Yoga For Computer Users
By Sachin
Many computer users around the world face the problem of back pain. Having your back against the wall usually means you're in trouble. But for certain yoga positions, having your back firmly against a wall will aid health.In Hatha Yoga, the practitioner forms what Swami Gitananda calls body geometry--triangles, straight lines, circles and parallel lines. When you do a posture, always stretch your body to its utmost limit and then hold it there for a slow count of 10, gradually building up the time, until each posture can be maintained for 30 seconds. Holding a posture is essential to yoga because it gives the body a chance to settle into the stretch and loosen up. Then each time you stretch it will be just that little bit farther. Many of the sideways, or lateral, stretches in Hatha Yoga require that the body face forward, with hips level and back and spine tilting neither forward nor back. Beginners tend to lean forward to increase the stretch. But leaning forward is wrong and will actually detract from benefits and possibly cause harm. To perform these stretches properly, make sure to keep your spine firmly against a wall. The wall acts as a prop. Even those who have practiced yoga may find that they cannot bend as far as they thought they could when they do the postures properly. The extra time spent in forming careful postures will pay off: Your body will gain excellent flexibility and strength.Some of the useful asanas are:The Diamond Posture (Vajrasana)Kneel on a thick carpet or blanket with your knees close together. Sit back on your heels and stretch up from your hips, balancing your head well so that a line drawn through ear, shoulder, elbow and hip would be straight. You should sit up in this posture for greatest benefits.The Locust (Salabhasana)Most yoga students are familiar with this posture. Lie flat, face down, chin on floor. Make your hands into fists and push them either under your thighs to help the lift, or place them alongside your body. Exhale and lift legs from your hips, tightening your buttocks and stretching your legs up and back. Hold position for as long as possible, exhale, return to starting posture and repeat.The Dog Stretch (Adho mukha svanasana) Lie face down, legs stretched back, buttocks tightened and knees pulled back. Place hands just below shoulders, exhale and lift head, then chest, shoulders and torso, pushing down from your pelvis and straightening your arms. From the back of your head to your tailbone, your body should be curved back. Push shoulders back and down. Push head back more. Stay like this as long as possible with normal breathing. Come down very slowly, and relax.The Twist (Bhardwajasana) Kneel on the floor and sit back, bringing both feet to the right of your hips. Straighten your right arm, bring it across your body and turn to the left. Place your hand, palm down under your left knee. Exhale, turn your body more to the left and clasp your right elbow with your left hand, from the back. Turn your head and gaze over your right shoulder. Fold position for a few breaths and then twist and look back over your left shoulder. Shoulders should be at right angles to the body. Come back to starting position and repeat on other side. You should do this posture once every hour if you have lower back pain.
If you would like an introduction to yoga and would like a beginner's program/plan, Leslie Sansone's You Can Do Yoga dvd is a great start. Read the description at myfitness24-7.com
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
CORE FITNESS
By Paul Wolbers You rely on your body to get get out of bed, to lift your children, to perform your job and to take you places everyday. If you appreciate what your body does for you, you will provide it with nutritious food, hydrate with water and be sure to add some activity into your day. While our limbs provide mobility, reach and strength it is our body core that provides the basis of each movement. Sedentary lives can cause our body core muscles to weaken and become subject to strain or injury. Even if you workout or participate in sports you may not be working the body core muscles you rely on to perform. What is your body's "Core"? Your body core is the midsection of your body, from your groin to your shoulders. The core includes the pelvis, abs, back and chest muscles. It is this core that offers stability, balance and flexibility. Every movement you make originates in the core - whether you are reaching for your toothbrush or running a marathon. If the core is not properly conditioned it will limit your physical abilities. Working the muscles in your body core will improve the effectiveness of movements in your limbs. Most exercise routines focus on building muscle. By creating a stable, strong base for those muscles you can optimize the strength and flexibility of each limb. How do you strengthen your Core? There are many exercise routines and products that work the muscles of the body core. Professional trainers create customized routines to enhance an athlete's abilities by developing the proper core muscles. However, there are also many programs developed for individuals who wish to incorporate it into their fitness routine or to begin one. The exercises and products developed to strengthen your body core do so by creating resistance or instability so that the core muscles must respond to maintain balance. The exercises are gentle on the body but are intense and beginners will quickly 'feel' the muscles being used. Proper alignment is key so having a trainer to check your position will help identify the safest and most effective way to perform an exercise. Body core exercises often imitate moves that we employ in daily life or sports and thus train the body to rely on the core and reduce the strain we put on our limbs. Two popular forms of exercise that develop core body strength are Pilates and the Swiss ball. Pilates uses the body as its own form of resistance. Learning to breath properly and perform slow, controlled movements allows a person to isolate and strengthen core muscles. The Swiss ball (also known as a Fitness ball) is an easy and fun way to strengthen the body core. While there are many exercises that can be performed with the Swiss ball, simply sitting on it will create the instability needed to engage the core muscles to maintain balance. Good core strength is important at every age and fitness level. Whatever your goals, find a way to incorporate body core conditioning into your routine to reduce fatigue, avoid muscle strain and improve your strength and mobility.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Stretching And Weight Loss
Cecelia Tiemann, D.C.
