10 Reasons To Love XC Skiing

The 2010 Olympics will soon be coming to a close. I have enjoyed watching most of the events, especially short track skating, downhill skiing, luge, boarder cross and the half pipe, even curling. But the events that I have been watching with the most enthusiasm are the Nordic Skiing events, including cross country skiing, biathlon and Nordic combined (that's a XC ski race that follows a ski jump competition). XC skiing is my newest favorite sport since I took a lesson two years ago when it was too icy to snowboard. These are the reasons I think it is a fabulous sport that everyone in America should try at least once:

1. It's a great exercise: tough on the muscles (including the heart) but easy on the joints. The most fit athletes in the world (as measured by VO2 max) are XC skiers. I believe that you may literally, use every muscle in your body (um... ok, maybe not the stapedius for you anatomy geeks out there). But you don't have to be super fit to ski. All you need to do is be able to slide one ski in front of the other.

2. You can ski for a lifetime. I've noticed that some of the fastest skiers in the events that I've done are older: 40s, 50, 60s, even 70s. I suspect that part of the reason for this is that XC skiing attracts people who may have been competitive runners but are unable to continuously pound their joints into the pavement. Maybe they've given up running all together or maybe they only run part of the year. Whether you're the competitive type or not, XC skiing is a sport that can be done well into your senior years to help improve strength, balance and cardiovascular conditioning.

3. It's relatively cheap. A lift ticket at Squaw Valley is $83 and rentals are $45 for downhill skis. A trail pass at nearby Tahoe Donner is $23 and rentals go for $20. Enough said.

4. It's outdoors. XC skiing almost always takes place in clean air, among trees and often with breathtaking views. Even urban trails in cold climates such as Anchorage offer a mini-escape into arms of Mother Nature.

5. It's in the winter time. I personally love the white snow and brisk temperatures of winter. But even those who are averse to the cold may enjoy XC because you can stay very warm the entire time you ski. Unlike downhill sports, there are no lifts or lines to stand in. And so far in my experience, there is often a lot less wind because instead of heading to an exposed peak, you often can ski in protected groves of trees.

6. It offers variety: You can choose from two different techniques, classic or freestyle. In classic (my favorite), your skis move forward and back in parallel lines, often in grooves on groomed trails. Freestyle involves lateral pushing-off motion, like skating. You also have the option of skiing on groomed trails or going for backcountry skiing on fresh snow. Then there is biathlon if you are inclined to test your shooting skills while your chest is heaving from physical exhaustion. Talk about a mind-body sport!

7. It's an excellent social/family activity. I often see families skiing together. Kids can start to learn as early as 2 or 3 years old. And many children are on the slopes with their parents even before they can walk, hitching a ride in a sled known as a 'pulk.' It's fun to ski with a group or to ski on your own and meet up with others in the lodge. For an excellent social experience, consider joining Team in Training's XC Ski Team in 2012.

8. It is less weather-dependent than other winter sports. Since I broke my arm snowboarding, I am very choosy about the conditions in which I will shell out money for a lift ticket. If it's not soft or powdery, I save money and buy a trail pass. I've skied when it's been icy, slushy, frigid and warm and while some conditions are more fun than others, I've had a great time no matter what the conditions.

9. It's great for moving meditation. One of the best things about skiing is finding that rhythm where you can just focus on the steady state of your breath or sound of your skis gliding on the snow. This can free your mind and allow you to be purely in the moment.

10. The afterglow. XC skiing leaves you with a beautiful, rosy glow on your cheeks and in your heart after a day on the trail.

There are a few days left to watch and be inspired by the best in the world. I know that I've got my DVR set to record all the action. I'm off to Bear Valley this weekend to enjoy the snow myself. I hope that you'll be inspired to get out there too!

Look for a post on Yoga for XC skiing next week.

A Little Monday Love to You

MC Yogi is a young hip hop artist who composes music inspired by yoga. I bought his album, Elephant Power
">Elephant Power a few weeks ago at the Yoga Journal Conference in San Francisco. This is not music to relax to but rather fun, upbeat songs to move to. I've listened to it a couple of times during morning vinyasa flow practice at home. This video from MC Yogi was posted on the Huffington Post a few days ago. It's a bit more slow and less rap-like than most of the songs on Elephant Power but it's a very sweet, happy song. Take a look:

MC Yogi - Give Love (Giving4Living Mix) from MC Yogi on Vimeo.

A Healthy Pelvis

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day! This season of romance is an opportune time to discuss the health of our... umm, nether regions.
Did you know:
50% of women in the US have some problem related to dysfunction of the pelvic
floor, such as incontinence, pelvic pain or prolapsed organs
28-32% of all women in the US have been sexually abused
There are 600,000 hysterectomies done every year in the US

Guys, this post is targeted mostly for the ladies because the pelvic floor is much more likely to be injured or dysfunctional in women but it can happen in men too. Especially if you’ve had prostate surgery or radiation. So if you are interested, by all means, read on.

The pelvic floor consists of muscles and connective tissues in, well the floor of the pelvis. I won’t get into anatomical details but suffice it to say that there are three layers of muscles that connect the tailbone to the pubic bone and connect the left and right sitting bones. A healthy pelvic floor provides support for the bladder, uterus and colon, improves stability of the lumbar spine and SI joint and allows for optimal functioning of the bladder, bowel and sexual organs. Dysfunction of the pelvic floor can be due to weakness, muscular tension or a combination of both. Tightness or gripping of the pelvic muscles has been associated with vulvar pain, irritable bowl syndrome, recurrent bladder infections, even headaches.

