By Blue Rose on Sunday, 23 of August , 2009 at 8:45 am
Starting your day with a few stretching exercises not only increase your flexibility and blood circulation, it also prepares your body for the rest of the day. “Wired as an instinct from our hunting days, morning stretching prepares our body for our daily tasks,” says physical therapist Rosauro Peciller, Jr. After six to eight hours of rest from the night before, our bodies need a wake-up call, signaling that it’s time for some work. “This simple act renews blood supply to our muscles and stimulates joint lubrication to allow ease in movement,” says Peciller. To maximize each stretch, make sure to follow these steps:
Warm up – rev up your muscles by ding light aerobic exercise for five minutes (like jogging or walking in place) before stretching to prevent you from straining your muscles.
Don’t go over board – gently ease yourself into the stretch and relax (don’t push too hard or bounce!). You’re after a stretch in the muscle – not pain.
Breathe right – don’t hold your breath! Inhale deeply while preparing to do the stretch, exhale as you execute it.
Hold it – keep the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds. Any shorter and you wont get any benefit from the stretch, but longer than that might cause injury.
Get into it – close your eyes and stay with it. Enjoy the warm feeling that comes with a good stretch (instead of rushing off to the next one).
By Blue Rose on Monday, 3 of August , 2009 at 4:48 pm
Do favors to your body – stop crimping on the sleep you deserve
In the same light as time, love, and chocolate, sleeps has become one of many luxuries in life a lot of people long to have more of. But nowadays, people are sleeping 20 percent less compared to the last century. Does this mean we are making better use of out time because we don’t sleep as much anymore? Apparently, the answer is no.
8 is the magic number – It’s been stated time and again that, eight hours is the ideal length of time for a good night’s sleep. But there are natural born short sleepers who will survive just fine with four to five hours of sleep (Martha Stewart, for example), just as there are natural born long sleepers who will need more than eight. The right amount of sleep should be able to accommodate protein synthesis in the most efficient way. It is during our sleep that the growth hormone is secreted and protein anabolism occurs for our skin repairs, nails, bones, cartilages, ligaments, and hair growth – making it vital that we are all sleeping soundly at night. That is why most of the men and women ages 40 and up are losing hairs, because during that age gap they can’t sleep normal as before. Reasons, well it’s up for you to think.
Shattering sleep myths – many myths tends to get in the way of a healthy attitude towards sleep. The paradigm must be shifted to make the most of the one-third of our lives spent under the comforter – making it important to set the following misconceptions straight:
- Sleep is a waste of time. Many people complain that they could accomplish so much if they used the time they spend sleeping for something else. But it is through a good night’s sleep that we can repair and recharge our minds and bodies to function efficiently and creatively during the day when we are awake.
- You can learn to need less sleep. If one can wear contacts to change the color of their eyes, or wear a girdle to keep love handles in place, it’s not the same for sleep. Just like DNA, we are all born with a sleep capacity and need. “Training” one-self to get by on less rest equals walking through life like a sleep-deprived zombie.
- Falling asleep quickly means you have well sleep habits. According to specialist Michael Thorpy, director of the Sleep-Wake Disorder Center at New York’s Montefiore medical Center, people who say “I can sleep anytime, anywhere”, actually have a pathological tendency for sleep problems. “Most people take about 12 minutes to drop off at night. Anything less than five indicates serious sleep debt,” says psychologist Donald B. Weaver of Dallas’ Sleep Medicine Institute at Presbyterian Hospital.
- Afternoon naps are sign of laziness. Our body’s alertness level naturally hits a low between two to four o’clock in the afternoon. Like taking an aspirin for headaches, naps are a good solution to feeling tired.
- A heavy lunch will bring on the urge to nap. The notion that a big meal will lead to a sleeping spree is false. This is so, though not because of the meal, but because of the natural dip of alertness during the mid afternoon hours and the craving to make up for overall sleep deprivation.
- Spicy food causes bad dreams. According to Rosalind Cartwright, director of the Sleep Disorder Service and Research Center at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago, “There is no relation between food and dreams.” Indigestion, however, can easily wake one up abruptly from sleep and if this happens right after a specific dream, you will most likely remember it. (Though an uncomfortable stomach plus an extreme dose of dreaming can, indeed, feel like a nightmare).
Sleep doesn’t have to be an indulgence or a weekend treats. We must alter our perceptions and re-educate ourselves on the value of sleep as a necessary part of our daily lives. Just like exercise and eating right, sleeping is an integral part of the entire wellness cycle – and vital to living our waking hours to the fullest.
By Blue Rose on Wednesday, 13 of May , 2009 at 4:52 pm
The first stage in solving stress-inducing problems is to define them clearly. Ask yourself whether a problem is related to a particular situation or is a general reaction. For, example, is it all criticism that upsets you, or only criticism from particular people? Look, too, for the reasons underlying other people’s reactions rather than assuming that it is you who are at fault. Then think out a wide range of possible solutions, rejecting those that you know from experience do not work. Do not delude yourself into thinking that if you try hard enough, a chosen solution must work. This is not true. It is the quality of effort involved in seeking out feasible solutions, not the amount, that is important.
Next strategies in dealing with stress are learning to relax and learning to modify your behavior in order to avoid stress or alleviate it. Relaxation helps reduce stress by distracting your mind from stress-provoking thoughts. It also helps to counter the effects of the “fight or flight” (means if your ready to face the danger-fight, if you run away-flight) reaction. Learning to relax takes considerable practice, and mastery comes slowly.
As an alternative to physical relaxation, use your imagination. For example, imagine a pleasant, peaceful scene, such as a sunny, deserted beach. Close your eyes and concentrate on all the colors, smells, and sounds. Put yourself in the picture in a relaxed position. Continue imagining yourself on the beach for 10 to 15 minutes. You might find a sound-effects tape helps to increase the reality of the scene. You could also try techniques such as meditation, massage, or biofeedback.
Exercise, diet, and sleep play an enormous part in reducing stress, as well as in maintaining more general bodily fitness. It is very easy to become so involve in the serious business of living that you never find the time or energy to play. Make sure that you regularly do things just for fun. It may be as simple as taking a walk in a park, going to the movies, or even doing something you would normally think of as childish, such as jumping into a pile of fallen leaves or splashing in puddles. If life seems to be full of worries, try to see the lighter side. Laughter is a great antidote for stress, and if you can laugh, those around you will also feel less stress when they are in your company.
One of the best, but most difficult, stress-relieving strategies is to change your responses to the events around you. In a traffic jam, for example, instead of honking your horn and fuming, try leaning back and relaxing. Wind down your window and see if you can catch someone’s eye and make him or her smile. If your first attempt isn’t successful, don’t give up – try something different, and don’t forget to smile.
