Superheating the body will soften the collagen around the joints, too. "Collagen is a lot like plastic, and its rigidity eases when you warm it," says Marc Darrow, MD, director of the Los Angeles-based Joint Rehabilita-tion & Sports Medical Center. "Some athletes ride an exercise bike before stretching, which heats the muscles and softens collagen, but there's no reason you can't do the same thing by adjusting the thermostat," says Dr. Darrow, who includes Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Johnnie Morton among his patients.
Heat also helps "feed" the muscles by increasing the circulation of oxygen-laden red blood cells, says Lewis Maharam, MD, president of the Greater New York Regional Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine. It's like working a bellows-as you pump more oxygen into your muscles, they're able to burn more fuel. And the best way to let that rich, oxygenated blood into the inner recesses of your muscle tissue, Dr. Maharam adds, is to stre-e-e-etch. "Heat speeds up your metabolism," he explains, "and the yoga postures will certainly assist by improving your circulation and elasticity."
But who says our muscles need more oxygen? Speed skaters. According to a study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Olympic speed skaters are especially prone to muscle fatigue because the tight crouch they skate in decreases bloodflow to their calves and thighs. Something similar happens to you and me when we're hunched over a computer or cramped behind the wheel of a car. "Some of your muscles are so oxygen-starved, they're living on dogma," Pier quips. "They've heard about red blood cells, but never actually seen them." The Bikram system, however, goes beyond promising limber limbs. On the home page of www.bikramyoga.com, the Web site of the discipline's founder, Bikram Choudhury, there's this prominent link:
"Have a health problem? Find out what Bikram Yoga has done for others. Then try it and see what it can do for you!"
Click on "Find out..." and you'll be sent to the Testimonials page and a menu of 23 health conditions ranging from the bothersome-insomnia-to the potentially fatal-kidney cancer. One account is of a diabetic who no longer needs insulin, and another of a man who says his irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure have disappeared. Then there's the person who's been cured of Lyme disease-all thanks to Bikram yoga.
"It will certainly improve your circulation and provide health benefits," says Dr. Maharam, "but no exercise is going to change your physiological makeup. It may relieve the symptoms of a disease, but it's not going to remove the disease itself." To be fair, the Bikram Web site does include a disclaimer of sorts, albeit impossibly hard to find: "...when Bikram speaks of curing chronic diseases... he is saying that if you faithfully follow his directions, you will be relieved of your symptoms of discomfort. That is the only 'cure' anyone can offer."
» Fitness archive
Men's Health Philippines - July 2005 Issue
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Awkward Pose Stand with your feet six inches apart and extend your arms straight ahead, parallel to the floor. Now lift your heels. As soon as you're balanced, slowly bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor (or as close as you can get them). Keep your back straight and your heels high.
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