Month: October 2010

Hey there amigo!

Sorry I’ve been out of touch for a week or so. It’s been one of those
periods of life where things have been comin’ at me fast and furious. Travel,
presentations at conferences, working on my businesses…..coupled with
a nasty stomach bug that made the rounds through the entire family. Including
one of the dogs! Yuck!

Anyhoo, we got through it. I’m finally coming up for air. I’m back writing
to you, which is one of the highlights of my day.

I can tell my schedule is out of balance by one key indicator: whether I
have been able to get out and walk or run. I walk or run – or some
combination of the two – just about every week day. I love it! And I love
being out in the fresh air and sunshine.

Nothing like a good brisk walk or run – especially along the rolling
(and sometimes quite steep) terrain that I journey along – to clear the
mind and rekindle the energy and enthusiasm.

Being out in the sunshine is important this time of year, because the
days are getting shorter. Despite what the conventional wisdom says –
you know, the admonishments to stay out of the sun, always cover up and
wear sunscreen, and so forth – it is actually healthy for you to get some
sun.

In addition to the mood and energy-enhancing benefits, sunshine also
provides us with our most important source of Vitamin D. If you are into
better breathing and better health, you want to make sure you are getting
sufficient Vitamin D.

Over the past several years, there has been renewed interest in, and
appreciation for, good ol’ Vitamin D. There has also been some good news
about the benefits of Vitamin D for lung health and better breathing.

I don’t always report on the first study or finding that comes out on something.
Frequently, a second or third study comes out that refutes or minimizes what
the first one promoted. So I tend not to get too excited until I learn more.

In this case, there have been a number of scientific studies on the effects of
Vitamin D on lung health. And the findings are very encouraging.

A few years back, researchers from Kings College found that Vitamin D can
substantially improve the responsiveness of asthma patients to steroid therapy.
Some people with asthma, a chronic lung condition, become steroid resistant.
This can severely limit their medical treatment options.

After some promising lab findings, the researchers did a small pilot in which
people with steroid-resistant asthma took Vitamin D3 supplements on a daily
basis. After 7 days, lab tests indicated that previously steroid-resistant cells
in their immune systems were now responsive to steroids.

The researchers also think that Vitamin D3 can help improve responsiveness
to steroids, even in people who are not resistant. This could mean a decrease
in the dosages required to control asthma.

In a separate study done at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, researchers
looking into the effects of Vitamin D on lung function found that patients with
higher concentrations of Vitamin D had significantly better lung function, compared
with patients who had lower concentrations of Vitamin D.

(By the way, I am giving a very high level synopsis here. Reading detailed
research findings is about as exciting as watching paint dry.)

More recent studies in the US and abroad have confirmed these findings, and
also supported getting more Vitamin D in our diets for better bone health
as well.Everyone typically focuses on Calcium, but we need Calcium and Vitamin D
acting in concert to strengthen our bones and help prevent or slow the onset
fo osteoporosis.

How can you use this information?

Well, as always, I have to say “check with your physician”. However, it’s easy
to get more Vitamin D into your diet.

Vitamin D can be found in the following foods: eggs, butter, cream, halibut,
herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines and shrimp.

Dairy products in most countries are fortified with Vitamin D, making this a great
source if you don’t have allergies or sensitivities to dairy.

A wonderful source of Vitamin D is cod liver oil. This used to be administered in the
“old days” to help prevent rickets and tooth problems. Cod liver oil is also a great
source of Vitamin A, which is very beneficial to lung function.

Vitamin D supplements are pretty inexpensive. The recommended daily amount is
400 to 1,000 IU. Amounts over 2,000 IU are considered to be potentially dangerous.

Perhaps the best source is getting out in the sun for 15 minutes or so each day.
Your body synthesizes Vitamin D when exposed to sunshine. And, like I said, getting
out in the light on a frequent basis is good for you for other reasons too,
including elevated mood and energy levels, and better stress management.

So take a look at your diet. If you don’t think you’re getting enough Vitamin D,
you may want to supplement. And be sure to get out in the sun a little each day,
even if it’s just a quick walk at lunch.

It’s one more thing you can do to help your lungs and promote healthy breathing.

You Can Do It!

http://www.BestBreathingExercises.com

P.S. Another important thing to help promote healthy breathing and all the
benefits it provides, is to learn how to breathe correctly. In the Secret Power
of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course, Volume 1: Invigorate and Rejuvenate, you learn
how to breathe with the Complete Breath, as well as seven other breathing exercises
that will have you feeling relaxed and energized at the same time. You can read
more about it at the Best Breathing Exercises website.

Copyright, Karen Van Ness

As you know from reading my blog, I’m a big proponent of using targeted,
effective breathing techniques and exercises as one of the cornerstones of
robust fitness and health.

This emphasis is due to one overriding phenomenon: the correct selection and
sequence of breathing exercises work.

I’ve experienced the benefits firsthand, in myself as well as others with whom I
have worked directly, or who have purchased and put to work the exercises in
my Secret Power of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course.

I’m always searching for new methods or techniques to add to my arsenal. I
think it’s important to have multiple tools, or variations of tools, to help you.

We all need some variation in our routine or training. This helps us avoid becoming
stale, and is important to ensure additional progress.

In my research, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see that breath training is being
used more and more in athletic training.

For example, many coaches now train their athletes in the proper use of
breathing to help enhance performance, focus better mentally, and recover
more quickly and fully from their training or competitive exertions.

Seems what’s old is new, and what’s new is old.

