Former NFL linebacker credits yoga for saving his life

NEW YORK — Keith Mitchell only ever considered himself a football player. It was a label he willingly claimed for so long. When that was ripped away, he was lost.

“You don’t realize how attached you are to the identity,” the former All-Pro linebacker said. “I didn’t know myself.”

He had to relearn who he was.



On Sept. 14, 2003, playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mitchell made what appeared to be a routine tackle — until he wound up flat on his back, unable to move. He was rushed to the hospital.

There Mitchell learned his playing career was over in only his seventh NFL season — at 31 years old. He had a spinal contusion.

“All my life, I’ve been told doctors have all the answers,” he said. “So what do you do when the doctor doesn’t have an answer for you? I mean, do you become the victim? That’s where things can get really chaotic with depression and suicidal thoughts — all that kind of stuff you hear about — and that’s what showed up for me.”

Until he found conscious breathing, which led to meditation and ultimately yoga.

Mitchell latched onto the practice quickly, even though he had never done it before.

“I realized that I had to,” he said. “If I didn’t, I don’t think I would be here.

“It held me together,” Mitchell added. “It created a new way of investing in me and creating a new me, not just with the physical ways I sustained and held trauma but also the mental ways I sustained and held trauma.”

Yoga gave him a holistic view of himself as he was healing.


Not only does Mitchell still do yoga, he’s a certified yoga instructor with more than a decade of experience. He founded the Light It Up Foundation and the KM59 wellness movement that helps children, trauma survivors, first responders and veterans.

He’s even pioneering for the NCAA and NFL to further adopt the practice. Mitchell believes some players lose perspective as they latch onto “the concept of a gladiator” as a football player. Instead of listening to their bodies, they just push them.

Mitchell says the meditation aspect of yoga can bring them back to reality, allowing them to focus on themselves and figure out who they are beyond football. The workout part then simply maintains the body.

Post-career physical and mental dips can be prevented.

“Even though the headline intention of most yoga sessions is to lengthen muscles and to work on core stability, the benefits that are reaped from the mindfulness piece are huge,” said National Athletic Trainers’ Association president Tory Lindley, who’s also the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Health, Safety and Performance and Director of Athletic Training Services at Northwestern University. “Yet in some ways, more athletes aren’t even aware they’re doing it when they’re doing it.”

Some are, and it’s part of the reason why they practice yoga.

“It helps you stay clear, so that you never get down or up and down or up,” New York Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams said. “It helps you just think about your intention every day, saying clear and focused on what you want in life.”

Mitchell wishes he had practice yoga while playing football. It would have helped him recover all that he sacrificed to the game on a regular basis, mentally and physically, and find a better balance.

But he knows not to stress the what-ifs in life.

“I used to go around the country hitting people,” Mitchell said. “Now I go around the country saying, ‘Namaste.’”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Back to the gym time? 5 tips for getting motivated

When it’s back to school time for the kids, that means back to the gym time for some of us adults. However, after taking a break from our regular routine to relax on vacation, it might be hard to find the motivation needed to get back into a workout schedule. Here we round up five ways to get back into the swing of things and hopefully keep your fitness regime going all year long.

1. Find a friend

Finding a workout buddy is one way to keep going with your fitness schedule, as making plans to work out together will make it harder to cancel and make you both more accountable. Exercising with a friend or partner can also help you both stay motivated by congratulating each other on a workout well done and any goals reached. You could also make exercise more of a fun, social event by organizing to grab a post-workout brunch or smoothie together.

2. Update your workout wardrobe

The end of summer may mean back to work and back to real life, but it also means the start of the new season sportswear collections. Adidas, Monreal London and Bodyism are just some of the brands who have already unveiled their new fall collections, so if you’re struggling to get back to the gym, buying some new sportswear to show off might help. Alternatively, make a new purchase a well-deserved treat for hitting your exercise goals. It will help give you something to work towards.

3. Try a new class

Why not learn something new yourself and sign up for a new class? Not only will a new sport or workout give your fitness regime a shake up, but it could also teach you some new skills and help you make some new friends. If you’re always running, why not try a Body Pump class for some resistance training? Already love resistance training? Stretch it out with some yoga. If you always swim breast stroke, book in with an instructor to teach you front crawl. The possibilities are endless.

4. Set a new goal
If you’ve taken a break from the gym while on vacation, you might be feeling back to square one. Setting a new goal now that you’re back is one way to get yourself more motivated to start again, and to push yourself further. Try signing up for a run or sponsored swim, set yourself a new amount of steps to walk each week, or increase your workouts from three per week to four. It doesn’t have to be too far or too much to start with, just something that is a challenge but also fun for you. Once you’ve achieved this goal, you can push yourself even further with another.

