yoga Archives - MedFitNetwork

Healthy Aging: How Beginner’s Yoga Can Help You Live an All Around Healthier Life

Kaitlin Krull/3 May 2023/ All MFN blog, Conditions/

While most of us know that regular exercise is an important part of overall health, it can be difficult to make our bodies perform in the ways we think are necessary in order to feel the physical benefits. This is especially true as we age, when muscles and organs begin to work differently and we lose flexibility and mobility. Beginner’s yoga is the perfect remedy for addressing these limitations as we age. With both physical and mental benefits, the regular practice of yoga, at any level, can help you to live an all around healthier life. Here are just a few of the best reasons to take up yoga now, regardless of the number on your birthday card.

Physical Benefits

Many people begin practicing yoga in order to reap the physical benefits of the exercise. These are some of the ways yoga improves your physical health:

Increases stamina, flexibility, and mobility
The regular practice of yoga strengthens muscles and joints, allowing you to achieve more with your body, which is especially important as you age. It increases stamina, flexibility, and mobility, together with balance and coordination, which provides an effective yet gentle total body workout.

Helps encourage weight loss
We all know that increased physical exercise, when coupled with a healthy diet, can help you to achieve weight loss success when repeated regularly. This is also true for yoga. Once you begin to strengthen some of those forgotten muscles and joints, you will be able to practice yoga at a higher calorie burning level.

Alleviates physical ailments
Yoga practitioners around the world sing the praises of the exercise’s ability to remedy a number of physical ailments, some of which are particularly prevalent as you age. Regular yoga, even at the beginner’s level, can help to alleviate symptoms of heart conditions, blood flow and circulation issues, and muscle, bone, and joint problems. This kind of physical exercise also lowers cholesterol and blood sugar, thereby lowering your risk for other related health issues like diabetes and stroke.

Mental Benefits

If you weren’t convinced to begin practicing yoga by the physical benefits alone, check out the ways in which yoga can increase mental health as well.

Relaxes mind as well as body
The repetitive and meditative style of yoga is called upon time and again to help relax both the body and the mind. Poses performed at the beginning and end of yoga routines in particular are focused at calming the mind and relaxing the muscles in your body. This relaxation cannot be underestimated when it comes to the state of your mental health and well being.

Gives focus and awareness
Repeated exercises like those found in beginner’s yoga classes are designed to focus and sharpen your mind, increasing both your awareness of the world around you as well as your concentration levels. This can be especially beneficial for very busy people, older adults, and even energetic children, who find that yoga helps them to focus their train of thought and remain calm even in the most stressful of situations.

Relieves stress
Calming thoughts and repeated poses that are common to yoga have the ability to release tension in the body, giving focus to the practitioner. This focus allows positive thought, which logically relieves stress. Lowered stress levels are good for everyone, but best of all they have positive knock-on effects with regards to your physical health too, making yoga an all around positive practice for a healthier life

Kaitlin Krull is a writer and mom of two girls living the expat life in the UK. Her writing is featured on Modernize.com and a number of fitness, health, and home decor sites around the web. She’s a yoga enthusiast of 5 years and loves anything that promotes a healthy mental state and positive lifestyle.

A Stress Management Plan for an Aging Population

Robyn Kade/4 April 2022/ All MFN blog/

April is National Stress Awareness Month!

Fortunately today, there are many tools to help individuals cope with stress. The first step is to acknowledge that you are stressed and to know what is stressing you. Once you are aware of your stressors, you need to make a stress management plan to follow. The journey may not be perfect but it is a work in progress. Most individuals aren’t going to know how to develop a plan or where to start. A trained individual such as a certified personal trainer can help to formulate the best plan for each client and make changes as the client achieves each milestone in the process.

As many as 20% of people experience depression in their later years

A stress management prescription is also needed for aging adults since the mind and body become slower to adaptations. The stress response lasts longer and seniors experience different symptoms then younger adults. Some key symptoms can be: crying, overeating, wounds taking longer to heal, heart palpitations, anxiety and depression. As a trainer, you will most likely be working with the client’s doctor who is treating them for these symptoms. There is a myriad of modalities that you can use to help your client drastically reduce their stress levels while they heal. As a fitness professional, incorporating meditation, exercise, yoga, Pilates, and many other techniques can help your client’s symptoms improve mentally and physically. The question is can we do more than telling clients to take a class? The answer to this question is an emphatic yes!

