Health & Fitness Articles

How Insulin Affects Us?

The glycemic index helps us to understand which foods are best and worst for controlling our blood glucose levels.

As we have seen, when blood glucose levels get too high, insulin is released into the bloodstream by the pancreas to help disperse the glucose. The insulin transports the glucose to cells needing extra energy. The cells have “insulin receptors” positioned so that insulin can bind to them, facilitating glucose entry and utilization in the cells. Once inside the…

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The glycemic index helps us to understand which foods are best and worst for controlling our blood glucose levels.

As we have seen, when blood glucose levels get too high, insulin is released into the bloodstream by the pancreas to help disperse the glucose. The insulin transports the glucose to cells needing extra energy. The cells have “insulin receptors” positioned so that insulin can bind to them, facilitating glucose entry and utilization in the cells. Once inside the cells, the glucose is burned to produce heat and adenosine triphosyphate, (ATP) a molecule that stores and releases energy as required by the cell.

When cells become less sensitive to the effects of insulin, they accept less glucose, so more glucose than usual remains in the bloodstream. Result? The pancreas over-compensates by working harder and releasing even more insulin.

The combination of insulin-insensitivity and insulin over-production typically leads to one of two results:

Either, the pancreas gets worn out and insulin production slows down to abnormally low levels. Result? We develop type 2 diabetes. (About 30 percent of cases)

Or, the insulin-resistant patient doesn’t develop diabetes (because the pancreas continues to produce sufficient insulin) but, instead, contracts hyperinsulinism (abnormally high levels of insulin in the blood), which can cause chronic obesity as well as high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, low HDL (good) cholesterol, heart disease, and possibly some cancers.

Low GI Foods Cause Lower Insulin Levels

This is why experts are beginning to recognize the health advantages of following a low GI diet. Because lower GI foods are converted into glucose much more slowly, causing less insulin to be produced.

This is not the last word on this subject, by any means. Research into insulin insensitivity and the relationship between insulin levels and obesity is ongoing. However, the overconsumption of high-GI foods (and high-fat fast-food) is a major cause of concern.

The new carbohydrate-classification system known as the Glycemic Index rates the carbohydrate quality in foods according to its immediate effect on blood glucose level. Thus carbs that break down quickly into glucose during digestion, causing a rapid rise in glucose levels, have a High GI value. Those carbs that break down more slowly, are given an Intermediate or Low GI value.

Detoxify Your Way To Health And Beauty

How many times have your brain felt so sluggish that you can’t even think clearly? How many times have you felt so tired that even climbing a single flight of stairs takes a lot from you? Or how about those times when you felt so unpretty that even your best outfit can’t lift your mood? You’ve tried every known trick to stay fit and scoured every shelf in the health and beauty aisle for that wonder product that could revive you but still to no avail. Why not try looking at ho…

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How many times have your brain felt so sluggish that you can’t even think clearly? How many times have you felt so tired that even climbing a single flight of stairs takes a lot from you? Or how about those times when you felt so unpretty that even your best outfit can’t lift your mood? You’ve tried every known trick to stay fit and scoured every shelf in the health and beauty aisle for that wonder product that could revive you but still to no avail. Why not try looking at home and the produce section of your grocery? What am I talking about? I’m talking about detox.

Detoxification is not merely sweating buckets on the gym or starving yourself with a water diet. It is a wholistic approach to health and beauty. It encompasses everything from diet, fitness, and your sense of well-being. Try it for a weekend and start the new week with a renewed and more revived you. Detoxifying your way to health and beauty is possible with a few things which you could conveniently find in your home. With a loofah or brush, scented candles, aromatic oils, herbal tea, and a free, me-time weekend, you’re all set to rejuvenate and renew yourself.

Start on a Friday by eating light (think salads and fruits) and drink lots of water the whole day. At night, slowly dry-massage yourself with a loofah or brush with slow and long strokes. Move in one direction: upward and towards your groin. Refresh yourself with tea or water then soak in a bath of warm water and drops of aromatic bath oil. Light some scented candles while gradually adding cool water within a half hour until your bath becomes slightly cold. This is the beginning of your new health and beauty routine. This process is done for the stimulation of the blood vessels. Dry yourself and dress warmly for bed.

