Ancient Wisdom: 3 Ways to Exercise Body and Mind

By Sarah Stevenson

Odds are, you've noticed yoga and martial art studios popping up like Starbucks^® in your neighborhood. Or maybe you've noticed that Sunday Tai Chi class in the park being populated by increasingly younger, fitter practitioners. Mindful exercise techniques may date back as far as 3rd millennium BC in Asia, but they're only now really starting to take hold in the West. And that's just great, because we simply can't ignore the insurmountable research that suggests we need the knowledge and benefits that these practices provide. So which one is right for you? Let's take a look.

Tai Chi and Qigong

Tai Chi and Qigong are gentle exercise routines that derived from traditional Chinese medicine. Formed from the martial arts, they consist of slow, concise movements, meditation, and deep breathing, which research suggests increases physical health and emotional well-being. Here are some of their benefits:

• Strengthens the body. In a Japanese study, 113 older adults were assigned to different 12-week exercise programs, including Tai Chi, brisk walking, and resistance training. People who practiced Tai Chi improved more than 30 percent in lower-body strength and 25 percent in arm strength—nearly as much as those who participated in resistance training, and more than those assigned to brisk walking.
• Creates harmony and balance. The goal of this form of exercise is to find the balance in all things. They follow the philosophy of Yin (possessing characteristics such as the feminine, negative, dark, passive, cold, and wet) and Yang (possessing characteristics such as masculine, positive, bright, active, hot, and dry). "Force" (or literally, "fist") is how one achieves this ying-yang, or "supreme-ultimate" discipline. Through focused, controlled movements, you bring about a sense of balance, alignment, concise motor control, rhythm of movement, and a focus on the center axis of the body.
• Calms the mind. These practices are considered meditation in motion. Smooth, slow movements gracefully flow into the next, causing the mind and body to work together. Slowing your movements down slows your mind down and, in turn, gives you a sense of peace and tranquility.

Yoga

The English translation of the sanskrit word yoga is "union." The goal is to bring the body, mind, and soul into a place of union. Here in the West, yoga is mostly physical postures or poses called asanas, paired with meditation through focused breath. Here is what research has to say about the benefits a yoga practice has to offer us:

• Builds muscle. This is a fun, easy way to build muscles. The way yoga builds muscle has to do with the weight bearing poses involved. Poses are held for several breaths, and when you hold the poses, you use your own body weight to place resistance on your muscles. Yoga also offers the benefit of weight-bearing exercise in which your muscle works against gravity. This actually helps build and strengthen bones, creating increased bone density for your upper and lower body.
• Calms the mind. Yoga is known for a breathing technique call "Ujjayi." You inhale and exhale through your nose and create a slight constriction in the back of your throat. This makes a sound similar to waves passing in and out of the ocean and is incredibly calming. The inhale and the exhale are equal in duration. Ujjayi is a balancing and calming breath, which increases oxygen and builds internal body heat. It's quite beneficial to use off the mat as well. Try it next time you feel road rage coming on.
• Strengthens the immune system. Stretching muscles and joints, as well as massaging the organs, allows blood flow to various parts of your body. This aids in the clearing out of toxins from every corner of the body, as well as providing nourishment up to the last point. This leads to the benefits of delayed aging, increased energy, and an unshakable zest for life.

Other Martial Arts

While you may think martial arts are just about Bruce Lee beating the tar out of all takers, the truth is that most practitioners view it more as a lifestyle than a form of combat. There are scores of forms, ranging from Jiu Jitsu (a Brazilian wrestling martial art) to Capoeira (another Brazilian martial art involving dance and music) to Akido (a largely defense Japanese martial art) to the ever popular Karate. The main purpose of each of these is to teach self-defense and physical and mental discipline. While they all have their own unique benefits, here are a few they share.

• Strengthens the body. A set of sequenced routines known as the "katas" are what make up the discipline involved in most martial arts. These hard-style movements are a great source of aerobic and cardio exercise. It is quite easy to build muscle in the grappling sports using your own physical weight to defend against the opponent. When performing martial arts you are able to get a full-body workout, working your upper and lower body equally.
• Improves balance and coordination. Balance is required to perform many of the kicks appropriately and is key for landing. Coordination is taught through repetitive movements executed at the same exact place, each time. This improves hand-eye coordination. Balance and coordination can be helpful when defending yourself or even when playing sports.
• Increases self confidence. All martial arts teachers will urge you to stay away from physical altercations, but knowing you can defend yourself in any given situation gives you a sense of confidence. My 11-year-old son is a small-framed child and never carried himself with a sense of pride. That is until he joined Jiu Jitsu. After just 3 weeks of classes I noticed a confidence in his character and stature. He even noticed that other children started treating him with more respect and he never laid a hand on them.

