Studies show that exercising early in the day will make for a more productive workday. For best results, alternate bursts of rapid activity – like running – with a slower activity – like walking – over a 30-minute period. This will give you more energy than going at a steady pace for 45 minutes. Also, try one-minute sets of jumping jacks throughout your day to get the blood flowing and to fight off those mid-day blahs!

An Ounce of Prevention

The breakdown of cartilage that causes the pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis is usually considered an unavoidable part of aging. Other factors that contribute to joint pain can be weight, injuries and genetic disposition. But recent osteoarthritis studies suggest that, due to our increased participation in high-impact activities, we may be developing the condition much earlier in life – sometimes as young as 25!  So what can you do to help prevent osteoarthritis?

Health Benefits of Yoga Practice

Recently, I wrote about the healing benefits of a restorative yoga practice.  What I didn’t mention is that those are only a small part of what you can experience when yoga becomes a part of your daily life. No other form of exercise has a more profound effect on you as a whole… physically, mentally or spiritually.

Yoga for the Body

• A regular yoga practice increases your heart strength. Studies show that yoga lowers your resting heart rate, increases your cardiovascular endurance and improves your maximum uptake of oxygen during exercise.
• Yoga slows your pulse rate. A strong heart beats slowly since it works more efficiently to circulate blood and oxygenate cells.
• Yoga reduces blood pressure. Two recent studies showed that people suffering from hypertension who practiced yoga saw a major drop in blood pressure.
• Yoga improves lung efficiency.  Yogis breathe deeply and slowly, improving the flexibility of the rib area, shoulders and back, allowing the lungs to expand more fully. Increased lung capacity improves oxygen flow throughout the body.
• Yoga improves blood circulation. Deep breathing and muscle relaxation allows oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood to move more freely throughout the body for healthier organs, skin and brain.
• Yoga helps the immune system. As the body moves in and out of yoga poses, stretching and contracting muscles, the lymphatic system is engaged, pumping lymphocytes (immune cells) throughout the body to protect against infection, destroy cancerous cells and dispose of toxic waste.  Yoga poses that twist and compress organs help massage and rejuvenate immune organs and channels. The practice of Yoga also generates balanced energy – vital energy required by the immune system.
• Yoga lowers cortisol levels.  Stress causes the adrenal glands to secrete cortisol into the body. High levels of cortisol compromise the immune system and are also linked to memory loss, depression, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, insulin resistance and overeating.
• Yoga is known to ease pain. Doctors prescribe yoga and meditation to help in the treatment of chronic conditions such as back pain, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome and fibromyalgia.  Studies show that patients with chronic pain conditions who practice yoga tend to require less medication to control their pain and sometimes are able to free themselves from pills completely.
• Yoga builds strength. Yoga uses the weight of the body, particularly in standing poses, balancing poses and inversions, which require sustained isometric muscle contractions, which builds strength and tones muscles. Strong muscles not only look good but they protect us from conditions like arthritis and back pain and help prevent falls.
• Yoga increases flexibility. A balanced practice puts all of your joints through their full range of motion, stretching muscles and massaging all the soft tissues in your body.  Stretching increases flexibility, helps prevent injury, and reduces lactic acid build up which causes stiffness, tension, pain and fatigue.  Posture and balance improves, as does the ease of moving your body through daily tasks.
• Yoga balances metabolism, resulting in the ability to maintain a healthy weight and control hunger.  An efficient metabolism helps control cravings for food, caffeine, alcohol and drugs.
• Yoga balances your body chemistry.  Yoga practice lowers cholesterol levels, blood glucose levels, sodium levels and triglycerides in the blood and increases natural antioxidants produced by the body.
• Ongoing studies show that yoga helps to prevent,  treat or reduce the symptoms of a multitude of diseases, such as heart disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, Type II diabetes,  multiple sclerosis, cancer, muscular dystrophy, migraines, scoliosis, chronic bronchitis, epilepsy, sciatica, OCD, and more.

Yoga for the Mind.

• Yoga is a mood enhancer.  One study found that consistent yoga practice improved depression and led to a significant increase in serotonin levels and a decrease in the levels of enzymes that break down neurotransmitters and cortisol. Another showed that meditation heightened activity in the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain that correlates with greater levels of happiness and better immune function.  Some researchers believe these changes are a result of yoga’s boosting oxygen levels to the brain.
• Yoga reduces stress and anxiety by encouraging you to relax and focus on the present with the slow, mindful breathing that is tied to every movement and to meditation. This type of breathing decreases blood pressure by shifting blood flow away from the nervous system and increasing the flow of blood to the intestines and reproductive organs – what Herbert Benson, M.D., refers to as the “relaxation response.”
• Yoga increases our ability to focus. Some studies suggest that yoga my have a positive effect on learning and memory.  It’s often life’s distractions that inhibit concentration and our ability to stay on task. Improved blood circulation to the brain, as well as the reduction in stress, helps the mind stay calm and focused on the present.

Yoga for the Spirit.

• Yoga encourages self acceptance. Focusing inward and realizing through your yoga practice that perfection is not the goal, allows self acceptance to begin. Yoga teaches that you are a manifestation of the Divine, that you are a part of something bigger. If you view your yoga practice as more than just an aerobic workout, as an opportunity for betterment and self-examination, you’ll experience feelings of gratitude, empathy, forgiveness and acceptance.
• Yoga gives you peace of mind. Yoga slows down the mental loops of frustration, regret, anger, fear and desire that can cause stress. Stress is implicated in a great number of health problems — high blood pressure, digestive problems, insomnia, migraines and so much more.  Learning to quiet your mind will help you live a longer and healthier life.
• Yoga helps you break free from destructive emotions. Hostility and anger are strongly linked to high blood pressure and heart attacks.  Yoga reduces anger by increasing feelings of compassion and interconnection and by calming the nervous system and the mind.  It allows you to step back from the drama of your life, allowing you to remain steady and in control when faced with difficult situations and unsettling events.
• Yoga creates a balance within you so that you may live a life of peace, good health and harmony.

