Posts Tagged exercises

Combat Insomnia Without Medication

Insomnia 1Many people suffer from a sleep disorder known as insomnia. Insomnia is caused by many different factors including stress and an irregular sleep cycle. Most people opt for the chemical method of dealing with it because it doesn’t take any effort or thought. Take a pill, go to sleep. What they don’t consider is the side effects that come from these types of pills, not the least of which is addiction.

Natural remedies exist for dealing with insomnia, including research to find out the root of the insomnia. Relaxation is important to sleep quality. You need to learn to really relax your body in order to allow it to fall asleep naturally. Progressive muscle relaxation helps the body to systematically release tension, this means start at one point of your body and make it relax. Extremities like toes are a good place to start, or start from your center and radiate the relaxation outward picturing the stress releasing from your body through your fingers and toes, which ever works for you best. You may want to exercise before you begin the relaxation technique as exercise will strengthen, tire out, and help to relax the muscles, giving you a head start.

Follow the same routine every night so your body gets into a habit and is conditioned for a sleep response.

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , ,

Yoga On The Go

Yoga Back ArchYoga isn’t just for pretzel people anymore, every day people in any physical shape can perform yoga positions, especially those that are specifically designed for people new to yoga. In the cat pose, you get on your hands and knees and take a deep breath, round up your back towards the ceiling, tucking your head down into your chest, then lower your back down and lift your head back into the starting position. In the dog pose, you stay on your hands and knees and basically reverse the cat pose, pushing your tailbone up towards the ceiling, lowering your mid section down towards the floor with your head and shoulders up. You can rotate between the cat and dog position making it all one yoga exercise. In the child’s pose, you start in the hands and knees position, then sit back onto your legs with your bottom pushing over your legs. Let your arms trail out over your head along the floor. Close your eyes and rest your face on the floor.

All three of these positions mixed together can help you stretch and relax your body, get your blood moving through your tissues and prompt your muscles to release impurities within them. Relaxing your mind at the same time, letting it float through these exercises will ensure a refreshed body at the termination.

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , ,

4 Easy Yoga Positions You Can Do At Work

YogaThere are many yoga positions that can be performed at work without any special tools or space. Many can be done at your desk.

Stretch your frame as straight as you can, press down through your sitting bones, and lift your chest. Roll your shoulders back a few times letting them pull and then relax. Inhale deeply through your whole body, and then exhale in the same fashion. Allow the breath to leave you at it’s own pace, let your body relax around the exhalation and stretch up slowly, swelling with the inhalation. Perform this exercise multiple times while you feel your body relax.

Your eyes are easy to overwork in an office environment and eye exercises can help to ease the stress and strain they are subjected to. Lift your eyes from your work or your computer screen and focus on a spot on a nearby wall. Imagine a circle on the wall and follow the line around its circumference, slowly circling, first in one direction, then in the other. Then focus your gaze further away and practice the same exercise. Then focus your eyes back onto something near (but not your computer screen). Repeat this process a few times.

Wrists are subject to repetitious work that can cause problems with the tendons and other parts of the wrist. To reduce the chance of this, do some wrist exercises many times a day. With pinkies facing towards one another, flat on your desk, keep your fingers as straight as you can. Sit back slowly, bringing your wrists closer to your chair. As you stretch your fingertips and wrist, inhale, then exhale as you release the stretch, letting out an audible soft sigh.

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , ,

Why Exercise Brings You No Results

noresultsMost people rush into an exercise routine knowing very little, if anything about the muscle groups that they are working, the exercises that they are performing, or what goal each individual exercise is intended to produce. Many times people start running, swimming, or lifting weights without first learning to recognize progress when they see it. Sometimes there is benefit that is never seen, so the person stops thinking the activity a failure, or they are doing the activity wrong, and fail to recognize this as the reason for lack of results.

Sometimes this lack of information is not only the cause of failure by dropping out, but is also one of the main reasons for workout related injury. If a person does not understand the mechanics of an exercise technique, the ability to properly assess and avoid injury, increasing the likelihood of getting hurt.

Your spinal region, and anywhere there are connections between body parts are highest at risk for improper use and injury. If stresses that should be applied to muscle mass is instead applied to the joints and back, not only are you likely to hurt yourself, but if you do happen to avoid injury, the energy you spent stressing these areas is wasted instead of establishing progress toward your exercise goals, such as building muscle or losing weight.

Sometimes people simply know how much of a certain exercise is needed before it takes hold and becomes effective. The thing I hate to see the most is a new person to the gym, running from machine to machine, spending a few minutes in a bulls run, just to leave as quickly as they came, never allowing their body to warm up, and not allowing enough energy to be consistently spent on one activity to produce any results whatsoever.

When you decide on a specific form of exercise, whether it be aerobic activity for cardiovascular improvement & weight loss, or a weight training program to increase muscle mass or strength, it is encouraged to speak with someone who also is experienced in the same method. This can be a friend or a gym partner, but if possible, a personal trainer would be the best solution as they would not only be able to tell you of their experiences, but evaluate your own situation and help you create a personal program that helps you to achieve your workout goals.

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , ,

Six Pack Abs In 3 Easy Steps

sixpackGetting that washboard stomach that you always wanted is not as complex as some might lead you to believe. I did not say it would be easy, but I can promise you that it can be simple. There are 3 steps to anybody strengthening or shaping workout. Diet, exercise, and repair.

While the television at 2 AM might be flush with different contraptions, or miracle muscle creams that are supposed to help you get Mr. Universe results in two weeks, there is not shortcut to perfect abs. You will have to watch your diet, put in the hard workouts, and the often overlooked step of allowing your muscles to repair and build bulk and strength. If one of these steps is ignored or not kept balanced with the needs of the other two, then the results you see on an ongoing basis will be diminished, but if combined correctly, can give you the power pack stomach muscles you always wanted to have.

The most common and most effective diet for working out the abdomen has classically been the high protein, low carbohydrate diet. This feeds the muscles with plenty of protein energy food, while avoiding loading the body with carbohydrates that it is likely to convert into fat to be stored around the midsection. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to maintain quality amounts of vitamins and minerals. Avoid heavy meals before working out and make sure to drink plenty of water. Lack of water not only dehydrates you and puts you at risk of the health problems this causes, but is also the most common cause of lifting cramps or strain injuries.

A combination of using crunches with and without a medicine ball to build up muscle, while at the same time combining a cardiovascular program into your workout to burn fat is a recipe for success and a surefire way to help you reach your goal of achieving six pack glory.

Many people overlook the fact that the actual conditioning of muscle is not completed unless the muscles are given a chance to repair the tissue that was “damaged” during the workout process. Giving your body 48 or more hours before and after abdominal workouts is optimal for crushing stomach regimes. Switching to another part of the body or participating in alternate activities before resuming your ab schedule is as much a part of successful training as making sure that your workouts are completed in their entirety. With this 3 step system in mind, thy mystery of great abs can be taken out of obscurity and the next time you see that commercial at 2 AM, you can rest assured in the fact that 6 weeks on your no cost exercise plan is far more effective at creating 6 pack abs than 6 months of their get fit quick product.

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , ,