How to get rid of Arthritis with he New Wave of Watery Workouts

Last one in the water is a … Remember this challenge from your childhood? For today’s fitness-conscious adults, it has new meaning. Don’t be the last person to discover the new wave of water workouts — for strength and cardio training, flexibility, relaxation, rehabilitation, and weight management.

“We’re seeing growth in both ends of the spectrum [of aquatic workouts], from high-intensity exercises like kickboxing and circuit training to mind/body workouts like ai chi, which combines tai chi and shiatsu massage,” says Julie See, president of the Aquatic Exercise Association (AEA) in Nokomis, Fla. “We’re working against a perception that aquatic exercise is just for old people, not the young and fit. With younger people coming into the water, we’re starting to see a lot of sport-specific training and one-on-one personal training.”

“If it’s been a decade or more since you had a water fitness class, you’ll see many changes,” says Jane Katz, EdD, associate professor of health and physical education, City College of New York, and author of Aquafit: Water Workouts for Total Fitness. “Back then it would have been traditional skills of breathing, floating and swimming, which are still taught today, but with the addition of stretching and vertical exercises” done in a standing position.

Another difference, she says, is the abundance of exercise equipment. A lot of landlubber gear has made its way to the pool: handheld weights, rubber tubing, even bicycles and treadmills. Plus, the old aquatic stand-bys like fins and kickboards are no longer “one-size-fits all.” They’re engineered in a host of styles to suit specific applications.

Who Can Benefit From Water Exercise?

Water exercise can benefit virtually everyone, says Katz. A former Olympian, she teaches fitness and swimming to New York City firefighters and police officers and also has a special fondness for a class for women in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. Athletes use water to rehabilitate after injury or to cross-train. People with arthritis or other disabilities that can’t perform land exercise use water to improve fitness and range of motion and to relieve pain and stiffness.

Age and physical condition aren’t issues in the water. Kids love to play in water without realizing it’s good for them. Seniors who rely on a walker or wheelchair on land can stand in water with the help of flotation belts and water’s buoyancy. Water exercises provide less stress on the bodies of pregnant women.

Also not at issue is the ability to swim: Most water workouts consist of exercise done in a vertical position (with the bonus of keeping your hair dry).

Water’s buoyancy accommodates both the fit and unfit. Water cushions stiff and painful joints or fragile bones that might be injured by the impact of land exercises. When immersed to the waist, your body bears just 50% of its weight; immersed to the chest, it’s 25%-35%; and to the neck, 10%. In addition, says See, the lower gravity promotes the return of blood to the heart from the extremities.

Who Can Benefit From Water Exercise? continued…

While water significantly reduces exercise’s impact to the back and joints, running and other vertical shallow-water exercises do cause some impact. That’s one reason experts advise wearing shoes. “Initially, any type of shoe will work,” says See. “You don’t want to invest a lot of money when you start an exercise program.” For starters, she suggests lightweight sneakers such as Keds. “Once you get hooked on water, which usually takes a couple of weeks, invest in a better shoe.”

Water provides at least 12 times greater resistance than air, and in every direction. “No matter which way you move, it challenges you,” says Katz. “You don’t need equipment, you don’t need an Olympic-sized pool. All you need is your body.”

Water cools your body and prevents overheating. See points out that even in 80- to 85-degree water, the recommended temperature for exercise, you should warm up in the water before your workout to prevent injury. Just as with a land workout, you will sweat during water exercises, so it’s important to drink water.

Intimidation may not be the first thing you think of when you consider the differences between land and water exercise. But it’s important, because concern about appearance or proper technique prevents many people from being physically active.

“Water is democratic,” says See. “Once you’re in the pool, we’re all the same. There’s less intimidation than walking into an aerobics studio surrounded by mirrors. You don’t have to wear a swimsuit. If you’re more comfortable, wear Lycra pants and a T-shirt. And it doesn’t matter if you’re on the wrong foot. As long as you’re moving, you’re getting the benefit.”

Can It Help Me Lose Weight?

There’s debate as to how efficiently water exercise burns calories. Katz says there’s some evidence that water exercise isn’t as effective as land exercise for losing body fat. One reason is that the big muscles in the legs and buttocks don’t have to work as hard in water.

Nevertheless, she says, water exercise can contribute to weight management. Strenuous exercise curbs appetite and promotes relaxation, factors in controlling compulsive eating.

Also, studies of water walking have showed that the number of calories burned increases with the depth of the water. Katz says a half-hour of deep-water running burns 300 calories, compared with 200-250 for running on land, 150 for tennis, and 150-200 for aerobics. Also, a 150-pound person swimming at his or her target heart rate burns about 600 calories per hour.

