The Finney School of Real Life

Yoga defines yama and niyama as the positive and negative
aspects of behaviour respectively. Traditional texts mention ten
yamas and ten niyamas but Patanjali’s Yogasutra, which is
considered the original treatise on yoga, defines five yamas and
five niyamas. It has been mentioned that in Manusmirti that it
is more important to follow yamas than niyamas. Here we give a
brief description on the yamas and niyamas to be followed:

* Ahimsa (Non-violence): this is one of foremost yamas. It means
the lack of intention to hurt others. This intention need not be
just physical but includes mental and emotional cruelty. Here
the attitude is more important than the actual act of killing.
You should not even have the intention of offending others. *
Satya (Truthfulness): this quality implies the honesty and
sincerity in thoughts, words and deeds. This is possible only
when one has conquered greed and ambition since these are the
two major culprits which take you away from the truth. * Asteya
(Non-theft): in Sanskrit, “steya” denotes the enjoyment or
keeping with oneself the things that do not rightfully belong to
them. This is basically the act of stealing or theft. A person
is inclined to steal only when he has no love and has some
selfish motive. A yogi or a student of yoga has very few basic
needs. He has learnt the art of loving himself as well as the
others. Hence he does not feel the need to exploit or steal from
others. * Brahmacharya (Celibacy): sex has been defined as on of
the vital necessities of human existence. It ranks next only to
food. Since ancient times, very few people have been able to
master their sexual urges. If not satisfied, these urges lead a
person to depravation and develop psychotic tendencies. Yoga
lays a great stress on the celibacy. It considers not only the
act of sex itself as sexual but even thinking, talking and
looking at opposite sex as a part of sex and hence has to be
avoided. Patanjali has declared that brahmacharya increases the
mental strength also called veerya in an individual. *
Aparigraha (Non-gathering): this yama means not going on
collecting wealth and objects just for enjoyment. Yoga teaches
one to collect wealth and objects just to meet his primary
needs. This is important because greed causes distraction and
thus leads to increased strain on his mind and body.

The above mentioned points deal with vairagya or the negative
aspects of one’s behaviour. Now we take a look at some of the
niyamas or the positive aspects of the behaviour as described by
yoga:

* Shoucha (Cleanliness): This includes the cleanliness of the
mind and the body. Yoga has described a clean mind as the one
free of any prejudices, false beliefs, ignorance and ego.
Generally speaking, all the yamas come under this niyama since
they deal with eliminating some or the other impurities. *
Santosha (Contentment): a yogi is taught to be happy and
satisfied with his lot. He does not need to achieve any
ambition. * Tapas (Religious austerities) : This niyama
describes the rituals like fasting needed to fortify the mind.
Yoga believes that this increases the resistance power of the
body and makes your body and mind stronger and thus you can face
adverse conditions effectively. * Swadhyaya (Reading of
religious literature): This practice is very useful for
overcoming ignorance and facing the adversities of life calmly.
It helps to fill your mind with peace. * Ishwarpranidhana
(Devotion): this teaches you to rely on the divine will and to
ascribe the effects of your action to the divine providence.
This is a very useful habit to cultivate as you can accept
everything as God’s will and can achieve peace of mind. This
eliminates the fear and worry.

There are as many varied opinions on what “plan” one should
follow to build muscle, as there are people who have those
opinions. On one thing they do agree, however. You must have a
regimen. You can begin by defining your objective. Why are
you interested in body building? What do you hope to
accomplish? What is your ultimate goal?

It’s all about commitment and belief. There is an abundance of
information about how to begin and conduct your journey, but
without a burning desire to achieve, you are doomed to
inevitable failure.

The following tips are not intended to be a “one size fits all.”
Take from it what you will. In that light, consider the
following list:

1.Before beginning any serious weight lifting or body building
regimen, consult your physician.

2.Set your goals. Define what you expect to achieve with your
new bodybuilding campaign within a realistic time frame. If you
create goals that are unattainable you are setting yourself up
for failure. You can become bored, disappointed and
disillusioned to the point where you may give up. This is a very
sad outcome to what might have been the best decision of your
life. Don’t sell yourself short. Set your long-term goals, of
course, but also set short-term goals that are achievable. And,
don’t forget to reward yourself when you do achieve them.

3.Consider the costs. If you don’t already have a budget, create
one. Then, determine what amount of discretionary funds you have
available for your bodybuilding program. This will determine
whether you can afford to have a home gym or if your needs would
better be served by joining a club. Joining a club is still a
good short-term introduction before spending hundreds or
thousands of dollars on equipment that might not be appropriate
for your needs.

