“Yoga helped me heal in a new way”

I grew up in Medicine Hat, Alberta, but I am from Muscowpetung First Nation, Treaty 4 territory. I am Mtis and Nehiyaw (Cree). Growing up, I was super shy and was the only Native girl in my school. I took that to mean that I didnt fit in.When I was 18, I moved to Vancouver to pursue acting and thats where the actor Grace Dove, another Indigenous woman, introduced me to yoga. She was practicing hot yoga frequently and suggested I check it out because it was making her feel so much better in her body. At first I turned her down. I had the perception that yoga was for privileged white, able-bodied women who could afford expensive clothes and studio classes. After being the only Native girl in a school, I didn’t really want to experience that again. I went to a class with a group of friends and if it wasn’t for that support system, I don’t know if I would have ever walked in.To my surprise, yoga helped me heal in a new way.At the time, I was dealing with my own substance abuse and leaving a toxic relationship. Yoga showed me that I need to love myself first before I can love someone else or before I seek external substances and validation to fill a void within me. It made me return home to myself and realize I’m worthy enough to be here on this mat and in the world. There was a lot of releasing of sweat, but also of old narratives, beliefs and habits that were no longer serving me.This healing inspired me to share the practice with the community and I started to shift my life path and vision towards health and wellness. I became a yoga instructor.(Related: Mental Health Resources for Indigenous Peoples)

Recognizing meaningful similarities

In training, I was taught that the word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning to yoke or “to unite and it means union of mind, body and spirit. It is believed that yoga is for everyone. It serves to connect the individual self to the universal consciousness.I learned that yoga is a way of reclaiming a connection to the Creator. It has the same values as some of the teachings that we learn as Indigenous people. At first, I was in awe of how much these teachings overlapped. I was at a temazcal ceremony in Tulum, Mexico and a medicine man said, What youre learning at yoga teacher trainingand about their gods and deitiesit shows that we all come from the same source, we just call it different things. When he said that, it helped me realize the interconnections and the differences that exist within my Nehiyaw lineage and yogas history.I started to see similarities between the British colonizing India and whats happened to Indigenous people in Canada. Yoga was banned by the British Empire so yogis and seers had to take the yoga practice underground to save the practice. We had to do the same thing for our ceremonies, like during the Potlatch ban, to save them.Even though yoga originated in India, it has been appropriated and exploited within the white wellness industry. Ive suggested to teachers that facilitate yoga teacher training that they need to be more accessible to marginalized communitiessuch as with sponsorships and/or sliding scales. Inviting teachers from that lineage to, for instance, lead discussion and planning, exploring the roots and history of yoga itself.(Related: For Me, Self-Care Is Self-Compassion)

“Finding a way to move and to practice wellness is like medicine”

When I open up a class, I talk about how yoga is about connecting to something greater than yourself. It is a practice to connect to Creator, to consciousness, to God, to Source; whatever term you want to call it. In Nehiyaw tradition, when you go into a sweat, you’re going in with an intention and/or a dedication. It is a ceremony to help purify your mind, body and spirit. Yoga is similar. You purify yourself through your asana, your breath, pranayama, your intention and in relationship to the community around you.A big part of why I wanted to become a yoga teacher was so that I could share yoga with Indigenous communities. I saw how our power was stripped away by genocide, within the residential school system and child apprehension. I believe the most revolutionary thing we can do to get our power back is to reclaim our own spirits and voices. For that, we need to heal.During the pandemic, I facilitated virtual wellness workshops with Indigenous women through the Native Women’s Resource Center of Toronto and the Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Colour (SNIWWOC). We would start with a check-in, meditation and then go into breathwork, yoga practice and finish with a sharing circle. One woman started to get emotional after the meditation because she realized how much pain she carried throughout her life. We moved through a cutting of the cord ceremony. The group held her up and allowed her to release all of that pain. We witnessed her cry, let go and transition into thereclamation of her power. This is when I understood how powerful this work can be. We are not only healing ourselveswe’re healing our family lines, our intergenerational bloodlines. Finding a way to move and to practice wellness is like medicine. We need everyday tools to help us release the trauma that were holding. Its important to connect with something that is bigger than ourselves so we dont carry it alone.

Creating a brave space

I am now a certified trauma-informed yoga instructor. I try to create a safe vessela brave spacefor students to feel in their power. I want them to have authority and autonomy over their bodies and their practice. I try to provide a lot of options, and Im mindful of the language I use. I use inclusive terms like hey folks instead of hey guys when I dont know the group members preferred pronouns. I try not to create a hierarchy within the class. I dont refer to advanced or beginner level teachings, I try to maintain an all-levels approach.All yoga instructors should be facilitating trauma-informed classes. This is especially important when it comes to teaching within our communities. Its crucial to make Indigenous participants feel like they have the power to decide what’s best for them. It shouldnt be yet another space where Indigenous people feel oppressed. I hope I can help students to realize the power that lies within themselves through yoga, meditation and ceremony.Its such a colonial mindset to think that you know everything and that you have mastery over something. Im always changing and evolving. I’m always going to be a student before I’m a teacher. I continue to seek out new instructors from the lineage because I still have a lot more to learn. Whether youre Indigenous or from another background, we have so much to teach one another.Next: This Soap Brand Is Sharing the Healing Power of Inuit Tradition

The post Shayla Stonechild: Yoga Is a Tool for Healing—One that I’m Sharing with My Community appeared first on Best Health.

How scoliosis is diagnosed

While anyone can get scoliosis, and experts aren’t positive what causes the issue, it usually occurs in children 11 years old or older and happens in girls more often than boys.Many people find out they have scoliosis in school when getting their spine alignment checked by a school nurse or doctor, says Loren Fishman, MD, director of Manhattan Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.Other times, someone might experience pain, often in the lower ribs or the back, typically (but not always) on the side that’s bulging.A patient might also notice that their clothes don’t fit quite right, Dr. Fishman says. Those who are older may also experience degenerative scoliosis, which might come with side effects like breathing issues or strains in heart function, Dr. Fishman adds.An X-ray will confirm a scoliosis diagnosis.While scoliosis doesn’t typically limit someone’s ability to live a normal life, it can affect a patient’s range of motion in all directions, says physical therapist Peter Bowman, assistant professor in the department of physical therapy and rehabilitation science at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.These limitations can show up due to a prominent shoulder blade, a rib hump, or shoulder and or pelvic asymmetries, causing one hip to be higher than the other.”This may lead to discomfort or difficulty with movement that requires twisting and turning, reaching, and cardiovascular endurance,” Bowman says. “Commonly, this causes difficulty walking, lifting, carrying objects, or participating in sports.”(Related: Muscle Imbalance: Signs and How to Fix It)

How do you treat scoliosis?

Sometimes scoliosis just requires monitoring the curve in the spine, so it doesn’t get worse.For other patients, it might require a brace, physical therapy, or in some cases, surgery.(Related: 6 Helpful Products for Lower Back Pain)

The benefits of exercise, yoga, and stretching for scoliosis

Bowman says strengthening the core and ensuring proper spine positioning can help those with scoliosis experience less pain and limitations.”Generally, it is recommended to remain active and identify activities that do not aggravate an individual’s symptoms,” he says.A physical therapist can help determine stretches and exercises that work best for each individual and how and when to do them.”Physical therapy may also help to increase balance, spine mobility, and cardiovascular conditioning,” he adds.”Strengthening and stretching for the mid- and lower-back, hips and shoulders may help with an individual’s symptoms as well.”To explain the benefits of these yoga stretches for scoliosis and strengthening the body to counteract the curve, Dr. Fishman says to think of the body as a tent pole, with many lines pulling down on all sides to keep the pole upright.”We’re vertical because muscles pull us symmetrically,” he says. “But if the muscles on one side are stronger or the lines tighter, then the pole would curve to one side.”If they pull to the right, then the ribs on the left would splay out.”So if you look at scoliosis as strength on one side, then we want to strengthen the convex side,” or the outer angle, he explains.Ingrid Yang, MD, a yoga instructor and physician, says since postural muscles are integral in causing scoliosis, strength, and endurance are the main goals in non-surgical treatment of scoliosis.(Related: Simple Desk Stretches to Improve Posture)

Scoliosis stretches and yoga moves to consider

Dr. Fishman often incorporates yoga exercises into his work with patients and has studied the practice’s effects on the spine’s curve.According to one of his studies published in Global Advances in Health and Medicine, the side plank pose, in particular (done on the side opposite the bulge), works to lower the degree of the curve.Another one of Dr. Fishman’s studies, also published in Global Advances in Health and Medicine, supports the idea of practicing side plank, along with half-moon pose.Dr. Yang also mentions isometric yoga postures may help reduce the asymmetrical curvature that causes scoliosis and aches associated with the condition.Dr. Fishman does suggest working with a professional to make sure you’re performing the moves correctly and in a way that will help the curvature, even if you’re familiar with these exercises.(Related: How to Relieve Stress, Bloating, and Fatigue With Yoga)

Exercises to avoid if you have scoliosis

The best way to determine what exercises to avoid is to work with a professional, according to all the experts we spoke to.Someone who knows your body, and specific scoliosis symptoms and curvature, can better help you with the aches and pains you might be feeling, while protecting you from making the curvature, and any symptoms, worse.Dr. Fishman also cautions against focusing on increasing flexibility or range of motion.”Stretching to increase range of motion can also increase spinal curves,” he says. “Don’t try to become more flexible. Instead, concentrate on strengthening the convex side of the curve or curves.”Is working from home hurting your back? Check out WFH Back Pain: How to Solve Desk Back Pain

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This feels like a loaded question these days, but how are you doing?

I feel like I have the tools to manage the current situation, and Im staying busy. That is helping me be well.

What exactly is helping you right now?

Having a routine that is setI sleep at the same time and wake up at the same time. I may not be on my [yoga] mat every day, but I read about philosophy, meditate or focus on my concentration, do some breathing exercises or participate in acts of service every day. Any time I’m doing an element of yoga, it helps improve my mood.

Are these tools youve always had or ones youve developed over time?

When I was working [in my early 20s as a financial analyst] on Wall Street, I had no tools. I was very stressed, and my mind was very busy. When I moved to New York City, I was living by myself. So already, that was taking me away from my support systemand I didn’t know then about yoga or meditation. I was drinking and partying instead. But I learned a lot from that experience. I learned the impact of stress on the body and the importance of family and friends. I learned to ask for help when I needed it. I experienced the right amount of stress so that it was a catalyst to look for the tools to cope.(Related:This is LanguishingThe Mental State Many of Us Are Experiencing Right Now)

A lot of people think of stress as a bad thing, but it sounds like thats not your outlook.

I dont think all stress is bad. If you have no stress, you have no action. You need the momentum to get you going. There is no life without stress. So its something you have to tamein French, we say apprivoiserunderstand and then work with as you navigate through life.

At its core, wellness is about people caring for themselves. So how did the industry become so white?

There is one word that can describe it all: capitalism. When people realized they could make a profit, it changed the nature of wellness. The wellness industry is a multi-trillion-dollar industry. So when people stand to gain something, sometimes they’re thinking of the bottom line and not enough about the people they should be serving.

What have you observed through your own experience?

The wealth created by this industry doesn’t necessarily trickle down to people like me. I had an experience where I was doing the same exact position as someone else [who was white]. That person was paid 20 percent more, and we did the same training. The only difference between her and me appeared to be skin colour. So the wellness industry is really a microcosm for the rest of society. When we see systemic discrimination or systemic racism in society, well, the wellness industry is not really exempt from those types of behaviours.(Related: 8 Women Share the Impact the Pandemic Has Had on Their Mental Health)

As an inclusion consultant for the wellness industry, you engage with these issues. What has that been like?

It’s been an eye-opening experience to see how much people want to know and how much they don’t know. Theres so much that needs to be done as internal workunderstanding our own biases and history. One client came to me, and she wanted to do anti-racism training. However, her intention was to do one hour for all her employees. One hour is not sufficient when people are starting out at a place where they have zero information about race relations or the history of racist policies.

Last summer, we saw a long overdue racial reckoning in the wellness industry. Have you seen meaningful change since then?

I have seen efforts, some performative, some sincerebut often still without the resources to back them up, or treating racialized people as tokens but not paying them what they’re worth or having anti-racist policies. Studios, gyms and institutions need to put more resources towards the things they say they are committed to.

How do you create inclusive spaces in your classes?

I think it starts with inviting people into the practice. That notion of good vibes only is dangerous. We all have a range of emotion, and allowing people to come to class with that range of emotion is healthy. Mental health is essential, and there is no shame in taking care of yourself and your health. Showing vulnerability and being open gives people permission to be themselves as well.And I like to remind my students that there’s nothing to be achieved in the class. Everywhere else in the world, they’re being told to perform. Having, in that one hour or 45 minutes, permission to just be instead of doI feel like that’s freedom.(Related: What Being in the Mountains for Three Days Taught Me About My Health)

Have you adjusted how you teach yoga to meet peoples needs right now?

I really take the time to ask how they’re doing, how they’re arriving today and then how we can use those emotions in our practice.

So if someone had a tough day, what would you do?

I ask my students about their energy levels and then, with that, I adjust the level of intensity of the classso I know not to give them a power vinyasa class when they’re depressed. I also adjust my narration so I can say things that are nurturing for where they are at that moment.

This past year has been a time of immense challenge but also change. What do you hope the wellness industry looks like in the future?

Beyond just representation, we need meaningful conversations where everyone is involved and we are given not just a seat at the table but the power to make decisions that impact our health and the health of people like us.This interview has been edited and condensed.Next, Hayley Wickenheiser describes what working on the frontlines of the pandemic has been like.

The post “For Me, Self-Care Is Self-Compassion” appeared first on Best Health.

It’s not something you like to think about while trying to meditate but it’s easy to see how yoga mats can quickly become germ factories, says Maria Striemer, RN, a nurse who’s seen plenty of community-acquired infections and the senior scientific communications manager at P&G Home Care.

(Related: Meghan Markle Uses Yoga to Fight Jet Lag)

Contracting cellulitis from a yoga mat

“I got cellulitis on my hand from a yoga mat,” says Jess P., 36, of Denver. She had a small cut on her finger that she’d forgotten to cover with a bandage before attending her regular hot yoga class. She used a yoga mat provided by the studio, placing her bare hands and feet on it.

Soon after class, she noticed that the spot had become painful and swollen. She had washed it with soap and water, but within hours it was throbbing. By bedtime, the redness had moved up past her knuckle and onto her hand; by morning, it was up to her wrist. She called her doctor, who told her to go to urgent care immediately.”The pain was almost unbearable by that point, and I couldn’t close my hand at all,” she says. “I couldn’t believe it had escalated so quickly.”

She was diagnosed with cellulitis, a serious bacterial infection, likely from bacteria on the studio yoga mat getting into the cut on her finger. It took two different antibiotics and nearly a month before the infection had cleared up. If the second antibiotic hadn’t worked, she says she was told she would need surgery to remove the infected area.

The only surprising thing about Jess’s story is that we don’t hear about this type of thing more often. And that’s just one of the many infections you can catch at the gym.

Yoga mats: the perfect breeding ground for germs

The combination of bare feet and the moisture from your sweat and the studio create the perfect environment for fungi, viruses, and bacteria to thrive. These are the same bacteria that can cause skin conditions like rashes, plantar warts, ringworm, impetigo, and athlete’s foot among others, says Streimer.

It’s bad enough getting up close and personal with your own germs. If you’re using a mat provided by a gym or yoga studio, multiply all that sweat, breath molecules, dead skin, and foot germs by dozens of people. It’s a recipe for ick.

You’re contending with more than just warts, red rashes, or itchy toes. Yoga mats can also be breeding grounds for more dangerous germs, including pathogenic bacteria, Streimer adds.

(Related: 11 Common Tricks for Avoiding Germs That Actually Dont Work)

What the science says

There may not be much research linking yoga mats to bacteria, fungi, and viruses, but one thing is clear: Gym equipment is covered in germs.

For a study published in 2014 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers swabbed a variety of surfaces, including floor mats, at four different 24-hour gyms in the United States. Gym surfaces and equipment were covered in bacteria: Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, and Micrococcus bacteria, with Staphylococcus being the most prevalent. These aren’t bugs you want to mess around with; a staph infection at the very least is unsightly and annoying and in some cases can even be deadly.

Beyond germs, you need to also worry about environmental contaminants, like dirt, dust, pet hair, and even fecal matter tracked in on shoes or unwashed hands, says Natalie Barrett, a cleaning expert and quality supervisor for Nifty Cleaning Services, which specializes in cleaning specialty fabrics like upholstery, leather, rugs, fitness flooring, and yoga mats. Not only can they mess up your cute yoga pants but they can carry germs or cause allergic reactions in some people.

Yoga has a lot of health benefitsit’s even been shown to provide a natural boost to your immune systemyet the equipment you use may increase your risk of illness. There is a simple solution: Always use your own personal yoga mat and clean and sanitize it regularly.

Types of yoga mats

To know how to properly clean your yoga mat, first, you have to figure out what type you have, says Diana Rodriguez-Zaba, cleaning specialist certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration and president of deep-cleaning company ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba. Here are the most common materials used to make yoga mats and how susceptible they are to microbes.

PVC

The most common material used for yoga mats is PVC, a synthetic plastic. It’s spongy and slightly sticky, allowing you to grip the mat with your skin. However, these mats are not environmentally friendly. They also welcome germs with open arms because they are “open-celled.” That is, they’re porous and absorb sweat, as opposed to closed-celled mats that have slicker surfaces but resist water and are therefore easier to clean.

Rubber

Natural rubber is a top choice for serious yogis because it’s eco-friendly and has a good cushion and grip. These mats can be quite expensive, but germs stay mainly on the surface so they’re a little easier to clean than PVC.

Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE)

This blend of rubber and plastic offers the best of both worlds, allowing them to be long-lasting and comfortable but also recyclable. But perhaps the best part is they can be made antimicrobial, repelling germs and making them very easy to clean.

Cotton

Cotton or other natural fibers make soft, comfortable yoga mats, but on their own, they may slide around and provide less grip. They’re also the most likely to grow germs because they absorb sweat and other fluids, and they may harbor germs and dirt, particularly if your mat isn’t allowed to dry completely between uses.

(Related: 15 Best Yoga Mats on Amazon)

A two-step process to a safe, clean yoga mat

Think about the last time you cleaned your yoga mat. Was it just a quick pass with a spray or cleaning wipe? Can you even remember the last time?When it comes to caring for your mat, you need to both disinfect it (to kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi) and clean it (to remove dirt, debris, fluids, hair, and stains). “You need to do both to fully sanitize your mat,” Striemer says.

