Fitness Mantra "Your Guide to Total Fitness"

Basic Yoga Asanas For Stomach

Yoga Poses (Asanas) are one of the 8 limbs of yoga practice. This includes breathwork, meditation, the Yamas and Niyamas.

The effects of asana practice are normally quite instantaneous. Then again, in some cases, asanas will reveal their real potency only after patient, long-term commitment to practice. These asanas also help pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women dispose of that intra-abdominal fat. In the process they also lower their risk for some chronic illnesses. Basic Yoga asanas for stomach include:

1. Surya Namaskar – Sun Salutation

2. Pawanmuktasana – Wind relieving pose

3. Bhujangasana – Cobra pose

4. Dhanurasana – Bow pose

5. Paschimottanasana – Seated head to knees pose

6. Uddiyana Bandha – The Abdominal Lift

7. Dandayamana-Dhanurasana – Standing Bow Pulling Pose

8. Uttanasana – Forward Bend or Extension

9. Sarvangasana – Shoulderstand

 

Surya Namaskar is best done in the early mornings, since the morning and evenings the sun tends to radiate more ultraviolet rays. Even in the Western world, medical practitioners are making use of suns rays as a powerful therapeutic agent. This is more so in the treatment of diseases. is a flowing process of Yoga poses and breathing techniques. It helps burn abdominal fat, lends elasticity to the spine and limbs while enhancing breathing capacity.

Essentially, Surya Namaskar consists of twelve spinal positions. Each one stretches a variety of ligaments and gives different movements to your spinal column. This is because it is bent, alternatively, forward and backward with deep breathing.

However it is important to be kind to oneself when practicing yoga. It is important to go slowly, particularly at the start. Just as importantly, listen to your body. Your body knows what it can do and how far it can go. If it your body tells you to stop, then you must stop there an d then. Never push your body. Remember that Yoga is far from a competitive sport where you earn points for tying in with a picture in a book (or on a website). If you push your body too hard, you will definitely not enjoy your practices. Further, you might even harm yourself. As far as possible, in Yoga work with an experienced and qualified teacher. You can also use books, videos and websites to supplement your classroom instruction. Above all, stick to your practices. Don’t give up too soon. Remember, practice makes perfect and you will feel better.

Have An Ageless Body & A Timeless Brain.

Thanks,

AJ

Breakfast bytes

~ Breakfasts could include porridge of rice flakes, garden cress seeds or muesli (a popular ready made breakfast cereal that contains cereals, nuts and dry fruits).

~ A savoury preparation of rice flakes (masala poha) also works.

~ A vegetable sandwich made with green chutney (prepared from coriander leaves or mint leaves or curry leaves, coconut or groundnuts along with amla) and slices of tomato and cucumber has lots of iron.

~ Have a glass of citrus juice or a citrus fruit like orange or sweetlime.

Mealtimes

~ Your main meals should contain a green leafy vegetable every alternate day and a salad either at lunch or dinner.

~ Cauliflower leaves are much richer in iron as compared to other green leafy vegetables and should be consumed more often.

~ Eating an amla along with your meal or drinking a glass of fresh lime juice half an hour after the meal is beneficial, as it helps increase the absorption of iron.

~ Non-vegetarians should include fish in one meal, and meat or poultry as a garnish to a vegetable dish in the other.

Snack time

~ Iron rich snack choices include dates, figs (anjeer), jaggery based chikki or garden cress seeds or ahliva ladoos.

~ Tea and coffee contain tannins, which form insoluble complexes with iron, thereby preventing its absorption. Hence, they should not be drunk along with or immediately after a meal.

Practicethese simple tips and you will feel just fit and fine.

Do you feel perennially exhausted ?
Do you sometimes experience breathlessness and palpitations?

Does your skin turn pale often?
It could be due to iron deficiency, a common problem amongst the youth today.

Causes of IRON deficiency

~ A low intake of iron rich foods.

~ Predominance of non-heme iron in the diet, an iron type that is not easily absorbed by the body. The other type is heme iron, which is easily absorbed.

~ The absence of iron absorption enhancing factors like vitamin C, meat, fish or poultry.

~ Prevalence of infections and worm infestations.

Types of dietary iron

~ Non-heme iron, which is the insoluble ferric form, is present in vegetable foods.

Rich sources of this form include rice flakes (poha), green leafy vegetables, sprouts, garden cress seeds or ahliva/ halim, dry fruits and jaggery.

Garden cress seeds, which are reddish brown in colour and resemble falooda seeds, are usually available at most provision stores. Soak a handful in a glass of milk for about 15 minutes and drink up the mixture.

The body can absorb only two to 20 percent of non-heme iron, but its absorption can be enhanced or decreased depending upon the food and drink had at the meal.

~ Heme iron, which is a soluble ferrous form of iron, is present in red meats, fish and poultry.

Milk is a poor source of iron, while egg contains a higher proportion of non-heme iron in the yolk.

