Fwd: Exercise Tips For a New You

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Misty

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Exercise Tips For A New You

 

Exercise is what your body instinctively wants to do especially under

stress: fight or flight, and it works. It burns off some of the

stress chemicals which tension produces. Therefore, a tired muscle is

a relaxed muscle. Regular exercise builds stamina that can help

anyone battle stress. But even something as casual as a walk around

the block can help you burn off some of the tension that you carrying

around.

 

Stretching is a great tension reducer. Stretch your chest for better

breathing. The tense musculature of a person under stress can make

breathing difficult and impaired breathing can aggravate the anxiety

you already feel. To relax your breathing, roll your shoulders up and

back, then relax. The first time, inhale deeply as they go back,

exhale as they relax. Repeat four or five more times, then inhale

deeply again. Repeat the entire sequence four times.

 

People under pressure have a tendency to clench their teeth. Dropping

the jaw and rolling it helps make those muscles relax, and if you

relax the muscles, you reduce the sensation of tension.

 

Resistance is essential for making a muscle stronger. When a muscle

has to work against a load placed on it, it adapts to the stress by

creating new muscle fibers and making neurological changes that

ultimately make it stronger. Muscles respond to virtually anything

that offers resistance.

 

You need only to remember a few do-anywhere exercises:

 

*sit-ups for abdominal muscles

*push-ups for the arms, chest, and shoulders

*dips for the back of the arms

*squats for the muscles in the rear and front of the thighs

*calf raises for the lower portion of the leg.

 

You also might work some simple equipment into your regime. Both

specially designed rubber bands and rubber tubing with handles can

add resistance, as can simple household items. To increase the

resistance when you're doing squats, for example, you can do

something as simple as hold soup cans or milk jugs filled with water.

 

Yoga and Pilates are also great and can be done at home. Many of the

poses in yoga require using one's own body weight to load the

muscles. Take the " warrior " pose, for example. It's essentially a

lunge, one that works the muscle in the front of the thigh. Pilates

is a series of exercises that involve slow, precise moves -- either

using your body weight or specially designed machines -- to work your

muscles. You might work your abdominal and leg muscles, for example,

by pushing against a bar on springs or by raising your legs when

they're attached (by straps) to a pulley.

 

Exercise actually gives you energy. Study after study supports those

words, including one by the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration. More than 200 federal employees were placed on a

moderate, regular exercise program. The results: 90 percent said they

had never felt better. Almost half said they felt less stress, and

almost one-third reported they slept better.

 

Energetic exercise, aerobics, a brisk walk three to five times a

week, for 20 to 30 minutes each time and no later than 2 hours before

bedtime are extremely beneficial. If you're obese, if you need to

drop 20 percent of your weight or more, losing weight will be a great

help. Make sure you follow a sensible diet in combination with

exercise.

 

 

 

Andrew Pacholyk LMT, MT-BC, CA

Peacefulmind.com

Alternative medicine and therapies

for healing mind, body & spirit!

 

 

 

 

 

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Message: 5

Tue, 27 May 2003 04:51:22 -0500

" Dottie "

Re: Neti pots work wonders--

 

I use one of these also, about once a week, and they really do work wonders! No

more allergy meds for me!

(I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks of Aladdin's lamp when looking at it)

Dottie

 

 

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