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...

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.             Sta...

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 ...

  My trainer of a few years back watched me doing L-sits in the captain's chair and asked, “Is that hard? Let me help.” Now, when a trainer offers to help , I have learned to be suspicious. Help generally means making an exercise harder, not easier. Sure enough, she put a ball between my ankles and encouraged me to “hold onto that and swing right and left with it while maintaining a good-form L-sit.” And so I did. I miss that ball! Now L-sits are not nearly as interesting. The problem is not that I can no longer do the exercise. The problem is that I have no one to put the ball between my ankles! Getting into position in the captain's chair requires me to climb partway up the equipment, position my forearms on the supports, and lift myself into place. Trying to accomplish all that while simultaneously holding a ball between my ankles would be quite a feat of gymnastics in itself. Once I am in position, of course, my hands are occupied supporting my body. I cannot exactly reach ...

  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...