Choosing a Water Exercise Program

Here’s a roundup of some popular types of water workouts:

• Aerobics. Water aerobics classes feature vertical exercises that often mimic land exercises, like dancing, walking, running, jumping jacks, and kickboxing. While swimming is a horizontal exercise performed on the top of the water, vertical exercises increase the workload because they’re done below the surface where drag is greater. If you’re just beginning an exercise program, start slowly by walking in shallow water. Gradually increase the intensity of your workout by moving to waist-high, then chest-high water, and adding movements that use both arms and legs. Always do a five-minute warm-up and cool-down.
• Deep-water exercise. Deep water provides a no-impact workout and has long been associated with rehabilitation, but it’s also a great place to get a high-intensity athletic workout while preventing overuse injuries. Using flotation belts, you can jog, run, do sit-ups, and more.
• Swimming laps. Katz says many people think swimming laps is boring, but there are ways to vary routines: learning different strokes, practicing dives and turns, and adding equipment such as kickboards, foam noodles, and fins. Even if you do land exercises before entering the water, always begin your session with a warm-up, which can be a few laps of very relaxed swimming, to raise your core body temperature and put your body in the groove for swimming. A beginner — someone who can swim 10-25 yards without stopping — should plan a 30-minute workout that includes a 10-minute warm-up, 15-minute main set, and five-minute cooldown. Katz advocates a progressive program that takes swimmers from a total distance of 100 yards up to two miles. As your speed and endurance improve, you’ll want to add strokes to your repertoire, time yourself on the different strokes, and test your endurance.
• Holistic workout. Take your favorite yoga, Pilates, and tai chi exercises to the water or join a class to learn these popular mind/body movements. Some exercises offer multiple benefits. For example, the yoga “warrior” position performed in waist-high water provides relaxation, relieves stiffness in the waist and rib areas, stretches the entire body, and strengthens arms and legs. Water’s support and the fluid movements of these exercises make them ideal during pregnancy and rehabilitation. Katz recommends 30-minute routines that include five minutes each of warm-up and cool-down. The workouts can focus on relaxation, strength and toning, cardiovascular and aerobic exercise, or flexibility.
• Sport-specific workouts. Katz says water workouts add variety to sports conditioning, offer relief in hot weather, and enable training to continue after an injury. In addition, you can isolate certain moves and reinforce them in the water. For example, a golfer, tennis player, or baseball player could stand in chest-deep water and practice their swings, paying close attention to proper technique. Resistance devices, such as paddles, can be used to make the workout more challenging. For variety, do an aquatic circuit-training workout that incorporates exercises such as boxing punches, soccer kicks, and cross-country skiing movements.
• Prescriptive workouts. For the past 25 years, water exercise has been “prescribed” for people with arthritis. It improves range of motion and flexibility and relieves joint pain and stiffness. Lesser-known but equally important are workouts that target other health conditions, including asthma, obesity, pregnancy, back problems and more. Experts advise consulting with your doctor before beginning a program.

Many gyms now offer a variety of aquatic exercise programs. But if you don’t have access to a water exercise class, don’t despair. Books and videos are excellent ways to learn proper techniques and create your own program.

Let you Chi be Free

To run without injury, take a lesson from the Far East. Get focused, loosen up – and get out there.

To begin running, you don’t need buns of steel. You don’t need iron muscles. You don’t even need a masochistic mindset.

It may surprise you, but even the most sports-challenged of us can become runners, and do it without sustaining injuries.

How? Learn to run using your mind-body connection, drawing from traditional Chinese medicine, explains Danny Dreyer, a nationally ranked ultra-marathon runner in the San Francisco Bay area. He lays out his plan in his book Chi Running: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running.

In Chinese culture, chi (pronounced chee) is the subtle energy force that flows through all parts of your body, he says. By practicing mental focus and relaxation — principles from the ancient practice of T’ai Chi – you can train your body to stay centered, relaxed, and move efficiently.

“If you use your brain, you don’t need to work your body as hard,” Dreyer tells WebMD. “ChiRunning is about having a constant conversation between your mind and your body, getting your mind to train your body to relax, and listen to what your body trying to tell you.”

Effortless running is about relaxing muscles, opening tight joints, and using gravity to do the work, he says. Here’s a quick how-to-start outline:

Step 1: Focus Your Mind

“It’s the mind that does the bulk of the work in ChiRunning,” writes Dreyer. “Your mind turns off the chatter and focuses so it can listen to your body.”

Your mind instructs your muscles to start working or relaxing. Your mind orchestrates the perfect run, starting out slowly, finding the perfect tempo, he adds. Your mind takes in the beauty of your surroundings so that you finish relaxed, and full of energy.

When you begin running, your mind must also push against the body’s natural inertia. “Your body is like a dumb animal,” Dreyer tells WebMD. “It will stay at rest until acted upon by an outside force like your mind. You have to train it.”

Step 2: Sense Your Body

Pay close attention to what your body is doing. Practice listening to any little nuances that you can detect. Feel your foot hitting the ground. Feel your posture.

Is your body moving in the way you intended it to? Is your movement easier or more difficult? Are there subtle changes you should make?

As you begin running, you must develop body sense. Then you will become your own best teacher and coach, says Dreyer.

Step 3: Breathe to Tap Into Chi

The more efficiently your body can take in oxygen, the easier running will feel, Dreyer explains. If you’re not breathing deeply into your lower lungs, you’re not getting as much air as you could — a common problem when people begin running.

To belly-breathe, stand or sit and place your hands over your belly button. Now purse your lips as if you’re trying to blow a candle out, and exhale, emptying your lungs by pulling in your belly button toward your spine. When you’ve blown out as much air as you can, relax your belly and the inhale will occur naturally.

