Originally Posted by
alcanoe
A comment on Yoga. I have a friend who is dedicated to Yoga which apparently involves a lot of strange positions involving static stretching. She has demonstrated several. It made me cringe and explains to me at least, her chronic back problems.
In Physical Activity and Health (current college level textbook), it comments that you better work out and really build yourself up before you get into Yoga because of the stress. Unfortunately, it's not listed in the index (nor is stretching) so I can't provide the quote: it's a really big and complex book.
Yoga is a fad like soy. Some Indians did practice it down through the ages, but they also practice drinking their own urine. Gandhi practiced the latter. If you go Indian, you might as well go all the way.
On soy, I've read it's best to stick to the fermented variety. I've read three studies where folks who eat a lot of Tofu during midlife seem to suffer brain/intellect shrinkage. Fermenting apparently rids soy of some damaging ingredients.
The devil is in the details as always.
Al
course we all know what is best for us
and we'll do what WE think
there is no standard or 'baseline' around which we can measured, so its really what you want and expect...
so far I haven't found any real-life example of perfection in this world, but have found many attributes I would be happy to have, and many I dread. Societally, Indian culture has its strong points as well as weak (from my stilted perception), but I'm happy to adopt/adapt any part which seems meritorious. Same applies to any other things I learn about.
just because Jim Fixx croaked at 52, doesn't in any way undermine the basic principles he championed.
http://www.simpsonassociatesinc.com/fixxbook.html
Entering the home stretch of 'being', there is way more upside than downside to:
1. Being more mentally and physically fit than 'not'.
2. Being stronger, rather than weaker
3. Being more flexible, rather than inflexible
4. Using better quality fuel, rather than low grade stuff
5. Being more mindful, rather than less
6. Being more a 'student' rather than 'sheeple'
Certain or not, about what we are and do; we certainly are betting our own lives on what we think we know