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6A Daily News – Tuesday, February 14, 2012 Vitality & health Achocolatey Valentine's Day On Valentine's Day, make a date with — what else? — chocolate. During Valentine's week, Americans are expected to buy more than 58 million pounds of chocolate candy. And more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold, according to the National Confectioners Association. If chocolate indeed is the way to your sweetie's heart, it may be truer than ever. Ongoing research supports the health benefits of chocolate, particularly the dark variety. Cocoa beans contain flavanoids that have antioxidant qualities. Antioxidants combat free radicals that damage cells. They also help reduce cholesterol, lower blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health. The higher the cocoa content of the chocolate, the better. "I knew if I was in business long enough they'd say chocolate is good for you," says Gayle Harte, owner of Gayle's Chocolates in Royal Oak, Mich. "More and more people are trying dark chocolate now, and they are finding out dark chocolate is good tasting." Harte started her chocolate business more than 33 years ago, making hand-rolled and -dipped truffles. They're still being made that way at her flagship store in Royal Oak and two outlets at Detroit Metro Airport. "I think Valentine's is a truffle holiday," Harte says. "It's a special piece of candy, and I haven't seen them go in or out of fashion." Homemade truffles can be a relatively effortless gift from the heart. You can do as we did with our chocolate ganache truf- fles and cover them in a thin layer of chocolate to protect their melt-in-your-mouth center. Or take the simpler approach and merely dust them with cocoa powder. Looking for something even easier? Just roll them in chopped nuts for another little antioxidant hit. For cupcake lovers, the dried cherries in our chocolate cupcakes also add some antioxidant power to the bitter- sweet chocolate. And there's more chocolate ganache in our tarts, an easy dessert for two that pairs the rich choco- late with caramel and a sprinkling of sea salt. Despite all the good health news about chocolate, that shouldn't be a license to overindulge. (OK, it's Valentine's Day.) Chocolate still has calories, fat and saturated fat. There are no hard-and-fast guidelines, but a moderate portion of chocolate — 1 ounce — a few times a week is fine. GRAND OPENING 60 minute with massage $25~$55 per hour Elite Skin Care & Spa Facials~ Waxing~and more Eyebrows $5 Gift Certificates Available Owners, Mike & Trisa Waelty 741 Main St., Suite #14 526-8713 James W. Tysinger, Jr. M.D. Eye Physician & Surgeon Fellow American Academy of Ophthalmology We accept Medical, Medicare & most Insurances Office Hours: Tues-Wed-Thurs 8am-4:30pm Mon & Fri 1pm-4:30pm For Emergencies, After Hours, Week-ends, Call 530-567-5001 345 Hickory St. Red Bluff Tel: (530) 529-4733 Fax: (530) 529-1114 Lassen House Lic. #525002331 Assisted Living & Memory Care Community Where our family is committed to yours 705 Luther Road Red Bluff (530) 529-2900 www.Emeritus.com WALNUT CREEK, (MCT) — Mark Goldman was a relative newcomer to yoga when he found him- self teetering in standing lotus pose with an instruc- tor barking over him like a drill sergeant. "You can get into this pose," the yogi said. "Push harder." Goldman, a "typical Sil- icon Valley" go-getter who works in high tech sales, took the bait. The harder the better, he thought. He deepened his squat, forcing his knee down. Then _ snap. He'd torn his meniscus, the tissue that aids motion in the knee. Surgery would repair it. However, it would take Goldman, a longtime runner with a stiff body, years to develop a mindful yoga practice more in line with what Indians intended when they developed the lifestyle 5,000 years ago. He listens to his body. And he doesn't compete with the person sitting next to him. "I'm much smarter," says Goldman, 61, of Los Gatos, Calif. "When I start feeling any discomfort now, I back off." Yoga is a physical, men- tal and spiritual discipline with numerous styles. In the West, where the popu- larity of the postural com- ponent has helped yoga to stretch from 4 million prac- titioners in 2001 to as many as 20 million in 2010, injury — as with any exer- cise regimen — is a possi- bility. Classes are too big, restricting