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