The causes of stress for this population are also different and depend on which decade in life they are in. Some examples are: loneliness, being institutionalized, fear of having enough money for retirement, loss of independence and many other causes. The problem is that many people can’t asses their own stress level and don’t know where to turn for answers. Chronic stress is harmful in many ways, but can be minimized once the individual becomes aware of their stress level and knows there are stress management professionals who can help.

Today, 53% of Baby Boomers are using complementary approaches to try and relieve stress and help with other conditions such as: anxiety, depression, chronic pain, stress, and hypertension. Complementary approaches are not limited to but include; exercise, nutrition, yoga, Pilates and Tai-Chi. Research conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health shows that meditation can help to relieve symptoms for example chronic pain. As a fitness professional it is important to realize that these modalities must be used in conjunction with conventional medicine.

When training clients, it is important to see them as a whole person through the dimensions of wellness. As people, we have many things going on mentally and physically that are very complex. A stress management plan helps to streamline what can work best for your client and their current needs. The plan can evolve and most likely will depending on what is going on in your client’s life at the time. When you can assess and classify your clients you then know which complimentary approaches will work better for them. This will in turn, will help to keep your client engaged and on track with their goals.

Robyn Kade is the Founder of The Stress Management Institute for Health and Fitness Professionals. She has 18 years of experience in medical based fitness. Become a Stress Management Exercise Specialist today!

References

Yoga for Mental Health

Kristy Manuel, MS, Yoga Therapist/8 October 2020/ All MFN blog, Conditions/

Since yoga has been found to help those with diseases and illnesses like Alzheimers, Arthritis, it’s a given that it can help ease mental health issues and disorders. A new review on the health benefits of yoga, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, with help from researchers at Duke University School of Medicine, found that yoga could be a promising treatment for some mental illnesses.

Why Yoga Professionals Should Join the MedFit Network

Dr. Steffany Moonaz/28 July 2020/ All MFN blog/

It is safe to assume that not everyone a yoga professional works with is injury or disease free. As a yoga professional, it is your responsibility to ensure that you provide your clientele with safe and effective programming. The question you have to ask yourself is: are you truly qualified and up to date on the latest information to work with your current (and future)? A second question to ask is are you marketing yourself to those who need you most in this healthcare crisis? If you’re honest, you should at least say that perhaps you are not.

Well, this is where the MedFit Network (MFN) can help! MedFit Network (MFN) is both a professional membership organization for yoga, fitness and allied healthcare professionals, and a free online resource directory for the community to locate professionals with a background in prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation in working with those with chronic disease or medical conditions. As a yoga professional, here are three reasons why you should join the MedFit Network

Stress and the Psychology of Heart Health

Jay Del Vecchio/9 March 2020/ All MFN blog/

Most of us accept stress as a necessary evil that is a part of the American lifestyle. But living under stress day in and day out can lead to heart disease. According to the American Psychological Association, prolonged stress can contribute to high blood pressure and circulatory problems, and if stress makes you angry and irritable, you are more likely to have heart disease or even a heart attack.

Pulled Shoulder Muscles During Yoga? Here’s How to Find Relief

James Crook/18 October 2018/ All MFN blog/

Around 20 million people in the US are pressing heels and down-dogging on their yoga mats, trying to gain as many health benefits as they can. Of course, yoga is a great physical activity to improve endurance, strength, and flexibility. This ancient practice helps reduce stress and anxiety.

Most people practice yoga to maintain heart rate, lower blood pressure, and boost metabolism and even fight obesity. But if not done correctly, yoga can be harmful.

The pulled shoulder is one of the most common problems associated with yoga. Since yoga focuses on improving balance, it includes various poses that involve shoulders. Shrugging, for instance, is all about how the shoulders are moved and compressed, which if not done correctly can cause muscle injury.

Finding Relief for Pulled Shoulder Muscle

A pulled shoulder muscle can be painful. The wrong postures can pull muscle fibers in the wrong direction or to the extent that’s beyond capacity. This causes small tears, which leads to pain.

So how do you find relief if you get a pulled shoulder muscle during yoga?

Besides seeking professional help to master all poses, the following tips can help you get rid of the pain and treat your muscles in time.

Stop Right Away

As soon as you realize a muscle injury, stop what you are doing right away. Discontinue the pose and see a doctor before you resume yoga. Continuing exercise with an injured muscle can double the damage and make recovery more challenging and time-consuming.

The first step is to protect it by realizing the problem and finding a solution for it. Avoid doing anything stressful with that shoulder until you see a doctor.

