Against Closed Eyes In Marketing

Our children today are subjected to a lot of stress factors.
There is homework that they have to do daily, the competition
from other children, after school game activities and sometimes
over-scheduling from parents.

And just like us adults these children need something relaxing
to turn to and that Yoga could just be that instrument.

Yoga for kids helps then develop better awareness of their body,
and also teaches them total self control, flexibility and
coordination. All of these they could carry out not just in
their Yoga classes but also in their daily routines as well.

Yoga for kids has shown to help children who are hyper active to
tone down and also brighten up those attention deficit ones.
Children today crave movement and sensory motor stimuli that can
help them to balance up their inner soul-flow.

Yoga for kids helps them channel out this impulses in a positive
way.

The main Yoga for kids poses that seem to work perfectly with
kids are the warrior pose and the tree pose. These two yoga for
kids poses helps instill in them calm, confidence and balance.

The trick to get them to do Yoga for kids is to go beyond just
doing the proper poses, you should have to get them think about
what the real posture means.

Let them think that they are really what the poses are
symbolizing; let them perform the postures strong and confident
like a warrior.

Yoga for kids with partners is also a good way to build up trust
with you children. It develops their teamwork skills and fosters
a closer bonding.

Some kids when it comes to relaxation have a big trouble closing
their eyes and having them focus on their exercises. One thing
that encourages a child to relax is visualization. Let them
think of something that they really like and let them imagine
being like these things.

You may also have them focus out on belly breathing first and
have them listen to soothing and relaxing music.

Then ask them to imagine their favorite spot in the house or let
them think that they are in outer space floating, or let them
visualize that they are at the beach, playing their favorite
sport or doing the best activity that they like.

Sometimes for boys letting them think of a favorite girlfriend
helps them relax, but this is sometimes hard to do because they
become shy and intolerable when this kind of issues are
discussed. Just stick to the visualization thing if this
technique is quite complicated for you.

Every day at the end of each relaxation exercises, encourage the
children to share their own experiences. Ask them to tell to the
group what it was like to be in their visualized surroundings.
Ask them also to share what place have they imagined they where
in.

Another approach is to create a guided imagination by telling
them a story with a calming theme of some sort.

As you know children have the most active imagination, they
imagine all sorts of things. And at this point of imagination it
makes them feel calm. So when doing yoga for kids let them think
that they are walking on a green pasture.

You can even let them think that they are butterflies in a
beautiful garden. The main idea in here is to instill a sense of
peace and feeling of oneness with nature.

Yoga for kids should be taught more often and in different
places. It is important to teach children the meaning of union
of mind, body and spirit.

There is such a wealth of knowledge that we can offer to our
children with the practice of Yoga.

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It’s not like I found myself suddenly getting older, or as if
it happened overnight. I still like a good workout, and find
riding my bike one of the most relaxing things I can do. But
when it comes to making changes, such as losing weight or
increasing muscle mass, it is getting harder to do as I get
older.

By God’s grace, many of the changes in getting older are great.
My children have grown up to become my friends. And my wife
handles most of the worrying and fretting (although I do a small
amount for myself so I can get the occasional dirty look and can
feel proud when it all works out).

Another good change is that all the hair that was determined to
leave has already gone, leaving me that same good look every day
in the mirror. Besides, if I really want a new look I could
always use the curling iron on some of those unbelievably long
eyebrows!

However, the greatest change of all is that I have
grandchildren. This is when we realized we had to make changes
if we were going to spend quality time with our grandchildren
and not be exhausted.

Two years ago, my wife and I were riding 150 miles a week-15
miles a day to work, a 30-mile ride on the weekend, and a
10-mile ride several times a week just for fun! Living in
Indiana, you can only ride bikes about 8 months a year, at best.
So our winter hibernation began. After a long winter layoff, I
found myself out of shape, 20 pounds overweight and unmotivated.

The next year was on again, off again…never really getting a
well-sustained routine all season. We knew we had to find a way
to keep ourselves motivated-not just to get in shape, but to
stay in shape.

One big problem is that I’m not a person who likes to be on a
diet. In fact, I like to eat. I’ve found out that I’m a stress
eater, which makes losing weight even harder. So my first step
was to find a way to be accountable to myself and to
others-especially my wife.

