Mind Your Body

Bring your mind to your body to see what you find

Bring your mind to your body and take care in kind

Your memory best when all is at rest.

Your muscles work best when life has less stress.

As far as your chemistry and all that is you.

You get what you need from good food through and through.

FINDING THRESHOLD
THROUGH THE PRACTICE OF YOGA

The practice of Yoga on a regular basis offers you the opportunity to have an experience with your body which transcends into the ethereal space between body and mind.

In this space you are offered the opportunity to become a technician of the body and the movement of its various energies guided by breath, as well as master of your spirit; through the use of your breath you are weaving consciousness into the fabric of your being-- it is never the same practice twice.  It is like air travel, only you are traveling through time and space at a velocity and speed which is relative to your body’s internal mechanism, rather than one that is external to yourself; you become engulfed by the space around and become aware that there no beginning or end, only a continuous connection to all things.

The out come of this experience has the potential of introducing us to another level of existence, one in which better prepares us to take on the stresses of life and one that prepares us for the viewing the reality which lay ahead with greater accuracy.  Yoga, as well as any regular patterned movement practice which can take you to the threshold of where your mind and body converse, creates a readiness; a satisfaction for that inner longing of the spirit; satiety of mind and body, which seems to have many universal possibilities but only one true home within an individuals nature.

10 Tips for Waist Management
1. Cortisol, a hormone known for fat storage is highest in the morning. Eat a breakfast which is high in protein, low in carbs
2. Allot each meal to contain, 40-50% veggies, 20-30% protein,10-20%fat
3. Portion control- small portions
4. Make your last meal of the day the smallest.
5. Eat your late meal of the day before 7 p.m.
6. Structure your day to contain 2-3 main meals and 2 healthy snacks
7. Eat fruit daily…Fruit is fiber and Pectin, a natural enzyme aids in digestion.
8. Cut out soda or sugary soft drinks and juices or limit to 1 per day.
9. Digestion begins in the mouth. Chew each your food 30 to 40 times
10.Drink a minimum of 4 glasses of water per day

Building Better Body IQ for Waist Management
1. If you are interested in a basic, effective, weight management strategy but, are not necessarily interested in changing your diet yet… Try this for 30 days… Do not eat or drink (water is okay) past 7pm in the evening…Nothing…NADA… If you traditionally work out in the evening, arrange your last meal of the day at 5 or 6 at least 30 minutes before you workout.
Giving the body time to empty, especially during evening R&R and sleep, is a natural way to cleanse your body and stimulate your metabolism, as well as challenge your ability for self discipline.
2. If you are over 40 and fairly sedentary, aside from the 1 or 3 hours per week you put into the gym …Try this for 30 days… Set aside 30 minutes each morning, select an activity which you allow you to sweat and get your heart rate up to a sustainable 110 bpms, exercises your passion and increases your happiness factor. Sweating daily is important for healthy gland and organ function.
3. Deconstructing your work week is essential for de-stressing your body & mind. At the end of each work week, before cracking open the bubbly…Take the time to meditate on the people, places and events of the week. Find a quiet spot, a hammock, a corner of your garden, a quiet room. Remember all and with gratitude and make a separation and cut the fabricfrom work to play. Reflection feeds our intuition and prepares you for facing your future.

ON BODY IQ
Main Line Life Column 12-18-08

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT CHALLENGE

It’s that time of year
A time to get clear
A time to take stock
of what’s far or near.

A time to look forward
A time to look back
at all that you’ve gained
or how you have slacked

A year in review
Decide what to do
Its time to take shape
It’s never too late.

So…Deck the halls, storm the malls, eat, drink and get merrily overstuffed. It’s time for

the once a year ritual we westerners engage in THE NEW YEARS RESOLUTION…

What is it about the coming of a new year which causes us to become reflective? So

inspired to wipe the slate clean, remove all the dead, unwanted clutter and excess from

our lives and strive to become anew..? How can I inspire you to get the most from

your new years resolutions…? And then I thought of it…Sadhana (Sa-da-na).

