Outdoor Workout By Mirabai Holland, MFA © 2014

I love to get out in the Spring after a Winter of exercising indoors. Even if you haven’t done much over the winter, the green smell of plants and flowers in the air and switching on to daylight savings time are great motivators.
Start with a duration you’re comfortable with and work your way up. I do some standing pushups and a couple of stretches at the end of my walk to round out the workout. No equipment necessary, just your favorite tree. Here is what I do:


Standing Pushups: Stand facing your tree and stretch arms in from of you, chest level and place hands on the tree a few inches apart. Keeping your body straight, slowly bend elbows until your chest is close to the tree and push back with a single thrust.
Work up to 20 reps. Works chest, and arms.


Back Extention: Stand facing your tree and stretch arms in front of you slightly below chest level.
Place hands on the tree a few inches apart. Keep arms stretched as you bend back lifting your head chin up while contracting your abs. Hold for 10-20 seconds. Stretches back.


Front Thigh Stretch: Stand facing your tree and hold on with your left hand. Grab your right ankle and gently pull heel towards buttocks. Hold for 10-20 seconds. Then switch legs. Stretches the front thigh muscles.

Cardio Dance May Improve Memory By Mirabai Holland, MFA ©2012

I became interested in exercise and memory several years ago when my older students began to tell me that their memories seemed to improve after they took my class.
I was teaching mostly dance-exercise in those days. I started with simple steps and built up to a pretty complex routine.
There has to be a connection I thought, between the physical movement, making your brain learn this routine, and improved memory.
I’m no scientist but I was curious. So I started to break it down.
What I was having people do is learn short phrases of movement and then link them together. The cardio dance routine required them to move forward and back, side to side, remember specific steps; and stay in rhythm.
This was a real challenge for many of my students who had never done anything like this before. As they got more proficient, the class became a social gathering; because of this shared experience.
My students felt energized afterwards, not exhausted. They told me that besides getting a good body workout they were getting a memory workout as well. They said they could actually remember things better.
I wondered if there was science to support our anecdotal experience.
I contacted a couple of local Alzheimer’s specialists (there was no internet back then) and they told me – you’re probably right but there weren’t any specific studies on this more than 20 years ago.
Even now the research is not conclusive. But, technology in the last 15 years has allowed science to discover a lot more about the brain.
Vascular memory loss has been linked to heart disease and cardio fitness is a major factor in preventing and managing that issue. Aerobic exercise increases the amount of oxygen supplied to the brain improving mental function. Cardio fitness has been shown to reduce loss of brain cells in older adults.
A study of 1,449 older adults shows those who in middle age exercised vigorously enough to perspire and breathe hard for 20 to 30 minutes at least twice a week reduced their risk of later developing Alzheimer’s disease by about 60 percent.*
But cardio is just part of the equation.
Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that certain types of dance, particularly with routines to learn and remember, may help prevent age-onset memory loss and diseases like Alzheimer’s. “…. cognitive activity may stave off dementia by increasing a person's "cognitive reserve." **
And a study conducted at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, says activities that combined mental and social as well as physical stimulation offered the greatest protection against dementia***
Activity is the active word. Be physically active, mentally active and socially active, preferably all at once. Taking a Cardio Dance class or getting together with friends to do a Cardio Dance DVD is a good place to start. And to this day, when I start my cardio dance class I say,
“It’s time to workout our hearts and minds!”

*Rovio, Suvi; Kareholt, Ingemar; Helkala, Eeva-Liisa; Viitanen, Matti; Winblad, Bengt; Tuomilehto, Jaakko; Soininen, Hilkka; Nissinen, Aulikki; and Kivipelto, Miia. “Leisure-time physical activity at midlife and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.” The Lancet Neurology; published online Oct. 4, 2005.
** Dr Joe Verghese, lead author of study conducted at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, N Engl J Med, 2003; 348:2508-2516.
***Karp, Anita; Paillard-Borg, Stephanie; Wang, Hui-Xin; Silverstein, Merrill; Winblad, Bengt; and Fratiglioni, Laura. "Mental, Physical and Social Components in Common Leisure Activities in Old Age in Relation to Dementia: Findings from the Kungsholmen Project." Presented at the Alzheimer’s Association 9th International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders, Philadelphia, Penn., July 17 – 22, 2004. Abstract published in Neurobiology of Aging, July 2004, Vol. 25, S2: p. S313.

Exercising For Diabetes: Good Fat Burns Calories while Muscles Burn Sugar By Mirabai Holland © 2012

Since March is Diabetes Month I wanted you to know about a recent discovery that is poised to be real game changer.
We all know inactivity and excess body fat are risk factors for Diabetes.
But did you know you have two kinds of fat, bad and good, white and brown?
White fat just sits there and is, well, just fat. It’s the bad fat. It puts you at higher risk for diseases like diabetes. Brown fat on the other hand, doesn’t just sit there. It’s metabolically active. It burns calories, lots of calories. It’s the good fat. (Yes, there is such a thing as good fat.) And exercise can turn white fat brown!
A recent study* by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School shows that exercise produces a hormone called Irisin that turns white fat brown. This may be a reason people who exercise regularly burn more calories, even hours after exercising, than sedentary people. Doesn’t that make you want to get up, make some irisin, turn that white fat brown and burn a bunch of calories? Well if that’s not enough here’s something else.
Exercise helps regulate blood glucose levels. It helps get excess glucose out of the blood and into the muscle tissue where it’s burned as fuel. It really works. In fact many diabetics who exercise regularly find they need to take a lot less insulin. Some have even been able to eliminate their need for insulin with daily exercise.
So between the calorie-burning brown fat, and the sugar-sucking effect on muscle tissue, I’d say exercise is a no-brainer for those of us at risk for diabetes.

* http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature10777.html

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