Nutrition Fitness Life » exercise

Understanding Yoga for Relaxation

Keira — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 06:14:50 +0000

If you are looking for ways to help yourself relax, and reading a book simply isn't doing it, then you may want to consider the concept behind Yoga for Relaxation. The purpose behind the Yoga for Relaxation concept is to get mental peace following a number of yoga poses or asanas that are designed specifically to provide mental peace and relaxation to the person doing them. The Yoga for Relaxation asanas that are listed below will bring you a significant level of mental peace and they will help you to feel healthier and even more energized after having only practiced for a few hours in sum.

One may decide to practice this list of Yoga for Relaxation asanas at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the day. These exercises are going to seem to be really easy at first, but the truth is, when you follow them rigorously, they are going to be quite difficult to master because they require that you consciously release all of the tension in all of the muscles inside your body. The muscles may simply appear to be relaxed completely, but in fact, they are likely still quite tight and in need of a release. Even when you sleep, achieving complete comfort is an elusive concept.

Constant abnormalities in our posture can exert strain on the muscles in our back, providing these vital muscles very little solace in our traditional poses. This is why the exercises involved in achieving Yoga for Relaxation prove to be so relaxing to your spine and your related muscular structures as well. The primary aim of the listed asanas or poses is to help every single bit of muscle in the body relax, providing these important muscles with as much repose as possible.

If you feel uncomfortable with these Yoga for Relaxation asanas, know that as your muscles relax, you will feel more comfort over time. If you have spinal problems, then these asanas, with time, will provide you with a great amount of solace. All of the asanas will generally follow a fixed, certain amount of time, but these are asanas that can be practiced virtually any time as needed. There are five poses that fall into the Yoga for Relaxation asana series. Each asana can be learned separately and then added into your Yoga for Relaxation routine as needed in order to relax all of the muscles in your body. The asanas that fall into this category of yoga are:

The Corpse Pose
The Superior Posture
The Flapping Fish
The Reversed Corpse
The Crocodile Pose

Make sure that you are using good form when practicing each asana, otherwise your body will not benefit from the relaxing nature of the posture.

Photo credits: myyogaonline

Originally posted 2009-08-26 03:59:42. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Learning Proper Pilates Breathing

Keira — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 01:32:45 +0000

Correct breathing is absolutely vital when it comes to making sure that you are getting a good flow of oxygen into your lungs. Life-giving oxygen is capable of cleansing the blood stream while energizing your entire body. As babies we are capable of breathing naturally and correctly, as we age throughout our lives we end up developing poor breathing habits or incorrect breathing habits that take this natural breathing away from us. The correct technique can luckily be learned and mastered as we get older as long as we are willing to exhibit a little patience.

There are numerous benefits associated with correct breathing. The breath is what we life on, it is the very stuff of our lives, and there are many different benefits that can be gained by learning how to properly breathe. Some of these benefits are:

Breathing properly can cleanse our bloodstream,
Breathing properly can allow our energy levels to increase naturally,
Breathing properly can carry valuable vitamins and nutrients to all of the vital tissues in our bodies,
Breathing properly can energize our organs as well as our muscles and other vital tissues in the body,
Breathing properly can help us to exercise in a more efficient way, which benefits our entire body and overall health,
Breathing properly can help aid in the smooth movements of our bodies,
Breathing properly can help us to think more clearly and remember things more clearly,
Breathing properly can enhance our muscle control.

Rhythmic Breathing

When you inhale, you are bringing oxygen into your lungs. The act of breathing is also responsible for circulating blood all around the body. When you exhale, then, you expel out stale air as well as carbon dioxide and other gases. If you hold your breath while you are exerting physical effort in any way, then the carbon dioxide remains in your lungs and it accumulates in the body in such a way that it allows the muscles and other vital tissues in the body to become weakened. Holding the breath is also capable of negatively increasing the blood pressure, which can make you feel tense and also can waste your energy in bad ways. For this reason, it is vitally important that your breathing be rhythmic and continuous, especially during exercise.

