We all commit to different forms of exercises in quest for better health and well-being. Running is one of the most popular forms of exercise with weight loss benefits. Well-designed running schedules prevent high blood pressure, help in diabetes control, strengthening muscles and improving cardiovascular health. A glowing supple skin is an added advantage. Here are a few tips to become a better runner and optimise running benefits:
1. NEVER skip activation exercises and warm up
Activation exercises are typically for awakening of muscles which help in increased blood circulation and achieve neuromuscular efficiency. They boost performance and reduce the risk of injury.
2.NEVER miss stretches after the run however exhausted you are
They help in reduction of muscle and joint stiffness called DOMS (Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness). Stretcheshelp in achieving flexibility and relieving tension in muscles. High intensity running leads to lactate build up and stretches release of lactate.
3.NEVER forget to trim toenails to avoid them falling off or jamming up the shoe
Popularly called Runner’s/ Jogger’s toenail causes blackening or discoloration of the toenail which may lead to pain and infection. It is medically called ‘subungual hematoma’ which occurs due to the impact on the toes caused while feet land on the ground eases with a visit to a podiatrist to drain the blood collected under the nails. To avoid this discomfiture, it is best to keep toenails trimmed and disinfected.
4.NEVER run on an empty stomach and without ample hydration
The importance of nutrition can never be undermined. 40% of the intake has to be carbohydrates in order to fuel the energy required for intense running. Adequate amounts of protein and fats are a prerequisite. Unassuming curd rice can boost energy and aid in good, energetic runs. You can also have banana, soaked almonds, dates as pre-run nutrition.
The importance of hydration cannot be emphasised more as our body runs on water and dehydration begins much before the run begins! Running routes have to be carefully designed making way for hydration points. Electral, sports drinks, tender coconut help maintain electrolyte balance in the body.
5.NEVER forget to foam roll after long distance runs
It improvesrecovery enabling further training to commence uninterrupted. It alleviates muscle soreness and stiffness and improves blood circulation
6.NEVER skip sleeping well and resting after runs
Most of the recovery happens during sleep and rest. A good sleep is therefore a must
7.NEVER forget to use skin lubricants to avoid chafing
Chafing is common in runners due to friction, moisture and fabric in the thigh and buttock area. It may even develop into a rash. Liberal application of lubricants like Vaseline Petroleum jelly, coconut oils, lotions or powders help prevent chafing.
Our immune system is known to be one of the most complex systems in our body.
The immune system is responsible for handling the security so anything from the outside environment that can cause a disease can never enter the body.
In case anything harmful i.e. a virus or a bacteria gets to enter the body, the immune system makes sure that it can be destroyed easily.
In most cases, the body has enough power that it can help us stay strong even after getting affected.
The process of attacking the invading elements might take a few days however, once they succeed, you will get to function normally without any medication.
However, in some cases, the body is not strong enough to handle the virus or bacteria on its own.
So, the immune system gets help from boosters, vaccinations, and medicine.
In case, the immune system of the body becomes unable to defend the body, it is said to have immunodeficiency.
On the contrary, if the immune system runs wild and starts attacking the healthy cells, it is called autoimmune disease.
In short, the immune system needs to follow a fine balance so it works properly without attacking healthy cells and without getting weaker.
With the help of this article, we will mainly focus on the way altering your breathing pattern through meditation can help you heal faster and boost your immunity.
We will also look at some of the reasons meditation can help you improve your overall health.
What Is The Mechanism Of The Immune System?
Within our body, we find cells and these cells have their specific functions
Our blood consists of three different types of cells that help with the transportation of food, nutrients, oxygen, defense, and healing.
Within these blood cells, there are white blood cells that are responsible for immunity.
These white blood cells attack the invading elements and engulf them.
Usually, the healing takes time so the body tries to assist this process with the help of other things as well.
This can consist of an increase in body temperature, change in breathing patterns, and other symptoms.
All these processes collectively help our body heal faster and in a much better fashion.
Why Does Meditation Help With Immunity?
For the longest, we have only connected physical health with physical symptoms while mental health is only connected with mental symptoms.
However scientific studies over the years revealed that our bodies work as one unit.
Although there are different cells and organs that perform different functions yet the goal is just to sustain life.
Recent studies have shown that physical health and mental health both have a very strong connection.
If physical health suffers, this will eventually impact mental health as well and vice versa.
Experts explain that when the immune system is busy improving physical health, it burdens the body which can cause mental stress.
