My Blog

Breakfast Yoga Club Nov 19th 9AM

11/09/2011 09:59:00

Saturday, November 19

@ City Centre

From 9AM-11am

Special Feature: Kids Class from 11:30am-Noon

Live Music by

the Bhakti House Band

Food From ECO Farmers

Market

Teacher Line UP

Selise Stewart, founder of Yoga Heart Studio, Kat Axmann, from Yoga with Kat,
Beth Reese, founder of Yoginos, Grace Kubeka from Awakened Yoga Studio,Carla Bazemore from MAC, and Daniel Bowerfrom Tranquil Heart Yoga.

SPECIAL Feature

Beth Reese will teach a special kids class from 11:30 to Noon...so have the family meet you after practice!

Yoga With a Twist @ Lululemon City Centre Nov 17th 5PM

11/09/2011 09:55:00

Yoga with a Twist

Thursday November 17th, 2011
City Centre Plaza Join our team for a Grand Opening celebration full of "twists"! See you at the City Centre plaza at 5pm.

More info:http://www.lululemon.com/houston/houstoncitycentre/events/event-36338-2011-11-17

4 the Park Race 04/02/2011

04/03/2011 21:55:00

Smoked 2011 MPC 4 with a 7:12/M. Kat placed first in her age group...an absolutely great day in the park with her family and friends.

Heat, sodium and exercise

04/03/2011 21:53:00

As the number of heat-related injuries has been increasing and global warming may increase the frequency and intensity of heat waves, one must be extremely cautious to exercise in a hot environment. A hot and humid environment puts stress on the body’s temperature regulation and fluid homeostasis. High heat and humidity reduce the body's ability to lose heat by radiation, convention and/or evaporation. Temperature regulation is not only influenced by the environment (heat/cold) but also by dehydration. Dehydration occurs when the amount of water leaving the body is greater than the amount being taken in. When sweating becomes the primary means of heat dissipation, sweat loss must be matched by fluid consumption to avoid dehydration. This is difficult, because the stimulus to drink is not initiated until an individual has incurred a water deficit of approximately 2% of body mass.

Heat cramp, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are only a few of the many heat related illnesses. Heat cramps, first described by Talbot, is muscle cramping in persons performing physical work in hot and humid environments.This type of heat cramp should not be confused by exercise associated muscle cramps. Heat exhaustion is often described as a condition in which an athlete collapses during or after exercise in the heat. This condition is generally believed as dehydration-induced heat retention.One condition that is linked to elevated core temperature is heat stroke. Heat stroke is a life threatening illness which is clinically defined as a body temperature greater than 40.6C.

Exercise related heat illnesses can be prevented by following several guidelines. The 2003 IOC Consensus Conference concluded the followings with regards to hydration: 1) Sufficient fluid should be consumed during exercise to limit dehydration to less than about 2% of body mass. 2) Sodium should be replenished when sweat losses are high, especially if exercise lasts more than 2 hours. 3) Athletes should not drink so much that they gain weight over exercise. 4) Rehydration should include replacement of water and salts lost in sweat during recovery from exercise.

Whole-body precooling, clothing, heat acclimatization and rehydration are all different methods that one can use to avoid hydration in the heat. The goal of whole-body precooling is to reduce the heat content of the body by cooling the periphery before exercise. This will increase the margin for metabolic heat production and increase the time to reach the critical limiting temperature when the intensity for a given exercise can no longer be sustained. The cooling effect can be achieved by different techniques such as cold air cooling, cold water immersion and the use of water-cooled garment.Exposing a maximal surface area of skin for evaporation is also important in the hydration process. The type and amount of clothing worn can have a major impact on heat dissipation during exercise. When removal of clothing during exercise is not possible, one should incorporate frequent rest and cool down breaks along with the use of intermittent clothing. Regular exercise in a hot and humid environment results in a series of physiological adjustments. These adjustments, called acclimatization, are designed to reduce the negative effects associated with exercise in the heat. Examples of primary adaptations of athletes who exercise in hot environment are; increased plasma volume, earlier onset of sweating, higher sweat rate, reduced salt loss in sweat, a reduced skin blood flow, and increased synthesis of heat shock proteins.

Heat acclimatization increases the requirement for fluid replacement, because of during exercise a heat acclimatized athlete starts to sweat earlier. Replacement of the fluid or rehydration is also necessary because of the loss of carbohydrates and electrolytes. Plain water ingestion after exercise results in a fall in plasma osmolality and sodium concentration, which in turn stimulates urine production and reduces the urge to drink. In contrast, the addition of sodium chloride to plain water increases intake while reducing urine output. Therefore, beverage formulations for the replacement of fluids and minerals lost through sweat are shown to replenish the cells.

