What are tension headaches?
Tension headaches are headaches caused in people due to tension in mind. Most people describe it as a constant achy feeling on either side of head. Some people also feel tightness in their head and neck muscles. It often starts in middle of day and begins gradually and slowly. Some people also call it as stress headaches that means when people say that they have stress headaches they mean by saying this that they have
tension headache. It may be severe or mild, but when it is severe it sometimes may be more painful and dangerous and do more harm than migraine headaches.
How to diagnose?
Tension headaches can be analyzed and diagnosed by the inspection of your doctor. Your doctor can tell the nature of your headaches by an examining you and studying the description of pain given by you. And to diagnose this problem technique like Blood Tests, X-Ray or brain scans are usually not required.
What treatment to take in which situations?
When your tension headaches are occasionally then simple pain reliever which can be taken without prescription can be useful. But while choosing these pain relievers you should first of all check the label for possible side effects which may be caused due to interactions with other medicines you are taking. So to avoid any such possibilities you must read the instructions on the label and follow them carefully. If you are still facing any problems regarding how to take the dosage you must
consult your reliable doctor or pharmacist.
But if your tension headaches are not occasionally and occur everyday or at regular short intervals of time then these pain relievers will not give you the right treatment and so in this type of situation you should consult your doctor this is because the medicine which he will prescribe you will be more beneficial for relieving the pain at the time of these tension headaches. These medicines referred by your doctor not only help in relieving the pain but sometimes also useful in preventing these headaches to take serious forms. It is always advisable to treat
the tension headaches when they are mild before they take some serious forms this is because in earlier stages these headaches can be cured more easily.
What other techniques could be useful to relive pain from tension headaches besides using medicines?
Besides taking medicines you can also use several other techniques to get relieve from pain in tension headaches. These techniques include:
Take enough sleep or rest
Put an ice pack on your neck or head at the time of these headaches
Regular exercises of 30-60 minutes 6 times a week will be useful in relieving the pain
Take everyday walk after meal or move on a long vacation to relieve yourself from your busy life.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Exercise And Stress
Even though exercise may not be the most exciting word in your vocabulary, it sure is a word with a lot of benefits. Participating in daily exercise will not only make you healthier in general, but it can also diminish the effects of stress on your
body as well.
Think about all the times you have heard someone say "the doctor says it's stress related". Normally people will laugh it off, concluding that doctors say that when they don't know the real answers or diagnosis. The truth of the matter is that too
much stress will play a role in many diseases.
To help increase your immune system and decrease your stress level as well, try exercise, as movement is the key word here. Bending, stretching, reaching and walking. There's really no need to buy any expensive equipment either, as you can implement more movement into your daily routine and reap the benefits.
If you like aerobic exercise, you should grab a partner and have a blast with one of the basic aerobic videos. Or, you can simply go out for a walk and enjoy spending time together. As you may have heard, walking really is the best overall exercise you can do for your health. As long as you have a pair of walking shoes, you'll be
fine.
As you go through your daily activities, make it a point to walk a little farther, bend down and pick something up without using a pick up stick or moving the item towards you with your foot. While you are sitting, you should also do some simple and quick stretches for your neck and shoulders.
If you enjoy sitting around watching television, you should consider buying a jogging board. These padded boards will make running, jumping, or walking in place less stressful on your knees and joints. They are easy to store as well and also very portable.
In many people's opinions, jogging boards are the best pieces of equipment you can buy. They are also far cheaper than bulky treadmills and stationary bikes.
There are several different exercises that you can do to help you eliminate the stress in your life. Walking is by far the best, as you can easily lose yourself and your troubles by walking. Even if it is just around the block, walking can do wonders for your health as well as stress.
If you have a lot of stress in your life, you may want to consider a gym. Working out then sitting in the sauna is also a good way to relieve tension. If your gym has a pool, you may find swimming to be very beneficial as well, as it helps you to relax.
body as well.
Think about all the times you have heard someone say "the doctor says it's stress related". Normally people will laugh it off, concluding that doctors say that when they don't know the real answers or diagnosis. The truth of the matter is that too
much stress will play a role in many diseases.
To help increase your immune system and decrease your stress level as well, try exercise, as movement is the key word here. Bending, stretching, reaching and walking. There's really no need to buy any expensive equipment either, as you can implement more movement into your daily routine and reap the benefits.
If you like aerobic exercise, you should grab a partner and have a blast with one of the basic aerobic videos. Or, you can simply go out for a walk and enjoy spending time together. As you may have heard, walking really is the best overall exercise you can do for your health. As long as you have a pair of walking shoes, you'll be
fine.
As you go through your daily activities, make it a point to walk a little farther, bend down and pick something up without using a pick up stick or moving the item towards you with your foot. While you are sitting, you should also do some simple and quick stretches for your neck and shoulders.
If you enjoy sitting around watching television, you should consider buying a jogging board. These padded boards will make running, jumping, or walking in place less stressful on your knees and joints. They are easy to store as well and also very portable.
In many people's opinions, jogging boards are the best pieces of equipment you can buy. They are also far cheaper than bulky treadmills and stationary bikes.
There are several different exercises that you can do to help you eliminate the stress in your life. Walking is by far the best, as you can easily lose yourself and your troubles by walking. Even if it is just around the block, walking can do wonders for your health as well as stress.
If you have a lot of stress in your life, you may want to consider a gym. Working out then sitting in the sauna is also a good way to relieve tension. If your gym has a pool, you may find swimming to be very beneficial as well, as it helps you to relax.
Buying An All In One System
These days, more and more people are turning away from memberships to gyms and instead choosing to invest money in a home gym. You can put a home gym in a spare corner of your home, or even in the basement if you wish. Along with helping you save money by combining several different types of equipment into one machine, these types of equipment can easily fit in small spaces and type up a lot less weight than their individual counterparts.
When you are considering to buy an all in one piece of exercise equipment, you should first think about your goals. You should consider what you hope to achieve from exercising and just how well this piece of equipment will benefit you.
There are several types of all in one equipment for exercise on the market and almost all of them are advertised well on television, in magazines, and on the internet. The most popular types on the market are those types that are geared towards individuals who are interested in lifting weights.
Right now, the two most popular types of all in one exercise systems are the Bowflex and Total Gym brands. The Bowflex system uses resistant bows that bend instead of the traditional weights that simply lift. Bowflex is designed to fit a wide variety of budgets and needs, it's widely adaptable and extremely popular as well.
To make things even better, you can store the basic Bowflex system in small and tight places, even under a bed if you choose. The larger and more expensive Blowflex system competes with the types of professional equipment that you can find in gyms, which allow you a quality workout on quality equipment.
The Total Gym system is great as well, as it is advertised by martial arts legend Chuck Norris and supermodel Christie Brinkley. It is less expensive than the Bowflex and uses gravity and resistance instead of traditional weights. By using this system, you have the ability to adapt the machine to a wide variety of exercises
that will work many different areas of your body.
When you make that decision about buying an all in one exercise system, you must also decide on price, features, brand, and just who will use the machine. If your family plans to use it as well, then you'll need to get a system that everyone will agree on. You obviously wouldn't want a machine that is too complicated for others in your home.
Even though Bowflex and Total Gym are the 2 most popular types of all in one equipment, there are several others out there as will, from brands such as Weider and many others. Before you make your choice, you should look at several to see which one offers you more for your money.
When you are considering to buy an all in one piece of exercise equipment, you should first think about your goals. You should consider what you hope to achieve from exercising and just how well this piece of equipment will benefit you.
There are several types of all in one equipment for exercise on the market and almost all of them are advertised well on television, in magazines, and on the internet. The most popular types on the market are those types that are geared towards individuals who are interested in lifting weights.
Right now, the two most popular types of all in one exercise systems are the Bowflex and Total Gym brands. The Bowflex system uses resistant bows that bend instead of the traditional weights that simply lift. Bowflex is designed to fit a wide variety of budgets and needs, it's widely adaptable and extremely popular as well.
To make things even better, you can store the basic Bowflex system in small and tight places, even under a bed if you choose. The larger and more expensive Blowflex system competes with the types of professional equipment that you can find in gyms, which allow you a quality workout on quality equipment.
The Total Gym system is great as well, as it is advertised by martial arts legend Chuck Norris and supermodel Christie Brinkley. It is less expensive than the Bowflex and uses gravity and resistance instead of traditional weights. By using this system, you have the ability to adapt the machine to a wide variety of exercises
that will work many different areas of your body.
When you make that decision about buying an all in one exercise system, you must also decide on price, features, brand, and just who will use the machine. If your family plans to use it as well, then you'll need to get a system that everyone will agree on. You obviously wouldn't want a machine that is too complicated for others in your home.
Even though Bowflex and Total Gym are the 2 most popular types of all in one equipment, there are several others out there as will, from brands such as Weider and many others. Before you make your choice, you should look at several to see which one offers you more for your money.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Fast Facts On Potatoes
Throughout America, potatoes are the most popular vegetable, even being ahead of other well known vegetables such as lettuce and onions. You can cook potatoes in a variety of ways, and they are included in one out of three meals eaten by almost
all Americans. When they are prepared in a healthy way, a potato can be an excellent source of energy and also pack a nutritional punch.
