Women’s Independent Press

Habits For Health Rejuvenation
Dr Kathleen Hartford Author Fit, Fun and Fabulous At Any Age

1. Be certain to adequately hydrate your body. Just as you cleanse the outside of your body you must also clean the inside. To ensure you are getting adequate amounts of water calculate 2/3rds of your body weight in ounces or .66 X your weight. Not everybody can reach this goal overnight however make it your target number and you will be rewarded with increased energy, vitality and health! Be certain to utilize filtered water, our tap water is filled with pollutants from industrial chemicals to pharmaceutical drugs which our purification facilities cannot remove.

2. Healthy eating in a restaurant can sometimes be a challenge, to ensure the healthiest meal follow these guidelines:
• Order a double order of vegetables or salad rather than the potatoes, pasta or bread that is offered.
• If having a soup stick to clear broth soups and avoid the hidden fats of cream based soups
• If having a large salad either bring a light dressing from home or have the dressing on the side. Simply dip each bite lightly into the dressing and you will be amazed how little you actually consume. Lemon squeezed onto a salad is often times enough flavoring to substitute as a dressing
• If out for Chinese opt for the vegetable stir-fries, when adding a protein turkey, chicken or seafood is your best choice.

3. Be aware of subtle weight gain around your mid section for both yourself and your children. This could be an indicator that you and your children are experiencing accelerated aging due to metabolic syndrome.

People with metabolic syndrome are at increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. Metabolic syndrome has become increasingly common in the United States; an estimated 80 million Americans have it. This syndrome is characterized by a group of metabolic risk factors that occur in a person. They include:
• Abdominal obesity (fat tissue in and around the abdomen)
• High blood fats, high triglycerides and high LDL cholesterol
• Low HDL cholesterol
• Elevated blood pressure

To ensure that you and your loved ones do not fall prey to this health destroying syndrome be certain to avoid simple sugars and processed carbohydrates. Follow this guidelines for a healthy plate; have your protein portion be the size of the palm of your hand and allow the rest of your plate to be filled with vegetables and low glycemic complex carbohydrates.

Rather than having sugar laden sweets after dinner enjoy a warm cup of caffeine free tea or a small serving of fruit or nuts, in fact dates combined with pecans are wonderful and quickly filling. They taste just like pecan pie without the calories and excess sugar!

4. Regular Exercise is the true fountain of youth. It is the one activity that will positively affect ALL of the Biomarkers Of Aging. Biomarkers of aging are measurements that indicate how quickly your body is aging of the cellular level. As we age typically lose 6.2 pounds of muscle each decade this rate of loss accelerates after the age of 45. We also lose about 30 percent of our muscle cells between the ages of 20 and 70. The loss of both muscle cells and muscle mass adversely affects so many areas of our health, including:
• Decreased blood sugar tolerance
• Declining metabolism
• Increased body fat
• Reduced aerobic capacity
• Loss of bone mineral density
Sounds like a bit of a bummer, right? Well only if you are a committed
couch potato. Studies prove that with the right exercise, individuals in their sixth, seventh, eighth and even ninth decade of life can expect improvements in strength and muscle cell size comparable to younger people doing the same amount of exercise. For women, this is especially good news in the area of osteoporosis (Bone Health is assessed in Biomarker 10). This is why so much emphasis is given to physical activity and strength training when we are committed to reversing the accelerated aging process!

5. Consider utilizing a Medical Food and specific formulations of targeted nutrients:
Imagine new generations of Medical foods that are scientifically-based for the management of specific health conditions associated with type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), chronic fatigue syndrome, and more.

These medical foods along with an anti-inflammatory diet were shown in clinical studies to reduce Total Cholesterol by 16%, triglycerides by 45%, increase good cholesterol by 6%, improved fasting insulin by 25%. It lowered body fat by an average of 15 pounds and supported a 5 pound increase in lean muscle mass. And best of all there were NO side effects except, of course, a measurable increase in health!

