COLLEGE OF TAO & INTEGRAL HEALTH
Tai Chi for a New You
Four Ways to Improve Your Eyesight
Stuff Yourself Thin
by Dr. Mao Shing Ni, Ph.D., O.M.D., L.Ac.
The holidays are a wonderful time to enjoy family traditions, festive social gatherings, and favorite holiday dishes. However, if you’re not careful, the turkey won’t be the only one stuffed at the table! Overindulging in holiday treats can pack on the pounds and disturb your digestion. Thankfully, you can enjoy delicious, wholesome meals and still fit into your favorite pair of jeans. Follow these tips so you can have your pumpkin pie, and eat it, too!
Drink Up
Before you dig into your first bite, drink a large glass of water. Our hunger and thirst mechanisms are both located in the same area of the brain, known as the hypothalamus. As a result, we sometimes confuse thirst for hunger. Water creates a feeling of fullness, so you will be less likely to reach for that second helping of stuffing. Another tip: you can prevent extra calorie intake by limiting alcoholic beverages. Festive holiday elixirs can easily sabotage your weight loss goals. For instance, a 4 oz. glass of wine contains about 100 calories; if you do choose to drink alcohol, limit yourself to one serving. Cut back on calories by avoiding sweet juices, sodas, and mixed non-alcoholic drinks. To compliment holiday meals and ease digestion, a wonderful alternative is a soothing cup of herbal tea. Consider trying Autumn Tea, a blend of herbs that support your whole body for the changing season.
Don't Go Hungry
We often eat more quickly and consume more food when we are very hungry. Make sure to eat a wholesome, healthy breakfast and lunch on the day of your Thanksgiving feast. Skipping meals in order to indulge at the party will only slow down your metabolism and lead to binging and bloating. If you know that table temptations await you, try snacking on some unsalted nuts or whole grain crackers with low fat cheese before the evening festivities begin.
A whole food supplement can satisfy your hunger cravings and help you get your daily serving of nutrients. My formula, High Performance, is a combination of unique healing herbs, exotic seeds and wholesome grains that improves your digestion and boosts your energy level.
Fill Up on Fiber
Vegetables, fresh fruit, and whole grains are chock full of fiber, water, and antioxidants. Fill half of your plate with greens and start your meal with a boost of phytochemicals. Fiber has a host of health benefits that range from cholesterol and blood sugar improvement, while promoting regularity. It increases satiety by adding bulk to your food, but without the added calories. Because fibrous foods take longer to digest, you will get a slow release of sugar into your bloodstream, keeping you satisfied over a longer period of time. Current research suggests that filling up on fiber may lead to a gradual suppressed appetite. So serenade those string beans and you'll forget that pie even exists!
Portion Distortion
If you’re feeling glum about watching what you eat during the holidays, cheer up! You don't have to sacrifice your favorite treats completely. You can treat yourself to a drink, dessert, or rich meal without guilt, as long as you are mindful of portion size. Most of the time, just a small bite is enough to satisfy your taste buds. Learn to “eyeball” portions of food to help you. Keep these portion guidelines in mind: 3 oz of meat is the size of a deck of cards, as is 1 slice of cake; 1/2 cup of rice equals a light bulb; 1 oz. cheese equals the size of 3 stacked dice. Enjoy a small sample of the foods you love and don’t go back for seconds to maintain a slim waistline.
Talk More, Eat Less
It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to signal your stomach that it's full. Therefore, chew slowly and put your fork down after each bite. Eating a meal too quickly will result in overeating and that uncomfortable overstuffed feeling. In contrast, when we eat slowly, we allow our body to release a hormone that signals fullness. Thanksgiving is about sharing special moments with friends and loved ones. Be a social butterfly and spend more time indulging in conversation and less on sweet potato pie.
I hope that you and your loved ones enjoy delicious and healthy holidays together.
May you Live Long, Live Strong, and Live Happy!
Tai Chi for a New You
by Dr. Mao Shing Ni, Ph.D., O.M.D., L.Ac.
Anyone who has seen images from China of masses of people slowly moving in choreographed, dancelike routines is familiar with the beautiful, health-giving art of Tai Chi. The fact that more than 100 million people practice Tai Chi around the world is a testament to its widely acknowledged health benefits.
Studies have concluded that practicing Tai Chi for thirty minutes, three times a week, for at least three months can slow bone loss in osteoporosis, lower blood pressure, lessen anxiety, improve sleep, increase functional mobility and balance, enhance circulation, and improve one’s cholesterol profile.
Tai Chi is a gentle exercise and can be performed by people of any age to help with your health and natural healing.
For Mind-Body Health and Balance
If you are looking for a different type of exercise that integrates the mind and body, Tai Chi may be worthy of your consideration.
Tai Chi is a sequence of slow, meditative movements; a hybrid of yoga and martial arts based on the cyclical movements of the natural world. Its goal is simple: to reconnect us to the flow of energy that permeates the entire universe. When that energy becomes truly available to us, our vitality is boundless.
Through the consistent practice of Tai Chi or Qi Gong, we can strengthen and integrate our physical and mental functions. People generally either engage in mental activity while remaining oblivious to their bodies, or they engage in physical activity while their minds wander and are unaware of what their bodies are doing. In this way the body and mind, which are essentially one inseparable system, are split.