If you are trying to lose weight, stretching should be part of the process. There is nothing like getting started with weight loss exercises and feeling that dull ache running through your body or feeling sluggish. If you are even slightly overweight, exercising is hard work and it is quite taxing on your body as well as your mind. One way that you can improve the way that exercise affects your body is to stretch before and after each of the workouts that you do. While stretching itself won’t allow you to actually lose weight, it prepares your body for all that is to come later. That’s what you need to take into consideration. Stretch before you get started with your workout. Work on stretching each of your muscle groups and taking all of your joints from the head down through the range of motion, if possible. Relax as you do this and allow for your body to really feel the stretching happening. When this happens, you will fully awaken your body so that it can experience the full benefit of the workout that is to come. In addition, you’ll be able to provide your body with the best protection from injury later on. Once you have safely, slowly and actively stretched each muscle in your body, you can begin your workout. After you have completed your workout, it is time to begin stretching again. Why should you stretch now? The stretching that you do before you workout allows your body to be prepared and to avoid injury. The stretching that you will be doing now helps your body to begin to repair the muscles and also helps you to be less sore tomorrow (lactic acid which can cause soreness is dispersed). By stretching now, you allow your body to cool down and to come to terms what the routine that you just did, already starting to heal. Stretching in this manner allows you to feel good before, during and after your workout. Not only do you get more from that workout because you did the stretching, but you also keep yourself from being hurt along the way. This optimizes your workout and leaves you encouraged and motivated to continue working out in the days ahead. Its a good thing since this will also optimize your weight loss program. Its a great vicious cycle, for once, the more you optimize your workout, the more weight loss you will experience, not to mention the emotional and psychological rewards! Visit our exercise DVD store at myfitness24-7.com and choose some of the fun exercise and stretching programs. You might as well have fun in the process of exercising and losing weight.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Me and Pilates, So What’s The Deal?
By C. Tiemann, D.C.
I first read about Pilates in a magazine article in 1995. What caught my attention to this form of exercise was the promise of stretching, lengthening and firming muscles. To me that meant body shaping and better posture. In those days, it was difficult to find videos
and clubs that offered the exercise. I finally found a trainer and former dancer that had just moved into the area and had learned Pilates in New York. Within six weeks my body was noticeably leaner and shapelier. What amazed me the most was the muscular strength and coordination I had also developed. I was significantly stronger, yet my muscles were leaner. I found myself doing heavy work around the house, just because I could.
It also seemed that I had become acutely aware of how my body moved, what muscles I was recruiting and best of all, whether I was moving correctly to prevent injury.
I was using correct biomechanics in all my movements throughout the day.
In 1997 I was involved in a serious auto accident which resulted in damage to all the discs in my lower back and a nerve in my right leg. I looked for a physical therapist that was trained in Pilates and could not find one. While I found one that knew about Pilates, she was not as knowledgeable as the trainer I had workout with in 1995. Since I was not successful this time at finding another Pilates trainer, I ordered videos from the Physicalmind Institute which was located in New Mexico at that time (it is now in New York). With the help of books, videos and what I had learned previously, I performed the Pilates exercises. Again, the exercises did their magic and I was able to finally rehabilitate myself from the injuries.
While Pilates is a fantastic form of exercise, I do not work up a sweat and need to add cardiovascular exercises to my exercise program such as brisk walking, Tae Bo, circuit training, etc.
If you embark on an exercise program and are thinking of Pilates, this is a great choice and I highly recommend it. However, mix in another more dynamic form of cardiovascular exercise such as aerobics, kickboxing or dancing. If you have any injuries or a physical condition, seek professional advice before beginning any exercise program.
Today’s healthcare professionals are familiar with Pilates and will often prescribe it for rehabilitation of musculoskeletal conditions.
There are now many Pilates DVDs where you can learn the exercises and get a good workout. These are available at myfitness24-7.com and you can click here http://www.myfitness24-7.com/category/155411 to view these.
By C. Tiemann, D.C.
