Exercise (Movement)

Need Help With Your Memory?

Are we foggy when we wake up in the morning? Are we forgetting where we left our glasses? Sounds familiar?

There are ways to help clear our brains and improve our memory.

• Getting more oxygen to our brain in the morning by drinking ionized alkaline water *Deep breathing
• Some cardio activity will increase the flow of oxygen to your body and brain
• Chinese exercise improves our memory – balance on one foot with eyes closed for 60 seconds, repeat on the other foot. Do this several times.
• Super Brain Yoga  Try This

Want to learn more, send me an e-mail: arlan@muratasensei.com

Your wellness friend,

How to Stay Heart Healthy in Winter

The cooler weather is almost upon us. Some people are glad that it is not so hot, but the winter brings with it its own set of precautions for your health. Keep reading to learn how to stay heart healthy in the winter months.

You would think that because you are not out in the blazing hot sun that you could rest easier with matters of the heart, but not so. In fact, the incidence of heart attacks seems to go up during the winter. Why is this?

First of all let’s look at cold weather. Just like the bears, we get slower, inside and out. The body temperature under normal conditions is a balmy 98.6 degrees. It has to work harder during the winter to maintain that core temperature.

To that end, the blood vessels constrict to preserve heat. If you are someone with a history of heart problems, constricted blood vessels is the last thing you need. Because the opening in the vessels (lumen) is smaller, it will take more force to push the blood through, leading to a rise in blood pressure.

Combine all of that with outdoor activity in the winter, and you are looking at conditions that could be ripe for a heart attack. Shoveling snow is hard strenuous work that can lead to signs of a heart attack in certain people.

So, what can you do about it?

* Eat a sensible diet – Most of us tend towards not eating well when it gets cold, but there are benefits to it. For one, a good diet can lower your blood pressure, cholesterol and weight. Combine this with exercise and your heart could be in the clear.

* Warm up – The body will have a harder time maintaining body temperature if you just get out of bed and throw on your coat before heading out the door. If you are going to be outside shoveling snow or playing a winter sport, spend time indoors warming up. Jog in place or jump some rope. Once you are limbered up, be sure to perform some dynamic stretching to get the body going. Them, head outdoors for play or chores.

* Dress warmly – You don’t have to be wrapped up like a mummy. Layer your clothing so you don’t feel heavy but you are well protected from the elements.

* Consult a doctor – This is true for everyone but especially if you have lived a life on the couch. Going from sedentary to fully active shoveling snow can be a deadly shock to the system. Ask if it is okay for you to do such heavy lifting.

* Take breaks – Don’t shovel snow for three hours and fall into the house panting. A regular break every thirty minutes gives the body time to rest and you time to get warm.

You might look forward to the winter months but will your heart? The tips above can help you to keep it protected when it gets cold.

Your wellness friend,

“Walking is man’s best medicine.” -Hippocrates

There’s a wealth of research to prove that walking is good for you. The results are impressive: major reductions in diabetes and heart disease, decreases in high blood pressure, increases in bone density, and more all with regular walking.

According to Richard Weil, Med, CDE and William C Shiel Jr., ND, FACP, FACR, here are some of their findings:

1. Walking prevents type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program showed that walking 150 minutes per week and losing just 7% of your body weight (12-15 pounds) can reduce your risk of diabetes by 58%.

2. Walking strengthens your heart if you’re male. In one study, mortality rates among retired men who walked less than one mile per day were nearly twice that among those who walked more than two miles per day. If you are female, Women in the Nurse’s Health Study (72,488 female nurses) who walked three hours or more per week reduced their risk of a heart attack or other coronary event by 35% compared with women who did not walk.

3. Walking is good for your brain. In a study on walking and cognitive function, researchers found that women who walked the equivalent of an easy pace at least 1.5 hours per week had significantly better cognitive function and less cognitive decline than women who walked less than 40 minutes per week. Think about that!

4. Walking is good for your bones. Research shows that postmenopausal women who walk approximately one mile each day have higher whole-body bone density than women who walk shorter distances, and walking is also effective in slowing the rate of bone loss from the legs.

5. Walking helps alleviate symptoms of depression. Walking for 30 minutes, three to five times per week for 12 weeks reduced symptoms of depression as measured with a standard depression questionnaire by 47%. 6. Walking reduces the risk of breast and colon cancer. Women who performed the equivalent of one hour and 15 minutes to two and a half hours per week of brisk walking had an 18% decreased risk of breast cancer compared with inactive women. Many studies have shown that exercise can prevent colon cancer, and even if an individual person develops colon cancer, the benefits of exercise appear to continue both by increasing quality of life and reducing mortality.