Like oranges, potatoes are very high in vitamin C. The fact is, one medium potato contains 45% of the vitamin C that's recommended for good health. Potatoes are also high in fiber and carbohydrates and contain more potassium than a banana.
A potato is naturally low in calories and contains no fat, sodium, or cholesterol. The skins of the potatoes provide a helpful dose of fiber, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and several B vitamins.
You can prepare potatoes by boiling them, steaming them, or even roasting them. If at all possible, you should avoid putting potatoes in the refrigerator or freezing them, as cold will turn the potato starch to sugar and cause them to turn dark when
they are cooked.
When you store potatoes, keep them in a cool, dark place. Too much light will cause them to turn green. You can store them in the basement if you have one, as the basement is the best place to keep potatoes.
From mashed potatoes to baked potatoes, a potato is something we all know and love. They serve many different tasty foods, and they provide our bodies with plenty of healthful benefits. We all eat potatoes, some of us even grow our own. Whether
you grow your on or buy them, the potato is the one vegetable that makes everything just a little bit better.
all Americans. When they are prepared in a healthy way, a potato can be an excellent source of energy and also pack a nutritional punch.
Like oranges, potatoes are very high in vitamin C. The fact is, one medium potato contains 45% of the vitamin C that's recommended for good health. Potatoes are also high in fiber and carbohydrates and contain more potassium than a banana.
A potato is naturally low in calories and contains no fat, sodium, or cholesterol. The skins of the potatoes provide a helpful dose of fiber, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and several B vitamins.
You can prepare potatoes by boiling them, steaming them, or even roasting them. If at all possible, you should avoid putting potatoes in the refrigerator or freezing them, as cold will turn the potato starch to sugar and cause them to turn dark when
they are cooked.
When you store potatoes, keep them in a cool, dark place. Too much light will cause them to turn green. You can store them in the basement if you have one, as the basement is the best place to keep potatoes.
From mashed potatoes to baked potatoes, a potato is something we all know and love. They serve many different tasty foods, and they provide our bodies with plenty of healthful benefits. We all eat potatoes, some of us even grow our own. Whether
you grow your on or buy them, the potato is the one vegetable that makes everything just a little bit better.
Fight Stress With Healthy Eating
Whenever we get too busy or stressed, we all tend to make poor food choices that will actually increase stress and cause other problems. To get the most of your healthy eating and avoid stress, follow these simple tips.
Always eat breakfast
Even though you may think you aren't hungry, you need to eat something. Skipping breakfast makes it harder to maintain the proper blood and sugar levels during the day, so you should always eat something.
Carry a snack
Keeping some protein rich snacks in your car, office, or pocket book will help you avoid blood sugar level dips, the accompanying mood swings, and the fatigue. Trail mix, granola bars, and energy bars all have the nutrients you need.
Healthy munchies
If you like to munch when you're stressed out, you can replace chips or other non healthy foods with carrot sticks, celery sticks, or even sunflower seeds.
Bring your lunch
Although a lot of people prefer to eat fast food for lunch, you can save a lot of money and actually eat healthier if you take a few minutes and pack a lunch at home. Even if you only do this a few times a week, you'll see a much better improvement over eating out.
Stock your home
As important as it is to get the bad food out of your house, it's even more important to get the good food in! The best way to do this is to plan a menu of healthy meals at snacks at the beginning of the week, list the ingedients you need, then go shop for it. This way, you'll know what you want when you need it and you won't have to stress over what to eat.
Always eat breakfast
Even though you may think you aren't hungry, you need to eat something. Skipping breakfast makes it harder to maintain the proper blood and sugar levels during the day, so you should always eat something.
Carry a snack
Keeping some protein rich snacks in your car, office, or pocket book will help you avoid blood sugar level dips, the accompanying mood swings, and the fatigue. Trail mix, granola bars, and energy bars all have the nutrients you need.
Healthy munchies
If you like to munch when you're stressed out, you can replace chips or other non healthy foods with carrot sticks, celery sticks, or even sunflower seeds.
Bring your lunch
Although a lot of people prefer to eat fast food for lunch, you can save a lot of money and actually eat healthier if you take a few minutes and pack a lunch at home. Even if you only do this a few times a week, you'll see a much better improvement over eating out.
Stock your home
As important as it is to get the bad food out of your house, it's even more important to get the good food in! The best way to do this is to plan a menu of healthy meals at snacks at the beginning of the week, list the ingedients you need, then go shop for it. This way, you'll know what you want when you need it and you won't have to stress over what to eat.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Becoming A Healthy Eater
Being a healthy eater requires you to become both educated and smart about what healthy eating actually is. Being food smart isn't about learning to calculate grams or fat, or is it about studying labels and counting calories.
Healthy eating is all about balanced and moderate eating, consisting of healthy meals at least three times per day. Healthy eaters eat many different types of foods, not limiting themselves to one specific food type or food group.
Eating healthy requires quite a bit of leeway. You might eat too much or not enough, consume foods that are sometimes more or less nutritious. However, you should always fuel your body and your brain regularly with enough food to keep both your mind and body strong and alert.
A healthy eater is a good problem solver. Healthy eaters have learned to take care of themselves and their eating with sound judgement and making wise decisions. Healthy eaters are always aware of what they eat, and know the effect that it will have on their bodies.
When someone is unable to take control of their eating, they are also likely to get out of control with other aspects of life as well. They could end up spending too much, talking too much, even going to bed later and later.
You should always remember that restricting food in any way is always a bad thing. Healthy eating is a way of life, something that you can do to enhance your body or your lifestyle. If you've thought about making your life better, healthy eating is just the place to start. You'll make life easier for yourself, those around you, and even your family.
Healthy eating is all about balanced and moderate eating, consisting of healthy meals at least three times per day. Healthy eaters eat many different types of foods, not limiting themselves to one specific food type or food group.
Eating healthy requires quite a bit of leeway. You might eat too much or not enough, consume foods that are sometimes more or less nutritious. However, you should always fuel your body and your brain regularly with enough food to keep both your mind and body strong and alert.
A healthy eater is a good problem solver. Healthy eaters have learned to take care of themselves and their eating with sound judgement and making wise decisions. Healthy eaters are always aware of what they eat, and know the effect that it will have on their bodies.
When someone is unable to take control of their eating, they are also likely to get out of control with other aspects of life as well. They could end up spending too much, talking too much, even going to bed later and later.
You should always remember that restricting food in any way is always a bad thing. Healthy eating is a way of life, something that you can do to enhance your body or your lifestyle. If you've thought about making your life better, healthy eating is just the place to start. You'll make life easier for yourself, those around you, and even your family.
HOW TO REDUCE STRESS
How to reduce stress is a huge problem especially for people in western societies. There are three types of stresses: Physical, Psychological and Environmental or Social.
The first group of stressors affect physically, for example: hunger, hot and cold, illness, pain and injury, viruses, lack of sleep. This psychologically affects your mind. Examples are: loneliness, fear, and death of a relative or friend, threats to security, rejection, and depression.
The Social occurs on your environment and they are such as: unpleasant work, extreme weather, economic depression, family environment and friends. The Job stress is the most important that dominates our lives. It’s high unlikely to find someone without stress. Some of the symptoms of stress are: Tension, anxiety and confusion, withdrawal and depression, feelings of isolation and alienation, boredom and job dissatisfaction and low self-esteem. So how you can reduce your stress? One factor,
which is diminished, is the nutrition. Most of us eat junk food, like fast food, snacks, refreshments which contain a lot of sugar etc. That kind of food will cause illness sooner or later and there is no way you can reduce your stress these two triggers the stress response. Medical research has proved that during the stress situations particular vitamins are needed to maintain proper functioning nervous and endocrine systems.
Deficiencies of vitamins B-1, B-5 and B-6, can lead to anxiety reactions, depression, insomnia, and cardiovascular weaknesses, while vitamins B-2 and niacin deficiencies have been known to cause stomach irritability and muscular weakness. Their depletion lowers your tolerance to, and ability to cope with stressors. The B vitamins are amply supplied in protein rich foods. Vitamin C is found in: citrus fruits, broccoli, strawberries, tomatoes, green peppers You may want to give special attention to foods that provide those vitamins affected by stress, but not to the
extent that you neglect other important nutrients.
Relaxation is the best tool you could use in order to reduce stress. You can achieve relaxation by following the techniques below: meditation, yoga, hypnosis, deep breathing and Progressive relaxation. Relaxation essentially means paying attention to something calming. For example, you can concentrate on your breath and your body. Your aim is to calm your mind and lower your metabolism.
Stress organization is a lifelong process. With a successful stress organization program, you'll note positive changes - in your own health and well-being, in your relations with family, friends and coworkers and in your ability to cope your efficiency.
Music has always been a very important part of our lives, from childhood to our being an adult. As a part of our experience, music can have both a physiological and psychological affects upon us as human beings. In addition to the influence that it has on our life, music also has many therapeutic qualities - as we know further, music can be a very powerful medium for altering our state, of changing how we actually feel. More specifically music can be very effective in producing a very deep and healing state of relaxation and in the process, reduce stress and even promote sleep. Music can also be used to assist one in improving his or her self-esteem and furthering an individual’s personal growth and development, transformation.
