Benefits of Yoga

Yoga is a great way to work on your flexibility and strength. Just about everyone can do it, too — it’s not just for people who can touch their toes or want to meditate.

Some types of yoga are about relaxation. In others, you move more. Most types focus on learning poses, called asanas. They also usually include attention to breathing.

Yoga for Flexibility

Yoga poses work by stretching your muscles. They can help you move better and feel less stiff or tired.

At any level of yoga, you’ll probably start to notice benefits soon. In one study, people improved their flexibility by up to 35% after only 8 weeks of yoga.

Strike a Pose for Strength

Some styles of yoga, such as ashtanga and power yoga, are very physical. Practicing one of these styles will help you improve muscle tone.

But even less vigorous styles of yoga, such as Iyengar or hatha, can provide strength and endurance benefits.

Many of the poses, such as downward dog, upward dog, and the plank pose, build upper-body strength. The standing poses, especially if you hold them for several long breaths, build strength in your hamstrings, quadriceps, and abs. Poses that strengthen the lower back include upward dog and the chair pose.

When done right, nearly all poses build core strength in the deep abdominal muscles.

Better Posture From Yoga

When you’re stronger and more flexible, your posture improves.

Most standing and sitting poses develop core strength, since you need your core muscles to support and maintain each pose.

With a stronger core, you’re more likely to sit and stand “tall.”

Yoga also helps your body awareness. That helps you notice more quickly if you’re slouching or slumping, so you can adjust your posture.

Breathing Benefits

Yoga usually involves paying attention to your breath, which can help you relax. It may also call for specific breathing techniques.

But yoga typically isn’t aerobic, like running or cycling, unless it’s an intense type of yoga or you’re doing it in a heated room.

Less Stress, More Calm

You may feel less stressed and more relaxed after doing some yoga.

Some yoga styles use meditation techniques that help calm the mind. Focusing on your breathing during yoga can do that, too.

Good for Your Heart

Yoga has long been known to lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate. A slower heart rate can benefit people with high blood pressure or heart disease, and people who’ve had a stroke.

Yoga has also been linked to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and better immune system function.

Resources: http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/the-health-benefits-of-yoga

Importance of Cardiovascular Exercise

By: Jason Ladock

There is no denying that we live in a fast paced world where time is money. Despite our busy schedules, gathering some time from our daily routine for maintaining our health is a must. Fortunately, most people across the world are now realizing the importance of good health, in order to stay happy, healthy and positive in life.

While this is good news for family members and health ministers across the world, it is imperative to make the most of your time you devote towards your fitness regime. Improper training or wrong exercise choices will do no good for your health.

Whether your goal is to gain or reduce weight or for that matters simply stay fit, it is essential to include cardio vascular exercises in your fitness routine. The best part is that, you may not necessarily need any equipment, in order to perform cardio workouts. Swimming, running, walking, bicycling, aerobics are all forms of cardio exercises. Choose a cardio vascular exercise which you enjoy doing, and include variations in your routine to avoid boredom.

By now everybody knows that obesity can open the floodgates for life threatening diseases like diabetes, heart attack etc. Cardio workout helps one burn the unwanted and unflattering body fat. Cardio workout burns more body fat in limited period of time, which is why including them in your fitness regime is a must.

They not only contribute to weight loss, but they can also help you gain good muscles. Muscles are hidden within those unwanted layers of fat. They are visible only once the upper fat layers are thrown out from the body. Cardio vascular exercise eradicates those unwanted body fat, thus making an individual achieve his or her desired physique.

Most females shy away from weight training exercises due to the physical strain on their body. Cardio vascular exercises are not very demanding on the body, and they are produce good results as well. Irrespective of the gender, one can make cardio vascular exercises a part of their life. It will improve your sedentary lifestyle, and make you remain active and productive in life.

Cardio exercises are also responsible for a good respiratory system and heart condition. They strengthen the heart and also aids in lowering one’s blood pressure. They also increase the red blood cells count to mobilize oxygen within the body. Other benefits of cardio vascular exercises are included below.

-Increase in endurance

-Contributes to good mental state of mind and healthy skin

-Burns calories quickly

-Increases blood flow to the muscles

-Lowers heart resting rate

-Improves body metabolism

-Improves overall appearance

Cardio workouts can contribute to all your fitness goals. The benefits of cardio workouts are abundant, and they can contribute a lot in improving the quality of your life. If you haven’t started as yet, then this is the time to get savvy with cardio workouts. Making cardio vascular workout a part and parcel of your life would be a great way to stay fit and healthy for long. In this demanding era, life is almost incomplete without it.

Resources:

Health Guidance for Better Health: http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/11336/1/Importance-of-Cardio-Workout.html

Benefits of Walking

I absolutely love walking. I try to go for a leisure walk every second day (my off days from running days). It’s an opportunity to get away from whatever you were doing, enjoy your music, enjoy the fresh air, and enjoy the scenery and your thoughts.

