Copyright 2005 strength-training-woman.com
If you have experienced a massage session, you already know the wonders a great massage can have on your mind and body. You know about the complete feeling of health and relaxation that overcomes your entire being. You know about the calmness that permeates throughout the therapy room. And you know about the subtle healing music that gently eases your tension away.
With the holidays fast approaching, many of us will begin to think of our New Year's resolutions. Without a doubt, 'lose weight' and 'become a healthier and happier person' will top the list. Unfortunately many of us will never take that first step towards our goals. We simply do not have the general health and fitness know-how. We know what we want- drop 5 pounds, learn to laugh more, etc- but we do not know the best and safest way to reach those goals.
What if we had 5 simple ideas that would lead us on the path to a healthier life? Would we utilize those tools? We are smart enough to realize there is no magic pill or secret weapon against illnesses, but are we practical enough to realize what will solve many of our health problems?
Below are 5 tools you can use to take your first step towards a healthier and happier holiday season. While they may not reveal a whopping secret, they do provide the complete foundation of health.
Tool 1- Strength Training
Every pound of muscle burns 35-50 calories per day. Adding lean muscle mass is the best way to jump start your metabolism, fight osteoporosis and sustain fat reduction.
Tool 2- Cardio
Cardio strengthens our heart and lungs. Anything that gets your heart pumping will do: walking, jogging, running, dancing, swimming, biking, or house cleaning. Cardio should be done at varying intensity and time levels.
Tool 3- Nutrition
Nutrition is often the hardest part becoming a healthier person. We simply forgot how to eat well in our culture. We need to eat protein, carbs, and fat to sustain our way of life. Cut one of the three out and imbalances will occur.
Tool 4- Rest
Rest is not a luxury. It is a necessity. We should eat well every day and we should workout 5-6 times per week. The leftover 1-2 days are meant for rest. Our muscles need time to rebuild and repair themselves.
Tool 5- Massage
Massage is extremely beneficial. Massage can stimulate weak, inactive muscles and partially compensate for the lack of exercise and inactivity resulting from illness or injury. It also can hasten and lead to a more complete recovery from exercise or injury.
Participating in a positive strength training, cardio, nutrition, rest and massage program will result in an enormous increase in health. There is no magic bullet. Just simple and effective tools to create the life we want. Make a promise to yourself right now. Try using the above tools consistently and to the best of your ability for 4 weeks. You'll look great and feel amazing.
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Lynn VanDyke is the Internet's leading fitness and nutrition advisor. Her ebook has been ranked "The best fitness ebook on the net" by the No Limits ezine. Learn more about her services and grab her best-selling ebook by visiting:
http://strength-training-woman.com/31-no-holds-barred-answers.html
Don't Needlessly Suffer From Chronic Pain
Copyright 2005 Robert Gould
As a chronic pain sufferer, with a diagnosis of a herniated disc along with bone disc degenerative disease, for many years I have needlessly suffered from chronic pain. During the many years of needlessly suffering in pain, I have learned how chronic pain is treated, or should I say undertreated.
First of all, patients seeking treatment from the medical community are greeted with a negative stigma that's associated with chronic pain treatment. This is due for a variety of reasons. Some physicians and healthcare professionals are afraid of the new and ever changing government regulations, patient addiction, diversion, or just the pure lack of knowledge when it comes to treating chronic pain.
Its a sad fact that chronic pain is grossly ignored and undertreated by healthcare professionals. Too many Americans are needlessly & silently suffering from chronic pain. It also appears that doctors are hesitant about what types of treatment is best for people that suffer from constant daily pain. As in my case, a doctor told me that he recommended back surgery. After several second opinions, and talking to many surgery patients who already had surgery with the same diagnosis as me, going under the surgeons knife didn't seem like a reasonable or logical option.
With failed back surgery being very common, and needed follow up surgery from damage or complications due to surgery, and the possibility of permanent nerve damage and paralysis from having surgery, again surgery wasn't worth the risk. But it seems physicians & surgeons try to pressure you into surgery, or some kind of invasive measures so they can justify the prescribing long term narcotic medications.
After trying physical therapy, biofeedback tactics, countless steroid injections, anti-inflammatory, to several different over the counter medicines with no great results, I felt helpless. Luckily, after years of low back and leg pain, I finally found the help needed to address my pain. I am now on a responsible drug therapy program. I no longer feel like a drug addict, or not believed when obtaining the proper pain medication needed to treat my pain. But after years of enduring chronic pain, I know there's so many people like I was, who are still silently & needlessly suffering in pain.
Chronic pain patients are discriminated against tremendously. If someone has tried every treatment program to treat their pain with no positive results, they should be entitled to the proper pain medication needed to address their pain. Chronic pain sufferers should not be a victim of the system and suffer needlessly. I myself am a chronic pain sufferer dedicated to helping other chronic pain sufferers live a more productive and a better quality of life.
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Author is a chronic pain sufferer as well as an advocate dedicated and committed to helping other chronic pain sufferers get the proper treatment from the medical community they need to live a more productive and better quality of life. For more info, go to:
http://www.rxscripts4u.com
Prevention of Suicide is Everybody's Business
We are losing approximate one million human lives a year worldwide due to suicidal deaths. It is not only the case of death and births subject, which keeps statistics of human counts. Today is September10, an international suicide prevention day . International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) a world health organization's help group is seriously working on this subject. Now days we are passing through commercialization/Industrialization/capitalist regime, western countries has experienced it much earlier then us. They are facing bio products of this so called revolution as suicidal syndrome in these societies,developed nations has high suicidal death rate than those developing nations which are passing through commercialization/Industrialization but rate are on rising side for developing nations if not minded will lead towards infinity.
As our Indian society is going through these conditions most affected are those urban areas where commercialization/Industrialization has taken place. Cut throat competitions in every sphere of life lead to mental pressure on these citizens. When our mind could not able to cope up with these men made pressures resulted into a suicide. It is not merely a criminal physical action but result of mental malfunction, which comes into health domain. It should be treated as well established man made disease like HIV/AIDS. Today its occurrence is approximate one million worldwide but it is still more lives lost than
• In all wars and homicides worldwide every year.
• Three times the catastrophic loss of human lives in the tragic Tsunami disaster.
. One suicide represents
• A lost life, lost talents, lost creativity, lost contribution made to society.
• A lost son or daughter, a lost father or mother, a lost friend or colleague.
• A wound that does not easily heal in those who left behind.
The health administrators in developing nations are not giving attention on this especially in country like India and china are in transformation era of commercialization /Industrialization/capitalist regime in check list. As in case of HIV/AIDS origin was in western part of globe (developed nations). It remained confined till it was in this part of world. When it reached in Asia the population basket of world it becomes manifold in its number in few years. Similar to this suicidal syndrome which is resultant of commercialization/Industrialization/capitalist regime, western countries has experienced it much earlier then us. It is now time to keep check on this syndrome otherwise HIV/AIDS type threat to human races is in waiting in coming year in our part of world.
Last not least is national level initiatives to fight against suicidal syndrome at medical and social fronts should be included in national health programme.
Why prevention of suicide is everybody business?
Answer to this is of English poet John Donne
" No man is an island, entire of itself…..any man's death diminish me, because I am involve in mankind; and therefore never send to whom the bell toll; it toll for thee".
Dinesh Singh Rawat
Special correspondent
www.abcnewsnetwork.com
