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Namaste. "Say it again."

2/5/2014

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Here's a fabulous video explaining the meaning of Namaste from maybe an unlikely figure: Click

Not only does Bobby have some God in him, so do you. And so too does the person nearest to you, as well as the person farthest from you. We all do. We usually just don't realize it. 

As an aside: by God I mean something that truly can't be expressed adequately in words, but never the less is that which is infinite, eternal and inherently perfect. God is the non-physical essence that permeates all things. It is the absolute Truth, as compared to the relative truth. 

What would make you happier than to know that you've gotta a little God in you? 

And I don't mean "know it" in an intellectual sense. I mean it in a "feel it resonate so deeply that you have less than no doubt." 

That'd be some pretty good stuff, wouldn't it?

You can feel exhilaration beyond words, completeness so profound effort and desire dissolve into joy. 

And this experience can be yours at any moment, like right now. That would be through grace. Maybe it's your time, you're fated to become illumined right about now. Wouldn't that be cool? Hey, just don't rule it out. 

You can also pursue it. All upward paths lead to the same mountain top. I'll tell you about one, which is not by any means to exclude others. 

If I told you that the God in you, the inherent perfection, the bliss and indescribably awesome aspect of existence comes as a whisper from your heart and all you have to do is quiet your shouting mind, could you do it?

Just because you can't do it now, at the drop of a hat, summon it any moment you choose, doesn't mean you can't learn to do it systematically. Enter: Raja Yoga. 

Raja Yoga is an 8 step system for realizing that you've got a little God in you and for realizing that Bobby does, too. It's so old you'd have to agree that it's a discovery, not an invention. Like gravity. It works. It just does. 

Here's a link to an explanation of Raja Yoga from one of the indisputable masters of recent times: Click. 

One read through is definitely not enough. But suffice it to say, it'll put you in the ball park. Just do that, follow the 8 steps, one by one, in order. Don't stop at 3 or 7. Try to reach all the way to 8. 

All I can say it that I've dipped my toes in step 7 by following steps 1 thru 6 and not even to the letter. That has been sufficient to remove all of my doubts, to know the real Truth, apart from the relative truth about myself, and you and this experience. I can only imagine what the rest of step 7 and any part of step 8 are like. Holy cow! 

I'm really looking forward to very old age when perhaps my body won't want to move around quite so much. Because with the body still, all there is left to still is the mind. And I'm pretty sure I've been taught how to do that. If you'd like to come over to Bhakti Yoga Lounge for my 3, 4, 7 Intro to Meditation class, or the new 3, 4, 7, Deeper class, it'd be my pleasure to show you what I've been shown that has been so beneficial to me. 

Yoga chitta vritti nirodha

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Connect with your mind-body connection

6/25/2013

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The mind and body share a strong connection, like Siamese twins. 

Each can't exist independent of the other. The mind takes form through the body by way of the brain and the central nervous system. The body needs the mind to animate it and to experience it.   

All of our experiences in life involve some influence from both. 

The good news is that we can use our understanding of the mind-body connection to achieve greater health, performance and overall quality of life. 

* * * * * 

Mind-body medicine focuses on the interactions among the brain, mind, body and behavior, as well as the powerful ways in which emotional, mental, social, spiritual and behavioral factors can affect health.[1]

Our knowledge of the mind-body connection suggests that physical sickness and health have corresponding states of mind. We know that thoughts alone can make the body sick, as in the case of psychosomatic illness. We also know that through the Placebo Effect thoughts can heal the body. 

To the extent that we can control the nature of our thoughts about our health, we should try to keep them focused on thriving, consider health and vitality as part of our bodies' usual, enduring condition and view sickness as a temporary abnormality that will soon subside. 

The mind's capacity to influence the body's health and healing is vast. It should not be underestimated. Rather, we'd be well served to use it as a viable remedy that compliments drugs and surgery.  

* * * * * 

Success comes from doing the right things at the right times. We can prepare ourselves to make the most of our opportunities by repeatedly rehearsing perfect performances in our minds. 

We know that thoughts create the same mental instructions as actions.[2] So, we can use them to train our brains for actual performance. Top competitors and performers of all kinds have used visualization techniques to simulate perfect performances and have achieved corresponding results.  

Use your creative imagination in preparation for your perfect performance. Compose a mental movie depicting yourself in top form. Charge your story with strong emotions and vivid details and replay it often. Later, try not to act surprised when you have déjà vu because what you think may well foreshadow what you do.

* * * * * 

Chronic psychological stress is the undoing of wellbeing. 

Modern stressors abuse the fight-or-flight response we developed to protect ourselves from true threats to life and limb. Our minds interpret such stressors, like mail from collection agencies, in the same way that our ancestor's minds viewed a hungry bear arriving in their camp. To make matters worse, there is a lot more collection agency mail around today than there were hungry bears back then. 

Our perception of being under continual duress triggers the fight-or-flight response far more frequently than it was intended. Consequently, our bodies malfunction and/or break down. Stress is a major risk factor in numerous illnesses from impotence to heart disease. 

