What Is Fitness Really? By Mirabai Holland, MFA © 2012

At this time of year when we’re struggling with our New Year’s resolutions I feel a need to ask and answer this question.
Why is it that so many people who truly want and desperately need to get fit find it so unattainable?
Why do so many start fitness programs only to quit after a few days or a few weeks?
Why is it that many highly trained fitness professionals can’t help us and can be actually detrimental to our success?
There’s this mentality that you have to whip yourself into shape in order to get in shape. No pain no gain. And if your body is not hard and ripped and buffed then you’re not fit. NONSENSE!!
What is fitness really?
What if getting fit meant that your could get out of a chair comfortably, that you could pick up a coin off the floor, reach for something without pulling something, run for a bus without feeling like you’re going to pass out. Maybe live longer, happier, and reap those health benefits the fit enjoy
All these things are attainable without knocking yourself out and without having a ripped body. You can have real gain, without the pain. You can be fit and active and take it as far as you want at your own pace in your own comfort zone. All you have to do is stand up (and if you can’t stand up sit in a chair) and move. Start slowly, gently, naturally just move. That’s the place to start. You don’t need gimmicks, you don’t need machines. Move a little every day. Start with just a few minutes, but do it every day. After a couple of weeks you’ll start to feel better. As you keep it up you’ll want to do a little more. So do a little more and on the days you don’t feel like doing it, just do a little something. You will accumulate fitness a little at a time. Eventually you’ll want to introduce yourself to the 3 major components of fitness: Cardio, Strength and Flexibility training. But then you’ll be ready because your body got used to moving again. It’s not rocket science but it is science and it does work. Studies show that moderate daily exercise gets you fit enough to reap about 80% of the health benefits fitness has to offer. Not bad.

Moving Free® with Mirabai Mind-Body Resolutions. Not Just A Dream By: Mirabai Holland, MFA © 2012

Mirabai Holland M.F.A. legendary fitness pioneer is one of the leading authorities in the Health & Fitness industry, and a public health activist who specializes in preventive and rehabilitative exercise for people. Her Moving Free® approach to exercise is designed to provide a movement experience so pleasant it doesn't feel like work. www.easyexercisevideos.com

January is a profound time. We can feel it. New year, new you they say
We vow to lose weight, get fit, quit smoking, and change our entire personality.

So why do we try and fail year after year and why have so many of us given up that resolution nonsense altogether?
I think it’s because we were setting ourselves up to fail instead of succeed.
We push ourselves too hard to do too much too soon to change habits that took half a lifetime to cultivate and expect that’s going to be ok with us and it’s not.
If we want to change long standing habits we need to look at it differently.
We need to see ourselves differently. See yourself thin. Feel what it’s like to be thin. Consider yourself a thin person, a non-smoker, whatever.

World-class athletes live by this. It really works. And it works for everything.

Here are two mind-body techniques they use and you can use right away to help set those resolutions into motion.

Visualization: happens mostly on the right side of the brain, the part that controls emotion, intuition and nonlinear thought.
So if your goal is to lose 10 pounds you visualize yourself 10 pounds thinner maybe by wearing that pair of jeans you have been wanting to get into again.
Don’t just see yourself as having lost the weight. See yourself as a thin person, someone who was always thin and will always be thin.
That mental image can replace the one you now have of yourself and help you transform your behavior on both a conscious and subconscious level.
It can allow you to finally put that desire into permanent action.

Affirmations: By engaging in positive self-talk you can change what you believe about yourself. You can speak to yourself silently or out loud in short phrases that start with
“I am
And don’t be afraid to say you are who you really want to be.
Repeat several times until you are able to clear your mind of anything but that particular affirmation.

Once you see and hear how it feels to be someone who has already reached their goal, you can use the same techniques to set and achieve easy short-term interim goals.
For instance if your goal is to become fit, you can start by visualizing and feeling yourself having exercised today and affirm with “I will exercise 5 minutes today”

As long as you have plausible expectations and don’t say stuff like I’m 6 feet tall when you’re 5’6, you can make amazing changes real.

