… a few of my favorite pedometers

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Ann

My favorite as far as user-friendliness!

by Ann Votaw, CHES, MA

When New Year’s resolutions go from daily three-mile walks to marathon Facebooking, pedometers get you back on task. But which one to choose?

In my February 29 post – “Calibrating tiny leaps and bounds” – I vowed to measure pedometer accuracy by walking from ticket booth to alter (a distance of about 150 steps) at St. John Divine, the largest cathedral in the world.

Using four contenders — the Omron Gosmart, Weight Watchers PointsPlus, Fit Solutions SW-200 Yamax Digiwalker Pedometer, Omron Walking Style – I paced and clicked my way through the cathedral. Results ranked the Omron Gosmart as the easiest, most accurate and affordable ($19.99 on Amazon.com) of all four models.

While I like the Omron Walking Style’s high tech look and price $23.30, I had to visit Radio Shack in order to change the battery; the back cover is fastened with the tiniest screw known to man.

I experimented with a group of senior walkers who complained that the Omron Gosmart was too difficult to wear because the clip did not attach to clothing. While some liked the Weight Wathers PointsPlus ($39.89) model because the numbers are large and right-side-up when clipped on the hip, others wanted a plain, no-nonsense pedometer that simply reported steps and reset to zero: the SW-200 ($19.50).

In my opinion, the Weight Watchers PointsPlus, provides the most useful features: seven days of step memory and an accessible battery chamber. The downside was that it was off by 3-4 steps and veers into the $40 range. But if I had to choose pedometers for a walking program, I would choose the SW-200 for simplicity and cost.

Still, all four worked better than the average health fair freebie. All four can serve as excellent biofeedback, joining the ranks of heart rate monitors in responding to the way you work out. Think of them as caring coaches rather than sarcastic school marms.

Numbers don’t lie.

Yoga and the church on the hill

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Ann

I'm in the first row on the purple mat, ready for Lisa's famous thigh-burning lunge series.

by Ann Votaw, CHES, MA, Inwood Resident

As a former Bread and Yoga teacher and current Holy Trinity Inwood paritioner, I watched worlds collide Saturday morning in Lisa Benner’s 9 a.m. Vinyasa class.

The back of the church, now a temporary yoga studio, comfortably seated 20 yogis and their mats. Candles and Saturday’s snowstorm added ambiance.

Marcela Xavier thanked participants for supporting her studio after the January 3 fire destroyed her business on 207th Street and Broadway. She explained that Holy Trinity also had its share of hardships and that Bread and Yoga is willing to help with painting projects and possibly a new floor.

The 1929 Stock Market Crash thwarted Holy Trinity’s improvements, which would have included a rectory and a second story to the sanctuary. Today, the charming A-frame church has about 50 members who climb stairs to reach the property’s Parish House and surrounding rose and vegetable gardens.

Climbing those steps transports me to a small town, where Chloe the cat greets me by rubbing against my ankles.

Taking yoga in this church feels more Norman Rockwell than Empire State, something most people can’t imagine of life in Manhattan.

Author E.B. White wrote in This is New York, “I have an idea that people from villages and small towns, people accustomed to the convenience and the friendliness of neighborhood over-the-fence living, are unaware that life in New York follows the neighborhood pattern. The city is literally a composite of tens of thousands of tiny neighborhood units.”

For at least six months, you too can experience Warrior I under the proud stain glass windows of a tiny hilltop church. Go to www.breadandyoga.com for the most up-to-date schedule.

Fire at my favorite yoga studio!

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Ann

Bread and Yoga, 207th Street and Broadway, experienced a terrible fire last night. My heart breaks. Happy to be of any service!

by Ann Votaw, C.H.E.S., M.A. in Health Education

Last night, Northern Manhattan lost a gem. Not only does Bread and Yoga, founded and directed by Marcela Xavier, offer fantastic yoga for all populations (including mothers and mothers-to-be), it has offered cooking classes and cleanses, where — with the support of neighbors — I learned to give up coffee.