Based on the Vital Role of Sodium in Exercise interviews conducted by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, it is essential to replenish any sodium lost during exercise. Sodium loss can be determined by genes, diet, heat acclimatization and exercise training. For example, white film on the shirt or around the eyes can be a sign that an athlete's sweat has a great amount of sodium. If sodium loss is not replenished it may lead to early fatigue, heat cramps and sodium deficit. Adequate salt intake helps athletes distribute fluid more properly in the body. Therefore, not over drinking water before, during and after exercise is very important to achieve the right sodium balance. Hydrating, nourishing, adding salty snacks, eating the right amount of calories, rehydration and keeping track of the amount of fluid lost during exercise are key factors to lower heat related stress and achieve better performance.

1. Murray B., Bergergon M., Kundrat S., Kenney L., Stachenfeld N. Gatorade Sports Science Institute: The Vital Role of Sodium in Exrecise- Part III Sodium Challenges

2. American College of Sports Medicine. New Release. Heat and hydration: important concerns for outdoor activities. 2008

3. Wendt D., Loon L., and Lichtenbelt W.: Thermoregulation during Exercise in the Heat: Strategies for Maintaining health and Performance. Sports Med 2007: 37 (8) 669-682

4. Murray B., Bergergon M., Kundrat S., Kenney L., Stachenfeld N. Gatorade Sports Science Institute: The Vital Role of Sodium in Exercise- Part II Sodium and exercise

5. Shirreffs S., Casa D., and Carter R. Fluid need for training and competition in athletics. Journal of Sports Sciences, 2007; 25: S83-S91

6. Shirreffs S., Aragon-Vargas L., Mhairi Keil, Love T., and Phillips S. Rehydration after exercise in the heat: A comparison of 4 commonly used drinks. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2007, 17, 224-258

How much exercise is too much?

03/19/2011 22:00:00

Aerobic exercise is a brisk physical activity that requires both the heart and lungs to work harder to meet the body's increased oxygen demand during physical exercise. Aerobic exercise can include running, cycling, and swimming or any other physical activity that enhances physical wellness and overall health. There are several benefits to aerobic exercise: increased cardiac function, weight loss, improved mental health and immune system, reduced disease rate and increased longevity. How much physical exercise should be performed to experience such benefits? The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) physical activity guidelines recommend moderately intense 30 minute cardio workout a day for five days a week. For a more intense cardio workout, 20 minutes sessions should be performed a day for three days a week. For strength-training workout, 8 to 10 exercises should be performed with 8-12 reps twice a week for each exercise.[1]

Aerobic exercise depends on many factors such as the number of years a person has been exercising, age, gender, training experience, and neutral biomechanics. Hence, to answer the question how much aerobic exercise is too much is fairly complex. For example, a beginner exerciser who might be eager to achieve results very quickly may suffer injury. On the other hand, some marathoners and ironmen easily complete 100 mile runs and 200 mile rides each week injury free.

A main factor which should be considered is during aerobic exercise the equilibrium of the internal environment of the human body is challenged by the body’s generating force, power and heat. This causes the body to lose essential resources. Depletion of essential resources may easily lead to "the catastrophic failure model", chronic fatigue syndrome, and overtraining.

· The catastrophic failure model means exercise has to stop, because one or more of the bodily systems are stressed beyond capacity. For example, when the muscles only get a limited amount of oxygen and nutrition supply, local intramuscular hypoxia and, anaerobiosis and thus exhaustion will occur.[2]

· Chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is a debilitating and complex disorder characterized by profound fatigue. This fatigue is not improved by bed rest and could be worsened by physical or mental activity. People with CFS most often function at a substantially lower level of activity than they are normally capable of. Researchers of Nijmegen Expert Centre of Chronic Fatigue discovered a reduced thickness of the cerebral cortex in female patients with CFS. Hence, there is a correlation between physical activity level, capacity, and reduction in the brain’s grey matter.

· Overtraining is a late stage of intense and prolonged exercise during which the exercise performance declines instead of becoming better. The symptoms of overtraining are similar to those of the catastrophic failure model; the intensity of training is reduced or the training is completely stopped.

Another factor which should be considered is the onset of blood lactate accumulation. This is due to the lactate accumulation at a slightly higher exercise intensity then lactate threshold. Homeostasis of the internal environment is affected by the accumulation of lactate, ammonia, acid, and body heat. All of these toxins may cause symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, memory loss, "flulike symptoms, and musculoskeletal pains.[3] The heightened acidity level of the body can inhibit the synthesis of DNA-RNA and cellular regeneration which can result in mutated cells or cancer. In the David Nieman interview of endurance, Mr Nieman talked about how cancer might be linked to elite endurance trainers. Examples that support this statement are the sub-four-minute miler Steve Scott and Armstrong who were both diagnosed with testicular cancer. Furthermore, the legendary runner, Marty Liquori suffered from lymphatic cancer.

