A variety of fitness equipment today, including active-wear such as socks contain anti-microbial technology which consumers should be aware of. I spoke previously about the topic of MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) and thus will not go into detail here. For a background on the topic, please consult the following posting:
http://sports-healthmanship.blogspot.com/2010/11/warning-about-fragrances-colognes-and.html
Anti-microbial technologies which are built into a variety of products are indeed pesticides and are not recommended for use, especially in households or in proximity to children or pets. While companies continue to market these technologies as safe, it is a fact that over time, exposure to these substances can lead to a variety of health problems which in turn can make any traditional diagnosis difficult if not impossible.
The fact that these products might not give off an odor that is noticeable, does not make the products any less dangerous. Moreover, products which are worn near the skin and that contain anti-microbial technologies can be absorbed directly into the body.
Pesticides suppress the immune system, act as endocrine-disruptors in the body, and can lead to a loss of coordination and movement if exposure is severe enough. If you are in the market to buy a new fitness product or any product which claims anti-microbial properties, please weigh the benefits of the product to the potential hazards. There are usually great alternatives which are safer and equally as effective.
Notice: Microban® is a registered trademark of Microban Products Company/Microban International Ltd of Huntersville, N.C.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Recommended and Inexpensive Physical Therapy Solutions
Active people must always listen to warning signs given by their bodies. Pains, sprains, and constant soreness might be a sign of over-training or improper technique when running or performing other training movements.
The importance of massage cannot be stressed enough for the general population and even more so for the athlete. When muscles become very tight, movement is restricted, the body's natural balance is shifted, and other muscles begin to overcompensate. This overcompensation can mean injury and degradation of cartilage, resulting in pain, and as mentioned long-term degradation and loss of performance. Moreover, tight muscles cannot adequately flush out toxins which can lead to one becoming prone to allergies, seasonal colds and flu, and stress-related illnesses. If one allows tightness in the muscles to continue, it can also lead to the fusing of said muscles and can lead to chronic conditions. Have you ever seen an elderly person who is extremely hunched over or who has to make use of a walking cane for their serious imbalanced condition? That is many times the result of not attending to the body's pain.
While it is true that a massage is not always a viable option owing to the cost and the need for another person, there does exist a couple of products that can help restore the body's natural alignment and balance. Best of all, these products are very affordable and proven by millions of people.
The first of the products I am going to speak about is called the Elaine Petrone Method. While deceptively simple in its approach to pain management and alignment, her system is remarkably effective and affordable. Basically, her system involves the use of small rubber balls which are placed strategically and coupled with simple breathing techniques to encourage tight muscles to literally 'let go'. This is of course, achieved with the help of gravity. In pain or tight? Look into her method and you will be surprised at the results. As a side note, I've also seen a few of her kits sold in stores such as Borders and Hastings throughout the country, but her site includes an online shop.
The second tool is just that: a tool and not necessarily a method but is still remarkably effective for massaging out knots and tight muscle tissue. It is a foam roller and is available from the Core Performance Website among others. It is perfect for self-massage and comes with an instructional DVD which is very helpful in letting you get the most out of your investment.
The price for Elaine Petrone's The Miracle Ball Method Book is under 18 dollars before shipping and the Foam Roller at the above website is under 25 dollars less shipping. Best of all, they may encourage you to maintain a healthful routine which will impact all areas of your life. Think more energy, more youthful appearance, and better outlook.
The importance of massage cannot be stressed enough for the general population and even more so for the athlete. When muscles become very tight, movement is restricted, the body's natural balance is shifted, and other muscles begin to overcompensate. This overcompensation can mean injury and degradation of cartilage, resulting in pain, and as mentioned long-term degradation and loss of performance. Moreover, tight muscles cannot adequately flush out toxins which can lead to one becoming prone to allergies, seasonal colds and flu, and stress-related illnesses. If one allows tightness in the muscles to continue, it can also lead to the fusing of said muscles and can lead to chronic conditions. Have you ever seen an elderly person who is extremely hunched over or who has to make use of a walking cane for their serious imbalanced condition? That is many times the result of not attending to the body's pain.
While it is true that a massage is not always a viable option owing to the cost and the need for another person, there does exist a couple of products that can help restore the body's natural alignment and balance. Best of all, these products are very affordable and proven by millions of people.