We may not be able to avoid some of the causes of stress. We can, however, respond to them better. This begins with our attitudes. If we can find a silver lining in a cloud of stress or laugh when it rains on our parade we will circumvent the stress response. Failing that, we can use deep belly inhalations combined with elongated exhalations to activate our nervous system's stress countermeasure, the relaxation response. And as our safety net, cultivating habits of regular nutrition, exercise and rest will fortify our physical defense mechanisms. 

* * * * * 

The mind-body connection is ever present. It's effect on health, performance and wellbeing grab much of the attention given to it. But the truth is that no matter what the context a snapshot of any given moment will have the fingerprints of both the mind and the body all over it. Think about it. From the mundane, such as a bad hair day, to the profound, such as walking across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope, the mind-body connection is always active. Fortunately, it's a powerful tool that is always available for us to use to make our lives better. 

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BODY – MIND – SPIRIT

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The 3rd element of optimum health: Rejuvenation

6/16/2013

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Along with nutrition and exercise, rejuvenation, the next subject, is another essential element of vitality. By incorporating each of them into your lifestyle your body will look, feel and perform as good or better than you’ve ever experienced. You’re quality of life will improve, perhaps dramatically.

The explosive growth of the ready-made coffee and energy drink industries is a sign of how important getting sped up so we can git r done has become to us lately.


Picture

Unfortunately, not even caffeine can keep human beings in perpetual motion.

Rest is a biological necessity. It is nature’s counterbalance to the demands we place on ourselves.  

As we, a society, continue to focus on having, doing and being MORE, we may be losing sight of how to chillax, as a consequence.

So, here’s a little refresher on how to wind down and relax.

First, some tips for rejuvenating your body.  

1.  Breathe. By using two simple
 breath control techniques, you can activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which regulates your body's relaxation response. Here's how: Inhale using your diaphragm muscle at the bottom of your ribs to draw air all the way to the bottom of your lungs. Then elongate your exhalation relative to your inhalation; for instance, exhale twice as slowly as you inhaled. These two techniques combined will cause your muscles to relax, your pulse and respiratory rate to slow and your blood pressure and cortisol (stress hormone) levels to drop. You should notice these effects subtly within a few breaths and in a big way over five or ten minutes. 

2. Get some bodywork. There is a broad spectrum of therapeutic options, ranging from traditional spa massage treatments, to acupuncture, steam and sauna rooms, self-massage and yoga stretching and breathing. Find the ones that suit you best and use them as often as needed to soothe your aches and pains.

3.  Acquire a hammock and lie in it often. Seriously, because it’s more difficult to be stressed when you’re lying down (try it), and it's nearly impossible when you're lying in a hammock.


4. Tailor your sleep situation. Learn how to get the most restful sleep with this simple guide. 

5. Dial back the stimulants. Cut your coffee with decaf (Sacrilege, I know.). Have the vodka without the Red Bull. Caffeine is a strong drug. It turns on your sympathetic nervous system, more commonly known as the fight-or-flight reflex (producing opposite effects of the relaxation response noted earlier), and it can take up to half a day to wear off. 


hammock relaxing

And now here are a few tips on how to use the mind-body connection to relax. 

1.  Relax your attitude. Find something to be grateful for now. Anticipate good fortune tomorrow. And  when life insists on giving you lemons get out the sugar, vodka and ice and make some hard lemonade. 

2.  Visualize relaxation. Take advantage of the fact that your mind can’t tell the difference between real experiences and those that you vividly imagined. Create a happy place in your mind where everything is wonderful and go there. It doesn't just work for kids. 

3.  Single-task. Find something that can fully absorb your attention and dive into it. The quality of the experience will often feel greater than if your attention had been divided. Single-pointed focus is the doorway through which meditators pass to reach the Source. You can approach the door by immersing yourself fully in your present experience.  


calm thought waves

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BODY – MIND – SPIRIT

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How exercise becomes happiness

6/9/2013

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You can get high on exercise. As you work out, the amount of stress hormones in your system, like adrenaline and cortisol, goes down, and production of your body's homemade pain-killers and mood enhancers, endorphins, goes through the roof.[1] [2] [3] This process rewards you with an awesome runner's high (which, incidentally, you can get from other forms of exercise, too).

Exercise focuses a scattered mind.
Playing sports and doing other physical activities with a lot of effort requires concentration. That's why athletes are sometimes oblivious to the crowd. You have to focus your attention on what matters most to performing the task at hand effectively. You have eliminate distractions. And you have to keep focused on what's happening in the present moment. A focused mind can help you see clearer and farther, so you can make the most of your opportunities. 

Exercise can ground a mind that's drifted far off into the past or the future. Focus
 on your body's movements and how it is responding to the demands you're putting on it. By keeping your attention in the same space where you're physically present you will feel centered in your being. 