Practice breathing out for three steps, breathing in for two steps. Try matching your breath with your cadence.

Step 4: Relax Your Muscles

Tight muscles can’t get the oxygen they need. The cure is easy: Just relax! Don’t take yourself so seriously. Drop your shoulders. Smile. Relax your glutes. Float like a butterfly… lighten up, says Dreyer.

When muscles are loose and relaxed, the oxygen carried in your blood can enter the muscle cells much more easily than if your muscles are tense. Keep telling your muscles, “Softer is better!”

Step 5: Practice Good Posture

Having good running posture is the cornerstone of ChiRunning. When your posture is correct, energy or chi flows through your body unhindered, he explains.

Your aligned body has a centerline that runs from head to foot. It is the “steel” that supports your body, which allows your arms and legs to relax. Running with your posture out of alignment creates tension and fatigue.

Stand in front of a mirror. Straighten your upper body. Then look down at your feet. If you can see your shoelaces, it’s a good bet that your dots are connected in a straight line – perfect. Memorize how this feels. Practice it.

Step 6: Start Slow

When you begin to run, take it gradually, says Dreyer. “Practice your posture. Really memorize what it feels like to have good posture. Feel yourself standing in straight line. Practice alternating do on one foot, then switch. Shift weight back and forth. Feel yourself keeping posture line straight while on one foot a time.”

Then, it’s time for a little jog. Connect with your posture. Feel your feet down at the bottom of your posture line. Start to jog slowly. When one foot hits the ground, feel it hitting at bottom of your posture line. Practice moving from one foot to the next, taking baby steps.”

“Speed is not a factor here,” Dreyer says. “That’s the very last thing you should think about. You’re working on form — holding it little bit longer each time. Stretch that over a block, two blocks, three blocks. That’s building distance, until you can hold your form over distance.”

It’s True: Mind Over Matter Works

Sports physiologists have long known that “there’s a huge connection between self-talk and running,” says Tom Holland, MS, exercise physiologist, sports performance coach, and lecturer for the American Running Association.

Whether you call it ChiRunning, or mindful running, the research is clear. “Studies show that when athletes dissociate, when they wear a walkman when they run, they don’t do as well,” Holland tells WebMD. “Many runners want to think of anything but the running. But our thoughts literally change our physiologic reactions. Our thoughts are performance cues. When you do positive self-talk, you do fine.”

When you begin to run, take it slow, he says. “Get outside the door. Set short term and long term goals. Plan to run, but take walking breaks. We’re debunking the myth that walking is bad. The goal is to get somewhere with the least effort.”

It’s True: Mind Over Matter Works continued…

Example: Decide to go three miles, regardless how many times you walk, how many you run. Or go out for 15 minutes. Or set one lap around the block as your goal. Set small goals that are concrete, attainable, realistic. Set dates for achieving them. Do your first 5K in six months; your first marathon next year.

“Running is 95% a mental game,” Holland adds. “What’s the number one thing want to achieve?” Is it losing weight? Fitting into your wedding dress? Looking good at Cozumel? Set a goal, and suddenly you have incentive. You will begin running!

Try a new type of yoga

Bikram, Astanga, Kripalu, Sivananda, Iyengar … while these may sound Greek to most people, they are actually different yoga styles, derived from India more than 5,000 years ago. No longer only for the flower children of the ’60s, yoga is now mainstream. There are more than 20 million people in North America practicing yoga as exercise for the mind and body, according to the Yoga Education and Research Center.

But with so many yoga styles available, it may seem like a daunting task for the beginner to tell one from the next. Before you can say “om,” seasoned yoga experts explain to WebMD the philosophy of yoga, what the different yoga styles involve, and how you can pick a style that is right for your body — and mind.

The Philosophy

Hatha yoga is the yoga style that is mainly practiced in the U.S., and within it, are many variations, including Bikram and Iyengar. Although these variations differ, each type — no matter the branch or name — is based on the same underlying principle.

“The philosophy of yoga is that it focuses on the combination of body, mind, and spirit,” says Elise Browning Miller, MA, a certified Iyengar yoga teacher in Mt. View, Calif., who has been teaching since 1976. “It’s connecting with your self on a deeper basis.”

Yoga is about quieting the fluctuations of the mind, explains Miller.

For instance, “If you are doing yoga, but you’re thinking about work or grocery shopping, it’s not yoga — its exercise,” Miller tells WebMD. “With yoga, you need to bring your focus into the present.”

It provides a sense of peacefulness and well-being while energizing you at the same time.

“Physically doing the asanas (the yoga poses) is translated as that which is steady and with ease,” says Miller. “So there is a stability within the poses and within your mind. Yoga can make you very fit, it conditions your muscles, it energizes you, it helps you breathe, gives you more tone and balance, and more of a feeling of goodness about yourself.”

The Hatha Yoga Styles

The variations of Hatha yoga range from the physically challenging to the meditatively transcending. According to the Yoga Research and Education Center web site, they include:

Iyengar yoga, which is the most widely recognized approach to Hatha yoga, is characterized by precision performance and the aid of various props, such as cushions, benches, wood blocks, straps, and even sand bags.

