Practical Health And Fitness Tips That Will Give You Results

By Juana Buchanan

Like a well rehearsed routine, the world will usually come together at the end of the festive season to declare war on the excess that were indulged in during the festive season. Resolutions to be frequent at the gym and reclaim optimum health and fitness are made in earnest. There are advantages to working it at a gym. You can keep to a schedule where you work out on specific days and times and there is a trainer who can motivate you to keep at it. In addition to the gyms in the main business districts of Missoula, MT there are are others in residential areas. Getting to a gym early in the morning and last thing at night is made quite convenient.

It is the body that will go through the motions when you are working out in a gym in pursuit of a lean, toned body. However, the mindset with which you go to the gym is a factor. It will to a large extent determine how effective your gym sessions will be. It is important to keep the following factors in mind every time you start a workout.

Go in with goals that are clear in your mind. They should also be realistic. If you are working out for a body like that of a certain celebrity, you are working against yourself. Your goal should be to attain optimum health. Do not set out to compete with anyone and do not compare your body to that of others.

Also avoid attaching your goal to someone else, such as wanting to lose weight for your partner because it would mean that if anything happened to your relationship, you would have no incentive. Do it for yourself and let a svelte body to present to your partner be a bonus not the whole point.

Look at the time you spend at the gym as your time from everything and everyone to focus on yourself. Let it be a break from work and other commitments. Let it be a time that you set aside to do something just for you apart from all the personal and professional obligations that you see to everyday.

In consultation with a trainer, create a workout schedule that you can realistically keep to. Include exercises that you enjoy and you are more likely to stick out. You can take some days off the gym to go hiking or swimming. Include cardio, Pilates, aerobics and other exercises in your schedule. The greater the routine, the less chance that you will not get bored and also, every muscle in your body will get a workout.

Be patient and pace yourself. As the Chinese famously said, the longest journey begins with one step. You will not get where you want to get after a few sessions. You will see changes after a few weeks of consistent effort, but achieving optimum fitness and health will take time. Look at it as a journey and celebrate every new milestone of weight lost.

Keep yourself motivated with in small but significant ways. Buy yourself a new shirt or blouse once you drop a dress size, give yourself a nice but healthy treat or invest in better, more comfortable work out gear. Or, enjoy a relaxing spa session to thank your body.

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Friday Practical Pointers Who Should Avoid Certain Shoulder Movements

by Baxter

Judith Valerie, Age 63

Today let’s look at who should avoid certain movements at the shoulder, specifically the movement of the upper arm bone at the shoulder joint (the glenohumeral joint). This is where the upper arm bone meets the shoulder blade (the scapula). 

The movement of your shoulder is actually quite complex; it's not just those two bones moving relative to one another. Instead, when your arm bone moves in different directions, the shoulder blade slides and glides around on your back and side rib cage, too. Although this makes the shoulder joint’s movements more complex than the hip joint, the shoulder has the same six basic movements, which can be combined in various ways as you do yoga poses, sports, or movement arts, or simply move about the world:

1. Flexion: Reaching your arm forward of your body, whether parallel to the ground or up overhead as far as it can go, for example, bringing the arms forward and up in Tree pose (Vrksasana). As the upper arm bone moves in flexion, the shoulder blade slides around and up the side of the rib cage. You also move in flexion when you release from extension, for example, releasing arms from Locust pose (Salabasana). 

2. Extension: Reaching your arm back behind your body, for example, in Locust pose (Salabasana). As you make this movement, your shoulder blade slides down and back towards the spine on the back of the rib cage. You also move in extension when you release from flexion, for example, releasing arms from Tree pose (Vrksasana). 

3. Abduction: Taking your arm from alongside your body either out to your side, for example, for Warrior 2 pose (Virabradrasana 1), or continuing through an out-to-the side position all the way up to alongside your head, for example, in Arms Overhead pose (Urdva Hastasana). Interestingly, the shoulder blade action is the same as in flexion. 

