TYPES OF EXERCISE: There are many kinds of exercise. Exercise can be static, dynamic, stress producing, stress reducing or making one flexible. All exercises have a range of mild to extreme.
An exercise can burn calories and induce certain types of emotions - ultimately causing the rib cage to rise with head straight and shoulders automatically aligned. Exercise causes a certain rhythm of breathing. As blood is moved to the upper body including the brain due to exercise, the body starts working efficiently.
MOST IMPORTANT EFFECT OF THE EXERCISE: It is the final result of exercise that is necessary and most desirable for health - and this final result is the effect on posture of an individual. This posture of body in standing, sitting sleeping, walking and movement throughout the day is most important. Exercise corrects the problems of the posture and the person starts to sit, stand and move differently.
ANALYSIS: When analyzed, we notice that the slim people walk, stand and sit in a certain way. They may or may not eat differently from others. Similarly, the obese people follow a similar pattern.
EFFECTS OF GRAVITY: What has been completely missed here is the effect of gravity on various organs of the body. As we age, our posture sufferes aswe slump due to gravity and this causes some part of body within the abdominal area to press other parts. On top of that the muscles, tendons etc. that are supposed to hold the body's organs in a certain position lose elasticity and they sag and sit crooked putting more pressure on other organs and causing undue stresses on some muscles that are holding these organs firmly in place. This causes pains and other symptoms within the body associated with these muscles and organs. Gravity is the most common issue that we seem to ignore completely. This is also the reason why we get astigmatism or the lazy eye syndrome.
THE LAW OF THE OPPOSITES: As this is a very involved topic, I may provide some hints on this in the near future.
EXERCISE AND FOOD: Try exercising after a heavy meal and you will notice it almost impossible, especially the stretching exercises. When the stomach is empty, then these exercises are very easy to do.
It is, therefore, very important to understand that all exercise should be done when the stomach is empty. When the stomach is full, then the most important thing to do is to do very light stretching that will aid the digestion and help improve the efficiency of the stomach and intestines. Walking after eating or any other time helps the digestion, therefore it has been a favorite of all exercise systems.
DIET: I have not covered any guidelines for diet or liquids as they form the chemical aspect of our health and are equally important. This does not mean that we go on a diet but more importantly we must form new habits of eating and drinking at certain times. These will be the subjects for the future.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Monday, March 8, 2010
Elbow: skin is dry, cracked and painful.
THE BEGINNING: I had this problem a little over 2 years ago. One day, the dry, cracked and painful skin was bleeding and I had to use first aid tape to feel some relief.
REACTION FROM PEOPLE: This turned out to be an interesting day as I had to attend a gathering that evening. As I entered the room, full of people, I felt the warmth and had to take my jacket off. As I did that, a couple of people looked at my elbow and said, "you too"!!
I thought that they were making fun of me, but then they showed their elbows - same things and about the same kind of damage. One of them even had first aid tape to cover it, just the same as me. I felt better after that, as I was not the only one suffering from this condition.
Later in the week, I met another person with same elbow issues, but he did recommend using Castor oil as he had been helped by it. I did not try Castor oil because I did not want it to rub off on my shirt.
MY OBSERVATIONS: I had to find some other, easier way to correct my problem. This caused me to analyze our sitting postures. Then I noticed something that we all had in common, we all slouched down on the sofa and put weight on the elbow that was giving problem. This was not isolated to the sofa but to working on computer also as we all rested that one arm on the table mostly using elbow to balance the arm and do certain things.
MY REACTION: I thought that it won't hurt just to try to change my sitting posture, but it took me a couple of days to change my habit and I was able to change my sitting posture. The strangest thing happened to me as in these 2 days my elbow was almost healed, without any first aid tape, any medication or use of some ointment.
REACTION FROM OTHERS: Even now, I meet people with elbow problems and when I try to mention this change of posture to correct this problem, they simply smile and look at me as if I am from some strange world. Well, I took the chance and it worked, and most of all, no money was spent, and the problem was solved for good. I am sure, there are people like me, who will go out of the general thinking paradigm, to try improving their posture and most likely receive similar result.