I used to live in a larger city when I went to university – tied together with trails and nature. I used to grab a small backpack and fill it with small water, a map, music, a cell phone on full battery, a granola bar and an apple, a sweater with a hood, basic first aid items, and a small blanket. I’d enjoy the trails for hours!

Dr. Tommy Boone explains:

Walking is widely recommended for its health benefits. According to a recent U.S. Surgeon General report on physical activity and health in America, more than half of the U.S. population does not participate regularly in any type of exercise. That physical inactivity can lead to poor health.

The Surgeon General urged Americans to “get in shape,” encouraging everyone to get at least one-half hour of moderately vigorous activity (such as brisk walking) each day. The latest recommendations suggest that you should try to walk two miles at a brisk pace of three to four miles per hour nearly every day.

It is increasingly obvious that one of the best ways to maintain good health is through physical activity. Regular participation in exercise has been shown to be helpful in the prevention of such killers as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Exercise also helps to control weight. (According to the latest research, one out of three Americans is obese.)

And because exercise helps to strengthen muscles and bones, it can even decrease your risk of developing diseases such as osteoporosis and arthritis.

Some of the most interesting and overwhelming evidence supporting the need to be physically active is from the research being conducted at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Kenneth Cooper, known as the “father of aerobics,” founded the Cooper Clinic in the early 1970s to investigate the effects of physical activity and fitness on health and longevity and to help people develop healthy lifestyles.

In July 1996, research from the Cooper Institute showed that participating in moderate to high levels of physical activity reduced the risk of dying from any given cause. This held true regardless of other risk factors. In other words, even if an individual suffers from high blood pressure or obesity, the chances of dying are lessened by maintaining at least a moderate level of fitness. This is remarkably good news, especially for individuals who have hereditary risk factors such as a family history of heart disease.

In 2007, Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, published an updated report on physical activity and public health. In order to make a recommendation on the amount of exercise necessary to benefit America’s health, an expert panel of scientists, including physicians, epidemiologists, exercise scientists, and public-health specialists reviewed research on physical activity and the impact of exercise on health.

Their conclusion was the same as the plea issued by the Surgeon General: “Every U.S. adult should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, or preferably all, days of the week.” The researchers determined that intermittent as well as sustained activity can be beneficial. In other words, on days when you can’t fit in a 30-minute walk, you can still garner fitness benefits by taking two or more shorter walks squeezed in throughout the day. This may seem somewhat confusing to those of you who are well acquainted with previous recommendations to exercise for a sustained period of 20 to 60 minutes. The Surgeon General’s report is not meant to overshadow or replace these previously recommended exercise guidelines.

Exercising for a sustained period of time is still the best way we know to make improvements in your cardiorespiratory fitness. But for many, exercising for long periods of time can be intimidating. And most of us experience days when unforeseen events throw off our schedules and prevent us from having a solid block of time for exercise.

Significant health benefits can be realized by simply ceasing to sit and starting to move. The risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, and colon and breast cancers can be reduced just by becoming more physically active.

Resources

Indiana History: http://www.indianahistory.org/feature-details/People%20Walking.jpg/image_view_fullscreen

How Stuff Works: http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/exercise/benefits-of-walking.htm/printable

Fitness

Fitness was the absolute last thing I wanted to think about in the beginning stages of my diagnoses. It is absolutely FRUSTRATING – the capital letters do not stress it enough.

Let’s be frank, my brain has periods where its competed with me every day to get out of bed, put some food on the table, and gather that last bit of energy for a shower. That in itself was a daily accomplishment worth 10 gold medals.

Fitness does not mean ribbed abs and marathons right off the bat. MyFit Fitness defines physical fitness as,

Physical fitness allows you to perform daily activities and face phyiscal and emotional stress during moments of increased intensity. If you are physically fit you have good physical health and mental health. Being physically fit helps people to perform exercise well in all circumstances despite of age. Therefore, fitness can be explained as a state that allows each and every person to feel, look and perform well in every action they do. Physical fitness trainers often describe

fitness as the capability to carry out day to day functions energetically and vigilantly by keeping extra energy to do other leisure-time activities and emergency needs.

As I see it, the definition of physical fitness is highly subjective, depending on all aspects of health.

At the hardest times, does wonders for energy levels. It’s hard as hell to get motivated but extremely beneficial. Sophia Breene explains,

1. Reduce Stress
Rough day at the office? Take a walk or head to the gym for a quick workout. One of the most common mental benefits of exercise is stress relief. Working up a sweat can help manage physical and mental stress. Exercise also increases concentrations of norepinephrine, a chemical that can moderate the brain’s response to stress. So go ahead and get sweaty — working out can reduce stress and boost the body’s ability to deal with existing mental tension. Win-win!

2. Boost Happy Chemicals
Slogging through a few miles on the ‘mill can be tough, but it’s worth the effort! Exercise releases endorphins, which create feelings of happiness and euphoria. Studies have shown that exercise can even alleviate symptoms among the clinically depressed. For this reason, docs recommend that people suffering from depression or anxiety (or those who are just feeling blue) pencil in plenty of gym time. In some cases, exercise can be just as effective as antidepressant pills in treating depression. Don’t worry if you’re not exactly the gym rat type — getting a happy buzz from working out for just 30 minutes a few times a week can instantly boost overall mood.