Begin the next day by drinking hot lemon water. Go for a walk while breathing deeply. Give yourself a steam bath or go swimming. You could also ask your partner or therapist for a massage. Again, end your health and beauty detox regimen with a dry-massage brush and bath. Spend your Sunday, doing the whole process but add another activity. Make a list of people or things, such as your work, that are toxic to you (read: bad vibes). Assess how you should deal with them to lessen their toxic effect. After this, pamper yourself or do meditation exercises.

Be reminded though that you may experience excessive sweating, slight headaches, and skin rashes. These are signs that your body is releasing toxins and that they are temporary. Detoxifying is effective, safe, and inexpensive enough to be part of your weekly health and beauty routine. Just remember to avoid this during your period, pregnancy, and sickness. Lastly, talk to your doctor if you encounter any problem while detoxifying.

Exercise As A Power Source

These days it is so hard to make it the gym. Life is very busy which creates a serious challenge for being consistent with exercise each week. However, exercise is exactly what we need in order to reduce stress, increase longevity, and give the body extra energy for daily living.

The best results are achieved using refined techniques, functional exercises, cardio, proper nutrition, awareness, variety, consistency, supplementation and motivation over time!

Refined techn…

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These days it is so hard to make it the gym. Life is very busy which creates a serious challenge for being consistent with exercise each week. However, exercise is exactly what we need in order to reduce stress, increase longevity, and give the body extra energy for daily living.

The best results are achieved using refined techniques, functional exercises, cardio, proper nutrition, awareness, variety, consistency, supplementation and motivation over time!

Refined technique means correct form to isolate muscles or “target areas of the body.” Efficiency is the priority to ensure maximal muscle stimulation. With resistance training, also known as weight lifting, it is important to eliminate momentum. It is also necessary to move the weight through a full range of motion. This will cause muscle contraction for the correct amount of time and ensure appropriate length of the tendons. The goal is to strengthen the joints of the body by stimulating the muscles around it.

For example, the lower back is an extremely important part of the body. Many people have trouble with this area, especially if their occupation puts a strain on it. So, it is a good idea to strengthen the muscles of the lower back like the erector spinae by performing three to four sets of back extensions on the floor superman position or face down on the exercise ball for 8 to 12 reps. As the muscles around the spine get stronger, the spine is held in place better, which reduces the changes of lower back problems. It is also important to keep the joint partially bent at the end of the rep, so that constant pressure remains on the muscles and no added pressure is applied to the joint from locking it out.

Cadence is a term that refers to the rate at which the resistance or weight moves. The best results are achieved by a slow cadence that causes the muscle to contract longer. On occasion, a mixture of fast and slow cadence may be used, especially with sports-specific training.

Lastly, using correct angles achieve muscle isolation in target areas and decrease the chance for injuries, especially with heavier weights. So, how many sets and reps should be completed? Four sets of 8-12 reps using a weight that is difficult but manageable. Allow 24 hours to recover with his approach. Six sets of 4 reps is more advanced, calculated at 60 to 80 percent of the one rep max. Allow 48 hours to recover when using this approach.

Functional exercise is a new popular technique that stimulates the core or torso of the body while working another muscle group at the same time. For example, performing a dumbbell press while lying on an exercise ball. The abs and the core muscles contract to hold the body into position, while the chest and tricep muscle push the dumbbells up. This type of challenge causes maximal stimulation to the body and keeps the workout interesting. Cardio is great for the heart and lungs. The number of calories burned is important as well as maintaining the correct heart rate. The heart rate formula is 220 minus age times point 60 for the lower margin and 220 minus age times point 80 for the upper margin. This is also known as the fat burning zone. Cardio also detoxifies the body and strengthens the immune system among many other health benefits. Muscles contract and move lymph along, which allows the immune system to clear dead cells and bring in new ones.

Warm up is important for preparing the body for the more demanding portion of the cardio workout. Allow 15 to 30 minutes prior to weight lifting and 10 to 15 minutes prior to cardio activities like jogging, swimming, aerobics or walking. In addition, a good stretch routine before warm up is highly recommended.

