Massage away your blues!

Well, in these times of uncertainty, there is certainly one thing that I know for sure – which is, that everybody likes to get a massage done!
These days, a lot of people across all backgrounds, look forward to a weekly / monthly massage to de-stress and de-tox themselves. This is only evident from the number of spas and massage centers that are coming up in all corners of the city, offering a wide range of simple to exotic services.
Read on for benefits of massage therapy -
· A massage is a combination of stroking, pressing and kneading different areas of the body to relieve pain, relax, stimulate, and tone the body.
· It works on the skin and soft tissues immediately beneath the skin to improve their tone and increase blood circulation to these areas. This is especially helpful, in case of people who sit for long hours, thereby affecting blood circulation in the lower limb, and especially the back region.
· Improved circulation of fresh oxygenated blood to the skin, detoxifies the skin, and leaves you feeling and looking fresh and rejuvenated.
· It also has a positive effect on the lymphatic system (which runs parallel to the circulatory system), improving the elimination of waste throughout the body, and thereby providing a detoxification effect.
· Massage therapy is used extensively by sportspersons to prevent strains and injuries that might otherwise occur due to excess tension, overuse or any problems resulting from structural problems like stiff joints etc.
· It also relaxes the body, and hence calms down the heart and reduces anxiety, tension etc.
· Through its effect on the nervous system, massage has a positive effect on the digestive system as well as the endocrine system and related problems.The latest massages which include aroma-therapy based massages and deep-tissue massages, which reach the deeper layers of muscle and possibly even the organs themselves, and help in promoting health.

Yoga ? But I am not stressed !!

Probably, the most misconstrued of all the facts, its pure injustice, confining Yoga to just as a means for combating Stress….Because, such a statement grossly overlooks the myriad other benefits that practicing Yoga can provide to the one who practices it rightly.

For the layman, Yoga makes you feel healthier—in mind, body and spirit, fresher, more energized and composed, thus making a strong & tough mind and body.

Yoga means “Yuj” Or “Union” of the Self with the Divine Consciousness. The postures and meditation techniques are a methodology to attain that goal.
There are different styles of Yoga-- most common & widely practiced being the ”Ashtanga Yoga” & “Hatha Yoga”, which teaches a number of postures, and breathing techniques…

Even if you don’t believe in the spiritual side of Yoga, you can still practice it, for the number of health benefits it delivers.
Specifically,
-It helps manage or control anxiety, arthritis, depression, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, blood pressure, headaches, back pain (most common problem), Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, heart problems.
- Improves Flexibility (one of the important fitness aspects), Muscle tone, strength, and stamina.
- Yoga also helps to strengthen the respiratory system, thus helping with problems, like asthma, etc.
- Improves concentration, memory and self-esteem, mental toughness.
- Improves facial and skin texture, voice, and improves circulation in general.
- Stimulates the immune system, and is not age-specific.
- Helps control abnormalities of the Hormonal (Endocrine) System, especially of the Thyroid Gland, and its secretions, which contribute to effective functioning of the body.
- They massage and tone the internal organs, which improves their blood circulation.
- The Twisting Poses, Forward Bends, like Half-seated twists (Ardha-Matsyendrasana), Plough (Halasana), Bow, etc. stimulate the Pancreas to manage insulin levels better, which inturn can help manage Diabetes.
- Helps in weight management, by boosting metabolism.
- Yoga also helps in case of pregnant women, where postures like the Cobbler pose, etc. are useful.

Getting back to the topic of discussion, it also helps to effectively deal with stress, and related problems like stomach disorders, constipation, insomnia, etc.

Not only that while practicing meditation as a part of Yoga, the brain sends out an increased amount of alpha-waves, which relaxes the mind and body, and gives a feeling of rejuvenation.

The yoga exercises are not fast and forceful, but instead involve slow and steady movements, which incorporate the whole body and mind, hence, a favorite among the elderly.

Yoga is a form of “Mental Gym” for the mind, which controls the body, and inturn all the problems and ailments.

Lastly, but one of the most important advantages of yoga lies in its ability to correct the ostural imbalances.
As a result of faulty posture over the years, especially a sedentary lifestyle, adaptive shortening and muscular strength imbalances, the major joints in the body, like the neck, knee, and the lower back region are subjected to a lot of stress, which causes lower-back pain, and other problems.

It can be used to relieve tension in the muscles of the neck, lower-back, forearm, those around the eyes, common among the corporate professionals, working with the computer for long hours.

Not to dis-regard the importance of other forms of exercises, safe to say that a little Yoga incorporated into the daily fitness routine, along with exercises focusing on Strength, Stamina, can be used as a holistic approach to wellness.

