FitSugar

Favorite Excuse For Not Doing Yoga: I'm NOT Flexible

FitSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 08:45:00 PDT

When people find out that I teach Pilates and yoga, they often immediately disclose the reasons they don't practice either exercise form. I hear this excuse most often, "I could never do yoga, I'm so inflexible. I can't even touch my toes."

This is not the first time I've heard this excuse, and I actually love that people confess this to me. It gives me a chance to explain that inflexibility is not an excuse, but rather a reason to do yoga.

Most people aren't naturally flexible, but doing yoga can increase your flexibility almost immediately. Even after just a few classes, you will begin to notice a change in your body. You just have to get over that mental block that tells you you can't do it, and you just have to try.

If you can commit to a couple of classes every week, I guarantee that your muscles will become longer and suppler. That's what is so great about yoga. Our bodies were made to move, and your muscles crave it. Not only does yoga relax your mind and reduce stress, but the increased flexibility you'll feel can alleviate chronic pain and prevent injury.

So go ahead and take a yoga class. It's like with any new thing you try, whether it be playing an instrument or running a marathon. That amazing sense of pride and accomplishment you feel can only come when you witness yourself improving. No one is instantly great in the beginning, but as you practice, you'll get better and better.

Source

Breathe Deeply, Improve Your Running

Susi May — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 02:40:24 PST

Breathing. You're doing it right now without even thinking about it. Put a little thought into the action, and you just might find yourself soaring through your next tempo run. When you're going the distance running, swimming, cycling, and even rowing you need to power your muscles with fresh oxygen. To do this, you need to breathe deeply. Unfortunately, most of us are just breathing into our chest and not fully utilizing our lungs. Cross-training with the noncardio workouts of yoga and Pilates can help. Along with strength and flexibility, these forms of mind-body exercise help you learn to breathe deeply and effectively.

Basically, your lungs are just a bit smaller than your rib cage, but we all tend to breathe in just the top third of the lungs. One reason is that, like all muscles, the intercostals, which run between the ribs, can get tight and inflexible, limiting the expansiveness of your lungs. With a little training and some stretching, you can breathe to your full potential and increase your endurance.

Learn a supersimple breathing exercise, simply read more.

Common Yoga Myths Busted

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:08:16 PDT

Yoga offers numerous health benefits, but there are some rumors about this ancient practice that need a little debunking. While it's obvious that regular Down Dogs won't cause instant enlightenment or help you live to 150, we'd like to dispel some persistent yoga myths before you step on your mat.

Hot Yoga Helps You Lose Weight
Certain types of yoga like Bikram and ashtanga are practiced in a heated room, and you end up sweating buckets. Weigh yourself after one of these intense classes, and after sweating so much you probably lost a couple pounds. This is only water weight and will quickly be "gained" back as soon as you rehydrate. While any type of exercise will help with weight loss, yoga is better for building muscle rather than burning calories. If it's pounds you're trying to drop, complement your yoga practice with cardio sessions.

It'll Give You Better Orgasms
Yoga improves sex right? Not exactly. I'm sorry to say hitting a few classes won't instantly turn you into a sex goddess and make your time under the sheets more satisfying. What practicing yoga can do is increase your flexibility, which increases your ability to try new and adventurous positions in the bedroom.

Continue reading to hear more yoga myths.

How to Breathe When Running

Heather Dale — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:57:35 PDT

Ever wonder why some days you feel like an energizer bunny and can keep running and running, while other days your legs feel like lead and you have zero stamina? Certainly the amount of sleep you got the night before, stress levels, and diet play a role in how you perform during your runs, but how you regulate your breath during your jogging session also effects your energy levels. Here's how to power your muscles with fresh oxygen on each stride.

Learn to breathe deeply: Your lungs are just a bit smaller than your ribcage, but we all tend to use just the top third of the lung. One reason being that, like all muscles, the intercostals, which run between the ribs, can get tight and inflexible, limiting the expansiveness of your lungs. When you take a deep breath, you are expanding the lungs, pressing down the diaphragm, and causing your abdomen to expand as your lungs fill with air. Learning to breathe this way helps you take in lots of oxygen while running, preventing dizziness and nausea. With a little training and some stretching you can breathe to your full potential to increase your endurance. Cross-training with noncardio workouts like yoga and Pilates can also help you learn to breathe from your diaphragm. Here are some tips for how to conquer diaphragmatic breathing.

Here's what else you can do to control your breathing during runs.