4. Adduction: Returning your arm back alongside your body, either from an out-to-the side position, for example, from Warrior 2 pose (Virabradrasana 2) or from an arms overhead position, for example, from Arms Overhead pose (Urdva Hastasana). If you add in a little flexion, you can continue the adduction across the front of the body, for example, in Eagle pose arms (Garudasana. If you add in a little extension, you can continue adduction across the back of your body, for example, in Reverse Prayer pose (Paschima Namaskarana). The shoulder blade action is the same as with extension.

5. External Rotation: Rolling the upper arm bone out away from the midline of your body (the lower arm bones follow). For example, you use this action in Savasana when you turn your elbow creases and palms towards the ceiling.

6. Internal Rotation: Rolling the upper arm bone in towards the midline of your body (the lower arm bones follow). For example, you use this action when bringing the bottom arm of Cow Face pose (Gomukasana) into position. 

Cautions

Now let’s look at who should avoid or minimize certain shoulder movements. Keep in mind, however, that we want to maintain as much of our full range of movement of the shoulder joint as possible. So, in many instances, my caution will not mean “don’t” or “never,” but rather approach cautiously and stop if the movement worsens pain. In general, you should avoid or minimize any shoulder movement if you have: 

1. Acute painful injury to the shoulder area that gets worse with that movement. 
2. Chronic issues that flare with that movement, such as those with shoulder joint arthritis, rotator cuff injuries that have not been repaired, painful bone spurs, chronic bursitis, and those at risk of dislocation of the shoulder joint (much more common that in the hip, for instance). 

Note: Those with a diagnosis of frozen shoulder will actually have to move into the range of motion that starts to be painful, and gradually increase the range of motion over time, even if it hurts. In contrast, this would not be the case, for those with a rotator cuff tear that has not been fixed. This means you really need to get your shoulder issues fully checked out by a good orthopedic doctor before you can know what to avoid!

Now for the specific movements. Who should avoid or minimize the following movements?

Flexion

1. Those with shoulder impingement issues, such as rotator cuff tears or bursitis, that your doctor says warrants avoiding this movement. 
2. Those prone to shoulder dislocation (check with your doctor) when this action occurs in weight-bearing poses, such as moving into Downward-Facing Dog pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana) from an all-fours position or kicking up into Handstand, where the stress on the joint increases. 
3. Those with thoracic outlet syndrome may only be able to take their arms briefly into full flexion, and should lower them down if symptoms arise. 

Extension

1. Those with shoulder impingement issues, such as rotator cuff tears or bursitis, that your doctor says warrants avoiding this movement. 
2. Those prone to shoulder dislocation (check with your doctor) when extension occurs in a weight-bearing pose, for example, coming into Upward Plank pose (Purvottanasana) from Staff pose (Dandasana), or when it occurs in non-weight bearing poses, for example, when you clasp your hands behind your back in Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) and lift your hands away from your lower back. 

Abduction

1. Those with acute strain of the muscles that get stretched via abduction, such as the latissimus dorsi and certain parts of the trapezius and pectoralis muscles. 
2. Those with certain types of shoulder impingement issues, such as rotator cuff and bursitis. 
3. Those with risk of certain types of shoulder dislocation (check with you doctor) when the arm is taking to the extreme of abduction overhead, such as the top arm in Revolved Janu Sirsana when clasping the big toe of the straight leg. 
4. Those with thoracic outlet syndrome may only be able to take their arms briefly into full abduction, and should lower them down if symptoms arise. 

Adduction

1. Those with acute strain of the muscles that get stretched with adduction, such as the deltoids, and certain parts of the trapezius and pectoralis muscles. 
2. Those with certain types of shoulder impingement issues, such as rotator cuff and bursitis. 
3. Those with risk of certain types of shoulder dislocation (check with your doctor) when the arm is taking to the extreme of adduction behind the back, such as the bottom arm in Cow Face pose or in Reverse Prayer position and in many binding poses when the arm comes behind the back. 

