Keeping Fit, Even With Seasonal Allergies

At last, sum­mer is here and it makes you want to get out­doors and go for a run. But for fit­ness seek­ers who suf­fer from sea­sonal aller­gies, the balmy sum­mer days can mean a blast of sea­sonal allergies.

sneeze Keeping Fit, Even With Seasonal Allergies Allergy symp­toms are trig­gered by our own immune system’s effort to expel a for­eign sub­stance, such as pollen, dust or ani­mal dan­der. When an aller­gen finds its way in to the body, spe­cial cells, called mast cells release his­t­a­mine and other chem­i­cals, which ini­ti­ate reac­tions designed to dis­lodge the anti­gen, includ­ing sneez­ing, and water­ing of the eyes and nose. The symp­toms of aller­gies, runny nose, itchy eyes, sneez­ing and snif­fling,

Exercise outdoors to burn more calories

Nobody could blame you for not feeling like getting out of the house and trudging off to the gym in the middle of winter. After all, it's got to be the most difficult time of year to motivate yourself. This year, however, The National Trust, has launched a month-long campaign to get the nation fit after the excesses of Christmas called The Great Outdoor Challenge.

One of the claims of the challenge is that exercising outdoors can help you burn up to a fifth more calories. Just five minutes worth of outdoor exercise every day can immediately boost your mood and self-esteem too. So you won't just shift those post-Christmas pounds but you'll beat the January blues too.

The 31-day plan has been devised by outdoor exercise specialists Eco Fitness, and is designed to help you kick start 2011 feeling energised and invigorated, rather than feeling bloated and with a massive hangover.

Outdoor workouts help you burn up to 20% more calories because your body has to work harder, thanks to all the natural, uneven surfaces you'll encounter (which also helps boost your balance and core strength). Being outdoors might also increase your levels of vitamin D - well, if it's a sunny day you may absorb some sunlight in your skin. And that not only helps improve your mood but keeps your bones strong too.

The plan can be followed in any outdoor space (even your back garden if you're lucky enough to have one big enough) and includes instructions on warming up and cooling down, along with a walking, jogging or running challenge for every day from January 1-31st.

7 Important Tips for Yoga Success

Yoga has been proven to relieve stress by using exercises that unify the mind, body, and spirit. If you are new to yoga, these seven tips will start you on the road to a more centered life.

1. Talk to your doctor and explain what type of yoga poses you intend to practice. Show your doctor pictures of the poses for illustration. Your doctor may rule out specific poses if you have high blood pressure, glaucoma, a history of retinal detachment, or heart disease. Make sure you follow your doctor’s recommendations.
2. Find a yoga class that best fits your abilities. Talk to prospective teachers, and decide whether of not you can handle a program before you sign up. It’s very important to take it one step at a time. Try a few beginner classes before you attempt more vigerous classes. Don’t move ahead too quickly. Allow your body to adjust to your exercises.

3. Listen to your body and be aware of your physical abilities. You don’t want to hurt yourself. Make sure the instructor understands your level of experience and any limitations you may have. Don’t allow anyone to push you ahead too quickly. Remember, this is supposed to be fun and relaxing.

4. If you can’t find a class that meets your needs, you can always practice yoga at home. There are many books, programs, and tapes available to help you get started. Search for the best products on the Internet and read reviews. Talk to others for recommenations.

5. Why not try private lessons? You can book some one-on-one sessions with a teacher in your area. Most yoga instructors offer private classes or can help you design your own program. This is a good way to get started. You can always take group lessons or practice at home after you’ve had private lessons and learned the basics.

6. Find a yoga buddy. It’s nice to practice with someone and it will help reduce injuries. It’s also a great way to keep up your enthusiasm and interest.

7. Eat lightly before practice. Wait at least two hours after meals before yoga class or practice. An empty stomach is best, but don’t let yourself get too hungry to think. You won’t be able to focus on the poses or enjoy yourself during the relaxation or meditation exercises.

Now it’s time to grab your mat and a towel and get the most out of your yoga exercises.

Keeping Fit, Even With Seasonal Allergies

At last, sum­mer is here and it makes you want to get out­doors and go for a run.   But for fit­ness seek­ers who suf­fer from sea­sonal aller­gies, the balmy sum­mer days can mean a blast of sea­sonal allergies.

Allergy symp­toms are trig­gered by our own immune system’s effort to expel a for­eign sub­stance, such as pollen, dust or ani­mal dan­der. When an aller­gen finds its way in to the body, spe­cial cells, called mast cells release his­t­a­mine and other chem­i­cals, which ini­ti­ate reac­tions designed to dis­lodge the anti­gen, includ­ing sneez­ing, and water­ing of the eyes and nose. The symp­toms of aller­gies, runny nose, itchy eyes, sneez­ing and snif­fling, can make any allergy suf­ferer mis­er­able. For me, the lead­ing OTC non-drowsy allergy rem­edy, Clar­itin (lora­ti­dine), wasn’t non-drowsy. It was sleep-inducing. And Zyrtec (cet­i­rizine) and Benadryl (diphen­hy­dramine) were even worse for me, caus­ing a brain-fog that made it dif­fi­cult to func­tion dur­ing the day. So began my quest for alter­na­tive reme­dies for sea­sonal aller­gies. Here are some all-natural allergy strate­gies that can help keep your fit­ness pro­gram on track.

Tim­ing Your Workout
Get famil­iar with the local daily pollen counts and make a note of the days when you expe­ri­ence allergy symp­toms. Then armed with that knowl­edge, along with the daily pollen counts, you can plan out­door activ­i­ties when and where you are least likely to expe­ri­ence allergy prob­lems. Con­sider indoor fit­ness activ­i­ties  (swim­ming, Tai Chi or weight train­ing) when pollen counts are at the high­est. You’re more prone to allergy woes if you’re stressed or jet lagged, because a weak­ened immune sys­tem is more sen­si­tive to aller­gens.  Accord­ing to the Amer­i­can Acad­emy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunol­ogy, pollen counts are high­est from before sun­rise and until late morn­ing. Adjust the tim­ing of your out­door exer­cise rou­tine and try to avoid stren­u­ous activ­ity between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m.  Wrap around sun­glasses can help shield your eyes from aller­gens. Sum­mer rain­storms can lower the lev­els of pollen in the air.  Cooler, wet­ter weather low­ers pollen counts, too.

Breathe In Through the Nose

Breathe in through the nose as much as pos­si­ble. Your nasal pas­sages fil­ter, moisten and warm the air you breathe. Of course there can be times where your instinct will be to inhale through your nose and mouth, but it’s still a good prac­tice to favor your nose when you inhale. You don’t need to entirely avoid breath­ing through your mouth.  Nose inhala­tion tends to pro­mote healthy breath­ing and slower and deeper breaths.

Min­i­mize Post-exercise Allergies
After get­ting home from out­door exer­cise, take a shower, wash your hair and change clothes. You’ll be wash­ing away the aller­gens that have clung to your cloth­ing or hair dur­ing out­door exer­cise. Shut­ting win­dows, run­ning the air con­di­tion­ing and using a Neti Pot to flush the nose with saline solu­tion, can clear the nasal pas­sages of any remain­ing aller­gens.