Pretty Tough Guide to Yoga

Yoga is an activity that includes mental and physical exercises which develop breathing and preserve health. The word Yoga comes from Sanskrit “yuj” meaning unity, to join, to yoke. Ultimately the purpose of yoga is to connect you with your true self in the present moment, uniting body and spirit through the breath in preparation for meditation.

The practice of yoga  promotes greater awareness, flexibility, discipline, and ease of movement. Whether done to improve posture or prevent physical ailments, yoga poses, or asanas, are a great way to align body, mind, and spirit.

If you’re curious about yoga, try visiting a yoga studio to discover what a deep connection people have to the ancient tradition. Yoga studios are great because you’ll get an instant sense of community and discipline. While its roots may go back thousands of years, the yoga most people practice today is definitely modern.

Yoga is based on its three essential components:

• Exercise – a soft workout that increase flexibility, power, equilibrium.
• Breathing – enlarges blood circulation and lung potential.
• Meditation – brings emotional and physical relaxation.

Exercises and breathing procedures set up the body and mind for meditation. Regular practice of all these procedures has as results a strong and health body, a lucid and brilliant mind.

Classes can be taken two or three times in a week. A session usually lasts 45 minutes – 90 minutes. It begins with warm-up exercises and breathing training. Then people will try a sequence of yoga postures, each of them being practiced from one to three times. After four or five different postures you usually have permission to rest, then the procedures are followed by a period of physical relaxation joint with meditation.

Yoga has a lot of benefits which include:

Improved mental lucidity;

Reduced stress and anxiety;

Increased flexibility, range of motion;

Reduced heart rate;

Improved muscle relaxation;

Increased physical endurance;

Self-confidence;

Decreased respiratory rate.

Yoga is also used for many health problems such as:

Depression;

Headaches;

Insomnia;

Heart disease;

Chronic pains;

Thyroid illness, and several more.

What’s so cool about yoga is that the deeper you get into it, the more you can explore the more spiritual and mystical traditions–tracing all the way back to the stories of Krishna and Shiva in the Bhagavad Gita. For starters, focus on the physical practice and as you become stronger and more flexible, you’ll begin to enjoy the emotional and spiritual benefits as well.

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Q & A

Q: Is yoga good for lower back pain?
A: Research shows that yoga can be used to manage lower back pain. Yoga stretches out the spine and strengthens the muscles of your back, hips and legs. Doing two of the most basic yoga postures – the Downward-Facing and Upward-Facing Dog – every day can make a big difference in your back’s flexibility. Be sure to start out slowly and gently and seek out classes or yoga teachers tuned into your special needs.

Namaste. (The light in me bows down to the light in you.)

PT Playbook: Parkour 101

The essence of Parkour can be stated simply: it is the art of overcoming obstacles as swiftly and efficiently as possible using only your body.

Parkour — l’art du déplacement, or translated, the art of moving — is of French origin. Running, climbing, jumping, and landing all play a role as traceurs, practitioners of Parkour, pass over, under, around and through obstacles with complex movements.

Frequently practiced in an urban environment, the goal is to get from Point A to Point B using only your body, creativity and the objects in your immediate environment. This fitness discipline is designed to build strength, agility, endurance and confidence.

Parkour has been featured in James Bond movies such as Casino Royale and parodied on The Office — watch Michael, Andy and Dwight in the video below.  There are also dozens of Parkour clips on YouTube that enjoyed millions of views from fans. Definitely worth checking those out.

Parkour Visions, based in Seattle, is a non-profit organization that is using the discipline to reach at-risk youth. By teaching them Parkour, the hope is that they’ll improve their self-esteem and fitness by “transforming their everyday world into an epic playscape.

So what do you think? Fitness, fun, or insanity?

The Ultimate Faceoff by Mel Majoros

(This guest blog by Mel Majoros is being reprinted by permission from the Grand Traverse Womans Magazine Oct 08 issue)

I have always had a wicked sense of humor. I get that from my dad. On Sept 18, 2007, when I was told, “It’s cancer,” I didn’t know how my sense of humor and my favorite game, hockey, would get me through perhaps the greatest challenge of my life.