And don’t trust your gym or studio to do this properly. In the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health study, researchers pointed to a lack of cleanliness on the part of gyms as one reason so many surfaces were covered in bacteria.It’s always better to clean your mat before and after you use it, just to be safe. This is just one of the secrets that yoga instructors wish you knew.

Before doing anything to your own mat, start by checking the manufacturer’s website or package insert for the specific instructions for your mat as mats made from special material or with particular finishes require specialized care, says Striemer.

Disinfecting your yoga mat

You should be disinfecting your yoga mat after each use, says Rodriquez-Zaba.As soon as the class is over, spray both sides down with a disinfectant yoga mat spray. Wait 10 minutes to allow the spray to work, then wipe both sides with a clean microfiber cloth.

The type of disinfecting spray you need will depend on the type of yoga mat you have. PVC and elastomer can stand up to harsh chemical disinfectants like bleach, but with rubber mats you’ll need to use a vinegar-based cleaner so you don’t ruin the surface. Cotton mats just absorb liquids, so sprays aren’t as effective.

Many yoga mat companies sell disinfecting spray designed to work with their mats, but you can also make your own, says Barrett. Combine equal parts vinegar and water, and add several drops of tea tree oil, a natural antibacterial, in a spray bottle. For extra protection, you can finish by spraying the mat with an antimicrobial sprayStriemer recommends Microban 24.

Note: People who do yoga in a gym or studio should follow any Covid-19 disinfecting procedures, as most places have their own protocols for public safety.

(Related: 18 Vinegar Cleaning Hacks Thatll Save You Money)

Cleaning your yoga mat

Depending on how often you use your mat, you should be cleaning it one to four times a month, says Barrett.

A simple dish-soap-and-water solution works for cleaning every type of mat. You can use a spray bottle to lightly coat both sides. For a more thorough clean, put it in a bathtub partially filled with soapy water. Lightly scrub any obvious spots or marks with a gentle cloth. Rinse with clean water and hang to dry.

Never use a bristled brush or any tool that may tear the mat, and be careful to not scrub so hard that you eliminate the sticky finish, adds Striemer.

Some cotton mats can be cleaned and disinfected in a washing machine; check the care instructions for your mat. Mats should not be dried in a tumble drier. The process can alter the size and shape, and cause mats to wear out sooner.

Pro tips for keeping your yoga mat clean

There are a few other things you can do to keep your mat clean between washings and reduce the risk of germs, according to our experts.

• Use a yoga towel, a large piece of fabric specifically designed to cover a mat without slipping. It’s especially helpful during hot, sweaty classes and can be washed in hot water after every use.
• Let it air out. Don’t roll your mat up immediately after cleaning. Damp sweat and even residual cleaning spray can provide a breeding ground for bacteria, so let your mat hang in your home or in a shady spot outdoors.
• Keep it out of direct sunlight. Prolonged exposure to heat or the sun can damage your mat, and damaged mats are more likely to breed germs and gather dirt.
• Fold it in half before rolling. Bring the bottom of your mat up to the top, so the yoga surface is only touching itself, then roll the folded mat from the bottom up. This way the floor side is never in contact with the yoga side.
• Use a carrying bag. Store and carry your yoga mat in a breathable tote rather than using a strap or your hands.

A clean yogi is a happy yogi

Yoga has a host of amazing health benefits so don’t let a fear of germs or dirt keep you from practicing it, either at home or in a gym or studio. You can’t eliminate all yucky stuff, but do your best to keep your mat clean and sanitized. Then let it go.

“The art of practicing yoga can help provide peace to your mind, body, and soul,” says Striemer. “Don’t let worries about a dirty yoga mat distract you from that.”

Now that you know how to clean your yoga mat, learn which everyday ailments you can relieve with yoga.

The post How to Clean Your Yoga Mat the Right Way appeared first on Best Health.

The hottest yoga wear in Canada

Wear something from Lululemon and you get hooked. But while the Vancouver success story still corners the market, there’s a second wave of Canadian-designed athletic fashion brands finding their own niches to keep us looking and feeling good both on and off the mat. Some have retail stores, while others sell their creations online only. Here are some of the trendiest Canadian yoga wear brands.(Related: 6 Things to Look for When Shopping for Yoga Pants)

Daub + Design

If youve grown tired of your basic black yoga leggings and tanks, youre going to greatly appreciate Daub + Design. The Vancouver-based womens activewear line was founded in 2010 by Lexi Soukoreff, whose background is in textile design so it’s no wonder why it’s rife with dreamy prints and interesting designs. The pieces are cut from sustainable fabrics that are hand-dyed or printed with designs by Soukoreff, so no two pieces are alike.Our fabrics are all super soft and designed for comfort both for active days and your every day, says Soukoreff. Everything can be paired with pieces in our sustainable basics line.Our favourite items? Their leggings: Try Daub + Designs tie-dye bottoms or tone-on-tone animal prints. If youre looking for a more subtle pick, try one of their shiny black options. Across the line, sizes range from extra small to extra large, and a variety of styles are available.(Related: Yoga for Weight Loss: 6 Moves to Get in Shape Fast)

Azur

Been living in your yoga wear lately? We all have. And that’s exactly what was Azur founder Erin Ward-Williams’ vision: to create comfortable, versatile clothing that all women can (and will want to) wear all day long.”As a fitness professional, when I took a look in my closet, I noticed some gaps in the market when it came to athletic wear and wanted to create pieces for females with curves that would compliment the natural female form,” says Ward-Williams. “I was surprised to notice that most brands didn’t offer sizes over XL, and was eager to bring a more diverse size range to the table.”Known for their high-waisted bottoms, trendy bike shorts and flattering crop tops, Azur offers sizing from 0 to 18, in a range of pretty colours like lavender, Bordeaux, and eggplant. Prefer to do yoga in looser-fitting attire? The brand also oversized sweatshirts and sweatpants at sizes XS to 3XL.(Related: 6 of the Best Leggings for Exercising Indoors)

Lol

The name, which stands for “Live Out Loud Everyday,” was hatched by Evelyn Trempe and huband ric D’Anjou, who had launched the ski apparel brand Orage in 1989. In 2000, they noticed an opportunity in the outdoor market. “The clothing at that time was very masculine,” says Trempe. “It was all about performance and not look.” She knew they could make more fashion forward high-tech clothes for women. Two years later, Lol was launched. The company used its contacts at Sporting Life in Canada and REI in the U.S. to get the line onto store shelves.Today, Lol puts out around 350 styles a year, including yoga basics but also outerwear and dresses. In 2010, Trempe and her team launched the first Atelier Lol store in Montreal. Now there are over 50most of them in Canada, with several in France and the U.S. They also sell at many other retailers and online.Trempe continues to push for what she considers Lol’s key principles: technical sophistication, femininity, versatility, and comfort. As an avid skier, cyclist and runner, she ensures the company is creating fashions for women like herself. “We really want women to feel good inside and out.”(Related: 6 Canadian Sports Bras for Bigger Busts)

Titika

When Toronto-based personal trainer Susan Bosley wanted a thin-strapped workout top with a built-in bra, she suggested it to her favourite brand, Titika Active Couture. As one of the company’s so-called “advocates,” she offers feedback and promotes the line. A few months later, the Susan Tank was for sale in Titika’s retail and online stores.Fast, flexible and fun: That’s what this Toronto-based brand is about. Titika’s owner, Eileen Zhang, first started working with Courtney Brooke, while both were studying fashion business at George Brown College. Upon graduating in 2009, Zhang decided to do an athletic-wear line, and Brooke soon came on board to handle marketing and branding. The name came from Zhang’s son, William, who, one day, was dancing and singing “Ti-ti-ka! Ti-ti-ka!” She hoped the brand would have that much zest and energy.Zhang had products ready and in a few studios that same year. A location soon became available in Toronto’s Beach neighbourhood, and she decided to open her own storefront. Zhang reached out to contacts in her native Hong Kong to set up a small factory there, which allows her to retain control over the manufacturing process. The company releases new items every few weeks. A capri pant may appear one week with additional lace or a ruffle on the bottom; a hoodie may get a different treatment from month to month with different fabrics.Along with a brisk online business, the company operates three stores in Ontario.(Related: 6 Of The Most Soothing Yoga Poses To Help You Sleep Better)

Sportive Plus

Leave it to two teachers to understand the need for inclusion. Former phys-ed teachers Andr Claude and Ginette Leduc founded Sportive Plus to fill the diversity gap in the market and create activewear that’s reasonably priced and offers plus sizes exclusively.Claude and Leduc knew there was a demand for plus-size activewear, and, more specifically, clothing for all women to wear for everything from low-impact at-home workouts to serious sports and challenges something the founders know a thing or two about. Claude was once one of the top javelin throwers in the world and made it to the Olympic Games in Munich, while Leduc took on the Everest Gokyo trek, twice.Sportive Plus offers a range of pieces including, of course, yoga pants, and also outerwear like fleece jackets, that make it easier to stay active in the cold weather. The Quebec-based company has a national e-comm site, offering free shipping over $150 and free returns.(Related: How to Choose The Right Type of Yoga For You)

Michi

If you were in New York City in the spring of 2010 and were working out all the time, you might have run into the most fashionable Canadian fitness buff in town, Michelle Watson. The designer had just left a job creating sportswear for Ralph Laurenshe’d already designed for Donna Karan and Kate Spade since arriving in NYC in 2004 to study fashionand was now testing out her own line, Michi. “I wanted to make stuff that was more creative. It’s hard to do that with a big company,” says Watson.After testing her custom-designed pieces during dance, yoga and martial arts classes, she came out with a small line that focused on undergarments. No one, she felt, was making a bra that was comfortable and looked great, yet still offered good support and shape.Watson and her sexy products got media attention right away, even before the collection hit stores in Canada. “I was lucky. I didn’t have time to do any public relations, but bloggers and the media found me through my website,” she says.That summer, Watson decided to move back to Toronto, where she now manufactures her line of clothing. She rents office space in one of the factories where her clothing is made, partly so that she can help the sewers handle the intricate use of lace and mesh on the pieces.These days, the line includes superhero and lingerie-inspired leggings, jackets, bras, and tops. To Watson, it’s the combination of design, detail and fabric that makes the pieces work outside of the gym, too. She says: “When you wear Michi on an airplane to be comfortable, it looks like you dressed up for your flight.”(Related: 15 Best Yoga Mats on Amazon)

TerraFrog

“You have extra large, honey; no one has extra large!” cried actress Yvette Nicole Brown when she first spied TerraFrog Clothing Corp’s Pop Bottle Hoodie. The curvy American actress, from TV’s Community, along with a number of other Hollywood types discovered the Alberta-based label when entrepreneurial sisters Cori and Bobbi Windsor attended an Emmy party last fall. Their success there further entrenched the five-year-old company’s unique appeal: great-fitting athletic clothes in all sizes.The brand came about in 2007 when they spent a leave togetherCori was doing her master’s degree in nursing and Bobbi was on a maternity leave with her second child and doing her master’s in education. That’s when they realized they could not find good-quality, Canadian-made workout gear that covered their long arms and torsos (Cori is five-foot-nine and Bobbi is six-feet). Although they had no fashion experience, they started making drawings, sourcing fabricsparticularly eco-friendly ones like bambooand working with an experienced pattern maker to realize their ideas. A year later, they had their first line, made at factories in Alberta and Ontario, and started selling online. “We wanted to take it slow, get our feet wet,” says Cori. Soon retailers started contacting them, and TerraFrog is now sold in many stores across Canada.The early designs were quite funky, but the sisters now stick to their top-selling basics: sturdy workout jackets, mid-rise bottoms and carefully fitted tanks.Next: Sweaty Betty, the UKs Popular Yoga-Wear Line, Is Now Available in Canada

The post 7 Amazing Canadian Yoga Wear Brands (That Aren’t Lululemon) appeared first on Best Health.

What you need to know

Not only can there be a cardio element to a yoga practice, but the mindfulness that yogis cultivate can help curb mindless eatingin fact, yoga can do a lot for your brain. Yoga for weight loss also promotes the discipline you need to make healthful living a permanent lifestyle habit.”Yoga is about lengthening muscles and integrating muscles to your bones,” says Olivia Young, the founder of Box + Flow, a workout studio that combines yoga and boxing. “Yoga uses bodyweight to engage every muscle using strength, core integration, alignment, and stability making it great to boost weight loss.”To bring a cardio element to the yoga flow outlined by Young, think of this series of movements as a circuit where one move flows into the next (read: don’t take breaks!). Young recommends doing each move for about 30 seconds (so each set of six is about three minutes). Repeat the six-move flow five times.(Related: How Mindful Eating Can Help You Lose Weight)

Downward dog

Start the flow in downward facing dog: Hands and balls of the feet planted on the mat, and imagine a string attached to your tailbone lifting your rear into the air. Make sure your hips are up and back. It’s very important you keep your core tight (think belly button pressing into the spine). Your hands should be firmly grounded and your heels should be pushed as close to the floor as possible. Your gaze should be towards your feet. “Every muscle should be engaged,” says Young. “Take deep breathsinhale and exhaleto heat up your body.”(Related: Amazing Canadian Yoga Wear BrandsThat Arent Lululemon)

Moving plank

Roll your weight forward and straighten your body into high plank pose. Your hands should be pressing firmly down, your thighs squeezing together, and your ankles pressing towards the back of the room. Suck your belly into your spine and make sure your hips are in line with the floor. “Everything should be pulled into the center line of your body with this move,” says Young. She reminds you to breathe deeper. “You will start to feel your body shake. Lower down to a forearm planka belly fat reducer!and hold.” Take care to keep your elbows directly under your shoulder. Hold for a few breaths and then go back up to high plank. Alternate high and low plank.(Related: 5 Ways to Get the Most Out of A Plank)

Locust pose

Lay on your stomach with your arms by your sides and your legs hip-width apart; rest your forehead on the mat. Inhale as you raise your head and look forward, and then reach your arms back towards your feet as you raise your chest off the ground. If you can, interlace your fingers behind your back. Now use your inner thigh muscles to lift your legs up. Keep your chest lifted and as you exhale, release.(Related: 10 Yoga Stretches That Help Banish Belly Bloating)

Side angle

Raise back up into downward dog. Now, crawl your feet towards your hands and stand up. Step back into a side lunge: Your right leg bent at the knee is a 90-degree angle, your left leg straight out, foot at a right angle to your right foot; your trunk and head you be facing to the left side of your mat. Inhale, and then exhale as you extend your body out over your right thigh. Hang your right arm down and place the hand inside your right foot. Reach your left arm up over your head. Hold for a few breaths and then press into your feet and, as you exhale, extend up through your left arm as you stand up straight. Repeat on the opposite side.(Related: 3 Everyday Ailments You Can Relieve With Yoga)

Boat pose

Sit on the mat with your knees bent, feet flat. With your spine straight, lean back from the hips slightly as you straighten your legs, feet in the air. Keep your chest lifted as you extend your arms forward so that they’re in line with your shoulders. Balance on your sit bones for 30 seconds and then exhale as you lower your arms and legs.(Related: 5 Strength-Training Moves for Your Best-Ever Posture)

Bridge

Lay on your back and bend your knees to bring your heels in towards your backside. With your feet flat on your mat, arms planted at your sides and palms flat on the ground, push into your feet and palms as you lift your mid-body up toward the ceiling. Hold.Next: How Meghan Markle Fights Jet Lag

The post Yoga for Weight Loss: 6 Moves to Get in Shape Fast appeared first on Best Health.

Yoga Stretches for Belly Bloating

The health benefits of yoga are by now well documented. They include reducing lower back pain and neck pain, easing depression and anxiety, aiding in weight loss and smoking cessation, as well as managing chronic diseases.A study published in 2015 inEvidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicinesuggests that yoga may also help with bloating. Thats a problem that affects around one in three adults, according to a study published in 2019 in Advances in Therapy.”Because so many of the different postures centre around your core, they can help bring focus to your abdomen,” says Keri Gans,RDN, registered dietitian nutritionist and certified yoga teacher in New York City and host ofThe Keri Report podcast. “The other thing is the de-stressing that can occur. Anything we do to decrease our stress levels is beneficial in more ways than we can understand.”Bloating can be the result of simply breathing in too much air or a sign of something more serious like celiac disease (if it’s combined with other symptoms). If you suspect you have a medical condition that needs treatment, contact a healthcare professional, but for run-of-the-mill bloatingwhich affects all of us at one time or anotherthese yoga moves from Gans may help. (Also, check out the daily habits that can flatten your stomach.)

Knees-to-chest

Aptly known as “the wind-relieving pose,” this simple move delivers when it comes to relieving digestive woes. By bringing the knees to the chest”the closer to your chest the more beneficial it may be,” says Gansyou can soothe your stomach by improving digestion to release the buildup of gas. Start by lying flat on your back, arms resting at your side. Take a deep breath in, then on your exhale bend the knees and slowly bring them up to your chest, hugging your legs into your body. From here, you can gently rock from side to side, raise your chin toward your knees, or alternate bringing your knees to your chest one leg at a time. Hold for up to one minute.

Cat/Cow

A feel-good move to relieve pressure in the back, chest, and neck, Cat/Cow works to reduce bloating by stretching and contracting the abdomen with each motion, says Gans. Start by positioning yourself on your hands and knees, keeping knees hip-width apart, and arms shoulder-width apart. As you inhale, raise your head and tailbone toward the ceiling, looking up at the sky as you bend your back. As you exhale, round the head and tailbone down, creating a deep arch with your back. Try this combo around eight to 10 times, or as needed throughout the day. (You can also try these remedies to reduce bloating.)

Child’s Pose

Child’s pose is known as a “grounding pose,” and one you can always come back to relieve pain associated with bloating by applying pressure to the lower abdomen. To find child’s pose, kneel on the floor, hips resting on the heels of your feet. Bending at the waist, keep arms by your side or reach them out in front of you and slowly crawl your fingers forward, stretching as far as is comfortably possible. (“If arms are by your side, its soothing and if they’re reached out it’s more active,” notes Gans. “Both are de-bloating.”) Once you’re settled, breath in and out for about 20 to 30 seconds, before walking yourself back into an upright position with your hands. Repeat as many times as you like.

Standing Forward Fold

The Standing Forward Fold is a simple pose that works to relieve bloating by warming up the belly to promote circulation, helping those digestive juices flow. Standing upright with your hands on your hips, take a deep inhale, and as you exhale bend forward at the waist, taking care to keep a straight back and spine. “If thats difficult feel free to bend your knees and rest your upper body on the top of your thighs,” says Gans. Depending on your flexibility, you can place your hands on the floor, behind your neck, or even just allow them to hang, swaying gently from side to side. To release, slowly roll the body back upright, taking a minute to center your breath once you reach your starting position.