Sadhana is an ancient spiritual tradition practiced in the East. It is a practice used for

shaping or re-shaping consciousness, reaffirming your commitment to your self, your

family or to what you cherish most.

Sadhana literally means endeavoring to obtain a particular result.

It is a daily practice where you challenge yourself to focus on a particular activity

which engages you mind, body & spirit. It is your personal individual effort to expand

your connection to yourself and to all around you.


Here are the basics…
Sadhana contain 3 aspects or elements.
Choice-Choose a practice
You may already be doing Sadhana and not be aware. Or you may be engaged in a daily ritual and feel a need to bring more meaning to it. Whether you choose: a long hike, a martial art, swimming, using restraint and the dinner table...Your Sadhana is to enrich you, enhance your senses, fulfill a part of you which makes you feel connected to all around you. So, ask yourself a simple question or two… What is missing from my life? What activity or practice, done on a daily basis would benefit me and my life most mind, body & spirit? Keep a journal and work through your questions, one Sadhana at a time.

Commitment - Be regular at this practice….When choosing your Sadhana, select something which you can perform or practice mindfully every day. Define a time period (how many days) which you would like to dedicate this particular Sadhana. If you are choosing a Sadhana to change a behavior…Just keep in mind that it takes 90 days to effect a behavior pattern and a full year to incorporate it fully into our life…The “C” word is difficult for most of us when it comes to doing something for ourselves. So be clear about what you are committing to…You can do many Sadhana’s throughout the year or your life.
Create a Sadhana for your family, something which will enhance your closeness as a family unit.

Aspiration-Conscious or mindful intention. This is probably the most essential aspect of Sadhana. What you do with your mind or thinking, you do with your body and spirit….Let me rephrase. The kind of thoughts you hold in your head during any moment of your day, defines that moment… This means if you engage in an activity with resentment, displeasure or half hearted or because you have to do it…You will not get the results you are seeking. Having the ability to control your thinking is essential to producing results. This is one reason so many people flock to yoga and meditation classes. Participants walk away from these experiences remarking how relaxed they feel. But in actuality, the value of all their effort is a focused and controlled intention and state of mind.

HERE IS YOUR 2009 BODY IQ MIND BODY SPIRIT CHALLENGE…
For 108 days straight…
Commit to a practice of something which will impact your life or lifestyle in a proactive way. Choose a practice which will sharpen your thinking, tune up your body and elevate your spirit.