Exercise can have a clearing effect on the mind, like meditation. You can use the
 rhythms in exercise, such as strides, strokes, or your pulse and breath, to settle your mind in a similar way to repeating a mantra or rolling prayer beads. Your mind can slip into these rhythms, like grooves that it can follow round and round until it comes to rest peacefully nearby.

After you've finished exercising, your mind will remain in this clear, collected and calm condition for some time. While in this state it will be inclined to notice the subtly beautiful qualities about yourself, your surroundings and the people you share it with.

You can get into the zone or flow through exercise. This space, where skill and challenge combine at their highest levels, harbors one of the most euphoric experiences we know.

Exercise can be a great time to socialize. Most forms of exercise can bring you together with other like-minded people to share an enjoyable experience. There are so many social benefits inherent in sports and athletics, like teamwork, mutual encouragement and collective accomplishment, that few other activities compare. 

Revitalize a worn down spirit by going outside for some exercise. Running, biking, golf, most adventure and snow sports and lots of other sports happen outside and often in spectacularly beautiful settings. Go for a run at sunset or bike through a forest when the autumn leaves are multi-colored and you'll experience how exercise and nature are a perfect match. The combination leaves you feeling refreshed and happy to simply be alive. 

A happy mood can unfortunately be fragile. But exercise can protect it by developing your defenses to stress.[4] [5] By definition, exercise is stressful, both physically and mentally. But, because it's fun or in some other way worthwhile, we put up with the pain, struggle, fear and failure that it often brings. Then we adapt and grow stronger. This kind of strength (will power, optimism, focus, etc.) comes to aid us wherever we encounter adversity. 

Exercise boosts self-esteem.[6] We're instinctively attracted to the image of a physically fit human body. Liking the body you see in the mirror is a huge mood booster. Plus, society holds fitness up as a virtue. So, when you notice another person finding you attractive that feels real good, too. 

Fitness enhances sexual performance. That's obviously going to make you feel pretty happy. 

There's a radiant quality to a fit body. All matter vibrates, even though we usually can't notice it. Perhaps a fit body vibrates at a higher frequency, one closer to the visible light spectrum, and so it literally is glowing. Even if that's not true, I think we've all observed the phenomenon that super fit bodies seem to shine, especially in the skin, and sparkle in the eyes.  

There are many physical, mental and even spiritual reasons why exercise is a good place to look to find happiness.[7] 

Seek and ye shall find. 

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BODY – MIND – SPIRIT

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Is it healthier to eat meat or to be vegetarian?

6/2/2013

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Protein is an essential part of a nutritious diet and a healthy body. 

At each meal we have a choice of whether to eat protein from plant and/or animal sources.

As with all choices, there are advantages and disadvantages to each. I've written this article to help you make a simultaneously more informed and simple decision about whether it is healthier to eat meat or be some form of vegetarian (i.e. plant-based, lacto-ovo, or vegan).

This is not a discussion of the philosophical, ethical or environmental issues related to eating meat, though that time will eventually come. Rather, it
 is a discussion of how the consumption or exclusion of meat affects physical health.

There are several key subjects regarding health, nutrition and eating or not eating meat:
  1. Nutrient content
  2. Health risk by type of meat / protein
  3. Greatest health risks associated with (processed) red meat
  4. How much meat is unhealthy?

NUTRIENT CONTENT: 

Protein is an essential macronutrient (the major source of food energy) and, therefore, an important factor in physical health. In addition to being a major source of energy (calories), protein is formed from amino acids, which are used for cellular construction.[1] There are some amino acids our bodies cannot produce. They are called "essential amino acids" and they must be eaten.

All animal meat is considered a complete protein, meaning that it contains all of the nine essential amino acids. In contrast, most plant protein sources are not complete by themselves. However, a combination of plant protein sources with complimentary amino acid profiles, such as rice and beans or any legume and grain for that matter, results in a complete protein structure. In this way, animal and plant proteins are identical.  

And as long as complimentary plant proteins are consumed daily, not necessarily in every meal, they can supply adequate amounts of all the essential aminos your body needs. 

There are other essential nutrients besides amino acids present in meat or other animal products that can be compromised by vegetarian diets types. In particular, plant food choices should include foods fortified with vitamin B12, vitamin D, and calcium. Other nutrients that could be of concern if few or no animal products are consumed include choline, EPA and DHA (omega 3s).[2] 

In sum, science reveals that you can meet your caloric and nutrient requirements by not eating meat or consuming any animal products. But, it is important to note that vegetarian diets, particularly the vegan diet, which excludes all animal products, rely on eating fortified foods (vitamin and mineral enriched) to consume sufficient amounts of several important nutrients. 

The USDA Food Pattern Modeling Analyses has produced food pattern charts providing detailed guidelines for composing nutritionally complete diets for four diet types: omnivores, plant-based, lacto-ovo vegetarians and vegans. Take a look starting at page 15.  

Omnivore = a pattern in which all plant and animal products are included. 

Plant-based diet = a pattern in which the majority of protein sources come from plant products, though some animal products can be included. 

Lacto-ovo vegetarian = a pattern excluding all animal flesh, but including dairy products and eggs.

