Krista Cardellichio has been a massage therapist, bodyworker, and Reiki practitioner for six years, but she didn't always know that healing was her calling.  Krista spent her childhood on the track to dance professional ballet.  Unfortunately, the rigorous training schedule left her seriously injured, and she was forced to drop out of dancing by the time she was eleven.

As a holistic wellness and natural living blog, this thing you're reading comes with a built-in demographic.  You can probably picture it now: a young, urban, coastal professional or parent with a yoga mat on his or her shoulder and an iPhone in his or her hand.

But stereotypes usually don't reflect the whole picture.  Self-consciously hip young adults aren't the only people interested are in their physical well-being, and many people in their forties and fifties are starting to notice all the buzz around words like "natural," "holistic," and "alternative" health care. 

It's no wonder.  People in middle age have a whole slew of health concerns that typically don't even affect those below the age of forty.  What can complementary health care offer to these individuals?

Sometime in your mid-fifties, you will probably notice that activities you were once able to do easily require more effort. Our muscles naturally start to weaken around this time.  The disks in our spines also start to lose their water content and shrink like sponges, which is why people get shorter when they get older. 

Richard of MTW has noticed this deterioration first-hand.  "I remember one fall I started to install a driveway.  I had to move a whole wheelbarrow full of gravel, and I just overloaded that thing.  There were rocks rolling off the top I filled it so full.  The next year I tried to do the same thing, and I found I couldn't lift near to the same amount.  I had to haul a wheelbarrow that was only three-quarters full."

These changes may onset quite suddenly, as Richard experienced, or they may be gradual.  You also may notice a "darkening" of your vision.  As the cornea begins to yellow with age, things don't look as bright and vibrant as they once did.  This dimming is not as ominous as it may seem.  It is a natural part of the aging process, just as puberty was when you were a teenager.  The fact is, more of us are living longer than ever before.  People who make it to their nineties in good health are people who can still move their bodies actively.  Bones degrade faster when there's less stress put on them (think of astronauts coming back from a long time in space).  Moving your body is invaluable to retaining strength in your twilight years, and massage can help increase mobility and make it possible for you to remain active, healthy, and happy well into old age.

When you're in your twenties and thirties, your body is still very pliable, elastic, and capable of bouncing back.  But you'll be seventy someday (if you're lucky), and every year that passes, these tissues become less pliable.  Think of an old rubber band that you might find in the back of a drawer.  If it's been in the same position for years, it will snap when you try to stretch it.  But a rubber band that's consistently used retains its elasticity.  Like this metaphoric rubber band, how you choose to use your body now will determine how you will age throughout the next stage in your life. 

One obstacle to overcome is the (formidable) force of habit.  By the time you reach your fifties, most likely you've been in some sort of occupation for decades.  Say you've been working in an office for forty years.  When you sit at keyboard (typewriter or computer), your head comes forward and your shoulders hunch.  There is a hierarchy of structures at work, and when you lean forward like this, all of these neck muscles need to counter to accommodated.  Do this for one day and it's no big deal.  Do it for five years, and problems start to arise.  Whether it's sitting at a keyboard, manual labor, wearing high heels, or even a religious workout routine, do it for thirty or forty years and you'll see some serious structural patterns that are difficult to correct. 

Being aware of your body and how to use it actively to correct these negative patterns becomes invaluable.  Your fifties is one of the last opportunities to make these vital changes in your structural makeup.  Regular massage and mindful exercise can make all the difference at this crucial stage in your life.  

Another challenge is the common attitude that at this age, pain is normal.  When you're in your fifties, certain pains become so familiar you start to take them for granted.  Even doctors often even say stuff like "Well, what do you expect at your age?  At your age, it's normal."  The thing is, it's not normal, it's only common.

If you believe that it's okay to be in pain a this stage in your life, you'll be more willing to "live with it."  You may stop giving up hope that someone can help you, as our society tends to "give up" on the health of older people. 

We are amazing info systems, and our bodies are extremely adaptable even as we age.  It's up to you to keep yours in optimal working condition.

