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Fit Body

Last Updated: Dec 30, 2019 08:30AM • Subscribe via RSS • ATOM

When Workouts Don’t Work: Why Less Is Sometimes More

Dec 30, 2019

Exercise is a proven component in losing weight and preventing cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but working out can serve as a physical stressor. Here's how to find an optimal balance.

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Inhaling the Joy of Life: Conscious Breathwork

Nov 27, 2019

Mindfully guiding our breath back to its original rhythm helps lower stress and improve vagal tone, easing such conditions as depression, insomnia and pain syndromes.

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Animal Asanas: Goats on the Yoga Mat

Sep 30, 2019

By combining the already beneficial aspects of yoga, goat yoga amplifies the practice through the well-documented benefits of human and animal interaction.

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How a 72-Year-Old Ditched Her Cane—and Her Pain

Sep 04, 2019

Through the holistic Muscle Activation Techniques approach, a key missing piece of the healing puzzle is discovered and resolved, and improves the way muscles work to support the body

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Walk or Run to Keep Blood Vessels and Brains Young: Benefits of Cardio Activity

Aug 15, 2019

After six months of marathon training, running novices reversed the aging of major blood vessels; in another study, heart failure patients that walked fast were less likely to have cognitive impairment.

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Take a Cerebral Spin: Cycling for a Healthier Brain

Aug 15, 2019 ● By Marlaina Donato

Pedaling away for even 20 minutes a day, indoors or outdoors, fires up brain cell production and lowers symptoms of depression – and that’s just the beginning of cognitive benefits.

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Forest Bathing: Mother Nature’s Rx for Body and Mind

Jun 28, 2019 ● By Marlaina Donato

What was once called ‘walking in the woods’ has a new moniker – forest bathing – as well as new research showing its unique abilities to boost our health and mood.

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Just Add Water: Aquatic Workouts for Him

May 31, 2019 ● By Marlaina Donato

Guys are jumping right into pool aerobics and finding that it keeps them buff, fit and free from wear and tear on joints and muscles.

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Sit Less to Live Longer: Increasing Movement Adds to Longevity

May 31, 2019

Replacing a half hour of sitting or lying around with brisk walking and other moderate physical activities reduces the risk of dying over 14 years by 45 percent.

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Sacred Sound Yoga Offering Women’s Wellness

May 03, 2019

Rosie Rain, owner of Sacred Sound Yoga, is now offering women’s wellness in all yoga classes, which provide many exercises and meditations specifically designed for women’s health.

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Dancing Prevents Senior Decline: Improves Daily Living

Apr 30, 2019

Elderly Japanese women who danced for exercise were 73 percent less likely to be impaired eight years later doing “activities of daily living” such as walking, cooking, dressing and bathing.

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Prenatal Yoga Reduces Caesareans and Labor Pain: Helps With Smoother Deliveries

Apr 30, 2019

Mothers-to-be that practiced yoga had fewer C-sections, fewer low-weight newborns, and milder and briefer labor pains.

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When Emotions Are Physical: Bodywork for Trauma and Grief

Apr 30, 2019 ● By Marlaina Donato

Trauma can get hardwired into our nervous system, but body-centered approaches such as massage, CranioSacral Therapy and aromatherapy can release those tight emotional patterns.

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Exercise Improves Young Brains, Too: Not Just Seniors Who Can Benefit

Apr 30, 2019

Aerobic activities improve the executive thinking skills of both young and old people, report Columbia University researchers.

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Into the Woods: Hiking for Health and Happiness

Mar 29, 2019 ● By Marlaina Donato

Hiking combines the heart-healthy and anti-aging benefits of walking with the calming and mood-elevating benefits of nature.

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Exercise vs. Allergies: All the Right Moves

Feb 28, 2019 ● By Marlaina Donato

The last thing we may feel like doing in hay fever season is exercising, but yoga, Pilates, walking, weight training and other approaches can actually bring relief.