Vegan = a pattern excluding all animal products.
 

HEALTH RISK BY TYPE OF MEAT / PROTEIN:

Science has identified a hierarchy of health risks associated with different forms of protein. They're identified below in order of highest risk to lowest.[3]
  1. Processed red meat
  2. Unprocessed red meat
  3. Poultry with skin
  4. Skinless poultry
  5. Fish
  6. Nuts, seeds, beans

Processed meat = smoked, cured, salted or chemically preserved


Red meat = beef, lamb, pork and goat

Science links health risks associated with these foods to the presence of greater quantities of saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, iron, nitrates and other carcinogens.[4] 


GREATEST HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH (PROCESSED) RED MEAT:

Four serious health conditions are most strongly associated with eating high amounts of processed red meat. They include our first and second leading causes of death, cardiovascular disease ("CVD") and cancer, as well as type 2 diabetes and obesity.[5] 

Harvard School of Public Health ("HSPH") researchers published findings from the largest, longest study to date on the connection between eating red meat and survival.[6] They found a higher intake of unprocessed red meat was associated with a significantly elevated risk of death, CVD, and cancer mortality, and these risks increased even more with processed red meat.

Similarly, the Continuing Update Project of the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research found "convincing evidence", their highest standard, that consuming red meat and processed meats increases the risk of colorectal cancer, the 3rd most prevalent form of cancer. [7][8] 

While eating red meat on a regular basis may shorten your lifespan, and eating processed red meat increases that risk,[9] vegetarian-style eating patterns have been associated with improved health conditions, including lower total mortality, reduced risk of CVD, lower blood pressure and less obesity, according to the USDA/USHHS's 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (p. 45). 

The consensus among nutrition authorities is that replacing red meat with fish, poultry, nuts and beans can lower the risk of early death and help prevent heart disease and diabetes.[10][11] 


HOW MUCH MEAT IS UNHEALTHY? 

Despite the warnings to avoid processed red meat, no one has ever developed a chronic illness, much less died from having a fastfood hamburger for lunch. 

This begs the question: How meat must one eat to increase their risk of serious illness or early death?

First, it's clear that the greatest factors contributing to adverse health effects are whether the meat is processed and/or red. So poultry, fish and wild game pose little to no health risk, regardless of the quantity eaten. 

The science surrounding the health risks associated with eating processed red meat is ominous. It's apparently so grave that the American Institute of Cancer Research ("AICR") cannot find a level at which consumption of processed meat could be reliably considered completely safe. Their research has found that every 1.7 ounces of processed meat (approximately 2 slices of deli meat) consumed per day increases risk of colorectal cancer by 21 percent.  

Eating as little as one hot dog or two slices of processed deli meat per day (or an equal amount of any other processed meat like bacon or sausage) is associated with a 40% increased risk of heart attacks and a 20% higher risk of diabetes, according to the HSPH after performing a worldwide analysis of evidence of how eating unprocessed red meat and processed meat relates to risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.  

HSPH advises limiting your weekly consumption of processed meat to no more than 3 ounces, or a hot dog and a half or three slices of deli meat.[12]

Unprocessed red meat carries less risk, but apparently still enough worth warning about. 

Eating one serving of unprocessed red meat per week is associated with relatively small risk.[13][14] AICR’s expert panel recommends limiting consumption of unprocessed red meat to 18 ounces (cooked), just over one pound per week. Beyond this amount, evidence indicates that every 1.7 ounces of red meat consumed per day increases cancer risk by 15 percent.[15]  

Again, there are no such dietary limitations or guidelines concerning poultry, fish or game, implying that the risks, if any, are negligible.  

For persons with advanced health problems, perhaps eating any amount of processed or unprocessed red meat is dangerous. However, for the rest of us, it appears that the rule of moderation will keep us safe from such perils. Unfortunately, we have two things working against us: we're creatures of habit and, culturally, American's don't to moderation very well (cue the Old 96 ouncer. Sadly, John Candy actually died from heart disease). 

* * * *

When deciding what to put in your body It's important to sort fact from fiction, strong evidence from weak connections, practical matters from theory, and critically important issues from interesting questions.

By examining the work of several of the world's preeminent sources for health and nutrition information, several points are clear about eating meat:
  • Eating meat is optional; a properly constructed vegetarian diet (in all forms) can fulfill all essential dietary requirements.
  • Vegetarian diets may require supplementation of several nutrients mainly found in meat and/or animal products.
  • There is strong evidence connecting red meat consumption with increased risk of chronic illness and early death.
  • There is very strong evidence connecting eating processed meat with increased risk of chronic illness and early death.
  • Eating at little as one sandwich made with processed meat or red meat increases health risks significantly.
  • Eating poultry, fish and wild game poses little health risks for already healthy people.
  • It's very hard to reach firm conclusions about the long-term relationship between food and health. 

