Top Weight Loss Secrets: How Women in the Army Lost the Baby Weight

I drank a lot of juice (I got Wai Lana's favorite juice book as a gift), and that really helped me lose the weight I couldn't seem to shake off.

Top Weight Loss Secrets: How Women in the Army Lost the Baby Weight

Any woman who’s ever had a baby can relate to the not-so-joyous side of life after pregnancy: Your body’s changing, sleep is hard to get, and sometimes things between you and your man are strained. Caring for a whole new life can be overwhelming, and postpartum depression may set in. For women who are also soldiers in the Army, add a cold shoulder from your co-workers and boss, and the possibility of losing your job if you don’t drop the baby weight.

Ruby Murray, a master sergeant at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, came close to losing her job—because of 90 pounds of baby weight. Read how she lost the weight and started a no-fail weight-loss program to help her fellow Army women team up to trim down. View the slideshow.

Autumn foods

Just as we change our clothes according to season, we should also change our diets or at least vary our diets according to the season. Now that it's getting colder, it's important to stay well. Eat more ginger. Wai Lana just posted this nice little message on her facebook:

Ginger for Winter Ills
Ginger is well known for its spicy bite in Asian cooking, but not everyone knows it's also an effective remedy for a number of ailments, including colds and flu. Ginger is a stimulant that helps increase agni, the internal fire that regulates the digestive and circulatory systems. Low agni causes blockage and constipation, allowing toxins to accumulate, which creates a breeding ground for disease. Ginger helps by increasing the agni, which, in turn, burns away toxins and waste matter, improves digestion, and paves the way to recovery. Ginger even helps eliminate harmful bacteria and parasites.

Ginger is especially good during cold and flu season. It helps clear the sinuses, relieves congestion headaches, and reduces fever. It's also an expectorant that expels mucus from the lungs and throat. The most effective way to take it for colds and flu is ginger tea. Here's a simple recipe:

2 cups water
¼ cup diced fresh ginger
2 tsp. honey

Boil the water, then add the ginger and simmer for about 20 minutes. Strain into a cup and add 2 teaspoons of honey (or to taste). If you like, you can add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne pepper to the pot to increase the stimulating, heating effect. Let me forewarn you now, though: This tea is fiery! Sip it—don't gulp it down.

Here's some good advice from health too:
Heat up the kitchen

The weather may be cooler, but your produce choices are heating up. These amazing seasonal foods are the perfect excuse to visit your local farmers' market during the day and heat up the kitchen on cool nights.

Apples

Sweet or tart, apples are satisfying eaten raw or baked into a delicious dish. Just be sure to eat the skin—it contains hearty-healthy flavonoids. Health benefits include:

* Full of antioxidants
* 4 grams of dietary fiber per serving

Harvest season: August–November

Of course, one of my favorite ways to heat up the kitchen in this season is to try one of Wai Lana yoga's many soup recipes. They are delightful. :)

25 foods to avoid

I think this is a great article: 25 Foods You Shouldn't Eat. Very insightful! I've been keeping tabs of these healthy articles and teaching the kids how to eat healthy. It was a bit challenging in the beginning but now they are starting to get used to it.

They just love Wai Lana's Goji Juice. I don't blame them either! It's definitely one of the best tasting, healthy juices I've ever had.

Not much else happening here. It's been busy. Nobody is sick now, which is great. Flu season is never a fun thing to go through!

Stay happy and healthy everyone! Do your Wai Lana Yoga and eat your veggies :)

Wanted dead: Tobacco

Tobacco remains one of the biggest killers worldwide. It's predicted that over 6 million will die of lung cancer next year. An aunt of mine was just diagnosed with lung cancer a few days ago- and she never even smoked herself, but her late husband did- and yes, he died of lung cancer. It's a tragic fact that so many people care so little for themselves and for their loved ones that they would light a cigarette without thinking twice.

I'm focusing on helping my aunt get through. We are waiting for more tests to see how far gone it is and what the options are. Lung cancer is a very painful- as you can imagine, and having seen her husband go through it was painful enough- and now this. Please pray for her.