I first read about Pilates in a magazine article in 1995. What caught my attention to this form of exercise was the promise of stretching, lengthening and firming muscles. To me that meant body shaping and better posture. In those days, it was difficult to find videos
and clubs that offered the exercise. I finally found a trainer and former dancer that had just moved into the area and had learned Pilates in New York. Within six weeks my body was noticeably leaner and shapelier. What amazed me the most was the muscular strength and coordination I had also developed. I was significantly stronger, yet my muscles were leaner. I found myself doing heavy work around the house, just because I could.
It also seemed that I had become acutely aware of how my body moved, what muscles I was recruiting and best of all, whether I was moving correctly to prevent injury.
I was using correct biomechanics in all my movements throughout the day.
In 1997 I was involved in a serious auto accident which resulted in damage to all the discs in my lower back and a nerve in my right leg. I looked for a physical therapist that was trained in Pilates and could not find one. While I found one that knew about Pilates, she was not as knowledgeable as the trainer I had workout with in 1995. Since I was not successful this time at finding another Pilates trainer, I ordered videos from the Physicalmind Institute which was located in New Mexico at that time (it is now in New York). With the help of books, videos and what I had learned previously, I performed the Pilates exercises. Again, the exercises did their magic and I was able to finally rehabilitate myself from the injuries.
While Pilates is a fantastic form of exercise, I do not work up a sweat and need to add cardiovascular exercises to my exercise program such as brisk walking, Tae Bo, circuit training, etc.
If you embark on an exercise program and are thinking of Pilates, this is a great choice and I highly recommend it. However, mix in another more dynamic form of cardiovascular exercise such as aerobics, kickboxing or dancing. If you have any injuries or a physical condition, seek professional advice before beginning any exercise program.
Today’s healthcare professionals are familiar with Pilates and will often prescribe it for rehabilitation of musculoskeletal conditions.
There are now many Pilates DVDs where you can learn the exercises and get a good workout. These are available at myfitness24-7.com and you can click here http://www.myfitness24-7.com/category/155411 to view these.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
GET ENERGIZED BY DOING NOTHING
This is not a typo. According to Paul Chek from the C.H.E.K Institute, you can actually become as strong as an oak tree by doing “nothing”. In his book, How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy! Paul discusses Yiquan and the Nature of Energy – The fine art of doing nothing and achieving everything as described by Master Fong Ha, famous Tai Chi and Qigong expert. Paul explains that “aging can be seen ultimately as a decline in the life force of vitality, with death the end point of this decline, and since disciplines like Yiquan (standing meditation) work directly to cultivate vitality, they might well prove to be among the most valuable resources available to us as we strive for the longest, most vital lives possible.” Yiquan or standing meditation does not require any special equipment and can be performed anywhere. It is very simple to do. Following are the instructions:
1. Stand with good posture with your knees unlocked, feet parallel to each other and about hip width apart.
2. Comfortably lengthen your spine to make yourself taller. (Do this by drawing your belly button toward your spine, tuck your chin slightly, relax the shoulders and arms and let the shoulders roll back slightly instead of forward.)
3. Check to see that you are correctly positioned with your ear, shoulder, hip joint, knee and ankle should line up when viewed from the side.
4. You should feel balanced on both feet.
5. Check to see that your tongue is resting on the roof of your mouth just behind your front teeth. (You can confirm this by swallowing as the tongue will go where it belongs.) Keep the tongue relaxed at all times.
6. Let your arms hang at your side. Make sure they are completely relaxed.
7. Now, pretend that you are holding a big bubble (full of life force/energy) about the size of a basketball right in front of your lower abdomen/pelvis region. You should feel and imagine the big bubble being half in and half out of your body.
8. Change the size and location of the bubble moving it up and down the body to wherever you like, remembering to keep half the bubble in your body.
9. During this standing meditation breathe in through your nose and out through your nose or mouth. Breathe deep, slow, rhythmical and relaxed, never forced.
10. Make sure that when breathing your belly expands as you breathe in, allowing your diaphragm room to drop down and pull air into the bottom of your lungs.
You will find that as you are doing “nothing” your mind will wander. You will find yourself thinking about many things in your life especially the stressors. Stay relaxed and simply observe these thoughts as if you were watching a movie. Each time one of these thoughts presents itself, gently guide your mind back to that quiet place. If your mind does not want to cooperate, count your breaths so you can focus on something that is not stressful. This will allow you to expand, get lighter, have deeper and more relaxed breathing and feel energized.
Should your body get tired of standing while doing “nothing”, you can sit and continue the meditation but continue to stay aligned as before. Stand up again when you feel rested. Strive to do “nothing” for 30 minutes a day. An hour a day is even better.
