Walking offers numerous benefits, including improved cardiovascular health, better mental well-being, and increased longevity. Recent studies have refined recommendations on the optimal amount and timing of walking:
Benefits and Optimal Amount:
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Jane Marchant has seen an interesting movie and wants to share it with you. “Fascia – The Body’s Network Without Beginning or End” is a documentary about how new research profoundly changes the way we look at the living human body. Order the Fascia Movie for free here About the documentary: There is an ongoing global revolution in anatomical research, profoundly changing the way we look at the living human body. The reason? Fascia, a network of connective tissue with no beginning and no end, encapsulating everything in the body, from muscles and skeleton, to organs and cells. While until recently considered unimportant, fascia is since 2017 acknowledged as the biggest organ in the body and fascia research has sparked a wildfire of new insights that are challenging conventional belief about how the living body works.
Axel Bohlin Founder & Editor The Fascia Guide [email protected] While the causes of eating disorders are as complex and numerous as the individuals living with the diagnosis, often the solutions to living with an eating disorder and being in recovery, are simpler. We must eat to provide our bodies with vital energies and the practice of yoga is in large part a practice of building prana in the body. A regular practice of yoga is a great tool for anyone living with an eating disorder.
First, yoga helps calm the mind, helps the practitioner be more in touch with their mental thoughts, activates the parasympathetic nervous system and pranayama helps improve digestive function. Many postures in yoga can create positive feelings. Caught in a negative feedback loop, a person in the midst of a disordered eating episode can use the physical posture such as tadasana, mountain pose, to help break the loop. Forward folding asanas give a person a chance to be introspective. For a person who uses food as a coping mechanism for daily stress, yoga can be a placeholder for the guilt ridden disordered eating patterns. And loving kindness for yourself can be cultivated during postures such as apasana, hug your self. Loving oneself gives a person value, allowing them the space to make healthier decisions. Emotions such as guilt, shame, desire to isolate, depression, and emptiness are common occuring elements of disordered eating, yoga can counteract these feelings. Completing a yoga class can boost self confidence, help establish social connections, and give the practitioner a sense of purpose and wholeness. The grounding practices and rooting of the muladhara, root chakra, can help to stabilize the internal landscape. Opening the heart can instill feelings of value and self love. Mindful eating is a pillar to the recovery process and mindfulness on the mat can be translated into other parts of life including with the knife and fork. Yoga helps teach delayed gratification and self mastery. The need for more and more is a function of the mind which can be calmed. At times, eating disorders can be stimulated and heightened when the mind wants and wants without understanding that need and want are different things. The practice of yoga teaches us to be happy with what we have. To be happy with how our body is and gives us space to practice gratitude. To any person living with an eating disorder, the practice of yoga can be a critical part of a recovery plan. Yoga can fill the emptiness that food never will. "Free Fascia Ready" is a series of exercises that activate and elongate the myofascial chains. It was created by Sports physiologist phd Leandro Ferreira who is based in Valencia, Spain.