I also have a friend who's been trying to kick the habit. I told her about Wai Lana yoga - and how yoga can help to kick the habit. She said it's helping her quite well now.

Aromatherapy and yoga

Aromatherapy and yoga are just awesome.

So how does aromatherapy correspond to yoga? Aroma evokes memory and emotion and the two are interwoven in our cell tissue. Essential oils influence the whole being. Yoga influences the whole being. It's really cool that Wai Lana has now come up with a new line, "Wailana Yogaroma" Each time you practice yoga, your body responds to the memory of the pose, hopefully in a positive and healing way. The memory of each pose is embedded or stored in the cell tissue. Each time you revisit your yoga mat and practice, your body remembers being in the pose and what it feels like to be in the pose. When a yoga pose is held for a longer period of time, it gives the body the opportunity to open, relax and release.

When practicing yoga, there are several options for incorporating the use of essential oils. Here are a few suggestions: Diffusers, scented lotions using pure essential oils, essential oil sprays, incense (make sure it’s of good quality), and candles made with pure essential oils, not synthetic.

Below is a grouping of yoga poses and suggested essential oils to use while practicing yoga. Each essential oil has its own therapeutic qualities and supports different parts of the body.

* Bridge/Backbends/Heart Openers: Rose absolute is a calming oil that when diffused will produce a stabilizing atmosphere during times of stress, anxiety or grief.
* Downward Facing Dog/ Inversions/Invigorating: Peppermint is an energizing oil that invigorates and can help boost your frame of mind, while giving you a burst of energy.
* Standing Forward Bend/ Forward Bends /Calming: Lavender is a calming oil used for balancing, soothing, relaxing and healing.
* Warrior 1/ Standing poses /Grounding: Sandalwood is an earthy, woody scented oil. In some traditions it is known for its ability to help one focus and stabilize.
* Half Spinal Twist/ Twists /Massage organs: Clary Sage can bring about a sense of relaxed euphoria and ease tension in both mind and body.

Check out the following companies for essential oils, diffusers, candles and more: Aura Cacia, Oshadhi, Wyndmere and Big Dipper Wax Works.

Aromatherapy used during a yoga class can inspire, awaken, calm and connect you to deeper to mind/ body awareness. Try using essential oils while practicing yoga and feel the difference aromatherapy can make in your connection to mind and body.

Kick Laziness

So, here's a nice little article I enjoyed. I think it's a good one. So just another reason to do Wai Lana Yoga!

LOSE THE LAZY, AMERICA!
by Chani

That's it! We're done. Its time to make some serious changes, and nice doesn't seem to be working. I'm FIRED UP! And you should be too.

Lets get mad together. Did you know that American emergency crews are beginning to equip their ambulances with hydraulic stretchers that can handle up to 700 pounds? Seven Hundred Pounds..... How does that make you feel? We are out of control. There are thousands of web sites, books, magazines, and TV programs full of information on how to live a healthy lifestyle. You can watch them, you can stare at them, you can eat the pages...but none of it will help you if you don't take ACTION!

Everything begins and ends at home. We all work, whether its out of our homes or in them. A busy life is not an excuse. The habits you create in your home affect every aspect of your life. Your kids will follow your lead, you can't just say it, you have to show it. If your kids are headed to obesity...its your fault. Yes, I just said that. If you and your spouse have become fat over the years, its because of the habits you live... Its your fault. Don't blame it on genetics, the government, the restaurants, bad knees, or whatever excuse you have. Face it, look at yourself in mirror. Literally, Face it! Are you angry I'm calling you out? Good. Maybe I'll shake enough trees, to get some movement out of them. In fact, take a look at a tree. The trees that move and stretch their branches to the sun, thrive and bloom. The trees that get stuck in the shade wilt and die out. People are the same way. When you reach for a goal, and push yourself you will feel energy, and hope. If you hide in the complacency of the shade, you too will wilt, get fat, lazy, and look at the healthy trees and make jealous comments. Because deep down, you wish you had the energy of the sun.

