Strike a pose… Cyclists!

19 May

As my fellow cyclists and I prepare to ride from SF to LA, yoga breaks (along with food, water, and bio breaks) are a must.

 

Why Yoga?

 

Incorporating basic yoga poses and principles like forward bends, twists, glute/hammy stretches, breath, and mindfulness can give you and your body a boost to go that extra mile. Yoga integrates breath and body to take “stretching” to a deeper level. Flexibility comes when strength meets ease and the catalyst for this is breath. Breath provides mini contraction/relaxation responses throughout the entire body allowing the muscles to lengthen, slowly and efficiently. Restoration happens when a pose is held for 10 breaths or longer and the body lets go of initial muscle shock to gain “stretch”. Yes, I know, it’s slow and boring and you’d much rather be mashing up an 8% hill, with all activity Yoga is a practice. Over time, concentration, coordination, and flexibility build and your entire mind, body, and breath are engaged- these valuable tools make mashing so much more fun!

 

 

When to practice?

  • Daily to keep muscles in balance and avoid cramps and pain during a ride.
  • During rest stops to release built up tension

 

Here are 5 yoga poses that I use to restore my body after spending hours on a bicycle. Hold each one for about 10 deep breaths (breathing through the nose).

1. Forward Bend

Start with feet together, bend knees slightly, tuck chin in, and begin to roll forward until belly is resting on thighs. Hold here and breathe. With each inhale hips rise slightly, with exhale spine lengthens. 10 breaths. Deepen stretch by straighten legs.

F.I.T. Focus: Hamstring, spine, neck

 

 

 

2. Lunge

Step left foot back, place knee on ground, pull left hip slightly forward to align with right hip. Hold here and breathe. With each breath in lift torso up and back, with each exhale lower hips towards ground (maintaining hip alignment). 10 breaths. Deepen by raising arms and torso up. Repeat on right side.

 

F.I.T. Focus: Hip Flexors

 

 

3. Pigeon

Step left leg back, place knee on ground, lower right leg down with foot pointed in towards groins, pull left hip slightly forward to align with right hip. Hold here and breathe. With each breath in lift torso up, with each exhale align hips. 10 breaths. Variation: bend back leg in or place front hip on a block. Repeat on right side.

 

F.I.T. Focus: Everything! Glutes, hip flexors, groins, mind (I have a love/hate relationship with this pose)

 

 

4. Supine Twist

Lying on back bring left knee to chest and bring over right leg, place right hand on left thigh and gently guide thigh towards ground. Extend left arm to left side and gaze over left shoulder. Hold here and breathe. With each inhale expand through chest, with each exhale twist deeper.10 breaths. Repeat on right side.

 

F.I.T. Focus: Hips, lower back

 

5. Savasana

Lying on back spread arms and feet, pull shoulder blade together and down underneath you. Close eyes, clear mind, relaxed breath. Rest for 2 minutes.

F.I.T. Focus: Total relaxation

Photos from Yoga Journal

 

 

 

 

 

What’s your restoration remedy? Post to comments…

 

nutritonize!

Ritu Riyat

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Tour de Cure- Stop Diabetes

8 May



For those that know me, or follow me, know that I heart wine – red wine- yummy, complex, big, beautiful wine (no I’m not drinking while I write this). Point being, living in Northern California just a 50 miles from Wine Country is a wine drinkers dream, lucky for me I get to live this dream. I can hop in my car and within an hour be at one of my favorite wineries enjoying a tasting.

This Sunday I traded in my sundress for spandex and headed to wine country while the moon was still out to experience Napa Valley from a different lens, that of a cyclist. I had the pleasure of participating in the Tour de Cure Napa Valley ride and rode 100 miles to show my support for the fight against Diabetes. Needless to say the tour de Napa was beyond beautiful. Who could be pissed off at hills and head winds when surrounded by blue skies, vineyards, uniquely architected wineries and nature’s music.