3. Improve Self-Confidence
Hop on the treadmill to look (and more importantly, feel) like a million bucks. On a very basic level, physical fitness can boost self-esteem and improve positive self-image. Regardless of weight, size, gender or age, exercise can quickly elevate a person’s perception of his or her attractiveness, that is, self-worth. How’s that for feeling the (self) love?

4. Enjoy The Great Outdoors
For an extra boost of self-love, take that workout outside. Exercising in the great outdoors can increase self-esteem even more. Find an outdoor workout that fits your style, whether it’s rock-climbing, hiking, renting a canoe or just taking a jog in the park. Plus, all that Vitamin D acquired from soaking up the sun (while wearing sunscreen, of course!) can lessen the likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms. Why book a spa day when a little fresh air and sunshine (and exercise) can work wonders for self-confidence and happiness?

5. Prevent Cognitive Decline
It’s unpleasant, but it’s true — as we get older, our brains get a little… hazy. As aging and degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s kill off brain cells, the noggin actually shrinks, losing many important brain functions in the process. While exercise and a healthy diet can’t “cure” Alzheimer’s, they can help shore up the brain against cognitive decline that begins after age 45 Working out, especially between age 25 and 45, boosts the chemicals in the brain that support and prevent degeneration of the hippocampus, an important part of the brain for memory and learning.

6. Alleviate Anxiety
Quick Q&A: Which is better at relieving anxiety — a warm bubble bath or a 20-minute jog? You might be surprised at the answer. The warm and fuzzy chemicals that are released during and after exercise can help people with anxiety disorders calm down. Hopping on the track or treadmill for some moderate-to-high intensity aerobic exercise (intervals, anyone?) can reduce anxiety sensitivity. And we thought intervals were just a good way to burn calories!

7. Boost Brainpower
Those buff lab rats might be smarter than we think. Various studies on mice and men have shown that cardiovascular exercise can create new brain cells (aka neurogenesis) and improve overall brain performance. Ready to apply for a Nobel Prize? Studies suggest that a tough workout increases levels of a brain-derived protein (known as BDNF) in the body, believed to help with decision making, higher thinking and learning. Smarty (spandex) pants, indeed.

8. Sharpen Memory
Get ready to win big at Go Fish. Regular physical activity boosts memory and ability to learn new things. Getting sweaty increases production of cells in hippocampus responsible for memory and learning. For this reason, research has linked children’s brain development with level of physical fitness (take that, recess haters!). But exercise-based brainpower isn’t just for kids. Even if it’s not as fun as a game of Red Rover, working out can boost memory among grown-ups, too. A study showed that running sprints improved vocabulary retention among healthy adults.

9. Help Control Addiction
The brain releases dopamine, the “reward chemical” in response to any form of pleasure, be that exercise, sex, drugs, alcohol or food. Unfortunately, some people become addicted to dopamine and dependent on the substances that produce it, like drugs or alcohol (and more rarely, food and sex). On the bright side, exercise can help in addiction recovery. Short exercise sessions can also effectively distract drug or alcohol addicts, making them de-prioritize cravings (at least in the short term). Working out when on the wagon has other benefits, too. Alcohol abuse disrupts many body processes, including circadian rhythms. As a result, alcoholics find they can’t fall asleep (or stay asleep) without drinking. Exercise can help reboot the body clock, helping people hit the hay at the right time.

10. Increase Relaxation
Ever hit the hay after a long run or weight session at the gym? For some, a moderate workout can be the equivalent of a sleeping pill, even for people with insomnia. Moving around five to six hours before bedtime raises the body’s core temperature. When the body temp drops back to normal a few hours later, it signals the body that it’s time to sleep.

11. Get More Done
Feeling uninspired in the cubicle? The solution might be just a short walk or jog away. Research shows that workers who take time for exercise on a regular basis are more productive and have more energy than their more sedentary peers. While busy schedules can make it tough to squeeze in a gym session in the middle of the day, some experts believe that midday is the ideal time for a workout due to the body’s circadian rhythms.

12. Tap Into Creativity
Most people end a tough workout with a hot shower, but maybe we should be breaking out the colored pencils instead. A heart-pumping gym session can boost creativity for up to two hours afterwards. Supercharge post-workout inspiration by exercising outdoors and interacting with nature (see benefit #4). Next time you need a burst of creative thinking, hit the trails for a long walk or run to refresh the body and the brain at the same time.

13. Inspire Others
Whether it’s a pick-up game of soccer, a group class at the gym, or just a run with a friend, exercise rarely happens in a bubble. And that’s good news for all of us. Studies show that most people perform better on aerobic tests when paired up with a workout buddy. Pin it to inspiration or good old-fashioned competition, nobody wants to let the other person down. In fact, being part of a team is so powerful that it can actually raise athletes’ tolerances for pain. Even fitness beginners can inspire each other to push harder during a sweat session, so find a workout buddy and get moving!