Weight Loss Camps with Zen
Article first published as The Real Meaning of Yoga on Technorati.
The Beatles went to India in 1967 where they met yoga guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and were initiated into the practice of TM- Transcendental Meditation.
All but George Harrison took yoga as a passing trend, but his songs reflected the change that caused him to be a more introspective person.
Droves of Beatles fans followed suit and delved into the Eastern practices of yoga and meditation.
By the end of the 60s, focus had moved onto more psychedelic pursuits and focus on the Viet Nam war. However, Hollywood trendsetters still favored the physical yoga practice, which kept the movement alive until it trickled down to a fanatic few by the early seventies.
Yoga did not make another resurgence until the late 90s after the fitness industry finally recognized it as viable “Mind-Body Fitness” exercise and began to promote it.
Yoga was then assigned it to this new category along with Pilates, Tai Chi, and Feldenkrais. To follow the new trend, certification agencies began to market credentials at weekend workshops and marketers began to devise various new themes to brand. All of this is good when it brings new exercisers into activity. However, the departure from the original theme is so rampant that I believe a rant needs to be made on the real meaning of yoga.
The literal translation of the word YOGA comes from the Sanskrit language and it means, “union”.
Sanskrit, like Latin, is a dead language whose origin is key to learning many modern dialects. “Union” of what? That is, the union of body and mind. The yogis believe that the highest purpose of yoga is to realize the Self, the absolute pure spirit of a being. In order to get in touch with one’s self, certain physical postures can be beneficial to maintain the ability to relax and transcend the distraction of your physical body. Only then can an individual relate to an inner spirit or higher calling. This is done when meditation is achieved.
The more lofty form of yoga is Raja yoga, the science of the mind.
Raja yoga uses physical postures of Hatha yoga as preliminary to meditation. Concentration is the primer for Meditation. Meditation is the most advanced form of concentration. Mainstream yoga classes are not conducive to basic concentration, much less meditation. Why? When the room is so hot that all you can think about is tolerating the discomfort while you stare at yourself and others in the mirror, this would be called an outward focus. The focus is on how you relate to the others in the room, how you compare, how your body looks and performs. This all takes place on a very superficial and physical level. This is not conducive to concentration, let alone meditation.
How does yoga teach one the ability to concentrate?
The yoga practice environment must first be appropriate for establishing an indrawn awareness. That means that all outward distractions are kept to a minimum. The classic forms of yoga practice will avoid mirrors in the room at all costs. Existing mirrors need to be covered so that participants are not drawn outward or to the exterior focus. The practice room is dimly lit. The instructor does minimal demonstration if any. After a brief overview of the class format, everyone is encouraged to maintain closed eyes and listen to precise directions. This will heighten awareness and reduce outward distractions. Each attempt to focus becomes more successful with practice.
All yoga class instructions must be verbally concise so as to guide the participant into their most natural interpretation of the physical movements possible.
Intuition toward one’s body will become keen and accurate with the appropriate interpretation of performing physical postures for that individual. This is not possible with excessive visual demonstrations by others. The influence of a visual demo can be very misleading to an individual who may not be able to posture exactly as seen. This causes negative feelings of inadequacy and places emphasis on the performance of others.
If you are still with my diatribe at this point, you will easily understand when I state that most of today’s trendy yoga followers will never make it into a state of indrawn awareness. To focus within, is to develop the true ability to do yoga–to become yoked with body and mind.
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Filed under General Fitness by on Mar 15th, 2011. Comment. 
Article first published as Weight Loss Camps Are Live in Boot Camps With a New Theme on Technorati.
Weight Loss Camps are now all over the world, especially in destination resorts like Las Vegas.
Unlike the angry military-style of earlier boot camps, weight loss camps are now theme based.
Weight Loss Camps range from adventure hiking, rafting, horseback riding, to running on the public beaches, but most all now have a theme.
