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Let’s face it, seniors do have more time on their hands these days. Whether by choice of retirement or by attrition due to the bleak job market, seniors are getting in shape doing yoga. And for good reason. Yoga exercises keep seniors feeling more alive and vibrant. Aging has a way to cause havoc with our bodies. Muscles get tighter. Bone density decreases. Seniors may see their blood pressure rise along with diabetes and heart disease. Along with a slow down in the metabolism, losing unwanted weight becomes more difficult. Yet there is hope for seniors that are willing to face old age or should I say attack it with a can do attitude.
Seniors looking to stay fit should seek out yoga classes. Finding them from message boards at the local grocery store or in the local paper are a good way to get started. If you are a member of a senior community see if you can bring in a yoga instructor to conduct group classes with your closest friends. Yoga has the benefit of being a social event too in the same ways as a cocktail party.
A yoga instructor will work with the group at a safe level to start. Eventually you’ll end up doing harder poses as you gain strength. Then watch your energy pick up.
Staying healthy at any age is important and as we get older it becomes vitally important. Staying physically and mentally strong may help in fighting off certain diseases like dementia and certain cancers. Commit to a life of preventative health now and chances are you’ll be helping your body fight fat and heart disease later in life. Strength training keeps your bones as well as muscles strong. It’s never too late to start! You can strength train at any age. Making time for activities like cycling, tennis and golf are just some of the ways to have fun and stay socially connected with friends. Happiness goes a long way as an immunity booster. Stay happy by staying active.
Your kid is turning 3 years old and set to enter pre-school, but when you ask what will my child do for exercise, the teacher points to the outside playground. Yikes! You’re feeling a little stressed. You’ve been so busy teaching your daughter the ABC’s and the colors of the rainbow you forgot to allow her time developing her muscles and now you are nervous she’ll hurt herself. The past summer you had the chance to sign her up at the local gym schools but somehow it was forgotten. Then you hear about the after school yoga program for young children. You find out that yoga if done properly is a great alternative to the gymnastics your daughter would have learned if she attended summer gym school.
Yoga helps with stress and allows children to socialize through exercise. It requires practice like team sports as well as discipline. It helps little yogis to improve their motor skills and concentration and helps with their breathing. But most of all for young children yoga is just plain fun. And as they learn to stretch and become in tune with their bodies, those playground monkey bars won’t be such an insurmountable task to accomplish. And just maybe yoga would benefit mom as well. There are mommy and child yoga classes. Check with your community in which you live and join a class. It’s a wonderful thing to share in exercise with your child. It reinforces good habits.
In a world that at times seems to be out of balance it’s no wonder that our own bodies our affected by the everyday stress and strain life has to offer. One of benefits of doing yoga is the problems of imbalance and asymmetry can be corrected. Yoga helps maintain symmetry in our bodies allowing your own body to deal with the pain so often associated with imbalance.
Practicing yoga helps you develop strength and become more flexible. You will find yourself with better concentration to help you sort out problems that crop up so frequently in these times. You will gain better coordination and this will help you with the normal movements you put your body through each and every day.
Try inspirational Yoga DVDs to set your body in relaxation mode. Listening and working out with the mediation music and getting into yoga poses with your instructor is a wonderful way to shut off the noise of the world. Staying in balance is staying in shape. Yoga gives you this and much more.
I walked by my daughter’s room the other day to catch a glimpse of her doing Yoga. She is only 6 year’s old, but she already sees the benefit of having a regular yoga practice. Her school offered yoga as an after school activity and for two straight weeks, she did yoga every day at her summer camp. She loves that it is solitary and that she is good at it, both appealing attributes for her.
Yoga has become so popular, even mainstream, that kids view it as a fun way to de-stress and workout. My daughter is hopefully building a yoga practice for life, something she’ll take with her everywhere her life brings her. She is even teaching her 3 year-old sister to do sun salutations. Now that’s a scene! Cute and reaffirming that my children are building a foundation for health and wellness.