Even though we have known of the existence of the fascia for a very long time, it is only recently (the past 20 years) that scientists have reason to believe that fascia plays a very important role in the proper functioning of all our bodily systems. Fascia is a fascinating web of collagen fibers, elastin and a gel-like substance that connects everything in the body. It wraps around and is enmeshed in and around our muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments, our nerves, our blood and lymphatic vessels, and our organs. It connects, integrates and communicates all the bodily systems. The fascia facilitates the synergy our body is designed to have. Synergy = interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents, to produce a combined effect great than the sum of their separate efforts. Our fascia is constantly adapting to what we are doing in our life, what is happening with our various bodily systems. It also adapts to and is negatively affected by lack of physical activity, sedentarism and by overuse, injuries and traumas, may these be physical, emotional or mental. When it is negatively affected, parts of the fascia become dense, rigid, stiff or disorganized, leading to a loss of function, and a loss of the balance of tension and compression that we have in our body. Discomfort and pain can appear in sites of our body, often away from the dysfunctional and restricted fascial tissue. In our musculoskeletal system, fascia organizes itself into myofascial chains that connect various muscles in our body. Their existence is what allows us to have more force output and be more efficient in our movements. The evidence of the existence of various of the myofascial chains identified in our body has been proven through scientific research and studies. With the Free Fascia Ready routine we stimulate, activate and elongate the various myofascial chains in our body. A regular practice can contribute to less pain and discomfort in your body, and better function. It is a great way to start your day, to warm up before practicing sports and to break up your desk work. It keeps you loose and limber and ready for your day of activities. Learn the 12 exercises included in the Free Fascia Ready series by booking a couple of sessions with Jane Marchant, PT (email [email protected]). Once you have learned how to perform the 12 exercises, commit to a daily practice for at least a week. Jot down in a journal how you feel when you get out of bed first thing in the morning, how you felt during the day and how you feel at the end of the day. Note any changes about how your body feels if you warm up with this routine before playing your favorite sports, or break up you day of desk work by doing a few of the exercises. After the private sessions with Jane, she will provide you with a link to a Vimeo showcase with detailed instructions for each exercise and one of the full series performed at a regular speed, synchronized with breathing and 5 repetitions of each exercise. You can however also perform the routine slowly, with 3 repetitions, or very very slowly with 1 repetition done in a mindful meditative way. 1. Morning Bell 2. Embrace 3. Archer 4. Dancer 5. Backhand 6. Rainbow 7. Corkscrew 8. Wave 9. Arch 10. Angel Wings or Snow Angels 11. Pocket Knife or Swiss Knife 12. I am Ready by Jane Marchant, physical therapist
Lower back pain is experienced by most people at some time in their lives. The muscles which support our back are in constant use, while our body is in motion, but also while simply sitting or standing. This constant stress on the back easily results in back pain. Most back pain is caused by muscle or ligament strain, however there are other causes such as damage or injury to spinal nerves, discs or bones. Sometimes back pain is linked to stress, anxiety and depression. Recurring lower back pain can be prevented by the regular practice of specific exercises designed to strengthen the muscles which support your back, stretch shortened muscles and correct your postural alignment. Exercising is beneficial for most conditions causing lower back pain. In case of acute back pain, the exercise program – except for very gentle stretching exercises – should be started only when most of the pain has subsided. Lying on a firm mattress and applying cold packs on the area for a couple of days will help relieve muscle spasm and pain. If your back pain is severe or is accompanied by numbness or pain down the leg, a doctor should be seen immediately. I recommend doing the exercises first thing in the morning. If your bed has a firm mattress you can exercise even before getting up, if not, use an exercise mat on the floor. Each exercise indicates the breathing pattern. Synchronize the movement with slow and deep breaths. Keep the movement fluid. Gradually increase the number of repetitions, as you make progress over the weeks.
Should you wish to join an exercise class or start the regular practice of a sport to prevent or relieve lower back pain, chose low-impact aerobic exercise such as swimming, walking or an exercise class which does not involve running and jumping. Water aerobics is a good choice, as well as exercising with the Gymnic Ball. Exercising with the Ball allows you to safely and effectively develop the strength of the muscles that stabilize and move the trunk, including the abdominals and muscles of the back. Not only does it develop their strength but also their ability to work in an efficient and coordinated way to maintain correct alignment of the spine while the body is in motion. Stronger abdominals and back muscles, as well as improved flexibility, balance, coordination, heightened body awareness and corrected posture will help you protect your lower back in your daily activities. It’s that time of year when many of us reflect on the fun we’ve had, the tears we’ve shed, who we’ve loved, beautiful moments we’ve shared, what we’ve learned, and the journey we’ve covered.
