Exercises For Health

Body Awareness Guide

2011-07-13T00:41:00.000-07:00

Human Skeleton

RIGHT SIDE OF BODY – Masculine energy, assertive, extroverted, bringing ideas to action
Problems:
Unresolved relationships with a particular male
Inability to give to oneself or others
Holding back on some level
Inability to express or over-expression
Overexertion in work and/or other activities

LEFT SIDE OF BODY – Feminine energy, receiving, passive, introverted, intuitive, creative
Problems:
Unresolved relationships with a particular female
Inability to receive (feeling unworthy)
Inability to express or over-expression of feminine energy
Inhibited creative expression
Not responding to one’s intuition

TOP HALF OF BODY (FROM WAIST UP) – Communication, self-expression, the senses, emotions, touching. Outgoing, assertive, active, sociable, interpersonal relationships
Problems:
Repressed emotional/creative expression

BLOOD – The blood brings vitality to cells, tissues, and organs
Problems: A lack of joy and enthusiasm with life (discouraged)
Skepticism
Selfishness
Unresolved issues with a member or members of one’s blood relations
Toxicity in the blood can result from negative/destructive thinking

BONES – The framework, foundation and support of our physical/emotional/mental structure. The ability to support ourselves. Strength, power, and integrity.
Problems:
A need to become more solid, stable, and grounded in relation to ourselves and life
Lack of internal support or strength
Rebellion
Lack of personal integrity

BREASTS (FEMALE) – Nurturing, giving, love and mothering. Strongly connected to a woman’s self-image, feelings about her own femininity, and issues related to motherhood.
Problems:
Over-mothering, unwilling to provide nourishment or nurturing physically or emotionally, to self especially
Frustrated desires related to childbearing, overly forceful attitudes

EARS – The capacity to hear and listen. Willingness to perceive the true messages of life. Being open and willing to hear and consider other’s opinions.
Problems:
A persistent refusal to hear truth, avoidance of issues considered upleasant
Refusal to hear other points of view, lack of enthusiasm
Guilt, irresponsibility, emotional repression
Unsupportiveness
Vindictiveness

Human Skeleton and Function

EYES – The capacity to see life and its issues clearly. Willingness to be open and make contact with people and the world around us. When we are open our eyes become a clear channel through which our heart and soul find expression. Excellent sight is the physical counterpart of clear spiritual perception.
Problems: A persistent refusal to see truth
Emotional repression
Low self esteem
Feeling abandoned, unsuccessful, or overwhelmed
Lack of motivation
Fear of intimacy
Fear of what’s “out there” and/or what’s inside oneself

FAR SIGHTED: Too extroverted, avoidance of one’s own self development
Procrastination
Fear of being close with others
Living in the future and neglecting the present
Not wanting to look at or take responsibility for what one has created

NEAR SIGHTED: Introspective
Shy, refusal to look at or lack responsibility for creating positive goals or one’s future
Choosing not to see any further than one’s own limited beliefs, inability to see the big picture, failure to acknowledge the spiritual significance of life

FACE – Reflects attitudes about oneself and life. Self image, ego, self expression and emotional history
Problems:
The ability to face ourselves and the issues of life with honesty and integrity

Human Body

HANDS/ARMS - The capacity to "embrace" and "grasp" life and its experiences. The hands and arms are an extension and expression of the love of the heart. Communication, creativity. The ability to "feel." Reaching for goals. Taking hold of one's life ( taking responsibility). The ability to give and receive.
Problems:
Withholding the expression of love, unwillingness to feel
Feeling incompetent or insecure
Avoiding one's responsibilities and transferring them onto others Lack of initiative
Feeling overwhelmed (unable to "hold on")
Failure to give and/or receive what one is capable of giving and receiving

HEAD,- Represents the way we think about ourselves. The head has the position of authority over the body. It is the directing force, which synthesizes information from the various levels of our perception and integrates that information into a unified and balanced life plan.
Problems:
Decisions, wisdom, faith, will and intellect
Conscious thoughts not in alignment with love and wisdom Uses intellect to escape from feelings
Lack of faith and trust in Divine Intelligence Overly attached to personal objectives
Being too willful and/or obstinate
Being overly critical toward oneself or others Feeling pressured
What you consciously think and speak affects organs in the head area, throat and jaw. The source of true wisdom is found in the heart Intellect without the illumination of love is not wisdom