Second was to find a good diet, which for me (for the most
part) turned out to be just watching what I eat and cutting
back. When my wife and I went out to eat we began to order only
one meal and split it. At first, any meal would do. But as our
metabolism speeded up, only a larger meal would satisfy. The
waiters and waitresses were very understanding, and treated us
well (we still tip as generously as before). I’ve also learned
that if I eat only when I am hungry, all food is good-even
fruits and vegetables.

Third was to find a good workout that I liked, which was
rather easy because I don’t just like riding bikes, I really
love it! Last, we wanted to find a place to get all of this
under one roof.

One thing life has taught me is…if you want to get a job
done, you have to have the right tools. We already had the bikes
and exercise equipment. Then we found a way to beat the heat,
rain, and cold weather. We took our bikes inside and put them on
our new indoor stationary cycling units (like the Olympic
bicyclists train with), which allow us to ride in front of the
TV. The cost of two units were less than 1/4 the cost of a good
treadmill or exercise bike.

Then, my son showed us one of the best tools I have ever
had…a CD called Workoutware. I had come to the point in my
life where I wanted to make a permanent change. What I did with
my life mattered…what I ate, how often I worked out, and how
my body was responding to the workout, my heart rate, body
measurements, and percentage of body fat were all things I had
to look at, if I wanted to have any energy to play with my
grandchildren. That’s exactly what this CD offered-a closer
inspection of me and my habits!

After one day of keeping close track of my diet, I knew there
had to be changes. Snacks were killing me. Keeping track of body
and weight measurements was a humiliating starting point. But
that’s exactly what it was…a starting point toward a healthier
life. So I began to record everything.

Time is always a big problem in our lives, and keeping track of
my diet took time. But once I established a pattern or routine,
I could quickly sit down and record information once a week.
When typing in the information less often, I found it too easy
to slip back into old, bad habits. Accountability is everything,
and the more people you are accountable to, the easier it is for
everyone to stick with it. The group accountability also puts
some fun into it.

At my age, I now take a number of vitamins, amino acids, and
things to ease a variety of ailments. At the cost of these
medicine man elixirs, I am tight enough (moneywise) to want to
know if they really help. The software program allows me to keep
track of my supplements and includes a place for me to take
notes.

I had some problems with my knees and elbows…actually, I was
getting stiff joints all over, so I started taking sam-E. My
wife said she noticed I had a better temperament and was much
more pleasant to be around (Sam-E improves both mood and
joints!). At a buck a day, I could have bought her flowers, got
the same response, and in real short time been money ahead. But
my joints improved so fast that I felt better in less than a
month.

I also need to keep track of body stats and workouts. If I’m
going to discipline myself, I want to know it’s working-like
seeing the positive effects of taking my sam-E. So I want to
have a record of how many inches it is around my belly. If I
lose an inch, there, I know my workout is working. If I don’t
lose in a reasonable amount of time, I know I need to adjust my
workout. Likewise, if I’m trying to gain muscle, I want to watch
the inches around my arms and legs increase.

It is also important to track my heart rate and watch it ease
down as the workouts improves my fitness. I’ve seen my bike
riding grow in distance, as the elapsed time grows shorter. The
amount of weight I can lift gets heavier. It’s all there in my
record keeping-gains and losses look pretty impressive when I
hit the button that turns them into graphs!

I am at the point in life where I have no desire to be a
superstar. I do, however, want to grow old with dignity, and I
want to love my wife, children, and grandchildren in a
meaningful way. I want more than the emotion of love. I want to
be able to throw a ball to my grandson-not just watch. I want to
help my kids with their house projects; to ride, walk and even
run with my wife. I want to be able to bow the knees if my
family needs my prayers.

Love is a verb, and I want the actions in my life to prove
it-in your life, too. I write this to share some of the things
that have helped me…my bike, my stationary bike unit for
riding indoors, my “curling iron” (an in-house joke for my curl
bar), and my Workoutware software, which is as important as any
piece of exercise equipment I have.

May God bless your workout and keep you safe and fit!

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As far as home gym equipment goes you may find that elliptical gym equipment is the most fun. Elliptical is a shortened term for elliptical motion something you may have come across on home gym equipment reviews. Elliptical motion equipment repeats one motion over and over to simulate an activity such as walking or running. Two pieces of elliptical equipment that you may be familiar with are the rowing machine and the stair climber. There are also ellipticals that simulate skiing, and cycling

Many people find that ellipticals are very fun and just as effective at getting you up to your target heart rate while exercising. The fun primarily comes in due to the ellipticals mechanical design which allows you to complete your motions fluidly over and over. This also creates less stress on your joints and muscles compared to the stress you may feel during a jog or stair climbing due to the repetitive pounding of your feet against a hard surface.

