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there are a lot of benefits to hot yoga, but they just don’t provide the same functions as the kidney or liver, organs that exist to rid the body of bad toxins. In addition to these physical benefits, many yoga-goers boast mental perks from being in the hot room that are grounded in the practice of asceticism, a way to transcend suffering through intentional discomfort. Contemporary practitioners might think of this as an exercise in mind over matter, perseverance, or grit. The tried and true benefits of hot yoga rely on the poses as much as the heat. The most popular posture sequence in a hot yoga class is made up of 26 poses, and instructors usually have their students complete each pose twice. This specific series has been circulating for nearly half a century, starting with a yogi named Bikram Choudhury, who was the household name in hot yoga in the U.S. until 2013, when two sexual assault lawsuits were waged against him. Since then, many practitioners of hot yoga are creating new ways to continue the practice while distancing themselves from the infamy of the man who created it.
Some of these new sessions rely on traditional yoga sequences that are more than 5,000 years old, while others incorporate fun, original ideas like yoga with goats, cats, or beer. Yes, there are real classes where you can perfect your downward dog while hanging out with baby goats. Of course, in the classes that contain farm animals or alcohol, the temperatures are kept cool for safety reasons. The popularity of these nontraditional classes emphasizes the exponential growth in the yoga industry in the last decade. In fact, there are a slew of yoga Instagram influencers whose financial livelihoods depend on creating sponsored advertisements for thousands of followers. The trend has also captured the attention of many famous actors, politicians, and musicians, including Ellen DeGeneres, Barack Obama, Jennifer Aniston, and Matthew McConaughey. Yoga wasn’t intended to be an embarrassing or a painful experience, but as with any new activity, there is always a learning curve. Reaching your own nirvana takes time and repetition, and in some cases, beer and cute animals. If you tried a hot yoga class and were
absolutely miserable, you are not alone. The unpleasantness usually dissipates over time, but if you find that hot yoga isn’t for you, look up yoga classes with goats or cats instead; they might even smell better than all the sweat anyway.
Find the Right Food Balance Foods That Cause and Reduce Inflammation
The food you eat plays amajor role in how your body functions on the cellular level. Some foods can wreak havoc on your body, while others canmake you feel great. This is especially true when it comes to that all-too-common ailment, inflammation.
NOW, FOR THE GOOD STUFF. EAT THESE FOODS TO REDUCE INFLAMMATION: BLUEBERRIES: Many studies call blueberries one of the best fruits you can eat to ease symptoms of inflammation. These blue orbs of goodness are packed with antioxidants, vitamin C, polyphenols, and somuchmore. Eat a handful every day! SALMON: As a source of healthy fats and omega-3 fatty acids, salmon is one of the best protein choices for people with inflammatory conditions, or for those who want to keep inflammation at bay. BROCCOLI: One of the most nutritious and easily accessible vegetables around, the little green buds that cover the tops of broccoli are loaded with anti-inflammatory compounds.
HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF FOODS THAT LEADTO INFLAMMATION: SUGAR: One of the biggest culprits behind inflammation, sugar is far worse than eating fatty foods. It’s best to skip foods that have added sugar (and this includes sugar of any kind, including corn syrup, fructose, and sucrose). Many manufacturers now label food withmore specific kinds of sugar to hide the fact that they added sugar to their product. Be sure to read labels carefully! REFINED CARBS: Basically anythingmade from white flour falls into this category, including
bread, pasta, baked goods, and cereals. Research suggests that refined carbs may be a bigger contributing factor than fat in obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. ALCOHOL: Toomuch alcohol puts a burden on your liver, an organ that helps flush toxins out of the body. You know all of those detox diets? They don’t work. In fact, the only way to detox is to let your liver do its job. When you consume alcohol, it’s harder for the liver to pump out the toxins in your body. When it can’t do its job properly, the result is inflammation.
2 • www.ThomasPhysicalTherapy.com
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