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We are so busy being stressed and cooped up in ourselves and our lives, that we sometimes forget the importance of simply breathing, and not just out of our mouths but using the root of our bodies. If you feel tense, unable to relax you might need to open the root chakra inside you. If you are obsessed with claiming your space, or feel stiff, anxious and nervous opening your root will help.

The body system is based on 7 centers called chakras of energy (see image), going vertically through the body, and these consists of sensory, breathing, circulation, digestion, reproduction and secretion and the brain. The pelvis is your first chakra and the others are stacked on top, moving upwards through the body. Each chakra needs to be stimulated and it starts at the pelvis and stems upward to the navel, then the solar plexus, the heart, throat, the forehead, and finally the head.

The pelvis area is called the root of the chakra, and this is the area of the body that must be activated first. By doing so, you will feel more secure, grounded and relaxed.

The root chakra is located at the very bottom of the spine and by contracting the muscles close by you will be stimulate your senses because the root is in relation to the adrenal gland.

Methods to Open Your Root:

A technique to open the root is to let the tips of your thumbs and index fingers touch, while closing your eyes, and focusing on your root, and humming or a few deep breaths help, and you will begin to feel aware of your body. Opening the Root is based on connecting to the ground.

Try standing straight and relaxed, with your feet shoulder width apart, and slightly bend your knees and put your pelvis slightly forward, keep your body balanced, so that your weight is distributed evenly over the soles of your feet to connect to the ground. Then sink your weight downward. Now hold this position for a few seconds to activate your Root.

Another way to awaken the root chakra is to be physically active by walking, yoga, dancing, martial arts, Tai Chi, and to acknowledge your body, bring it down to earth, and take notice and take care of your well-being.

Looking great in short shorts and flirty skirts can be your reality, because just a stability ball, weights and a step can give you great legs. In about twenty minutes you can be on your way to having strong and shapely legs. The main thing is focusing on the target muscles in your thighs and calves. This can be done by just using your own body weight to work calves (gastrocnemius), your inner thighs, the front of your thighs (quadriceps), the back of your thighs, (hamstrings) and your rear end (those gluteal muscles we must not forget). Here are six simple ways to get your leg muscles strong and ready for short hemlines and having great legs to match your bathing suit during this summer’s hot weather.

When it comes to picking a weight, choose one that is heavy enough to challenge your targeted muscles but to not strain your joints. Start with 5 to 8 pounds and work your way up. Each set of exercises should be done in a 12- 15 repetition, three times a week.

Ball Side Lunges: First position the stability ball on the left side of your body. Make sure it is stable by placing it on a mat or carpet. To get your body in position, without locking your knees, stand with your hands on your hips with your left foot on top of the stability ball, then point the toes of your right supporting leg forward. Keeping your back straight, slide your foot on the ball sideways as you lean forward. Push out your hips behind you to lower into a one-legged squat on your right leg. Drop the hips as low as you feel comfortable. Keep your right knee and toe pointing forward. Squeeze your butt to stand up straight. Time to switch legs. That was # 1 - do 12 repetitions on each leg.

The trick is to not lose control of the supported knee and to balance the ball with your weight at the same time.

Standing Leg Lift: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and hands on your hips. Raise your ribs, elongate your spine and lift your body weight out of your left hip. Move your right leg straight out to your side, directly to the right side of your body, with your toe resting on the floor for balance. As you raise your right leg up 2 to 4 inches off the floor squeeze your butt and abs. Lower your body back at ease. Then switch legs.

The trick is keeping your spine straight and tall during the exercise and not tilting your torso.

The Step-Up: With your hands on your hips, stand tall as you lift your left foot flat onto a sturdy bench or step. Make sure your whole foot is on the bench, check that your heel is not hanging over the edge. Next as if you were sitting in a chair, drop your hips and press your body weight into your left foot to raise yourself up on top of the step, bringing your right foot to greet the left, then switch legs.

The trick is to start with a lower step and work your way up to high platforms, it would be a good idea to practice a one-leg squat on the floor beforehand.

