Chapter 2.2: Exercise & Pain

There’s a reason for the obesity epidemic sweeping the country.
(Well ok, millions of reasons, many of which have drive-thru windows, but let’s focus on just one for now…)

Working out HURTS.

Your muscle fibers start tearing up, the oxygen in your bloodstream gets used up, and the lactic acid your body produces because of this can make your over-worked muscles feel sore for DAYS.
(These are super-simplified descriptions of highly scientific science, by the way. Check out the links throughout to get info from people more in touch with their inner scientist.)

Now, if you haven’t noticed by now I have an addictive personality, food being at the top of my sin list.
So you can imagine how excited I was when I realized that endorphins are a drug naturally produced by your body to reduce pain–ever heard of the “runners high”?
…could it be possible to replace my addiction to sweets with an addiction to the sweet sweet feeling of running five miles?

All About Endorphins

Endorphins 101: This great guide to all things endorphins makes working out seem sexy. Speaking of sexy, turns out that not only working out, but sex, happy thoughts, art, and chili peppers can also get your endorphins going. Hot stuff!

Others tout the 3 E’s: Exercise, Endorphins, and Euphoria as a team with as much success as the three musketeers.

And if you weren’t already convinced, exercise has been shown to help with depression, according to the WebMD. Check out the awesome benefits of exercise-related endorphins:

Regular exercise has been proven to help:

* Reduce stress
* Ward off anxiety and feelings of depression
* Boost self-esteem
* Improve sleep

Exercise also has these added health benefits:

* It strengthens your heart.
* It increases energy levels.
* It lowers blood pressure.
* It improves muscle tone and strength.
* It strengthens and builds bones.
* It helps reduce body fat.
* It makes you look fit and healthy.

Makes sense that my grueling yoga class last night left me feeling great, despite the pain of repeated plank position. I’ll be ready for more at Zumba tonight!

30 Dates with my Liver #19: Converting

Detoxifying my liver has been quite a journey. We’ve had good days and bad, dates that went magnificently, and dates where I stood my liver up to have a few at the bar.
I’ve learned these past 19 days that living to 2100, being healthy, treating your liver right, all of these things are not off-the-shelf replacements for my current live-to-whenever, be however, neglect my liver lifestyle.
Changing what I eat is not about control or will power, it’s about understanding how I can live my life more in line with the things I believe. It’s about matching my daily practice, everything from brushing my teeth in the morning to grocery shopping to work, with my principles. Being mindful of each small action I do is the only way to stay mindful of what and how I eat.

What are these principles? What does being mindful even mean?
For me it’s been understanding the interconnectedness of everything, how the food on my plate is related to the farm it came from and the schools that teach the farmer’s daughter. Making sure that the places I shop, my goals and livelihood are all links on a chain connecting practices that care for the planet and for human dignity.

A big shock for me on this liver-detoxing journey has been how important a spiritual aspect is to my life. That’s a shock because, honestly, besides astrology and the occasional visit to church, spiritual practice has been largely absent. Raised Catholic, I never found much in that set of beliefs to want to make it a regular part of my daily life.
So when I started meditating through yoga, I didn’t think of it as a spiritual thing at all. Exercise, sure, and a good way to de-stress. And oh man is it great at both of those things! I started noticing how my little bit of effort every day was paying off huge returns in flexibility. Then I started thinking of yoga as a metaphor for all kinds of things in life that were challenging me, and in a way I haven’t been able to really put in the right words yet, everything has just gotten awesome.
This seems like a silly way to find yourself converted to Buddhism.
“Dude, I started on this Buddhist kick and life is just awesomeness now!”
But I think that’s about as far advanced as I’ve come so far on this march to 2100. Which is cool, because things keep getting awesomer.

Books on my Buddha Reading List
Here are a couple books that have found their way onto my shelf as I try and find the words to describe the awesomeness bit a touch more eloquently.

Savor might just be what tipped the scale for me from going from a yoga and long-life enthusiast to a chick going around calling herself Buddhist. Potentially life-changing.

Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate I heard about on this on an absolutely fantastic episode of To the Best of Our Knowledge called Religion 2.0. Actually I REALLY want you to go listen to this radio hour asap. Are you a None? I was till about this blog post. Find out in the first 5 minutes of the show.

30 Dates with my Liver #18: Hot & Sweaty Dreams

Eventually, if the date has gone well enough and you’ve both had a life-lengthening glass of red wine, you and your date may get on the subject of dreams. Fantasies. Visions that make you blissfully sigh from lust just thinking about them.
My liver and I discovered we have the same fantasy (we’re just so compatible).
It’s hot.
Sweaty.
And you can do yoga in it and it tells you how many calories you’re burning AS you detoxify.

Sauna.
Even the word melts in your mouth. I came across the Sunlighten mPulse saunas reading through my Yoga Journal, which sported a hot (literally) lady getting an extra kick out of her yoga by practicing her Warrior II pose inside one of these babies.
Then I found their website and drooled over them for awhile.
See, my liver and I are still just starting out. We need a home for our in-home luxury sauna, and probably also a regular income (if I haven’t mentioned I’m finishing a Masters in Teaching and painting for my bread & butter, well, now ya know). Still, one day we will be able to splurge, and this kind of treat can pay itself back with the peace of mind and detoxifying health benefits it bestows.

Why Livers are Hot for Sauna

Of course, your liver is going to bear the brunt of detoxification all the time. So why not help it out? Sweating releases toxins through the skin, giving the liver a much appreciated break from its incessant work keeping your body clean and youthful.

Remember your liver’s friend the heart? Sauna keeps circulation vital, so that all the yummy nutrients you’ve been imbibing for your liver spread out to every capillary.

Speaking from personal experience-a magical week on a cruise to Mexico where I spent at least 20 minutes a day in the sauna-I can tell you that your skin will never look better, and I’m sure your liver would appreciate seeing a glowing, healthfully beautiful you. Sunlighten explains in a more sciencey way how this works.

And, most notably, there is a quietude of mind that comes with heat; a peace as it pervades your whole body, clearing out your mind of the stresses of the day as well as your body of the buildup from stress and pollutants.

Saunas can often be found at your local gym or in spas and hotels. For now my liver and I will only dream of the detoxifying enjoyment that comes from stepping into a steamy hot sauna. But if anyone feels like going in on an in-home sauna, invite me over, please!

30 Dates with my Liver #9: Meeting the Friends

So let’s get hypothetical. Metaphorical. Transformational.
As in, transforming your body from the toxic burden it holds (just ask NPR) to the kind of heavenly body that can ante up for the 2100 Challenge.
Hypothetical and metaphorical-we’re talking about who your date, the liver, would be friends with. I’m talking about the guy who makes you feel all warm and fuzzy when you see other special someones. The king of Valentines Day. The heart.

The heart and liver go way back. In fact, the heart is one of your liver’s best buds. They’re partners, so to speak, in circulating and purifying your blood. 25% of the blood the heart pumps goes to the liver-that’s 2 quarts a minute!
To ensure a healthy happy relationship with your liver, it’s important to get along with its friends. So what can you do for your heart? Get it pumping!

Here are some awesome challenges that keep your heart healthy and your liver happy!

http://www.twohundredsitups.com/

http://www.hundredpushups.com/week4.html

http://www.twohundredsquats.com/

I just did 200 squats just now! That Zumba has been doing my quads good and getting the heart pumping. Next, push ups!