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Exercise Addiction

ARE YOU FIGHTING TO BE FIT?

Reprinted with permission from http://www.mapi.com.

Puff.
Pant.
Jump.
Pump.

Stairmaster, squash court, race track...take your sweat-releasing,
fat-searing pick. Start today, go at it for just 45 minutes a day,
and you can tighten your muscles and lighten your body-mass within
the next few weeks.

And why not? Stout is always out and thin is always in, so it makes
sense to fit in.

Or does it?

An Unfit Obsession

A recent issue of Fitness magazine reports on some record-setting,
seemingly interminable workout sessions. Among them were:

* A member of the St. James Club in Toledo, who clocked 30 non-stop
miles on the treadmill.

* A Cottonwood Club member in Lincoln, Nebraska, who did the club's
two-week Iron-man contest in one single day.

* A guy deemed to "need a life" after a 6.5 hour stint at the Beacon
Hall Athletic Club in Boston, MA.

Every day, more people are crossing the line between healthy and
hurtful exercise. Gym junkies have been known to become exercise
addicts, giving their workout priority over everything else in life.
Not only that, sports experts observe such exercise addicts suffer
actual withdrawal symptoms if they are forced to go without their
daily quota of exercise.

But first, it is important to figure out if you are indeed addicted
to exercise. Four ways you can tell:

* Do you notice you go on treading the mill or doing the weights
regardless of a stretched shin or an aching arm?
* Do you plunge into and out of your workout without taking time to
warm-up or stretch?
* Do you forget a dinner date or a dentist's appointment when you are
working out?
* Do you suffer lack of appetite, headaches, tension and irritability
if you don't get your fitness fix?

All these are signs you are doing more than you should.

FIT ADVICE

Modern fitness experts recommend a 24-hour rest between vigorous
exercise sessions, to allow the body to recover fully. Concerned at
the growing number of "fitness freaks,'' they urge people to check
their pace-even carry a heart-monitor to the gym, if necessary.

Pick up a magazine that specializes in physical fitness, and it will
give you formulae for calculating your speed and strength. Some
examples:

* If your heart is thumping at an increased but safe speed, you're on
the right track-this is your "target heart rate." Usually, this is
about 75 to 80 percent of your maximum safe heart rate. But for
workouts on ski machines and stair climbers, your heart-rate should
be about 60 percent of the maximum.

* To figure out your 60 percent of maximum target rate, subtract your
age from 220, and multiply the result by 0.6. You could also lug a
mini heart monitor to the gym to check your progress occasionally.

Math vs. Mind

This is where ayurveda steps in. "Forget formulas," it says. "Listen
to yourself."

Ancient ayurvedic healers advocated the concept of using "balaardh"
or just 50 percent of your total reservoir of strength at a given
time. This does not mean you need to pull out a calculator each time
you want to figure out if you've done "half of your total capacity."
It means keeping constant dialogue with your body and your mind.

When you start sweating lightly and breathing through the mouth, your
body is telling you that it is going at a steady pace. When your mind
is enjoying your physical activity-say a vigorous game of tennis, you
know it is okay to go on playing. But when you start sweating
profusely and can sense you are tired, don't push yourself to exert.
Could it be any simpler?

Workouts That Work

People exercise for different reasons. Some want to lose weight, some
to build muscle, and still others see it as part of a healthy
routine. Whatever your goal, you can achieve it the ayurveda way-
without burning yourself out.

Being a holistic system of healing, ayurveda likes exercises that
involve both body and mind. That is why, ancient healers like Charaka
praised walking. It does not tax the body overmuch, it relaxes the
mind, and it improves overall balance.

Yoga-which comes from the root word "yoke" or unite, is of course an
old-time favorite of the vaidyas. It gives you an all-body workout at
a steady pace. It is also a great calmer-who can act or feel frantic
while stretching the body so deliciously? A short session of yoga
will always leave you feeling refreshed and happy, not tired and
ready to crash.

Herbs That Help

Lack the get-up-and-go to begin thinking of a yoga-session? Find
yourself exhausted after just 20 minutes of walking? Coffee and
steroids are not your answer. What your system really needs is the
wake-up, feel-good power of nature's own healing herbs.

Herbs like ashwagandha, brahmi and arjuna; spices like black pepper
and fenugreek; nuts like almonds-all these combined in the right
proportions and blended in precise, traditional ways can take the
exertion out of exercise. They revive the body, improve fat
metabolism during a workout, nourish the mind and imbue the whole
being with a zest for life. Formulations like Herbal Energy, Almond
Energy, Herbal Burn and Amla Berry in MAPI's Sports and Fitness Self-
care system are designed to give you all these health benefits,
without any side effects.

You're now ready to Go!

This article was reprinted with permission from http://www.mapi.com. Please visit them.

Note : This ayurvedic information is educational and is not intended to replace standard medical care or advice.
Copyright MAPI, 2002.

For more information on Ayurveda or to subscribe to free newsletters, please visit http://www.mapi.com.

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