Stone Press

People, at this time of year, rush to gyms and to shops buying the latest gadgets and memberships very often only to give up weeks or months later.

I see this a lot in the fitness industry and I often think about why this is. I believe one of the reasons is people act on whims that often are not based upon real, deeply held and thought about, feelings.

They do not take the time to habitually visualise the new and improved version of themselves but instead focus upon external things instead.

It takes an element of patience and skill and to visualise what you really want to look like, to ‘weld’ it deeply into your mind, and then to act physically upon these passionately held visions.

Having sat down each day for five to ten minutes to soley focus on this new image of yourself means you will be much more likely to develop an ardent desire to achieve and maintain it.

We become what we habitually think about!

We become, physically, what we regularly see in our minds eye.

Take the time to learn how to get into a meditative state where you calmly focus on how you want to look and you will be ahead of others who flippantly disregard the big muscle between their ears that allows one to visualise in the first place!

Visualisation is used by many, many, top sports people now and is viewed as a vital element of success. They see what they want each day and then go get it!

Yet, despite this being the case, many ‘normal’ people trying to get in shape rarely seem to use this easily accessible technique. Controlling what you see and think is in easy grasp of everyone but so few actually take advantage of this fact.

My advice is this.

Set aside time each day to control how you see yourself and elevate this image to being more than you are now.

Set goals, see them, achieve them.

Have quiet time where you can meditate, if only for five minutes, and build a POWERFUL image of a new you in your mind.

Use your breath to ‘inflate’, and bring to life, this image of how you wish to look physically.

You will then be primed to go about PASSIONATELY achieving it!

(c) Tim Webb 2006

Copyright 2005 Marc Deschamps

Chronic fatigue symptoms are different from drowsiness. In general, drowsiness is feeling the need to sleep, while fatigue is a lack of energy and motivation. Drowsiness and apathy (a feeling of indifference or not caring about what happens) can be symptoms of fatigue. Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy.

Fatigue can be a normal and important response to physical exertion, emotional stress, boredom, or lack of sleep. However, it can also be a nonspecific sign of a more serious psychological or physical disorder. When fatigue is not relieved by enough sleep, good nutrition, or a low-stress environment, it should be evaluated by your doctor. Because fatigue is a common complaint, sometimes a potentially serious cause may be overlooked.

The pattern of chronic fatigue symptoms may help your doctor determine its underlying cause. For example, if you wake up in the morning rested but rapidly develop fatigue with activity, you may have an ongoing physical condition like an underactive thyroid. On the other hand, if you wake up with a low level of energy and have fatigue that lasts throughout the day, you may be depressed.

Common Causes of chronic fatigue symptoms

There are many possible physical and psychological causes of chronic fatigue symptoms. Some of the more common are:

-Anemia (including iron deficiency anemia) -Sleep disorders like ongoing insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, or narcolepsy -Ongoing pain -An allergy that leads to hay fever or asthma -An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) -Use of alcohol or illegal drugs like cocaine, especially with regular use -Depression or grief

Chronic fatigue symptoms can also accompany the following illnesses:

-Infection, especially one that takes a long time to recover from or treat, like bacterial endocarditis (infection of the heart muscle or valves), parasitic infections, AIDS, tuberculosis, and mononucleosis -Congestive heart failure -Diabetes -Chronic liver or kidney disease -Addison’s disease -Anorexia or other eating disorders -Arthritis, including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which affects children and teens -Autoimmune diseases such as lupus -Malnutrition -Cancer

Certain medications may also cause drowsiness or fatigue, including antihistamines for allergies, blood pressure medicines, sleeping pills, steroids, and diuretics.

Home Care for Chronic fatigue symptoms

Here are some tips for reducing Chronic fatigue symptoms :

-Get adequate, regular, and consistent amounts of sleep each night. -Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and drink plenty of water throughout the day. -Exercise regularly. -Learn better ways to relax. Try yoga or meditation. -Maintain a reasonable work and personal schedule. -Change your stressful circumstances, if possible. For example, switch jobs, take a vacation, and deal directly with problems in a relationship. -Take a multivitamin. Talk to your doctor about what is best for you. -Avoid alcohol, nicotine, and drug use. -Consider a natural remedy.