REACTION FROM PEOPLE: This turned out to be an interesting day as I had to attend a gathering that evening. As I entered the room, full of people, I felt the warmth and had to take my jacket off. As I did that, a couple of people looked at my elbow and said, "you too"!!
I thought that they were making fun of me, but then they showed their elbows - same things and about the same kind of damage. One of them even had first aid tape to cover it, just the same as me. I felt better after that, as I was not the only one suffering from this condition.
Later in the week, I met another person with same elbow issues, but he did recommend using Castor oil as he had been helped by it. I did not try Castor oil because I did not want it to rub off on my shirt.
MY OBSERVATIONS: I had to find some other, easier way to correct my problem. This caused me to analyze our sitting postures. Then I noticed something that we all had in common, we all slouched down on the sofa and put weight on the elbow that was giving problem. This was not isolated to the sofa but to working on computer also as we all rested that one arm on the table mostly using elbow to balance the arm and do certain things.
MY REACTION: I thought that it won't hurt just to try to change my sitting posture, but it took me a couple of days to change my habit and I was able to change my sitting posture. The strangest thing happened to me as in these 2 days my elbow was almost healed, without any first aid tape, any medication or use of some ointment.
REACTION FROM OTHERS: Even now, I meet people with elbow problems and when I try to mention this change of posture to correct this problem, they simply smile and look at me as if I am from some strange world. Well, I took the chance and it worked, and most of all, no money was spent, and the problem was solved for good. I am sure, there are people like me, who will go out of the general thinking paradigm, to try improving their posture and most likely receive similar result.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Pain in Feet, Ankles and Knees
THE BEGINNING: When a person is out of shape, he or she is dealing with numerous health problems. Sometimes these minor problems can seem major and if they are not looked at in the early stages, then they can translate into serious problems. The pain in ankle and knee joints can become arthritis and can become serious.
LIMITED HELP FROM GADGETS: There may be numerous reasons for these problems to occur but there is help available. A few years ago, I had all of these problems, and each day I had to deal with foot pain and to correct it I tried flat sole shoes, shoes with slight heals, extra padding and support, but the problem continued to persist. I felt slightly better but the pain and stiffness was still there. With the aching feet, my knees and ankles also showed signs of pain and these areas were very sensitive to touch.
MY EXPERIMENTS AND SIDE-EFFECTS: I was doing a few exercise experiments for some other condition and one day I realized that all of these problems were completely cured, as I could run, jump and do thousand and one things but the pain and stiffness and sensitivity, were gone for good. I no longer got charlie horse, deep pain in the ball of the heel, the arches of the feet. All of my foot problems were gone for good.
YOGA AND REFLEXOLOGY WORKED FOR ME: I started to figure out what had caused all this improvement, and it turned out that pressing in the hollow to the front of and toward the lower point of the ankle joint ball for a minute or two, a few times a day, helped greatly with the ankle problems. The one thing that solved all of the foot, ankle and knee problems turned out to be a yoga asana (yoga pose). In the beginning I was unable to do it even for a few seconds and had to use some help of a chair, but I kept on trying each time I had a chance. I would try it while watching television or listening to the music. In the beginning this yoga pose was extremely difficult and the pain was unbearable, but I kept on trying. It took me about a month and by then, I was able to do it for almost a couple of minutes.
The yoga pose is called Veer Asana or the Hero Pose. You can search for Hero Pose on Google and you will find numerous photos of this. I will warn you again that the pose will be very painful and your feet, ankles, legs and the knees will show tremendous pain. Don't hesitate and grab a chair or sofa or anything to help with this pose in the beginning, and continue trying. Once you are able to do it for about 15 seconds, try moving away from the chair and any other help.
If you can, increase the time to 2 minutes and sit in this position at least twice daily, you will notice amazing improvement in all of the above mentioned areas. Remember, it is just a way of sitting, but because we have never done it, therefore we must stretch the ligaments and muscles and build some strength. Any stretching improves blood circulation, which helps healing. This is the pose Japanese people use for meditation.
The 2 minutes of practice used to cause throbbing in my feet, ankles and knees and the pain in my knees used to become stronger and it took a few minutes of just sitting or lying down before I was able to walk around easily. To minimize this pain, I used to sit in Sukh Asana for a few minutes and tried to stretch my feet in other directions by sitting in the Lotus Pose for a few seconds.