Eating a more plant-based diet is one of four major recommendations in the 2010 report of the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 

This is a committee tasked to "provide science-based advice for Americans, in order to promote health and to reduce the risk for major chronic diseases through diet and physical activity." And they have found the "totality of evidence documenting a beneficial impact of plant-based dietary patterns on CVD [ the #1 cause of death of Americans ] risk is remarkable and worthy of recommendation." 

That said, you should decide for yourself how much, if any meat should be a part of your diet based on all factors, including nutrition. Hopefully, you now feel better able to make an educated decision.

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BODY – MIND – SPIRIT

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Is organic food worth the higher price?

5/26/2013

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All food was organic not so long ago. 

But that changed after corporate agriculture concerns took over the majority of our food production. Food has changed so much since that organic is now supposedly special and genetically modified food produced with synthetic chemical additives has been deemed "conventional." 

What a brave new world we live in. 

The facts and fiction about healthy, nutritious food have been so thoroughly blended that consumers could easily be confused about whether organic foods are worth their higher prices. 

This should help clear things up. 


1.  What does "organic" actually mean? 

It's a legal term (as opposed to "natural", which was hijacked by advertisers to mean absolutely anything and, therefore, nothing) defined by the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. This is a federal law, which sets the minimum acceptable standard. State organic food laws can create higher standards, but not lower. The same applies to imported foods produced internationally. 

Essentially, organic means crops and livestock were produced without certain additives or changes. 

Here are some of the highlights. 
  • Organic foods cannot be genetically modified. 
  • Synthetic chemicals cannot be used on crops or land where livestock are raised.
  • Natural poisons like arsenic are prohibited.
  • Livestock cannot be given growth hormones. 
  • Livestock cannot be given medication, unless they are sick. 
  • Livestock cannot be fed manure. 
  • Heavy metals and toxic residues cannot be added during processing. 

If you want to read the legislation here's a link to the Organic Act (click). As far as laws go, this one is pretty easy to read. If you don't want to read from the beginning, skip to Section 2105. 

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the Organic Act is what it means for "conventionally produced" foods. What it means is that if a food isn't organic it can contain all of the above prohibited substances, and more. 

2.  There are different degrees of organic.

There are several different organic food labels that mean different things. 


The green or black and white circle symbol, which you can see in the infographic to the right, can appear only on products that include 95% or more organic ingredients. 

A food label with the word “organic” means that it’s entirely organic if it’s a whole food or 95% or more of the ingredients are organic if it’s a processed food. 


The phrase “organic ingredients” applies to processed foods. It means they contain at least 70% organic ingredients. The organic symbol cannot be used on these types of products. 

Small farmers of the roadside stand variety are exempted from these labeling requirements. 


3.  Is organic more nutritious? 

Back in September 2012 a group of Stanford University researchers published the results of a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine  comparing the nutritional quality and safety of conventional versus organic food.[1] It got a lot of attention in the press. 

The Stanford scientists concluded that they couldn't find "strong evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritious than conventional foods."[2] 


As with most stories, there are at least two sides. 

Washington State University, among others, took exception to the Stanford group's testing methodology, contending it was unnecessarily narrow and failed to include important data that would have significantly altered their conclusions.[3]
Explaining organic food label
There are quite a few other recent studies concluding that organically produced food (plants and animals) contain higher nutrients, but one point on which most scientists agree is that there is a strong need for greater study.


4.  Is there a downside to eating "conventional" food?

Conventionally produced foods may contain various substances known or suspected of increasing the risk of serious sickness. 

For instance, cancer, the second leading cause of death of Americans, can be caused by exposure to environmental toxins, some of which are present in the conventionally produced food supply.[4]

The 2010 President's Cancer Panel Report's recommendations for reducing exposure to environmental elements that increase the risk for cancer and other diseases include "[C]hoosing . . . food grown without pesticide or chemical fertilizers and washing conventionally grown produce to remove residues", as well as avoiding antibiotics and growth hormones by choosing meat raised without these medications. In other words: eat organic. [See pages xx and 44] 

The government establishes "acceptable levels" of toxins allowed in the food supply. However, many chemicals we're exposed to via food have not been evaluated for toxicity; there are simply too many to analyze given the resources allocated. For those  that have been, what the government deems an acceptable amount of toxins in your food may not be acceptable to you.  

We each have different tolerances for risk. Likewise, we value our health and the purity of our bodies to varying degrees. Eating organic food, rather than conventional food is a way to mitigate such risks, both known and presently unknown. In other words, eating organic can be viewed as purchasing a preventative health insurance policy.

Risk taking generally works out better when the risk is calculated, rather than reckless. To that end, here are some resources to help you learn more about the food you eat. 

The USDA's National Agriculture Library offers a slew of resources (here) for further reading.
 The Environmental Work Group publishes a Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce, including two lists called the "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean Fifteen", and other useful consumer information for food shopping, which you can view here.

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BODY – MIND – SPIRIT

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Exercising for optimum physical condition

5/19/2013

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Virtually every aspect of a person's life experience is enhanced by being active and fit. 

If I had a chisel I would set those words in stone. 