The theme must offer a diversion from your usual routine, which has you, locked into your pattern. That behavioral pattern has not been getting you the result you desire, therefore, you are setting out to make changes. Getting you out of your ordinary pattern is important for a lot of reasons.
The first thing that Weight Loss Camps do is help you to find new ways to become active that can actually keep you motivated.
Secondly, by training in areas you would not normally engage on your own you are training your weaknesses. That is how you gain strength. Develop a more rounded choice of activities and the likelihood of getting more exercise is obvious. Try not to limit yourself to your same patterns. They haven’t been enough or you wouldn’t be looking for professional weight loss camps.
Thirdly, Weight Loss Camps need to put your into the Zen mindset. After all, you are there to be led and taught new things.
That is, the open mind of a beginner who is eager to learn and try new things. The Zen mindset is without previous apprehensions or judgments. It is the clear, receptive state for optimal learning and change. Zen mind-open mind. You are opening yourself to become receptive to new experiences to form new habits along with new likes and dislikes. This is not done by force or harsh measures of humiliation. A yoga type mindful movement session aids you toward a more indrawn awareness. This will be a welcome break from usual activities of the weight loss camps. Take a break and go within. Close your eyes and tune out all expectations put on you by others so that you can become aware of your own inner leadings. Chances are they will be loftier than you anticipated.
Weight Loss Camps are designed to provide a well-supervised, supportive environment in which you can immerse yourself by being free of normal responsibilities or distractions.
Even if you don’t consider yourself an outdoors person, you will benefit by stepping out of your comfort zone to expand your options to include more exercise opportunity. Likewise, with dance or other indoor activities which may not be your first tendency. You may find that there are forms of outdoor and indoor exercise that you overlooked. During this self-discovery, you also may find that once you get over your preconceived notions about different variations of the theme, you can actually benefit from all of it. After all, you are choosing to attend one of these Weight Loss Camps for one reason and that is for YOU. 
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Filed under Live-in Fitness Retreat by on Mar 12th, 2011. Comment.
Adult weight loss camps deal with changing old behavioral patterns and replacing them with new ones.
In general, teaching kids new habits is a much faster process than for adults. Adults have had more time to develop and firmly establish bad habits. The key is finding the right motivational driver or emotional hot button that a person is geared to strive toward. However, the motivational techniques used for adult weight loss camps may differ because they have different emotional drivers than children.
One common motivation for both kids and adult weight loss camps is peer approval.
While people of all ages are hard-wired to seek recognition and approval, kids are even more impressionable by peers. Immature individuals are prone to making poor decisions or taking unsafe risks in order to find peer favor. During the “identity years” kids are unsure of themselves so that getting approval from other peers means personal validation. An example of an unwise, immature choice would be to go on a crash diet.
Weight loss camps recognize that the difference in a mature adult and an immature adolescent is the ability to delay gratification for a long-lasting result.
Crash dieting is not an alternative to weight loss camp. Immediate gratification when a person’s scale weight drops dramatically does not mean that it an ideal weight will be maintained. Conversely, it skews the metabolism making it even harder to lose weight again. Lower numbers on the scale should not celebrate success at weight loss camp. Long-term success comes from adopting new habits.
Adult weight loss camps use motivational sex appeal.
The difference in the mature person and the immature is simply the ability to hold out for lasting results versus temporary results, but that’s not all that is different. Then there is sex appeal. The doctor can warn you about the high health risk of obesity and the Surgeon General cautions a sedentary lifestyle. However, the real motivation comes right down to how you feel about looking at yourself in the mirror with very little on. That is all there is to it. The media is less conservative than previous generations and youths are influenced at a younger age by seductive celebrity role models.
Try not to overanalyze; just recognize that everyone can learn healthy habits at weight loss camp.