The important point is, do whatever is necessary to minimize the pain after sitting in the Hero Pose - if it feels good to lie down, then do it.
MY THOUGHTS: People with serious joint pains and arthritis should consult their family physician before attempting the sitting pose. the pose causes the upper side of feet to stretch and help form a curve in the soles. The pain is likely the result of top muscles and ligaments shrinking due to lack of exercise and the soles became weaker as the time went by, causing flat feet. Perhaps there are technical explanations for this to happen but this was my thinking. My body's natural safety mechanism worked perfectly as I was unable to sit for even 2 seconds in the beginning. As the top of my feet started to get flexible, the problems of flat foot disappeared.
LIMITED HELP FROM GADGETS: There may be numerous reasons for these problems to occur but there is help available. A few years ago, I had all of these problems, and each day I had to deal with foot pain and to correct it I tried flat sole shoes, shoes with slight heals, extra padding and support, but the problem continued to persist. I felt slightly better but the pain and stiffness was still there. With the aching feet, my knees and ankles also showed signs of pain and these areas were very sensitive to touch.
MY EXPERIMENTS AND SIDE-EFFECTS: I was doing a few exercise experiments for some other condition and one day I realized that all of these problems were completely cured, as I could run, jump and do thousand and one things but the pain and stiffness and sensitivity, were gone for good. I no longer got charlie horse, deep pain in the ball of the heel, the arches of the feet. All of my foot problems were gone for good.
YOGA AND REFLEXOLOGY WORKED FOR ME: I started to figure out what had caused all this improvement, and it turned out that pressing in the hollow to the front of and toward the lower point of the ankle joint ball for a minute or two, a few times a day, helped greatly with the ankle problems. The one thing that solved all of the foot, ankle and knee problems turned out to be a yoga asana (yoga pose). In the beginning I was unable to do it even for a few seconds and had to use some help of a chair, but I kept on trying each time I had a chance. I would try it while watching television or listening to the music. In the beginning this yoga pose was extremely difficult and the pain was unbearable, but I kept on trying. It took me about a month and by then, I was able to do it for almost a couple of minutes.
The yoga pose is called Veer Asana or the Hero Pose. You can search for Hero Pose on Google and you will find numerous photos of this. I will warn you again that the pose will be very painful and your feet, ankles, legs and the knees will show tremendous pain. Don't hesitate and grab a chair or sofa or anything to help with this pose in the beginning, and continue trying. Once you are able to do it for about 15 seconds, try moving away from the chair and any other help.
If you can, increase the time to 2 minutes and sit in this position at least twice daily, you will notice amazing improvement in all of the above mentioned areas. Remember, it is just a way of sitting, but because we have never done it, therefore we must stretch the ligaments and muscles and build some strength. Any stretching improves blood circulation, which helps healing. This is the pose Japanese people use for meditation.
The 2 minutes of practice used to cause throbbing in my feet, ankles and knees and the pain in my knees used to become stronger and it took a few minutes of just sitting or lying down before I was able to walk around easily. To minimize this pain, I used to sit in Sukh Asana for a few minutes and tried to stretch my feet in other directions by sitting in the Lotus Pose for a few seconds.
The important point is, do whatever is necessary to minimize the pain after sitting in the Hero Pose - if it feels good to lie down, then do it.
MY THOUGHTS: People with serious joint pains and arthritis should consult their family physician before attempting the sitting pose. the pose causes the upper side of feet to stretch and help form a curve in the soles. The pain is likely the result of top muscles and ligaments shrinking due to lack of exercise and the soles became weaker as the time went by, causing flat feet. Perhaps there are technical explanations for this to happen but this was my thinking. My body's natural safety mechanism worked perfectly as I was unable to sit for even 2 seconds in the beginning. As the top of my feet started to get flexible, the problems of flat foot disappeared.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Avoid stiff neck and Increase energy
A COMMON PROBLEM: Most of us have had the stiff neck at least a few times. Some people get stiff neck more often than others. A friend used to come downstairs into the kitchen area quietly so that he is not disturbing his wife and she would almost always get a stiff neck just by turning her head. This stiffness lasts for a few days and in some cases, it can lead to strep-throat or hay-fever.