5 Simple Steps For Creating a Spending Plan

SavvySugar — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:08:30 PDT

Straightforward budgets aren't always the best solution for people trying to get a handle on their money - the inflexible nature of budgeting can be a frustrating turn-off. Just because you're not one for budgets doesn't mean there isn't hope for following a plan that will get your finances on track. A spending plan is a better solution than a traditional budget for those who want a less rigid method for managing their money. Give your dollars some direction and take control by taking these five simple steps for creating a spending plan.

Reasons Runners Should Get Down Dogging

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:08:52 PDT

If you hit the treadmill, trail, or road most days of the week, here are some reasons you should spend some time on a yoga mat.

An Easier Time on Hills
All those standing poses like Warrior variations, Fierce, and Goddess are yoga's version of squats and lunges. Within a few yoga classes, you'll notice that your quads, hamstrings, and glutes feel stronger while running, which means an easier time tackling inclines, declines, and uneven terrain.

Less Huffing and Puffing
Yoga teaches you how to take full, deep breaths and to connect your breath with your movements, making oxygen use more efficient. All that deep breathing on the mat will also increase your lung capacity so you're less likely to gasp and struggle to catch your breath while running, especially in high humidity, cold air, and when doing sprinting intervals.

For the Chance to Touch Your Toes
Most runners I know suffer from tight hips, hamstrings, and lower backs. The repetitive motion of running coupled with the fact that most runners skip out on stretching makes for inflexibility. Practicing yoga loosens those tight muscles, which not only feels good while you're doing the poses, but will make your body feel more open while running.

Continue reading for more reasons runners should do yoga.

Yoga Blocks Come in All Shapes and Sizes

Jenny Sugar — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:52:33 PDT

Yoga blocks aren't just for the injured or inflexible. Since these lightweight gems offer stability in both beginner poses like Triangle to more advanced moves like Forearm Stand, yogis of all abilities find blocks useful. Blocks help to deepen stretches and allow you to hold poses longer, helping to increase flexibility. If you're confused by all the different shapes and sizes, here's an explanation. So the next time you need a little support, you'll know which block to grab.

25 Ways to Waste Your Money

Kiplinger — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:15:53 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

Has your budget sprung a leak?

Nearly everyone has spending holes. And as with other kinds of leaks, you may have hardly noticed them. But those small drips can quickly add up to big bucks. The trick is to find the holes and plug them so you can keep more money in your pocket. That extra cash could be the ticket to finally being able to save, invest, or break your cycle of living from paycheck to paycheck.

Here are 25 common ways people waste money. See if any of these sound familiar, then look for ways to plug your own leaks:

1. Carrying a balance. Debt is a shackle that holds you back. For instance, if you have a $1,000 balance on a credit card that charges an 18% rate, you blow $180 every year on interest. Get in the habit of paying off your balance in full each month.

2. Overspending on gas and oil for your car. There’s no need to spring for premium fuel if the manufacturer says regular is just fine. You should also check to make sure your tires are optimally inflated to get the best gas mileage. And are you still paying for an oil change every 3,000 miles? Many models nowadays can last 5,000 to 7,000 miles between changes, and some even have built-in sensors to tell you when it’s time to change the oil. Check your manual to find the best time for your car’s routine maintenance.

3. Keeping unhealthy habits. Smoking costs a lot more than just what you pay for a pack of cigarettes. It significantly increases the cost of life and health insurance. And you'll pay more for homeowners and auto insurance. Add in various other expenses, and the true cost of smoking adds up dramatically over a lifetime - $86,000 for a 24-year-old woman over a lifetime and $183,000 for a 24-year-old man over a lifetime, according to The Price of Smoking (The MIT Press).

Another habit to quit: indoor tanning. There is now a 10% tax on indoor tanning services. As with cigarettes, the true cost of tanning - which the World Health Organization lists among the worst-known carcinogens - is higher than just the price you pay each time you go to the salon.

Read on to find out what other budget leaks you should avoid.

Stretch It: Inner Thigh

FitSugar — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 03:00:00 PDT

I have received many requests from inflexible readers for stretches. So here is one of my favorites, especially for after a run since you can do it anywhere and you don't have to lie down to do it. It stretches the inner thighs (aka adductors) safely and effectively, and those inner thighs are often forgotten in a workout as well as stretching.

Inner Thigh Stretch hold stretch for 20 seconds or 5 long, slow breaths

Start in squat with your knees open, heels up and hands on the ground in front of you.
Put more weight on your right foot and straighten your left out to the side.
Don't jam your left knee, keep it slightly soft so you don't hyper-extend the joint.

Then switch sides. Stretch each side twice.

Don't forget to breathe while you are stretching and remember you should warm up for at least five minutes before doing any deep stretching.