Just keep it simple. Each individual of any age has unique issues, but it is instinctual for one to want to be the best that they can be. Personal drivers can come into play, but success comes with discipline. Discipline is needed to establish new habits when replacing old ones. Just face it. Your old habits aren’t getting you the result you want. The process of transformation is far easier in a controlled environment under supervision. Leave it to the pros at the adult weight loss camps. They will tell you that understanding human nature is the key to being able to persuade, influence, motivate, and coach others– whether kids or adult weight loss camps.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Uc2zc9up0 510 414[/youtube]
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Filed under Adult Weight Loss Camp, Live-in Fitness Retreat by on Mar 10th, 2011. Comment.
Are weight loss camps in your future?
You need to do your homework on weight loss camps before making a financial commitment.
In the business of fitness and weight loss camps, professional services are prepaid in advance. That is because your financial commitment is generally the strongest method of getting you to follow through with your own self-promises. If you are going to make the most cost-effective decision in choosing among residential fitness and weight loss camps, there is much to consider.
So you are searching the Internet looking for live-in fitness and weight loss boot camps.
Google has brought you an array of results for live-in weight loss camps, adult fat farms, biggest loser resorts, fitness retreats and adult fat camps. No matter what name they go by just keep the following in mind:
When it comes to weight loss, make sure that it is fat you will be losing. Remember: FATLOSS.
What I mean by that is that you can crash large amounts of weight off without losing fat. This will result in a lot of loose skin and lack of muscle tone. What you are doing is losing precious muscle by going into calorie deprivation. If that is the case, you will be in for more yo-yo dieting. Your metabolism will slow due to the reduced muscle and you will gain fat again. Ask the right questions to make sure you don’t sign up for the wrong method.
The first step is when you have already determined that you are ready to sign with one of the weight loss camps and to set aside the time.
There you will find an environment free from your negative behavior patterns and eating habits, which sabotage your efforts. Once and for all you have come to terms with the problems stopping you.
Now the next step is to decide which one of the many weight loss camps works for you.
If you are going to make the best decision in choosing a cost-effective program to get in shape and lose weight then you need to do your fat camp homework. Compare weight loss camps among the top on west coast and east coast. Will it be Las Vegas to live 24/7 in a private residential weight loss retreat? What about California for a live in fitness camp? Maybe it will be Utah to a weight loss resort, or Florida for a fitness vacation.
Which of the weight loss camps will teach you what to do once you are on your own back home?
Most all the Adult Fat Farms and weight loss camps have nutritionists and chefs to plan and prepare your meals for you. What happens when you get back home and haven’t practiced any of the recipes or food combining? Will you really understand correct portions of carbohydrates and proteins? You need hands-on practice to form new habits and duplicate the wellness lifestyle on your own at home.
When you find which of the weight loss camps actually teach you how to read labels, shop for the right foods, and learn to prepare them or even order the best menu choices then you have a wellness lifestyle. This knowledge will serve you the rest of your life. That makes it a good investment for your commitment and money. Otherwise, don’t get rid of your fat clothes yet.
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Filed under Live-in Fitness Retreat, Weight Loss Camp by on Mar 9th, 2011. Comment.
Weight loss camps are no longer just for the privileged few.
Hollywood celebrities and the leisure set have attended weight loss camps and spas for generations.
The travel and expense once made it cost-prohibitive to the working class. However, with health care premiums being what they are more and more obesity patients are opting to budget for weight loss camps and they are using vacation time, too.
An obese young father became motivated to shop for obesity camps when he factored the increased cost in life insurance premiums over the term of the policy.
Comparing the cost of weight loss camps seemed a clear choice when it calculated out to be a cheap alternative to paying over $60,000 in higher premiums for being obese. Rather than weigh in at the higher coverage rate , he postponed the weigh-in date to attend weight loss camp. He accumulated all his vacation time to make the commitment for himself and for his family by attending our weight loss camp.
The fact remains that the majority of our obese population cannot lose weight nor can they get into shape without help. Short of medical methods and prescription drugs, a person’s will power only can go so far when facing such an overwhelming goal. A small percentage will benefit from a few hours a week with a personal coach. That is simply not enough supervision for the person who has a lot of weight to lose. That is where weight loss camps have filled the void.
