{"id":1336,"date":"2013-04-22T11:57:57","date_gmt":"2013-04-22T11:57:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/personalpolishing.wordpress.com\/?p=1336"},"modified":"2015-10-11T21:21:01","modified_gmt":"2015-10-11T21:21:01","slug":"yoga-for-men-the-secret-to-a-flat-stomach-healthy-heart-and-better-sex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/yoga-for-men-the-secret-to-a-flat-stomach-healthy-heart-and-better-sex\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoga for Men: The Secret to a Flat Stomach, Healthy Heart and Better Sex"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Carole Jackson><\/strong>, Bottom Line Health<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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About 16 million Americans regularly practice yoga for health and healing\u00e2\u0080\u0094but four out of five of them are women.<\/p>\n

What few people realize:<\/em><\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0Despite its reputation as a \u00e2\u0080\u009csoft\u00e2\u0080\u009d exercise that\u00e2\u0080\u0099s more suited to women, yoga can provide special health benefits for men\u00e2\u0080\u0094even helping to slow the growth of prostate cancer.<\/p>\n

What all men need to know\u00e2\u0080\u00a6*<\/em><\/p>\n

BENEFITS FOR MEN<\/h4>\n

Hundreds of scientific studies on yoga have shown that it can improve health conditions ranging from sleep problems and sinusitis to high blood pressure and schizophrenia. Many of these benefits are particularly relevant for men.\u00c2\u00a0For example, yoga has been shown to\u00e2\u0080\u00a6<\/em><\/p>\n

Slow prostate cancer.<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0In a study published in\u00c2\u00a0The Journal of Urology<\/em>, some men with prostate cancer did 60 minutes daily of gentle yoga (stretching, breathing, meditation, guided imagery and relaxation) for one year while others did not. Those who didn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t do yoga had\u00c2\u00a0eight times<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0more growth of cancer cells than those who performed yoga daily.<\/p>\n

Reduce abdominal fat.<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0Stress is behind many \u00e2\u0080\u009cspare tires,\u00e2\u0080\u009d because it triggers high levels of the hormone\u00c2\u00a0cortisol<\/em>, which stimulates appetite and overeating and then plays a key role in turning extra calories into extra belly fat. For unknown reasons, visceral fat, which releases disease-causing inflammatory chemicals, is more prevalent in men than in women.<\/p>\n

Good news:<\/em><\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0Yoga reduces cortisol, which helps control abdominal fat.<\/p>\n

Help prevent a heart attack.<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0Each year more than 900,000 Americans have heart attacks, and the majority of them are men.<\/p>\n

New research:<\/em><\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0Yoga can reduce many of the heart attack risk factors in people who have heart disease, including high blood pressure, elevated total and LDL \u00e2\u0080\u009cbad\u00e2\u0080\u009d cholesterol and high triglycerides.<\/p>\n

Improve sexual performance and satisfaction.<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0In a study of 65 men reported in\u00c2\u00a0The Journal of Sexual Medicine<\/em>, practicing yoga an hour a day for three months improved every dimension of sexual functioning\u00e2\u0080\u0094libido\u00e2\u0080\u00a6erections\u00e2\u0080\u00a6ejaculatory control\u00e2\u0080\u00a6satisfaction with performance, intercourse and orgasm\u00e2\u0080\u00a6and sexual confidence.<\/p>\n

HOW TO START<\/h4>\n

Many middle-aged men make the mistake of thinking that because yoga looks easy, it is easy. While there are some easy versions that anyone can do, faster, more vigorous yoga styles require a fair degree of fitness and strength to even start. Even though yoga is generally safe for most people of all ages, if you\u00e2\u0080\u0099re middle-aged or older and have never practiced yoga, it\u00e2\u0080\u0099s best to start with a slower, less vigorous style.\u00c2\u00a0My advice\u00e2\u0080\u00a6<\/em><\/p>\n

Start with a yoga class,<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0not with a book or DVD. Taking a class led by a skilled yoga teacher is invaluable because the teacher can\u00c2\u00a0look<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0at you, review what you\u00e2\u0080\u0099re doing and guide you to the best injury-free experience. Expert instruction, mindfulness and not pushing too hard during practice can prevent most injuries, such as muscle spasms and ligament strains.<\/p>\n

Helpful:<\/em><\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0If you do use a book or DVD to learn yoga, have a skilled yoga teacher look over your routine now and then to help you correct any mistakes.<\/p>\n

Find a good class for men.<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0Ask a male family member, friend or colleague who practices yoga for his recommendation. If you don\u00e2\u0080\u0099t know any men who practice yoga, ask a woman, or visit the Web site of the International Association of Yoga Therapists,www.iayt.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Don\u00e2\u0080\u0099t rush results.<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0Men are often achievement-oriented and want fast results. That\u00e2\u0080\u0099s a mistake. Yoga is not about performance or competition\u00e2\u0080\u0094it\u00e2\u0080\u0099s about how the poses\u00c2\u00a0help you<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Just do it!<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0This is the secret to success with yoga\u00e2\u0080\u0094simply doing a yoga routine, 15 to 20 minutes a day, every day.<\/p>\n

For overall fitness, yoga is a good complement to cardio exercise and strength training. But remember, yoga also provides stress reduction, flexibility and mental focus.<\/p>\n

WHAT YOGA ISN\u00e2\u0080\u0099T…<\/h4>\n

Misconceptions about yoga can keep some men from trying it.\u00c2\u00a0Yoga is not\u00e2\u0080\u00a6<\/em><\/p>\n

A religion.<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0It is practiced by Christians, Jews, Muslims and atheists.<\/p>\n

Just stretching.<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0Yoga includes stretching poses (asanas<\/em>), as well as many other techniques, such as breathing exercises and meditation.<\/p>\n

A single style of exercise.<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0There are many styles of yoga, from slow and gentle (such as Ananda or Kripalu) to fast and vigorous (such as Power Yoga or Vinyasa Flow).<\/p>\n

*Before starting yoga, check with your doctor if you have severe osteoporosis, problems with your spine or artificial joints\u00e2\u0080\u0094you may be at greater risk for injury. Also consult your doctor if you have any chronic health conditions or recent injuries. If you develop pain, dizziness or other symptoms while doing yoga, stop the pose and tell your teacher immediately.<\/p>\n

Source:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0Timothy McCall, MD, a board-certified internist, medical editor of\u00c2\u00a0Yoga Journal<\/em>and the author of\u00c2\u00a0Yoga as Medicine<\/em><\/a>\u00c2\u00a0(Bantam). His articles have appeared in dozens of publications, including\u00c2\u00a0The New England Journal of Medicine<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0and\u00c2\u00a0The Journal of the American Medical Association<\/em>. He teaches workshops on yoga as medicine that are open to health-care professionals, yoga teachers and anyone seeking help with a specific medical condition.\u00c2\u00a0www.DrMcCall.com<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Carole Jackson>, Bottom Line Health About 16 million Americans regularly practice yoga for health and healing\u00e2\u0080\u0094but four out of five of them are women. What few people realize:\u00c2\u00a0Despite its reputation as a \u00e2\u0080\u009csoft\u00e2\u0080\u009d exercise that\u00e2\u0080\u0099s more suited to women, yoga can provide special health benefits for men\u00e2\u0080\u0094even helping to slow the growth of prostate … Continue reading Yoga for Men: The Secret to a Flat Stomach, Healthy Heart and Better Sex<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-for-your-body","pmpro-has-access"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4MGMb-ly","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1336"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1336\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1356,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1336\/revisions\/1356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}