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Transformative Core-Strengthening Yoga: Unlock Strength with these 8 Powerful Poses

woman doing yoga

Yoga Poses for Developing a Strong, Stable Core

A strong, balanced core is essential for general health and mobility. But “core strength” refers to more than simply six-pack abs. Your core consists of all the muscles in your lower back, hips, buttocks, and abs that support your spine and keep you properly oriented. Strong core muscles improve posture, stability, and flexibility, preventing back problems and injuries.

I believe that yoga is one of the most effective techniques to alter your core in a comprehensive way. Yoga practices strengthen the core while increasing body awareness by integrating breath and movement. The next eight positions will activate your core with various difficulties, bringing power throughout your middle.

Plank Pose

Let’s begin with a good old plank. The forearm plank strengthens your entire body as you balance on your forearms and toes. Squeeze your abs and glutes to form a long, straight line across your body. You will feel your core turn on from front to back, similar to straightening your center.

Boat Pose

In Boat posture, sit tall with bowed knees and lean back on your sit bones. Reach your arms forward and elevate your shins to form a V shape. Avoid rounding your back; instead, bring your belly button to your spine to strengthen your core. Boat promotes posture and shapes your abs.

Warrior III

For Warrior III, stand on one leg and hinge at the hips to extend the other leg back. Extend your arms forward with wide fingers. Maintaining a firm core is essential for finding equilibrium. Allow your inner strength to shine through your limbs.

Side Plank

Prepare to feel those obliques burn! In Side Plank, stack your feet and prop yourself up with one hand. Lift your hips to form a straight diagonal line. Keep your core engaged to avoid sinking into your shoulder. Hold for 5 breaths, then switch sides.

Bridge Pose

Bridge involves lying on your back and pressing your feet down to lift your hips high. Keep your core engaged; don’t let your back arch. Bridge strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. A strong back indicates outstanding core integration.

Forearm Plank

Increase the difficulty by performing a Forearm Plank. Spread your palms wide and take a step back to balance on your forearms and toes. Draw your navel in and maintain your body straight like an arrow. Breathe calmly as you strengthen your abdominal, obliques, chest, and shoulders.

Boat with Leg Extensions

For the ultimate core workout, hold Boat posture and slowly stretch one leg forward before switching legs. Keep your belly button tucked in for stability. This complex move necessitates integrated core control.

Dolphin Pose

In Dolphin, come onto your forearms and lift your hips up, forming an inverted V shape. Walk your feet toward your elbows, stacking your shoulders over your wrists. Exercise your abs to maintain your core strong.

Consistent yoga gives you a concentrated sense that stays with you. You’ll feel stable and grounded to handle anything if you discover actual inner power within yourself. Let these powerful stances improve your entire existence!

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Fitness

Living That Fit Life: How to Crush Your Wellness Goals

fitness

Getting in shape and staying healthy can feel as difficult as battling a grizzly! Especially if you are just getting started with your fitness adventure. You want to achieve your objectives, fit into your favorite pants again, and have the energy to keep up with your children but when you’re just getting started, the road ahead appears to be endless.

Here’s the good news: you can develop healthy habits and achieve your fitness objectives over time. You do not have to do everything at once or change your life overnight. Begin with the first step, then the next, and so on. Prepare yourself with the appropriate mindset, tools, and support. Soon, You’ll be on your way!

Here are some suggestions I’ve learnt over the years that have helped me live a better lifestyle and achieve my fitness goals:

Set specific, quantifiable goals.

I find it really helps to set concrete fitness goals like running a 5K in under 30 minutes someday. Quantifiable goals like this keep me focused and motivated to grow. I also split down larger ambitions into smaller, more doable tasks.

Plan ahead

I set out my fitness program for the week, including which days I’ll exercise, when, and what I intend to do. Planning ahead of time makes me much more likely to stick to a schedule rather to just winging my workouts. I aim for 4-5 workouts each week, alternating between cardio, weights, and yoga – whatever seems good that day!

Keep track of everything

I use a workout app to keep track of each and every workout, recording details like miles run, weight lifted, reps completed. Seeing all of that data is extremely motivating and holds me accountable. In addition, I weigh myself on a regular basis to track my progress.

Mix things up

For overall fitness, I make sure to include both cardio and weight training. I’ll do cardio a few times a week, either by jogging, bicycling, or swimming, depending on how I feel that day. I also lift weights a few times per week, with a rest day in between for recovery.

Fuel correctly

I strive to eat a well-balanced diet that includes plenty of protein, healthy fats, fiber, and whole grains. Meal planning has been a game changer in ensuring that I have excellent, energizing snacks and meals on hand for my active lifestyle. But I never deprive myself!

