In the past decade, yoga has emerged as a popular fitness choice for those looking to increase their relaxation and balance the mind, body, and soul. Yoga is more than just trendy pants and mats; it’s a discipline with many rewarding health benefits.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine explains yoga as a mind-body practice that combines physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation or relaxation.  The many poses that yoga offers allows the body to bend in ways it normally wouldn’t while stretching muscles and balancing the body.  Although there are beginner poses, the more advanced poses are very difficult to do without falling over, so it’s best to start easy and work your way up.

Yoga improves physical and psychological conditions because it helps relieve tense  muscles, decreases the chances of someone developing cardiovascular disease, reduces stress and anxiety, improves flexibility, and decreases breathing and heart rate.  This practice is also known for massaging the body’s organs, toning muscles, improving posture, and increasing lung capacity.

When I first became familiar with yoga, it was the extreme flexibility that really stood out, such as the pictures of women putting the bottom of their foot on the back of their head.  Increased flexibility is definitely one of the main benefit and you’re never too old to improve your flexibility.  According to the American Council of Exercise, flexibility training allows for greater freedom of movement, releases muscle tension and soreness, as well as reduces the risk of injury.  There are so many ways of stretching your muscles that you learn with yoga and it feels great when they’re stretching.

Although yoga has risen in popularity over the past decade, it’s not a new form of exercise. Yoga was written more than 2,000 years ago, but has been practiced as early as 5,000 years ago.  The early written descriptions are written in Sanskrit which is a classic language of India.  Yoga was originally developed as a method of discipline to help people reach spiritual enlightenment, which is still one of the uses today.

Yoga is readily available in most cities with more than 50,000 citizens, but if you’re from a smaller community, you may find the classes are nonexistent.  On the bright side, there are numerous yoga DVDs and even television shows that give you the opportunity to do yoga at home.  There are also plenty of websites dedicated to the practice, so you’re able to find poses, as well as demonstrations online.  Even if your local gym doesn’t offer classes, sometimes the local YMCA or YWCA will have yoga classes available.

So, next time you’re tired of your workout routine and looking for a change, give yoga a try.  It’s never too late to learn how to breathe.

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It has been one of those weeks that could make a person curl into a ball and shut out the world.  Maybe it’s been a hard day at the office or a significant other has suddenly lost interest.  Whatever the problems are, they can seriously hurt a person’s outlook on life and cause a lot of stress.  For some, this would be the time to call a counselor.  For others, it’s time to make an appointment at their favorite salon.

According to Queensland University of Technology, counseling gives people someone to talk to about stress, personal development, relationship issues, and finances.  Basically, a counselor gives you a professional to talk to about personal issues in a safe environment.  The professional benefits of counseling seem quite similar to why people enjoy going to cosmetologists.

In a salon setting, if a client gets a stylist they are comfortable with, not only are they getting a confidence boost by improving their self image, but they also have somebody there to listen to their problems.  Self-confidence, improved self esteem, less stress, and just an overall satisfactory view of life are just a few of the benefits offered from both counseling and a salon visit.

There are a lot of reasons people talk to their stylists, but each client may have a different rational.  Many go to their hairstylists about once a month because the pampering makes them feel better physically and emotionally. Since stylists are not around all the time, opening up is easier because the stylist is not going to pick sides to a topic.  People may be more comfortable talking to their stylists because of this objectivity.  Letting feelings out, relieves stress and just makes a person feel better.  There are times a person should skip the stylist and seek professional help from a licensed therapist.

If a person feels they need some type of response, reassurance, or is having severe mental issues then a trained professional will be needed.  Light issues can be talked to with a stylist, but heavy issues need to be discussed with a therapist.  A light issue could be boyfriend troubles, arguments with friends, and spending issues, but heavier issues refer to trouble with substance use, trouble with the law, deep emotional family issues, depression and other mental health problems.

Confidentiality is also something people should be mindful of when talking to a stylist.  If the stylist and the client share any friends or social life, then that intimate discussion may come back to haunt them.  When people share personal things about their life to anyone, excluding therapists, they run the risk of having that person tell someone.

Although there are topics that a therapist may be a better option for, being able to share your feelings openly is a great mental tool. So next time you’re feeling a bit under the weather, try making an appointment at your local salon.  Based on others experiences, you may find a little pampering and a person to vent to was just what the doctor ordered.

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You love him, but you would also love to fit into your bikini this summer.  You hate missing your Tuesday night spinning class, but it’s the only day he has off to spend time with you.  If these scenarios sound familiar, then you’re experiencing a dilemma many women face: the challenge of balancing their love and fitness life.  Perhaps sometimes the two seem at odds with each other.  Your significant other wants to eat pizza and stay in, you want to grab a cucumber sandwich and follow it with a brisk walk.  Overall, you adore your significant other, but you would like to keep your figure also without jeopardizing your relationship.  Lucky for you, leading a healthy active lifestyle does not necessarily mean having to sacrifice your relationship.  In fact, both your fitness life and your love life can exist in harmony, just try to incorporate the tips below to achieve relationship and fitness accord.