Immediately I saw the irony in my breast cancer. I had just participated in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life a couple of months before and now I was a cancer survivor. My primary care physician broke the news and, since I had basically just met her, I was dubious at best. I remember she told me and then her voice sounded like the adults in the Peanuts cartoon. After that she made an appointment for me to see a surgeon, Dr. Brown. I immediately pictured Doc Brown from Back to the Future. If he starts talking flux capacitors and screams 1.21 jigawatts I am so out of there, I thought.

Fortunately he was nothing like that. We discussed my options and decided I would get a lumpectomy. “You could get a mastectomy so you can be sure the cancer doesn’t go into the other breast” he said. Well I am all for preventative medicine but let’s not get carried away. To quote one of my favorite TV shows, Seinfeld: “They are real and they are spectacular.” I decided to keep both of them.

Dr. Brown did two surgeries, one to remove the lump and one for the port. He told me the surgery would only take about a half hour. I got to the hospital around 10 a.m. Surgery was scheduled for around noon. I couldn’t have anything to eat or to drink after midnight. I was waiting in a private room, watching the video about my port. The time ticked by and soon it was 2 o’clock and I was still waiting. I happened to spy the doc walking by my room and yelled out, “So what did you do, forget about me?” He had some kind of cardiac emergency to take care of and told me I was next in line. He said “You must be pretty hungry, huh?” I was and said, “Yeah you owe me a pizza.” He said OK. As I was being wheeled into the OR the surgical nurse said, “OK now the doctor will be right in. He is just ordering your pizza.” “Haha,” I thought, “Funny joke to play on someone who is just about to be put under.” Sure enough when I woke up from surgery a Jet’s pizza was waiting for me.

Having cancer is not easy, and telling people is just as difficult. Some people I could tell right away, while others would have to wait. It is exhausting enough just having the disease, let alone rewinding and replaying the story for my friends and family. So how do you tell people? “Hey!! Haven’t seen you in a while, how ya doin’? I have cancer. How are the kids?” I never thought I wouldn’t be OK, even after I lost weight. People who didn’t know that I had cancer said, “Wow, you look great!!” “Yeah,” I said. “That cancer is the best diet ever!” Even after my first chemo treatment made me so dizzy and nauseous for three hours, I still knew I was going to be OK. No wonder I don’t drink. Chemo gave me the worst hangover I ever had.

Even after I had my stylist shave my head because the chemo was making my hair fall out I had to laugh. My mom wanted a current picture of me and, as it turned out, I got my head shaved on her birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!! My hair is growing back, and she is still waiting for that picture.

I really didn’t have the side-effects that many people do, with the exception of the first chemo hangover bedspins. I am convinced that working out to get ready to hit the ice really helped me battle this disease. All this was going on around the beginning of hockey season, something I look forward to. I am the captain of the Petoskey women’s hockey team and I always work out my hardest to get ready for that, and, because of my job at WMKT, I was able to go to the Red Wings Training Camp. I was diagnosed on the last day of training camp. The Wings save their best game for the last day. Unfortunately I did not make it to that game. Since I am a huge hockey fan, it really meant something special to me when the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup. The Wings will hoist the Stanley Cup banner on Oct. 9. One year to the day of my lumpectomy surgery.

I use hockey as an analogy to fighting cancer. If you are on the ice and someone knocks you down, you don’t stay down. You get up and keep skating. That is what I will do. I will keep skating.

Red Wings Training camp photo copyright 2007 by Melinda Majoros taken during the 2007 training camp, that’s right, a few days before my diagnosis.

Mel is the producer of The Vic McCarty show. Listen live Monday-Friday 10am-Noon eastern time on wmktthetalkstation.com.

Mel also produces The Maria Shaw show on Empoweradio.com. Listen Live Monday-Friday Noon-3pm.

Podcast: Pretty Tough Peak Performance Episode 001

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:06 — 6.5MB)

Pretty Tough is proud to present the first in a series of weekly podcasts focusing on Peak Performance.

The PT Peak Performance series features leading experts from the fields of sports nutrition, diet, sports psychology and core and fitness training, as well as athletes, trainers and coaches. Each program is 6 – 8 minutes in length and provides cutting edge information and actionable advice to help athletes of all ages perform at their peak with a special focus on the female athlete.

