The power of small, consistent changes

When trying to make important changes in our life, the desired state often appears to require an insurmountable change in order to get there. So we change our minds about its attractiveness or relevance to make ourselves feel better, or procrastinate and feel bad because we don't know where or how to start.

It starts here, now. 

Just figure out the direction of change (it doesn't have to be precise, adjustments can come later), and what is one simple action that you can do today that will take you one step closer, and commit to doing it every day. 

For example, 

Starting with holding yourself in the plank pose for one second, and adding one more second every day, will take you to a one-minute plank in 2 months.

Or, reading 2 pages of a book each day = completing a 300-page book in 5 months.

Don't wait, just start.

Inspired by James Clear. 

Impact vs metrics

What impact are you making? 

While input or effort can easily be measured, for the knowledge worker it is nearly irrelevant as a measure of performance. Instead, performance has to be measured based on the outcome of one's effort. The impact of whatever you've done. 

That typically marks the beginning of the pursuit of metrics. The number of clicks/views/downloads, open rates, follower numbers, and so on. While they are indicators of reach and have value being monitored as such, these metrics should not be confused with actual impact. As a result of what we've done, how many people changed their minds? How many took an action that is impossible for us to observe? 

As we go about our day-to-day and the inevitable metrics that come with it, it's useful to give pause and consider the true impact of what we do. That something cannot be measured does not reduce its importance. 

Is there a reliable measure of your impact? If there isn't, how do you know? 

Inspired by Seth Godin: https://seths.blog/2021/05/insignificant-digits/

The Art of Drinking Water

I went hiking in Taman Negara (Malaysia) over the Labour Day weekend this year. When we got to the entrance of the Park, we saw that the organisers had laid out for each participant 3 large bottles (1.5l) of water.

"There isn't potable water where we're going, so carry all the water you'll need for these two days," we were told.

I wasn't intending to test my ability to survive without water, so I thought hard about the amount of water to carry with me. I'm not a strong hiker, and carrying excess weight would make things too tough for me.



In a previous post, I wrote about why we need to drink enough water.

This post is all about the "hows" of drinking water.

How do you know it's time to drink water?

Ideally, we should keep ourselves hydrated all the time.

When the body is dehydrated, we will feel thirsty. That means, if you start to feel thirsty, it's definitely time to drink some water. In fact, it's a little late - but better than waiting until you feel *very* thirsty before you drink.

The easy way to ensure that we're well-hydrated is to drink consistently throughout the day, drinking more after exercise or when it's very dry to replace the water lost.

How much water to drink at a time?

Have you heard of "water intoxication"? Water intoxication, or hyponatremia, is a potentially fatal condition.

Sodium controls the fluids in and around the cells. When too much water is consumed at one go, it messes with level of sodium in the blood. Fluid flows from the blood into the cells, making them swell. Hypoatremia happens when the swelling occurs in the brain.

On the other hand, one would have to have a drink a HUGE amount at one time, to upset the sodium balance to that extent.

Nonetheless, to avoid upsetting the balance of electrolytes in the body, we should drink a little water at a time.

Back to the sensation of thirst, if we waited until we felt very thirsty, the urge would be to gulp a lot of water at one go. That's why it's important to drink frequently, a small amount each time.

How should water be drunk?

Lukewarm

Many people enjoy drinking ice-cold water, relishing the refreshing feeling that it gives. That is actually a terrible thing to do to our body. The cold water shocks the body, and in order to retain the temperature balance, the body has to expend effort to warm up the water (from the "cold water temperature" to body temperature) so that it can be absorbed and put to good use in the body.

The ideal temperature of drinking water is "room temperature" (in the tropics) i.e. lukewarm water.

Slowly, in small sips

Water should be drunk in small sips each time. If water is drunk in gulps, the kidneys would receive a signal that an excessive volume of water was consumed, and be triggered to get rid of the excess water. The result: the water that has just been consumed would be passed out as urine very quickly, instead of being circulated for use within the body.

Furthermore, one tends to feel bloated after drinking water quickly.


To summarise the "hows" of drinking water, the proper way to drink water is to drink lukewarm water consistently throughout the day, slowly and in small sips each time.

Important: Try doing this for a few days (preferably for at least a week), and see if anything changes for you.



Back to the hike at Taman Negara. Eventually, I carried 4.5 litres of water for the hike. I used a 2-litre water bladder that fit inside my backpack, which connected to a tube that I could conveniently sip from without having to stop to get a bottle out of my bag.

The hike was a lot harder than I'd imagined, and I was glad that I carried the additional 4.5kg of weight with me. I finished the last drop as I trudged towards the finishing point at the end of the hike on the second day.

Why Should You Drink Lots of Water?

An Experiment

A 42-year old woman, Sarah Smith, consulted a neurologist about her frequent headaches, and a nutritionist about her poor digestion, and was given the same advice by both. She should drink up to three litres of liquid a day. At the time, she only drank less than a litre of fluid every day.

She decided to embark on a 28-day experiment, during which she drank three litres of water a day, and observed the effect on her body. The results were more far-reaching than the headaches and poor digestion that she had meant to target.

What does Water Do?

Water regulates our body temperature, transports nutrients to our cells and flushes waste from our bodies, and maintains the healthy condition of the skin, mucous membranes and spinal discs.

