HBHL - 8 April 2012

Healthy Body Healthy Lifers,

Lots of news to share this week!  First - check out the article on HBHL in the April 2012 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine:  Entrepreneur Article via HBHL Testimonials  Thanks to everyone for their continued encouragement and support!

HBHL is expanding (coming to 8 different locations next year!) and we have a lot of great things planned to help military families get healthier and to offer military spouses employment opportunities.  We also have a great new website in the works to offer more to each HBHL member!  I'm proud to announce that we have just filed for our official status as a nonprofit organization.  If you can support (or if your company is looking to support a worthwhile organization) we've added a donation tab on the right side of the website.  It goes directly into the HBHL paypal account and you will get an official receipt to annotate your donation to our nonprofit.  Thank you so much for considering us!

In the spirit of growth, we are going to be holding the 1st Annual HBHL Wellness Expo/Family Fitness Day in May.  It will be a fundraising event for HBHL, as well as a great way to bring the community together to celebrate health and fitness!  Be on the lookout for more details VERY SOON!

HBHL - AL we have added a NEW Saturday morning yoga class at 8 AM at Deer Creek.  Check out the  HBHL - AL Page for more details.

Powerbodyz - This week's Powerbodyz workout is posted.  I've actually RE-POSTED the workout from Spring Break - there are a few other workouts posted too in case you did the Spring Break work out (proud of you!)  We are updating the workout process for our new website - it should be up and running in about a month!  Check it out:

CLICK HERE for this week's Powerbodyz Workout

This Week's Wellness Lesson:  Continuing our yoga pose series...

Thanks again to Jessica Turner for her inputs this week!

Extended Triangle Pose

Utthita Trikonasana

By Jessica Turner

Sources:

www.yogajournal.com

Light on Yoga by B.K.S Iyengar

Feeling stressed?  There are several yoga poses that help relieve stress, one being Extended Triangle Pose.  A lot of students try to get deeper in this pose by placing their hand on the floor, even though this causes their form to suffer, which is why this pose checks the ego and encourages students to listen to their bodies.  Do you use a block in your Triangle Pose?  Students often feel that using blocks somehow makes them less of a yogi, but blocks are not necessarily about needing help.  Blocks help you create perfect alignment in your poses and are incredibly useful tools, I always recommend using one in this pose.

To find your Triangle Pose, start with your feet 3 ½ to 4 feet apart, turning one foot out to a 90 degree angle (left shown).  The heel of this front foot should line up with the arch of the back foot (note that beginners can line the front heel with the back heel instead of the arch).  This is the same foot position as Warrior II, which is why we often take these two poses in the same sequence.  Lift your arms parallel to the floor, palms down.  Keeping your hips square, reach over your rotated front foot until you can’t reach any further.  You should be hinging from your hips, not your ribcage.  Then lower your front hand down (left shown) to rest on a block.  Place the block at whichever height keeps your alignment.  Lift your other arm straight up.  Lift through your heart opening your chest and shoulders.  Look straight up toward your lifted hand, or straight down toward the top of your front foot, never allow your neck to hang.

Pointers to think about include keeping both legs straight engaging the thighs.  Also lengthen both sides of the ribcage, never collapsing into the bottom side.  Think about creating space between each rib, not allowing them to touch each other.  Lastly, open the chest to stack the shoulders and arms in one line; don’t simply force the top arm back.

The most common error students make in this pose, mentioned above, is letting their ego take charge.  They try to get deeper into the pose by placing their hand on the floor.  Check out the photo below.  It not only causes the lower ribcage to collapse, but also lowers the chest and loses the shoulder/arm alignment.  Lastly, it causes the neck to strain due to the incorrect alignment.

Check your alignment by trying this pose against a wall.  Both gluts, both shoulders, and your entire back should be against the wall.  Place a block under your bottom hand or walk it up your front leg until you can feel the wall in all these places.

Additional benefits of this pose:

·      *Stretches and strengthens the thighs, knees, and ankles

·      *Stretches the hips, groins, hamstrings, and calves; shoulders, chest, and spine

·      *Stimulates the abdominal organs

·      *Helps relieve stress

·      *Improves digestion

·     * Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause

·      *Relieves backache, especially through second trimester of pregnancy

·      *Therapeutic for anxiety, flat feet, infertility, neck pain, osteoporosis, and sciatica

I hope you enjoyed this review of triangle pose!   Please feel free to ask any questions or let myself or Jessica know if you would like to feel an adjustment in this pose.  We are always available after class, hope to see you there.

This Week's Recipe:  Mexican Lettuce Boats

 (adapted from http://bevcooks.com/2012/02/vegetarian-mexican-salad-boats/)

4 T EVOO, divided

1 sweet potato, peeled and finely diced

2 garlic cloves

1 T cumin

1 T chili powder

1 bunch of Romaine lettuce

7 radishes, finely diced

1/2 c diced red onion

1 can sweet white corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 T lime juice

2 tsp garlic powder

15 stems of cilantro leaves

1 avocado, diced

sea salt

pepper

1. Heat 2 T oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add the sweet potatoes, garlic, cumin, chili powder, a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Saute about 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through. Remove from heat.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 T oil, garlic powder, lime juice, cilantro and another pinch of salt and pepper. Mix in beans, corn, radishes, and cooked sweet potatoes. Toss to combine. 

3. Spoon the mixture into each romaine boat and top with diced avocado and more cilantro, if desired.

Here is this week's Facebook Question, go to Facebook and share your answer:  What is your favorite healthy snack?

Have a wonderful rest of your week!

Be Educated.  Be Balanced.  Be Fit.  Be Healthy.

Namaste,
Jannell

Jannell MacAulay, BS Biology, MS Kinesiology

Certified Yoga, Powerbodyz, Piyo and Fitness Instructor

AFAA Certified Personal Trainer

HBHL ~ Learn. Change. Grow.

healthybodylife@me.com

www.healthybodyhealthylife.org