Exercise helps keeps you healthy longer. It strengthens the immune system. Exercise increases your vitality making you look and feel years younger than if your lifestyle is sedentary.
 The benefits are far, far too many to list here, but you can follow some of the links in this post to find out more.[1] 

Exercise is a very broad term that means physical effort above resting levels, so there are countless ways to get some. 

What exercise is best?

While all exercise is good for you, some forms are more beneficial than others.[2]

Here are a few issues to consider:

1.  Time:

The current consensus opinion among exercise science experts is that around 3 hours of moderate exercise per week is necessary to get noticeable health benefits.[3][4] 

These three hours can be broken up into smaller segments. Even little 10-15 minutes chunks of exercise support fitness when added together.

Here are a few ways to understand what the term "moderate exercise" really means.[5][6] 
  • The Talk Test: If you can talk normally while you’re working out, then you’re not yet working at a moderate level.
  • Sweat: Unless your environment is so hot that you sweat while resting, perspiration is a strong indication that you're exercising hard enough to get health benefits.  Also note that wind and cold temperatures can reduce perspiration. So this rule requires some practical experience to apply effectively. 
  • Heart Rate Monitor: These sophisticated electronic devices offer an array of features to measure and report on various aspects of your exercise, including exertion.[7] 
  • Moderate exercise uses approximately 50% of your aerobic capacity, or a 5 on a 1-10 scale where 0 is the level of effort of sitting and 10 is maximum effort.[8]

In comparison to moderate exercise, vigorous exercise is unsustainable for more than a few minutes, except for persons with very high levels of fitness. At a vigorous level of effort, you can't speak normally, breathing is labored and sweating can be profuse. 

The health benefits differ between moderate and vigorous exercise by a factor of two. For an equal amount of time, say 90 minutes, vigorous exercise produces twice the benefits of moderate exercise. In other words, you can get the same benefits of 90 minutes of moderate exercise in 45 minutes if you work at a vigorous level.[9] 


2.  Health Benefits:

Science says the best form of exercise for health is cardio-metabolic, meaning that it works your muscles, heart and lungs. 


Harvard Medical School published the spiffy chart below, which quantifies the cardio-metabolic benefits from various forms of physical activity, including tennis, raking the lawn and sex. (Click on the chart to make it bigger.) 
From a health and fitness perspective, the aim of exercise is to increase both endurance and strength. Increase endurance by exercising moderately for at least 20 minutes at a time, or vigorously for at least 10 minutes. The key is to keep your heart rate elevated above resting for an extended period of time while you exert yourself. 

Increase your strength by bearing weight or otherwise working against resistance, such as your bodyweight. It's important for good health to strengthen all of your major muscle groups, e.g. legs, core, back, chest and arms. The key is to fatigue your muscles. Just before you finish strength training you should need help to move the weight. 


Cardio-metabolic exercise chart, Harvard Medical School
3.  Efficiency:

Who among us isn't pressed for time from time-to-time? That's a great reason to develop an active lifestyle. 

An active lifestyle is often the easiest way of getting exercise. Integrating exercise into your lifestyle is also an efficient use of your time and money, aside from the health benefits. 

By viewing the way you interact with your physical environment as a source of opportunity for exercise you will find that physical fitness and the health benefits that come along with it are easily attainable. Circumstances you once viewed as inconveniences can be seen, instead, as opportunities in disguise. For instance, having to park several blocks away from your destination or encountering a slow-to-arrive elevator when you're in a hurry gives you the opportunity to walk, and walking is one of the healthiest forms of exercise.[10][11] The opportunities for enhancing your fitness are limitless if you choose to look at your environment as a gym. Plus, this outlook can reduce the stress associated with viewing these aforementioned situations in a negative light. 


4.  Safety:

Safe exercises are better choices than those involving a high risk of injury because injury defeats the purpose of exercising for fitness.  

Some risk can be mitigated by the use of safety equipement, training and discretion. Rock climbing, for instance, is fantastic exercise for both endurance and strength. But there's a saying, "There are old climbers and reckless climbers, but there are no old, reckless climbers." Apply the essence of that aphorism to your choice of exercise and you'll potentially spare yourself the pain that erases gain. 

You should also consider your current state of fitness when evaluating potential exercise options. Running a half-marathon may sound awesome. But you have to be quite fit. So if you currently can't play with your dog without being winded you're setting yourself up for failure and possible injury. 

Pushing the limits of your fitness is a way to expand them. But be realistic about where those limits are. As every exercise disclaimer says, "Consult your physician before you begin a new exercise." That's a bit extreme because risk-averse lawyers wrote it, but the core idea is valid. If you have concerns about how much strain your body can tolerate you'd do well to visit a doctor. 

* * * * 

The bottom line is that some exercise is better than none and more is better than less. That said, the absolute best exercise for you is the one that you are willing and able to do. 

Regular exercise is a pillar that supports optimum physical condition. Exercise is amazing because you will often get more out of it than it seems you had to put into it and the benefits increase exponentially with time. Combine exercise with proper nutrition as part of your lifestyle and in short order you will be radiating vitality. 