There are also pieces of home gym equipment called elliptical cross trainers. These trainers are designed to provide a full body workout with one simple machine. This can make your workout routine faster and it can help you to burn more calories.

The elliptical home gym equipment may be a lifesaver for those suffering from bone and joint problems. If you have arthritis or stress fractures you can still use elliptical equipment to exercise and maintain muscle mass. The ellipticals smooth motion and ease of use will go a long way towards easing pain experienced from workout routines. You can find out what other people think about ellipticals online at one of the many home gym equipment reviews sites.

When reading reviews, be sure it covers the entire machine form quality of parts used to warranty to the user experience.

Read more home gym equipment articles and home gym equipment reviews news or visit our home gym equipment site.

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What is flax seed?

First I will tell you what it can do. Number one, adding flax
seed to your diet can fight cancer. It will help to regulate
hormones and thus lower the risk of hormone sensitive cancers
like prostate and breast cancer. Flax seed is grown in cold
climates like Canada and the North Midwestern States. The cold
weather allows the seeds to grow rich in omega-3 fatty acid. The
omega-3 provides the core nutrients of the flax seed. The seeds
are great sources of protein, fiber and lignans but the real
health benefits come from the omega-3. A few of the tests that
have been done with flax seed show increase in sensory
perception. Several studies show that flax seed can be a
cholesterol-lowering agent. Flax seed can also provide relief
from constipation and can increase the performance of your
digestive system.

How do you use it?

Flax seed is a small brown or golden seed that is about the size
of two or three sesame seeds. Flax seed does have a harder
texture so it needs to be ground up before consumption. Due to
its high oil content it grinds easily and can be put on just
about any food. Many people sprinkle it over salads or put in
yogurt or your morning cereal. There are many great free recipes
that are available to cook with flax seed. For the first time
user of flax seed there are starter kits available that are
priced low and you can usually get 3 pounds of flax seed, a how
to book on how to include it into your diet and a flax seed
grinder all for about $30. The flax seed has a rich nutty taste
to it and if you use 100% certified organic flax seed the nutty
taste is rich and can really taste good. It is commonly added to
sports drinks and shakes.

Flax seed may be what your body is missing to have a complete
healthy diet. The health benefits are endless and is very
popular as a weight loss supplement.

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Herbal medicine is the use of plant and herb extracts for their
therapeutic value. Most plants contain and produce chemical
substances that aid in healing and other physical treatments.

Herbal medicine is the oldest form of healthcare and constitutes
a key role in the development of modern medicine as we know it
today. Back when technology was still unheard of, primitive men
utilised the vast flora around them to the fullest extent,
observing both plant and animal life and their components,
eventually giving birth to herbal medicine. In a study by the
World Health Organization on herbal medicine use, about 80% of
the world’s populace still rely on herbal medicine to cure
certain ailments and about 74% of the drugs we use today contain
at least one botanical element. For instance, Chinese Herbal
Medicine’s use of ephedrine to cure respiratory conditions still
exists in the present time. Ephedrine remains an active
ingredient in most of the commercial drugs that are being
prescribed to relieve asthma symptoms.

Herbal medicine is defined by three schools of thought:
Ayurvedic Herbalism, Traditional Chinese Herbalism and Western
Herbal Medicine. While both Ayurvedic and Chinese herbal
medicine have moved on to advanced forms, western herbal
medicine remains a part of folk treatments. Herbal medicine is,
first and foremost, holistic. It aims to address not just a
particular symptom, but also to help the whole body rejuventate
strengthen itself. And while there is no scientific evidence
that all herbal medicines claiming to have healing powers are
actually effective, the number the herbal medicines that have
been placed under clinical testing have proved their worth. The
list of known kinds includes echinacea, which is used to temper
colds, St John’s wort, used to treat mild depression (without
using Prozac), and hawthorne berries, which help in the recovery
process from mild heart failures.

