Healthy Living, December 2009 issue

A publication of the Peninsula Daily News

2 HealtHy living • december 2009 a publication of the Peninsula daily news

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I just love putting together our quarterly Healthy Living section.

Each issue is filled with articles by amazing people who are passionate about what they do.

This time around we have a couple stories that might inspire you to keep those New Year’s resolutions: one on how to find the time to exer-cise, and another about how to get on the weight-loss wagon for keeps.

We have an article from personal trainer Bryn Singleton on why women should hit the weight room, and there is some practical advice from Port Townsend dentist, Greg Barry.

On the more “alternative” side of healthy living, Jany Baymor intro-duces us to the ancient practice of Qigong and Lynn Keenan gets a bit technical in her effort to help con-sumers receive the most from their Swedish massage.

We also hear from a few Peninsula moms who want more healthy food

choices available in area schools.I’m so pleased to have Port Ange-

les yoga teacher Robin Popinski con-tributing to this December’s issue.

Robin recently traveled to Pune, India to visit the Ramamani School of Iyengar Yoga. In her article, “A yogi’s journey back to India,” she writes about cultural differences while qui-etly illuminating to the lessons we can all learn from the Indian people.

Robin’s article is accompanied by some extraordinarily beautiful photos of this distant land — I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

If you have an idea for an article or want to contribute a story, please turn to Page 19 for information on how to contact me.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this issue of Healthy Living. Have a happy & healthy New Year!

— Jennifer VeneklasenHealthy Living editor

Farewell to 2009Contentseditor’s letter

InsIde:

3 Farm to Cafeteria 5 Swedish massage 7 Dental care10 Journey to India14 Finding time to exercise16 Qigong17 Healthy eating18 Women and weights

10

14 17

A publication of the Peninsula Daily News december 2009 • HealtHy living 3

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NutritioN is high oN the list of things i prioritize for the health and well-being of my three year old son.

so when i heard about the North olympic Peninsula’s Farm to Cafeteria Conference, i was eager to attend.

on Nov. 5, a vibrant group of people came together at the Jamestown s’Klallam tribal Community Center in Blyn to learn about Farm to Cafeteria programs and to discuss how we can introduce more whole foods into our area’s schools.

We heard from many inspiring and devoted supporters of the programs, including Mary selecky, the secretary of Washington state’s Department of health, and tricia sexton-Kovacs, the WsDA Farm to school coordinator.

the message was simple: if we pro-vide our children with more nutritious foods, they will be healthier, happier and more engaged.

According to the Washington Envi-ronmental Council, “good nutrition is linked to learning readiness, academic achievement and decreased discipline and emotional problems.”

i think we can all agree that these are things that could greatly benefit any community, including our own.

WhAt is A FArM to CAFEtEriA sChool ProgrAM?

Farm to Cafeteria programs “con-nect schools and local farms with the objective of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities, and supporting local and regional farm-ers.” (www.farmtoschool.org)

this kind of program has the poten-tial to increase the health and well-being of our children, while providing farmers with a new market for their food.

support for local farmers will help boost our local economy and, in turn,

food will not be traveling as far to reach Peninsula plates.

students will develop a deeper con-nection to what they are eating and an overall awareness of the importance of eating healthy foods.

We are fortunate to live in an area with an extended growing season that

provides us with fresh produce year round. there were more than a dozen local and regional farms represented at the conference who showed interest in creating healthy partnerships with our schools.

Nash’s farm alone shipped more than 350,000 pounds of fresh foods off of the Peninsula last year, simply because there was not a market here.

With the average bite of food trav-eling approximately 1,500 miles to reach your mouth, wouldn’t it be more reasonable and sustainable if all that wholesome food was being used in our local schools?

According to a new report by trust for America’s health and the robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 29.5 percent of Washington state’s youth — ages 10 to 17 — are overweight.

since 1980, childhood obesity rates have more than tripled.

Giving kids the good stuff+ BY BONNIE SCHMIDT

The message was simple: if we provide our children with more nutritious foods, they will be healthier, happier and more engaged.

Reid Schmidt, 3, jubilantly shows off rhubarb grown in his family’s backyard garden.

Story continued on page 4 >


Story continued from page 3 >

The most recent study, conducted in 2007 by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that the diabetes rates in our country have doubled in just ten years.

This terrifying trend and the concern for the future of our nation’s youth is motivation enough to ensure that we are provid-ing our children with the healthiest food choices in our schools.

WhaT is alreaDy haPPening in our CommuniTy?Quilcene school district officials, who were inspired by the

conference, have agreed to start buying local produce from local farmers at least once per month.

They plan to occasionally feature fresh locally grown foods for afternoon snacks, place posters of local farmers in the school cafeteria and enlarge their school garden.

also inspired by the conference was sodexo, the food service provider for both Port angeles and sequim school districts. They have committed to moving forward with purchasing some local produce for both districts.

starting in mid-January at Jef-ferson elementary school in Port angeles, a 6-week pilot lunch menu will be offered featuring more whole, fresh foods and fewer processed foods.

Community meetings are planned in Port angeles, sequim, and Port Townsend during January to attract and engage interested parents, students, educators, and community members in the effort to increase the amount of fresh, whole foods offered in our cafeterias.

For more inFormaTion go to www.clallamgrown.org, www.jeffersongrown.org or visit the Facebook group, north olympic Peninsula Farm to Cafeteria Program, for updates, discussion forums and calls to action. n

Bonnie Schmidt is a local mom and advocate for healthier foods in our schools. She is also moderator for the North Olympic Peninsula’s Farm to Cafeteria Facebook group.

“You are what you eat — quite

literally. I want my child made up of whole, local, organic goodness.

We have such a gorgeous

bounty of local foods here on the Peninsula, it would be a shame not to seek them out and feed them to our kids.”