Seated Forward Fold

The deep stretch found within a Seated Forward Fend applies a lot of pressure to the abdominal muscles, diminishing discomfort with every breath. (This one does go a little deeper than the Standing Forward Fold, so try not to push too far past what feels comfortable.) Seated on the floor, stretch your legs straight out in front of you, feet slightly apart. Then, bend forward at the hips, reaching toward your feet, keeping your back as straight as possible, says Gans. “If you’re just folding over, you wont get the same benefit as you do with a straight spine.” Take a few deep breaths once you’ve reached as far as you can, and use your hands to slowly guide your way back into an upright position. (Learn the ways you’re breathing wrong.)

Bow Pose

Lie on your belly with your hands alongside your torso, palms up. Inhale as you lift your chest, head, and the tops of your ribs off the floor; exhale. On your next inhalation, lift your legs off the floor. Rock back and forth to gently massage your abdomen, says Gans. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.

Seated Twist

Much like a wet towel, the Seated Twist works to “wring out” any air trapped within the abdomen while improving blood flow to vital organs. Start by sitting on the floor, legs outstretched. Bend the right knee and bring your right leg over the left, resting the foot just to the outside of the left thigh. Turning your torso toward your bent leg, bring the right arm around the right knee, inhale to lengthen the spine, and twist the body away from the leg. “Twist further on the exhale so that youre working another part of your abdomen,” suggests Gans. For a modified version, sit upright in a chair and point both legs in one direction. Turning your torso in the opposite direction, use your hands to grip the back of the seat, slowly twisting. You can also try the reclining twist.

Revolved Triangle

The Revolved Triangle is “another form of a twist,” notes Gans. “It encompasses your total abdominal area.” Begin in a lunge with your right foot forward. Straighten your front leg and hop your back foot in to place your heel on the ground. Place your left hand on the floor or a block, to the inside of your right foot. Place your right hand to your right hip, keeping your right hip behind you. Extend the crown of your head forward, then turn your torso toward your right leg. Lift your right arm toward the ceiling. Keep rooting down through your left heel and turn your gaze to the ceiling. Hold for 5-10 breaths, then release back to the lunge. Repeat on the other side.

Plank

Begin in a push-up position, face down, with your forearms and toes on the floor. Your elbows should be directly under your shoulders and your forearms facing forward. Engage your abdominal muscles, drawing your navel toward your spine. Keep your torso straight and your body in a straight line, head to toe. Your heels should be over the balls of your feet. Hold for one to four breaths, then release to the floor. “If you’re doing the plank correctly your should feel it in your abdomen, not your shoulders,” says Gans. “Make sure your butt isnt too high or sagging toward the ground. The strength should be coming from your core.” Check out these harder-working plank variations, courtesy of Jillian Michaels.

Deep Breathing

It sounds simple, but this is actually the most important move of them all. Yoga is all about connecting with the breath, and the simple act of deep breathing exercises can work to help reduce stress and anxiety, which some researchers believe may directly affect your digestive functions. This exercise is ideal for anyone looking to unwind or center themselves, and can easily be practiced pretty much anytime, anywhere. Sit in a comfortable position, soften the face, close your eyes, and alternate inhaling to four counts, then exhaling to four counts. Keeping your spine elongated (you can imagine a string pulling you upward from the top of your head). “Nothing works wonders more than a deep breath,” says Gans, who recommends adding a mantra for extra de-stressing benefits. “Pick a word or phrase that has meaning to you, such as ‘Let’ on the inhale and ‘Go’ on the exhale.”

Next, learn why you’re bloated to begin with and more ways to beat it.

The post 10 Yoga Stretches That Help Banish Belly Bloating appeared first on Best Health.

Tadasana

Tadasana, or mountain pose, is a staple in yoga practices to work total balance. While it may seem like an inactive pose, it helps to focus the body and overall awareness while improving balance and posture. With your feet parallel and hip width distance apart, stand with your shoulders relaxed and gaze forward. As you inhale, bring your arms up and overhead next to your ears, again pulling the shoulders down. Exhale as your bring your arms back to your sides. Alison West, PhD and ERYT, says this may not feel like a strengthening exercise, but you are opening the front of the chest, increasing breathing capacity, and blood circulation, necessary health factors when building muscle strength.

Danielle Prager of Jivamuukti Yoga reminds us even in Tadasana the energy is moving up the back and down the legs. By nourishing and strengthening tissues, West says you are elevating your mood and building physical confidence. (Plus, here’s how yoga can help treat stress, bloating, and fatigue.)

Standing plank

Connecting the legs to the spine is critical [to] how you stand up, says West. If you dont know basic posture, its going to be hard to have basic balance. To modify traditional plank, try a standing plank by coming into a plank position against the wall. This will change your relationship to gravity, West says, and will help to strengthen your front core. Engage your muscles by extending your arms out and pushing against the wall, keeping your shoulders down and relaxed. To add on, lift your heels for calf strengthening and foot flexibility work, both important in overall balance. You can move into a side plank by shifting to one arm and opening the chest, adjusting your feet by walking them out a little more. Be sure to switch sides. (Try to challenge yourself with these dynamic plank variations that work your whole body.)

Doorframe movements

No need for fancy exercise instruments here. West recommends using a doorframe to give yourself a sense of axle extension along your spine, bringing your lower abdominal muscles into play. Put yourself on the corner of a doorframe, with your heels near the corner, sacrum on the corner, thoracic spine on the corner, and just bend the knees and lengthen up along that as if youre trying to be measured, West says. You can additionally use the frame to begin to do standing poses, such as Warrior 1. All standing poses begin to build core strength, says West, which ultimately helps you keep upright and balanced. To take Warrior 1 inside the doorframe, bring your hands to the frame once more. Come into a high lunge, bending the front knee and stepping the back foot out at about a 45-degree angle. Hold this position for a few breaths, then switch sides.

Seat of Isis

Prager says immediate benefits of balance work include better posture and a relief from the physical ailments that accompany slouching, leaning, and compressing the body. Learning to balance on your feet can lead to increased confidence, better fitting clothing, and fewer falls and bone fractures, Prager says. Coming to a relaxed standing pose, extend the left foot forward, bringing it one to two inches off the floor. As you exhale, flex the left foot; as you inhale, point the foot. Repeat this motion three times, then inhale and step down with the ball of the left foot as the right heel comes up. Begin to bend both knees as you float your arms to shoulder height, palms facing up. Inhale and turn the palms down as you begin to straighten the legs once more. Exhale bend and inhale extend five times on the balls of your feet. On your final exhale, drop the right heel and bring your left foot back, drawing it to the chest if you are able. Bring both heels together, then repeat the movements with your right foot extended forward. (Learn how to choose the right type of yoga for you.)

Bending tree

To come into a bending tree, stand first in mountain pose, rooting the corner of your feet to the ground. Inhale and begin to bring your left knee toward your chest, then exhale as you turn it out and place it against your right inner thigh or calf, avoiding the right knee. Once youre here, Prager says to bring your hands to a prayer position at heart center. To move on, bring your hands slowly overhead, then begin to exhale as you begin bending to your left side. Lean for five breaths. Inhale and slowly begin to come back to your standing tree, then gently release. Switch sides. Practise this exercise with the support of a wall as you gradually develop your balance.

Navasana

Prager reiterates that it is important to remember that balance does not just mean our feet, which is why yoga practitioners will balance on their hands, head, and seat. Asana means seat, and seat is your connection to the earth, she says. All of the poses in general are beneficial to core strength as we are conducting the energy from the Earth to the Sky. You have to press down to lift up, so the energy moves up and down, through the core. For Navasana, sit on the floor with your legs straight. Press your hands into the floor behind your hips, your fingertips facing forward. Begin to lean back and lift your heart, avoiding rounding the back. Inhale and lift your arms so they become parallel with the floor, then exhale and bend your knees, bringing your feet off of the floor. You should feel your core activate. To make the exercise more difficult, begin to extend your legs. Prager says to lift the sternum and lengthen the tailbone, reaching through the fingertips. Engage your lower abdomen as you lengthen the back of the neck, reaching the top of the skull towards the sky. To modify, bring your hands back alongside your hips. Stay here for five to 10 breaths, then take a break. Increase your breaths with every repetition.

(Need a new yoga mat? Here’s the top-rated mats on Amazon.)

Ukatasana

Ukatasana means chair posebut it can be done with a chair or without one. The pose strengthens the ankles, calves, and thighs. First taking Tadasana, inhale and take arms out to your side or up next to your ears, says West. This move will strengthen the back. Begin to lean forward and bend your knees, trying to make the thighs parallel to the floor and holding your torso up. This will ensure the back body will have to work, says West. If using the chair, try to use it for alignment, unless the exercise becomes too much. If sitting in the chair, lean side to side, keeping the shoulders relaxed and down your spine. To come out of the pose, root through the feet and straighten your knees as you inhale, lifting through the arms. As you exhale, come back to Tadasana with your arms by your side.

Next, learn what to look for when shopping for yoga pants.

The post 7 Daily Exercises to Improve Your Balance appeared first on Best Health.

Wear the right bottoms

All leggings and yoga pants are not created equal, so do a spot check before you hit class. “Just because pants are black does not mean they are opaque,” says Rebecca Weible, founder of Yo Yoga. “Some leggings are meant to be worn under dresses or tunics, but not for working out. You’re bending, squatting and doing all sort of less-than-flattering movements in yoga so be aware of what you’re showing the person on the mat behind you or the teacher.”

Also, baggy clothes can be an equal opportunity offender, shares Calli De La Haye of Kalimukti Yoga. “I want to see the pose and help you get the best from it, so I need to see your body, that super fashionable scarf isn’t for the yoga class,” she said.

(Psst: Here’s how to find the best leggings for your body and your needs.)

Tie your hair back.

If your hair is long enough to be pulled back, do that. “I dread standing on you pulling your hair when it’s all over the mat, tie it up so I can get to you,” says De La Haye.

Show up on timeand clean

Nothing is more distracting than having someone come in ten minutes late and look for a mat while you’re just getting into the groove of teaching, says Karen Nourizadeh, yogi and meditation guru at Pure Yoga. “We want you to start with the group, warm up properly, and get the most out of your yoga,” she says. Also, please remember to shower, or, at the very least, apply deodorant before class. “When there are lots of bodies in the room sweating and moving to the same flow, things get stinky all on their own,” she said. “If the teacher notices body odour, I guarantee the person next to you definitely will.”

Don’t apply scents before class

That means no perfume, even essential oils like patchouli. “In a yoga class, mats are generally pretty close together and scent is easily detected,” shares Kristina Dau, a yoga instructor. “Rule of thumb is to try to not smell like anything, deodorant obviously is an exception, that is encouraged.” And, for the love of yoga, don’t smoke, cigarettes or anything else. “I have been in a class next to a person who wreaked of cigarettes and it totally threw off my practise.”

Stop worrying about how your feet look

“No need to be shy about your feet! I don’t care, and probably won’t even notice, if you’ve had a recent pedicure or not,” says Kat Heagberg of Yoga International. “If you catch me staring at your tootsies, it probably means I’m checking to make sure your knees and toes are pointing in the same direction, not to judge your foot-grooming habits.”

Being uncomfortable and being in pain are two different things

There is a huge difference between being uncomfortable in a pose and being in pain, says Danielle Diamond, mind/body wellness expert and founder of Xen Strength Yoga. “If you’re holding warrior two for ten breaths and your thigh is on fire, that is an uncomfortable feeling and you can learn to breathe through that,” she says. “However, if you’re in the same pose and you feel a stabbing pain in your knee, then that is pain, she says, adding that yoga is not a no pain, no gain sport. “Yoga’s main focus is to stop the fluctuations of the mind, so don’t ever let a teacher tell you to breathe through pain,” she says. (Here’s a 10-minute yoga sequence you can squeeze in every day.)

Teachers get insecure, too

Yoga teachers might project confidence, but at times, it’s all an act. “Sometimes I feel really good and powerful, and sometimes I feel insecure, weak, and judged,” says Lisa Hughes, who teaches at Breathe Yoga in Rochester, New York. “I can see when you feel this way, too. We have all felt at some point or another, and you are not alone in your feeling. I will hold space for you if you feel amazing or feel deflated.”

Go at your own pace

“When we say, ‘go at your own pace,’ we really mean it!” says Chelsea Xeron, a Kundalini Yoga and Meditation teacher based in Washington, DC. “There is no competition in yoga. The focus is solely on you.” She continues, “I have seen many students come from other styles of yoga and try to compete with other yogis in the class. They end up pushing themselves too hard and have to lie down on their mats for the rest of class. Never compete with another student! You will lose the greatest opportunity for self-growth if you do.”

Don’t disregard the teacher

There is a fine line between modifying your practise and going completely rogue at the front of the room. “It can be distracting to other students, the teachers, and beginners,” says Nourizadeh. If you want to do your own sequence, practise at home,” she says.” Be open to whatever your teacher is presenting that dayit might actually be something you like or never knew before.”

You may pass gas

In the middle of a downward-facing dog, you may pass gas, even when you didn’t know it was coming. But know that it’s normal and everyone does it; there’s no need to cry, laugh, or get mad. “We will just ignore it and continue on,” says Kate Hamm, owner of AnamBliss. “Everyone else is glad it wasn’t them, but they won’t judge.” If you need a minute to compose yourself, take a child’s pose or leave the room, she suggests. (Find out what to do if you can’t stop passing gas.)

Be social after class

No doubt about it, yoga can be an awesome place to meet someone special or your new BFF. “There are very few places you can count on being surrounded by so many like-minded people with shared values and lifestyles. Enjoy it!” says Amy Baglan, CEO and founder of the dedicated yoga community MeetMindful. “Just don’t tap on someone’s shoulder and ask her out to dinner as she’s coming out of savasana. Wait until the practise is completely over.”

Don’t leave class early

“If you leave class early, I often secretly wonder if I said something to offend you, or if you really didn’t like my class,” says Heagberg. Not to mention you risk disturbing other class members and miss out on the benefits of savasana.

Now that you know the rules for yoga class, check out the best yoga mats to purchase on Amazon.

The post 12 Rules You Should Memorize Before Taking a Yoga Class appeared first on Best Health.

What is Sweat and Tonic?

Picture this: A place where you can run, box, weight-train, spin, and practice yoga, all under one roof, and also have a healthy bite to eat, get a facial, engage in a private meditation session, hang out with friends, shoot off a few emails, and get ready aprs-sweat for wherever else your day may take you (should there be any more time left in your day). What you should be picturing is Sweat and Tonic, Torontos new (and first) wellness hub.Founded by David Ingram, S&T was created to make working out more convenient and help build a community. I felt there was a really big gap in the marketI wanted to put all my favourite classes in one building, says Ingram. The other big piece that I felt was missing was that every space I went to was really just designed to get in and out of the class, but there was no space for you to actually engage in any after-class activity.On top of a HIIT, ride, and yoga studio, S&T offers a hangout space, which can also be used as a workspace, as well as a caf with ample seating. For millennials who are quite tribal, Sweat and Tonic is a place for them to go to with friends, have fun, get a sweat but enjoy it and have the experience that makes them want to come back, says Ingram. Its a much cheaper model than trying to do personal training, and its a much more fun model than going to the gym on your own.S&T also features a treatment room for facials and massages, a meditation pod, and a sauna, making it a well-rounded wellness destination.

Why is everyone obsessed with it?

Aside from tending to all your feel-good needs in one spot, Sweat and Tonic offers high-quality machines and services. More on that down below, but another reason everyones talking (and snapping) about it is because its stunning. The exterior boasts red brick, a heritage build, and expansive windows, and the interior features a soothing colour palette of cream, grey, bronze, and subtle hits of jewel tones. The building was once home to Torontos first cocktail lounge (in 1947), which featured an Art Deco feel, and S&T pays tribute to it through the curved architecture and bronze accents.

Why HIIT, ride, and yoga?

Wondering why barre didnt make the cut? Ingram says its still highly possible itll be added to the workout menu, but he wanted to launch with the classes that have had the highest growth in the fitness realm. Ride, yoga, and HIIT are the ones people gravitate to and enjoy most, says Ingram. Offering these three classes in one space gives you the opportunity to experiment with your workout routine and try other classes. Its not good for the body to train on just one activity, says Ingram. It needs the variety for different muscle groups. Each class targets different muscle groups, so collectively, they give you a full-body workout.(Here’s why you should add HIIT to your workout routine.)

Whats the best class to take at Sweat and Tonic?

The Triple Sweat. Its a 90-minute class made up of 30-minutes in each studiofirst ride, then HIIT, then yoga. When youre finished your 90 minutes, youve had a great workout, a great sweatyour endorphins are off the chartsand a great stretch to make sure you leave feeling nice and healthy, says Ingram. The class is offered every Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon and fills up quickly.(Interested in taking the class? Make sure not to make these spinning mistakes.)

Whats so special about the HIIT and ride classes at Sweat and Tonic?

The studios feature Technogym equipment, only found in high-end fitness centres around the world and are ideal for serious athletes and Olympic-training. The equipment features special technology that connects with the Mywellness app so users can connect it to their profile, personalize their training, and track their health stats, progress, and results.As for the atmosphere, the HIIT studio was inspired by Barrys Bootcamp, with its dim lighting, which helps you stay focused on your own workout. The ride studio has a club-like feel with its disco lights and has been known to play music from the nightlife days of yore.(Check out the best exercises for your fitness program.)

Whats so special about the yoga classes?

The yoga studio is run by Chi Junky, a popular yoga studio in Torontos Riverside neighbourhood. Founder and Owner, Rachelle Wintzen says Chi Junky yoga classes have three signature features: Essential oil massages, enthralling music, and full service, in which premium yoga props and essentials are gathered and pre-set at a station for you.S&T’s yoga studio can fit 49 people, which may sound overwhelming, but the many bodies end up being empowering. When the classes are bigger and everyone is moving and breathing together, theres nothing like that energyits explosive,says Wintzen. That energy is complemented by the space’s soothing aesthetic. The design was inspired by that of a popular fitness program in New York called The Class (which can also be found in Vancouver), which has a cream, white, and bronze colour palette, to create a clean, calm space.As for which class to take, that depends on how youre feeling. Tired and need to take it easy? Try Zen Vibes Only. Cozy up with blankets, slip on a lavender-scented eye mask, and youll be guided through just a few moves that’ll tame your mind and help you relax. The class is really my gift to the city-dweller, says Wintzen, as it nourishes the nervous system and restores you.Want a distraction from your thoughts or to take out your workday frustrations? Try the class that gets your heart rate upSweat Flow. It’s comprised of yoga moves to the beat of hip hop music for a fun, liberating experience. For me, when I do the class, I can get lost in the music and that almost becomes my meditation, says Wintzen.(Did you know music can significantly improve your workout performance?)

What about the food and drinks options?