There are many factors to consider when you want to know how long will it take for you to gain and build muscle mass. Questions like are you eating enough and the right nutrients to accelerate muscle growth, are you exercising correctly and regularly and do you have the genes for quick muscle growth need to be addressed.

In this article, we shall discuss whether you have the genetic make up to gain and build muscles quickly. Don’t despair if you don’t because this is only one of the several factors that determine how long will it take for you to build muscle mass.

It is certainly helpful to know your body type when you want to build muscles. By knowing your own body type, you can then plan your nutritional and exercise program to suit your specific body type to encourage muscle growth.

We shall discuss the 3 common body types and their characteristics here.

* Endomorph: You have naturally big frame body and usually have a round face, wide hips, big bones and slow metabolism. You are the type that gain weight and body fat easily. However, you also have potential for gaining muscle mass quickly. Only problem is that your muscles may be hiding under your body fat making you look big bulky and clumsy. Your six pack abs is hidden under your tummy fat is not going to show.

So you will have to build muscles and then burn off the fats to reveal your muscle definition. That means you will take slightly longer time than the next body type to show off your muscle gain and mass because you need time to cut away body fats as well.

* Mesomorph: You are blessed with a naturally muscular body and have wide shoulders, small waist, athletic body frame structure, low body fat with a somewhat high metabolism. With your natural predisposition, you can pack on muscles real fast and are the type that can take up bodybuilding as a career if you want to. You excel naturally in sports and will always have that sexy and handsome body that is to everyone’s envy.

You are the type that will not take a long time to see your muscle gaining size, mass and definition. In fact, if you train, eat and rest correctly, you will visibly see your muscles growing week after week right before your eyes until you hit a body building plateau.

* Ectomorph: You are the skinny type with small muscles, very very high metabolism, narrow shoulders, hips and waist. You find it hard to put on weight and muscles no matter how much you eat. You will need much more greater effort than others to build muscle mass on your skinny frame. People call you the hard gainer.

You will take a longer time and need extra effort to gain muscle mass. Although it can be done, it is a constant battle for you because you are fighting what nature has given you.

Most people fall in between the three types. For example, a person can be a mixture of Mesomorph and Endomorph or Mesomorph and Ectomorphs.

Now that you have identified your body type, you can then write down your goals, objectives and the methodology you wish to take to gain muscle mass. By having a specific body building program to follow, it allows you to take concrete actions each day to achieve your muscle gain goals. How long will it take to build muscles and gain muscle mass certainly depends on the body type you have but it will also depend on numerous other factors.

In this continuing series, let’s address more issues and frequently asked questions that concern parents who seek to enroll their child in a martial arts program. The first question in this part is possibly the most important one of all.

How do I find the right martial arts teacher for my kids?

You will know when you have a face-to-face meeting and observe him or her teach a martial arts class. The chemistry between a prospective martial arts teacher and you should be good.

After all, your child is supposed to learn courtesy, respect, self-discipline, goal setting, and many more life skills from his or her martial arts instructor. If the martial arts teacher you are considering displays none of the above-mentioned qualities, please continue to shop around.

It makes no difference if your child is learning Karate, Jujitsu, Aikido, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, or Kung Fu, when the teacher is not a good role model. You don’t need to expose your children to hazards or questionable characters in order for them to learn martial arts. The martial arts school philosophy, and the instructors, should meet your standard - never settle for less.

Are you looking for discipline, academic improvement, life skills, tournament competition, self-defense, or a positive activity? Martial arts studios are not created equally. A life skills school may not meet the needs of a competitive parent or child. A “tournament school” that teaches Sport Karate, Sport Jujitsu, or enters many competitions, may be lacking in life skills and so forth.

This is not meant to take away the value of any aspect in martial arts training, but to make you, as a parent, aware that the emphasis will be different from one type of school to another. Also, the self-defense aspect will be taught differently within each martial arts school. Some martial arts schools teach more of one technique such as: punching, kicking, joint locks, sweeps, and throws.

At our wellness center in North Providence, Rhode Island, we teach all of those aspects, and we also teach self-defense through communication. For example: Wouldn’t it be better to prevent a physical conflict by talking it out? If a child is fully capable of defending himself or herself, why should he or she pursue a physical fight?