-Carrie Sanford

““We all learn to choose the foods

we eat, which can effect our mood, ability to concentrate and

general well-being. Having healthy

foods at school is an essential part

of learning to feed ourselves well. For some kids, food

served at school is the bulk of calories

they will receive during the day.

We owe it to our children to provide them with healthy

choices.”

-Heidi PederSen

“

”

i can think of no reason not to

feed our children healthy local food. Just some of the

many benefits include strong and energetic

bodies, clear and positive thinking,

an awareness of biology and what supports ultimate health,

an understanding of where our

food comes from, knowledge of

environmentally sustainable

farming, greatly decreasing the

use of fossil fuels for preparing

and transporting food . . . shall i

continue? - Kelly ortego

Carrie Sanford and daughter Abby.

Lucas Pedersen, Heidi’s son, rakes leaves in their backyard garden.

+ WHAT OTHER MOMS ARE SAYING

Bonnie Schmidt and her son Reid enjoy a snowy day on Hurricane Ridge.


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SWEDISH MASSAGE: A USER’S MANUAL+ BY LYNN KEENAN

At a Thanksgiving dinner last month I was feasting with a diverse group of people, many of whom I was meeting for the first time.

When our conversation came around to work, I said I was a massage therapist. It’s been my experience that in situations like this, almost everyone has something to say about massage.

And it’s always a mixed bag of com-ments and questions. Thanksgiving weekend was no different.

Usually, it’s the massage enthusiasts who speak first. Then, the other side of the story emerges: “Oh, I don’t know what people see in it. The whole ‘fluff and buff’ thing seems like a waste of my hard-earned money. I’ve heard you have to ask for deep tissue massage. Is that true”?

Immediately someone said “Fluff and buff? I should be so lucky! The only time I ever got a massage I asked for deep tissue and then I ached for days”.

These stories pain me! Every week I hear from people who

want to invest in their health and vital-ity, to assure quality of life.

When I hear about people who have had negative experiences with massage in the past and decide massage isn’t for them, I know they aren’t just missing out on a luxury that others enjoy.

Research demonstrates that massage is a powerful tool in one’s wellness. Massage, done well• Improves muscle flexibility and tone; • Improves sleep;• Decreases cortisol—the stress hor-mone—and activates the autonomic nervous system—the rest and digest part of the nervous system responsible for restorative functions of body and mind;• Decreases back stiffness and pain;• Improves circulation, of blood and lymph—the body’s detoxifier and pathogen-catcher.• Enhances the immune system further

by stimulating production of killer T cells and white blood cells.• Lowers blood pressure.• Diminishes depression and anxiety;• Improves nerve transmission, decreas-ing things like the tingling in hands that today’s desk jockey experiences.

Unfortunately, there are ineffective, even damaging massages.

Somewhere between “fluff and buff” and indiscriminate bruising lies a health modality that has served the vitality of humanity, across cultures, for centuries.

A bit of consumer awareness is the best way to make sure one gets an effective massage that is also enjoyable.

Massage effectiveness has everything to do with technique and pressure.

Virtually all of the effectiveness research on massage conducted in the US uses Swedish massage as the modal-ity, or technique.




So knowledge of Swedish massage helps create a savvy massage consumer.

What we know today as Swedish Massage is a series of well-defined manual treatments largely developed over time from the European renaissance through the 1700’s, most notably by a British surgeon (John Grosvenor) and a Swedish physiologist (Per Ling, also known as the “father of physical therapy”).

These were refined, researched, and systematized by many medical professionals throughout the 1800s, most notably by a Dutch physician (Johann Mezger) who favored French and named each of the specific manual techniques that make up Swedish massage—including the word “massage”.

Today, thanks to a growing body of research, we know that these very techniques — effleurage, petrissage, friction, movement of joints, tapotement, and vibration — create a bounty of health benefits when done correctly.

Here’s a description of each Swedish massage technique. Use this information to judge for yourself the degree to which your massage therapist is delivering on the tried and true method.

EFFLEUraGE — These are the long, smooth strokes that nearly everyone enjoys during a massage.

Once a massage therapist has applied oil to the skin, she continues with a series of long, smooth strokes applied with the palm or forearm that should have increasing depth of pressure. Effleurage warms the muscles, lengthening and broadening them—the key to muscle relaxation.

Effleurage also activates the autonomic nervous system.

PETriSSaGE — Kneading and lifting the skin and muscles usually follows effleurage.

Here the massage therapist picks up the skin and muscle with one hand, passing them to the other, drawing them away from the bone, separating layers of tissue.

Tissue layers get sticky, eventually causing muscle tight-ness, compressing vessels and nerves. Petris-sage increases circulation—of blood, lymph, and nerve messages.

FricTiOn — Moving deeper into the muscle fibers, massage therapists use shorter strokes with thumbs, knuckles, or elbows to push or draw fibers away from each other.

Friction aids the most stubborn tight bands of muscle to get the blood, and

therefore the oxygen, they need to relaaaaaaax.

MOvEMEnT OF THE JOinTS — Massage therapists move joints into their full range of motion, gently stretching mus-cles at the “end” of that range.

arms, legs, fingers, neck: when each is taken into its full range of motion the related joints produce synovial fluid—the oil of human joints, muscles relax and become more flexible, “opening” those joints.

viBraTiOn — vibration or jostling of legs, arms, hips or the entire torso increases muscle relaxation. Often when a massage therapist jostles the leg, for example, the brain becomes aware of tension and releases it.

TaPOTEMEnT — a massage therapist can apply rapid per-cussive strokes on the muscles, “chopping” or “pounding” to stimulate, then relax muscles and increase circulation.

PrESSUrE iS EvEryTHinGUnfortunately, neither of my Thanksgiving dinner com-

panions’ were likely to have experienced the health benefits of massage. Massage studies have compared the impact of light massage to moderately firm massage and deep massage.

in each case, it’s moderately firm massage, neither fluff and buff nor deep tissue massage that generates the kind of benefits we expect from a Swedish massage.