I hope you are fired up! Lets get mad together and make a difference in the lives around us. If you are in bad shape and very uncomfortable with what you have become. Make the change today! Say it out loud.."I'm done!" And begin by taking a walk, and eating a little less today. Start small if you have to, but do it! If you are in great shape, be a motivator, inspire those around you. Believe me, some will shoot you down, call you the stick in the mud. So what, the next person just might follow your lead. Start a neighborhood walking group. Get together with your relatives on the weekends and have a "cooking day" where you prepare meals for the week. And please, if you are a parent, a teacher, a nurse, a doctor, a policeman, etc. you are a leader because of the position you hold. People are watching you. Get fit! Inspire, motivate, take a look in the mirror and make the physical changes you need to make. Find the resources you need to make it happen, and use them.

Our country is dying, no more nice..its not working. Get mad, get fired up, and get out there!

GET FIT, STAY FIT!

from

Need yoga mats? Wailana has good ones too. :)

Energy Levels

Oh, don't you just hate it when you have written such a long blog entry and it turns out you're not logged in and by the time you log in again, your whole post is gone?

Anyhow, I was talking about energy levels. It's been amazing to me how practicing Wailana Yoga has helped improve my energy levels so much. Being a parent is no joke, and I'm sure all other parents would tell non-parents, can you say- "Tiring?" But rewarding nonetheless.

When I watch Wai Lana singing and dancing at the end of her shows, it just makes me hopeful that I can be half as beautiful and youthful as she is when my kids are adults! I mean, Wai lana has said that she's got kids, and the way she moves, and how slim and beautiful she still is, is just a wonderful testimony for how yoga helps the body so much. I mean, doesn't that make sense?

On a side note, my kids have absolutely been losing themselves laughing at this silly baby goat playing on a horse. I'm sorry I still don't know how to embed movies onto my blog posts. Anyone have any idea?

Anyhow, hugs for everyone

Natural Supplements

At times like now, when everyone is on alert for their own safety and the safety of their loved ones, it is always good to have a fall back plan and be taking the best supplements to stay well and healthy. Wai Lana's supplements are my favorite way to keep healthy naturally.

Supplement Collection
$99
Gift Basket includes:

* Goji Capsules
* Immune Support Supplement capsules
* Stress Ease Supplement capsules
* Digestive Fire Ayurveda Capsules
* Pure Aloe Vera Juice
* Colloidal Minerals

Gem of Wisdom

Wai Lana's Daily gem of wisdom:

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.
Edward Everett Hal

Wai lana's Gem of Wisdom

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.
Edward Everett Hale

Source

Channel yoga

Channel yoga

The Arizona Republic
January 2009

If the idea of doing yoga in front of others has you quaking in your stretchy pants, try it in the privacy of your living room with Wai Lana, host of the long-running PBS series Wai Lana Yoga. Turn to Channel 8 (KAET) at 6 a.m. every weekday to learn how to do a sun salutation without anyone watching.

Wai Lana News

Yoga: A Breath of Fresh Air

Yoga: A Breath of Fresh Air
Tomorrow’s Child Magazine
Spring 2004

by Wai Lana

“Breathe in … breathe out …” The open window lets in cool, fresh air as little arms rise and fall in time with the breath. If this is not yet a common sight in your Montessori school, it may be soon. As more and more schools include yoga in their curriculum, parents and teachers are realizing that yoga is a wonderful, healthful activity that underscores the Montessori philosophy of nurturing the whole child.

Children love movement, so they love doing yoga. Imaginative play is innate in kids, and yoga gives them ample opportunity to pretend. As they become dogs, cats, bridges, and trees, body and mind learn to work in harmony.

Yoga is versatile too. It can be a quiet indoor activity, or it can be more vocal and fun when kids make sounds and gestures to accompany their poses. Try doing yoga to music, or take yoga outside when weather permits and let the children enjoy their connection to nature with Salute to the Sun or Tree Pose.