The preferred schedule for the weekly workout is warm up followed by cardio, then weight lifting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with cardio only on Tuesday and Thursday.

While you may feel your schedule is too busy to maintain a scheduled workout routine, you will find that by adding exercise to your life you will actually add time, as you will have more energy and become more efficient in your day to day activities. Think of exercise as the battery that gives your life power.

Remanufactured Treadmills, Ellipticals and Fitness Equipment — Why and How to Buy It Without Getting Ripped Off

Remanufactured commercial fitness equipment (treadmills, ellipticals, etc.) is a great way to save money and still get high quality equipment for your home or gym. What follows is a guide to finding the best remanufactured equipment out there.

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A few days ago I testified a bit on how to properly choose a home / residential grade treadmill. This time, since it has been a quiet day at the DOJO, I am going to ramble a bit on the ins and outs of remanufactured commercial equipment. This guide can be used not only for cardio equipment like treadmills and ellipticals, but also for strength equipment…although I get more than enough of a strength workout every day lifting and moving heavy treadmills around the DOJO.

Remanufactured equipment (sometimes called refurbised or reconditioned — it all depends on which company you are dealing with) has taken off quite a bit in the last few years as gym owners and home buyers both have realized they can purchase ultra high quality commercial equipment, in great condition for a fraction of the cost. Most remanufactured equipment with sell for 30-70% off of the original price! If you’ve ever wanted to have a Precor Elliptical or Life Fitness treadmill in your home, now you can!

The single most confusing thing about remanufactured equipment is just what it means…and what the difference between a remanufactured treadmill, a refurbished treadmill and a reconditioned on is. Unfortunately for buyers and poor service techs like the Treadmill Sensei, there are no industry standard definitions for these terms and what you get will vary from company to company. If you are going to buy remanufactured (or refurbished or whatever) equipment, make sure to ask what a company’s definition of what they are selling you is because you might be surprised at the answer. Some companies will just wipe a unit down, touch up the paint and then send it out the door as “remanufactured.” Beware of these companies!

Let’s go over the life of a piece of gym equipment destined for remanufacturing…this is something I do nearly every day for my repair clients so I know of what I speak!

Most larger gym chains lease their equipment instead of buying it. This allows them to trade in their equipment every few years. Once that equipment has been returned the the manufacturer, it is then resold to a remanufacturer (or reseller who then turns the unit over for remanufacturing to someone like your Treadmill Sensei). A quality remanufacturer will then strip the unit down to the frame, sandblast it to remove any traces of rust (a number of less reputible vendors will just paint over rust) and then repaint it using the same high end paint ($250-300/gallon!) used by the manufacturers themselves. We do powder coating here at the DOJO, but the regular repaints can be almost as good. At this point, all wear items are replaced — bearings, grips, rollers and so on. Diagnostics are then run on the electronics to make sure they are up to snuff and then cleaned up or replaced. On most equipment (treadmills and ellipticals, for example) the majority of problems will, luckily, come in the form of the control board. I say “luckily” because the boards can generally be replaced for $30 or so and take almost no time to reinstall. Also, most structural problems with a treadmill or elliptical will pop up in the first 30-60 days. Once you’ve made it past that point you should be in the clear and have a fine piece of equipment on your hands.

In my personal experience, and this may be because the DOJO turns out great work, remanufactured units tend to have a much lower rate of problems or defects when done correctly. This is because the treadmills and ellipticals (or strength equipment) are gone over with such a fine tooth comb and service so completely that any defects or problems which might have been missed by the manufacturer are caught and fixed as part of the servicing.

With a little bit of research, going the remanufactured route will allow a smaller fitness facility to compete with larger chains by offering competitive fitness equipment while saving money. In fact, many fitness trainers and gyms are finding they are able to reach a profit much earlier by taking advantage of the lower cost and high reliability of remanufactured equipment.

For home buyers, remanufactured equipment lets you purchase the same high end commercial equipment you work out on at your local gyms for a fraction of the price. And, if you’ve ever tried to go from working out on a Life Fitness, Matrix, Star Trac or Landice to working out on a crappy Proform machine, you’re already familiar with the disappointment a lot of wind up experiencing when they try to make the transition. Buying remanufactured lets you stick with what you know.