Can these apparently straightforward functions have such far-reaching effects?

Temperature Regulator

Water helps us keep the body cool. When perspiration evaporates, heat is lost from the body, and the skin is cooled. It’s important to stay hydrated so that the water in the body can be readily used for perspiration to keep the body cool and avoid heat exhaustion.

Medium of Transport

A big role of water in the body is as a medium of transport.

There’s a saying, “Blood is thicker than water”. But blood is also more than 80% water.

Blood is an important medium of transport in the body. The red blood cells carry oxygen all parts of the body, and transport carbon dioxide back to the lungs to be purged from the body. Nutrients are transported to our cells and wastes flushed from the cells and out of our body.

Side effect of dehydration: blood viscosity --> higher cardiac load, elevated blood pressure

If there is not enough water in the body, the blood would be viscous and would flow slowly. So the rate of delivering oxygen to the cells would reduce, directly impacting the health of all the cells and organs in the body. (Imagine, oxygen-starved cells!)

Furthermore, the heart would have to beat harder to circulate the blood around the body, and blood pressure would increase.

Side effect of dehydration: slowdown in removal of toxins from body

Blood returning from the tissues pass through the liver, where waste matter is removed from the blood and transported to the kidneys. The kidneys then excrete the waste matter together with excess water in the form of urine. If there is insufficient water in the body, this removal of toxins from the body would be slowed down.

Side effect of dehydration: urinary tract infection (UTI)

During urination, the urine flow washes out any bacteria that has accumulated or reached the urinary tract. If a person doesn’t drink enough water, the interval between urination would be longer. That gives any bacteria present in the urinary tract enough time to travel up the urinary tract to the bladder. The result – urinary tract infection. That’s why the doctor tells you to drink more water if you get UTI, to “flush out” the bacteria.

Side effect of dehydration: constipation

Water is also important in the other process of elimination – moving the bowels. The food that we eat makes its way from the stomach to the small intestines, then the large intestines or colon. If there is insufficient water in the body, the large intestine soaks up water from the food waste. This makes hard stools that are difficult to pass.

Body Protector

Water also serves an important function in protecting the body.

Skin

The primary barrier between the outside world and our body is our skin. If the skin is broken, dirt, bacteria and viruses are able to get into the body.

Water keeps the skin moist and supple. When the skin is healthy and moist, it can fully serve its function as a barrier.

Mucous Membranes

Water is a key component of the tears in our eyes, and mucus in our nose and nasal tract.

Tears wash away any foreign objects in the eyes. Tears also keep the surface of the eyes moist so that the eyelids can glide over the eyes more easily.

Mucus in the nose and nasal tract help to trap dirt and foreign particles that get breathed in. So the air is filtered before reaching the lungs, protecting the lungs.

Sufficient water in the body ensures that these mucous membranes remain moist and can serve their function properly.

Spinal discs

The spinal discs serve as cushions to absorb any upward or downward forces on the spine. The discs also cushion each vertebra from its immediate neighbor. By reducing the likelihood of friction between adjacent vertebrae, the risk of arthritis or spinal degeneration is reduced. Reducing the likelihood of a vertebra pressing on another also lowers the risk of impinging any nerves in the process.

Because the fluid in the spinal discs is mainly water, the discs can maintain their volume and thickness only if there is sufficient water in the body.

Summary

It’s important to drink enough water so that it can serve its function in the body, namely as

• Temperature regulator
• Medium of transport
• Body protector

Side effects of dehydration range from constipation to risk of infection to elevated blood pressure.

Therefore, it is important to drink enough water on a daily basis.

Result of the Experiment

As a result of drinking three litres of water a day, Sarah Smith:

• Had fewer headaches
• Had smoother bowel movements
• Lost two pounds in weight and one inch from her waistline
• Felt more flexible
• Saw improvements in her complexion, including even skin tone, reduction in wrinkles, better skin elasticity
• Felt fitter, leaner and healthier

If you’re curious, you can read the article at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2480491/How-drinking-litres-water-day-took-years-face.html


The next article will describe how to know when it’s time to drink water, how much to drink and how to drink it.

Improve Your Digestion with Yoga

Have you ever had indigestion? What caused it?
1. Did you eat too much, or eat something wrong?
2. Was it caused by stress?

While doing yoga might not be able to address the cause of indigestion in #1 (although it could help you be more aware of your body and hence how much or what you’re eating), yoga may be able to help you improve the general health of your digestive system. Hopefully, that would help you avoid the next bout of indigestion caused by stress.

Stress-Induced Indigestion

This article focuses on indigestion or poor digestion caused by stress. When the digestive system is affected by stress, it is a chronic situation, i.e. it goes on for a very long time. 

To understand how stress can cause indigestion, let's look at how stress affects the nervous system.

Sympathetic vs. Parasympathetic Nervous System

Since ancient times, when confronted with an enemy or predator in a “fight or flight” situation, the body automatically prioritizes activities governed by the sympathetic nervous system.

The effect is to give the body increased strength and speed in anticipation of fighting or running.