Managing our stress is very important if not crucial to our overall well-being. Prescription for Stress is an audio product specially designed to assist an individual in managing and reducing the stress that he or she may experience on a daily basis. This audio health care product utilizes two components to assist an individual in effectively experiencing a very deep state of relaxation, reducing stress and also in promoting a peaceful, restful sleep. The first component is the musical pattern itself. Self-esteem is also extremely essential to ones’ well being.
While the basis or foundation for the actual transformation is in an individual’s language, the thoughts that he or she thinks and the very words that they say, the environment from which this takes place is one that is initially created through the power of music.
The first group of stressors affect physically, for example: hunger, hot and cold, illness, pain and injury, viruses, lack of sleep. This psychologically affects your mind. Examples are: loneliness, fear, and death of a relative or friend, threats to security, rejection, and depression.
The Social occurs on your environment and they are such as: unpleasant work, extreme weather, economic depression, family environment and friends. The Job stress is the most important that dominates our lives. It’s high unlikely to find someone without stress. Some of the symptoms of stress are: Tension, anxiety and confusion, withdrawal and depression, feelings of isolation and alienation, boredom and job dissatisfaction and low self-esteem. So how you can reduce your stress? One factor,
which is diminished, is the nutrition. Most of us eat junk food, like fast food, snacks, refreshments which contain a lot of sugar etc. That kind of food will cause illness sooner or later and there is no way you can reduce your stress these two triggers the stress response. Medical research has proved that during the stress situations particular vitamins are needed to maintain proper functioning nervous and endocrine systems.
Deficiencies of vitamins B-1, B-5 and B-6, can lead to anxiety reactions, depression, insomnia, and cardiovascular weaknesses, while vitamins B-2 and niacin deficiencies have been known to cause stomach irritability and muscular weakness. Their depletion lowers your tolerance to, and ability to cope with stressors. The B vitamins are amply supplied in protein rich foods. Vitamin C is found in: citrus fruits, broccoli, strawberries, tomatoes, green peppers You may want to give special attention to foods that provide those vitamins affected by stress, but not to the
extent that you neglect other important nutrients.
Relaxation is the best tool you could use in order to reduce stress. You can achieve relaxation by following the techniques below: meditation, yoga, hypnosis, deep breathing and Progressive relaxation. Relaxation essentially means paying attention to something calming. For example, you can concentrate on your breath and your body. Your aim is to calm your mind and lower your metabolism.
Stress organization is a lifelong process. With a successful stress organization program, you'll note positive changes - in your own health and well-being, in your relations with family, friends and coworkers and in your ability to cope your efficiency.
Music has always been a very important part of our lives, from childhood to our being an adult. As a part of our experience, music can have both a physiological and psychological affects upon us as human beings. In addition to the influence that it has on our life, music also has many therapeutic qualities - as we know further, music can be a very powerful medium for altering our state, of changing how we actually feel. More specifically music can be very effective in producing a very deep and healing state of relaxation and in the process, reduce stress and even promote sleep. Music can also be used to assist one in improving his or her self-esteem and furthering an individual’s personal growth and development, transformation.
Managing our stress is very important if not crucial to our overall well-being. Prescription for Stress is an audio product specially designed to assist an individual in managing and reducing the stress that he or she may experience on a daily basis. This audio health care product utilizes two components to assist an individual in effectively experiencing a very deep state of relaxation, reducing stress and also in promoting a peaceful, restful sleep. The first component is the musical pattern itself. Self-esteem is also extremely essential to ones’ well being.
While the basis or foundation for the actual transformation is in an individual’s language, the thoughts that he or she thinks and the very words that they say, the environment from which this takes place is one that is initially created through the power of music.
Stress Management
What is Stress?
The Dictionary meaning of stress is any affair requiring mental or physical energy. It is a condition which causes perturbation of both mental and physical health of Individual. It is a demand of circumstances on mind when mind tries to adjust with continual changes in life. Stress is not synonymous to negative conditions.
When we feel stress?
Everyone whether men, women or child suffers from stress at one or other point in their lives. We feel stress when we are dealing with our family problems. We feel stress when we are facing financial or health problems. We feel stress when we got stuck in traffic. Children feel stress in our school age and employees feel stress due to increasing workload.
How body manages stress?
Every person manages stress by their own methods. The way the person faces the stress situation depends upon the hormones. In stress situations the brain prepares for offence or defense by secreting stress hormones – adrenaline and cortisone. These hormones increase blood pressure and prepare body to take actions in the situations. When we are able to handle stress situations the hormones in the blood are used up and results in reduce of stress effects. But if we fail to handle the stress situation the hormones are not used up then results in stress related
problems rapid heartbeats, dizziness and tense muscles. Stress can cause
irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, backaches, eating disorder, insomnia, allergies, fatigue and frequent cold. It can cause disease like diabetes, heart ailments, asthma and sometimes cancer etc. The techniques which could provide relaxation form stress are like physical exercises, meditation, listening music (not all types) etc.
Stress is not a bad feeling. Experts tell us that stress in moderate doses are necessary in life. Research suggests that stress can also increase and individual performance. Stress is the best defense system for our body in dangers. In challenging situations brain secretes stress hormones that prepare a person to fight or flee. With these stress hormones only body is prepared to react in pressure situation. Stress also reminds you for the nature of experiences from your life at various crossroads. The moral is that we can also work a stress condition to protect
ourselves from dangers and use it for our advantage.
The Dictionary meaning of stress is any affair requiring mental or physical energy. It is a condition which causes perturbation of both mental and physical health of Individual. It is a demand of circumstances on mind when mind tries to adjust with continual changes in life. Stress is not synonymous to negative conditions.
When we feel stress?
Everyone whether men, women or child suffers from stress at one or other point in their lives. We feel stress when we are dealing with our family problems. We feel stress when we are facing financial or health problems. We feel stress when we got stuck in traffic. Children feel stress in our school age and employees feel stress due to increasing workload.
How body manages stress?
Every person manages stress by their own methods. The way the person faces the stress situation depends upon the hormones. In stress situations the brain prepares for offence or defense by secreting stress hormones – adrenaline and cortisone. These hormones increase blood pressure and prepare body to take actions in the situations. When we are able to handle stress situations the hormones in the blood are used up and results in reduce of stress effects. But if we fail to handle the stress situation the hormones are not used up then results in stress related
problems rapid heartbeats, dizziness and tense muscles. Stress can cause
irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, backaches, eating disorder, insomnia, allergies, fatigue and frequent cold. It can cause disease like diabetes, heart ailments, asthma and sometimes cancer etc. The techniques which could provide relaxation form stress are like physical exercises, meditation, listening music (not all types) etc.
Stress is not a bad feeling. Experts tell us that stress in moderate doses are necessary in life. Research suggests that stress can also increase and individual performance. Stress is the best defense system for our body in dangers. In challenging situations brain secretes stress hormones that prepare a person to fight or flee. With these stress hormones only body is prepared to react in pressure situation. Stress also reminds you for the nature of experiences from your life at various crossroads. The moral is that we can also work a stress condition to protect
ourselves from dangers and use it for our advantage.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Choosing The Right Exercise For You
The type of exercise you do all depends on you and what you like to do. What you hate doing, paying membership fees, and whether or not to buy equipment are all things you need to consider as well as answer.
If you choose something that you don't like to do, you aren't going to keep doing it for a long period of time. Give it some thought - if you don't like jogging, you aren't going to get up at 6 AM and go running. If you can't find something you like to do, choose something you hate the least, which will normally be walking.
Walking is great exercise, as it suits all levels of fitness. Anyone can start a walking program at any time, it's normally the intensity and duration that differs. Walking is also a social exercise, as it isn't difficult to find a training partner
to chat with while you exercise. Walking with a partner will also make time go by faster.
No matter what exercise you choose, you should start at a low level of intensity and build it up over a period of weeks, which is essential to the longevity of your exercise program. If you start off too hard, you could end up with an injury
which will require time off to get over.
If you are really in bad shape, you should start off by walking for 10 minutes each day. Then, increase it by 5 minutes every 2 weeks. To make things more interesting, you should try walking a different course every few days. You can also
roster a different friend to walk with you each day of the week.
If walking isn't your thing, then you may want to try a fitness center. They have loads of variety and normally have trainers on hand to answer any questions you may have. When you choose a fitness center, make sure that they give good service.
If they aren't willing to treat you well before you join, then they certainly won't after you join. You should also make sure that the equipment they use is well taken care of. It's easy to find out, as all you have to do is listen to the machines. If they squeak a lot or make noise, then chances are they aren't being taken care of.
If you still aren't sure what you should do, then you should look into golf or tennis. Both are good social activities in most areas, and you can even meet new friends. Tennis is great for fitness although it isn't for someone who is just starting out. If you haven't exercised in a long time, then golf may be the best activity for you.
If you choose something that you don't like to do, you aren't going to keep doing it for a long period of time. Give it some thought - if you don't like jogging, you aren't going to get up at 6 AM and go running. If you can't find something you like to do, choose something you hate the least, which will normally be walking.
Walking is great exercise, as it suits all levels of fitness. Anyone can start a walking program at any time, it's normally the intensity and duration that differs. Walking is also a social exercise, as it isn't difficult to find a training partner
to chat with while you exercise. Walking with a partner will also make time go by faster.
No matter what exercise you choose, you should start at a low level of intensity and build it up over a period of weeks, which is essential to the longevity of your exercise program. If you start off too hard, you could end up with an injury
which will require time off to get over.
