Extremes, Balance, and Fat

I always tell people to find what they like to do for exercise, so that way it is something they look forward to and it will be fun to go and do it on a regular basis.  What is also important is to counterbalance that with other exercises so the body does not get overworked.  For instance, people playing a sport like tennis should work out their other arm in other ways to balance the body.  So I ran into one of my Yoga regulars and she told me that she took a class somewhere else that had a lot of twists and was more advanced.  She enjoyed it but her body didn't feel so good afterwards, her doctor told her that for her back which has had problems, too much twisting is not good.  So important to listen to your body when it is telling you that it doesn't feel good or that an exercise is enough and you need a break.  If you don't take a break, you will break.  If you do not make time for rest and recreation, you eventually have to make time for illness, a few of my favorite quotes.

There is not one way for everybody, many people love Hot or Bikram Yoga, for me it sounds very scary and I have never stepped foot into a studio.  I know some of my friends that love to sweat and the heat doesn't bother them and they love it, I get nauseous in heat.  For some people with sensitive backs or join pain, they say that the heat helps loosen it up so they can actually do the poses.  I think in anything you do it is so important to know your own body and focus intently on form and alignment, because I feel too much heat can lead to hypertension, which could injure the ligaments.

I just met a father in my son's school who was stretching, so I asked him why and he said he is obsessed with spinning, does it three times a week, and he looks great.  The problem is that his muscles are so tight that he has to get physical therapy and he has to go to the doctor to see what he can do.  I told him to look into Yoga because too much working out without stretching is a recipe for injury.

In my Jewish community there are always babies, Thank God, and many of them close in age.  My older two are 18 months apart which is close enough, I got pregnant when my first one was 9 months. A friend of mine who has a three month old just found out she is pregnant again, so the babies will be a year apart.  She is thrilled, it may overwhelm some, but she had such a positive birth experience, and wanted her babies close, so she is happy and ready.

The last thing I want to talk about is the difference between eating healthy fats and the body fat that we measure on our bodies.  Healthy fat is essential to life, great options are avocados, nuts, and olive oil.  Body fat can be measured by many devices, men need to be no higher than 18% and women no higher than 25%.  I am not talking about BMI, body mass index, but about actual body fat percentage.  I would be happy to measure for you, or you can do it at most gyms. At the doctor they talk about BMI, but it is not as specific and individualized as the body fat percentage.  On my recent visit to the chiropractor I found out I was 18% bodyfat, and the amazing thing is I still need to lose my stomach but the rest of me is solid muscle, Woo Hoo!

Ready for bed,
Good Night,
Coach Yulia