Michelle Pfennighaus is a Real Food/Yoga/Health powerhouse.  Though her business (well, mission, really), Find Your Balance is based in the Cambridge/Somerville area, she helps clients around the country adjust their habits and attitudes about food, exercise, and how they live from day to day.

In addition to being a certified health counselor, she is also a licensed yoga teacher (I've taken her Astanga class at Karma Yoga in Harvard Square myself), allowing her to incorporate physical activity as well as the mind/body connection into her counseling style. 

Balance is a key component in yoga and necessary to achieve nearly all poses, from basic to advanced.  This "balance point" is always different for each individual.  Michelle's goal in health counseling is to bring the same level of awareness of personal balance points to her clients' daily lives, especially their eating and shopping habits.

Michelle believes that apart from physical activity, diet plays the largest role in a person's health.  After a lifetime struggling with low energy, moodiness, and perpetual IBS symptoms, she made the decision to clean up her diet.  "When my grandmother died of cancer of the digestive system, I found out she had been lactose intolerant.  She and I shared so many of the same traits, physically, I wondered if dairy could be affecting me negatively, so I cut it out."

Eliminating dairy was the first step, and Michelle felt such an incredible difference that she began to make other changes, starting with forgoing processed flour for whole grains and finally making the choice to stop eating most forms of sugar.

"When I cut sugar out, it was like night and day," she says.  "In six months, I had no symptoms of IBS.  I didn't realize that sugar weakens your body over time, and you literally become addicted to it.  Sugar gives you a fake energy boost.  It actually affects the brain in the same way as cocaine, so your body feels momentarily energized.  But that energy is deceptive, because it doesn't come from the strength that a properly nutritious diet provides.  Your poor, weakened body then learns that it 'needs' a sugar bump to feel awake and alert.  But like any drug, it's never long before you crash again and need another fix." 

According to Michelle, the term "sugar high," is less metaphorical than people think.

"I remember one client came to me and introduced herself as a 'sugar addict.'  She lived in the South End surrounded by all these amazing restaurants, but didn't know how to cook a thing.  This has become the standard for so many Americans, but when you don't control what goes into your body, in essence, you won't be as able to control your body.

"Like many modern diet gurus, I believe that eating real, whole food is the cornerstone of a healthy diet.  But this doesn't have to mean limiting your diet to raw carrots and nuts.  I like to put it like this.  If you can make it in your kitchen from real whole foods, that's fine.  If you need a scientist or a lab, then that's too processed.

"One of my favorite things to do with local clients is a pantry makeover.  I help them clear out the bad stuff -- the Slim Fast shakes, the Easy Mac, and I help them restock with healthy, whole staples that will make preparing nutritious meals a snap.  This South End client became very empowered just by learning to cook for herself."

"I had another client in Michigan who came to me worried about diabetes.  She smoked and was overweight and generally unhealthy, pretty much a prime candidate for health problems.  She was tired of all the 'quick fix' diet promises out there, and why wouldn't she be?  You don't generally gain 30lbs in a month, so why would you expect to lose weight that quickly?  For most people, weight gain is a gradual process resulting from lifestyle choices made over a long period of time.  Once we worked together to view her process of getting healthy as a gradual lifestyle choice, it became easier for her to take the small steps that lead toward her ultimate goal.

"We started by adding one vegetable into her diet every day.  This is a woman who didn't know what a beet was.  She started losing weight immediately, which encouraged her to continue to take more steps.  Eventually she realized she didn't need to stop at McDonald's on her way home when she was feeling a bit hungry, because she could spend her car ride thinking of all the delicious homemade snacks she had waiting for her when she got there.  Finally, she was even able to quit smoking."

The word "balance" brings to mind another word: moderation.  "I want to let my clients know that this is not about being 'perfect.'  I do not have a 'perfect' diet.  The mistake many people make is viewing the process of getting healthy as an all-or-nothing thing, and that puts up this huge, looming mental barrier for people.  There is immense value in that first, small step." 

