Rami's Blog

Like the Yin-Yang, Eastern Martial Arts and Western medicine are two halves of a whole. My mission is to preserve the ancient mind-body tools and pass them on to you.

 

Health and Fitness are About Perseverance

Countless posts and videos promising quick-fixes to health problems are circulating the internet these days, but as far as anyone can tell, Americans on the whole haven't become any healthier since the advent of Buzzfeed and Youtube fitness stars.

The reason for this is pretty simple: the road to real health and fitness is a long one, and you never really get to the end. A daily fitness regimen needs to be just that: daily.

Too many Americans fall into the trap of giving up, because there is no end in sight. Diets and exercise plans don't help people because they are seen as temporary. As soon as you stop a diet, you will stop seeing its benefits. As soon as you stop exercising, you will begin to gain weight and lose muscle.

Instead of committing to a temporary plan, make a lifestyle change. Instead of doing an hour of exercise a day for one month, and then quitting from exhaustion and scheduling issues, do twenty minutes of exercise daily. See if you can do it for a year. A year's worth of moderate exercise is worth far more than a month's worth of intense exercise, especially where overall health and longevity are concerned.

Commit to an achievable goal, given your career, study schedule, personal commitments, etc. Be smart about how much time you have and then set up a realistic regimen. This blog and my Youtube channel are great resource for finding exercises that you can do to reach your goals and maintain them.

When it comes to dieting, start by incorporating a vegetable into every meal. Just one. You don't have to get rid of all the sweets in your house. Going cold-turkey is a sure fire way to give-up. Instead, by getting one vegetable in at every meal, you will naturally be more full in between meals, and gradually begin to snack less, and opt for fewer servings of high-fat and high-carb foods.

Once you start feeling good, the healthy choices will be just as enticing as the unhealthy ones, if not more.

Living with Brain Tumors: An Educational Event for Patients and Families

Exciting news today: The Center for Neuro-Oncology is sponsoring an event packed with guest speakers who are leading the field in research and treatment of Brain tumors. It's all happening on September 20th at the Yawkey Conference Center, 3rd floor, at Dana-Farber. Complimentary parking, light breakfast, and lunch will be provided.

To register call 617-632-2501, or email: braintumored@partners.org. 

You can get the entire agenda and list of speakers here. 

You can also download the .pdf agenda here.

Of course, I'd like to give special attention to my part of the conference. I will be giving a presentation from 1:40-2pm, and then I will lead a Qigong demonstrations from 3:10-4pm in the conference area outside of Yawkey 306 and 307.

Hope to see you there!

Top Five Reasons to go Back-to-School with Tai Chi

School is starting up again, and that means long hours sitting at desks and computers, studying and generally not getting as much exercise as you should. On top of that, it will soon be getting colder here in New England, and that means that a lot of your favorite physical activities will have to be put on hold until next year.

Luckily, a Tai Chi routine is the perfect alternative to pick up during this transition to the indoors. Here are five reasons why:

  1. Tai Chi can be done anywhere. You really only need enough room to stand up straight and spread your arms out. This means you can do Tai Chi in your apartment, your office, your bathroom, a library... the possibilities are endless!
  2. No, really, I mean anywhere. For those of us who like to connect with the earth every day, or at least get some of that fresh, winter air, throw on some heavy clothes, a knit hat and gloves, a jacket, and head outside! Shovel yourself a little space in your driveway or at the local park and start moving. You'll warm up very fast if you focus on your breathing.
  3. Slow down, but still be on time. Tai Chi is great because you can create so many different forms and routines to suit the amount of time you have. You could do an hour of Tai Chi every morning, or take a couple ten minute breaks for it during the day, or anything in between. No matter how your schedule looks, you'll be thankful you took the time to get some gentle exercise each day.
  4. Reboot your inner CPU. The human brain can only absorb so much information at a time. Whether you are starting a new semester at college, or starting a new job, you'll probably feel like you are trying to drink out of a fire-hose some days. Too much information! The meditative aspects of Tai Chi do wonders for renewing your ability to focus, sleep well, and feel awake and alert throughout your day. 
  5. Skip the sniffles. Tai Chi and meditation boost your immune system. The colder weather, flu season, and mixing of so many people going back to school and work create a melting-pot of germs and viruses that spread like wildfire each year. Washing your hands as often as possible and adhering to appropriate sneezing and coughing etiquette can help, but the only way to really avoid getting sick is to keep your immune system running on all cylinders. Tai Chi does that too.

If you aren't sure where to start on your new Tai Chi journey, I have a number of courses, books, and DVDs available for practitioners of all skill levels. I even have a short-form course designed to help you focus, currently on-sale at Udemy.

Good luck!