Recommended Programs
Archive for December 2009
Diet Hand Book | Dieting Tricks | Weight Loss and Diet Information
Josh Green asked:
There are many different dieting ideas out there in today’s market. The amount of different diets can be very discouraging to many people that are in need of a diet plan that works for them. It can be very disheartening to continually have a diet that may work for someone else and when a person tries the diet for themselves it does not work.
Reducing calories and sugars and eating the correct foods is the beginning of a healthy diet. Having a healthy diet, reducing the amount of fat stored in the body, and reducing calories eaten are all part dieting – the dieting that works.
There is no diet panacea which will work in every situation for all people. In order for a diet to work, a healthy food must be eaten and sufficient exercise must be practiced. The diet for idiots was created to encourage weight loss for idiots. Different diet types were implemented in the diet for idiots, and then combined to make fat loss for idiots a simple process.
Of great importance for the diet plan to work is dynamic nature of switching between the different styles of eating. Rotating different diet systems in this way guarantees that the body will receive all the necessary nutrients that it requires in order to function properly whilst ensuring that the dieter remains healthy. This make it a truly great plan.
Perhaps the best diet plan is one that actually incorporates parts of other diet plans to create a balance where the other separate plans usually stress overeating one type of food while not eating enough of another type of food. Low-carbohydrate diets are an example of this.
The other side of diets to be avoided excessively are protein rich diets. Such high protein diets have a property such that they are consumed more in quantity by a person than his normal counterpart. When a high protein containing diet is administered, a person on diet is encouraged to take liberal proteins instead of taking more carbohydrates and fats.
The main motivation behind the diet for idiots is that there is no perfect cure-all diet that can work for everyone in every circumstance. This is a diet plan promoting weight loss for idiots. It combines different diet styles in order to achieve easy fat loss for idiots. One of the main factors which cause this plan to work consistently is that it cycles through various eating styles so that the body is allowed to get the nutrients it requires for it to function on a daily basis, whilst remaining healthy. This diet plan is an ideal one.
The Truth About Abs
There are many different dieting ideas out there in today’s market. The amount of different diets can be very discouraging to many people that are in need of a diet plan that works for them. It can be very disheartening to continually have a diet that may work for someone else and when a person tries the diet for themselves it does not work.
Reducing calories and sugars and eating the correct foods is the beginning of a healthy diet. Having a healthy diet, reducing the amount of fat stored in the body, and reducing calories eaten are all part dieting – the dieting that works.
There is no diet panacea which will work in every situation for all people. In order for a diet to work, a healthy food must be eaten and sufficient exercise must be practiced. The diet for idiots was created to encourage weight loss for idiots. Different diet types were implemented in the diet for idiots, and then combined to make fat loss for idiots a simple process.
Of great importance for the diet plan to work is dynamic nature of switching between the different styles of eating. Rotating different diet systems in this way guarantees that the body will receive all the necessary nutrients that it requires in order to function properly whilst ensuring that the dieter remains healthy. This make it a truly great plan.
Perhaps the best diet plan is one that actually incorporates parts of other diet plans to create a balance where the other separate plans usually stress overeating one type of food while not eating enough of another type of food. Low-carbohydrate diets are an example of this.
The other side of diets to be avoided excessively are protein rich diets. Such high protein diets have a property such that they are consumed more in quantity by a person than his normal counterpart. When a high protein containing diet is administered, a person on diet is encouraged to take liberal proteins instead of taking more carbohydrates and fats.
The main motivation behind the diet for idiots is that there is no perfect cure-all diet that can work for everyone in every circumstance. This is a diet plan promoting weight loss for idiots. It combines different diet styles in order to achieve easy fat loss for idiots. One of the main factors which cause this plan to work consistently is that it cycles through various eating styles so that the body is allowed to get the nutrients it requires for it to function on a daily basis, whilst remaining healthy. This diet plan is an ideal one.
The Truth About Abs
How To Build Muscles
Vita Vee asked:
Do you exercise? So many people around the globe are taking up some sort of physical regime in order to stay healthy and fit. Whether you’re trying to shed unwanted fat or simply build muscle mass, there are a number of ways to tackle the situation.
As a man, I typically look for exercises that will help me build muscle mass, rather than burn calories. It basically all comes down to your body type and goals. In the end, a good fitness routine is mandatory for everyone for basic health reasons.