Some of the physiological changes and their functions include:

• Increased blood flow to the muscles activated by diverting blood flow from other parts of the body.
• Increased blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugars, and fats in order to supply the body with extra energy.
• The blood clotting function of the body speeds up in order to prevent excessive blood loss in the event of an injury sustained during the response.
• Increased muscle tension in order to provide the body with extra speed and strength.
• The pupils dilate to help see with increased clarity.
• Increased perspiration to prevent over-heating due to the increased metabolic rate.

At the same time, activities governed by the parasympathetic nervous system get de-prioritized. They include sexual arousal, salivation, lacrimation (tears), urination, digestion and defecation.

In short, blood flow to organs that do not have to work during the "fight or flight" situation is reduced, in order to increase the blood flow to the organs that are critical to ensure survival in that sort of situation. (Blood supply is diverted away from those functions that are not relevant to our survival from the immediate threat, and prioritized to those functions that allow us to run away or fight the enemy.)

How does Stress Lead to Indigestion?

The psychological stress that many of us feel does not appear like a "fight or flight" situation on the surface. After all, there are no lions that we need to flee from, in this urban jungle where we live.

However, the body reacts to stressors in the same way, by altering the blood flow in the body.

Since digestion is slowed down in a "fight or flight" situation, we know that stress also causes blood circulation to the digestive system to be reduced. Digestion slows down.

If we’re continually encountering stress during the day, our digestion would be restricted nearly all day!

That’s why many people suffer from indigestion, or digestion-related illnesses such as irritable bowel syndrome, as a result of stress.

How does Doing Yoga Improve the Situation?

Since the immediate cause of poor digestion is poor blood circulation, the direct solution would be to attempt to improve the situation by increasing blood flow to the area.

This can be achieved by doing twists, such as the Supine Spinal Twist.

The principle is similar to that of wringing a towel or sponge dry, then allowing the towel or sponge to absorb water by dipping it in water.

While doing the twist , pressure is applied in the abdomen area. This squeezes out “stagnant” or slow-flowing blood in the area. When the twist is released, the pressure is gone, and a fresh supply of blood rushes into the abdomen region.

The major digestive (and other) organs in the abdomen region can benefit from this fresh supply of blood.

In this way, by doing twists regularly, we can help to improve the blood circulation to the organs in the abdomen region, improving digestion.

In the medium to long term, doing yoga regularly can help to reduce one’s perception of and reaction to stress. This is a more fundamental solution for stress-induced digestive ailments.

Summary

Because stress causes the body to restrict blood flow to many organs, including the digestive organs, stress causes poor digestion in many people.

By doing the twists in yoga, such as the Supine Spinal Twist, we can improve blood circulation to the abdomen region. This helps to improve digestion.

In the medium to long term, doing yoga regularly also helps to reduce one’s reaction to stress. This helps stress-induced digestive ailments from a more fundamental level.


Don’t wait until your next bout of indigestion to do something about it. Do some simple twists regularly, and avoid that discomfort altogether.

Stretch Your Back Muscles and Improve Your Digestion

This exercise helps both the back and the tummy feel better.

Supine Spinal Twist

Relax and let gravity do the work in Supine Spinal Twist

1. Lie on your back.
2. Bend your knees and hug them to your chest.
3. Release your left arm to the floor, extending it straight out at shoulder level.
4. Exhale, drop both knees over to the right side of your body, twisting the spine and lower back. Place your right hand lightly on your knees.
5. Keep your left shoulder on the floor.
6. If it feels ok for your neck, turn your head and look at your left hand.
7. Relax into the pose. Let gravity pull the knees down, so you do not have to use any effort in this pose.
8. Hold for up to 10 breaths.
9. To release, inhale and roll the hips back to the floor, bringing your knees back to your chest.
10. Repeat on the other side for the same duration of time.

Benefits

• Stretches the back muscles. This can help to reduce backache caused by tightness in the back muscles.
• Realigns and lengthens the spine.
• The pressure exerted in the abdomen area during the twist, followed by the release of the pressure when releasing the twist, help to improve the blood circulation in the abdomen region. Done consistently, this can help to improve one's digestion.

Stay Safe

• Do not use force in this pose, let gravity do the work.
• Seek a doctor’s advice before practising if you have a recent or a chronic injury to the knees, hips or back.

Related articles

If you'd like to understand how yoga can improve indigestion, read Improve Your Digestion with Yoga.

If your stomach feels bloated, try this exercise to Relieve the Bloated Feeling in Your Stomach.

Strengthen Your Wrists to Avoid Injury

C cringed when she came to do the Downward Facing Dog in the fifth set of Sun Salutations for the session. It was her first Vinyasa class. She had known beforehand that there would be many rounds of Sun Salutations, but she quickly discovered that she wasn’t quite prepared for it, physically.

Her arms were aching from the repetitions of Downward Facing Dog > Plank Pose > Chaturanga > Upward Facing Dog > Downward Facing Dog.

The repetition of asanas that required bearing weight on the hands were causing C’s wrists to feel weak. Rather, C had just realised that she had weak wrists.

Was she imagining things, or did she just feel a twinge of pain at her wrists?

How Dangerous Are Weak Wrists?

On a daily basis, unless your work requires it, you're unlikely to be called upon to carry heavy things, or bear your own body weight on your hands.

So, weak wrists aren’t usually a problem.