Just like the rest of the offerings at Sweat and Tonic, the food and drink options are healthy and will leave you feeling good. Nutbar, which you may be familiar with as it has two other locations in Toronto, has a permanent space on the main floor, and offers a range of organic treats including a kale caesar salad made with sunflower seed-based dressing, a mango-orange-turmeric smoothie, a carrot cake bar, and a numilk-chaga latte.(Want to make your own nutty treats? Check out our roundup of energy bites, balls, and bars.)

Tell me about the locker rooms.

We wanted a boutique brand, and we knew there were a lot of spaces that offered the basics, says Ingram. The women’s change room includes plenty of lockers and space to get ready and showered, and a series of vanities for makeup application and hair styling (and, yes, there are Dyson hairdryers, which BH editors are obsessed with). The space is stocked with 100 percent natural skin-care productsall fromCanadian brand Consonant Skincareincluding shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in the showers, and face cream, body lotion, and sunscreen at the vanities.

And what about the facials?

Familiar with Consonant Skincare? Its a Toronto-based company that offers ultra-clean, effective products. The brand has received awards for their formulas and have impressive results from clinical studies. Example: Their HydrExtreme is a hydrating serum proven to out-perform hyaluronic acid. We did a third-party double-blind clinical study and even after just 24 hours it significantly out-performed the leading hydration-boosting serum, which is a SkinCeuticals product, and pure hyaluronic acid serum, says Kristina Breckon, Vice President, Marketing and Operations at Consonant Skincare.Available at Sweat and Tonic is Consonant Expressthree different 30-minute facial treatments, featuring their award-winning products. “Relax and Recover” starts with a five-minute back massage to release tension from your body, followed by a 25-minute facial massage that also includes the neck and dcollet. “Rejuvenate and Glow” starts with a back massage and a scrub to clear up any congestion, followed by an exfoliation and massage for the face and hands. “Detox and Sculpt” is the most popularits all about facial cupping, so it shifts lymphatic fluid out of your face to sculpt it and help move toxins so your body can flush them out. Theres no downtime, says Breckon, referring to all three express facials. You can come in at lunch or before a presentation, if you just want to amp up your glow.Registered massage treatments can also be booked in the same treatment room.

What is the meditation pod all about?

Enter this dome-like escape and you have a self-controlled meditation experience, in which you choose your music, intention, and format of meditating, for a 20-minute private session. Theres a huge growth in trying to mentally train the mind to be healthy and fit, says Ingram, so I think its a good complement to the treatment space.Before you go into the pod, check out these meditation mistakes that could actually be causing you more stress.

How do I get to Sweat and Tonic?

Sweat and Tonic is located just outside the Eaton Centreat Yonge and Shutermaking it TTC accessible and oh-so-convenient to pop into before or after work.Next, check out other hot wellness classes in Toronto.

The post This One-Stop Wellness Hotspot in Toronto Tends to All Your Feel-Good Needs appeared first on Best Health.

Dont let your mat keep you from maxing your moves

Yoga not only does it build strength and flexibility, but it boosts energy, enhances balance and breathing, improves posture, and increases blood flow, reports theAmerican Osteopathic Association. (It can also help you age.) These benefits will help you become not only more athletic and capable in terms of your fitness, but more adept at avoiding illness and injury, saysJamie Bacharach, medical acupuncturist and yoga practitioner. Yoga is also beneficial for yourmental health, helpingrelieve stress, among other benefits. (Also, did you know yoga isMeghan Markle’s go-to workout?)

The key to gaining the most out of your practice, whether you do yoga once a day or once a month, is investing in a quality mat. Not only does it provide cushioning and protection, but it helps prevent injury, notes Bacharach. Repeated yoga movements on a mat that does not offer proper support can cause serious injury to the exact bodily areas you are attempting to strengthen, she says. Here are 15 of the best yoga mats on Amazon to make a part of your practice.

AmazonBasics 1/2-Inch Extra Thick Exercise Mat

You cant beat the price of this yoga mator the impressive 4.5-star reviews from over 2,500 ratings. This mat is extra thick, which Bacharach says is ideal for yogis who want a forgiving surface. Thanks to the extra cushioning this mat makes an excellent choice for anyone whose ankles and wrists require more support when performing yoga moves that put stress on those areas, she says.

$26, amazon.com(Need more yoga gear aside from the mat? Check out Canada’s best yoga wear brands.)

WWWW PIDO TPE Yoga Mat

If youre looking for an environmentally friendly yoga mat, this is a great pick. Its made from eco-smart thermoplastic elastomers and is certified to be easy on the environment, so you can practice yoga with a clean conscience. The non-slip design is also practical, particularly for yogis who are not necessarily the most advanced, adds Bacharach.

$26, amazon.com

Heathyoga Eco-Friendly Non-Slip Yoga Mat, Body Alignment System

No doubt thanks to its design, materials, and extra-large size (its 72 inches long!), this versatile mat has more than 1,500 Amazon reviews and an average 4.5-star rating to boot. Its available in six vibrant colors, so theres something for everyone, and you can rest assured as Healthyoga boasts a 10-plus year track record of yoga mat manufacturing, Bacharach says.

$33, amazon.com(Still on the fence about practicing yoga? Here’s howyour body wants you to.)

Liforme Original Yoga Mat

This yoga mat has a revolutionary grip made from biodegradable natural rubber. It also has alignment markers that help find symmetric body placement, a feature that comes in handy during any practice, notes certified Yoga Tune Up instructor,Tiffany Caronia.

$150, amazon.com

Yoga Direct Deluxe Extra Thick Yoga Sticky Mat

Yes, this yoga mat costs a mere fraction of the price of most on the market, yet its a favorite of Chicago-based weight loss coach and corporate wellness trainer,Stephanie Mansour. Its not slippery, it can easily be rolled or folded and stored away, and it comes in a variety of colors21 to be exact!

$11, amazon.com(Psst: These yoga moves will help you sleep better!)

BalanceFrom GoYoga Mat

This functional, affordable mat is ideal for someone whos looking for a lot of padding. It provides more support for the joints and bones, so especially if you struggle to get into a low lunge position, or if its painful for you to lie flat on your bag, this is for you, says Mansour. However, its not as good for standing poses, so if youre looking for a mat that will work well with lots of movement, this one is not for you.

$18, amazon.com

TOPLUS Yoga Mat

This yoga mat is great for pretty much any yogi from beginner to instructor, as well as for any type of practice, from restorative to hot yoga. Its upgraded, anti-skid design prevents it from sliding all over, even in a sweaty, humid room. Thats likely why it has garnered an impressive 800-plus reviews and a 4.5-star rating.

$28, amazon.com(Have you tried hot yoga? It has many benefits, too.)

Manduka eKO Superlite Yoga Travel Mat

This mat is on the thinner side so that its easy to roll up and take with you, but it doesnt compromise on its grip. Thats why its a must-have forNealy Fischer, certified yoga teacher, founder ofThe Flexible Chef, and author ofFood You Want. If Im out of town and sign up for a yoga class, I actually bring my Manduka travel mat and lay it on top of the studios mat, she says.

$30, amazon.com

Jade Harmony Yoga Mat

This yoga mat might look simple and basic, but its anything butand its 2,300-plus 4.5-star ratings prove that. In fact, Fischer believes its the best anti-slip mat on the market. The traction is so superior: When youre in downward dog, your hands dont even budge! she says.

$174, amazon.ca(Here’s how Meghan Markle uses yoga to fight jet lag.)

Combo Mat Gypsy Maze, by Yoga Design Lab

This eclectic mat was created to be the ultimate yoga companion. Buyers love it not only for its stylish design but also for the unique, non-slip material its made of, which acts like a towel. That means you wont be slipping and sliding. Its also machine washable and made with eco-friendly materials.

$64, amazon.com

Sivan Health and Fitness 1/2-InchExtra Thick 71-Inch Long NBR Comfort Foam Yoga Mat

If youre a yogi who likes to incorporate other exercises into your fitness regimen, this is a great mat for you. It is made for more than just yogapilates and other mat-based exercises. With an impressive 5,300-plus 4.5-star ratings, this mat is certain to make most yogis happy.

$61, amazon.ca(These strength-training moves will improve your posture.)

Manduka PRO Yoga Mat

This is another great mat by Manduka. With standard thickness but extra length, its ideal for someone who anticipates a lot of movement on the mat. It also grips well and is easy to roll up and store, which makes it great for city dwellers.

$130, amazon.ca

ProsourceFit Extra Thick Yoga and Pilates Mat

This yoga mat is close to being rated 5 stars by more than 1,300 people on Amazon, thanks to its impressive features. Its water-resistant, making it great for hot yoga classes; a non-slip surface that adheres to just about any floor; plus ultra foam comfort for those with painful joints.

$34, amazon.ca(Psst: Here’s how to stay motivated practicing yoga at home.)

JadeYoga Voyager Yoga Mat

Matthew Milo, yoga teacher and founder ofMilo New York, has been using this yoga mat since 2011 and its still holding up well. Its grip is exceptionally supportive, so youll never fall or slip in any yoga pose while using this mat, he says. As nonslip as it is, its also quite thin, which means it makes your body do the yoga work so youll advance quicker. Best of all, its comes in many size variations suitable for any body size.

$150, amazon.ca

Gaiam Yoga Mat Premium Print Reversible Extra Thick Exercise & Fitness Mat

Ideal for all types of yoga, this Gaiam mat still has an average of 4.5 stars after more than 1,300 ratings. The main reason for its clout is that its made from a lightweight material thats thick and durable, so you get maximum cushion for your joints. Its also reversible and comes in over 38 different prints, so the chances of you practicing on the same mat as your neighbor are slim.

$39, amazon.caNext, see the yoga moves that’ll help you lose weight.

The post 15 Best Yoga Mats on Amazon appeared first on Best Health.

The word yoga is sanskrit and has many translations, including union.

The practice originated as a philosophy to unite mind, body and spirit through breath control, meditation and physical postures. Today, mounting evidence suggests that yoga does, in fact, have major age-defying benefits and one key to reaping them is that the younger you start yoga, the better. While you can take up yoga at any age and see a benefit, the earlier you start and the more consistently you practise it over the years the greater the effects, says Dr. Timothy McCall, a doctor of internal medicine in the San Francisco Bay Area and the author of Yoga As Medicine.One of the major anti-aging benefits of yoga is how it helps you learn to manage stress, a risk factor in age-related illnesses ranging from heart disease to depression. But dont expect one or two classes to magically make you cool and composed it takes time to change the way you react to stress. We know that the way the brain can change itself is through repetition of any activity, thought, word or deed over a long period of time, says McCall. So even a short yoga session every day has far more benefit than a longer practice once a week.Here are some more ways yoga can help you live a healthy, happy life now, and well into your old age, plus some simple postures to practise every day.

Yoga can help with flexibility & joint health

A 2011 study published in the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics suggests that older women who practise yoga may experience improved range of motion when performing everyday tasks. That means these women can maintain their independence longer, since flexibility makes it easier to do routine things such as cleaning, bathing and cooking.Taking up yoga may also help to prevent and relieve symptoms of arthritis, which the Arthritis Society pinpoints as the main cause of disability among Canadians. The most common form is osteoarthritis, a result of the deterioration of the cartilage that protects joints. While age is a big risk factor, yoga may help reduce symptoms. The things that seem to prevent [osteoarthritis] are keeping your weight down, having good muscle tone and being flexible, says Dr. John Esdaile, scientific research director of the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada, based in Vancouver. Yoga is good for muscles and flexibility.Vancouver-based yoga instructor Kim Scarrow, 28, was diagnosed with a form of arthritis at just 19 years of age, and says the postures and breathing techniques help her cope. People become depressed because of chronic pain, but yoga helps me through the psychological effects that chronic pain creates. And if you’re looking for a new fitness challenge? Try our one-week stretching program.

Pose to try: Eagle

It creates strength in the muscles to support the joints, and helps with flexibility.

Yoga can help soothe back pain

About 80 percent of Canadians will suffer back pain at some point in their lives, according to The Canadian Spine Society, and it can be debilitating. But as you age, backaches may become even more dangerous. Evidence suggests that chronic back pain is linked to a higher risk of falling in the elderly, says Dr. Maziar Badii, a spine rheumatologist based in Vancouver.Performing yoga postures can help lower your risk of back problems by strengthening core muscles, which research shows will lessen back pain or make it go away, says Dr. Esdaile. Strong core muscles support the back and alleviate strain on the muscles and spine.Participating in a yoga class may even be more effective for relieving back pain than doing some other forms of stretching, according to 2011 research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The studyprobably the largest-ever yoga trial conducted in the U.S.revealed that people who participated in yoga classes reported better back function and less back pain than those who did stretching exercises using instructions from a self-help book.

Pose to try: Cobra

This back bend strengthens muscles and creates flexibility in the spine. But start gently and work your way up in terms of how far you bend.Is your back pain too much to handle? Make sure you see an acupuncturist.

Yoga can help boost heart health

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of Canadian women, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, so the more you do now to increase your heart health, the better your chances for achieving longevity. Research suggests that practising yoga postures along with whats known as Pranayama or deep, controlled breathingwhich is an essential part of all forms of yoga practicecan improve heart health and prevent cardiovascular disease, says Dr. Hana Stastny, a medical doctor, instructor in the yoga therapy program at Mount Royal University in Calgary and yoga therapist who has treated cardiac patients.According to a 2012 review in the journal Holistic Nursing Practice, learning to lower stress levels by practising yoga postures and breathing techniques combats the unhealthy effects of stress on the cardiovascular system. After looking at the results of 10 different studies, researchers concluded that yoga may help reduce high blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol.We know that there is an element of stress involved in heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure, says McCall. Stress can cause your cholesterol to rise and your blood to clot more heavily, increasing the likelihood that you will have a heart attack or stroke. Plus, these simple tips can help you manage your stress better.

Pose to try: Triangle

It promotes cardio strength by opening the chest area to allow space for your heart to beat, says Scarrow.

Yoga can help improve balance

The risk of falling increases with age because of a reduced sense of balance as well as muscle and bone strength. According to Health Canada, every year one in three seniors will fall at least once, and about 20 percent of injury-related deaths in seniors are linked to falls. One of the best ways to prevent them is to stay fit, says Dr. McCall. Yoga improves your balance, making you less likely to fall. And if you have stronger core muscles, you are better able to right yourself if you trip. It also improves concentration, another way it helps you avoid falls. (Here’s more on how you should be exercising if your 60 and older.)

Pose to try: Child

Pressing the forehead to the floor calms the nervous system and the curled-up position of the body compresses the organs, which promotes relaxation in the body.

Yoga can help beat stress & depression

A 2012 study in the journal Biological Psychiatry looked at the effect of stress hormones on chromosomes. Researchers found that people who had depression linked to stress had shorter telomeres, the part of the chromosome that protects it from deterioration. Researchers believe shortened telomeres may be linked to age-related illnesses such as heart disease and cancer.Unchecked stress may also increase your risk of depression in later life. Women are twice as likely as men to develop it, and that risk may grow as we age approximately 20 percent of seniors living independently experience depression, which could be triggered by stressful life changes. Yoga can help you learn how to manage your stress now and prepare you to cope with lifes challenges later. How we react to stress is a habit of our nervous system, explains Dr. McCall. Yoga can break that by teaching you a new pattern of breathing slowly and deeply even when your body is in a physically demanding position. Eventually, your brain learns to remain calm under pressure, says Dr. McCall.

Pose to try: Tree

This pose strengthens muscles and develops balance.Next, learn which anti-aging foods might be adding years to your life.

The post This Ancient Practice Might Be the Key to Better Aging appeared first on Best Health.

Wellness has wormed its way into every aspect of our lives, writes Stockholm University associate professor Carl Cederstrm in The Wellness Syndrome. At first, this might seem like a good thing. After all, instead of relying on our overburdened medical system, were taking a proactive approach to bettering ourselves. Were booking yoga classes and seaweed body wraps like never before, lacing our meals with the latest superfoods, tracking our sleep, detoxing our livers and trying to make a habit of doing all of the above as mindfully as possible. Youd think wed be healthier than ever, except that were not. In fact, some of the biggest threats to our healthcancer, heart disease, obesity, anxiety, depressionare on the rise.

Why aren’t our wellness practices working?

At best, our collective unhealthiness suggests that wellness simply doesnt work, or at least not in the way weve been promised. But could our relentless pursuit of wellness actually be making us unwell? There are a growing number of skeptics, Cederstrm among them, who have some pretty serious misgivings about the movement as a whole. I tracked him down in Italy where he was vacationing (not a wellness vacation, he was quick to point out, just a regular family holiday). One of his biggest beefs with wellness is that its now an ideology, a standard by which were all judged. Wellness is not just something we choose, he says. It is a moral obligation.

Timothy Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health and Law Policy and research director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta, is also worried about the path wellness has taken. Wellness started as a great idea, he says. It meant considering more than just measurable physical health and was designed to include, as noted in the World Health Organizations 1948 constitution, complete physical, mental and social well-being. But, Caulfield says, somewhere along the way that lofty ideal got lost. It has been overtaken by pseudoscience and become synonymous with wiggling concepts like holisticness and root causes, he says. Even worse, it has become a marketing tool. As a result of aggressive marketing and alternative medicine branding strategies, wellness now requires the adoption of a range of science-free practices, such as supplementation, detoxification and the embrace of superfoods. So, when exactly did wellness go wrong?

When did wellness stop being about health?

Its hard to believe that wellness wasnt even a thing just a few decades ago. People have peddled magic cure-alls since the beginning of time, but wellness as a movement is a relatively new phenomenon that, according to Cederstrm, really took off in the 70s with the rise of self-help culture. It was then, he says, that people began to believe that the only way to be happy was to take ownership and responsibility for your own life. Wellness became linked to the idea that you can refashion yourself and be successful simply by signing up for a gym membership, a self-improvement course, a diet plan, or a yoga retreatanything that promises better health, a better outlook, a better life. The self-help idea is strong in wellness culture and is especially attractive in times of hopelessness, Cederstrm says. And thats true now more than ever, when the institutions we normally draw strength from, like politics, religion, even family and work, feel less stable than they did in the past.

As wellness culture grew, being healthy suddenly wasnt good enough. Back in her 20s, Dr. Jennifer Gunter says she would have defined wellness as health. Not anymore. Then it was the idea of, Are you well? and Why yes, yes I am in good health, thank you for asking, says the outspoken OB/GYN and author of The Vagina Bible whose personal blog has become a one-woman crusade against insidious Internet health content. Now 51, Dr. Gunter says she no longer equates wellness with health. Today wellness means a display of disposable income, or a competition, or a certain number of likes on Instagram, which is the very opposite of health.