So, begin your journey today.

Chili Peppers: A Hot Ticket for a Healthy Diet

By Kim Kash

If you're one of those obnoxious, macho types who makes a big show of snacking on hot peppers for the shock value—keep it up! It looks like chili pepper hotheads may be less susceptible to inflammation, diabetes, prostate cancer, and heart disease. Plus, all that spicy hotness chases away congestion, and it even (ironically) helps to prevent stomach ulcers.
Native to Central and South America, chili peppers were introduced to Asia in the 1500s and have been a cornerstone of cuisines in both those parts of the world ever since. In the West, the heat of chili peppers is measured using the Scoville Organoleptic Test, named after Wilbur Scoville, the chemist who devised it in the early 1900s. It sounds very fancy and technical but, in fact, the Scoville method is a subjective process involving subjects who sip diluted solutions of ground chilis and sugar water. In other words, the Scoville Method isn't much more scientific than the Pepsi Challenge^®. There are now more scientific ways of measuring chili heat, but the Scoville method is still the one mostly used by the food industry.
Asian countries don't use the Scoville method; instead, they rely on the general rule of thumb that the smaller a chili is, the hotter it is. Again, not so much with the science, but it makes sense when you consider this: the hottest part of a chili pepper actually is not the seeds, but the white membrane where the seed attaches inside the pepper. Larger peppers have proportionately less of this membrane than smaller ones, so they are generally milder. We probably all think the seeds pack the punch in hot peppers because they sit in such close proximity to the membrane and absorb its heat, and then they often remain whole in pepper sauces and condiments.
The fiery goodness of chili peppers comes from capsaicin, which has been found to inhibit substance P, associated with the inflammatory process. The hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains. Researchers are looking at capsaicin as a treatment for arthritis, psoriasis, and diabetic neuropathy. It seems counterintuitive that chili peppers would inhibit the inflammatory process, since handling them in the kitchen can irritate your fingers, and too many of them in the salsa can make your head feel like it's on fire, but there you have it.
Some veteran travelers to countries where the freshness of food can be questionable make it a point to eat food as spicy as they possibly can—that spice invariably coming from fresh or dried chilis—in order to ward off illness and boost immunity. Chili peppers have lots of beta-carotene, vitamin A and vitamin C, and they kill bacteria you may have ingested.
The capsaicin in chili peppers is also a thermogenic: it causes heat production and heat production burns calories. Even sweet red peppers increase the body's heat production for several minutes after they are consumed. Certainly there are more efficient ways to lose weight than stuffing your face with hot chili peppers! But isn't it nice to know that adding more salsa might help you burn that burrito off slightly faster?

Obesity Linked to Probiotic Imbalance

 Author: Sean Wells
The human microbiome can be explained as the quantity and characteristics of the various species of bacteria for which humans are a host. Most of these have no effect on us, but some are absolutely essential in order for us to enjoy proper health–as in the case of our probiotic population.
Located in the digestive tract, these beneficial bacteria are absolutely essential for proper growth and development, immune function and, ultimately, nutritional status. Proper absorption and use of nutrients begins with these microorganisms, and research indicates that significant differences have been identified in the probiotic states of lean individuals as compared with those who are identified as obese.
In 2006, researchers at Washington University observed that weight loss in obese patients was accompanied by a corresponding shift in probiotic population. The type that was dominant at the outset produced greater caloric extraction from food; as the study progressed, this population slowly shifted in favor of a different species that extracted less.
In more recent studies, attempts have been made to outline computational “maps” that can advance these findings when used to measure and compare microbial populations in obese and lean individuals. To date,  these maps do seem to confirm that “lean and obese microbiomes differ primarily in their interface with the host and in the way they interact with host metabolism.” In other words, when different species of probiotics are dominant in the digestive system, differences in metabolism can be reasonably expected.
Although it is difficult to determine whether the probiotic population shift occurs before, during or after the weight loss, it has been established in at least one study that the addition of probiotics to the diet is linked to a reduction in both Body Mass Index and abdominal fat. In this case, it appears cause and effect are very closely connected, and that anyone taking a comprehensive approach to weight loss would find probiotic supplementation worth investigating.