Thus, I hope the above discussion proves that presence/absence of stress need not be the dictating factor to practice Yoga…Practice it to know it!!!!!

De-stress with Dance

Trust me, everybody can dance and loves dancing, deep inside … whether it is the formal Latin dances or our very own Ganesha Chaturthi special style!!! “the two left feet” syndrome is a myth… Most of us are just in denial about this all our lives.
Even the most shy person, if put in a room with music, and promised invisibility to the world, will dance…

Dancing is a great way to de-stress.. It is a complete package – right from the de-stressing effect, to calorie burning, to cardio advantage and many more, as we will see below –

· Most of the dance forms provide a cardio workout to the body – since usually they involve continuous movements usually for more than an half an hour. A cardio workout enhances blood circulation to all parts of the body, and hence helps flush toxins out of the body.
· Dancing along with music, boosts the secretion of feel good hormones like ‘dopamine’ and ‘endorphins’..
· The increased blood flow to the skin, rejuvenates the skin. No amount of beauty creams can give you the effect obtained by the internal rejuvenation of skin.
· Also, increased blood flow due to a cardio activity to all body parts, also takes care of problems like indigestion, constipation, which can also have a very stressing effect on the body and your productivity.
· For all of us (especially me!) who can’t bear the monotony of running on a treadmill for more than 10 minutes, dancing is a better way to get the much needed cardio workout.
· Most importantly, usually most of the dance sessions happen in a group – this provides motivation and healthy competition amongst the participants, which ends up as a good challenging workout.
· In case you are recovering from a surgery / injury etc. a low impact dance is your best option to get your cardio workout going, and which will also indirectly aid the rehabilitation process.
· And most importantly, dancing being a cardio activity, helps in calorie burning.. It has been proved that an hour of dancing burns anything between 200 to 400 calories, depending on the kind of dance. A light body reduces a lot of stress…
· Dancing is a very adaptable kind of a physical activity – A youngster can participate in high-impact dances like bollywood dance, hip-hop etc.. while an elderly person can participate in any low-impact dance forms like Salsa, Jive or all other forms of Latin dancing.

So.. hunt for those dancing shoes, and dance away your blues !!

My Philosophies in life !!

There are no mistakes in life - only lessons !!
Money can buy 'almost' everything........ but not love and happiness !!
The purpose of life, is to find your higher purpose in this world...
Seek, and you shall find !!
Patience, Faith, Perseverance, and Forebearance (Shraddha, Saburi, Titiksha...)
The poor who love each other, are the richest people in the world..
As you sow, so shall you reap...
Love thy neighbours, as you would want them to love you !!
Live life with no regrets..everything that you did at any point of time, was just the thing you wanted to do at that time....
Never take anything / anyone for granted.
Never underestimate anyone.
Circumstances maketh a man!!
Do your best, and let God do the rest !!
When you want something truly and deeply, the universe conspires to give it to you !
Never expect anything from anyone.
Only those who risk going too far, can possibly find out how far they can go !!
There is always a right time for everything...
If there is a problem, there will be a solution..
When there is a will, there is a way.
You can fight the entire world.. its much easier.. but fighting your own loved ones, there can never be anything more demotivating than that...
Multitasking is an art
Love unconditionally...

Let the Music heal your soul!!!

Let us talk about the power of Music, as a perfect stress-buster, to the daily stresses of the day.
Sometime back, there were a few articles about a leading doctor, who played music, while performing surgery! And another instance, when a doctor plays some instrument in the hospital wards, for his patients !!
Ritual drumming, music mantras, rhythmic prayers have been existing since ages. Everything in nature and the human body works in a rhythm, and hence music and its rhythm help relax the body.
According to the brain waves theory, the human brain generates four kinds of waves – alpha, beta, theta and delta. When you are talking, working etc. your brain generates beta waves. But when you sit down, and relax and calm yourself down, relaxing waves like alpha waves and some theta waves are generated. And when you fall asleep, the brain generates what are known as delta waves.

Slow Music promotes the release of alpha and theta waves, which have a calming effect on the body and cells.
Slow Music also affects the autonomic nervous system, which controls our breathing and heart rate, in our body. Music slows down the heart rate and promotes relaxation.
It also slows down the blood pressure in the body.
Slow, calming music is a perfect relaxation tool, since it helps ease tensed muscles.
Music is said to promote optimism, creativity and a positive state of mind.

Music has been one of the preferred options when dealing with special populations like cancer patients, diabetics, those with attention deficit disorders (ADD) or suffering from insomnia, or depression and many other complications.
And the best part about using music as a tool for stress management is its ease and simplicity of use!
You don’t have to force yourself to sit down in a session and then listen to music..
You can do it while you are taking a bath, while you are cooking, while you are eating, in the car on the way to office and back and absolutely any place! And moreover, it need not be some sophisticated music, it could be anything that you like, and feel comfortable with…

De-stress your life !!

