Exercise remains a constant habit in my life, and also a hobby, and also my job! If I had been more aware of majors like exercise science or kinesiology I may have pursued them rather than occupational therapy. At the time however, in the early 1990's the health/wellness/fitness fields were not on my radar as career options. How quickly times change! I don't regret my choices as OT provided me with an interesting, flexible job for 15 years and I am grateful for the connections I made through my employment. In addition, it was during my work at our community hospital that I had the opportunity to attend my first Pilates course, Pilates for Physical Therapists, as we were seeking to add fitness classes for our outpatient and community population. I had taught exercise on the side since college, obtained my personal training certificate, and was always seeking additional training for working with special populations like pregnant women or those with Parkinson's disease. It was a natural fit for me to obtain this additional training.
Today I focused on movement. Our bodies do not distinguish yoga from Pilates, from tennis, or walking or even simply vacuuming the floor. Our bodies just register movement and our bodies thrive on movement. One of my favorite books which has helped me with this 5 day fast, The Conscious Cleanse states, "Moving your body helps improve your mood, enhances your body confidence and body image, makes you feel revitalized, revs up your metabolism, curbs your cravings, improves your elimination, helps you lose weight, builds muscle, and increases your focus. You get your lymphatic system pumping, which is one of the main ways your body takes out the trash." Sweating is an ideal form of detox and breaking a sweat helps to release toxins. I didn't break a sweat today. I simply walked my 10,000 steps, vacuumed the house, and focused on some Pilates prep for my clients this week. As always, it was a mood lifter and a chance to give gratitude for my physical health.
Today I focused on movement. Our bodies do not distinguish yoga from Pilates, from tennis, or walking or even simply vacuuming the floor. Our bodies just register movement and our bodies thrive on movement. One of my favorite books which has helped me with this 5 day fast, The Conscious Cleanse states, "Moving your body helps improve your mood, enhances your body confidence and body image, makes you feel revitalized, revs up your metabolism, curbs your cravings, improves your elimination, helps you lose weight, builds muscle, and increases your focus. You get your lymphatic system pumping, which is one of the main ways your body takes out the trash." Sweating is an ideal form of detox and breaking a sweat helps to release toxins. I didn't break a sweat today. I simply walked my 10,000 steps, vacuumed the house, and focused on some Pilates prep for my clients this week. As always, it was a mood lifter and a chance to give gratitude for my physical health.
Dr. Jason Fung, author of The Obesity Code (Why your body's own insulin is the key to controlling your weight) states: "Cortisol is the so-called "stress-hormone which mediates the flight of fight response. Cortisol is part of a class of steroid hormones called glucocorticoids and is produced in the adrenal cortex. In paleolithic times the stress that led to a release of cortisol was often physical: for instance being chased by a predator. Cortisol is essential in preparing our bodies for action--to fight or flee. Vigorous physical activity (fight or flight) soon often followed burning up the newly available stores of glucose. Shortly thereafter we were either dead or the danger was past and our cortisol decreased back to its normal low levels. That is the point: the body is well adapted to a short tem increase in cortisol and glucose levels. Over the long term, however a problem arises. In our modern-day lives, we have many chronic, non-physical stressors that increase our cortisol levels. For example, marital issues, problems at work, arguments with children and sleep deprivation are all serious stressors but they do not result in the vigorous physical exertion needed to burn off the blood glucose. Under conditions of chronic stress, glucose levels remain high and there is no resolution to the stressor. This triggers the release of insulin which we know drives weight gain. Reducing stress is difficult but vitally important. Contrary to popular belief, sitting in front of the tv or computer is a poor way to relieve stress. Instead stress relief is an active process. There are many time tested methods of stress relief, including mindfulness meditation, yoga, massage therapy and exercise. Studies on mindfulness intervention found that participants were able to use yoga, guided meditations, and group discussion to successfully reduce cortisol and abdominal fat."
The moral of the story? Movement, meditation, yoga, Pilates...it is health generating! Tomorrow is the final day of the fast and for that I am happy. Stay tuned and I will be sure to update my experience. Particularly the things I missed most, what I would change, what I learned and whether I would do another round. Thanks for reading!
p.s. I highly recommend Dr. Fung's book, The Obesity Code, Unlocking the Secrets to Weight Loss. While I am not fasting for weight loss but rather for the effect of autophagy, there have still been times in my life where my blood sugars or liver enzymes were elevated potentially pre-disposing me for a state of pre-diabetes. Understanding how hormones, food, stress etc. affect our health is useful for everyone regardless of size. Enjoy!
p.s. I highly recommend Dr. Fung's book, The Obesity Code, Unlocking the Secrets to Weight Loss. While I am not fasting for weight loss but rather for the effect of autophagy, there have still been times in my life where my blood sugars or liver enzymes were elevated potentially pre-disposing me for a state of pre-diabetes. Understanding how hormones, food, stress etc. affect our health is useful for everyone regardless of size. Enjoy!
RSS Feed