So how to keep your pelvic floor fit? There are certainly strengthening exercises that can be done. Kegels are just the tip of the iceberg. Download the exercise program below to help you improve your awareness of the pelvic floor and to perhaps begin to strengthen the muscles or maybe (possibly more importantly) learn to relax them.

If you do suffer from pain or incontinence or any other problem you think may be related to a problem with the pelvic floor, PLEASE see a physical therapist who specializes in this area. Depending on your insurance or the state you live in, you may need your doctor’s referral. This might be a somewhat embarrassing request but it will be well worth it if your problem is due to a musculoskeletal dysfunction of the pelvic floor. Here is a link to the American Physical Therapy Association that provides a list of PTs in your area.
Find a Physical Therapist

PF Awareness Ex

Olympic Yoga?

The Winter Olympics start tomorrow and I am eagerly awaiting the opening ceremonies. I have always loved the Olympics, both summer and winter. I love the celebration of sport and the gathering of nations. But do I think that yoga should ever be considered for an Olympic sport? My gut reaction is that’s a ridiculous question because I don’t even consider yoga to be a sport. Sports involve competition and external goals. To me, yoga is the anti-sport. Yoga is more about inner focus and accepting what’s there. It is not about achieving some pre-determined physical shape.

But recently I read an argument in favor of yoga in the Olympics that sounded quite reasonable. First, it is not really a yoga competition but rather an asana (physical posture) competition. And within that more narrow context, there should be room for people to express their asana practice as they like. This guy’s argument made a comparison to skiing, stating that he enjoys skiing as a non-competitive, peaceful activity. Skiing can even be a meditative, spiritual experience. But that does not mean that he can’t respect and even enjoy watching those who ski at a competitive level. He stated that if there are those who would like to practice asana at a competitive level, that should not take away from our internal, non-competitive asana practices.

It’s a nice argument but I still don’t want it in the Olympics. It would take time away from my quadrennial viewing of track and field, swimming and gymnastics. Let me know what you think. Now I’m off to watch some Nordic combined!

Chocolate Yoga

A New York Times article titled 'When Chocolate and Chakras Collide' published a couple of weeks ago, has been the talk of the yoga world. On the surface, this article seems to be about a trend of offering classes that combine yoga and eating to affluent foodies. But the heart of the article is really about how our food choices reflect our values. Many in the yoga world are staunch supporters of vegetarianism. But vegetarianism can conflict with social and emotional norms of eating in America. The result can be a lot of confusion, insecurity and defensiveness. When I was in yoga teacher training, our nutrition lecture sparked more questions, concerns and emotional strife than any other topic. We were left to think, "what is healthy?", "what is ethical?", and "who should we believe?" We were shocked to discover that our teacher was in fact, NOT a vegetarian! And after a weekend of convincing ourselves that wheat and sugar were very bad, our teacher sent us on our way home with homemade chocolate chip cookies.

A fundamental precept of yoga is to do no harm (ahimsa). Eating a healthy diet certainly minimizes the harm we can do to ourselves. Limiting sugar, wheat, caffeine and processed foods are all good ways to obtain a healthy diet. But I have come to accept that a mostly vegetarian diet embodies ahimsa more than any other food choice we can make. Here are just a few of the reasons why:
1. It is healthier for our bodies. Vegetarians generally have less heart disease, less cancer, have better bone density, are
more slim, have less constipation and fewer hemorrhoids, have fewer hot flashes, and live significantly longer.
2. It is healthier for our planet. It conserves vast amounts of water and produces much less air pollution.
3. It is more kind to animals

I personally strive to have a diet that is about 80% vegetarian. I eat sustainably-caught fish once or twice a week. I eat eggs and dairy but try to limit it to the most local, organic options I can find. And I eat meat on rare occasions, mostly grass-fed beef. But while I will gladly extoll the virtues of vegetarianism, another aspect of ahimsa is to refrain from judgement. So a true yogi would not express any vehemence toward non-veggies nor would they presume that vegetarianism is morally superior to other paths.

Perhaps most important is to practice ahimsa/non-judgement toward ourselves. Sometimes we can get caught up making choices because they are 'good for us.' And when we invariably fail to make the best choices, we can be our own worst critics. I believe that we should always allow a little bit of room for guilty pleasures without judgement. The world will not stop turning if we have a hamburger or that chocolate chip cookie every once in a while.

A few of my favorite books that provide motivation for vegetarianism are:
Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss
"> Eat to Live. This is written by a doctor who advocates a mostly vegan, low-grain diet. While I find it personally difficult to eat such a diet, the book is full of mind-boggling information about the health benefits of veganism. It also has good cooking tips and recipes for healthy, tasty dishes.

Eating Animals
">Eating Animals. This book promotes vegetarianism from a more ethical point of view. The author does a good job of balancing the shock and horror of the meat industry with the understanding (and lack of judgement) of why it is so difficult to make the choice to be a vegetarian.

Perfect Vegetables: Part of
">Perfect Vegetables. This is my go-to cookbook for making all kinds of veggies taste absolutely delicious!