On an average, about 15-35 percent of heme iron is absorbed by the body.

Enhance iron absorption

~ The presence of vitamin C rich foods at a meal enhances the absorption of non-heme iron; vitamin C converts the insoluble ferric iron into its soluble ferrous form, which can be easily absorbed.

These include guava, amla and citrus fruits like orange, sweet lemon, grapefruit and lime. Amla can be had as a pickle, murrabba or in its candied form.

~ The consumption of meat, fish or poultry has double benefits -- it provides heme iron as well as increases the absorption of non-heme iron.

~ Fermentation -- which takes place while making the idli-dosa batter -- and sprouting grains destroys some of the iron-inhibiting substances.

~ Raw or lightly steamed sprouts are also rich in vitamin C, which increases the absorption of iron.

Vegetarians versus non-vegetarians

Although vegetarian diets tend to be lower in iron than non-vegetarian diets, vegetarians do not have a greater risk of developing iron deficiency anemia.

Yoga has become a religion, its no more the ancient art of spiritual enlightenment practiced by Hindu yogi. It has become the New Age Mantra for the Modern Man to keep himself most energetic and agile to emerge as a Winner in both his Personal & Professional Life, after all a Healthy Soul become a True Winner in every spear of Life.

So in this high-stress, extremely competitive world every one needs to take care of their health and keeps their mind and body perfectly fit. And YOGA has emerge as the best tool for this supreme fitness. And over these years it has achieved the popularity that nothing else has gain all over the globe. Yoga has become a Brand over these years.

This blog is for those people who wants to make this powerful four lettered term "YOGA" their DNA for a healthy and successful living.

Everyone talks about weight loss, but what about those who are desperate to gain a few kilos?

Before we tackle that, though, let us first understand how do you know you are underweight? Simple, calculate your Body Mass Index. If it is less than 18.5, you are underweight.

Your BMI or Body Mass Index is your weight in kilos divided by the square of your height in meters. (The normal BMI is 18.5 to 24.9).

There are numerous supplements in the weight gain market that might help increase daily caloric intake, yet they have no benefits when compared to smart food choices.

The basic principle of weight gain is simple: You need to consume more calories than you expend. Follow these 10 tips.

This involves some calculation. The approximate normal daily caloric requirement for an average male who performs light activity is 2,200; for a female, it is 1,900.You need to eat around 1,000 extra calories per day to gain less than half a kilo a week.

Do the math. Eat larger portions and eat at least five meals a day.

Your actual caloric requirement can differ depending on your height, weight, activity level and your body's metabolic rate.

Tip No - 2 : Make Smart Food Choices

For example, choose dairy products, fish and meat over bread. Choose eggs over vegetables.

Eat foods with high protein content such as beans, pulses and peas, and foods with high starch content such as potatoes, rice and tapioca.

Increase your protein intake. Your body needs a lot of protein to build new muscle. But since most of the calories for weight gain comes from carbohydrates and fats, do not replace them with protein.

Tip No - 4 : Take High- Calories Snacks a Lot

Consume a lot of high-calorie snacks (not junk food) such as cheese sticks, milk shakes, muffins, dried fruits, yoghurt and breakfast bars.

Drink a lot of fluids that supply nutrients and calories; milk, fresh fruit juices and energy drinks are good examples.

Tip No - 6 : Intensify Your Work-Out

Aerobics are great, right? Not for weight gain!

You need to exercise really hard and intensely to gain muscle mass.

Tip No - 7 : Weights are the Way to GO

Focus on free weight exercises (which do not require machinery) that target your large muscle groups. For example, you need dumbells, not fancy gym machines.

Free weights put the most stress on muscles and stimulate the maximum number of muscle fibres.

The best weight training exercises for building muscle mass are free weight exercises like squats, dead lifts, bench presses, barbell rows, pull ups and bar dips.

These exercises are best done under supervision, but they don't need machinery.

Tip No - 8 : Space Out ur Work-Out

If you have a high basic metabolic rate -- which means you expend a lot of energy even at rest -- you need short intense workouts instead of long periods of low-stress activity.

Tip No - 9 : CREATINE

Creatine supplements can help some athletes gain weight. It is not known if it is because it gives them spurts of energy or because it adds water weight.

More research is needed in this area before Creatine becomes that magic pill. Creatine supplements are available at all major health food stores, but do not take it without consulting your doctor.

Tip No - 10: Be Consistent

It might take a long time, usually a few months, for the weight to actually show. Some people get frustrated and quit when they fail to see drastic results.

Your body will only responds to a consistent schedule. No weight gain programme will work for you if you are not regular.

Heredity does pay a major role in determining your weight. Effective weight training and a smart diet can help you exceed your genetically predetermined weight.

So, Friends don't worry if u have a weak or skinny body now, just follow these tips and remember the key to a healthy body depends on your 3 habits : Eating Habit, Sleeping Habit and Regular Work-Out.

Have an Ageless Body & Timeless Mind.

Thanks,

AJ