Did you know that weekly exercise is imperative for staying healthy? It’s true and shouldn’t be dismissed. What do you do to stay in shape? Personally I like to practice martial arts. Along with self-defense training, I strive to build muscle mass. Let’s face it, you want a toned body. This characteristic gives you confidence, not to mention strength. Who doesn’t want to be stronger? Some of the more basic routes to a fit figure can be done without machines. For example, have you ever considered push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, dips, leg raises, running, jogging, jumping jacks, jump rope, or maybe even lunges? And that’s just to name a few. The list goes on and on. That is why I laugh when individuals claim they simply can’t get into shape because they lack the proper equipment. You don’t need any!
One of the best ways to build muscle mass is with weight training. You can join a gym if you prefer access to a variety of new-age weight machines, or you can purchase a few dumb bells and a bench. For those who want to build some muscle mass, but don’t have extra dough to spend, I recommend simple muscle building exercises. Do push-ups, pull-ups, and dips. Hop online for some great ab exercises and more. It’s all free if you have Internet access. You certainly don’t have to spend money in order to build muscle mass. You’d be amazed at all the free exercises at your disposal. One factor you should consider is diet. If you are pumping iron five days a week, but not seeing a significant result; you may want to alter your current diet. High levels of protein are needed to build muscle mass. You can find this nourishment in a variety of healthy meats like fish and chicken. There are also protein bars galore out there to help you build muscle mass. The key is diet and proper training. You can have that ripped body you crave in no time.
Fat Loss For Idiots
Do you exercise? So many people around the globe are taking up some sort of physical regime in order to stay healthy and fit. Whether you’re trying to shed unwanted fat or simply build muscle mass, there are a number of ways to tackle the situation.
As a man, I typically look for exercises that will help me build muscle mass, rather than burn calories. It basically all comes down to your body type and goals. In the end, a good fitness routine is mandatory for everyone for basic health reasons.
Did you know that weekly exercise is imperative for staying healthy? It’s true and shouldn’t be dismissed. What do you do to stay in shape? Personally I like to practice martial arts. Along with self-defense training, I strive to build muscle mass. Let’s face it, you want a toned body. This characteristic gives you confidence, not to mention strength. Who doesn’t want to be stronger? Some of the more basic routes to a fit figure can be done without machines. For example, have you ever considered push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, dips, leg raises, running, jogging, jumping jacks, jump rope, or maybe even lunges? And that’s just to name a few. The list goes on and on. That is why I laugh when individuals claim they simply can’t get into shape because they lack the proper equipment. You don’t need any!
One of the best ways to build muscle mass is with weight training. You can join a gym if you prefer access to a variety of new-age weight machines, or you can purchase a few dumb bells and a bench. For those who want to build some muscle mass, but don’t have extra dough to spend, I recommend simple muscle building exercises. Do push-ups, pull-ups, and dips. Hop online for some great ab exercises and more. It’s all free if you have Internet access. You certainly don’t have to spend money in order to build muscle mass. You’d be amazed at all the free exercises at your disposal. One factor you should consider is diet. If you are pumping iron five days a week, but not seeing a significant result; you may want to alter your current diet. High levels of protein are needed to build muscle mass. You can find this nourishment in a variety of healthy meats like fish and chicken. There are also protein bars galore out there to help you build muscle mass. The key is diet and proper training. You can have that ripped body you crave in no time.
Fat Loss For Idiots
Eating To Build Muscle Quickly
villenoire asked:
build muscle is just as important as your weight lifting program or other bodybuilding routines.
Working with weights in the gym forces your muscles to work, but guess what? Working your muscles expends energy, and energy is replenished by your food. Correct nutrition also helps heal muscle injury that often occurs while you are working out. You may not even know you have caused injury to your muscles, but your body knows, and your body needs fuel from food that helps build muscle in order to repair that muscle.
Food that helps build muscle – what it is? Well, to begin with, protein. Protein is probably the most important nutritional component in a muscle building program. You probably thought the most important component was cutting out fat, in order to reduce your body fat, didn\’t you? Protein is essential. Without protein, your body withers away to nothing. So make sure you include protein foods that build muscle such as chicken, lean beef, eggs, fish (don\’t like fresh fish? Try canned tuna -it\’s perfect), and cheese.