Is herbal medicine a direct substitute to modern medication? It
depends. While herbal medicines are extracted naturally from
plants, not all are safe to use; particularly if they are taken
with other types of treatments that may not be complementary.
Also, herbal medicine is often used only for mild ailments. If
the symptoms are more serious, it is best to consult a trained
practitioner of herbal medicine who can tell you which ones are
appropriate and recommend dosage levels and frequency.
Presently, most of the recommended herbal medicines fall outside
of standard drug regulations, thus, not all of their claims to
fame are guaranteed and true. And even as common sense tells us
that herbal medicine has been around for thousand of years,
giving an impression that it is quite an authority, it is not
recommended to self-diagnose.

Always keep in mind that herbal medicines are still medicines
and, therefore, share the likelihood of having side effects as
regular commercial drugs. Some of us have this misconception
that because herbal medicines are natural, they are 100% safe.
This is not true all the time. The best defense against the
possible side effects herbal medicines might give is to educate
ourselves with the basics on the herbal medicine in question and
to use it with caution.

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Break Out of Your Box!

The average American lifestyle goes something like this: We
drive to work in a box, we sit for 8 hours inside a box
(affectionately referred to by some as a cubicle), we drive home
in a box, then we sit in front of our box TV (and if we’re
really doing well in life it’s actually more of a flat
rectangle), we throw a box dinner in the microwave and then go
hop in our box bed for sleep. This cycle continues day after
day, week after week.

Some may try to vary the routine or change their state of mind
by drinking an alcoholic beverage or eating tons of sugar, but
this will never give them the feeling of well-being that good
health and fitness can provide. There is just no way that an
overweight body which is oxygen-deprived can be happy. No wonder
we are a country of fat, exhausted, and depressed people. WE
HAVE TO BREAK OUT OF OUR BOXES!

Oh I have had my own moments of being fat, exhausted, or
depressed. At times I would be out of breath just going up 14
stairs to the second floor of my home. How depressing is that?
Well, I didn’t remain in that condition forever, and I much
prefer my life now - fit, energized, and happy. Believe it or
not, a large part of the answer to my troubles was discovered
with kettlebells and the multiple health benefits they provide.

Not Your Average Exercise

There is no other exercise out there that tones your body like
kettlebells do. They provide a unique combination of strength
and cardio exercise to build endurance and stamina like no other
workout. It is hard not to feel good when your body is being
pumped full of oxygen and you are using muscles like they were
meant to be used. I dare you to come to one of my classes and
then tell me you’re depressed afterwards - it’s simply not
possible! I have exercised my entire life but I have never felt
so fully alive until I started working out with kettlebells.

I tried the gym, but I didn’t find what I was looking for. The
treadmill did nothing for me and was boring. I lifted weights
but noticed no change in my muscles. I began lifting more but my
muscles were still nowhere to be found, and it certainly was not
helping my back pain or energy level. Now understand, I’m not
trying to knock the gym… but for me it just wasn’t the right
answer, and I know I am not the only one out there with the same
story.

I started working with the kettlebell in November and by
December my back pain was gone and I felt more energetic than I
had in years. I continued my routine and soon I was getting
muscles all over. My abdominals were stronger than I could ever
imagine. I could see and feel the fat melting away. My body
became strong, supported, and erect - not the floppy mess that
it was. I am now able to use my body to the fullest, and my
energy is through the roof. This allows me to see my
chiropractic patients until 6:15 at night and then I teach a
kettlebell class for an hour, four nights a week. I have more
energy now at 40 than when I was in my twenties.

Results in the Real World

Tiffany is my 20-year-old receptionist and is very fit. She
usually goes to the gym five nights a week and works out for two
or more hours. She heard the buzz about kettlebells and their
butt-kicking potential but was very skeptical — they looked too
simple and unassuming. After all, she had a trainer at her gym
who would put her through what was supposed to be a
gut-wrenching workout - one that would leave her ‘feeling the
burn’. But afterwards she felt no increase in energy and wasn’t
even sore. She then took my hour-long kettlebell class and said
she had never worked out so hard in her life. She realized that
she had used muscles for the first time that she never even knew
existed.

Putting a load on your muscles over time builds stamina and
endurance. The body is now able to tolerate activities of daily
living with ease. Instead of lumbering up the stairs and being
out of breath you will be able to run up them with energy to
spare. The ballistic nature of kettlebells is what gives you the
power, strength, and stamina to get through your day. To raise
the kettlebell over your head repeatedly you have to use all
your muscles and cardiovascular endurance. 15-20 minutes a day
is all you need to give your body an amazing workout. Even if
you begin with five minutes of swings a day you will start to
feel changes in your body.