Besides causing sicknesses, too much exercise can also lead to injury. Prolonged exercise can constantly stress the same muscles, ligaments, and tendons by using the same repetitive contractions. For example, exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is an unaccustomed physical activity of great intensity or duration.[4] Symptoms may include stiffness, swelling, decreased force of muscular contraction, and delayed-onset muscle soreness.

Many times, regardless of the human body’s exhaustion and injuries, an individual would not miss a planned run or an exercise session. When a person can’t live without exercise, or when there are signs of severe withdrawal symptoms when a training session is missed, a person is said to be exercise addicted.[5] Exercise produces endorphins which create a good feeling leading to a positive mood change. Individuals that are exercise-addicts might not even have a positive experience while exercising.

Despite this, they exercise anyway in order to avoid the negative feelings that stem from lack of exercise. Since the exercise addicts’ body is used to a lot of training and exercise, it takes more and more exercise to reach the same level of endorphin rush as before, which in return drives the body to exhaustion.

Aerobic exercise is a physical activity which helps improve physical and mental health. Exercises like running, cycling, and swimming should be implemented in everyone’s fitness and exercise routine. These exercises could help everyone achieve their health and fitness goals. However, failure to pay attention to the body's signals before, during, and after exercise may result in fatigue, exhaustion, overtraining, injury, and/or exercise addiction. Every human body is different and each individual has a different training experience and neutral biomechanics. Therefore, it is advised for everyone to consult a health and fitness professional before starting exercise, or changing exercise regimens, or experiencing any sorts of pain.

1. American College of Sports Medicine: Physical activity guidelines, 2007

2. Ament W. and Verkerke G.: Exercise and fatigue. Sports Medicine: 2009; 39 (5) 389-442

3. Krohn J. and Taylor F. Natural detoxification. A practical encyclopedia: a complete guide to clearing your body of toxins: 5p

4. Stevenson R. Is supplementary aerobic training necessary for the marathon. Marathon and beyond. March/April 2011; 32-42

5. Fisher L. Wrisberg C. Sport physiology and counseling: Recognizing and dealing with exercise addiction. Athletic therapy today. 2004 Human Kinetics-ATT 9 (1). pp 36-37

Ride of a Lifetime

03/19/2011 21:54:00

Event Details

Date:  Saturday , March 26, 2011
Location: Houston - CityCentre - Life Time Athletic - 815 Town and Country Lane, Houston, TX 77024
Ride Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Check-in:  8:00am - 9:15am
Entry fee:   Life Time Fitness Member: $50
*Cost includes new 2011 Cycle Jersey
Activities for Kids: "FIT! & FUN! Day for Kids" (See below)

Time:9am-1pmLocation:Kids Activity Center at CityCentre Life Time AthleticCost:$15/childAges:5-12Note:Lunch Provided

Pre-Event Yoga

What: Vinyasa I
When: 7:30am - 8:45am
Location: Outdoor Pool Area - CityCentre - Life Time Athletic
Cost: $10/person*Note: Space is limited so come early to guarantee a spot!

https://ltfevents.secure-ngin.com/register/form/930362212

Locked out of JYC this morning..had some fun outside:))

03/13/2011 19:00:00

Write your post here.

Surfside Marathon 2011

03/02/2011 21:39:00

Placed 2nd in my age group! Way 2 go!!!!

Yoga in 104 F???

02/28/2011 23:08:00

Bikram Yoga emphasize heat for detoxification and deeper stretch. 104 F maybe beneficial for releasing toxins from the body since heat frees toxins from the fat cells where they are stored, they moved to the bloodstream where they are flushed out of the body in perspiration, urine, bile and other body fluids.On the other hand, one can stretch further on a relatively warm temperature (75-80 F) as well.

Also, hot/humid condition results in higher heart rates when compared the same exercise in a cool environment. Therefore, there is a cumulative increase in heart rate between efforts and thus recovery is not complete. This puts stress on the cardiorespiratory system.

If you want to detoxify I suggest a hot or dry sauna. To be on the safe side practice ashtanga, vinyasa, hatha yoga etc.