Shallow Breathing

Many people are not breathing deeply enough, but rather are only breathing into their upper chest and they are not getting enough oxygen into the depths of their lungs. It is vitally important that you learn how to breathe deeply in order for you to fill your lungs, ensuring that your body is getting enough oxygen that your body can be energized and purified properly. Pilates and other exercises like yoga can help us with this, by teaching us how to breathe more deeply and more fully with every breath.

Photo Credits: myyogaonline

Originally posted 2009-08-05 03:15:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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The benefit: You will be incorporating yoga props into your workout in just a few seconds, but the benefits will be enormous when it comes to good health and wellness. These yoga props will add comfort and will improve your workouts in numerous ways.

Photo Credits: stephcarter

Originally posted 2009-10-09 03:45:49. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Yoga for Busy People Too!

Keira — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 22:46:54 +0000

Do you think you are too busy to exercise? Can't fit in a lengthy yoga session every morning? Don't worry, there is yoga for busy people too. Here is a quick and easy yoga sequence that you can do at home, in the office at lunch or whenever you need to on the go. With a quick, simple and easy workout, there is no excuse not to fit some yoga for busy people into your life.

1 - Kapalabhati - This is a breathing technique that is used for cleansing. Learn this breathing technique if you want to cleanse your air ways and open up your breathing, increasing your energy and your wellness in the process.

2 -Easy Pose, also known as Sukhasana - This is a classic meditative pose that is typically performed after corpse pose, though it also fits in well at the beginning of a yoga sequence. It will straighten your spin, slow down your metabolism for calmness, promote inner tranquility and keep your mind feeling still and satisfied.

3 -Cat Pose, also known as Bidalasana - This pose teaches you to initiate some movement from the center of your body and to coordinate your breath with your movement. These are two vital themes in any yoga practice.

4 -Dog Pose, also known as Adho Mukha Shvanasana - This pose improves spinal flexibility while stretching the hips and the middle back and low back, rejuvenating your body and helping to prevent future back problems in the process.

5 - Double Leg Raises - This is similar to a single leg raise but you raise both legs against the wall. The full length of your back should be resting on the floor with shoulders and neck relaxed completely.

6 - Half Spinal Twist, also known as Ardha Matsyendrasana - If you do this pose properly, it will lengthen and strengthen your spine. This pose also happens to be beneficial for your liver, your kidney and your adrenal glands as well.

7 - Locust Pose, also known as Salabhasana - This pose mainly targets your lower back, strengthening your abdominal muscles, your arms and your legs at the same time. This pose also generally entails rapidly moving unlike most poses in yoga.

8 - Wind Relieving Pose, also known as Pavanamuktasana - This pose works primarily on your body's digestive system, helping to eliminate excess gas from within your stomach.

9 - The Corpse Pose, also known as Savasana - This is considered to be a classic pose for relaxation and can be practiced as a final relaxation as well as in between other asanas. It looks simple but is actually a tricky one to perform.

There are hundreds of asanas for you to learn. When it comes to yoga for busy people, the best thing that you can do is find the ones that generate the best results for you and work them into your day whenever possible.

Photo credits: GraceD

Originally posted 2009-09-03 03:39:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Back to Basics 101: Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercises

Susan — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 20:36:24 +0000

Sometimes it's good to review exactly what goes on inside your body when you exercise. You might gain some insight on how to approach your workouts, and that will just give you an extra edge to becoming fitter! So, let's go back to the basics and review the differences between aerobic and anaerobic exercises. What have we got to lose, except for maybe some body fat!

Aerobic means “with oxygen.” When you exercise aerobically, your breathing and heart rate increase, and your muscle cells demand a steady flow of oxygen. The oxygen is used to convert fat into energy. Glucose and protein can also be used as energy sources, but steady, moderate aerobic exercise actually encourages the use of fats for fuel. Regular aerobic exercise is going to train your body to become better at burning fat, something we all like!