The Icing Method

In case you cannot get an appointment right away, use the icing method to stop blood flow to the injured muscle. This helps with swelling and mitigating the pain. If you are outdoors, get home and grab an ice pack and apply to the affected area. You can even use a bag full of ice cubes to have the same effect.

Also, remember to always use a medium to apply ice to avoid direct contact with skin. Start with applying ice for twenty minutes every hour in a day. If the pain persists and the swelling doesn’t reduce, rush to the hospital immediately.

Compress the Shoulder

The next top is to wrap the affected area to control swelling and pain. A pulled muscle naturally weakens the joint and causes pain if pressure is applied. Using a wrap to compress your shoulder will provide support to the joint and make pain bearable.

Wrapping, in this case, will differ greatly from how you would’ve wrapped your ankle. In fact, to provide the right support, wrap it around the bicep to create the anchor effect. Use the bandage to cover the chest and the opposite arm.

Bring the bandage up again and cover the injured shoulder and around the same bicep once again. Do not make it too tight but make sure it compresses the affected shoulder to avoid swelling.

Take Maximum Rest

In case the injury is not severe, your shoulder should heal after you are done with icing and compressing. But if you allow your shoulder to come under any impact of pressure again, it could disrupt the healing process.

Continue with icing and keep the shoulder wrapped for at least three days. Avoid lifting weights or stretching your arm to grab something out of your reach. It is best if you keep your arm and shoulder elevated and close to your chest. Avoid sleeping on the side of the injured muscle.

Keeping the severity of your injury in mind, it could take up to eight weeks for your shoulder muscle to heal completely. Even when you don’t feel the pain anymore, avoid overstretching or pressurizing your muscles. Start with your regular, slow-paced activities and only indulge in gentle stretches if you continue with yoga.

During your yoga session, avoid pulling too hard on your shoulders and do not overstretch. When in the posture, keep your shoulders straight and held back from the ears. If you find a certain pose difficult to practice, do not hesitate in asking for help from a professional.

Even after you have completely healed, avoid doing intense shoulder stretches for a while. This could be the culprit for shoulder pain and injury. In fact, placing the neck incorrectly and applying pressure can also damage the cervical vertebrae, which leads to severe joint issues and can even cause loss of neck flexion.

If you need, use props to help elevate your shoulder and neck away from the floor to avoid extreme pressure.

Bottom Line

It is best to see a doctor if you suspect severe injury. However, mild ones can be treated at home with a little help. Before you are back to your routine, it is best to check with a physician to get a green signal. Sometimes, you may need to briefly work with a shoulder surgeon or physical therapist to get you back to your normal shoulder movements.

James Crook is a passionate health and fitness blogger. Currently, he is a working as a blogger for Dr. Joe Wilson, Shoulder Specialist NC. Follow @jamescrook911 for more updates.

Beyond Modifications: Bringing all of Yoga’s Tools to People with Arthritis

Dr. Steffany Moonaz/14 September 2018/ All MFN blog/

For over a decade, I have been researching the effects of yoga for people with arthritis. As many people envision, this includes a lot of modifications, adjustments, and extensive use of props. We work with students to find versions of each asana that remain true to the essence of the pose, working within any movement limitations without creating pain or joint discomfort.

But when we teach yoga to people who have arthritis, we don’t strive for a magical asana sequence that will address arthritis in a particular body part.

Yoga is a holistic process. When we make the mistake of thinking about yoga as if it were physical therapy, we lose what makes yoga a unique therapeutic process. Instead, yoga can go hand-in-hand with modalities like PT, as complementary processes.

Researchers lose something when looking only at an asana sequence and its effect on the joints.

Instead, our job is to get the joint issues out of the way, through support, use of props, compassion and awareness, so that yoga can work its magic on the whole person- body, mind, and soul.

Just as yoga can improve overall physical fitness for healthy individuals, it can improve fitness for people with arthritis. But with this population, the stakes are even higher. Yoga can improve balance, which prevents dangerous falls. Yoga practice can enhance flexibility, which allows individuals to maintain mobility over time. Improved strength means greater joint stability. Improved strength means a reduction in the muscle loss that accompanies some forms of arthritis. Improved strength means an increased ability to participate in everyday activities that can be challenging as joints deteriorate.

But a yoga practice has the potential to bring much more to the lives of people with arthritis. Yoga allows those with a chronic, disabling disease to realize what their bodies CAN do. It fosters a connection to their bodies which may have been lost during years of disease progression and reduced activity. Yoga can teach students to be present in the moment, and to adjust to their bodies needs on a particular day, without judgment. Arthritis changes every day, and this skill serves our students every day, even if they don’t get on the mat.

