The article details quite a few instances of serious injuries (strokes, cerebral hemorrhages, cartilage and muscle tears, spinal stenosis, etc.) that are much more common than I ever realized.
Yoga aficionados, you owe it to yourselves to learn what poses are particularly risky. Here’s the link again.
You’d never think that by working to insure your health, you could risk it completely. Stay healthy, stay informed!
TeatimeCheck out this link to a piece that Dr. Oz presented several years ago.
You actually HAVE an omentum and you really NEED to know what it is and what it does. HINT: if you let it get out of control, the omentum will actually function as an endocrine gland and completely sabotage your attempts at weight loss. . .
I’m an avid exerciser, but I’ve always worked out to benefit my BRAIN more than my body.
I can say I’ve reaped many physical benefits from exercise over the years [I’m told I look “young for my age” (gee, thanks, junior!)]; my weight is in an excellent, healthy range; my blood pressure is low; resting pulse is low; and my HDL cholesterol’s a terrific 77], but what I like best about exercising is the side benefit of those powerful, feel-good endorphins. When I exercise, I simply feel better. That’s enough to keep me on the treadmill with enthusiasm.
I have an easier time focusing on challenging mental tasks than a lot of people in my age group and I get a LOT done in a day. Every day’s a new adventure for me, and I approach each morning with enthusiasm and excitement. I credit my exercise regimen (and my great example of a husband) for this other great side benefit: happiness.
So, I thought I’d share an interesting article that dispels a common misunderstanding. Lots of people think that exercise automatically results in this equation: exercise=muscle gain=fat loss=weight loss.
The real world truth is a little more complex. Many (if not most) people actually gain weight when they start exercising because their appetite increases due to the physical demands of exercise.
“…The muscle-fat relationship is often misunderstood. According to calculations published in the journal Obesity Research by a Columbia University team in 2001, a pound of muscle burns approximately six calories a day in a resting body, compared with the two calories that a pound of fat burns. Which means that after you work out hard enough to convert, say, 10 lb. of fat to muscle — a major achievement — you would be able to eat only an extra 40 calories per day, about the amount in a teaspoon of butter, before beginning to gain weight. Good luck with that. “
So, if you’re working out just to lose weight, you may be just spinning your wheels.
But if you work out to improve your cardiovascular system, improve your strength, improve your balance, solidify the brain/body connection, and to reap some feel-good endorphins for your brain, you’re on the right track!
TeatimeHere’s yet another article detailing the brain-building power of exercise, from Prevention Magazine.
“When sedentary adults in one study jogged for half an hour 2 or 3 times a week for 12 weeks, their memory and ability to juggle tasks improved by 30 percent. Just as important: Inactivity stops this process. When the participants returned to their couch potato ways, they lost 10 percent of the gain after 6 weeks.”
Next time you’re asked why you bother to exercise, tell them you’re building your Hippocampus. Believe me, 98% will think it’s a new muscle group:
“A 2007 study found that exercisers who did two 3-minute sprints memorized new words 20 percent faster afterward than those who skipped the workout. Cardio exercise increases blood flow, triggering growth in the area of the hippocampus responsible for memory and verbal learning, research shows. The proliferation of new brain cells may actually be linked to a bigger brain. In a University of Pittsburgh study, the most aerobically fit had an average 7 percent larger hippocampus size than their sofa-sitting peers did.”
Motivation! Now get back on the treadmill. Now.
Read the complete article, along with its 7-day plan called the “ultimate brainpower workout” here on MSNBC. Work That Hippocampus, People!