“I am going to have the best year ever in 2012”. Happy New You”

GETTING IN SHAPE ONCE AND FOR ALL by MIRABAI HOLLAND MFA © 2011

At this time of year when New Year Resolutions are just around the corner, I’d like to offer some suggestions on how to get into shape and stay there once and for all. Many of today's fitness programs are all about the quick sell and even quicker results. Many are based on dangerous fitness myths. Here are 5 fitness myths to steer away from:

Myth #1: Pain Equals Gain It is a popular misconception that only when you feel the pain are you gaining anything from your workout. "The "no pain, no gain" mentality contributes to more injuries and more burnout than any other fitness factor, especially among my age group (baby boomers). It is wiser to exercise sustainably over a longer term, than to push yourself to the breaking point.

Myth #2: A Taskmaster Equals the Best Teacher Reality Exercise Shows that have recently become popular portray drill-sergeant-style trainers as being the most effective fitness mentors. While leveraging fear and using intimidation techniques may mean instant short-term fitness results, they’re sending the wrong message about how to get and stay fit for a lifetime. Attainable short-term goals and positive reinforcement are more likely to create good fitness habits that are sustainable for life.

Myth #3: Pumping up the Volume Equals Pumping up Your Physique It seems some fitness instructors think screaming louder and blasting the bass is motivational. It's time to think again. While high-decibel workouts might be temporarily motivational, over time these techniques become draining and stressful leading to faster fitness burnout. Look instead for uplifting music and gentle coaching in your workouts.

Myth #4: Fitness Equals a Fight Against Your Body Sales pitches that encourage "shaving off the pounds" and busting your abs or your butt have solidified the image of fitness as a battle against your body. Fighting is not a sustainable activity or philosophy. Instead, think of partnering with your body. Meet it where it is at right now and provide the environment and tools to reveal your body's best potential. When you take this approach you are setting yourself up for success every step of the way.

Myth #5: Force Equals Fit Today's popular exercise routines promote pounding your body into shape. But ancient fitness modalities, such as Yoga and Tai Chi had it right. Fitness is not about pumping the most iron or performing the most reps, it is about teaching your body how to move efficiently, using all of your muscles groups, and sustaining these movements over time. Exercise including strength training should be approached as a gradual lifetime process. This way, exercise becomes a pleasure not a chore.

Worth The Calories? By Mirabai Holland, MFA © 2011

Last year I threw my arms up in the air and decided I wasn’t going to diet over the Holidays, and I didn’t.
I went wherever my instincts took me. If I wanted a piece of pie, I had a piece of pie. If I wanted it a la mode I said “sure, a la mode”. But around the second holiday party I caught myself thinking: “is it wholesome or is it junk? Is it worth the calories?” Was it worth a big piece, a sliver, or Nah, forget about it? My years of training crept in, and I was editing what I ate and sort-of keeping track of the calories. You’d think that would defeat the purpose of throwing my hands up in the air, but it didn’t. I had as much or more fun over the holidays last year as I ever had, and I ate whatever I wanted, only this time I didn’t feel guilty or bloated.
Of course I’m going to try the same thing this year. I’ll let you know how it goes. I’m going to try to relax and not be too conscious of my system. I hope I can do that; I tend to obsess. Nonetheless, I urge you to try it. Let yourself eat the things you love. Just ask yourself “is it worth the calories?” You’ll probably have just as good a time, and you may not even gain any weight.
Of course I am a fitness professional and I’d be remiss if I didn’t even mention exercising over the Holidays. So I’ll leave you with this tasty tidbit of research. According to the National Institutes of health, a half hour of moderate Aerobic exercise, like brisk walking or a cardio-dance class, can reduce one’s risk of heart attack by as much as 50%. It also burns about 250 calories if you get my drift. Happy Holidays.