1. Khron J. and Taylor F. Natural Detoxification. A practical Encyclopedia. The complete guide to cleansing your body of toxins. 2000

Recommended exercise in 20's, 30's and 60's

02/28/2011 23:01:00

If you were REQUIRED to recommend ONLY one form of exercise- resistance training, cardiovascular, flexibility, mind/body (Pilates/Yoga, etc) or other (no combination, integrated training, circuit training, etc- strictly one form of exercise) to an individual to potentially enhance their quality of life then what form would you recommend for a healthy young adult cleared by a physician to begin an exercise program (late 20's - early 30's)?

Resistance training, cardiovascular, and flexibility training are all great ways to improve the quality of life. As many say, though, a healthy body starts with a healthy mind. Therefore, in order to achieve ultimate health, in addition to the body, one should also train their mind and spirit. Yoga provides an excellence opportunity to work on all of these elements. Yoga, through its eight limbs, which are Abstentions (yama), Observances (niyama), Postures (asan), Life-force control (pranayama), Sense-withdrawal (pratyahara), Concentration (dharana), Meditation (dhyana) and Contemplation (samadhi) promotes the physical, psychological and spiritual well-being.

Physical balance, alertness, relaxation, centeredness, and harmony are integral to the discipline of yoga. In a well-rounded yoga practice, the postures emphasize the realignment of the skeletal system, stretching, and toning the muscular system. In addition, every part of the body is pushed, pulled, twisted, turned, and opened. These movements facilitate the removal of waste products such as carbon dioxide, lactic acid and lymphatic fluid from the deep tissues and extremities of the body.

Breathing fully, without forcing the breath, is also an integral part of yoga. Being able to breathe properly can help enormously with going through and holding various poses. Breathing techniques coupled with yoga exercises have been found to alleviate migraine headaches, chronic pain conditions, hyperventilation, epilepsy, asthma, panic attacks, and coronary heart disease. The Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine (2009) have done several studies that documented the health benefits of yoga. Among the health benefits are increased energy level and sleep in individuals with chronic illness and stress. Furthermore, reduced pain and disability and increased quality of life have been reported in randomized controlled trails for various conditions such as migraine and headaches, arthritis, osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain. Increased strength and fitness have also been shown in healthy individuals and in people with chronic conditions.

Yoga has been practiced for over 6000 years. Over this time, many different forms of movements have evolved in response to different climates, cultures, and body constitutions. For example, Ashtanga and Power Vinyasa Yoga are more vigorous than other styles of yoga and they involve heavier physiological demands. On the other hand, Hatha Yoga concentrates on the connection of breath and position while stretching and toning the body. The great varieties of styles of yoga make it possible for everyone to enjoy and benefit from their practice.

Based on the above mentioned benefits of yoga, I would highly recommend Ashtanga or Power Vinyasa Yoga for clients in their late 20's and early 30's. Sequences practiced in these yoga styles improve strength, flexibility, range of motion, and can increase metabolic and heart rate. A study by Hart C. showed the positive effects of a popular type of yoga on strength, steadiness, and balance. It shows that maximum voluntary contraction forced has increased by 14% for the knee extensors and was unchanged for elbow flexors after yoga training. The study also found that a short-term yoga program for young adults can improve balance substantially, produce modest improvements in leg strength, and improve leg muscle control for less-steady subjects.

What would you recommend for an older (60+) healthy adult cleared by a physician to begin an exercise program?

Hatha yoga is the most common form of yoga practiced in North America. Poses such as forward bends, backbends, twists, and inversions are held for a longer duration of time compared to Asthanga Yoga. In addition, Hatha Yoga emphasizes breathing techniques and meditation exercises. This makes Hatha yoga a great style to be practiced by older adults. Roland K., Jakobi J. and Jones G. wrote a critical review on whether yoga engenders fitness in older adults. Studies reported moderate improvements for gate, balance, upper-and lower-body flexibility and weight loss. The conclusion was that yoga has the ability to create improvements in some components of fitness in older adults.

Similar to any type of health exercise program, yoga has potential risks and safety matters as well. It is crucial to choose the right style of yoga that fits the individual. It is also important to choose a sufficiently trained teacher especially when the client has physical or physiological limitations. Experienced yoga teachers can help select the right poses and breathing exercises which will minimize the risk of injury.

1.Krohn J.and Taylor F. Natural Detoxification. A practical Encylopedia. 2000

2. Kriyananda G. The spiritual science of Kriya Yoga. 2006

3.Subhadra E., Sternlieb B., Tsao J., and Zelter L. Journal of Complimentary and Integrative medicine. Volume 6, Issue 1, 2009 Article 15

4. Cowen V. and Troy A. Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies Jan 2007: Vol 11 Issue 1.91-95

5. hart C. and Tracy B. Journal of Strength 7 Conditioning Research. 2008, Vol 22 Issue 5, p1659

6. Roland K., Jakobi J., and Jones G. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. 20011, 19, 62-79