It's extremely difficult to keep your balance when you jump into something with both feet.  Even Olympic gymnasts have trouble sticking those kind of landings.  That's why Michelle recommends taking your health one leg at a time.

Home from her month-long trip to India, Kris greets me at her door wearing a gorgeous turquoise, silk saree. "I haven't worn this since I got back," she says, "so I thought I'd take the excuse." We sit in her sunny living room sipping green tea she brought back from Munnar, Kerala. The tea has a slightly bitter taste and smells smokey.  Its fragrance reminds her of the scents that that wafted through the air in the southern Indian countryside: earth, rain, and plenty of spices.

Kerala is widely regarded as the home of Ayurveda, and it is here that she immersed herself in the countryside for rejuvination after completing a rigorous Ayurvedic training program in Northern India.  With the encouragement of Hilary Garivaltis, Dean of Kripalu's School of Ayurveda, Kris enrolled at the Jiva Academy for Vedic Sciences in Faridabad, Haryana.  She dove into the theory and foundations of Ayurveda as she never had before, studying different types of body tissues (called "dhatus"), disease diagnostics and treatment, and Ayurvedic Psychology.   "Western medicine has only recently begun to recognize the important role the mind plays in health and disease," Kris tells me, "but it is a concept that has existed within Ayurveda for centuries."

Throughout most of her stay at Jiva, Kris studied one-on-one with her primary teacher, Dr. Kuldeep Solanki.  "I was extremely fortunate to work with Dr. Solanki so closely," she says. "He is a brilliant man and an incredibly patient teacher.  I owe most of what I learned to him."

Kris' schedule was rigorous.  Her day began with meditation and mantra in her room as early as 4:30 a.m. After sunrise, breakfast, and a brisk walk, her lessons began with Dr. Solanki.  Afternoons found her in Jiva's Pancha Karma clinic (which serves the local, public community) carrying out assigned case studies or learning new bodywork techniques like "Udvartana" (a vigorous dry-rub of medicinal herbs into the skin), "Pizhichil" (a literal shower of warm oil which is simultaneously rubbed into the skin by the therapist), and "Elakizhi" (a massage using a homemade herbal bolus for arthritic pain or rheumatism).

Spending time in the Pancha Karma clinic with the physicians and therapists, provided one of the most valuable aspects of the program:  gaining real-life diagnostic experience using specific herbs and new techniques. Students and doctors would work together, using one another as patients, to get to the Ayurvedic root of a problem and develop a course of action. Evenings consisted of daily yoga class, and if the jet lag didn't have her head still spinning, LOTS of reading to prepare for the next day's lessons.  But the crux of her studies revolved around learning the preparation of traditional herbal oils.

Dr. Ruchi Chaudhary joined Dr. Kuldeep in teaching these preparations to Kris.  "Because of my training at Jiva, I now possess the foundation and basic skill set to make traditional Ayurvedic oils here in the United States. But of course, Ayurveda is an extremely vast system. This will be a lifelong journey for me, and I know that as my knowledge grows, so will my oils...it's going to be a challenge to start to make my own oils in the States," Kris tells me. I can tell by the way she lays out her plan that Kris is not one to shy away from any challenge. "Some of these herbs are not indigenous to North America, so I'll have to get them directly from India."  Brahmi, for example, is one of the herbs often used in the Shirodhara treatment.  Ashvagandha (an herb used for strengthening and nourishing, and often used in wasting diseases like tuberculosis) is another.






"One danger I see arising in a lot of Western attitudes about what they call 'alternative' medicine is the expectation for it to be some sort of magic cure," Kris says. "I'm finding people want it to be a very passive experience, with little participation on their part. You cannot use herbs like a given prescription for a set of symptoms - which is a growing trend in the U.S. There's a whole lot of self-diagnosing going on."  Kris wants people to get out of the mind set of: have symptom X, take herb Z.  It's not that clear cut.  One must consider the person's individual constitution, the post-digestive effect of the herb, and the context the herb is being utilized for.  Herbs should be used as an adjunct therapy, not THE therapy. 