Similarly, people with mental stress report immunity issues because they get tired easily and their physical health suffers as well.
As meditation helps in improving the way we breathe and the overall energy extraction process, you will notice an improvement in immunity because of meditation.
How Meditation Can Improve Immunity?
Most people think that immunity is inbuilt and cannot be changed.
Some people connect immunity with food intake, lifestyle, exercise, and the way we interact with people.
On the contrary, others connect the immunity of an individual to the family history, geographical region, and the way we live.
This is the reason we see a lot of people living in a specific region drinking unclean water and still feeling alright.
On the other hand, people who have been drinking clean water throughout their lives cannot digest dirty water and get ill faster.
Experts explain that just like you can help your body boost its mental capacity or physical capacity, you can also boost your immunity if you know how to use your body in a better way.
Just like mental exercise improves mental capability and physical exercise increases physical capability, with the right medication and right exercise you can boost your immunity as well.
Now, the question is if you can boost your immunity on your own, how meditation can help you in the process.
Well, it is very simple because meditation mainly focuses on breathing techniques and exercises.
According to experts, the body is designed to breathe in a certain way but over time, we develop breathing habits according to the availability of oxygen around us and the external environment.
As a result, some people lose their ability to hold the oxygen, others lose the ability to properly inhale and exhale.
Improving Immunity
Some people become nose breathers while others become mouth breathers whereas, our body is designed to become both.
With the help of meditation, you will be able to train your body to get more oxygen from the environment in a very small time.
The capacity of your lungs improves and the body will get blood rich in oxygen.
This oxygen-rich blood will help the organs in performing their functions in a much better way.
Apart from this, you will see that the body heals faster, immunity increases and the detox process also improves.
Although, most people think that changing the breathing pattern is not very important but it also helps with strength and endurance.
Experts in the field of physical health explain that changing the way we breathe means we are altering the way we live.
Mental health experts explain that breathing patterns have a very strong connection with anxiety and depression.
Deep breathing techniques are usually used as a therapy and can be really helpful in improving the issues linked with anxiety, depression, and stress.
Apart from this, throughout your exercise, if you breathe properly, you will notice that the recovery process gets easier and you don’t have to invest a lot of time with muscle strain and cramps.
Overall meditation doesn’t just alter the way you breathe but also allows you to improve the way you think by allowing you a headspace for better focus.
Bottom Line
To sum it all up, immunity is not just self-defense against the invaders but also against the outside environment.
This includes the other considerations, food we eat, and the people we interact with.
Most people who socialize and eat better have reported that they do not get tired easily, their immunity is much better and they heal faster when they fall ill.
The major reason behind this according to most experts is that wholesome exercises like meditation and yoga that help in interacting with our whole body and improving its function are very important.
With meditation, we are trying to connect breathing so the process of respiration can be optimized.
People who breathe better have more oxygen capacity in their lungs helping them stay calm, see improvement in their body functions, and also require less to spend on negative thoughts. Since the whole body is connected and physical health is connected to mental health, exercise like meditation and yoga can help the body to function better.
If you are looking for a secret recipe that can lead you to a healthy life, there is a no-secret recipe for a healthy life.
Instead, it is a journey where you have to focus on all the ingredients so you can live healthy.
You have to make sure that you are eating right, staying physically active, and that your lifestyle is good enough.
Staying physically active means you are just focusing on one part, whereas when you start to invest in a healthy lifestyle you will see more improvement because of a good diet and exercise or Yoga.
Most people while thinking about an active lifestyle only think about exercise, but exercise is a very small part of your lifestyle.
You can spend a lot of time in the gym lifting weight or staying active. However, if you don’t invest enough time in adopting an active lifestyle, your body posture and metabolism will get weak.
An active lifestyle means you are actively participating in all the simple tasks that require you to exert your energy, you are not relying on just your gym time instead, adopt a healthy active lifestyle that boosts your metabolism and helps you with your fitness.
Adopt an Active Lifestyle With Yoga
An active lifestyle means you are not relying on vehicles and machines for everything.
Simple tasks that can be performed without tech assistance can be completed easily.
If you use a lift to reach your office floor, try to take the stairs.
Taking stairs will help you not only digest your breakfast, and improve your body strength and endurance but also help you reduce the chance of arthritis and make your movement painless.
Similarly, if you get your car out for every simple task, try to reduce the use of the vehicle and take a walk.