Consider starting your day with one of these medical foods as your breakfast. It’s quick, it’s easy and it’s a great start toward rejuvenating your health! For more information on Medical foods visit www.drkathleenhartford.com

Bodywork

The Science of Yoga Nidra

Written Researched and taught by

Deanna Markesteyn LMT BA RYT

Advanced Bodywork 412-983-8688

Yoga Nidra, a Calming Yoga, is a powerful therapeutic tool empowering participants to heal past experiences and make healthy changes in their life.

‘Yoga’ means integration and ‘Nidra’ means sleep. Therefore Yoga Nidra is integrative sleep. The difference between sleep and Yoga Nidra is that the participant in Yoga Nidra is in a conscious state. The body reaches that state of bliss also known as delta sleep or deep sleep tapping into the “internal pharmacy” (Depak Chopra).  In the delta sleep state our bodies release reparative hormones. In this conscious state of sleep, Amrit Yoga Nidra, the participant has the ability to become the witness not choosing for or against what they are witnessing. In this state a person is naturally happy, there is no I like it, I do not like it. Emotions habits and past events can be released or changed without reinforcing present unhealthy nerve path ways.

Albert Einstein said “You can’t fix the problem with the mind that created the problem”. Yoga Nidra is a tool that helps people move out of the thinking mind into the feeling centers of the body, in psychological terms this would be known as moving from the conscious to the subconscious mind. Dr. Candace Pert refers to the physical body as the subconscious mind. In my twenty years of experience in the field of bodywork and massage therapy, I have found this to be true. The reason this is important when using Yoga Nidra for PTSD is that nerve pathways are constantly being regenerated and rewritten.  Yoga Nidra helps to regenerate and reprogram nerve pathways intentionally. The participate becomes active instead of reactive when faced with a life challenge or choice. Yoga Nidra helps to allow people to take action in life, instead of reactive responses that are driven by unconscious programing.

When nerve pathways are being reinforced the problem persists and can even get worse. The body does not know if the memory is from the past or in the present the body’s response, in a physiological way, acts as if the trauma is reoccurring. I like to use the example of being in love, when you are in love with someone you may relate a smell to that individual and if you smell that scent and the individual is nowhere in sight your body may feel a warm yummy response. Depak Chopra using the example of a young boy who was receiving chemo therapy the child was once exposed to the smell of the chemo ward without receiving chemo therapy his body remembered the side effects of the chemo therapy and he became physically ill as if he was receiving the chemo therapy.

Yoga Nidra is over 7000 years old; the ancient yogis developed this system without microscopes or studying cadavers. The terms used are often Sanskrit an ancient language. But there are several systems that correlate with the modern systems of the body we know today. For instance the chakra system correlates with the nervous system and the prana correlates with the endocrine system.

The first part of Yoga Nidra a Calming Yoga is the asana or poses this activity helps to relax and stimulate the biological systems helping to get the participates relaxed and releasing energy. This method also helps to balance the autonomic nervous system. When practicing Amrit Yoga you take the body into action and then relax the body, mimicking the way the parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous systems operate in a healthy balance. This is an opportunity to practice letting go and feeling your body and getting out of the thinking centers and into the feeling centers. The asana or movements can be individualized according your ability to move.

The second part of  Amrit Yoga Nidra a Calming Yoga is a deep meditation. The meditation is a guided meditation. The facilitator uses techniques and tools like breathing, imagery, sound and vibration. The participant uses a mantra, an intention, in this deep conscious state. The intention aids the participant in reprograming the old patterns of thinking, acting and feeling.

I have personally experienced and witnessed incredible responses to Yoga Nidra. The least it can do is quiet mind, relax body, trigger the relaxation response and help participants to sleep deeply.

Classes at Marshall Municipal Building Tuesdays at 7:00 pm until March 29

http://www.twp.marshall.pa.us/page.asp?CID=113