HEART - The seat of our true Inner Self. The doorway of spiritual illumination. The
center through which we express our capacity for deep feeling, nurturing, unconditional love, affection, forgiveness, compassion and sensitivity for oneself, others, and life. Closely associated with our desires.
Problems:
Fear of being hurt, insecurity, feeling unloved, broken-hearted, defeated Putting up
barriers in an attempt to protect oneself, shutting out the lifegiving
power of love, arrogance, insensitivity, intolerance, misplaced affections and/or feeling burdened with responsibility
Emotions such as hate, fear, resentment, and lack of forgiveness can block the flow of vitality in the heart area

IMMUNE SYSTEM - Represents strength, vitality, and enthusiasm on the physical, emotional, and mental levels. Issues related to vulnerability. A strong immune system indicates a healthy level of self-esteem and enthusiasm for life.
Suppression:
Resistance to being open and vulnerable
Lack of enthusiasm for life, feeling that life is not exciting or worth living Feeling "down" on oneself
Being too critical of self or others from lack of self-esteem Negative/destructive thinking
Anxiety/stress due to one's inability to create positive and peaceful experiences
Feelings of being "attacked", "beaten down", "defenseless", "defeated" It takes tremendous energy to maintain psychological defenses to avoid feeling vulnerable so to this lowers one's immunity Total honesty and vulnerability is the only true strength

Bicycling Basics

2011-07-13T00:09:00.000-07:00

Bicycling Basics

1. Begin well fueled. You want to avoid running out of energy near the beginning of your ride.
2. Be self sufficient – carry spares. Carry a spare tube, a patch kit, a tire iron and a pump for air.
3. Learn how to do minor field repairs, especially tire repairs. You can learn this at your local bike shop. The sport wouldn’t be where it is without your local bike shop – support your local bike shop!
4. Stay aware on your bike. Keep your situational awareness. Biking is fun but it requires more mental concentration than sitting on the couch. It can become frightening and unsafe quickly.
5. Be courteous. Remember you’re not the only one on the road or path. This is a corollary to No. 4. Be safe, be courteous, be tolerant. Other people may walking or skating. Get out of the path when you stop. Others may not be watching and hit you.
6. Stay hydrated. Carry plenty of water. Drink at least one full bottle of water for every hour you ride. Carry energy bars and electrolyte replacements for rides longer than one hour. Eat often – little bits. Your body will require more than liquids for longer rides.
7. Plan your ride. Unless you are going to an area that’s a no-brainer, carry a map or some other orienting device like a GPS.

Bicycling Control

8. Avoid overdoing it. You’re not trying to beat Lance Armstrong. Biking should be fun. Ride within your own abilities and physical limits. Smart people rest – proud people bonk out!
9. Maintain your bike. Your local bike shop can help you. Tune your bike at least once a year. If you can’t do it yourself, take it to the local bike shop.
10. Dress appropriately and safely. Bike gear may look geeky, but it has been refined over the years. Wear a helmet every time you ride your bike and consider wearing gloves. Be prepared – the weather may change. Be visible to others if you’re riding on the road. Visit your local bike shop for help with clothing choices.

The Benefit of Bicycling Exercise:

Bicycling Exercise

People follow three paths to good health: doctor, diet, and exercise. Our path to the doctor involves the greatest expense, $1,035 billion in 1996, or almost 1/7th of the Gross National Product. Over 60% of these visits involved medication, and there were over 70 million surgeries (source CDC). However, there would be less expense, trauma, and tragedy if we prevented many of these medical problems. According to the American Medical Association, 60% of Americans are physically inactive. According to U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, the number of people at risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and stroke is increasing, and 50% of Americans are overweight. He said that improved nutrition along with 30 minutes of exercise five times a week could reduce cardiovascular illnesses and deaths by 50% and colorectal cancer by 40% (source CNN, June 11, 1999).

