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By Chris Cage

If you’re reading this article then you’ve probably been told that you (or someone close to you) has been diagnosed with high blood pressure. What does this mean exactly?

The Blunt Truth

The blunt truth is that even a small increase in blood pressure can double or triple your risk of death from heart attack or stroke. Doctors have dubbed this condition "the silent killer" because so many people have it and yet have no idea of the damage that it is doing to themselves.

But I want to talk to you about how you can reduce it and get healthier again by reaching the magic goal of 115/75.

Genetics

A quick word about genetics. Yes, a few people are genetically inclined to have high blood pressure. In actual fact, the reason that some ethic groups are more likely to have high blood pressure than others is more likely to be due to the diet they eat. But yes, there is still a genetic element.

But here’s the most important thing to consider – genetics is just one minor factor in your blood pressure – it is far outranked by several other lifestyle factors that are well within your control. So, whatever you do, don’t let genetics be an excuse to resort to using debilitating drugs that have several common and severe side effects.

Easy Lifestyle Changes

The three key areas in which you can change your lifestyle to lower your blood pressure are diet, exercise and stress.

But the best part is that you don’t need to become a super athlete like Lance Armstrong to achieve good blood pressure health. You need only make a few tiny tweaks to become healthy again.

For example, there are some supplements that alone can reduce your b.p. by 10/5. And did you know that light exercise is more beneficial than heavy exercise, from a blood pressure point of view?

Why A Plan Is A Good Idea

Maybe you already knew about these lifestyle changes that you need to do. So what’s stopping you then from just doing them?

The major problem that most people have is that these lifestyle changes are like a piece of string. How long is a piece of string? Where do you start with lifestyle changes?

What most people need is a defined plan of action for how to reduce blood pressure safely from start to finish. And that’s what I’ve created for you.

If you want to do something about your blood pressure and no longer have any worries whatsoever about your hidden health then get the easy to follow plan that you need for health success here: Blood Pressure Truth.

[ Editor's Note:  Fitness author Jon Benson shared this letter with me and gave me permission to share it with you. ]

If I had to pick out the number one reason most people fail to achieve good results in the gym, guess what it would be?

Over-training. Exercising too much.

Sounds counter-intuitive, but trust me: It’s quite real.

Folks write to me all the time and say…

"Jon, I don’t get it. I cannot lose bodyfat and I’m running six days a week for an hour and training in the gym five days a week for 45 minutes!"

My answer back is usually:

"You are training 4x more than me, and I’m a fitness pro!"

Look, do you take 21 aspirin for a headache, thinking the more you take the faster your pain will go away?

No?

So why apply the same logic to fitness? Only a certain amount is required. Beyond that, you are spinning your wheels.

When I wrote 7 Minute Muscle (available here:  http://7mm.rxsportz.com) I exposed all the lies about training too long and why this is not the best way to achieve the results you want. Check it out if you want the facts.

One more thing:  75% of your progress will come in the kitchen, not in the gym or on the treadmill.

As for me, I would much rather eat smart and train less than train all the time and be forced to eat 6-8 times a day just to recover from it all.

That makes no sense to me at all.

You?

http://7mm.rxsportz.com  <— Less Is More!

Today is the final hurrah for the week-long Bali Yoga Festival in Indonesia. (cheers from the YD gallery). Did you go? Why didn’t you take us?? Anyway, Fest organizers set their sites on raising awareness and promoting “spiritual tourism” in the face of a looming fatwa, and overall it proved to be a success – they even birthed a new Association!

BUT, there’s no celebrating quite yet. As part of the fest, a seminar was held Monday to discuss the Muslim-Yoga scuffle with guest of honor, the MUI’s head of research and development Utang Ranuwijaya, who promptly explained that they had been doing some research and development, ironing out the kinks in the fatwa. See, like Malaysia before them, Indonesia had banned yoga, but remained iffy on the whole thing (allowing a physical practice sans chanting), while the top Islamic Council (MUI) huddled up for R&D, we guess. Well, after this past week’s “research” we are soon to hear the MUI’s “developments”…and it’s too early to say, but it’s sounding kind of bleak.

So here we are, the current status of Yoga for Indonesian Muslims:

- Asana: permitted for now.

- Chanting, “Om”ing: no way, interferes with Islam.

- Meditation: Mr Utang says pray instead.

“Meditation is a specific practice for a specific purpose that is not in line with Islam,” he said.

- Yoga Wear?: Even in-class yoga attire was discussed. No Lululemon butt-shaping here.

[Utang] warned yoga trainers at the seminar to segregate men’s and women’s classes, and told them to remind the latter to conceal their skin and body curves while exercising.

Adding that a Muslim instructor who followed this  ” would certainly help their company,” which sounds more like a warning than advice.

- Mind Body Connection: Mr Utang suggests yoga centers should avoid referring to yoga as an attempt to unite the mind and body.

“There is no such thing as uniting the mind and body,” he said in all sincerity.

“In Islam, there is just being khusuk *a tranquil and immersed state of mind while praying*.”

In response, Bali Yoga Association daddy and festival adviser, Dr. Somvir, said the fatwa was “fair” by not banning the entire practice. “Basically, it means that yoga as an exercise can be done by adherents of any faith,” he said.

But Dr. Martin Ramstedt, a German researcher with the Max Planck Society and a panelist at the seminar, isn’t so content. “I just regret the fact that the fatwa does not leave a lot of room for Muslims to decide for themselves,” he said.

So now we wait for the final word, to come who knows when! They do spend enough time on deliberation, we’ll give ‘em that.