“Iyengar is more focused on alignment, and even though it’s not always moving quickly, it’s very intense and adapted for beginners,” says Miller.

Astanga yoga involves synchronizing the breath with a fast-paced series of postures — a process producing intense internal heat and a profuse, purifying sweat that detoxifies muscles and organs. The result is improved circulation, a light and strong body, and a calm mind.

Bikram yoga is a system of 26 postures that are performed in a standard sequence in a room heated to 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit. This approach is fairly vigorous and requires a certain level of fitness on the part of students.

“Bikram is done in a room with a high temperature,” says Miller. “There is less focus on alignment, and more on sweating and getting a good workout.”

Viniyoga focuses on practicing a posture according to one’s individual needs and capacity. Regulated breathing is an important aspect of Viniyoga, and the breath is carefully coordinated with the postural movements.

Kripalu yoga is a three-stage yoga. In the first stage, postural alignment and coordination of breath and movement are emphasized, and the postures are held for a short duration only. In the second stage, meditation is included into the practice and postures are held for prolonged periods. In the final stage, the practice of postures becomes a spontaneous “meditation in motion.”

Integral yoga made a debut at the Woodstock festival in 1969, where yoga expert Swami Satchidananda taught thousands to chant, “om.” This style aims to integrate the various aspects of the body and mind through a combination of postures, breathing techniques, deep relaxation, and meditation, and function is more important than form. In this style of yoga, breathing and meditation are emphasized as much as the postures.

Sivananda yoga includes a series of twelve postures, breathing exercises, relaxation, and mantra chanting.

Ananda yoga is a gentle style that is designed to prepare the student for meditation, involving consciously directing the body’s energy to different organs and limbs.

5 Tips to the Right Yoga Style

With so many choices available, just showing up at your local YMCA for a yoga class might not cut it. What should you look for when choosing a style? Experts give WebMD five tips to transcending the confusion, starting with finding the right instructor.

1. “Look for an instructor that is professional and that has a clear understanding of yoga in general so he or she can be helpful,” says Tony Sanchez, a yoga instructor in San Francisco and president of the U.S. Yoga Association. “The instructor should be able to comprehend the different levels of the yoga postures and read a person’s needs so he can teach the exercises accordingly.”

2. “Educate yourself,” says Miller. “Do some reading and learn more about the different styles available near you.”

3. Then it’s time to try yoga.

“Try a class and see if you like it,” says Sanchez. “Do you like the instructor? Does the instructor know what he is doing? Is he knowledgeable?”

4. When you try a class, ask yourself if it is suitable for you.

“Iyengar is an easier yoga because it concentrates on more detail, with fewer exercises but more attention to alignment,” says Sanchez. “While Bikram and Astanga yoga are more extreme. These can challenge a person beyond his or her ability, and this is where there is more risk for injury.”

So know your limits, explains Sanchez.

“You should be able to understand how far you should push yourself safely,” says Sanchez. “The instructor should be paying attention that the students are doing the positions with proper alignment and posture. And the students should decide if they are pushing themselves too hard or not enough.”

5. When you find a style that is right for you body and mind, Miller recommends wearing comfortable clothing and avoiding eating before class.

Yoga for Everyone

“Yoga is good for everyone,” says Sanchez. “If you are strong, you may want to build flexibility. If you are looking to build muscle, you may want to choose the exercises that work on strength.”

There are so many different yoga styles available, explains Sanchez, that everyone can find a style that is beneficial for them and start working toward healthier minds and bodies.

NIA – is the new yoga martial arts fitness

NIA, a blend of yoga, martial arts, and dance, is one of the latest trends in mind-body fitness fusion.

Tired of walking the walk to nowhere on the treadmill? Burned out on the repetitive pounding of aerobics? If the term “joyful workout” sounds like an oxymoron to you, it might be time to give NIA a try. NIA (pronounced NEE-ah) stands for neuromuscular integrative action, and it’s one of the latest trends in mind-body fitness fusion. A unique blending of the fluidity and focus of Tai Chi and yoga, the grace and spontaneity of modern dance, and the energy and explosiveness of martial arts, NIA boosts both physical and emotional well-being, say enthusiasts around the country.

Best of all, NIA is just plain fun, says Sandy Bramlett, MED, a NIA instructor and director of Bodywise Studio in Atlanta. “It’s pleasurable, healthy and never boring. I’m 56 and feel like I can do it for the rest of my life.”

While it’s just catching on nationwide, the workout actually dates back to 1983 — the height of the aerobics boom, NIA co-founder Debbie Rosas tells WebMD. Although the Santa Rosa, Calif., studio she was running at the time was doing very well, she and NIA co-founder Carlos Rosas decided her classes needed a jump-start.

“We started thinking, ‘What are we doing to our bodies, to our students’ bodies, with all this jumping up and down?’” she says. “Aerobics was too myopic, too limiting, cutting out a large amount of the population that needed to be moving. We wanted to address the whole body and mind.”

