about-health-tips: December 2006

3 More Excellent Health and Fitness Tips

Tip! Every responsible parent should teach his children the general health tips that they should live by from childhood as well as when they become older. Training children to live right and to eat healthy food can make the difference in how they are going to take care of their health later on in life.

Here are 3 top tips to help you develop your running, firstly, the common problem of stitches. Stitches are probably the most annoying things that you can get when you'r running, second only to getting cramp (I shall come back to cramp).

The best method to avoid getting a stitch is very simple, it is this: Simply do not eat or drink within 2 hours of going for a run. If you follow this advice you should not get a stitch, you are at least much less likely to anyway! If you do need a drink, only drink little sips!

Okay, when you're running, probably the most annoying thing you can suffer from is cramp! Most runners have probably experienced cramp of some sort during their lifetime and know what I'm referring to!

My second tip is an easy way to avoid this suffering! Cramp and dehydration go hand in hand, so my tip is to keep hydrated while running, especially on long runs where fatigue will take its toll! So take some water when you go out running, if you don't want to carry a water bottle while you run, then drop a bottle off half way round your route, then drink it when you reach half way, then pick it up again upon completion on your way home! Other options include hydro packs and other similar products which I personally find very effective during endurance runs! By keeping hydrated you will fight off cramp for a much longer time, but, if you do happen to get cramp, my top tip to get rid of it, is to stretch the muscle in question out, this will help relieve the cramp!

My third tip is a great way for measuring your cardiovascular fitness at a high intensity, then in the future as a monitor for seeing how you have progressed! Okay, start off by having a good thorough warm up, then the test is this: run as far as you can in a 12 minute period, this is recommended round a track to keep measurements accurate! As you run remember how many laps you have completed, when your alarm goes off after 12 minutes, stop where you are and work out the distance you have travelled, this distance is used to measure your fitness! Less than 1,750 metres is poor. 1,750-2,250 is average. 2,250-2,750 is slightly above average. 2,750-3,500 is good! Anything over 3,500 is excellent!

Do this monthly and see how your fitness improves! This is a good measure of how you have improved!

Follow these 3 tips for happy running, and to gauge your improvements!

Victor Lensora - Owner of Health and Fitness - tips and advice, offering superb running and health tips, also owner of the New, Running to Win - Running Tips and Advice website offering helpful and interesting tips to improve your running! It's a must to read for all runners.

Health and Fitness Success 7 Easy Tips

Tip! A couple more good health tips.

Two weeks ago today I dramatically pushed back the limits of my running. In one morning I went from a best distance of 12km in an hour and fifteen minutes (done on a treadmill in my gym), to running 12 miles round a Welsh lake, at a better pace than I have done in the gym, and without stopping.

To achieve this is used several personal development techniques. How did I do this, and how can you use these same techniques to achieve your exercise goal?

Inspiring Health and Fitness

Keeping me going was my overall inspiring health and fitness goal. This goal is to run the Flora London Marathon 2007. I realized if I could not run the 12 miles, how could I run 26? I also realized that if I could achieve this leap in distance then the marathon should be mine. It was my desire to cross the line next April that kept me going every step of the way. Besides, twice round the lake would be a marathon! If I could do one lap, surely I could do two laps?

To Do: You need to have a health and fitness goal that is achievable, but sufficiently high to excite and stretch you.

Mentoring and Encouragement

One of the biggest things that helped me to achieve this breakthrough was the encouragement and advice of an experienced marathon runner (my mentor for the run). But above all my mentor ran every step of the way with me. Having someone tell you that you can do something that you previously thought impossible, and the person telling you this being qualified to do so is very powerful. You have no excuse for not pushing your boundaries. When this person then goes every step of the way with you, advising and encouraging you it is even more powerful. Having a mentor can be one of the most powerful tools for personal development you can use.

To Do: Find someone who is qualified to take you one step further towards you health and fitness goal, and ask them to take that step with you.

Tip! For health tips look at books, videos or CD's that relate to health and pick the ones that you can't wait to get into. Prevention magazine is an abundant source of ideas, if you can get past the prescription advertisements.

Score Keeping I kept score at regular intervals along the run by checking my heart rate on my heart rate monitor. One of my aims was to run the distance within a set heart rate range. I congratulated myself every time my watch showed I was within that range. In this way I was scoring myself to achieve a regular pace. I am glad to say I got a perfect score by the finish line.

To Do: Decide on a way to score yourself, and stick to it. Celebrate every time you win!.

Goal Setting and Rewards

Throughout the run I kept setting goals such as "get to the castle" or "make it to the dam" or near the end I was saying "just to the next lamppost." In this way I broke the 12 miles down into manageable chunks, and would celebrate each time I achieved my goal. I also had the overriding goals of running all the way (no walking or stopping) and setting a good pace, all of which I achieved.