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Warming Up For Winter Sports: Sure-Fire Ways to Get Fit

Jan 31, 2019 ● By Marlaina Donato

Before plunging into winter sports, we can prepare the body ahead of time by toning up major muscle groups.

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Moving Through Life: Daily Motion Adds Up to Fitness

Dec 27, 2018 ● By Marlaina Donato

Simply making small changes in routine tasks—from house cleaning to grocery shopping—can add up to better health than the daily hour at the gym we tend to avoid.

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Pound-Shedding Workouts: Best Exercises from Yoga to Cardio

Nov 30, 2018 ● By Marlaina Donato

The consistent exercise so vital to weight loss becomes easier when we choose a stress-reducing routine, set realistic goals and practice patience.

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Ease Repetitive Strain Injuries: Targeted Exercises Lower Risk of Injury

Oct 31, 2018 ● By Marlaina Donato

Any movement we do repeatedly, such as typing at a screen or keyboard, can cause muscle strain and injury, but the right kind of exercises can lower our risk and repair damage.

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Rebooting Libido: Exercise Rekindles Desire

Sep 28, 2018 ● By Maya Whitman

Among its many other benefits exercise increases testosterone, endorphins and adrenal hormones, all of which are essential to a satisfying sex life.

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Natural Awakenings Yoga Glossary

Aug 31, 2018

From Ashtanga to Kundalini, we break down the differences between the various schools or styles of yoga.

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Why Our Body Loves Yoga: Gentle Poses Foster Flexibility

Aug 31, 2018 ● By Marlaina Donato

You don't have to be super-flexible or practice intense poses to enjoy the many health and wellness benefits of yoga, available to any age group or physical type.

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Top Yoga Trends: Fusion Styles Offer Fresh Choices

Aug 31, 2018 ● By Marlaina Donato

From curvy yoga to paddleboard yoga, there’s an evolving style for everyone no matter what their age or level of fitness.

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Dive Into Swimming: 10 Tips to Optimize Workouts

Jul 31, 2018 ● By Jim Thornton

Swimming offers a low-impact and highly satisfying exercise routine. Strategies from world-class experts can make pool time even more productive and enjoyable.

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Exercise To Sleep By: Quell Insomnia and Nighttime Anxiety

Jun 29, 2018 ● By Marlaina Donato

By doing the right kind of exercise at the right time of day, we can sleep soundly all night long.

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Running with the Kids: Strengthens Body, Mind and Family Spirit

May 31, 2018 ● By Marlaina Donato

Families with children as young as 5 easily bond when they mindfully run together at a fun pace.

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Exercise Boosts Good Gut Bacteria: Cardio Improves Healthy Microbes

May 31, 2018

Exercising 30 to 60 minutes three times a week improved healthy gut microbes in people even without dietary changes.

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Yoga Soothes the Blues: Lowers Symptoms of Depression

Apr 30, 2018

A twice-weekly yoga class lowered symptoms of depression in participants within eight weeks.

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Moving Through Menopause: Exercising Reduces Symptoms

Apr 30, 2018 ● By Marlaina Donato

Walking, strength training and yoga are just a few of the ways that being physically active during menopausal changes eases our days and benefits mind and body.

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Gardening Asanas: Yoga Poses to Stay Pain-Free

Mar 30, 2018 ● By Marlaina Donato

Overdoing garden work can produce aches and pains, but by integrating yoga positions while planting and weeding, we can emerge pain-free after hours of being on our knees and bending.

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Physical Activity Deters Alzheimer's: Reduce Risk with Movement

Mar 01, 2018

Walking, dancing, gardening and other physical activities significantly improve brain volume and lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Fitness in 10 Minutes: A Full-Body Workout for Busy People

Feb 28, 2018 ● By Locke Hughes

By strategically working certain muscles in strategic sequences, we can get fit in a 10-minute, 10-step workout just three times a week.

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Be On the Ball: Putting Extra Fun into Fitness

Jan 31, 2018 ● By Marlaina Donato

Originally designed as toys, exercise balls are now used for everything from building core stability to helping healthcare patients regain mobility.

