| Exercise and Massage - Massage is for everyone and needs to be looked at as a health benefit and not a luxury. Almost anyone can benefit from massage, athlete or not.
Healthy Skin - Nobody really likes looking like last year's luggage. Nearly everyone with a crocodile complexion could have prevented it. Let's look at how.
Being Happy - Living your life happily, resiliently, and optimistically is wonderful, but it's also essential to your health.
Low Back Pain - Exercises and other non-invasive methods to relieve your low back pain.
Natural Aspirin - Nature provides it, so it's just a matter of knowing how to get it ?
Cancer Fighting Cabbage - A cabbage a day keeps the cancer away. Well, it is not only cabbage you can eat that may do that.
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) - One of the oldest and most common afflictions known to women. How to alleviate this ?
Sleep Well - Do you have difficulty sleeping? These tips will help you rest easy.
Sex May prolong life - Recent findings show that sex may prolong life.
Quit Smoking - Tips on kicking the habit.
High Blood Pressure - Everything you wanted to know about the "Silent Killer" but were afraid to ask.
Osteoporosis - How to prevent osteoporosis and keep your bones strong
Exercise And Massage
Exercise And Massage:-
More and more sports and fitness enthusiasts are including massage as a part of their conditioning programs. It's not just for the professional athlete or the person who is training for the Olympics. Massage is for everyone and needs to be looked at as a health benefit and not a luxury. People just like you and me are including massage as part of their regular exercise programs. Almost anyone can benefit from massage, athlete or not.
Commonly known benefits include relaxation, improved circulation and relief of muscle tension. Fitness enthusiasts/athletes will find that massage helps improve their flexibility; muscles tend not to be as sore and stiff; it helps in their recovery time, and reduces the anxiety of athletic competition. Massage can help improve performance, increase endurance, and help lower fatigue levels. By reducing fatigue, althletes can train better with longer more effective workouts. When you choose massage or stretches between workouts, there is a high increase in recovery time.
There are many styles of massage around, so shop around and find the one that is best for you. A few styles to look for that are good for people involved with an exercise program are Swedish, DeepTissue, Shiatsu and Sports massage. Each is very different. A good massage therapist may use many different styles and gear the massage toward your needs.
Swedish
Most people who have not had a massage will start with this. It includes the full body and is a light massage penetrating the top layer of muscle.
Shiatsu
A Japanese hand healing method effective for stress, locomotion and internal disorders.
Deep Tissue
This method gets down into the muscles that are under the top layer. It is deeper, slower and more muscle specific.
Sports Massage
Usually for athletes in training, it is used before and after a competition and tailored specifically for that person and their sport. (This is not to be confused with deep tissue.)
The best way to find a therapist:
- A referral from a friend.
- Seek out an established business with more than three therapists.
- Try a local fitness club.
What to expect:
- Professional massage therapists will have you fill out a health questionnaire on you first visit.
- It will generally last one hour unless other arrangements are made.
- You should only be asked to remove as much clothing as you are comfortable with.
- You should be draped with a towel so only the part being worked on is exposed.
- Professional therapists should always respect your privacy.
Relieve Low Back Pain
What to do to relieve Low Back Pain :-
1. Take an anti-inflammatory medication (these help to decrease the swelling and inflammation in the spine).
2. Apply ice or heat to your back.
3. Stop all strenuous activities.
4. Relieve the pressure on the sciatic nerve with correct postures.
5. Use proper back supports.
6. Do low back exercises.
7. See your doctor if the pain persists or goes into the leg.
Low Back Exercises:-
Unless instructed otherwise, do each exercise 1 to 5 times, twice each day. Gradually increase your workout to 10 repetitions twice a day. Use slow, smooth actions as you exercise.
If you feel any discomfort while doing the exercises, stop immediately and contact your physician. Stop any exercise that increases back pain or causes tingling, numbness, or weakness in your legs.
Double knee-to-chest stretch
· Lie down on back.
· Pull both knees in to chest until you feel a comfortable stretch in lower back.
· Keep the back relaxed.
· Hold for 45 to 60 seconds.
Pelvic tilt exercise
 
 
· Lie on back with knees bent, feet flat on floor, and arms at sides (a)
· Flatten small of back against floor. (Hips will tilt upward.) (b)
· Hold for 10 to 15 seconds and release. Gradually increase your holding time to 60 seconds.
Lower trunk rotation stretch
· Lie on back.
· Keeping back flat and feet together, rotate knees to one side.
· Hold for 45 to 60 seconds.
Curl-up exercise
· Lie on the floor on back.
· Keeping arms folded across chest, tilt pelvis to flatten back. Tuck chin into chest.
· Tighten abdominal muscles while raising head and shoulders from floor.
· Hold for 10 seconds and release.
· Repeat 10 to 15 times. Gradually increase your repetitions.
Trunk flexion stretch
· On hands and knees, tuck in chin and arch back.
· Slowly sit back on heels, letting shoulders drop toward floor.
· Hold for 45 to 60 seconds.
Alternate arm-leg extension exercise
· Face floor on hands and knees.
· Raise left arm and right leg. Do not arch neck.
· Hold for 10 seconds and release.
· Raise right arm and left leg. Do not arch neck.
· Hold for 10 seconds and release.
Prone Lumbar Extension
Purpose :-
To extend your lower back.
· Lie on your stomach and place your hands on the floor near the sides of your head.
· Slowly push your upper body off the floor by straightening your arms, but keep your hips on the floor. Hold for 10 seconds, then relax your arms, moving back to the floor.
Alternate leg extension
Lie on your stomach with your arms folded under your chin. Slowly lift one leg -- not too high -- without bending it, while keeping your pelvis flat on the floor. Slowly lower your leg and repeat with the other leg.
Hamstring stretch while standing :-
- Stand on right leg with left leg on table/chair.
- Stretch hamstring by slowly bending right knee.
- Hold for 30-45 sec.
- Repeat with other leg.
| 