Most people have reported some of these changes after doing “nothing” for 100 hours (over a period of time):
o Improved sense of awareness
o Improved mental clarity
o Improved energy
o Improved athletic ability
o Disappearance of chronic ailments
o Tighter and more youthful looking skin
o Brighter eyes
o An increased ability to sense other people’s feelings and thoughts.
You might shake. When doing “nothing” correctly, your body will increase its Chi (energy) reserves. It is believed that this is life force energy and it contains all the wisdom and knowledge in the Universe. As Chi builds in your body, it will find areas where you have blockages to Chi flow and will try to work through the resistance. This is when you might experience shaking in your body. You might feel shaking in your leg, lower back, your shoulder or arm, maybe even an internal organ(s). You must not let this frighten you because this means your body is healing, getting stronger and more complete so your soul can express itself through a more perfect body. Can you believe it, all this from doing “nothing”! So, the next time you are feeling stressed, burned out and don’t feel like working out at all----do “nothing”.
This is not a typo. According to Paul Chek from the C.H.E.K Institute, you can actually become as strong as an oak tree by doing “nothing”. In his book, How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy! Paul discusses Yiquan and the Nature of Energy – The fine art of doing nothing and achieving everything as described by Master Fong Ha, famous Tai Chi and Qigong expert. Paul explains that “aging can be seen ultimately as a decline in the life force of vitality, with death the end point of this decline, and since disciplines like Yiquan (standing meditation) work directly to cultivate vitality, they might well prove to be among the most valuable resources available to us as we strive for the longest, most vital lives possible.” Yiquan or standing meditation does not require any special equipment and can be performed anywhere. It is very simple to do. Following are the instructions:
1. Stand with good posture with your knees unlocked, feet parallel to each other and about hip width apart.
2. Comfortably lengthen your spine to make yourself taller. (Do this by drawing your belly button toward your spine, tuck your chin slightly, relax the shoulders and arms and let the shoulders roll back slightly instead of forward.)
3. Check to see that you are correctly positioned with your ear, shoulder, hip joint, knee and ankle should line up when viewed from the side.
4. You should feel balanced on both feet.
5. Check to see that your tongue is resting on the roof of your mouth just behind your front teeth. (You can confirm this by swallowing as the tongue will go where it belongs.) Keep the tongue relaxed at all times.
6. Let your arms hang at your side. Make sure they are completely relaxed.
7. Now, pretend that you are holding a big bubble (full of life force/energy) about the size of a basketball right in front of your lower abdomen/pelvis region. You should feel and imagine the big bubble being half in and half out of your body.
8. Change the size and location of the bubble moving it up and down the body to wherever you like, remembering to keep half the bubble in your body.
9. During this standing meditation breathe in through your nose and out through your nose or mouth. Breathe deep, slow, rhythmical and relaxed, never forced.
10. Make sure that when breathing your belly expands as you breathe in, allowing your diaphragm room to drop down and pull air into the bottom of your lungs.
You will find that as you are doing “nothing” your mind will wander. You will find yourself thinking about many things in your life especially the stressors. Stay relaxed and simply observe these thoughts as if you were watching a movie. Each time one of these thoughts presents itself, gently guide your mind back to that quiet place. If your mind does not want to cooperate, count your breaths so you can focus on something that is not stressful. This will allow you to expand, get lighter, have deeper and more relaxed breathing and feel energized.
Should your body get tired of standing while doing “nothing”, you can sit and continue the meditation but continue to stay aligned as before. Stand up again when you feel rested. Strive to do “nothing” for 30 minutes a day. An hour a day is even better.
Most people have reported some of these changes after doing “nothing” for 100 hours (over a period of time):
o Improved sense of awareness
o Improved mental clarity
o Improved energy
o Improved athletic ability
o Disappearance of chronic ailments
o Tighter and more youthful looking skin
o Brighter eyes
o An increased ability to sense other people’s feelings and thoughts.
You might shake. When doing “nothing” correctly, your body will increase its Chi (energy) reserves. It is believed that this is life force energy and it contains all the wisdom and knowledge in the Universe. As Chi builds in your body, it will find areas where you have blockages to Chi flow and will try to work through the resistance. This is when you might experience shaking in your body. You might feel shaking in your leg, lower back, your shoulder or arm, maybe even an internal organ(s). You must not let this frighten you because this means your body is healing, getting stronger and more complete so your soul can express itself through a more perfect body. Can you believe it, all this from doing “nothing”! So, the next time you are feeling stressed, burned out and don’t feel like working out at all----do “nothing”.
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