For More Information about Mirabai Holland please visit www.movingfree.com

Exercise To Combat Osteoporosis: Skeletal Fitness: A Workout For Your Bones by Mirabai Holland, MFA ©2011

One of the symptoms of menopause is bone loss.
44 million of us are at risk for Osteoporosis. The vast majority are women.
Women often develop Osteopenia (low bone mass that can lead to Osteoporosis) in the first few years after menopause because they lose bone-protecting estrogen. But, we can prevent and help reverse the effects of Osteoporosis by working out our bones.
The good news is since bones are living tissue they can become denser with weight bearing and resistance exercise.
When working out your bones it’s important to load the areas most at risk for fracture: the spine, the hip, and the wrist.

Here are 3 easy Bone Loading exercises, one for each of those areas, you can do using a pair of hand weights or a couple of soup cans. Use a weight that makes the exercise feel somewhat hard after 8 reps. Remember to always exhale on the exertion. Do 8-15 reps of each of these exercises. Start where you’re comfortable and build up.
And of course always consult your doctor before beginning this or any exercise program.

Double arm row: Loads Spine

Start with arms in front of you, weights together.
Slowly row arms back, bending elbows bringing weights to chest height.
Squeeze shoulder blades together, without shrugging your shoulders.

Lunge – Loads Hip and Femur (thigh bone)

Stand tall, feet about shoulder width apart, hands and weights at your sides.
Keep body erect and lunge forward with left foot, bending both knees to help facilitate the move. (Right heel comes off the floor). Your front knee should be aligned over the second toe of that foot and your weight should be centered between your front and back foot.
Hold for 8 seconds, (remember to breathe) return to starting position and repeat lunging with right foot.

Wrist Curls

Hold arms in front of you palms up.
Using only your wrists, curl weights toward your body until knuckles are facing the ceiling.
Slowly lower and repeat.

Remember, it’s never too early or too late to start working out your bones!
For more information on Mirabai's Skeletal Fitness Workouts please visit http://www.easyexercisevideos.com

When NOT To Exercise By Mirabai Holland, MFA © 2011

Mirabai Holland M.F.A. legendary fitness pioneer is one of the leading authorities in the Health & Fitness industry, and a public health activist who specializes in preventive and rehabilitative exercise for people. Her Moving Free® approach to exercise is designed to provide a movement experience so pleasant it doesn't feel like work. www.easyexercisevideos.com

For a week now I have been nursing the flu. I’ve been mostly in bed and its very frustrating. I can feel the fitness juice draining out of me. Several times I’ve thought of getting out of bed, putting on my sneakers and each time, my body, my lungs and my head have said “whoa maybe this is a bad idea”.
So, resting on an elevated pillow, feet up, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that there are times when being physically active can do more harm than good.
Now that I have nothing else to do I’m making a list of when not to exercise.
When You Are Sick
If you’ve got a cold and it’s not severe you CAN exercise without making yourself sicker. Your body will probably tell you to back off the intensity and you should listen. So just do a maintenance workout.
The Flu however is not to be messed with. Influenza kills several thousand people a year. Your body is under siege from a virus and you need to win that battle. Rest. Don’t exercise.
With A Fever
The Flu is often accompanied by a fever because your immune system is fighting off infection. Any time you have a fever you need to be resting to give your body a fighting chance. No exercise.
When You’re Tired
How tired? It you’ve got the fatigue and brain-block that comes from a long day at the office, some moderate exercise after work may help you relax and recharge.
But if your body is telling you go home and go to bed, that’s what you need to do.
When A Chronic Condition Flairs Up
Most people with chronic conditions or injuries can exercise with doctor’s permission between flair-ups. But many make the mistake of trying to exercise when their condition is acute. When your condition flairs up, wait it out. Don’t exercise. It only takes a moment to cause permanent damage. If your flair-up persists, go see your doctor.
Whey You’re Pregnant
Most pregnant women can exercise but ability to exercise varies greatly from person to person. Make sure you talk to your doctor about any exercise you’re planning to do.
When You Have Pain
Patient: “Doctor it hurts when I do this.”
Doctor: “Don’t do that!”
It really IS that simple. Pushing through the pain is nonsense even for most professional athletes. If you’ve got pain don’t exercise. See your doctor.

This list is a work in progress and since I’m lying here, I’m sure I can think up some more stuff. How about you? If you’ve got some good reasons not to exercise, send them to me at exercise@movingfree.com .

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