I have a woman in my class in her early 60’s named Connie. She
has never been able to do a sit-up. Never, not even as a child.
She is now able to do sit-ups because she has strengthened her
abs and entire body doing nothing more than swings and snatches.
Pretty powerful! It was after one of my classes she got pulled
over by the police for speeding. She was so excited that she
could do a sit-up that she didn’t realize how fast she was
going. It’s energizing to have Connie in class because she keeps
challenging her body to improve. She will line up three
different sizes of kettlebells and will start with the heaviest
one. If her form wavers she moves to the next smaller size. She
is now using her body as it was meant to be used. As she keeps
up the work she will be stronger and more fit than she has ever
been.

A Meditative Workout

As demanding as it may be, a kettlebell workout has a meditative
quality to it, allowing the mind to become quiet and calm. When
I am snatching the 24 kg bell I am focusing on nothing other
than doing it with proper form. I focus on my breathing, my
core, and my squatting position. There are no thoughts about
what’s for dinner, the dirty laundry, unopened mail or
tomorrow’s schedule. All of your attention is on the bell and
your body. Your mind is clear and focused. Most of us have that
awful monkey-chatter going on in our head. “I’m too fat, I’m
ugly, I don’t make enough money, my life sucks.” In a kettlebell
class your mind is clear for at least 15-20 minutes as oxygen is
pumping through your body, and you are feeling more powerful
than you thought you could be. Can you remember the last time
you felt that? It may seem minor as you sit there reading about
it, but it’s powerful to experience and begins paving a path
that can quickly bring benefits to many aspects of your life.

Are Kettlebells For You?

You may be wondering if kettlebells can work for you. Start by
thinking about exercise programs or products you have tried in
the past. Now consider the characteristics and benefits of
kettlebells and decide for yourself.

1. They are easy to use. You don’t have to add weight onto a
machine or change elastic bands. You don’t have to know how to
dance or have rhythm. Once you have learned the correct
technique for two simple moves - the ’snatch’ and the ’swing’ -
you are ready to go. There is not a big learning curve.

2. They can be used anywhere. Kettlebell exercise requires very
little space. I started working out in a hallway near my living
room, which was a very small area. I have worked out in my
garage, the parking lot at my office, in my yard, and in a hotel
room. Kettlebells are small enough to take anywhere and you can
store yours under your bed, under your desk, behind a door, or
in your car.

3. They are effective. You will work on your cardio, strength,
and flexibility in just 15-20 minutes a day. Most of us who
worked out in the gym are used to isolating muscles. When doing
a bicep curl you use the bicep only and no other muscle. That’s
why it takes so long to do all the exercises in a gym. With
kettlebells you use all the muscles in your body to perform the
exercises. There are no separate exercises because the butt,
abs, legs, and arms all get worked at the same time.

4. They are challenging and fun. People stop going to the gym
because it gets old. I usually will stop an exercise six months
after I start because I get bored and I don’t get the changes I
expected. I have been doing kettlebells four times per week for
a year and I haven’t gotten bored yet. There are so many
exercise choices that you never lose interest. Figure eights,
cleans, clean and jerk, hot potato, lunges… the list goes on.
If an exercise is fun, gives you results and isn’t time
consuming you will stick with it. That exercise is kettlebells.

5. They will strengthen your weak or strained areas. I’m a
Chiropractor, and recognize that kettlebells strengthened my
spine and core so that I no longer have back pain. I tried
pilates, yoga, weight lifting, treadmill, elliptical, bicycle,
walking and aerobics –all of them worsened my pain. With
kettlebells I am now pain-free. I have clients with shoulder
pain, hip pain, back pain, and neck pain. Many of my patients
have been to multiple physical therapists, chiropractors,
massage therapists, acupuncturists some with minimal change in
their pain. All have experienced improvement by using
kettlebells. I got my Russian Kettlebell Certification (RKC),
not just to teach the average person, but to help my patients
when they had no quality of life due to pain and weakness. It
warms my heart when I see someone’s life start to change.

6. They will save you money. I’m not talking about the price of
the kettlebell. I am talking about the money you will save on
doctor bills. When I injured my back there was an entire year
when I was being seen 3-4 times per week for chiropractic
adjustments, 2-3 times a month for acupuncture and twice a month
for massage. That sure adds up. The kettlebell price is also
very reasonable considering it will last a lifetime - you can’t
wear them out!