Riding for Diabetes resonated with me on a personal level. Diabetes affects 8.3% of the total U.S. population, but it affects 15-20% of the South Asian population. I remember writing an article 10 years ago for a South Asian online magazine the opening line was “I’ll have a cup of chai; hold the sugar” this reflected how commonplace Diabetes was becoming. 10 years later the prevalence rates have risen and Diabetes is a worldwide epidemic affected adults and children and severely impacting quality of life. A number of my friends and family members live with Diabetes and although treatments exist to ease management, the cure lies in prevention. Prevention in the form of food, movement, and meditation.

Getting on a bicycle and riding around town is a good way to burn calories, and clear the mind. I was thrilled to see so many riders on the road on Sunday who were riding WITH Diabetes. Although everyone was there to support a bigger movement to fight Diabetes in doing so they were also supporting themselves by being active and preventing Diabetes! For some, it was their first time on a bike, for others it was their first time doing a long distance whether it be 10, 25, 50, 80, or 100 miles. One woman told me it was her first time doing 80 miles; the look of accomplishment is worth a thousand words. Her next goal was 90 miles. Like the famous sang goes “every journey starts with a single step” and each step brings you closer to health and well-being.


For me, it was my first time doing 213 miles in a weekend (113 miles on Saturday for ALC training), it was my first time riding through Napa, and it was my first time supporting a cause that hits too close to home. I started cycling in January 2011 as a complete newbie not even knowing how to shift gears, with each pedal stroke I learned something new and now here I am. I still have lots of learning to do… looking forward to it!

Thanks Tour de Cure for putting on a well-supported and overall outstanding event. I will definitely be there next year!

nutritionize!
Ritu Riyat, MPH

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POSE for a cause: Donation based yoga classes!

22 Apr

Hi friends, as you may know I have committed myself to riding 545 miles from SF to LA to help the fight against AIDS, but I can’t do it alone. I need your support! Come join me in Pose for a cause and take your yoga practice to the next level. Whether you want to take it back to the basics and refine your yoga foundation or learn how to incorporate yoga into your sport training, these workshops are designed to help you! Suggested donation is $25 and all proceeds benefit the SF AIDS Foundation.

Invite your friends and family. Space is limited so register today! (Registration details below) For more information contact me at nutritionize@gmail.com

See you there!

Ritu Riyat

To Register click on the class below: 

Pose For A Cause: Yoga Basics

Pose For A Cause: Yoga for Athletes

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Part 2: I have cleansed… now what???

18 Apr

I had a number of people contact me about my spring cleansing process, and many more that thanked me for introducing them to the “Green Smoothie”, who knew that celery, kale, avocado, strawberries, and coconut could taste so good!

For those of you just joining in on the site, welcome and here is a recap, I committed myself to a week-long cleanse of green smoothies and I had never felt better (since the last cleanse of course). The thought and feeling of fresh nutrients seeping into the bloodstream and taking the fast lane to my brain is indescribable. I was energized, alert, and clear.

But, to be fair, there are two sides to the story, as energized as I was I lacked power and this was clear when I attempted to Crossfit one evening. I found myself struggling to lift even scaled weights and on the verge of passing out, definitely do NOT recommend you try that.

So moral of the story, cleansing is a time to slow down and turn inwards, to nourish your body and mind with simple foods and simple movements. Doing a stressful workout during a cleanse is counter- productive and can cause injury.

With that being said how does one come off a cleanse? To be honest I can’t say I have completely come off mine, in fact I’m trying to revel in the benefits as much as possible and taking this opportunity to slowly introduce foods back into my body that are nourishing for me at this time. Rushing back into your typical routine is a sure fire way to have a body backlash.

A good rule of thumb is to take as many days to reintegrate into “normal” life as you did to cleanse. Regardless of what type of cleanse you did break your cleanse consciously by slowly adding foods that were eliminated.  If you were on intense water or master cleanse take extra care to not move too fast into solid foods.