Good examples of aerobic activities:

Jogging
Power walking
Cycling
Elliptical trainer
Cross-country skiing
Rowing machine
Dancing

For an exercise to be aerobic, you need to:

Use the larger muscles of the body
Exercise at a steady, nonstop, moderate effort
Go for an extended period of time
Keep your heart rate elevated.

Anaerobic exercise is just the opposite; it means “without oxygen.” This kind of exercise is usually of short duration and high intensity. Oxygen isn’t used in converting fat into energy. In fact, cellular demand of oxygen often exceeds the supply, so fat is not as readily burned. Instead glucose, an easy to use source of fuel, is used and is taken right from the blood stream or from glycogen that is stored in the muscles.

The beak down of glucose produces energy but also lactic acid. The build up of lactic acid is that burning sensation we feel when we push a muscle to work at a high intensity. Lactic acid build up is also the reason why we can only do so much of an anaerobic activity before our muscles feel like JELL-O and can’t move!

The body’s anaerobic method for producing energy is important for short periods of intense exertion, like running sprints.

More examples of anaerobic exercises are:

Weight lifting
200 or 400-meter run
Speed skating
Baseball
Football
Volleyball
Tennis
100-Meter Swim

Activities that incorporate the anaerobic energy system push specific muscles to adapt and become stronger and/or faster.

Which is better? That depends on your goals. If your goal is to shed body fat, you will want to make sure you include regular aerobic activities. If you want to build and sculpt muscle, or work on increasing your speed in a particular sport, you will want to focus on anaerobic exercises.

That being said, please note that both aerobic and anaerobic exercises are important for increased health, fitness, and even better body balance. A wise approach is to include aerobic and anaerobic exercises as part of your fitness/weight loss plan.

This article was also featured in the Weight Management and Fitness Forum 5th Edition.

Originally posted 2007-11-05 08:00:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Yoga Classes for Pregnant Women

Keira — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 19:05:03 +0000

Yoga asanas are exercises that involve moving the body and then holding it in different types of positions. Yoga classes for pregnant women are a great way for women to improve their health during pregnancy, improving their pregnancy experience, creating a smoother childbirth and even helping to keep their children healthy inside as well. There are several different postures that work absolute wonders when it comes to the health of pregnant women. These postures and exercises are employed in a number of different Yoga classes for pregnant women which can be found all over the world. If you are serious about looking to see what Yoga classes for pregnant women have to offer, consider the following benefits of how Yoga classes for pregnant women can help the pregnant women stay in good health.

Yoga classes for pregnant women help to relieve edema or fluid retention as well as cramping, both of which are extremely common ailments during the past months of the pregnancy.
Yoga classes for pregnant women can help to influence the proper position of the baby, turning the baby into the right position in advance when it is needed.
Yoga classes for pregnant women can strengthen and massage the abdomen, helping to stimulate appetite and bowel action.
Yoga classes for pregnant women can help to raise the level of energy while slowing the metabolism so that calm and focus can be restored and maintained.
Yoga classes for pregnant women can help to reduce nausea, mood swings and morning sickness, especially when used in combination with yogic breathing or Pranayama.
Yoga classes for pregnant women can help to relieve the tension built up around the cervix as well as around the birth canal in order to make for a healthier and smoother delivery of the baby.
Yoga classes for pregnant women can help to focus on the opening up of the pelvis in order to ensure that the labor process is quick, gentle and easy.

When it comes to post natal care, pregnancy yoga can also be beneficial in a number of ways, including:

Yoga classes for pregnant women can help to restore the uterus, the abdomen and also the pelvic floor following childbirth.
Yoga classes for pregnant women can help to relieve any upper back tension and any breast discomfort associated with the mother after birth.

