Scary Infographic on the Long-term Effects of Drinking Soda

Sugary and sweetened drinks are one of the main things you should avoid when pursuing a life of health. Here’s an infographic on the worst offender – Soda! (Click image to enlarge.)

Via: Term Life Insurance

Have you noticed any negative effects from drinking Soda? What do you like to drink instead? Please leave your comments and questions below!

Yoga With Ayns – Warrior 1 Posture (Virabhadrasana 1)

Welcome to Yoga With Ayns! For those of you new to this series, I’ll be covering 1-3 yoga poses per week (depending on the difficulty). I will also include a picture along with the name, type, benefits, cautions and how-to of various poses. (more…)

From Awakening the Senses to Sensory Overload

I planned to continue with Part 2 of The Awakening the Senses and Inner Instinct series this week, but I just realized there is an important part of the equation I missed.

Last Saturday I arrived back in the US from 6 months in the little Mexican beach town I live every winter. I actually had the epiphany during my layover in the crazy LA airport. (more…)

Yoga With Ayns – Triangle Posture (Trikonasana)

Once you have mastered the Sun Salutations you may wish to add other postures to your yoga practice. The standing postures help strengthen the body while giving us stamina and control to carry ourselves throughout our day with greater ease. (more…)

Awaken Your Senses and Inner Instinct! Part 1: Into the Wild

It’s time to wake up! Most of us are living our lives in a mental construct as opposed to experiencing the world as it is.

In the name of safety, efficiency, science, and progress we’ve insulated ourselves from the richness of life – our sensory perception.

And as our senses dull, we lose our natural animal instincts. We also remove ourselves from the present moment and become a slave to our thoughts and emotions.

Most importantly we miss out on all the beauty and mystery the world (and our bodies) have to offer. Too many people have isolated themselves from the natural world and even their own bodies.

It’s time to stop dulling our senses so we can be comfortable. It’s time to regain our curiosity, the boundless energy, the alertness, the sensations, and the fun and beauty of waking up our bodies to the world around us. (more…)

Yoga Sun Salutation – Part 4: Upward and Downward Facing Dog

Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar)

Yoga was traditionally practiced facing the rising sun, and the Sun Salutation is a great start to any day or yoga practice.

It is a sequence of forward and back bending postures linked together with the breath that adds heat, flexibility and strength to the body while improving digestion and circulation.

Every week I will cover a couple postures of the series. If you are just beginning, be sure to review the previous posts first:

Yoga Sun Salutation – Part 1: Mountain Pose and Standing Forward Fold

Yoga Sun Salutation – Part 2: Lunge/Crescent Moon Pose and Plank Pose

Yoga Sun Salutation – Part 3: Reverse Pushup and Cobra

It can be practiced as slowly or as quickly as desired and can be modified as you need to make it less or more challenging. It becomes a dance with the breath; deepening mind-body awareness.

If you only have five minutes to spare, Surya Namaskar is a simple way to bring the benefits of yoga into your life. (more…)

The Ancient Pathway to Optimal Health or Just a Cool (literally) Party Trick?

I don’t know about you all but I hate the cold. And since I’ve been wintering in Mexico, I’ve become a real wimp. Come October in Oregon, it’s cold enough that I need to start wearing shoes (I hate wearing shoes).

I also hate icing as a therapy for pain control and recovery of musculoskeletal issues. I’ve even told many patients that I won’t treat them if they continue to ice their damaged joints after the acute phase of injury.

So, when I read the now classic book by Tim Ferriss, The 4-Hour Body, I scoffed at the recommendation of using ice packs to help lose fat. First of all, I didn’t need to lose fat. And second, it seemed like something that at best could barely be effective. (more…)

Weekly Web Recipe Review: Sausage and Zucchini Muffins

Welcome to the Weekly Web Recipe Review! Almost every week my wife and I will select a healthy recipe from a popular blog or website, make it, and give a full review. Neither of us are chefs, but we both have basic skills and can follow a recipe.

We won’t be republishing the recipe (you have to click through to their site for that), but we will give our honest impression if it was any good. We’ll also let you know how long it took to prepare, any difficulties, and we’ll list the cost of the ingredients.

This Weeks Recipe:

Sausage and Zucchini Muffins from The Cavegirl Dish (more…)

Yoga Sun Salutation – Part 3: Reverse Pushup & Cobra

Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar)

Yoga was traditionally practiced facing the rising sun, and the Sun Salutation is a great start to any day or yoga practice.

It is a sequence of forward and back bending postures linked together with the breath that adds heat, flexibility and strength to the body while improving digestion and circulation.

Every week I will cover a couple postures of the series. If you are just beginning, be sure to review the previous posts first:

Yoga Sun Salutation – Part 1: Mountain Pose and Standing Forward Fold

Yoga Sun Salutation – Part 2: Lunge/Crescent Moon Pose and Plank Pose

It can be practiced as slowly or as quickly as desired and can be modified as you need to make it less or more challenging. It becomes a dance with the breath; deepening mind-body awareness.

If you only have five minutes to spare, Surya Namaskar is a simple way to bring the benefits of yoga into your life. (more…)

Got Back, Joint, or Muscle Pain? Think Tight Muscles Not Inflammation!!!

Inflammation and inflammatory type conditions (like arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, etc.) are so commonly used today as the “cause” of almost all musculoskeletal pain.

In fact, it seems to be pretty well accepted that all types of pain conditions are thought to have an aspect of inflammation. And while this may even be the case, it has led us down a road of sloppy, barely effective or ineffective, and harmful treatments. (more…)