If you are really in bad shape, you should start off by walking for 10 minutes each day. Then, increase it by 5 minutes every 2 weeks. To make things more interesting, you should try walking a different course every few days. You can also
roster a different friend to walk with you each day of the week.
If walking isn't your thing, then you may want to try a fitness center. They have loads of variety and normally have trainers on hand to answer any questions you may have. When you choose a fitness center, make sure that they give good service.
If they aren't willing to treat you well before you join, then they certainly won't after you join. You should also make sure that the equipment they use is well taken care of. It's easy to find out, as all you have to do is listen to the machines. If they squeak a lot or make noise, then chances are they aren't being taken care of.
If you still aren't sure what you should do, then you should look into golf or tennis. Both are good social activities in most areas, and you can even meet new friends. Tennis is great for fitness although it isn't for someone who is just starting out. If you haven't exercised in a long time, then golf may be the best activity for you.
Alcohol And Exercise
On Friday afternoon after you leave work, you probably think about going out and having a few drinks with friends to relax and wind down. Even though you may think you deserve to go out and have a few drinks, there are some things that you should certainly keep in mind.
Like any other day, tomorrow is going to be a day for exercise, and since you are exercising on a regular basis, a few drinks of alcohol won't really hurt anything, right? Before you decide to rush out to the local bar, there are a few things below that you should think about before you make your choice about going out to drink some alcohol.
Research has proven that even small amounts of alcohol with increase muscular endurance and the output of strength, although these types of benefits are very short lived. After 20 minutes or so, the problems will begin to surface. All of the negative side effects associated with alcohol will easily outweigh any possible benefits that it can have. No matter how you look at it, alcohol is a poison
that can really harm your body if you aren't careful.
The negative side of alcohol can reduce your strength, endurance, aerobic capability, recovery time, ability to metabolize fat, and even your muscle growth as well. Alcohol will also have an effect on your nervous system and brain. If you
use it long term, you can cause severe deterioration of your central nervous system. Even with short term use, nerve muscle interaction can be reduced which will result in a loss of strength.
Once alcohol reaches the blood cells, it can and probably will damage them. With alcohol users, inflammation of the muscle cells is a very common thing. Over periods of time, some of these cells that have been damaged can die which will result
in less functional muscle contractions. Drinking alcohol will also leave you with more soreness of your muscles after you exercise, which means that it will take you a lot longer to recuperate.
Alcohol will also have many different effects on your heart and circulatory system as well. When you drink any type of alcohol, you may begin to see a reduction in your endurance capabilities. Anytime you drink, your heat loss will increase,
due to the alcohol simulating your blood vessels to dilate. The loss in heat can cause your muscles to become quite cold, therefore become slower and weaker during your muscle contractions.
Drinking alcohol can also lead to digestive and nutrition problems as well. Alcohol cause a release of insulin that will increase the metabolism of glycogen, which spares fat and makes the loss of fat very hard. Due to alcohol interfering with the absorption of several key nutrients, you can also become anemic and deficient with B type vitamins.
Because your liver is the organ that detoxifies alcohol, the more you drink, the harder your liver has to work. The extra stress alcohol places on your liver can cause serious damage and even destroy some of your liver cells.
Since alcohol is diuretic, drinking large amounts can put a lot of stress on your kidneys as well. During diuretic action, the hormones are secreted. This can lead to heightened water retention and no one who exercises will want this to happen.
If you must drink alcohol, you should do it in moderation and never drink before you exercise, as this will impair your balance, coordination, and also your judgement. Think about your health and how you exercise - and you may begin to look at things from a whole new prospective.
Like any other day, tomorrow is going to be a day for exercise, and since you are exercising on a regular basis, a few drinks of alcohol won't really hurt anything, right? Before you decide to rush out to the local bar, there are a few things below that you should think about before you make your choice about going out to drink some alcohol.
Research has proven that even small amounts of alcohol with increase muscular endurance and the output of strength, although these types of benefits are very short lived. After 20 minutes or so, the problems will begin to surface. All of the negative side effects associated with alcohol will easily outweigh any possible benefits that it can have. No matter how you look at it, alcohol is a poison
that can really harm your body if you aren't careful.
The negative side of alcohol can reduce your strength, endurance, aerobic capability, recovery time, ability to metabolize fat, and even your muscle growth as well. Alcohol will also have an effect on your nervous system and brain. If you
use it long term, you can cause severe deterioration of your central nervous system. Even with short term use, nerve muscle interaction can be reduced which will result in a loss of strength.
Once alcohol reaches the blood cells, it can and probably will damage them. With alcohol users, inflammation of the muscle cells is a very common thing. Over periods of time, some of these cells that have been damaged can die which will result
in less functional muscle contractions. Drinking alcohol will also leave you with more soreness of your muscles after you exercise, which means that it will take you a lot longer to recuperate.
Alcohol will also have many different effects on your heart and circulatory system as well. When you drink any type of alcohol, you may begin to see a reduction in your endurance capabilities. Anytime you drink, your heat loss will increase,
due to the alcohol simulating your blood vessels to dilate. The loss in heat can cause your muscles to become quite cold, therefore become slower and weaker during your muscle contractions.
Drinking alcohol can also lead to digestive and nutrition problems as well. Alcohol cause a release of insulin that will increase the metabolism of glycogen, which spares fat and makes the loss of fat very hard. Due to alcohol interfering with the absorption of several key nutrients, you can also become anemic and deficient with B type vitamins.
Because your liver is the organ that detoxifies alcohol, the more you drink, the harder your liver has to work. The extra stress alcohol places on your liver can cause serious damage and even destroy some of your liver cells.
Since alcohol is diuretic, drinking large amounts can put a lot of stress on your kidneys as well. During diuretic action, the hormones are secreted. This can lead to heightened water retention and no one who exercises will want this to happen.
If you must drink alcohol, you should do it in moderation and never drink before you exercise, as this will impair your balance, coordination, and also your judgement. Think about your health and how you exercise - and you may begin to look at things from a whole new prospective.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Eating And Exercise
Anytime you exercise, you do so in order to try and maintain good health. You also know that you have to eat as well, so your body will have the energy it needs to exercise and maintain for the everyday tasks of life. For making the best of your exercise, what you eat before and after you workout is very important.
No matter if you are going to be doing a cardio workout or a resistance workout, you should always make it a point to eat a balanced mix of protein and carbohydrates. What makes that determining percentage of carbs and protein you consume is whether or not you are doing cardio or resistance exercise and the intensity level that you plan to work at.
The ideal time for you to eat your pre workout meal is an hour before you start. If you plan to work at a low intensity level, you should keep your pre workout meal down to 200 calories or so. If you plan to exercise at a high level of intensity, you will probably need your meal to be between 4,000 and 5,000 calories.
Those of you who are doing a cardio session will need to consume a mix of 2/3 carbs and 1/3 protein. Doing so will give you longer sustained energy from the extra carbs with enough protein to keep your muscle from breaking down while you exercise.
For resistance exercise, you'll need to eat a mix of 1/3 carbs and 2/3 protein, as this will help you get plenty of energy from the carbs to perform each set you do and the extra protein will help keep muscle breakdown to a minimum while you
exercise.
Eating after you exercise is just as important as your pre workout meal. Anytime you exercise, whether its cardio or resistance, you deplete energy in the form of glycogen. The brain and central nervous system rely on glycogen as their main
source of fuel, so if you don't replace it after you exercise, your body will begin to break down muscle tissue into amino acids, and then convert them into usable fuel for the brain and the central nervous system.
Keep in mind that mostly during resistance exercise, you'll break down muscle tissue by creating micro tears. What this means, is that after a workout, your muscles will instantly go into repair mode. Protein is the key here for muscle repair, as you don't want muscle breaking down even further to create fuel instead of
lost glycogen.
Once you have finished a cardio session, you'll need to consume mainly carbohydrates, preferably those with high fiber. Rice, oatmeal, whole wheat
pasta, and northern fruits are excellent sources. Also, try to consume 30 - 50 grams of there types of carbs after you exercise. After your cardio workout, it is fine to eat within 5 - 10 minutes.
Once you've finished a resistance workout, you will need to consume a combination of carbs and protein. Unlike cardio workouts, resistance workouts will break down muscle tissue by creating micro tears.
You'll need protein as this happens to build up and repair these tears so that the muscle can increase in size and strength. The carbs will not only replace the lost muscle glycogen, but will also help the protein get into muscle cells so it can synthesize into structural protein, or the muscle itself.
After your resistance exercise, you should wait up to 30 minutes before you eat, so that you won't take blood away from your muscles too fast. The blood in your muscles will help the repair process by removing the metabolic waste products.
No matter if you are going to be doing a cardio workout or a resistance workout, you should always make it a point to eat a balanced mix of protein and carbohydrates. What makes that determining percentage of carbs and protein you consume is whether or not you are doing cardio or resistance exercise and the intensity level that you plan to work at.
The ideal time for you to eat your pre workout meal is an hour before you start. If you plan to work at a low intensity level, you should keep your pre workout meal down to 200 calories or so. If you plan to exercise at a high level of intensity, you will probably need your meal to be between 4,000 and 5,000 calories.
