‘Tis the season … to golf!

Yoga provides its participants with the opportunity to strengthen their connection to their true selves physically, mentally and spiritually. It is all-encompassing! This can be beneficial for every one of us, but especially for golfers, preparing them to be the best they can be in their sport in every way possible.

The practice of yoga or “union” of mind body and spirit strengthens those bonds in ways you couldn’t even imagine. As your physical body gets stronger, yoga is hard at work on a much less visible level. With time and practice, senses become and continue to be heightened, which is very valuable on the green. Overall, yoga naturally brings about balance in the body. It allows you to know the body and its rhythms and to recognize when you are out of sync, both on the mat and on the green.

Physically, yoga improves your general health and well being. Regular practice strengthens and lengthens the spinal column, back, shoulders, abdomen, arms and wrists, minimizing the risk of common injuries such as sprains, tendon and ligament tears. It also helps reduce the impact of golf movements on the body’s precious tissues.

Yoga involves smooth, deep, symmetrical breathing, twists, stretches and balancing postures which help enhance all of the body’s natural functions. It helps to keep the spine - the house of the nervous system - supple and healthy for years to come. With regular yoga practice, one is able to improve physiological functioning, including pulse, respiratory rates and blood pressure. Yoga also increases psychomotor functions, such as dexterity, eye-hand coordination, steadiness, depth perception, coordination, energy levels, endurance and strength.

Due to the fact that golfers swing from one side of the body, there is asymmetry inherent in the sport. Overtraining and repetitive motion presents itself with more muscle on one side of a golfer’s body; specifically, the shoulders, biceps, forearms and upper back will be more developed on a golfer’s dominant side. These stronger muscles are also tighter while the weaker muscles are more flexible. The tight muscles, in turn, restrict the free movement of surrounding muscles, ultimately leading to a limited range of motion. The practice of yoga works by balancing each side of the body, finding tension and releasing it. Yoga acts as a corrective exercise and is a perfect complement to whatever training athletes include in their day.

 Check out my ‘Yoga for Golf Sequence’ on Truestar.com

Yogic movements increase your flexibility, therefore giving a wider range of motion to the upper part of the body, which eventually allows for a larger ball trajectory and for greater swing precision. Moreover, developing the small stability muscles increases your sense of balance, resulting in better control of the golf club and in better body weight distribution. This helps to correct the common asymmetry that affects most players as they usually develop one side of their body more than the other.

Putting the physical demands of the sport aside, there is perhaps no other game that requires more mental strength than golf. The game is a constant struggle between the conscious and subconscious mind. Golfers who don’t learn the subtleties of the mental game of golf usually get frustrated or give up before really giving it a chance. By introducing elements of yoga practice into the sport, you can develop the mental discipline that golf demands.

Moving with your breath has a very soothing and relaxing effect on the nervous system. Yoga improves concentration and focus, which is an essential aspect of the practice of golf. It also helps to manage the stress and frustration that often occur on the green. Yoga can help the golfer find the balanced outlook that is necessary to enjoy a relaxed and healthy game. Being aware of how mental factors can affect us while playing is a key factor in the practice of golf as a player’s mental training is no less important than his or her technical capability.

So, before you head out to the golf courses this season, try my “Yoga for Golf Sequence” available on Truestar’s Yoga Sequence Builder before tee time. It will help you to focus inward, expand the body and warm you up for the next 18 holes!

If you want to create you own yoga sequence for your own sport login in through my Truestar.com  Health Portal and head to my Yoga Sequence Builder in the Exercise Section!

Check out my spot on CHCH Morning Show, demonstrating a little bit of my ‘Yoga for Golf Sequence’ 

Give your body all that it needs.

To tone the body and build muscle does not just come from exercising. In order to get true results from your workout, protein is required to replenish the body and improve physical strength and appearance. Proteins are made up of amino acids, which help renew, regenerate and build new tissues. There are twenty amino acids that are required for growth in the human body.  However, the body can produce all but eight of the amino acids, and so we must eat foods high in protein in order to ensure you are receiving these essential amino acids.  The foolproof method is to make sure we are consuming complete protein sources in our diet.

There are many different sources of protein in our diets today, many traditional choices are animal based like meat, milk, cheese and eggs. But with the growing number of diet specifics like dairy intolerances and the different shades of vegetarianism many of us are turning to plant based sources of protein like soy, legumes, hemp and other grains. However, animal sources, as a complete protein, are more bioavailable to the body than plant sources and are a popular choice for protein powders.

On the markets today we see a lot of whey protein, some of you may know that whey is the liquid that separates from curds in the cheese manufacturing process. Whey protein can be found in two forms–whey isolate and whey concentrate. Whey isolate is a pure high-quality protein that contains at least 90 percent protein with less lactose than whey protein concentrate. Whey concentrate will typically have 70 to 85 percent protein. A blend of the two is ideal!

Be mindful of what you pick up.