Sometimes the focus is on holding a pose, on the breath, or on the animal they are imitating. Earnest faces reveal the concentration needed to hold balancing poses. This ability to focus stays with them and makes it easier for them to concentrate on schoolwork and other tasks.

In fact, a yoga practice can easily be woven into other aspects of learning. For example, when studying the desert, kids can be introduced to Camel Pose with a discussion of how the camel stores fat in its hump to be used as fuel on long journeys. Yoga can be interwoven with geometry by looking at the different shapes the body makes in the various poses. A yoga posture can also be a catalyst for a simple anatomy lesson or an explanation of the inner workings of the body.

Yoga develops children physically by building strength, stamina, and flexibility. On a deeper physical level, yoga’s focus on good posture helps young spines grow straight and strong. The poses regulate and balance the production of hormones, which is especially important as children approach and pass through puberty. Yoga also improves digestion, nutrient absorption, and elimination while helping strengthen the immune system.

When doing yoga postures, kids learn that they need to be patient; they must persevere and concentrate to get better at the poses. As they improve, they gain a sense of accomplishment and self-confidence. Yoga also gives children valuable tools to help them cope with stress and with emotions like sadness or anger. Yoga postures, breathing, relaxation, and meditation techniques teach them how to calm the mind and release tension in the body.

You can teach yoga to the class as a group, but once the children experience how good it feels to stretch and twist, you may just find them doing it on their own, especially if you set up a special yoga area with a kid-size mat or two. All in all, yoga is a wonderful activity for children. It brings balance and harmony to both body and mind, and gives them tools that can keep them healthy, not just during childhood, but also throughout their adult lives.

Here’s a yoga asana called the Bridge. It helps improve digestion, bronchial conditions like asthma, and poor posture.

How to Do the Bridge: Lie on your back with your arms at your sides. Bend your knees and place your heels close to your buttocks. Keep your feet and knees apart. Lift your hips up to make your body into a strong bridge. Lift up high so tall boats can sail under you. Hold for a few seconds, then lower your bridge. Repeat a few times.

Wai Lana in the Media

News From Wailana: The Changing Face of Yoga

The Changing Face of Yoga
Sports Edge magazine
May 2004

Wai Lana focuses on yoga as a way of life and offers a bevy of products that cater to this type of consumer, from the tremendously successful Little Yogis line to a soon-to-be released vegetarian cookbook. "Because yoga is a lifestyle, products having to do with almost every aspect of one's life will be of interest to yoga practitioners," Wai Lana says.

Wai Lana In the Media

Wai Lana's Summer-Fresh Cooking

Summer-Fresh Cooking

Fit Yoga
August 2005

Late summer’s garden bounty makes it easy to serve fabulous meals with no fuss

In mid to late summer, my garden is really busy! Gorgeous scarlet-hued heirloom tomatoes, delicate green peas, jumbo zucchini, and purple and white marbled eggplant crowd the rambling vines and stalks. Hot pink radishes pop their heads from the ground, as do carrots so big they take an hour to munch. It’s certainly easy to eat well this time of year. Even if you don’t have a garden of your own, you’ll find summer’s best and brightest fruits and veggies overflowing the markets—at rock-bottom prices. And most of it is local too.

I’m a fresh-food addict. In fact, I have just about every fresh herb under the sun growing in my backyard, from cilantro, lemongrass, and Thai basil to summer savory, sage, and marjoram. The flavors jump out of the bowl and liven up even the simplest dishes. Not only do fresh foods and herbs taste best, they also make for quick, fuss-free cooking. You needn’t rely too much on your culinary skills or on time-consuming gourmet recipes to make something fabulous when you’ve got an abundance of fresh, seasonal produce. For a salad, all you need are ripe tomatoes off the vine, some hand-torn basil, a pinch of coarse sea salt, and a splash of good balsamic vinegar. Quick stir-fried garden greens and veggies served with a side of quinoa or couscous make a lively main course. And maybe some marinated tofu done on the barbecue to top it off. That’s easy, casual cooking at its best.

