Total Health Work

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I remember when I first started doing yoga, my father-in-law became extremely agitated, fearing that I was drifting off into some spiritual practice that would have me and my family sitting in a lotus position and chanting mantras all day.

"Why don’t you just call it ’stretching,’" he suggested.

"Whatever," I thought to myself as I continued to practice my poses and breathing exercises.

Over the years, however, I’ve discovered that Yoga is much more than merely "stretching."  The benefits of this practice go far beyond the physical dexterity that comes with the increased flexibility of relaxed and elongated muscle tissue.

I’ve found that I’ve become more "centered" throughout my day and more focused on things I turn my attention toward.  I’ve become more peaceful and more aware of the energy and activity around me.

Yoga is more than physical exercise.  It’s a wholistic approach that involves the physical, the mental and the spiritual aspects of my being.  Unlike the competitive base that most "exercise" programs are built on, yoga is based on YOUR body and YOUR state of being.  It is "cooperative" and emphasizes your individual state at the present moment.  You find yourself "growing" as you gently relax into each exercise over time.

Yoga can be an extremely rewarding way to get started on an "exercise" program.  It will help you in ways that go way beyond mere "stretching."  Start slow and allow your body to tell you how much it wants to do each day.  Doing just a little bit will reap tremendous rewards.

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Tags: exercise, fitness, health, stretching, weight loss, yoga

Sometimes the world of "research" baffles me a bit.  For instance, I just ran across an article in the New York Times reporting on a recent "study" financed by Cake Media and a public relations consultant for the Nintendo  gaming company that shows that children playing the Wii video games simulating sports activities don’t expend as much energy as if they actually played the games in real life.

I don’t don’t know about you, but my first reaction after reading this was … Duh.  I mean, come on, I don’t think that takes a lot of sparks humming around the grey matter to figure that one out.

The research was very precise in it’s results. Playing a game of Wii tennis, for example, (an interactive video game created by the Nintendo gaming system), expended around 179 calories an hour.  Wii Boxing burned only 174 calories an hour.  (Now that one did surprise me.  In real life, it seems like boxing would burn more calories; not to mention a few bruises.)  Playing a game of real tennis, on the other hand, used 318 calories an hour and punching a boxing bag burned 382 calories. (See, I was right.)

The study also measured the number of calories that children burned while playing traditional, sedentary video games.  They found that, while the interactive Wii games burned more energy than the traditional video games, they don’t compare to the real thing. (How many times can I say "duh" in the same post?) 

The "research" was obviously heavily subsidized by the "public relations consultant" for Nintendo.  The conclusion of the "study" asserts, and I quote … "While [Wii video gaming] is not going to replace the real thing, it’s certainly moving in the right direction."

Really?  Do you mean the fact that kids actually get up out of their chair to play (this is optional, by the way).  How about turning off the video game and going outside to throw a ball back and forth (or even up against a wall.  THAT would be moving in the right direction.

Call me old fashioned, but I think we should be encouraging our children to play some real games, not to sit mastering an electronic simulation offered in a video game.  I know the Wii games are fun to play and they certainly have their place.  Let’s just not begin to think that there are any real health benefits associated with "virtual exercise" through video sports games.

If you have a choice … and you should MAKE the choice … chose to engage in the real thing when it comes to exercise.  It’s actually a lot more fun and has a lot more benefits to your health.  The only exception, perhaps, is the Wii boxing.  Virtual bruises probably don’t hurt as much.

Stay Healthy.

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Tags: exercise, health, Nintendo, physical activity, video games, Wii

Your New Year’s resolution to exercise more often could also help relieve some common symptoms of menopause.  A new study done in Pennsylvania suggested that regular physical exercise may help reduce many of the menopausal afflictions that women deal with, including stress, anxiety and depression.

This approach seems much safer than hormonal replacement therapy for women afflicted by the effects of menopause, although the researchers admit that there doesn’t seem to be a significant relationship between exercise and the elimination of hot flashes.

There is, however, a substantial reduction in the levels of depression, anxiety and stress among women who are physically active.  Women who do not engage in regular physical activity are much more likely to suffer from these negative symptoms.

The study is significant for several reasons.  While exercise does not appear to impact some of temporary symptoms, such as hot flashes, it has a much more substantial effect on many of the long-term ailments that are associated with menopause.

The surprising aspect of the study was that the level of physical activity necessary to decrease the symptoms of menopause was minimal.  Just walking a short distance as a part of a daily routine, for example, was enough to have a positive impact.

It was interesting to note that, as a group, black women tend to suffer more from menopausal symptoms than whites and that moderate exercise seems to have a more significant impact for this demographic as well. 

One reason for hot flashes in women is a fluctuation of hormone levels which affect the brain’s center controlling body temperature.

Other research indicated that while exercise does not appear to reduce the number of hot flashes that menopausal women experience, those who are physically active tend to "care less about having them."  

This finding supports the psychological, as well as physical, benefits that exercise offers.  The reduced levels of estrogen that accompanies menopause does lead to an increase of stress, anxiety and depression.  The mental benefits of physical activity is significant in terms of reducing the intensity of these symptoms.

For more information on menopause visit the National Women’s Health Information Center.

Stay Healthy.

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Tags: estrogen, exercise, hot flashes, menopausal, menopause, women's health