| Not everyone is made for high-level | | | | you'll develop greater flexibility and |
| exercising. But you can become fit without | | | | strength. Soon you will be moving with |
| bouncing around in a leotard, battering your | | | | confidence again. |
| joints. Forget all the huffing, puffing, | | | | |
| lugging, lifting, and straining. Movement | | | | - Tai chi and yoga are especially recommended |
| therapy is a gentle - yet effective - group | | | | for people with arthritis. Gentle yoga can |
| of sports that include yoga, tai chi, and | | | | improve arthritis in your hands, for example, |
| Pilates. Just don't be fooled by their mild | | | | and tai chi's precise, flowing movements help |
| manner. These activities can whip you into | | | | keep your joints limber, relieve your pain, |
| shape without breaking a sweat. | | | | and keep you active. |
| | | | |
| | | | - The dance-like stretches, poses, and |
| | | | maneuvers within each of these movement |
| All three have ancient Eastern roots and are | | | | therapies will gently strengthen and tone |
| merely different interpretations of the same | | | | your body. Pilates is especially good as a |
| principle: keeping your body and mind in | | | | strength-training workout. |
| harmony naturally leads to better health. | | | | |
| | | | - Add yoga or Pilates to your exercise |
| It wasn't until recently that modern science | | | | regimen if you need to improve your heart |
| confirmed the many physical benefits of yoga, | | | | health. |
| tai chi, and Pilates. With them, you can | | | | |
| improve your balance, flexibility, and | | | | - In today's hectic world, it may be hard to |
| strength - no matter what your age, weight, | | | | squeeze an extra 30 minutes of exercise into |
| or fitness level. | | | | your schedule - at least without feeling even |
| | | | more stress. The beautiful thing about |
| No Pain - but great gain | | | | movement therapy is that it combines stress |
| | | | relief with exercise, so you kill two birds |
| | | | with one stone. |
| | | | |
| Yoga, tai chi, and Pilates are gentle enough | | | | All the activities - tai chi, yoga, and |
| for anyone to try. If you consider yourself | | | | Pilates - are done slowly, with intense focus |
| in bad health or disabled in some way, you're | | | | on proper breathing and posture. They all |
| a perfect candidate for these movement | | | | relax your body and calm your mind. |
| therapies. You can ease into the programs | | | | |
| slowly and set your own pace. It's easy to | | | | As you can see, you can boost your overall |
| stick with them and you'll see improvement | | | | health with these joyful, health-giving |
| quickly. | | | | movements. |
| | | | |
| Here are just some of the benefits you will | | | | Things to know before you give it a go |
| get from these soothing approaches to | | | | |
| fitness. | | | | Just to be safe, make sure that you take |
| | | | these precautions before starting any new |
| - When you were a child, tripping and falling | | | | exercise program. |
| meant just another minor scrape. But as you | | | | |
| get older, taking a tumble can have serious | | | | - Get your doctor's approval on your fitness |
| and crippling effects. If your sense of | | | | plan, especially if you've badly injured your |
| balance is as bad as Humpty Dumpty's, these | | | | back, neck, knees, or shoulders in the past. |
| are the safest forms of exercise for you. | | | | |
| | | | - The stretches, poses, and movements of |
| Just like the trick to growing tomatoes is to | | | | these therapies should not hurt. If you feel |
| keep the main stalk strong, the trick to | | | | pain, stop and check your technique before |
| great balance is to keep your core muscles | | | | continuing. |
| strong. The bands of muscle in your abdomen, | | | | |
| lower back, and buttocks are the center of | | | | - Pilates is the most intense of the three |
| strength and control for the rest of your | | | | exercise forms. You may want to try one of |
| body. | | | | the less strenuous programs first if you are |
| | | | out of shape. |
| All three examples of movement therapy are | | | | |
| relatively stationary, but because they | | | | - Be forewarned, you might get addicted to |
| strengthen your core muscles, your balance | | | | these calming sports. |
| will improve quickly - preventing falls - and | | | | |