There is an optimum amount of protein that your body needs for building muscle effectively. Do you know your lean body mass weight? Yes? Great! If you do not know your lean body mass weight, you will need to apply one of the formulas that calculate this.
Carbohydrates are also important foods that build muscle – or rather carbs are important components of foods that build muscle. Choose foods that are high in carbohydrate that are also high in fibre – oatmeal, rice, and potato are all good.
Reducing fat in your diet is of course necessary to build bigger muscle on a body that appears lean and has a low body fat ratio. If you are focussing on what foods build muscle mass, you also need to bear in mind that it pays to reduce fat as well. Although proteins are essential (as we talked about earlier), it is really important to select proteins that are low in fat, or that you can cut the fat off. So eat your chicken without the skin, and go for lean steaks rather than more fatty cuts of meat. Opting for cottage cheese or other reduced fat cheeses, and low fat milk also helps reduce your fat intake.
When eating to build muscle, make sure you drink water. Most experts agree that between 1.5 to 2 liters of water a day helps flush toxins and hydrate the body. It really is essential to your general wellbeing, and many people just do not appreciate this. And if you perform activities like workouts, you of course need even more water than the general population does.
Knowing what to eat to build muscle is great, but if you do not combine this great new diet by building muscle mass with weight lifting exercises or other bodybuilding routines, you will not be able to build muscle fast. So you really must do both – eat foods that build muscle, and undertake bodybuilding workouts, and you will end up with a body you will be proud of.
The Truth About Abs
build muscle is just as important as your weight lifting program or other bodybuilding routines.
Working with weights in the gym forces your muscles to work, but guess what? Working your muscles expends energy, and energy is replenished by your food. Correct nutrition also helps heal muscle injury that often occurs while you are working out. You may not even know you have caused injury to your muscles, but your body knows, and your body needs fuel from food that helps build muscle in order to repair that muscle.
Food that helps build muscle – what it is? Well, to begin with, protein. Protein is probably the most important nutritional component in a muscle building program. You probably thought the most important component was cutting out fat, in order to reduce your body fat, didn\’t you? Protein is essential. Without protein, your body withers away to nothing. So make sure you include protein foods that build muscle such as chicken, lean beef, eggs, fish (don\’t like fresh fish? Try canned tuna -it\’s perfect), and cheese.
There is an optimum amount of protein that your body needs for building muscle effectively. Do you know your lean body mass weight? Yes? Great! If you do not know your lean body mass weight, you will need to apply one of the formulas that calculate this.
Carbohydrates are also important foods that build muscle – or rather carbs are important components of foods that build muscle. Choose foods that are high in carbohydrate that are also high in fibre – oatmeal, rice, and potato are all good.
Reducing fat in your diet is of course necessary to build bigger muscle on a body that appears lean and has a low body fat ratio. If you are focussing on what foods build muscle mass, you also need to bear in mind that it pays to reduce fat as well. Although proteins are essential (as we talked about earlier), it is really important to select proteins that are low in fat, or that you can cut the fat off. So eat your chicken without the skin, and go for lean steaks rather than more fatty cuts of meat. Opting for cottage cheese or other reduced fat cheeses, and low fat milk also helps reduce your fat intake.
When eating to build muscle, make sure you drink water. Most experts agree that between 1.5 to 2 liters of water a day helps flush toxins and hydrate the body. It really is essential to your general wellbeing, and many people just do not appreciate this. And if you perform activities like workouts, you of course need even more water than the general population does.
Knowing what to eat to build muscle is great, but if you do not combine this great new diet by building muscle mass with weight lifting exercises or other bodybuilding routines, you will not be able to build muscle fast. So you really must do both – eat foods that build muscle, and undertake bodybuilding workouts, and you will end up with a body you will be proud of.
The Truth About Abs
Building Upper Body Muscle – Build Muscle Fast With These Exercises!
G. Jones asked:
Building upper body muscle is one of the most common goals by men who workout. Why? Is it because women love a man with a nice body? Is it because men just feel the need to be strong? Or do men just like the way they look when they start building upper body muscle? The reasons vary from person to person.
My goal in this article is to provide the information to those of you who are building upper body muscle or to those of you who plan on it. I want to simply list the best exercises to build muscle fast! Theses exercises should not be left out of your regimen if you are serious about gaining muscle quickly. Im sure all those pretty machines look nice inside your gym but im sorry, they didnt make my list!