Tai Chi is far more than a sport or a dance. Practicing Tai Chi means balancing ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The exercise itself is gentle and yet improves cardiovascular capacity. Moreover, it has been found to be a rehabilitative cardiac exercise for those suffering from heart disease.
Self Healing
Through rhythmic movement and deep breathing, Tai Chi can help the body promote proper function of the endocrine system and restore the chemical balance of the body.
The human body is like a tree—if energy circulates to all parts of the tree, the tree is full of life, but if one part of the tree does not receive its supply of energy, that part withers. In the human body, the energy must always be regenerated and it must be able to circulate freely to all parts of the body. Tai Chi allows the body to blossom in perfect condition without perspiring and losing essential energy. Your muscle tissue will be neither flaccid nor rigid, but full of energy like a ripe plum.
It also increases leg muscle strength and provides better balance and posture. Perhaps the best part is that Tai Chi is a gentle exercise that can be performed by anyone at any age.
Centenarians I have met also take advantage of other rejuvenation techniques the Chinese have known for thousands of years - like acupressure, and energy healing - that increase energy, promote health, and balance the body and the mind.
Exercise Can Ease Your Back Pain
Most back pain is caused by the wear and tear of living, which over time weakens our skeletal structure, in the form of bone loss or a displaced disk. Research conclusively shows that exercise early in life builds bone mass and strengthens the skeletal structure, helping to prevent injury down the road.
The good news is that if you are advancing in age, tai chi can slow the progress of degenerative bone disorders. Generally for a healthy back, I recommend a combination of exercises: a 30-minute daily walk, moderate weight training to strengthen muscles and bones, and Tai Chi or Qi Gong to build endurance and flexibility. A good form to choose is Dao-In, which is gentle on the body and great for loosening up the back. During acute back pain, exercise may be difficult or too painful. Until you are mobile, bed rest is the best
May you Live Long, Live Strong and Live Happy!
Four Ways to Improve Your Eyesight
by Dr. Mao Shing Ni, Ph.D., O.M.D., L.Ac.
1. Eat for bright eyesight
Protect your peepers with a vision-ary diet! Our eyes require multiple nutrients to function optimally. Start with these:
• Vitamins A, C, E, and minerals like copper and zinc are essential to eyesight.
• Antioxidants, including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, protect the macula from sun damage. Get these antioxidants from dark leafy greens, egg yolks, yellow peppers, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and carrots--notice any color pattern here? Current research shows that consuming yellow and green vegetables can help prevent age-related macular generation, a leading cause of blindness. Find out more about beta-carotene in the Natural Health Dictionary.
• Foods rich in sulfur, cysteine, and lecithin help protect the lens of your eye from cataract formation. Excellent choices include garlic, onions, shallots, and capers.
• Anthocyanin-rich blueberries, grapes, and goji berries have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can help improve your vision. Find out more about anthocyanins in the Natural Health Dictionary.
• DHA is a fatty acid found in coldwater fish like wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, and cod. DHA provides structural support to cell membranes to boost eye health.
• To prevent dehydration and dry eyes remember to drink filtered water daily: eight 8 ounce glasses every day to lubricate your eyes.
2. Exercise your eyes
These simple exercises will help you maintain optimal vision and may also keep those annoying eye floaters at bay. Perform these exercises first thing in the morning, before bedtime, or any time your eyes feel fatigued. Make sure that your hands are clean and that your mood is relaxed. Commit to daily practice and you may just see better results within one month.
• Warm your eyes. Rub your palms together to create heat, and then place them against your eyes for five seconds. Repeat this three times.
• Roll your eyes. Start by looking up and then slowly circle10 times clockwise and 10 times counterclockwise.
• Focus. Hold a pen at arm's length, focus your eyes on it, and slowly bring the pen closer until it's about six inches away from your nose. Then slowly move it back, keeping your eyes focused on the pen, 10 times in all.
• Massage your temples. Using your thumb knuckles, massage your temples in small circles, 20 times in one direction and 20 in the other. Repeat the same actions above the mid-point of the eyebrows at the forehead, then below the eyes on both sides of the bridge of the nose.
• Take a mini-nap. Put your head back, close your eyes, and relax for three minutes.
3. Limit Environmental Toxins
External factors can contribute to eye damage. These include fluorescent lights, computer screens, environmental allergens, chlorine in swimming pools, air conditioning and heating, reading in dim lighting, and constant rubbing of the eyes. Do not smoke and limit your exposure to cigarette smoke as it may increase optic pressure. Remember to wear sunglasses to protect your precious eyes from UV exposure.
4. R & R for your eyes
Getting enough sleep is essential for eye health. Sleep time allows your eyes to fully rest, repair, and recover. Insufficient sleep may weaken your vision, so shoot for eight hours of sound sleep a night. Give your eyes a break once an hour during your workday: rest your eyes 10 minutes for every 50 minutes spent reading or in front of the computer. If your eyes feel overly tired, lie down and place cooling cucumber slices over your eyelids.
I hope that you maintain excellent eye health well into the future! Many of the above defined terms were adapted from my newest Kindle book, THE NATURAL HEALTH DICTIONARY, a comprehensive guide that answers all your questions about natural remedies, healing herbs, longevity foods, vitamins, and supplements.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
