Pilates for an Aging Population
At one time, Pilates was a specialized form of exercise limited to a handful of professional practitioners. In recent times, Pilates has become one of the biggest exercise fads in America. Almost every town and city across this great country has a professional Pilates studio, staffed by certified instructors. Pilates, however, is not just another passing fad. Pilates is here to stay.
Practitioners of Pilates can experience countless benefits including improved posture, flexibility, and balance. This presents a remarkable opportunity for an aging population to perform a series of exercises that are both safe and effective. According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the stretching and strengthening of core muscles through the practice of Pilates is an effective strategy for combating the effects of aging.
Aside from the benefits noted above, Pilates can also help with relief from stress and mental tension. It can also have a direct impact on maintaining strength and range of motion, both of which are especially important for our aging populace. Studies have shown that Pilates can also provide relief from back pain and other physical injuries, which are often a primary cause of pain and discomfort.
The wonderful thing about Pilates, and the reason it is so effective for people getting on in age, is that it is a highly effective form of soft exercise. Pilates can be performed at a pace dictated by the strength and stamina of the individual. It is not goal driven, in the way that traditional weight training or body building is. With Pilates, the effectiveness of the exercise is determined by the overall impact on the health of the practitioner. Pilates is all about achieving long term, tangible results.
The key to the effective practice of Pilates is to make the connection between mind and body. Concentration plays a significant role in Pilates. One of the core principles of Pilates is to establish control of the body through discipline and focused thought. Much like Yoga, controlled breathing plays a pivotal role in achieving results in Pilates. Pilates teaches a form of breathing called Lateral Breathing. This is performed by inhaling deeply through one’s nose, and allowing the inhaled air to expand one’s ribcage. This form of breathing is also called Thoracic Breathing.
Pilates is a highly effective approach to maintaining health and vitality, regardless of one’s age or stage in life. While the practice of Pilates is beneficial for many people, it is especially important for our aging population. Aging individuals often lose control of their coordination and muscles, and this can lead to a sense of frustration and mental anguish for people that have grown accustomed to their sense of independence. Pilates can provide people with the tools and techniques they need to age with dignity and a sense of well being. Pilates isn’t for everyone, but it could be ideal for you.
Natalie Brown is a certified Pilates instructor. When she is not stretching and stuff, she writes for pilatesinsight.com – a wonderful online magazine with information about Pilates training, Pilates equipment, Pilates DVD’s and more.
Vitamin B6 – What Do We Need It For
Vitamin B6 plays a facilitating role in the immune system and the growth
of new cells. It also assists the body in the processing of proteins, fats,
and carbohydrates. And do you know that Vitamin B6 can help improve
your disposition and balance your mood swings?
Vitamin B6 also helps balance the sodium and potassium in your
bodymaking sure the body utilizes these two minerals effectively.
Experts also concur that this vitamin has cancer-fighting properties.
Great sources of Vitamin B6 are brewer’s yeast, eggs, chicken, carrots,
fish, liver, kidneys, peas, wheat germ, and walnuts.
Vitamin B6 Deficiency
Irritability, nervousness and insomnia as well as general weakness, and
skin problems go hand-in-hand with Vitamin B6 deficiency. Symptoms
may include unhealthy looking nails, an inflamed tongue, osteoporosis,
and arthritis.
Recommended Vitamin B6 Dosage
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is 2 mg per day. Take note,
an overdose of 2,000 mg per day, may cause neurological damage. In
particular, people on Parkinson’s disease medication should be very
careful with taking Vitamin B6 as it may counteract the medication.
Vitamin B6 is best taken with the rest of the B complex group vitamins,
with Vitamin C and most major minerals such as sodium, potassium, and
zinc.
Aside from the fact that Vitamin B6 is easily flushed by the body in the
urine, it is also extremely sensitive to sunlight, cooking and processing.
Cortisone is this vitamin’s worst enemy as it tends to cancel off the
vitamin’s benefits.
Check out http://www.123-nutrition.com for more advice on nutritional supplements and vitamins!
How Meeting an Identical Twin Taught me the Secret of Anti Aging!
In my late teens, I met a lady called Emily who was 50 years old. She was the mother of my sisters boyfriend, at the time. She looked good for her age, a refined 50 year old.. exactly how I would like to look when I am that age. One day when I was at her house, Emily’s sister was there. Her sister looked very similar to Emily, but about 10 years older, so I had her pegged as Emily’s elder sister.
But what I discovered next was set to change my thinking forever:
She was an IDENTICAL TWIN!!!
I was totally shocked! Literally she looked 60 while Emily looked about 45. The difference? Smoking. The older looking twin smoked, the other did not.
At that age it did wake me up to the fact that daily habits such as smoking cannot be seen in the short term, but over a lifetime clearly add up to aged skin, lines and general bad health – and looking older then your years.
BUT the more interesting thing I learnt had nothing to do with smoking!
It always made me wonder, being a scientist myself, how smoking, UV rays from the sun, pollution, stress and excessive exercise can all lead to similar ailments, including of course premature aging. Particularly UV rays and smoking – how do they cause the same effect in the body? Then one day a few years back I met a German scientist who explained everything. The feeling was one of a TOTAL understanding of the body, yet the concept was so simple!
Smoking itself does not age you – I mean don’t get me wrong there are many affects of smoking, but one effect was particularly important. Smoking and UV rays as well as other things, cause a huge increase in molecules in the body called FREE RADICALS. The body produces these normally, however activities such as smoking increase the levels to dangerous amounts. These free radicals in turn INCREASE the normal rate of mutations that occur in the body.
Just to clarify, for a moment: the body is always in a state of renewal. Constantly duplicating its cells and then killing the old ones. It makes exact replicas of itself to do this. BUT over time errors occur (mutations) – and this is the NORMAL AGING PROCESS.
Now these free radical molecules SPEED UP the mutations, and therefore SPEED UP AGING.
I then learnt about anti oxidants. Antioxidants ‘mop up’ free radicals in the body. We get them from fruit and vegetables in the diet and they form our protection.
SO… it is NOT smoking, per say, but the fact that it INCREASES production of free radicals in the body and these go around INCREASING the rate of mutation in our cells which is the main cause of aging. You got it!
and… anti oxidants, the natural nutrients found in fruit and vegetables can mop up these free radicals bringing them back into line.
So… you could say, the more we have things such as pesticides on food, UV rays because of the ozone layer, pollution we cannot avoid, and hectic stressful lifestyles (as well as cultural habits such as smoking or passive smoking) the MORE anti oxidants we need.
But. As we need MORE anti oxidants, the supply is going down. Why? Because of the global market for fruit and vegetables, most are picked when unripe (the full complex of anti oxidants and their required co factors do not get a chance to form) and then shipped in gas storage around the world. All this means the nutritional value decreases. And that is in the fresh, natural produce. Add to that the fact that most of us eat in our diet mostly processed food (nutrients dead) – and there is a real problem.
When I found all this I realised something.
If Emilys sister is the real life example of what a higher level of free radicals does to you over time – increasing the aging process – surely the more anti oxidants we eat from a natural source, the more likely we are to be the REVERSE of Emily’s sister, and look 10 years YOUNGER when we are 50! I’ll drink my fruit and vegetable juices to that!
A scientist by training, I see our body as one big chemical reaction, with everything going in to it counting towards our health and appearance. Working with the best anti aging natural supplements over the last three years has led me to meetings with the worlds leading dieticians and doctors and I have learnt so much from this, which I now share to the world!
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