DEADLIFTS
I know you dont like the fact that i put Deadlifts as my first exercise in building the upper body. But Deads build everything! Its primarily a back and thigh/glute/hip/posterior chain exercise, but it hit other muscles hard like your shoulders, traps, biceps, and forearms. The mere fact that this exercise promotes the release of growth hormone is a good enough reason to have this exercise on the list.
PARALLEL BAR DIPS
Great for building size and strength in the chest, shoulders and triceps. It also works what are known as stabilizer muscles because thats what you use to balance yourself on the bar. Something else that makes this move great is that you can add weight if you have a chain that holds plates which goes around your hips and the weight hangs down between your legs.
Jump up on the bar and grab it at about shoulder width. Lean forward slightly, lower your body until you reach a 90 degree angle between your arms and your upper body. Push back up hard but dont lock your elbows.
CHIN UPS
I know you hate doing these, but that’s why they are so effective. I love Chin ups! They are great for building big biceps and it builds up your lats aka your ‘wings’.
Performing chin ups will incorporate alot of muscles in the exercise. Even your abs are hit to some degree when doing chins.
Grab the chin up bar a little closer than shoulder width apart with your palms facing you. Lift yourself all the way up as far as you can and hold for a second, then with a controlled decent, lower all the way to full extension.
BENCH PRESSES
Okay of course you know this was going to be on the list. What other weight training movement could you do that would build a thick chest better than the bench press. Grab the bar a little wider than shoulder width apart. Feet on the floor. Bring the bar down under control and dont make it bounce off your chest. Stop about an inch before it touches your chest and press it back up as forcefully as possible.
CLOSE GRIP BENCH PRESSES
This exercise really blows up your triceps! In this exercise, you sit down on the bench, grab the bar about shoulder width or slightly less, lower the bar to around nipple level and arms are parallel to your body, try to keep your elbows in comfortably, and press upward and concentrate on using your triceps for the lift. I lower the bar slower than when i explosively raise it! And when i get the bar inthe bottom position i pause for a second. It makes a difference, you’ll feel it!
No Nonsense Muscle Building
Building upper body muscle is one of the most common goals by men who workout. Why? Is it because women love a man with a nice body? Is it because men just feel the need to be strong? Or do men just like the way they look when they start building upper body muscle? The reasons vary from person to person.
My goal in this article is to provide the information to those of you who are building upper body muscle or to those of you who plan on it. I want to simply list the best exercises to build muscle fast! Theses exercises should not be left out of your regimen if you are serious about gaining muscle quickly. Im sure all those pretty machines look nice inside your gym but im sorry, they didnt make my list!
DEADLIFTS
I know you dont like the fact that i put Deadlifts as my first exercise in building the upper body. But Deads build everything! Its primarily a back and thigh/glute/hip/posterior chain exercise, but it hit other muscles hard like your shoulders, traps, biceps, and forearms. The mere fact that this exercise promotes the release of growth hormone is a good enough reason to have this exercise on the list.
PARALLEL BAR DIPS
Great for building size and strength in the chest, shoulders and triceps. It also works what are known as stabilizer muscles because thats what you use to balance yourself on the bar. Something else that makes this move great is that you can add weight if you have a chain that holds plates which goes around your hips and the weight hangs down between your legs.
Jump up on the bar and grab it at about shoulder width. Lean forward slightly, lower your body until you reach a 90 degree angle between your arms and your upper body. Push back up hard but dont lock your elbows.
CHIN UPS
I know you hate doing these, but that’s why they are so effective. I love Chin ups! They are great for building big biceps and it builds up your lats aka your ‘wings’.
Performing chin ups will incorporate alot of muscles in the exercise. Even your abs are hit to some degree when doing chins.
Grab the chin up bar a little closer than shoulder width apart with your palms facing you. Lift yourself all the way up as far as you can and hold for a second, then with a controlled decent, lower all the way to full extension.
BENCH PRESSES
Okay of course you know this was going to be on the list. What other weight training movement could you do that would build a thick chest better than the bench press. Grab the bar a little wider than shoulder width apart. Feet on the floor. Bring the bar down under control and dont make it bounce off your chest. Stop about an inch before it touches your chest and press it back up as forcefully as possible.