The problem might surface when you need to lift your one week’s worth of groceries out of the supermarket trolley. Or if you lose your footing and slip and fall, landing on your hands.

Without “training” the wrists beforehand, the wrists could be weak. Then, you might injure your wrists in these situations.

What Wrist Injuries?

First of all, the wrist comprises eight carpal joints, arranged in two rows.

When the wrists are weak, it means that the muscles and tendons in the area are not strong. The muscles are thin, strap-like muscles extending from the humerus (upper arm), ulna and radius (forearm) and inserting into the carpals, metacarpals and phalanges in the wrist and hand via long tendons.

When these muscles are not strong enough or flexible enough, external forces to the wrists could cause the ligaments that support the wrist to be stretched or torn. Hence, a common injury resulting from weak wrists is the wrist sprain.

Another common wrist injury is impingement, when the radius (a bone in the forearm) contacts the wrist bones. There is a lot of pressure on the wrist joint when the wrist is extended (e.g. in a push up position or Plank Pose). If the wrist is not flexible or strong enough to hold the position and prevent the bones from touching, you could wind up with painful impingement, and aggravated tendons and ligaments.

Why Do We Have Weak Wrists?

As mentioned above, weak wrists are a result of having weak forearm muscles. These muscles weaken because we don’t use them a lot. Most of us don’t often carry heavy things, nor bear weight on our hands. As with other muscles, if we don’t use them often, the muscles will eventually weaken.

Therefore, to strengthen weak wrists, we strengthen the forearm muscles and tendons.

How To Strengthen The Wrists?

These exercises strengthen the anterior and posterior muscles of the forearm that cross the wrist.

But first, let's warm up.

Warm Up 1: Wrist Circles (separated)

Make a fist with both hands and slowly make a circular motion in one direction a few times, then switch to the opposite direction.

Warm Up 2: Wrist Circles (together)

Interlace the fingers of both hands with the palms touching and make a circular motion in one direction a few times, then switch to the opposite direction.

Warm Up 3: Wrist Stretch

(a) Extend one arm in front of you, with the palm facing up.
(b) Using the other hand, press your fingers down and back gently until you feel a stretch.
(c) Hold for 15 seconds and repeat four times.
(d) Repeat on the other hand.
(e) Repeat the exercise for both hands with the palm facing down.


Now for the exercises proper...

Exercise 1: Wrist Extension

(a) Rest the back of your forearm on a table or your leg, with your hand completely over the end.
(b) Your palm should face up and your hand aligned with the arm.
(c) Hold a light weight in the hand and slowly lower the weight toward the floor.
(d) The movement should take 5 seconds, then slowly bring the hand back to the starting position.
(e) Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each wrist, as long as you can do it comfortably without pain.
(f) If you cannot do 10 repetitions properly, use a lighter weight. If you can complete the exercise properly and with ease, increase the weight.

Exercise 2: Wrist Flexion

(a) Rest your forearm on a table or your leg, with your hand completely over the end.
(b) Your palm should face down and your hand aligned with the arm.
(c) Hold a light weight in the hand and slowly lower the weight toward the floor.
(d) The movement should take 5 seconds, then slowly bring the hand back to the starting position.
(e) Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each wrist, as long as you can do it comfortably without pain.
(f) If you cannot do 10 repetitions properly, use a lighter weight. If you can complete the exercise properly and with ease, increase the weight.

Exercise 3: Radial Deviation

(a) Grip a hammer by the handle, then stand with your arms at your side, palms facing inwards.
(b) Tilt the head of the hammer toward the ceiling and slowly lower it down.
(c) Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each wrist, as long as you can do it comfortably without pain.
(d) If you cannot do 10 repetitions properly, use a lighter hammer. If you can complete the exercise properly and with ease, increase the weight by wrapping something around the head of the hammer, such as an ankle weight.

Exercise 4: Wrist Pronation and Supination

(a) Sit or stand with your arm at your side, elbow bent at a 90-degree angle.
(b) Hold a light weight in your hand, slowly rotate your palm up and then down.
(c) Keep your elbow still throughout the movement.
(d) Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each wrist, as long as you can do it comfortably without pain.

Rest for a day in between doing the exercises to give your muscles time to recover.

What If My Wrist Is Injured?

If it’s a new injury, ice it in the first 48 hours to remove any swelling. Once the swelling is gone, use a hot compress for the next 48 hours to bring back the blood circulation to the area. This will help to speed up the recovery.

More importantly, rest and stop any weight-bearing exercises that impact the wrist. However, you can and should keep your wrists mobile to maintain the flexibility of the muscles crossing the wrist. Do Warm Up 2 gently for this purpose.

When you have recovered, start by doing the strengthening exercises above, before attempting any serious wrist-impacting exercise.

Summary

Weak wrists can be dangerous, even if you don’t intend to join a Vinyasa class. They make your prone to getting injured even while doing day-to-day activities.

The good news is, you can strengthen your wrists, by strengthening the forearm muscles and tendons, with four simple exercises:
1. Wrist Extension
2. Wrist Flexion
3. Radial Deviation
4. Wrist Pronation and Supination

Back to C’s story

Fortunately, C didn't injure her wrists. But, the scare highlighted to her that her wrists weren’t strong enough. She decided to build up more strength by doing strengthening exercises for a few weeks, and thoroughly enjoyed her Vinyasa classes after that.