4.Don’t forget some of the low cost alternatives to purchasing
your bodybuilding equipment. If used equipment is still
functional why spend the extra dollars just for a little glitz!
Good, brand name used equipment is every bit as functional as
something right off a showroom floor.

5.Consider combining a home gym along with a membership in a
public facility. Purchase less expensive free weight equipment
for use at home and join a gym to have access to the more
expensive equipment. You can design your entire workout routines
around a combination such as this.

6.Eat healthy! This can’t be stressed enough. The only true
bodybuilding aids are good nutrition. Consult a licensed
dietician. Watch your local community calendar for free seminars
on diet and nutrition. Learn all you can about what nature
freely provides that can help you to develop a healthy diet.
7.If you choose to use dietary supplements, make certain that
you know what you are putting in your body. Follow the packaging
guidelines we outlined above. Ask your physician for his/her
recommendations based on the regimen you have selected. No
friend, coach or acquaintance can take the place of your
physician. In fact, you may even investigate finding a physician
who specializes in sports wellness.

8.Be kind to yourself. Yes, it’s important to push to achieve
your goals, but it’s very easy to tip the scales in the other
direction and create a nightmare for yourself. Obsessive,
compulsive behaviors are not conducive to a healthy bodybuilding
lifestyle.

Once you’ve finally visited your health care provider and you
have been diagnosed with panic attacks stemming from a panic
disorder, you will be provided with a suggested course of
treatment. In order to make sure the treatment has the best
chance of succeeding, here are some tips to keep in mind.

Participate in Your Treatment

Do not sit back and wait for relief to come by itself! You must
remain very active and aware of your mind and body’s reactions
to your treatment. Be ready and willing to ask any and every
question and to address every concern you have with your health
care provider. Open lines of communication will go a long ways
towards increase your treatment’s chance of success.

Be Patient

While many patients respond within weeks or sometimes even days
to treatments for panic attacks, no one responds the same.
Furthermore, no known treatments for panic work instantly. Be
prepared to spend at least a full two months following your
initial course of treatment before you start judging its
effectiveness. If you still haven’t experienced the improvement
you were seeking, you can always work with your provider to
adjust your treatment plan then.

Be Alert To Side Effects

If part of your treatment involves medication, you will likely
start with a small dosage and work your way up to the level your
doctor is recommending. Of course, be sure you know exactly what
your dosage is and how often you are to take it. Make certain
your doctor explains to you any side effects you might expect.
Usually they diminish with time as your tolerance increases, but
make sure to let your doctor know if you are uncomfortable. Your
doctor may begin lowering your dosage, have you stop taking the
medication or suggest trying an alternative.

Join A Panic Disorder Support Group

These can be a great source of support, relief and information
for those who suffer from panic attacks. Usually a group of a
dozen or fewer patients will gather weekly to talk about their
experiences, their treatments and coping tips.

Just keeping these tips in mind and putting them to use during
your treatment may help make you feel much better and increase
your chances of treatment being effective.

Muscle Fatigue How to Blast Through the Dreaded Muscle Failure
that “Hits” Us All by Harley Pasternak, M.Sc., H.Kin., ACSM,
Expert Physical Trainer

If you’ve been working out for any amount of time, you’re
probably well acquainted with fatigue–that sensation of your
muscles being “done,” “cooked,” “toast”… You know, the “please
have mercy before I’m permanently trapped under this weight,” or
“you might just have to drag me off the track because I’ve
collapsed” feeling.

We typically use the term fatigue to describe general sensations
of tiredness and the accompanying decreasing muscular
performance. What this really means is we “hit the wall” and can
no longer perform reps on a particular lift; we can no longer
run any farther or harder; we can no longer produce the
“optimal” output of muscular contractions as we did at the
beginning of the set or workout.

What Is Muscle Fatigue? Fatigue is a very complex phenomenon in
which multiple sites fail during muscular work. The underlying
causes of fatigue fall into one of two categories: central
(neuromuscular–the mind/central nervous system) and local
(peripheral–the actual muscle site).

The central nervous system (CNS) acts much like an automobile
engine regulator. Most cars are made with a regulator that
causes them to “shut down” when the engine revs too high for too
long. This mechanism protects the engine from “over-heating.” In
the same way, our brains attempt to protect our muscles from
tearing by reducing the rate nerve impulses are sent to our
working muscles. In most cases, you’ll experience central
fatigue before local fatigue. In other words, when you think you
simply can’t do any more work because you’re so fatigued,
essentially what’s happening is your mind is telling your body
(muscles) to shut down. But in fact, you’re probably able to
continue for another couple of reps.

