the changes it goes through. Let’s invite some new movement to play with, to get the body going and the mind motivated again. Here are a few things that bring the fun into staying fit…
 Hula hoops
Go back to the old days when you were hula hooping on the playground! Did you think that it was exercise? Hula hooping can be a fun cardio workout as well as core and abs all in one. It can burn up to 400 kcal per hour! It’s very important to stretch before and after, but other than that, it’s a safe and fun exercise. There are hoop DVDs, but the easiest thing is to go to the nearest Target, pick up a hula hoop, and get going!
 TRX Suspension Training
These are traditional strength exercises performed while hanging suspended from the ceiling. Your core must be involved and you will be working out your entire body, as you use your own body weight as resistance. Of course, it is important to receive proper guidance to avoid risks. In my business of personal training, everyone seems to have a TRX Suspension Training strap available for anywhere and anytime training!
 YOSPIN fusion
Mix 30 minutes of yoga with 30 minutes of spinning for an excellent body-mind workout. The cardio-intensive cycling followed by flexibility-increasing yoga helps stretch and condition muscles. Switching between the two activities can lead to injury, so a mindful stop and switch – waiting until the heart rate recovers before starting yoga – is imperative. If you don’t have spinning or yoga at your gym, go to a spinning class, download yoga to your MP3 player, and do your own thing!
Of course, you can also create your own fusions of your favorite exercise routines! Do you have any tips to trade? Any fun workouts like hula hoping that you would like to share? Please let us know!
Live Life Loud!
Want the tools to develop life-long health habits?
Check out my e-book, Your Life Force: Training for Strength & Harmony.
Images: AmandaLouise, Amazon.com, Fitness Anywhere, Gaiam Restorative Exercise for Relaxation Kit
Tags: abs, body weight, cardio, core, flexibility, fun, hula hoops, motivation, movement, resistance, spinning, suspension training, TRX, yoga
Posted in Body-Mind Health, Fitness | No Comments »
Thursday, September 29th, 2011
I wake up and think about the three clients I have this morning … I hop into the car, drive across LA, get out there and focus on each individual – all the while making the effort to maintain my spark and be fully engaged. Around midday my blood sugar drops, and I have not had time to workout. Lunch is happening soon but not soon enough. I must first find a dietitian for a client. I’ll make calls during my lunch break … I know I shouldn’t, but just a couple of calls …
Ahh, stress. It’s something I have to stay conscious of so I can avoid speeding myself up too much. I must respect the fact that there is only one Tanja, and that the world will not fall apart if I relax.
Where I live, you live to work. People talk about “good” and “bad” stress, which can be legitimate distinctions, but unfortunately what we often refer to as “good” is really an excuse to hurry and rush, avoiding the fact that we are torturing the beautiful bodies we have been given. Stress can really take its toll on both physical and psychological well-being.
What happens on an emotional level during all this stress and hurrying around, trying to squeeze everything in, is that we bypass our emotions. There is no space for them to flow freely, and at some point when we finally slow down, they can become overwhelming. It is common to feel emotions of sadness and anger when there is finally a break in the stress pattern.
During the week we encounter situations where it would be appropriate to emote, if only there was TIME for it. Instead, those emotions are suppressed and we hurry along to reach deadlines and fulfill obligations. The same thing happens when we don’t have time to enjoy and be happy about what’s around us. To actually feel an emotion, and live it out, requires an intimate relationship with the Self. This is easily lost during stress.
Try creating new habits for yourself to reconnect the “doing” and the “being.” Focus on unwinding, feeling, smelling, having thoughts and senses.
Give yourself some s p a c e and Love.
I wake up and sit and do my breathing exercises on the bed. Already before my day has begun, I decide to try and enjoy the day and my meetings. No telephone at mealtime – morning, noon, or evening. I’ll make it a priority to get a little alone time, even if it’s just 10 minutes on the toilet!
Image: stuartpilbrow
Tags: stress
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Tuesday, September 27th, 2011
 Q: Hi, Tanja. I am a 44-year old single mother of two children who loves to train. I weight train and run on the treadmill 3 times a week, 4.5 miles each time. I also swim if time permits. I weigh 112 pounds and am 5’1″ tall. My problem is that I stress eat every time I get restless. I wonder if you have any advice for me! — Nikita
A: Hello, Nikita! In my book Your Life Force there is a whole chapter with tips and tricks on how to stop emotional eating. It requires focus and a real resolve, as stress is so common and we need to eat every day. But there is hope if you really want to stop!
My advice is to work with the different methods in the book, and if it still feels like you are not getting anywhere, you have to call in the Army! There are support groups for overeating, and there are cognitive psychologists who can help you change your behavior around food. Do not give up and do everything wholeheartedly!
Tanja
Do you have a question? Don’t be shy – ask it here!
Tags: emotional eating
Posted in Ask Tanja, Body-Mind Health, Nutrition | No Comments »
Thursday, September 22nd, 2011
Q: Hi, Tanja. I have a problem. I tell myself that I have to start moving more and exercising but when it comes down to it, i just don’t have any energy. I quit! What should I do about it?
A: Hello! Yes, exercise sounds very boring. Yes, it doesn’t seem like too much fun. Have you ever been a person who likes to move around? Are you trying to start a new healthy life all by yourself? Feeling better, happy, and motivated requires a catalyst. It is not something that comes in just a few weeks!
Usually it doesn’t help at all that OTHER people are giving you reasons why you need to do this or that… You need to ask yourself and create your own reasons! Sit yourself down and answer these questions about yourself and your life:
- Why do you need to start working out?
- How do you want your life and your health to look in 5, 10, 15 years?
- Are there activities that you would like to do with others, but you’re just too tired and feel inadequate?
How does this sound: join a group that works together to become healthier! Not an online group, but a physical group with real people?
With programs like Weight Watchers and Biggest Loser Club, you can find a few friends who feel the same way. It is easier to do this in a group, and it does not necessarily mean you should go to the gym right away, which can be a bit uncomfortable at first.
If you feel that there are other things that are preventing you from working out, such as depression or other issues, seek out a skilled life coach or psychologist who can help.
Good Luck! 
Tanja
Do you have a question? Don’t be shy – ask it here!
Tags: motivation
Posted in Ask Tanja, Body-Mind Health | No Comments »
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 »
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