Ashtanga Yoga is working up intense heat inside the body with profuse sweating that purifies the body muscles and detoxifies the systems. Like all yoga exercises, your breath and breathing pattern is correlated. It is done by a series of postures that changes as you progress into the exercise regimen and works to rejuvenate you. Your blood circulation improves and you are left with a body that is strong but light at the same time. Your mind remains calm and free from any disturbances.

Pregnancy requires a calm mind

This form of yoga is practiced in the US and the rest of the western world. But women usually ask if they can perform these yoga exercises during pregnancy. For a newbie wanting to learn Ashtanga yoga, the best bet is enrolling at a center under the watchful guidance of an experienced teacher and practitioner. There are prenatal yoga classes in the US where pregnant women can enroll and take lessons. Pregnancy requires a calm mind for the expectant mother to pass on the qualities to the fetus growing inside her.

Even though the fetus is still not born, it has life and the qualities of the mother get passed on during the carrying period. Usually, a qualified and experienced yoga practitioner well skilled in the Ashtanga Yoga practice to suit the pregnant woman. Women who had miscarriages practiced the postures under the guidance of a trained practitioner and had succeeded in having babies later on. Preparing for the delivery requires a body fit to undergo labor without any hitches. You need a proper balance between the mind and the body. But the postures require modification and changes suitable to protect and accommodate the baby that is growing inside you.

Modified postures during pregnancy

Practice of Ashtanga Yoga during pregnancy is less intense compared to pre- pregnancy sessions at the yoga center. In case of cramps or momentary cessation of fetal movement, the practice should be discontinued and the doctor consulted. Most women who practiced this form of yoga during pregnancy reported successful pregnancies. Ideally, the feeling should be that your belly is larger than it actually is. Pregnant women are made to practice the first series or lighter version of exercises keeping in mind their health condition.

If the yogic exercises are practiced at a more intense level, then your teacher would automatically switch your series back to the first level when you report the onset of pregnancy. In early stages of pregnancy, your body remains at the pre-pregnancy level of consciousness. It takes time to adjust to the new type of physiological condition and the chemical and hormonal changes that take place inside your body with every advancing week.

Usually pregnant women do not really feel that they are carrying until the fourth month and later into the sixth month when the baby starts kicking about. If you are into practice, you would know only after three or four months of pregnancy that you require modifications. It is then that your teacher would be able to make the necessary changes to give you the wellness and health that is achieved during and after pregnancy by practicing Ashtanga Yoga.

Are Your Workouts Boring you to Death? Pick up a Kettlebell and Have Some Fun while Getting Fit!

I don’t care what anyone says, working out can be downright boring. We all want to stay in shape, but if we get stuck in the same old rut, boredom can set in and cause our workouts to become less productive and in some cases, lead us to take longer and longer breaks between workouts. I have to admit, it has happened to me on occasion.

I would get up in the morning, hit the gym, and wait. Wait in traffic, wait for people to finish up on equipment that I wanted to use, and waiting for the gym to update the ancient equipment it DID have. Every visit was the same tired scenario. I would do a set, go get a drink, come back, do another set, hit the bathroom…you get the idea. It is not that I wasn’t serious about my workouts, it is just that the gym atmosphere, in my opinion, leads many to the same “drone like” activities.

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3 Extremely Effective Ways to use Kettlebells to Get into Incredible Shape FAST!

If you haven’t heard of kettlebells yet, you must have been hiding under a…dumbbell. Kettlebells are one of the newest pieces of exercise equipment to hit the US and are growing rapidly in popularity because of the results they help others achieve in very little time.
For those in the know, kettlebells are new to the US, but they are not new by any means. In fact, kettlebells have been around for HUNDREDS of years. They were basically unknown in the West sans some pictures of strongmen using them in the last 1800’s and early 1900’s until exercise specialist and Russian ex-Special Forces member Pavel Tsatsouline re introduced them around 2000.

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Who else is ready for an amazing new way to tighten and tone your body?

Discovering new ways to lose fat and get in shape is obviously big business. It seems that every day there is a new piece of equipment or a new “revolutionary workout” that is being advertised on TV or fitness magazines. Everything from incredibly complex abdominal machines, to high end home gyms that cost as much as your mortgage payment, and even, (and this is my FAVORITE), machines that actually ELECTROCUTE your muscles are being sold each and every day. With all of these choices being thrust at us all the time, how can we choose? How do we know which ones are really worth the time, effort, and expense? Well, have no fear, because I have the answer for you. I am going to tell you about one of the newest and most effective exercise tools on the market and one that will literally transform the way you think about exercise, AND will dramatically speed up the results you get.