With all of these great benefits, there really should be no surprise that Yoga classes for pregnant women are quick becoming a vitally popular way for women to stay healthy during and after their pregnancies.

Photo Credits: John Carleton

Originally posted 2009-08-28 03:10:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Benefits of Weight Lifting for Women

Keira — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:09:34 +0000

Many people ask questions about weight lifting for women, because they are not sure about whether or not it is the right course of action for a woman that is looking to lose weight or to get healthy. Many people think that weight lifting for women is the same as weight lifting for men, in that the woman would bulk up unnecessarily, and so they avoid the concept of weight lifting for women all together.

Luckily, this is a big giant myth!

The truth about weight lifting for women is this:

While you are on a weight lifting regimen, the right type of hormone is required if you want to bulk up. This hormone is testosterone. The testosterone level in a woman is much lower than the level in a man, and so in many if not all cases, the woman is not even physically capable of building up large muscles even if she tried.

In fact, because muscles require less room than fat does, when women strength train, they tend to actually lose inches rather than gaining them. So not only are there a number of physical benefits such as an increase in the metabolism, a decrease in the risk of osteoporosis, an increase in strength and so on, weight lifting for women will actually help a woman to slim down as well.

Women are much more likely to actually tone up from the process of strength training than to bulk up. Research has shown for a long time now that women can add 30% lean muscle or more to their bodies and still end up looking much thinner, feeling much stronger and appearing much firmer than ever before. So you could add 30% more lean muscle to your body and still look beautiful and feminine, rather than bulky.

Our society and the pop culture in our country associates training with weights, even weight lifting for women to having oversized muscles - But really, it takes significantly more work to achieve those muscles than simply training using weights. Training using weights is the foundation for strong bodies and strong muscles, not bulk.

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Originally posted 2009-10-07 03:30:34. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Exercising With a Cold – Is It OK?

Susan — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 04:34:42 +0000

I hate colds! They put such a damper on daily activities. I'm experiencing the joyful symptoms of one right now. I’ve got an itchy, sneezing, runny nose, and my head feels like it's stuffed with cotton. But I’m drinking my fluids and taking cold medicine.

The question is: Can I still continue my workouts? This is a common question that I feel doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all answer. A lot depends on how the individual feels.

If you’ve got a sneezy, runny nose and feel pretty decent, exercising is probably fine. You should take it easy, though. Do lighter workouts until your cold is gone. Remember, your body is using energy to fight off the cold. You need to let it focus on that task.

However, the following symptoms are red flags:

Fever
Chills
Muscle aches
Feeling rundown/very tired
Coughing a lot
Swollen lymph glands

If you have any of these symptoms, you need to take a break from exercising until you are fully recovered. You probably won't even feel like exercising with these symptoms anyway, and pushing yourself can actually cause more harm than good. You would not increase your fitness at this point; you’d just cause your body to become even more rundown.

The point is to listen to your body. If you feel under the weather, take a break from exercising. You'll recover quicker and be back to your regular exercise routine in no time!

As for me, I plan on taking it easy the next day or two with my workouts. I think I have a very good excuse to sleep in tomorrow and take advantage of curling under some big, warm blankets!

Photo credit: lusi

Originally posted 2007-11-20 08:00:56. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Finding Harmony with Hatha Yoga

Keira — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 04:08:41 +0000

There are many different forms of yoga, but one of the most commonly practiced types of yoga in the West is known as Hatha Yoga. Hatha yoga is designed to concentrate on not only the physical body, but also the way toward finding self realization. What Hatha yoga teaches us is that we can gain control over our bodies in order to gain control over our minds.

Yoga is sort of like a magical fitness program that is capable of doing more than helping us lose weight. It also helps us to balance our emotions, to sharpen our intellect and to bring about peace of mind as well. The attention that is paid to the physical body with an emphasis on the postures or asanas is what makes Hatha yoga such a popular part of our world culture. You do not have to be a spiritual person in order to be capable of practicing yoga. Instead what you can do is to begin with the Hatha yoga asanas or poses and then just see where they end up leading you.