What is the one thing on everybody’s tongue these days? Inflation? That would be a typical guy answer!!
Well, beyond doubts, it is the most common word of this century – STRESS !
The next couple of articles will focus on STRESS and different ways of STRESS MANAGEMENT.
So read on …
Technically put, STRESS – is a situation or feeling experienced when the demands of life exceed the personal and environmental resources available for use, to a person..
The word STRESS has always been viewed negatively.. But ideally a little amount of stress helps to keep us working to our full potential and prove ourselves in critical circumstances.
Stress releases powerful neurochemicals and hormones that prepare us for action (Fight or Flight response), which if not controlled create a long list of problems..

STRESS is divided into 2 main types – Acute (something due to a sudden temporary situation like a missed meeting deadline etc.) and Chronic (cumulative stress over the years due to incidents in life etc.)

Too much of anything is bad enough – and hence STRESS causes –
Headaches
Tensed muscles of the neck, forehead and shoulder
Emotionally induced eating – which is one of the leading reasons causing weight gain
Digestive problems including ulcers,
Insomnia
Fatigue
High blood pressure, nervousness and excessive sweating, heart disease, strokes
Hair loss
· Emotional Problems like - anxiety, anger, depression, irritability, frustration, over-reaction to everyday problems, memory loss and a lack of concentration for any task.
· Social problems like - withdrawal from society, phobias, compulsive behaviors, eating disorders and night terrors.And of-course the weak-willed amongst us take up drugs, alcohol, smoking etc. to deal with it!!

Take charge !!! (For all of us Aerobics fanatics)

Till a few years ago, the aerobic class was the haven for ladies who wanted to shed weight! Now, thanks to the awareness about weight training, we do see a few ladies on the gym floor as well!!
What appalls me is the quality of the workout or whatever they make you do under the name of “aerobics”.
However, if you are reading this, I know that you are truly interested in your health and fitness status, and hence the following guidelines will help you get the best results out of the 1 hour that you spend in the aerobic class –

1) At the beginning of the class, check your Heart Rate [place your index and the middle finger towards the medial part, where the wrist begins, and count the pulses for 10 seconds. Multiply it by 6 to get the bpm (beats per minute) reading]. Consider this as your Starting Heart Rate (SHR).
Now, for effective fat and weight loss, your heart rate has to be in a targeted zone.
A very simple formula is –
Target Heart Rate = Between MHR x 0.6 and MHR x 0.7 (for beginners)
Where, MHR = 220 – Your Age.
For example, if I am 40 years old, then
MHR = 220 – 40 = 180 &
THR = 180 x 0.6 = 108 bpm and THR = 180 x 0.7 = 126 bpm
This means, while working out, your Heart Rate has to be between 108 bpm and 126 bpm, measured in the same way, as mentioned above.
Being above or below these ranges does not give the desired results.

2) Aerobic workouts are designed to go on continuously for 45 minutes to an hour, since the fat burning mechanism of the body kicks into action only for prolonged durations. As such, there should not be too much of very high intensity moves likes kicks, jumps etc., since fatigue sets in and exercising for 45-60 min becomes difficult. Fat burning happens when the activity is sustained for at least more than 25 to 30 minutes.

Here are a few other things that I have commonly observed, and which need to be avoided –
3) Do not stop suddenly in between the session or after doing a cardio session.
While doing any cardio activity, which generally uses the leg muscles, all the blood is directed towards the legs (blood pooling). When you stop suddenly, the blood, due to gravity, pools in the legs, causing a reduced blood supply to the brain, and hence may make you feel dizzy.
Solution – Keep moving, walking, or marching, and gradually come to a stop at the end of a high-intensity routine.

4) While using a STEP in the Aerobics batch, always remember to stay near the STEP (maximum of 1 foot away), very uncommonly seen in the sessions. Stepping far away, increase the lower back curvature, putting excess stresses on your spine, thereby increasing your chances of lower back problems.

5) Another very commonly observed problem, is when people are constantly on their forefoot, and forget to place their whole feet on the ground, especially pronounced during a STEP session.
This is especially pronounced, when the music is very fast. Constant movement on the forefoot, shortens your calves and Achilles tendon, and gives rise to inflammation or tightness of the calves and nearby muscles.
Solution – Make a conscious effort to place your full feet on the ground, during the floor or STEP sessions.
6) And last but not the least, remember to sip water in between the workout to avoid de-hydration.