7. They will help you break out of the box! They will prevent
you from being a typical American. You will no longer be able to
sit at your desk for longer than 20 minutes because you will
notice how strange it feels not to move. You will begin to eat
better because you will take more pride in your body. When you
are pushing your body to new limits it begins to naturally crave
different sources of fuel. You will be fit, energized and happy
because your body will be functioning at a higher level.

The Power to Break Out of Your Box

How can kettlebells change your life? They will give you power.
Physically you will be stronger than you ever imagined. But you
will also be amazed at the other changes in your life. I have
become more powerful in all areas of my life. My business is
better, my interactions with others have improved, my whole
outlook on life is better. I have a sense of confidence and know
I can do anything I want to. Bring on whatever life has to
offer…because I’m ready. Kettlebells have given me this power.
I want you to experience these same changes for yourself. It’s
time to pick up your kettlebell now and stop being the average
American!

Disclaimer: The above parties are not responsible in any manner
whatsoever for any injury or health condition that may occur
through following the opinions expressed here. Consult with your
physician before starting any exercise program.

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Water is your most important nutrient. Everyone knows that the
majority of our body is water. Here are some facts. babies are
70% water, adults are 50-60% water and in breaking your body
down, Blood is made up of 83 percent water, bones are 22 percent
water, and muscle is 75 percent water. So water is really
important.

Most people do not drink much water if any at all. In fact both
Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig both have their customers drink
between 8 and 10 glasses of water a day and most people find
that they lose 2-10 pounds in the first week on their diet,
primarily from the water loss.

Hydration is a very interesting thing. If you do not drink
enough water your body seems to retain it to protect itself,
once you start to drink a LOT of water you will find that for
the first few days you will be running to the bathroom every
hour but your body quickly adapts and you regulate quite well.
When drinking your water you will also find that your
concentration gets better and you are more attentive. I have
also found a very interesting attitude amongst others around me,
when they see you increasing the water in your diet they will in
a very condescending tone tell you that yes in fact drinking
water is good for you. You are going to see this with many of
the new habits that you pick up that people will seem to know
these things and sometimes feel guilty to see someone else
follow through on them.

There is always a few strategies for getting yourself to make
these changes that are som important. I do not just drink a lot
of water in the morning and then forget about it until the next
day. Instead, I drink three cups of water first thing in the
morning and then at 10, 12, 3, 5, and later in the evening I try
to have a big glass of water. I time this water so that I drink
it at the same time as I have a meal. Some say that you should
not drink water with a meal as it will hamper your digestion of
that meal but I have not run into this myself.

Finally just one thing that I have found is that I kick start my
day by drinking about 3 glasses of my water first thing before I
get on my bike to start my day.

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There are several statements circulating in the diet and fitness
sector which have been told for decades now and still will be
told in the future. Get to know what you can really do to drop
weight.

Companies providing sports equipment or diet supplements make
millions every year with promises based on wrong theories and
information which by the way actually does not mean they don’t
know better.

Below some of the most common myths and lies about diets are
listed and busted.

- Myth: weight loss workouts start to get effective after 20
minutes

What they tell you: When starting your cardio,etc. program the
energy needed is mainly taken from glucose. The longer your
workout the less glucose will be used, which means the more fat
will be used and burnt. You need to go through the first twenty
minutes before starting burning fat.

Truth is: The only factor that decides if you drop weight (or
put on extra weight) is your energy balance, ie. the difference
between calorie intake and calories consumed by physical
activities (ALL activities of your body, not only sports). If
you eat less than your body needs due to physical activities,
your energy balance is negative. Because you didn’t give your
body enough calories to burn, it needs some other source of
energy to compensate. This is what body fat is used for and why
you will drop weight (fat). It does not matter how energy is
provided (glucose or fat). Since you’ll burn calories right from
the beginning of your workout, you’ll do a weight loss workout
from the start.

- Myth: Do cardio a a low level heart frequency

What they tell you: If you keep your heart frequency between 120
to 130 beats a minute, your workout is not too intensive and
therefore more fat will be used as energy source (instead of
glucose which is used for more intensive activities). As a
result, more fat is burnt.