Yoga Could Be Bad for You (?!!)

Be Careful!

Many people around me know that I've practised yoga for many years.

Recently, concerned friends reminded me to "be careful" and not to "practise yoga too much".

Huh?

Isn't yoga supposed to be good for you? Can there be too much of a good thing?

Practising Yoga Could Be Bad for Women?

They had read an article in The Straits Times (Singapore), originally published in The New York Times. The writer, Mr. William J. Broad, claimed that there is evidence that practising yoga could be bad for women.

Mr. Broad cited statistics from orthopedic surgeons. Amongst one surgeon's patients who needed surgery to mend or replace their injured hips, roughly 100 a year were practising yoga. Another surgeon performed 10-15 hip replacement surgeries a year on people who do yoga. 90% of these cases were women.

He postulated that, women's flexibility causes them to be more susceptible to hip injuries when practising yoga.

At first glance, that's really bad news for me.

All is not lost

The Sample was Skewed

As Mr. Paul Grilley responded in an online post, Mr. Broad merely showed the correlation between people who needed hip surgery and doing yoga. There were no information as to whether the patients would have avoided hip surgery if they didn't do yoga.

Moreover, they had started with "hip surgery patients", then looked for people who "do yoga" amongst them. Selected this way, 100% of those who do yoga would be hip surgery patients!

If the universe were defined as "people who do yoga", and we look for people who underwent hip surgery, the story would be *slightly* different. Yet, it would still not prove any causal relationship between the two, only a correlation.

They were Doing it Wrong

Furthermore, if the women were practising in an unsafe manner, the risk of injury would be high. (Not only to the hips!)

Unsafe could be any of the following:

• Not taking care of alignment (subjecting the joints to unnecessary or excessive strain).
• Over-emphasising on a single aspect e.g. focussing solely on stretching to increase "flexibility" without attempting to improve the strength of the muscles.
• Focussing only on certain groups of muscles (e.g. "working on the abs") rather than working complementary and antagonist/opposing muscles and looking at the body as a system of interconnected, interrelated parts.
• Ignoring the body's limits, and "forcing" one's way to try to achieve the "yoga magazine photo" depiction of a pose.

In more technical language...

Mr. Grilley explained in his response:

Range of Motion: How much one bone moves relative to another. E.g. bending at your knee to bring the heel to touch your buttocks (the femur/thigh bone almost parallel to the tibia/shin bone and fibula) and straighten the leg completely (the above-mentioned bones forming 180 degrees to each other).

Tension ("Stretching"): Limits range of motion due to resistance of ligaments or muscles.

Compression: Limits range of motion when bone contacts bone or pinching tissue between bones.

Skeletal Variation: Recognizing that all skeletons are different and that the final mechanical limit to range of motion is when bones contact (compression).


Mr. Grilley emphasized the importance in yoga to discriminate between the sensations of tension and compression.

If a person cannot perform a pose in an aesthetically pleasing way, they consider themselves “too tight to do the pose”.

(a) Their fascia or muscles might be too tight.

(b) It is also possible their bones are compressing. If they try to push through it, they will eventually become injured.

The Bottomline Is

Do everything in moderation. (Applicable to most situations!)

Stay aware of your body.

If you're looking at practising yoga:

1. Don't emphasise on only one aspect (e.g. flexibility), at the expense of ignoring other complementary practices (strengthening, balancing).

2. Pay attention to your body while you're practising.

3. You will know when you can try to stretch further or if you should stop, if you can tell the difference between tension (stretching) and compression (bones contacting bones or bones pinching tissues). So, learn how to do so.

In any case, because everyone's body (skeletal structure, muscles etc) is different, everyone's expression of a pose would be different. Yet, the mere act of doing the pose would already yield benefits. It's not necessary to do a pose "picture-perfectly" in order to derive its benefits.

The Articles

If you'd like to read the articles, they are:

1. The piece in question by Mr. William J. Broad:
Women’s Flexibility Is a Liability (in Yoga)

2. An earlier piece by Mr. William J. Broad:
How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body

3. The response by Mr. Paul Grilley:
Paul Grilley’s Response to NY Times article on Women’s Flexibility

How do you know that you're alive? And a simple practice to focus and relax.

The ability to breathe determines whether we are alive.

However, many of us often take the breath for granted.

We usually go about our daily life without paying much attention to our breath.

The breath is intricately linked to our physical and mental state.

Have you noticed?

When we get anxious --> our breath becomes shallow

When we are angered --> our breath becomes short

When faced with a daunting task --> we heave a long sigh

When we are focusing on an intricate task (e.g. threading a needle) --> we hold our breath

However, the relationship between our breath and our physical and mental state is not just a one-way relationship.

The ancient yogis discovered that, by controlling the breath, one could alter one's physical and mental state.

Try the following exercise for yourself!

