Tai Chi Tuesday: Bone Marrow Breathing

Many of my clients and friends do not get enough sleep. Adults need seven to eight hours of  sleep a night. Sleep deprivation is a huge cause of weight gain, not to mention lack of mental focus. However, when you need a quick pick-up, consider bone marrow breathing.

Make no mistake: what I am proposing is not a substitute for sleep. But if you get a bit run-down during the day, put aside 15 minutes to try this breathing method.

You may have heard your tai chi, qi gong and yoga instructors teach abdominal breathing. This is different.

Bone marrow breathing is reverse abdominal breathing, and it works like this: 
As you inhale, gently pull your stomach in and up. 
On the exhale, gently press your stomach downward, compressing the diaphragm. 

The breaths should be smooth — and not forced. The body needs to be relaxed.

Inhaling for more time than the exhale is a great way to pull energy into the body.
Conversely. exhaling a bit longer than the inhale produces greater chi outward and can be converted to jin (power).

A Drug Society

We have definitely become a drug society.

My daughter mentioned on Facebook how she was having a tough time sleeping at night. A friend suggested she try melatonin, an over-the-counter supplement that resets our internal clocks. It is used to reduce jet lag and insomnia.

This is exactly what I would have done for a friend with a problem: I would have recommended a solution.

Now that I have said that, here are a few possible side effects of melatonin:

• headaches
• nausea
• depression
• nightmares
• irritability
• abdominal cramps
• dizziness.

There are better ways to fall asleep than just putting drugs in our bodies, such as light meditation for relaxation, warm milk or a walk an hour before bedtime.

It's always better to try natural remedies first before putting drugs in your body.

And word to the wise: don't approach these powerful supplements without first consulting a medical professional. Just because they're "natural," "herbal" or "homeopathic" doesn't mean they're not powerful or that interactions with something as simple as aspirin can't be dangerous.

The True Effects of Exercise and Weight Loss

Today, two of my clients gave me an interesting article: "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin" by John Cloud (Time, August 9, 2009), in which the author states that weight loss usually does not occur when people exercise.

Needless to say, I take exception to this.

The author cited multiple medical studies in support of this conclusion. In a nutshell, the studies showed that weight loss was not typical for people in three different groups: sedentary people, fairly active people and those working with a personal trainer for an hour or more a day.

The author noted that, in many cases, people who regularly work out feel more hungry — which is true — and people who are hungry naturally eat. However, he concluded that if exercise makes you more hungry, you will eat more — and if you eat more, you won't lose weight.

This is not necessarily an accurate conclusion.

There are two important keys to weight loss the author did not seem to take into account:

• Calorie deficit — 3,500 calories equals a pound. You will gain one pound for every 3,500 calories you ingest above what you burn. Burn 3,500 calories more than you take in, you lose a pound.
• Raise your metabolism — eat five times a day, get enough sleep and drinking sufficient fluids.
  

I suspect the people in the studies were not monitored for sufficient sleep and fluid intake. They also probably ate three bigger meals, rather than five smaller meals. They might also have failed to eat light snacks after their workouts, which lowers the number of calories eaten at meals and cuts down on total daily calorie intake.

The author states that doctors recommended exercise to their patients for weight loss. With such dismal responses from the exercise study, why would doctors be so in favor of exercise for their patients? Drum roll please: because in addition to burning extra calories (remember that whole 3,500 calorie thing?), it's good for developing balance, building strength and improving overall daily living. In addition to recommending exercise to their patients, I am sure the doctors also discussed lifestyle changes and diet.

No doctor believes exercise alone is a prescription for weight loss. Even infomercials for exercise plans and fitness devices post disclaimers that include a nutrition plan and (subtly) remind viewers that the more fantastic results are not typical for most consumers.

In this Time article, the author correctly states that the people in the studies who filled out diet journals lost more weight than those who didn't keep a journal. Thinking about what you eat before you eat it definitely aids in cutting down on calories.

Trainers and doctors agree: exercise by itself is not the be-all and end-all to weight loss. (If it were, I am sure everyone would have gym memberships and personal trainers.) Without controlling calorie intake, getting enough sleep and drinking enough water, you most likely will not lose weight, no matter your exercise level.

Trainers assist you in this endeavor by providing more interesting and intense workouts than you would most likely provide yourself, which helps burn more calories and hopefully provides a calorie-deficit situation that allows for the possibility of weight loss. They also help you monitor your fluids and sleep, as well as other habits that might not be conducive to your goals.

In conclusion, the article was interesting, but misleading. Weight loss depends on multiple factors that need to all be considered for success.