5. Keep track of your progress

Even if you’re not working towards a goal, keeping a track of your workouts will show you how far you have progressed and help keep you going. Invest in a fitness tracker as part of your back to the gym kit, a bit like updating your stationery for school, and make sure you’re wearing it daily to track all your activity as well as other important factors such as sleep. Alternatively schedule workouts into your diary to keep a track of how many you make it to and what you achieved. JB

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

New fitness trend ‘Rage Yoga’ lets students drink beer, swear and listen to rock music

Yogis, prepare yourselves for a different kind of ‘Zen’.

A female resident of Calgary in Canada has introduced a new variation to the globally popular exercise, which was dubbed as ‘Rage Yoga’.

Citing reports from the Huffington Post, the unlikely trend combines yoga poses with pints of beer, screamed profanity, and Metallica and Black Sabbath.

Canadian Lindsay-Marie Istace, who added a new twist to the traditional work-out, encourages her students to yell, swear and even burp during sessions, while a variety of heavy metal songs play in the background.

If the stretching is a bit too much, yogis may also take “hydration breaks” or grab a sip of beer or wine before continuing.

Laughter is also heavily encouraged for students finding themselves falling during a tricky pose.

“I think there are a lot of people intimidated by the usual yoga culture”, said Istace.

“Yoga studios are intimidating for people who are just getting into yoga, and for people who are very experienced in yoga they just want something that is a little less serious,” the former contortionist and fire-eater added.

Rage Yoga sessions are only available every Monday and Wednesday in Dickens Pub in Calgary Canada, but Istace is looking to bring ‘Rage Yoga’ to more subscribers online in the near future.

More information about the new exercise-craze is available in Intace’s personal website, rageyoga.com. Khristian Ibarrola, INQUIRER.NET

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

No need to avoid ‘happy baby pose’ in prenatal yoga?

Even though women are often advised to steer clear of certain yoga poses late in pregnancy, many of these moves might not be a problem for women or their babies, a small US study suggests.

Yoga can have many benefits during pregnancy, including helping women maintain flexibility and muscle tone and develop breathing techniques that may be useful during labor. But late in pregnancy women are often warned against poses that require them to lie on their backs, such as "happy baby pose" or "corpse pose," and inversions such as "downward facing dog" that might reduce circulation to the fetus and contribute to a spike in fetal heart rate.

To see how much caution might be warranted, researchers monitored fetal heart rate while a group of 25 healthy women in the final weeks of pregnancy tried 26 common yoga poses.

Fetal heart rate remained normal through all of the poses, and none of the women reported decreased fetal movement, contractions, fluid leakage or vaginal bleeding in the 24 hours after their yoga sessions, researchers report in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.

"Though this is a preliminary study, I found there were no adverse changes in maternal or fetal wellbeing in the 26 studied poses," said lead author Rachael Polis, who conducted the research at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and is currently with Kosair Children's Hospital Gynecology Specialists in Louisville, Kentucky.

"Postures suspected to be contraindicated—e.g. downward facing dog, child's pose, happy baby and corpse pose—were also well tolerated," Polis added by email.

None of the women in the study had a history of hypertension or other complications during pregnancy, and none of them had any medical conditions that required them to avoid exercise.

The women were near the end of their third trimester, at about 35 to 37 weeks pregnant. Ten of the 25 participants did yoga regularly, while eight were familiar with yoga and seven had never done it before.

Each woman completed a one-on-one yoga session with a certified yoga instructor, with an obstetrician and a medical resident in the room. They had stress tests before going through the poses and again afterward.

Given the size of their bellies, they didn't do any yoga poses lying on their stomachs. They also avoided complete inverted poses such as hand stands or head stands. To avoid falls or other injuries, they could modify poses by using blocks, chairs or the wall for support.

Beyond the small size of the study, other limitations include yoga sessions that might not match the duration or intensity of a typical community yoga class, the authors concede. The women in the study were typically of a normal healthy weight, too, while more than half of pregnant women tend to be overweight or obese.

It's also possible that women might encounter poses not covered by this experiment that could cause problems during pregnancy, noted Kathryn Curtis, a researcher at York University in Toronto who wasn't involved in the study.

"I encourage pregnant women to seek out studios that offer specialized prenatal yoga classes that are taught by teachers who have prenatal yoga training," Curtis said by email.

"Women should practice hatha based, restorative practices with breath awareness components, rather than heated or strength focused practices, for safety precautions for both the mother and baby," Curtis added.