Effective massage therapists check in with their client throughout the massage about the amount of pressure. Don’t hesitate to be completely candid about your level of comfort; we need this kind of candor to guide us toward effectiveness.

Trust that massage is an enduring approach to health and well-being.

realize that there are varying degrees of effectiveness in its delivery, but a little consumer knowledge goes a long way toward identifying the masters

of the methods. n

Lynn Keenan is the happy owner of Renaissance, a center for massage and wellness in Port Angeles. For more information, click on www.renaissance-pa.com or phone 360-565-1199.

infant massage is enjoying a surge among young families today. Amazon.com will even sell you a book on baby massage for dummies!

But it’s smart parents, and grand-parents, and siblings who take some time to learn about the simple steps to providing massage for the infants in their families.

Like cuddling and hugging, baby massage strengthens those important early bonds and improved communi-cation with babies, but there’s more!

Just 15 minutes of massage a day can help improve infants’ circula-tion, ease digestion, stimulate neuro-logical development, improve sleep, and promote relaxation.

not surprisingly, massage has a pacifying effect on babies.

To give you a sense of just how helpful massage is for the healthy development of babies, research on massage with preterm babies is

showing that “premies” who receive massage gain 47 percent more weight than premies who do not receive massage.

Even eight months after being massaged, premies continue to gain weight and achieve developmental mark-ers well before those premies who never received massage.

Babies THrivE on massage!

To learn more about infant massage, including some simple techniques, important safety precautions, and the best kind of oils and lotions to use with babies, join renaissance massage therapists on

Saturday, Jan. 30 at noon for a free hour of fun instruction and relax-ation with your infant (babies up to one year old).

There’s no charge for the class, but please call to reserve a spot as space is limited.

+ babies thrive on massage

Knowledge of Swedish massage helps create a savvy massage consumer.


9C120337

Odds are, yOu have several unasked questions about dental care.

you may wonder if you can afford dental care, if it will be pain-ful, or if you really need it at all.

If you don’t see a dentist for a few years, or if you get little or no response from the dentist you do see, your concerns will probably deepen over time.

a discussion of your thoughts and feelings about dentistry can be a critical turning point — the begin-ning of your success with sustaining good oral health.

If they aren’t addressed, your issues may keep you from seeking the dental care you need, which will ultimately lead to serious problems that can make your dental care more expensive.

FearsMost ‘new’ patients are not really new.

They are patients from previous dentists and they have a sense of what they think is com-

ing — discomfort, injec-tion, drilling, pain, and then, the bill.

It’s no surprise that fear is a common reason why people don’t see a dentist regularly.

dentists should address a patient’s fears before starting treatment.

If you have a dental phobia, which many peo-ple experience, it will con-tinue to limit your access to the care you need.

Fortunately, phobias are quite treatable. sedatives or nitrous oxide at your dental appointments can help ease anxiety, or you can see a therapist who treats these type of phobias.

COsTsdental cost is like any other expense — if

you don’t plan for it, any unexpected cost seems like it’s too much.

These days, dental insurance coverage doesn’t go very far, so planning ahead is key to dental cost control.

Many policies limit who you can see and what can be done. Over the past few decades, typical policy costs have risen but coverage has gone down.

If you do have dental insurance, then by all means, use it to the maximum. read your benefits and be aware of the limits.

use the policy for prevention — get those cleanings regularly. replace failing fillings, and so on.

don’t let undone or untimely dental treat-ment eat up your benefits, leaving you noth-ing for a costly emergency.

If you pay for your own dental insurance, you may already realize you can go it alone. sit down and do the numbers.

With a little discipline, you can save enough money in something similar to a Christmas savings account.

even better, set up a health savings account (hsa) for your family. This will insure that when the time comes, money

for essential dental care is available. an hsa also allows you to pay medically

related expenses using pre-tax dollars, which is like getting a discount equal to your income tax rate on all medical costs.

The savings may be substantial depend-ing on your tax bracket.

here are the two most effective ways to control dental costs:

First, make sure you get regular preven-tive care which helps you avoid problems and reduce the severity of problems you can’t avoid. second, if you do suffer from some dental disease, assure early detection and treatment.

your primary cost control measures are regular dental exams and routine cleanings.

eMpOWer yOurselF. schedule periodic visits and talk about

issues and alternatives. discuss the quality of the work proposed

and its value to your health.

Dental care made easy+ BY GREG BARRY, DDS

Greg Barry, DDS



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Happy Visits Ease Child Dental Care

Every child’s visits to the dentist should be happy - starting from the very first one. I recommend parents begin to ease dental anxiety and promote good oral hygiene with children as young as one year old. You may wonder, “What can I do?”It’s easy to help your child become a good dental patient. All it takes is some time playing dentist at home. You be the dentist. Use a flashlight and mirror to practice. Say “open wide,” count teeth, ask them to bite down on something safe, then ask them to smile. Avoid anything negative or difficult.Initial office visits for a toddler are short, involving mostly play. We begin by just counting teeth. The next visit can be a visual exam. Soon your child will be comfortable with a cleaning or more serious dentistry. With older children (ages 3-6) we explain dental tools and tell them how to be a good patient. We charge for Happy Visits only if dental work is accomplished.My wife and I trained our three young children by playing dentist. Now they have calm confidence at the dental office and motivation to maintain healthy teeth. With just a little involvement and Happy Visits, any parent can achieve the same. Please call today to set your child’s appointment.

(360) 379-1591642 Harrison St., Port Townsend

Greg Barry, DDS

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Ask what materials will be used and what the benefits are.

Allow the hygienist to advise you about your self care.

Do things right the first time because that helps limits retreatment costs.

A treatment plan can be made from your exam and x-rays — it is a map to the goals you and your dentist agree upon.

PreventionAs you probably know, your toothbrush

is your best weapon in the biological war against tooth decay (also known as caries.)

next comes floss. then fluoride toothpaste.

if you’re using all these things, you may wonder, “How can there be any decay?”

