M is for Moksha

I tried my first yoga class yesterday and let me tell you it was a hell of a workout. First of all I’m built more like a football player than a yogi. So walking into a class of mostly women and some vegetarian looking men was a bit intimidating never mind my friend who was much more experienced promising to laugh at me mercilessly if I made a spectacle of myself. Glad to report that I didn’t embarrass myself which was extremely difficult considering early on my sweat had created nothing short of a water hazard underneath me. It is only by the grace of God and my eco friendly non slip mat that I made it out of there without a face plant, front teeth intact.

For those of you that don’t know, Moksha yoga is a comprehensive workout focusing on upper and lower body strength, balance and flexibility. It also focuses on opening the hip area where much lower back and knee pain originates. What surprised me was the cardiovascular conditioning that it took to get through class. Each pose flowed into another movement without rest so my heart rate was moderately elevated comparable to going for a light jog for 75 minutes.

I would definitely recommend this type of yoga for 3 reasons

1. It is a great strength and cardiovascular workout. I have above average core strength and my muscles were challenged. This morning I felt a deep soreness in my abs that only comes from changing up your routine and using your muscles in a unique way. Also my heart rate was constantly elevated for the entire class which went for 75 minutes.

2. The various poses focus on strengthening your pillar of strength (shoulders, torso, hips, knees and ankles) stabilizing and injury proofing your frame. All these places are exceptionally susceptible to injury and by strengthening these muscles not only do you become more injury resistant but more capable in all things physical.

3. Great activity for regeneration. Anyone who lives a fit lifestyle knows that you don’t get stronger when working out- you get stronger during the recovery process. This type of activity encourages blood flow to the entire body, aiding in the healing of worked muscles. Yoga has also been linked to better sleep. The better quality your sleep is the higher your growth hormone levels which have been linked to improving muscle growth and fat burn. I slept like a baby and woke up from less sleep than I get in a typical night feeling extremely energetic and refreshed.
This was pretty far out of my comfort zone but I must say I loved the challenge and I plan on practicing yoga regularly as part of my routine. I’m looking forward to seeing how this improves other aspects of my fitness.

Namaste,
Derick

This caption is American Entrepreneur and Hip hip mogul Russel Simmons.  He has a net worth of over 300 million dollars and is a devout yoga practitioner.  He inspires me because he is probly one of the busiest men in the U.S. If he can find time for exercise, I think we all can.

I forgive me....

Recovering from the flu, I had barely done anything that didn’t involve lying in the fetal position much less anything that resembled exercise. Today was the first day back so I had already forgiven myself in advanced for how bad I was going to suck. My program looked like this:

Hack Squats X 20 superset with
Split squats X 20 x 2
Incline cable press X12 superset with
Bench push ups X 10
Dead lift X 15 superset with
Wide chin ups X 10
French Press X 12 superset with close bench press to failure barbell biceps curl X 12 and neutral grip chin-up to failure.

I did 3 sets of each superset with about 1 minute rest in between. The workout took about 50 minutes and a small piece of my soul.

After any hiatus, I always opt for a full body workout vs. a split program. Don’t expect the performance of a specific muscle group to fill your workout time after time off. Chances are you'll tax the muscle in a shorter period of time so spread out the work over the entire body and you will burn more calories overall and prime all the muscles to get back into your regular routine asap.

Tomorrow back to regularly scheduled programming

Derick

Spoke too soon- H1N1 and seasonal flu

Me and my big mouth
Okay so I’m talking to my clients last Saturday in a group training session and I’m all “I don’t ever get sick, my immune system is like friggen fort Knox" two days later WHAM! I get slapped by irony with a big fat case of the flu. Not sure if it was H1N1 because I didn’t ask but I would like to think that if a flu was going to take be down, it wouldn’t be the weak garden variety flu bug, it would be the ambitious, pandemic level Michael Jordan of the flu world, H1N1. It just makes me feel better. This is the first flu that I’ve had in almost 10 years and I’ve never had a flu shot.


What’s the difference between H1N1 and seasonal flu?
Seasonal influenza is caused by viruses that are responsible for global flu epidemics each year, usually experienced throughout the winter months. H1N1 is a new strain of influenza that was first identified in April 2009 and continues to spread around the world. Over the years most of us have built up immunity to seasonal flu so if you are relatively healthy, exposure to seasonal flu will not and should not result in infection. The H1N1 strain is new and because our bodies don’t recognize it, exposure is more likely to result in infection. It is also for this reason that it more commonly affects children and young adults.

How do you know if you have the flu?
The U.S. center for disease control and prevention defines flu like illness as: A fever of 38 degrees celsius (100.4 fahrenheit) or greater, plus a cough and sore throat and possibly other symptoms like runny nose, body aches, headaches, chills, fatigue, vomiting, or diarrhea. Fever is a key factor. I developed a cough that felt like Satan himself was trapped in my trachea. But for most, its official when you develop the insatiable thirst for chicken soup, cartoons and your mothers affection.


Most healthy people recover from H1N1 flu without any complications.  My fever started on Tuesday and was gone by Friday night which i think is on the shorter side from what i've heard.  H1N1 can be particularly risky for children and young adults who have not yet built up sophisticated immune systems. For young people, those with compromised immune systems and pregnant women the symptoms can be much more severe, even deadly.

If you want to be proactive about the Flu this year, don't rely on the flu shot alone. Studies have linked regular moderate exercise as well as good sleeping habits to lower incidences of flu and a significantly lower severity. Including these foods in your grocery cart this flu season will bump up your immune response to potential invaders.

citrus fruit, broccoli -vitamin C
nuts, vegetable oils, and whole grains - vitamin E
garlic - a natural antibiotic

beef, turkey, beans, oysters, crab - zinc
fruits and vegetables - bioflavenoids
chicken, whole grains, tuna, red snapper, lobster, shrimp, garlic, egg yolks, sunflower seeds, brown rice - selenium
carrots, yams - carotenoids
nuts, salmon, tuna, mackerel, flaxseed oil - omega-3 fatty acids


Good luck!

Derick