We begin to orient around how the year ahead will be meaningful to us, keeping us on path, satisfying for our mind, body, spirit, and soul. I have been putting together visions and goals for the past 10 years, and my process has evolved and adapted, with influence from beautiful people, professionals, and psychological theories. So it felt time to share what I’ve learned and what works best for me. Above all the most insightful, helpful, and truthful way to decide what I want to focus on—give my energy and attention to—is by asking my body. Taking time to settle into my cells, let my nervous system rest, my breath become natural, connect with my belly, heart, brow centre, and see what comes: images, stories, and memories. It is from here that our deepest, truest longings and wishes can show themselves to us. Here are seven things that have worked for me in setting meaningful goals that actually work:1. A positive frame, set hopes rather than resolutions. Several years back a dear friend and colleague shared that she doesn’t set New Year’s resolutions, she sets New Year’s hopes. I thought that was pretty revolutionary and wanted to try it. Switching from a resolve, which was often something not to do, to a hope, felt like it had less attachment or potential self-inflicted criticism and dismay when my resolve lost its strength and discipline. Setting hopes brought some freshness and air to planning the year, a lightness and a sense of shared responsibility. Hopes were not only up to me, they were also up to anyone related to my hope, and what emerged with time. That worked for me. New Year’s hopes form the base of how I approach my vision and goals for the year ahead. The process seems to have got more and more creative and elaborate each year. 2. Take time to listen to the wisdom of your body. It is important to start any prioritising or goal setting process with some still time, connecting to the wisdom of the body, and quietening the mind. I ask my heart, my belly, my cells, “What is most important for me? What is my spirit called to next year? What is my aliveness longing for?” You could do this out in nature—under the trees, by a river, or pond, or you could lie on the floor by a fire, meditate…whatever works for you! Do it for 15-30 minutes. This process often reveals something unexpected. Once I got, “Dance as much as you can,” and, “Go and spend solo time in the Central American forest.” I did the process again a couple of days ago, to begin to orient myself toward 2018. I got images of community, circles of companions, and a beloved life partner walking with me in the healing green of nature. I had actually thought I was done with romance for a while and needed a year’s break. But, the deepest truest hope inside said, “Yes, this is what you want, in your own way, own style, but nonetheless, in a lifelong partnership with someone.” 3. Enjoy the process, get creative, do it in partnership. A dear friend inspired me to do a vision board. We would set aside a day together in the first few weeks of January, gather our collective art supplies, turn off our mobile phones, drink herbal tea, and listen to beautiful music. Time would disappear—chatting, cutting, sticking, painting, drawing, writing. 4. Remind yourself every day in any way. Sometimes I need another evening to finish my vision board, and then I stick it up on a wall that I see every day, take a photo, and make it the screen saver on my computer. And this is the key piece: Keep your vision and goals present in your mind as often as possible. Other good places to put your vision board are on the fridge, in the notes of your cell phone, or next to the mirror in your bedroom or bathroom. If you are someone, like me, who finds meaning and discipline through ritual, then adding in five minutes to your morning to review your hopes, vision, and goals is a great way to keep on track. 5. Right-size your hopes and goals. There is a huge benefit to breaking down your hopes and goals into actionable chunks, with specific time targets, and a level of specificity to describe how you promise to be satisfied when reaching them. I learned this with the Strozzi Institute while doing my coaching certificate. The key is making sure you can realistically reach a level of satisfaction on your way toward your vision and hopes. So, for example, one of my hopes that body strongly reminded me of, is to be in relationship with my life partner, and that involves finding him, testing the waters, growing in love together, and making the decision to stick with each other long-term. My goal in the next 12 months for this hope is to meet someone I can grow in love with. I promise to be satisfied in 2018 if I take it slow and we spend time together nine times before getting intimate, if he likes to spend time doing his own thing, and has a healthy emotional and physical relationship with himself. My actionable chunks are to prepare myself to keep my life going—even while sharing it with him. By June 2018, participate in a mixed gender group activity authentically enjoyable for me—once per week, practice clear dignifying declines so I can say