Your fitness Goal has been reached, Now What?

Over the past couple weeks since I have been spreading the news of my involvement with Team Beach Body. One question has been asked more then any other. “I reached my goal(s) and then I fell back back into my old rut and lose everything I gained! I’m frustrated, what do I need to do to make me happy?”  When I  first heard these stories, I was confused. If you reached you goals, then continue doing what got you there. Seems like the simple answer, but it is not the case.

After talking to numerous people this past week, they talked about things such as boredom, lack of support, weak nutritional habits (no accountability)  and time commitment. These are just a few reasons for their down fall. At the end of the day like I told many of them, they are making excuses of not breaking their old habits. On a positive side there are ways to keep the momentum going once you have reached your original goal(s).

1) BE PROACTIVE: This is something my Dad told me when I was very young. Know where you are going before you get there. Look at new goals that you might want to achieve. One new goal might be a new workout program just to relieve the boredom from the previous program. Have the program ready to use a week prior to finishing your original program, so you can review and understand your new work before starting it. A must do, is set new short and long term goals! I was shocked what was hearing, that many of them never thought of making new goals. Take the time to write out what else you might want to achieve. Really the list can be endless if you are pro-active!

2) FIND POSITIVE SUPPORT: During the conversations, I found out most of the goals were  to lose weight. To their credit most reached their goals on their own with no or very little support. Many talked about their personal struggles not having anyone to open up to through good and down times. They felted mentally fatigued.  You need to find someone who you can trust, respect and to listen and give advice. This person can help you keep you on track and you transition from one goal to the next. They should keep you accountable for the actions and decisions you make. For example, the  WOWY Super Gym would be one tool people can use to have a buddy system, or find a coach/trainer (I can help you for Free)  who can help you guide your way with their experience.

3) LIFE STYLE: Its an interesting society we live in. Many people do things for the short term, for the immediate result. Once that result has been achieved we fall back into the old habits. Soon we find out selves wallowing in our own self pity. This might be the biggest key to keeping your fitness moving forward. Its simple, if you want to be more fit its not a matter of making small or large sacrifices but the mentality which you are willing to make a life style change! This life style change includes nutrition, self talk, committed workout days and better sleep habits. They must understand their  healthy live style becomes a part of who they, how they think and what they eat. They must be committed to their health long term!

I was impressed many of the people I talked with reached their original goal(s)! To keep consistent and motivated to make a true life style change, which can be stressful for many people. To relief some of the stress, positive self talk and finding someone who is supportive with your goals, are Key!  It happened to me last night. It was late (9.30 pm) and I was tired and I said to my wife , “I am not going to do  yoga tonight.” She said she would do it with me, even after her 40 minute swim that morning. How can I say no to her when she has already worked out. So off we went to our workout room to do Tony Horton’s Fountain of Youth yoga. It was a great workout!  Thanks Hun for supporting my new healthy life style!

Teaching Yoga for Stress Management

Teaching Yoga for Stress Management

Why do most of your students come to your Yoga classes? If you conducted a student survey, you would be surprised at how many arrived to your classes for the same reason. Surveys reveal much about the needs of your students.

Granted, there are a variety of reasons why students attend Yoga training sessions, but many people participate in our classes because they are seeking solutions to stress management.
It has been estimated that 75%, and possibly more, of doctor visits, are stress related. Stress is a major culprit in illness. Worse yet, stress will make a pre-existing illness worse. If you are seriously ill, one of the last things you need is an extra serving of stress, or anxiety, to go with it.
Most Yoga teacher training courses barely scratch the surface, when considering the needs of stressed-out students. More often, attention is paid to the technical aspects of Pranayama (yogic breathing), asana (yogic posturing), student safety, teacher ethics, teaching methodology, anatomy, physiology, philosophy, and much more.

So, how, in the world, could a Yoga instructor be prepared for the needs of the anxiety-riddled masses? It all comes down to the needs of our students and our continuing education efforts.
For example: If most of our students are young, flexible, strong, alpha-type personalities – our student’s needs – will be geared toward physical prowess. In truth, this is fine, because there is a legitimate need for it.

On the other hand, if most of our students are feeling the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual effects of excessive stress and anxiety, there is a need for us to learn much more about effective Yogic stress management solutions for the sake of our students.
Now that you teach Yoga to the public, you clearly realize the need for stress management solutions, on a massive scale. Most Yoga teachers tend to go through life with an inner calm that is sometimes taken for granted.

As a result of conditioning, the Yogic lifestyle is not a stressful one; therefore, you may need to understand much more about what causes anxiety, panic, and worry, within your students. If you are suffering from a panic attack, the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual conditioning of a Yoga teacher, seems like fiction.

Stress is a chemical message to the body from the brain, which is very basic. This “fight or flight” message is very primal, and saved our ancestors lives, throughout the history of humankind. When we perceive a threat, our brain signals the adrenal glands to send, adrenaline and noradrenaline, to our heart, which increases the blood flow to the muscles.
This, in turn, gives instant power to the muscles. At the same time, the breath rate is accelerated to bring more oxygen to vital areas. In terms of survival, the mind and body are programmed to perform an efficient chemical and mechanical reaction to save our lives.
Yet, many people have this same reaction, while commuting to work, on a daily basis. Once one arrives at work, he or she may be subjected to unrealistic deadlines and office politics. This is just one scenario of many possible stressful situations, which may occur in the lives of our students.