And so NIA (which originally stood for non-impact aerobics) was born. Classes, which typically last an hour, are designed for all ages and fitness levels, says Bramlett, who has students ranging in age from 20-something to 88.

Even as they await published studies about NIA’s effects on health, exercise physiologists and doctors praise the trendy workout for getting more people into some kind of fitness regimen.

“Anytime you get people moving in something they enjoy, you’ll start to see health benefits,” Richard Cotton, MA, exercise physiologist based in San Diego, Calif., tells WebMD.

“Too many Americans are still not exercising,” says Cotton, who edits publications for the American Council on Exercise. “While NIA is more like Tai Chi than traditional aerobics, it certainly brings about changes in the body that enhance one’s health. And it’s a whole lot better than sitting around on the couch all day.”

William O. Roberts, MD, vice president of the American College of Sports Medicine, agrees.

Roberts, who acknowledges he had to read up on the still relatively obscure NIA before speaking with WebMD, says, “Anything that keeps people moving is great. So if NIA is what gets them up and going, that’s fantastic.”

There’s no doubt the workout improves strength and flexibility, adds Roberts, a family practitioner in private practice in White Bear Lake, Minn. “How much your heart rate gets going will dictate your cardiovascular benefit,” he says

The NIA Experience

So just what makes up a NIA workout?

The first step: Kick your shoes off, Bramlett says. Then, as soft music plays, the instructor leads the class in deep-breathing exercises, designed to help students relax while meditating on the connection between their bare feet and the earth.

“We warm up our joints and muscles and get the energy flowing in preparation for doing more, working in space to increase range of motion, shifting weight, stimulating our body with movement so that our breathing increases, helping us to strengthen our heart and lungs,” Bramlett says.

As the tempo livens, students start to shake, shimmy, and spin. Some rock and roll, others clap. As the freestyle dance continues, some burst into spontaneous song. Tae kwon do-style kicks and punches let off steam while boosting the heart rate.

While NIA teachers shun the drill-like orders of aerobics instructors, they gently lead the class in visualization and vocalization techniques, Rosas says. For example, students may be asked to shout “yes!” while lifting their arms to the sky, a means of releasing pent-up emotions.

“The more connected your body is to feelings, the more power, strength and grace you have, and the more stress you are able to release,” Bramlett explains.

Rosas is careful to pay attention to the physical as well: For example, if she sees a student always lifting his arms with the palms facing down, she will instruct him to turn his palms up to “open up the shoulder joints.

“The healing component of NIA comes from using the body the way it was meant to be used,” she explains.

In fact, the biggest benefit of the workout is “getting people in their body and connected to sensation,” Rosas says.

She believes that many diseases occur because people don’t notice early on that something is out of balance, citing as an example a man whose bleeding ulcer might have been averted had he detected tension in his abdominal wall and seen a doctor sooner.

Exercise physiologist Cotton concurs.

“Body awareness is increased through body movement,” he says. “NIA, is new, cutting-edge, so it’s hard to find research that proves a benefit like this. But it certainly appears to be making a difference in people’s awareness of their bodies, of when something is wrong.”

Students say they’ve noticed other benefits to getting connected to their bodies

“NIA helps you become aware of your own body, of what’s painful versus what is pleasurable, so that you seek out pleasure,” says Kim Dawson, who has been taking classes for about a year.

“There’s genius in its simplicity. It’s grounded in that it teaches us to move our joints the way they want to be moved, to use our bodies they way they are designed to be used,” says Dawson, creative director of NIA Technique Inc., the Portland, Ore., based-NIA headquarters that trains instructors worldwide.

“Through movement, NIA helps us to find health — physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually,” Dawson says.

But there’s more. NIA boosts the heart rate, enhances flexibility and coordination, and improves breathing, which can in turn improve circulation, Rosas says.

A Natural Stress-Buster

Plus, NIA is a natural stress-buster, says Deborah Kern, PhD, a NIA trainer based in Huntsville, Ala.

For her doctoral thesis in the mid-1990s, Kern followed 40 people who took NIA classes for seven weeks, along with 40 other people who did low-impact aerobics. “Joyful, peaceful, and energized emerged as the three common denominators of those in the NIA group,” she says

Both groups saw cardiovascular benefits, says Kern, whose study was not published. But overall anxiety levels, as measured on a commonly used psychological scale, dropped in those who took NIA classes while increasing slightly in those who did low-impact aerobics.

The NIA technique is also being used in rehabilitation programs for cardiac patients, Rosas notes.

The adaptability of the workout to one’s fitness level is a real plus, instructors add. One told WebMD of a patient in a wheelchair, while Bramlett says she teaches the mind-body fitness technique to several stroke victims. “NIA helps to improve their coordination,” she says.

While no one tracks exactly how many people are taking classes, Rosas estimates the number of participants has doubled in the past three years. Meanwhile, the number of certified instructors grew from 400 in 1986 to more than 900 today, she says.

“The time is right for NIA,” Rosas says. “People want to be more aware and conscious of what they are doing.”

Have You Tried Pilates Yet?

The century-old exercise program called Pilates is experiencing a resurgence as people look for better ways to exercise and improve strength and well-being.

