Tag: health

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MOAR’s Daily Dozen: DAY 2 – High Plank w/ Flipped Hands

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Step-by-Step:

1. Come to tabletop position, shoulders stacked over wrists, hips over knees.

2. Flip your hands (palms down) so that your fingers are pointing toward your knees.

3. Press into plank, maintaining flipped hands.

4. Pull belly button to spine to engage the core. Keep legs strong, lifting on the kneecaps to engage the quads and pressing strongly back through the heel. Make sure your booty isn’t popping up in the air or sagging toward the ground.

5. Listen to your body. If this stretch is too intense on the wrists come back to tabletop and sit back until your wrists start talking to you.

6. Hold for 30 seconds then slowly release back to tabletop.

How it will heal you:

 Shoulder Pain – Football, lacrosse, and baseball players know shoulder pain. As a yogi, I can also vouch for the frequency of shoulder injuries in yoga–a misaligned jump-back to chaturunga is one of the fastest ways to wreck your rotator cuffs. Shoulders, like hips, are a ball-in-socket joint and thus are designed to have a broad ROM (range of motion). Athletes and office bees alike experience a lot of shoulder pain because not enough attention gets paid to maintaining the flexibility of this critical joint. Increase the openness of your wrists, chest and upper back to prevent and treat discomfort. Additionally, focusing on contralateral movement (i.e. twists) will help to eliminate rigidity from the upper body.

Lower Back Pain – How many of you have experienced lower back pain? I’d venture to say that anyone who sits in a chair all day has suffered through their fair share. This is also a big one for athletes. Why is that? Most often, lower back pain in athletes stems from tight hamstrings. For my fellow anatomy nerds out there, the hamstrings originate on the sitz bone–aka those little nobs deep in the flesh of your booty that us yogis balance on when doing boat core work (my favorite!). If your hamstrings are tight they will pull down on the pelvis from the insertion point (the sitz bone) tilting it out of proper alignment and forcing your body to compensate using your lower back to remain upright. Another common reason for low back pain is underdeveloped abdominal muscles. I’m not talking just the six-pack abs (rectus abdominis) but also the deeper corset abs (transverse abdominis) that are critical for balance and stability. The simply solution to preventing and treating lower back pain is to stretch out your hammies and workout your core every day.

Wrist Problems – Football, lacrosse, baseball, tennis and basketball players are incredibly susceptible to wrist injuries. Amongst others, yogis should be added to that list–just ask two of my fellow yoga teachers who went through training with me and are still modifying their Down Dog months later. In order to avoid wrist issues, it’s critical that you build strong forearms, biceps, triceps, shoulders and upper back. Like all other joints, it’s also important to maintain ROM (range of motion) and flexibility in the joint itself as well as the elbows and shoulders so that the body can maintain proper form and alignment when generating power and movement from the upper body and arms.

Foot and Ankle Issues – I can’t tell you have many times I wrenched my ankle playing soccer and field hockey as a kid, or more recently while hiking and running. Ankle sprains, Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis are three very common foot and ankle injuries. These injuries are no fun because let’s face it, when our foundation is out of whack everything else is thrown off and dysfunctional. The answer to avoiding these frustrating beasts of burden is to strengthen the ankle, increase the flexibility of the ankle and toes and work on your balance. Not only does this require concerted effort to increase the openness in these areas but it also means more core work. Core is your key to stability, meaning you’ll be less likely to get thrown off balance and tweak something if your abdominal and back muscles are strong.

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Q&A: Dairy vs. Non-Dairy Milk, The Calcium Showdown

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Source: English Tea Blog by A.C. Cargill
A good friend of mine, recently got in touch to say she loved my Greenie recipes but was used to making her morning smoothies with skim milk or Greek yogurt. What follows is the a little MOARyoga Q&A and the first in an ongoing series of Nutrition FAQs that will appear on my blog over time. Let the edification begin!

(Q): Is almond milk or rice milk healthier than skim milk? And is there still calcium in those?

(A): I prefer almond milk and almond milk yogurt due to my dairy allergy.

Soy and rice milk are also common alternatives used in smoothies. I like almond milk because it has less calories and more vitamin E than the others. Plus, given the debate surrounding the pros and cons of soy products, I tend to steer clear of soy milk.

