The Importance of Stretching In Preventing Obesity

Many people overlook the role that stretching your muscles plays in preventing obesity and maintaining health and wellness. Stretching is more than a method used to prepare the body for movement and activity. It is an integrative and holistic process that incorporates your mind, emotions and your body. It increases flexibility and relieves stress. It is also an effective calorie burner.

Proper stretching requires you to breath into the stretch. The deeper you can breath the better the stretch and the more relaxed you feel. Deep breathing has a very calming and soothing effect on both the mind and the body. When the mind and the body are relaxed, calm and at ease this in turn causes us to be calm emotionally. Deep breathing also brings about clarity and sharper thinking. You are much more creative and better able to solve problems and respond to them instead of react. Your body follows your mind.

Deep breathing uses oxygen. This use of oxygen serves several purposes. It provides the brain, which uses 20-25 percent of all oxygen that is used by the body, with a rich supply of it. Oxygen is also a very vital component of the fat burning process. Oxygen burns fat.

As mentioned earlier deep breathing requires lots of oxygen which also activates the parasympathetic system which causes what is called "the relaxation response". Causing this response encourages the body to burn fat. So you get two benefits calmness and fat burning occurring at the same time. How great is that! I love two for ones.

Stretching elongates the body giving you the appearance and feel of losing weight. You will notice your clothes fitting better and you will look better in them. You may weigh the same weight so don't be discouraged. People put way too much emphasis on the scale anyway. So remember to not put all of your emphasis on the scale, consider how you look and feel too as they are very important and keep you motivated.

It is very important to stretch properly. The first order of business is to make sure you have comfortable clothing that allows you to stretch. Secondly, you want to be in the proper frame of mind, so do not rush or force yourself. You want to relax and let go. Say these words as you are stretching. Breath deeply while stretching, only going as far as you can go without feeling any pain. If you feel pain back off, ease up and just breath deeply in whatever position you're in. Focus on your breath not how far you have stretched or want to stretch.

It is better to stretch on the floor that way you are not working against gravity or yourself. While lying on the floor take a couple of deep breaths and then put your attention on each part of your body from head to toe and notice how it feels. Notice any tightness or pain. If your lower back hurts while lying down bend your legs by raising your knees, or place a pillow under your knees.

You don't have to always stretch lying down, although I love doing it in my bed before I get out of bed. That way I'm sure to get it in. You can stretch while standing, sitting, up against a wall, over an exercise ball or use stairs. They are books on stretching and things like Yoga or Athletic Training in your local library and book store.

Some quick stretches you can get in are yawning, your neck by rotating your head slowly, as well as your wrists, shoulders, arms out in a "V" shape or just simply hanging over. You can do the hanging over either sitting or standing. If you are standing and the back of your legs are tight bend your knees. You can twist your spine by turning slowly from side to side while seated. If you're standing just slowly move your upper body while keeping your lower body facing front. Through out it all remember to keep breathing, take your time and relax.

I hope you can see that this can be some thing that is rewarding and supportive in preventing obesity, providing you with many benefits other than just weight loss. Incorporate it into your day, while you are at your desk, waiting in line or traffic, watching your child's game. There are so many ways you can fit stretching in and it doesn't have to be so obvious you just have to remember to do it. Stretch with your children or with a group of friends that have a common goal of getting in shape.

For more information on eating healthy for you and your kids get a free report or read the blog at http://www.healthykidsweightloss.com.

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Importance of Cardio Workouts

ByMich Ching

There is no doubt that health is the most valuable asset in our life. Having lots of money, a successful career and a good social status are all useless without good health. As the saying goes, health may not be everything, but without health, everything is nothing. This is why it is very important that you take good care of it and make it your priority. And when it comes to ensuring and maintaining good health, one of the best options apart from maintaining a healthy diet is to do regular cardio workouts.

Getting regular cardio workouts is important in keeping our body healthy and fit. It helps keep our heart strong by pumping blood through our body more efficiently. As an effect, oxygen and nutrients are effectively transported on the body which leads to better health. Studies have also shown that maintaining a regular cardio workout can help reduce the risk of developing all types of heart disease, some types of cancer and depression. Apart from that, regular cardio can also help us lose excess weight by burning calories and fat efficiently. As we all know, keeping fat from accumulating on the body can greatly cut the risk of developing certain chronic diseases.

Cardio workouts involve any activity that requires the use of the large muscle groups in the body in a consistent and uninterrupted manner. Some of the usual cardio activities are running, walking, cycling, aerobics, dancing, swimming and martial arts. Don't limit yourself to just one type of activity because working out is meant to be fun, not boring and monotonous. Spice it up from time to time. For optimum cardio fitness, it is highly recommended to do at least thirty to forty five minutes of exercise for about three to four times a week. Be careful not to overdo it though. Studies have shown that too much cardio can actually harm the heart. Excessive exercising can cause scarring of the heart muscle and structure damage. Long periods of body stress is bad.

When you do regular cardio workouts, your stamina for other activities will also increase, as well as your strength. This can help keep you going and active as you age. It is never too late to start working out. Just always remember to be consistent and stick to it once you have started it. This is the only way that cardio will benefit your body and health in the long term.

Heart Start Fitness offers personal Muay Thai training and basic womens self defence for all ages. Build your self confidence, learn new skills and have fun while getting fit at Heart Start Fitness.

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The Importance of a Personal Fitness Plan

Even as early as ninth grade, students are taught to integrate a variety of health concepts, skills, and behaviors to plan for their personal health goals. The importance of having a personal fitness plan is so great that they are given a comprehensive health education where they learn basic health concepts and the various factors that have an impact on their health.

Now, if this information is deemed important enough to teach our kids in their teens, shouldn't we, as the responsible adults that we are supposed to be, consider it equally important? The sad truth is that many times, life gets in the way of us making intelligent health choices. Hectic work schedules, multiple after-school activities with the kids and trying to make it to the PTA meeting on time all conspire to divert our good intentions when it comes to our personal fitness.

Developing an effective and realistic fitness plan requires a process of delicately intertwining varied but equally important elements. Cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and flexibility and proper diet all combine to create a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle. Don't let the last statement scare you away from fitness. Of all of the decisions that you make on any given day, the one that steers you in the direction of a personal fitness plan is, without a doubt, one of the most important decisions that you can make; if not the most important. There are many plans that can provide you with a road map to a healthy life. By far the best one that I have found is Visual Impact by Rusty Moore.

Referencing back to the extremely busy life that we all lead, a side benefit that many people overlook is the fact that being healthy and having a body that performs at its optimum level will help reduce stress. As for those folks who immediately think "I'm too busy to work out", you can just stop that right now, because the vast majority of people who begin a new routine for their personal fitness find that they actually have MORE time. I think some of the reason for this is that, in order to work out, they are getting out of bed earlier and feel as if they have more time because their bodies are functioning at a much higher level.

There are a few things that I would like to leave you with as I close this article: 1) As you are creating the plan that you will follow to get physically fit, it is extremely important to remember that, at times everybody needs to have a support system. Friends, family or coworkers can be a good place to find that support. 2) Stay away from the places that are particularly tempting. Nothing good can come from fighting yourself. 3) Finally, one of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to recruit someone to be your workout partner. Having someone that you are accountable to besides yourself will give you a better chance of success in the long run.

Until next time, here's to your health!

If you are interested in learning more about Visual Impact and its unique approach to physical fitness, go to http://howtogetarippedbody.halcyonmarket.com/the-importance-of-a-personal-fitness-plan

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