On a bed-like machine with a moving carriage, straps and springs, Robin Harrison balances on her shoulders with her bare feet in straps above her head. From this impressive position, she bends her knees toward her ears and deeply exhales as she articulates her spine back onto the carriage.

Harrison is doing Pilates (puh-LAH-teez), the system of strengthening and stretching exercises designed to develop the body’s core (abdominals, low back, hips, and gluteals) and the hottest trend in the mind-body fitness craze sweeping the nation. The Little Rock, Ark., pharmaceutical sales rep is coached through an hour-long series of positions on a mat and several different machines resembling medieval torture equipment with names such as the Reformer, the Cadillac, and the Barrel. When she’s through, she feels stretched and strengthened.

“Around my whole midsection I feel so much leaner,” she says. “It’s not just me — I’ve gotten compliments from other people noticing I look thinner. I’ve lost inches and my clothes fit differently.”

Harrison, 35, was drawn to Pilates six months ago with its promise of more lengthened muscles, increased flexibility (she’s a runner with short, tight hamstrings) and a sleeker shape. In a few months, she has whittled her stomach, trimmed her hips, and stretched her hamstrings, all without wearing out her running shoes.

Once known only to dancers and celebrities, Pilates has become more mainstream, with studios popping up like Starbucks across the country. Many health clubs have jumped on the bandwagon as well, including Pilates mat classes in their schedules. Enthusiasts everywhere sing its praises to all within earshot — bragging about how they consciously sit and stand straighter. Back and neck pain have disappeared for some, inches have for others.

“I could really tell the difference after about two months,” says Harrison. “Since I was stronger in my abs, I had a lot less back pain.”

Little Rock lawyer Wooten Epes has been plagued with chronic low back pain since a series of car accidents left him with a fusion of two vertebrae in his lumbar spine. He began doing Pilates with a private instructor a year ago and has been able to build muscle mass in the supporting muscles of his back, legs, and gluteals.

“After the first session I knew it was exactly what I needed,” says Epes, 55. “It allowed me to exercise and not be afraid I was going to hurt my back.”

The once-underweight Epes gained muscle mass and a new lease on life. “I have more stamina,” he says. “It has allowed me to do more things without having more pain.”

The discipline is far from new, born from the mind of German-born Joseph H. Pilates nearly a century ago. A sickly child plagued with asthma and rickets, he obsessed about the perfect body, something to combine the physique of the ancient Greeks with the meditative strength of the East. The result was a system of exercises he called contrology, requiring intense concentration and centered mainly on a strong abdomen and deep stretching. It worked for him. Pilates became a boxer, diver, skier, gymnast, yoga devotee, and incredible physical testament to his method.

Pilates taught his method to wounded English soldiers during World War I, using springs he removed from their hospital beds to support and assist them as he developed techniques to increase their range of motion.

When Pilates immigrated to the U.S. in 1926, dance titans George Balanchine and Martha Graham, on the lookout for safe exercises and rehabilitation fitness for their dancers, embraced Pilates, saving it from obscurity until the rest of the world could catch on.

Along with the celebrity appeal, the trend toward a mindful approach to fitness has helped elevate Pilates to the forefront of health clubs and rehabilitation communities alike.

“People aren’t getting what they were looking for in their traditional health club workouts,” says Aliesa George, Pilates instructor and studio owner in Wichita, Kan. “They don’t see their bodies changing doing step aerobics or running on the treadmill, so they’re looking for other activities.”

Performed in a variety of combinations and levels of difficulty, exercises to build what Pilates called the “powerhouse” engage the mind and body in a fluid and precise rhythm. It’s a thinking exercise.

“More people want to tune in,” says George. “They’re looking for a mental connection. Pilates is something you can’t do while you’re thinking about something else.”

There’s an intrinsic relevance to it, says Little Rock internist Hoyte Pyle, MD. Instead of working major muscle groups in isolation, says Pyle, “Pilates works the whole body in synergy,” which is how we should be moving on a daily basis.

Instead, we spend most of the day sitting, often slouched over a computer, says Ellie Herman, author of Pilates for Dummies and a Pilates trainer with studios in San Francisco and Oakland, Calif.

“There’s so much sitting, everyone has back and neck problems,” says Herman, who originally started doing Pilates to rehabilitate from a dance injury. “They’re starting to realize they need to do something to help strengthen their posture.”

For many, particularly baby boomers who are becoming more aware of increasingly aging bodies, stooping shoulders, and greater propensity for injury, Pilates serves as an insurance policy of sorts.

The core muscles of the back and pelvis anchor the body and keep the spine properly aligned in movement, whether it’s picking up a baby or darting for that tennis ball, says Boise, Idaho, physical therapist Sara Carpenter. “Neglecting the core sets you up for injury. Strengthening it takes pressure off the compensating knees, back, and shoulders.”

Unfortunately, most of the exercise we do doesn’t involve movement of the spine, says George. “We work our arms and our legs, holding our bodies still. As for the stomach, we either skip it altogether, or we do a few crunches at the end of a workout.”

As a result, she says, people forget how to move their bodies and articulate through the spine. Pilates gives that back.