In terms of calcium, our RDA (that’s “recommended daily allowance” in nutrition vernacular) is between 1000-1300 mg. Here’s a little breakdown per 8 oz serving:

  • Skim milk: 300 mg
  • Soy milk: 50 mg
  • Almond milk: 2 mg
  • Rice milk: 1 mg

On its own, milk is clearly the winner when it comes to being a natural source of dietary calcium, so if it agrees with your system I say stick to skim or 1% milk (just be sure it is fortified with Vitamin D which your body needs in order to absorb this important mineral). If you’re trying to cut back on calories, fortified almond milk is the way to go because it will save you about 50 calories per serving. Whether you’re watching your calories or you suffer from lactose-intolerance like myself, after fortification cow, soy, almond and rice milk are pretty much equivalent to milk (and sometimes surpass it) in calcium and vitamin D concentrations, delivering about 30% of your daily need for calcium and 25-45% of vitamin D per serving. Just make sure you shake the carton because these fortified nutrients tend to settle at the bottom (precipitation).

I’m a fan of Almond Breeze and Silk‘s PureAlmond unsweetened vanilla almond milks. Most brands will come in both the small, rectangular cartons (which are not refrigerated in grocery stores but need to be once opened) and the bigger pour cartons that should be available in your grocer’s dairy section.

If you have a question you’d like to submit for a future MOARyoga Q&A post, contact me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you!
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MoYoga Power Lunch Plan (PLP)

We’ve all read the articles and listened to the NPR story about how sitting at a desk all day is bad for your health. Studies show that sitting for extended stretches can disrupt metabolic function leading to a variety of ailments. One study in particular found that sitting for 11 or more hours per day increased the risk of death by 40%, regardless of other activity levels.

When I started to hear these grim predictions–in my mind akin to those for the end of the world as we know it–I saw a big, glitzy Vegas billboard flashing “Welcome to the rest of your life. You are S.O.L. suckers. ” So, are we truly shit out of luck?

Fear not my fellow office drones, you are not doomed to this fate. How come? There are a lot of things you can do to counterbalance your sedentary occupation. From sitting on an exercise ball instead of a desk chair (all the cool kids are doing it) to breaking up your day with a couple 15-minute walks, it may be easier than you think to transform your daily routine for better health. While it is the small things like those I just mentioned that will make a difference in the long-term, if you want more immediate results–more energy, burning off those omnipresent holiday cookies, etc–the bottom line is you need to get up and move. To help you with this try my work-week, Power Lunch Plan (PLP). And yes, I did just create my own acronym…this is D.C. after all.

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The Urban Dictionary defines ‘Power Lunch’ as the following:

A gathering of co-workers or of mostly young male corporate douches (see yuppies) for a 3-hour lunch on the clock that includes such things as a motorcade of Lexus and BMW automobiles, motivational speakers, cheers, steak, and talk about something like the “bottom line” or bonuses or something. Supposedly a motivational event, but usually turns out to be a feast of gluttony and ruined neckties. Newly motivated and encouraged participants are expected to go back to the office and make phone calls and fire off emails and achieve results, but most usually end up at a local boozer and get tanked before happy hour even starts.

My version of the power lunch is quite different. It’s all about using your precious lunch break a few times a week to get up and get moving.

MoYoga PLP*:

30 min interval training on a treadmill, 5 min cool down, 5 min stretching, 3 days a week:

  • Begin at 4 mph, incline level 10 for 2 min. Increase to incline level 12  for 2 min. Increase to incline level 15 for 2 min.
  • Reduce incline to 0 and increase speed to 7.5 mph (or a comfortable running–not jogging–pace for your body) for 2 min. Increase speed to 8.5 mph (or a challenging running pace for your body) for 1 min. Reduce speed to 6.5 mph (or an easy running pace for your body) for 1 min.
  • Reduce speed to 4.1 mph, incline level 13 for 2 min. Increase to incline level 15 for 2 min. Decrease to incline level 13 for 2 min.
  • Reduce incline to 0 and increase speed to 7.5 mph (or a comfortable running–not jogging–pace for your body) for 2 min. Increase speed to 8.5 mph (or a challenging running pace for your body) for 1 min. Reduce speed to 6.5 mph (or an easy running pace for your body) for 1 min.
  • Reduce speed to 4.2 mph, incline level 15 for 2 min. Decrease to incline level 12 for 2 min. Decrease to incline level 10 for 2 min.
  • Reduce incline to 0 and increase speed to 7.5 mph (or a comfortable running–not jogging–pace for your body) for 2 min. Increase speed to 8.5 mph (or a challenging running pace for your body) for 1 min. Reduce speed to 6.5 mph (or an easy running pace for your body) for 1 min.
  • Do 5 min cool down followed by at least 5 minutes of stretching.

Do this workout on three lunch breaks a week for a month and I guarantee you’ll look better and feel much more motivated for the second half of your workday. Your boss will be amazed at how breaking a sweat will boost your afternoon productivity.

Use the impending doom that is the predicted end of days as motivation to start making healthy, lifestyle-changing decisions for your lunch breaks today. No time like the present, right? And when the world doesn’t magically implode tomorrow (knock on wood), use your renewed sense of gratitude for the ground beneath your feet to take out your own personal insurance policy for a happier, healthier more energetic future.