Those of you who are doing a cardio session will need to consume a mix of 2/3 carbs and 1/3 protein. Doing so will give you longer sustained energy from the extra carbs with enough protein to keep your muscle from breaking down while you exercise.
For resistance exercise, you'll need to eat a mix of 1/3 carbs and 2/3 protein, as this will help you get plenty of energy from the carbs to perform each set you do and the extra protein will help keep muscle breakdown to a minimum while you
exercise.
Eating after you exercise is just as important as your pre workout meal. Anytime you exercise, whether its cardio or resistance, you deplete energy in the form of glycogen. The brain and central nervous system rely on glycogen as their main
source of fuel, so if you don't replace it after you exercise, your body will begin to break down muscle tissue into amino acids, and then convert them into usable fuel for the brain and the central nervous system.
Keep in mind that mostly during resistance exercise, you'll break down muscle tissue by creating micro tears. What this means, is that after a workout, your muscles will instantly go into repair mode. Protein is the key here for muscle repair, as you don't want muscle breaking down even further to create fuel instead of
lost glycogen.
Once you have finished a cardio session, you'll need to consume mainly carbohydrates, preferably those with high fiber. Rice, oatmeal, whole wheat
pasta, and northern fruits are excellent sources. Also, try to consume 30 - 50 grams of there types of carbs after you exercise. After your cardio workout, it is fine to eat within 5 - 10 minutes.
Once you've finished a resistance workout, you will need to consume a combination of carbs and protein. Unlike cardio workouts, resistance workouts will break down muscle tissue by creating micro tears.
You'll need protein as this happens to build up and repair these tears so that the muscle can increase in size and strength. The carbs will not only replace the lost muscle glycogen, but will also help the protein get into muscle cells so it can synthesize into structural protein, or the muscle itself.
After your resistance exercise, you should wait up to 30 minutes before you eat, so that you won't take blood away from your muscles too fast. The blood in your muscles will help the repair process by removing the metabolic waste products.
Cardio Exercise
Everyone has wondered at some point in time which cardio exercise is better. To put it in simple terms, both low and high intensity exercises will help you to burn off body fat. The question here is which is the most effective to burn off more body fat.
When scientists first discovered that during intensive exercises, your body burns glycogen, which is a form of stored carbohydrates that are stored in your liver and muscles for energy. During low intensity exercises, your body will burn a lot of
fat.
If your wondering whether or not it works, the answer is no because there are so many obese people still around. Even though they are working out with low intensity routines, it still makes you wonder how it can be.
The scientists were right when they said the human body burns more body fat during low intensity exercises like walking or swimming. During a high intensity exercise such as running, the body will burn a lot more calories. Even if some of the calories burnt are from glycogen, there are still many fat calories burned as well.
To put the icing on the cake, when your store of glycogen gets low, the carbohydrates from your food you eat will later get converted into glycogen to fill up the store and won't be converted to body fat when they are left unused for energy.
High intensity cardio exercise will juice up your metabolism even after you have completed your workout. What this means, is that your body will continue to burn body fat hours after you have left the gym. This effect is nearly non existent in low intensity cardio or aerobic workout.
Accumulatively, your body will burn up more and more calories during and after you have finished a high intensity cardio exercise that it will with low intensity.
You can inject high intensity exercises into your cardio workout by introducing some interval training. You can walk for 5 minutes or so, then break into some jogging for another 5 minutes or so. Then, walk briskly again until you have caught your breath and then sprint for a minute before you walk again. From this point, simply
alternate your running and walking for the next 15 minutes until you are finished.
One of the best things about cardio is the more you do it, the more energy you'll have. Cardio will help you to burn calories, although its more useful for keeping your energy levels high.
If you've never tried cardio before, you should give it a shot. If you like to exercise, you'll find cardio the best way to boost your energy and keep in top shape. If you are just starting out, you'll want to go slow and keep your cardio exercise in track - as it is very easy to over exert yourself.
When scientists first discovered that during intensive exercises, your body burns glycogen, which is a form of stored carbohydrates that are stored in your liver and muscles for energy. During low intensity exercises, your body will burn a lot of
fat.
If your wondering whether or not it works, the answer is no because there are so many obese people still around. Even though they are working out with low intensity routines, it still makes you wonder how it can be.
The scientists were right when they said the human body burns more body fat during low intensity exercises like walking or swimming. During a high intensity exercise such as running, the body will burn a lot more calories. Even if some of the calories burnt are from glycogen, there are still many fat calories burned as well.
To put the icing on the cake, when your store of glycogen gets low, the carbohydrates from your food you eat will later get converted into glycogen to fill up the store and won't be converted to body fat when they are left unused for energy.
High intensity cardio exercise will juice up your metabolism even after you have completed your workout. What this means, is that your body will continue to burn body fat hours after you have left the gym. This effect is nearly non existent in low intensity cardio or aerobic workout.
Accumulatively, your body will burn up more and more calories during and after you have finished a high intensity cardio exercise that it will with low intensity.
You can inject high intensity exercises into your cardio workout by introducing some interval training. You can walk for 5 minutes or so, then break into some jogging for another 5 minutes or so. Then, walk briskly again until you have caught your breath and then sprint for a minute before you walk again. From this point, simply
alternate your running and walking for the next 15 minutes until you are finished.
One of the best things about cardio is the more you do it, the more energy you'll have. Cardio will help you to burn calories, although its more useful for keeping your energy levels high.
If you've never tried cardio before, you should give it a shot. If you like to exercise, you'll find cardio the best way to boost your energy and keep in top shape. If you are just starting out, you'll want to go slow and keep your cardio exercise in track - as it is very easy to over exert yourself.
Exercise For Diabetics
The most common types of diabetes are known as Type 1 and Type 2. The Type 1 diabetes, which is also known as adolescent diabetes, differs from Type 2 in the sense that the body will stop producing insulin altogether. Type 2 diabetes is normally diagnosed in older adults and occurs as the body stops producing enough insulin or the individual becomes resistant to their own body insulin.
No matter what form of diabetes it is, you'll lose your ability to adequately utilize sugar. The blood sugar levels will increase due to the body's difficulty in transporting sugar into the cells and out of the blood stream. There are several ways to lower your blood sugar levels, including diet, exercise, and medication.
As a whole, exercise is a very important part of diabetic management for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. Those that have Type 1 will find regular exercise helps to maintain insulin sensitivity, helps to prevent the accumulation of excess weight,
and also increases the use of glucose by muscles. Although there is really no way to prevent Type 1 diabetes, it is possible to prevent Type 2 diabetes.
The things to consider when you attempt to prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes are regular exercise supplementation with vitamins and herbs that will help to prevent insulin resistance and proper control of weight.
Not only with exercise help directly with diabetic management by lowering blood sugar levels and maintaining insulin sensitivity, but it will also help minimize several of the complications that can occur in a diabetic individual. Research has
shown that walking 30 minutes each day can diminish the possibility of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Almost all diabetics tend to develop circulatory problems and exercise can help lower blood pressure and improve circulation throughout the body. Seeing as how people with diabetes tend to have poor blood flow to their lower areas and feet, better circulation is a great benefit.
Even though there are risks associated with exercise, the potential benefits will outweigh the risks. Exercise does indeed lower blood sugar levels, so those with diabetes should measure their blood sugar both before and after they exercise. Since your body uses more sugar while you exercise and makes you more sensitive to
insulin, there is a risk of blood sugar becoming too low and causing hypoglycemia as a result.
Whenever you exercise, it is important to let others know that you are diabetic. They should also be informed about what they should do in case of hypoglycemia. To be on the safe side, you should always carry candy or fruit juice with you to treat low blood sugar when it occurs.
During and after you have exercised, you should pay very close attention about how you feel, since rapid heart beat, increased sweating, feeling shaky, or hunger can signal that your blood sugar levels are getting too low.
With diabetic management and treatment, exercise is very important. Exercise will help with blood sugar control when the muscles use more glucose and the body becomes more sensitive to insulin. Exercise will also help to prevent and minimize
common diabetic complications which include heart problems, high blood pressure, and circulatory deficiencies.
If you are a diabetic, exercise should be part of your daily routine. You should always exercise at a slow pace and never overdo it. Also, you should be sure to exercise around people you know or at a gym, so there will always be people around
you in case something goes wrong. Being a diabetic doesn't have to hinder your life or your performance, as exercise can help you get your life back on track and heading in the right direction - the healthy direction.
No matter what form of diabetes it is, you'll lose your ability to adequately utilize sugar. The blood sugar levels will increase due to the body's difficulty in transporting sugar into the cells and out of the blood stream. There are several ways to lower your blood sugar levels, including diet, exercise, and medication.
As a whole, exercise is a very important part of diabetic management for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. Those that have Type 1 will find regular exercise helps to maintain insulin sensitivity, helps to prevent the accumulation of excess weight,
and also increases the use of glucose by muscles. Although there is really no way to prevent Type 1 diabetes, it is possible to prevent Type 2 diabetes.
The things to consider when you attempt to prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes are regular exercise supplementation with vitamins and herbs that will help to prevent insulin resistance and proper control of weight.
Not only with exercise help directly with diabetic management by lowering blood sugar levels and maintaining insulin sensitivity, but it will also help minimize several of the complications that can occur in a diabetic individual. Research has
shown that walking 30 minutes each day can diminish the possibility of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Almost all diabetics tend to develop circulatory problems and exercise can help lower blood pressure and improve circulation throughout the body. Seeing as how people with diabetes tend to have poor blood flow to their lower areas and feet, better circulation is a great benefit.