Stationary Lunges: Stand like an open pair of scissors, with your feet as wide as you comfortably can, with your right leg in front of your left and lift your back heel; make sure both toes are pointing/facing forward. Hold weights straight by your sides, palms facing inward. Hold your rib cage high and tall and distribute your body weight between your front heel and back toe to balance steadily. Now bend both knees and lower your hips straight down. Focus on your thighs and go down until your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Keep your body straight. As your body drops down keep your front knee over your ankle, not pushed over the front toe, restrain from making your body move forward too much. As you elevate your body and rise, squeeze the butt and the front thigh, and rise up. Straighten your legs again and repeat. Then switch legs.

The trick is to not press your body weight into your front knee, it can strain it. Don’t tense your shoulders, lower them and keep your shoulder blades close to your back. Make sure to keep your body moving up and down, not swaying back and forth. Keep your body weight behind your front knee when moving body downward.

Ball Leg Curl: Grab the stability ball and place it in a steady spot and lie down with your back to the floor. Place both feet on top of the ball and put your hands straight by your sides. Keep your spine at a curve so that there is a space between your lower spine and the floor. Now in position, press your heels into the top of the ball and slide the ball toward your body with your heels, stop when your knees are bent at 90 degrees and positions over your hips. Then push the ball back out away from your body. Straighten out your legs and repeat. Easy enough!

The trick is to not over arch or flatten your back as you roll the ball back and forth.

One-Leg Calf Rises: With a weight in each hand stand with your arms hanging by your sides, palms facing in. Now raise your right leg and wrap your toe around the back of your left calve. Elevate your ribs to lengthen your spine but still lower your shoulders. Remember to flatten your shoulder blades to your back.

Balancing on your left leg, now push down into your left toes to lift your left heel off the floor. Rise up on your heel as high as you can. While bending the ball of your foot and spreading your toes in your shoes it will help you to balance most of your body weight between your big toe and second toe. Now hold still in this position for a second while your heel is lifted. Then lower your heel slowly and switch legs to repeat.

The trick is to keep your supporting knee straight, and to not lock your knees.

See, with dedication to a routine a few times a week, you can strengthen your leg muscles and look hot in your short shorts and bathing suit before the summer ends. Give your efforts a boost and workout with these yoga videos and Pilates videos.

Did you know that every hour of every day, 330 Americans turn 60? When our bodies start to go snap, crackle, pop we might not feel very inspired to keep a fitness routine, but having one is possible and important as we age. My Grandpa is 87 and he swims regularly at the YMCA. Swimming, aerobics, strength training along with flexibility and balance exercises can enhance one’s physical abilities into their 90s and beyond.

Strength training is key. Strength training is advocated by the National Institute on Aging, and the heart association, which recognize the value of keeping and maintaining muscle strength to reduce stress on joints, soft tissues and bones. Muscle strength will improve standing stability and reduce the risk of falls. Also strength training will make the demands of daily life easier, such as climbing stairs, rising from a chair, reaching into cabinets, and opening jars.

Strength training can be done in a gym on machines that each work a different part of the body: the hips, legs, arms, chest, back, shoulders and abdomen. Or if you prefer, it can be done at home with resistance bands, and hand-held barbells and dumbbells, or even body weight.

As you get older, it’s a good idea to work with a professional trainer. Also, to stay motivated, joining a gym is helpful, as well as working out with friends or loved ones.

I really admire my Grandparents energy. They can still lift a sack of potatoes with ease and pace the stairs to the basement despite almost reaching their 90’s. Investing a little time and care for your body goes a long way. By giving yourself just ten minutes a day of stretching your legs, arms, hips and shoulders or standing on one foot and then the other, you can really improve your balance and be more mobile as you age.

Stay young with Yoga videos and Pilates videos.

We really can effect how long we live, and to think all it takes is adding some nutrients to your diet, and some enjoyment towards the little things. You can live 22 years longer or more with these simple steps.

Choose the salad, not the soup +2 years
Add two years to your life by enjoying one cup of vegetables daily. You can get your daily dose easily by snacking on veggies throughout the day, just put chopped red and green peppers, broccoli and carrots in a zip lock bag and nibble on the go.

Make a work out date + 3 years
Add three years to your life, instead of planning the typical dinner and a movie date, plan a work out date. Did you know that having a body mass index of 25-35 can shorten your life up to three years? To fix this problem grab your mate and plan to meet three times a week. Men are 50 percent more likely to run if their partners with them.

Munch on nuts + 3 years
Add three more years to your life by enjoying an assortment of nuts, make it easy - grab a mix and much away, but avoid salty combos. The Loma Linda University researchers discovered that after tracking the lifestyle habits of 34,000 Seventh-Day Adventists-a population known for their longevity-, those who munched on nuts 5 days a week gained an extra 2.9 years.