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I Couldn’t Believe What I Was Seeing When I Saw This Little Woman Lifting This Huge Metal Ball…

To be honest, I started laughing. I thought maybe I was witnessing a crazy person right in front of my eyes. I was taking a relaxing stroll in the park when I spotted her out of the corner of my eye. There she was, a slight woman of maybe 100 pounds or so and she was squatting down and bouncing up quickly and I saw there was a huge ball hanging from the end of her outstretched arms.

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What the heck are kettlebells and can they really get me in shape?

If you have ever seen someone working out with a kettlebell but had no idea what one was, you might have thought they you were watching someone who went a little crazy and started swinging cannonballs over their head for no apparent reason. The fact is kettlebells are one of the most effective ways to get lean, strong, and increase cardiovascular performance in existence.

Ok, let’s go back in time a few years…maybe a few HUNDRED years to the beginning of kettlebell history. The actual exact history is a bit fuzzy, but the best info I can gather dates kettlebells back to a 1704 Russian dictionary. It seems the bells were originally used as counter weights in Russian markets. To pass the time and test each other’s strength, some of the more adventurous Russian shop owners began lifting and throwing around the weights. They would test the strength of each other to see how heavy and how many times one of the bells could be lifted. This practice graduated into Russian Kettlebells becoming an extremely popular Russian sport and their go to activity for increasing strength for sports and military training. In fact, instead of using pushups and pull-ups as a means of testing strength as the US military does, the Russian Military uses a Kettlebell Snatch test using a 53 pound bell.

So, can these “cannonballs with handles” help you get you in shape? The answer is a definite YES. The principle of just about every kettlebell lift is one of a FULL BODY movement. That means that when you are moving the kettlebell, you are using every muscle in your entire body. Recruiting more muscle means burning more calories, building more calories, and building your cardiovascular system to the max! While dumbbells can be very effective for isolation exercises such as dumbbell bicep curls, they are not designed to be effective tools for multi-planar compound movements. Kettlebells are PERFECTLY designed for these types of exercises. The round bell coupled with the handle that extends FROM the weight instead of being in the same plane such as with the dumbbell make the lifts both challenging and effective. Let’s take the kettlebell swing for instance, which is the core kettlebell movement.

The kettlebell swing is a movement that uses your entire body to swing the kettlebell through your legs and then forward and up to eye level or even high. To understand the physics involved, think about an old wooden catapult. You have this large wooden frame that uses a counter balance and a long arm to launch a heavy weight through the air. Ok, so when doing the kettlebell swing, YOU are the catapult, and the weight you are launching is the kettlebell. What about the counter balance you ask? Great question and this is the beauty of how the kettlebell can be so effective as an exercise tool. You see, the counterbalance is your CORE. The catapult is made of wood, so it can’t self stabilize itself using muscles so it must rely on extremely heavy weights to get the job done. You, on the other hand, can simply imply the techniques of core stabilization to make sure you stay in one place and can move the kettlebell through space. This one principle alone makes the kettlebell swing one of the most effective core workouts ever. Add to that fact that the motion of the swing allows the weight of the bell to be transferred throughout your entire body and you have the makings of a super workout.Fast, efficient, and FUN.

Kettlebells aren’t necessarily designed to make you BULKY, but instead, they get you ripped, lean, and extremely strong. They work with the principles of functional strength. Make sure that you employ the talents of a certified kettlebell instructor your first time or two because while the principles are fairly easy to understand, if you do it wrong, it can HURT. Good luck and happy kettlebelling!

The Turkish Get Up…A Kettlebell Move that is as effective as it is Evil

Sometimes, the best exercises are the ones you never heard of. We get so into the workouts and habits we have always done that we forget there are other ways to get the same results. Some are more fun, and some are more effective, and some, are EVIL. Effective and evil…this describes the Turkish Get Up perfectly in my opinion.

Now, I have no idea who invented this move, but I am assuming it was a Turkish Muscleman who liked to punish himself and others. I do know that until the recent wave of kettlebell activity in the US, the main contingent of folks who did the Turkish Get Up was the famous strongmen that you used to see in old black and white photos. They had the handlebar mustaches and were often seen lifting kettlebells and barbells above their heads in all kinds of crazy ways. One of these lifts was the Turkish Get Up.