"The truth is, Ayurveda is about changing the habits and makeup of the whole body.  It's about changing your lifestyle and attitudes. Which, takes a lot of personal commitment, discipline, and practice.  "One of the things that makes Ayurveda so sought after," Kris explains, "is not only its effectiveness, but its GENTLENESS on the body and its systems.  There are no side-effects to Ayurveda.  It's slow.  Gradual. And often requires weeks or months of practice before reaching its full benefit. This is hard for a lot of Westerners to swallow, but it has been my experience that the results are more profound and sustainable than the offerings of allopathic medicine alone."

Kris reiterates she is not a trained herbalist, but her training in India has certainly given her the confidence to begin creating these traditional oils right here in the United States.   She now describes the trip as invaluable, life-altering, and most of all, humbling. "India is not an easy place to travel.  Particularly alone.  There were many, many frustrating and exhausting moments in my journey.  But I'm honored to have been trusted with some of Ayurveda's secrets and humbled by all of my teachers and the sheer amount of information I have yet to learn and process.  This is my life's work and it's only the beginning."

What I'm about to discuss is a matter of life and death. 

I am allergic to peanuts.  Yes, the bad kind of allergic where I can have anaphylactic reactions and die from ingesting just a small amount.  Yes, this means I grew up without peanut butter.  This is no tragedy to me.

For me, it's a part of life.  I carry an epipen with me everywhere I go.  I don't eat food when I can't read the package or speak with confidence to the person who made it.  I don't eat jam or jelly at other people's houses (most of it will be cross-contaminated from knife-sharing during sandwich-making -- I learned this as a kid the hard way).  I have had friends act annoyed or hurt when I refuse to eat the food they offer me.  I don't let it bother me.  My life is more important to me than sparing the feelings of the oversensitive. 

I very rarely eat out.  When I do eat out, I am an annoying customer.  I ask questions about everything.  I ask the same questions over and over again.  I'm not trying to be annoying, neither am I doubting the faculties of the person I'm speaking to, I just know that when it's not your life on the line, you're not going to be as diligent as I am.  After all, my life, quite literally, is.

Last weekend, I received a terrifying reminder of this reality.  My best friend had recently started working as a waitress at a new upscale tapas restaurant which had been getting great local reviews.  As I said, I rarely eat out, and the Asian theme of this restaurant did cause me to pause, since peanuts are a prevalent ingredient in Chinese cuisine.  But since this was a nice restaurant to which I had a personal connection (my friend assured me I could speak to the owner and head chef directly before ordering), I decided it would be safe to stop by and try a dish or two.

The restaurant was clean and decorated in a modern style.  It was one of those new, trendy, too-hip-to-use-the-word-fusion places where the head chef is also the owner.  The chef/owner and the manager both greeted me personally when they found out their waitress was my friend.  I explained my allergy to them an they assured me it was no problem to keep my meal nut free.  "I created all the recipes, and I know what I put nuts in," the owner assured me. 

When I made my selections, my friend brought the list to the owner and he okayed everything, positive there was nothing to be worried about.

My first dish had a suspicious-looking dressing drizzled across it.  Even though I had already been assured repeatedly that everything I ordered was peanut-free, experience has taught me it never hurts to be redundant in these matters.  "There're no peanuts in this dressing, right?" I asked again.

"No, no," stated the owner.  "It's just sesame.  I make it myself."

I started to eat the salad with as much confidence as I start to eat anything I didn't make with my own two hands.  The food was creative and very well prepared, but after about five minutes.  I noticed a familiar tickling sensation in the back of my throat.

Trying not to panic, I called my friend over.  "Are you sure there's no nuts in this?" I asked.

"The owner promised me there's not," she said, but when she saw the worry on my face, she rushed to call him over.

The owner and the manager came over and assured me again the dish was peanut-free.  "It's only sesame paste," the owner told me.  "You're not allergic to sesame seeds, right?"

Half the restaurant staff was standing around me at this point telling me, in essence, that I wasn't feeling what I was feeling.  When you're trying to decide whether to run to the bathroom and inject yourself with epinephrine, this is the second-worst experience in the world.

