According to the World Health Organization, a quarter of the people in the world do not get enough physical activity. In industrialized countries, many of the jobs are sedentary. There is less activity in the physical trades such as construction than in the past because of labor saving devices.

Some people in industrialized nations decide to make balance for the lack of exercise in their lives by adopting a popular exercise regimen. Types of exercise regimens range from mild to extreme. The fitness craze is big business and promotes these systems widely. People do a range of practices including spinning classes, aerobics, jogging, plyometric training, weight training, exercise bikes and elliptical machines and treadmills, Pilates, Gyrotonics, dozens of different yoga methods, stretching classes, core strength workouts and balance training.

Most modern western exercises and some eastern systems that have been incorporated in the west focus on external methods for gauging fitness such as aerobic capacity, endurance and weight lifting.  These are measurable ways but they have limits in describing true fitness and well being.

Exercise has to be appropriate for one’s goals. What is appropriate exercise? An exercise routine used by a professional sports team or designed for 18-year-old US Marine recruits may not be appropriate for the average person who simply wants to improve and maintain health and vitality.

When goals or exercise methods are not appropriate for people, injuries are common from using modern exercise systems including yoga. There are many reasons for this including the wrong use of the body, isolating muscle groups for stretching and weight lifting, excessive amounts of exercise for the person causing exhaustion and too many repetitive motions when the body is out of alignment. 

When stretching is done too long or too quickly, the body becomes tighter. This aggravates body misalignments. Weight training for the muscles also locks in body misalignments.

If we want to see examples of smooth coordinated movements, look at wild animals. Graceful movement is a dance of the various parts of the body in coordination. If we want that kind of desirable movement, we should do exercises that imitate in some ways their movements.

Unfortunately, when people get injuries from accidents or exercise, physical therapy can make the situation worse. Isolated muscles are focused on to strengthen or stretch. People can gain more movement but also more pain by forcing muscles to work.

In physical therapy, it is recommended not to move injured parts. A few years ago, I had injured my knee doing a body weight exercise. The advice that I got was not to use my knee. No twisting movements were recommended. I proceeded after the strong pain went down to begin gentle twisting motions which I believe aided in healing the knee.

The Chinese refer to frozen shoulder as “fifty-year-old shoulder.” The reason this condition is more prevalent in older people is largely because they move less. Movement is important and the kind we do makes a huge difference.

In addition to doing exercise incorrectly for a human body, people seem to be more attracted to movements that come easy. Men who have naturally stronger muscles do weight lifting and women who are hyper flexible do yoga. This also sets us up for injuries.

Exercises that engage the whole-body motion are best for health. These include walking, rowing, kayaking, dancing, Qi Gong, modern restorative body practices, internal martial arts, yoga and certain sports if done according to the person’s capacity.

Qi Gong and body balancing exercises such as Hanna’s Somatic s and similar practices like Physio-Synthesis can play unique roles in restoring bodies that are out of alignment and balance. It can help develop capacities that normally people don’t access in their bodies.

Chi Gung or Qi Gong is a different kind of exercises. Records have been found which reference Qi Gong for healing from the Han Dynasty (206 BC- AD 220). Over centuries these exercises were refined and expanded to include movements and exercise routines that prevent illness, strengthen the functioning of the internal organs, relieve pain and restore normal functioning of the bones, joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles. Qi Gong is an exercise system that is more beneficial to modern people than it was to the ancient Chinese.
​
The many benefits of Qi Gong are:

1. Qi Gong exercises are based on natural movements that move the joints, soft tissue and bones in accordance with their natural design.
2. In Qi Gong exercises the whole body is considered; each part in relation to all the other parts.
3. Qi Gong exercises teach the body to move efficiently by balancing tension and relaxation.
4. Qi Gong exercises work with the joints in their correct alignment.    
5. Qi Gong exercises reeducate the body, restoring its natural movement patterns through a kind of neuro-muscular re-programming.

