In this Issue:
Lose weight with Yoga
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Innovation at it's BEST
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Great classes & workshops
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November 13 to 16th
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Every Thursday in NYCOrganic New York City Style Hip Hop at the Ailey Extension, 405 West 55th Street, at 9th Avenue. Advanced/Beginner/Intermediate. $16.00 per class. For more information, email snapoplock@aol.com or call 212-405-9000.Every Saturday in NYCOrganic New York City Style Hip Hop at the Ailey Extension, 405 West 55th Street, at 9th Avenue. Absolute Beginner Class. $16.00 per class. For more information,email snapoplock@aol.com or call 212-405-9000. Oct 18 and 19New York, NY Masala Bhangra Workout Training Program for Fitness Instructors at New York Sports Club. 217 Broadway. For more information, visit www.masaladance.com or call 1-877-4-MASALA.November 1Gahanna (Columbus), OH. Gahanna YMCA F.U.N.C.T.I.O.N - Family Unlimited Nutrition and Circuit to inspire on-going knowledge. Visit www.acefitness.org for more information.November 2San Francisco, CA. Designing strength training programs. Visit www.acefitness.org for more information. November 8Clermont, FL. Trikona Yoga Workshop with Fitplanet, Inc. Visit www.acefitness.org for more information. November 9 Portland, OR. Portland Community College, ACSM Business Management for the Fitness Professional. Visit www.acsm.org for more information. November 13-16Miami Beach, FL. ECA/Thrive 2008 Fitness, Sports Training and Wellness Conference at the Miami Resort and Spa Hotel. This event is designed to meet all of your professional needs - the bes t of personal training, sports conditioning, business, nutrition, group fitness, mindful programming, aquatic and outdoor training and more! Visit www.ecaworldfitness.com/con0.html or call 516-432-6877. Nov 22 and 23New York, NY Masala Bhangra Workout Training Program for Fitness Instructors at New York Sports Club. 217 Broadway. For more information, visit www.masaladance.com or call 1-877-4-MASALA.
To be included in Calendar of Events: include title of event, date, where, what city & state, contact information, to: susanvkasper@optonline.net
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 How to Lose Weight with Yoga
Wendy O'Lenic - Presenter at eca/Thrive 2008
Wendy O'Lenic is the owner of Wendy Fit Yoga, Pilates and Personal Training Studio in Tampa Florida. Wendy has been a leader in the fitness world for over 23 years. A USF graduate in the Fine Arts with extensive training with many of the top yoga masters. She is a certified Yoga, Pilates and Group Fitness and Personal Trainer. You can contact her at www.wendyfit.com
Can yoga help you lose weight? Absolutely! One of our students (now a teacher) has lost 37 lbs in the last year doing yoga on a regular basis. I've heard from many people who believe yoga is just stretching, that it isn't a "real" workout, and that it can't possibly help you lose weight. Our purpose at Wendy Fit Yoga and Pilates Studio is to dispel those beliefs.
So what constitutes a "real" workout? People certainly have different views. Some believe you have to completely exhaust your body to the point where you nearly collapse. Others believe you must experience a lot of discomfort ("no pain, no gain"). What most agree on is this: To lose fat, you must bring oxygen to the muscles (aerobic activity) and you must do something to build muscle. Yoga accomplishes both and so much more.
Let's break it down a bit:
- Yoga begins with the breath. Breathing properly is essential to body function. Breathing deeply allows oxygen to enter the blood stream, revitalizing organs and muscle tissue. Breathing deeply also releases toxins from the body. In yoga, we call our breathing "ujjayi pranayama", which, in Sanskrit translates to "ocean breath".
- Movement - Once we are centered and breathing properly, we begin to move the body while constantly maintaining focus on our breath. This movement pulls the oxygen from our breath into our muscles. It further warms up the body, and increases the heart rate.