The worst experience in the world is struggling to breathe in the passenger seat after you've injected yourself with epinephrine and realized it didn't do anything to mollify the anaphylaxis while your friend is driving down the left side of the road to get you to the hospital before your throat closes completely and your heart stops. 

In the emergency room I was IV'd, EKG'd, and injected.  My blood pressure dropped so low that for a while they were worried I would have a heart attack.  I was admitted overnight with an IV and a heart monitor.  Several doctors and nurses stopped in to let me know I was lucky to be alive.

My friend later told me that while I had been in the bathroom administering my epipen, the owner had checked the packaging of the sesame paste he had used to make the dressing, and sure enough, peanuts were the second ingredient.  This was not a vague warning of "processed in a facility which also may contain peanuts," this was the second freaking ingredient after sesame seeds in the sesame paste. 

Fortunately, my parents taught me exactly what to do in that situation, so I was able to save myself by taking my medicine and rushing to the ER.  If that hadn't been the case, you probably wouldn't be reading this entry right now.

And all because the restaurant owner wouldn't check a package of sesame paste.

Peanut allergies have been in the news a lot in the past ten years.  The generation below mine has apparently been walloped with a peanut allergy epidemic.  Peanuts have been banned from school campuses, and in-class birthday parties with cupcakes and cookies are a thing of the past.

Still, many who don't deal with these allergies on a personal level tend to roll their eyes at these regulations.  For most people, it's hard to believe that something that can be so nourishing and tasty (and often nostalgic and comforting - think PB&J) can be literal poison for someone else.  There are also people who may have a technical peanut allergy with only minor reactions such as hives, who go around saying things like "I can eat a small amount and it's okay."  For me, this is not an option.  One nibble of a peanut butter cookie could cause me to go into anaphylactic shock and die. 

But because of all the conflicting information (as well as real variations in type and severity), many non-allergic people still view these allergies as something minor, exaggerated, psychosomatic, or even fabricated to garner attention.  I know, because the fact of my allergy has been met with each one of these attitudes more times than I can count, as recently as this week.

I'm not going to name the restaurant.  The goal of this entry is not to attack an individual chef or establishment.  I merely want to relate my first-hand experience as an example to whoever reads this of why it really is that important to know what you're feeding people, whether you own a restaurant or not, especially if they let you know they have a food allergy. It's a weird and scary world out there when an innocent legume that can nourish one person can react like arsenic in the belly of another.  We all need to look out for one another.  Sometimes it can be as easy as reading the label on a package.

This Saturday, Boston Sports Club of Davis Square is holding a special fitness event from 1-4 which is FREE and OPEN TO NON-MEMBERS.

Though there is no charge for the "Fitness Fest," donations will be accepted to help BSC yoga instructor extraordinaire fund his project, Dharma Wind, a hand-built catamaran which will, upon completion, be the site of open-air yoga and other mind/body classes, as well as traveling, open sea yoga retreats.

From Ben's website:

"In addition to the artistry of form and the soulful heritage of the voyaging canoes, the Dharma Wind is being built as a double canoe for many practical reasons.  Being a catamaran, she is very wide, and incredibly stable.  Keeping the deck clear of unnecessary structure, we will have a large open space for training in mind-body arts.  It will be an open air studio with the freedom of movement.  With uncluttered space, and horizon on all sides, the mind will quickly lend itself to the expansion and reflection of meditation.  We will also be able to rig temporary shelter over this space, for conducting classes in dry comfort while rain ripples the surface of the water."

Sounds pretty idyllic to me.

The fundraiser event will include three fitness classes that cover a wide range of exercise approaches, starting with a spin class, following up with something called "triple threat" (I know I'm intimidated,) and finally closing with a yoga class taught by Ben himself. Come by to get a feel for the yoga offerings of Dharma Wind.  As you do your sun salutations in the temperature-controlled, second-story gym overlooking the Rockwell-esque bustle of Davis Square, you can envision how you might feel cycling through the same poses on the deck of a beautiful wooden boat out on the open ocean. 

