Mental Degradation: Multitasking and the Inner Athelete
[Exploring Life] In Mental Degradation: Multitasking I explored the possibility that multitasking, or the ability to simultaneously process tasks, is a delusion. What really happens in the brain is a rapid shifting of attention between a series of tasks that creates the illusion of simultaneity. This constant shifting of attention is also the basis for [...]
Aging: Younger Next Year
[Exploring Life] Culture can not only be confining, it can be physically, emotionally, and mentally unhealthy. We live inside a set of cultural assumptions that often remain invisible to us. Sometimes, these subconscious assumptions can cause us to live in extreme circumstances. Revealing and exposing underlying assumptions and providing advice and methods to escape from [...]
Functional Fitness: Functional vs. Dysfunction Exercise
[Exploring Life] One of the most important principles in a functional fitness program is the even, coordinated development of the muscles. Unfortunately, many exercise programs tend to treat muscles as if they exist in isolation. Strength exercises that isolate muscles can be dysfunctional with respect to the proper functioning of the body. Balanced muscle development [...]
Functional Fitness: Designing a Functional Fitness Program
[Exploring Life]The world of fitness and exercise is becoming increasingly complicated and often times confusing. Various styles and methods of exercise constantly compete for our attention. My own experience in fitness and exercise include Yoga, Pilates, weight training, cardio routines and stretching. While each method has benefits when practiced correctly, I have yet to discover [...]
Functional Fitness: The Essence of the Pilates Method
[Exploring Life] Contrology is the term coined by Joseph Pilates to describe his method of integrated mind-body fitness. Today it is commonly referred to as the Pilates method. Joseph Pilates wrote two books: a) Your Health-1934; and Contrology-1945 [1]. These are the main primary sources materials and should be required reading for any teacher and [...]
Functional Fitness: Posture and the Core Area
[Exploring Life] The word core means the center of an object. The Earth’s core, for example, is also referred to as the center of the Earth. The core area, or centre, of the body is the site of the internal organs. The core area includes the entire area from the diaphragm down to the base [...]
Functional Fitness: Posture – An Integrated View
[Exploring Life] A common understanding of posture is the body’s alignment when it standing still. The word posture originates in the Latin positura meaning position. If posture is good, then often a reference is being made to a preferred shape of the spine when it is at rest. This perspective on posture is, however, quite [...]