7. Walking improves fitness. Walking just three times a week for 30 minutes can significantly increase cardiorespiratory fitness.

8. Walking in short bouts improves fitness, too! A study of sedentary women showed that short bouts of brisk walking (three 10-minute walks per day) resulted in similar improvements in fitness and were at least as effective in decreasing body fatness as long bouts (one 30-minute walk per day).

9. Walking improves physical function. Research shows that walking improves fitness and physical function and prevents physical disability in older persons.

Some of the Walking Site http://www.thewalkingsite.com/ Categories includes:

• Beginners
• Stretching
• Motivation
• Clubs & Groups
• And Much More.

More information on wellness can be found on my wellness blog.

Your wellness friend,

Movement or moderate exercise has many benefits:

• Controls weight
• Makes you feel happier – elevates your mood and makes you feel more resilient to cope with the stresses of life • Gives you more energy
• Gives you more self-confidence and a general sense of well-being
• You can move more easily and with less pain, as your joints are healthier • Improves your heart function – lowers your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides
• Lowers blood sugar
• Increases bone density so there is less risk of osteoporosis and fractures
• And much, much, much more

There are three components of exercise: cardio, flexibility and strength. A program of these exercises consists of frequency, intensity, time and type. Frequency two to five times per week; intensity, you should be able to talk or sing while you are doing it; time 30-60 minutes per session; and types are many – walking, swimming, dancing, tennis, weight training, yoga, Tai Chi, etc. Some principles to follow are: Listen to your body; have fun; be consistent; be flexible; include your core, part around you navel; and make movement part of your daily routine.

Here is one program from Ed Foreman’s CD, “Fully Alive, Fully Human”. Do these movement easy and just do as much as you comfortably can.

Stretching (flexibility)

1. Neck rotation 10 rotation to left and 10 to the right
2. Body rotation 10 rotation to left and 10 to the right
3. Touch toes, take deep breath and exhale then touch your toes 10 times
4. Side bends, take a deep breath bending to the left and exhale when you straighten up repeat to the left, alternate each 10 times
5. Moderate knee bends 10 times
6. Lean against door frame. Grab your right foot and bend backwards to touch your backside, then the left foot 10 times. Go easy

Core Exercise (Lying on your back)

1. Draw your knees to your chest with hands around your knees, straighten out. Repeat 10 times
2. Start on your back and touch your right hand to you left toe and left hand to right toe 10 times
3. On your back touch your right elbow to your left knee and left elbow to right knee 10 times
4. Alternate raising left leg 90 degrees and then the right leg 10 times
5. Lie on your side and raise leg up 10 times, turn on other side an raise leg up 10 times
6. Modified sit ups. Put hand behind head and touch you elbows to your knee 10 times

Cardio – Do one for about 30 minutes

1. Walk
2. Cycle
3. Swim
4. Tennis
5. Cross country skiing, etc
6. Cool down

There are more to come on movements.

Your wellness friend,

Engaging in activities that make your body supple, your mind clear and your spirit happy is the actions for your longevity. The habitual practice of tai chi and qigong, meditative exercise and the benefits of acupuncture and energy healing will help increase energy, promote health and balance your mind and body. Centenarians live simple lifestyles that are active with lots of rest.

Here are some habits to develop:

• Daily walks for 30-60 minutes are habits of centenarians. Remember to walk at your own pace.
• Your heart needs to be strengthen by increasing pulse rate to 60%-80% of your maximum heart rate
• Fitness need to be fun so you will sustain a continuous habit of exercises.
• Gardening is one of the most common hobbies of centenarians

Benefits of Tai Chi are to slow bone loss in osteoporosis, lowers blood pressure, lessen anxiety, improve sleep, increase functional mobility and balance, enhance circulations and improve one’s cholesterol profile. Tai chi is a gentle exercise that can be performed by anyone at any age. Here is a site to learn about Tai Chi. http://hprc.stanford.edu/pages/classes/005_taichi/default.htm

Breathe away your toxins by practicing deep, slow, rhythmic, diaphragmatic breathing daily. The benefits you will experience are better energy, improved skin complexion, clearer mind and elevated moods.

Music will add years to your life. Calming classical music enhances cognitive functions like memory, concentration and reasoning skills. Music also boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, relaxes muscle tension, regulates stress hormones, elevates moods, and increases endurance.

A good solid night sleep is enjoyable, healthful and helps extend your life. Sleep is restorative to one’s mind and vitality as it is critical to the proper functioning of organs such as your liver, which performs most of its detoxification at night while you sleep. Sleep deprivation causes problems from mood disorders, digestive ailments to elevated cholesterol and blood pressure.

Source: “Secrets of Longevity, Hundreds of Ways to Live to be 100” by Dr. Mashing Ni