It seems appropriate for us to feature Kathryn Budig, an internationally respected yoga celebrity. Kathryn is not only a wholesome beauty who graces the cover of several yoga magazines, and appears nude in those tasteful yet eye catching ToeSox ads in the pages of Yoga Journal, Kathryn is also a foodie.
Passionate about sharing her favorite recipes, cooking techniques and ways to keep your refrigerator free of junk and chemically toxic food, Budig is a great resource for keeping people like you and me healthy and fit. For example, her Lemony Chicken Quinoa Soup is a perfect vitamin packed recipe that helps combat the flu this time of year. Or, check out her signature Save Me Smoothie, a recipe that includes spinach, blueberries, flax seed oil and other fabulous nutrient dense food.
Kathryn has been featured on E!, Food Network, Shape and in The New York Times. She serves as the brand representative for ToeSox and is an ambassador for Pangea Organics, an organic skin care product company. She is working on her latest big project, “The Big Book of Yoga,” to be published by Rodale very soon.
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While the mortality rate of women with breast cancer is decreasing, the incidence of depression in women who have undergone treatment for breast cancer is on the rise. As many as 50% of all women who are affected with the disease will experience some kind of post-recovery melancholy. Thankfully, researchers from the Sinclair School of Nursing at the University of Missouri have brought to our attention a specific meditation technique, and suggest how it can help breast cancer survivors revive their zest for life.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a type of mindfulness training that uses the mind to combat anxiety and bring about a sense of wellbeing. It includes mental practices that heighten physical awareness, as well as yoga and time spent in quiet, reflective meditation. Developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979, MBSR helps people foster their own mind-body connection, as well as create a deeper awareness of how thoughts and feelings can affect physical and emotional health.
The MBSR program consists of eight to ten week group sessions including practice in meditation skills, stress response and coping techniques. The University of Missouri’s team of researchers gathered data from the participants during and after the group sessions. Measurements of blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate were recorded. Not surprisingly, the participants’ physical responses to MBSR were favorable. Blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate all decreased, suggesting a lowered stress response. In addition, the subjects said their mood improved and their level of mindfulness increased.
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Some of us want to be fitter, more flexible, have better balance and a stronger core. While these desires are obtainable with a little hard work, no matter how hard we try, the wish to be taller just cannot be granted, at least not until now.
Christopher Harrison, a competitive athlete, dancer and former gymnast, turned his love of aerial arts and performance into the first complete program in the emerging exercise field called “suspension training.” Defying the laws of physics, AntiGravity Aerial Yoga is about having fun while learning how to fly. It is a hybrid class that involves a variety of physical disciplines such as dance, Pilates, acrobatics and aerial arts practiced within the context of yoga. Harrison claims his revolutionary system of yoga can make you taller by decompressing the spinal column and aligning the body from head to toe.
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Jennifer Aniston, known for her flawless skin and yoga-sculpted body, was voted best workout buddy and health inspiration.
In a survey at Fitness Magazine, the actress trumped Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Sofia Bergara, Cameron Diaz and Blake Lively, but she wasn’t the only celebrity who placed. The survey poll results ranked Jennifer Hudson as Best Diet Spokesperson, Britney Spears as Best Career Makeover, and Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge for the Best Celeb Wardrobe.
Aniston was recognized for her ability to inspire people to work out, which is not surprising to those familiar with her diet, beauty and body routine. Aniston, who has been linked to The Zone Diet and Yogalosophy works out with Mandy Ingber. The Stir has reported that when Aniston is shooting a movie, she wakes up at dawn to work out for two hours per day, which includes yoga and time on the elliptical trainer or treadmill.
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One out of eight Americans are addicted to alcohol or drugs. Of those with a substance abuse problem, at least 40 percent have a contemporaneous mental disorder of some type. While the root of addictive behavior varies from person to person, studies show correlations between an inability to process emotions and cope with stress in a healthy manner, and subsequent misuse of alcohol and drugs.
The estimated cost to our country in direct relation to alcoholics and drug addicts is over 250 billion dollars annually. With 70 percent of illegal drug users that are employed, the expense of substance abuse caused accidents, absenteeism and decreased productivity is on the rise. Health care costs are 300 percent higher for untreated alcoholics versus non-alcoholics.
Addiction treatment centers and agendas such as Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12 Step Program aim to minimize a person’s drive to drink alcohol or use drugs by addressing psychological and mental health issues. Using therapy techniques to calm, soothe and diminish anxiety, these programs are deemed helpful for those needing assistance.
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