What You Need to Know About Exercise and LSD

Boomers…The generation that said they would never get old…Defined by flower power, social change & getting blissed-out/peaced-out on Rock & Roll & LSD…
Cut to almost 50 years later, were flower power refers to caring for the garden and LSD no longer refers to the mind altering psychedelic drug known for expanding consciousness; but, to a very valuable exercise strategy- LSD- known for staving off the rigors of aging and helping with waist management.
LSD is an acronym which refers to – LONG –SLOW- DISTANCE; an exercise intensity which is known for stimulating maximum fat burning during exercise. The New York City Marathon on November 2nd , is a prime example of LSD; A sea of runners, barely at a running pace; all needing to go the distance; strategically pacing them selves for the finish. Life is like a marathon if you think about it…Creating sustainable energy for a balanced, active & healthy lifestyle requires the endurance of a marathon runner mind-body & spirit.
So, how do you begin to identify your target area of fat burning during aerobic exercise to that you can burn, burn, burn that fat, fat, fat…?
1. Identify your optimal aerobic fat burning intensity. Start by moving at a brisk pace. After about five minutes, try saying... "I am testing my heart & lungs in order to find the best intensity to burn fat." If you can say that easily, try singing your ABC’s. If you can talk and sing, increase your intensity. If you cannot talk easily (therefore not be able to sing either), you are exercising too hard (this is referred to as the Talk-Sing Test). The optimal level of intensity is one where, after about 5 minutes, you can talk but cannot sing.
FACT: The first 10-20 minutes (depending on your level of conditioning) of your aerobic exercise is the phase where your body is burning mostly carbohydrate and is converting fat. When you hit the phase of feeling energized; you are most likely burning mostly fat.
FACT: If your activity is a total of 40 minutes, you spent about half of the run burning fat and half burning mostly carbohydrate.
FACT: To burn fat during aerobic exercise, the intensity and duration of the exercise has to be just right. To low, no go; to high fat won’t fly. Walking two miles in thirty minutes three days per week reduces your risk of heart attack by 58%.
2. Plan on exercising a minimum of 30 minutes three to 5 days per week. The form of exercise is not as important as the intensity and duration. You could dance, cycle, walk, jog; use an elliptical, stair stepper or treadmill. For those who cannot jog or run due to joint problems, swimming is best.
3. Increase your intensity & duration each week for six weeks then take one week off. Your body needs brief periods of recovery. The benefit of exercise is the rest. During the rest period, your body replenishes its energy reserves and prepares itself for the next and more demanding session.
The higher your condition the quicker your transition to burning fat... This is because the enzymes you need increase in supply in response to your training. To get there, you must train often, understand when you switch from fat to carbohydrate and be prepared to put in the time.
For those over 40…Other factors to consider are Heart Rate & Blood
Pressure.
FACT: THRR (TARGET HEART RATE RANGE) for burning fat is usually between 100-120BPMS. Blood Pressure - Systolic pressure (upper number) not going above 180; Diastolic pressure (lower number) not going above 90.

The Itty-Bitty Diet & Exercise Game

WE ARE becoming soft, literally and figuratively of mind, body and maybe even of spirit…SOFT. How did we get this way?

At what point in our history as Americans did it become okay to abandon ship?

By ship I mean “THE BOD”, that vessel that carries around your head all day long…

Check out THE CDC’S website, there’s a FAT MAP; it indicates Pennsylvania as one of the fattest states in the union, only to be out done by the fatties in the southern states of

Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.

We consume more food now, per person than at any other point in the history of the world

and we are less physically active as a culture than ever before.

“By the time we reach 65 years of age most people are clinically obese and have lost 40%

of their muscle mass and suffer from de-enervation from chronic under use,”

says PhD Exercise Physiologist, Greg Ellis.
For decades the Exercise & Diet industries have been screaming to get our attention….

These industries have grown into multi billion dollar industries trying to entice,

motivate and turn us on to the benefits of regular exercise and healthful eating.

They have us running, jumping, shaking and boxing our way begrudgingly

to our next pre-packaged meal. Hello...Have you been to LA Fitness or PSC…

A smorgasbord for exercisers -- all formatted to meet

your nanno-second, automated attention span.

But the only smorgasbords most still seem to frequent more than the gym

is the buffet table x 2.
It’s the itty bitty diet and exercise game and it goes like this…

You join the gym, go 3 to 4 days a week in the beginning,

maybe you even hire a personal trainer for extra motivation;

then as the weeks or months go by you begin to realize

that there is no quick fix for keeping the “bod” in shape

without paying close attention to the four letter F word
FOOD.

Staying FIT takes time, hard work, and attention to the c word
COMITTMENT.
Industrialization & automation while revolutionizing the pace and direction of present day culture, seems to have morphed our nature as natural movers to an evolutionary standstill.

We have become addicted to the immediate gratification that FOOD provides while overlooking the biohazard of CLINICAL OBESITY (when body fat count 30% or above).
Successes and failures around diet and exercise revolve

around behavior and our willingness to modify what ever bad eating or exercise habits

we form over time. Rather than give you list of things you need to change.

Begin by keeping a daily journal of what behaviors you engage in around diet and exercise today.
BODY IQ RULE #1 To create lasting lifestyle change successfully,

you must know where you’re starting point is in order to move forward.
For the next 21 days keep a diet and exercise journal.

