Yoga and Stretching For Busy People

(Continued)

We Just Want to Feel Better

How do we find the time to exercise? Many of us don’t have time enough to do what we need to do for everyone else; and consequently don’t have the time or energy left to take care of ourselves as well as we should--it’s like a vicious circle.

There is one very important thing to remember about exercising:

You Only Need To Do A Little To Feel Much Better

In order to simply “feel better“, which is what everyone is looking for, you don’t have to become an athlete or an exercise junky. Of course, there is nothing wrong with athletics or doing a lot of exercise if you have the desire, time, and the genes. Most of us just want to feel better, and would be happy with that. The good news is what I stated above; you only need to do a little in order to feel much better. I do suggest that you check with your health practitioner before embarking on any exercise program, even a minimal one.

Why Most People Give Up Exercising

Most of us give up exercising before we really get started for two main reasons:

1. Trying to accomplish lofty goals much too quickly - People think they have to push themselves in order to feel better from exercise. They are in a hurry to attain high levels of fitness and try to build up too quickly. They increase the intensity and length of their workout in order to “get fit” as fast as possible. We originally got tired and lacked energy from doing too many things in a rush, and now we want to get “un-tired” in a rush! It is common for people to be unrealistic about how long it really takes to reach the lofty goals they think they need in order to feel good. This leads to burnout, and possibly injury for many, and then they quit exercising before they really get going. So, it is critical to go slow. Keep in mind that we are only as strong as our weakest link. While most parts of our anatomy can take a rapid increase in intensity, many parts can’t, and need to be worked very slowly in order to build up strength, particularly as we grow older. Most of the time we cannot even tell which parts these are, until it is too late. I cannot emphasis enough how important it is to gradually increase the intensity and length of your workout. For most of us, using moderation is the most beneficial way of exercising.

2. Comparing ourselves to others - We are constantly bombarded with models of “physical perfection” from the media, including the advertisers of exercise equipment and programs. This conflict between the “ideal” and the “reality” of our life feeds our natural human insecurities even more. Consciously or subconsciously, we know that we can’t really met up to the Hollywood standards of perfection, or we see how much work has to be done and get discouraged when it gets rough--and it does get rough.

The biggest fallacy the “insecurity engineers” perpetrate is that you can look like the “hot bodies” in their ads easily with their machines and programs. Have you noticed the very small, barely visible disclaimer stating “…your results may vary…“ That’s because it’s really a part or full time job to attain that! So, if you have plenty of time, go for it.

Three Types of Exercise

There are three basic types of exercise: the building of strength, endurance, and flexibility.

• Strength exercises are for building muscles. You attain this by lifting heavy weights, or other forms of “resistance” training, like pushing against immovable objects such as a wall, floor, or your spouse (just kidding). This makes it easier to lift things. Generally, we really only need strength enough to do the tasks that are required everyday. For most of us, this type of exercising is a luxury, and requires massive amounts of energy and time expenditure. If you are inclined towards this type of exercise, you are probably not reading this article. For those who are, I salute your dedication and perseverance.
• Endurance exercises are primarily for building up your cardiovascular system (heart, lungs, circulation), and for pumping your lymphatic system (to rid your body of toxins). You build endurance through exercises like walking, running, biking, rowing, cross-country skiing, aerobics, treadmills, stepping machines, cross-country machines, or anything that requires you to breathe deeply and raises your pulse rate for a sustained amount of time (20-30 minutes minimum). Cardiovascular (CV) exercise gives you the energy to “endure”. The easiest thing to do to get CV benefits is to walk. 20-30 minutes a day, a few times a week is all that is required. Walking is such a great way to slow life down and make things seem more manageable that you may find that you want to walk more often. It’s easy on the body and does not require you to move too fast. Walking for CV endurance building is highly recommended and regarded by health and fitness professionals.
• Flexibility exercises are designed to increase your agility, dexterity, pliability, decrease stiffness and pain, and basically make it effortless to move around. These type of exercises include stretching and yoga. Doing flexibility type exercises are, in my opinion, the easiest way to start an exercise regime and begin to feel much better almost immediately. So, if you don’t have much time, which is what this article is about, and you want to feel better relatively quickly (usually in a few days), do flexibility exercises. They do not have to take much time or strenuous effort, and can, in many cases be done while you watch TV or even at work. In the section below, I will give you some pointers about both yoga and stretching.

What You Can Do

Yoga

Of course, yoga can be very strenuous if you do the more arduous forms, or even if you do lots of the less grueling forms. However, you will benefit greatly by doing small amounts of yoga. Yoga studios are everywhere today. It’s nice to take a few classes to get the basics, or to do a class once a week or more if you have the time. If you are very busy, I recommend that you purchase videos and/or books. At The Mustard Seed we carry a variety of both. With these books and videos it is important to remember that you can do as many or as few of the positions as you like at your own speed (and nobody will be watching!). If you have a yoga mat (good for both stretching and yoga), pillows, and other yoga aides, you can make doing these exercises quite comfortable. We also carry many of these items in the store and will soon have them for sale online in our Featured Items section of the Products page. I personally use a mat, pillows, and a yoga belt at home and love them!

Stretching

What I do most often is stretching. Throughout the day, I do one or more very basic, easy stretches as a way to revitalize my energy levels and relieve tension and pain. Stretching is more powerful, and can go much further towards making one feel better than most people realize. It is not just a warm-up for “real exercise”. The simple act of stretching your back out by touching your toes (or your shins), and holding it for about 20-30 seconds will relieve lower back pain as long as it is pain from tension and stiffness, not an injury. For injuries you really need to check with your health practitioner to see if even simple stretching is ok My personal favorite “exercise” is the easiest thing to do. I simply lie flat on the floor on my back with a pillow under my neck for support. The floor forms a great support and automatically stretches out sore back, neck, and leg muscles. Just a few minutes and I am re-energized! I sometimes lay there longer, but risk falling asleep. Now that’s as simple as it gets. It’s funny, but doing “nothing” is my favorite exercise! Whenever I get tired from running around too much, or my back hurts from sitting in front of a computer, I lie on the floor for awhile, and then I feel so much better afterwards. Occasionally, I also do some other easy stretches or yoga positions while I am on the floor for even more benefit. Now that you know this secret simple exercise, you have no excuse for not feel better yourself right away!

At some point this year I will be making available a booklet I developed that gives more details and other material about getting and staying health easily, and shows which simple yoga and stretching exercises work well for most people. It’s not quite finished yet--perhaps if I got up off the floor I could get it finished!

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