A quick tip on where to buy remanufactured equipment: places like Megafitness, Big Fitness, Fitness 909 and Fit4Sale sell it, but the highest quality units seem to be coming out of Treadmills Central right now. I’ve seen a number of their Precor 544 and 546 units, as well as quite a few Life Fitness 9500 Rear Drive Ellipticals, Star Trac Treadmills, and Matrix Ellipticals at a recent Fitness Trade Show, and I’ve been impressed every time.

Good luck with your purchasing and feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions or comments. The DOJO is always open.

-The Treadmill Sensei

Propecia (Finasteride) – Hair loss medication

Propecia is a pill used for the treatment of male pattern hair loss on the vertex (top of head) and anterior mid-scalp area (middle front of head). There is not sufficient evidence that Propecia works for receding hairlines at the temples. Propecia is for use by MEN ONLY and should NOT be used by women or children.

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Drug Uses

Propecia is a pill used for the treatment of male pattern hair loss on the vertex (top of head) and anterior mid-scalp area (middle front of head). There is not sufficient evidence that Propecia works for receding hairlines at the temples. Propecia is for use by MEN ONLY and should NOT be used by women or children.

How Taken

Propecia comes as a tablet. Propecia usually is taken once a day. It may be taken with or without food. Take Propecia exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Continue to take Propecia even if you feel well. Do not stop taking Propecia without talking to your doctor.

Warnings/Precautions

Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you have liver disease. You may not be able to take Propecia, or you may need a lower dose or special monitoring during treatment. Propecia is intended for men use only. Propecia is not indicated for women use. Do not take or handle this medication if you are pregnant or are could become pregnant during treatment. Propecia is in the FDA pregnancy category X. This means that it is known to cause birth defects in an unborn baby. Women who are or who may become pregnant must not handle crushed or broken Propecia tablets. The medication could be absorbed through the skin. Propecia is known to cause birth defects in a developing male baby. Exposure to whole tablets should be avoided whenever possible however exposure to whole tablets is not expected to be harmful as long as the tablets are not swallowed. It is not known whether Propecia passes into breast milk. Propecia is not intended for women use. Do not take this medication if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Missed Dose

If you miss a dose of Propecia and you remember the same day, take it as soon as possible. If you do not remember until the next day, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not take 2 doses at once.

Possible Side Effects

Stop taking Propecia and seek emergency medical attention if you experience an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives).
Other, less serious side effects have been reported but usually resolve with continued treatment. Continue to take Propecia and notify your doctor if you experience:
-decreased libido (sex drive);
-decreased volume of ejaculate;
-impotence (trouble getting or keeping an erection); or
-breast tenderness or enlargement.
Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

Storage

Store Propecia at room temperature between 59 and 86 degrees F (15 and 30 degrees C) in a tightly closed container, away from moisture.

Overdose

Seek emergency medical attention if an overdose is suspected. Symptoms of a Propecia overdose are not known.

Common aches and pains at a glance

A brief glance of all the aches and pains we are experiencing, what causes them and ways to prevent or cure our muscle pains.

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We try to do everything in this 21 century — filling our lives with a dozen of activities that tax our bodies and emotions. Multi-tasking is the norm with organizing busy schedules at work, for family and for our social life has become a daily task.

To stay and go on running in the rat race, you must be prepared to endure aches and pains all over your body as well as the lumps and swelling — sure signs of overwork and stress.

Here are the common aches and pains that you usually experience in everyday:

? Knee – Stiff and swollen joints make it difficult to do any bending. Pain in the knees are usually worse in the morning or after a long period of inactivity. Knee joints are often affected by arthritis.

? Shoulder – Any kind of overuse can stress the shoulder joint. Muscles can be strained and tendons can become inflamed.

? Hip – A pain at the top of your leg that you may usually the inner side of your thigh. Osteoarthritis of the hip is extremely common. It results from the deterioration of the cartilage covering the ends of the bones.

? Back – stiffness, muscle spasm and pain. Lower back pain is very common. You can get this from carrying or lifting heavy loads.