no when I want to—once per week, tell my good friends, and family that I am ready and available—by March 2018. With this, I have milestones along the year to work toward, and I have thought about what I specifically need to do to make this happen. We are each unique, like our fingerprints, and the edges we need to push, or changes we need to make to reach our goals and hopes will be unique, too. 6. Ask a friend to keep you on track. And then the next steps are to share your vision board, hopes, and goals with your partner, mother, sister—whomever you trust, and can ask to support you. This is essential to keep you on track. We are often better at sticking to our commitments when we are accountable to someone else—this is partly why we pay for personal trainers, join a running club, or write books collaboratively. Ask your trusted friend to check in with you regularly—once a month perhaps—on how you are doing. You can even set up calls in the diary in advance to do this. I have done this with different friends for different commitments I have been working, scheduled monthly as “listening partner calls.” Alongside this kind of support, you can also start to train your attention to focus on what you are grateful for, what inspires you to stick with your hopes and goals, what brings you joy and aliveness. 7. Write down your moments of wonderful aliveness. One year a friend shared an idea to keep a jar of gratitude. This is a fabulous practice. I went out to buy a special blue vintage glass jar and used the back of old business cards that I collected from people throughout the year. I would write special moments I had experienced on each piece. I did this every so often, when I remembered, and so would write five to ten of them at a time. At the end of the year, the day before or the morning of my vision boarding, I emptied the jar on the dining room table, and read through them all. Well, that put a “the cat that got the cream” smile on my face for the rest of the day—a real mood-lifter. I saw a clear pattern in what was creating joy in my life. I wrote these down to help guide my choices in the future, and my goals for the year ahead. They were intimate conversations, dancing, learning, time in nature, good sex, and healthy yummy food—when I get what my sister calls the food wiggles. Knowing the importance of these kind of experiences in my life is a great way of setting the compass when I have to make hard choices or feel a bit lost. If you travel a lot you can use a little notebook instead of the glass jar at home. I’ve been doing that lately--it suits my nomadic lifestyle better. And you can do this anytime of the year, whenever you feel the need. Going on a form of retreat can be a great way to give yourself the time, space, and support to vision. Author: Lise Melvin Image: Angelina Litvin/Unsplash Editor: Sara Kärpänen published in Elephant Journal https://www.elephantjournal.com/2017/12/the-most-insightful-helpful-truthful-way-to-decide-goals-for-ourselves/ Copy editor: Catherine Monkman Social editor: Lindsey Block Below is an article written by Caroline Rider about leadership with horses. The same attributes of leadership she writes about can be applied for leadership with people. Learning to master these attributes can be done by working with horses, who will give you an immediate feedback on how you are doing. Try out a session of coaching with horses with Jane. Email [email protected] for more information and to book your session.
Published on Sep 15, 2014 Hi, I’m Caroline Rider of Rider Horsemanship. This month’s Holistic Horse “Ask the Expert” Q&A is about leadership with your horse, specifically the qualities or attributes of leadership and how leadership needs to show up in us – how we need to act in order for our horse to notice us, take us seriously, trust and respect us. The first attribute of leadership is purpose or focus. The second attribute is clarity. The third is fairness, the fourth is congruency and the fifth is consistency. All of these attributes are equally important to our horse and contribute to the overall emotional and societal welfare of our horses. Each of these attributes develops us into the leader our horse will recognize, take seriously (not challenge), trust and respect.Let’s now discuss the attributes, how they show up in us and why they are important to our horse. The first attribute, purpose and/or focus, is about having direction – a goal in mind. The second attribute is clarity and being clear. Horses are transparent meaning their actions reflect how they think and feel. This is what I refer to as the “Language of Equus.” Horses respond to humans the same way and if we are not sure about something the horse perceives this as uncertainty and becomes distrustful. Another way to look at clarity and the meaning of being clear is to have purpose - a goal in mind as well as fluidity, harmony, congruency. The third attribute is about being fair. Fairness means being free form bias, judgment or discrimination. It also means having objectivity and not being personally attached to an outcome. The fourth attribute is about being