Even though there are risks associated with exercise, the potential benefits will outweigh the risks. Exercise does indeed lower blood sugar levels, so those with diabetes should measure their blood sugar both before and after they exercise. Since your body uses more sugar while you exercise and makes you more sensitive to
insulin, there is a risk of blood sugar becoming too low and causing hypoglycemia as a result.
Whenever you exercise, it is important to let others know that you are diabetic. They should also be informed about what they should do in case of hypoglycemia. To be on the safe side, you should always carry candy or fruit juice with you to treat low blood sugar when it occurs.
During and after you have exercised, you should pay very close attention about how you feel, since rapid heart beat, increased sweating, feeling shaky, or hunger can signal that your blood sugar levels are getting too low.
With diabetic management and treatment, exercise is very important. Exercise will help with blood sugar control when the muscles use more glucose and the body becomes more sensitive to insulin. Exercise will also help to prevent and minimize
common diabetic complications which include heart problems, high blood pressure, and circulatory deficiencies.
If you are a diabetic, exercise should be part of your daily routine. You should always exercise at a slow pace and never overdo it. Also, you should be sure to exercise around people you know or at a gym, so there will always be people around
you in case something goes wrong. Being a diabetic doesn't have to hinder your life or your performance, as exercise can help you get your life back on track and heading in the right direction - the healthy direction.
Exercise Back Pain Away
According to past research and studies, nearly 80% of all Americans will experience some type of back pain in their lives. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons believes this as well, as they say 80% of us out there will encounter some type of problem with our back before we die.
Traditionally, the treatment for lower back pain is increasing core strength to increase flexibility on muscles that are tight, which will provide better stabilization of the spine and exercises to correct the imbalances of the muscles. The muscles that surround the spine will provide stability and support of the spinal column.
Every muscle between the hips and shoulders are included as well, as these muscles are referred to as the core muscles. Back pain can be a result of muscle imbalances caused by any of these core muscles. If the back of your thighs are weaker than the front of your thighs, there will be an uneven pull on the front of your spinal column.
There are some effective ways that you can integrate core strength training exercises into all of the exercises you perform, rather than doing just the traditional crunches and sit-ups. One such way is by breathing effectively. Deep breathing will utilize your diaphragm muscles which will help support the spinal column and lengthen the spine, which is great for your lower back and supporting
you when you walk or run.
The tummy tuck and bridge lift can also help you to reduce back pain and strengthen the core muscles as well. The tummy tuck exercise is a simple pelvic tilt that draws the abdominal muscles away from the floor. Do perform a tummy tuck, simply lie face down on the floor and squeeze your glutes to strengthen your spine.
Instead of pressing into your thighs, you should instead reach your tailbone down towards your heels. Perform 15 reps of each exercise and alternate them until you have completed a couple of sets.
For the bridge, place your feet on a bench or on the floor and scoop your pelvis upward, as your rib cage should stay low to reduce any irritation to your spinal muscles. The bridge will help to relieve stress on your back and focus the muscle
contractions into the glutes and the hamstrings.
Other exercises for lower back pain are the lumbar side stretch, hip flexor stretch, and calf stretches, as all three can help to alleviate pull on your spinal column.
Hip flexor stretch
When doing a hip flexor stretch, bring one foot forward in a bent knee, 90 degree angle, while your other leg is on the floor behind you with your foot pointed upwards toward the ceiling. The hip flexor stretch will help to open up the muscles of your back on the side of the spine near your hips. You can also squeeze your glutes as well to deepen the stretch with each breath you exhale. You should begin to feel a stretch in your back leg, in the thigh front and the hamstrings on your front leg.
Lumbar side stretch
This stretch will bring your legs wide with your knees bent while you sit or stand. Simply bring one hand down towards your foot on the inside of the thighs and your other hand behind your head. The last stretch will open up your Achilles tendon,
which is the most distant pull on the spine. For this, place an object under your foot and lean the weight of your body forwards. Maintain a fluid breath while you hold stretches for 30 seconds or so. After a while, you should begin to feel a
stretch behind your knee and shin.
Traditionally, the treatment for lower back pain is increasing core strength to increase flexibility on muscles that are tight, which will provide better stabilization of the spine and exercises to correct the imbalances of the muscles. The muscles that surround the spine will provide stability and support of the spinal column.
Every muscle between the hips and shoulders are included as well, as these muscles are referred to as the core muscles. Back pain can be a result of muscle imbalances caused by any of these core muscles. If the back of your thighs are weaker than the front of your thighs, there will be an uneven pull on the front of your spinal column.
There are some effective ways that you can integrate core strength training exercises into all of the exercises you perform, rather than doing just the traditional crunches and sit-ups. One such way is by breathing effectively. Deep breathing will utilize your diaphragm muscles which will help support the spinal column and lengthen the spine, which is great for your lower back and supporting
you when you walk or run.
The tummy tuck and bridge lift can also help you to reduce back pain and strengthen the core muscles as well. The tummy tuck exercise is a simple pelvic tilt that draws the abdominal muscles away from the floor. Do perform a tummy tuck, simply lie face down on the floor and squeeze your glutes to strengthen your spine.
Instead of pressing into your thighs, you should instead reach your tailbone down towards your heels. Perform 15 reps of each exercise and alternate them until you have completed a couple of sets.
For the bridge, place your feet on a bench or on the floor and scoop your pelvis upward, as your rib cage should stay low to reduce any irritation to your spinal muscles. The bridge will help to relieve stress on your back and focus the muscle
contractions into the glutes and the hamstrings.
Other exercises for lower back pain are the lumbar side stretch, hip flexor stretch, and calf stretches, as all three can help to alleviate pull on your spinal column.
Hip flexor stretch
When doing a hip flexor stretch, bring one foot forward in a bent knee, 90 degree angle, while your other leg is on the floor behind you with your foot pointed upwards toward the ceiling. The hip flexor stretch will help to open up the muscles of your back on the side of the spine near your hips. You can also squeeze your glutes as well to deepen the stretch with each breath you exhale. You should begin to feel a stretch in your back leg, in the thigh front and the hamstrings on your front leg.
Lumbar side stretch
This stretch will bring your legs wide with your knees bent while you sit or stand. Simply bring one hand down towards your foot on the inside of the thighs and your other hand behind your head. The last stretch will open up your Achilles tendon,
which is the most distant pull on the spine. For this, place an object under your foot and lean the weight of your body forwards. Maintain a fluid breath while you hold stretches for 30 seconds or so. After a while, you should begin to feel a
stretch behind your knee and shin.
Exercise And Your Complexion
As we all know and hear all the time, exercise can do a body good. It can help you to stay trim, tone muscles, and help to boost energy as well. What you probably don't know, is the fact that exercise can actually help you achieve the complexion that you've always wanted.
It's true that regular exercise will nourish the skin all over the body with fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients. As well, the increased blood flow and circulation that come with working out will help to draw toxins out of the body and improve the condition of all your vital organs, including the epidermis.
A lot of people think that sweat can trigger acne flare ups. The fact is, sweating is great for any type of congested skin, as it helps promote the flushing of impurities from the epidermal layer and will clean out the pores. As well, vigorous
exercise can actually correct the hormonal imbalances that can trigger blemishes, therefore reducing the likelihood of outbreaks.
Any physical routine that you like to do, such as yoga, running, biking, spinning, pilates, boxing, and such, will help to lessen the stress that you encounter on a daily basis and help to prevent stress related acne.
Keep in mind that exercise may not be a miracle cure for everything, as you may still experience breakouts from time to time although your acne will certainly be less severe and last for a much shorter time frame.
Exercise is also great for other skin conditions that may or may not have to do with the presence of acne. Your skin losing its elasticity or becoming thin and less resilient is something that we all encounter. This is a common problem for may of
us as we get older.
As we all get older, we start to lose collagen,which will make us look tired. As many of us don't know, physical activity can actually help to promote the growth of collagen in your skin cells, which will plump up your facial skin and make you look younger and more vibrant.
If you are worried about wrinkles, you should consider relaxation that comes after you exercise. This has the effect of making your muscles, facial muscles included, soften up. What this means, is that your lines will appear less pronounced, helping to contribute to the youthful look that you are trying to achieve.
With exercise you can achieve a smaller waist, better muscle tone, softer skin, fewer blemishes, and an overall younger, more fresher look. If you've wanted to add or change to your complexion, you shouldn't hesitate to exercise. Exercise will help you feel more alive as well as improve your body. All you need to do is take a little bit of time out of your schedule to exercise - its as simple as that.
It's true that regular exercise will nourish the skin all over the body with fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients. As well, the increased blood flow and circulation that come with working out will help to draw toxins out of the body and improve the condition of all your vital organs, including the epidermis.
A lot of people think that sweat can trigger acne flare ups. The fact is, sweating is great for any type of congested skin, as it helps promote the flushing of impurities from the epidermal layer and will clean out the pores. As well, vigorous
exercise can actually correct the hormonal imbalances that can trigger blemishes, therefore reducing the likelihood of outbreaks.
Any physical routine that you like to do, such as yoga, running, biking, spinning, pilates, boxing, and such, will help to lessen the stress that you encounter on a daily basis and help to prevent stress related acne.