Here are some tips to follow to safely and effectively end a cleanse:

1. Start by introducing blended foods (green smoothies)

2. Slowly add raw veggies

3. Add cooked veggies

4. Finally add proteins

With each introduction of foods, observe how your body responds and determine if that food is right for you and your body. If your tummy begins to rumble or if you feel nauseas or experience diarrhea, it may be too soon.  Remember meats, dairy, and gluten foods are mucous forming and are more difficult to process, move into these carefully.

The beauty of the body is that it’s constantly evolving, what is right one season may not be right the next season. After a cleanse take the time to identify your current “diet”.

Although my cleanse officially ended weeks ago I am hooked on my green smoothies and have reduced the amount of poultry in my diet… for now…

Have you done some spring cleaning? How do you feel? How did you break your fast? Share your tips and tricks and post to comments…

n!

ritu riyat

Recipe of the month:

“Green Adventure” Smoothie

  • Crack open a baby coconut (you need a hatchet or a really sharp knife and some CF skills)
  • Pour fresh coconut water into blender
  • Scoop coconut meat with spoon and add to blender
  • Add grapes, Reishi mushroom tea, chia seeds, kale, avocado, banana


  • Blend until smooth


  • Enjoy J


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Part 1: Spring Cleansing

20 Mar

spring cleansingThe clocks have changed, the days are getting longer, and suddenly you find yourself with an urge to clean out the closets and get organized, strange? Not the least bit. You’re mind and body are in tune with nature and the changes taking place all around you. Today marks the Spring Equinox also known as the first day of spring! It is a time of rebirth, and  renewal. Our primal instinct tells us to purge the stagnation from the Winter heaviness and get a little lighter and clearer. Our new age minds tell us to clear out the closets, pack away the coats and give our homes a fresh look. No matter how you look at it, spring cleansing has been weaved into cultures all across the world for ages through rituals, fasts and festivities to let go of the old and prepare for the new. There must be some truth to this madness that has thrived in nature for all this time.

Spring is the time to shed congestion that may have accumulated from winter habits. With winter comes cold weather and a change in diet to support internal warmth including animal protein, fats and other highly acidic foods. These foods, although good for us in some aspects, also can cause the intestines to secrete a heavy mucous coating which prevents optimal nutrient absorption and can lead to constipation and autointoxication.

As we shift from winter hibernation to spring activities our bodies respond by eliminating accumulated winter waste. The magic happens naturally allowing us to survive seasonal changes, one way the body purges is through colds, flus, aches and pains during a changing season, however WE can optimize this process by increasing enzyme rich vegetables and herbs as well as liver cleansing foods.

I started my spring cleanse yesterday and to be honest I felt like crap! I had a horrible headache, low energy, and over all blah feeling. I almost broke down when a friend poured a beautiful glass of red wine in front of me (i love wine). But I stuck through it and woke up feeling fabulous this morning. No coffee needed. My plan is to keep up the cleanse for a week and incorporate various cleansing foods, juices, and herbs as well as lots of water to flush out the toxins and a gentle yoga practice to wring out anything sticky.

When the body is overburdened with toxins, the liver may be stressed causing symptoms such as allergies, headaches, nausea, irritability, foggy thinking, muscle tension, skin eruptions, itching and fatigue. In women, PMS, fibroid tumors, and endometriosis are signs of liver stress, since the liver must process excess estrogens out of the bloodstream.

Here are 5 ways YOU can spring clean your body and mind to get a fresh start for the spring. Either do all, one or a couple these for at least 3 days. Caution: Side effects may include feeling energetic,. lighter, with less aches and digestion troubles.