congruent. Congruency means “whatever you are thinking your body embodies.” This is another form of being harmonious and fluid. Your thoughts, feelings, are compatible with your actions. Meaning, you don’t think one thing and do another. This is very important to a horse as it represents clarity and consistency which are the building blocks of trust. The fifth attribute is consistency. Consistency builds accountability and trust with your horse. They can count on you which in turn helps our horse to feel safe.These five attributes are the building blocks of leadership and what makes our horse not only want to be with they are what our horse needs. Thank you and may you always be one with your horse! CarolinePlease visit www.riderhorsemanship.com for more education materials, DVD's, clinic opportunities, training and the TAO of Horsemanship Online Foundation Course.Leadership attributes. In a previous post here on Nosara Wellness discussed "Why Does Anyone Do Yoga Anyways". There are many different reasons why people practice yoga. Some do yoga to improve their health, manage their stress better, or reflect on their inner selves. But did you know that from the many yoga poses come techniques that can help you achieve beautiful and glowing skin? It's true, and even doctors like Dr. Timothy McCall agree that practicing yoga can make your skin look and feel younger. Padmasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, and Dhanurasana are three of the poses that you can do regularly to beautify your skin. These particular postures are said to stimulate blood circulation in the body, while reducing stress and tension. Padmasana image credit: www.stylesatlife.com Sit up straight on the floor with your legs stretched out. Bend the right knee slowly, and use your hands to place it on your left thigh. The soles on your feet must point up, and the heels must be close to your stomach. Then, do the same thing with your other leg. With your legs crossed, and your feet placed on opposite thighs, put your hands together into a mudra of your choice. Normally, the hands are placed on the knees. Breathe long and deep. Hold this position for a few minutes before releasing. Also, remember to hold your head straight and your spine straight as well while doing the pose. Repeat the process with the other leg on top of the other. Adho Mukha Svanasana image credit: yogadork.com Stand on all fours like you're imitating a table. Then, lift your hips gently and straighten your knees and elbows. Make sure that your body’s form is similar to an inverted V. Make sure your hands are in line with your shoulders, and your feet in line with your hips. Also, your toes should point outwards. Press your hands towards the ground and stretch your neck. Put your ears close to your inner arms while you position your view to your navel. Hold the pose for a few seconds, bend your knees, and then return to the first pose, which is standing on all fours. Dhanurasana image credit: sarvyoga.com
First, lie on your stomach. Keep your feet apart and relax your arms at your side. Then, slowly bend your knees and hold your feet. Lift your chest and legs off the floor, and pull your legs back. Hold the position for a few seconds while breathing long and deep. If you find these poses easy, it’s worth researching some more complex poses. Yoga is being practiced by hundreds of thousands of people all over the world, and they're living examples of the age-defying benefits of yoga. The younger you start doing it, the better, but you can practice it at any age and reap the benefits. Just look at the many celebrities who swear by yoga. They have amazing bodies, and look great even as they pass their 40s. David Beckham is one of the most prominent yogis on the planet, and he looks great even at 42. Interstellar and Magic Mike star Matthew McConaughey is also a keen yoga enthusiast, practicing it seven days a week. Actress Alicia Vikander is also an avid yogi, using it to mediate and de-stress. Vikander is the female star set to play the latest version of Lara Croft in the 2018 remake of the film Tomb Raider. The movie, which has several titles on the digital platform Steam will once again start to take over the gaming world with its many incarnations. A Tomb Raider slot game has also recently appeared on gaming site Slingo in the lead up to what will no doubt be a Hollywood blockbuster and career-defining film for Vikander. And with such a hectic schedule ahead, Vikander will need yoga to help her focus on the many tasks at hand. The original starred Angelina Jolie as the iconic femme fatale. If you always wondered how celebrities had such wonderful and flawless skin, then you don’t have to look any further than yoga to see how you too can reap the rewards from this meditative exercise. Do you practice yoga in your free time and have any tips to share? Let your voice be heard in the comments section below! click here to read this article about Aerial Yoga Instruction in Nosara, with Hayley MacMillan-Ord :
http://www.ticotimes.net/2012/02/23/hanging-out-with-aerial-yoga-in-nosara |
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