If the word "menstruation" makes you cringe, please take this opportunity to navigate away from this blog entry.  You're not going to like what comes next.

But if you're a woman between the ages of twelve and fifty, you most likely deal monthly with She of 1,000 Euphemisms, or, bluntly, the human reproductive cycle.  Menses.  Your period.

And if you're one of these women raised in North America, you are probably familiar with the range of "feminine hygiene" products available in drugstores and supermarkets.  Most of you probably consider yourselves either tampon or pad girls, and purchase boxes of your preferred method monthly or bi-monthly, maybe raising an eyebrow over warnings of Toxic Shock Syndrome or articles about the bleaches and chemicals used in the cotton in these disposables, maybe worrying momentarily about all the waste created by going through a dozen boxes of these products every month, but generally resigned to one of these approaches.  After all, what other options are there?

Well, there's the menstrual cup, for one.  Please take a moment to view the image above.  This magical little cup is a reusable, environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and relatively worry-free alternative to tampons.  Yes, you stick that thing inside of you.  Yes, you reuse it.  No, it's not gross, or at least not any grosser than shoving a piece of cotton up there and letting it rot, or reusing your underwear after washing them, for that matter. 

Here's the rundown.  You wash it and replace it twice a day in the shower or in the bathroom while you get ready for bed.  The rest of the time, you don't need to worry about leakage, or make any mad dashes to the bathroom with your purse.  When the cup is properly placed, you can't even feel it.  Many women have experienced a significant reduction in cramps after switching to cups from tampons, and since cups simply collect falling fluid rather than absorbing it, you can leave it in for 12 hours at a time without worrying about Toxic Shock Syndrome. 

I've personally used a cup for five years, and I remember when I first started I was actually angry that I had used tampons since I was fourteen.  For me, there was no comparison.  I used to dread those few days a month during which I felt like I was keeping a dirty little secret, always sneaking off to the bathroom with an unmarked package and silently praying for divine leak protection in formal wear.  After a few cycles using a cup, my attitude toward my period changed completely.  I often said I forgot I even had a period because the maintenance was so carefree compared to life pre-cup.

As if the sheer convenience weren't enough, cups are also environmentally and economically sound.  The same cup will last you ten years if you take care of it properly, saving whole dump trucks full of waste generated by disposable tampons and pads.  Plus, a cup will run you about thirty bucks.  If you buy even one four-dollar box of tampons per month, a cup will more than pay for itself in less than a year. 

It's truly the wave of the future.  So, are you ready to go with the flow?

In the United States and Canada, the two most readily available brands of menstrual cups are The Keeper and The Diva Cup.

The Keeper is the original American manufacturer of the modern menstrual cup.  The Keeper is a brown, latex rubber model which comes in two sizes:  Size B for women who have never given birth vaginally, and Size A for women who have.  (The inside of your vagina changes considerably not only after childbirth, but also as you grow older.  Many women in their late twenties or thirties require the larger sized cup, even if they've never given birth).  As the first modern mainstream provider of menstrual cups, and being the only modern brand that offers a product in natural latex instead of silicone, Keepers have acquired a somewhat crunchier, more holistic image than many of their competitors, including the Diva Cup.

The Diva Cup, which is also available in two sizes and is made of a soft, clear, medical-grade silicone.  Diva Cup is a Canadian company, and Divas have traditionally been marketed less to the "organic, granola, one-with-your-body" and more to the "practical, in-control, on-the-go" side of the modern girl demographic than the Keeper.  The fact that it's made of silicone is especially exciting to those who are interested in cups but are allergic to latex.  (Keeper has since released its own silicone cup, The Moon Cup, but reports of shady branding practices have led many cup enthusiasts [they do exist] to call for a boycott of this product.  For more information about the Moon Cup US boycott, click this link.)

Both of these brands are available at Whole Foods and Cambridge Naturals, but there are a dozen other international brands out there, all of which are designed slightly differently and may "fit" different people better.  If you want to know all your options, check out this comprehensive comparison.  (Note, not all of these international brands hold US FDA approval, so this is something to consider if FDA approval is a concern for you.)