Episode 001: Rebecca Scritchfield discusses how what an athlete eats will help her perform better.  Listen as Rebecca provide essential details about nutrition, hydration and maintaining good health.

About Rebecca Scritchfield: Rebecca Scritchfield is a Washington, D.C. based registered dietitian in private practice. Members of Congress, corporate executives, and professional and recreational athletes seek Rebecca’s  expertise to help them reach their performance goals. She received a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and was recognized by American Dietetic Association in 2009 as “Young Dietitian of the Year”.

Kimmy Fasani: Keeping fit in the off-season

(Ed. Note: Winter X Games veteran Kimmy Fasani is a  Pretty Tough Team Rider. This is one in a series of exclusive blog post for the site. )

The 2009 to 2010 season is just around the corner and as an athlete, a healthy lifestyle is the glue that holds my body and mind together. When I feel strong physically, I typically feel a lot more confident mentally. Each year from June until November I have to find my rhythm again with how I’m going to get my body back in the best shape. This summer has flown by and I’ve been on the road a lot so I have hard a hard time finding my groove for getting into the gym. However, even when I’m not able to hop into the gym I find ways to get active.

When I’m on the go, and not in a place long enough to get a gym membership, I try to do some kind of cardio workout at least four times a week. During this hour workout I will do three sets of lunges, squats, pushups, and sit-ups. This gets my muscles firing and keeps me fit, while also not taking up too much time. I notice a big difference in my endurance levels on the hill when I make time for this quick workout.

When I am home in Mammoth Lakes, CA and don’t make time to go to the gym I have found a good routine that will make me strong going into the 2009-2010 season. I am an early riser and prefer to get my workouts done in the morning, so I don’t have to worry about doing later in the day. Plus anything I do after my morning workout will be an added bonus. About five days a week I hop on my road bike before I eat breakfast giving my body a chance to burn off more of ‘last nights’ dinner. Later in the afternoon I may go rock climbing with my boyfriend, if we are both in town. About three times a week I do yoga, which keeps my body limber and stretched out. The three of these together lengthen, strengthen, and stretch my body making me feel rejuvenated and ready for another season.

If you’re an athlete or not it’s very important to keep your body moving. This will keep your joints lubricated and healthy, which will make your body happy for the rest of your life.

Today is…National Running Day

Get out there and run! It’s all about that first step! Running is an incredibly healthy, easy, and accessible form of exercise. Whether it’s five minutes, 15 minutes, or 45 minutes, every little bit of time spent running makes a difference in the goal to live healthy, happy, and heart strong.

Join National Running Day on Wednesday, June 3 (that’s TODAY), and come together as a nation to take strides toward leading healthier, fitter lives.

We Run LA – In my little burg, there’s an organized run this afternoon run through the streets of Downtown, beginning at the start line of the Los Angeles Marathon at 5th and Figueroa Streets. Run up Figueroa past the LA Convention Center, past The Staples Center (GO LAKERS!!) through the beautiful and historic USC campus and Historic West Adams village.  Come out and connect with other Downtown runners who enjoy running LA!

To register for We Run LA or find a Running Day event near you! Click here.

E-Bikes: Green with a boost

Bike-to-Work Day just passed, and it’s possible you never actually got on your bike. No doubt you wanted to. You probably thought about it but maybe you were worried about traffic or you live in a city with hills. Or maybe you just wanted to be able to arrive at work or school without looking like a sweaty mess.

We get it. Maybe a regular bike isn’t for you. But… how about an electric bike? E-bikes, electric bicycles, or plain old mopeds, electric-powered two-wheelers seem to be the next big thing.

Electric bikes are regular bicycles but with a motor attached for when you need an extra boost. They’ve been popular in Europe forever. Now they’re slowly making in-roads in car-happy America. They’re a great way to go green. You get the versatility of knowing you can pump on your own when it makes sense to do so and turn on the power when you need a little something extra.