Tip #1: Exercise Together

You and your beau will find that quality time together can easily come in the form of working out.  Take turns coming up with fun activities to try out together and be sure to pack healthy snacks for any outings  you may have planned.  Be sure to vary the activities to ensure boredom doesn’t occur, and spice things up a little with a few extreme sports adventures or an eco-trip to an exotic locale where bike trails and scuba diving reign supreme.

Tip #2:  Cook Together or Cook For Each Other

Cooking a nutritious meal together can be both romantic and delicious.  Try out healthy recipes and create a signature dish that belongs to just the two of you.  Incorporate foods that are both sexy and healthy such as dark chocolate covered strawberries that are all around great for your heart.

Tip #3:  Learn to Say “No”

Yes, it may hurt his feelings and yes, it may start an argument, but tell your significant other that you would rather not go with him to the chili dog or the beer tasting festival.  If he insists, then try the following tip…

Tip #4: Clearly Communicate Your Goals and How He Can Help You Meet Them

Believe it or not, your significant other may be completely clueless about your workout regiment and eating habits.  He may just believe that you’re naturally toned with flawless skin: He most likely hasn’t even noticed that you work out an hour everyday to prevent yourself from gaining weight and that you refrain from eating sugar and simple carbohydrates, because sugar breaks out your skin.  Well, it may be time to confess.  If he knows that you work hard to keep your figure and that you need his help by not tempting you with chocolates and junk food, then he’ll change his behavior accordingly to respect your needs.

Tip#5: Be Flexible and Willing to Compromise, but Stand Firm

Maybe your significant other is a world famous Southern chef, with a knack for making delicious dishes with butter and pork, and as long as you don’t have any religious reservations, it’s OK to indulge him now and then, as long as you truly don’t mind.  Relationships after all are about compromise and a fat-laden bite or two will not greatly affect your overall health in the long-run.

Keep the above tips in mind as you balance your relationship, diet, and exercise routine, and above all else, try to meet each other at least half way.

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Today is a big day for Supersizeyourhealth.  We are starting into podcasting today.  I know that we are a little behind the times, but we are catching up.  After all, it only took me my whole computer life to switch over to a Mac.  There is hope for me yet.  Today in our first podcast we are going to talk about how to get more sleep.  For those of you that have already own or made the switch to a Mac, you have already performed a stress reduction technique that will allow you to sleep better at night, for the rest of you, well, enjoy today’s podcast!

 

 Are You Having Trouble Sleeping? [4:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Fad Dieters and Compulsive Exercisers

As Americans, we are exposed to thousands of healthy eating and exercise tips every day.  Nearly all daytime talk show hosts have aired episodes instructing viewers on how to lose weight, choose healthy foods, exercise, and follow a multitude of other healthy living tips.  Unfortunately, some of us tend to take healthy living too far.  You may be asking yourself:  How can you go too far when it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle?  Well, in answer to that question, the two most common examples of going too far include fad dieting and compulsive exercising.

Fad-Dieting and Yo-Yo Dieters

Let’s begin with the first group: the fad and “yo-yo” dieters.  As the name implies, these are individuals that jump from one diet to the next. You know who they are.  They’ve tried every diet in the book: Atkins, Mediterranean, South Beach, Acai Berry, etc.  They are those individuals most likely waiting for the next big diet craze to hit the media, so that you can try that one also.  These individuals are diet trend followers and the problem with following trends is that they change and unlike a fashion trend where you’re just stuck looking slightly awkward if the trend doesn’t suit you, in the fitness world, you’re stuck with a slower metabolism as a result of following a “diet” trend.

Moreover, fad dieting deprives your body of what it needs to survive.  Many of the diets out there ask individuals to give up healthy foods and healthy eating habits in order to lose weight.  Isn’t that counterintuitive? In order to be healthy, shouldn’t you eat healthy foods? The answer is yes, but too many diets tell individuals to give up eating green vegetables, carbohydrates, and foods full of cancer fighting antioxidants just to lose a few pounds a week.   Your body needs carbohydrates; in fact, glucose which is found in carbohydrates, is the only form of energy your brain uses to function.  Ever wonder why you’re not at your best when you’re hungry? Blame the diet you’re on and do yourself a favor: exchange the diet mentality for a healthy lifestyle mentality and you’re bound to reap all the health benefits that come along. And now on to villain number two: over-exercising.

Compulsive Exercisers

Although the concept of compulsive exercising is relatively new and understudied, it is not a new phenomenon.   Individuals with certain eating disorders are known to be compulsive exercisers, but someone without an eating disorder can also be identified as a compulsive exerciser.  A compulsive exerciser is an individual who allows their exercise regiment and desire to work out to take over their life.  These over-exercisers work out despite afflictions from pain and injuries with a single mindedness that leaves no room for any other options.  As a result, being a compulsive exerciser can lead to further injuries and other health problems and is associated with a poor body image.

The CDC recommends two hours and a half of moderately intense aerobic activity, such as speed walking, but besides this recommendation there really isn’t a range or scale that measures “too much” exercise.  Frankly, if working out is all one can think about or commit to, then the boundary between a healthy fitness routine and an obsession has been crossed.

Overall, it’s about moderation.  Watch what you eat, but do not live on and off of diets.  Be sure to exercise, but not to the point where exercise is controlling your life.  A healthier you will mean some sacrifices, but none of them should be detrimental to your health!

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