Tip! If you've been reading BIOM's Seasonal Health Tips, you've recognized that the effect Spring has on your body has been quite strong this year, based on whichever of the common Spring health problems you may be experiencing.

To Do: Break you next exercise session into tiny goals, and reward yourself every time you achieve these mini goals.

Distraction

Running for 2 hours and 10 minutes was just as much a mental challenge as physical. My mind was full of doubts and my body full of aches, and part of it was just plain boring. So how did I cope? One way was by distracting myself. I remembered wonderful holidays, focused on a particular lamb or tree that I was running towards, or visualized the Power of Intention falling from the sky and filling me with great energy and endurance. Anything to take my mind off how I felt and how much more there was to go.

To Do: Plan in advance to remember something exciting, and remember it in vivid detail.

Power of Intention

I have been listening to at CD set in my car called The Power of Intention by Wayne W Dyer. The CDs talk of us being made out of and part of a universal energy. That universal energy is always available for us to use. I am still not quite sure what to make of this yet, but while running I called upon this energy to fill me. I finished, so it worked didn't it? Perhaps, but at the very least it worked as a mental distraction.

Tip! Victor Lensora - Owner of Health and Fitness - tips and advice, offering superb running and health tips, also owner of the New, Running to Win - Running Tips and Advice website offering helpful and interesting tips to improve your running! It's a must to read for all runners.

To Do: Find a cassette or CD to listen to that will give you a more positive outlook for your activity.

Peer Pressure

From deciding to do the run on the Friday, to actually doing it on the Sunday, I made sure I told every one of the 55 people I was camping with that weekend, that I would "run the lake." This set up a huge amount of peer pressure for me. If I failed the run I would painfully and publicly fail BIG. This created a powerful incentive for me to succeed in the run. Also as a result of succeeding the run after telling everyone, a lot of respect was generated which translated into a large number of sponsorships for the charity I am running for St Ann's Hospice.

To Do: Increase peer pressure on yourself by telling everyone what you plan to do, and ask them to check up on you later to make sure you have done it.

As you can see I was able to use many personal development techniques in order to take me from the initial challenge to run the lake, to actually running it and running it well. Without the use of the above techniques I would have been less likely to finish. The techniques dramatically increased my chance of success, and I'll continue to use them till I cross that London Marathon finish line (and beyond). Make sure you use these techniques too.

Tip! Every responsible parent should teach his children the general health tips that they should live by from childhood as well as when they become older. Training children to live right and to eat healthy food can make the difference in how they are going to take care of their health later on in life.

Damian Miles runs a weekly free health and fitness ezine at http://dlmiles.co.uk in which he shares in simple language those techniques that help to create the mental attitude that almost guarantees success in achieving health, fitness, weight loss and happiness goals. He also teaches others how to live a happy and fulfilled life regardless of life's events at http://dlmiles.co.uk/happy He has long studied personal development techniques, and has successfully employed them in these areas.

Health and Beauty Tips

Tip! A couple more good health tips.

Our society is one which is somewhat obsessed with appearances. Magazines, movies and television feature those with beautiful faces and bodies almost exclusively. Characters in a television shows or movies are often stereotypes rather than independent characters lending credence to the theory that beauty is more important than other aspects such as intelligence, personality and creativity. While this may not be true it is certainly the image which is promoted in the media. This focus on the beautiful people of the world has ignited a thriving beauty industry.

Nail salons are opening in large quantities all around the world. Although women make up the majority of the clientele in these establishments, men are also flocking to salons and spas for manicures and pedicures. Manicures and pedicures used to be considered luxury treatments reserved for special occasions such as weddings and other formal events but today many women visit salons weekly for nail care treatments.

Nails aren't the only part of the body get a great deal of attention lately. Gleaming white teeth have become an asset desired, and achieved through treatments, by many. Both over the counter whitening products and dentist performed procedures are becoming increasingly popular. These products and procedures help people to obtain a coveted bright smile. Salons and spas are also offering services and treatments to help individuals gain desired hairstyles. These treatments and services can help a person to achieve a completely different look. Those with short hair can have hair extensions, made with real hair, attached to create the illusion of longer hair. This can have the result of creating a dramatic effect. The extensions can be either very natural looking or completely outrageous. Hair straighteners are also popular options for those who want straight locks. Those with curly or wavy hair can have chemicals applied to remove the curl from their hair or may employ the use of products such as flat irons to achieve the desired effect.

Laser hair removal is another service offered by spas for the purpose of beautification. Laser hair removal can be somewhat painful as well as expensive and time consuming but many women still invest in these services. Laser hair removal is used to permanently remove hair through the use of lasers applied to the hair follicles.

These treatments are most effective in areas involving a small surface area such as the face, the underarms or the bikini line.