Summer is also a time when I crave light, refreshing meals that are easy to digest and don’t leave me feeling too full. I find simple, quick-cooking soups are the perfect solution. One of my favorites is a creamy, aromatic Zucchini Bisque topped with a cool, tangy homemade salsa. A lovely experience for both the eye and palate, it makes for a beautiful, satisfying meal or appetizer. I call it the ultimate “last-minute soup” because it takes just minutes to prepare and uses a small number of everyday ingredients. Serve it with croutons when there are kids at your table. Just adults? Let the colorful salsa stand on its own as the elegant crowning gem.

Wai Lana hosts the long-running TV series Wai Lana Yoga, which airs nationally on PBS and the Wisdom channel. She is the author of Wai Lana’s Favorite Juices and the upcoming Wai Lana’s Favorite Soups. For more information, please visit www.wailana.com.


Easy Zucchini Bisque with Apple Radish Salsa

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
10 cups chopped zucchini (5-8 zucchini)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh or dried tarragon
1 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
5 cups water
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
Dash of paprika
1 recipe Apple Radish Salsa and/or croutons for garnishing (optional)

Instructions
1. Heat the butter or oil in a 5-quart pot over high heat. Add the zucchini, tarragon, and salt and sauté for a few minutes until golden. Add the water and bring to a boil. Continue to boil for about 5 minutes until the zucchini is tender.

2. Begin preparing the salsa (see recipe below).

3. Remove soup from the heat and place in a blender or food processor along with the cream cheese and blend until smooth, in batches if necessary. Return to the pot and simmer uncovered on the lowest heat while you finish preparing the salsa.

4. Remove from the heat, ladle into bowls, and garnish with paprika and Apple Radish Salsa and/or croutons.

Apple Radish Salsa Garnish

Ingredients
3/4 cup diced tart, hard apple (peeled and cored)
1 cup diced peeled, seedless cucumber
1/4 cup finely diced radish
1/2 cup minced chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons minced chives or green onion
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon honey

Combine all the ingredients in a 2-quart bowl and chill until ready to serve.

Hands-on prep time: 10-15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Makes about 8 cups soup plus 2 cups salsa

Source

Wai Lana's Weekly Message

Here is Wai Lana's weekly message.

German scholar
A German scholar was preparing to leave for India to learn yoga. His colleagues asked him if he was going there to learn the yoga siddhis, or mystic powers. The scholar replied that he was not. He said that the yoga siddhis or mystic perfections were already being duplicated by modern science and he was therefore not interested in them.

He told them, "The mystic yogi struggles for decades to achieve the power to levitate or the power to stay underwater for long periods of time. But with the development of airplanes and submarines, modern scientists have achieved the same aim."

"Then what kind of yoga are you planning to learn?" they asked him.

"I am going to learn the process of yoga that leads to the perfection of spiritual love. That is the true and highest goal of yoga."
Source

Obesity and Sugar Substitutes

Obesity and Sugar Substitutes

While obesity has become an epidemic among Americans, the food industry has found ways to reduce calories and sugar content in many products. A major method of doing so has been the use of artificial sweeteners. However, by replacing natural ingredients with artificial ones, I wonder if we really are progressing and improving nutritional value. While fake sugars significantly reduce caloric values, there are side effects to sweeteners that may be more serious and worthy of our attention. I found an article that details the dangers of sugar substitutes, where it is explained that aspartame, the main ingredient in Equal and NutraSweet, has had more complaints than any other food additive available to the public, and studies have shown that it can lead to damage to the central nervous system and genetic trauma. Even though the recepients, (rodents), were receiving extremely high amounts of the sweetener, these results demonstrate that this is a potentially dangerous substance that we are putting into our bodies. And while Splenda does not contain aspartame, it is calorie-free because it's chemical composisition goes unrecognized by the body and cannot be absorbed; however, some scientists predict that after a while, our bodies will recongnize it and digest it as sugar (no longer making it "calorie-free").
Sweeteners and other food subsitutes seem to be a short-term way to cut calories and lose weight. I think that in order for this country to truly progress and improve the obesity epidemic, the American life style has to change. Substitutes allow us to continue to eat the way we have been eating, but instead, we must change our dietary habits to live healthier lives. Obviously, this would involve excersise and healthy eating, and not simply cutting a few calories here and there, but I think this would improve the American people's general wellbeing.