One caution that I’ve discovered in Qi Gong learning is that Qi Gong is either taught today often as a meditation only or incorrectly by  not truly engaging the muscles, fascia and tendons. The deepest type of Qi Gong is Nei Gong. Nei Gung works all of the body’s energetic pathways, and opens and closes all the body’s tissues (joints, muscles, connective tissues, internal organs, glands, blood vessels, lymphatic pumps, respiratory system, cerebrospinal system and brain) simultaneously to produce a powerful synergistic effect on the mind, body, and spirit
  
http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity

​From the normally mild summer climates of Ireland, Scotland and Canada to the scorching Middle East and Southern California, numerous locations in the Northern Hemisphere have witnessed their hottest weather ever recorded over the past weeks and months.

Record breaking temperatures have occurred in Siberia at 90 degrees - 40 degrees above normal, Africa 124.5, Los Angeles 111, and Denver 105. The same trend is occurring all over the U.S, Europe, Eurasia and the world. I experienced this when I recently visited Phoenix, Arizona where the temperature was 118 degrees. The unprecedented temperatures seen over summer 2018 are a sign of things to come—and a direct result of climate change, according to new Oxford University research.

In the newly published report, researchers from the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) at the School of Geography and Environment at Oxford University, worked in collaboration with the World Weather Attribution network (WWA), to reveal that climate change more than doubled the likelihood of the European heatwave which could come to be known as regular summer temperatures. We could say the same for the rest of the world.

Heat is becoming the new normal. It is important to understand how to deal with the heat and prepare for its arrival. Heat can trigger exhaustion, confusion and even heart attacks, as well as worsen existing conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The most vulnerable groups include elderly people, infants and children; people with lower socioeconomic status or chronic diseases, those taking certain medications and people in particular occupations outdoors (such as farming, construction, oil and gas operations and landscaping) or indoors (steel and other metal foundries, ceramic plants, mining operations, bakeries and commercial kitchens). Yet the harmful effects of hot weather are largely preventable.

Younger and older persons are the groups that are more susceptible to hot weather but not exclusively. Since 1995, three football players a year on average have died of heat stroke, most of them high schoolers, according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research which tracks football injuries and deaths. In the last five years, the average was about two—still too many when these deaths are avoidable.

We all have to be more careful to do some basic practices to stay healthy in the increasingly hotter weather. These practices include staying out of intense heat and despite what you think you can do, not pushing the body into vigorous activities such as gardening and exercise. No matter what age, know your limits and watch out for signs there are problems.

Drinking more fluids is a given. Including some natural sugars in your fluids such as a little juice along with a small amount of sea salt makes your own re-hydration drink when out in the heat or doing physical activities. Keep your head covered and pay attention to how you feel. Signs of water depletion include excessive thirst, weakness, headache, and loss of consciousness. Signs of salt depletion are nausea and vomiting, muscle cramps, and dizziness.

What you eat can overheat you or keep you cooler. In my classes, training programs and articles, I explain how the body is designed to eat a diet centered around cooked grains and cooked vegetables. All the traditional cultures known for their longevity eat this kind of diet. This is the diet that our digestive system is designed to eat.

For more information about this, see my website www.macrobiotic.com for articles covering what is a macrobiotic or longevity diet. Animal products from natural raised animals, beans, natural seasonings, natural fats, local seasonal fruits and other natural foods round out a natural human diet.

Diets that create excessive heat include those with high amounts of fried foods, fats, cooked cheese as in pizza, cold soft drinks, sugary foods with fat such as pastries, added fats, and a lack of vegetables. Eating too many cold foods such as ice cream and iced drinks can have a rebound effect and make you warmer. The body can handle some cold foods and drinks, but it is best to not have them with meals. They can interfere with digestion.

Traditional cultures served hot beverages and foods to induce sweating to cool off the body. Certain foods also have a cooling effect on the body. Foods with a cooling effect can be eaten more often in the summer to cool down the body. These include leafy greens, raw vegetables - especially lettuce, green and red peppers, sprouts, radishes and celery either cooked or raw, corn on the cob, corn grits, polenta, mild spices and herbs, raw seasonal fruits like melon or other local fruits and cooling teas such as mint tea. Because these foods have a cooling nature, it is best not to over consume them as digestion and life can be seen from the view of traditional oriental medicine as a warm process.

