Saturday, August 29, 2009

10 Ways To Naturally Lower Your Blood Sugar

Here's a great lens on Squidoo. It addresses how you keep your blood sugar balanced and offers great tips and resources for better health. Check it out!

http://www.squidoo.com/balancebloodsugar

Swine Flu Prep


No, this is not a yoga pose, but rather a call to action. I found a great site that has all the information you need about Swine Flu. Since I have two children with asthma, I am concerned about this flu as well as other viruses my kids might get. Check it out and get prepared for this upcoming season of frustrating infectious diseases.

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare.htm

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Legs Up the Wall Pose

If you need energy during the day, try this restorative yoga posed designed to relax and renew. 10 to 15 minutes and you are good to go for another several hours.

Stop Huffing, Start Breathing!


Since I am a yoga teacher, one of my best methods for calming students down and preparing them for a physical yoga practice is to do a breathing exercise. I call the breath Your Best Friend in times of stress. If you can notice your anxiety to begin with, it's much easier to begin implementing a breathing practice, so I recommend learning to recognize stress when it starts. What are the signs of stress? Rapid breathing, inability to sit still, tightness in the chest, worry, being in a hurry, high blood pressure, snappy temperament, etc.

Here's the easiest way to calm yourself: You can do this sitting up or lying down, either way. If you are sitting up, sit tall with shoulders up and back (good posture). Ground down through your sitting bones and move up through the crown of the head. If lying down, bend your knees and start by placing your hands on your low belly.

Begin with a deep exhale and then on the inhale, release the low belly, then expand through the ribcage, then expand into the upper chest. Exhale slowly and evenly until you have moved all the air out that you possibly can without forcing it. Repeat for several rounds until you are so concentrated on the breathing that you begin to notice your mind calming down. Your breath should be about 2 to 3 times its normal length when breathing naturally. It takes a while to master this breathing pattern, but once you do, it can bring you from utter chaos into momentary bliss.

Did you know people sell CDs that cost big bucks for this simple little exercise? And you got it here for FREE! Do it once a day for a week and see if you don't notice a difference.

Friday, August 21, 2009

I Love this Article by Glamour

http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2009/08/on-the-cl-the-picture-you-cant.html

For a change there is one picture of one woman who looks like most of us - some belly fat and more body mass than most magazine pictures ever reveal.

This won't last long though because our culture is obsessed with looking thin. Forget about it!  Begin to enjoy your curves - belly fat and all - and count your blessings.  Focus on your general health and well-being and your inner radiance will shine through.  

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Why Choose Stainless Steel Bottles Over Plastic?




Here's an article from an expert in Green Living, Greg Peterson:  


Great tips for going green:

Sometimes it's difficult to make changes and my response is - hey - just try to incorporate one thing at a time.  

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Hip Hop Mania

Well, I just went to my second hip-hop class at the gym and I have to say this is much more fun than calisthenics.  Remember jumping jacks?  There's a little jumping, but it's to tunes like "Beat It" and the music alone makes me want to exercise (excuse me, dance) all night.

Standing right behind my daughter I follow the best I can and I admit there remains a bit of coordination from my cheerleading days.  Some of the dances are a little fast, but I just do the best I can and feel happy when the teacher yells, "Good job!"  

After sweating for an hour and feeling really good, I am content knowing that the chocolate chip cookie I ate today was at least partially burned off by some good old fashioned fun.

Incorporate it!