IT WAS A NUISANCE FOR ME: I, myself, has had this problem numerous times in the past. Stiff neck is usually the result of stress buildup in the shoulder blades and the neck itself. Most important thing to remember - if you have the stiff neck currently, then rest it out and let it recover. In my case, any exercise usually made it worse. When the neck is back to normal and the stiffness is gone, then do the following exercises for a few days.
WHAT HELPED ME: I started doing neck exercises, including neck rolls to left and then to right. A few times is fine but do not force it and be gentle. The idea is to get the blood circulation started. The neck exercises should be followed by shoulder lifts to release stress in the shoulder blades. And finally rub the back of the neck with left or right hand for at least 30 times. This rubbing motion is from left to right and right to left and you must use firm pressure to get some feeling of warmth. The most important thing in the beginning for me was to keep my neck relaxed.
A few days of these few things will make you smile as the neck will remain stiffness free. Shoulder lifts should be done a few times a day along with some rubbing of the neck. Slowly increase the neck exercises - I mean, do 5 repetitions at a time but start doing it more often.
Rubbing the back of my neck helped increase my energy level and it cut down on the fatigue. Try it for a few days and see how long it takes to cure the stiff neck for good. It is always a good idea to continue these exercises once in a while after the neck has recovered.
Massaging the back of neck also helps in headaches.
IT WAS A NUISANCE FOR ME: I, myself, has had this problem numerous times in the past. Stiff neck is usually the result of stress buildup in the shoulder blades and the neck itself. Most important thing to remember - if you have the stiff neck currently, then rest it out and let it recover. In my case, any exercise usually made it worse. When the neck is back to normal and the stiffness is gone, then do the following exercises for a few days.
WHAT HELPED ME: I started doing neck exercises, including neck rolls to left and then to right. A few times is fine but do not force it and be gentle. The idea is to get the blood circulation started. The neck exercises should be followed by shoulder lifts to release stress in the shoulder blades. And finally rub the back of the neck with left or right hand for at least 30 times. This rubbing motion is from left to right and right to left and you must use firm pressure to get some feeling of warmth. The most important thing in the beginning for me was to keep my neck relaxed.
A few days of these few things will make you smile as the neck will remain stiffness free. Shoulder lifts should be done a few times a day along with some rubbing of the neck. Slowly increase the neck exercises - I mean, do 5 repetitions at a time but start doing it more often.
Rubbing the back of my neck helped increase my energy level and it cut down on the fatigue. Try it for a few days and see how long it takes to cure the stiff neck for good. It is always a good idea to continue these exercises once in a while after the neck has recovered.
Massaging the back of neck also helps in headaches.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
No feeling in the arm at night (Arm falling asleep)
A COMMON OCCURRENCE: This is strange and hardly discussed issue. I realized the importance of this when I discussed this with a few individuals a few years ago, and it turned out that all of them had faced this problem.
When a person goes to sleep on the side, with weight on one of the arms. The blood circulation can be affected, especially if people have blood vessels closer to the skin. They wake up at odd times with absolutely no feeling in the arm, and it takes a few minutes to restore the feeling in the arm. The first time it happened to me, I thought that I got some sort of paralysis in the arm as there was no feeling for a short time. There are a lot of people facing this problem but it is very easy to fix.
MY OBSERVATION AND REACTION: We are taught that exercise in the morning is better for health - but this is not so for this problem. There is a very easy remedy for this and it works like a miracle.
Just before going to bed to sleep, swing the arms clockwise and then swing them in the anti-clockwise direction, in a circular motion, for 10 repetitions in each direction. The next step is 5 repetitions of twisting arms in both directions. In most cases, the problem is solved the very first day, but it could take a couple or so days. However, once this problem is corrected, the exercise can be done once a week and slowly can be done once a month and then every once in a while.
Try it, you will be amazed at the results.
When a person goes to sleep on the side, with weight on one of the arms. The blood circulation can be affected, especially if people have blood vessels closer to the skin. They wake up at odd times with absolutely no feeling in the arm, and it takes a few minutes to restore the feeling in the arm. The first time it happened to me, I thought that I got some sort of paralysis in the arm as there was no feeling for a short time. There are a lot of people facing this problem but it is very easy to fix.