Somehow, Dr. Gunter says the idea of eating healthy or the joy of going for a walk became corrupted. I get a pedicure for my personal wellness because I enjoy the look of nice toenails, but I dont kid myself that its doing anything medical, she says. I often wonder why people no longer do things because they like themit always has to be couched as some kind of personal growth moment or tainted by a fake health claim.

Is wellness only for the wealthy?

By the 90s, those personal growth moments were already becoming big business. Eventually corporations caught on and soon, Cederstrm says, wellness speak began slipping into company mission statements. It was then that the idea of fixing whatever ailed you with the power of positive thinking and developing your full potential went from slogans on gym walls to slogans on coffee mugs in office cubicles.

The wellness movement is now fully integrated into capitalism, Cederstrm says. To be fit is to be the best version of yourself, and better health is equated with being productive and having greater success. At least, for those who can afford it. Today, wellness has the same element of exclusivity as a high-end spa, and its a luxury only available to a select segment of the population. According to the Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness market grew 10.6 percent to $3.7 trillion from 2013 to 2015. (Meanwhile, the global economy shrank 3.6 percent over the same period.) Yes, there is wealth in wellness.

Could wellness have negative side effects?

I think the wellness movement is nothing more than a cash grab, Dr. Gunter says. It isnt telling people to go for more walks, its presented as impossibly beautiful people doing impossible things. Then theres the extent to which the movement demonizes those who arent part of it, Cederstrm adds. There is an individualistic notion attached to wellness thats aligned with ruthless capitalist ideals, he says. Were all competing in an open market, and its up to each of us to thrive under these conditions. Inevitably, he says, our preoccupation with succeeding at wellness creates anxiety and guilt because wellness is an impossible goal every day there are new products, therapies and regimens that promise even better results than yesterdays products, therapies and regimens. It creates an impossible demand that reconfigures the way we live our lives.

And society quietly punishes those who fail to live up to the ideals of wellness culture from the start. Where does our preoccupation with our own wellness leave the rest of the population who have an acute shortage of organic smoothies, diet apps and yoga instructors? Cederstrm writes in The Wellness Syndrome. When I ask him to elaborate, he uses exercise as an example: We think of those who dont exercise as lesser people. I happen to exercise and I enjoy it, but that doesnt make me a better human being. He says those who cant afford to be onboard (or simply choose not to be) are perceived as lazy, unmotivated or weak-willed. In wellness, nobody winsexcept for the people selling wellness.

Where does wellness go from here?

In an article for NBC, Caulfield writes about waging a wellness war, while Cederstrm is adamant that we need to do whatever it takes to escape the clutches of wellness. Not a very hopeful outlook for the future of the movement. And yet, they also suggest there is still a glimmer of good in wellness, we just have to get better at recognizingand eliminatingthe bad.

I wish we could just reclaim the term and stick with the basics, Caulfield says. I do like that there is an embrace of a healthy lifestyle and an emphasis on real food, exercise, and sleep. But for the wellness industry it can never be straightforward, it always has to be wrapped up in a blanket of pseudoscience. For our part, he says the key to achieving wellness is to keep it simple. Exercise, eat real food, sleep, have good relationships, don’t smoke. There is no magic.

But Caulfield also urges medical professionals not to simply dismiss wellness culture. I think there is a need to recognize that many in the public are getting something from the wellness movement, he says. Perhaps some feel their needs are being ignored. Perhaps some think there isnt enough of an emphasis on prevention. Or perhaps some no longer trust the conventional system. We should listen and try to improve our approach. Dr. Gunter agrees. She says doctors need to listen not just in their offices, but in society. She cites the anti-vaccine movement as an example of where the medical profession was too dismissive and were still living with the consequences. We all thought people would read the science and be swayed back to the truth, but that didnt happen, she says. Many wellness trends are like religions; theyre a brand people associate with and it speaks to them, so we need to listen more and try to figure out what is sending people in that direction.

To avoid being duped into going in that direction, Dr. Gunter recommends relying on evidence-based recommendations and staying away from anecdotes, fads, and celebrities. She echoes Caulfield: Wellness is the boring stuff that you already know: eat balanced meals, get exercise, socialize, and do things that make you smile, says Dr. Gunter. If someone is trying to sell you something, their goal is not your health or wellbeing, its to sell you something.

In the end, the best thing we can do to be well is to not buy in.

The post Maybe Your Wellness Ritual Isn’t Making You Well at All appeared first on Best Health.

 

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The source described the class as “the perfect remedy for jet lag,” so it makes sense Meghan would head to the yoga studio straight off a flight across the pond. After all, this isnt the first time Meghans relied on yoga for some post-flight self-care. During her and Prince Harrys royal tour in Australia in October 2018, she reportedly revealed she was fighting travel fatigue with yoga. Per Sky Newss source, Meghan felt pregnancy was similar to having jet lag, and woke up at 4:30 a.m. to do yoga when she couldnt sleep.Meghans been practicing yoga since she was a child. My mom is a yoga instructor [in L.A.], and I started doing mommy-and-me yoga with her when I was seven, Meghan told us in 2015. I was very resistant as a kid, but she said, Flower, you will find your practice just give it time. In college, I started doing it more regularly.Another reason Meghan chooses yoga over other wellness practices? There are so many benefits that come with the practice of yoga, Duncan Parviainen, Meghans yoga instructor when she lived in Toronto, told us. A few benefits of vinyasa yoga include increased flexibility and muscle strength, greater happiness, increased mental focus, a greater ability to relax, decreased anxiety and better sleep. (Yoga can also help boost your energy, like with these moves.)As for the type of class Meghan took at Modo Yoga, were going to assume it was hot yoga since she once told us Ill do yoga a couple times a week hot yoga, specifically. (See which type of yoga is right for you.) As for what she did afterwards, were going to hope she enjoyed some sashimishe once told us her perfect day would consist of taking her dogs for a walk, doing some yoga, and having a great sashimi lunch.The duchesss trip to Manhattan is the first time she has travelled without baby Archie but isnt her first solo trip to the city since becoming a royal. This past February, Meghan celebrated her baby shower in NYC with a few of her closest friends.Next, learn the signs that prove your body and mind want you to practice yoga.

The post How Meghan Markle Fights Jet Lag appeared first on Best Health.

So, what can you do to prevent muscle soreness?

Especially if you sweat a lot during your practice, you may want your water to work harder, explains Mariani. Adding a supplement that contains electrolytes, like potassium, calcium, and magnesium to your post-practice water is a great way to repair muscles. Also, pay attention tofermented amino acids L-leucine and L-glutamine, both of which aid in muscle repair. Although it’s common to consume these amino acids through your diet whenever you eat complete protein sources, “when we challenge our muscles, we can deplete them,” she says. ” So supplementing right after exercise can help with faster recovery and less next-day muscle soreness.”Which electrolyte supplement is suitable for those with dietary restrictions?Mariani created Niyama’sAfter Practice Replenish & Repairwith the yoga community in mind. “Many yogis are vegan,” she says. They practice ahimsa (doing no harm to living things), so all of her products are non-GMO,free ofgluten, soy and dairy, and use no artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or sweeteners. Especiallywith more people shifting towards a plant-based diet and discovering new allergies and intolerances they didn’t even know they had, creating a brand that was completely transparent with its ingredients is something Mariani holds dear to her heart. “To me, it’s an extension of honesty and integrityand without it, there can’t be trust,” she says.And although Mariani created this supplement with yogis in mind, she stresses that it’s not just for using post-yoga practice: “It’s excellent for after any fitness activity or sport when you work up a sweat and challenge your muscles.”

Are there any other ways to prevent muscle soreness?

Along with adding a scoop ofAfter Practice Replenish & Repair in her post-practice water, Mariani loves incorporating a fewfoam roller movesto help release tight muscles and turmeric in her diet (a natural anti-inflammatory herb) to nourish her joints. (Here are 12 delicious turmeric recipes you’ll want to make right away.)

Should you also prepare muscles for exercise to minimize post-workout soreness?

If you’re already suffering from stiffness or muscle and joint pain, a great way to remain active while reducing any discomfort is to invest in a pre-exercise cream. (Try RUB A535 Sport Warm-Up Cream.) Containing active ingredients, like methyl salicylate, menthol and eucalyptus essential oil, “this cream generates a local heating effect when applied on the skin to provide relief for pain in muscles or joints,” says Dr. Alain Desjardins, B.Sc, PhD, R&D Development Manager at Church & Dwight Canada. Note: Dr. Desjardins recommends using a warm-up cream as a solution to help lower your pain threshold, not to be a replacement for your warm-up exercises.Shop our favourite pre- and post-workout products that can help reduce muscle soreness:

Next, check out 6 stretches that are a must-add to your post-workout routine.

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Deep Belly and Chest Breathing

This posture serves two different purposes. “Belly breathing is used to activate the relaxation response that helps battle the stress of having allergies,” she says, “while chest breathing works on the breast mechanic to improve lung capacity.”

1. Lie on back with knees bent.
2. Bring right hand on lower belly, left hand on chest.
3. Alternate breathing into belly and chest for counts of three.
4. Combine belly and chest breath for full diaphragmatic breathing.

Moving Airplane Sequence

This posture increases circulation, which improves blood flow and helps eliminate allergens from the body more efficiently.

1. Stand on one leg.
2. Bend standing leg, raise opposite knee (bend as well) and then straighten.
3. Repeat five times.
4. Repeat on other leg.

Moving Seated Chair Twist

This posture helps detox your organs. When you have allergies, “the allergens actually live in the bloodstream, making your internal organs work harder,” she explains. “With detoxification, your organs can function more optimally, which in turn, improves how the allergens exit the bloodstream.”

1. Bring feet, knees and legs together.
2. Bend knees and bring thighs parallel to the ground, as if youre sitting on an imaginary stool behind you.
3. Bring hands to prayer position in front of your chest.
4. Twist upper back from left to right, bringing your elbows to the outside of each thigh.

Humble Warrior Series

This posture is a major chest opener. Focused chest breathing helps open the intercostal muscles to support stronger lungs and heart, which is imperative for allergy sufferers.

1. Bring stance into warrior position, with front knee slightly bent at 90 degrees. Keep back leg straight and foot turned outwards at a 45-degree angle.
2. Interlace fingers behind lower back.
3. Inhale and lift chest up.
4. Exhale fold forward and bring front shoulder to the inside of front knee.
5. Repeat five times.

Diamond Belly Breathing

This posture evokes the parasympathetic nervous system and is a great tool to help combat stress. But since stress, in general, can cause your body to not recover properly, “when you add allergies into the mix, the body tries to function in a state of constant stress,” she says. In turn, this affects your body’s ability to function properly.

1. Lie on back.
2. Fold feet together and let knees open to make a diamond shape with lower body.
3. Place both hands on lower belly.
4. Inhale and exhale for counts of five.

Keep in mind, these yoga postures are meant to be carried out in this exact order. “The idea is to activate the subsystems of the body in the most efficient way, to get the most effective results,” says Webb, adding the importance of executing the sequence in the a.m., as opposed to evening. “Doing so helps get all the subsystems of the body invigorated for the day ahead.”Although Webb understands that some people may be on the fence with taking an holistic approach to relieve allergy symptoms,she stands by her pose-and breath-combo method. “I believe that our body is designed intelligently,” she says. “We just need to access it properly when we’re faced with symptoms that impact our optimal well-being.”Next, learn which six cities in Canada are troublesome for allergy sufferers.

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Q:At night, my brain won’t shut off and I’m up for hours worrying. How can I fall asleep?

The yoga teacher says… I work with sleep science and yoga and relaxation techniques to help people get back to sleep. I typically begin by getting a history of when your sleep issues started and if any changes in your life or health precipitated the onset. Id also ask you to track your sleep for about a week.I would work with you on reprogramming your sleep response by doing everything from keeping the temperature in your room cool to reducing your sugar intake to keep your blood sugar stable. Id encourage minimizing stressors, including addressing unhelpful thinking with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and addressing stress as it arises with exercise, yoga and guided meditation. (In Toronto? Check out these new mediation studios to help you recharge.)

Trouble sleeping tip #1: Put away your smartphone

At night, lighting is key, because blue light emitted by devices can interfere with your bodys ability to produce the sleep hormone melatonin. I usually recommend that, for half an hour before bed, you keep lighting low think warm candlelight levels turn off the TV, turn off social media and engage in relaxing activities for half an hour.

Trouble sleeping tip #2: Make belly breathing part of your routine

I teach relaxation techniques that help turn off your stress response (a.k.a. the sympathetic nervous system, which is triggered by worried thoughts and interferes with sleep), and turn on your parasympathetic system, which promotes relaxation and is essential for the body to feel safe enough to sleep. One particularly effective technique is belly breathing. I like to use modified box breathing, in which you inhale for a count of four, pause, then exhale for a count of six, pause, and take a regular breath. You repeat alternating those counted breaths with regular breaths when youre in bed to cue your body to relax and to refocus your mind on completing the pattern rather than on your worries.

Trouble sleeping tip #3: Prioritize a yoga pose before you hit the sheets

Another technique I teach is a simple pose that involves lying down and extending your legs up against your wall or headboard. It encourages relaxation. When youre relaxed, there is less blood in your muscles and more blood in your core organs, while when youre stressed, your body redirects blood to your muscles to prepare your body for fight or flight. Propping up your legs lets gravity pull the blood from your limbs to your core, signalling your body to adapt a more restful state. I also recommend doing deeply relaxing forward folds (like childs pose or seated forward folds) before bed to encourage relaxation. These yoga poses can also help soothe your mind and body.Some people will just come for a couple of sessions and find a few simple fixes were all they needed to help them sleep, but if youve had insomnia for a while, it may take longer and we would try more advanced mindfulness techniques.And,heres what a psychologist says you should do to treat insomnia.Sarah Domes is a sleep coach and yoga teacher.

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Gemini (May 21June 20)

Gemini will be highly practical during the summer solstice. “Your mind will be on your bank account and the bottom line,” says astrologer and Tao master Sharon Smith. “If you are waking up to new financial needs, get moving on creating more resources.” This will be a time for you to buckle down and realize what is the most beneficial for you. “Watch your tendency to scatter your energy and spread yourself too thin.”Make sure you’re feeling up for socializing and avoid these surprising things that can drain your energy.

Cancer (June 21July 22)

Timing is everything: Cancer will clearly be in the spotlight during the summer solstice. It is a time for people of this sign to show the world what they’re really made of. “It’s a great moment to make a career move or circulate to meet new contacts, including romantic ones,” Smith advises. “Financial opportunities are there for the taking.” You will feel quite powerful this summerjust keep your ego in check. Don’t miss what your nails can reveal about your health.

Leo (July 23August 22)

Expect to feel spiritually renewed during this time if you’re a Leo. “The summer solstice occurs in your solar twelfth house,” Smith says, “and gives you the energy to connect with yourself spiritually through meditation and self-reflection.” Because people with this sign tend to be gregarious, this spiritual rejuvenation will also enhance your ability to connect well with others. Fellow Leo Halle Berry recently launched a wellness site that may rival Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop site.

Virgo (August 23September 22)

The fastidious Virgo goes into overdrive during this time of year. “Virgos will find themselves thinking about all the problems that need solutions,” says Smith. The summer solstice will make a Virgo feel like they can take on any challenge. However, it’s definitely not all business, Smith adds: “The fireworks in your love life awaken your deepest desires for intimacy.” This is how often you need to have sex in order to reap the health benefits.

Libra (September 23October 22)

“Career issues will come to a head,” Smith warns, “particularly for early Libras born before September 25. There are challenges on the home front…a new structure wants to emerge.” For Libra, this will be a time of hard workbut if anyone can handle it, it is the even-tempered Libra. The actions you take and how you respond will pay dividends down the road, explains Smith. Take a cue from the world’s most successful people and put their strategies to good use.

Scorpio (October 23November 21)

Scorpios will be on fire this summer. There is no better time to create new goals and try new things. “The summer solstice falls in your solar ninth house,” Smith states. “Take advantage of this energy to expand your horizons. Learn the Japanese tea ceremony. Sign up for an African dance class. Go on a pilgrimage. Take a trip into the wilderness.” The world is yours, Scorpio. Make these simple health tweaks in your 30s to live healthier in the long run.

Sagittarius (November 22December 21)

Like Libra, Sagittarius will find the summer solstice to be a time of self-improvement. “Whatever you are doing now is preparation for a kind of debut you will make at the end of the year,” Smith says. “Take one step at a time and be patient while waiting for your ship to come in.” While most people see the summer as a time to kick back, your relaxing time will be delayed by a few months. When you do finally get a chance to relax, check out this Quebec monastery turned wellness retreat.

Capricorn (December 22January 19)

The summer solstice brings about an unusual turn of events for the typically no-nonsense Capricorn. Instead of being ruled by pragmatism, your emotions will surge. “The accent is on your partnerships now,” says Smith. Whether the relationship is romantic or professional, this is the time to explore your feelings and the feelings of others. Here’s how mindful eating can help you lose weight.

Aquarius (January 20February 18)

The free-spirited Aquarius may turn a bit more serious, says Smith. “This time of year is all about work for you. If you are feeling hemmed in by your current job (what Aquarius doesn’t?), look around for something that gives you more freedom.” You will be tempted to overwork yourself, but don’t forget about your personal needs. Take a few moments each day to do something just for yourself, like yoga that’s best suited for your personality.

Pisces (February 19March 20)

Summer is the best time of year for Pisces, and the solstice is the icing on their seasonal cake. “Neptune, your ruler, is in the middle of your sign now,” Smith explains. “[It’s] an amazing opportunity that happens once every 165 years,” she says, and it will last for approximately 14 years. “Take advantage of the creativity and spirituality available to you.” Next, don’t miss what your zodiac sign says about your health.

Aries (March 21April 19)

In the Northern Hemisphere, June 21 will be the longest day of the yearthe summer solstice. (It’s the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere.) The zodiac signs in Western astrology are determined by the position of the sun on the day of your birth, which means the solstice is an important event. According to Smith, the day will be quiet for Aries. “The summer solstice hits your solar fourth house,” Smith says, “so it’s a good time for a family reunion or that home improvement project you’ve been thinking about.” You’ll definitely want to serve visiting family one of these herbal teas with impressive health benefits.

Taurus (April 20May 20)

For Taurus, it’s not just the summer solstice that’s significant this year, but the position of the planet Uranus, explains Smith: “Uranus, the planet of sudden change and excitement, moved into Taurus on May 15 after seven years in Aries. If your birthday falls from April 20 to 23, you have an electrical aura around you and excitement and change is in the air.” This event is rare, and it should rev up your engine and amplify your productivity. Next, don’t miss finding out the perfect diet for your personality type.