Well, oral bacteria are very, very small. if there is a groove or a crack in a tooth, or a failing filling, they move in and stay.

When you eat food, you feed them. And then they eat you!

the 50 billion bacteria left in your mouth after a good cleaning can double in 20 sec-onds if given the right processed sugar.

When brushing and flossing, be very meticulous. visualize the entire surface of

the one tooth at a time as you are cleaning.

You are a subject in a real life test and you’ll experience real results.

if you have gum reces-sion, be very diligent. that exposed root surface is 700-times softer than your white enamel. it can be an instant food source for bacteria, causing damage that can be difficult to repair.

the core goal of dental work is to gain you more quality time with your teeth.

the most important fac-tor in your oral health is you because you determine the care you receive.

in all respects — from longer lasting natural teeth, to emergency avoidance, to reducing dental costs — daily, exacting self-care combined with regular visits to your dentist and hygienist are your very best defenses. n

Gregory W. Barry, DDS is a graduate of the University Of Nebraska College Of Dentistry. He has practiced general dentistry since 2001. Before dental school, Dr. Barry served as a Navy officer and Merchant Marine engineer. His practice is located at the Uptown Dental Clinic at 642 Harrison St. in Port Townsend. Phone 360-379-1591 for more information.

A discussion of your thoughts and feelings about dentistry can be a critical turning point — the beginning

of your success with sustaining good oral health.



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10 HealtHy living • December 2009 a publication of the Peninsula Daily news December 2009 • HealtHy living 11

PUNE, home of the Ramamani School of Iyengar Yoga, was my destination.

Pune is an industrial city, producing sugar, glass, technology and metal forging.

The auto industry is booming. Not only are Indian car manufactures doing well, but

General Motors, Fiat and Volkswagen have established plants there. In a few years, Pune will be the number one small car manufacturer in the world.

Tata, the largest private corporation in India, is diver-sified in oil, tea, hospitality and communications. Tata is producing a $2,500 four-seat car that will hit the Ameri-can market in five years.

There are more than 25 hospitals and 100 small and private health facilities there.The population of Pune is 4,485,000 — 30 percent of those people live in slums.

The literacy rate is only 81 percent, yet there are nine universities. Pune is called “the Oxford of the East.”

Parents or elder aunts and uncles still arrange chil-dren’s marriages; mixed marriages appear to be a small percentage.

There are more 1.7 million motorbikes and 400,000 cars; 200,000 vehicles are added each year.

About 250,000 people enter the city to work daily. Crime is minimal and life expectancy is 68.

I lEFT SEATTlE on July 30 and traveled 10,207 miles in 15 hours.

I was acclimated from our recent heat wave and expected to be comfortable when I landed in Mumbai.

On arrival I hired a driver to take me to Pune, a four hour drive along a two-lane paved road.

You put your life into the driver’s hands and his savvy ability to weave and bob between large trucks, motor-

bikes and other cars. The first day I slept from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m., then I spent the rest of the time registering for class, grocery shopping and just finding my way.

I had forgotten how overwhelming India can be. The first night I wore ear plugs because horns, motor

bikes and auto rickshaws all want to be heard. But when I awoke in the middle of the night, it was

silent except for a man walking down the street, his steps echoing against the buildings.

On Sunday my pranayama (breathing practice) was impossible because of the air pollution.

Pranayama for the month was abandoned. I was excited to walk around the city and look for

old, familiar sites. There are so many people on the streets, along with

goats, dogs, cats, cows, children and the odors of gar-bage and urine.

The Indian women wear saris in every color of the rainbow; the bright colors look beautiful next to their creamy brown skin.

The Indian people are friendly and helpful, smiling as I pass; some greet me by saying “namaste.”

Much has changed in the last seven years. New buildings are wedged between slums and houses

from the nineteenth century. The city government is beginning to upgrade the

infrastructure, sewer pipes are being laid next to the roads waiting to be installed.

Those pipes will be placed in the earth, dug by hand, then the sidewalk bricks lifted by young men and the dirt carried away in pans balanced on women’s heads. In 20 years, all of Pune will be rebuilt and modernized.

ON THE FIRST DAY OF ClASS, there are 50 stu-

dents — mostly Indians, but a scattering of fellow yogis from around the world: Russia, Brazil, Holland, Malaysia, Canada, China, Japan, Israel, and Hong Kong — all there to catch the brilliant teaching the Iyengars have to offer.

In the mornings from 9:30 a.m. to noon I can practice in the yoga hall.

Mr. Iyengar, now 91, has his own area in the hall where he practices every morning.

Now and then he works with a long-term student or Abhijata, his granddaughter, one of the next generation of Iyengar teachers.

Mr. Iyengar gives Abhijata no slack. He works her hard and she just smiles, taking it in stride.

Mr. Iyengar’s body is youthful in spite of his age. His skin is soft and supple, eyes alert and spine erect,

he mostly practices inversions and backbends supported by many handmade props to open and stretch his body.

He holds the poses for 15 minutes or longer, looking very relaxed, calm and meditative.

Some students in the hall are very advanced, bringing a foot behind their head from a standing position, then grace-fully dropping back into a backbend. Some of us just work on the simple poses, everyone going through practice look-ing for tight areas to bring space, breath and light.

I HAD ClASS AT NIGHT from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The first week there were substitute teachers because

Geeta, Mr. Iyengar’s daughter, has been sick. She has taken over the majority of teaching since Mr.

Iyengar retired. In her mid-sixties, she is getting tired, having taught

since the age of 16. The substitute teachers are all excellent. You always

learn and the two hours fly by. When the class is over you

feel inspired and lucky to be in this place.Prashant, Mr. Iyengar’s son, teaches the men’s class from

7 a.m. to 9 a.m. He also teaches one or two nights each week, so I am

fortunate to attend several of his classes. His style is different than Geeta’s; he alternates between

teaching a few poses and then lecturing. He is a brilliant man who studied with Menuhin on the

violin, but while riding on a bus, a tragic accident happened. His elbow was crushed and surgery was done locally, but the arm fused at an angle, ending his violin playing.