Yoga also helps our students to relax and to be mindful. Having a chronic disease is stressful, and stress can exacerbate that disease. The relaxation and meditation practices of yoga can break the cycle of stress reactivity.

Yoga classes connect people with arthritis to others who are striving and thriving… people who are living a full and active life, whatever journey they have taken to arrive at that place.

And yoga changes other behaviors. When people start to feel connected, they want to do other things in the name of self-care. They eat healthier foods, go for a walk outside, make time for themselves, and some even make an effort to be more adherent with their medical care.

When we think about bringing the tools of yoga to the arthritis community, let’s be sure to look beyond the modification of asana as a goal. Our goal is to make the asanas possible, so the totality of yoga can come through to our students, safely and effectively.

Reprinted with permission from Dr. Steffany Moonaz.

Dr. Steffany Moonaz is a yoga therapist and researcher and serves as Assistant Director of Academic Research at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. Dr. Moonaz is working to bring yoga to people with arthritis in communities around the country, as well as educating yoga teachers and yoga therapists about the unique needs of this population. She currently leads Yoga for Arthritis teacher training programs nationwide and serves as a mentor for several emerging researchers who are working to study the effects of yoga for various health conditions.

Chronic Pain

June Chewning/20 August 2018/ All MFN blog/

Hey! Did you know that all pain is all in your head? It doesn’t mean you don’t have real pain when something to cause pain happens, or that chronic pain is not real. Feelings of pain are very real and are initiated by the brain for a very important basic reason…to keep you safe.

The study of the neuroscience of pain has changed considerably in the past 10 years. It is now believed that the sensation of pain is a necessary function that warns the body of potential pain or of actual injury. The process starts with the nociceptor detecting a potentially painful stimulus from the skin or an internal organ. Neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) transmit the signals through the nervous system and spinal cord to the brain. In essence, how the brain processes the signals causes an appropriate or inappropriate pain response.

One example is a child falling and skinning his knees. He gets up and continues to play as if nothing happened. Then another child or adult reacts to the blood running down his legs, he looks, his brain responds differently to the neurological stimulus, and suddenly there is pain. Initially the brain did not register the experience as painful, however the next time the child falls, he will probably immediately register the skinned knees as painful. Experience plays a role in the pain response.

The pain response can also be overridden by the brain in circumstances that are life threatening. For example, a soldier who runs to safety with a serious gun-shot wound. The brain, due to past experience, can conversely register the event as much more painful or life threatening than necessary. For example, someone who was bitten by a poisonous snake may brush it off as being scratched by a stick, until they realize they have a life-threatening injury. But the next time they get scratched by a stick, they may respond as if they were bitten by a poisonous snake.

According to Elliot Krane in his Ted Talk “The Mystery of Chronic Pain,” after an injury or surgery, the nervous system can sometimes get what is going on wrong. Approximately ten percent of the time, the nerves and glial cells (play a vital role in modulation, amplification, and distortion of sensory experiences) that interact in the pain response develop into a feedback loop that can become distorted. This altered feedback can make chronic pain become its own disease.

Dr. Maria Sykorova-Pritz in her course “Application of Water Exercise for Pain Management” describes how chronic pain is not simple, but very complicated. The body, mind, emotions, and behavior can become entwined in the chronic pain cycle. Pain medication is often prescribed for chronic pain. Rampant prescription of pain medication is believed to play a large role in the opioid epidemic in the United States. Although pain medication is often prescribed for chronic pain, it does nothing to unravel the combination of physical, emotional, and behavioral factors that are now believed to cause chronic pain .

There is growing evidence that chronic pain is caused by multiple factors including cognitive, physiological, and behavioral factors. If you are working with clients or interacting with a family member with chronic pain, it is important to understand that it is not just simply a physiological response to pain. It is important to effectively influence a client’s attitude, cultural background and belief system-which influences social norms and perceived behavioral control. To achieve the highest positive health/fitness results among the chronic pain population, it is important to know and understand your client as a whole person.

As we start to look for alternative ways to deal with chronic pain and its aftermath, a combination of physical therapy/exercise and emotional/behavioral counseling is emerging as the tools of choice. Using the practice of yoga and water therapy/exercise to relieve and even cure chronic pain are proving to be viable and more effective alternatives than pain medication. Statistics from the Institute of Medicine indicate that more than 100 million Americans suffer with chronic pain, thus creating a viable niche for those wishing to work with clients with chronic pain. Now that more is known about chronic pain, its potential causes, the chronic pain cycle, and how to treat it effectively, education is key to working with this population in need. Proper treatment and compassion for chronic pain sufferers can help end the opioid crisis and help people beat chronic pain to live pain free lives without addiction and suffering.

