Get Physical with Love

“If you can't fly, then run. If you can run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, keep moving.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.

The great philosopher and thinker Socrates said the best way to learn is through observation; so I took a leaf out of his book during a yoga class I attended the other week. If you've ever been to one yourself, you might have noticed the "yoga glow" on the faces of some of your fellow students. You often see it after class, even before the sweat has been rinsed away and especially after a well-settled sufficiently timed Shavasana (or corpse pose - I call it the chill out pose).

Last week, previously tight, stressed-looking features dissolved into happy bright and glowing smiles, or even just plain old glad-to-be-alive contentment. On some of our more mature members, wrinkles, frowns, stress lines seemed to vanish. It unlocked some bit of trivia in my head that there are 43 muscles in the face, including some that are responsible for a considerable amount of tension. But what I realised most during my observations at last week's class was that many of the muscles in our face may well be being used completely unnecessarily during our yoga class. Especially if we're panting, grimacing, huffing, rolling eyes - if you have ever been to a class, you know what it's like, sometimes it can be hard not to; if you're a novice it's almost inevitable.

But all that effort spent making faces, showing the effort, pursing those lips with the strain and struggle is effort that's going right down the drain. It really is just a waste of your precious energy, and it's creating stress in your body and mind.

Thankfully the balance is such that by the end of class you've moved your body a lot and despite the misaligned effort you can still have that yoga glow. However, any stress at all in your face is most definitely a sign that something in your technique in that pose needs fixing. Imagine how much more you would benefit if you took the stress away from your practice, once and for all. Nest time, consciously observe yourself (doing anything - it doesn't have to be yoga) are you expending energy unnecessarily?

8 surprising benefits of yoga.

Some believe when you do light yoga sessions, the soothing effects of yoga may help more than just breathing and posture - they could protect you from heart problems, too. It's important to note that not all types of yoga are appropriate for heart patients. Experts recommend a yoga style called "lynegar," as it flows at a gentle pace and focuses on pose alignment, controlled breathing, and relaxation. On the other hand, there are yoga styles that are far more aggressive and may present problems if you have a heart problem. These styles are known as "vinyasa," and they are far more intense. Furthermore, hot yoga is not recommended for people with heart conditions.

Point being you don't need to overdo something good for you to see the benefits. Think about this for your entire body. It's easy to see the effects in your face, you can SEE that those particular muscles are being used when they don't need to be. But getting back to yoga, I started observing myself through my poses and I could see what muscles in my leg, for example, were expending energy in a pose when they shouldn't be. I think one of the hardest skills to develop in yoga is the skill of tensing (contracting) one muscle or group of muscles, all while relaxing others which are related, close by, or opposite in function. Simply put, while you're working on one area of your body, the rest shouldn't be tensed while you work out.

It got me to thinking whether any of my readers were having the same issues, so I thought I provide three tips (based on my observations) on how to get a little bit more out (and waste a little less energy) of your next yoga class.

What yoga taught me

The first tip is precision alignment; namely the more precisely you practice your pose, by default, the less energy will be expended in non-essential muscle activity. You're going to have to multi-task here; while you're being consciously aware of every part of the pose, you need to concentrate in your breathing. This shouldn't be forced, either, but emulate normal breathing, just deeply from the belly, in-out through the nose.

The second tip I discovered while observing my class was that a beautiful posture makes for beautiful poses. The body actually creates art forms. And to get this figures "just right" there are many small, seemingly insignificant or simple things, you can do to maximise what you do in your yoga practice.For example:

• The way you hold your body and the way you stand on your own two feet makes the most enormous difference to how precise your alignment can be and how well your body can function.
• If you stand well then your body is supported optimally. This also affects the way you walk. When your body is supported well then the muscular connections between your legs and torso means that you can breathe more easily.
• One way to keep your posture beautiful is to drop your shoulders down and back and lift your sternum. Do it in every pose that you can.

The third tip is about how my observations in a yoga class last week relates to life. You've probably heard from at least one of your wise teachers (if you do yoga) that what you do and how you are in your yoga often reflects how you are in your life. What it basically means is if you're wasting energy by reacting to stress and strain by creating stress and tension in your face while you're doing yoga, then in all likelihood you're doing it "out there" during your yoga-free moments.

Reacting to a simple yoga pose by straining your face, your mind and your body is totally unnecessary. It's not what yoga is about; that tension tells you that you are wasting your energy. Yoga is all about learning how to use your energy in the right places, in the right way. So, make every ounce of energy you have count.

10 weird tricks for a better workout.

When your body is reacting to anything by tensing up all over the place, then one of the most important lessons you can learn is to really notice and then act on those signs. There is no better time to do this when you're "just doing yoga". It's all about "being the observer" - which I also discovered is easier (and safer) to learn how to do in class.