Weight loss camps provide support and guidance for the process of behavioral change.
Change of eating habits and the addition of proper exercise will be a drastic switch for most obese people. When the consequences are expensive, the cost of weight loss camps pales in comparison. Calculate the higher cost of clothing when you have a wardrobe of fat clothes. Usually it is a variety of sizes that take up closet space when one has nothing to wear. Nothing fits. That can take a toll on your social life.
Factor in the medical costs of being overweight. By the time you finish the math, you will realize the value of weight loss camps versus obesity and the complications of being overweight.
Being obese or just even somewhat overweight has a negative impact on your emotional and physical health. Being overweight contributes to being sedentary, and being sedentary causes more weight gain. Until the downward spiral is stopped, there is a continuous loss of health, vitality, and quality of life.
Soon you will need to do the math. Personal trainers a few times a week cannot provide the close attention and 24/7 support you need to break the vicious cycle of obesity habits. Health club memberships and weight loss products do little for you when you are in need of a complete lifestyle change. Those gym memberships won’t get much use when you are too humiliated to go there.
Do the math and compare the cost of a 30-90 day program at one of the weight loss camps offering 5-6 meals a day and up to 4 & 5 hours of activity daily.
This is what it takes to make a change—after you have made the financial commitment. Most physicians will agree that the cost of weight loss camps are meager over the long range when compared to what they have to charge for medial services. Get a doctor’s approval to exercise and start researching live-in weight loss camps for a program that will change your life.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftQ00PpFbNs 520 423[/youtube]
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Filed under General Fitness, Live-in Fitness Retreat by on Mar 9th, 2011. Comment.
When your weight loss efforts have failed, you need to compare a Weight Loss Camp vs Gastric Bypass. Here is the newsflash:
Gastric Bypass Surgery Gone Bad
Study: 1 In 50 People Die Within A Month Of Surgery
A CBS news documentary followed a gastric bypass patient who did not consider Weight Loss Camp vs Gastric Bypass.
He succeeded in losing weight and then died shortly.
Dave Weindel died three weeks after his surgery at age 38. His case was not a complete anomaly. Really. That was supposed to be the success story to prove weight loss, but it proved the risk of death instead.
If you haven’t pondered the question of Weight Loss Camp vs Gastric Bypass Surgery you should.
Most overweight people who have reached obesity level have considered gastric Bypass.
However, that is a fool’s way out.
I am sorry to tell you that in spite of all the hype about finding weight loss success through gastric bypass surgery, it is just not true. That’s right. This is my blog and I am here to point out facts to consider when comparing Weight Loss Camp vs Gastric Bypass Surgery.
Tune into NBC’s hit TV show and watch the progress of obese and morbidly obese people at the Biggest Loser Camp.
Even though you truly believe that you have tried everything…
The truth is that you have failed to do all the right things all at the same time!
That is why you need to compare Weight Loss Camp vs Gastric Bypass Surgery to save your mental and physical health.
Yes. Your emotional health will never return to full confidence and the ability to believe that you can take control of your life and body. The Body-for-Life method teaches that when you take control of your body that is when you actually start to take control of your life. Read the book because it has been a best-seller since 1999 and Body-for-LIFE is by far the most important self-help book of the millennium to this day. Many others followed suit, but this is the real McCoy.
Obviously, gastric bypass surgery is an extremely drastic decision and measure to take when you are trying to lose weight. This is a surgery that is going to make it physically impossible to eat in the same manner that you have been eating up until now. You won’t even be able to eat like a normal weight person because of the fact that your God-given system has been surgically altered to try and beat Mother Nature. I will not spend time here reviewing the high incidence of death and complications. All of this means that you really need to try other methods of losing weight first.
You can review that on another Weight Loss Camp vs Gastric Bypass Surgery article.