one-on-one attention. Instructors often are inexperienced, missing opportunities to prevent injuries. And the ego — that inner-voice telling us to push — increases chances of pain, even for advanced students. Howev- er, experts say that if you develop a practice based on proper form and your own ability, you can avoid injury and reap yoga's ben- efits, such as stress reduc- tion and heart health. When you match the fitness Hold that stretch, be safe about yoga MCT photo Cybele Tomlinson, co-director and co-owner of the Berkeley Yoga Center demonstrates the correct positioning of the downward dog pose at the Berkeley Yoga Center in Berkeley. postural practice to the per- son's needs, then you're being true to the intention of yoga, says Roger Cole, a University of California- San Francisco-trained psy- chobiologist and certified Iyengar yoga instructor of 30 years. Iyengar encour- ages the use of props such as blankets, blocks and straps to help bring the body into alignment. Cole has studied and written extensively on the topic of yoga injuries. The most common injuries he sees involve the knees, lower back and neck. "Injuries happen, but when they do either the teacher or the student did something wrong," says Cole, who lives in Del Mar. "The people I'd be con- cerned about especially are the ones who are trying to go beyond the limits that they once achieved." Doris Livezey had been practicing yoga for at least five years when she popped into her San Jose gym for a class. The regular instruc- tor, who often walked around the room adjusting improper form, was out sick, and the substitute had the students in a pose 1010 Jefferson St., Red Bluff 527-7800 Complete Dental Care • Cosmetic Dentistry • Adults And Children • New Patients Warmly Welcomed! www.MooreandPascarella.com Now Accepting NEW Patients. No referral needed in most cases. ALLERGY Clinic with Diane Kinney, PA-C Kylie Carreras, LVN NOW OPEN! Red Bluff Call NOW to schedule an appointment 528-1220 RED BLUFF 331 Elm Street Timothy Frantz M.D. Board Certified Otolaryngologist 2138 Court Street 222-5115 REDDING Every Wednesday February 15, 22 & 29 Livezey had never done. It was a chest opener that involved using a strap to bring your hands behind your back while bending at the hips and allowing grav- ity to bring your arms for- ward and over your head. She tried it. "My left arm didn't make it, and I tore my rota- tor cuff," says Livezey, who froze her gym mem- bership because of the shoulder injury. It required a cortisone shot for pain. A simple strengthening exer- cise recommended by a surgeon eventually fixed the problem. By then, Livezey had traded in yoga for hiking and square danc- ing. However, she still loves doing the basic stretches at home. "Yoga is a great work- out," says Livezey, a 60- something. "But if you have a big class moving quickly through some poses, you can't rely on the teacher to help you. You have to know your body." Tony Briggs strives to develop an intimate rela- tionship with every stu- dent's spine. He brings 34 years of experience, includ- ing training under the leg- endary B.K.S. Iyengar, to every class he teaches at the Berkeley Yoga Center and Turtle Island Yoga in San Anselmo, where he trains soon-to-be-instruc- tors. Injury prevention is one of the things he stress- es most. "I know all of their aches and pains," says Briggs, who uses teaching assistants when there are more than 25 people in class or he's having a hard time seeing everyone. "If I don't recognize someone, I go over and ask, 'Do you have any issues I need to know about?'" Disclosure can be a problem. Once, he was guiding a student he had known for a few months in a shoulder stand for the first time. In the advanced pose, the student's upper back and shoulders are on the floor while their hips and legs are shooting up to the ceiling in a straight line. "She looked up from the floor and asked me, 'You think this is OK for my pacemaker?'" Briggs says. He asked her to get out of the pose. Very carefully. Briggs says the sad truth is that the competitiveness behind so many injuries is not necessarily driven by the students. It often is the teachers who have the ego problems. redbluff.mercy.org Visit redbluff.mercy.org or scan this code with a QR reader app on your smart phone to learn more information. 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