Tag Archives: exercise

Restorative Yoga, Is it for you?

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 lengthening tired, overused muscles.

“It’s a lifestyle, not a diet.”

www.changingbadhabits.com

What is The Nia Technique?

Nia Promotional Video 2005 from Nia Technique on Vimeo.

“Nia is movement-medicine for the body and soul.”

Nia was created in the early 1980’s by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas, then fitness professionals in Marin County, California, searching for a smarter and less painful way to work out and stay fit.

The philosophy of Nia is based on the pleasure principle: If it feels good, keep doing it; if it hurts, stop and adapt what you do to feel better. Nia is a workout, lifestyle and personal growth program. More than a physical fitness or weight loss program, Nia is a way to condition, heal and transform your body, mind, emotions and spirit. Nia is a system that blends Eastern and Western movements, concepts and philosophy derived from three main movement forms:

Martial Arts:

Tai Chi ~ the slow dance

Tae Kwon Do ~ the dance of precision

Aikido ~ harmonious, spherical motion

Dance Arts:

Jazz ~ fun, showmanship, expression

Modern ~ creating shapes in space

Duncan ~ free-spirited, honest movement

Healing Arts:

The Work of Moshe Feldenkrais ~ conscious awareness of sensation

Alexander Technique ~ movement from the top

Yoga ~ conscious alignment of bones and joints

Nia is based on The Body’s Way, which means, using the body’s design to improve function. The biochemistry, joint and muscle action are triggered using imagination, music, emotion and vocal sound. Movements work with and against gravity and include: abduction, adduction; flexion, extension; eversion, inversion; dorsal flexion, plantar flexion, pronation and supination; horizontal flexion, extension; rotation inward, outward, upward and downward, elevation, depression, and circumduction. Nia addresses the body’s five main sensations: flexibility, strength, mobility, agility and stability and focuses on conditioning the body and the nervous system.

Everything in Nia is perceived, experienced and processed through the body. Nia uses the body to develop Sensory IQ wisdom. The mind is used to imagine witness, focus and direct attention. The emotions are used to personally engage the individual with activity, thereby creating the coupling effect needed to trigger the mind-body connection. Spirit is used to honor the uniqueness of each individual. Nia uses emotion and sound to condition the body and nervous system. Nia’s teaching style emphasizes internally directed guidance, uses visual and sensory language, user-friendly choreography, that can be adapted to fit personal needs, and includes three stages of learning for all levels of ability.

http://www.nianow.com/faq#what-is-nia

Read Testimonials about how Nia has changed peoples lives

Come take a class with me in Fort Worth, TX

“It’s a lifestyle, not a diet”

If you would like to take a group class with me please click on the facilities name listed below to find out details on their class rates and membership information.

Colonial Country Club (Members Only)

Solea, Tavolo Park (Residents Only)

I also provide customized exercise plans for individuals, couples and small groups at your home or office or in my studio. A variety of fitness techniques can be explored based on my client’s individual surroundings, abilities and goals. Please email me at amanda@changingbadhabits.com to discuss personal training or small groups.

I am not currently teaching Nia but to find a Nia class near you, go to www.nianow.com.

firedance1

Exercise Tips

Exercise tips:

For exercise that is fun, offers heart health and body toning and can be done in your very own living room try Hula Hooping. Spinning the classic hoop around your waist during the commercials of your favorite television shows will slow down the tendency to eat out of boredom, improve circulation and burn anywhere between 100 and 150 calories for every thirty minutes of spinning.

By simply dancing around your home for thirty minutes to your favorite tunes you can burn approximately 200 calories per half hour.

Another great exercise is just walking. Not only does it burn calories, stretch muscles, it gives you an opportunity to get out in the sunshine and enjoy the outdoors.

One of the simplest ways to start on the road to good health and changing poor habits is walking. That’s right, putting one foot in front of the other. The tips listed above are from First Line Therapy.

How can I get calcium without milk?

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Question:

If I cut dairy products out of my diet, how can I make sure that I get enough calcium in my diet?

Answer:

You can rest assured that eliminating dairy products from your diet does not lead to a calcium deficiency.

First of all, the processing that milk and dairy products go through drastically degrades its calcium content. Processing removes the good nutrients but unfortunately in leaves the “pus” behind. That’s right, pus; the dairy industry knows that there is a problem with pus in milk. Accordingly, it has developed a system known as the “somatic cell count” which measures the amount of pus in milk. The somatic cell count is the standard used to gauge milk quality; the higher the somatic cell count, the more pus in the milk. According to the dairy industry, any milk with a somatic cell count of higher than 200 million per liter should not enter the human food supply. Therefore, anyone living in a state where the somatic cell count is higher than 200 million shouldn’t be drinking milk. There’s only one problem, every state but Hawaii is producing milk with pus levels so high that it shouldn’t enter the human food supply

: Did you know that sesame seeds contain more calcium pound for pound than any other food on earth?

Even if you are able to get your hands on non-homogenized milk the calcium in cow’s milk is much coarser than in human milk, and is tied up with casein milk protein, which prevents it from being absorbed by humans.

: Green Leafy Vegetables are called Cruciferous Vegetables and are a wonderful source of calcium.

Eating 4 to 6 one cup servings of green leafy vegetables, non-processed soy, raw nuts and/or fresh fruits, especially berries and citrus, on a daily basis, will provide all of the calcium you require.

One of the leading causes of calcium deficiency is consumption of carbonated beverages such as Soda Pop. By removing the “Fizzy Fix” from your daily routine and replacing it with flavored, unsweetened water or an Emergen-C™ you will greatly diminish the catalysts of calcium depletion. Another way to battle calcium deficiency is exercise. Exercise that offers soft impact on your bones such as dancing or jogging opposed to swimming or walking is a productive way to maintain bone health.

If you are in good health you may choose to consume dairy products purely for the taste or personal enjoyment. However, people suffering from serious illnesses such as allergies, asthma, or those who have a difficult time losing weight, produce a lot of mucus, or suspect an allergy to dairy products, should definitely remove dairy from their meal plan and monitor yourself to see if allergies and illness decline. If you are not sure if dairy is the culprit of existing medical, begin slowly introducing different forms of dairy in very small amounts (i.e. milk, cheese, butter and/or ice cream derived from cow’s milk). Keep a detailed “diet diary” if it reveals negative effects on your body stop consuming dairy. Review your results with your medical practitioner if pain or discomfort continues once dairy consumption stops.

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"It's a Lifestyle, not a diet."