His lectures between poses are about the philosophy of yoga, the breath, and being in the moment. When he throws a joke in now and then, you are so surprised.

THE SECOND WEEK OF ClASS, swine flu hits Pune. It is the first Indian city to be infected. The local government decided to implement the Mexico

City outbreak plan and closed all public areas including schools, malls, movie theaters and shopping areas.

People out on the streets wore masks and 28 succumbed to the flu during my stay.

I decided to leave the city and go to Kare, an ayurvedic health spa an hour-and-a-half drive from Pune.

Kare is out in the country with good food; it is quiet and the air is clean. The best part was the two-hour, head-

to-toe sesame oil massage. On Saturday I met with a friend and we hired a driver to

take us to Allora and the Ajanta Caves. The caves are unbelievable, built from the second cen-

tury on. They were a gathering and worship place on the ancient roads. The craftsmanship is superb with huge Bud-dhas, elephants and paintings covering the cave walls.

The beauty was overwhelming — all done by hand without power tools or levels. SEVERAl AMERICANS left during the week, and the stu-dio in Pune was closed; it was uncertain if and when the institute would reopen.

However, the third week the institute did re-open and Geeta was on fire with her teaching, starting with a two-hour lecture on the Bhagavad Gita.

She is trained as an ayurvedic physician but she chose to teach with her father. When Geeta teaches she links the poses with inner knowledge.

We do many poses, perspiring profusely, giving our best because Geeta sees every student in the hall.

Geeta could teach 1,000 students and still see what every student was doing, seeing into everyone’s body.

At the end of class you are infused with peace and energy and you want to start all over, knowing this is the best there is.

luckily I have friends in Pune that I met on my first trip in 1998 — Geeta and Sunder Bhojwani.

They are my touchstone. Their house in the suburbs is quiet and clean, they take

me to lunch and diner, and offer companionship when I need it.

A yogi’s journey back to IndiaGoing to India is like taking a tablespoon of castor oil — you have to get ready, get set,

and go. This was my third trip to India in the last ten years, and it is always a difficult decision to go. You have to be mentality prepared, not like going to Maui in January.

+ BY ROBIN POPINSKI

The people and places on this page were captured by Robin during her 2009 stay in India. n



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Sunder is a retired military man; he keeps change in his car to give to the children who beg.

While driving me back to my apartment one night, a group of young children and an infant were begging at a red light.

Sunder rolled down his window to pass some change, but it wasn’t enough.

A small boy came to my window and hung on as Sunder rolled it up. The boy was lifted off the ground and the other two children began slapping the side of the car.

The young girl who carried the infant held out the child’s hand expecting change to be placed inside the tiny fist. I was very anxious the whole time that little fingers would be crushed or legs be smashed under the car. Sunder said the kids were pros at han-dling the traffic.

The light changed and we were gone.

AN AUTO RICKSHAW is a three-wheel vehicle with a roof and runs on leaded gas.

The drivers make about five dollars per day and most understand but do not speak English.

Sunder refers to the local auto rickshaw drivers, as “kamikaze drivers” or as “jackals”.

They are aggressive and drive within inches of your car, but are experienced and know how far they

can push into the mass so they will get through the traffic light first.

Goats, cows and camels still wander the streets. Years ago people put their garbage out for the ani-

mals to eat, but now the garbage consists of plastic bags and containers, so people place food in baskets for the wandering animals.

Motorbikes have changed the society. Not only do young people drive them, but whole

families of five will be on the bike. The poorest in society have a motorbike parked outside of their slum. Few wear helmets, and India ranks second in the world for motor accidents.

Crossing the street was a real challenge for me. Not only are there countless vehicles, but the flow

of traffic is opposite of the United States. I was almost by hit by a motorbike with two

young men on; I scared them and they scared me. I started crossing the streets after that with other

people so that I would not get in trouble.Monsoon season runs from July to October and

rain typically falls daily, but this year there was very little rain.

People sleep under mosquito netting and don’t eat any produce grown under ground — potatoes, mushrooms, onions.

When you meet an Indian for the first time they want to know where you live in the states, whether you have children, where the children attended univer-sity, if they are married and where they work.

They are interested because their children’s suc-cess and education is very important to them.

Their children’s happiness is primary — they are good, hard-working, family people.

In the mornings I awake to the sound of birds, then the street sweepers cleaning the leaves.

The traffic noise from far away begins as a deep hum, then the auto rickshaws horns begin.

Every time I go to India I have to get ready, get set and go. There is a mind shift that must happen.

While there you must overlook much, but the country and the people are so beautiful, friendly and pleasant, that when I get home I miss it. I miss it all.

Robin Popinski is the owner of Olympic Iyengar Yoga at 710 S. Lincoln St. in Port Angeles. She has been studying Iyengar yoga since 1994 and was certified to teach in 1999. For more information on her classes, phone 360-452-3012.

Robin Popinski poses for a photo with a group of young men in Ajanta, India.“They love to have their picture taken and then want to see it on the camera,” Robin says. “They were so funny.”



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As a health and fitness professional for the past 20 years, I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have heard the phrase, “I really want to exercise but I just have no time.”

In fact, time is the reason most often given for failure to begin, or stick with an exercise program.

There is no question that it can be a challenge to fit exercise into a busy lifestyle.

It’s also a challenge to fit in family, work, friends, kids activities, recreation, home maintenance, doctor appoint-ments, automobile maintenance, church activities, com-munity involvement, etc.