I’ve realized that each person’s experience with breath training to improve
their fitness or health follows along the same type of paradigm as does physical
training.

In athletic training, athletes and coaches follow the practice of periodization.
This means they emphasize different things in training as the athlete cycles
through general training, to sport-specific training, to the competitive, or
“in-season” phase.

Within the periodization paradigm, cycles of improvement and assimilation
are always included — at least in a rational program.

What this means is that training science and application have proved what
we all intuitively know: that any development, whether physical, mental,
emotional — or even spiritual, for that matter — follows natural cycles of
progression and regression.

In training, as in any kind of self-improvement or health enhancement program,
you will make progress for awhile. Then you will experience a period of
little or no progress. Or you may even feel like you are regressing a bit.

This is natural and to be expected. It is so natural and powerful that
training programs of all types take this into consideration. They actually
build in these periods of assimilation or regression.

While this can be frustrating, it’s also magical. If you recognize and embrace
the periods of regression you are experiencing for what they are, you can 
emerge from them capable of making even more dramatic strides and
improvements.

This is because, during the slow or stagnant period, your body and mind are
still developing. It’s happening beneath the surface, beyond your conscious
awareness.

Your systems are busy assimilating the gains in training, or knowledge, or
self-awareness you have achieved during the growth phase. This prepares
them for additional growth and development.

The key for you is to recognize these cycles for what they are.

For example, even with breathing exercises that are extremely effective, you
may experience periods in which your body has adapted to them.

To counter this, you can try performing the exercises in a different order. Or
you can stop performing certain exercises for awhile, and introduce others
into your routine.

This is one reason why I will continue to come out with additional programs
that use dynamic breathing as a means to health and fitness. They add
variety, sustain interest and enthusiasm — and they work.

Occasionally, I even stop doing my regular exercises completely, for as long
as a week or two. This is a way for me to test their effectiveness and see
whether they really make a difference.

I can tell you this: within a week or so of not doing them, I feel the difference.
And I’m always very enthusiastic about returning to them.

You Can Do It!

www.BestBreathingExercises.com

P.S. Introducing breathing exercises into your daily routine is not complicated.
Try doing some deep breathing as soon as you wake up each morning. Perform
at least 8 cycles of full inhalations and exhalations, with an emphasis on the
exhalation. You’ll be amazed at how energetic you feel as you move into your day.
Copyright 2010 Karen Van Ness

Recently, a new study came out that actually quantified the life extension benefits
of regular exercise.

The study determined that regular exercise, which they defined as “doing a little
something every day”, can add as many as four years to your life.

Now, four years may not sound like much to a lot of us. But when I ran this by my
parents (who are in their early seventies), they thought it sounded pretty darn good.

The key for them: these are four healthy years that are added. No one wants to
live longer yet be incapacitated, either physically or mentally.

But adding four years of active, productive living is very meaningful. Think how many
things you could do, or how many moments you could enjoy, in four years.

Engaging in a more active lifestyle today helps you on two fronts. First, you’re more
healthy, feel better, and enjoy life more today. Second, you’ll enjoy more life and
better living when you get older.

I harp on this a lot in my tips because I know many adults have either drastically
reduced their activity levels, or given up on exercise altogether.

The reasons may vary from person to person, but they often include things like:
no time; no energy; had an injury and stopped; don’t know how; etc, etc.

I know this because I’ve used some of these same excuses myself.

I learned the hard way that this is about the worst thing you can do. Maintaining
activities and at least some exercise on a regular basis is one of the keys to
maintaining, even enhancing your energy levels.

It also helps you be more productive. If you devote just 15 to 30 minutes for
exercise, you can add as much as two additional hours of productivity to your day.

Here’s another fact to consider: as you get older, you have to continually work on
building and maintaining your vital capacity, the ability of your lungs and heart to
do their jobs efficiently and effectively.

Vital capacity naturally diminishes as you get older, unless you do something
about it. If you’ve been inactive for any length of time, you have even more incentive
to build yourself up, because you’re starting from a lower level.

From my experience training clients, I’ve found out that many people shy away from
conventional exercise programs. They think they are in such bad shape that they
will injure themselves, or not be able to perform at a decent level.

They also sometimes dread the thought of working out at a gym. They think everyone
else will be in shape. They worry that they will not know which exercises to do
or how to use the machines or weights.

If you think you’re not yet capable of conventional exercise…OR if you are intelligent
enough to know you should start out slow….you can get started today with the
exercises in the Secret Power of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course, Volume 1.

The exercises in this course open up the breathing spaces of the body. They stretch,
extend and work out all the kinks along your entire spine, a critical source of energy.
And they help you easily and effortlessly loosen up your body, from calf to neck.

They’re easy to learn and do. All it takes is a few minutes per day, and you’ll start to
feel like a new person within a few days.

Performing the movements regularly provides an excellent way to prepare your body
and “re-introduce” yourself to exercising.

Whatever you do, the important thing is to get moving, even if it’s only for 15 or
20 minutes each day. Build some type of activity into your daily routine. Within
a few days, you’ll feel better, have more energy, and enjoy a more positive outlook.

For even more incentive, remind yourself that you are also giving yourself more
years of life.

You Can Do It!

Best,
Karen Van Ness
www.BestBreathingExercises.com

P.S. Even if all you can do is walk around the house a few times, get busy and
get going. Remember Newton’s Law: “A body in motion tends to stay in motion.
A body at rest tends to stay at rest.” If you take the first few steps, you’ll be amazed
at how quickly you can overcome inertia and gain momentum.
Copyright Karen Van Ness 2010