So which kind of requirements does your doctor look for to make sure that you are a good candidate for this sort of surgery? People who are given permission to have gastric bypass surgery have to first prove that they aren’t able to lose weight using healthier methods of doing so. In order to be considered for the surgery most people need to have at least a forty body mass index. People whose body mass indexes are between thirty-five and thirty-nine can also qualify for the surgery if they are suffering from weight related health risks like diabetes or high blood pressure.
Having surgery to correct unhealthy weight isn’t a choice that any person should make quickly or lightly. You need to consider every one of the options that are available to you and weigh them equally. It is imperative that you educate yourself as to the risks that come with it. This surgery has induced some individuals to develop serious health concerns and many have died.
When you complete your comparison of Weight Loss Camp vs Gastric Bypass Surgery you will also find that the cost of a Live in Weight Loss camp is far less than an expensive life-threatening surgery.
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Filed under General Fitness by on Mar 5th, 2011. Comment.
Everybody knows that training frequently is just one of the things you must do if you want to lose weight, but how do you avoid an Exercise Headache ?
Losing weight by working out too hard too soon can bring on an Exercise Headache.
So how can you work out to lose weight without the pain and discomfort of an Exercise Headache ?
What most people do not realize however is that exercising can definitely be a pain and a headache as well. You are likely currently familiar with the fact that training may cause pain in your joints, your muscles and your back but did you know that it can also cause an Exercise Headache? Unfortunately, plenty of individuals suffer from exercise triggered headaches but, thankfully, there is plenty you can to do treat and prevent them. Here is how to do that.
Drink a lot of water:
This is necessary in typical life but it is even more important while you are working out to try to lose weight. An Exercise Headache is usually a result of being dehydrated and dehydration really can appear after a workout, particularly if you work up a good sweat (sweat drains the body’s water). Drinking a healthy quantity of water prior to, during and after your workout will do a lot to help you keep the headache from setting in after you work out. It is frequently all you need to do to avoid getting an exercise headache that turn up post training as well.
Proper warm ups along with cool downs are very necessary.
Just beginning a exercise session can zap your system—blood will start rushing to the places you are working which takes it away from your brain and that can lead to the onset of an Exercise Headache. When you warm up thoroughly your body has a chance to increase blood flow at a much better rate and then redistribute it during your cool down so that your system doesn’t get such a jarring shock.
Practice the right breathing techniques during your workouts and when lifting weights.
There has been a lot of discussion about breathing when exercising. Some say to inhale when others say you should exhale. However, there is one thing about breathing when exercising that all the experts can agree on and that is that you do need to breathe! The brain needs regular oxygen to be able to operate correctly and to survive. Most of us instinctively hold our breath when we are doing something difficult but that just decreases the oxygen that is available for your brain. By exercising good breathing you keep the brain provided with a good amount of oxygen and can ward off an Exercise Headache while you work out to lose weight.
Getting an Exercise Headache is a common side effect of overtraining.
When you train too hard for your current level of conditioning you can easily bring on an Exercise Headache due to intensity. This is a classic symptom of overtraining. Even though you are capable of pushing yourself that hard, it is not necessarily a good thing. Sometimes this can be more “wear and tear” when you progress too soon without taking appropriate time to condition your body to accommodate the exercise intensity. Weight loss camp participants learn to work out frequently with shorter bursts of exertion to avoid the Exercise Headache.
If you find that you suffer with an Exercise Headache regularly and your usual preventative measures aren’t helping to get rid of them then you need to call your doctor. Your doctor should be able to assist you in finding a way to continue on working out and losing weight without having to deal with the headaches. Prevent the Exercise Headache altogether.
Nobody enjoys having headaches; in fact, most people do pretty much everything we can think of to hold them at bay. The best part is that there’s no reason to simply suffer through them. With the right prep and know-how you can. Learn exactly how at Live-in-Fitness. Now you can avoid getting an Exercise Headache because that is just one more excuse to keep you from having the body of your dreams.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfsvqsBxw8I 570 430[/youtube]
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Filed under General Fitness by on Mar 2nd, 2011. Comment.
