Scott Anderson, Ph.D.

In a previous posting, I offhandedly used the terms “low intensity” and “medium intensity” aerobic activity. Perhaps you’re already familiar with these terms, though I think for many people these terms are about as meaningful as Urdvha Dhanurasana or other Sanskrit names. While “ low intensity aerobic activity” may sound pretty technical, I think most of us have an intuitive, seat-of-the-pants understanding of what a low intensity or medium intensity workout may feel like. Unfortunately, these terms are largely relative. By whose standard? By the standards of the marathon runner? Or the devout couch potato? Thankfully, we can quantify these terms by keeping tabs on our heart rate. In keeping track of our heart rate, we can find the just-right challenge for each person, regardless of whether they’re an elite athlete or just starting to get back in shape. We all have a maximum heart rate. The harder we work out, the faster our heart beats… to a certain point. For each of ...

If we define Yoga solely as the postures, I practice three days per week, or so. If we include seated meditation and breathing exercises in our definition of Yoga, then I practice each day. The other day I was at a crossroads in my run. I could have gone out for another 20 minutes or headed indoors for some yoga time. The latter was compelling, and I couldn’t help but notice my pace increase at the thought of some quiet time on the mat. As I was unfolding my mat, thoughts of practice swirled: backbends, front bends, inversions, pranayama, etc.… The world (or at least my tiny corner of it) was my oyster. After some quiet reflection, I began exploring the tiniest poses I could feel. Typically I’ll expand the poses until I bump into something I consider interesting . Sometimes interesting includes the end-range of motion, sometimes I’ll explore the limits of eccentric strength (active stretching), and sometimes I explore the movement until some sort of reactivity (tensing, ...

High intensity training is all the rage these days, and it seems like most of my active friends are talking about the high intensity interval training they’re exploring. And it’s clear to see why high intensity training is all the rage: it promises great fitness gains in very short periods of time. I’ve had many people ask about my low to moderate intensity training routines. If high intensity, or Tabata, training is proven to be so effective, then why do I not advocate this high intensity approach? The answer is simple – the turtle generally gets to the destination before the hare. While high intensity training does deliver quick results, how many people can maintain this kind of activity for the long haul? I advocate building a strong fitness base. By investing a few months in low to moderate intensity training, the body is better adapted to handle higher intensity activities. We can maintain low to moderate intensity training for the long haul, and then, if th...

During my most recent “get-fit” period, I started wearing a heart rate monitor. I was curious if monitoring my heart rate would help answer why I tended to fall away from keeping aerobically fit. Within this first training session, it was clear that I had a lot to learn, and a long ways to go. A few minutes into my usual run/walk workout, my heart rate had bypassed the low-intensity zone, blown through the medium-intensity zone, and was deeply into the high-intensity zone. What to me felt like a typical, not-too-intense run/walk was in actuality, quite an intense workout. And this was not an isolated experience. Over the coming weeks I found that most of my go-to workouts were actually fairly high intensity, even though my friends and I would consider the activities and their pace to be pretty moderate. I found that I tended to train almost exclusively in the high-intensity zone. While the high-intensity zone can be great for seasoned athletes, it’s not a great place to restar...

Over the past twenty-plus years, many yoga students have shared their frustrations about building overall fitness. While everybody that I’ve talked to has recognized the importance of fitness, particularly aerobic fitness, many have shared tales of frustration and thwarted goals. I’ve long asked myself: Why does a population of committed yogis and yoginis have a difficult time maintaining aerobic fitness? Certainly it’s not for a lack of discipline, nor for a lack of knowledge. It seems to me that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to what keeps many of us from enjoying optimal health and vitality. I have come to believe that how many of us have pursued fitness is part of the problem. There are various ways to develop heart-healthy fitness, yet many of us struggle to stick with a routine.   I’ve talked with so many yogis and yoginis who have found paths to fitness that they enjoy, yet they seem to find themselves falling off the wagon again and again. I’...