As usual, after all of the physical exertion of the previous 90 minutes, we closed off last night’s yoga class with savasana - also known as “corpse pose”. For those unfamiliar with the pose, savasana is a culminating, resting pose where you lie on your back with your legs out straight in front of you and your hands relaxed and palms-up at your sides. You close your eyes, slow your breathing, and allow all of your physical and mental effort and energy to settle into your body.

Savasana feels different for me depending on the day. Most of the time, I gradually fall into a calm, pleasurable, restful pose after some minor adjustments to my hips or my neck. Other days I struggle to calm myself down or to find a comfortable way to lay there on my back, my body a bag of unhappy bones and nerves.

My savasana serenity has also been interrupted by the rumbling of hunger pangs or a nearby restaurant’s aromas wafting through an open studio window. There have also been moments where I’ve noticed myself slipping toward the edge of sleep - you know, that spot in your consciousness where you start to feel like you’re dreaming but you could twitch out of it at any second? And I know I’ve heard people snoring during savasana, which is a no-no, since you’re supposed to stay awake!

No matter how it goes, savasana always manages to clue me in to my current state of mind. Last night’s savasana was a doozy. One of the best ever. I found myself effortlessly sinking into a still, serene, supine pose with waves and waves of good, positive energy flowing inside of me. Afterwards, as I talked to a friend about it, I recalled a quote I read on YogaJournal.com:

via YJ: “You lie there and look dead, but as you relax and sink into the feeling of the very alive energy that is being you, it literally feels like you come to life again.”

That’s what I felt like - fully restful yet humming with new energy. I’ve often wondered what savasana feels like for other people. Any yoginis out there want to share their experience of savasana? I’d love to know what you feel when you’re in the pose of the dead?  Do you just lie there distracted by your to-do list? Or do you feel like you’re about to be reborn? Share your savasana stories in the comments below!

This is International Walk to School Month, a chance for people in communities around the world to promote good health and environmental practices.

Below are just a few of its goals:

Encourage physical activity. I remember my walk to high school. It was a little over a mile and most of the time I enjoyed it. I was a fairly sedentary kid. Walking and skating were my main exercise, but I did enough of both that I stayed fairly fit. Today children are far more sedentary and with the high rate of obesity in children the need to encourage physical activity is more important than ever.

Raise awareness of how walkable a community is; reduce crime and take back neighborhoods. More children and parents walking to school will help us become aware of places where crosswalks and lights need to be. We can to look at our streets and pathways with the goal of ensuring the personal safely of all who walk them.

Raise concern for the environment; reduce traffic congestion, pollution, and speed near schools. I became aware of this the times when I drove my own daughter to high school.  There were many drivers idling in the school driveway and on side streets waiting to take children home who could easily have walked - fuel burned and pollution created for no reason, and too many cars trying to come and go quickly with little regard for the teens walking in the vicinity.

Share valuable time with local community leaders, parents, and children. I chose to drive my child to and from school at times because I enjoyed hearing her share her thoughts and concerns regarding school and friends. I think back now and realize that not only would walking have done us both some good, but there might have been chances to get to know other parents and children better.

Related links:

Heart and Stroke Foundation: IWALK, you walk, let’s all walk to school
How to start a walking school bus

Can we get these installed on all subway stairwells - stat? So cool! We’d be more fit - and more fun - commuters, I can tell you that. Imagine the smiles and laughs this would elicit from scowling train-takers!

via Volkswagen: “Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator and feel better” is something we often hear or read in the Sunday papers. Few people actually follow that advice. Can we get more people to take the stairs over the escalator by making it fun to do?

I love autumn. As the leaves start to turn and the air becomes a little brisker, my thoughts always turn to change. I become a tad reflective at this time of the year. I start to appreciate the quieter things in life. I love how the earlier arrival of dusk seems to cast a cozy blanket on the world and the chaos of summer winds down almost methodically.

The summer days of indulgence are over. It seems almost natural to get caught up in those lazy summer days and let good health practices slide. I know I seem to lose myself in barbecues, clam bakes, patio dinners, cool refreshments, crisp libations, dockside brunches, and most other seasonal soirees. I also seem to visit the gym less often and run more infrequently.

But these healthful indiscretions always seem to fade come September. Unlike most people who commit to healthier lifestyles in January, I always embark on a renewed journey into healthy living after Labour Day. I become more regimented in my meal planning, more focused on physical activity, and more determined to run faster and longer.

I tend to swap the calorie rich cocktails for cups of green or chamomile tea, nix the rich frappuccinos in favour of London Fog’s (Earl Grey tea with steamed whole milk), and bid adieu to the grilled steak while embracing steamed salmon or healthy stir fries.

Don’t get me wrong, it is not like I lose myself with complete abandon during the summer months. I still eat fresh vegetables, enjoy copious amounts of berries, and always stay hydrated with plenty of water. But I tend to treat myself a little too often when the temperature starts to soar - my weakness is always ice cream.

So let’s all start anew and settle back into our healthy routines. Let’s plan our meals more carefully, re-affirm our commitment to physical activity, and most importantly reflect on ways in which we can better balance our lifestyles. Life is meant for living, so enjoy a good glass of wine when you can - the key is moderation. This September, so let’s find our way back to health.

I recently read this article from Time, the gist of which you can probably get from its title: “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin.”

In a nutshell, the article’s author attempts to disprove the assumed equation that exercise = weight loss. On the contrary, the author explains. Frequent, intense exercise may actually make weight loss even harder! Aside from weight gained in muscle, after we exercise for those brief, focused bursts of 30 or 60 or 90 minutes, we end up eating more and moving less.

We tend to move less because we’re tired from expending all of that energy and because we’ve stressed out our muscles and feel sore and achy as a result. And we tend to eat more to make up for some of that energy we’ve just expended.

Exercise definitely has its benefits, lowering our risks for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, memory and cognitive decline, among other conditions and diseases. And yet, it’s not the only thing that has to happen for the weight to start falling off.

So, exercise by itself does not always equal weight loss. But folks who participate in one particular type of physical activity tend to lose weight or maintain their healthy weight! To find out which type and why it seems to work, keep reading …

[Read more →]

We humans love numbers. Put a number to something and we can really get behind it. Stats, percentages, calorie counts - bring it on. Could that be why pedometers, those little devices that tally up your steps, have become so popular?

Well, earlier this year researchers revealed some magic numbers when it comes to step-counting: To control weight, women in the 18-40 year age group need to take 12,000 steps in one day. The number goes down by about a thousand per decade after that.

I’ve never used a pedometer to count my steps, but now I’m thinking I might try one. I have no idea how many steps I take in one day, but I can bet it’s nowhere near 12,000!

What about you?

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Links from the Heart and Stroke Foundation
5-step guide to starting a walking workout
HeartWalk Workout - a fitness program for people cardiovascular problems