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How to breathe with your diaphragm

For an example of proper breathing, Prinsen suggests watching an animal or newborn baby while they’re sleepingthey breathe steadily and effortlessly from their bellies. But by the time we’re four or five years old, we’ve already learned improper breathing habits, and they soon become ingrained. “Eventually you’re 40 and you’ve been breathing in an unhealthy way for years,” says Prinsen. “If you want to change your breathing, you have to put effort into changing your habits.”The first step toward using your breath more effectively is to pay attention to it. “Notice what your breath is doing when you’re stressed, when you’re happy, during sex, and while doing exercise,” says Seth Daley, a Halifax-based yoga teacher, explaining that once you understand the way you breathe, you can start to modify it. Daley says breathing is integral to most forms of yogaand is ultimately a more important part of the practice than the physical postures. As he explains, the Sanskrit word for breath, prana, also means energy, and it’s a vital indicator of our overall well-being. That’s why practices that incorporate the breathlike yoga, tai chi and Pilatesare good places to start in learning how to use yours more effectively. You can also incorporate a mindfulness app into your daily routine.

Learning good breathing techniques

The key to good technique is learning how to breathe with your diaphragm. That’s the muscle beneath your rib cage, the same one you use for singing or laughing. “If you’re breathing properly, you can feel your diaphragm pushing down into your belly,” says Prinsen, who points out that through it isn’t crucial for the abdomen to go in and out while you’re breathing, it can be a good technique. If you’re guilty of holding in your stomach so that it looks flatterand many women arethen you definitely aren’t using your diaphragm properly. And utilizing the diaphragm is the key to letting go of stress. “It sends a message to the nervous system that you’re relaxed,” says Prinsen. If you want to achieve abs, it’s key to learn proper breathing for exercise.Daley says learning to control the breath is as simple as taking long, deliberate inhales at designated times throughout the day. He recommends counting to three as you breathe in, and then again as you exhale, making each inhale and exhale the same length, without pausing. “Not only does it make you aware of your breathing patterns, but it forces you to calm down and it draws your focus inward, like meditation does,” says Daley. He also suggests lying down with a pillow under your upper back as an even easier method to practise calm breathing. Once you get good at it, you can practice calm breathing while you’re walking, doing dishes or sitting in your car at a stoplight.

Finding a daily breathing routine

Though Prinsen recommends deep breathing for 10 to 20 minutes a day, he says even practising for a minute every hour will have noticeable benefits. “It will completely change your mental and emotional state,” he says. As an added bonus, he adds that good breathing has physical benefits for the whole body, as it helps reduce acidity and makes the body more alkaline. “If you have chronic acidity in your body tissue,” he explains, “you’ll have a greater tendency to develop chronic disease.” Isn’t that worth taking a deep breath for? Now, don’t miss these 50 easy habits that will help you live longer.

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How morning yoga can energize you

With errands to run, family to visit and parties to go to in the coming weeks, in addition to wanting to look your best you’ll need all the oomph you can muster. A great solution? Yoga. Yes, it’s known for its soothing effects, but it can also help tone and energize. So we asked Vancouverite Wade Imre Morissette, the author of Transformative Yoga, to design a routine especially for Best Health readers that will tone muscles and boost energy.Yoga’s uplifting benefits start with doing gentle back bends, such as Extended Mountain, Upward Dog and Bridge, says Morissette (fact: he’s the twin brother of the iconic pop singer Alanis Morissette). “Extending the spine opens, or stretches, tight chest muscles. When your chest opens up, you breathe more freely to optimally fill your lungs.” This deep breathing fosters mental alertness and physical energy.

Let’s get started

Sequence basics: Aim to do the eight moves in the order given, three times in a row, working up to five times. Move briskly from one pose to the next in order to maximize energy-boosting benefits. Hold poses 1 to 6 for one breath (an inhalation plus exhalation). Hold poses 7 and 8 for 10 breaths each.Equipment: Go barefoot and use a sticky yoga mat for traction and safety.Cool down: After completing the entire sequence three to five times, lie quietly on your back-breathing normally and with arms and legs outstretched for three to five minutes.How often: Practice this morning yoga routine two to three times a week, or when you need an energy kick.Check out how to choose the right type of yoga for you.

Morning yoga pose #1: Mountain Pose

A.Stand still with your arms at your sides and your feet hip width apart, toes facing forward and feet parallel. Distribute your weight evenly on both feet; avoid leaning forward or backwards.B.Adjust your posture so your shoulders, hips, hands, knees and ankles are in one line.C. Roll your shoulders back and down to open your chest, tuck your chin in slightly so your ears align over your shoulders, and breathe deeply through your nose. Hold for one breath.Best Health tip: This pose goes beyond simply standing in place. Use it as an opportunity for you to focus inward and fine-tune your posture.Here are some poses to improve your digestion, circulation, and help get your body back on track.

Morning yoga pose #2:Extended Mountain

A. From Mountain Pose, breathe in and raise your arms outward from your sides to above your head. Your palms should be facing each other with your hands shoulder width apart and arms straight.B.With your arms still raised, gently extend your spine until your back is curved slightly inward and you’re reaching your arms slightly behind you. Hold for one breath.C. Still keeping your abs tight, release, and transition right away into Standing Forward Bend (on next slide).Best Health tip: Keep your abs contracted throughout this exercise to help protect your back.Having trouble sleeping? Make sure you know these 6 poses to help soothe your mind and body.

Morning yoga pose #3: Standing Forward Bend

A. Exhale and bend forward from your waist, keeping your spine as long as possible while reaching your arms straight down toward the floor.B.Place your hands on the floor or on your shins or thighs, depending on what is most comfortable. Gaze at the front of your legs; hold for one breath.C. Inhale and bend your knees so you can comfortably place your fingertips or palms on the floor, shoulder width apart. Your hands should be in front of your feet, pointing forward. Transition into Modified Long Staff for your next move (on next slide).Best Health tip: Relax the back of your neck, allowing the crown of your head to point downward. If bending forward isn’t comfortable, rest your forearms on the seat of a sturdy chair.Don’t forget to take your practice outdoors and here’s why.

Morning yoga pose #4: Modified Long Staff

A. As you breathe out, tighten your abs, step feet one at a time behind you and lower your body toward the floor until legs are straight behind you, you’re balancing on hands and toes, and your body is parallel to the floor.B.Bend legs to rest knees, shins and top of feet on the floor. Bend your arms, keeping elbows pointing behind you and close to your sides. Lower yourself to four to eight inches (10 to 20 cm) off the floor; keep ab and thigh muscles contracted.C. Gaze forward slightly. Hold for one breath before slowly lowering hips to the floor. Straighten legs to prep for Upward Dog.Best Health tip: To make this move more intense, try it with your legs straight so you’re balancing on hands and toes; tighten your ab muscles to support your back.Want all the benefits of yoga minus the expensive studio price? Here are 4 budget-conscious yogi tips.

Morning yoga pose #5:Upward Dog

A. With hands, hips, thighs and feet on the floor, point your toes so the soles of your feet face the ceiling. Your hands should still be aligned under your shoulders.B.Inhale and straighten your arms, pressing through your hands and lifting hips off the floor. As you lift your hips, slide them slightly forward toward your hands. Open your chest and gently slide shoulder blades downward. Your feet and knees should still be on the floor.C. Hold for one breath as you look slightly upward. To release, slowly raise your hips and get onto your hands and knees before transitioning to Downward Dog (on next slide).Best Health tip: Lengthen upward through the spine and roll your shoulders back and down to encourage deep breathing and a good stretch in the chest and front of the shoulders.Tried SUP yoga yet? Read up on the best gear to get this lake-bound practice started.

Morning yoga pose #6: Downward Dog

A.With palms on the floor, curl your toes under and exhale, lifting your hips toward the ceiling, straightening your legs and pressing your heels toward the floor (it’s okay if heels don’t touch the floor).B. Draw your abs in as you spread your fingers and toes. Gaze through your feet with the crown of your head pointing downward. Your ears should be next to your upper arms.C. Hold for one breath, then bend your legs and get back onto your hands and knees with spine straight.Best Health tip: Emphasize lifting your hips toward the ceiling to stretch your back and legs and to protect your shoulders. You may bend your knees if it’s more comfortable than holding your legs straight.Don’t miss the real reason why you should make post-workout stretching a priority.

Morning yoga pose #7: Knees to Chest

A. From being on your hands and knees, slowly lower your right hip to the floor until you’re sitting. Then gently roll over onto your back with feet on floor and knees bent.B. Exhale as you lift your feet off the floor to “hug” your knees into your chest, tucking chin in slightly. Gently place your hands on your knees or shins. Relax your lower back as you gently press your sacrum (the triangular bone at the base of your spine just above your tailbone) toward the floor.C. Hold for 10 breaths. Then slowly lower your feet back to the floor and place your arms on the floor at your sides with palms facing down.Best Health tip: Focus on lengthening the spine to avoid tugging at your knees.Love yoga and Pilates? Check out the combo class that incorporates both.

Morning yoga pose #8: Bridge

A. Adjust footing so your ankles are under your knees, toes pointing away from you.B.Inhale and contract your abs, lifting your hips off the floor. Lift your spine upward, arching it to open the chest as you roll your shoulders under and in. (If that’s difficult, keep spine straight instead.) Keep your arms on the floor or place palms on your low back for support.C. Hold for 10 breaths. To release, lift your heels off the floor, tighten your abs and slowly lower your spine to the floor, starting from the top of your back. Repeat pose 7 for another 10 breaths before repeating the full sequence two to four more times.Best Health tip: Gently raise your hips a little higher with each deep breath, pressing your feet into the floor as you arch your spine.These Canadian yoga wear brands will make you look great on and off the mat.

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Types of yoga: Hatha

What it is: Hatha yoga is the physical practice of yoga that uses a combination of body postures (asanas), breathing (pranayama) and meditation (dyana) with the goal of invigorating both mind and body. It’s also where almost all modern styles of yoga are derived from.Who it’s for: Hatha is a slower-paced practice, which focuses on breathing and basic poses, so it’s a great practice for beginners. Don’t miss the 8 ways yoga will transform your body and your health.

Types of yoga: Vinyasa

What it is: Vinyasa is also called flow yoga because of the fluid transitions between poses. Breathing is extremely important in this practice, as the movements are synchronized with the breath.Who it’s for: There is a lot of movement and variety in Vinyasa, so if you’re hoping to sweat this style is for you.As for what you should be incorporating into your diet when practicing yoga? Don’t miss out on these 10 foods.

Types of yoga: Bikram

What it is: Bikram is hot! And by hot we’re talking temperature. Done in a sauna-like room at about 40.6 degrees Celsius and 40 percent humidity, a series of 26 poses and two breathing exercises are performed during every class.Who it’s for: The high heat allows you to dig deep into the stretches, simultaneously building your stamina and flushing toxins from your body through intense perspiration. Hot yoga is not recommended for pregnant women, and those with heart problems should consult a doctor first. Here are some benefits of the practice.

Types of yoga: Yin

What it is: A highly meditative practice, Yin yoga uses Taoist traditions and focuses on passive postures that target the connective tissues in the body, like the hips, pelvis and lower spine. It may be slow, but you need patience, as the poses are held anywhere from one to 20 minutes.Who it’s for: Yin yoga is a great starting point for those who want to quiet the mind with meditation and is also ideal for fitness buffs in need of releasing tension in overworked joints.Here are 8 meditation mistakes that can secretly stress you out.

Types of yoga: Iyengar

What it is: Named after its founder B.K.S. Iyengar, this practice is a form of Hatha yoga, which teaches there is a correct way for every pose. To help achieve ideal alignment, the practice relies heavily on the use of props like blocks, straps, harnesses, chairs and boards. Ashtanga principles are also integrated with focus placed on linking specific asanas together.Who it’s for: This is a great practice for more advanced yogis who want to better their alignment, but is also an ideal way for beginners to gain an understanding of the basic postures. Make sure you recognize these 10 signs that indicate your body (and mind) wants to practice yoga.

Types of yoga: Jock

What it is: Founded by Canadian yogi Michael DeCorte, Jock yoga is a style of power yoga, focusing on strength and endurance versus flexibility. The practice uses vigorous movements and strengthening postures, paired with contemporary music, with a goal of opening up stiff muscles. To stretch away stiffness, don’t miss out on this yoga flow.Who it’s for: Yoga skeptics, athletes and those looking to amp up their strength, will love the high-energy and sweat factor of this practice.

Types of yoga: Restorative

What it is: Forget sweating and think relaxation. Restorative yoga is all about healing the mind and body through simple poses often held for as many as 20 minutes, with the help of props like bolsters, pillows and straps.Practicing at home?Make sure you know this insider trick, it will help you stay motivated.Who it’s for: Incorporating Restorative yoga into your routine nicely complements active practices. Because of the meditative quality of this style, it’s helpful for those recovering from illness and injury, including emotional trauma like divorce or the death of a loved one.

Types of yoga: Ashtanga

What it is: A Vinyasa-style practice, Ashtanga yoga uses six pose sequences practiced sequentially, at a rapid pace, synchronized with the breath. And if you’re having trouble sleeping,make sure to check out these 6 soothing yoga poses.Who it’s for: Since the transitions between poses happen quickly, beginners should start with a slower-paced class to develop a solid understanding of the basics. A-types will appreciate the methodical style of the practice.

Types of yoga: Prenatal

What it is: Prenatal yoga is ideal for both expectant mothers and those who recently delivered. The pregnancy-safe poses will help you not only prepare for labour, but all of the stages of your pregnancy, through stretching and focused breathing.Who it’s for: Any expectant motheryogi or notshould try prenatal yoga, as it is a great way to help make for an easier and faster labour. Those who have not done yoga before may want to wait until the second trimester to start, as practicing before this time may make you feel faint, sick or dizzy.Check out these 5 Canadian yoga brands (that aren’t Lululemon).

Types of yoga: Jivamukti

What it is: Founded in 1984 by David Life and Sharon Gannon, Jivamukti means “liberation while living.” This Vinyasa-style practice is physically and intellectually intense, with themed classes often including chanting, music and scripture readings.Who it’s for: Those looking for more than just a physical workout should consider this practice, as it encourages its students to apply yogic philosophy to their daily life.Want to teach? Here’s how to find out if yoga teacher training is the right choice for you.

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Myth: Yoga is so gentle, it won’t cause injuries

Be careful or you might be saying ouch instead of om. Researchers from the University of Sydney found that yoga causes injuries ten times more often than anyone thought: 10 percent of practitioners reported muscle pain; 21 percent of people with existing pain found that yoga made it worsea rate that matches other sports. Still, yoga has many benefitsfrom increased flexibility and strength to lower blood pressureand 74 percent of study participants said their existing pain lessened. To avoid trouble, make sure you’re doing your poses safely, listen to your body, and let your instructor know about any existing injuries or limitations. Read up on the most common yoga injuries and how to prevent them.

Myth: Stretching before a workout prevents injuries

Reaching for your toes before a workoutaka static stretching, the stuff we were all taught to do in gym classcan actually cause injury. According to Time, save that type of stretching for after your workout. Before working out, warm up with some light cardio and then do movement-based, dynamic stretches, like arm and leg swings, which properly prime your muscles and will provide the foundation for a better workout. Here are more dynamic stretches to do before you exercise.

Myth: Exercising on an empty stomach first thing in the morning burns fat faster

The theory: If there’s nothing in your stomach, your body will be forced to burn fat for energy. The reality: Your body may turn to muscle for fuel, which, in turn, will give you less energy for your workout and potentially cause dehydration, hyperglycemia, and lightheadedness. Some experts also warn that this approach could actually slow down your metabolism. To optimize your workout, eat a light, easily digestible meal 90 minutes before exercising. Follow our meal plan for what to eat before, during and after a workout.

Myth: Machines are safer than free weights

Sure, with a machine, you won’t drop a barbell on your foot (or worse), but you could still hurt yourself. “Machines that restrain the form can lead to chronic pain in the joints,” explains Sebastien Lagree, founder of the Lagree Fitness Method and inventor of the Megaformer and Supra machines. “Make sure that your range of motion is not compromised.” No matter which technique you use, a pro should give you a lesson. Former actress turned RoyalMeghan Markle loved the Lagree workout while she lived in Toronto.

Myth: A detox will reset your system and help you lose weight

The problem with myths is that they often come with a hint of truth, like this one. After all, you will see some initial weight loss when you forgo solid foods. But, asexperts who spoke to Shape explain, a long detox can actually slow down your metabolism and make it harder to maintain any weight loss. Plus, you’ll lose muscle mass and when you inevitably gain some of the weight back, you’ll gain it back as fat. As a result, your body will be less fit and less healthy than it was before you started the detox. Consistent and smart food choices are always the way to go for long-term fitness results. Although… cauliflower does have some great detox benefits.

Myth: Exercising counteracts the effects of sitting at a desk all day

Believe it or not, if you’re 45 or older, you’re probably sitting for around 12.3 hours of a 16-hour waking day. And that’s a problem, according to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, because the more you sit, the higher the likelihood that you’ll die sooner. Researchers found that being sedentary for more than 13 hours increased a person’s risk of death by 200 percent compared to those who sat for less than 11 hours a day. But a simple tweak could make a big difference: Get up and move around every 30 minutes, and you could lower your chance of death by more than half. You’ll never skip the gym again thanks to these motivation tips.

Myth: Rest days aren’t necessary

“You need recovery days for those muscles to rest, just like you need sleep every day,” explains David Greuner, MD, co-founder of NYC Surgical Associates. “Think of your recovery days as days for your muscles to sleep.” In addition to increasing your potential for muscle strains, stress fractures, and joint pain, says Dr. Greuner, “working out without the proper rest and recovery can lead to bigger issues like extreme fatigue, hormone imbalance, and mood swings.” So take a day or two off after an intense workout, but make sure to incorporate movement in those days to stay limber and active.

Myth: You can burn off last night’s fast food with a trip to the gym

Calories are not interchangeable, because foods aren’t all the same. So, unfortunately, those fries will be staying with you a lot longer than the side salad you probably should have chosen instead. As Men’s Fitness explains, the type of food you’re eating will cause your hormones “to store or burn fat, boost or crash metabolism, and build or break down muscle.” While there’s nothing wrong with splurging once in a while, don’t make it a habit if you really want to lose weight and stay fit. This is what your daily coffee, tea or smoothie is doing to your diet.

Myth: Increased exercise will help chronic fatigue syndrome

While exercise improves most health problems, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is not one of them. In fact, according to NPR, even light exercise can make this condition much worse. This is a common misconception even among doctors; the CDC only revised its guidelines about exercise and treatment in 2017, after recommending the exact opposite for the last 30 years, when CFS was thought to be more of a psychological issue. Before embarking on a fitness plan, make sure to discuss it with your doctor first.In some cases, too much exercise can backfire and actually contribute to your weight gain.