Happy Feet

Give your feet just a little attention, and your whole body will feel better.

By Melanie Haiken of yoga journal

They hold us up all day long, they get us everywhere we need to go, and they connect our bodies to the earth. Some yoga teachers even call the feet the "roots" of the body.
Yet for all that our feet do for us, we don't do much for them in return. We cram them into tight shoes, pound along on them all day, and generally ignore them unless they're giving us serious trouble. The result is that at some point in their lives 7 of 10 people will suffer from foot problems, many of which are entirely preventable.
Robert Kornfeld, a holistic podiatrist in New York City, says he's seen it all: people hobbling in with knobby, inflamed bunions and hammer toes, the dull throb of tendinitis, the achy soles of plantar fasciitis.
Those aren't just niggling minor ailments; some foot problems can alter the foot's structure and trigger pain elsewhere in the body. "I sing that song to my patients," Kornfeld says: "'The foot bone's connected to the leg bone...'" In fact, experts say one of the most important reasons to treat foot problems early is to prevent them from throwing the knees, hips, back, and shoulders out of whack.
And one of the best ways to take care of your feet is with yoga. "I recommend that all my patients start yoga immediately," Kornfeld says. "When you treat foot problems with yoga, you end up treating back pain, hip pain, all kinds of structural problems. Not only does it stretch out the muscles and lead to a greater range of motion, but it helps heal the root issue of inflammation as well."
In fact, yoga gives feet a healthy workout that they rarely get any other way. "You couldn't ask for a better set of tools to reawaken the feet," says yoga teacher Rodney Yee, of the Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, California. Below, some tips from the experts on how best to use yoga to prevent or treat foot pain.

Throw Your Weight Around

The first place to begin building awareness of your feet is in standing poses such as Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Before you start the pose, think about how you naturally stand, suggests Janice Gates, a specialist in therapeutic yoga and the founding director of the Yoga Garden Studio in San Anselmo, California. Do you tend to put your weight on the inner edge of your foot, which tends to make your legs bow inward, or on the outer edge, which tends to make the knees bow out? (If you can't tell, check the bottoms of your shoes—you can often tell from the way the soles are wearing.)
Notice how your weight falls, and then play with it by rocking forward and back, lifting first your toes, then your heels. If you tend to stand perched a little forward, try shifting your weight back a bit, and vice versa.
Next, try lifting the arch of your foot while pushing down around the edges, creating both a sense of rooting into the earth and lifting energy up from the center, to form the Mula Bandha (Root Lock). "Sometimes I use the image of a jack-in-the-box: collapsing down, then springing up," says Gates. "You're pushing down to lift up." Once you start to do this, you'll find yourself more aware of your feet and distributing your weight better in your everyday life.

5 Tips to Feeling Fabulous

~ Katrina Love Senn elephantjournal.com

If anyone deserves to look and feel fantastic, it’s you. So, to help you naturally feel great from within, I’m going to share with you my top 5 natural health tips. Allow them to become habits in your life, as they are in mine.

These tips are easy-to-use making them perfect for you if you want to feel better and experience visible results fast, without unnecessary fuss. They helped me heal my body and lose over 60 pounds.

Tip #1:  Drink one glass of water immediately upon waking
The first thing to be done in the morning is to drink a glass of fresh water. Water is an easy way to hydrate and refresh your body.
Drinking water cleans and detoxifies you from the inside out making you look fabulous and healthy!  I notice that the more water I drink, the better I feel and the more my skin glows in appreciation.
Another benefit of drinking fresh water early in the morning is that you may feel experience feeling emotionally calmer and stronger throughout your day. Drinking water is a great way to soothe your mind and cleanse your body.

Tip #2:  Do a few minutes of early morning movement
Upon waking (and after drinking your water), use the morning, as an ideal time to begin gently moving and stretching your body.
What type of movement you choose to do is entirely up to you. Make it fun and enjoyable. This could be a few minutes of gentle yoga in bed (my personal favorite), skipping or slow stretching in your bedroom. If you prefer a more active movement to kick start your day experiment with skipping, walking or even jumping on a rebounder (mini-trampoline).
Here are 3 quick and easy stretches I do every day…

• Lie on your back and pull your knees to your chest, one at a time and hold for 30 seconds – a minute, then change legs. And then both legs to your chest together and hold for 1 minute.
• Roll on your left side and try a full body twist by bending your right leg and placing it over your straight left leg. Gently look to the ceiling or over to the right. Breathe deeply and swap sides.
• Sit up gently, on the edge of the bed, with your feet flat on the floor and drop your head between your legs and hands on the ground. Stretch through the lower back for a minute and stretching your spine straight and hands all the way up, eyes looking at the ceiling. Repeat as many times as you desire.

