MINDFUL EATING FOR THE HOLIDAYS I was intending to write a post this Thanksgiving week on how not to gain weight over the holidays. But you’ve seen all the suggestions many times before: snack wisely, don’t go overboard on appetizers, watch your portion sizes, limit desserts, limit liquids, skip seconds. In other words, deprive yourself and take the fun out of Thanksgiving (or Christmas) dinner. You don’t need to hear all that again. Matter of fact, from what I’ve read depriving yourself can actually lead to increased cravings and overeating. If you don’t eat that holiday dish you really want...
YOGA—A TERRIFIC WAY TO KEEP YOUR BODY & MIND IN GOOD HEALTH I’ve been going to yoga classes for 20 years. I was hesitant in the beginning. I remember that I kept getting backaches after running. I mentioned this to my friend Steve Haimovitz and he said, “Try yoga.” But I resisted and instead saw a chiropractor, and then an acupuncturist. My backaches persisted. Again Steve said, “Just try yoga.” I finally did. After a couple of weeks my back pain from running disappeared and I was convinced. But yoga gave me a great deal more than that. In time,...
MINDFULNESS CAN TRANSFORM YOUR FITNESS TRAINING Mindfulness has lately become a hot topic. Actually, though, it’s rooted in ancient traditions—it was originally conceived as a way to ease suffering and cultivate compassion. There are various descriptions of mindfulness, but in short, it’s living in the moment. It’s a conscious effort to be completely present—to take your attention away from the past or future and simply focus on what’s happening with you right now without interpretation or judgment. I’ll talk about mindfulness in general and then how we can use it in our fitness training. The Mayo Clinic cites studies that...
