Posts from — January 2009

If you’re feeling not-quite-right, integrate the healing benefits of yoga and traditional Chinese medicine to provide a holistic platform for overall health. Boost your energy (chi) the Chinese way to treat depression, anxiety and a general lack of verve with acupuncture and herbs. An hour-long session in Davis’ soothing Annex office, listening to chimes with needles in your bod, is surprisingly relaxing. In no time you’ll be unstuck when healing arises spontaneously to restore balance and health.

This apparatus’ unique combination of stability and instability shifts you in and out of balance, which requires activation of your core muscles. With the dome side up, the ball provides an unstable surface while the platform remains stable. That’s why it’s part of athletic drills for multi-directional sports like soccer. Flipped over, the board offers excellent training for skate and snow boarders who need conditioning that effectively works multiple muscles in the manner they’re used for sport. Everybody part can be exercised on the Bosu trainer, all the while enhancing coordination. Even compound movements that involve many muscles groups at once, like shoulder presses and squats, can be performed with a Bosu resulting in an express workout which cuts down time spent in the gym.

Visit Twist Conditioning to shop for your Bosu Trainer

Tradition has it that wearing something new on Chinese New Year encourages good fortune all year, so after the Dragon Parade or The Firecracker Run sport massage slippers (they aren’t glam enough to wear outdoors) to relieve tired legs. Although the original concept seems inspired by pebbles caught in sandals (and how comfy can that be?), reflexology slides can help your body organs to function optimally. The slipper’s bumpy insole acts as pressure points on your foot to stimulate zones of electrical energy along your nervous system to promote healing, improve circulation and reduce stress. Legs will feel like spring chickens and revived for your next bout of exercise.

It’s a given you’re passing up Peking Duck this Chinese New Year, but you can safely tuck into a big dish of noodles tonight. Shirataki noodles are a blend of yam and tofu, which makes the, um, mein health difference, if looking to celebrate New Year’s with chicken, beef, shrimp, tuna or tofu dishes. With just 20 calories and a measly half gram of fat per serving, Shirataki noodles are the world’s best kept secret. For the same amount of calories, you can eat 10 times as much of these noodles as regular pasta! That means you won’t be celebrating The Year of The Pig. Low in sodium (15mg), these noodles come in three different styles: Fettuccine, Spaghetti and their newest (and some say best) style, Angel Hair. Find them at Whole Foods.

Researchers speculate that substances in green tea known as polyphenols, specifically the catechins, are responsible for the herb’s fat-burning effect. Sipping four to ten cups of green tea daily also plays a role in reducing high cholesterol, risks of cancer and controlling diabetes. Whether in capsules, smoothies or brewed cold, green tea can offer powerful antioxidant benefits and even one half cup of ice cream counts toward health goals as it spoons up exquisite taste.