Once you have become a Yoga teacher, you have taken a vow to help students in need. The atmosphere in your classes, studio, or ashram, should be tranquil. There is no place for a teacher without compassion. Likewise, the teacher with a personal agenda, about getting his or her best workout during class time, will fall short in helping students who suffer from excessive stress.
The reason why Yoga works for panic, stress, and anxiety control, is not complicated. Most people feel as if they are a victim of outside circumstances, which become triggers for excess stress, such as traffic jams, financial difficulties, raising children, and a variety of daily life situations.

In turn, many people become tense, and irritable, because the body reacts physically to stress. Blood pressure may rise, breathing correctly is difficult, and muscles may tense up due to excessive stress and anxiety.

Yoga works to create solutions for excessive stress, panic, and anxiety, from within. One class, or session, is the exact opposite mind and body experience, when compared to an anxiety attack. Yoga practice makes a tremendous difference in the quality of our student’s lives because students feel empowerment.

You see – tension, anxiety, and worry, are a natural part of daily life, but Yoga allows us to decipher the real from the imaginary. This is in stark contrast to someone who is creating their own form of “Hell on earth.” To be concerned over our children is logical, but creating negative images in our minds, without any sound reasoning, will cause us harm, and there is no real reason for it.

Students should understand that some forms of daily low level stress are unavoidable, and make them stronger because of the experience, but extreme stress can cause panic attacks, heart attacks, or premature death. The rewards of their practice can be felt during, and after, their first lesson. The first part of the solution is a matter of making them aware of it.
Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. He is an author of many books on the subject of Yoga and has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995.

Yoga Teacher Training

Article Source: http://physicalfitnessarticles.net

The Potential of Using Yoga for Weight Loss

The Potential of Using Yoga for Weight Loss by Jamie Jefferson

Let’s face it: a lot of people have a severe misunderstanding of yoga. For every one person who knows how effective yoga can be in maintaining a positive outlook, improving posture and digestion, staying in good health, and maintaining a high level energy just to get you through the day, there are probably a dozen skeptics who think it is all just new age baloney.

Maybe we can’t convince everybody that yoga is much more than ineffective hippie stuff, but if we can summarize the concept of the traditional yoga culture real quick, it might just be a start.

A Brief History of Yoga

It’s not clear exactly when the practice of Yoga first began in India, but it may have been as early as 3300 BC.

There are five major branches in yoga: Raja, Hatha, Jnana, Bhakti and Karma, but Hatha yoga is probably the only one we really need to discuss in relation to health and fitness.

Yogi Swatmarama, a fifteenth century Indian sage, developed Hatha yoga as a way to prepare oneself for intense meditation, by first subjecting oneself to intensive physical training. Whether or not a person’s end goal is enlightenment, the physical benefits of the practice have proven to be effective.

Yoga for Weight Loss

Even if you believe in the potential yoga has to keep your body healthy, you may still be asking “Is yoga really all that effective in helping one to lose weight?”

Let’s start by saying that Hatha yoga is an intensive, low impact exercise, involving lots of stretching and conditioning that helps the blood flow more smoothly, and which aids in healthy digestion.

One of the main goals of yoga is to maintain the intestinal organs in order to improve digestion and minimize the amount of undigested food or waste in our bodies without having to resort to invasive cleansing routines.

A low-intensity yoga session will not burn as many calories as other workouts. An average woman may burn 150 calories in a one-hour Hatha yoga session and 300 calories from walking briskly for one hour. Ashtanga Yoga and Power Yoga, on the other hand, will burn about 300 calories per hour and Vinyasa Yoga (also known as flow yoga) can burn even more.

If you are just starting out with Yoga and plan to keep your routine slow and steady to start, the quickest way you are going to see weight loss results is to combine your yoga practice with a healthy diet plan and an aerobic exercise.

Still, it’s important to understand that weight loss is about a lot more than calories. Yoga can really give you a better relationship with your body, which can really help you on the weight loss journey. As you deepen your understanding of the way the mind and body relate to one another through a dedicated Yoga practice, don’t be surprised if your mindset and habits begin to change, which, in turn, can make it much easier for to make healthy changes in your body.

Why ARE Yogis so Thin?

One of the reasons yoga masters are so thin is generally because of their diet.

The traditional yogi diet is strictly vegetarian and free of caffeine, however, you can still learn how to eat well from yoga without becoming a monk. Here are some simple rules for those of us not willing to give up on hamburgers and coffee just yet:

The Yoga Diet for the Everyday Yogi

– Drink lots of water

– Eat lots of vegetables and fruit

– Eat spicy foods and red meat only in moderation

And that’s it. A healthier diet plus intensive Hatha workout sessions, and you are sure to see results, both in your body and your mind. If you want to ramp up your weight loss and calorie burning, try Power Yoga, which can give you an aerobic exercise, too.

Starting your Yoga Routine

What you’ll need to start yoga will be some comfortable clothes (nothing fancy, just some old sweats will do), and a mat. (Some yoga schools provide yoga mats.)

You can easily take a couple lessons and just practice yoga at home, but one of the greatest motivators for any exercise program is to be a part of a group, sharing knowledge with one another and pushing each other to really dedicate the time and energy it takes.

Jamie Jefferson writes for Momscape.com, where you can learn more about Yoga for Weight Loss and learn about diet recommendations.

Article Source: http://physicalfitnessarticles.net