E-bikes are growing in popularity as many amateur cyclists attempt to venture ever further on their two-wheelers.Bicycle Retailer notes, “Best Buy will be piloting electric-powered personal transportation products at some of our stores on the West Coast later this spring,” said Paula Baldwin, senior manager for Best Buy public relations. Currie Technologies will be stocking Best Buy with six different Izip models, ranging in price from $499-$2,000. The Southern California-based company will also provide Best Buy with two electric scooters at $299 and $599, according to Currie president Larry Pizzi. “There could be a larger rollout as we approach this holiday season,” Pizzi said.

They may not be cheap,  but with the current state of the economy, it’s surprising there isn’t more excitement surrounding the new crop of E-Bikes on the market. The A2B, for example, costs 16 cents per mile according to Ultra Motor, versus nearly a dollar per mile for a typical car. The power lasts for up to 20 miles at a cruising speed of 20 mph, and it’ll drive up hills without you breaking a sweat.

Here are a couple other popular models to consider:

Ecobike Elegance
The 61-pound Elegance gets a range of 25 miles in pedal-assist mode. An on-off switch turns on the motor when you need a little extra help. For more juice, crank on the throttle. The bike goes up to 20 mph and, like the HG1000 has a removable battery. $1680.

Twist Freedom DX
Wired calls this 63-pounder from Giant the “most modern, integrated and attractive pedal-assist electric bike on the market.” Unlike many others, though, it has no throttle. To get power, you have to pedal. The motor has three settings — Economy, Normal, and Sport — so you can adjust how much help you want. Unlike many electric bikes which stash the battery in the middle of the bike where a water bottle might usually go, the Twist Freedom puts its batteries in rear-mounted saddle-bags. $2,250.

Electric bicycles and scooters can ease congestion,  are pleasant to ride,  plus they are classified as zero-emission vehicles. Good for the environment and great if you tend to be lazy (or don’t want to work on fitness 24/7).  Might be time to check these babies out.

(h/t to goodcleantech.com)

Chantelle: Getting healthy after an injury

I blew it. My ACL and meniscus that is. For anyone that’s been hurt before, they know it’s never fun. However, there’s lots of things you can do when you’re given an opportunity to sit around all the time, like read books, create art, organize trips, and figure out how you can get healthier faster. That’s what I’ve done, and here’s my tips… for the health part anyway.

1. Attitude. I know it sounds silly, but it’s been scientifically proven over and over again that if you have a good attitude, your healing time will be much shorter than someone who has a bad one. So when your mom says, “Cheer Up”, you should listen. Moms always know.

2. Rest. Yes, I know you’ve probably heard this one too. But, if your body isn’t well rested, then it doesn’t have the energy to heal. To help sleep better, make sure you cut off your caffeine intake and are eating a balanced diet. If your body is healthy, it will create melatonin, which is the natural sleep hormone that will help you fall asleep and stay asleep so your body can heal, heal, heal.

3. Eat less dairy. I know you think drinking milk is going to make your bones stronger, and it will, but when you’re injured, dairy can slow the process of healing faster. I could go into a scientific explanation of why this is, but instead I’ll make it easy. Dairy coats the cell walls, so when your body is trying to heal, it provides an extra layer that it has to penetrate before healing. However, calcium (found in dairy) is still important, it helps you relax, heal, and makes your bones strong. You can find it added to many non-dairy products like orange juice and crackers.

4. Pineapple. If you have an injury like I do, that makes a certain part of your body swollen, pineapple is a great natural anti-inflammatory. It’s an easy way to help your body’s swelling go down, which will, in turn, make it more mobile and heal faster! If you can’t find a ripe pineapple, it’s easy to get the supplement that helps healing. Bromelain formula (which is extracted from pineapple) can be found in any health food store!

5. Herbs. There are many different types of herbs you can take that’ll be beneficial for a healthy body. They have long held an important place in the treatment and prevention of illnesses for hundreds of years. Just like bromelain (pineapple) is an anti-inflammatory, herbs can help treat cuts, wounds, coughs, joints, and well… pretty much anything! For particular injuries, I recommend visiting a health food store, or websites like anniesremedy.com as they have lots of great advice as to what herbs you can use to help your body!

