Easy Yoga Series on Cancer Wellness TV

Hello mind-body students! I have exciting news about some great content you can get on Cancer Wellness TV.

My amazing Dana-Farber colleague (and cancer survivor herself), Anne Marie Turo, has released a new video on Cancer Wellness TV to kick off her "Easy Yoga" series, which is focused on helping cancer patients, or anyone who is suffering from serious illness or trauma and have low mobility and energy, to recuperate as fast as possible.

This first piece, the Bed Yoga routine, is designed to increase a person's levels of strength, flexibility, and energy, from the comfort of their bed. And of course, I wouldn't say this exercise is complete until you incorporate deep breathing and empty-full moon, which Anne Marie mentions right at the beginning. She also ends the video with a helpful guide to getting out of bed when you have very low strength and energy.

Please continue to support Cancer Wellness TV, such as by making a free account or giving a donation. We will be producing very high quality, useful content for anyone looking to lead a healthier life, cancer patient, survivor, or otherwise. 

Happy Stretching!

Why am I SAD during the holidays?

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you have had a relaxing and fulfilling holiday season, and are making a commitment again this year to be healthy and happy.

As the delicious leftovers begin to run out, and the relatives and friends all head back home, you may very likely realize a few things. First, is that you probably gained a few pounds thanks to all those treats! But not to worry, the blog has many resources to help you get back to a healthy weight. The other thing many of you may experience is that your mood has not been as positive as usual. This can be particularly bad right after the holidays, as you say goodbye to many people for another year, and work begins to pile up again.

If you feel this way, then you may be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder, or "SAD" for short. This disorder is characterized by a drop in mood, or even the development of depression symptoms, often beginning in the fall and continuing until the end of winter.

Experts are not entirely sure what causes SAD, but there seems to be a common theme found across the United States: the more sun your state gets, the lower the prevalence of SAD. So for sunny states like Florida, SAD affects less than 2% of the population. Whereas in states with a very long winter, like Alaska, SAD affects upwards of 10% of the population.

Doctors are beginning to use light therapy to help people with their SAD symptoms, but I think everyone who suffers from SAD should also make sure they exercise on a very regular schedule. As you all know, I am a huge proponent of treating mood issues with exercise. I always suggest adding one of my Mind-Body Prescriptions to complement the doctor's orders.

So to start this year off, I am going to put together a Mind-Body Prescription to help treat SAD symptoms and improve your mood this winter (and maybe even shed those holiday pounds).

Check it out! (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3).

Stay tuned to the blog, and Happy Stretching!

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P.S. Our schedule for posting on the blog is going to be more relaxed going forward, so that my team and I can focus on other projects, including my new venture with Jeff Sirlin over at Cancer Wellness TV. If you aren't getting enough mind-body tips and exercises here on the blog, please make a free account over there and you will have access to many more of my Tai Chi and exercise videos. 

Interview with BBS Radio, Part 2

Here we are! The last blog post for 2015! I want to thank all of you who read my blog and follow me on my social media pages for all the support you give. If you haven't already, please check out my new venture with Jeff Sirlin, Cancer Wellness TV. We are going to be doing a lot more work on that website in 2016, so that will be the best place to get my newest, high quality content with regard to cancer support.

Last but not least, here is the second part of my interview with BBS radio. Please enjoy!

Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and Happy Stretching!

Interview with BBS Radio, Part 1

This Tuesday's blog is a little different. Instead of a video, today I want to share with you the first half of an interview I did on BBS radio a few years ago. In this part of the radio interview, we talk a bit about my background in the Eastern arts and philosophies, as well as about Qi Gong and Tai Chi in general. Please enjoy!

This Friday, I will release the second half of the interview, and then that will be it for 2015! I can't believe it had already been another year here on the blog. Happy Stretching!

Healthy Feet Guide

Today, we're putting all of the feet videos and exercises into one place for future reference. Healthy feet and good walking posture can make a huge difference in your overall health. Any of the common walking issues I discuss in this video can cause knee problems, lower back pain, even neck pain and migraines. Without further to do, here is a little feet health-plan for you to follow, everyday if you can, and a few times a week if you are short on time, or your feet don't have any issues.

1. Begin with stretching your calves. Relaxed calves give your feet the full range of up-and-down motion while walking. This goes a long way toward letting your feet stretch themselves with normal movement throughout the day. 
2. Now that you are ready to be up and around on your feet, why not go barefoot for a few minutes? If it's warm out, go walk through the grass, or find a beach with some nice sand. The point here is not only to stretch the feet, but also to stimulate them with different surfaces and feelings. 
3. Once you are done with your barefoot stroll, it's the perfect time to take a hot foot bath. Not only will this clean your feet, but it will also gently relax all the muscles and ligaments in your feet, and even soften the hard skin or calloused areas.
4. Now that you have clean and relaxed feet, it's time to open your toes with this exercise. You don't want to push too hard and hurt your feet, but you should be working toward getting your fingers all the way through the spaces in between your toes. This balances out the compression that our toes go through during the day from wearing tight socks and restrictive shoes.
5. You have to get on to your day at some point! These exercises should only take you roughly half an hour in total to complete, but there is alway something you can do while you are out and about. Take a look at other people's walking posture and notice how it makes them move. Do you move like that when you walk? It's almost impossible to watch yourself walk normally, so noticing the tell-tale signs of poor walking posture in other people might help you notice them in yourself.

That's it! Happy Stretching, and Happy Walking!

Stimulate the Nerves in Your Feet

Many people believe that strength training is a two-step process. First, you lift weights and do other exercises, and then you build muscle and get stronger. But the reality is that building strength has another step: training your nervous system.

The body naturally uses the least amount of muscle possible to complete an exercise or movement. This saves our body's energy for any unexpected or emergency situations that may occur. If you suddenly have to run to catch the bus, you better not have spent all your energy walking to the bus stop.

But we don't build muscle by just walking around, or doing laundry, or taking out the trash. The difference between regular movements and exercise is how much of your muscle is activated by your nervous system. It's when you focus your mind on the muscles you are working, and push them to the point of exhaustion, that your body will learn to build those muscles bigger and stronger.

What does this have to do with feet? Well, you can't really make the muscles of your feet any bigger, but you can make them stronger, which will help prevent falls, sprained ankles, and other common injuries. Foot strength isn't about how much weight you can move with your feet, but rather how force your feet can take and still keep you stable.

So the first step to building strength in our feet, as we've just learned, is stimulating the nerves. The best way to begin doing this is simply to walk barefoot on all different kinds of surfaces. Wooden floors, sandy beaches, warm asphalt, thick grass, rocky beaches, shag carpets, you get the idea. Walk slow, walk fast, wiggle your toes, go up on your tip-toes if you can. Try to feel the world out with your feet (after all, they do have some of the highest concentration of nerves in your whole body).

Walk barefoot on a different surface everyday, and you will be ready for any of the foot exercises we throw at you.

Happy Stretching!