If you're interested in the history of the menstrual cup, check out this page on the Museum of Menstruation and Women's Health website.

And for the YouTube-attention-spanned (down here, guys!  down here!), here's a video sponsored by Diva Cup that gives a pretty snappy rundown.
 

Most of us are aware of all the problems caused by the overabundance of salt in the American diet, but the profusion of SUGAR is also the cause of a plethora of health problems. 

The average American consumes over 100 lbs of sugar and sweeteners every year.  Not only does too much sugar eventually lead to diabetes and heart disease, but in the short run it causes weight gain, mood swings, and low energy. 

Michelle Pfennighaus, a certified nutrition and wellness coach registered with the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, is teaching a FREE WORKSHOP at VIM Fitness in Central Square at 7PM on January 25th, 2010.  Drop by and lay the smackdown on your sugar addiction.

Sugar Smackdown
January 25, 2010
7:00 pm
VIM Fitness, 350 Mass Ave, Central Square
Cost: Free
Open to the public - all are welcome

REGISTER HERE for FREE

It's that time of year when New Englanders break out their snowboots and faux-fur-rimmed parkas to greet Old Man Winter's hoary endowments.  Like many of you readers, my roommates and I spent much of the weekend trudging around in a sparkly white wonderland attempting to mold and manipulate the sparkly whiteness to our whims using shovels, scrapers, and occasionally, arms and legs.  

We do it because we have to, and we generally don't think too much about it, but change the setting, the clothes, and the intention, and you've got an intensive kettlebell workout.  Yet most of us don't take the time or the mental energy to properly prepare our bodies for the strain.  Not only that, but we rush to get through the task as quickly as possible, most likely mentally occupied with something else. 

Would you go to the gym in your flipflops and jeans and begin carelessly tossing around barbells?  Then why tackle snow shoveling with such cavalier lassitude?  Just because it's a task you don't want to be doing doesn't mean it won't screw up your back.  You may find yourself sore the day after shoveling snow.  Your shoulders and chest may feel weak and/or tight from the lifting and pushing.  Or you may notice a painful burning sensation in your lower back or hip area. 

According to our own Richard Green, a sharp pain in the lower back while shoveling means you've crossed a threshold, and your body's defenses are kicking in to let you know to stop.  But if you're in the middle of shoveling and have no help, you're probably not going to be able to stop completely.  If you feel yourself beginning to push your limits, try to do only the bare minimum of work that is necessary. 

If after shoveling you notice tenderness to the touch in your lower back, you have probably strained a muscle or some other soft tissues (including tendons, ligaments, and fascia). 

Richard should know.  He strained his own back just this weekend shoveling snow, proving even the most accomplished bodyworkers are not immune to bodily strain.  Richard uses a combination of ice and ibuprofen to help mollify inflamed muscles.  He would like to remind others who use ice not to place the freezing surface of the icepack directly on the skin, but make sure to use a barrier such as a towel or cloth.

But of course, a flurry of prevention is worth a blizzard of cure.  MTW's own Kris Quinones shares some tips to prevent injury while hoisting your slushpile to the curb. 

Kris's Shoveling Tips::

*Buy a decent shovel:  Invest the $30 for a quality one.  Those cheap, plastic shovels wreak havoc on your body and don't work well at all.  Some are shaped for lifting snow (flat), others are curved for "plowing" or pushing snow aside.  Find the right one. 

*Bend your knees:  Please folks, don't lift with your backs.  Snow isn't always light and fluffy so don't think you can just "fling" that snow without keeping your back straight.

*Take breaks:  I've got a long driveway.  Waaaay long.  So I tackle it in sections, taking breaks every 20 minutes or so.  I also find it helpful to go out and shovel after only a few inches have accumulated - even when it continues to snow.  Going out twice to lift less snow is better than going out once and straining my muscles.

*Wear the right gear:  Dress in layers and wear boots with proper traction.  I'm amazed at how many people I see out there in their regular shoes.  Good traction = good body mechanics = less risk of injury.

