FITNESSEXERCISE
MAKING IT WORK FOR YOU
Where Preperation Meets Opportunity
LASHINDA DEMUS is a track superstar phenomenon born in Southern California. At the age of two, LASHINDA’s mother introduced her to the track, not realizing that her admiration for running would eventually lead her to a #1 world ranking in the 400 meter hurdles. In 2001, LASHINDA set the national high school record in the girls’ 300 hurdles, and then went on to help South Carolina win its only NCAA track and field championship as a freshman. In 2005, she earned the first of two national titles in the 400 meter hurdles.
Despite her success on the track, LASHINDA will be the first one to tell you there is no substitute for hard work. In the latter part of 2006, the world’s top ranked hurdler revved up for the family life. After marriage, and pregnancy 5’7 LASHINDA gained more than 50 pounds. LASHINDA successfully delivered twin boys in June 2007 and astonishingly was back in training just weeks later collectively regaining her health and strength to recapture her #1 status.
LASHINDA’s return wasn’t an easy transition, and there were many setbacks including finding a balance between her physical, emotional, and spiritual self. For the better part of a year, LASHINDA struggled with Post Partum depression, something that affects nearly 13% of pregnant women and new mothers according to government statistics. At the peak of her career, she was forced to filter through the feelings of being trapped and alone all the while juggling a career, husband and babies. True to form, she overcame these obstacles to find the balance required to maintain optimum health, her position as a hands-on mother and wife, as well as an elite athlete at the top of her career.
With much enthusiasm and focus to succeed, LASHINDA competed in the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Korea. She ran the fastest 400 meter hurdle time of the year (52.47) to become the American record holder, and defeated the defending Olympic champion Melanie Walker of Jamaica. LASHINDA’S time was the third fastest ever.
Now, LASHINDA is preparing to bring home the Gold in the2012 Olympics. With nothing but love for her sport and a heart to help, she can be found giving back the community through various organizations as well as volunteering at many marathons in her region. If asked about her motivators, she will simply respond, “I just want to see people happy, that’s all that matters.” She is most definitely a triple threat and continues to redefine the role of women athletes as mothers.
MEDITATION LINKS BODY & MIND
-Visualization. Close your eyes, sit quietly, and use as many senses as you can to imagine traveling to a peaceful place, such as a quiet beach along the ocean, and imagine the smell of the salt air and the sound of the waves.
-Progressive muscle relaxation. Lie on your back on the floor or a mat. Focus on slowly tensing and relaxing each major muscle group.
MOUNTAIN POSE
Begin by standing with feet parallel and slightly apart, and your heels firmly anchored to the ground.
What do you do in the first minutes of a new day? Do you peek out from under the covers then roll over for another few winks? Do you curse and complain about the renewal of the struggle to make ends meet. Do you reach for a cup of strong coffee to jolt you into the day or shake protesting children from their sleep?
Few of you reach for the yoga mat as dawn lights up the world, but more of you should. Like Dusty Springfield sang so many years ago, “Just a little loving early in the morning beats a cup of coffee for starting off the day.”
But love starts with the care you show for yourself. And there is no better way to show that loving than with gentle movement in the morning.
So let us start with a few yoga movements you might use at the start of your day. Within relatively few sessions you will likely notice increased flexibility, improved circulation, greater vitality, and increased well being overall.
Now, whether you are experienced with the practice or new to yoga, you should know that breath control is crucial. It helps calm your mind and restore energy. Focus on inhaling and exhaling deeply through your nose. Allow the breath to fill your lungs as your belly, rib cage, and chest area expand in that order. Exhale and release your breath while contracting your abdominal muscles. Draw in your ribcage and lower your chest. This form of yoga breathing can be synchronized with the poses for a greater effect.
A good way to start a yoga session is with poses that might be done in bed. While lying on your back, concentrate on areas of your body that feel stiff or tight. Slowly stretch two or three times to warm and loosen these areas. Bring your legs together and extend your arms as far over your head as possible. Visualize energy flowing into the lower body. Point your toes, and then flex your feet by extending your heels away from the hips.
When you feel fully stretched, release your arms and bring them along side your body. Notice a sense of relaxation. Starting with your toes and moving to the calves, thighs, buttocks, stomach, torso, shoulders, arms, hands, and face -- tense the muscles and release them. Hold the tension for two to three seconds before releasing and cycle through all the parts three to four times.
Now, with the legs together, bend your knees and place your hands behind your thighs, pull them close to your chest. Hold firmly and gently rock from side to side for 6 to 10 breathes. This provides an effective but gentle stretch for the lower back.
As you become more limber, there are other poses you might try that are appropriate for practitioners at every stage of development. The most popular are described below. You may assume the poses individually or in a sequence. 
Yoga Love
By M. Edwards
There are a lot of exercises that an individual can do to get the perfect body they have been longing and to get some peace of mind. One of the exercises that most women go for is yoga. Yoga is a physical, spiritual and mental exercise which originated in India. The goal of yoga is to achieve a state of calmness. It also includes meditation while doing the yoga positions. Based on an article in the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, it can treat different illnesses and other problems in the body but some claim that it does not have any health benefits at all.
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