WAIT, we DO fit these things into our lives! Are they more important than our health? In fact, without our health could we address ANY of

these other priorities? I think not. Some of the busiest, most successful and happy people

I know are regular exercisers. Somehow they find a way to fit it in. Exercise can actually give you more time. Read on…Energy TIME: When you exercise you have more

energy throughout the day. It’s true. We fitness people don’t make these things up. It’s been researched and surveyed. You have to eat right

too, but exercise in the proper amount and type can actu-ally give you more energy and stamina allowing you to get more done with the time you have.

Productivity TIME: They’ve actually done studies on this. Workers who are physically fit actually get more done in a day on average.

I am sure you can find exceptions (the exercise fanatic that’s lazy at work) but in general, if your mind and body are in tune you can accomplish more at work and at home – again saving you time.

Immunity TIME: The right type and amount of exer-cise can actually boost your immune system.

If you are getting a good bout of cardio exercise every day you will actually get sick less often.

Being sick can cost you days or even weeks of time lost. Again we are saving you time here with exercise.Attitude TIME: Exercise has been show to be as effec-

tive as popular anti-depression and anti-anxiety medica-

tion in relieving symptoms of the condition! In other words, when you exercise it helps balance

your brain chemistry and has an “upper” like effect! Ever notice how you get more done on days when you

are in a good mood? Sleep TIME: People who exercise tend to sleep better

on the days they exercise. This is because exercise stimulates the parasympathetic

response in the body and metabolizes stress hormones that build up throughout the day.

These stress hormones, left to run amuck in your bloodstream are the very thing that keeps you from getting back to sleep if you awake in the night.

When you sleep better you feel better. Do you think you might make better use of your time

on days after having a good night’s sleep?Relationship TIME: Exercise improves mood, sense of

well being, anxiety levels, etc. If you are feeling better about yourself you will spend less

time in conflict with others, which after all is time wasted.Money TIME: A recent survey showed that women

who are overweight earn $7000 less per year on average than women who are not overweight.

Although this topic has not been researched extensively, we could suppose that this statistic probably applies to men to some degree as well.

Time is money. If we can earn more for our 40-hour week by getting

fit, then exercise once again, in a way, saves us time. Someone once said that the most important benefit of

money is not material things that it buys, but the freedom it can offer in terms of how we chose to spend our TIME.

Strength TIME: A properly designed resistance exer-cise program can dramatically improve ones strength and offer significant prevention of orthopedic injury from rec-reation or work activities.

If you own a business or have an active job and you hurt your back, how much time and money might that cost you? Twenty minutes of resistance training exercise just three times per week could save you weeks of down time in terms of injury prevention.

Longevity TIME: A study at the Cooper Clinic done in the 90s actually showed exercise to reduce morbidity and mortality rates.

tick,tock+ BY JAY BRYAN

10 WAYS EXERCISE WILL GIVE YOU MORE TIME IN 2010

DON’T BUY INTO THE MYTH THAT YOU “DON’T HAVE TIME” TO EXERCISE.

So if you live longer you get MORE TIME!Quality TIME: More importantly than long life is

quality of life. When you are healthy you are more productive in

work, enjoy your play-time more, and enjoy life in general more.

There is no more powerful preventive medicine than exercise for living better, longer and healthier.

Make this the year you stop with the excuses and make exercise a habit!

Jay Bryan, M.S. is an exercise physiologist and free-lance writer with a Master’s Degree in human perfor-mance from the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse. He and his wife Heidi own Anytime Fitness in Sequim.

E-mail him at [email protected] for more information.

Jay and Heidi Bryan, owners of the Sequim Anytime Fitness.


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Qigong, or energy work, is one of the five branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the others being acupuncture, massage or body work, herbology, and nutrition. Qigong is said to be the oldest, possibly 5,000 years old.

The Chinese definition for Qi is breath or steam. It has also been called bioenergy, vital life force, prana (in the Yoga tradition), PSI (a scientific term used to describe the force that is invisible to the physical eye yet what holds the Universe together).

I have even heard it referred to as soul.There are many different forms of Qigong.Many of them involve movement combined

with visualization and breath. Some forms involve sitting meditation like

in zen and yoga. In fact, Qigong has been called Chinese yoga.

It is also known as inner alchemy.There are millions of people in China and

around the globe who practice Qigong to prevent illness and recover from illness.

Some forms of Qigong, like Tai Chi, are com-plex. Many of the other forms, however, are sim-ple to learn and can be practiced even by those confined to their beds.

There are innumerable stories as to the effec-tiveness of Qigong.

My teacher, Hui Xian Chen, discovered Qigong after being given three months to live after her cancer treatment failed.

That was in 1982. Today she is a cancer-free spirited 76-year-

old woman who is considered one of the most respected Qigong teachers in the West.

QIgong IS for everYbodYQigong is non-denominational although it

uses techniques that are universal to all cultures — mantras (sound), mudras (body posture) visu-alization and sacred music.

These techniques are used to help the mind relax so that one can contact the deeper levels of one’s being.

This contact results in healing and realization.Qi comes from the Universe and once col-

lected it is stored in the body in energy centers known as dan Tians.

In the Yoga tradition of India, these same energy centers are known as chakras.

once collected, this Qi is then used to nourish the body, mind and spirit.

According to Qigong theory, when we are conceived we are allotted a certain amount of Qi from our parents which is stored in the kidneys.

This is our savings account

and must not be tapped into during our lifetimes. It is what sustains our health.

After we are born, we absorb Qi from the water, air and earth (food). We consume and store that Qi in the Lower danTian.

If we do not get enough Qi from these sources, we begin to tap into our savings account. If this continues, we become ill.

We may sometimes wonder why in our mod-ern society with all of its advances in medical and technological sciences that we have more heart disease, diabetes and cancer than ever before.

If we think about it deeply, the answer may appear to us.

Sadly the human race has contaminated its environment. our water and food sources are polluted, as is the air that we breathe.

our bodies spend an enormous amount of energy dealing with these contaminates. We are energetically left in a state of malnutrition.