Unfortunately, those who decide to respond to health alerts tend to go overboard on nutrition and to adopt the wrong exercises. Rather than exotic nutrients, we need a diet consisting mainly of grains, fruits, and vegetables, with reduced amounts of meat and cheese. Rather than weight*lifting, TV "aerobics," and ab crunching, we need true aerobic exercises that help strengthen the heart, such as fast walking, cycling, jogging, swimming, rollerblading, skating, and cross*country skiing. The best exercise to change our sedentary habits is the one we can and will do nearly every day.

Bicycling has several advantages over other exercises:

Benefit of Bicycling Exercise

Cycling exercises the heart better than walking without the pounding of jogging.
One can ride a bicycle almost anywhere, at any time of the year, and at low cost.
Little or no time has to be lost, as bike travel can be used to get to work, perform errands, or enjoy the outdoors.
Commuting by bike reduces pollution that causes asthma and bronchitis. A commuting cyclist is also less exposed to air pollution than a commuting motorist.

On the down side, cycling does involve some risk of injury which has been greatly exaggerated by fearmongers. Cycling actually has similar risks to traveling by automobile. The British Medical Association has estimated that the health benefits of cycling outweigh the risks by twenty to one.

One very interesting question is how much aerobic exercise should one get every day? Some medical authorities recommend as little as 20 minutes a day, three times a week, while others recommend 2,000 kCal, which would be at least four times that amount. Why the great difference? Well, most authorities recognize the more exercise the better up to some undetermined point, but many are afraid that if they expect too much, people won't exercise at all. Another reason for lowering the recommendation was due to the damage caused by jogging, a problem cycling does not share. I am afraid that those setting very low requirements are giving people the mistaken impression that they don't need any more exercise than their usual, basically sedentary activity.

Chinese martial arts (Kung Fu)

2011-07-12T02:42:00.000-07:00

Kung-fu and wushu are terms that have been borrowed into English to refer to Chinese martial arts. However, the Chinese terms Kung Fu and Wushu have distinct meanings; the Chinese literal equivalent of "Chinese martial art" would be Zhongguo wushu (traditional Chinese: 中國武術; pinyin: zhōngguó wǔshù).

Wǔshù literally means " martial art". It is formed from the two words wǔ, meaning "martial" or "military" and (shù), which translates into "discipline", "skill" or "method."

The term wushu has also become the name for the modern sport of wushu, an exhibition and full-contact sport of bare-handed and weapons forms (Chinese: 套路, pinyin: tàolù), adapted and judged to a set of aesthetic criteria for points developed since 1949 in the People's Republic of China.

How To Burn Stomach Fat

2011-07-11T02:23:00.000-07:00

hug belly

Being embarrassed looking at your huge belly at the mirror is normal. What’s not normal is the size of the
belly you have. There are several ways how to burn stomach fat, but what if one of the best ways is through
eating simple foods? Then you might think, how can eating help in reducing the size of your stomach? Well
here are some of the foods you should eat that will do miracles to your fat burning plan.

It may be hard to believe but eating the right foods is the secret on how to burn stomach fat. Eating oatmeal
helps in stomach fat burning. In the morning when you wake up, your blood sugar levels are low. This
causes you to crave for lots of foods, specially those rich in sugar. Eating oatmeal sweetened by berries is a
better alternative. And since oatmeal is fiber rich, it stays in your stomach longer thus eliminating
additional food cravings. Eating nuts can also keep you feeling full. Just eat about 24 almonds a day and
keep off the salted variety, it can cause your blood pressure to rise.

If ever you should need to put oil in your food use olive oil instead. It is loaded with monounsaturated fat

that will keep your cholesterol level in check. Instead of eating jellies, eat fresh berries. Berries also contain
lots of stomach filling fiber and taste sweet naturally. Jellies contain virtually no fiber and loaded with
sugar which is bad for your weight loss. You should also include eggs, lean meat and fish, low calorie and
protein packed legumes. Green vegetables should not be left out as well. They contain a lot of vitamins and
minerals needed by the body.