Because of Marcela’s kindness in spring 2011, I was able to attend her exceptional Yoga Alliance-based pre-natal yoga teacher training. When I say exceptional, I mean it. There were PowerPoint presentations, personal stories, and demonstrations by birth educators, all while Marcela cooked us lunch in the studio’s big front kitchen. She hooked me up with a payment plan, that allowed me to take this training! Not many studio owners have that sort of spirit and trust.

Here's the room where I enjoyed so many classes, both as a teacher and student!

Coach surfing and reflecting

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Ann

by Ann Votaw, C.H.E.S., M.A. in Health Education

Like the two-headed Roman God Janus – January’s namesake – I am looking forward and back, embracing my shiny graduate degree and new apartment while remembering a loveseat I abandoned in March, a piece of furniture inherited from my grandparents.

I named her Mary because she deserved a secure name. Having lived through two Iraq Wars and at least one potty training accident back in Indiana, Mary was made of solid materials: square cushions, embroidered upholstery, and a no-nonsense dust ruffle.

After nine years in New York City, shuffling dance jobs and sublets, I compare myself to Mary, made of all the right stuff but involved with all the wrong people.

One roommate, an actor, punched two holes through his door in Queens, angry he wasn’t on Broadway at age 23. Another roommate married the neighbor for a Green Card and staged wedding photos in our Washington Heights living room. In the Bronx, my super’s extended family lived, illegally, in the boiler room, near my roach-infested ground floor apartment.

But Mary anchored me, like one impressive line on a resume. While I had moved to New York to reinvent myself, Mary’s presence reminded me of my family whose help was near. From the spirit world, my beloved Grandpa Votaw sat on Mary’s right arm, offering his rural critique. “That person is a such and such,” he would say about an abusive manager or fair weather friend.

In 2011, after a long winter of no hot water in the Bronx, I found my current apartment overlooking a stretch of Northern Manhattan woods. Inwood is perfect, but Mary didn’t fit into the moving van or anyone’s Craigslist dreams.

As a last ditch effort, I called my old super who wanted her for free. It was Mary’s best offer. I returned to spot clean the floors and photograph Mary, who resembled the subject of a Victorian funeral portrait. The room, that had been my universe, appeared small and hungry in the light of a single light bulb. Its decayed baseboards had the shadowy look of a battered child with Mary as a responsible aunt. I swept the floor around her, took one last look, and locked the door.

Under Construction

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Ann

Ann Votaw is performing Shiva pose on top of Mount Algonquin in Upstate New York. Shiva represents change, something Ann wants for her website. In preparation of a new year, Ann is adding new formats and interactive features! In the meantime, why not join a health discussion on her Facebook page!?

Super Yoga Playlists

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Ann

Ann Votaw demonstrates a double pigeon pose.

by Ann Votaw, C.H.E.S.

This post celebrates technology and yoga teachers short on time and money!

Spotify, a Swedish-born and UK-based music streaming service, launched its US service in July. As someone who finds herself in musical ruts, Spotify allows me to review tried-and-true-combinations. A paid Premium account enables members to access Spotify on mobile devices. A free account grants computer access to approximately 15 million songs interupted by radio-style advertising.

As of late September, all new members must have Facebook accounts. When FB friends join, their profile picture appears on the right side of the screen, along with their favorite selections. Participants can share through FB, Twitter, and Spotify. I downloaded my iTunes library and voila: most of my playlists made it onto Spotify!

To view my back-to-school semester picks, visit Ann Votaw-Wellness Education on Facebook. To hear the music, you must sign up for Spotify.

5 back-to-school tips to prevent yoga shoulder

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Ann

by Ann Votaw, C.H.E.S.

When I first tried yoga, I developed chataranga-itis, shoulder burn caused by poor form and repetition.