CLOSE GRIP BENCH PRESSES
This exercise really blows up your triceps! In this exercise, you sit down on the bench, grab the bar about shoulder width or slightly less, lower the bar to around nipple level and arms are parallel to your body, try to keep your elbows in comfortably, and press upward and concentrate on using your triceps for the lift. I lower the bar slower than when i explosively raise it! And when i get the bar inthe bottom position i pause for a second. It makes a difference, you’ll feel it!
No Nonsense Muscle Building
Newage Relaxation Techniques on Stress Management
Yip See Kit asked:
We all know how unpleasant excessive stress can be. We also know the feeling of sickness in our stomach before an important performance, and the intense ‘fight-or-flight’ reaction we get when we face frustration after frustration.
In this society where challenges have to be met and limits to be broken all the time, there are just too many stresses which one had to handle & faced, be it student who faces stress at school work & during exam period or the working adult who had to meet the demands of never ending workload & unrealistic deadlines. Relaxation techniques become a marvelous way to help in the quest for stress management.
A lot of people have the misconception that relaxation is just only about having peace of mind or simply enjoying a hobby during their past time. However, relaxation is much more than just that, relaxation is actually a process that helps reduces the wear and tear of life’s challenges both physically & mentally so that one can recharge & keep on going positively in life.
Regardless whether one has a very stressful & hectic lifestyle or they have managed to get it under control, one can still benefit from learning the different relaxation techniques. Learning basic relaxation techniques is easy & by exploring these simple relaxation techniques, one is able to get started on de-stressing their life and improving their holistic health.
According to a research done on using relaxation training in improving of irritable bowel syndrome, it was found that with relaxation training in a brief group intervention, it has significantly improves symptom severity, general health perception and medical consumption in irritable bowel syndrome patients immediately after, as well as 6 and 12 months after intervention.[2]
There are also a number of other benefits as to how the body readily responds to stress from practicing relaxation techniques:
* Decrease in heart rate
* Able to stay mentally positive
* Slowing one’s breathing rate
* Reducing the need for oxygen
* Increasing blood flow to major muscles
* Reducing muscle tension
* Reducing emotional responses, such as anger and frustration
* Improved concentration & focus
* Greater ability to handle problems
* More efficiency in daily activities
Although health professionals such as complementary and alternative medicine practitioners, doctors and psychotherapists can teach relaxation techniques, we can also learn some of these techniques on our own.
The relaxation response leads to a quieting of the sympathetic nervous system. This relaxation response thus prevent one from being overstress, however it can only be evoked through conscious effort.
Relaxation techniques usually involve refocusing your attention to something calming and increasing awareness of your body. Regular use of the relaxation response helps to offset the effects of fight-or-flight responses (Benson, 1976). It doesn’t matter which techniques one choose, what matters is the need to practice relaxation response regularly to benefit from it.
There are several main types of relaxation techniques, including:
Body-to-mind control is one method which one can use to evoke the relaxation response. It is also known as progress muscle relaxation. In this technique, we will focus on slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle group. This helps us to focus on the difference between muscle tension and relaxation, and we will become more aware of our physical sensations. We may choose to start off by tensing and relaxing the muscles in our toes and progressively working our way up to the neck and head. Tense the various muscles for at least five seconds and then relax for 30 seconds, and repeat.
Mind-to-body control is another method of evoking the relaxation response. In this technique, we will first select a quiet environment, get into a comfortable position and close our eyes. Next, we will concentrate fully on taking a deep breath and slowly to be aware of the breathing. While we are breathing out, repeat a positive cue word or sentence, for instance, “I’m relaxing my whole body”, “my whole body feels relax and free”. Continue doing this for another 10 to 20 minutes. During this exercise, we will adopt a passive attitude, which means that we will allow any distractions that come to our mind to simply pass through and not to focus on the thoughts so as to allow relaxation to occur at its own pace.
Visualization is the third relaxation techniques one can perform. In this technique, one will form positive & relaxation mental images so as to take on a visual journey to a peaceful, calming place or situation. We will try to stimulate using as many senses as possible, including smells, sights, sounds and textures. If we imagine relaxing at the ocean, for instance, we will think about the warmth of the sun, the sound of crashing waves, the feel of the grains of sand and the smell of salt water. We may choose to close our eyes, sit in a quiet spot and loosen any tight clothing so that it will help in the process of the overall relaxation technique.