Along with the above, we live in a very fast paced, stress-producing society that has elimi-nated many of the traditional methods used for deep relaxation and rejuvenation of the body, mind and spirit.

Prayer and meditation, as practiced by the ancients has become passé.

This unfortunate occurrence has left us with no means to naturally deal with our stress.

The savings account is further tapped into.Qigong addresses all of these problems. one is able to maintain ones health by con-

sciously drawing Qi from the Universe and culti-vating it within the body.

one may also learn how to use the mind to cir-culate the Qi, thus removing the blockages of “stale Qi” trapped in the body due to stress that if left alone materializes into some form of disease.

The greatest advantage to Qigong practice is learning how to calm what’s known in the east as the “monkey mind.”

In doing so, one will access the deeper levels of one’s being and experience peace and wisdom — from these spring happiness, and from happi-ness springs health.

Health and happiness are the natural condition of a human being. Qigong reconnects us with our own true nature and greater nature as a whole.

regular practice of it will transform one’s life for the better.

Jany Baymor is certified by Professor Hui Xian Chen to teach a form of medical Qigong known as Awakening Light Gong. She studied at the Inner Research Institute School of Tai Chi Chuan and has practiced and taught the Tai Chis short form for 20 years. She teaches in Port Angeles, Sequim and throughout the Peninsula.

Calm the “monkey mind” with Qigong+ BY Jany Baymore

If you would like to learn more about Qigong, Jany will offer a complimentary class of Awakening Light gong at 6 p.m. Jan. 7 at the Sons of norway Scandia Hall, 131 W. fifth St. in Port Angeles. for more information, e-mail her at [email protected].

+ FREE class

Jany Baymor


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RETURN TO WHOLENESSWeight Management Support andWhole Foods Education

Bounce aboard the weight-loss wagonThis year is winding down, and 2010 is revving up! This may be your year to feel great about you! Every New Year brings resolutions and renewed moti-

vation to meet self-expectations. If weight and health goals top your New Year’s hit list,

hopping aboard a new weight-loss plan may be easy — at least for a while. Unfortunately, it’s even easier to fall off the plan, lose mental momentum, and gain those lost pounds right back — and with a vengeance.

Let’s get real. If you are a mere mortal on this planet, you are not perfect and will never be perfect.

Therefore, after the spark of the New Year fizzles, the question is not what to do if you fall off the proverbial wagon, but rather, what to do when you fall off the wagon.

This New Year, consider incorporating a simple, healthy, “I-can-do-that” eating plan into your daily life that will be easy to hop back aboard every time you trip into old eating habits.

And you will trip — again and again, and yes, again, just like in the past.

The difference in 2010 is that when you trip, instead of giving up, you will simply pick yourself up — as soon as the next meal, morning, or month — and continue on with your simple plan to the ideal you.

Try three simple rules: add, stop, and wiggle.

1. AddAdd and fill up on the best-for-you foods first — fresh

fruits and vegetables. Next, add whole grains, like brown rice, and legumes,

as in lentils, black or kidney beans. Then, if you’d like, add your traditional American food favorites.

If you eat the good stuff first and the not-so-good stuff last, you’ll automatically eat more foods that give you the most nutrition for the calorie buck and fewer foods loaded with calories, fat, cholesterol, sugar, salt, refined flour and/or chemicals.

Here’s a 10+10 snapshot. For breakfast, graze on fresh fruits throughout the

morning — not just one banana or apple but enough

fruits to fill you up. For lunch, fill up on a 10-veggie, rainbow-colored

salad — large enough to satisfy your hunger drive for at least two hours.

Healthy snack choices range from fresh fruits and cut-up veggies to something hot and savory, such as veggie soup or a bowl of beans and rice.

For dinner, eat in order — literally — with the best-for-you food first.

Start off with a green-leafy salad, next steamed veggies, and then a more filling vegetable, like potato, yam, or winter squash (nix the butter and sour cream, spread with pureed avocado and fresh tomatoes). Eat the chicken, steak, fish, or pasta last, if you’re still hungry.

You will automatically eat more of the calorie-low, nutrient-dense foods and less of calorie-high, nutrient-low chicken (38 percent fat minus the skin) without fussing about portion control or counting calories.

And the best part: you will feel full and satisfied while shedding layers, not deprived or starved.

2. StopStop eating when your brain says, “I’m full!,” before

your stomach begs for mercy. Although this may seem like a no-brainer, somehow

that flashing neon light “Enough! Stop Eating!” is easy to ignore when food tastes so good.

However, the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the easier it is to stop. After all, how many apples can you eat at one time? Maybe one?

On the other hand, how many French fries and chips or how much pizza and turkey dinner can you eat?

Way too much.

3. WiggleGive yourself wiggle room or flexibility! We all need that. Follow the 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of the time, when your life is routine at

home or at work, plan ahead and make good choices. Twenty percent of the time, whether it’s a birthday,

Sunday brunch, or get together with friends, wiggle and eat what you want!

+ BY Leslie Van Romer



2

4

Five reasons every woman—including you—should incorporate the weight room into her gym visits.

The scene in most gyms is nearly always the same: women sweating it out on treadmills and elliptical trainers while men lift weights. While weightlifting among women has grown in popularity, it is still more common to find women favoring aerobic exercise over strength training. The importance of cardiovascular exercise cannot be understated, but it is only part one part of a complete exercise program.

Adding strength training to an exercise regimen is important for all women because it can help improve appearance, enhance body confidence and fight disease.

women and weights

Grow stronG, not bulkyThe most common misconception (and fear) women have about weightlifting is that it will bulk them up like male bodybuilders. Such a massive increase in muscle size is simply not possible due to women’s low testosterone levels.

Additionally, bodybuilders who train naturally follow very specific plans to build muscle size. Gaining weight and size relies on consuming more calories than are being burned, through both exercise and daily life. Women who are consuming a healthy diet while strength training and doing cardiovascular exercise will build muscle while losing fat. The result will be muscles that are visibly tighter, not excessively larger. Stronger muscles help make daily tasks, from lifting growing children to gardening, easier and more enjoyable.