*Know your limits:  Shoveling can be quite a cardio workout.  Don't underestimate the amount of energy it takes and ask for help if you need it.   -KQ

This time of year, people tend to make New Year's Resolutions.  I've always thought the notion was a little silly, myself.  Why wait for some arbitrary "beginning" to improve yourself?  Your mind and body don't run by the calendar.  Anytime can be the right time to change for the better.

For us in the Northeast, this time of year does not obviously lend itself to active change (or activity of any type, really, besides cuddling by fireplaces, knitting, and drinking warm chocolatey and/or alcoholic beverages).  That said, midwinter is as good a time as any to change your diet or start a workout routine. 

In a climate like ours here in Boston, winter is a time of self-reflection and regeneration.  Symbolically, it is a quiet time of gestation, preparing us for the rebirth of the coming spring.  If you look at it that way, it makes perfect sense that the seeds you plant during these seemingly lifeless months will grow into the person you will be in the year to come.

Getting in shape/losing weight always hangs out near the number one spot in those Top Ten New Year's Resolutions lists.  Since it's relatively safe to assume that the readers of a wellness blog are interested in, well, wellness, I'm going to go ahead and wager that many of you have goals of improving or maintaining your physical health in 2010. 

Starting a yoga routine can be one of the most effective ways to jump-start your fitness goals.  But if you've seen some advanced yogis in wild poses like the one above, you may find the prospect a bit intimidating. 

Our massage therapist Jared was a busy student who didn't think he had time to work out.  "I hardly exercised," he tells me.  "I would run a couple of miles every few weeks, but I didn't have anything close to a regular workout routine.

"A lot of my friends and clients were into yoga, and it got me interested.  People would come in to be massaged because of injuries sustained while they were trying to get into this or that pose.  I really started doing yoga hoping to better understand the needs of my clients.

"When I took my first class, I was shocked by how these people could move.  That first time, I was struggling just to get into the basic poses.  I knew I wasn't doing any of them right, but I also knew the second time would be easier.  Sure enough, at my second class, I could nail most of the basic poses, and felt the workout much more."

Jared started taking a yoga class once per week at Karma Yoga in Harvard Square.  By his third class, he started noticing changes in his body, both in class and in everyday life.  "I noticed while I was doing normal things, like opening doors, or even walking, that my movements were more controlled and fluid.  My stride was more confident and controlled.  I used to sort of drag my feet and shuffle around. 

"I used to be very clumsy.  All of a sudden, I was more aware of my body.  The more I've practiced, the more in control of my movements I feel.  I don't trip over myself or bump into things anymore.  And I noticed I was getting more flexible.  It wasn't as difficult to bend over and pick something up.

"I'm also much stronger physically now.  It's been great - so much better for me than weight lifting, which shortens muscles.  Yoga lengthens as it strengthens, and also teaches you how to use those muscles practically."

Another major benefit of yoga that becomes immediately apparent to most people beginning their practice is the awareness and control of breath.  "I have much more endurance and don't get out of breath as easily as I did before," Jared notes.  "Also, when I do get out of breath, I recover much more quickly."

It's true that some of the most advanced poses can take years of practice to achieve, but the basics can be learned relatively quickly and easily, and each pose can be modified for the individual's ability level.  Because of this inherent "customization" factor, every yoga practitioner will get the workout that is most beneficial to him or her.  Jared has learned to adjust his poses slightly as his ability level increases.  "Every class, I notice I can do a little more."

Jared's tips for fledgling yogis:

*Go with a friend, especially someone who practices yoga.  It'll help you feel less awkward, and you can ask them your questions. 

*Let the teacher know you're new.  They will usually give you extra help and instruction to get you started right.

*Tightish clothes are better than loose.  There are a lot of upside-down positions, and baggy clothes will fly up. 

*Everyone has to start somewhere.  Remember, don't be too hard on yourself, and above all, be flexible.  Listen to your body and its abilities.  Take it slow.  You'll be a pro before you know it.