Keep in mind that exercise may not be a miracle cure for everything, as you may still experience breakouts from time to time although your acne will certainly be less severe and last for a much shorter time frame.
Exercise is also great for other skin conditions that may or may not have to do with the presence of acne. Your skin losing its elasticity or becoming thin and less resilient is something that we all encounter. This is a common problem for may of
us as we get older.
As we all get older, we start to lose collagen,which will make us look tired. As many of us don't know, physical activity can actually help to promote the growth of collagen in your skin cells, which will plump up your facial skin and make you look younger and more vibrant.
If you are worried about wrinkles, you should consider relaxation that comes after you exercise. This has the effect of making your muscles, facial muscles included, soften up. What this means, is that your lines will appear less pronounced, helping to contribute to the youthful look that you are trying to achieve.
With exercise you can achieve a smaller waist, better muscle tone, softer skin, fewer blemishes, and an overall younger, more fresher look. If you've wanted to add or change to your complexion, you shouldn't hesitate to exercise. Exercise will help you feel more alive as well as improve your body. All you need to do is take a little bit of time out of your schedule to exercise - its as simple as that.
Exercise And Sleeping Better
The amount of physical exercise that you exert during the day is one of the key ingredients to helping you get a good sleep at night. The more active your body is during the day, the more likely you are to relax at night and fall asleep faster.
With regular exercise you'll notice that your quality of sleep is improved and the transition between the cycles and phases of sleep will become smoother and more regular. By keeping up your physical activity during the day, you may find it easier to deal with the stress and worries of your life.
Research and studies indicate that there is a direct correlation between how much we exercise and how we feel afterwards.
You should try and increase your physical activity during the day. The goal here is to give your body enough stimulation during the day so that you aren't full of energy at night.
Your body requires a certain amount of physical activity in order to keep unctioning in a healthy manner. It is also important to note that you should not be exercising three or four hours before you go to bed.
The ideal exercise time is in the late afternoon or early evening. You want to make sure you expend your physical energy long before it is time for your body to rest and ready itself for sleep.
You should attempt to exercise at least three or four times a week for a period of 30 minutes or so. You can include walking or something simple. If you prefer, you can include strenuous activities such as running as well.
The goal here is to increase your heart rate and strengthen the capacity of your lungs. By adding a regular exercise activity to your daily schedule will help you to improve your overall health and help you emotionally as well.
Along with running and walking there are several other physical activities that you can add to your daily life to increase your level of physical activity. If you are battling not sleeping, you'll find aerobic exercise to be the best.
Your goal with exercise is to increase the amount of oxygen that reaches your blood stream. Overall, there are many types of aerobic exercise for you to choose from. The activities include running, biking, using a treadmill, dancing, and jumping
rope.
There are some non aerobic exercises that you may find beneficial to help you solve your amnesia problem.
Yoga
Yoga is an exercise that has a stimulatory effect on your nervous system, especially the brain. Yoga utilizes breathing techniques and yoga postures to increase the blood circulation to the brain, promoting regular and restful sleeping patterns. The regular practice of yoga will help you to relax as well as relieve tension and stress.
Tai Chi
Tai Chi is an ancient art of breathing and movement that was developed by the Chinese monks. The movements involved are slow and precise, which is ideal if you have joint pains or you are unable to participate in high aerobic exercises. Research has shown that Tai Chi can help with insomnia by promoting relaxation.
If you discover that you don't have any time to exercise on a regular basis, you should try to sneak moments of activity into your schedule. Whenever possible, you should take the stairs instead of the elevator, as little things like that will do wonders for your body.
You should also park your car around the corner and walk that extra block or two to get to your destination. As you may know, there are many small things you can add to increase the activity in your life. Your overall goal here is to have a healthy and well balanced life - with plenty of sleep.
With regular exercise you'll notice that your quality of sleep is improved and the transition between the cycles and phases of sleep will become smoother and more regular. By keeping up your physical activity during the day, you may find it easier to deal with the stress and worries of your life.
Research and studies indicate that there is a direct correlation between how much we exercise and how we feel afterwards.
You should try and increase your physical activity during the day. The goal here is to give your body enough stimulation during the day so that you aren't full of energy at night.
Your body requires a certain amount of physical activity in order to keep unctioning in a healthy manner. It is also important to note that you should not be exercising three or four hours before you go to bed.
The ideal exercise time is in the late afternoon or early evening. You want to make sure you expend your physical energy long before it is time for your body to rest and ready itself for sleep.
You should attempt to exercise at least three or four times a week for a period of 30 minutes or so. You can include walking or something simple. If you prefer, you can include strenuous activities such as running as well.
The goal here is to increase your heart rate and strengthen the capacity of your lungs. By adding a regular exercise activity to your daily schedule will help you to improve your overall health and help you emotionally as well.
Along with running and walking there are several other physical activities that you can add to your daily life to increase your level of physical activity. If you are battling not sleeping, you'll find aerobic exercise to be the best.
Your goal with exercise is to increase the amount of oxygen that reaches your blood stream. Overall, there are many types of aerobic exercise for you to choose from. The activities include running, biking, using a treadmill, dancing, and jumping
rope.
There are some non aerobic exercises that you may find beneficial to help you solve your amnesia problem.
Yoga
Yoga is an exercise that has a stimulatory effect on your nervous system, especially the brain. Yoga utilizes breathing techniques and yoga postures to increase the blood circulation to the brain, promoting regular and restful sleeping patterns. The regular practice of yoga will help you to relax as well as relieve tension and stress.
Tai Chi
Tai Chi is an ancient art of breathing and movement that was developed by the Chinese monks. The movements involved are slow and precise, which is ideal if you have joint pains or you are unable to participate in high aerobic exercises. Research has shown that Tai Chi can help with insomnia by promoting relaxation.
If you discover that you don't have any time to exercise on a regular basis, you should try to sneak moments of activity into your schedule. Whenever possible, you should take the stairs instead of the elevator, as little things like that will do wonders for your body.
You should also park your car around the corner and walk that extra block or two to get to your destination. As you may know, there are many small things you can add to increase the activity in your life. Your overall goal here is to have a healthy and well balanced life - with plenty of sleep.
Exercise And Asthma
If you suffer from asthma, you probably think that you can't exercise properly or safely. Contrary to what many think of this subject, there are ways that you
can get in shape and exercise, even if you suffer from asthma.
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that is marked by characteristics such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Asthma tends to occur with people who are genetically or environmentally presdisposed to the condition.
Some of the triggers that may start or make an attack worse include exposure to allergens, viral respiratory infections, airway irritants, exercise, and exposure
to things such as dust mites or cockroaches.
You can prevent asthma attacks by doing the following:
Now that you know what you know about asthma, you may be wondering where exercise fits in. As most doctors will tell you, you shouldn't give up on sports or exercise at all. You just have to be smart about how you play and take special pre
cautions to avoid attacks.
Almost all doctors agree that the best way to prevent attacks during exercise is to keep your inhaler and medication close by. You should never use the inhaler more than 3 times during a game or exercise session. If you are up the previous
night with coughing and wheezing, it's always best to go light with your exercise the next day.
For something known as IEA (Exercise Induced Asthma), the symptoms are somewhat different, in the fact that they appear after 6 - 10 minutes of exercise
and will often be worse in cold or dry air.
If you have IEA, there are several activities that you can enjoy such as swimming, walking, biking, downhill skiing, and team based sports. There are many activities for you to choose from, to ensure you get the exercise you need as well.
Keep in mind that the condition of asthma isn't "all in your head", it is a real physiological medical treatment that will require treatment to prevent and treat. Even though your doctor will be your best friend in treating asthma, you are
the one who can prevent your symptoms.
Always be smart, take your medication, and be proactive. Don't let it put you in a life of misery - as you can enjoy exercise just like everyone else.
can get in shape and exercise, even if you suffer from asthma.
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that is marked by characteristics such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Asthma tends to occur with people who are genetically or environmentally presdisposed to the condition.
Some of the triggers that may start or make an attack worse include exposure to allergens, viral respiratory infections, airway irritants, exercise, and exposure
to things such as dust mites or cockroaches.
You can prevent asthma attacks by doing the following:
1. Bathe your pets weekly.
2. Don't smoke or permit smoking in your home.
3. When mold or pollent counts are high,you should stay inside with air conditioning.
4. Wash your bedding and any stuffed toys at least once per week in hot water.
5. Wash your hands every chance you get.
6. Get a flu shot.
7. Wear a scarf over your mouth and nose in the winter months.
8. Be proactive and know your triggers and how you should avoid them.
Now that you know what you know about asthma, you may be wondering where exercise fits in. As most doctors will tell you, you shouldn't give up on sports or exercise at all. You just have to be smart about how you play and take special pre
cautions to avoid attacks.
Almost all doctors agree that the best way to prevent attacks during exercise is to keep your inhaler and medication close by. You should never use the inhaler more than 3 times during a game or exercise session. If you are up the previous
night with coughing and wheezing, it's always best to go light with your exercise the next day.
For something known as IEA (Exercise Induced Asthma), the symptoms are somewhat different, in the fact that they appear after 6 - 10 minutes of exercise
and will often be worse in cold or dry air.