Less naturally warming foods should be eaten in the summer. Fatty fish, eggs, shrimp; salted and cured foods; fish and grass-fed meat are best eaten less often, but not avoided. Quick cooking and cooling grains such as polenta, barley, long grain and basmati rices, couscous, and whole wheat noodles can be eaten more often. It is best to eat moderately in the heat depending on one’s condition and activity. Eat more vegetables than grains at meals and limit oily foods including nuts and seeds.  It is important to eat enough foods, but eating excessive amounts of food can create excessive heat.

Vegetarians and vegans have cooler body temperatures because plant foods are naturally cooling. For these groups, it is best to not overemphasize cooling foods. Doing this can make one weaker and oversensitive to heat as the body has to have a certain amount of strengthen to deal with hot weather conditions. If too many cooling foods are eaten, it weakens the body.
​
The ability to adapt to extreme weather and any kind of stress in our lives is seen in traditional oriental medicines as a function of what they call the kidney energy or the modern equivalent, the adrenal glands. Strengthening the adrenal glands can help us to deal with stresses. Somatic and qigong exercises, a well-balanced full spectrum approach macrobiotic diet, a regular lifestyle, support of family and friends, rest and relaxation are among the most important practices to strengthen our adaptability for the coming climate changes. 

​The health of the skin is often synonymous with beauty. Many products are advertised that are said to promote beautiful skin when applied to the surface. What is ignored is that this approach is literally only skin deep. The health of the skin reflects the health of the entire body.

The idea that the health of the skin reflects the health of the whole body is a concept from the older traditional oriental medicines in China and Asia. When a person is healthy, they are said to have radiant health. In the west, we say a person who is healthy has glowing health, another reference to the skin.

The skin is the largest organ system in the human body accounting for 16 percent of total body weight and covering sixteen to twenty-two square feet of surface area. Our skin separates and informs us with regard to our surroundings serving to waterproof, cushion and protect the deeper tissues, excrete wastes and regulate temperature. In humans, the skin additionally provides vitamin D synthesis. Our skin is also the attachment site for sensory receptors to detect pain, sensation, pressure and temperature. The skin serves both neuro-sensory and metabolic functions.

Unlike other animals, we don’t have a protective covering for our skin. We have to use our brains to protect the skin from damage and to maintain its healthfulness. Besides the obvious way to protect the skin from damage such as avoiding its exposure to excessive sun, cold or other environmental influences; our eating and nutrition is the number one factor that keeps our skin healthy.

Several nutrients are crucial for skin health. The skin is made up of a large percentage of fats. Because of this the fat-soluble vitamins, vitamins A, D, E and K, are important for the health of the skin. Rough, dry and prematurely aged skin is a telltale sign of vitamin A deficiency, which often first manifests as rough, raised skin on the back of the arms. Vitamin A is critical to the repair process, including repair from sun burn and damage from toxins. Vitamin A increases the thickness of the epidermis, especially the granular layer (the portion of the epidermis that produces horn cells).

Severe acne is found in those with low levels of vitamin A in the blood.1 The standard conventional treatment for acne is Accutane, a synthetic form of vitamin A, but cod liver oil and other vitamin A-rich foods can work just as well, without the side effects, such as joint pain, hair loss, low energy, depression and aggressive behavior.

Vitamin D is a major contributor in the process of skin cell metabolism and growth, which may explain why skin texture improves after a sunbath. Green Pastures Blue Ice Fermented Cod Oil is the last remaining natural cod oil produced in the world. All other cod liver oils remove the vitamin D complex and add only D3 to the cod liver oil.  Fermented cod oil is a good source of D as well as A.

Vitamin D or A in supplements won’t tremendously benefit a person unless they are whole foods concentrates. The vitamins are part of complexes. There are 10 types of D produced by your body from the sun and in vitamin D rich foods.