Before we proceed, I want to make a point of SAFETY. I implore you to seek a training session or two with a certified kettlebell instructor. Kettlebells can be extremely effective, but if you don’t know what you are doing, they can be extremely dangerous as well. Ok, now, are you ready to hurt? Let’s get started…

For this exercise, grab a LIGHT kettlebell. DO NOT try to test your strength on this move or you may wind up in the ER…seriously. For men, I would suggest a 36 pound kettlebell and for women a 20 pound one. The key thing is to get your form down so you can move through the exercise safely. Then, once you get that down, you can slowly progress with a heavier weight to increase the effectiveness of this exercise.

1. First, lie on your back and press a kettlebell straight up in the air with your left hand. Bend your left leg and keep your right leg straight out in front of you.

2. Now, push off with your left leg to your right side and rise up until you are supported by your right hand. Goes without saying, but KEEP THE KETTLEBELL PRESSED OVERHEAD.

3. Then, slide your right leg underneath you and you are propped up on your right need and your left foot.

4. Finally, slowly stand up in one motion while keeping the kettlebell overheard.

5. Ok, I said finally, but there is one more step…GO BACK DOWN THE WAY YOU CAME UP, then do the same thing while pressing the kettlebell with your right hand.

Now, if this sounds easy, it isn’t. It hurts, and it hurts a lot. You will have to keep your core stabilized throughout the entire movement to even get through the exercise. Once you get this move down, then you can certainly add some more weight, but you may not want to. I have worked with 220 pound MUSCULAR men who could not do 10 in a row with a 40 pound kettlebell. This is a full body exercise and can work as the foundation of ANY exercise program. You will build strength and muscular endurance and burn some serious fat. Give the Turkish Get Up a try and see for yourself why this exercise is both effective AND evil…

Sugars are considered to be one of your body’s worst enemies, so why then are even so-called healthy alternatives such as artificial sweeteners finding their way onto the bad list as well? The following is an in-depth look at artificial sweeteners and the overall affect they have on your body.

Artificial sweeteners are just that: artificial. Instead of occurring from a natural resource, artificial sweeteners are chemically made sweeteners that are designed to trick your body into thinking that it is eating something sweet when in actuality it is not.

Artificial sweeteners came about as a way to strengthen the sweetening power of drinks without the use of normal sugars. They were touted as a way to still enjoy your favorite drinks without the added risk of ingesting calories. In reality however, artificial sweeteners proved to be just as harmful to the human body as regular sugars even when used in moderation.

Typically artificial sweeteners consist of three different chemical sweeteners: Saccharin, Sucralose, Acesulfame K, Stevia, Tagatose and Aspartame. Of those, the most common sweeteners Saccharin, Sucralose, and Acesulfame K are among the worst to ingest due to the potential problems associated with their use.

Acesulfame K
Acesulfame K was approved for use in July 1988 by the FDS for safe use as an artificial sweetener; however, since then problems have risen over its harmful effects on the human body. In recent tests, the findings show that Acesulfame K stimulates insulin secretion in the body, prompting low blood sugar attacks.

Sucralose
Sucralose, also commonly known as Splenda, is a chlorinated sucrose derivative. Unfortunately, sucralose has been linked to medical problems such as shrunken thymus glands and even enlarged kidneys and liver. This is due in part to the fact that sucralose is unable to break down into small enough amounts of sugar. As a result, the body is incapable of digesting it properly.

Saccharin
Prior to 2001, before the FDA removed the warning that saccharin was connected to bladder cancer in human beings, saccharin was used as an artificial sweetener. To this day, saccharin is still used as an artificial sweetener, yet it is also present in many chewable aspirins and acetaminophen tablets.

Looking at the various chemical components that makeup artificial sweeteners, it is easy to see why they are no more beneficial to your body than regular sugar. While artificial sweeteners may have approval by the FDA, consuming chemically altered sugars provide no nutritional value to your body.

Research performed at Purdue University by Professor Terry Davidson found that the use of artificial sweeteners can actually increase your appetite as well as raise your blood sugar. Davidson showed that artificial sweeteners had a profound effect on disrupting the body’s ability to naturally count calories. As a result, the body was unable to regulate body weight vs. food intake.

While artificial sweeteners may seem like the perfect solution to cutting down on your sugar intake, if you are looking to decrease these numbers, a safer alternative would be to seek out low-sugar drinks and treats as opposed to those substituted with chemically-made artificial sweeteners. Remember, if it didn’t exist 3,000 years ago…skip it.

“It’s diet soda so it has to be good for you right?” Wrong.

To the surprise of many Americans, many of the diet sodas being touted as a healthy alternative to the more popular and unhealthy, high-fructose sodas such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola are in fact just as harmful to your body and your health.