“…when you think you simply can’t do any more work because
you’re so fatigued, essentially what’s happening is your mind is
telling your body (muscles) to shut down.”Local fatigue is
related to local factors that limit the ability to perform
muscular work. These include the energy systems (ATP-CP,
glycolysis, and oxidation); the accumulation of metabolic
byproducts (such as lactic acid); and the failure of the muscle
fiber’s contractile mechanisms. The energy systems act much the
same way as fuel in a car or a battery in a flashlight. However,
humans are different in that we have three energy systems within
the muscle’s cells that are called upon at different times
depending on the intensity and duration of an activity.

The first energy system is called the ATP-CP system and is
called upon during extremely short and intense bouts of exercise
(e.g., weight training, sprinting, and jumping). It works by
repeatedly breaking down ATP (the basic currency of energy in
the body) and rebuilding ATP using CP (creatine phosphate).
During repeated maximal contractions, fatigue coincides with CP
depletion.

The other two energy systems are called into play during
exercises that last longer than 30 seconds. Known as anaerobic
(or glycolytic) and aerobic (or oxidative), these energy systems
are very dependent on the availability of glycogen (the stored
form of glucose–sugar). As with CP use, the rate of glycogen
depletion is controlled by the intensity (i.e., how hard you
train) of the exercise.

During sprinting, for instance, muscle glycogen may be used 35
to 40 times faster than during walking. Glycogen depletion and
hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) limit performance in activities
lasting longer than 30 minutes. Long-distance runners often
speak of “bonking” or “hitting the wall.” This refers to a
perceived fatigue usually related to glycogen depletion. At this
point, the body begins to use other forms of energy, such as fat
and protein (which are not as efficient sources, thus making it
harder to sustain energy levels).

During high-intensity anaerobic exercise, such as sprinting and
weight training, our bodies produce metabolic byproducts such as
lactic acid and CO2. As these accumulate in our bodies, our
ability to maintain the duration and intensity of exercise
diminishes. And, when they finally reach a point of saturation,
our muscle capacity comes to a screeching halt. This is often
referred to as the “burn,” whereby the muscle feels like it’s on
fire–signaling you to stop.

Got all that? I realize it sounds like some fairly complex
processes, which they are, so here are a few instances I’m sure
you can relate to that will help clarify how these energy
systems work in our bodies, and more importantly, how we can
assist our bodies to increase their output and delay (or
temporarily overcome) the onset of muscle fatigue.

How Can You Overcome Muscle Fatigue? While we can’t completely
overcome muscle fatigue, we can certainly delay it. But,
sometimes this delay can be the difference between sprinters
winning or losing in competition or allow weight trainers to
“push out” a few more reps (to produce new levels of strength
and muscle gains). There are many strategies we can use to
accomplish this goal, but here are a few I’ve found over the
years to be particularly effective:

Diet First, we must ensure your diet is optimized. Consuming an
adequate amount and ratio of carbohydrates, fat, and protein is
paramount. Typically, endurance athletes require more
carbohydrates (anywhere between 40 and 60% carbs) than strength
athletes but slightly less protein (from 30 to 35%); whereas
strength trainers (weight lifters) or those who regularly
participate in sporting activities should consume equal or
greater amounts of protein to carbohydrates on a daily basis
(about a 40:40 ratio of carbs to protein). In essence, carbs are
to the body like fuel is to a car–they provide the necessary
fuel to maintain or sustain energy levels during workouts.

Hydration A common mistake made by many athletes is the failure
to stay well hydrated. I am not talking about drinking when
you’re thirsty (as you may know, thirst is a sign your body is
already slightly dehydrated). The importance of being properly
hydrated cannot be overlooked. Dehydration can lead to
significant performance decrements, not to mention the risk of
sickness and, in severe cases, death. Even a three to four
percent drop in body water levels (signaled by thirst and
fatigue) can decrease your muscular contractions by 10 to 20%.
To combat this, at least 10 to 12 glasses (eight ounces each) of
water (this doesn’t count sodas, coffee, or juices) should be
consumed daily–always including during and after events when
your body is perspiring.