Lean on me and live longer + 7 years
Your friends can add seven years to your life line, seriously! Australian researchers found that in a study of seventysomethings those with the largest network of friends had the longest life. Having a social circle as we age can enhance our life, bring purpose, and a simple “hello” can help.

Long Live Retirement and You + 7 years
Volunteering and gardening, playing chess, and continuing your hobbies into your older years is important to energize and add years to your life. By bringing a positive outlook to the aging process you can live more than 7 years longer. Not bad for just enjoying the things you like to do.

Bonus Tip: Exercise
One of the best ways to extend your life and improve its quality is exercise. Get started today with these Pilates videos and yoga videos.

Enjoy these tips and the years they’ll add to your life!

Have you ever wondered how your brain knows when you’re getting full? I mean, sure, you are eating and eventually your stomach fills up, but how does your body know when it’s reached that point? A hormone called leptin is responsible. Leptin comes from the Greek word “Leptos,” which means “thin.”

The hormone is produced in the fat cells and sends signals to the brain which tell it how much fat is being stored. Research shows that sleep deprivation triggers the release of a hormone that inhibits leptin production and simultaneously increases ghrelin production.  Ghrelin has the opposite effect of leptin – it sends hunger signals to the brain.

The lesson to be learned here - the body needs sleep! Granted, it may be more fun to stay up playing video games all night (heck, I’ve done it several times), but by doing so, you may be contributing to the increased size of your waistline. Do yourself a favor and get more shuteye.

Looking for other ways to drop the pounds? Check out these yoga videos today!

When I think of yoga, images of peace and harmony spring into my head. I think of slow, intricate postures performed with the goal of unifying my body and spirit. I think of serenity.  What I don’t think of is competition – but that may soon change.

Oregon-based website OPB recently posted an article on “competitive yoga,” which has apparently been gaining in popularity in Oregon and around the world. Competitive yoga seems to be rooted in the unorthodox Bikram style, which is performed in a room heated to 105 degrees! Bikram, or “hot yoga” is also more aggressive than other yoga styles.

Competitive yoga finds its practitioner performing a series of seven compulsory and elective asanas (postures) within a three minute period.  Scoring is based upon technique, gracefulness and overall performance. A quick search on YouTube will produce several videos of yoga competition. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this “competitive yoga” is that there is a push for it to become an Olympic sport in 2012.

Personally, I’m not sure I’ll be Oming for the gold anytime soon, but if you want to, start with these yoga videos today!

The heatwave in NYC snapped last week, but it’s still pretty hot outside and it won’t be cooler for a while. No matter where you live though, summer is here, with all its heat and humidity. And if you, like me, enjoy exercising in the great outdoors during the summer months, it requires a little extra precaution - nothing major, just a few tweaks here and there to keep you exercising, with the heat, safely. Whether you’re a runner, biker, rollerblader or just out for a stroll, here are some tips to get you through the heat.

• Watch the Clock - MakeOverMomma suggests that you workout when it’s cool. If you exercise outside when the sun is blazing, try working out during the coolest, most beautiful parts of the day instead, like sunrise or sunset.

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Nothing motivates people quite like a vacation. The sun, the water, the beach. Many of you will kick your exercise routine into high gear or start working out to get your beach bod ready. Good for you, but don’t ruin all that hard work on vacation.

Of course you want your vacation to be fun. If going to the gym is work, then it should be skipped, right? Sure. But avoiding the gym and not exercising are not the same thing. While on vacation, try some fun actives. Golf, basketball, swimming, Yoga, Pilates and volleyball are all great activities. You get the idea, try to remain active and have fun at the same time.

For those of you who like working out (I’m guilty of this), book a hotel that has a fitness center. The StatesmanJournal.com provides two great sites, WhenWeTravel.com and Hotels.com. These sites help you find hotels that have fitness centers. If you can’t find a good fitness center, try these exercise and yoga videos in your hotel room.

A short note on food… If you’ve been dieting to look amazing before your vacation, your body is accustomed to healthy food. If you indulge too much, with ice cream and rich foods, your stomach won’t be happy. Diets and pounds aside, you don’t want this to happen, especially on vacation. Have fun and eat some great food, but don’t over do it.