East Meets West , Holistic Medical Systems: Ayurvedic Medicine

Good day,

Today I want to talk about one of the traditional holistic medical systems that our western system has been influenced by.

Ayurvedic medicine which is from India was developed at least 5000 years ago. This ancient Indian system believes and promotes holistic living, preventative medicine, and healing. The main idea is that we want to create a balance in the three energies or doshas called Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
Ayurveda teaches that a lifestyle that maintains the doshas in balance with our constitutional type will maintain health in the mind, body and spirit. Illness in Ayurvedic medicine is thought to be due to imbalances in the doshas. This could be caused by a number of things including; poor diet, emotional trauma, or a build up of toxins. 

At the centre of Ayurvedic belief are the three primal forces: prana, the breath of life; agni, the spirit of fire and light; and soma, the spirit of harmony and love. Along with these there are also five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. The five elements influence health and temperament.

One of the most popular symbols for Ayurvedic medicine is the lotus. (Many of you reading this may have this tattooed somewhere.) Each of its eight petals represents an Ayurvedic discipline:

1. Internal medicine
2. Surgery
3. Treatment of ears, nose, throat, eyes, jaws, and teeth
4. Toxicology
5. Psychiatry
6. Gynecology & pediatrics
7. Nutrition, detoxification, and rejuvenation
8. Fertility and virility

Diagnostic tools include analysis of the:

• Body (pulse, tongue, iris, face, skin, urine, and stools)
• Mind, spirit and environment

Ayurvedic medicine has refined the pulse as a highly accurate diagnostic tool and in some cases may be the only diagnosis used.

Food is categorized into six tastes and act on the body to increase or decrease the three doshas. It is believed that if the body becomes imbalanced that illness will follow.
A good diet will contain a mixture of these six tastes:

1. Sweet
2. Sour
3. Salty
4. Pungent
5. Bitter
6. Astringent

Treatments use plants, strict dietary guidelines, and exercise.  In addition to the elements and the doshas, Ayurvedic medicine focuses on the chakras (energy centres) of the body. These follow a straight line down the centre of the body and can be linked to various organs and glands and can be stimulated by various herbs.

It is very interesting how this holistic system is similar in many ways to the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) system which I will discuss in my next blog. I find it unsettling that these are two of the oldest systems known to man but in western culture many still believe them to be "unconventional".

Cheers,


bounce life

Morning Cardio, is it really better?

5a.m. and your alarm goes off. If you are anything like me you literally ROLL out of bed like the old guy from the movie UP because although your brain is awake and ready, your body is still stiff as a board. It takes about 10 minutes for you to loosen up and get your clothes on. After a glass of water and shot caffeine of coffee to get you going you head off to start your day off "right".  
So you ask, "Does the touted A.M. workout really make that big of a difference? I mean, come on!"
The answer is YES especially if you get that first workout in on an empty stomach. The reason for this is quite simple. You have fasted throughout the night 6, 8 even 10 hours for some of you lucky devils! So when you hit your workout your body is running on fumes because you have not replenished your glycogen stores by eating. The first thing your body does if try to figure out where the heck it is going to get the fuel from to POWER you through your workout. Here is where you are able to potentially use fat as your primary fuel source. Now, there is A LOT of debate over this so feel free to do some research. I personally and many of my clients have found that this does indeed work. I would only advise this for cardio and not for resistance training and I would only workout at about 65% of your maximum heart rate because this will spare your muscle tissue.
The other thing that morning cardio does is rev up your metabolism for the day which means more fat burning throughout the day!

Give the A.M cardio session a try and see how it works for you. If you can do it, you may make a huge difference in your battle against the bulge.


Cheers

bounce life

Pregnancy & Fitness

Good day,


Today I want to talk about how many of the old ideas about pregnancy and activity have changed. In the past it was advised that the pregnant woman was to stay off of her feet and make sure not to strain herself. Pregnancy was almost treated like a sickness instead of being celebrated as an amazing time of discovery and transformation.
We now know that a pregnant woman is capable of not only continuing to train if they are experienced in physical fitness but also start a new fitness program. There are some rules that should be followed to make sure that the mom as well as the baby are safe. Start slow and work your way into a new workout slowly if you are new to working out. If you are an intermediate or advanced trainee you are able to continue at close to pre-pregnancy levels. One of the biggest benefits of training during pregnancy is that it will help prepare you for the toughest workout of all... child birth.

Trimester by Trimester Exercise Tips

Beginner 1^st Trimester

• Walk only
• Wait to start exercise program until 2^nd trimester
• Do not overheat or become fatigued

Beginner 2^nd Trimester

• Start with 15 minutes adding 5 minutes each week for a total of 30 minutes
• Mild, moderate, exercise
• Non weight bearing
• Avoid sudden changes and hi impact
• 3-4 days per week
• No supine positions after 14 weeks

Beginner 3^rd Trimester

• Do not increase in intensity
• Consistency stays up
• 3-4 days per week
• Likely nee to decrease intensity in late 3rd trimester

Intermediate/Advanced Trainees 1^st Trimester

• Continue at close to pre pregnancy levels
• 3-4 days per week
• Familiar forms of exercise
• Listen to your body
• Do not overheat
• Do not train for competitive events
• Weight bearing safe with low weights 12-15 reps

Intermediate/Advanced Trainees 2^nd Trimester

• Increase intensity
• Full range of activities
• No contact sports
• Weight training is OK
• No Supine positions after 14 weeks
• Avoid sudden changes and hi impact

Intermediate/Advanced Trainees 3^rd Trimester

• Encourage to slow down
• Non weight bearing
• Postural exercises
• Consistency stays the same 3-4 days

I hope this information helps you make a decision to start or continue a healthy, active lifestyle during pregnancy. 

Cheers

bounce life

Cholesterol. The good, the bad and the ugly

Today I want to talk about cholesterol and hopefully shed a little bit of light on this sometimes confusing topic.
So what the heck is cholesterol anyway? Well, there are different types of cholesterol and we put them into two groups, "good" and "bad". Now to get a little more technical the "good" cholesterol is called HDL and the "bad" LDL but before we go into this too far lets start at the beginning.
 Cholesterol is only found in animal products. Plants on the other hand do not contain cholesterol because they cannot produce it and do not need it to function. We can get cholesterol from two sources. The first is our body via the liver and the second via diet.
 I bet you would be surprised to know that cholesterol actually has  many important functions in the body:

1. found in every cell in the body
2. building block for estrogen testosterone, and Vitamin D produced via sunlight through your skin
3. major component of of the nerves in our brains
4. 0 calories, as it does not provide us any energy

So, contrary to popular belief cholesterol is not just an artery plugger!
OK, so lets get back to this good and bad cholesterol thing. Here is a simple breakdown of the two:

High-density lipoprotein (HDL)

• Helps remove cholesterol from the body by transporting it to the liver.
• Packets of cholesterol are formed to help move cholesterol through the blood.
• Some experts believe that HDL removes excess cholesterol from arterial plaque, slowing its buildup.
•  HDL can be increased with, exercise, the cessation of smoking and weight reduction.
• High levels of HDL seem to protect against heart attack.
• Low levels of HDL (less than 40 mg/dL) also increase the risk of heart disease.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)

• Builds up on the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain.
• Together with other substances, it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can narrow the arteries and make them less flexible. This condition is known as atherosclerosis.
•  If clots form in the blood they can get caught in the narrowed artery and cause a heart attack.

I hope this information clears up some of the confusion out there on cholesterol. Just remember that not all cholesterol is bad and is needed for many essential bodily functions.

Cheers,

bounce life