1. Eliminate foods that slow down your system. These include refined sugars, carbs, hydrogenated fats, and animal products. (don’t worry its only for a few days you will live without the protein). Coffee, caffeinated substances, alcohol, and nicotine

2. Incorporate lots of greens whether in the forms of juices, smoothies, or fresh veggies. Kale, broccoli, celery,spinach, chard,  wheat grass, beets (they are not green but too awesome to overlook)

3. Drink plenty of water without ice. Preferably start the morning with cup of warm water with 1tsp of lemon juice.

4. Add a liver detox supplement like Milk Thistle or drink a detox tea 1-3 times a day.

5. For a more intense cleanse consider doing a water or juice fast. Or the Master Cleanser.

The Master Cleanser

2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon (or lime) juice
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/10 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 ounces of spring water

Read more about the Cleanser at
http://www.elsonhaas.com/articles/article_05.html

Whatever you decide to try, stick with it for a few days. You will feel tired and experience headaches the first day, once it goes away you will be ready to frolic in the spring sunshine.

As always don’t take my word for it, try it out and report back.

Happy Cleansing

n!

Ritu Riyat

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Nutritional Tanning

8 Mar

Spring is just around the corner with the days getting longer and the skirts getting shorter. I walked into a store the other day bundled in my scarf and jacket and found myself surrounded by shorts, skirts and bathing suits… it’s only March but the summer preparations have begun. A number of industries are driven by the summer sun one of which being the tanning industry. I can’t speak from personal experience since I’m usually hanging out in the shade trying to ration my sun time so I can make it through the summer without turning into burnt toast but for many indoor tanning is a godsend.  On average  ”ten percent of Americans spend on average $300 per year to tan indoors. This equates to a total US market for tanning of over $9 billion per year, and does not include the $3 billion tanning products market.”  That’s a fair amount of cash funding a potentially cancerous situation.

Since I believe that food can work wonders then why not try food for tanning? It may not take add a few shades to you but it’ll give you a healthy glow. A recent article in BBC news suggests that “changes in fruit and vegetable consumption might be related to changes in skin tone, with more fruit and vegetables contributing to a deepening of natural red and yellow skin colouration.”  Read more…

Although these results aren’t set in stone given the small sample size, there may be some truth to it. Just another reason to eat fruits and veggies, they not only work wonders for your waist but contribute to overall health AND beauty.

Don’t just take my word for it, try it out for yourself and report back.

nutritionize!

Ritu

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Chew on this

17 Feb


Don’t eat so fast! Do you have a train to catch? Chew your food! How many times did you hear something like this as a kid (and now a an adult) sitting at the dinner table painfully getting through a family meal as fast as possible so you could get outside and play or plop down in front of the TV to catch the last quarter of the game.

Done reflecting??? Let’s move on to the punch line…

Well folks, I’m afraid to break it to you BUT your parents were giving you valuable disease fighting advice for free!!! (aka they were RIGHT)

I know what you’re thinking…  “I was starving and trying to quench my hunger” or “I was in a rush and didn’t want to skip a meal all together”

Regardless of the reason it doesn’t change the fact that it’s important to chew your food thoroughly.

Here’s why:

  1. Digestion is aided with the first chew.  Chewing tells your gut to get the juices flowing because food is on its way.
  2. Optimal Digestion. Proper chewing breaks down the food in the mouth so the gut can easily absorb nutrients without having to work overtime.
  3. Prevents Gas.  Swallowing food chunks that are too big can cause bacterial overgrowth and gas. If you have suffered from this or been around someone who has then you know it’s not pleasant.
  4. Prevents Overeating (aka weight gain).  Chewing more means eating slower and giving the body ample time to release and receive the proper signals related to hunger.
  5. Tastes better. Taking the time to chew gives you time to taste what you are eating.
  6. Stronger jawline. If all of the above reasons are not compelling enough then maybe a more defined jawline will nudge you to chew more. Chewing works out the masseter muscles.

Chew on it. Chew your food at least 20- 30 times until your food is emulsified and you can no longer identify the texture of what you are eating.

As always don’t take my word for it. Try it out and post your findings to comments….

n!

Ritu Riyat

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