* Unfortunately your ability to try my PLP is contingent upon access to a gym in or nearby your office. Luckily, for many folks in D.C. employers are wising up to the importance of providing employees access to fitness facilities.

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Lean, Mean Moderation

In a recent yoga training, we discussed in-depth the concept of duality. In the context of spirituality, it is often synonymous with a dichotomy such as right versus wrong, or good versus evil. Yoga—which literally means to “yoke”—is all about overcoming these everyday dualities through union. Broadly extrapolating this concept, I’d say we create these black and white scenarios in all aspects of our lives. Consequently, our understanding of things like good nutrition and optimal exercise becomes limited to extremes, and excludes the important acknowledgment and application of moderation. Moderation is a theme I will often come back to in this blog. On this sunny fall afternoon, however, I’d like to focus in on protein and carbs.

In the health world, more often than not, carbs are demonized as the enemy of a lean, mean physique. Diets like Atkins and South Beach expound varying degrees of anti-carb sentiments. From the kitchen in my office to the lounge area at my yoga studio, I overhear people all the time boasting about how they haven’t touched a carb in a week, or ate nothing but chicken breasts and steamed broccoli for dinner last night (boring!). Their audience inevitably nods in complicit condemnation of these evil nutrients and most likely has gnawing guilt over the delicious Taylor’s sub or Georgetown cupcake they devoured that day.

Credit: Dave Dreas

Here’s where I’d like to weigh in: carbs are not the enemy. In fact, I hate to break it to you, but carbs, fat and protein can all make you gain weight. That’s because our cells can only take so much of any one nutrient before they reach capacity and store the surplus as fat. Therefore carbs are not necessarily the culprit. Instead, overeating–i.e. excess calories–is what’s gonna get you every time. Moreover, if you’re an athlete, or do daily endurance or high-intensity exercise, your body needs carbs. They are the body’s first go-to for energy when you hit the field, pavement or mat and will be key to your performance.

That being said, not all carbs are created equal. Research indicates it’s best to limit high-glycemic index (HGI) carbs–think candy, cookies, and anything white and doughy. This is because your body burns through those in no time, rapidly leaving you lethargic and hungry. On the other hand, low-glycemic index (LGI) carbs–think most fruits and veggies, yogurt, beans and quinoa–are often fiber-filled and take much longer to break down, warding off hunger and keeping your energy levels up for a longer period of time. Post workout, your body needs to replenish its glycogen levels, so either go for LGI carbs or combine healthier HGI carbs with lean protein (e.g. a mango banana smoothie with protein powder). For athletes those options truly are six-of-one/half-dozen-of-another, as you don’t really have to worry about HGI carbs. For the rest of us, when it comes to recovery, I’d recommend sticking with LGI carbs whenever possible. Tip: for post-yoga refueling I make sure to pack an apple or banana (which, p.s., is a borderline HGI fruit) to tide me over until I can get a good, balanced meal in.

For more info on the differences between HGI and LGI fruits or veggies, click here.

In my opinion, the most important thing to keep in mind is that while these are sound nutrition principles worth understanding, life has to be about moderation. I love bread. I eat toast almost every morning, bake my own loaves on the weekends (recipe to come!) and even do the inexplicable Italian thing of eating bread with my pasta. If you truly dislike carbs or have a gluten allergy then, absolutely, steer clear. Otherwise, if you’re more like me, don’t go cold turkey because your diet will be unsustainable. Fuel your body’s daily needs with good carbs and savor those tastier treats periodically. Life is to be enjoyed.

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Cheatsheet: Nature’s Remedies

I can’t remember where I first saw this infographic but, fact or fiction, I love some of these natural remedies. I’m already a big believer in the power of Lemon. As a singer for most of my life–and a coxswain for four years–I’ve used the good old honey and lemon trick for sore throats and voice loss many times. Ginger and Peppermint are widely hailed for their tummy-soothing properties, but there are some real gems in here. My favorites include:

  • Rosemary: mental clarity, dandruff and hair loss
  • Cinnamon: gingivitis, ‘kills all germs!’, and sexual stimulant
  • Grapefruit: depression, emotional cleansing and cellulite

You might now be thinking: Awesome! Maybe if I eat a grapefruit every morning, I’ll finally get rid of this pesky cellulite and feel emotionally squeaky clean! Easy does it there. I think some of these natural solutions to common problems are great, and definitely encourage people to try the non-chemical path first if they’re so inclined. That said, these are some pretty lofty promises, and when it comes to things like cellulite and weight loss your best bet is always to work out, stretch and eat a balanced diet. There is no panacea. It’s all about staying motivated to move and enjoying the yumminess of life in moderation. You can take that to the bank.