If you have IEA, there are several activities that you can enjoy such as swimming, walking, biking, downhill skiing, and team based sports. There are many activities for you to choose from, to ensure you get the exercise you need as well.
Keep in mind that the condition of asthma isn't "all in your head", it is a real physiological medical treatment that will require treatment to prevent and treat. Even though your doctor will be your best friend in treating asthma, you are
the one who can prevent your symptoms.
Always be smart, take your medication, and be proactive. Don't let it put you in a life of misery - as you can enjoy exercise just like everyone else.
Exercise And Harm
Anytime you exercise, your brain releases chemicals known as endorphins that produce a feeling of euphoria, which is known as "runners high", which is also very
easy to become chemically addicted to.
Without this rush, you'll feel irritable and out of it until you exercise again. Therefore, you'll go on exercising and not listen to what your body is actually telling you - which is to stop.
The main reason addicts will continue to push themselves lies in what will happen when they don't work out. Normally when they are unable to exercise, they will
display signs of depression, anxiety, confusion, and be less happy with themselves.
Aches and pains
Over exercising doesn't only affect the mind, but the body as well. Exercise will initially do what it is intended to do, give you a fit body but once you cross the line however, it can drastic. Muscle damage, osteoarthritis, and heart problems will all be waiting in the wings if you continue to overdo it. The body has limits and if you push beyond that limit, you'll do nothing but harm yourself.
Obsessive exercise tends to happen among those who are new to exercise. Therefore, if you are keen to reap the benefits of getting fit, you'll tend to overstep the limits.
The initial signs of over exercise are exhaustion, which can lead to a build up of fatigue. Keep in mind, it isn't only the muscles that are at risk, but the bones as well. Many people who exercise push themselves to the point of injuries such as
shin splints or even stress fractures, then refuse to rest, which causes greater and sometimes even permanent damage.
Even a brisk walk in the morning doesn't come without risk, as walking too much can lead to osteoarthritis. When you walk, you are working against gravity. Even though you are exercising your muscles, you are also harming your knee joints
as well.
Many people who walk up to an hour or more everyday end up with complaints of aches in the knees. The fact is, jogging also harms the knees, and too many sit ups can hurt as well. As with any type of exercise, moderation is the key.
You should always start off gradually, and combine several different types of workouts, which is one thing that obsessive exercisers forget to do. One of the biggest complication factors of people who get addicted to exercise is that they will tend to perform the same workout each and every day, which further increases the risk of permanent damage.
Think right
You should never work out to the point where you feel completely exhausted once you have finished. Your limit with exercise should be 45 minutes to an hour, four or five days a week. When you are finished, your workout should leave you feeling
fresh and energetic. Every week should make it a point to take a day's break - as your body will need to relax and rejuvenate.
The key to achieving this completely lies in your attitude, as exercising is the way to a healthy life. If you do it only to please yourself, you'll defeat the entire purpose when you stand there on the weighing machine.
If you take things one day at a time and don't over do it, you'll be well on your way to a healthy body. Exercising can be a lot of fun and a way to relax, if you don't rush it. Start off slow and gradually work your way up. Before you know it,
you'll know how to prevent injuries before they happen and you'll know exactly what you need to do to remain healthy.
easy to become chemically addicted to.
Without this rush, you'll feel irritable and out of it until you exercise again. Therefore, you'll go on exercising and not listen to what your body is actually telling you - which is to stop.
The main reason addicts will continue to push themselves lies in what will happen when they don't work out. Normally when they are unable to exercise, they will
display signs of depression, anxiety, confusion, and be less happy with themselves.
Aches and pains
Over exercising doesn't only affect the mind, but the body as well. Exercise will initially do what it is intended to do, give you a fit body but once you cross the line however, it can drastic. Muscle damage, osteoarthritis, and heart problems will all be waiting in the wings if you continue to overdo it. The body has limits and if you push beyond that limit, you'll do nothing but harm yourself.
Obsessive exercise tends to happen among those who are new to exercise. Therefore, if you are keen to reap the benefits of getting fit, you'll tend to overstep the limits.
The initial signs of over exercise are exhaustion, which can lead to a build up of fatigue. Keep in mind, it isn't only the muscles that are at risk, but the bones as well. Many people who exercise push themselves to the point of injuries such as
shin splints or even stress fractures, then refuse to rest, which causes greater and sometimes even permanent damage.
Even a brisk walk in the morning doesn't come without risk, as walking too much can lead to osteoarthritis. When you walk, you are working against gravity. Even though you are exercising your muscles, you are also harming your knee joints
as well.
Many people who walk up to an hour or more everyday end up with complaints of aches in the knees. The fact is, jogging also harms the knees, and too many sit ups can hurt as well. As with any type of exercise, moderation is the key.
You should always start off gradually, and combine several different types of workouts, which is one thing that obsessive exercisers forget to do. One of the biggest complication factors of people who get addicted to exercise is that they will tend to perform the same workout each and every day, which further increases the risk of permanent damage.
Think right
You should never work out to the point where you feel completely exhausted once you have finished. Your limit with exercise should be 45 minutes to an hour, four or five days a week. When you are finished, your workout should leave you feeling
fresh and energetic. Every week should make it a point to take a day's break - as your body will need to relax and rejuvenate.
The key to achieving this completely lies in your attitude, as exercising is the way to a healthy life. If you do it only to please yourself, you'll defeat the entire purpose when you stand there on the weighing machine.
If you take things one day at a time and don't over do it, you'll be well on your way to a healthy body. Exercising can be a lot of fun and a way to relax, if you don't rush it. Start off slow and gradually work your way up. Before you know it,
you'll know how to prevent injuries before they happen and you'll know exactly what you need to do to remain healthy.
Chidren And Exercise
If you have a child of 6 to 8 years old that wants to start exercising and lifting weights, you may find yourself wondering what you should do. While some think it is perfectly fine for children to exercise, there are others that think differently.
The long and short of it is that yes, it is beneficial for your child to partake in exercise or a weight training regimen although there are a few things that you should keep in mind once this starts to happen.
No matter how you look at it, children aren't minature adults and therefore you can't use the same methods with growing children that you can use with adults, as children are different from adults emotionally, anatomically, and physiologically.
All children have immature skeletons, as their bones don't mature until they get 14 - 22 years of age. With girls, exercise during childhood can have very critical effects on bone health that can last for their entire lives.
Children are often times vulnerable to growth related overuse injuries such as Osgood schlatter disease. Children have immature temperature regulation systems due to their having a large surface area compared to their muscle mass which will cause them to be more susceptible to injury when they aren't properly warmed up.
Children don't sweat as much as adults do, so they will be more susceptible to heat exhaustion as well as a heat stroke. Due to their low muscle mass and immature hormone system, it makes it harder for them to develop strength and speed.
Their breathing and heart response during exercise are also different from an adults, which will affect their capacity for exercise.
On the other hand, young boys and girls can drastically improve their strength with weight training although opposed to adults, neurological factors instead of muscle growth factors are mostly responsible.
When you consider programs for children, first and foremost you should obtain a medical clearance. The first approach to designing a program is to establish a repetition range of 8 - 12 and keep the work load appropriate for the range.
You should ensure that workouts are spread out enough to have at least 1 - 2 full days of rest between workouts. The main focus when working out should be on the form of every exercise performed, and not on the amount of weight being lifted.
Before weight training, warm up and stretching should be done. Start your children off with light loads and then make adjustments accordingly. No more than 3 non consecutive exercise sessions should be done in a week. You should also see to
it that they drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercise. Getting enough water is very important with exercise, as it is often times very easy to get dehydrated - especially with children.
The long and short of it is that yes, it is beneficial for your child to partake in exercise or a weight training regimen although there are a few things that you should keep in mind once this starts to happen.
No matter how you look at it, children aren't minature adults and therefore you can't use the same methods with growing children that you can use with adults, as children are different from adults emotionally, anatomically, and physiologically.
All children have immature skeletons, as their bones don't mature until they get 14 - 22 years of age. With girls, exercise during childhood can have very critical effects on bone health that can last for their entire lives.
Children are often times vulnerable to growth related overuse injuries such as Osgood schlatter disease. Children have immature temperature regulation systems due to their having a large surface area compared to their muscle mass which will cause them to be more susceptible to injury when they aren't properly warmed up.
Children don't sweat as much as adults do, so they will be more susceptible to heat exhaustion as well as a heat stroke. Due to their low muscle mass and immature hormone system, it makes it harder for them to develop strength and speed.
Their breathing and heart response during exercise are also different from an adults, which will affect their capacity for exercise.
On the other hand, young boys and girls can drastically improve their strength with weight training although opposed to adults, neurological factors instead of muscle growth factors are mostly responsible.
When you consider programs for children, first and foremost you should obtain a medical clearance. The first approach to designing a program is to establish a repetition range of 8 - 12 and keep the work load appropriate for the range.
You should ensure that workouts are spread out enough to have at least 1 - 2 full days of rest between workouts. The main focus when working out should be on the form of every exercise performed, and not on the amount of weight being lifted.
Before weight training, warm up and stretching should be done. Start your children off with light loads and then make adjustments accordingly. No more than 3 non consecutive exercise sessions should be done in a week. You should also see to
it that they drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercise. Getting enough water is very important with exercise, as it is often times very easy to get dehydrated - especially with children.
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