There are also other relaxation techniques which include those that are more familiar with, such as Taichi, yoga, music, exercise, meditation, hypnosis and massage etc.
In Taichi, we combine both the techniques of body to mind & mind to body relaxation responses. Taichi can also be regarded as a form of dynamic meditation and when coupled with music along with the rhythmic, graceful smooth & continuous movements, it can be considered as one of the more holistic and complete form of relaxation techniques where it combines the positive effects of all the other different form of relaxation techniques.
As we learn & explore the various relaxation techniques, we will slowly become more aware of our muscle tension and also other physical sensations of stress. Once we are able to get a understanding of what the stress response feels like, we can then make a conscious effort to practice a relaxation technique as described earlier the moment we feel our muscles start to tense up.
In this way, we can prevent & thus avoid stress from spiraling out of control. We need to understand that relaxations techniques are skills just like other skills such as swimming, running, baking a cake and as with any skill, our ability to relax improves with correct practice. We need to be patient when performing the relaxation exercises & stay motivated to reduce the negative impact of stress on our body so as to experience a greater sense of calm in our life & also to be control in stress management.
Taichi Meditation
REFERENCES
[1] Kaushik RM, Kaushik R, Mahajan SK, Rajesh V. Effects of mental relaxation and slow breathing in essential hypertension. Complement Ther Med. 2006 Jun;14(2):120-6. Epub 2006 Jan 10
[2] P. P. J. VAN DER VEEK, Y. R. VAN ROOD, A. A. M. MASCLEE (2007). Clinical trial: short- and long-term benefit of relaxation training for irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2007 Sep 15;26(6):943-52
[3] Rainer Martens PhD, 1987, Coaches Guide to Sport Psychology, Human Kinetics, Champaign, Illinois
[4] Don Greene, 2001, Fight Your Fear and Win, Random House, New York
[5] Terry Orlick PhD, 1990, In Pursuit of Excellence, Human Kinetics, Champaign, Illinois
[6] Herbert Benson M.D., 1992 (reissue), The Relaxation Response, Harper Collins, New York
[7] Martha Davis PhD, 2000, The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook (Fifth Edition), New Harbinger Publications, Oakland, California
[8] Rainer Martens, Coaches Guide to Sport Psychology, 1987, Human Kinetics, Champaign, Illinois, USA
Fat Loss For Idiots
We all know how unpleasant excessive stress can be. We also know the feeling of sickness in our stomach before an important performance, and the intense ‘fight-or-flight’ reaction we get when we face frustration after frustration.
In this society where challenges have to be met and limits to be broken all the time, there are just too many stresses which one had to handle & faced, be it student who faces stress at school work & during exam period or the working adult who had to meet the demands of never ending workload & unrealistic deadlines. Relaxation techniques become a marvelous way to help in the quest for stress management.
A lot of people have the misconception that relaxation is just only about having peace of mind or simply enjoying a hobby during their past time. However, relaxation is much more than just that, relaxation is actually a process that helps reduces the wear and tear of life’s challenges both physically & mentally so that one can recharge & keep on going positively in life.
Regardless whether one has a very stressful & hectic lifestyle or they have managed to get it under control, one can still benefit from learning the different relaxation techniques. Learning basic relaxation techniques is easy & by exploring these simple relaxation techniques, one is able to get started on de-stressing their life and improving their holistic health.
According to a research done on using relaxation training in improving of irritable bowel syndrome, it was found that with relaxation training in a brief group intervention, it has significantly improves symptom severity, general health perception and medical consumption in irritable bowel syndrome patients immediately after, as well as 6 and 12 months after intervention.[2]
There are also a number of other benefits as to how the body readily responds to stress from practicing relaxation techniques:
* Decrease in heart rate
* Able to stay mentally positive
* Slowing one’s breathing rate
* Reducing the need for oxygen
* Increasing blood flow to major muscles
* Reducing muscle tension
* Reducing emotional responses, such as anger and frustration
* Improved concentration & focus
* Greater ability to handle problems
* More efficiency in daily activities
Although health professionals such as complementary and alternative medicine practitioners, doctors and psychotherapists can teach relaxation techniques, we can also learn some of these techniques on our own.