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Aerobics Keep the Brain Young: Exercise Protects the Mind

Dec 29, 2017

Exercise such as brisk walking or jogging for 45 minutes protects not just the heart but the brain from age-related decline.

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10,000 Steps and Counting: Keep Moving to Stay Fit

Dec 29, 2017 ● By Kathleen Barnes

Walking 10,000 steps a day began as a pedometer marketing ploy, but it’s become a goal worth striving for because of the way it beats back diseases like diabetes and breast cancer.

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Championing Holistic Athletes: The New Face of Sports Medicine

Nov 30, 2017 ● By Marlaina Donato

Athletes in a wide range of sports are finding that natural diets and holistic healing modalities help them achieve their personal best.

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Tai Chi Eases the Blues: Helps Depression Sufferers

Nov 30, 2017

Weekly lessons in tai chi along with thrice-weekly home practice sessions significantly lowered depression in Boston Chinese-Americans.

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Try Some Stretches: Four Ways to Flex Our Muscles

Nov 02, 2017 ● By Marlaina Donato

Whether incorporated into a workout routine or done on its own, a regular stretching practice can foster flexibility, balance, range of motion, coordination and improve muscle endurance.

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Aerobics Improve Brain Function: Boosts Volume and Gray Matter

Oct 31, 2017

People with mild cognitive impairment that exercised aerobically four times a week for six months had increases in overall brain volume and gray matter and enjoyed better cognitive functioning.

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Building Better Bones: Bouncing, Leaping and Lunging Our Way to Bone Health

Sep 29, 2017 ● By Kathleen Barnes

Even in our later years, we can strengthen our bones with the right targeted movements.

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Yoga Eases Eating Disorders: Regular Practice Reduces Anxiety and Depression

Aug 31, 2017

In two studies, regular yoga classes or individual practice lowered anxiety, depression and negative thoughts in people with eating disorders.

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Rodney Yee on Yoga as a Way of Life: Simple Strategies for Staying on Track

Aug 31, 2017 ● By Marlaina Donato

The prominent New York yoga teacher counsels us never to berate ourselves about our practice and to set aside time for asanas and exploration of different yoga traditions.

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Take a Hike: Escape into Nature with a Day Trip

Jul 31, 2017 ● By Marlaina Donato

Blissful moments in nature can be found just minutes away from home, if we know where to look.

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Tart Cherry Aids Runner Performance: Improves Times, Decreases Inflammation

Jun 30, 2017

Young adult distance runners in Texas taking a powered tart cherry supplement for 10 days improved their running time and reported a third less muscle soreness.

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Four Reasons to Break a Sweat: The Fast Path to Flushing Toxins

Jun 30, 2017 ● By Deanna Minich

Pesticide, plastic phthalate, heavy metal and BPA chemicals efficiently exit our body when we perspire during a workout, sauna or sunny walk.

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New Ways to Court Fitness: Racquets and Paddles Get a Sporting Makeover

May 31, 2017 ● By Randy Kambic

Two fresh new faces on tennis courts these days are pickleball, a fun mixture of tennis, squash and table tennis, and cardio tennis, honing skills amid high-intensity aerobic action.

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High-Intensity Workouts May Keep People Coming Back: Irregular Exercisers Find HIIT Enjoyable

May 31, 2017

Sedentary Canadian adults that underwent high-intensity interval training found it more enjoyable that those who performed ongoing moderate exercise.

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Mastering Self-Defense: Staying Aware Avoids Problems

Apr 28, 2017 ● By Aimee Hughes

Effective self-defense comes when we move mindfully through environments and know how to safely redirect an opponent’s energy.

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Not-So-Speedy Pedaling Boosts Benefits: Ideal Biking Pace

Apr 28, 2017

Biking a half hour to work improves brain function, but if pollution hangs in the air, a moderate pace of 8 miles per hour tests best for overall health.

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