“I’m a runner and I find yoga really helps me recover quickly and prevent flare ups in my knees, but I’m not sure if I should do yoga before or after running. Does it matter?”

Answer:

To do short-hold and dynamic stretches before any form of exercise (tennis, weight lifting, jogging) is a great idea. These types of stretches are not about gaining flexibility, they’re all about warming up and preparing your body for more intensity.

For example, a runner who pulls his heel to his bum for 15 seconds on both sides to stretch his quads is never going to gain more flexibility doing this.

But it’s still very beneficial and actually the better way to stretch before a workout (as opposed to doing deep, passive stretches).

Why?

There’s a muscular component to it, but mostly it’s a disconnect for your nervous system. In order to do a very deep stretch (a la Gravity Poses) you have to consciously train your nervous system to relax the tension in your muscles.

The deeper you go, the more your nervous system is learning to let go and soften.

But if you’re doing sprints, dead lifts, or even hitting golf balls, you need your nervous system to be a twitch away from full engagement.

That’s the long answer, but here’s the short takeaway:

• Brief, dynamic stretches are best before a physical workout to prevent injury and “warm up.”
• Long-hold, passive stretches for flexibility gains are best done after your other workouts or at the end of the day.

This way, your nervous system isn’t getting mixed messages – when it needs to, your body will be strong. And when it’s time, your body will soften and open.

Stay bendy,

Lucas

YOGABODY Naturals

A post from: Yogabody

So this half-gallon jug of bugs includes a delicate balance of good to bad bacteria that are essential to maintaining your health.

Yup, that’s right:

There are bad bugs inside you now – hopefully getting beat up daily by your good bugs, sometimes called “beneficial microflora.”

These living organisms help with all sorts of metabolic functions, including the digestion of your food.

When people talk about “living foods” they are talking about beneficial bacteria-laden foods like kefir, yogurts (unpasteurized), krauts, and nato.

I eat fermented foods (homemade) at least 3x per week and they make me feel great. They reduce bloating, clear up my skin and give me a really natural lift in energy.

And when I’m traveling and can’t get living foods (or whenever my digestion needs some help), I also use a probiotic supplement.

Probiotics are supplements that contain dried (but active) beneficial bacteria. This is a manual way to add to your “good guy” bacteria troops really quickly.

With probiotics, you want a minimum of 5 strains and a potency of at least 25 billion CFU’s (personally, I only use 10 strains and 50 BB CFU’s as I find it more effective).

Here’s what a probiotic, beneficial bacteria supplement can do for you:

• Produce natural compounds that ward off pathogenic bacteria, yeasts and viruses.
• Reduce digestive mucous.
• Starve off pathogenic bacteria (if there are enough good guys).
• Produce short-chain fatty acids for gut health.
• Boost immune system.
• Synthesize vitamins B and K.

So the question is: How are your beneficial bacteria doing?

Stay bendy,

Lucas

YOGABODY Naturals

A post from: Yogabody

So people concerned with the health of their bones and teeth are concerned about getting enough calcium in their diet.

Makes sense, but most people do get plenty of dietary calcium; it simply does not get absorbed efficiently for any number of reasons (lack of sun/Vitamin D, mineral imbalances, or an overly acid diet)

So eat calcium-rich foods, for sure, but just remember that you can’t just chow on calcium and expect strong bones – there’s always more to the story than just one micronutrient.

High Calcium Plant Foods

• Seaweeds (kelp, arame, nori, etc)
• Tahini/sesame seeds (uncooked/unroasted better)
• Dark greens (collards, dandelion, kale, parsley)
• Soybeans (best if eaten fermented as tempeh/nato)

Of all of the above, green veggies are something you can and should eat every day, and sesame seeds or tahini (if raw) is a really great addition to sauces and dressing, including hummus.

Other great sources included nuts and seeds, figs, beans, quinoa, and broccoli.

Hope that’s helpful.

Stay bendy,

Lucas

YOGABODY Naturals

A post from: Yogabody

Here’s why:

Yoga strength is functional strength, not for show, but for real life, real power. Ask any yoga teacher and they’ll tell you a similar story where a buffed up gym rat comes to class with biceps bigger than the teacher’s legs, and yet he can’t hold a chaturanga (half pushup) or side plank (side pushup) for more than 3 seconds while the skinny guy next to him can stick a handstand for 1 minute.

And here’s why this matters:

Yoga does build strength, but not in the way you’d normally think of. First, it builds dynamic muscle balance as opposed to mass, which is extremely useful no matter what your goals.

Second, it builds greater range of motion, which by definition equals greater strength.

Here’s the formula:

*Range of Motion x Force = Output of Power*

A pitcher with a strong arm who has a pathetic reach due to his tight shoulders can’t hurl the ball as fast.

A golfer who is built like a truck but whose hips are locked up can’t compete with his weaker yet bendy competitors.

Long tissues, strong body. Short tissues, weak.

Stay bendy,

Lucas

YOGABODY Naturals

P.S. For the record, there are lots of very smart, very functional weight trainers and body builders. Lean muscle is one of the secret keys to fitness when done right.

A post from: Yogabody

She says:

“Your biography becomes your biology.”

What you do, what you eat, how you live your life quickly becomes who you are on the very visceral knees, ankles, shins and toes level.

With yoga and nutrition, I like to think of each day as a building block, a biography being written that is constantly updating my biology.

How is this practice, this pose, this food going to create my body tomorrow?

Things to think about:

(1)    What is your “story” and how is that freeing or limiting your body and health?

(2)     If you could rewrite your story (or change the ending), what would you change?

(3)     If your actions are your building blocks, what actions can you start taking now to ensure your “happy ending” comes BEFORE the end?