External Rotation

1. Those for whom the movement creates a pinching or painful sensation at the shoulder joint area. 

Internal Rotation

1. Those for whom the movement creates a pinching or painful sensation at the shoulder joint area. This can often be the case with issues of the subscapularis muscle, one of the four rotator cuff muscles. 

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Friday Practical Pointers Changing Your Relationship with Pain

by Baxter and Nina

Jim Coughlin, Age 60

Those of you with health conditions or injuries that have resulted in ongoing, chronic pain or intermittent pain, (think low back injuries, fibromyalgia, and chronic migraine headaches, to name just a few) may have developed a certain adverse relationship with pain over time in the form of feelings of anger, fear, worry, anxiety, despair, sadness, or loss. Unfortunately these responses to pain will often trigger your stress response, which typically increases your pain. And brooding about the pain in general can increase your perception of your pain levels, something we call “the pain on top of the pain.” 

In addition to allowing you to actually reduce your pain levels (as your pain reduces, your attitudes and feelings toward it may also shift), yoga enables you to actively change your adverse relationship to pain in the following ways: 

1. Because brooding or thinking excessively about your pain can distort your accurate perception of your true pain levels, using yoga stress management techniques to quiet your mind allows you to short-circuit your mind’s tendency to focus on pain. In your new, clear state of observation, you may discover that your true pain levels are lower, sometimes significantly, than the pain you experience while focusing on it. 
2. You can improve your pain tolerance by listening to your body and improving your overall self care. You can also improve pain tolerance by cultivating mental and emotional equanimity, which enables you to be more content with what you have and what you don’t have. 

The following sections provide details about how to use this techniques.

How to Quiet Your Mind While in Pain 

To short-circuit your tendency to brood about pain, use any stress management techniques that work for you. We particularly recommend:

• Breath Awareness. Repeatedly coming back to your sensations of breathing interrupts your thoughts about pain 
• Structured Breath Practices. Simple breath practices that require concentration, such as timed 1:1 or 1:2 inhale/exhale patterns and alternate nostril breathing, keep your mind focused on your breathing. 
• Guided Relaxation. Recorded or self-guided relaxation practices keep your mind engaged on physical relaxation or positive imagery. 

As you practice these techniques, your pain levels may decrease, your tolerance for pain may improve, and your typical mental-emotional responses to your pain may become less intense or may even dissipate. 

In addition to quieting your mind, meditating on positive emotions, such as gratitude or joy, or on positive images, enables you to transform feelings of sadness, frustration, fear and anger into more positive states of mind. One study showed that meditating on joy literally activated the areas of the brain that produce positive emotions. This surge of positive emotions may reduce your pain levels, while also improving your pain tolerance and your attitude about the pain.

Meditation also has the long-term benefit of teaching you about mental habits that might be contributing to your pain, allowing you to consciously choose new, healthier ones. For example, your chronic pain may have triggered stress eating, which led weight gain that is worsening your pain (which can happen, for example, with knee arthritis). By observing your thoughts during a meditation practice, you may become aware of the chain of events that leads to your stress eating and then choose a healthier response to the pain, such as taking a short movement break that actually lowers your pain, rather than turning to food. 

How to Improve Your Pain Tolerance 

Mindfulness practices where you focus on your physical sensations other than pain, such as meditation, breath awareness, and mindful practice of asanas, allow you to tune into your body and recognize its needs. These practices teach you to differentiate between chronic, low- level pain and acute surge in pain, which will allow you to have a better sense of when to exercise and when to rest, of how far you can safely move in various yoga poses, and of which practices actually help your pain. (Of course, If your pain becomes severely acute and disabling, it would be wise to get to your doctor urgently.) 

Tuning into your physical sensations will also allow you to improve your self-care in general, as you, for example, realize you need more sleep or to schedule a health care treatment. Becoming an active participant in your self care can give you a sense of control, which can help you move past your adverse relationship towards chronic pain And improving self-care may even allow you to start participating more in the activities that matter to you, improving your overall quality of life.