- Aerobic: Yoga is aerobic. Wikipedia defines aerobic as "Aerobic exercise refers to exercise which is of moderate intensity, undertaken for a long duration. Aerobic means "with oxygen", and refers to the use of oxygen in a muscle's energy-generating process. Many types of exercise are aerobic, and by definition are performed at moderate levels of intensity for extended periods of time." It goes on to recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise - so anytime we are moving oxygen into our muscles for at least 30 minutes, we are performing aerobic exercise!
- Strength: Yoga strengthens muscles and builds muscle tissue. The more lean muscle a body has, the more calories it requires to maintain its' current weight. So if we increase our muscle mass without increasing our food intake, the increased muscle mass will help us burn extra fat.
- Yoga eliminates toxins from your body. We all have toxins in our bodies - from the environment, from household chemicals, and from the foods we eat. When we don't eliminate the toxins, our body stores them in our fat cells. Yoga eliminates toxins in 3 ways: 1. The breath carries toxins out of the body through the lungs. The deeper we breathe for a long period of time, the more toxins we eliminate. 2. Our bodies also eliminate toxins through our sweat glands. It is important for us to sweat on a regular basis to eliminate the toxins. If you have ever done a solid yoga workout, you know it makes you sweat. 3. Twisting postures massage our internal organs, stimulating them to release toxins through the digestive system and the kidneys. Eliminating toxins also results in less fatigue and a sense of well-being.
- Yoga postures stimulate metabolism. Inversions (which include any posture where the head is below the heart) stimulate the nervous system and improve metabolism. In addition, many yoga postures directly stimulate the thyroid, which also stimulates metabolism.
- Yoga focuses the mind. Everything we do in life stems from our thoughts. Our lives are a product of what we think. Positive thoughts and beliefs generate positive outcomes. Yoga requires us to focus on our bodies and brings us into the present. It requires us to be conscious of what we are doing with our body. The more aware we are of our bodies, and the more our thoughts change to nurturing our bodies, the better they will respond.
- Yoga promotes a sense of well-being. Yoga means the yoking of mind, body and spirit. Practicing yoga on a regular basis builds more than muscle and cardiovascular strength - it also strengthens the mind and spirit, resulting in an improved sense of well-being.
The basic structure of a yoga burn class:
While all forms of yoga help the body to burn fat, there are ways to structure the postures to deliver the maximum burn. Following is a summary of how I structure my classes to maximize the fat burning benefits of yoga.
- Centering: Every yoga session begins with a centering. This is where we let go of the outside world and focus on our bodies. It is where we begin to focus on the breath and begin to warm up the body.
- Warmup: The sun salutations are a series of postures designed to awaken all of the major muscle groups in the body. We go through several cycles of sun salutations to warm up the body and start the aerobic activity. When the warm-up is complete, the heart rate is up, we are sweating, and the body is very warm - which means it is safe to move into the deeper postures.
- Standing postures: We next move into a series of standing postures that we hold longer to build the major muscle groups. Holding the postures strengthens the muscles while still generating heat.
- Seated postures: Our seated postures include twisting postures to remove toxins, stretching to prevent muscle soreness, and postures to stimulate the thyroid.
- Meditation: Meditation is the most important part of the yoga practice. It gives us the opportunity to focus our mind and honor our bodies for working with us. We will use affirmations intended to help move our thinking in a positive direction, leaving us feeling centered, relaxed, and good about all we have accomplished.
While yoga may be different than traditional exercise methods for weight loss, it can be just as effective. Aside from the benefits already discussed, practicing yoga provides us with a safe environment where expectations are left at the door and we only focus on intention. There is no competition, only focusing on what is best for us and for our bodies. Yoga postures can be done by anyone, and there are ways to modify all of the postures to suit any fitness level.
If you have yet to find a way of exercise that works for you, one that makes you feel refreshed and alive, or if you are looking for a way to move your body into new territory, yoga may be what you have been looking for.
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