Tip #3:  Green up your plate
Eating an abundance of green foods is a great way to naturally feel good from within. One way to ensure you get enough greens is to drink a green smoothie for breakfast.
Introducing green smoothies into your life is a game-changer to your waistline and your energy levels. By making this one move. You start your day on the right foot with a nutrient packed, energy-rich, kick-start!
As well as being healthy, green smoothies are easy to make. Simply blend together water, and your choice of fruit and vegetables. Generally, the more fruit, the sweeter the smoothie. The more green vegetables, the more alkalizing your smoothie will be.
Personally, I like to blend together a generous handful or two of freshly washed organic baby spinach with two cups of water, a banana and a pear or kiwifruit. Super foods, such as berries, fresh herbs (mint, basil) or chia seeds make great additions to your smoothies.

Tip # 4:  Get your weekly food organized ahead
Organizing your weekly food requirements in advance is the key here. By ensuring that you have plenty of real food and snacks on hand when those busy, stressful days hit, you will be prepared!
When I was first beginning to make big changes in my diet and lifestyle, I noticed that when I organized myself in advance to have a healthy week, I found it much easier to have one.
Prepare food the night before, especially if you find yourself running short of time in the morning. Take the time to lovingly prepare your food; you will be more inclined to want to eat it!
If I have a busy morning, before I go to bed, I like to make a big bowl of Bircher muesli, (it can even be made vegan or gluten-free). Leave it in the fridge overnight. This will make 2 or 3 breakfasts. It will have you feeling much more fabulous at 3pm in the afternoon, than a Starbucks coffee and chocolate muffin picked up on your way to work.
Have plenty of fresh fruit, soaked nuts, energy foods available as snack foods. Put them in an easy to access place at work, home and in your car. Pack yourself some morning and afternoon snacks, for your day. Some ideas for healthy snacks include home-made flapjacks, raw chocolate, carrot or celery sticks, sliced avocado, hummus, pesto, chopped tomato, boiled egg, left over fish, vegetables, salad, rice cakes, Nairn oat cakes, Ryvita biscuits, or miso soup.
Organizing your food in advance is a healthy habit that is well worth cultivating. You will eat more real food and less fake food. This will help you feel healthier and happier!

Tip #5: Say yes to you
Take the time to make space in your life for you to say yes to your hearts desire. Listen to your own needs. Notice what would you love to do? Do you need time out?  Would you like to start a creative project?  Would you like to go on a course? Do you need a holiday? How about a yoga holiday in Italy?
When you make time for yourself, you are in effect re-energizing yourself. You are giving yourself the gift of relaxation and healing. This is the perfect antidote to stress.
This ‘you-time’ is precious time; consider it sacred. Know that as you nurture and nourish yourself you are giving yourself back your life force energy. In the long run, this will enable you to be able to give much more freely to those that you really care about.
Use these ideas to enjoy looking and feeling great from within. You deserve to feel strong, confident and more joyful than ever before. Do leave me a comment below sharing which of these 5 tips you will be using to help you feel fabulous so that you can live the life you truly deserve.

Taurine Displays Heart Health Benefits

By Justin Wiggins
Taurine has received lots of attention due to its effective use in various products related to energy–its support of neurological development and function helps to provide benefits for energy and focus. Taurine has also been shown to display significant antioxidant properties. However, a new study reports that Taurine might also provide protection against heart disease.
The study , which was conducted by researchers at New York University (NYU), specifically studied women with a history of high cholesterol. Researchers used Taurine levels collected in serum samples over the course of 21 years—from 1985 to 2006—for two different groups of women.
223 participants displayed high cholesterol levels and subsequently developed coronary heart disease (CHD) while a matched control group of 223 participants displayed similar levels of cholesterol but developed no such abnormalities. Comparative results revealed that women with high cholesterol and high serum Taurine were 60% less likely to develop CHD than those with low Taurine levels.
According to the principal director of research, Professor Yu Chen of NYU, “Our findings were very interesting. Taurine, at least in its natural form, does seem to have a significant effect in women with high cholesterol.”
Taurine is still being researched, but the potential is promising. Those looking for extra energy, antioxidant protection and effective maintenance of cardiovascular health stand to benefit from a little extra Taurine, either as food or in the form of a supplement.

