MSI Press Blog

  excerpt from Exercising in a Pandemic   by Pat Young:  (note: good information for any time where opportunities are limited)  Healthy Advantages             A leading medical journal, Lancet, states that people who are physically active have only 35 days of poor mental health per year on average, compared to those who are not physically active, who have closer to 53 down days.             Another medical establishment, Nuvance Health, states that exercise boosts the immune system and keeps it functioning optimally. This is certainly an advantage during a pandemic such as the corona virus outbreak. Exercise reduces stress, prevents weight gain and improves sleep. Many exercise enthusiasts say they are actually energized after a workout. Exercising also offers the opportunity to enjoy social activities, something curtailed by pandemic safety precautions.             By working and exercising with family and friends (following social distancing rules), using online fitness resou

excerpt from Exercising in a Pandemic (Young) -  Exercising In the House             Exercising at home doesn’t involve travel time to the gym, and it sets a good example for kids and other family members who might be parked in front of the television set or computer screen. Maybe they will get up and exercise with you. Maybe you can switch the television or computer to an exercise program and involve the whole family, or just leave the television on and exercise while you watch something the whole family enjoys. If the television is turned off, find some lively music on the radio to work out with. Stretch to classical or new age music. Work out to jazz or rock. Find whatever lively music your whole family likes if you are working out together. Working out to music you enjoy makes exercising more fun. You will be more likely to continue an exercise regimen.             Start with basic exercises. Jumping jacks, stretches, squats, lunges and push-ups or knee push-ups are good starters.

For National Women's Health and Fitness Day, Julie (author of 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas) provided us the following guest post. My 3-year-old does Downward-Facing Dog and Tree Pose. Even at her age, she’s learning how simple and fun it can be to fit in exercise and that exercise is integral to mind-body wellness.   Since she and her brother were newborns, they’ve seen mama stretch, run, walk and lift weights. And some days they exercise with me. The message they’re getting about exercise is: “Fitness is fun and it helps keep us healthy!” As they grow, they’ll know exercise is just as much a part of their day as brushing their teeth and washing their hands. I wake up knowing when I’m going to workout. Fitness fits in the nooks and crannies of almost every day. Sometimes it’s a 20-minute yoga video before breakfast; other times it’s a 30-minute walk outside with the family after dinner. Scheduling time for exercise

  Today's book excerpt comes from Joanna Romer's Widow: How to Survive (and Thrive!) in Your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Years CHAPTER SIX Exercise Dare I bring up the obvious? There are few things as crucial to your state of mind as exercise. While it may have been easy to go the gym, run around the block, or swim at the neighborhood pool during your first year of widowhood, by Year Two it’s become a little harder. Why is that? Quite simply, when you’re in a state of extreme stress or depression, such as early widowhood, exercise acts as a tonic, giving an immediate boost. As your sense of wellbeing returns, the benefits of exercise aren’t so obvious. They are still there, however, and exercise is still vitally important. Even though we begin to feel a new sense of calm and acceptance waking up in the morning, that doesn’t mean we should loll around the house all day in our pajamas. Yes, certainly, once a week it’s great to take a day off, but during the week try to incorporate a little

Exercise When one is studying intensively, it might seem an unnecessarily waste of time to get up and exercise. In fact, in the act of perseverance (the internal push to keep going), much time can pass unnoticed. All work and no play, however, is…well, you know. Exercise advantages the language learner in a number of ways: ·        releases feel-good endorphins ·        boosts brain activity ·        retention of new skills in memory The question, then, is not if you should exercise but rather when, how long, and how. Therein lie a number of options that you can choose from, depending upon your personal schedule, needs, and interests. Exercise to improve mood and energy Any exercise prompts the release of endorphins will improve mood and energy. Both will serve you will in the classroom as you work with others, and you may also gain additional energy for homework and self-study, active learner = happy learner Exercise to boost brain activity A

  Excerpt from How to Live from Your Heart : The Heart’s True Functions  The heart chalice has many functions. Some of these were mentioned in the last chapter on the different types of energy that pass through the heart. Besides energy, the heart also contains knowledge that is part of a person’s individuality. The individuality is comprised of all the positive and negative characteristics that have been played out and accumulated through many lifetimes. If you don’t believe in past lives, you can call these accumulations part of the collective unconscious, a term coming from the research of Carl Jung, a famous psychotherapist in the last century.  These accumulations carry aspects of the different cultures on the planet, and those aspects in turn constitute hidden qualities that can emerge during your lifetime. If your heart is functioning with the positive qualities, then you will appear to others as a warm-hearted, kind, and loving person. If your heart is functioning w