If you make the decision to practice Hatha yoga regularly, not only is your body going to respond by becoming more flexible, but your mind is going to become more flexible as well. As we open our minds up to the concepts of Hatha yoga and the philosophies surrounding the spiritual practice, we become much more open to the possibilities in our lives. We learn how to let go of the past, and we learn what it will finally take for us to let all of the baggage go behind us. Resistances will then break down in such a way that new energies will be allowed to flow into these open spaces. Ultimately, by exercising discipline, patience and practice, we will see more benefits in our lives than just fitness.

Hatha Yoga is derived from the Japanese words Ha and Tha, which mean Sun and Moon respectively.

Hatha yoga is designed to emphasize the balance between opposing forces within the body, such as the masculine energy in the body, the sun, and the feminine energy in the body, the moon, as well as left and right, exhalation and inhalation, sadness and joy and so on and so forth. By balancing these opposing forces, it is believed that we can restore our body to a much more natural equilibrium.

This form of yoga involves forward bends that are chased by backward bends, standing postures followed by inversions, contractions followed by expansions and movements to the right followed by movements toward the left, each with an opposite, each with a need for balance and harmony. Men and women alike can benefit from this unique form of yoga, which does not have to be spiritual at all, but which can be largely rewarding simply by harmonizing the body the way it is meant to be.

Photo Credits: myyogaonline

Originally posted 2009-08-07 03:22:49. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Exercise Options for Pregnant Women

Keira — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 03:33:42 +0000

Although pregnancy exercise is a natural and healthy thing, when you are pregnant you should not be starting any strenuous or stressful routine for exercise. Still, remaining fit during your pregnancy is going to help you keep your healthy weight during your pregnancy while simultaneously offering additional benefits:

The reduction of fatigue,
The reduction of backache,
The reduction of leg cramps,
The reduction of issues relating to shortness of breath,
Assistance with delivery,
Assistance in post-partum recovery.

There are a number of simple exercises that you can do while you are pregnant that will help to increase your strength and over all well being including riding a stationary bicycle, low impact types of aerobics, swimming, walking, bicycling and even yoga.

One of the main reasons for why pregnancy exercise is so important is because it is capable of helping you to avoid many of the discomforts that pregnancy normally brings about. Not all types of exercise are going to be safe for you to do while you are pregnant, however. There are three different exercises that you may want to consider that are offered by Pregnancy without Pounds, a group that creates exercise routines that are specifically designed to suit pregnant women. They offer simple to follow exercise routines that are designed to target the muscles that naturally become weakened as the belly grows around your baby. The stretches and the exercises offer clear and concise descriptions and instructions to walk you through each and every exercise the right way.

There are three different pregnancy exercise routines worth checking out, the Tired Mama routine, the Moderate Mama routine and the Fit Manana routine. If you are not already in really good shape before you become pregnant, then now is not going to be a good time for you to challenge yourself too much. If you are in poor shape, check out the Tired Mama routine, which encourages two to three exercise sessions per week with stretching and light cardio in just the right combination.

The Tired Mama pregnancy exercise routine will also help you strengthen the muscles in your abdomen so that you can relieve issues relating to back pain during your pregnancy. Tired Mama will help you build up your strength, flexibility, cardio capabilities and tolerances slowly and safely. You can slowly lengthen the exercises that you do, going from two or three days a week to four or five days a week as desired. When you are ready for a more challenging workout, and with the go-ahead from your physician, you can move to Moderate Mama and then Fit Mama as you go along.

It is vitally important that you be safe while conducting pregnancy exercise. Overdoing it can set you back quite a bit of you are not careful. Getting healthy and in shape during your pregnancy is a smart move but only if you play it safe.

Photo Credits: Iuri Fernandes

Originally posted 2009-07-20 14:29:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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