10 Healthy Foods That Cost Under $1

 

There are plenty of high-quality, nutritious foods in your local supermarket that won’t break the bank.

Low Price, High Quality

This article originally appeared on LearnVest.com & realsimple.com

You won’t find any greasy burgers or fries on our dollar menu!

Just because you only have a buck in your wallet doesn’t mean you have to settle for fast food or packaged items. With food prices skyrocketing, some people have resorted to settling for cheap takeout.

Low price doesn’t always have to mean low quality, though.

Fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains are vital components to any healthy diet. Fortunately, many of these nutritious foods can often be found in your local supermarket for less than a dollar, though prices vary depending on the season as well as where you live.

1. Apples

Whoever said “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” knew what she was talking about. The versatile fruit is loaded with pectin, which lowers glucose levels and bad cholesterol. Some studies also indicate that apples improve memory by stimulating the production of necessary neurotransmitters, which may help fight Alzheimer’s disease.

2. Broccoli

As kids, we didn’t always listen when Mom told us to eat our broccoli. Turns out, mothers know best because broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables out there. High in calcium and vitamin C as well as antioxidants, broccoli can help prevent cancer and osteoporosis. This fiber-rich vegetable also keeps your digestive system healthy and reduces bad cholesterol.

3. Dark Chocolate

Chocolate doesn’t have to be a guilty pleasure anymore—we can indulge our sweet tooth and improve our health, too! Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants and flavonoids, and studies show that eating a small piece every day (1.6 ounces) can lower cholesterol and blood pressure. In addition, dark chocolate contains endorphins and serotonin, which have an anti-depressant effect.

4. Eggs

Eggs contain antioxidants that prevent cataracts and keep your eyes healthy as you age. Egg whites are a great fat-free and cholesterol-free protein source, while egg yolks contain choline, a nutrient that regulates the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Yolks are high in cholesterol, though, so adults should limit their egg intake.

5. Papaya

Craving a taste of Caribbean paradise? At only 55 calories per cup, fresh papaya is an ideal weight loss food and also cuts down on bloating. Not only do papayas improve digestion and heart health, they contain an enzyme called papain that dissolves dead skin, making your skin glow. Pregnant women have also found that consuming papayas regularly relieves morning sickness and nausea.

Try this: Add a twist to your classic berry smoothie by using papayas instead. Experiment by combining papayas with other tropical fruits like mangos and coconuts.

6. Potatoes

Potatoes get a bad rap because they’re the star ingredient in many a deep-fried dish (think cheese fries or potato skins). But with the right treatment, potatoes actually have impressive health benefits. Potatoes are high in kukoamines, which fight high blood pressure, and are loaded with Vitamin B6, an important player in cell formation and nervous system function.

7. Quinoa

Quin-what? For those of you who haven’t heard of quinoa, it’s high time you got to know this South American seed that cooks like a grain. Quinoa is gluten-free but packs the same punch of other grains. It is higher in calcium and iron than wheat or oats and contains more protein and fiber than rice. Like whole grains, quinoa protects against heart attack and promotes overall cardiovascular health. And in case you’re wondering, it’s pronounced “keen-wah”.

8. Tofu

All these years we’ve pitied the vegetarians stuck eating tofurky on Thanksgiving, but maybe we should have been following suit. Aside from being a source of soy protein, tofu has antioxidants which fight cancer-causing toxins and protect against arthritis and asthma. Aging women should also eat tofu to alleviate menopausal symptoms and increase their calcium intake.

9. Yogurt

Frozen yogurt may be getting all of the attention these days, but here, we’re paying homage to its healthier relative. The good bacteria in yogurt helps maintain colon health and prevents yeast infections. Yogurt is high in calcium and easy to digest, making it perfect for those who are lactose-intolerant. Stick to plain yogurt, though, as flavored yogurt is often loaded with added sugars.

10. Nuts

While pistachios and macadamias tend toward the expensive side, nuts like almonds and walnuts are cheap and perfect for on-the-go snacking. Nuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids, a type of good fat that protects against heart disease. They’re also a great source of protein and fiber, and eating a handful between meals can help stave off hunger.