There are many other foods that can help you how to burn stomach fat. These are just a few examples but

enough to get you started on the right track. Belly busting has never been this fun!

By Sarah Kaser
Dated: Oct 24, 2010

Tone up at home

2011-07-11T01:04:00.000-07:00

While cardiovascular exercises like running, walking or playing sport are a great way of burning fat, adding a little strength training to your workouts will burn extra calories every day, even while your're sleeping or sitting on the couch watching TV.

Fitness body

Resistance training stresses muscles by causing thousands of micro tears in their fibers. The body increases its metabolic rate as it sends nutrients and energy to repair and build new muscle tissue.

Fitness body

Aerobic exercise may burn a few hundred extra calories, but for every additional kilogram of muscle you gain, your body burns around 100 extra calories every day of the week.

There are many reasons why people stop exercising. While you may want to do resistance exercises it may be hard to join a gym because the fees are too high, the gym is too far away or you can't find time to go regularly. When there are fewer hurdles to overcome the more likely you are to stick to exercise in the long term.

Here's a set of resistance exercises you can do at home without any special equipment. Get some dumbbells or grab makeshift weights, such as soup cans, water-filled buckets, water bottles, sand-filled grocery bags, or a backpack filled with books, clothing or a bag of flour - whatever you can find to add weight to the following exercises. A set of hand weights is also a good option. And remember to stretch and warm up before any of these exercises.

SQUATS

Squats

These are an easy but very useful exercise for your things and buttocks. They'll help to shape your buttocks, strengthen things and build stamina. Because they work the largest muscles in the body, they have the greatest fat-burning effect.

How to do it:
Stand up straight, bend your knees with your arms stretched outright parallel to the floor. Bend until your things are parallel to the floor. To make it harder, lift buckets filled with water or hold a heavy brick in each hand. A set of squats in 10 -12 raises.

Muscles used:
Quadriceps (thigh muscles)
Gluteus (buttock muscles)

LUNGES

Lunges

This is another exercise that works the biggest muscles in the body. Lunges can be done either on the spot or by stepping forward each time you lunges. You can even do them while running: just stop, say, every five minutes to do 20 lunges.

How to do it:
With your arms by your side, take a giant step forward with your right leg until your things is parallel to the floor. Push backward off the same leg to return to your starting position. Repeat with the left leg. Aim to do a set of 20. (Another way to do lunges is to move forward with each one.)

Muscles used:
Quadriceps (thigh muscles);
Gluteus (buttock muscles).

CRUNCHES

Crunches

Exercising the core and stomach muscles is essential for posture and spinal health. Crunches are one of the simplest exercises, and they can be carried in many ways to target different areas and made more difficult as you get stronger.

How to do it:
Lie in your back on the floor with your knees pulled up halfway to your buttocks. With your arms crossed over your chest, lift your shoulder blades 10 - 15 centimeters off the floor. Squeeze your lower stomach muscles in towards the floor while you do this. Hold the position for a second, then lower slowly. Repeat up to 20 times and rest.

Muscles used:
Stomach muscles.

Back extension

BACK EXTENSION
The back and torso muscles are often the most neglected, but they are key to maintaining a healthy posture and strong spine throughout life.

How to do it:
Lie face down with your arms at your sides. Slowly lift your head toward the ceiling and look up as far as you can go. You can extend this by lifting your legs and your head up as far as you can and hold for 5, then release. Do a set of 10 - 12.

Muscles used:
Erector spinae (back muscles);
stomach muscles and Gluteus (buttocks).

Push ups

PUSH UPS
This is a great exercise to do at home or almost anywhere. If done correctly it gives you stamina and builds your pecs and triceps.

How to do a standard push up:
Lie face down with your palms on the floor, about shoulder width apart. Push your whole body up with your back and legs in a straight line and then lower yourself back down towards the floor. To strengthen your chest more place your arms wider apart. To strengthen your triceps and back more, move your arms closer together. Aim for sets of twenty.

Muscles used:
Pectorals (chest muscles), Triceps (back of the upper arm).