As adults, we know that the diplomatic approach to a physical conflict will not always work, but it is worth a try. Our children need to look at social skills, awareness, and courtesy as survival tools. Whether they are walking down a street, or entering the workplace, these skills are extremely important.

Know your goals and your child’s needs. Please make sure your reasons for enrolling your son or daughter in martial arts classes are sound. Martial arts for your child, is his or her personal endeavor. You can share in the feeling of accomplishment by being supportive and watch them grow to be successful. Success is one of the most important gifts we can give to our children.

The ideal martial arts instructor should have knowledge of sports medicine and CPR training. This may be one of the reasons why serious injuries are rare. Make sure that the safety of each child is a priority with the martial arts school you choose.

Some parents may feel I play it too safe within a karate class, but they have not seen a child knocked unconscious, a broken nose, or loss of blood, in my school. When I was a Sport Karate coach, referee, and judge, I saw all of those things in tournaments, and children were all wearing protective equipment.

Therefore, safety precautions are a very important factor, when deciding which martial arts school you should choose for your child.

© Copyright 2005 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Proper Form and Technique While Exercising

Popular Fitness - http://www.popularfitness.com

Pay attention to using proper form and technique when working out with weights. Some of the points I want to discuss in this article may seem very basic or trivial, but a momentary reflection on the basic points I will outline will help improve your overall workouts. I feel this article will be helpful for novices and experienced fitness enthusiasts alike!

There are two reasons why you should always pay attention to form and technique when exercising. The most important and most obvious is that if you’re not performing the exercise correctly, you risk the chance of hurting yourself either immediately or in the long term. The other reason is that you are not realizing the full benefits from your workouts. You are merely going through the motions.

For people just beginning training with weights or if you’re trying out a new exercise, it is important that you understand how the exercise is performed, the mechanics of an exercise. As well as what muscles or muscle groups you are working. For more experienced people, sometimes it’s good to re-evaluate how you are performing a particular exercise. How you can improve upon what you are doing. Sometimes over time form and technique tend to slip into bad habits.

So what constitutes proper form and technique?

When beginning a new exercise for the first time, start with a very light weight. Go through the motions of the exercise slowly. This way you’ll gain an understanding on how it is to be performed as well as committing the movement to memory. You’ll also learn whether or not you are comfortable with the exercise or whether it is even worthwhile doing. Once you understand the basic movement, you may continue with your desired weight.

Concentration. Concentrate on what you are doing. Your mind should be focused on the task at hand. This way you will avoid bad habits.

When performing an exercise stress equally the positive and the negative of the movements. For example, if you are doing a dumbbell chest press the positive is the movement up and the negative the movement down. When exercising, many people forget about the negative. They exert all their effort on the pushing the dumbbells up, but they bring down or let the dumbbells drop too quickly. Thus negating any benefits derived from the negative portion of the exercise.

Don’t forget to breathe. By holding your breath during even a single repetition of an exercise, you are depriving your body of valuable oxygen and experiencing muscle fatigue much sooner.

Muscle Isolation. Try to isolate the muscles when you are working out. Most exercises rely on secondary muscle groups. For example on pull downs for the back, the arms can tire before your lats do because they are much smaller muscles than your back. By concentrating on using the lats to pull the weight down you are effectively reducing the work your arms are doing and placing the workout on the lats.

Each exercise that you may be doing may also have specific areas where bad form may result. There are many examples. If you are doing any type of chest press while lying flat on a bench make sure your lower back is flat on the bench. Many people forget about this and end up curving their lower back without even realizing this and risking the chance of a back injury. This is also true if you are sitting up for certain exercises or sitting on a bench with a vertical cushion. There is a tendency to slouch. Make sure you sit up straight and suck in your abs to keep your back straight. Other exercises require that you keep your knees slightly bent.

As a matter of fact, in every day life you should also be paying attention to how you lift things, sit, etc… This way you will avoid any nagging pains or aches. These body pains exist to tell you something is being done wrong to your body. You will also improve your posture.

Over time you may want to modify a certain exercise. Add some variations to more effectively or differently work your muscles.

