Ayurveda Article - Fitness The Correct Way

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Are You Fighting to be Fit?

 

Puff.

Pant.

Jump.

Pump.

Stairmaster, squash court, race track...take your sweat-releasing,

fat-searing pick. Start today, go at it for just 45 minutes a day,

and you can tighten your muscles and lighten your body-mass within

the next few weeks.

And why not? Stout is always out and thin is always in, so it makes

sense to fit in.

Or does it?

 

An Unfit Obsession

 

A recent issue of Fitness magazine reports on some record-setting,

seemingly interminable workout sessions. Among them were:

• A member of the St. James Club in Toledo, clocked 30 non-stop

miles on the treadmill.

• A Cottonwood Club member in Lincoln, Nebraska, did the club's

two-week Iron-man contest in one single day.

• A guy deemed to "need a life" after a 6.5 hour stint at the

Beacon Hall Athletic Club in Boston, MA.

Every day, more people are crossing the line between healthy and

hurtful exercise. Gym junkies have been known to become exercise

addicts, giving their workout priority over everything else in life.

Not only that, sports experts observe such exercise addicts suffer

actual withdrawal symptoms if they are forced to go without their

daily quota of exercise. But first, it is important to figure out if

you are indeed addicted to exercise. Four ways you can tell:

• Do you notice you go on treading the mill or doing the

weights regardless of a stretched shin or an aching arm?

• Do you plunge into and out of your workout without taking

time to warm-up or stretch?

• Do you forget a dinner date or a dentist's appointment when

you are working out?

• Do you suffer lack of appetite, headaches, tension and

irritability if you don't get your fitness fix?

All these are signs you are doing more than you should.

 

Fit Advice

 

Modern fitness experts recommend a 24-hour rest between vigorous

exercise sessions, to allow the body to recover fully. Concerned at

the growing number of "fitness freaks,'' they urge people to check

their pace-even carry a heart-monitor to the gym, if necessary.

Pick up a magazine that specializes in physical fitness, and it will

give you formulas for calculating your speed and strength. Some

examples:

• If your heart is thumping at an increased but safe speed,

you're on the right track-this is your "target heart rate." Usually,

this is about 75 to 80 percent of your maximum safe heart rate. But

for workouts on ski machines and stair climbers, your heart-rate

should be about 60 percent of the maximum.

• To figure out your 60 percent of maximum target rate,

subtract your age from 220, and multiply the result by 0.6. You could

also lug a mini heart monitor to the gym to check your progress

occasionally.

 

Math vs. Mind

 

This is where ayurveda steps in. "Forget formulas," it says. "Listen

to yourself."

Ancient ayurvedic healers advocated the concept of using "balaardh"

or just 50 percent of your total reservoir of strength at a given

time. This does not mean you need to pull out a calculator each time

you want to figure out if you've done "half of your total capacity."

It means keeping constant dialogue with your body and your mind.

When you start sweating lightly and breathing through the mouth, your

body is telling you that it is going at a steady pace. When your mind

is enjoying your physical activity-say a vigorous game of tennis, you

know it is okay to go on playing. But when you start sweating

profusely and can sense you are tired, don't push yourself to exert.

Could it be any simpler?

 

Workouts That Work

 

People exercise for different reasons. Some want to lose weight, some

to build muscle, and still others see it as part of a healthy

routine. Whatever your goal, you can achieve it the ayurveda way-

without burning yourself out.

Being a holistic system of healing, ayurveda likes exercises that

involve both body and mind. That is why, ancient healers like Charaka

praised walking.. It does not tax the body overmuch, it relaxes the

mind, and it improves overall balance.

Yoga-which comes from the root word "yoke" or unite, is of course an

old-time favorite of the vaidyas. It gives you an all-body workout at

a steady pace.. It is also a great calmer-who can act or feel frantic

while stretching the body so deliciously? A short session of yoga

will always leave you feeling refreshed and happy, not tired and

ready to crash.

 

Herbs That Help

 

Lack the get-up-and-go to begin thinking of a yoga-session? Find

yourself exhausted after just 20 minutes of walking? Coffee and

steroids are not your answer. What your system really needs is the

wake-up, feel-good power of nature's own healing herbs.

Herbs like ashwagandha, brahmi and arjuna; spices like black pepper

and fenugreek; nuts like almonds-all these combined in the right

proportions and blended in precise, traditional ways can take the

exertion out of exercise. They revive the body, improve fat

metabolism during a workout, nourish the mind and imbue the whole

being with a zest for life.

You're now ready to Go!

 

 

 

Note : This ayurvedic information is educational and is not intended

to replace standard medical care or advice.

Copyright MAPI, 2002.

 

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