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No Time To Exercise? Think Again

Source: Dr. Andrew Weil

Reposted by popular demand

 

Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 6:34AM

You don’t have to sweat through a 30-minute workout to get the health benefits of exercise. A study published in the January/February 2013 issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion adds to earlier findings from Queen's University in Ontario, Canada that short bouts of activity several times a day can do the trick and a small study from Arizona State that showed that three 10-minute aerobic exercise sessions daily was an effective alternative to longer bouts of exercise to reduce the risk of heart disease in the study for participants who were prehypertensive. The researchers, from Bellarmine University in Kentucky, found few differences between “less than 10-minutes” exercisers and those who spent more time working out. But you do have to log enough of the short bouts to add up to 150 minutes per week. The data for the study came from a national survey of more than 6,000 people ages 18 to 85 whose activity levels were measured along with their blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels. The less-than-10-minutes crowd had improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels similar to those who exercised for longer periods of time. You can squeeze exercise into your day by taking the stairs instead of the elevator and exploring similar opportunities to be active, noted Bellarmine researcher Paul Loprinzi, Ph.D.

Sources:
Paul D. Loprinzi and Bradley J. Cardinal (2013) Association Between Biologic Outcomes and Objectively Measured Physical Activity Accumulated in ≥10-Minute Bouts and <10-Minute Bouts. American Journal of Health Promotion: January/February 2013, Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 143-151.

Dharini Bhammar et al “Effects of fractionized and continuous exercise on 24-h ambulatory blood pressure,” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2012 Dec;44(12):2270-6. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182663117

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7 Billion Allies

by Frank Forencich, Exuberant Animal

“We be of one blood, thee and I.”

The Jungle Book
Rudyard Kipling

How big is your body?

It’s a trick question of course. After all, most of us think we know how big we are. We may well think of ourselves as too big or too small in some dimension or other, but we still have a pretty good sense of the size of our physical selves.

But we’re almost certainly wrong.

You see, the body doesn’t end at the outermost layer of your skin. It extends far out into the world, connecting in profound ways to the people around us, both near and far. We cannot see this extended body directly, but we can infer its existence by observing the powerful effects that other people have on us, even when they’re remote in space and time. We are hyper-social,  hyper-sensitive animals; our bodies and minds are permeable to the thoughts, ideas and memes that flow through our social networks.

This is not just the poetic raving of a crazed health activist; this is a very real thing, a fact made increasingly obvious by the twin disciplines of social neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology. Books such as Social Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Connected by Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler and The Neurobiology of We by Daniel Siegel M.D., demonstrate conclusively the power of relationship to shape, not just our thoughts and opinions, but the actual form of our tissue, our endocrine systems and our health. In this process, we literally create one another.

A highly persuasive body of scientific knowledge now reveals that the human brain is an inherently social organ. In fact, Louis Cozolino, author of The Neuroscience of Human Relationship suggests that it’s folly to study human brains in isolation. Our brains work best when they’re connected in social networks; this is their natural habitat. As a result, almost everything that we say and do is contagious: our knowledge, opinions, perspectives, ideologies, behaviors and states of mind flow constantly between individuals, teams and tribes.

The implications of this interpersonal connectivity and contagion are profound. Suddenly, our sense of individuality fades away and we begin to see ourselves as part of a much larger whole that contributes immensely to our personal knowledge and experience. When other people explore the world and learn new things, their experience flows through social networks, revealing important insights about how the world works. In this way, other people act as our eyes and ears, as sensory organs for the entire tribe.

As an individual person, I can see and experience only a tiny fraction of the world. My vision is incredibly limited, my sense of hearing and touch are vanishingly small, my lifespan is extremely short. In fact, as an individual, I am very nearly helpless. But with other people as part of my extended nervous system, I effectively have 7 billion scouts and allies who are scanning the universe, gathering information and gaining experience that might well be important to me. In fact, all people, living or dead, are potential eyes and ears for me, and for you. To put it another way, you are all working for me right now, just as I am working for you.