Equal Breathing

Technique

1. Practise this in a comfortable, seated position.
2. Sit upright with your hands resting gently on your knees, elbows and shoulders relaxed, and eyes closed.
3. Breathing easily, take note of the number of counts it takes for you to complete one inhalation.
4. When you exhale, try to take the same amount of time (same number of counts) to complete your exhalation.
5. Repeat. Avoid forcing your breath, just allow the air to flow in and out of your nose smoothly.
6. Ideally, try to maintain the same number of counts for your inhalation and exhalation throughout the entire session. However, if at any point you find that the pace doesn't feel comfortable to you, go ahead and change it to a more comfortable pace.

Likely Results

A. Centering / Concentration / Focus

Practice Duration: about 2 minutes

As we go about our day, sometimes we need to sit down and change our focus as we switch between tasks, or concentrate on a task after running about for meetings.

After doing this exercise for about 2 minutes, it is likely that you will notice that your mind has calmed down, allowing you to focus on the task at hand.

B. Relaxation

Practice Duration: about 5 minutes

If you continue practising, you'll probably notice around the 5-minute mark that you are feeling relaxed. In fact, the relaxation effect can be so strong that you may doze off.

It's not magic, it's how your body works

This principle behind this exercise is simple: it is a deliberate attempt to slow down the rate at which we exhale.

If you get a chance to observe yourself breathing during the day, you might notice that the time you take to exhale is shorter than the time you take to inhale.

For many people, most of the time, it may even seem that we rush through the exhalation.

In this exercise, by pacing the breath to take the same amount to breathe out as we breathe in, we are slowing down the speed at which we exhale.

Over time, this causes the level of carbon dioxide in our body to increase, ever so slightly.

An elevated level of carbon dioxide in the body gives a calming effect by relaxing the vagus nerve. Hence, one feels calmer (hence more focused). If we continue practising, the feeling of calm leads to relaxation.

Cautions

• Do not try this immediately after vigorous physical activity.
• If you're panting or out of breath, allow your breath to return to normal before practising Equal Breathing.
• If you feel any discomfort, become out of breath, or feel dizzy, stop.
• Breathe easily throughout the practice. Don't force your breath.

Challenge

Try to take a few moments to observe your breath during the day, and notice how it changes as we go through the day.

Do let me know how it goes, after you give this a try!

How to Strengthen Your Core Muscles

Did you try the exercise in the earlier post to strengthen your back muscles?

This time, we'll focus on strengthening and toning the abdominal muscles, as well as the lower and middle back muscles. These groups of muscles form the "core" of our body.


"Core muscles? I don't have them," I used to say. I also imagined that "core muscle exercises" would be very difficult and involved punishing practices using machines in the gym.

If you think likewise, you'd be pleasantly surprised that this exercise can be done easily at home, and it's really not that difficult.

It worked to strengthen my core muscles, so I hope you will find it useful for you too. Please try it!

Core Muscles?

Mention "core muscles" and for most people, the image of the "six-pack" abs comes to mind.

Did you know that core muscles don't just refer to the abdomen muscles, and weakness in the core muscles make one more prone to getting injured while playing sports or during day-to-day activities?

In reality, the core extends beyond a single abdominal muscle and incorporates a network of deep inner and visible outer muscles at the center of the body, i.e. in the pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen.

This radiating network of muscles works constantly to provide stability for the body and to prevent injury, as well as assisting in major body movements.

This means that it is important to strengthen the core muscles to achieve stability and avoid injury while doing everyday activities and playing sports.

Stabilization and Balance

A primary function of the core is to provide spinal stability and balance for the entire body.

When activated, the inner core and outer core muscles work together as shock absorbers for the body and reduce stress during rotational movements or movements where the trunk bends or flexes. Since the human body moves in many directions at multiple angles at any given time, the core works to keep the body balanced, to reduce stress and injury, and to protect the spinal column at all times.

Movement

The muscles of the core are also responsible for movement.

Major muscles of the body all connect to the core and the core muscles provide stability, torque, and momentum for movements such as leg swing and arm swing when walking or running, weight transfer when stepping, walking and running, and momentum shifts in movements like swinging, throwing, or pitching.

Strengthening the Core

Given the importance of the core muscles, it is no wonder that there are many ways that are used to strengthen them. The exercise described below is simple and relatively risk-free. (You're unlikely to do it wrongly, and the risk of injury from doing it wrongly is low.)

All you need is a firm surface to lie on, and you're all set.

If you haven't been practising such exercises, do note that it probably takes some time before the effect of the "training" to be felt. But persistence pays. The exercise gets easier with time. That's when you know that your effort has paid off.

Half Plough Pose (or, Leg Raises!)

Strengthen the abdominal and back muscles with Half Plough Pose

1. Lie on your back with your legs extended, heels together and toes pointing up.
2. Keep your arms by your sides and press your palms down on the mat.
3. Exhale and raise your right leg slowly until it is 90 degrees (or, as vertical as possible).
4. Keep your leg straight and make sure that it does not bend at the knee.
5. Continue holding your leg straight at the height you feel comfortable, for up to 5 breaths.
6. As you exhale, bring your leg down slowly back to the mat.
7. Rest for a few seconds, until your breathing is back to normal.
8. Repeat for your left leg.

When you can comfortably hold each leg individually at 90 degrees, proceed to the next level, i.e.