Myth: Wipe down exercise equipment with your towel to keep germs at bay

Yes, you should absolutely wipe down equipment, but never use your towel! One study found that 63 percent of exercise equipment at the gym is covered in rhinovirusesthey cause colds; the machines and equipment are also crawling with flu germs and the antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria MRSA. Many gyms offer alcohol-based sprays with paper towels or antibiotic wipes to keep things sanitaryso use them! Other good tips to keep you healthy while you’re getting fit: cover cuts, use a separate towel as a barrier between you and the equipment, and wash your hands post-workout. These everyday items could also use a good cleaning.

Myth: No pain, no gain

There’s a difference between post-workout soreness and pain. The former is something called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which happens when you get microscopic tears in a muscle and inflammation. Personal trainer Jeana Anderson Cohen, the founder of ASweatLife.com, says, “Do not push past the painlisten to the pain to understand what your body needs. If you have tightness in your soft tissue, work on mobility on your recovery day. If your legs are sore, try upper body or cardio.” And if you’re experiencing sharp, shooting, or persistent pains in your muscles, joints, or ligaments, it’s time to see a doctor. Before you pop a pain pill, read this: 4 Medications You Shouldn’t Mix With Exercise.

Myth: Yoga can only improve arthritis

According to the Arthritis Foundation, people with arthritis should avoid poses that require balancing on one foot or bending their knees more than 90 degrees. Kundalini and Ananda may also be difficult since they require extended meditation and breathing. Instead, look into gentler types of yoga, including Iyengar, which lets you use a chair to balance. Before you get out your yoga mat, check out these physical issues that could pose a problem for you.

Myth: “Hot yoga” is the best yoga workout

People who swear by Bikramhotyoga say they reap more benefits than they would with traditional yoga, including increased flexibility and balance, better cardiovascular health, and more calorie-burning. But when you’re exercising for 90 minutes in a room that’s 105 degrees and 40 percent humidity, things can go really wrong. In fact, a recent study by the American Council on Exercise found that some participants’ core body temperature rose to 103 and one reached 104.1, which is medically concerning. As a result, the Council advised that participants increase their water intake and that instructors take more care to gradually adapt people to the heat of the room. So, be aware of the risks, and take a break to hydrate if you start feeling overwhelmed. Here’s how to choose the best yoga style for your personality.

Myth: Use a weight belt when doing squats to lift more

Squats not only sculpt your lower bodythey also stimulate the release of muscle-building hormones, strengthen your core, and improve your flexibility. But if you pile on too much weight and aren’t doing them correctly, they can injure your back, hips, and knees. “If you have to use a weight belt,” says Lagree, “you are not using your core to stabilize the spine and you’re putting too much weight on it, which can lead to serious injuries.” To correct this problem, Lagree suggests keeping your lower back in a neutral position to restrict the range of motion; leaning against a Smith machine can keep your trunk stable, keep the weight on your heels, and make sure that your knees stay aligned with your ankles.

Myth: The lower the lunge, the better the results

Lunges strengthen and tone your legs and butt, and they can actually help you avoid knee injury if done properly. If done improperly, you can extend too far and hurt your knees. Lagree says the correction is simple: “Don’t let your knee go out of alignment past the ‘toe line.’ Instead, keep the knee stationary over the ankle. This will reduce the range of motion, but that’s OK because you’ll be working the correct muscles.” He also says to push from the heel, not the toes. These stretches can help ease tights hips.

Myth: You can be fat but fit

A study published in 2012 claimed that overweight and obese people weren’t at a higher risk for heart disease and cancer if they were “metabolically fit” and didn’t have diabetes, high blood pressure, or high triglycerides. However, a more recent study in the International Journal of Epidemiology, which analyzed data from more than 1.3 million men in Sweden, found that participants who were a normal weight had a lower risk of death than those who were “obese but fit.” They also found that aerobic fitness decreased the more obese a person was. (We asked two experts to weigh in on this myth; here’s what they had to say.) While body positivity is a good thing, it shouldn’t make you complacent about your fitness and your health. Is the BMI even relevant anymore?

Myth: Morning workouts are best for your metabolism

The reality is, exercising at any time of the day is good for you and will kick your metabolism into high gear. The optimal exercise time for you depends more upon your circadian rhythms and what time your body is most primed for activity. One study indicates that the late afternoon may be when lung and muscle function peak for many people. The problem with morning workouts primarily comes if you’re not a morning person. If you’re losing sleep, your body chemistry will be off and your metabolism can slow down. Try these tips to boost your metabolism.

Myth: People with asthma should limit their activity levels

To lessen your asthma symptoms, you might want to hit the gym and increase the intensity of your workouts. Yes, you read that right. According to the European Lung Foundation, Danish researchers found that high-intensity exercise was not only safe for non-obese asthmaticsbut that it also could improve their quality of life. A combination of exercise and a healthy diet also kept study participants’ symptoms under control 50 percent more than the control group and improved their fitness levels. Concerned? Check to make sure you don’t have these silent signs of asthma.

Myth: Take an anti-inflammatory pre- or post-workout to lessen soreness

Before you pop that pill, you should know that it could damage your body instead of helping it. Men’s Journal lists these possible disturbing side effects of anti-inflammatories: They could put undue stress on your kidneys, especially if you’re dehydrated; cause more inflammation by damaging your stomach and colon and setting off an inflammatory response throughout your body; and result in gastrointestinal bleeds severe enough for hospitalization or that even lead to death. So, unless pain management is truly necessary, let your body recover naturally. Find out whicheveryday medications you shouldn’t take when you exercise.

Myth: If you’re angry or upset, head to the gym for a great workout

Actually, if you don’t want to have a heart attack, you might want to calm down first. According to a study published in the journal Circulation, you’re twice as likely experience a cardiac event within the hour after being emotionally triggered, and you’re three times more likely to have one if you’ve been emotionally triggered and do intense exercise. This CEO actually used cannabis to de-stress.

Myth: If you exercise at night, you’ll have trouble falling asleep

Your workout, no matter what time of day, will send you off to dreamland a lot easier. According to a review of 66 studies, exercising regularly is actually on par with taking sleep medications and can improve sleep quality. Experts aren’t sure why, but they theorize that exercise positively affects body temperature, metabolic rate, and anxiety levels. So don’t skip that post-work workout because you’re worried it will rev you up too much; if you do, it might sabotage your sleep and your fitness. Check out these body weight exercises you can easily do at home.

Myth: You need more protein in your diet

If the protein comes from meat, you probably don’t. In fact, you’re most likely eating too much of it already. Consuming too much can lead to heart disease and weight gain since animal protein tends to be high in saturated fat. Plus, there’s a limit to how much protein your body can actually use. “For each meal, consuming 2 to 3 ounces of lean meats, poultry, or fish, or half a cup of beans, would be the proper serving size,” says Dr. Greuner. Here are more sources of plant protein to incorporate into your diet.

Myth: If you’re over 50, you should stick to low-impact cardio

Cardio is obviously good for your heart health, which is a particular concern if you’re older, but if your exercise focus is too narrow, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice. After 50, bone density and muscle mass decline, and resistance training can help with both of those things, decreasing your risk of falling and breaking a bone. It can also increase your mental fitness: Research indicates that lifting weights can improve your memory, and just 20 minutes can do the trick. Decade by decade, we’ve uncovered the best workout for your age.

Myth: Running on a treadmill is gentler on your knees than running outside

Impact is impactwhether it’s asphalt or a spinning belt. You might actually be more prone to injury on a treadmill, according to Livestrong. Why? Because you move differently on a treadmill than when you’re on the ground, and because the treadmill surface could be problematic for knees and backs. Another issue: People who regularly use treadmills develop a longer stride, which stretches tendons and ligaments more and could increase the risk of injury and joint problems. That’s not to say that you should avoid treadmills. Instead, pick the right running shoes, and do exercises that strengthen knees and hip joints. Our writer used to hate running; here’s how she learned to love it.

Myth: Running is bad for your knees

Running has always come with a caveat: It’s great for your heart, but it leads to arthritis and knee damage. Or does it? Researchers from Brigham Young University, who analyzed the blood and joint fluid of 15 runners, found that 30 minutes of running lowered knee inflammation. While the results were promising, this was a small study, and scientists need to look at the pro-inflammatory markers over an extended period of time, not just immediately after a run. So, don’t discount running; it can lower your chances of a heart attack, breast cancer, and depressionand maybe help your knees.

Myth: Cycling causes erectile dysfunction and infertility

A recent study of 5,300 male cyclists debunked that myth, even among those who rode for eight and a half hours a week (approximately 200 miles). So casual riders are in the clear to reap the health benefits of cycling, which include calorie-burning, whole-body conditioning, increased cardiovascular health, and an exercise that’s easy on your knees. Unfortunately, the study also found a small link between cycling and prostate cancer in men over 50 who biked more than eight and a half hours per week, but researchers said that the benefits of cycling outweighed that potential risk.

Myth: If you’re not cycling at your max heart rate, you need to push yourself harder

Believe it or not, moving between different heart-rate zones is better for your heart and your workout session. According to Bicycling, this increases your base fitness level, your endurance, and your lactate threshold. Plus, if your intensity is always at the outer edge of your body’s capabilities, you’re raising your risk for injury, fatigue, and other overtraining symptomsincluding insomnia, a compromised immune system, and an elevated heart rate. These15 easy habits will help you live longer, according to science.

Myth: Behind-the-head lats pulls are more effective

While there may be a place for this exercise in your routine, an injury is a big risk. The main culprit is incorrect alignment: Unless you have very mobile shoulder joints, it’s hard to keep your spine straight enough. As a result, you could injure your rotator cuff, and if you hit the back of your neck with the bar, you could also damage your cervical vertebrae. For a safer option, WebMD suggests using the pull-down machine (while leaning back a little and holding on with a narrower grip) to bring the bar in front of the body to the breastbone as you pull your shoulder blades down and together.

Myth: Using small weights in a cardio class boosts results

There are a few problems with this myth. For starters, it’s not effective, according to Men’s Health, because you’re not lifting enough weight to build and create lean muscle mass. Second, it’s dangerous, especially for beginners. For example, if you’re in a spin class while attempting this, you might twist your body unnaturally in order to lift the weights, sacrifice correct form, or even drop a weight on yourself accidentally. A much safer, more efficient plan: Focus on one thing at a time, and lift weights on the floor, not while on a bike. Want to build muscle and tone up? This workout is perfect for strong, toned arms.

Myth: Pregnant women should avoid ab exercises

While avoiding ab work when pregnant won’t land you in the hospital, it’s not doing you any favors. If you don’t strengthen your core, you may end up with more lower-back pain, as well as have a longer delivery and a longer postpartum recovery. That said, after the first trimester, you should avoid traditional sit-ups so your uterus doesn’t compress your vena cava, the vein that carries blood to your heart. But a few tweaks can deliver all of the benefits of ab exercises without the riskseither by lying on your side, standing, or using a wedge that raises your heart above your bellybutton. Speak with a doctor and a trainer who can help you make the proper adjustments so that you and your baby stay safe.

Myth: Too much exercise while pregnant will cause you to deliver early

If you were looking for an excuse to put up your swollen feet, you’re not going to find it here. Scientists once theorized that since exercise releases norepinephrineit can cause uterine contractionspregnant women should take it easy at the gym. But a study in the American Journal of Obstetrics disproved that theory. Pregnant women who exercised were not at an increased risk of delivering early and had a lower incidence of gestational diabetes and high blood pressure. Researchers also discovered a big unexpected benefit: These women were more likely to deliver vaginally and avoid a C-section. Learn about the benefits that exercise can have for your baby.

Myth: You shouldn’t lift weights while pregnant

Doctors often frighten moms-to-be to the point that they don’t want to even pick up their own toddlers. While pregnant women should avoid heavy lifting, they can and should do some moderate resistance training, according to a study from the University of Gothenburg. The benefits, according to lead researcher Karolina Petrov Fieril, PhD, include “improved well-being, relief of pregnancy discomfortfatigue, headache, nausea, insomnia, and back painand a greater sense of control.”

Myth: Avoid dehydration by drinking lots before and during exercise

Most people have been so conditioned to worry about dehydration that overhydration isn’t on their radar. The problem is, when you ingest too many fluids, the sodium in your body is depleted, and you can start feeling symptoms similar to dehydration (nausea, disorientation, headache). Plus, according to Men’s Journal, if you’re overhydrating while working out, you could also develop something called exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH)during which your brain cells swell, potentially leading to unconsciousness and even death. To prevent this deadly problem, listen to your body. Experts say that thirst is a reliable gauge for when your body needs water.

Myth: Eating fat will make you fat

It won’tand it will actually help you burn more fat and lose weight. Of course, that’s only if you’re eating unsaturated fats (both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) and ones that have omega-3s. According to Livestrong, some studies have shown that people who consume more unsaturated fatty acids have lower BMIs and less abdominal fat, while others indicate that good fat can boost your metabolism. Fat can also keep you full longer and help you build muscle. So make sure to incorporate avocados, olive oil, fish, and nuts into your diet. But Dr. Greuner cautions, “Realize what proper serving sizes are for all your foods. For example, the proper serving size of an avocado is one-fourth of the avocado. Think of that next time you add guac to your Chipotle!” Make sure you’re getting the proper serving size of these surprisingly healthy fats.

Myth: You can sweat out toxins

While sweat contains tiny traces of toxins, you won’t be able to eliminate a significant amount that way. That’s what your liver and your kidneys are forand they’ll do the job better than any sauna. “A more effective route would be to focus on hydration and eating a clean, fiber-filled diet,” says Cohen. “This will help your kidney and liver facilitate their detoxification process and reduce the danger that could come from ignoring these key organs.” If you’re worried about more extreme toxins, like BPA or heavy metals, you should see a doctor. Here’s why you might be sweating more than everyone else around you.

Myth: You need to exercise for an hour at a time to benefit

“Your body can benefit from even just one minute of exercise,” says Lagree.Science backs him up: According to researchers at the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes for Health, even a few minutes of moderate to vigorous activity “counts” toward better fitness and better health. That could be jogging for five minutes or even climbing a flight of stairs. Ideally, those little bursts of activity can add up to an hour a day, which, say researchers, cut a person’s risk of death by half.

Myth: A “fat-burning belt” will help you achieve awesome abs

You may have seen them on TV, and they look pretty miraculous. But these devicesincluding abdominal sweatbands, sauna belts, and body wrapslikely won’t help you lose weight and may even be dangerous. Since these bands are often recommended for use during exercise, they interfere with the correct use of ab muscles. Heated sweatbands can also dehydrate you more easily and, in some cases, cause burns. Instead of trying this quick fix, it’s better to sweat out calories the old-fashioned way. Moral of the story: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Here’s what top trainers suggest you do to lose weight.

Myth: Compression gear will increase your exercise stamina

Athletes might believe differently, but studies show that the supposed benefits of this skin-tight gear may be all in their heads. The Ohio State Wexler Medical Center found that while compression tights reduced muscle vibration, that didn’t lead to reduced muscle fatigue. In fact, according to the study, runners performed the same with and without compression tights. And while that research didn’t reveal any negative results to wearing it, the Los Angeles Times reports that wearing compression clothingwhether it’s exercise gear or shapewearfor prolonged periods of time can put too much pressure on nerves and internal organs, even causing gastroesophageal reflux disease. That said, if you like exercising in compression clothing, just make sure to limit your time in it to the actual workout. These high-tech PJs supposedly get rid of muscle pain so you can sleep better.

Myth: Supplements are essential to health

Just because something is “natural,” it doesn’t mean it’s good for you. According to the National Institutes of Health, there’s two problems here: First, supplements aren’t FDA-approved before they hit the shelves; second, some supplements can cause harmful side effects or interact poorly with certain drugs. For example, vitamin K can make the blood clot drug Coumadin less effective, St. John’s wort can render birth-control pills useless, and vitamins C and E could make chemotherapy less effective. Your health will be better served if you eat a diverse, nutrient-rich diet. These are the supplements doctors take every day.

Myth: Juicing is a great way to eat your fruits and veggies

The problem is that juicing eliminates a food’s fiberand your digestive system needs fiber. In a review of studies by the American College of Cardiology, researchers also found that juicing concentrates calories. As Popular Science explains, “You’re basically just drinking sugar water with some vitamins in it.” To at least partially correct this problem, you can add some of the removed pulp back into your drink, but in all honesty, you’d probably be better off just eating an apple and some raw veggies.

Myth: When you’re pregnant, you’re eating for two

While that’s technically true, you should absolutely not eat for two adults. In fact, according to WebMD, if you’re pregnant with one child, you only need about 340 extra calories per day in your second trimester and 450 more in your third. And for those first 12 weeks? You don’t need to increase your food intake at all. What you should change up throughout your pregnancy, however, is the type of calories that you’re consuming: Switch out sugar-laden foods with empty calories for nutrient-rich foods that will give you more energy, keep you full longer, and provide ample nutrition.

Myth: You should never lose weight during pregnancy

During pregnancy, women hear so much about healthy weight gain that weight loss is not even on their radar. But for overweight or obese women, it should be. As Healthline reports, a study in the British Medical Journal found that embarking on a new healthy lifestyle that included exercise and better nutrition reduced pregnant women’s risk of preeclampsia by 33 percent and gestational diabetes by 61 percent. This could also benefit the babies since maternal obesity is a risk factor for childhood obesity.

Myth: You need sports drinks to replenish your electrolytes

For high-endurance athletes who exercise for prolonged periods of time, sports drinks are a good way to hydrate and quickly get some electrolytes, potassium, and sodium into the body. The problem is, the majority of people who drink these beverages are not endurance athletes, and they’re downing a ton of sugar. For people who are less active, that could lead to weight gain; for kids, consumption of sports drinks has been linked to childhood obesity. In short: For most people, water is best, and if you do reach for a sports drink, limit your intake and opt for the low-sugar versions. After all, consuming too much sugar can have a serious impact on your health.

Myth: Mental fitness has nothing to do with physical fitness

Your body affects your brain more than you may realize, especially as you get older. Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine found that older adults who did well on cardiorespiratory fitness tests also experienced more brain activity while learning and did better on memory tasks than their less-fit peers. And the more fit participants were, the more brain activity they exhibited. While researchers caution that exercise won’t prevent Alzheimer’s or dementia, it could be a promising way to keep some forms of age-related mental decline at bay for longer. So stay activeor get activeto keep your brain at peak performance. Thinking about hiring a personal trainer? Ask these five questions before you sign on the dotted line.

Myth: If you have rheumatoid arthritis, avoid high-intensity workouts

To treat this autoimmune disease that targets the joints, doctors will often recommend low-impact cardio. But, according to Healthline, you may be better served by adding some intensity to your workouts. One study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that improved subjects’ cardiovascular health without adversely affecting their joints or increasing pain. Still, always make sure to speak with your doctor before embarking on a more intense exercise regimen.

