All entries tagged with “breathe”
My 50-Sense Worth on being Fit and Fabulous
I remember turning 20 and lamenting the fact that I would never again, be a teenager. Had I done everything I could with those teen-age years? Had I been reprimanded enough, grounded enough, humiliated enough, mischievous enough, daring enough, and learned enough, mostly through trial and error, how to responsibly approach my 20’s and move on into legitimate adulthood? Hence, the I-phone self-portrait at 50, in a hot pink bikini, serves as my answer to these questions.
A fit and fabulous mind is shaped by good thoughts. Every day that I get to wake up, as waking up is no longer something I take for granted, I recognize there’s a purpose and plan for me to be here. Before stepping out of bed, I set an intention to make the most out of the next 24 hours. There is a sense at 50, that everything I am, is not all about me. I’m a part of a bigger scheme. Participate in your life’s schematic. Endeavor to discover more about you, in all that you do. At 50 I have discovered it’s all about what I CAN do, as opposed to what I can’t. And, with the things I can't do anything about, I CAN still apply faith. One of my favorite quotes sits framed on my desk – “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can. – John Wesley. A fit and fabulous mind leads to a fit and fabulous body. Our bodies need care and maintenance. The concept of longevity makes sense now, more than ever, at 50. My response to my younger clients who ask how I stay in great shape is this - I’ve had a longer time to work on the equipment to look like this, but I’ve also maintained over the decades, a lifestyle of moderation in all things. We will wear our history in and on our bodies. Our health will become a display of what we’ve taken in and how we’ve taken care of our divine machines over time. It’s never too late to start a better maintenance regime. Fuel your best equipment with the best possible energy sources. No one would think of putting leaded gas in their car’s fuel tank these days, right? Likewise, treat your body to the best options. Think, one-ingredient-foods, and your body will respond with a sleeker, healthier appearance. Again, I've learned at 50, that it's is all about what we CAN do, and feeding ourselves appropriately is not denying ourselves of anything we “can’t” eat. It’s not about restrictions, it’s about proper consumption. Jonny Bowden’s “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth” is a favorite one-ingredient "recipe book" of mine. From beets and spinach to oatmeal and brown rice, to apricots and avocados, to free-range poultry, grass-fed beef, wild salmon, tuna, and eggs, 150 options to fuel your body are listed with all the healthy benefits you can gain. Turn your pantry from a laboratory science project into a farmer’s market! Create a bountiful storehouse with foods containing only ingredients found in nature for a strong, vital body. If there’s a "food" item with a shelf life, that shelf you're adding to yourself, for life! When you can’t pronounce any of the words on an ingredient list, don’t eat it! Laboratory creations should not be considered "food" for your body. Being fit and feeling fabulous means eating right and staying active. Move your arms and legs. Breathe deeply as often and as much as you can. Walk, run, lift weights, do crunches, bend and stretch. We were made for mobility with over 600 muscles and over 200 bones and joints in our bodies. Move to use all of your equipment, and keep yourself in good working order. Do everything you CAN to stay mobile and in motion. My 50 sense-worth is once you stop, game over. You’ve just gotten good at being old! Don't ever take yourself out of the adventure of the game of life! Keep passing GO! For half of a century, I can appreciate all that my spine has endured throughout my life just holding me upright and still, let alone the extending, bending and bowing it’s done for me throughout the decades. So, at 50, appreciation for my back and recognzing the need to keep my spine supple is so important. It's also even more important now to get your head below your heart and your feet above your head as often as you can. Not only will this bend and stretch your spine, but this moves your lymphatic fluids around helping to remove toxins from your bloodstream. Your lymphatic fluids do not have a pump to keep moving through your body. Your body movements are the pumping force. The more you move and upend yourself, the more you will detoxify your body. The older we get, the more we need to move. Again, it’s all about what we can do. In any physical activity you participate in, work it to the point of challenge within your body, vary your movements to include inversions, and you will continue to regenerate your muscles and bones and revitalize your body. Fit and fabulous is an attitude and lifestyle choice. Foster a spirit of gratitude so that even moving and breathing becomes something you’re thankful for each day. Have an adventurous spirit, and an open mind to try new things. Your spirit conveys your attitude toward life. Participate in your life! Don’t let it pass you by. Take your body out. Stimulate your mind with new ideas to create color in the gray matter between your ears. Stay interested and become interesting. Enjoy living! We don’t know how many days or years we have in our lives, but we can put a lot of life into every day and year we’re given. Put yourself out there. Before you know it, half of a century has passed. Smile today at yourself and say, “I’m all about discovering all I can be!” For me, staying fit and fabulous in mind, body and spirit way beyond 50 is what it’s all about. It’s my 50-sense-worth that life just keeps getting hot-pink better, on the other side. Be happy. Live healthy. Fifty is the new thirty. Karen Cutrona Underwood, Owner, instructor/trainer at Blue Moon Yoga and Fitness, Ormond Beach, FL.