[Jakarta Post]

Earlier… Indonesia Consummates Commitment with Country’s First Yoga Association

Indonesian Muslims to Yoga Fatwa “Who Cares?”

UTC Quarterback Edges Out Competition with Yoga

Junior quarterback, Tony Pastore, is vying against four other dudes for the starting position at University of Tennessee at Chatanooga, so basically he’s willing to try anything to give him an edge, even yoga. Since he lunged into his 4-class a week practice the man has lost 25 pounds, increased his running stride, and gained flexibility and strength – this all coming from a jock who is a regular in the weight room.  UTC Director of Sports Performance, Scott Brincks explains Pastore’s improvement in core strength with the eloquence of, well a football player, “without a trunk stabilization aspect to your body, you might as well just be a wet noodle,” Mr. Brincks said. And the good word of yoga is spreading like athlete’s foot in the locker room  – you’ll be happy to know defensive back Buster Skrine (real name) was so inspired by a class he updated his Facebook status to “Mad respect for yoga now.” Right on brah, *fist bump*.

(for the record Mr. Pastore practices hot “Power Yoga”) [Times Free Press]

Evan Lysacek Joins the Yoga Ranks on Road to Olympics

We mentioned a little while back that Olympic Medalist, and avid yogi, Sasha Cohen was lacing up her skates once again in preparation for a possible comeback in the 2012 Olympic Games. Now two-time US Champion, and Olympic hopeful, Evan Lysacek has found yoga to be a centering addition to his training regimen leading up to the Worlds at the end of this Month.

“I’ve been through so much diversity in my skating career, and I’ve always found that staying calm is the best way to stay confident. I still have two weeks to drill my technique, but as I return to my home training base, Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, I have a strong sense of mental preparedness.”

Hmm…there he is with fellow yogi skater Sasha Cohen. They’d make a cute couple, no?

[LA Times Blogs]

photo (Gregg DeGuire/WireImage.com)

We don’t watch this show (it’s on MTV, does anyone watch MTV any more?) but this video is worth some eyeball time for giggles. You have to watch on YouTube cause the punks won’t let us embed. Watch here

Now that is some handy prop usage.

thanks to elephant journal for the link.

Meditations on Mutations…

With stress raised to level Orange these days folks have been seeking yoga in droves as a means to relief and sanctity on this rocky road of life. But why has yoga really done so well in the past few years? 16 Million Americans, $6 billion spent on yoga in 2008. That’s a lot right? This article in the AJC on the “serene boom” helps highlight why yoga has seen such prosperous business. It’s not about pretzel twisting anymore. It’s about options. (*puts on theorizing hat*)

We can hear the chorus of rebuttals, “it never was just about contorting your body into ungodly positions.” Tell that to the mainstream. But today, more “Joe the Plumbers” if you will, are realizing the positive effects of yoga and meditation without having to buy into the granola-munching Birkenstock-wearing sub-culture, (because, seriously that’s been a bogus stereotype for a while now hasn’t it?).  And it sure is a lot easier to get into yoga when there are a gazillion different types available. Really, there are so many different spokes of yoga, so many tailor-made options for the young, old, handicapped, locked up, at-risk, tight-bodied, strung out, sweat-seeking, power-hungry, misaligned, sleep-deprived, etc. etc., that there literally is yoga for everyone. In other words, yoga has morphed into being COOL. And we mean that in the least facetious way.

Yoga purists will squirm, but our theory on this freshly donned “coolness” is vastly based on these mutations. This Recession seems to be just a coincidental catalyst in boomdom. Now that there’s so much FREE yoga available there really is no excuse for not giving it a go. Lululemon will never run out of free classes to taunt!

A glaring example of mutations galore from the aforementioned article: Crunch Fitness has 2 locations in Atlanta and offers guess how many varieties of yoga… 39. That’s 39 types of yoga classes! Are there even 39 types of people? Then you have dens like Pure Yoga in NYC combining all disciplines under the sun, under one roof.

Atlantanite and personal chef, Renard Mills, 46, decided to try yoga last year and now shuffles into class at Yoga Hive 2 times a week. His business has slowed down, but when sorting his family budget he claims yoga is second only to food.

“I used to be a worrier, but I don’t do that anymore,” he said. “I just breathe. … I walk this earth differently now.”

This is a dude who got into yoga, last year, on a whim. A story that is no longer surprising when studios like Mr. Mills’ have classes called “Yoga Soul” and “Yoga Just 4 You” mixed with services in Qigong, Tai Chi, Reiki therapy, reflexology, and massage.

Variety, the spice of the yoga boom? Would love to hear your thoughts…

A Serene Boom? Yoga stretches beyond its limits to new fans [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

And now for more in Down Dog Millionaire Real Estate News…

Last week we learned Fit Yoga’s Beth Shaw must’ve steered clear of the Madoff debacle, scoring a happy new abode in LA, for the pricey tag of $1.3 million. What are the odds of more Yoga Real Estate news? Evidently, pretty good. Another, less-empirical, yet surely just as enlightened, yoga teacher is also not doing too shabby in the income department. Mrs. Gayl Walder is a registered yoga instructor at Healing Power Yoga and at 2Hot Yoga & Pilates studio, both in Highland Park, IL, where she and her hubby are now selling their six-bedroom, 6.5-bath home for $2.995 million. Wow. Though it’s not much of a profit – they purchased the home in 2002 for $2.842 million – we wish them the best of luck. Not sure what her husband does, but we’re guessing it’s not teach yoga. [Blockshopper]

*There were 340 home sales in Highland Park in 2008, with a median sales price of $499,900.

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