The word hormone comes from the Greek hormo, meaning to move forward. That’s appropriate because these powerful chemicals keep every part of the body working properly. Estrogen and progesterone, the primary female hormones, are essential for reproduction, growth, metabolism, and immune function. However, their constant fluctuation may also wreak havoc on the way many women feel. In an analysis of 41 published studies of women’s daily moods, more than half found a link between bad moods and menstruation. Moreover, women in the Penn Ovarian Aging Study reported an increase of depressive … [Read more...]
Sit or Stand: Which Is Better in the Weight Room?
Open any popular fitness magazine and you’ll see tons of seated exercises for the back, biceps, and shoulders. But do seated resistance training exercises reign supreme? Or is it better to stand during weight training session? Here we break down the risks and rewards of both seated and standing exercises, which exercises are best suited for each position, and how to lift safely—whether you stand or sit. The Posture Analysis Sitting allows us to feel more stable: Our center of gravity is closer to the ground. However, when seated versus standing, a look at the spine shows how difficult it … [Read more...]
Find Yourself in a Bind?
The Benefits of Yogic Binds What takes a normal yoga pose and makes it a bind? Yogic binds involve rotating the torso and shoulders and clasping the hands together. They require both intense focus to help stay in the pose, and flexibility to actually get into the pose. Binding can help take your yoga practice to the next level and deepen your pose. It also engages muscles and aids in digestion by stimulating the abdominal organs. Binds can be difficult to get yourself into. It takes the proper balance between effort and ease. To little effort may prevent properly getting into the pose, … [Read more...]
How to Use Every Yoga Prop and Which Ones to Try
Whether you struggle to straighten those legs in triangle pose or teeter while trying to touch the ground in standing split, getting to a place of “om” when you feel unstable in your yoga practice is hard. Luckily, a plethora of yoga props help bring balance and stability to any yogi’s practice, whether you’re a true beginner or a seasoned professional. The purpose of props is to help practitioners modify yoga postures, or asanas, to better fit their needs and abilities. A prop can be any object that assists with stretching, strengthening, balance, relaxation, or alignment. Using a … [Read more...]
The Best Desk Stretches to Limber up, Get Focused, and De-Stress
Prolonged sitting, even for those who exercise 30 minutes a day, increases risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and early death. By performing simple desk exercises. This is especially problematic for desk workers who spend 8 hours of their day sitting. Desk stretches can minimize the effects of sitting at work and are easy to incorporate into your day. During a break at work, try out some of these easy desk stretches. From arms to legs—these exercises will get your heart pumping. … [Read more...]
Calming Yoga Poses for Stress Relief
Stress can quickly creep into your life and can often be hard to shake. Yoga has shown to have a calming effect on the body and many poses have a stress relieving effect. Bridge pose gently stretches the back and legs while reducing backaches, fatigue, and anxiety. Another easy yoga move, cat pose, relieve stress and massage the spine. Looking to eliminate the feeling of stress from your life? Take a look through this infographic to learn step-by-step instructions on how to perform 13 stress relieving yoga poses as well as their health benefits. … [Read more...]
Boost Your Mood Naturally
Everyone knows eating healthy can have an impact on appearance, but it can also help improve your mood. Choosing to eat certain foods can have a significant impact the way you feel. Look for foods that release feel-good brain chemicals and that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Cold water fish, for instance, can help reverse the effects of depression. Habits we adopt can also have a significant impact on our mood. Activities like acupuncture and meditation can help train the mind to relax and release stress. Practicing yoga helps circulate blood, stretch the body, and has mood boosting … [Read more...]
The Importance of a Daily Routine and How to Keep One of Your Own
Many people reject routines because they would rather be adventurous, go with the flow, and keep their schedules open-ended. But there’s something to be said about keeping a routine: It can improve overall health, well-being, and productivity. In the book, The Miracle Morning ultramarathoner and author Hal Elrod details ways to transform the lives of readers and wake up each day with more focus, energy, and motivation. “How you wake up each day and your morning routine (or lack thereof) dramatically affects your levels of success in every single area of your life,” he says. Focused and … [Read more...]
Your Body on Meditation
Meditation is more than just sitting lotus style and working on your ohm for hours on end. Setting aside 10 minutes from your day and relaxing your mind can have lasting health benefits. From controlling emotional responses to improving bodily health—meditation can give you a new lease on life. Just 4 days of meditation can improve your attention span. Those who practice meditation have also been shown to have a 48% risk reduction for a heart attack or stroke. Take time to rest and relax your mind and improve your quality of life today. … [Read more...]
How to Become a Morning Person
Check out these advantages to waking up early, and discover some simple steps to make it just a little bit easier. In a perfect world, we would all wake up naturally with the sun, and be refreshed, awake, and ready to tackle the day. But if you aren’t one, becoming a morning person is a struggle, no matter what ringtone the alarm is set to. Many of us intend to wake up early to check items off the to-do list, but end up hitting the snooze button until we’re running late. Becoming a morning person has its advantages. If you want to enjoy a complete breakfast, read the newspaper, or just … [Read more...]