Many of us are familiar with the infamous chicken bone test — the test in which a chicken bone was placed into a cup of Mountain Dew and disintegrated overnight into oblivion. Such decay was due in part to the phosphoric acid contained in soda which leaches calcium from your bones after every drink. Since that study, medical researchers have continuously broadcasted the harmful effects of daily soda consumption.

Overtime, drinking soda causes your body to become dehydrated due to its caffeine and sugar makeup. Instead of quenching your thirst, a can of soda actually makes you thirstier as the sugar you are ingesting acts as a diuretic of sorts. With so much bad news floating around about regular soda pop, there has been an increasing flock towards diet soda. Many Americans operate under the belief that because the can says “diet,” it must be good for the body. This is a misconception that needs to be nipped in the bud.

Contrary to popular belief, research has shown that consumption of diet soda is no more beneficial to your health than the removal of regular soda. In fact, in an 8 year study performed by the University of Texas, researchers found that those individuals who made the switch to diet soft drinks increased their risk for obesity by as much as 41 percent. In some cases, soda drinkers gained more weight after switching to diet soda than before they made the switch.

So what makes diet soda so fattening and why aren’t more Americans aware of this alarming fact? The answer is two-fold. One reason why Americans are not privy to the harmful effects of diet soda is due in part to the fact that diet sodas are touted as the low to no calorie alternative for your caffeine fixation. Because regular soda is high in calories, and Americans equate calories as the enemy, diet soda has reigned supreme as the alternative.

In actuality however, while diet soda may contain less calories, the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas that help give it taste also create negative hormonal responses in the your body. Such responses cause your body to crave more of sweets and even increases fat storing hormone production. As a result, instead of craving more food, your body craves more soda. Overtime, diet soda drinkers find themselves packing on more calories that they believe are due to the various foods they are eating, yet the culprit is staring them right in the face.

In the end, if you wish to decrease your intake of sugars, whether high fructose or in the form of artificial sweeteners, it is best that all soda consumption be removed from your diet and in its place should be healthy fruit drinks, or nature’s best friend: water.

Your first visit to the gym-What to expect and how to prepare

First times can be scary. Taking your first steps as a child, the first day of school, and yes, the first time you go to the gym.

Going to the gym can be scary, but probably not half as scary as how we make it out to be in our own minds. The thought of huge hulking muscle heads lurking the floor, just looking for someone, like you, who doesn’t belong, so they can pick us up and make an example of us. The fact is, going to the gym is just like any other first time experience. It seems scary, but when you actually do it, it’s not. After a few visits, you are a pro. Having said that, there are a few things that you should know that can help make your experience, and those around you, just a little more enjoyable. Proper gym etiquette shows respect and also helps to conceal the fact that you are a newbie.

First of all, most people you will encounter at the gym are there to workout, not socialize. Try to keep the chatter to a minimum. There is nothing worse than trying to launch into a set of heavy bicep curls just as you hear the person next to you ask “Did you see American Idol last night? It was AWESOME!” Not cool. Now, if you need advice or help that is acceptable. Most people will appreciate your reaching out to them as long as it is done respectfully. If you have a question, wait for an appropriate time and ask and you will usually get the answer you need.

As far as help goes, if you have no idea how to exercise, use any of the weights OR equipment, then go ahead and stay home for now. It is best if you have at least SOME training under your belt before you hit the gym. The other members have paid good money to be there and they are not looking to wait around for 10 minutes while you try to figure out how to work the chest press machine. Take some time, read a book on exercise or two. Do some searches on the internet. You don’t have to be an expert bodybuilder when you step foot on the weight room floor, but try to have at least a modicum of understanding about different exercises and how to perform them correctly.

These last two may not represent the FINAL two, but they are extremely important if you don’t want to annoy others and appear foolish. When you finish a set on a piece of equipment, GET UP. So many people just want to stay seated or attached to a piece of equipment until they are done 4 or 5 sets. This is just plain rude. There are other folks in the gym and they might want to work in a set. If you let them, you will show respect to others and in turn, they will do the same for you. Finally, when you are done with a piece of equipment, wipe it down. Germs are everywhere and they can be dangerous not to mention the fact that no one wants to sit down in your pile of sweat. Most times there will be a bottle of disinfectant near the machines so just a quick squirt and a wipe down will show others that their safety and health is important to you.

Remember, after your first visit, the newness will be gone and you will be a gym pro in no time. Just use your best judgment and be respectful of others and your gym experience will be a positive one for you AND the other members of the gym.