Blog

We live in a culture that values speed and productivity. Whether it is pressure from work, family, society or friends we are constantly being told that we should do more. It is very common that people feel like they are wasting time when not being 'productive.' To be productive means to be producing something; goods, content or other commodities. This is a necessary part of life, but it is not the only part and there are so many things that are more important than how productive you are. Time is the one constant that we all have the same amount of. There are 168 hours in a week. Each day if we sleep for 8 hours, and work for 8 hours, that leaves us 8 hours to exercise, build relationships, have fun, pursue hobbies, travel, eat, relax, etc. The goal for most of us is to be as productive in each of those three facets as humanly possible, but what is the point if you aren't enjoying your life? As humans we are habitual, and often respond well to routine, but there is no single, perfect routine that will be fulfilling forever. I am going to jump in another direction here and explain how yoga and life can be so similar. Life is about finding your passions, being a part of something greater than yourself, and finding happiness. But we often are misled into believing life is about your financial worth, your standing in society, your intelligence, etc. In a similar way, yoga is often misinterpreted. The poses you see depicted, or the flow you are doing during class, that is just the surface of what yoga is, the part that is visible to anyone. For the remainder of this article, I am going to describe the 8 limbs of yoga, and how we can take this practice into daily life; the way yoga was intended to be utilized!  Yama - Sanskrit word for restraints, moral disciplines or moral vows. A Yama is an example of a practice that yogis follow throughout daily life. This is the first clue that yoga is about much more than what happens on the mat. There are five Yamas; Ahisma (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (right use of energy), and Aparigraha (non-greed/non-hoarding). Niyama - Sanskrit word for positive duties or observances. Niyama refers to internal duties to practice. There are also five Niyamas; Saucha (cleanliness), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (burning of desire/discipline), Svadhyaya (self-study/self-reflection) and Isvarapranidaha (surrender to a higher power). These are typically practiced by the yogis on a dedicated path for years, and it is intended to build character. Asana - Sanskrit word for postures. This is the physical practice of yoga that we are most familiar with. You may start thinking about warrior pose, or head stands, but asana means seat: the goal is to be able to hold a single posture comfortably and motionless, and this starts with a simple seat. As you master staying still in simple postures, then challenge yourself to find comfort and stillness in a more challenging pose. Pranayama - Sanskrit word for breathing techniques. Pranayama translates to breath control, or breath restraint. There are so many variations of breathing techniques, but they are all aiming to alter the mind in many ways. Forcing an irregular breath pattern may make you feel uncomfortable, but the more you practice it the easier it will be to find calm when you are stressed or pushed outside your comfort zone. Pratyahara - Sanskrit word for sense withdrawal. This phrase is often misinterpreted to mean switching the senses off, but really you are trying to draw inward and focus on what you are feeling. As you improve on this practice, you should be able to sit and concentrate on your own body and mind even in a noisy environment, because you can tune out your surroundings, and focus on what is going on within. Dharana - Sanskrit word for Focused Concentration. Dharana is closely linked to limbs 5, and 6. To focus on something specific, we must be able to withdraw our senses from the external world. Along with focused breath work, this state gets people to where they believe they are meditating. Dhyana - Sanskrit word for meditative absorption. This is when we are finally meditating, the difference between this and Dharana is we have truly put into practice the stillness, focus, and breath. The actual practice of meditation is not something you can actively "do", rather it happens because of everything else. Basically, if you are really meditating you will not have the thought, "oh I am meditating!" Because if you really are, you are not having thoughts about the self, you are immersed in a different layer of consciousness. Samadhi - Sanskrit word for bliss or enlightenment. This is the final step of a Yogi's journey. Enlightenment doesn't result in levitating, or a state of perfection, instead it is about realizing the very life that lies in front of us. Enlightenment is the ability to see all things from an equal perspective, without our experiences being clouded with likes and dislikes, and without a need to judge or become attached to anything. That said, I wish each of you will try to fill your lives with these internal practices. I believe that peace within allows growth all around you. Go within every day and find your inner strength; that way nothing and nobody can dim your light. Thanks for reading! Heather Evans