In a separate study reported in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 52 pregnant women who had never tried yoga were randomly assigned to either participate in a one-time, one-hour yoga class, or to attend a one-time, one-hour PowerPoint presentation about exercise, nutrition, and obesity in pregnancy.

In this study too, there was no significant change in fetal blood flow immediately after the moms did yoga, according to Dr. Shilpa Babbar of the University of Missouri Kansas City and colleagues.

"Yoga can be recommended for low risk women to begin during pregnancy," Babbar's team concluded. —Reuters

Why Meditation is One of the Best Alternative Mesothelioma Therapies

Trying alternative mesothelioma therapies can seem like a scary science experiment. They can be expensive and outlandish with dubious results. Maybe it’s time to give meditation a try. It’s simple, free and one of the hottest well-being trends right now for everyone, not just cancer patients. But mesothelioma patients may stand to gain more than most by learning this gentle, ancient practice. Reported evidence suggests that mesothelioma patients who practice meditation can improve their quality of life.

What is Meditation?

Meditation, also known as mindfulness, is a mind-body process that uses concentration to relax the body and calm the mind. It has been defined as the intentional self-regulation of attention.

While meditation’s roots are in Buddhism, many people today practice a non-religious form of mindfulness that requires nothing more than sitting quietly and focusing on your breath – and thinking about nothing. It’s not always easy. The mind wanders. But the trick is to rein it back in by refocusing on breathing.

Mediation as an Alternative Therapy for Mesothelioma

Meditation is one of several alternative therapies evaluated and found to be of possible benefit by an independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The panel found that it might be a useful complementary therapy for treating chronic pain and problems such as insomnia. Some cancer treatment centers offer meditation or relaxation therapy with standard medical care. “Scientific evidence does not suggest that meditation is effective in treating cancer or any other disease; however, it may help to improve the quality of life for people with cancer,” the American Cancer Society says. About 25% of mesothelioma patients reportedly meditate to ease their mesothelioma symptoms.

Meditation can be used in combination with other alternative mesothelioma treatments we’ve discussed here at Mesothelioma Circle, including massage, yoga and acupuncture.

Meditation and Cancer – The Back Story

In the 1970s, scientist Jon Kabat-Zinn was introduced to Buddhist meditation as a student earning a PhD in molecular biology at MIT. Intrigued, he removed meditation from Buddhism to study it in a scientific framework. Now Professor of Medicine Emeritus and creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Kabat-Zinn helped prove that meditation could improve mental and physical health. He documented how it eased suffering and stress in cancer patients. His evidence was so compelling that hospitals around the world began using meditation as an alternative therapy to promote the well-being of cancer patients and others.

source: mesotheliomacircle.org

Trying alternative mesothelioma therapies can seem like a scary science experiment. They can be expensive and outlandish with dubious results. Maybe it’s time to give meditation a try. It’s simple, free and one of the hottest well-being trends right now for everyone, not just cancer patients. But mesothelioma patients may stand to gain more than most by learning this gentle, ancient practice. Reported evidence suggests that mesothelioma patients who practice meditation can improve their quality of life.
What is Meditation?
Meditation, also known as mindfulness, is a mind-body process that uses concentration to relax the body and calm the mind. It has been defined as the intentional self-regulation of attention.
While meditation’s roots are in Buddhism, many people today practice a non-religious form of mindfulness that requires nothing more than sitting quietly and focusing on your breath – and thinking about nothing. It’s not always easy. The mind wanders. But the trick is to rein it back in by refocusing on breathing.
Mediation as an Alternative Therapy for Mesothelioma
Meditation is one of several alternative therapies evaluated and found to be of possible benefit by an independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The panel found that it might be a useful complementary therapy for treating chronic pain and problems such as insomnia. Some cancer treatment centers offer meditation or relaxation therapy with standard medical care. “Scientific evidence does not suggest that meditation is effective in treating cancer or any other disease; however, it may help to improve the quality of life for people with cancer,” the American Cancer Society says. About 25% of mesothelioma patients reportedly meditate to ease their mesothelioma symptoms.
Meditation can be used in combination with other alternative mesothelioma treatments we’ve discussed here at Mesothelioma Circle, including massage, yoga and acupuncture.
Meditation and Cancer – The Back Story
In the 1970s, scientist Jon Kabat-Zinn was introduced to Buddhist meditation as a student earning a PhD in molecular biology at MIT. Intrigued, he removed meditation from Buddhism to study it in a scientific framework. Now Professor of Medicine Emeritus and creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Kabat-Zinn helped prove that meditation could improve mental and physical health. He documented how it eased suffering and stress in cancer patients. His evidence was so compelling that hospitals around the world began using meditation as an alternative therapy to promote the well-being of cancer patients and others.
- See more at: http://mesotheliomacircle.org/meditation-one-best-alternative-mesothelioma-therapies/#sthash.0GEyXxyS.dpuf