I love Sunday morning yoga. With two little kids and a business to run, I am flat out of time during the weekday mornings. Sunday mornings for me are a time to reflect, renew and revitalize my senses. The house is quiet, the family is asleep and there is only me, my yoga mat and the rising sun.
I take it to my living room which faces out into our backyard. I hear birds singing and the light is just barely cascading through the trees enough to remind me that the morning is fleeting and real life kicks in soon enough. But for now, it’s my time.
Now I prefer this over an overcrowded class at a yoga studio. The group dynamic is great most of the time, but Sunday mornings is only about me. I can practice in my pajamas without even brushing my teeth and no one will care. My focus is better, my breathing is consistent and I find I can go deeper into poses when the distraction of other people is removed. It is in one word: powerful.
I do enjoy all kinds of exercise. Pilates, running, and strength training all have a place in my weekly routine. But once a week, only yoga will do.
Yes, that is a pretty broad statement. Success in what? Business? Life? What I’m talking about is how yoga makes you feel and how you can channel that energy into your everyday life. Some of the benefits of a daily Yoga practice are discipline, patience, tenacity and calmness. Adopting these habits can boost your career performance as well your interactions in your daily life. These same benefits can be applied to many different circumstances or situations. Yoga is a commitment , and a character builder. Practicing yoga sets the mind and body right helping you to approach problems that may arise with more patience and focus.
Staying active at your child’s playground can give you a workout. Instead of plopping yourself down on the bench watching your child play, why not become proactive and join in the fun. Show your young child how you do a pull up. I’d bet the last time you may have done one was back in high school. Give it a try and you might be surprised you haven’t lost your touch. Your child will be impressed which may lead to a little safe and friendly competition.
Stay active climbing the monkey bars. Here again you would be using your muscles as well as working on your balance and coordination. And your child will surely take notice. After all isn’t it great to watch your child’s success at the playground? Well your child is watching you too? Having mom or dad celebrate along side with their children teaches them confidence. Staying active as a family early on in a child’s life helps know the value you put on physical health.
So go ahead and be a kid again. Partake in the swings and slides along side your child. You’d be spending quality time together and after all isn’t that what families do?
Summer is almost over and if you haven’t stopped by your local farm stand for some fresh cherries you may want to do so before they are all gone. Do it for the sweet or tart taste. Do it for your health. Everyone knows how nutritious and yummy cherries are especially when this cancer fighting fruit is in season. Cherries contain helpful anti-oxidants that clean up harmful free radicals. Free radicals cause damage to healthy cells and is attributed to speed up the aging process. That alone should get your attention.
Cherries like other fruit may help prevent cancer, heart disease and may bring relief from gout, arthritis and fibromyalgia. Cherries contain Vitamin A and B-complex, bioflavonoid, and melatonin. Cherries are also fat free and low in calories.
So how can cherries help one lose weight? Since cherries are low in calories and fat they also contain a lot of water. Increasing ones water intake helps perk up energy levels – revs up the metabolism. Cherries are not alone in helping weight loss. Other fruits high in water content are beneficial as well. And since most fruits are high in potassium and low in sodium, these characteristics too help control water retention. So take a drive down the local fruit and pick up a bag of cherries. Your body will thank you for it.
A Mediterranean diet is plant-based in nature, rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish, olive oil and the occasional red wine. Adding these foods into your diet is a lifestyle choice and eating this way may increase your longevity, give you a healthier heart, help in weight lose and mental fatigue.
Studies have shown foods that are low in fat may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and a USA study back in 2007 found that men and women who ate a Mediterranean diet lowered their risk of death from cancer and heart disease. Studies have also found that the Mediterranean diet lowers your level of LDL cholesterol better known as the bad cholesterol. Recently, researchers found a link between a Mediterranean diet and lowering diabetes risk and blood pressure.
Meat is used sparingly in the Mediterranean diet and is usually added to flavor pasta sauces. Also missing are high quantities of refined sugar, white flour, butter and fats. Fats are found mostly in olive oil and nuts.
The Mediterranean diet is not one to be afraid of. The typical American diet may not include some of these wonder-foods, but can be easily adapted.
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