Stay bendy,

Lucas

YOGABODY Naturals

A post from: Yogabody

• Banana-Sesame Ice Cream
• 4 frozen bananas
• 4 tablespoons raw tahini
• Handful of raisins
• 2 tablespoons ground sesame seeds

The only hitch is, you need a good “masticating” juicer to make this. These juicers are really great for greens, veggies, and fruits, but they also make amazing sorbets in minutes using nothing but frozen fruit.

Click here to check out the juicer I use.

This model is super easy to clean and use, and it’s not a massive piece of furniture like some models I’ve owned in the past.

Other sorbets you can make:

• Mango-lemon
• Papaya-lime
• Banana-orange-mint

I just finished a 7-day Thailand Detox (my juice cleansing program), and as is always the case, my food cravings have totally changed.

I’m craving nothing but wet, raw fruits and veggies so I’ve been giving my juicer a hard workout every day.

Stay bendy,

Lucas

YOGABODY Naturals

P.S. Forgot to mention, you can run some raw cashews through the juicer too when you’re making banana sorbets – it’s amazing!

P.P.S. Sesame seeds are one of the most abundant sources for calcium on the planet, miles ahead of dairy in terms of bio-availability.

A post from: Yogabody

In many ways your body’s muscles are the same way. As you’re building strength and flexibility, you are creating micro tears that heal longer and stronger (hopefully) than before.

All good.

This is why you get sore, and I’m sure this is not news to you… but what about your joints?

What about if you pop your arm straight 20 times in a row until your elbow is throbbing?

What if you do so many squats your knees swell up like melons?

Do you elbows and knees get stronger? Almost never. Muscle soreness is a sign of progress (as long as you can still walk straight) but joint pain is a sign of injury, or soon to be.

So when you practice, expect your quads to burn and your hamstrings to get sore after a hard session. That’s OK.

But do everything you can to keep your knees, shoulders, elbows and lower back pain-free. Soreness there is a red flag – don’t smoke your joints!

Stay bendy,

Lucas

YOGABODY Naturals LLC

A post from: Yogabody

According to the USDA, here’s a shortlist of the most-consumed foods in America (in no particular order):

• Milk
• Processed cheese
• White breads and flour
• Refined sugar
• Colas
• Ground beef

Milk might be a good food for some people, particularly for those whose bodies tolerate it and if they can find a local, whole, non-pasteurized and non-homogenized source (extremely rare).

But the rest? If you never ate that stuff again, you’d probably give yourself an instant bump in health and vitality.

Here’s the thing though:

We all get into weird patterns of eating where breakfast is always the same and lunch consists of one or two options, and before you know it, it’s really easy to just eat milk, wheat, sugar, and corn all day long (in various forms) with some other stuff on the side.

Does that happen to you?

Biodiversity in your diet is really fun, and it’s extremely healthy – particularly when you eat locally and focus on ugly, bumpy, army-green veggies.

Here’s an experiment I’ve been doing; maybe you want to try it for yourself.

Food Experiment

Make a laundry list of every single plant (and animal) food you ate last week, and then try to double it this week. Most people have 15 or less, to give you an idea, so aim to eat at least 30+.

Let me know how it goes.

Stay bendy,

Lucas

YOGABODY Naturals

A post from: Yogabody

Here’s one: Sit on your butt, watch TV, strap a vibrating ab-thingy to your belly and get a six pack before summer.

Here’s another: Buy a set of get-rich-quick DVDs, don’t watch them or do anything (just put them on the shelf), wake up six weeks later with so much cash that you decide to go back to school to become a poet.

And here’s my favorite: Do some stretches while watching TV, 2 weeks later, wake up skinny.

But seriously, I get this yoga for weight loss question all the time.

“Can I lose weight doing yoga?”

The answer is a big, fat, whooping, yes! I lost over 40 pounds. But I wasn’t bobbing my legs about while watching Seinfeld or chanting OM in a cave.

I was doing really heavy yoga asana, training really.

In the yoga world, there’s a whole movement against fitness.

But I say hats off to anyone doing anything to improve their life.

• Get strong.
• Get flexible.
• Get fit.
• Get thin.

If you can do all that, I’ll betcha enlightened spiritual states and all that jazz will come a heck of a lot easier.

Stay bendy,

Lucas

YOGABODY Naturals

A post from: Yogabody

“All this health stuff is great and all… but honestly, I feel like most people are so stressed out… and stress is the most toxic thing ever…”

There’s a real truth to that, and I can certainly relate. But here’s the thing:

Yes, heady/emotional stress is bad. It really eats away at you.

But physical stress is actually great for you.

I’m not talking about smashing your hand in a car door or getting squished by a big truck, but safe and intense physical stresses are actually one of the best ways to release heady, emotional stress in your life.

Example: A busy executive finishes a grueling workweek and goes straight for a deep tissue massage. She doesn’t want a bubble bath (not yet anyway), she wants elbows digging into her shoulders, knees into her bum, and lots of pressure.

Why?

She’ll tell you that the stronger the massage, the more relaxed she becomes. It’s a good stress, bad stress thing.

So why does this matter?

Simply because sometimes you’ve got to rev up before we can cool down. Do something physically difficult and uncomfortable before you’re truly ready to lounge on the sofa and veg out.

Here are my favorite physical stress activities that blast emotional stress away fast:

• Backbends (50 breaths in full wheel)
• 8×15 Plank Press Ups in 4 Minutes (Yoga Timer is very handy for this)
• Factorial Pullups on the Yoga Trapeze (Start with your max number of reps and decrease by one each set. So 10 first set, 9 second set, etc).
• Kapalabhati Breathing (5 sets of 20 exhales)

Hope you find that helpful.

Stay bendy,

Lucas

YOGABODY Naturals

A post from: Yogabody