Some who are seeking physical perfection are taking even more drastic steps than those mentioned above in their pursuit of beauty. Laser vision correction is one such extreme measure those looking to improve their appearance are undergoing. Surgery to correct vision is often utilized by individuals who do not wish to wear glasses anymore. Although contact lenses are a viable

solution for correcting vision without surgery, many individuals are not satisfied with the use of contacts because there are still times when they are required to wear eye glasses. For these individuals corrective eye surgery is worth the risk in return for not having to wear eye glasses anymore.

Tip! For health tips look at books, videos or CD's that relate to health and pick the ones that you can't wait to get into. Prevention magazine is an abundant source of ideas, if you can get past the prescription advertisements.

Allen Maccey writes for several health websites and magazines including Feeling Lighter, Feeling Fitter and Beautiful Body and Face

Oriental Medicine Health Tips for Spring

Tip! While it is true that there are illnesses that are genetically transmitted, a person should always take care of his health and the health of his family by sticking to the general health tips.

It's mid-Spring and according to Five Element Theory, the 'Wood' energy is coming to its lowest ebb.

If you've been reading BIOM's Seasonal Health Tips, you've recognized that the effect Spring has on your body has been quite strong this year, based on whichever of the common Spring health problems you may be experiencing.

Self Checkup Just as Five Element Theory indicates that the characteristic energy of Spring is "Wood," it also says the color is 'green,' which is the color associated with your Liver and Gallbladder. The surging energy of Spring is seen in the vibrant green color of young leaves, and how you feel Spring's energy in your body is determined by the health of your Liver and Gallbladder. If these organs are balanced, you'll feel a smooth, pleasant energy flowing through you that stimulates your creativity and a sense that fundamentally all is well in your life.

If your Liver and Gallbladder are not functioning properly, emotional problems like frustration, irritation, anger, or rage are not uncommon. Physically, symptoms like insomnia, high blood pressure, sciatica, constipation, migraine headaches, vision and other eye-related problems, hives, asthma and eczema can all be exacerbated by Spring energy and may be bothering you more than usual right now.

Help Yourself There are things you can do to help yourself get through this time of year more comfortably if you're experiencing any of the problems mentioned above.

Foods To Avoid Be aware that certain foods can have a detrimental effect on the Liver and Gallbladder. Try to avoid rich, fatty, oily, deep-fried, buttery, and creamy foods. For example, when you have a choice between fettuccine alfredo and fettuccine primavera, choose the primavera because fettuccine alfredo has cream and eggs in it, making it too rich for the Gallbladder. Also, be aware that the Liver and Gallbladder have a hard time processing alcohol — including beer and wine. So if you're having Liver trouble consider avoiding, or minimizing, the amount of these foods you eat and drink.

Tip! You can make a stand and try incorporating these health tips into your everyday life and see if they make a difference to your total health.

Foods To Eat Foods that improve the health and function of the Liver and Gallbladder include: shiitake mushrooms, sour citrus (grapefruit, lemon, lime, and sour apple), and marinades with a moderate amount of vinegar.

Tip! A couple more good health tips.

As always, Chinese medical herbs are extremely useful for strengthening and balancing the Liver and Gallbladder. Chinese medical herbal formulas have proven to be among the most effective treatments available for healing all degrees of Liver problems.

Get Enough Rest Do your best to get enough rest. Rest is especially important for your body in the Spring because of the intensity of the energy discussed above. Remember that Liver imbalances can cause insomnia, which can be alleviated by Oriental Medicine.

Manage Your Stress With Exercise Exercise is essential for your physical and emotional health, and Chi-based exercise methods like Chi Kung and Tai Chi for Gardeners are particularly beneficial in Spring to help the seasonal energy flow through your body. By combining a Chi-based exercise program with acupuncture and Chinese medical herbs, you can keep your body's Chi, or energy, from becoming 'stagnant.'

Summer Is Coming Summer is the season of the Fire energy. It remains to be seen how quickly and intensely "Fire" flows into the northern hemisphere this year. Be aware that the drying out of all of the juicy Spring growth that you see today, is exactly what will happen to you and me in Summer. So think back and remember the health problems and discomforts you typically experience in Summer — now is definitely the time to get prepared.

Tip! For health tips look at books, videos or CD's that relate to health and pick the ones that you can't wait to get into. Prevention magazine is an abundant source of ideas, if you can get past the prescription advertisements.

Kitty Bradshaw is a licensed acupuncturist, with an advanced clinical degree in Oriental Medicine. Studying and working with Oriental Medicine since 1986, Kitty combines Traditional Oriental Medicine with Taoist healing methods to offer healing possibilities beyond the level of standard health care. Her deep understanding of Chinese medical herbs, combined with her intuitive abilities to diagnose and treat difficult problems, has helped many people regain and maintain their health.

For a FREE phone consultation to find out how Oriental Medicine can work for you, go to http://www.biom.net to contact Kitty and sign-up for BIOM's complimentary newsletter.