Trying alternative mesothelioma therapies can seem like a scary science experiment. They can be expensive and outlandish with dubious results. Maybe it’s time to give meditation a try. It’s simple, free and one of the hottest well-being trends right now for everyone, not just cancer patients. But mesothelioma patients may stand to gain more than most by learning this gentle, ancient practice. Reported evidence suggests that mesothelioma patients who practice meditation can improve their quality of life.
What is Meditation?
Meditation, also known as mindfulness, is a mind-body process that uses concentration to relax the body and calm the mind. It has been defined as the intentional self-regulation of attention.
While meditation’s roots are in Buddhism, many people today practice a non-religious form of mindfulness that requires nothing more than sitting quietly and focusing on your breath – and thinking about nothing. It’s not always easy. The mind wanders. But the trick is to rein it back in by refocusing on breathing.
Mediation as an Alternative Therapy for Mesothelioma
Meditation is one of several alternative therapies evaluated and found to be of possible benefit by an independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The panel found that it might be a useful complementary therapy for treating chronic pain and problems such as insomnia. Some cancer treatment centers offer meditation or relaxation therapy with standard medical care. “Scientific evidence does not suggest that meditation is effective in treating cancer or any other disease; however, it may help to improve the quality of life for people with cancer,” the American Cancer Society says. About 25% of mesothelioma patients reportedly meditate to ease their mesothelioma symptoms.
Meditation can be used in combination with other alternative mesothelioma treatments we’ve discussed here at Mesothelioma Circle, including massage, yoga and acupuncture.
Meditation and Cancer – The Back Story
In the 1970s, scientist Jon Kabat-Zinn was introduced to Buddhist meditation as a student earning a PhD in molecular biology at MIT. Intrigued, he removed meditation from Buddhism to study it in a scientific framework. Now Professor of Medicine Emeritus and creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Kabat-Zinn helped prove that meditation could improve mental and physical health. He documented how it eased suffering and stress in cancer patients. His evidence was so compelling that hospitals around the world began using meditation as an alternative therapy to promote the well-being of cancer patients and others.
- See more at: http://mesotheliomacircle.org/meditation-one-best-alternative-mesothelioma-therapies/#sthash.0GEyXxyS.dpuf

Yoga may benefit heart health as much as aerobics

Those sun salutations and downward dogs could be as good for the heart as cycling or brisk walking, and easier to tolerate for older people and those with health challenges, according to a new review of existing research.

Based on 37 clinical trials, researchers found that doing yoga lowered blood pressure, cholesterol, heart rate and other cardiovascular risk factors in increments comparable to those seen with aerobic exercise.

“Taken together, these improvements could facilitate and complement a regimen toward better cardiovascular health,” said Paula Chu, a doctoral candidate in health policy at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who led the study.

She and her co-authors caution in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, however, that larger studies are needed to understand how yoga improves health, how much of it is ideal and if there are differences in benefits from various types of yoga before the practice becomes a standard prescription for heart disease.

Nonetheless, yoga’s benefits have been long suspected, said Dr. Larry Phillips, a cardiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York.

“I think what we’ve seen is with yoga and the relaxation and behavior modification that goes along with it, there is a benefit to all patients, but especially those with heart disease,” said Phillips, who was not involved in the new analysis.

“Here we are able to see there are more measurable benefits than we’ve seen before,” he told Reuters Health.

Yoga originated in India more than 5,000 years ago, and has become a popular mind-body therapy in the West. Yoga’s breath control and body postures are believed to help nourish self-awareness, control stress and develop physical strength and balance.

The more traditional Hatha style of yoga is the most widely practiced in the U.S. But many specialized yoga “products,” such as hot yoga, power yoga and yoga retreats are part of a billion-dollar yoga industry.

One study estimates that 15 million Americans have practiced yoga at least once, according to Chu and her co-authors.

They focused on yoga’s effects on cardiovascular disease, as well as risk factors including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess abdominal fat and abnormal cholesterol levels that make up a profile—known as metabolic syndrome—that often leads to heart disease and diabetes.

The study team analyzed 37 randomized, controlled trials involving 2,768 people through December 2013. The trials either looked at yoga compared to no exercise or to aerobic exercises. Participants’ average age was 50 and they were followed for anywhere from 12 weeks to one year.

