Healthiest You Ever

“You can never have enough garlic. With enough garlic, you can eat The New York Times.”

Garlic, one of the world’s most popular culinary herbs, has a long history as a medicinal plant. Indeed, scientific studies have verified what herbalists have known for centuries—that garlic both prevents and treats illness in a wide variety of ways.

Among its many attributes, garlic is known to lower cholesterol levels, thin the blood, kill bacteria, boost the immune system, lower blood sugar levels, reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, and fire up the metabolic furnace. There is also evidence that the herb helps relieve asthma, eases ear infections, and facilitates healthy cell function. Bottom line: Those who wish to maintain their health and age well should eat lots of garlic.

Incorporate fresh garlic into salads by chopping, crushing, or putting it through a garlic press (two or three cloves a day is optimum). Whole garlic bulbs can be oven roasted and the individual cloves can be squeezed out onto bread or toast as a creamy spread.

HOW TO ROAST GARLIC

Gather 4 cloves of garlic; ½ cup of chicken broth; 2 tablespoons of olive oil; ½ teaspoon of dried leaf thyme; ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper; ¼ teaspoon of salt. Remove the outer peel from the garlic cloves and place each in a baking dish. Brush each clove with olive oil and then sprinkle with thyme, pepper and salt. Pour the chicken broth into the dish, cover the dish with foil, and bake at 350°F for 1 hour, basting frequently. Uncover the dish and bake at the same temperature for another 15 minutes.

Remember how much fun it was to skip as a child? Well, you can add this motion to your workout to strengthen your leg muscles and your overall strength and endurance. Here’s how:

1. Swing the left knee up and simultaneously push off the right leg to jump off the floor.

3. Land with control on the right leg and step forward, moving right into the other side. Try to continuously alternate right and left with height being the goal rather than distance.

As your knee travels upward, push off the base leg and travel up. Although there is a slight amount of forward travel, the goal here is to go for height. Arm position can be a little tricky with this exercise.

Whatever knee travels upward, the opposite arm swings forward and up. This opposite arm swing is called a cross-extension pattern and is a very functional way to train because it is the pattern humans use to walk or move quickly. Again, be sure to control the landing and try to move from one rep to the next in a smooth and controlled manner.

“Ginkgo biloba powerfully enhances cerebral circulation, and has wondrous effects upon the brain.”

The leaves of the ginkgo contain the active constituents ginkgo flavone glycosides and terpene lactones, the extract of which can be used to treat poor circulation in the legs as well as memory and cognitive problems. In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association researchers confirmed that people who take the ginkgo extract for mild to severe dementia may improve both their ability to remember and to interact socially. Usual dosage for extract: 120 to 240 milligrams daily, in three doses. Plan to take it for at least eight weeks before improvement shows. For capsules: Depending on capsule strength of the product you buy, use the same amount as the above recommended dosage. The standard dose is 40 to 60 milligrams. Buy a quality product and read the label. Look for products marked “24/6,” an indication the product contains 24 percent flavone glycosides and 6 percent terpenes.

DON’T TAKE GINKGO IF …

Considered a brain-friendly herb, for reasons scientists don’t understand, ginkgo may interfere with antidepressant MAO-inhibitor drugs such as phenelzine sulfate (Nardil) or tranylcypromine (Parnate). If you’re on heart medication and want to take ginkgo, consult your doctor first. And be sure to stick to the recommended dosage of 120 to 240 milligrams a day.

“If you run 100 miles a week, you can eat anything you want—Why? Because (a) you’ll burn all the calories you consume, (b) you deserve it, and (c) you’ll be injured soon and back on a restricted diet anyway.”

Any endurance runner feels amped before and pumped following a run. After all that hard work, you’re definitely entitled to enjoy a sweet treat. Instead of undoing all that hard work with empty calories, indulge in the sweet taste of citrus with all its added benefits!

1. Combine watercress, oranges, berries, and ½ cup yogurt in a blender and blend until thoroughly combined.

2. Add remaining ½ cup yogurt as needed while blending until desired consistency is achieved.

The eagle pose (Garudasan) entwines the arms and legs. Stand in Tadasana (see Week Thirty-Three). Extend your arms out to the sides. Bring them to the center and entwine your arms, crossing your left elbow over the inside of your right elbow. Turn your palms to face each other and join them. Lift your elbows to shoulder height and move your forearms away from your face to bring your wrists over your elbows. Bend your hips, knees, and ankles as if you are sitting. Cross your right leg over your left thigh. Press the toes and balls of your right foot down on the floor. On an exhalation, lift your right foot off the ground and wrap the right shin and foot around your left calf as best you can. Gaze straight ahead. Observe your breath coming into and expanding the space between your shoulder blades. Remain in the pose for several breaths and then return to Tadasana. Repeat on the other side.

If your balance is precarious, keep your foot on the floor. If your hands do not join, hold onto a strap with each hand. You can also practice with your back lightly against the wall for support.

As a variation, once you’re in the pose, exhale and bend to the right for several breaths. Inhale and come back to center, and then exhale over to the left. Come back to center and then bend forward from the hips. Inhale and come back up into classic eagle pose.

“A dog is one of the remaining reasons why some people can be persuaded to go for a walk.”

Saturdays are a great day to take a long walk, so why not go to your local animal shelter and volunteer to take a dog for a walk? Then, if you find that enjoyable—and you likely will—why not sign up to volunteer regularly? In addition to walking dogs, you could do whatever needs to be done to help, even if it’s something as simple as answering the phones. If dogs are your passion, consider joining other dog lovers to find homes for previously owned and rejected or abandoned animals. According to the Humane Society, animal shelters care for 6–8 million dogs and cats every year in the United States, of whom approximately 3–4 million are euthanized.

WALKING LOWERS YOUR RISK OF A HEART ATTACK

A study showed that older men who started walking about two miles a day had a 50 percent lower risk of heart attack than men who walked only a quarter mile. In addition, the study found that the risk of a heart attack dropped an additional 15 percent for every additional half mile walked per day.

“Inhale, and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God.”

The breath is the vehicle for prana, the vital life force. It is the universal energy that sustains all life. The prana enters the body upon inhalation, supplying every cell with energy, oxygen, and nutrients. With exhalation, waste and toxins are released. The breath is the bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds.

Yoga links the breath to the body. The breath is the bridge between mind and matter, between body and spirit. During inhalation, we are receiving life. Upon exhaling, we are returning what we don’t need and ridding the body-mind of impurities. Inhalation is the movement of the self from the core to the periphery; exhalation is movement from the periphery to the core.

When you begin practicing yoga, your respiration may be shallow, with small, fairly rapid breaths. The average person breathes sixteen to eighteen breaths per minute. As you continue your yoga practice, your rate of breath will become slower, and each inhalation and exhalation will become longer and fuller. Deeper breaths allow the energy to reach every cell.

HAVING TROUBLE FALLING ASLEEP?

Try this technique developed by the Himalayan Institute. Pay attention to your breath, as you breathe through your nostrils. Gently slow down your exhalation until it’s twice as long as the inhalation. Continue the two-to-one breathing ratio. Take eight breaths lying on your back, sixteen breaths lying on your right side, and thirty-two breaths lying on your left side.