By slowing down my sun salutes, I discovered grinding in every vinyasa series, the weight-bearing portion of sun salutations: (1) downdog, (2) plank, (3) chataranga, (4) updog, and (5) downdog. [See Baptiste Power Yoga at the 8-minute mark]. When done incorrectly — arm bones rolled inward and bunched toward the ears — the pattern causes injuries like bursitis, tendonitis, rotator cuff tears, and dislocation. When done correctly — arm bones rolled toward the back wall and away from ears, vinyasas offer therapy.

In 2003, 14 million Americans visited a doctor complaining of bum shoulders. Here’s the reason: The shoulder consists of three bones only – the arm bone, the shoulder blade, and the collar bone. In comparison to the hip joint, also a ball and socket, the shoulder is shallow, allowing for a great range of motion. With great choice comes great responsibility.

Avoid being sidelined by practicing these 5 non-harming, or ahimsa-inspired tips.

1. When it comes to weight bearing on the shoulders, think stability rather than flexibility.

2. Roll the upper arms outward, opening the front of the chest.

3. Press down into the hands to activate middle back muscles and keep shoulders from jamming upward.

4. Use your abominals to hold horizontal shapes and your feet (rather than shoulders) to press from chataranga to updog.

5. When in doubt, replace updogs with baby cobra or cow pose (all fours backbend) to build strength and muscle memory.

Stars and steps: Americans NOT on the move

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Ann

An example of moderate physical activity at work in earlier decades. This picture appeared with an article in the New York Times, May 25, 2011.

Our founding fathers believed in exercise, even light modalities like walking.

Thomas Jefferson, an avid walker, recorded his steps with a pedometer (Fenton, M. & Bassett, D. , 2006). In 1786, he wrote to his future son-in-law, “Not less than two hours a day should be devoted to exercise, and the weather should be little regarded.” Harry Truman felt similarly about his morning paces: “You should always walk as though you have someplace to go (p. 88)”.

Were they alive, Presidents Jefferson and Truman would be surprised how the U.S. is slowing down.

A recent study in PLoS One shows modern Americans burn 100 fewer calories at work than their 1960s counterparts (Church, T., Thomas, D., Tudor-Locke, C., Katzmarzyk, P., Conrad, E., Rodarte, R., Martin, M., Blair, S., Bouchard, C., 2011). Fifty years ago, half of American jobs required moderate physical activity. Today, less than 20% of jobs require such physicality, another reason for increased body weights in men and women.

Conveniences may contribute to less exercise and more chronic disease.

Dr. Toni Yancey, a professor in the health services department and co-director of the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity at the University of California, Los Angeles, recommends exercise breaks throughout the day (A. Toni Yanci, MD., MPH; Neighmond, 2011).

Yancey’s book, Instant Recess: Building a Fit Nation 10 Minutes at a Time, suggests (Neighmond, 2011):

Take a 10-minute break at a scheduled time every day.
Climb the stairs instead of the elevator.
Place printers a few steps from the workspace instead of arm’s reach.
Fidget and stand up and stretch occasionally at meetings.
Replace desk chairs with stability balls.

Works Cited

(n.d.). Retrieved June 29, 2011, from A. Toni Yancey, MD., MPH: http://toniyancey.com/home.html

Church, T., Thomas, D., Tudor-Locke, C., Katzmarzyk, P., Conrad, E., Rodarte, R., Martin, M., Blair, S., Bouchard, C. (2011, May 25). Trends over 5 Decades in U.S. Occupation-Related Physical Activity and Their Associations with Obesity. PLoS ONE, 6(5).

Fenton, M. & Bassett, D. . (2006). Pedometer Walking. Guilford: The Lyons Press.

Neighmond, P. (2011, April 25). Sitting All Day: Worse For You Than You Might Think. Retrieved June 29, 2011, from npr: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/25/135575490/sitting-all-day-worse-for-you-than-you-might-think

Warren, T., Vaughn, B. Hooker, S.Sui, X., Church, T., Blair, S. (2010). Sedentary Behaviors Increase Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in Men. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 42(5), 879-885.