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BODY – MIND – SPIRIT

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Eating for optimum physical condition

5/12/2013

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You literally are what you eat (and drink). 

Your body is constructed, operated and maintained by nutrients, water and energy. The food and drink you consume are mechanisms for delivering them to your body. 

The health of the body you see in the mirror is largely a reflection of the quality of your diet (diet meaning the aggregate consumption of food and fluids). 

Understanding the relationship between your body's appearance and performance capability and the nutrients, fluids and calories you provide it with is necessary to pursue and attain anything close to an optimum physical state. 

To that end, your body is asking for enough nutritionally complete food to meet its caloric needs. 

Here's a brief overview of how to eat for optimum physical condition: 

1.  A nutritionally complete diet includes protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals and hydrating fluids. 

If you eat a broad variety of whole foods (those that are minimally processed) and you don't have any sweeping dietary exclusions like omitting animal products, you will likely consume all the nutrients your body requires. However, if you eat a narrow range of food you may need supplementation in the form of a multi-vitamin and/or a meal replacement shake to fill in your nutrition gaps. Unusual and persistent physical conditions or health problems that appeared around the time your diet changed can be signs of nutritional deficiency that may warrant a doctor's visit.  

Refer to the Healthy Eating Plate from the Harvard University School of Public Health for a visual representation of a nutritionally complete diet. 


2.  Not all food sources within each of these categories have equivalent nutritional value. 

Imagine a spectrum representing nutrition. At one end lies "super foods" and at the other is empty calories. While some foods are naturally more nutrient dense than others, how foods are produced can alter their nutrient content. Words you will find on an ingredient list that indicate processing that has depleted some nutrients include "bleached", "modified" and "refined." Conversely, "whole", "unrefined" and "raw" are generally associated with foods that remain nutritionally intact. 

The ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) is a resource that lists the nutrient density of some common foods.

You can also refer to the section on nutrient dense foods in the US Department of Health & Human Services' Dietary Guidelines for Americans for additional information.

As you can see, vegetables lead the list.  But we must eat from the other food groups, too. So notice which foods are tops in each nutritional category.
Nutrient Density Line
Nutrient density line Dr. Fuhrman
Here are a few rules of thumb for making healthy food selections: 
  • The darker the color of the vegetable, the more nutrient dense it is. Think spinach versus celery. 
  • The color of produce roughly corresponds to the nutrients contained within them. Eat the rainbow. 
  • All animal protein is nutritionally complete protein on its own, whereas most plant protein is not, unless it's combined with other plant protein. Think rice and beans.
  • If it looks like it grew from the ground it's more nutritious than if it came from a factory. 
  • If it grew locally it was picked nearer to a ripe state and therefore (among other reasons) it's more nutritious than if it was shipped from afar. 
  • Products that are heavily advertised, especially to children, are less nutritious than anonymous alternatives. Think Mountain Dew versus spring water. 
  • Organic doesn't correlate to nutrient density, only the absence of some artificial and potentially harmful chemicals. Also note that "natural" is a completely meaningless word in food advertising. 


3.  Make informed decisions about what foods to eat.

A nutrient database is extremely helpful for making informed food choices. As the name implies, you can look up the nutrient content of nearly every whole food, as well as most processed and packaged foods. 

Here's the link to the US Department of Agriculture's nutrient database: click

I like the database from Self Magazine for the colorful charts. Here are the results for McDonalds french fries and cooked quinoa:
McDonald's french fries nutrition facts
Quinoa nutrition facts

There are many other nutrient databases available on the internet. Click here for a Google search result. But beware there may be a diminished standard, so I suggest verifying the results with the Department of Agriculture's database. 


4.  Ignore the front of the food package and instead focus on the back.

The front of food packaging is advertising space. The back side is for nutritional information. 

The US Department of Health & Human Services produced the guide to the right to help consumers interpret the standard Nutrition Facts food label. 

It's often necessary to adjust the serving size upwards. Portion sizes are arbitrary quantities that often don't correspond to what a person will realistically consume. 

Likewise, the percentages listing on Nutrition Facts labels are based on a 2,000 calorie dietary need. Read the fine print near the bottom. Your caloric needs may be considerably different – mine are about 50% higher or 3,000 calories. 

Lastly, ingredients, which usually appear near the Nutrition Facts label, are listed in order of predominance by weight according to their common name. 

Nutrition facts food label interpretation guide
Read the FDA's labeling guidance for the food production industry here. 

5.  Consume the right amount of calories to achieve your body weight goals.

A calorie calculator is helpful for learning your daily requirement, which is a function of your gender, age, height, weight and activity level. 

Here's the one from the Mayo Clinic: click

Alternatively, you can rely on your internal calorie calculator: hunger. However, you have to be able to distinguish hunger from appetite. Hunger is the body signaling a need for food and it's felt most strongly in the abdomen. Conversely, appetite is a desire for the pleasure of food and it's felt most strongly in the mouth and in the mind. 