Another advantage, says Carpenter, is that people with chronic injuries or painful physical conditions such as arthritis can rehabilitate using the apparatus without risking injury. But she does warn against just anybody running out to take a mat class.

“The downside is, some of the moves in a mat class are very difficult, even for a fit person. You need to respect your body and know what your limitations are,” says Carpenter.

It’s also important to be an educated consumer.

The increasing demand for Pilates classes, particularly in gyms, has created problems, according to longtime Pilates instructors. With no regulating body overseeing training, there are vastly different levels of education among teachers.

Kevin Bowen, president of the Pilates Method Alliance, a nonprofit professional advocacy group, warns those interested in learning the method to seek out an instructor who has been through a qualified, comprehensive teacher training program.

“There are currently no national education standards,” says Bowen, “so training programs run the gamut from six hours to 900, and anyone can say they’re a Pilates teacher and the public is none the wiser.”

The group is working to change that and create a national certification.

Done correctly, say proponents, there’s no end to the benefits long after leaving the studio.

“Pilates helps people become more conscious of their posture, how they move, sit, and stand,” says George. “They can learn a lot of things with a good Pilates instructor that can affect the rest of their life.”

Run like never before walking

We crawl before we learn to walk.

We wog before we learn to run.

Wog? That’s right, W-O-G.

Wogging is a word used in some circles to describe a combination of walking and jogging, or walking and running. You may not have heard the term, but this way of exercising is far from new, fitness experts say.

“It’s a catchword for what we all do,” says Michael Hewitt, exercise physiologist and research director for exercise science at the Canyon Ranch spa in Tucson, Ariz. “We like to attach labels to things but if you look at any 8-year-old kid, they’re wogging. They’ll run for a while and then walk when they get tired, and then run again. Kids are smart, and kids wog.”

So do adults who are trying to make a transition from walking to running.

Woggers, Hewitt tells WebMD, are people who want to be runners, but don’t yet have the muscular endurance to run.

“It’s what we’ve been teaching people for years and years,” says Julie Isphording, former Olympic marathon runner and host of “FIT: Fitness Information Talk” and “On Your Feet,” two popular health and fitness radio shows aired on National Public Radio in and around Cincinnati.

Isphording trains people to become runners by interspersing short bouts of running into their walking routines.

“Whenever you embark on a fitness program and you want to become a runner, you start by walking,” says Isphording. “Then you set a goal, like from this stop sign to the next corner, I’m going to run. You keep building that until you’re jogging.”

Even some people in the fitness industry haven’t heard the term “wogging,” say Dave Sellers, “Ask the Experts” editor of Runner’s World magazine, but all are familiar with the workout that intersperses walking with running. In fact, he says, there is a new segment of people who are running for fitness and camaraderie rather than to win races.

“These folks have helped to spur the tremendous growth in running (slowly) for fitness among late-blooming recreational exercisers,” says Sellers.

There are great benefits to including a little running in your walking routine. Even adding a few minutes of running can help you burn more calories, build stronger bones and boost your fitness level, say the experts at Runner’s World magazine.

“It offers an exerciser a way to increase intensity, reduce musculoskeletal joint stress associated with doing too much of any one repetitive motion, and create more challenge and variety to his or her workout,” says Kathy Stevens, a Reebok master trainer and member of the board of certification and training for the Aerobic and Fitness Association of America.

 

It can also improve your cardiovascular fitness, by increasing your endurance.

“It’s similar to interval training,” says Hewitt. “By taking short little dips into that anaerobic (high-intensity) zone, you train the body to tolerate a higher level of respiratory challenge.”

So how do you know if wogging is right for you?

Many people are candidates for a walk/jog program. Before starting any new fitness routine though, experts advise checking with your doctor to be sure you have no limitations.

Exercise physiologist and WebMD Weight Loss Clinic sports physciologist Rich Weil says a walk-run program works best for someone who’s already been walking at least 30 minutes consistently a few times per week and wants to start running.

“The idea is, over time, you increase your jogging time and decrease your walking time,” he says.

You do that by setting up intervals, says Weil. Let’s say you already walk 30 minutes. One day, decide that you’ll walk for five minutes and then jog for one or two. Repeat that pattern until you’ve finished the workout, and, over time, continue to lengthen the time you jog and shorten the time you walk.

Runner’s World magazine has a 10-week plan to take wannabe runners from two-minute intervals in week one to a full-fledged, 30-minute run by week 10, simply by adding one to two minutes to each running interval each week (while reducing the same number of minutes spent walking).

“The reality is that you can improve your fitness walking or running or a combination of the two,” says Hewitt. “Asking your body to do just a little bit more than the comfort level allows, you’re teasing your functional limitations — teasing that edge.”

Of course, as with any new program, the hardest part of wogging is sticking with it.

“The first step is the hardest in anything you do,” Isphording says. “It’s always two weeks of hell when you first start. Your body’s adapting to something new and so is your mind.”