9. Exhale, press the palms on the floor and raise your right leg while keeping it straight.
10. Raise the right leg to 30 degrees from the floor. Hold for up to 5 breaths.
11. Raise the right leg to 60 degrees from the floor. Hold for up to 5 breaths.
12. Raise the right leg to 90 degrees from the floor. Check that the knee is not bent.
13. Hold for up to 5 breaths.
14. As you exhale, lower the right leg slowly to 60 degrees from the floor. Hold for up to 5 breaths.
15. Exhale and lower the right leg slowly to 30 degrees from the floor. Hold for up to 5 breaths.
16. Exhale and lower the right leg slowly back to the mat.
17. Rest for a few seconds, until your breathing is back to normal.
18. Repeat for your left leg.

When you're comfortable holding at 90 degrees, hold each leg individually at 60 degrees and 30 degrees

Eventually you will progress to the next level, raising/holding/lowering both legs together:

19. Raise both legs to 30 degrees from the floor. Hold for up to 5 breaths.
20. Raise both legs to 60 degrees from the floor. Hold for up to 5 breaths.
21. Raise both legs to 90 degrees from the floor. Check that the knees are not bent.
22. Hold for up to 5 breaths.
23. As you exhale, lower both legs slowly to 60 degrees from the floor. Hold for up to 5 breaths.
24. Exhale and lower both legs slowly to 30 degrees from the floor. Hold for up to 5 breaths.
25. Exhale and lower both legs slowly down back to the mat.
26. Relax.

Benefits of the Half Plough Pose

• Strengthens and tones the abdominal muscles
• Strengthens the back muscles
• Regulates bowel movements and alleviates constipation

Stay Safe

• Your back and head should be in contact with the mat at all times.
• Movements should be slow, and the legs should be kept straight.
• Half Plough Pose can be quite challenging at the beginning. For a start, practise only up to step 8, i.e. raise and hold the legs up individually at 90 degrees. When you are ready, progress to holding each leg individually at 30 degrees and 60 degrees. Eventually, you will be ready to progress to to raise and hold both legs at 30 degrees, 60 degrees and 90 degrees.
• If you have lower back pain, practise only the single-leg version, i.e. raise one leg at a time.

Ask a question or share your progress in the comments below.

A Simple Way to Strengthen Your Back Muscles

Did you try the relaxing stretch for the back that was covered in the previous post?

This time, let's look at a simple exercise that can strengthen the back muscles, while stretching the front of the upper body.

Why strengthen the back muscles?

Stabilizes the "Core"

The muscle groups in the back include stabilizers and spinal support muscles. Some of these muscle groups make up part of the "core" that, in a sense, carries the body and distributes pressure to help support the body's internal infrastructure. Strengthening and toning the "core" helps these muscles do their job better.

Supports Better Posture

Being able to stand up straight and hold your stomach in requires strong, resilient muscles along your spine and in your lower back. The stronger these back muscles are, the easier it is for you to maintain good posture throughout the day and during any activity, and helps prevent many kinds of back pain.

Sphinx Pose

Focus on “extension” and “lift” in Sphinx Pose to strengthen the back and stretch the front part of your upper body

1. Lie on your belly with your legs extended, hip-width apart. Keep your arms at your sides and your chin on the mat. Press the tops of your feet into the mat and spread your toes.
2. Bring your arms up. Rest your elbows under your shoulders with your forearms on the floor, parallel to each other. Place your palms on the floor with your fingers pointed forward.
3. Inhale, press hard using your forearms and lift your head and chest off the mat. Press your pelvic bone on the mat, squeeze your buttocks and point your toes towards the back to engage your legs.
4. Keep your elbows close to your body. Drop your shoulder blades away from your ears and draw your chest forward. Lengthen your tailbone toward your heels.
5. Soften your gaze (look at the tip of your nose) and your facial expression. Draw your chin toward the back of your neck.
6. Hold for up to 10 breaths.
7. To release, exhale as you slowly lower your torso, chest, and head to the floor. Relax your arms at your sides.
8. Turn your head to the side, place your ear on the mat and rest quietly.

Benefits of the Sphinx Pose

• Strengthens the back
• Stretches the chest, shoulders, and abdomen
• Firms the buttocks
• Stimulates the abdominal organs

Stay Safe

• Take it slowly and don’t push your body to bend backwards.
• If you experience discomfort in your back or neck, only lift your chest as high as you can without causing pain.

The Sphinx Pose is a simple exercise that almost anyone can do. And it doesn't require any sophisticated equipment - just a flat surface and you're ready to get started. So, do give it a try. 

Let me know how it goes in the comments below.

Simple Exercises for Seniors: Part 1 (suitable for all ages)

Noticed Grandpa and Grandma (or Dad and Mum) shuffling a little lately? Or caught them placing a hand on their back to give themselves a massage?

Wondering what you could do to help them become stronger, to feel more comfortable?

Muscle strength and Range of motion

As we age, we lose muscle strength and our joints tend to lose their suppleness. The range of motion of our joints becomes limited.

We stop being able to bend and touch our toes. We can’t turn from the waist and look back. Lifting our legs up to climb the stairs becomes a challenge.

Other than posing an inconvenience, these situations could actually be risky or even dangerous.

According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology, one of the reasons for the higher risk for falls in the elderly is the body’s deterioration with age. 

We gradually lose muscle strength (i.e. we become weaker) with age.

