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Meditate For a Healthy Heart

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:00:31 -0800

My father introduced TM (transcendental meditation) to me my senior year of high school as a way to unwind, relax, and fight stress as I headed off to college. Since then, I've always felt lucky to know a kind of secret way to recharge my batteries, without needing a nap. But I was surprised to learn that practicing meditation has another heath benefit for your heart.

It turns out regular practice of TM doesn't just help your psychological well-being; it has also been shown to have significant therapeutic effects on people at high risk for heart attacks. A recent study, which followed 200 patients for five years, reveals that "the high-risk patients who meditated cut their risk of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from all causes roughly in half compared with a group of similar patients who were given more conventional education about healthy diet and lifestyle."

According to Dr. Robert Schneider, director of the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention, who presented the study's findings, TM's ability to help reduce blood pressure is essential to helping prevent heart attacks and heart complications, “We found reduced blood pressure that was significant – that was probably one important mediator," claims Schneider.

TM is also easy to learn and practice - it doesn't require specific education, and from my own experience, I totally agree with Dr. Schneider - "it's a straightforward technique for getting deep rest to the mind and body."

Meditation, Anyone?

Tres Community — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

This post was written by member Honey Knows and comes from The Couch group in our TrèsSugar Community.

I've never done a lot of meditating, but I think it might be time to start. In these turbulent times, I know so many people who are looking for an anchor (or maybe a life preserver?) with nowhere to turn. Perhaps meditation can provide the peace that external influences seem bent on robbing us of these days. Do you meditate? If you do, what type of meditation? How has it helped you?

The website LearningMeditation.com seems basic (and free!); however, please feel free to add any resources you find helpful.

There's lots of great stuff going on in our community - join it, check it out, share your posts or advice in the great groups and maybe we'll feature it here on TrèsSugar!

Give the Gift of Relaxation

FitSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:50:59 -0800

Here at Sugar, holiday season is already in full swing - you better believe I've been making my list for who's been naughty and nice! To make gift shopping a breeze for you, we'll be offering up a bevy of gift ideas in the coming weeks for all the special fit folk in your life.

Whether you have a zen mama in your life or know someone who needs to take a moment for themselves, we've got you covered. Take a look at our picks that will help anyone unwind from the day, breathe, and find calm in the chaos.

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Would You Hire a Guru?

TresSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Yesterday's New York Times Style Section dove into the lives of NYC's lifestyle gurus. According to the paper, trendsetting women in the city are finding enlightenment through veganism and meditation rather than a diet of cosmos and roof bar parties, and they're calling on "spiritual cowgirls" to show them the way.

These gurus charge around $100 an hour for their services, which often include distilling advice from the many self-help books they used to turn their own lives around. Gabrielle Bernstein, a former tequila-lover-turned-sober-advice-dispenser, helps women reduce anxiety they might have about their relationship and career goals. She tells women to visualize how they want their lives to turn out. For example, Gabrielle advised one client, who is nervous about her boyfriend moving in, to:

“Write the story the way you want it to happen. Re-read the story every night until he arrives.”

Apparently that is enough to make it all work out! Would you ever turn to this type of modern guru for help?

Relax Already: Chill Out Like Heather Graham

FitSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:00:00 -0700

Feeling stressed and frazzled can take a toll on your happiness and overall well-being. Heather Graham makes time in her busy schedule to reconnect with her center every day through transcendental meditation. Director David Lynch turned her on to the technique, which involves repeating a mantra to quiet the mind.

The Hangover star practices this type of meditation because, "It balances you out – it makes you feel a lot less stressed." She complements her daily meditative sessions with yoga, and says that she's "really obsessed" with it for its ability to affect the mental and physical.

Although meditation is a one-woman activity, it can be difficult to get started. If you need a little help getting into the art of quieting your mind, check out my tips on where to begin. Do you meditate?