Truth is: The source of energy is irrelevant for reducing fat.
Again, if you burn more calories than you get (food), you will
reduce your body fat. The source of energy used during workouts
does not influence your weight. Result: - The more intensive,
the more calories are burnt. - The longer you work out, the more
calories will be burnt. This means: Find a trade-off which suits
best to your needs and capabilities. Some of you might prefer a
slow, extensive cardio program while others like short but
exhaustive program. Regarding weight loss only, one program will
be as effective as the other one.

- Myth: Certain exercises can reduce fat in specifically
regions of your body

What they tell you: Buy their new machines/equipment to cut down
fat in your belly region, etc.

Truth is: This so called “spot reducing” is not possible. Doing
1000 crunches each day might tighten your abs, but will not burn
fat around your hips. Only your genetics decide where you will
drop fat first.

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(Part 4 of a 5 Part Series on Body Awareness)

I’m a runner. I’ve been a happy one for about 6 years now. I
spend a good chunk of my week out on the trails, exploring and
finding my inner peace. But it wasn’t always like this.

There was a time that I would have spit at your feet if you
asked me to go out for a jog. I hated to run. And now I know why.

As we all know, our bodies are pretty complex. Organs, cells,
nerves, bones, muscles and everything else communicate to each
other 24 hours a day. If something needs to get done, like
digestion or healing a cut, your body is on the case. You don’t
even have to lift a finger most of the time.

For a healthy person, your body moves through these processes
smoothly and efficiently. For someone who is unhealthy or out of
shape, things get a little sluggish.

So this is what happened to me 7 or so years ago when I started
to run again and re-live my high school fitness glory. As you
can imagine, there was a slight discrepancy between what my head
wanted to do and what my body was capable of at the time! My
body was not processing at the same optimal level it did when I
was captain of the football team. So on the days I made it out
to hit the pavement, I would run fast for 3 miles, be out of
breath, hurt for 5 days and then try again the next week.

My mind was still in high school… my body was still in bed.

I’m sure you’ve been in this cycle before. You decide it’s time
to change your shape, so you burst into the most difficult
spinning class, hoping you’ll lose all 20 pounds of excess
weight in 60 minutes and then never have to strain yourself
again. Instead it leaves you tired, hurt and cursing the next
time you have to sweat.

It sounds funny when you read it, but this is exactly what we do.

Just recently, I was speaking to a client about running and she
said she was running 2 miles a day. Unfortunately, she told me
she hated it and the minute she starts she wants it to be over.
Which is certainly not any fun, right?! If I hadn’t intervened
she would have joined all the other ranks of disappointed and
dejected, should-have-been runners.

I told her that there is a disconnect between her mind and her
body. She wants to run like she did in high school. Fast and
efficiently. But her body, now, is only a walker or maybe a slow
jogger. The best advice for her was to start off super-slow and
then build up if she feels like taking her running any further.

A few days later she thanked me for allowing her to enjoy her
run the morning after our class. She felt good, realized how
fast she was trying to run before and didn’t think about when it
was going to end until she was finished.

Wouldn’t that sound good to you?

It is simple to do. The most important thing to remember is that
your mind may not be in tune with your body’s abilities. You may
want to run a marathon, but your body is only ready for a 10K.
You may want to run 4 laps around the track, but your body is
only ready to run 1 1/2 and walk the other 2 1/2.

So slow down. There is no race unless you’re at the starting
line with a numbered bib on your shirt! And even then, don’t
kill yourself.

This applies to more than just running. It is important to
connect to your mind. Find out what it is thinking and then make
sure your body is in alignment. If it is not, then don’t let
your ego push you too hard. You’ll get injured, physically or
mentally. If you haven’t done any stretching in 20 years, don’t
jump into power yoga. If you haven’t lifted weights since
college, don’t try to bench 225lbs.

We all have a built in sensor that tells us what is enough.
Listen to it.

A few things needed to happen to me before I started to enjoy
running. First, I needed to slow down. Second, I needed to stop
thinking about how far and for how long I was going to run. And
third, I needed to get out there and just start running… not
worry about time commitments and appointments or anything else.

This is what we’ll talk about in the final article of this
series on body awareness: starting. You have to start before you
have any fitness success!

When I ran my first marathon, I had never run more than 10
miles. As you can imagine, I got hurt, let my ego push me too
far and it took me over 3 years to recover. Don’t let this
happen to you!

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