Our joint tendons and ligaments lose their flexibility, resulting in limited range of motion. 

Tight muscles ( = shortened muscle fibres) also cause the range of motion of joints to be reduced.

Hence, the elderly fall more easily, often injuring themselves in the process. Many of us have heard of at least one elderly person who suffered (sometimes serious) injuries after a bad fall.

Conversely, if an elderly person can retain his/her muscle strength and joint range of motion, the risk of falling would decrease.

As is often said, “Prevention is better than cure”.

Let’s get down to the first exercise to help Grandpa and Grandma stay strong and flexible. 

We're starting with a relaxing exercise - to stretch out the back muscles and start to regain some range of motion in the spine. 

Other strengthening exercises will follow in later posts.

The exercise

If they are healthy, Grandpa and Grandma would probably not need any assistance while doing the exercise. However, it’s good to be with them when they do the exercise, especially in the first few times, just in case they need help.

What’s more, it’s nice to be by their side to offer “moral support” and encouragement while they’re trying something new!

Note:

• Do the exercise on the floor on a yoga mat, or on a firm mattress.
• Stay focused during the exercise. Observe the sensations in the body.
• If there is any pain or discomfort, stop the exercise.
• If Grandpa and Grandma have had any injury or have a chronic illness, consult a doctor before beginning the exercise.

Supine Spinal Twist

Relax and let gravity do the work in Supine Spinal Twist

1. Lie on your back.
2. Bend your knees and hug them to your chest.
3. Release your left arm to the floor, extending it straight out at shoulder level.
4. Exhale, drop both knees over to the right side of your body, twisting the spine and lower back. Place your right hand lightly on your knees.
5. Keep your left shoulder on the floor.
6. If it feels ok for your neck, turn your head and look at your left hand.
7. Relax into the pose. Let gravity pull the knees down, so you do not have to use any effort in this pose.
8. Hold for up to 10 breaths.
9. To release, inhale and roll the hips back to the floor, bringing your knees back to your chest.
10. Repeat on the other side for the same duration of time.

Benefits

• Stretches the back muscles --> this can help to reduce backache caused by tightness in the back muscles
• Realigns and lengthens the spine

Stay Safe

• Do not use force in this pose, let gravity do the work.
• Seek a doctor’s advice before practising if you have a recent or a chronic injury to the knees, hips or back.

Do let me know your feedback after Grandpa and/or Grandma (or you!) give this a try, in the comments below.

2 Things You Can Do to Mitigate the Ill-Effects of the Haze on Your Body

Singapore's Merlion Looking Out Toward a Hazy Bay (Photo Credit: Straits Times)

My Facebook and Twitter feeds are flooded with updates on the latest PSI reading, which keeps ticking up.

People wearing masks are no longer shunned. No one wonders "What's wrong with them?", because we all know - it's the haze in the air.

Mere mortals like us cannot do anything about the fires in Indonesia causing the pollution.

But we can and should do whatever we can to limit the impact on our bodies of inhaling the polluted air in this haze.

We're familiar with the official advisory by now, i.e.

• Stay indoors (with windows and doors closed)
• Avoid strenuous activities

Here are 2 things that you can do to mitigate the ill-effects of the haze on your body:

1. Breathe in and out only through your nose

The air smells bad.

It is tempting to breathe through the mouth to avoid detecting the foul, smoky smell in the air.

However, our nose was built precisely for the purpose of breathing.

The nose:

• Filters particles from the air we inhale, preventing them from entering our lungs
• Humidifies the air, adding moisture to keep your airways from drying out
• Warms the air to body temperature before it reaches the lungs

Breathing through your mouth instead of your nose bypasses much of the body’s natural air filtering and treatment. This can allow germs, allergens and other pollutants to get inside your lungs, where they can damage delicate tissues.

With the haze right now, it is even more important that we allow the nose to perform its function (especially its function as a filter) - so, please breathe through your nose!

(Do remember to clean your nose too. Just as a vacuum cleaner with the dirty filter cannot pick up much dust from the floor, a dirty nose can't do as good a filtering job as a clean nose.)

2. Drink more water

This sounds really generic.

(a) Ensures that the filter in your nose keeps working

When you breathe through your nose, the air goes past your nostrils into an open area inside your head called the nasal cavity, before heading down the esophagus and into your lungs through the windpipe.

The whole system of airways is lined with a thin layer of sticky mucus that traps dust particles, bacteria and other pollutants. Tiny hairs called cilia sweep mucus from the nasal cavity into the back of the throat where it can be swallowed and neutralized in the stomach.

Mucus is constantly being produced (2-4 cups per day) so that the cycle can go on.

With the unusual load of particles in the air that need to be removed, the mucus membranes are working in overdrive to produce more mucus than usual.

(b) Ensures that your have enough tears to wash out the dirt out of your eyes

With more dust particles coming in contact with our eyes, tear production is increased to flush out the dirt. The blinking reflex in the eye allows the lashes and lids to move tears, bacteria and debris out of the eye.

Sure, eye drops work. Use them when necessary. But fluids in the body can only be replenished by drinking water.


Drinking enough water ensures that the body can produce enough mucus and tears, so that your body's systems can work in the optimal way to protect your health.

Take care, everyone.