The simplest, easiest, and most effective method to stay healthy is to walk as much as you can.
Where most people rely on the use of technology, they forget about the impact it will have on their bodies.
From sitting all day to staring at the computer screen and having a bad posture to finding shortcuts so you can reduce the chance of any possible movement, you will see that your health will become worse over time.
This is where you will need a simple workout that will help you ease the pain, trigger recovery, and reduce the risk of any possible injury as well.
Why Is Yoga The Best Workout To Ease Muscle Pain?
Most people think that a healthy lifestyle is all about extreme exercises that involve weight lifting and using heavy workout machines.
This might be true but you need something much more than a heavy workout.
When you have no prior knowledge or experience of a workout, starting an intense workout means that you will be risking your muscles.
Most people end up with injuries when they work out without any proper experience.
The main issue is that when you have not worked out for a very long time, your muscles will lose the flexibility that is required for weight lifting and movement.
Eventually, when you get into the routine you will be able to lift more weight, your angle of movement will be better and the process will be very effortless.
Apart from this, a progressive workout routine will help in improving flexibility over time so your muscle movement will be easier.
Bird Dog Balance
This pose is also known as Dwipada Marajriasana.
For this pose, you will get into the plank position where you will have to keep your weight balanced on all fours.
Then from the plank position, lift up your left arm and stretch it all the way to the front.
Now lift up your right leg and stretch it straight.
Make sure that you are not bending your knee or the elbow in the process.
Hold this pose for at least 10 seconds and then repeat with the opposite leg and arm.
Dolphin Pose
This pose is also called Ardha Pincha Mayurasana and it is very similar to the downward dog pose
For this pose, you will stand straight on the mat.
Now extend your hand above your head and stretch all the way.
Now, you can bend your elbow and get down to stretch all the way.
Keep your weight adjusted to the front.
This pose will help you improve the blood flow to the head region and you will start to feel the blood rushing in just a few scenes.
Hole this pose for at least 5 seconds and then get back to the initial position.
Half Locust Pose
This pose is also known as ardha Shalabhasana.
This is so far the most relaxing pose on the list.
You will just have to lay down on your belly and place your hands to hold your upper torso.
Now lift up your torso, your neck, shoulder, and head region.
Now you have to lift up your left leg and stretch it all the way back.
Make sure to hold the posture for a long time and then repeat the same with the other leg.
Adept Pose
This is so far the simplest pose and most renowned pose.
This pose is also known as Siddhasana pose
For this pose, you will sit down with your back straight.
Now extend your leg right in front of you and adjust your posture, keeping your shoulder straight as well.
Now, fold your knees and stack them like you stack the logs.
The balancing will get a little tricky because most people with very less flexibility usually end up not extending their legs fully.
Now place your hands right on your knees and hold this pose for at least 2 minutes.
Bottom line
To sum it all up, yoga will not only help you speed up the recovery process but you will also see significant improvement in the pain.
Most yoga moves are all based on stretching, which means that as you stretch more and your muscles gain flexibility, the agility of the body will improve.
Yoga will help you improve the capability of the body, reduce pain and improve the healing process.
For the leg after an extreme workout, the cramps are generally because of the accumulation of lactic acid.
Yoga stretching improves the recovery process by speeding up the dissolving process of the accumulated lactic acid and easing the pain.
To have better results you can also use massage therapy along with a cold shower so the pain can be reduced.
We all want to be that girl (or whatever you like to be addressed as), the one who wakes up smiling and giggling like Pooh of K3G, saves turtles by buying steel straws. To understand better-the one who has her life together somehow! But what’s stopping us from becoming THAT Girl? 5 minutes extra sleep? Probably! But, indeed, our schedules are always jammed packed because of the hustle culture.
And taking time for ourselves can seem tricky, but we have to do what we have to do for our well-being! As we are slowly transitioning toward offline life, please spare some time and indulge in mindful movement that takes off the day’s stress and helps align with chakras-as that girl likes to say. We all are guilty (slightly) of paying our Gym membership in advance and not going even a single day. Engage in a physical activity that can be done at home according to your timeline-at your comfort! Try something that transforms your body, soul and mind-YOGA because Yoga Se Hoga (and you can too with the right motive).
The benefits of practicing yoga are endless but do we have any time to go out and attend class? Nope, so time to get into the world of an unlimited number of yoga apps available on your phone. Start practicing yoga at home, in your pajamas, and you can pause it whenever you want. Okay, now step 2- download the app, but which app, you ask?
