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Restorative Yoga, Is it for you?

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What is Restorative Yoga?

As a licensed massage therapist and fitness/Yoga instructor for the past 13 years, time after time, experience shows that many chronic aches and pains are caused by daily habits that constantly force us to look down, bend forward or sink in the mid section. Therefore, each Restorative Yoga class focuses on strengthening the core and opening up the front of the body specifically the heart, shoulders and rib cage. I like to say: “It’s like peeling off old layers of shrink-wrap. Ultimately, releasing stress and clearing out stagnant energy that no longer serves us.”

Each of my Restorative and/or Gentle Flow classes focus on different muscles and joints so the format is ever changing. However, the intention always remains the same; “ Relax and clear the mind through deep, belly breathing while slowly stretching out tired, over used muscles.” This form of movement not only helps reduce stress it is beneficial to those recovering from minor injuries and/or surgeries, for people with adult on-set Scoliosis, Osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, chronic low back pain or Sciatica.   These are just a few of the common disorders that greatly benefit from practicing Restorative Yoga regularly.

Slowly lengthen tired, overused muscles.

Slowly lengthening tired, overused muscles.

 

“It’s a lifestyle, not a diet.”

www.changingbadhabits.com

 

What can actually go in your Recycle Bin and why does it matter?

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recycle-earth1

“Can this be Recycled?”

How many times have you asked yourself that very question?

Why should you care enough to take the time to find out what can be recycled then to clean your trash and then to place it in specific bins?

Well, check out the map below of the Oceanic Garbage Patches located on innocent Mother Earth.  That’s right, massive swirling patches of  human generated trash that exist in our Ocean’s; 85% of the patches are debris from products made  out of plastic.  The patch located in the Pacific Ocean is twice as large as the state of Texas and up to 90 feet deep in some areas.  These non-decaying, swirls of trash are killing precious ocean life and destroying our environment.

The next time you ask yourself, “Can this be Recycled?”, please remember that every little bit counts.  By making a conscious effort to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle you can do your part in stunting Oceanic Garbage Patches.  Please take the time to review the list below of Recyclable and Non-Recyclable items in the City of Fort Worth, TX and help make a difference.

You can find out more about the devastating Oceanic Garbage Patches at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch and at,

http://www.mauitime.com/Articles-i-2009-01-29-68584.113117_The_great_garbage_swirl.html

The Garbage Patch is located within the North Pacific Gyre, one of the five major oceanic gyres.
There are five major oceanic trash vortex’s known as Gyre’s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyre

City of Fort Worth – Garbage & Recycling
Environmental Management Department
“Put These In Your Blue Recycling Cart”

Paper (Paper clips and staples are OK.)

  • Advertising circulars
  • Carbonless paper
  • Cardboard – corrugated cardboard. Large boxes must be broken down or cut to fit inside the cart.
  • Catalogs
  • Envelopes – with or without windows
  • Junk mail
  • Magazines
  • Newspapers – all sections
  • Office paper – file folders, letterhead, sticky notes, printer paper, calendars, school papers
  • Paperback books
  • Paperboard – cereal boxes (liners removed), soda and beer carry cartons, dry goods packaging, paper towel and toilet paper cores.
  • Paper bags
  • Phone books

Metal Containers (Please rinse. Labels can be left on.)

  • Aluminum drink cans – do not flatten
  • Aluminum baking tins – durable; not disposable
  • Steel or tin food cans and lids
  • Empty aerosol cans – with spray nozzle; remove plastic lid unless part of the can
  • Empty steel paint cans – must be empty and dry; a thin skin of dry paint on bottom and sides is OK; remove lid and recycle

Glass Containers (Please rinse. Labels can be left on. All colors accepted.)

  • Bottles and jars – remove metal and plastic lids and recycle
  • Ceramics
  • China
  • Dishes
  • Mirrors – must fit inside cart with lid closed
  • Windowpanes – no auto glass

Plastic Containers (Please rinse. All colors accepted. Must be hard plastics.)