 Tricky use of words, flashy graphics and slogans can be very deceptive. If you look closely at the labels of many of the popular protein powders on shelves you will find artificial colours, flavours and sweetners! Be wary, these are not something that you want to be fueling your body with on a daily basis. We want to give our body all that it needs, anything artificial will do more harm than good, even if it does taste better!

If you are looking for a great tasting, pure, all natural source of protein to compliment your healthy active lifestyle be sure to try TrueStrength! Some of the benefits of this versatile, delicious vanilla flavoured powder include:

-Can improve muscle recovery

-Assists with the building of lean muscle

-Promotes the loss of body fat

-Can improve immune function

-Improves body composition

-Increases antioxidants in the body

TrueStrength contains both whey protein isolate and concentrate with a complete amino acid profile. This is important when refuelling the body’s stores after an intense workout following your personalized Truestar Exercise Program or boosting your metabolism during the beginning phases of the Truestar Weight Loss Program.

TrueStrength provides a high concentration of branched-chain amino acids that can be used directly by the exercising muscle as an energy source, resulting in increased energy levels, endurance and mental performance. It also provides antioxidants, to help support proper immune function and improve overall health.

 All natural goodness.

No need to worry about artificial ingredients in Truestar products especially when it comes to sweetners. TrueStrength is sweetened with natural fructose (natural fruit sugar) and BeFlora™ Sweet Fiber, a wonderful prebiotic fiber that is 8-10 times sweeter than ordinary sugar and helps to feed and nourish friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract, establishing a healthy balance.

Personally, I use TrueStrength in many different applications including my oatmeal every morning, shakes and even baked goods, anywhere I can sneak a little more nutrition in. Most people don’t expect protein powder to taste this good!

Here are a couple of the awesome smoothie recipes available on Truestar’s Nutrition Plan (FOR FREE)!

For more of these amazing recipes and perfectly balanced meal plans create your free profile today!! 

Be well,

Gillian

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By: Gillian B

When the January blahs hit, it becomes difficult for many of us to stay motivated and focused on our health goals. With a combination of back to work, holiday credit card bills and bad weather across much of the country, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), can easily kick in, waylaying us on our pursuit to our new and better self. This is not abnormal, and statistics have shown that depression and even suicide peak at this time of year.

On a more positive note, there are many things you can do to avert depression in order for you to take some giant leaps forward in the pursuit of health and happiness.

To start off with, exercise is proven to be one of the best ways to create positive feelings as endorphins are released, even with as little as 20 minutes of sustained cardiovascular exercise. Truestar.com has many 20-minute workouts and yoga sequences that can get you feeling great in a time crunch.

Consider joining a neighborhood gym such where physical activity and camaraderie combine to improve your mental state and your health.

In the latest neuroscience research from the book, Power up Your Brain, it is proven in a research study that a group of persons who participated in as little as 20 minutes of exercise per day increased their neuro-pathways by 1800% over a similar group which was sedentary or did not exercise.

Boost your mood and your mind with l-Tyrosine, an amino acid related to increased brain power and mood. Try TrueIQ, a product which combines L-Tyrosine with other amino acids to stimulate your mind. Moreover, reducing calories from the standard American diet of 3,660 calories per day by 30% has proven to increase brain power. Remember, overeating, especially sugary and high carbohydrate meals, can cause a “crashing sensation”, along with unwanted weight gain and sluggishness that can affect one’s self esteem. Set up a personal profile using follow Truestar’s cutting-edge personalized Nutrition Program. It will get you on the right track nutritionally as all of the meals are calorically and hormonally balanced based upon your personal profile.

Take one of Truestar’s 30-Day Challenges  and commit to feeling your very best physically. As leading motivational and research experts such as Tony Robbins have said, “Change your physical state and your mind will follow.”

Truestar’s 30-/90-Day Challenges can be taken in five categories including: Weight Loss, Healthy Aging, Muscle and Strength, Optimal Wellness and Energy Support. Not only will the Truestar Challenges set some goals for you, they are also supported by Truestar’s award-winning supplements and have many prizes available, including a Grand Prize of $50,000!

Setting goals and writing them down has worked wonders for many and Truestar’s Attitude Section contains a personal Goal Setting Program that allows you to write down daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and dream goals. Once the goals are set, they can be accessed on your smart phone as reminders to keep you motivated and focused.

If you are feeling a bit glum due to the grey weather, vitamin D has been proven to support seasonal affective disorder. Truestar’s award-winning TrueBASICS A/O, contains vitamins D along with a multitude of vitamins and minerals that can support your health.  Many experts recommend a higher dose of Vitamin D (up to 3000 IU per day).TrueD is available for those looking for a higher dose of high quality vitamin D.

Getting the proper amount of sleep is also a key factor in maintaining a great attitude and feeling good physically.  Complete a Sleep profile on Truestar.com and learn about small changes you can make to improve your sleep regimen.

Reading or listening to positive or motivational material for only 10 minutes per day can also have a profound effect on your attitude. Take your mood and weather into your own hands and carry your positive weather with you wherever you go!

Visit Gillian B’s Health Portal Today!