We paddled through the ocean of apps available on the internet and found the best of the best apps that you should click download right away. Yoga is simple if practiced keeping very few points in mind. These apps won’t burn your pockets and encourage overall health improvement. These yoga applications are based on yoga’s ancient origins and highlight qualified, knowledgeable instructors. You can expect a unique experience across many categories available on these apps. From the fitness levels to what kind of yoga form you want to focus on-even which part you want to focus on. Moreover, some of these apps provide options to select the instructor’s voice. Beginner to full yogi form, you can practice form that you are comfortable with.
Here are eight applications that we recommend you download to practice yoga at home:
Down Dog: One of the highest-rated apps, Down Dog, has become one go-to app that caters to all your fitness at home class exercises. This app is a bit pricey, but they run offers now and then, which seems like a deal, plus compensates as their services are quite nice. You have multiple asanas routines to choose from, about 60,000 different configurations! You can build your yoga routine by keeping what you like or which part of the body you would like to go for, and they also have a voice selection option.
YogaWorks: Attending a yoga class is a completely different feeling, but when you have a limited period, you can download the Yogaworks app. You can attend a live streaming class, which covers a variety of levels and yoga styles-you can choose the one you would like or need. They have therapeutic yoga for all levels to more advanced vinyasa flow to YogaWorks signature classes. The classes are designed to cater to all from combining alignment, breathwork, and movement. YogaWorks offers over 1,300 on-demand classes; you can switch to different segments, and the routine will also not feel monotonous.
Yoga Glo: If you have time restraints and want a class covering most of your concerns in just 10-15 minutes, then Yoga Glo is for you. This app has a variety of classes and timelines, with more than 5,000 on-demand options ranging in difficulty from beginner to advanced. The programs in this app cover about 16 categories, from vinyasa, Hatha, kundalini, yin, and Iyengar yoga, to barre, Pilates, cardio, strength, HIIT, and more. You have many options to choose from, and you can keep switching. If you are still not sure, try out the seven-day free trial.
Apple Fitness: Apple Fitness isa fitness service built around the Apple Watch; they have many insta-famous trainers who have excelled in yoga. Experienced instructors, including Jonelle Lewis, Molly Fox, Dustin Brown, and Jessica Skye, are available on the app. You can sort classes by length, music type, and flow style, making it effortless to discover the ideal match according to your schedule and goals. This app does have guided meditation with video and audio components so that you can end your workout (or day) with an extra dose of chill.
Find What Feels Good Official: Adriene Mishler is one of the most renowned yoga teachers known for Yoga with Adriene’s yoga channel. This app is a based app that has subscription-member-based content only. Find What Feels Good allows you to access hundreds of yoga videos. You can attend exclusive classes and premium courses constructed to cater to concern-based asanas curated to cater to the global community aspect. The emphasis on modifications and the oddly specific and relatable flows is uncanny. You can give it a shot by taking a seven-day free trial.
Young woman doing yoga practice . Concept of healthy life and natural balance between body and mental development.
Yoga International: One of the world’smost diverse yoga sites, this app-yoga international, offers more than 1,000 classes from over 500 teachers through its app. They have a timeline of about 15 minutes to more than an hour. They also have many cover styles, including vinyasa, Hatha, Yoga for beginners, restorative, kundalini, and yin. Content is updated daily, and live classes are added, too. You can stream in English and Spanish. This app offers other services beyond asanas-you can also stream podcasts and read articles, which will help you get a broad knowledge of yoga. They have a 30 day free trial offer, which can help you understand whether this app is the one for you or not.
Sarva Yoga: This is an all-in-one app that is not just a basic yoga app but also has a meditation and mindfulness app that promotes overall health improvement. You can practice yoga for weight loss, yoga for meditation, sleep, and live a healthier life. From online yoga classes, guided meditations, sleep stories, live workouts, mindfulness audios, and more. The instructors are skilled in 25 forms of yoga-like Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Yin, Therapy, Aerial, and more. For every wellness, it has goal-based programs, from our range of over 20k+ minutes of mindfulness audio tracks and 300+ online yoga workout videos. At-home studio-like experience, a real-time class that India’s best instructors guide. You will get about 20,000+ minutes of best meditation and mindfulness, improve your sleep, and reduce stress and anxiety with our mindfulness audios across Sleep, Relaxation, Guided Meditations, Mantra Meditations, and Lullaby Music, etc.