? Wrist- aching, numbness, burning, or tingling in your palm, wrist, fingers. Carpal tunnel syndrome commonly occurs during pregnancy, menapause or result of repetitive typing.

? Feet -tingling, burning,numbness or pain under the heel.Tarsal tunnel syndrome is the foot version of the carpal tunnel syndrome, it is common with people who are flat footed.

Muscle pain can be caused by many conditions. The most commo is a “ strain” where the muscle is stretched beyond its maximum length resulting in injury. Muscle pain is most frequently related to tension or muscle injury any physically-demanding work. When muscle pain last beyond the expected healing time, it is then best to consult your doctor.

Every now and then you might be having muscle cramps and if you are working for quite some time and it also involves some heavy work that you might be experiencing a sensation of your mucles making you so tired and there is a decreased in your muscular performance. The underlying cause of muscle fatigue can fall into two categories: central and local.

1. The central nervous systme – when your mind is telling your body (muscles) to shut down.
2. The local – is related to local factors that limit the ability to perform mucular work.

Regular exercise can help restore proper muscle tone. A good physical therapist can teach you strentching, aerobic exercises to feel a lot better. You can also do it yourself by cycling, swimming and walking. Warm up before you do any kind oe exercising. Do some stretching. Drink lots of fluids before and after exercising. You can overcome muscle fatigue by dieting, getting adequate rest and taking supplements or nutritional stimulants such as caffeine. If you work in the same position most of the day like sitting infront of the computer, get up and do some stretching at least every hour.

Taking some acetaminophen, aspirin or other non-sterioidal anti-inflammatory drugs can also be helpful in pain relief. Workouts in the gym to strengthen the back and shoulders can help restore a good balance.

Effective dietary tips for Acid reflux treatment or heartburn

In cases of persistent heartburn, dietary improvements tends not to be enough alone.So as well as advocating a digestion-friendly diet, your doctor is likely to recommend one or more of the following types of medication.

Antacids to neutralize the acid in your stomach; H2 blockers or proton pump inhibitors to reduce acid production; or prokinetics to strengthen the lower esophageal sphincter and expedite stomach-emptying.
However, if heartburn symptoms are mild and occur only from time

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Dietary tips in acid reflux treatment

When you think about Acid reflux, what do you think of first? Which aspects of Acid reflux are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.

In cases of persistent heartburn, dietary improvements tends not to be enough alone.

So as well as advocating a digestion-friendly diet, your doctor is likely to recommend one or more of the following types of medication.

Antacids to neutralize the acid in your stomach; H2 blockers or proton pump inhibitors to reduce acid production; or prokinetics to strengthen the lower esophageal sphincter and expedite stomach-emptying.
However, if heartburn symptoms are mild and occur only from time to time, usually you will be advised to make the following changes to your diet.

Obesity, especially excess fat on the chest and abdomen, is a common contributory factor to GERD and hiatal hernia, and therefore to heartburn.
Choose a healthy calorie-controlled diet and customize it by following the eating tips below.
Both these factors lead to an increased risk of heartburn.
So opt for 4-6 small meals or snacks, and allow a maximum of 3 hours between eating.

It seems like new information is discovered about something every day. And the topic of Acid reflux is no exception. Keep reading to get more fresh news about Acid reflux.

In addition, choose foods that are “easier on the stomach” and more more easily digested.
Fizzy or carbonated soft drinks cause belching and upward pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), increasing the likelihood of heartburn.
The best drinks include: water, herbal teas or diluted non-citrus fruit juices.
Also note that some soft drinks (eg. cocoa, coffee, orange juice) are not helpful for heartburn as they can over-relax the LES, thus encouraging the backward flow of acid from the stomach.
Constipation can lead to extra strain on abdominal muscles and increase the risk of heartburn.
To prevent constipation, eat more high-fiber foods such as: oats, apples, pears, dried apricots and vegetables.
When increasing fiber intake it’s also important to increase your water intake by at least 40 fl oz a day- 4 to 6 cups daily.
Alcohol is not helpful to heartburn for several reasons as it tends to irritate mucous membranes.