How much food energy do you take in, in one day?

How much energy do you spend in one day?

If you are not sure how much energy you are spending or putting in go to

FitDay.com

for some assistance, where you can keep an on line journal for diet and exercise.
- Next,

identify what activity you love which involves purposeful movement,

that engages all of your senses; that you can perform (or work up to performing)

at least 30 minutes daily, that make you sweat and

keep your heart rate elevated between 100- 110 bpms…
FYI: Thermo-convection or SWEAT IS A DAILY BIOLOGICAL NEED.

Sweating helps cool your brain for healthy optimal function.

When you participate in daily exercise you will decrease your internal carbon foot print,

purify your system and create sustainable energy for your future…

ON BODY IQ

Lifestyle maintenance is a continuous challenge for Americans today.
Just when you get use to something, it changes!
Managing or balancing these changes is the only constant for most of us.

For some, it’s balancing the time crunch of a 9 to 5 existence, family time, self time,

education and social responsibilities.
Let’s see...For others, there is diet and exercise…

Diet and Exercise...Diet and...

Oh, well you get the point.

However you choose to bring balance to your lifestyle,

one thing is clear — you are what you eat, drink, sleep, think and breathe.

And while exercise is an essential component for building a healthy, balanced lifestyle;
in the hustle and bustle of our fast paced, super charged, cyber space, espresso buzzed lives; how can we prevent ourselves from getting caught up in the never ending cycle of the diet and exercise guessing game?
One minute, carbs are good, then bad; drink red wine, don’t; coffee, no coffee;

chocolate or not; to supplement or not; to run, walk, jump, shake or slide or not…

Eeeks, no wonder we are sicker, fatter, more stressed out and sedentary than ever!
So, how do we know what’s good for us…? Who do we listen to?

How do we listen - to the do & don’ts for exercise, weight management and

the power of next perfect pill?
While we all would like to think we can recognize good information from bad, we are bombarded with FACTIONS, (the hybrid of fact and fiction or partial truths); hence, the inspiration for my column on Body IQ. What is BODY IQ? How do you get it?

And, if you think you once had it, where did it go?
Body IQ is the process of learning how to listen to your internal body wisdom.

It is about personal self care, nature vs. nurture and honoring your individual nature.

It is an on going process that grows with you as you age; or not; it is your internal intuitive connection to what is appropriate for your individual needs.

I have spent the last two last decades teaching people how to take
care of their bodies and helping develop Body IQ. Clients who
come to me for exercise and bodywork ultimately end up talking about
and asking advice about nutrition and/or a medical problem such as
digestive problems, neurological issues, allergies, chronic headaches,
inability to sleep or relax. You name it and I have helped people
explore it. Building Better Body IQ is a natural outgrowth of my years
in education, practice and study in the fields of Exercise Physiology
and Human Movement Potential.

This column is about debunking the myths and fads which

create a divide between you and your natural body wisdom;

so that you no longer need to be dependent on a trend or a fad.

It is for all the weekend warriors, baby boomers who can’t keep up with the

age related mind & body changes, yo-yo diet food junkies

and all the in betweens who haven't quiet figured out

how to balance the energy equation of

feast vs. famine… Sloth vs. Richard Simons.

So stay tuned as I roll up my sleeves and interview the experts,
wade through all the FACTIONS (half truths) and help you
develop your Body IQ®.

HERE ARE SOME TOPICS ON MY HIT LIST

FOR HELPING YOU BUILDING BETTER BODY IQ®
The Itty-Bitty Diet & Exercise Game
Exercise & LSD
Balancing the Mind, Body & Spirit Challenge
Counting Your Blessings, One Bone at a Time.
Moving Through Life… One Beat at a Time
The New Aphrodisiac… Sexy, Smelly Sweat…
The Tired, The Needy, The Women of PMS
Food Profiling… Fact or Affliction