There’s no doubt that practicing yoga will change you. If you haven’t tried it, take a class and share your experience.  If you already practice, I hope you’ll share a story or two about how yoga has affected your life.

If you’re like a lot of people, you may have considered meditating but don’t feel you have the time. Or maybe you’ve tried meditating but you can’t seem to get it right … your mind wonders, you can’t sit still or you fall asleep. You just can’t do it! But meditating for short spurts of time can still have benefits.  If you have a minute, you can meditate. It can take just 45 seconds to de-stress and calm your mind.

Before you begin, try this little experiment.  Breathe through your mouth. Note the expansion of your chest and stomach and the speed of the breath.  Now breathe through your nose and notice the difference. As you breathe through your nose, the lungs and diaphragm expand, pulling the air to the bottom of your lungs. By breathing through your nose, the lungs fill more slowly and have more time to extract the oxygen from the air you pull in, so more oxygen is delivered into your bloodstream and into your brain.

Three Deep Breaths

Close your eyes and take three slow, deep breaths, pausing after the inhale and after the exhale. Be sure to exhale completely, but don’t force the breath. Let your diaphragm relax as you breathe in and gently contract as you breathe out. Think only of your breath.

Now open your eyes. Notice how your thoughts have slowed, your mind is calmer and your body, relaxed.

This is so easy and you can do it anywhere at anytime. If you find yourself in a situation that causes stress, pause for three deep breaths — when you’re standing in a long checkout line, or you’re on a deadline at work, or stuck in a traffic jam, (you can do this with your eyes open), or trying to get the kids off to school in the morning … any situation that causes your blood to boil!  Or try practicing Three Deep Breaths once every hour to keep you calm and focused throughout the day.

Of course, this isn’t going to take you into a deep meditative state. But it will give you a clearer, calmer mind. You may find that, as you discover the advantages of this brief mindful practice, you’ll want more! The benefits of meditation are many: improved concentration, deeper levels of relaxation, reduced anxiety, decreased muscle tension and headaches, reduced pre-menstrual syndrome, pain management and an enhanced immune system.

Why not try it right now?

I read, recently, that sinusitus is currently one of the top reasons people visit their doctors in the United States. Considering the increasing levels of pollution and chemicals in our environment, it’s not surprising that the number of people suffering from allergies, asthma and other forms of nasal congestion and respiratory illnesses continues to rise.

Although I’m fortunate that I don’t suffer from allergies, I have noticed that the cold winter weather really dries out my nasal passages. I kept hearing about neti (nasal irrigation) pots and the relief they provide, so I thought I’d try one out.

I googled neti pot to learn a bit about it first, found a video demonstration (shown below), and although the  “ick” factor was fairly high, the procedure looked easy enough.  So I purchased one, bought some uniodized salt and gave it a try.  It really is simple, especially once you have the proper head tilt, and yes, my nasal passages felt so much better afterwards!

Neti has been performed by Yoga and Ayurveda practitioners in India for thousands of years. Neti is one of the six purification techniques undertaken prior to practicing yoga to help prepare the body for the yoga practice. Some practitioners believe that jala neti (water cleansing) practice affects the sixth chakra (or third eye), which helps to awaken higher states of consciousness. Alternative health physicians recommend neti to cleanse nasal passages and prevent illness. With scientific studies supporting the effectiveness of neti usage, even MDs are going the natural route and recommending nasal irrigation to sinusitus patients before prescribing medication.

In 2007 Oprah featured the subject on one of her ”Ask Dr. Oz” shows. Amy, an audience member who suffered from sinusitis, bravely demonstrated the neti on national TV.  In a follow-up segment, Amy said both she and her husband now use the neti pot every day and that she no longer suffers from sinus headaches; and a member of Oprah’s Harpo staff, who started using a Neti after the show aired, reported finding relief from her lifelong battle with allergies!

The biological explanation for how the Neti pot works has to do with the tiny, hair-like structures called cilia that line the inside of the nasal and sinus cavities.  (Remember 7^th grade biology?)  The cilia wave back and forth to push mucus either to the back of the throat where it can be swallowed, or the nose to be blown out.  Chronic sinus problems cause the cilia to beat more slowly and inefficiently. The saline rinse helps increase the speed and improve coordination of the cilia so that they may more effectively remove the bacteria, allergens and other irritants that cause sinus problems.

While there are advanced techniques using various herbs and herbal oils, the simplest technique, known as “jala neti” uses water (jala) for the cleansing process. You fill the small teapot-shaped receptacle with a saline solution made up of warm water and non-iodized salt, tilt your head over the sink and pour it into one nostril (see the demo video below). As the water runs out the other nostril, it clears the nasal passages of mucus … and anything else that might be hanging around in there. (Yes, I know … ewww … but you really don’t see anything but clear water.)

About 10% of regular users experience mild side effects, such as nasal irritation and stinging. Nosebleeds can occur but are very rare. Reducing the amount of salt, using non-iodized salt, adjusting the temperature of the water and adjusting the frequency of Neti pot use usually decreases the side effects. The neti should be washed thoroughly and dried completely after each use. Neti pots are inexpensive and widely available in drugstores, health-food stores and on-line.