While others curse its arrival in spring, I applaud it. The spunky little dandelion is a first flower for nectar-hunting honeybees. It pains me to see homeowners yank it from their yards, not only because they are eradicating an important food source for pollinating insects, but because the little plants can offer so much before their fluffy seeds are scattered to the wind!
In yoga class the other day, the teacher made some announcements, one of which was about welcoming new faces into the existing yoga community as we enter the New Year. I personally love the start of the New Year because people set out to try new things and make changes. It is a time to reset, refresh and renew, and I’m looking forward to meeting some new friends on the mat.
From late November through New Year’s Eve, we can become overtaken with this season of comfort and cheer, celebration and indulgence. We typically arrive at the end of the year with a full belly, large credit card bill, and in addition to warm, cozy feelings of love and camaraderie, some feelings of shame or guilt or “time to get back to work!” Does this sound slightly familiar? I’d be surprised if it didn’t, and if not, you must tell me your secret!
Growing up in a small-town in Vermont, I was always well acquainted with our local postman. My parents gave him lottery tickets every year around the holidays, and he was responsible for delivering all sorts of news to our big family. Sometimes, I’d run out to the mailbox after school to find just catalogues and bills, and other days (very occasionally) I’d find a hand-written letter from Grammy, or a birthday invitation from a friend. Do you remember having that feeling of excitement when you opened the mailbox to receive something personalized, just for you?
In the past three years, I have moved several times. And as I settle in to each new space, I always end up adopting various plants to scatter around my place. I have always tended toward ivy or spider plants, since I can’t kill them easily, and most recently I have taken some new succulents under wing. For me, having plants is partially for the aesthetic; a little green in my living space is refreshing and reminds me of being in nature, a place I enjoy very much. However, keeping indoor plants has just as many physical benefits as it does psychological.
There are many fitness programs that help improve your golf, but does golfing improve your fitness?
Be it professional golfers to amateurs, golf has many of us hooked. The very first time you step onto the course and look at the gentle rise and fall of the slopes, golf insidiously invades your body, heart, and soul. And you can even match your dosha to see if golf is the correct fitness program for you!
Simone Biles, Alexandra Raisman, and Madison Kocian are just some of the young gymnasts to capture our hearts at recent Olympics. Their hard work has paid off in gold, silver, and especially health. Let’s take a look at some of the many health benefits of one of America’s most competitive sports.
The Suryanamaskar is a great exercise for any age, and any weight…
There’s no thrill like the buzz you got when you first learned to bike. Pedalling away madly, with the wind rushing through your hair – that rush of riding a bike for the first time is incomparable. However, riding a bike is always fun. The thrill settles down, but the exercise and the fresh air are always a guarantee. And biking or cycling, whatever you may call it, is good for physical, physiological and mental health -- for a healthy mind makes for a healthy body and vice versa.
The physical benefits of pedaling
I spent years working in the fitness industry as a personal trainer and later also as a nutritional coach. Over time two things became very clear. The first was that most people were coming to me for weight loss (even if they claimed other reasons) and the second was that their results had very little to do with me.