Those who did yoga had significant improvements in a range of risk factors. Systolic blood pressure (the top number) dropped by an average of 5.21 mm Hg, and diastolic pressure (the bottom number) dropped 4.9 mm HG. LDL “bad” cholesterol fell by an average 12.14 mg/dl and HDL “good” cholesterol rose by an average 3.20 mg/dl. Average heart rate was lower by a little over 5 beats per minute and weight loss averaged a bit over 5 pounds.

These changes were similar to the improvements seen among people who did aerobic exercise instead.

There were no changes, though, in fasting glucose levels or A1C, a measure of long-term blood sugar control in diabetics.

Chu and her colleagues note that one weakness of the results is that the analyzed trials included various types of yoga that were practiced for different amounts of time. These included Silver yoga (for seniors), Iyengar yoga (a form of Hatha that emphasizes correct postures), Viniyoga (which includes chanting) and Vinyasa (breath-synchronized movements.)

There were also a wide range of populations, from the young and healthy to older people with histories of heart disease, Chu told Reuters Health.

“We are not recommending anyone ditch their medicines or established medical or physical practices,” she said. “Individuals can talk to their doctors about whether yoga is a viable option for them.”

Yoga classes may be offered at health clubs, spas, senior centers and in other settings. Individual classes at stand-alone yoga centers tend to range from $15 to $30.

Phillips said he encourages his patients to develop a healthy lifestyle and exercise regimen, which could include yoga. He urges people to find a class that is appropriate for their comfort level and ability.

“I think the effects of relaxation do decrease stress levels and have a benefit to the heart,” said Phillips, adding that he had found doing yoga boosted his own mood and energy level. — Reuters

Apps, other fitness gifts help exercisers heat it up and cool it down

NEW YORK - From sophisticated activity trackers and chest-mounted cameras to massage rollers and yoga toes, fitness experts say gifts for people trying to get in shape or stay that way include everything from high-tech toys to basic workout gear.

Marathoners, yoga instructors and other health and fitness pros say there is something for everyone hoping to rev up a workout, or trying to cool it down.

Apps: To boost or fine-tune cardio training, Dr. Mark Kelly, a California-based exercise physiologist, recommends interval training apps, such as Android's Stopwatch or Seconds Pro, which track recovery as well as exertion.

"You can list the exercise you are doing," said Kelly, CEO of Principle Centered Health, Inc., which specializes in fitness assessment and corporate wellness. "HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) formats often come pre-loaded."

Magazine subscriptions: For the tech-averse, Kelly said, a subscription to a health or fitness magazine will provide both a monthly exercise reminder and exposure to the latest workout trends.

Gadgets: "My big recommendation is one of the many popular motion sensors," said Shirley Archer, a Florida-based fitness and wellness expert.

Archer, author of the book "Fitness 9 to 5," has used several fitness bracelets that can track everything from steps walked to miles run or hours slept.

"They do a great job of raising awareness of how physically active a person genuinely is," she said.

Connecticut-based running coach Tom Holland believes a wearable camera, which sells for about $400, would be the ideal gift for serious runners seeking to record their races.

He said the GoPro Black Edition Camera, mounted on a chest harness strap, can record a run up the Empire State Building or through the Grand Canyon.

For the serious cyclist, Holland suggests a Tacx virtual reality cycle trainer, which ranges in price from $350 to $2,000.

"It's a bike trainer that allows you to ride any course in the world. Incredible technology," he said.

Florida-based fitness expert Suzanne Bowen said a good gift for yoga enthusiasts would be gel toe separators, which are designed to strengthen foot muscles, realign toe bones and improve tendon flexibility.

"They stretch your feet," said Bowen, creator of the "BarreAmped" DVDs. "Feet are the foundation of our structure, and we spend too many hours crammed into our shoes."

Basic fitness gifts: Gregory Chertok, a sports psychology consultant for the American College of Sports Medicine, favors basic fitness gifts.

"Simply, I love the hand grip," Chertok said. "It's not a high-tech device, but a strong grip will enhance performance on lots of strength and resistance training programs."

Most upper body exercises, he added, begin with gripping a weight or a barbell.

Dr. Michele Olson, professor of exercise physiology at Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama, said a good pedometer is an ideal gift for anyone trying to get fit.

"Pedometers work," she said. "They give sort of neutral feedback and are simple and not overwhelming with technology."

Exercise wear: As a runner used to braving cold New England winters, Boston-based running coach Kelly Flynn said all-weather runners always appreciate light, warm layers of running wear and a good pair of socks.

Flynn, a coach for "Team In Training," the charity sports endurance program from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, also suggests giving The Stick, a massaging roller said to improve muscle circulation, flexibility, strength and endurance. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com