Another way to improve your pain tolerance is to cultivate equanimity, the original aim of yoga:

When a man has mastered himself,
he is perfectly at ease in cold,
in heat, in pleasure or pain,
in honor or in disgrace. —Bhagavad Gita 

Studying yoga philosophy provides you with an alternative way of thinking about your life, enabling you to be more content with what you have and what you don’t have. And that includes accepting chronic pain as part of your life, which allows you to tolerate the pain more easily. In general, cultivating contentment as described in sutra 1.33 Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, can be very helpful. 

1.33 Through cultivation of friendliness, compassion, joy, and indifference to pleasure and pain, virtue and vice respectively, the consciousness becomes favorably disposed, serene and benevolent.

Another particularly helpful technique for countering the negative reactions of your mind is pratipaksha bhavana, which means “cultivating the opposite.” 

3.3 When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite [positive] ones should be thought of. —Swami Satchidananda 

Here’s an example of how to apply pratipaksha bhavana: If you had an increase in pain, your first thought might be, “I won’t be able to go to work today with this level of pain.” But practicing pratipaksha bhavana could allow you to reframe this thought to, “I will be able to work today, despite this pain level” or “Let’s see if I can work today, despite this pain level.” See Cultivating the Opposite for more information on pratipaksha bhavana.

But any yoga philosophy that speaks to you and helps you cultivate balance and equanimity in your mental and emotional life is going to help you increase your pain tolerance and improve the quality of your life.

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Friday Practical Pointers Your Posture Affects Your Breathing!

by Nina

Supported Backbend is
Excellent for Improving Posture

Did you know that your ability to take a deep, full breath is influenced by your posture? Because when you inhale, your rib cage expands to its maximum to make room for your lungs to expand. And if the muscles that allow your rib cage to expand are tight—due to habitual slouching or other postural problems—your lungs won’t be able to expand to their maximum because there just won’t be as much room within your chest cavity for them. If you have long-time poor posture, you might not notice this problem when you’re sitting at your desk. However, in physically demanding situations, you will likely notice that your breath is restricted. 

And if some of your chest or back muscles are weak, your endurance will be affected. That’s because if the muscles that allow the rib cage to expand are weak and therefore tire easily, you’ll run out of steam when you are in a physically demanding situation that requires rapid or deep breathing. 

To maintain good posture for optimum respiration, cultivating both the flexibility and strength of your torso muscles is vital. In general, a well-rounded asana practice that includes standing poses, backbends, twists, forward bends, and side bends, will help you maintain the flexibility and strength you need. 

However, you can also use asanas to target specific problem areas. For example, if you are developing more rounding of your thoracic spine, adding more back bending poses to your practice will help reverse this trend. If the sides of your chest are tight, you can lengthen them with full side stretches, such as Crescent Moon pose, and partial side stretches, such as Triangle pose. And if your back muscles are tight, forward bends, such as Standing Forward Bend and Child’s Pose, will help release them those muscles.

You can also use asanas to strengthen weak muscles around your lungs. To strengthen chest muscles, practices poses where you lift your chest away from gravity, such as Plank pose and Downward-Facing Dog. To strengthen the sides of torso, practice poses where you keep one side lifted away from gravity, such as Side Plank pose variations and Triangle pose. And to strengthen back muscles, practice active backbends, such as Warrior 1, Cobra pose, or Upward-Facing Dog.

Medical conditions that influence posture, including kyphosis and scoliosis, also restrict your breathing capacity by limiting space in the chest wall . So for these conditions, it is especially important to maintain both the flexibility and strength of your torso by doing poses appropriate for your condition. For scoliosis, there is even early evidence that certain yoga poses can help reduce the curve of your spine (see Side Plank Pose (Vastithasana) Could Reduce Spinal Curves in People with Scoliosis!). Work with a yoga therapist or teacher who is an expert in your condition to find the poses that are right for you.

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