MY OBSERVATION AND REACTION: We are taught that exercise in the morning is better for health - but this is not so for this problem. There is a very easy remedy for this and it works like a miracle.
Just before going to bed to sleep, swing the arms clockwise and then swing them in the anti-clockwise direction, in a circular motion, for 10 repetitions in each direction. The next step is 5 repetitions of twisting arms in both directions. In most cases, the problem is solved the very first day, but it could take a couple or so days. However, once this problem is corrected, the exercise can be done once a week and slowly can be done once a month and then every once in a while.
Try it, you will be amazed at the results.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Headaches
MY HEADACHES ARE A HISTORY NOW: Headaches can be the result of many things but most headaches are easily cured using the following couple of things:
Firstly, headaches can be caused by not properly brushing teeth, therefore brush your teeth and wait about 5 to 10 minutes to notice the difference. When the improvement is not that great then the following method works like magic:
MASSAGE WORKED FOR ME: Massage your forehead using your knuckles. A few seconds of massage will enhance the sensitive areas on the forehead - continue massaging these sensitive areas using firm knuckle pressure for about 30 seconds to a minute. Return to this massage once again after about 5 minutes, if there is slight improvement the first time. I find that my arms used to get tired in the beginning, therefore I started using a pen with a rounded back. This was very easy on my arms and shoulder blades.
WATCH FOR STIFFNESS IN THE BACK OF THE NECK: Sometimes back of the neck becomes stiff - when this happens, take some rest as exercising neck may make it worse. At least my neck became worse each time I tried exercising it when stiff. Regular massage on the back of the neck and some light neck exercises will ensure that the stiff neck is kept at bay. Application of the above 2 procedures will likely cure majority of common headache problems, and the neck massage will markedly improve stiff neck.
Check out the post on stiff neck also.
Firstly, headaches can be caused by not properly brushing teeth, therefore brush your teeth and wait about 5 to 10 minutes to notice the difference. When the improvement is not that great then the following method works like magic:
MASSAGE WORKED FOR ME: Massage your forehead using your knuckles. A few seconds of massage will enhance the sensitive areas on the forehead - continue massaging these sensitive areas using firm knuckle pressure for about 30 seconds to a minute. Return to this massage once again after about 5 minutes, if there is slight improvement the first time. I find that my arms used to get tired in the beginning, therefore I started using a pen with a rounded back. This was very easy on my arms and shoulder blades.
WATCH FOR STIFFNESS IN THE BACK OF THE NECK: Sometimes back of the neck becomes stiff - when this happens, take some rest as exercising neck may make it worse. At least my neck became worse each time I tried exercising it when stiff. Regular massage on the back of the neck and some light neck exercises will ensure that the stiff neck is kept at bay. Application of the above 2 procedures will likely cure majority of common headache problems, and the neck massage will markedly improve stiff neck.
Check out the post on stiff neck also.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
High Blood Pressure
THE BEGINNING: A few weeks ago, I went for a complete medical check-up and learned that I have fairly high blood pressure.
MY SELF-TEST: I borrowed a blood pressure machine and started experimenting with different techniques to lower blood pressure. In a weeks time, my blood pressure came down to a slightly higher than normal but I wanted to bring it to normal, therefore started experimenting with various methods.
MY EXPERIMENTS: Within a couple of days of experimenting, I was able to bring my BP down to normal by doing some quick meditations and relaxation routines. Then finally it took me about 2 minutes to bring it down to normal. Then I was able to figure out that if I think in a certain way, the BP remains normal and was not affected much. However, these meditations may be harder for people new to meditation, but there are other easier methods to accomplish just that. It does help to meditate on a paragraph from a book, a mantra like WAHEGURU, RAAM or AUM. The idea is to find ONE word mantra and use that for meditation. Meditation can be done on a picture or a sign. Buddhist people meditate on breathing - just be aware of in and out breathing by observing it.
I TRIED THE FOLLOWING HERBAL REMEDY ALSO: I took aged garlic capsules to help bring high blood pressure to normal, but it did take about 3 weeks to notice some initial improvement.