Let's Get to The CORE of Our Beings
We’re hearing the words Core and Strength a lot these days throughout the fitness world. What, exactly is our core and what exactly, are we strengthening? I like the way Thomas C. Weiss describes it in an article he published: http://www.disabled-world.com/fitness/exercise/core-muscles.php#ixzz1lWz52j3J “A person's functional movements are greatly dependent upon their core. People who lack core development may experience a predisposition to injury. The major muscles of a person's core reside in their belly area and in their mid and lower back, to include their hips, neck, and shoulders. The major muscles involved include the pelvic floor muscles, multifidus, transverse abdominus, rectus abdominus, internal and external obliques, erector spinae – particularly the longissimus thoracis, as well as the diaphragm. The minor core muscles involved include the gluteus maximus, latissimus dorsi, and trapezius. The function of the core is to stabilize the person's thorax and pelvis during dynamic movement, as well as to provide internal pressure in order to expel substances.” That’s quite an impressive description, and well it should be, regarding the CORE unit of our bodies. There’s a lot of interaction within the musculature of our core simply to move our arms and legs, let alone when we challenge our bodies through more intense physical activity. Let’s appreciate the core of your beings. Not only is it the powerhouse from which all movement is established and made in our bodies, but it also houses our internal organs. We focus on knitting together the musculature of the abdominus, and obliques to create that carved-out six-pack, eight-pack, and v-cut through the hip flexor area. Sexy, yes? Think, organ prolapse… Sexy, no! A tighter, toner core keeps our organs in place! In yoga, an ancient pose called “Pavanamuktasana” or Wind Removing Pose - smile, it's okay - does the job of tightening and toning your core muscles while in an anatomically safe and supported position. When practiced to create an opposing force within the upper and lower musculature of your core, you’ve got one static strengthening “exercise,” tightening the unit supporting your heart and lungs, as well as, toning your shoulders, abs, back and glutes, making you look fABulous on the beach! Let me also mention that practicing this pose will massage your digestive organs as you engage and breathe deeply…
With your back lying upon a firm surface, tuck your knees tightly to your chest. Keep your feet side-by-side to one another. With your head remaining on the ground, dip your chin downward toward your throat. Press your shoulders away from your ears and lock down your wings. Reach for your opposite elbows and draw your arms inward. Engage your upper-body strength and roll your knees in tightly to your chest. Engage your lower-body strength and press your tailbone down toward the ground. You create an opposing force within your core unit toning and tightening even the intercostal muscles between your back ribs. This engagement also helps to hold your spine firm and straight. Breathe as deeply as you can with your mouth closed in this position, and gain the revitalizing massaging effect for your digestive organs at the front of your belly. In Pavanamuktasana, the core of your being is engaged, your organs beomce stimulated, your back strengthened, spine straightened. It's a one-stop, core-plus-more, yoga pose. Enjoy your body. Get to know the CORE of your being. Infuse it with goodness and gratitude for being able to move and breathe, and to feel the opposing forces you create within your musculature. LIVE in your body better, today. Be happy. Live healthy. Karen Cutrona Underwood, Better-Body-Inhabiter, and Owner of Blue Moon Yoga and Fitness, Inc.