The relaxation response leads to a quieting of the sympathetic nervous system. This relaxation response thus prevent one from being overstress, however it can only be evoked through conscious effort.
Relaxation techniques usually involve refocusing your attention to something calming and increasing awareness of your body. Regular use of the relaxation response helps to offset the effects of fight-or-flight responses (Benson, 1976). It doesn’t matter which techniques one choose, what matters is the need to practice relaxation response regularly to benefit from it.
There are several main types of relaxation techniques, including:
Body-to-mind control is one method which one can use to evoke the relaxation response. It is also known as progress muscle relaxation. In this technique, we will focus on slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle group. This helps us to focus on the difference between muscle tension and relaxation, and we will become more aware of our physical sensations. We may choose to start off by tensing and relaxing the muscles in our toes and progressively working our way up to the neck and head. Tense the various muscles for at least five seconds and then relax for 30 seconds, and repeat.
Mind-to-body control is another method of evoking the relaxation response. In this technique, we will first select a quiet environment, get into a comfortable position and close our eyes. Next, we will concentrate fully on taking a deep breath and slowly to be aware of the breathing. While we are breathing out, repeat a positive cue word or sentence, for instance, “I’m relaxing my whole body”, “my whole body feels relax and free”. Continue doing this for another 10 to 20 minutes. During this exercise, we will adopt a passive attitude, which means that we will allow any distractions that come to our mind to simply pass through and not to focus on the thoughts so as to allow relaxation to occur at its own pace.
Visualization is the third relaxation techniques one can perform. In this technique, one will form positive & relaxation mental images so as to take on a visual journey to a peaceful, calming place or situation. We will try to stimulate using as many senses as possible, including smells, sights, sounds and textures. If we imagine relaxing at the ocean, for instance, we will think about the warmth of the sun, the sound of crashing waves, the feel of the grains of sand and the smell of salt water. We may choose to close our eyes, sit in a quiet spot and loosen any tight clothing so that it will help in the process of the overall relaxation technique.
There are also other relaxation techniques which include those that are more familiar with, such as Taichi, yoga, music, exercise, meditation, hypnosis and massage etc.
In Taichi, we combine both the techniques of body to mind & mind to body relaxation responses. Taichi can also be regarded as a form of dynamic meditation and when coupled with music along with the rhythmic, graceful smooth & continuous movements, it can be considered as one of the more holistic and complete form of relaxation techniques where it combines the positive effects of all the other different form of relaxation techniques.
As we learn & explore the various relaxation techniques, we will slowly become more aware of our muscle tension and also other physical sensations of stress. Once we are able to get a understanding of what the stress response feels like, we can then make a conscious effort to practice a relaxation technique as described earlier the moment we feel our muscles start to tense up.
In this way, we can prevent & thus avoid stress from spiraling out of control. We need to understand that relaxations techniques are skills just like other skills such as swimming, running, baking a cake and as with any skill, our ability to relax improves with correct practice. We need to be patient when performing the relaxation exercises & stay motivated to reduce the negative impact of stress on our body so as to experience a greater sense of calm in our life & also to be control in stress management.
Taichi Meditation
REFERENCES
[1] Kaushik RM, Kaushik R, Mahajan SK, Rajesh V. Effects of mental relaxation and slow breathing in essential hypertension. Complement Ther Med. 2006 Jun;14(2):120-6. Epub 2006 Jan 10
[2] P. P. J. VAN DER VEEK, Y. R. VAN ROOD, A. A. M. MASCLEE (2007). Clinical trial: short- and long-term benefit of relaxation training for irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2007 Sep 15;26(6):943-52
[3] Rainer Martens PhD, 1987, Coaches Guide to Sport Psychology, Human Kinetics, Champaign, Illinois
[4] Don Greene, 2001, Fight Your Fear and Win, Random House, New York
[5] Terry Orlick PhD, 1990, In Pursuit of Excellence, Human Kinetics, Champaign, Illinois
[6] Herbert Benson M.D., 1992 (reissue), The Relaxation Response, Harper Collins, New York
[7] Martha Davis PhD, 2000, The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook (Fifth Edition), New Harbinger Publications, Oakland, California
[8] Rainer Martens, Coaches Guide to Sport Psychology, 1987, Human Kinetics, Champaign, Illinois, USA
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