Then we somehow need to take the lessons we observe into our life outside of the yoga studio; because life - if lived right - is all about getting physical in a balanced and conscious way. Using your yoga, you become a divining rod that measures energy. When you're wasting energy you KNOW you MUST change what you're doing it to find the ease in the breath, in the mind and in the body. For instance, to release the stress you can drop your shoulders, lift your sternum, stand in good alignment (or sit) and keep your face blissfully stress-free.

Get grounded with Earthing

“Did you know? Studies show walking barefoot in the grass decreases anxiety and depression by 62% and increases those feel-good endorphins.”
— Yoga International

A friend of mine from my yoga class introduced me to a remarkable and completely free technique, which she says is good for lowering blood pressure, boosting heart health, reducing pain and inflammation. Although I'm am completely free of any such symptoms thank goodness, the method intrigued me because combined with yoga it could help your master your energy even more.

Earthing (also called grounding) means reconnecting your body with the free electrons that flow through the Earth's surface. It can be as simple, easy, and free as walking barefoot outdoors - or exercising barefoot. Yoga is great for this.

The theory is that this method of grounding allows the Earth's free electrons to enter the body, where they synchronise all of your bioelectrical systems and powerfully reduce inflammation. Simple tips to consider for getting started with Earthing:

• Grass, sand, dirt, and concrete are conductive surfaces. Your body can draw the Earth's electrons from all of these.
• Walk barefoot outside when possible (and when outdoors isn't realistic, a heated basement with a concrete floor will do, but it's believed that wood and vinyl floors are not conductive).
• As little as 40 minutes a day barefoot outdoors (or on a conductive surface) can bring significant positive results.
• Rest your bare feet on the ground whenever possible.
• It's suggested you use a specially designed conductive grounding device during sleep or relaxation, but this is optional. Health practitioners recommend special conductive pads for use on the floor or while sleeping in bed. These devices plug into a 3-pronged electrical grounding outlet - a bit like an extension cord that connects you to the Earth's energy.

Until recent times, people lived in close daily contact with the Earth. They walked barefoot on the ground and slept close to or directly on the Earth. Ancient healers believed the Earth's energy could be easily absorbed through our skin and through the soles of our feet.

Deferring to the experts, they are now saying that this absorption of energy was real, and had significant health benefits. It's believed we can reclaim those benefits through a simple and free technique called "Earthing" - via the healing phenomenon of the Earth's electrons.

Ask the experts in this area and they'll explain that the flow of energy between our bodies and our planet works to support the various systems in our body and scavenge up free radicals that promote inflammation. Our planet has a negative electrical potential that is generated by solar winds, our ionosphere, and lightning storms. When our skin is in direct contact with the earth we maintain the same electrical potential as our planet. This phenomenon has been occurring mostly without interference up until the last several generations.

Modern societies, however, see most people always wear shoes outdoors. Most shoes have thick soles that block the natural flow of electrons. Most modern people rarely make direct skin contact with the Earth. According to the renowned integrative cardiologist Stephen Sinatra M.D., co-author of Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever, Earthing can have potent effects for healthy blood pressure. On the subject, Dr. Sinatra says:

Blood should flow like red wine—smoothly and easily. Too many people have thicker blood, more like ketchup. That takes a lot more effort from the heart to circulate, and the pressure against the inside of arteries and blood vessels is much higher. Thinning the blood helps to lower blood pressure…and Earthing can help thin the blood.

Indications are that Earthing is indeed a natural solution to thinning the blood. Earthing's positive effects on blood viscosity are so impressive, in fact, that those on certain medications, such as prescription blood thinners, need to be careful when beginning an Earthing program.

In other studies, there is evidence to show that Earthing may support heart health in other ways, as well, including reducing stress, balancing the autonomic nervous system, and managing levels of cortisol (a stress hormone).

Click here to zap your stress levels.

The most important health benefit of Earthing is that it provides the body with abundant electrons from the Earth. This electron transfer appears to have a major impact on the inflammatory process. However, some proponents claim it has widespread health benefits, from injury to sleep to anti-ageing. It is also believed that Earthing may promote longevity by reducing inflammation and oxidation.

Likewise, I discovered last month that stem cells are thought to hold the keys to miraculous cures. Researchers believe some day these cells will enable the regrowth of organs and the cure of everything from Parkinson's to diabetes. But even as arguments rage about which human stem cells should be harvested and what to do with them, the experts say you don't have to wait. You can put stem cells to work right now to fight off the effects of ageing, rebuild muscle and rev up your personal energy.