Inhabit Your Body Better
Who doesn’t want to be happier, healthier, sexier…? It’s a new year. That’s a tall order. Here's a standing challenge to help make it happen: Start by slimming up. Yes, up! When you stand tall, you inhabit your body better. The very act of stacking your shoulders over your hips, your hips over your knees, your knees over your ankles, makes you consciously aware that you are taking ownership of all of the space God gave you within your skin and bones. You become longer and leaner. You’ll feel sexier. If you want to look thinner, stand straighter and taller and you’ll appear to have dropped 5 pounds instantly. In yoga, standing tall is called Tadasana or Mountain Pose:
Our daily activities such as driving our cars, working at our desks, using our technological devices, lifting and holding young children, carrying items, preparing meals, washing dishes, reading, etc., all create a forward-reaching, head-tilting downward lifestyle. Before we know it, even standing is not all the way up any longer. Re-claim your body territory! Here’s a pose to help strengthen, lengthen, and straighten your spine to counteract the forward-reaching lifestyle we live, called Salabhasana or Locust Pose:
Lying on your belly, exhale all of the air in your lungs, then inhale lifting your shoulders and your heels. Keeping your head in line with your spine. Press your arms back. Fingers are ignited reaching toward your heels. Your legs are engaged and your pointed toes are reaching in opposition of your collar bone. This pose is a great one to practice to allow you to press into your spine and open your chest cavity. You strengthen all of your back-side muscles in the process. Stretching and strengthening in Locust pose also allows for better heart and lung function by creating space in the ribcage area. Building this pose into your body will allow you to stand taller and firmer as well. Take your stand, firm and tall like a mountain, for a new you in 2012, and then breathe. Fill your lungs fully, and empty your lungs completely. With your mouth closed, draw the air down your windpipe, filling your ribcage area with your lungs. Squeeze the air out using your diaphragm and ribs to empty your lungs. You should feel your upper abdominal muscles press together on your exhale. Your lungs help support your spine, easing tension and also massaging internal organs when fully inflating and deflating. Let them fully inhabit the space they’re allotted within the boney walls that house all of your internal organs. When fully extended, they can take up the space from your collar bone to your hip bone. Breathing this way allows your body to “memorize” your long, lean, straight posture. Let even your breathing become an exercise for your body. Practicing Mountain Pose will build integrity to your posture. Stand up for yourself, fully. Be all “in” to your body and you will create a firm foundation for a happier, healthier sexier you. You’re more approachable, more confident, and you’ll be “on” when you’re all “in.” Inhabit your body better simply by standing taller. You’ll even look smarter! Happy New You everyone! Be happy. Live Healthy. ~ Karen Cutrona Underwood, E-RYT, RYS Director, and Owner, Blue Moon Yoga and Fitness, Inc.
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The 20’s brought college graduation, marriage, and by 30, four children into my life. As the 30’s and 40’s brought life changes and various career opportunities, I can say, at 50, I have some sense of what life’s all about. It’s a balancing act between the mind, body and spirit. It’s a practice of shaking it up, sorting it out, and finding balance, only to shake it up all over again. Every day becomes a new balancing act, and that’s what keeps my world rockin’ and keeps me feeling fit and fabulous.
Your body is engaged and active. Your feet are rooted into the ground, your leg muscles are fixed to the bones, your fingertips are pressing downward tightening triceps, chest and back muscles, and with your head in line with your spine, the crown of your head is reaching for the sky. Grow yourself an inch by creating vertical tension this way. And, who doesn’t want another inch, especially when it’s already yours to claim?
