Health Thoughts for Physical, Mental and Beyond

Sunday, May 21, 2006

The Exercise Before Exercises 2 - Get Warmed Up

Our bones are actually porous and not solid like rock. It becomes like that, though without exercise, when calcium and other nutrients are impeded when getting to the bones through the pores. Inter-vertebral discs are composed of 80% water which degenerated and becomes deformed if their supply of fluid and other nutrients is insufficient?
Stretching helps stimulate circulation, thereby stretching the bones and preventing spinal curvature. A better exchange of oxygen in the hymoglobin takes place when you exercise.
Mobility of arms and leg joints prevents deformed, arthritis and pain in the joints.
Our body is composed of a vast, complex cable system running through various nerves.
These nerves transmit message of muscular fatigue to the brain and thus, if the nerves grow dull, information doesn't get to the brain quickly. This is why we experience cramps, sprains, pulled muscles and torn tendons.
Stretching also balance our hormones secretions. The flow of food and waste in the salivary glands, kidneys and sex glands are essential components to better health.

Pointers and Simple Exercises

When stretching, relax your body first. The muscles are properly limber up when it is thoroughly relaxed. Stretch gradually without violent or excessive actions.
This means that stretching only as much as your body can. Don't force it and strain. Always urinate and defecate first before stretching.
Don't stretch when you are feeling a sharp pain with the joint muscle or muscle elongation.
In such case, see a doctor.

Wrist - Flex your wrist and press your palm down and back, then side to side.
Spread your fingers wide apart, stretch and close, holding no gaps between the fingers.
Put the hands together and put them forward, away from the body. Still with fingertips pressed together, stretch and pull palm out, making your fingers look like bellows blowing.
Then, stretch on the sides.

Neck - Interlock your fingers against your neck and stretch your entire back, pulling it upwards. You will feel a pull all the way to your spine. Stretch from side to side, then bend your head forward and backward.
Still, your fingers interlocked place these on top of your head and press downward and contact your neck. Hold the position. Quickly remove the hands from the head, stretching the neck upward. Repeat a few times.
Stretching the neck is important to relieve headaches, insomia, stiff ahoulders, ringing in the ears, whiplash syndrome and senile de mentia.

Shoulders - Move your left shoulder up and down. Do the same with the right shoulder. then with both. Rotate one shoulder forward and the other backwards. Then alternately rotate each shoulder.

Arms - Arms stretch are good for the lower spine.
Flex one arm up so that your hand touches your back, while your arm is parallel to your head area and your triceps are exposed. Now grab your elbows and pull. Do the same on the opposite arm.

Back - Clasp and stretch both arms up over your head and bend forward. Stretch your back and hold the position for 15 counts. Stretch, inhale, swing to your right, exhale, swing to the left, then stretch down, trying to touch the ground if posible, remember, don't strain. Close your eyes, slowly inhale, come up and exhale, bringing your clasped hands down. Put your hands behind your wrist and stretch your wrist and stretch on your left side and right side, and then rotate your wrist.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

The Exercise Before Exercises

When going swimming, do you exercise first before diving for a swim? Do you do some stretching before jogging, or basketball or any other sports? What i mean for exercise before exercises is "getting warmed up" or stretching. Preliminary exercise raise the body's activity level so the muscles contract more powerfully and stretch more effectively. Proper warm up stretches reduce the risk of injury like muscle cramps or muscle tear.
Warm up is not just for athletes who engage in different sport activities but they are for every one of us whose bodies must be prepared for the rigors of exercises. Stretching benifits the body in many ways. When you feel sluggish, stiff, numb or in pain you unconsciously stretch the affected part of your body. In fact, you may not be aware that when you wake up in the morning you do activities like stretching your limbs, rubbing your eyes and yawn. These are warming up for the rest of the day's activities.
When stretching you encounter the word "flexiblity", a component of fitness responsible for the range of movement of a joint or joints. Flexibility is essential for smoother movement and for generating some power. Stretching is done slowly, extendinf the muscles as much as possible.
Some parts of the body are extended slowly while calmly breathing and when it reaches the full stretch, the position is held without strain for a specific lenght of time. In Sports Medicine, the proper time recommended is 15 counts.
Proper warm up stretches reduces the risk of injury like muscle cramps or tear. When the muscles are compliant and strong, the range of smoothness of mobility of joints improve. The heart and respiration rates gradually increase such as discomfort is minimized.
Correct stretching is highly effective and puts no undue burden on the muscles. Since you don't feel fatigue, those physically weak and elderly can comfortably do stretches. Blood circulation, muscle resilience and muscle strenght are the immediate results of stretching.
Youthfulness is not just seen in agility, which is achieved by exercising but also by having a rosy smooth complexion. Everytime you sweat, you open the pores of your skin and expel the many toxins inside. Wrinkling and sagging of the skin in old age occur because subcutaneous fats shrink, hindering the secretion of oil by the subcutaneous glands which is located at the hair roots. An oily substance is secreted by these galnds when you exercise.
Stretching doesn't just improve skin and help prevent wrinkles. By activating its functions, the skin's sensitivity is heightened, improving its ability to adjust the body temperature to external temperature. Those who do not exercise need to wrapped in sweaters and socks at a slightest change of temperature.
To Be Continued: The Exercise Before Exercises 2 - Get Warmed Up

Sunday, May 07, 2006

"Thoughts"

"THOUGHTS" is supposed to be this blog's title, cause really "Human life is meant for thoughtfulness"
I first offer all my respects to my True Friend and Teacher from whom I recieved all these transcendental knowledge cause without Him my existence will be useless and be wasted to the darkness of ignorance.

"Human life is meant for thoughtfulness" The more serious people ask questions about what real life is? who am i? what am i doing here? sufferrings! why? happiness! Where is it? Death! What's next? Unlimited inquiries about life and the experience of what life itself is the main concern of an intelligent individual.
Intelligence distinguish us humans from animals and other living matters.
Intelligence elevates and enhances human life. Animals have intelligence too but to inquire to the real meaning of life, its purpose and the search for one's identity gives human a "higher intelligence" than animals that is why "Thoughtfulness is meant fo human life"
Animals and human both eat, sleep, mate, and defend. We have sex, and animals have their own way of doing it that even us humans explore how animals mate in search for the real happiness and bliss we are always looking atinstead of the flickering enjoyment everyvody is experiencing now. "I can't get No satisfaction" Mick Jagger of the Rolling Sones sings.