Rest up

I’m learning to take rest and recuperation days where I merely stretch lightly and let my muscles relax. Getting enough rest has been critical for me to avoid burnout and damage from over training.

Get accountable

Having my sister join me for morning runs holds me accountable for getting out of bed to work out. Having a workout buddy makes it far more difficult to skip a sweat session. Friendly competition also helps!

Celebrate small wins.

Getting fit and healthy takes time and cannot be accomplished quickly. I’m learning to be patient with myself and enjoy even minor victories and milestones along the way. Like when I couldn’t even run a mile without stopping when I first started, and now I can run 3 miles without walking! Maintaining a positive attitude and consistency has been really crucial to me. I don’t let myself be discouraged if I reach a plateau or have a terrible workout now and then. I just refocus and keep pushing forward, making slow and steady development over time. As long as I keep showing up and doing my best, I’m confident I’ll get there. The small victories along the road make it worthwhile and keep me encouraged to persevere.

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Nutrition

Battle of the Cooking Oils: Ghee and Mustard Oil Go Head-to-Head in the Kitchen

grilled fish steaks served with vegetables and sauces

Growing up, my mom always cooked with ghee and mustard oil – they’re like the dynamic duo of oils in Indian cuisine! I’ve gotten pretty familiar with how they compare over the years.

Ghee has this rich, nutty, almost buttery taste since it’s clarified butter. It’s pretty mellow so it goes well in all kinds of dishes, both sweet and savory. Mustard oil’s much more pungent and spicy – straight up sinus-clearing! Not surprising since it comes from the mustard seeds directly. You definitely get that kick of mustard flavor.

When it comes to high heat cooking, ghee is my go-to. It has a higher smoke point than mustard oil so you can crank up the heat for frying without it burning as quickly. I learned the hard way after some burnt mustard oil flavors ruined a batch of pakoras. Not making that mistake again!

Nutrition-wise, they both have some good and bad points. Ghee has more saturated fat but also vitamins A, D, E and K. Mustard oil is lower in saturated fat and has heart-healthy fats like monounsaturated and omega-3s. But it also contains something called Erucic acid that you have to watch out for.

In Ayurvedic medicine, they use ghee to build strength and immunity while mustard oil is good for skin health and keeping the body warm. No clue if that’s legit, but they’ve clearly stood the test of time!

photo of woman pouring liquid on vegetable

This cross-sectional study1, conducted in Jodhpur, India, aimed to compare the effects of mustard oil versus ghee intake on coronary heart disease (CHD) history. The researchers selected 137 adults aged 40-80 years based on their typical dietary consumption of either mustard oil or ghee, excluding those with other CHD risk factors. The participants were divided into a predominantly mustard oil group (n=75) and a predominantly ghee group (n=62). CHD history was evaluated through medical documentation and electrocardiograms (ECGs). Lipid blood profiles were also analyzed.

The results revealed that CHD history was higher among the mustard oil group (50.9%) compared to the ghee group, although this difference was not statistically significant. Regardless of dietary fat intake, CHD odds were 32.2% higher in males than females. CHD history showed significant positive correlation with blood levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL, VLDL, and ratios of TC/HDL and LDL/HDL. It was negatively correlated with HDL levels. Mustard oil intake positively correlated with CHD history, especially among female participants. The LDL/HDL ratio proved to be the strongest predictor of positive CHD history.

Overall, the study indicates that increased mustard oil consumption may adversely impact CHD risk, while ghee may not be as harmful as commonly believed. However, limitations include the small sample size from only one Indian city. Larger studies across diverse regions are warranted to confirm these preliminary results suggesting mustard oil could potentially increase CHD risk to a greater degree than ghee.

In essence, this small study found mustard oil intake correlated with higher CHD risk compared to ghee in an urban Indian population, contradicting widespread beliefs about the harms of saturated fats from ghee.

For me, I keep both oils stocked for different purposes. I use ghee more often though – I’m a sucker for that nutty flavor. And it’s way easier to find than mustard oil at regular grocery stores. But mustard oil definitely has its time and place, especially when I’m cooking up traditional Indian food. Just depends what flavors you enjoy!

References

  1. Manna S, Sharma HB, Vyas S, Kumar J. Comparison of Mustard Oil and Ghee Consumption on the History of Coronary Heart Disease in Urban Population of India. J Clin Diagn Res. 2016 Oct;10(10):OC01-OC05. doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2016/18929.8593. Epub 2016 Oct 1. PMID: 27891367; PMCID: PMC5121705. ↩︎
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