Myth: Bicycle crunches are a foolproof way to exercise your entire mid-section

So much can go wrong with the basic bicycle crunch, the staple of every exercise class. As you twist back and forth quickly, you’re putting your lower back at risk for herniated discs and muscle spasms. Also, because you generally hold the back of your head as you perform this exercise, you could suffer a cervical spine injury as well. Experts suggest being more methodical about this movement by slowing down significantly. These incredible things happen when you have a stronger core.

Myth: If you want to lose weight, get a fitness tracker

That neat little gadget may be sabotaging your weight loss. One study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who didn’t use one lost five more pounds over the course of a year than those who did. Another study from Stanford University and the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences found that fitness trackers didn’t provide accurate calorie-burning numbers; as a result, people may stop their workouts prematurely when they think they’ve already reached their daily fitness goal. That’s not to say that you should ditch your fitness tracker. Technology is improving, and they’re a good motivator for people who lead a more sedentary lifestyle, reminding them to get up and go more than they normally would. Here’s how to choose the best fitness tracker for your lifestyle.

Myth: Walking doesn’t really do anything for you

Don’t discount a simple walk. Walking can work some serious health miracles. According to Harvard Health, studies show that it can reduce your risk of developing breast cancer, help with joint pain, strengthen your immune system, and counteract the effects of the body’s obesity-promoting genes. Plus, even a 15-minute walk can keep your craving for sugar at bay. Next, find out the 35 health secrets your body is trying to tell you.

The post 50 Fitness Myths That Can Seriously Damage Your Health appeared first on Best Health.

Meghan Markles Wedding Diet Philosophy: Everything in Moderation

Meghan Markles wedding diet is all about balance a philosophy shes lived by for years. That means French fries, pasta and wine arent off limits; theyre simply enjoyed in moderation. I try to eat vegan during the week and then have a little bit more flexibility with what I dig into on the weekends. But at the same time, its all about balance. Because I work out the way I do, I dont ever want to feel deprived. I feel that the second you do that is when you start to binge on things. Its not a diet; its lifestyle eating, she told Best Health on set for our May 2016 cover story.

But first, protein

Meghan starts her morning with a smoothie featuring Clean Cleanse vanilla protein powder blended with frozen Ontario blueberries, she previously told The New Potato. That combo is likely something she started while living in Toronto, Ontario, for the filming of Suits.Related: Get the Recipe to Recreate Meghan Markles Go-To Smoothie

Plenty of fish (and healthy omega-3s)

Meghan enjoys sushi and sashimi. On my perfect day, I would wake up late, take my dogs for a walk, do some yoga and have a great sashimi lunch, she told Best Health.

Good home cooked meals

Meghan prefers to stay in and cook, rather than go out for dinner. She says: I love to cook. Im pretty low-key. I travel so much that, in my downtime, I really relish the quiet.Related: 5 Must-Know Style Tips From Meghan Markle

Daily supplements for wellbeing

Those pre-wedding days (months!) are busy for the average woman, so theres no doubt Meghan has a packed schedule. Meghan and Harry’s guest list is a long one, including many high profile family friends, and more than 2, 000 members of the general public who’ve been invited to watch from the Windsor Castle grounds on the big day. To stay healthy and ensure shes getting enough sleep Meghan likely takes a variety of vitamins and supplements each day. Her usual regimen? Magnesium, B-12 drops, multivitamin and Cortisol Manager before bed, she told thechalkboardmag.com in 2015.In a 2016 post on The Tig, Meghan shared that she always travels with a probiotic, specifically Dr. Ohhiras Complete Probiotic System. She wrote: Always travel with a high strain probiotic, and hydrate like youre dying of thirst because even if youre not, for your body the thirst is real. This dynamic duo of probiotics and agua will keep your gut health in check and honestly stave off jet lag if youre globetrotting on your travels.Related: How Ellen DeGeneres Convinced Meghan Markle to Adopt a Dog

Meghan Markle’s Pre-Wedding Workout Routine

If you were following Meghan on Instagram before she shut down her account, you would have seen Prince Harrys future wife in some inspirational yoga poses. Yogas been part of her life since she was a child. In 2015, she told Best Health: Yoga is my thing. My mom is a yoga instructor, and I started doing mommy-and-me yoga with her when I was seven. I was very resistant as a kid, but she said, Flower, you will find your practice – just give it time. In college, I started doing it more regularly.Theres no doubt shes kept up her yoga practice since making the move to the UK. Especially since exercise is an important part of her mental health, too. Being active is my own moving meditation, she told us.Related: We Tried It Meghan Markle’s Favourite Toronto Workout

Her daily mantra: “I am enough.”

A few years ago, Meghan penned an essay for her lifestyle website The Tig (which has since been shut down) about a wake up call she received in her early 20s. She was at a casting call and the casting director interrupted her audition to give her a valuable piece of life advice. She writes: “I was breathless. No one had ever seen it, or perhaps no one had ever called me out, but there in that small box of a room in Burbank, this woman I had never met saw me. My gut reaction was to smile. To smile hard. Maybe that would keep the tears tucked behind my draping eyes. It wouldnt have mattered if I cried, because she saw me. She saw all that self-doubt beaming through the self-tanner and excessive blush. ‘You need to know that youre enough,’ she said. ‘Less makeup, more Meghan.’ She went on to say that I was like a ‘shrinking violet,’ wilted joy and energy and exuberance behind this shroud of insecurity. You couldnt pay for a therapy session this good. And that moment, for me, was a wake-up call.”Related: Don’t Miss These Photos of Meghan Modelling for Reitmans

The post This is How Meghan Markle is Prepping for her May 19th Wedding to Prince Harry appeared first on Best Health.

When I met Meghan Markle in the fall of 2015 at Soho House in Toronto, she was a vision in white a hint to her future with Prince Harry! The former actress married into the royal family on May 19th. (This is how Meghan is prepping for her wedding.) As I introduced myself, she complimented my outfit and we immediately shared some of our favourite places to shop. And the conversation was so natural, its easy to forget that she is a TV star with a huge social following (Meghan Markle’s Instagram account had amassed more than 1 million followers before she closed her account). In fact, Markle comes across as genuine, relatable and oh-so-polite youd think she was Canadian!Born Rachel Meghan Markle in Los Angeles coincidentally, the name she shared with her character, Rachel Zane, on the breakout television series Suits. Acting isnt Markles only love, though. After graduating from Northwestern University with a dual major in theatre and international relations, she spent some time working for the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires and is now active in international affairs as the UN Womens advocate for political participation and leadership.That passion for sharing information and female empowerment is something Markle carried over to her lifestyle website, The Tig, which profiled inspirational people and covered topics like self-image, food, travel and decor before the site was shut down in April 2017.For our May 2016 cover story, Markle and I caught up a few times to chat about all things life, work and wellness. Here are the highlights.Youve spent a lot of time in Toronto filming Suits since the show premiered in 2011. What do you love about the city?[Toronto] is like my home. At the onset, I didnt know what to expect, but everyone has been so welcoming. The people are so kind, I love the food scene, and I really love exploring little nooks around the city with my two dogs. (Markle has two rescue dogs, Bogart and Guy, and it was actually Ellen DeGeneres who convinced her to adopt!) Well explore new ravines and jaunt through new areas. I love how much green space there is tucked away – you wouldnt expect that, and it reminds me of LA in a lot of ways.What do you do to stay in shape? Is there a workout or activity you do regularly?Yoga is my thing. My mom is a yoga instructor, and I started doing mommy-and-me yoga with her when I was seven. I was very resistant as a kid, but she said, Flower, you will find your practice – just give it time. In college, I started doing it more regularly.I used to run all the time, but I typically get picked up for work at 4:15 in the morning on a Monday, so there isnt much time for jogging and I would rather have that extra hour of sleep. Now, I change it up: Ill do yoga a couple times a week hot yoga, specifically with Duncan Parviainen (see Duncan Dos! below). He is so positive and, especially in my industry, its so important to surround yourself with people who are grounded and really optimistic. (This was another one of Meghan’s favourite Toronto workouts.)As Ive gotten older, running has become hard on my knees, so I cant run outside the way I used to, but Im still planning to run a marathon!Is Flower a nickname from your mom?Did I say that? How funny. Yes, my mom calls me Flower. She has always called me Flower. Its really funny because I dont even think about it when Im describing how we chat.As you get older, how are your health and wellness priorities shifting?As Im getting older, my approach to aging is quite different. I make sure that I take care of my skin and body, especially with the work hours I have. And I dont just take care of myself for aesthetic reasons but because how I feel is dictated by what Im eating, how much rest Im getting and how much water Im drinking. If I dont have time for a long workout, Ill grab my dog and go for a quick run. Being active is my own moving meditation.Are you a foodie? How did you cultivate your passion for food?I love to cook. I grew up on the set of a TV show called Married with Children, where my dad was the lighting director. Because of the content of the show, my dad would have me help in craft services, which is where they make all the food and nibbles – thats where I started to learn about garnishing and plating. After being there every day after school for 10 years and seeing the appreciation of food, I started to learn the association between food and happiness and being able to entertain – I think thats where the seed was planted. Beyond that, we travelled a lot when I was young. My mom was also a travel agent, so with the exposure to different cultures and different flavours and with LA being such a melting pot – much like Toronto – I think that all developed my fascination [for food].Whats your healthy eating philosophy? Do you have a kryptonite?French fries – I could eat French fries all day. And I love pasta. I love carbs – who doesnt love a carbohydrate? But of course, when Im filming, Im conscious of what I eat. I try to eat vegan during the week and then have a little bit more flexibility with what I dig into on the weekends. But at the same time, its all about balance. Because I work out the way I do, I dont ever want to feel deprived. I feel that the second you do that is when you start to binge on things. Its not a diet; its lifestyle eating.The same goes for wine. Of course Im going to have that glass of wine – its delicious and I enjoy it. Do the things you enjoy within reason. Know your body and what works for you and youll be fine.The Tig also covered travel, living, fashion and beauty. How did you come up with the concept for a lifestyle site?The concept was really to have a hub for all the things I find exciting. Theres no strategy to it, which is perhaps the reason for its success. It just organically comes from me about the things I want to share. The think pieces I write about empowerment and self-identification are the real heart of the site. Maybe [readers] come to the site because theyre in search of the perfect blowout, but they end up walking away from it thinking, Im enough. Wow, thats a great reminder. For me, that has been the real joy.Its great if they like my clothes or my hairstyle, but at the end of the day, when all that stuff is gone, lets talk about whats really important. Thankfully, The Tig is an outlet for me to start that conversation candidly. (Meghan once modeled for Canadian fashion retailer Reitmans.)What does your perfect day look like?I love to work, to be honest. On my perfect day, I would wake up late, take my dogs for a walk, do some yoga and have a great sashimi lunch. And, because I love to work, if I was able to go and shoot one scene, then that would be fantastic for a little creative impulse. Then I would have a really great dinner with friends. I love to cook. Im pretty low-key. I travel so much that, in my downtime, I really relish the quiet.Whats next for you? Do you have some bucket-list items?We are confirmed to film two more seasons of Suits, so Ill be here [in Toronto] for at least a couple more years. And really the hiatus [between filming] is so brief that I just want to use that time to grow The Tig. Im so grateful for how its taken off. And I love doing comedy (In the winter of 2016, Markle filmed a romantic comedy in Vancouver). Other bucket-list items: I want to travel more and I cant wait to start a family, but in due time.

DUNCAN DOS!

Meghan Markle frequently works out with Torontos Duncan Parviainen, who has been teaching yoga for nine years. On shoot day, he was on hand to help her warm up. Heres his take on the beauty of the practice.What are some of the benefits of yoga?There are so many benefits that come with the practice of yoga. A few benefits of vinyasa yoga include increased flexibility and muscle strength, greater happiness, increased mental focus, a greater ability to relax, decreased anxiety and better sleep.What does yoga mean to you?At this moment in my life, I would define yoga as the balance between desiring more and being content with what is.Can you tell us how Meghan has evolved with her practice since you met?I remember helping Meghan with some of her first inversions. They can be fun yet terrifying if you aren’t comfortable going upside down. I remember Meghan being quite timid yet coming into handstand anyway. Her ability to trust, feel fear and then move beyond it speaks volumes about her as a person.Photography: Genevive Charbonneau; Styling: Ingrie Williams; Makeup: Sheri Stroh/Plutino Group; Hair: Anna Barseghian/Judy Inc.Related: Meghan Markle Speaks Out About Period Stigma Don’t Miss These Modelling Photos of Meghan Markle We Tried It: Meghan Markle’s Favourite Toronto Workout 

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Healthy people meditate

Before you roll your eyes at the thought, remember that meditation doesn’t have to be a lengthy, drawn-out process to be effective. As Lillie Rosenthal, MD, explains, setting your intention for your day helps you connect your mind and body, allowing you to reset and reboot your central nervous system. “Upon opening your eyes in the morning, instead of racing to put on the coffee, take a brief pause,” she recommends. “Do some gentle breathing, breathing in for four counts in and breathing out for eight counts, taking in the ‘good’ and letting out ‘negative’ feelings.” Try this 5-minute meditation for a quick energy boost.

They take a break from their phones

It’s not enough to pause before hopping out of bed. Bryce Kennedy, life coach, says healthy people avoid their phone as long as possible. In fact, well-known entrepreneurs including Oprah, Seth Godin, and Tony Robbins stress the importance of prioritizing your time, without distractions. (These celebs recently took a break from social media. Maybe you should, too.) “Nothing or no one is allowed to enter that space. It is a time for reflection, writing, brainstorming, and flow. It is a small window that is open and needs to be caught in order to be used. Once the phone is turned on, emails checked, news read, texts replied to, etc. the window is closed,” Kennedy says.Related: The Surprising Way Technology And Social Media Is Harming Us

They take a shower

Bad news if you prefer to rinse off before you go to bed at night, Tania Elliott, MD, allergist and chief medical officer of EHE says it’s a healthier tactic to hop in the shower in the a.m. Not only does it help you feel extra alert and more awake, but when you add eucalyptus or peppermint you help stimulate your level of concentration via your nasal passages. (Add a drop of an essential oil to a diffuser near your tub.) Clean and ready to impress your boss? Yes, please!Related: A Cold Shower May Help You Avoid Getting Sick

They read something inspiring

Consider the last book you read or article you clicked on via Facebook that left you smiling once you paged through it. Cali Estes, PhD, a life coach, says healthy people continuously seek sources of inspiration to keep them in the right frame of mind. “Spend ten minutes reading any article that will help you obtain your goals. This can be business, personal, self esteem-related or anything that will give you tips and tricks you can apply throughout the day,” she suggests. Are you following us on Instagram? We regularly share inspiring quotes, mantras and more!

They connect with others

While having “you” time is necessary to regenerate and recenter, Jeana Anderson Cohen, founder and CEO of Sweat Life says spending time with othersespecially those who lift you up and support youis essential to your daily health. “Your family, your friends, your children, the groups you dedicate your time tothose connections are shown to be the greatest determinant of happiness. And happiness is not so surprisingly tied to your health. Try sending a text or an email to one person you miss in the morning with the intention to join them for a coffee or lunch in the near future,” she says.Related: 14 Habits That Will Turn You Into a Morning Person

They stay positive

Did your mom ever nudge you to talk to yourself as you would to your best friend? Probably soand it’s worth applying that logic as an adult. Sonia Satra, life coach, says many people harp on the reasons they’re not measuring up, from not sleeping enough to contributing enough and the list goes on. “The best way to combat those ‘not-enough’s’ is to shift your focus by asking questions that will give you helpful, powerful answers,” she suggests. For example, ask yourself: What do I have enough time for? What am I already doing well? What am I grateful for? What do I want today to look like?

They practice gratitude

Even though the practice of gratitude is something that’s been trendy lately, Kien Vuu, MD and motivational speaker, says the benefits of being thankful are timeless. That’s why starting each day focusing on your blessings maintains your health in a long-term way. “Writing down things you are grateful for every morning releases feel-good hormones that prime your body for health and wellness. The emotion of gratitude cancels out fear and stress as well as reduces the production of cortisol, aka the stress hormone. This is a great emotional priming technique that allows you to better handle any stressors that may arise during the day,” he says. Check out these easy prompts for your gratitude journal.

They exercise

 While hitting snooze once (or twice or three times) is a tempting prospect when you didn’t catch quite enough Zzzs, Dr. Rosenthal says starting your day with movement does wonders for your health. “It gets you out of your heads and into your body. It stimulates the neurotransmitters in the brain and keeps you physiologically younger and more agile,” she notes. When you put a good workout on your priority list, you strengthen your cardiovascular health, curb your appetite, increase your consciousness, build muscle, and boost your overall happiness.Related: ‘How I Turned Into a Morning Person Workouts And All’

They eat breakfast at 10 a.m.

Believe it or not, there’s a big benefit to fasting, according to Dr. Rosenthal. When you go without food for ten or more hours, your blood sugar normalizes and your metabolism is restarted. This is why healthy people wait to eat breakfast until 10 a.m., when enough time has passed from their midnight snack. A doughnut, of course, won’t do your body good though, which is why Dr. Rosenthal recommends focusing on nutritious options, including unprocessed foods, such as oatmeal or a homemade smoothie with fruit and vegetables.Related: Every Question You Have About Intermittent Fasting, Answered

They hydrate

Considering our bodies are mostly made of H20, it’s likely no surprise that continuously chugging this natural wonder is a must for a long life. Dr. Rosenthal says the majority of us wait to chug water until we feel thirsty, and by then, it’s too late. She recommends drinking at least 12 to 16 ounces of water right after you wake up and drinking a minimum of two liters total throughout the course of your day. “Try adding lemon to water which is alkaline and adds a favorable PH balance to the body. Do your best to avoid sugary drinks and diet drinks which are heavy on artificial sweeteners and chemical additives which the body processes as sugar anyway,” she adds.

They keep their space clean

Technically this is a task that should be completed before you tuck yourself in for the night, but Kennedy stresses it’s a must in order to start off your day on the right foot. Clearing off your workspace might not seem like such a big deal, after all, it’s just a few papers and a coffee cup, but it’s more about the mental message it sends your brain and confidence. “When the mind sees clutter, it elicits shame, guilt, and anxiety, creating confusion and chaos,” he explains. “If your desk is clean and you sit down to that first thing in the morningWow!a completely different feeling. There is a sense of empowerment, a clean slate, and a new beginning.” He suggests removing papers, pictures, office supplies, corporate nonsense, books, and whatever else you may store to make room for more creativity.Related: Could Your Morning Coffee Actually Be Sabotaging Your Day?

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