These are just some of the most important points to pay attention to when weight training. By paying attention to these points you will avoid any possible injuries and you will maximize the potential from every single workout. And this is the whole purpose of weight training. To strengthen your muscles, prevent injuries and know that a little attention to your health now will go a long way to your future well-being.

Copyright 2005 Joey Atlas

The second biggest question you will ask yourself as a new mom is, “Will I be able to get back into shape after I give birth?” (The first, of course, is, “Will I be a good mother?”) The truth is, yes, you can get back into pre-pregnancy shape and, if you desire, you can get yourself into even better shape than you were in before your pregnancy.

One of the biggest myths you must get past is the classic, “The doctor said I have to wait six weeks before I do any kind of exercise.” Under certain circumstances this is a valid rule. For instance, your pregnancy may have occurred later in life or you experienced complications during your pregnancy and/or the actual birth of your baby.

If you fall into this category you should communicate with you doctor regarding your desire to exercise and abide by her recommendations.

But, if you had an uncomplicated, normal pregnancy there should be no reason why you can’t start working out twenty four hours after you give birth. So as not to mislead you, let’s define working out as it applies to you at this stage of the game.

You are clearly not ready to jump into a full scale fitness program one day after giving birth. But you can and should begin doing gentle isometrics (contract a muscle, hold it for a few seconds & then release it) and Kegels. Of course, you should consult with your doctor before starting just so she is aware of what you are doing. She may also have some valuable input.

Before you leave the hospital ask the doctor about the condition of your rectus abdominus. These are the two muscles that run parallel to each other from the pubic area up to the diaphragm. During some pregnancies the connective tissue between these two muscles tears and separates. If this is your case ask your doctor how you can help them reconnect and heal faster. This will be necessary in order for you to add the next few exercises to your routine.

If your abdominal muscles did not separate, which should be confirmed by your doctor, then you can add the tried and true pelvic tilt to your new exercise program. This is one of the most basic exercises for the “core muscles”. At this time it should also be safe to add a modified abdominal crunch. This is best achieved by starting with a pelvic tilt and then lifting the head and top of the shoulder blades by curling forward slightly as you breathe out. Then return to neutral as you breathe in.

It is generally safe to add several modified leg exercises at this point. Of course, you will want to run these by your doctor before trying them out.

Lying on your back, on any comfortable surface, keep one leg bent with your foot on the floor while the other leg is flat on the ground. Bring the knee of the leg that is flat toward you by bending it and then proceed to lift that same foot off the ground and toward the ceiling. Then bring it back down by retracing the moves in reverse.

Your second leg exercise is known as “the square”. Starting in the same position as the first leg exercise, lift the straight leg off the ground by about a foot or so. Then slowly draw a square in the air with your big toe. Keep the square small at first. With time, as you get stronger, you can increase the size of the square.

You should be able to start a walking program several weeks, if not sooner, after you give birth. There is usually no good reason (unless you had a complicated pregnancy) to wait six weeks after birth to start a consistent walking program. Of course, you should discuss this with your doctor before getting started.

At six weeks post delivery you can start to push your fitness program to a higher level by incorporating cardiovascular work, such as light jogging, and some strength training with a combination of body weight exercises and dumbbell exercises. Also, remember to include stretching exercises for optimal flexibility.

The point of this article is to help you understand that most doctors are conservative when it comes to answering a new mom’s questions about exercise. It is easy for the doctor to “play it safe”, and advise you to wait six weeks before starting your fitness program. However, if you show your doctor the exact exercises that you wish to do, she will most likely realize that you have done your homework and should give you the green light regarding the start of your “new mom” exercise program.

And about the first question you asked your self, “Will I be a good mother?” Exercising after you give birth will automatically make you a better mother for two significant reasons:

1) You will be setting a priceless example for your baby that is highly likely to rub off on him and have a powerful impact on how he chooses to live his life.

2) You will be stronger, healthier and more energetic. These are three valuable elements for any new mother.

New mom and former physical fitness coordinator for the US NAVY, Jeri-Jo Gennusa, advises, “Avoid using your new baby as an excuse for not exercising. Allow your baby to help motivate you to take better care of yourself by following a simple and progressive post-pregnancy fitness program.”