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that can reduce the effects of sun exposure on the skin, as well as the effects of dangerous free radicals. Deficiency of vitamin E is also associated with acne.

Collagen and elastin are two of the components of skin that give it firmness and elasticity.  As skin ages, it loses both collagen and elastin, and its youthful appearance along with them. It is found that elastin is calcified due to the lack of Vitamin K2 activated matrix-GLA protein. Vitamin K2 could help maintain youthful skin activating Matrix-GLA and in turn preventing calcification of elastin.

The water-soluble vitamins also play important roles in the health of the skin, particularly vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), vitamin B12 and vitamin C.

Vitamin A and D are best derived from animal sources, such as fatty fish, organ meats, eggs and other foods as well as the cod oil mentioned above.

Vitamin E is in whole grains, moderate amounts of nuts and seeds, butter from grass fed animals and in concentrated doses in high quality wheat germ and wheat germ oil.

Vitamin K2 is in fermented sauerkraut, grass fed dairy products, organ meats and other foods.

Other nutrients are best derived from a full spectrum macrobiotic dietary approach using natural vegetable and animal foods.

Magnesium deficiency stimulates the release of histamine from the mast cells. As a result, the person becomes prone to allergies including eczema. In order to metabolize one molecule of glucose, we need at least twenty-eight molecules of magnesium; thus, eating large amounts sugar and refined carbohydrates can have detrimental effects on the skin. Nuts, whole grains, bone broths and unrefined salt are our best sources of magnesium.

Other minerals that play key roles for skin health include zinc, iron and selenium. Red meat, liver, Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds and seafood are our best sources of these vital minerals.

Healthy skin depends on complete protein from animal products. In fact, the detrimental effects of a vegetarian diet often first show up as sallow, unhealthy looking skin. Vegetarians need to eat more grass-fed dairy products and eggs. Vegans can work on getting extra protein from concentrated protein powders such as pea or rice protein added to foods or drinks.

Incredibly important to skin health are the sulfur-containing amino acids cysteine and methionine. Methionine is an essential amino acid; while cysteine is not. Adequate intake of both sulfur-containing amino acids is very important to the health of connective tissue, joints, hair, skin and nails. These amino acids are also utilized by the body in detoxification reactions, aiding the body to excrete heavy metals and keeping the skin clear. Cysteine is found in the protein called beta-keratin which is the main protein in nails, skin as well as hair. Not only is it important to collagen production but also helps in the skin’s elasticity and texture. The best sources of these proteins are meat (especially pork), eggs and dairy products.

Two other proteins that support skin health are proline and glycine, the two proteins that make up gelatin. These two proteins are critical for building healthy cartilage, as well as for detoxification. Bone broths and gelatin powders from grass fed animals supply these proteins.

The last element of skin health is the quality of the fats that you eat. Researchers have found that with a diet high in polyunsaturated oils (more than 10 percent), at least 78 percent of people showed marked signs of premature aging of the facial skin, with some appearing more than twenty years older than they were. When this group was compared to an almost equal number who made no special effort to consume polyunsaturates, the difference was profound. Only 18 percent of the latter group were judged to have outward physical signs of premature aging. In other words, there were more than four times as many people who looked markedly older than they really were among those who deliberately included large quantities of polyunsaturated oils in the diet. It is best to limit seed oils and focus on monounsaturated fats such as coconut oil, butter and olive oil to improve your skin. 2
​
As final note, traditional oriental medicines linked skin health to the colon, lungs and kidneys. In traditional oriental medicine, healthy looking skin is seen as a sign that the body’s energy system is highly functional. In modern terms, this translates to a healthy functioning metabolism. Keeping these organs and the entire metabolism healthy by a proper well-balanced natural diet and lifestyle as well as food derived from food concentrates and in particular tonic herbs is key.

1. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology. Volume 31, Issue 3, pages 430–434, May 2006
2. The Cholesterol Controversy, Edward R. Pinckney, MD and Cathey Pinckney, pp 44-46, Sherbourne Press, Los Angeles, 1973.