Increased metabolIsmThe more muscle mass a woman has the higher her resting metabolism. Since muscle burns more calories than fat, women with more muscle burn more calories—even when sitting still. A common perception among women seems to be that sweating off calories is the only way to lose weight. While aerobic exercise is an important component of weight loss, spending hours on the treadmill is not

the only or best avenue to losing weight. Cardiovascular exercise burns fat but does not build muscle. Combining strength training with aerobic exercise can help spur weight loss by increasing calorie-burning muscle tissue while decreasing excess fatty tissue.

Seeing positive body changes through strength training relies on lifting weights safely and appropriately for your body type and goals.

The best way to begin a strength training program is to meet with a certified personal trainer who can incorporate your health history with your desired goals, and create a program suited to your needs.

A personal trainer can be the motivation that gets you to the weight room each week, or can simply be a source of knowledge to get you started off safely.

Nearly every woman can achieve noticeable changes in her health and in her body through strength training.

No matter your age or experience, adding the weight room to your gym visits can help make your body stronger and your lifestyle healthier.

Don’t be afraid to give weightlifting a try—you’ll definitely like the results. n

lIft weIGhts, look leanerYou may have heard that fat can “turn into” muscle. It’s a statement that is used often, but isn’t true. Fat cannot become muscle because they are two different tissues. When we’re not exercising and not eating right, a layer of fatty tissue covers up our muscles. The way to reveal toned muscle is to burn off the fat through a nutritious diet and aerobic exercise while strengthening muscles with weight training. Losing fat and gaining muscle gives the body a leaner appearance.

buIld bone densItyBy the end of the teen years, women have all the bone mass they will ever have — unless they do weight bearing exercise. Bone density decreases as women age, especially in post-menopausal women. To combat age-related bone loss, women often take calcium supplements. Calcium is essential to having strong bones, but strength training helps the body retain more of the calcium that is consumed. Women of all ages can increase their bone density through weight training.

fIGht heart dIsease, back paIn, arthrItIs and dIabetes Including strength training in a well-rounded exercise program can help ease the side-effects of many diseases and ailments.

More women die of heart disease each year than of any other disease. Weightlifting can help keep women’s hearts pumping by increases HDL (“good”) cholesterol and lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol while helping lower blood pressure. Back pain, the top chronic pain complaint among women and men, can be lessened through exercises that help strengthen the core muscles. Women suffering the debilitating effects of arthritis may also see improvement in range of motion through strength training, as lifting weights helps build stronger ligaments and tendons, and develops joint stability. Finally, with Type-2 diabetes on the rise in overweight women, weight training can be useful in combating a diabetes diagnosis by improving the body’s utilization of glucose.

Bryn Singleton is a National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer and teaches yoga and indoor cycling at the Clallam County Family YMCA.

+ BY Bryn SingleTon

135


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Just be sure you don’t wiggle too much, or you won’t lose that jiggle.

So there you have it — a simple plan with three simple rules.

Just center your meals on those same foods that pre-vent cancer, stroke, diabetes, heart attacks, and weight gain — fresh fruits and vege-tables. This shift in thinking, daily choices and lifestyle habits will get you on track

to the best you ever and help you stay on track for longer periods of time.

And this time, when you fall off the wagon, you’ll bounce right back into a doable plan that works for you — for life, not just a short sprint of a few weeks or months.

Make 2010 your year to transform those wishes and resolutions into reality.

Add, stop, and wiggle your way into your body-dream-come-true. n

Dr. Leslie Van Romer, Sequim chiropractor and author of “Getting into Your Pants,” is a motivational health speaker and weight-loss cheerleader. E-mail her at [email protected] or explore her Web sites: www.gettingintoyourpants.com and www.drleslievanromer.com.

Leslie jumpstarts her 2010 speaking schedule with “Kiss Yo-Yo Diets and Fat Goodbye — Forever.” Parts 1 and 2 will be at The Lodge, 660 Evergreen Farm Way in Sequim, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 11 and Jan. 18. The class is free, but call early (360-683-8844) because space is limited.

We are always on the lookout for new Healthy Living contributors. Professionals in their field are invited to contribute informative and educational articles or columns for consideration in Healthy Living.

For articles, save as a text document attachment or in the body of an e-mail and send to Jennifer Veneklasen, special sections editor, at: [email protected]. (Note the period between the first and last name.)

For photos, please e-mail or send a CD with jpegs scanned at least at 200 dpi/resolution.

We cannot guarantee publication due to space and content considerations. If your submission is accepted, we reserve the right to edit submissions. Articles are the opinions and beliefs of the contributing writer and in no way represent an endorsement by Healthy Living or Peninsula Daily News.

Healthy LivingVolume 5, Issue 4Published by the

Peninsula Daily News Main office:

305 W. First St., Port Angeles, WA

98362360-452-2345

John C. Brewer editor & publisher

Suzanne Williamsadvertising director

Jennifer Veneklasensection editor

Juan Cisneroscover design

+ FREE class

Continued from page 17 >

Article submissions welcome


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For appointments, call: (360) 374-6998 or fax (360) 374-3162Location: 390 Founders Way, Forks, WA 98331

BOGACHIEL CLINICBusiness Hours

Monday 7:30 am to 5:00 pm

Tuesday 7:30 am to 5:00 pm

Wednesday 7:30 am to 5:00 pm

Thursday 7:30 am to 5:00 pm

Friday 7:30 am to 5:00 pm

Saturday CLOSED

Sunday CLOSED

WALK-IN CLINIC DAILY UNLESS OTHERWISE POSTED

CLOSED ALL HOLIDAYS

If you have a Medical Emergency, dial 911Or go to the Emergency Department

CLINIC PHONE 360.374.6998

Documents

Healthy Living, December 2009 issue