Once you know the approximate number of calories your body uses daily, you can adjust your calorie consumption to achieve the body weight you want. Assuming your activity level remains constant, simply eat more calories than you require to gain weight, eat fewer to lose weight or consume the amount required to sustain your current weight. The body is very tolerant, so slight variances in caloric intake will probably not result in a noticeable change. And, of course, there are nuances beyond the scope of this topic. 


6. Drink water when you're thirsty to keep your cells hydrated.

Water remains the best source of hydrating fluid. Coconut water is great, but it's not available everywhere and it's vastly more expensive. Gatorade and other sports drinks are useful to replace lost minerals, but they are only necessary if you've been exercising for more than an hour. They also contain relatively large amounts of sugar, which equates to calories that you may not need. 

Unless you're in an extremely hot environment or exercising intensely you don't need to drink more than what's required to quench your thirst. It's that simple. 

* * * * * *

These six guidelines and the additional resources noted in them can help you achieve a healthy
 looking, healthy feeling body. This knowledge can be powerful if you use it to expand your awareness of the vital relationship between your physical body and food and to inform the choices you make about what to consume. Cheers to your health!

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BODY – MIND – SPIRIT

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The needle in the haystack: The Nutrition Source from the Harvard School of Public Health

5/5/2013

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Searching for useful and reliable nutritional information is like hunting down a needle in a haystack. 

In my experience, sifting through diet fads and way too many "superfood" ads for reliable scientific guidance on how to nourish my body so it will look good, feel good and perform to a high standard has been tedious and often frustrating . . . until I discovered The Nutrition Source, a free online resource from the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. 

Here's the web address: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/ 

The Nutrition Source is a valuable resource from one of the world's most reputable primary sources of scientific and empirical information. 


No single resource that I've come across provides similarly accurate and comprehensive core nutritional information. 

The central feature of The Nutrition Source is The Healthy Eating Plate, which provides fundamental information for creating a nutritionally complete meal, as well as some tips on common unhealthy food choices.
Healthy eating plate, Harvard Nutrition
Some of the website's additional features include simple explanations of the essential nutrition components, such as carbs, fat, protein and vitamins and minerals with more useful information on how to select healthy sources of each. 

The Home Cooking section helps you bring these ideas off the page and onto your table with breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes. 
There's an equally useful section explaining the ABCs of achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight. 

Another extensive section on proper exercise explains the requisite time and intensity for producing noticeable fitness benefits and gives practical tips for creating an active lifestyle to preserve and add to the fitness gains you've already achieved.

The Frequently Asked Questions section is useful for both the nutritional novice looking to learn the basics and the food fanatic looking to micro-manage their diet for optimum health. The Nutrition Index expands the FAQ section by providing insights into many other nutrition issues that might have piqued your interest or generated concern. The site also provides links to equally reliable books, research, reports and news related to health and fitness for further learning. 

The bottom line is this: Your time is precious and it should be enjoyed. 
Good health is wealth. It's a currency you can spend on acquiring the experiences you want most in life. 

The PATH² exists to help you do that by distilling the confusing and often contradictory information about health (and other aspects of quality of life) in the media down to an essence of the most valuable – accurate, practical and concise –  information for creating a life you love to live. 

This post represents a limb on the tree of a healthy, happy life that will branch out over the next several weeks. Subjects such as the nutritionally complete meal, essential nutrition components, home cooking and achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight will be unpacked in a clear, concise way for you to easily incorporate into your life as it presently exists. So if you don't follow the links in this post you won't miss anything if you keep reading the Good News. 
 
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BODY – MIND – SPIRIT

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Top 5 positive actions to increase your happiness

3/27/2013

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"The pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal." The United Nations

From The Happy Planet Index

  1. Connect with loved ones. Spending time sharing in other people's lives and allowing them to share in yours satisfies our innate human need for positive social interaction. 
  2. Be physically active, especially outdoors. Fresh air and vigorous movement rejuvenates the body and releases hormones that improve mood. 
  3. Notice. Heightening your awareness of the present moment helps draws your attention to the numerous little blessings you're graced with that otherwise go overlooked.
  4. Keep learning. Do this all life long. There's strong evidence that curiosity, not even necessarily formal learning, helps maintain mental health, particularly as we age. 
  5. Give. Altruism in all its forms - thoughts, words and actions - is pound-for-pound the greatest investment you can make in your happiness. Read my recent post about all the benefits here.

Do you like to be happy? Would you like to live in a happier world? Then join the tribe that's ushering in that new reality. 
And . . .

Watch Nic Mark’s TED talk about the Happy Planet Index and why it's advancing the movement to replace Gross Domestic Product with Gross National Happiness as the standard by which our nations set development policy and judge progress. 

Read the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's remarks about the urgent need to replace our singularly economic standard of development and progress with a humanitarian standard that acknowledges the basic human need and desire to love the lives we live. 

Follow The PATH² to attaining total health and happiness. 

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