Never mind the fact that a large percentage of my 7 billion scouts and allies are wasting their sensory potential on well-traveled paths and trivial amusements. Never mind that many of my scouts are focusing their attention on aspects of the world that are worthless, ugly or violent. What matters is that a great many of my allies are directing their attention towards new knowledge, undiscovered potential, outrageous beauty and new solutions to old problems. These people are probing the world, observing its beauties, looking into mysteries and bringing back new knowledge that may well find its way into my body. In the process, they are making me smarter and wiser.

Even better, I find that I am no longer so disturbed by the stupidity and ignorance that I see in the world around me. Yes, of course people are behaving badly and yes, of course, many are using their eyes and ears in boring and counter-productive ways, adding nothing whatsoever to our collective sensibility or knowledge.

But that’s all beside the point because many people are in fact looking at the world in profoundly important and interesting ways. These people can help me extend my intelligence, add to my knowledge, sharpen my attention and deepen my compassion. In all probability I will never meet them in person, but that hardly matters. My allies make my life richer. They make my mind more expansive. They help me to see a bigger, more abundant and beautifully mysterious world than I could ever see on my own.

And for that, I am profoundly grateful.

Calcium - the Great Milk Myth

 

Calcium is one of the most important minerals in the body and is involved in much more than just bone formation.  Calcium is required for our nerves to pass signals, for our blood to clot, our heart to pump, and our muscles to contract.  Every cell in the body requires calcium, which is why the amount of calcium in the blood is tightly controlled.  When levels begin to drop the body pulls calcium from the bones, which is our largest source of calcium storage.  This process is called bone resorption, and can lead to weak, brittle bones (osteoporosis) as we age.  We need to get large amounts of calcium from our food every day to prevent osteoporosis.

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for calcium varies by age:

Age	Male	Female	Pregnant	Lactating
0–6 months*	200 mg	200 mg
7–12 months*	260 mg	260 mg
1–3 years	700 mg	700 mg
4–8 years	1,000 mg	1,000 mg
9–13 years	1,300 mg	1,300 mg
14–18 years	1,300 mg	1,300 mg	1,300 mg	1,300 mg
19–50 years	1,000 mg	1,000 mg	1,000 mg	1,000 mg
51–70 years	1,000 mg	1,200 mg
71+ years	1,200 mg	1,200 mg

How can I get enough calcium? Can’t I just drink milk?
Cow’s milk isn’t the only source of calcium.  In fact, cow’s milk has many potential problems.  Many people lack the enzyme to digest lactose, the sugar naturally occurring in milk.  This is condition is called “lactose intolerance,” and can lead to bloating, abdominal discomfort, and flatulence.  Though all healthy babies have the enzyme (lactase) to digest the lactose in human milk, the amounts of lactase tend to gradually decrease after infancy (beginning at around 2 years of age).  It is estimated that 90% of Asians and Africans are lactose intolerant, 70% of Hispanics and Jewish persons, 65% of Southern Indians, 30% of Central Europeans, and 5% of Northern Europeans.  Persons who are not lactose intolerant may still have allergies or food sensitivities to the proteins casein or whey in dairy products.

CONTINUE READING AT WHOLE HEALTH

The Health Benefits of Yoga

Thank You kim - Real (& mostly) Balanced Ideas for Real Living

Every Day Is A Do-over

Thank You Wonder Woman

Mindfulness in a nutshell

Mindfulness in a nutshell

by Frank Forencich

Yes, I know. You can squat 500 pounds, run a marathon in 2 hours, swing a kettlebell like a gorilla, and bike across America in 8 days. You can climb the Nose route on El Capitan in 3 hours and run Copper Canyon with the Tarahumara. You keep a strict Paleo diet, work 16 hours a day and are starting a visionary Internet company in your spare time.

But can you sit in one place for a few minutes and keep your attention on your breath?

Almost certainly not.

Hardly anyone can.

Hardly anyone even tries.

Or if they do try, they give up in short order,

But if you keep at it, you’ll be amazed at what this practice can do for you. Mindfulness meditation has been demonstrated to provide relief from a wide range of afflictions including pain, depression, stress and loneliness. It also contributes to enhanced focus, creativity and performance on a wide variety of tasks.