It’s all in the nose: Refining alternate nostril breathing

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Ann

Since ancient times, yogis have manipulated breath to calm the nervous system and focus busy minds. In recent decades, exercises like alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodhana) have become acceptable in the West.

Late tennis player Arthur Ashe was a reported fan of the technique (McGee). Between rounds, he draped a towel over his head so the crowd would not see his practice.

This was in the 1970s, before Target sold yoga mats.

Today, alternate nostril breathing may be less subversive.

An estimated 36% of American adults have used alternative medicine, like nadi shodhana, in the last year (Burke, A. & Marconett, S., 2008).

Scientists have long examined the positive effects of this breath on cardiorespiratory function, metabolism, grip strength, and spatial memory.

Most studies of nadi shodhana focus on breathing through just one nostril (Burke, A., et al.). The common hypothesis, with modest support, suggests that breathing through the right (active, masculine, or fight-or-flight sympathetic) nostril creates a stimulating effect while breathing through the left (passive, feminine, or rest-and-digest parasympathetic) nostril soothes the practitioner (Jain, N., Srivastava, R. D., & Singhal, A., 2005; Raghuraj, P., & Telles, S., 2003; Telles, S., Nagarathna, R., & Nagendra, H. R., 1996; Naveen K, October 1997).

In my experience, breathing through both, in nadi shodhana, generates an energetic focus essential to learning and monitoring mood. I’ve performed it during stressful subway rides, noting that nostril dominance changes throughout the day. In my New York life, a more open right nasal passage may translate into aggression, an attitude that needs balance.

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika states: “The concept in hatha yoga is, therefore, to bring about harmony between these two great forces known as ida [left side] and pingala [right side]” (Muktibodhananda, 2009, p. 8).

My hope is that help professionals – like doctors, therapists, and clergy – embrace simple breath control (pranayama) as a companion to medicine and prayer. I imagine doctors prescribing beta-blockers and nadi shodhana as something to do not just take.

One Alternate Nostril Technique:

Different sources recommend variations. The easiest for me to teach and remember is this:

Place gentle pressure between the eyebrows using the right pointer and middle fingers. This nasikagra mudra alleviates headaches and eye strain. (Use the right thumb and ring finger to close off the nares.)
Close the top of the right nasal passage with the right thumb. (Don’t press so hard as to bend the tip of the nose). Breath in and out through the free left nostril.
Close off the left nostril with right ring finger, breathing in and out through the free right nostril.
To summarize, inhale and exhale before switching sides.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika recommends continuing for five to 10 rounds (Muktibodhananda, 2009), while several studies suggest up to 15 minutes a day. Stop if you feel lightheaded or uncomfortable.

Here is a variation found in Yoga Journal

Bibliography

Barnes, P.M., Powell-Griner, E., McFann, K., & Nahin, R. L. (2002). Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults: United States. Advance Data, 1–19.

Burke, A. & Marconett, S. (2008). The Role of Breath in Yogic Traditions: Alternate Nostril Breathing. Biofeedback.

Jain, N., Srivastava, R. D., & Singhal, A. (2005). The effects of right and left nostril breathing on cardiorespiratory and autonomic parameters. Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 469–474.

McGee, K. (n.d.). Fit to Hit. Retrieved May 27, 2011, from Kristinmcgee.com: www.kristinmcgee.com/yoga/?p=3285

Muktibodhananda, S. (2009). Hatha Yoga Pradipika. New Delhi: Thomson Press.

Naveen K, N. R. (October 1997). Yoga breathing through a particular nostril increases spatial memory scores without lateralized effects. . Psychological Reports [serial online]. , 555-561.

Raghuraj, P., & Telles, S. (2003). Effect of yoga-based and forced uninostril breathing on the autonomic nervous system. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 79–80.

Telles, S., Nagarathna, R., & Nagendra, H. R. (1996). Physiological measures of right nostril breathing. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 479–484.

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