Now you can understand why there’s a growing interest in Acid reflux. When people start looking for more information about Acid reflux, you’ll be in a position to meet their needs.

Fitness and Body Building

There are statistics which show that, after years of training in body building, many of the persons who practiced this sport turned to fitness. The reasons of this change are different, from the most common ones, like the boredom which intervenes at a certain time, to health problems.

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There are statistics which show that, after years of training in body building, many of the persons who practiced this sport turned to fitness. The reasons of this change are different, from the most common ones, like the boredom which intervenes at a certain time, to health problems.

It is well-known that body building training of anaerobic type is very demanding. In most of the cases, the aerobic programs are avoided because sportsmen are afraid of losing muscular mass.

Another disadvantage of body building trainings is the fact that sportsmen have to work a lot with their chest blocked, in apnea, because of the great weights they use for increasing their muscles.

The respiratory blocking during the force effort is also known as the Valsalva phenomenon and it was initially studied in the case of weightlifters. Applying this technique can have as consequences, in time, rising of blood pressure, low blood feedback through the veins, varicous veins, etc. It is obvious that because of the ageing process, the blood veins become more rigid, a process favored by the arteriosclerosis which appears to younger and younger people. The elasticity of the walls of these blood vessels decreases, so while making force effort with really heavy weights, the sportsmen are in danger of having a stroke, because the vessels can break. This risk is much smaller in fitness.The weights used in this sport are small or medium, because the purpose of doing this sport is not a spectacular hypertrophy of the muscles, but fortifying, putting into relief and reshaping the muscles.

Another advantage of fitness is a richer and more varied area of exercises, inspired from the complex training of body building but also of many other sports. For example, we find in fitness plyometrics exercises used in athletics, gymnastics, weightlifting, fight sports, etc. These programs have as consequence the forming of much more functional muscles, which can cope with demanding situations in real life, not only with posing during body building contests.

Because there is no obsession for muscles, aerobic training can be introduced in the programs. Its advantages are: making the blood vessel walls more elastic, decreasing cholesterol and making excellent prophylaxis of cardiovascular diseases.

Time is another factor which must be considered. While in body building the simplest divided program requires a minimum of four weekly trainings, in fitness, where all or most of the muscle groups are exercised during one training, three non-consecutive days a week are enough. The aerobic exercises can be done either in the free days, or additional to the training in the gym, in this case the total time of training being of one hour and a half at most.

Passing from body building to fitness does not have as consequence significant loss of muscular mass, even if the volume of the muscles is diminished. Anyway, the fortifying and relief of the muscles are not lost. This small loss is fully compensated by the advantages of practicing much more complex exercises and, why not admit, much safer for the health of the people.

Exercises Danger on the Last Stage of Cellulite

Exercises at the last stage of cellulite are not helping! Furthermore, it can lead to a negative results of cellulite development.

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Today the complex at-home cellulite treatment commonly includes cellulite reducing exercises, dietary changes and cellulite remedies like creams and lotions. Why exercises? Muscles activity during exercises brings venous blood from the lower extremities back to heart. It is very important for normal blood circulation, water exchange and toxins deriving from the organism. Human body to 60 % consists of water. The liquid exchange between the blood and the cells can comprise to 4000 liters day-long. If the normal circulation is retarded, the accumulation of intercellular lymph in the cloths occurs. In those places where the lymphatic liquid speed is too small developments of stagnation provoke the cellulite formation.

Especially if woman already has the cellulite at last stage any exercises are not helping as many people think and may be dangerous! Liquid exchanging mechanism is not sufficient even in the complete rest however any exercise demands on intensified oxygen entering to muscles. Therefore at the intense of metabolic products formation these slag are not excreted from tissues and it causes the further intoxication. The lactic acid and other acid products helping on the conservation of liquid in tissues are accumulates when the muscles making an effort. Tissues swell as a result and that aggravates the cellulite.

Coping with anxiety through martial arts

The article is about the spiritual and the mental benefits of practicing martial arts.Martial arts therapy is now used to treat people who have anxiety disorders. Martial arts is a practice that gives emphasis on the mind, body, spirit.