Recovery Adequate rest is very important for delaying premature
fatigue. Inadequate rest during training (i.e., between sets)
and between workouts can cause unnecessary fatigue. A great rule
of thumb for resting time between sets is just long enough to
catch your breath. Squats take a little longer to recover from
(maybe two to three minutes) because you’re training such a
large muscle group. For smaller muscles, like biceps, you would
need a much shorter rest–more like 45 to 60 seconds at most.
Another quick tip: recent research that studied the effects of
enhancing recovery between sets showed that keeping intensity
high after completed sets allowed weight trainers to perform
more reps in later sets compared with those who passively
recovered (sat) between sets. This means we need to keep moving
during rest periods, so instead of sitting down to rest, walk
around or go to another exercise for a different muscle group.

One of the most common (and fatal) errors I see with weight
trainers, both beginner and advanced alike, is over-training.
Trapped by our “more is better” mentality, many of us seem to
think if we train longer, harder, and more often, we’ll multiply
our results. Nothing could be more detrimental to your efforts
to put on muscle and gain strength than training muscle groups
too frequently. In fact, over-training can significantly impede
the body’s ability to properly recover and rebuild itself. Only
through enough rest (which includes proper sleep) and an
adequate number of days in between training, will the body be
able to recover and rebuild itself. The most common signs of
over-training are lethargy, chronic fatigue, continued muscle
soreness, insomnia, and a decrease in strength. If you sense any
of these coming on, try taking off a day or two more in between
training sessions and see how you feel.

“Trapped by our “more is better” mentality, many of us seem to
think if we train longer, harder, and more often, we’ll multiply
our results.”For adequate recovery times between workouts (of
the same muscle group), consider this: the smaller the muscle
group, the faster the recovery; the more intense (speed of
workout), the longer the recovery; and the higher the volume
(i.e., the number of reps) and lower the load (weight), the
faster the recovery, and vice versa of course. In general, I
normally suggest not training a muscle if it’s still sore, and
then once the tenderness subsides, I say give it another day on
top of that.

Supplements There are many supplements that can help today’s
athlete postpone muscular fatigue. Endurance athletes may
benefit greatly from carbohydrate/electrolyte beverages such as
Revenge, Gatorade, Ultra Fuel, and a great new supplement called
G-Push. These contain precise ratios of carbohydrates and
electrolytes (vital salts and minerals) that can replace those
lost during prolonged exercise, as well as enhance the body’s
ability to sustain long-term energy.

Nutritional stimulants such as caffeine (or its herbal
counterpart guarana) can help delay fatigue for two reasons.
First, it stimulates a cascade of hormones that cause a release
of free-fatty acids into the bloodstream, causing the body to
burn fat while sparing carbohydrates to use as energy. Second,
it affects the CNS, thus postponing central fatigue and
decreasing the perceived difficulty of the exercise.

However, if you can’t handle the jittery, nervous-type feelings
you get from stimulants (such as caffeine), you might give
supplements like tyrosine or Ginkgo biloba a try. These
supplements are not stimulants, so they do not affect your
central nervous system (which causes the nervousness). Rather,
they help increase your mental alertness and delay central
fatigue (in the brain), thus helping to crank up your workout
intensity.

And, let’s not forget creatine monohydrate, which has been
scientifically shown to aid short-duration, high-intensity
exercise, such as weight training. It increases the body’s
creatine phosphate stores needed to replenish ATP, thus delaying
the onset of glycolysis. In other words, creatine helps quickly
replenish energy stores within the muscle cells, allowing you to
work out longer and harder, which may lead to increased strength
and muscle gains.

Last Words So there you have it… there’s nothing fancy here…
but enough to get you through that next workout with a little
more flare and pizzazz! With the information at hand, you’re now
armed with practical, safe, scientifically sound methods to
overcome muscle fatigue, so you can train harder (possibly even
longer) and become stronger, both mentally and
physically–making every workout that much better.

References Bell, D.G., et al., “Effects of Caffeine, Ephedrine
and Their Combination on Time to Exhaustion During
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Deijen, J.B., et al., “Tyrosine Improves Cognitive Performance
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Demant, T.W., and Rhodes, E.C., “Effects of Creatine
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: 49-60.

Ftaiti F., et al., “Combined Effect of Heat Stress, Dehydration
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Itil, T.M., et al., “Central Nervous System Effects of Ginkgo
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Lemon, P.W., “Effects of Exercise on Dietary Protein
Requirements,” Int J Sport Nutr 8.4 (1998) : 426-47.

Volek, J.S., et al., “Performance and Muscle Fiber Adaptations
to Creatine Supplementation and Heavy Resistance Training,” Med
Sci Sports Exerc 31.8 (1999) : 1147-56.

Wager-Srdar, S.A., et al., “Thermoregulatory Effects of Purines
and Caffeine,” Life Sci 33.24 (1983) : 2431-8.