Do you weigh yourself daily or even multiple times a day? Do you find that your emotions are closely linked to the number you see on that scale? If you answered yes to one or both of these questions, you may want to re-evaluate how you think about weight loss. Here are a few points to consider: You may be getting healthier even though you weigh more. Your body is a complex machine. If you have begun a more intense exercise program that involves weight lifting and/or cardio, your body is building muscle, but has not yet had time to enjoy the benefits that come with that. Increasing your muscle mass will increase your metabolism, but it can’t work magic over night. If you are patient, you will notice your body adjust. A sudden increase to the intensity of your workouts can cause inflammation. Those sore muscles are a great sign that you’ve pushed your body and it will respond with increased muscle mass, but it will initially retain water while it deals with the inflammation. Water retention can add numbers to a person’s body weight. Be sure to drink a lot of water which will flush out toxins and get adequate sleep and recovery time. Eventually, your body will find its new normal and the weight will come down. Improving your health takes time Our personal trainers will tell you that their clients who are compliant with their new exercise program and also patient with the process are the ones that see the best results. When it comes to improving your health there is no ‘easy’ button. It takes time and probably more time than you want or think it should. The best thing you can do is get up each morning and continue with the process of becoming a healthier you. If you have a bad day, don’t let it become a bad week, turn it around quickly. Crazy hard workouts aren’t necessary but you DO need to have some intensity If you can read a book while you are working out, you are probably not reaping any major health benefits. Being uncomfortable is a prerequisite to improving your health. But you don’t have to be out of breath the entire workout either. The middle ground where you push yourself to higher heart rates and hold it for a few minutes, then recover and repeat is the sweet spot. 20 minute workouts three times a week alternating between high intensity and recovery should do the trick. Don’t be afraid of a little discomfort, that’s when you get rewarded with an endorphin rush when the workout is over. If you think you may be weighing yourself too often or overly emotional about the number you see on the scale, the best thing to do might be to focus on these two things: Set realistic goals with progression and look for positive results like clothes fitting more loosely. https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/should-you-weigh-yourself-3-signs-to-step-off-the-scale/ 

Studies show that loneliness is tied to inflammation and hardening of the arteries. Loneliness raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol which has long term damaging effects on the body. Even fruit flies isolated from other fruit flies are fated to shorter life spans. Loneliness is linked to our evolutionary instinct to need people in order to stay alive. Loneliness is especially prevalent among the elderly who may have lost many of their friends and siblings. They also may have cut back on activities that bring them in contact with others. Maintaining relationships, both close and casual friendships, is beneficial to one’s health. Being a member of a fitness center and having regular contact with the staff and other members at the club is one way to improve the health of anyone who may be suffering from isolation or loneliness. One of the most satisfying things for our staff here at  Quest Fitness  is the relationships they have formed with so many of our members. It truly can feel like a family here. There are groups of people that really look out for one another. They have lunch and visit outside of meeting at Quest. They may come in once a week or five times a week to meet and walk in the saltwater pool or visit while riding the incumbent bikes side by side. We’ve watched many friendships bloom and seen groups of friends looking out for members who have fallen sick or suffered a loss. There is a community feel here that is really quite remarkable and even for those who have lost much of their physical stamina, they still come in and do a half mile slow walk on the treadmill and say hello to their friends.  Quest Fitness  adds social structure and substance to the day for many; not to mention the health benefits of just keeping the body moving and getting off the couch! https://www.livescience.com/18800-loneliness-health-problems.html

There is a direct correlation between telomere length and the rate at which human beings age. Telomeres are the structures located on the ends of our DNA strands and chromosomes - kind of like how shoelaces have a plastic bit on each end. If the plastic bits on the end of shoelaces fall off, then the shoelace will begin to unravel; the same logic would be applied to DNA strands. Without telomeres, DNA would begin to unravel. Short telomeres have been linked to premature aging. As our cells divide, the length of our telomeres gets shorter and shorter. Eventually, as we age, cell division slows with the shortening telomeres. Our telomere length represents our biological age, as opposed to our chronological age. The University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) recently took a look at telomere length in relation to exercise. Their focus group consisted of thirty-five men in the early stages of prostate cancer. Ten men embarked on lifestyle changes including plant based diets, light cardiovascular exercise (i.e. walking for one hour daily), and taking yoga and meditation classes regularly. Twenty-five men were not asked to change their lifestyles whatsoever. UCSF tracked these men for five years. The researchers found that the men who embarked on lifestyle changes were observed to have significantly longer telomere length than those who did not make any lifestyle changes.  Quest Fitness  offers a variety of yoga classes as well as meditation seminars and the largest of cardio and strength training equipment. We have welcoming and knowledgeable staff that are more than happy to answer any questions that you may have. So, come on in to embark on a healthier lifestyle today! https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2013/09/108886/lifestyle-changes-may-lengthen-telomeres-measure-cell-aging https://www.tasciences.com/what-is-a-telomere/