Here are her tips for starting — and staying with — a walk-run program:

• Buy a pair of running shoes before beginning. They are lighter and absorb more shock than walking shoes.
• Get a workout partner. Having someone else to answer to will keep you more honest, and more committed.
• Have written goals. “It’s important to have a plan, so everyday you’re not saying, ‘oh, my gosh, I didn’t go as far today,’” says Isphording.
• Keep a journal. Looking back on your progress can be a great motivator, and can help you detect patterns that lead to difficult workouts.
• Have a goal or dream. And whether it’s running a marathon or a neighborhood 10K, she says, “don’t lose sight of that.”
• Ask lots of questions, and don’t be afraid to ask more experienced athletes for their advice. “People help change you,” Isphording says.

Yogalates: A Blend of Exercises

Yogalates. Yogilates. Yoga lattes? Don’t let the name confuse you. There’s a new trend out there, and it’s not on the Starbucks menu.

However you spell it, yoga and Pilates are now joined at the hip. The trend is edging its way into health clubs and studios across America.

Yogilates was created in 1997 by certified Pilates instructor and personal trainer Jonathan Urla. This year, Louise Solomon published her own version, called Yogalates.

Everyone has an opinion about this new trend, pro or con. Besides the books, there are videotapes, DVDs, and classes cropping up. To figure out what’s up, WebMD caught up with several fitness experts.

Ahead of the Curve

Yoga is an eastern Indian tradition that focuses on strength, flexibility, and spirituality. Pilates was created by German-born Joseph Pilates nearly a century ago. Pilates focuses on building strength in the deep muscles of the abdominal region, the body’s core.

Both practices involve attaining specific postures. Both emphasize correct breathing. Both emphasize meditative mindfulness.

Despite the hybrid name, Yogalates “is not gimmicky — it’s built on very tried and true, historically proven forms of exercise,” explains Cherryl Leone, a certified yoga instructor at Gentle Strength Yoga in Denver.

Like many who teach it, Leone has developed her own blend of yoga and Pilates. It’s become so popular, she says she may transform a couple of yoga classes to Yogalates. “I’ve had such positive, positive feedback on Yogalates,” she tells WebMD.

“There’s so much synergy between the two,” Leone explains. “The philosophies of both make blending the two very natural. You’re not mindlessly on a treadmill or exercise machine. The mind is very focused on the body, on breathing techniques. When I teach Yogalates, I want students to feel their entire body was exercised in an integrated way.”

When It’s Not Yoga, You Know It

So what exactly happens in a yoga-Pilates class?

In Yogilates, Urla outlines no less than 40 poses — including back lifts, sternum lifts, leg lifts, leg circles, plus such yoga standards such as Downward-Facing Dog, Sun Salutation, The Warrior, and Meditation Pose — that can be used in a beginner’s class. Of course, no one class will cover them all, he says.

Urla’s language emphasizes the spiritual: Make the process of learning Yogilates your goal, he writes. “Learn to be present in your thinking and to appreciate the simple fact that you are breathing, moving, and enjoying the real beauty of your practice.”

“I use a very classical approach — floor work, stretching for 20 minutes before going into the Sun Salutation series,” Urla tells WebMD. “At first, one might notice more yoga because we do pause in the poses, we hold some stretches. I’m very much into fundamentals, into awareness of alignment. But when we begin the very intensive abdominals — you may not know it’s Pilates, but you’ll know it’s definitely not yoga.”

A Few Opinions

“There’s a beautiful marriage of flow, from a yoga move to a Pilates move,” says Meg Jordan, PhD, RN, a spokeswoman for the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. “Blending the two is time-efficient. You can address all the major muscle groups.”

As a fitness instructor, Jordan found that people who wanted to improve muscle tone, get a slimmer physique, or tone specific body areas weren’t satisfied with yoga. “Why don’t I have this five pounds off yet?” — that’s what she heard.

She, too, saw the possibilities of blending the best of yoga and Pilates, as she describes in her 1999 book, The Fitness Instinct. However, Jordan went a step further — topping off her workouts with calisthenics, to fully challenge the muscles.

“The aging baby boomer population is not interested in physically exhausting exercise,” Jordan says. “You can get maximum results in terms of good ab and back strength from this blend. It has numerous benefits for injury prevention, back care, and strong abs.”

The Purist’s Viewpoint

Not everyone approves of this hybrid approach. “I’m not a fan of Yogalates,” says Linda Sparrowe, MA, yoga director of Western Athletic Clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area and author of Yoga for Healthy Bones, which will be published next spring.

“I feel it waters down both practices into something that they aren’t,” Sparrowe tells WebMD. “Yogalates works in health clubs because people there are often not familiar with either one. So it’s a nice introduction. But yoga is a deeper practice, a very physical practice. It taps into your emotional body and your mind.”

He suggests taking separate classes in each practice: “Nothing changes my body more than the combination of Pilates and yoga classes. Each one gives me something different. So I’m not a fan of blending. Blending tends to denigrate the practice, whether it’s yoga or Pilates.”

Urla’s answer: “The point is, does it work? For most people, who are not young and flexible, Yogilates works. This is a system that is less intimidating, more accessible, than either yoga or Pilates alone.”

Just make sure your instructor is a good one — either trained through the Pilates Method Alliance or the Yoga Teachers Alliance (each group has a web site), Urla suggests.