Source

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

I got my mom Wai Lana's "nourish and relax" gift basket this year.

Stay Fit And Slim During Winter

Time to go for the yoga diet! Wai Lana's got some great recipes to help you make wonderfully delicious dishes and soups that will keep you fit and happy through the winter. She's got some great juices that will help you keep in your best shape.

Remain Fit And Slim During Winter

Are you worried that you might end up becoming fat in winter? Yes, in winter, because of the fact that most of us eat more during winter and there is very less physical activity and due to this you may put on weight. Since there is no calorie burning exercise most probably one may even become obese.

If you are both figure and health conscious then be sure to make this winter regime. Ensure that you are not stuffing so much into your big pot belly. Largely depend on fresh fruits and vegetables. They say they are the corner stone of leading a healthy life. At the same time you must learn that you are not supposed to consume access. You already know the side affects of everything too much.

Eat different varieties to supplement all the required energy, nutritions, minerals and vitamins. They are the catalyst and ingredients of healthy health. If you know the tricks to eat then you can never gain those extra flabs in your stomach. Do regular light exercise this will definitely benefit you.
Another important lesion is to know the limitation of consumption. Though fresh fruits and vegetables are indispensable options for the health but it is also equally important to know how much we should eat. There could be a repercussion lying ahead. Eat proportionate amount and remain healthy.

Your breakfast and lunch idea must be mix of all good fresh food. Eat fruits and nutritious food in the breakfast and lunch. You must not skip the breakfast. Dinner should be with vegetables, fruits apart from your other carbohydrate food.

If you are planning to eat outside, make sure that you are served fresh fruits and light meal. Go for a vegetarian restaurant. Don’t over eat. Be aware of gaining weight.

Source

Yoga Exercise on Cold Winter Days

Yoga Exercise on Cold Winter Days
If your muscles need defrosting in the cold winter weather and your hamstrings feel like steel when you do a forward bend, here are a few hints to get you started.

* Take a hot bath or shower before you start to warm up your muscles.
* Turn on your heater. You'll probably turn it back down halfway through your session.
* Start with simple stretching movements to loosen up your body. Rock & Roll is a quick and easy warmup.
* Take a brisk walk to get things moving before you start stretching.

It's easy to ignore exercise when it's frosty outside and you'd rather cozy up to a warm fire. Eating more is another easy way to help the body stay warm. But more food and less exercise means that by the time spring rolls around, our clothes don't fit anymore! The best all-round solution is to get warm with yoga. Not only does it keep the flu bugs at bay, but regular exercise also keeps your appetite in balance.

Even when it's cold, I like to practice outside in the fresh air. I just layer my clothes. I wear tights under my sweatpants when it's really cold, and a turtleneck under a sweater with a light jacket I can take off once I get warmed up. And that doesn't usually take very long!

From: Wai Lana's Weekly Message

Wai Lana's Weekly Message

Turn "Off" Days into "On" Days
Have you ever noticed how your body and mind work better on some days than on others? How one day things come easy to you, but on other days those same things require much more effort? These "off" days have a variety of causes. For example, if your body is stiff or tense, or if you're constipated or suffering from indigestion, your mind will also be disturbed. On the other hand, if your mind is disturbed because you're stressed out or emotionally upset, you may also feel lousy physically.

Yoga helps counteract both the physical and mental factors that give you "off" days. Asanas reduce tension and relieve common problems like constipation and indigestion. They also boost circulation, which energizes both body and mind. Regular practice will definitely reduce the number of "off" days you experience.

So if you're feeling down and out, turn your "off" day into an "on" day by getting into some yoga.

Wai Lana's Weekly Message