Archive for the ‘Health and Fitness’ Category

Healing Nutrition and Sport’s Injuries

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

Healing nutrition can help anyone who has an ailment. However, one group of individuals who can make the most of it are those afflicted with a type of sports injury. When an athlete is hurt, the best way to help them is to provide adequate nutrition.



Another thing that can help while having healing nutrition is to incorporate a herbal products diet regime into it. This can only help to enhance a person’s immune system when they need it the most.



When a person is injured while playing sports, one of two things happen. A repetitive motion trauma can occur or a direct trauma that results from a fall or some kind of accident.



No matter how the injury took place, a diet filled with such nutrition can help to alleviate the injury. Both herbal products organic material and a diet rich in nutrients can help to heal an athlete quickly and very effectively.



One of the best ways that healing nutrition and herbs can be incorporated into the diet is through supplements and vitamins. Adequate vitamin intake is essential when trying to heal injuries.



Vitamins are readily available to purchase, but when healing an injury it is best to buy herbal products or vitamins that are enhanced with essential vitamins of C, A, E, and beta carotene. These are vital if the injury sustained is a tissue injury.



Other wildcrafted herbal products that can be found in healing nutrition are bromelain, arnica, and aloe vera. Bromelain is found in the pineapple and can be used to treat a variety of injuries.



Bromelain inhibits the formation of a hormone substance that can increase an athlete’s inflammation. This is the last thing that a healing person needs when they have been injured.



Arnica is known to increase the healing rate when bruising and swelling are the main components of the injury.



A person can rub it on their skin the heal sprains and bruises quickly and holistically. However, a mild rash could develop from using these wildcrafted herbal products and a person may need to discontinue using this with their healing nutrition regime.



And the most well known herb for healing is more than likely aloe vera, and this can definitely help a person who is recovering from an injury. By just rubbing this particular herb on the injury, everything from swelling to joint pain can be helped.



Healing nutrition for sports injuries can be a great thing especially if one combines a herbal products diet with their nutrition.



A ton of great information can be found by asking the treating physician or searching the internet for references on holistic healing or alternative medicines with sports injuries.

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From the blog.Live Health com.net weblog

Do Yoda Proud: Meditation 101

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

Meditation refers to a state where your body and mind are consciously relaxed and focused. Practitioners of this art report increased awareness, focus, and concentration, as well as a more positive outlook in life.

Meditation is most commonly associated with monks, mystics and other spiritual disciplines. However, you don’t have to be a monk or mystic to enjoy its benefits. And you don’t even have to be in a special place to practice it. You could even try it in your own living room!

Although there are many different approaches to meditation, the fundamental principles remain the same. The most important among these principles is that of removing obstructive, negative, and wandering thoughts and fantasies, and calming the mind with a deep sense of focus. This clears the mind of debris and prepares it for a higher quality of activity.

The negative thoughts you have – those of noisy neighbors, bossy officemates, that parking ticket you got, and unwanted spam- are said to contribute to the ‘polluting’ of the mind, and shutting them out is allows for the ‘cleansing’ of the mind so that it may focus on deeper, more meaningful thoughts.

Some practitioners even shut out all sensory input – no sights, no sounds, and nothing to touch – and try to detach themselves from the commotion around them. You may now focus on a deep, profound thought if this is your goal. It may seem deafening at first, since we are all too accustomed to constantly hearing and seeing things, but as you continue this exercise you will find yourself becoming more aware of everything around you.

If you find the meditating positions you see on television threatening – those with impossibly arched backs, and painful-looking contortions – you need not worry. The principle here is to be in a comfortable position conducive to concentration. This may be while sitting cross-legged, standing, lying down, and even walking.

If the position allows you to relax and focus, then that would be a good starting point. While sitting or standing, the back should be straight, but not tense or tight. In other positions, the only no-no is slouching and falling asleep.

Loose, comfortable clothes help a lot in the process since tight fitting clothes have a tendency to choke you up and make you feel tense.

The place you perform meditation should have a soothing atmosphere. It may be in your living room, or bedroom, or any place that you feel comfortable in. You might want an exercise mat if you plan to take on the more challenging positions (if you feel more focused doing so, and if the contortionist in you is screaming for release). You may want to have the place arranged so that it is soothing to your senses.

Silence helps most people relax and meditate, so you may want a quiet, isolated area far from the ringing of the phone or the humming of the washing machine. Pleasing scents also help in that regard, so stocking up on aromatic candles isn’t such a bad idea either.

The monks you see on television making those monotonous sounds are actually performing their mantra. This, in simple terms, is a short creed, a simple sound which, for these practitioners, holds a mystic value.

You do not need to perform such; however, it would pay to note that focusing on repeated actions such as breathing, and humming help the practitioner enter a higher state of consciousness.

The principle here is focus. You could also try focusing on a certain object or thought, or even, while keeping your eyes open, focus on a single sight.

One sample routine would be to – while in a meditative state – silently name every part of you body and focusing your consciousness on that part. While doing this you should be aware of any tension on any part of your body. Mentally visualize releasing this tension. It works wonders.

In all, meditation is a relatively risk-free practice and its benefits are well worth the effort (or non-effort – remember we’re relaxing).

Studies have shown that meditation does bring about beneficial physiologic effects to the body. And there has been a growing consensus in the medical community to further study the effects of such. So in the near future, who knows, that mystical, esoteric thing we call meditation might become a science itself!

Permanent link to this post: Do Yoda Proud: Meditation 101
From the blog.Live Health com.net weblog