Mindfulness: It's Not Just For Spiritual Woo-Woo Types

TresSugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:30:00 -0700

Imagine taking a morsel of food, say, an almond, and savoring it very carefully, giving it your full attention. If someone told you that doing everything you can with that kind of attention would help reduce your stress level at work, relieve bodily symptoms like back pain, and keep you from bad habits like smoking, you might think they were nuts.

Yet that’s exactly what the practice of mindfulness does say practitioners like Buddhists, and increasingly, there’s clinical research to back it up.

What is mindfulness? It’s the act of being aware of the moment - of what you’re thinking and feeling, both emotionally and physically, from one moment to the next. There can be a spiritual component, but anyone, regardless of their religion, can benefit.

Awareness of the moment is supposed to move us away from both regret for the past and anxiety about the future. And in addition to those thoughts that often cloud our mind, throw in a job full of emails, ringing phones and irritating co-workers and the modern person’s stress levels are sky high. To hear about a study proving its effectiveness in reducing stress, read more

When stressed-out historian and former professor Lillian Waugh at West Virginia University was invited to participate in a study on mindfulness, she was part of the group that was taught techniques to cultivate it - yoga poses, breathing methods and stretches. Waugh's group improved in ways that the other group, who were only handed informational pamphlets on stress, did not. Her group had significantly fewer daily hassles, psychological distress and significantly fewer medical symptoms as a result.

"We taught them how to recognize sources of stress, how stress impacts them, and then what they could do to come out of the vicious cycle of stress reactivity," says lead researcher Kimberly Williams.

I’ve practiced meditation pretty regularly for about year, and although I can still be a stress case, thanks to that simple idea - just to pay attention to the moment without panic - I can get myself out of almost any overwhelming moment if I remember what to do. Just because something is simple, however, doesn’t mean it’s easy. But if practicing mindfulness techniques can relieve all those stress symptoms, it’s definitely better than lighting up, drinking or freaking out.

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5 Recession-Proof Ways to Relax

FitSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Spa treatments and therapeutic massages are great ways to relax, but sometimes, the high price tag can work against the benefits. A lot of us need stress relief now more than ever, and thankfully there are plenty of cheap and easy ways to relax and relieve the tension. Here are five of my favorite recession-proof relaxation techniques.
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Think of Your Workout as Active Meditation

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:30:00 -0700

There's more to working out than improving your physical fitness since moving your body can also benefit your mind. Many of you are not that into types of exercise that typically lend themselves to sharpening mental awareness, but in no way does that mean you're unable to develop a mind/body connection through other forms of exercise.

Goddess on the sand, Gabrielle Reece, calls her beach volleyball workouts "active meditation." I love this phrase and what it suggests. While most of us don't have access to a beach as our fitness playground, choosing to be present during every workout can positively affect your senses of overall well-being and awareness. Begin making your workouts active meditation by creating intentions each time.

It looks like Gabby and the master of meditation, the Dalai Lama, have something in common. To see how the "world's most important Buddhist monk" incorporates meditation into his fitness life read more.

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Meditate With Soft Buns

FitSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:30:00 -0700

If you're into meditation to relieve stress, lower your blood pressure, and improve your posture, then your buns are going to love this. Since it's difficult to sit on a hard surface for an extended period of time without your back aching and your cheeks going numb, you need to sit on something that offers a little support. The bun-shaped Soft Buns cushion ($34) cradles each cheek so you can sit comfortably for longer. It also helps to align your shoulders with your hips to help restore the natural lumbar curve in your spine, which will help to prevent back pain.

Not only does this firm cushion have a convenient handle for easy carrying, but it also comes with a free 60-minute Yoga For Back Care DVD with Rodney Yee. Order this kit through Gaiam.

Meditation Maniac Needs to Chill

GiggleSugar — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:00:00 -0800

Achieving a state of relaxation is hard-on the vocal chords. At least that's what this meditation class thought about their aggro instructor. Little did they know that they were participating in a sketch from Trigger Happy, a British hidden camera television show. Someone needs a major chakra adjustment!