For more information about the psychology and treatment of chronic pain management, see Dr. Maria Sykorova-Pritz’s continuing education course “Application of Water Exercise for Pain Management.”

Compiled by June Chewning. June M. Chewning BS, MA has been in the fitness industry since 1978 serving as a physical education teacher, group fitness instructor, personal trainer, gym owner, master trainer, adjunct college professor, curriculum formatter and developer, and education consultant. She is the education specialist at Fitness Learning Systems, a continuing education company.

References

The Mystery of Chronic Pain. Elliot Krane. Accesses 8/2018. https://www.ted.com/talks/elliot_krane_the_mystery_of_chronic_pain
Sykrorova-Pritz M. 2018. Application of Water Exercise for Pain Management. Fitness Learning Systems. FitnessLearningSystems.com

Losing Weight with Yoga

Emily Brathen/5 April 2018/ All MFN blog/

Yoga offers many of benefits to the body, but one, in particular, is that it can help facilitate weight loss. Many experts will agree that doing yoga is one of the best ways to lose weight.

While it is true that yoga is not as fast-paced as some cardiovascular exercises, yoga poses can help in promoting body detoxification at a certain level. There are also some poses, specifically vinsaya flow and power yoga, which combine the benefits of both strength-training and cardio exercises.

How Often Should I Do Yoga to Lose Weight?

Now that you know that yoga does offer plenty of weight loss benefits, you may be wondering how much yoga you should do to reap weight loss benefits. How often should you do yoga to lose weight?

The truth is, you can do as much yoga as you want. At least, as much your lifestyle will allow you too. Some people do 30 to 60 minutes of yoga 3 to 5 times a day. But this is not the magic number. You can do 10 to 20 minutes of yoga every day if that is more suitable for your schedule.

Aside from practicing yoga on a regular basis, what other things can you do to make the most out of the weight loss benefits of yoga? Well, it seems like there are plenty! These are as follows:

Prioritize the mind/body connection.

The main purpose of yoga is to establish the connection between the mind and the body. It is also one of the reasons yoga can help people lose weight. It is only through maintaining a balance and connection between these two that you can make the most out of your workouts, curb your unhealthy cravings, and practice mindful eating.

So, before you focus on doing more difficult and more calorie burning poses, it’s important that you practice meditation first.

Do poses that use large muscle groups.

Yes, yoga is not as calorie burning or as athletic as some exercises are. But you can boost the calorie burn in your yoga sessions — choose poses that utilize large muscle groups. Aside from increasing the calorie burn, it can also improve the fat burning, muscle toning, and fitness benefits of the yoga session. Examples of these poses are lunges, warrior one and two.

In addition, you can also try the Vinsaya flow which requires you to be constantly on the move. To help you focus more on the core, you can also try the boat pose.

Try gentle and restorative yoga from time to time.

While it is true that Vinsaya yoga may be the first option for weight loss with yoga, there are also times when gentle and restorative yoga can also support weight loss.

This type of yoga can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. As a result, the digestive and respiratory systems are regulated. In fact, even the hormonal balance in the body is maintained. Once the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, you can easily control your hunger pangs and unhealthy cravings.

In addition to that, gentle and restorative of yoga can help to slow you down mentally. As a result, it would be easier for you to prevent eating caused by emotions.

If you are a newbie, this is also the perfect kind of yoga to start!

Do it regularly.

It takes commitment before you can experience results. It’s important to invest time in doing yoga on a regular basis. No matter how effective poses, if you don’t do it regularly, you won’t see the desired results.

Don’t forget your diet.

Keep in mind that diet and workout go hand in hand; it’s a must that you pay attention to your diet too. Luckily, practicing yoga can help you make healthier food choices!

Conclusion

For decades, we have known that yoga comes with plenty of health benefits — not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.

With the tips mentioned above, you can surely be able to reap the fat and weight loss benefits that yoga is known for. Try out these tips, and for sure, you can be able to get rid of that excess weight and fats in no time!

Emily Brathen is founder of BodyShape101.com, a blog where she and her associates talk about exercise, fitness, and yoga. Their aim is to help people like you to achieve perfect body. BodyShape101 is concentrated on exercise & fitness tips, and making the most out of it. She is also a mother of one and she tries to find balance between her passion and her biggest joy in life.