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coping with anxiety, stress and anxiety, social anxiety disorder

“To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the highest skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest skill.” — Sun Tzu, The Art of War

A lot has been said about martial arts. There’s a lot punching, kicking, and wrestling involved — all considered as systems and tools of brutal force. This notion or preconceptions about the martial arts were developed, in a large measure, due to films and movies that depicted the combative arts as a means of inflicting violence. But in reality, the true aim of martial arts is quite exactly the opposite. At the core of every fighting philosophy are the values of valor, chivalry, nobility, self-control, and self-sacrifice. This art form is not just about fighting, combat, or self-defense. Martial arts philosophy stresses that people should live in peace and harmony. It also emphasizes respect for self and others, compassion, and a high regard for physical and moral excellence. In its purest form, the martial arts is practiced to achieve strength and enlightenment of the mind, body, and spirit.

For thousands of years, different people from different cultures have practiced and propagated their own system of martial arts. These unique forms of self-defense and philosophies include the following:
· Karate (empty hand)
· Muay Thai (Thai boxing or kick-boxing)
· Tae Kwon Do (foot hand way)
· Wing Chun (forever spring)
· Silat (to fend off)
· Aikido (the way of harmonious spirit)
· Judo (gentle, soft way)
· Yaw-yan (dance of death)
· Jeet Kune Do (way of the intercepting fist)
· Jiu-jitsu (the soft, pliable method)

Spiritual Benefits

True achievement in martial arts is not gaining the force and skill to smash bricks, cement blocks, baseball bats, and blocks of ice. Neither is it the privilege of wearing different colors of belts nor the prestige of winning sparring championship titles or tournament trophies. The real value of martial arts is in helping individuals harness their natural physical strength and innate goodness of character.
The power within— the elevation of the spirit and the mind. The spiritual side of the martial arts is not religious in any sense but more closely related to the practice of ethics and philosophy. Spirituality in the martial arts is manifested in several training methods and techniques which includes breathing and relaxation drills. According to experts, these drills may help reduce stress and anxiety. Engaging in martial arts also helps people in their battle against emotional, physical, and mental stress and ailments. The deep breathing exercises, similar to the techniques of yoga, produce a calming effect on a martial artist. The inhalation of oxygen and the concentration involved in meditative execution of martial arts routines serve to relax the body and provide “stillness” in the mind during practice. In many martial arts schools, the promotion not only centers of the defensive aspects but also for the benefits of martial arts in coping with anxiety. Long-time martial arts practitioners attest that physical training has helped them deal with depression, insomnia, high blood pressure, and other related illness. To some degree, one can even “shout away” both stress and anxiety during a punching or kicking exercise.

Mental Benefits

Today, martial arts therapy is used as an unconventional treatment for children or adults with social anxiety disorders. Also known as social phobia, this condition refers to excessive, long-lasting anxiety due to various fears, worries and apprehensions. In general, people with social anxiety disorder have an intense fear of being judged or ridiculed by others. People with this condition may often be found in isolation or may only have very few friends. Through martial arts training, people with anxieties may be taught to improve their social skills at the same time as they learn self-defense. These individuals are also taught to develop self-respect and respect for others. By attending self-defense classes, people with anxieties slowly gain confidence and develop healthy relationships with other people in and outside the class. Regular martial arts practice not only provides skills in self-defense. More importantly, it restores or improves the self-image of the practitioner.

Some precautions in practicing martial arts

In general, the martial arts is an excellent means to achieve physical fitness and spiritual health. But if it is practiced carelessly or without proper instruction, the physical activities and routines involved in martial arts training may cause harm or injury. Certain very strenuous movements may put a high stress on the muscles and joints. It is also very important to give special attention to stretching. Stretching regularly to maintain or increase flexibility helps lower the risk of injuries.

Indeed, the martial arts has a deep meaning and philosophy. It is a centuries-old way of training a fighter — how not to fight, which is a paradox in the art and science of combat. These days, it is now one of the most popular means to attain physical health and to control stress and anxiety. But just like everything else in life, martial arts can be used either for good or for bad. For the serious practitioner, determining the proper and safe ways of training is as important as gaining the true, philosophical aims of the martial arts.