Unfortunately, many of us like to make mindfulness complicated and write long books about what it is and how it works. This is precisely the wrong approach. Mindfulness should be the simplest of tasks, an elemental challenge like no other.

Thankfully, some people do get it right. In the July 2012 issue of Shambhala Sun, James Ishmael Ford boils the practice down to its basic fundamentals. His instruction:

“Sit down, shut up and pay attention.”

Or, to expand it slightly, “Sit down, shut up and observe your breath and body. When your attention begins to drift, gently put it back on target.”

This is the practice. Repeated re-engagement, over and over and over. Without judgement. Over time, this becomes a foundational, primal skill that we can bring to every other task and challenge in our lives. It is powerful.

So don’t make it complicated.

Just do it.

Again.

And again.

101 FITNESS & HEALTH TIPS, REMINDERS and MOTIVATIONS

101 FITNESS & HEALTH TIPS, REMINDERS and MOTIVATIONS
(Back by popular demand!)

These fitness tips were written during 2009 and 2010 while working as a personal trainer, gym owner, and as always, observing myself. I have always exercised, but find my modality changing from looking good to feeling good. Beginning to appreciate living in the moment, and exploring how my body is a vehicle in which to experience life. I hope you find something useful here, go forth and find joy, peace, simplicity, and wellness. –Randy

1. Why share this? I really care about your peace, presence, & joy. Fitness is a strategy that works for me. All that I share I have done or do. Notice I didn’t say this was about weight loss?

2. You can do any fad program or diet short-term. I say….. do something that is sustainable for a lifetime and brings you joy.

3. YOU live with your body. If you are not taking care of it, who will? Your body is the vehicle in which you experience life. What kind of vehicle do you want to drive?

4. Think image editing software and a lot of make-up isn’t used in glossy magazines? Think again. Never compare yourself to anything or anybody else, you never know the situation.

5. Muscles might mean much, maintaining maximum mindfulness might mean much more.

6. Folks, forget fighting fat! Focus fitness for feeling fantastic!

7. Smile.

8. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it fell apart fairly quickly.

9. Want cardio but need variety, and baby, it’s cold outside?! Spend 15 minutes each on 4 different machines: treadmill, elliptical, stair machine, bike,…..

10. Forget all the lose weight hype and changing you beer store to a six-pack. Develop fitness instead as a means to wholeness and personal peace.

11. Exercising when sick is counter-productive, recover and allow yourself to heal before you resume your activities.

12. Your bodyweight and a foam roller or medicine ball is very good for self-massage of sore, tight, & knotted muscles.

13. Goal Setting: Hard - "I will lose weight this year." Better - "I will adopt healthier habits this year".

14. When you go to the gym, leave your ego at the door.

15. Which is better? “I’ve been exercising, I can eat whatever I want.” OR, “I’ve been exercising, I need to eat the best nutrients and fuel I can.”

16. Something to ponder. Are you concerned with looking good, or feeling good? How will the answer impact your workout?

17. Just run. Can be done just about anywhere, anytime. No technology required.

18. FORM FORM FORM! Your body always wants to find the path of least resistance to make things easier. Always focus intently on precise and proper form to ensure the proper muscles are being worked. Also a great tool for living in the moment.

19. Remember recess from grade school? Treat your "workout" like recess.

20. K.I.S.S. Keep-It-Simple-Stupid; or silly, or Sally, or Sam, or sasquatch, or sweetness. 

To continue reading, (FREE) please visit: 101 Tips Free

or order the EBook ($5.00) at 101 Tips $5

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How Does Your Company Champion Wellness?

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a FREE Wellness Day!

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What does your company do to promote wellness? It could be as diverse as In-house wellness seminars, Gym memberships, Flextime, Well-care, Massages.

Winner will be chosen based on creativity, number of services, education, etc. Word limit is 150 words.
 

Entries must be submitted between August 19 and September 16 by midnight.

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