  • Bottles, cups and jars – with #1 through #7 recycling symbols on bottom of container; remove caps and lids and recycle
  • Food trays, tubs and bowls – with #1 through #7 recycling symbols on bottom of container
  • Plastic eating utensils

City of Fort Worth – Garbage & Recycling
Environmental Management Department
“DO NOT Put These In Your Blue Recycling Cart”

  • Household trash
  • Aluminum foil
  • Auto glass
  • Clothing or bedding
  • Drink boxes and straws
  • Garden hoses
  • Gift wrap and greeting cards
  • Hangers (plastic or metal)
  • Hard cover books
  • Light bulbs
  • Medical waste(including syringes, lancets, IV bags and tubing, and medications)
  • Paper milk and juice cartons
  • Paper that comes into contact with moist food, including pizza boxes, some frozen food containers, waxed drinking cups, etc.
  • Plastic containers that held hazardous materials such as gasoline, motor oil, paint, pesticide or weed killer. Throw empty containers in trash. Dispose of leftover household chemicals for free at the Environmental Collection Center, 6400 Bridge St. Call 817-871-5257 for hours of operation, directions and a complete list of materials accepted or visit www.fortworthgov.org/dem/eccpg.htm
  • Plastic bags including grocery sacks, dry cleaners bags, newspaper wrappers, etc.
  • Toys
  • Styrofoam® (foamed polystyrene) cups, food containers, formed packing, “peanuts”, etc.
  • Waxed paper and waxed food containers
  • Yard trimmings

Courtesy of  www.fortworthgov.org

Why should you care about pesticides?

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Why should you care about pesticides?

Pesticides

The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit organization that advocates in Washington D.C., for policies that protect global and individual health.

Among the many valuable services they provide is a Shoppers’ Guide to Pesticides in Produce. It is based on the results of nearly 43,000 pesticide tests performed on produce and collected by federal agencies between 2000 and 2004. Nearly all of the data used took into account how people typically wash and prepare produce – for example, apples were washed and bananas peeled before testing.

Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories tested, the list of twelve foods listed below

Choosing Organic is the best choice for your family.

Keep your family healthy and strong, avoid pesticides

do not have to be organic.

Broccoli

Eggplant

Cabbage

Banana

Kiwi

Asparagus

Sweet peas (frozen)

Mango

Pineapple

Sweet corn (frozen)

Avocado

Onion

These had the lowest pesticide load, and consequently are the safest conventionally grown crops to consume from the standpoint of pesticide contamination.

To this list, I would add one caveat: When it comes to pesticide use, there is more to consider than just the residues that are ingested by the consumer. Although peeled foods such as bananas, mangoes, avocadoes and kiwis may spare the consumer from significant pesticide exposure, it is possible that large amounts of pesticides and herbicides are used on the farms from which these originate, contaminating groundwater, promoting erosion and otherwise damaging local ecosystems.

To help promote the health of the planet as well as your own health, it’s best to buy organic whenever possible, including when you are purchasing the foods listed above.

Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories tested, those listed below had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy organic versions – or to grow organically yourself:

Keep him healthy and strong, avoid pesticide's

Choosing Organic is the best choice when it comes to Sweet Bell Peppers.

Peaches

Apples

Sweet bell peppers

Celery

Nectarines

Strawberries

Cherries

Lettuce

Grapes (imported)

Pears

Spinach

Potatoes

A few other notes from the EWG: Nectarines had the highest percentage of samples that tested positive for pesticides (97.3 percent) followed by peaches (96.6 percent) and apples (93.6 percent). Peaches had the highest likelihood for multiple pesticides on a single sample: 86.6 percent had two or more pesticide residues.

Why should you care about pesticides? The EWG points out that there is a growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can have adverse effects on health, especially during vulnerable periods such as fetal development and childhood. Also keep in mind that maintaining your family’s health is not the only reason to choose organic food. Pesticide and herbicide use contaminates groundwater, ruins soil structures and promotes erosion, and me a contributor to “colony collapse disorder” the sudden and mysterious die-off of pollinating honeybees that threatens the American food supply.

Keep the honeybees alive, ban pesticides.

Keep the honeybees alive, ban pesticides.

Buying or growing organic food is good for the health of the planet.