BLOOD PRESSURE OF A NORMAL PERSON: and my thoughts: A normal person is able to handle some stress and I feel it is essential. it is no different than the tension on the guitar strings to make it sound better. I feel that a person should be able to handle some stress. A person with normal blood pressure can run faster, lift weights, twist his body in many directions and he does not have to worry about getting a heart attack or some other serious condition. A person with high blood pressure is told to slow down, do easy exercises, some twisting exercises can be bad for him, meditate, do things that help release stress, and perhaps many other things. In a way, the person is never going to do the things that a person with normal blood pressure can do. He is told to take it easy and relax. The unhealthy person has to remain on a stress watch so that his stress level does not affect his blood pressure.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO CHECK WITH A DOCTOR BEFORE STARTING ANY EXPERIMENTS: These are serious issues that may require the individual's attention, for instance the person may be over weight, he may have high blood cholesterol and he may not have much flexibility. Therefore, the person has to correct some of the other imbalances alongside of lowering high blood pressure. As soon as some flexibility is noticed in the body, the cholesterol level is within normal range, and the blood pressure is also within the limits - this would be a time to start doing some of the things that the normal person is able to do, but a few minutes every now and then for the first couple of months, followed by relaxation exercises and meditations. The time frame after 2 months can be increased to a few more minutes.
This is very important to follow if a person wants to become normal again. Anyway I am not recommending it, but this is exactly what I have followed to correct my blood pressure issues. I strongly recommend checking with the family physician if someone wants to try this system of thought. There are many variables like cholesterol, flexibility, pulse and heart beat, which are very important to keep under control along with blood pressure, therefore, it is very important to check with the physician and go for regular tests.
MY SELF-TEST: I borrowed a blood pressure machine and started experimenting with different techniques to lower blood pressure. In a weeks time, my blood pressure came down to a slightly higher than normal but I wanted to bring it to normal, therefore started experimenting with various methods.
MY EXPERIMENTS: Within a couple of days of experimenting, I was able to bring my BP down to normal by doing some quick meditations and relaxation routines. Then finally it took me about 2 minutes to bring it down to normal. Then I was able to figure out that if I think in a certain way, the BP remains normal and was not affected much. However, these meditations may be harder for people new to meditation, but there are other easier methods to accomplish just that. It does help to meditate on a paragraph from a book, a mantra like WAHEGURU, RAAM or AUM. The idea is to find ONE word mantra and use that for meditation. Meditation can be done on a picture or a sign. Buddhist people meditate on breathing - just be aware of in and out breathing by observing it.
I TRIED THE FOLLOWING HERBAL REMEDY ALSO: I took aged garlic capsules to help bring high blood pressure to normal, but it did take about 3 weeks to notice some initial improvement.
BLOOD PRESSURE OF A NORMAL PERSON: and my thoughts: A normal person is able to handle some stress and I feel it is essential. it is no different than the tension on the guitar strings to make it sound better. I feel that a person should be able to handle some stress. A person with normal blood pressure can run faster, lift weights, twist his body in many directions and he does not have to worry about getting a heart attack or some other serious condition. A person with high blood pressure is told to slow down, do easy exercises, some twisting exercises can be bad for him, meditate, do things that help release stress, and perhaps many other things. In a way, the person is never going to do the things that a person with normal blood pressure can do. He is told to take it easy and relax. The unhealthy person has to remain on a stress watch so that his stress level does not affect his blood pressure.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO CHECK WITH A DOCTOR BEFORE STARTING ANY EXPERIMENTS: These are serious issues that may require the individual's attention, for instance the person may be over weight, he may have high blood cholesterol and he may not have much flexibility. Therefore, the person has to correct some of the other imbalances alongside of lowering high blood pressure. As soon as some flexibility is noticed in the body, the cholesterol level is within normal range, and the blood pressure is also within the limits - this would be a time to start doing some of the things that the normal person is able to do, but a few minutes every now and then for the first couple of months, followed by relaxation exercises and meditations. The time frame after 2 months can be increased to a few more minutes.
This is very important to follow if a person wants to become normal again. Anyway I am not recommending it, but this is exactly what I have followed to correct my blood pressure issues. I strongly recommend checking with the family physician if someone wants to try this system of thought. There are many variables like cholesterol, flexibility, pulse and heart beat, which are very important to keep under control along with blood pressure, therefore, it is very important to check with the physician and go for regular tests.
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