6. Stay away from Aspartame. On top of the many reasons that are coming out all over the world, this fake sweetener will slow healing. Your body should only take in natural sugars from fruit, and raw sugar (in small amounts). Since aspartame isn’t either, your body doesn’t know how to react to it. With your body working on breaking it down, it’ll stop working on healing your injury…

7. Exercise. Even though you’re injured, doesn’t mean you should use it as an excuse to stop exercising all together. For me, my knee is injured, and although I can’t run around, skateboard, and ski anymore, I can still bike, swim, and use weights and my own body to strengthen my injured knee, as well as keep the rest of my body in the same shape it was pre-injury! So keep at it…

8. Drink Water. Water is equally as important when you’re not injured, as it is when your injured! Your body has to stay healthy to heal, and a healthy body is a hydrated one! In addition to drinking water, throwing a couple lemon slices in water will also help clear your body of toxins!

(Ed. Note: Pretty Tough athlete Chantelle Heroux is a champion skier who competes internationally and has a lot of fun on and off the slopes - get well soon CH!)

The Award for Best Water in the World Goes to…

This year, the long-running Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting welcomed more than one hundred waters from across the country and around the globe. Held in the historic spa town of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, it is the largest water tasting competition in the world.

Municipal waters compete for the coveted honor of best tasting tap water. Bottled waters, both still and sparkling, are also judged along with waters in a new category, purified drinking water.  

It’s unclear how much of the day is a pr/media event and how much is true competition but eleven judges spent hours tasting nearly one hundred waters from sixteen states and eight foreign countries. Bottled water came from all over the globe to compete, including for the first time water from Japan and Ecuador. Other international waters included those from New Zealand, Macedonia, Israel, Canada, and Bosnia.

The Gold Medal, and prestigious honor of being named, “The Best Water in the World” was awarded to Los Angeles based company, H2Om Water with Intention, an eco friendly, and award winning company whose natural spring water emanates from the pristine Palomar Mountains of Southern California.

Judges were instructed to look at, sniff and taste each water under guidelines like those in a wine tasting. The waters were rated for attributes including appearance (it should be clear – or slightly opaque for glacial waters), aroma (there should be none), taste (it should taste clean), mouth feel (it should feel light), and aftertaste (it should leave you feeling refreshed with no aftertaste). Hundreds of waters were tasted in four separate flights over two full days.

In 2010 the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Event will celebrate its twentieth year. The Saturday evening tasting and reception, billed as black tie/bib overalls optional, is free to the public by invitation from the area’s innkeepers.

For more information on the event and a complete list of awarded waters visit http://www.berkeleysprings.com/water/awards2.htm.
 

It’s Girl Scout Cookie Time

It’s that time of year again. But if it seems easier than ever to finish off a box of Girl Scout cookies, it may not just be in your head. The lousy economy is taking a bite out of even the venerable Girl Scout cookie which has found itself downsized this year.

To offset the cost increases of cookie ingredients, Girl Scouts USA made the decision to shrink its cookie boxes, package fewer cookies into boxes of Thin Mints, Do-si-dos, and Tagalongs, and reduce the size of its Lemon Chalet Crèmes.

According to the organization, the cost of flour rose by 30 percent, assorted cooking oils by 40 percent, and cocoa by at least 20 percent. The company felt this was the best method of dealing with increasing raw material prices. Alternatively, Girl Scouts could have used cheaper ingredients, or raised cookie prices from their current price of $3.50 per box.

Even though some boxes contain fewer cookies, and some cookies lost some heft in the redesign, it is still a good idea to know the caloric content and serving size of your favorite cookie. There are currently two bakers that make the cookies, ABC and Little Brownie, but the calorie count is similar. Average serving size? 2.5 cookies. Average calories? 150. Calories per box of Thin Mints? 1120 calories.

By the way, the Girl Scouts have issued a press release recently stating that their cookies are not affected by the current peanut butter warning.

Girl Scout Cookie History

•The earliest record of Girl Scouts selling cookies was of a 1917 service project by the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Okla.

•In 1933, 44 Girl Scout cookies cost a mere 23 cents.

•The words “Girl Scout Cookies” first appeared on a box of cookies in 1935, for the Girl Scout Federation of Greater New York.

•Thin Mints, or Chocolate Mints as they were called then, officially made the scene in 1951, along with sandwich and shortbread cookies.

•Girl Scout cookies free of trans-fatty acids went on sale in 2007.

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