Do-it-yourself stem cell therapy

Stem cells are unspecialised cells that, according to one of the world's foremost medical research centres, the National Institutes of Health in America, "are capable of renewing themselves through cell division". They're the repair experts of the body, standing by and ready to reproduce, repair and replace worn-out or damaged tissues.

Because of their unique characteristics, medical researchers believe that if they can harness the regenerative power of stem cells, they may be able to develop tools for treating a wide range of illness and damage in the human body. Instead of relying on donated organs to replace damaged kidneys, livers or other body parts, scientists hope they can learn how to use stem cells to regrow these tissues.

If you have diabetes and your pancreas malfunctions, you will be interested to know it may be possible someday to use stem cells to regrow pancreatic structures that secrete insulin. In the future, if you suffer heart attack damage to the heart muscle, stem cells may be able to be injected into the heart to repair and replace the injured cells.

Of course in regard to future developments, extensive medical use of stem cells is probably still decades and billions of dollars of research away, but you can put your own stem cells to work right now to make your body effectively younger, stronger and more energetic. And it won't cost you anything. All you have to do is lift weights. And they don't have to be heavy weights; weight resistance exercise has become very popular with both men and women.

The science behind is said to be this: When you exercise your muscles, you put out a physiological message to your own stem cells, calling them into muscle cells to help build new tissue. Research at the University of Illinois shows that these stem cells, called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), respond to the strain of weight lifting.

For these special cells, vigorous exercise is a call to action. Once they arrive at the muscle sites that have been used to lift weights, they release specialized chemicals called growth factors that cause muscle cells to fuse and build new muscle. It's that fusion of muscle cells and growth that leads to larger, stronger muscles and better health.

Researchers say these findings are important because they've identified an adult stem cell in muscle that may provide the basis for muscle health with exercise and enhanced muscle healing. The potential of MSCs in muscle have to release high concentrations of growth factor into the circulatory system during exercise has made researchers wonder if they provide a critical link between enhanced whole-body health and participation in routine physical activity.

Active stem cells: Strength at any age

Experts are warning if you don't do any exercise and spend most of your time sitting still, you are passing up the chance to harness the rejuvenation power of these stem cells, and you're condemning your body to a slow, inevitable decline. A sedentary lifestyle means that you'll be capable of less and less activity as you age. Consequently, the average person past the age of 50 loses almost a half a pound of muscle every year.

How much better is standing up than sitting?

Researchers studying the effects of resistance exercise believe that studies show this only worsens as people age. Even earlier in adulthood - the 30s, 40s and 50s - it's thought you can begin to see declines if you do not engage in strengthening activities.

The exercises you perform to keep those stem cells active and your muscles stronger do not have to be overly strenuous. You can do simple squats, modified push-ups or partake in classes in tai chi, Pilates and yoga.

If you decide to lift weights, they don't have to be massive weights. Research at McMaster University in Canada shows that lifting light weights can be very effective if you lift them enough times. You merely have to perform enough repetitions to fatigue the muscles so that you can't go on. You can use home-made weights like water bottles filled with water.

Rather than grunting and straining to lift heavy weights, you can grab something much lighter but you have to lift it until you can't lift it any more. Researchers are convinced that growing muscle means stimulating your muscle to make new muscle proteins, a process in the body that over time accumulates into bigger muscles. Even as you read this, your muscle stem cells are standing by, waiting to make you feel younger, improve your looks and boost your health.

The best place to start is on your feet

The good news is that you don't have to live in a gym to improve your health and add years to your life and life to your years. You can start by simply walking. It's the quickest and easiest way to achieve better health, while dramatically increasing your creativity. It's something everyone can – and should – do each day.

Walk for 30 minutes every day.

Exercise is the catalyst. That's what makes everything happen: your digestion, your elimination, your sex life, your skin, hair, everything about you depends on circulation. And how do you increase circulation? Go take a walk, say the experts.

10 reasons to take a walk

1. Walking helps you live longer.
2. It helps you to lose excess weight.
3. It prevents you from gaining fat.
4. It can reduce the risk of cancer.
5. It can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
6. It lowers the risk of diabetes.
7. It boosts your brain power.
8. It can boost your mood and ease stress, as it helps to release endorphins which trigger a positive feeling in the body.
9. It may help prevent erectile dysfunction in men later on in life.
10. It's easy to start. Just get up and walk.

Doing something as easy going for a walk to start off your morning could have garnered all the physical activity necessary to reduce your mortality risk by 50 percent. According to the doctors, it's not obesity that is shortening our lives, but the lack of physical activity. But you don't need to channel your inner gladiator for an intense, sweat-dripping, heart-pounding, metabolism-boosting workout three to six days per week in order to get heart and health benefits. The doctor prescribes just thirty minutes of walking per day.

For many, I'm sure that comes as a welcome relief. Anyone, anywhere, can find a way to get thirty minutes of brisk walking. Research even shows you can break up the exercise into three 10-minute blocks and you'll still achieve the health benefits.

But there are more than just wellness advantages to walking. If you still need another argument to take up putting one foot in front of the other, consider what it will do for your work. I guarantee that you'll be more creative during these thirty minutes of exercise than you would be stuck in front of the computer for another hour (outside of your magic time).

Furthermore, research shows that getting up and away from our regular work environment leads to greater creativity. That's one of the reasons that you get so many good ideas in the shower. And remember, the apple didn't fall on Isaac Newton's head (considered by many to be the father of modern physics) while he sat in his study.

Exposing ourselves to non-work related environments allows our brains to come up with ideas that we wouldn't get otherwise. Combined with the increased blood flow from exercise, and you have a one-two punch for problem solving and generating some of your best ideas of the day. Don't ignore this opportunity to improve both your health and the quality of your ideas.

Any time of the day is acceptable for getting your thirty minute walk, but some experts suggest a morning walk can help you clear your head or organise your thoughts for the day. It's also going to be the easiest time for you to fit in your walk before the events and emergencies of the day steal your time if you have a busy schedule.

A lunchtime walk may boost your mental alertness and help you avoid the afternoon lethargy that comes from a heavy meal that many people mistakenly choose to eat at noon. This also allows you the opportunity to invite a colleague on your walk so that you can work through a problem outside of the regular office environment while benefiting from the increased creativity of a new environment.

Hitting the road after work can bring you multiple rewards. You'll get the health, creativity, and energy boosting benefits, plus it will keep you out of the kitchen and away from that mindless pre-dinner snacking that often ruins an otherwise excellent day of eating high-quality nutritious food.

Finally, there's one more time of day where a brisk thirty minute walk can be a secret weapon for your health. Research shows that moderate exercise after a meal high in fat and calories can help immediately lower harmful levels of blood triglycerides. If you tend to overindulge at dinner, whether a bad habit at home or due to a business dinner with colleagues, you can mediate some of the damage by scheduling your daily walk after dinner instead of falling asleep in front of the TV.

The power of something so simple, a thirty minute walk inserted at any time of the day, seems almost hard to believe. But doctors insist that if you add moderate daily physical activity to your routine, you'll be able to dramatically improve your health and lifespan. You'll also increase your bone density and remain more mobile into your later years.

This doesn't mean you can ignore the importance of eating whole, natural, high-quality foods and minimising your intake of man-made diet disasters like French fries, pie crust, and chips (three of the worst offenders for your heart and health). Good nutrition - and avoiding bad food - is vitally for your health and longevity.

Shield yourself with real food.

Experts say it would also be wise for you to include at least two short sessions of resistance training each week to stay strong and further increase your bone density. Plus, if you want to build a beach body, it's going to take more than a brisk walk. You'll need metabolic resistance training and intervals.

However, if nothing else, adding a thirty minute brisk walk to your day appears to be the vital first step in lifelong health and wellness. Get a good pair of shoes, consider a furry companion who will get you moving every day (a dog is the perfect free personal trainer!), and look forward to becoming more creative at the same time as improving your health.

Mickie Kent on Health • Love Your Sleep • Shield Yourself with Love • Consume Life with Love • Function with Love

Not only could it help you live longer, it could also help you live happier. For example, joggers have reported that they have an overall sense of well-being. And here's the really good news: You don't actually have to work too hard to take advantage of the benefits of jogging. All it takes is a slow-to-average pace and one to two and a half hours spread over two or three sessions during the week. And the researchers say that jogging can benefit people getting started at any age.

It turns out that ANY type of daily physical activity has a big added bonus. Getting a little activity in every day isn't just a key to living longer it's a key to living better. Studies have found that it can help you ward off Alzheimer's and cognitive decline. In fact, one study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Neurology found that people in the bottom 10% of daily physical activity were 2.3 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's as people in the top 10 percent.

Again, it's never too late to start. People over the age of 80 were able to reap the benefits of starting a program of daily physical activity. Researchers found that any kind of activity, including exercising or even cooking or washing dishes, is associated with the reduced risk of cognitive decline. So even if you're not able to start an exercise program - and you don't feel like strapping on some jogging shoes - building a little more activity into your day could dramatically help your mind.

And don't forget your stem cells - all you have to do is give them a reason to spring into action by exerting yourself. Lift something, even if it's just your own body out of your chair. Go barefoot, and as you do some resistance training, combine it with the grounding method. Get in some fresh air, and wriggle those bare feet in the grass as you do some personal stem cell therapy. Do it with focus. Do it with passion. Do it with the earth grounding you; and observe the changes.

Yours in love,