The first of the products I am going to speak about is called the Elaine Petrone Method. While deceptively simple in its approach to pain management and alignment, her system is remarkably effective and affordable. Basically, her system involves the use of small rubber balls which are placed strategically and coupled with simple breathing techniques to encourage tight muscles to literally 'let go'. This is of course, achieved with the help of gravity. In pain or tight? Look into her method and you will be surprised at the results. As a side note, I've also seen a few of her kits sold in stores such as Borders and Hastings throughout the country, but her site includes an online shop.
The second tool is just that: a tool and not necessarily a method but is still remarkably effective for massaging out knots and tight muscle tissue. It is a foam roller and is available from the Core Performance Website among others. It is perfect for self-massage and comes with an instructional DVD which is very helpful in letting you get the most out of your investment.
The price for Elaine Petrone's The Miracle Ball Method Book is under 18 dollars before shipping and the Foam Roller at the above website is under 25 dollars less shipping. Best of all, they may encourage you to maintain a healthful routine which will impact all areas of your life. Think more energy, more youthful appearance, and better outlook.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Effects of Sugar, processed Salt, and Preservatives in the Body
Within the body, minerals such as Magnesium are responsible for essential functions all the way down to the cellular level. Magnesium in particular, acts as a catalyst for hundreds of functions within the body. When a deficiency of this and other minerals exists within the body, even vitamins cannot be properly utilized, or even absorbed.
The consumption of processed sugar, salt, and foods with additives and preservatives will sap essential minerals from the body. Even worse, if a mineral deficiency already exists within the body, the consumption of these processed substances over a period of time will cause the minerals to be sought from bone marrow, opening the path for Osteoporosis.
The reason these foods sap minerals from the body is because of the way these foods are manufactured. Both salt and sugar are normally bleached with chemicals, or via a process of chemicals and high-heat, stripping them of any naturally-present enzymes, minerals, and vitamins. Once the bleaching and processing is complete, you are left with substances which can be thought of as having an overly "negative charge". In other words, they are devoid of any nutrients whatsoever. To get rid of them, the body must then use essential minerals to bind to the substances, giving them a "positive charge", which then allows for proper elimination of these substances.
This is essentially the process of detoxification which the body uses to get rid of any substances it deems foreign, and there exist many different detoxification pathways which are used depending on the situation. This is also why ingestion of pharmaceutical or recreational drugs often causes vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Finally, a word about preservatives. In nature, there exist tiny microbes whose sole function it is to break down dead matter. These microbes are everywhere, and are not "bad". Rather, they simply perform the function they are meant to.
Preservatives act to retard the natural spoilage and oxidation of foods. Once they are ingested in the body, however, they function the opposite way: they cause the body to signal that its tissues are in fact 'dead'. The microbes mentioned above then begin to break down tissues, because that is their function. The result then, is premature aging.
The consumption of processed sugar, salt, and foods with additives and preservatives will sap essential minerals from the body. Even worse, if a mineral deficiency already exists within the body, the consumption of these processed substances over a period of time will cause the minerals to be sought from bone marrow, opening the path for Osteoporosis.
The reason these foods sap minerals from the body is because of the way these foods are manufactured. Both salt and sugar are normally bleached with chemicals, or via a process of chemicals and high-heat, stripping them of any naturally-present enzymes, minerals, and vitamins. Once the bleaching and processing is complete, you are left with substances which can be thought of as having an overly "negative charge". In other words, they are devoid of any nutrients whatsoever. To get rid of them, the body must then use essential minerals to bind to the substances, giving them a "positive charge", which then allows for proper elimination of these substances.
This is essentially the process of detoxification which the body uses to get rid of any substances it deems foreign, and there exist many different detoxification pathways which are used depending on the situation. This is also why ingestion of pharmaceutical or recreational drugs often causes vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Finally, a word about preservatives. In nature, there exist tiny microbes whose sole function it is to break down dead matter. These microbes are everywhere, and are not "bad". Rather, they simply perform the function they are meant to.
Preservatives act to retard the natural spoilage and oxidation of foods. Once they are ingested in the body, however, they function the opposite way: they cause the body to signal that its tissues are in fact 'dead'. The microbes mentioned above then begin to break down tissues, because that is their function. The result then, is premature aging.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
A Warning about Fragrances, Colognes, and Scented products
Perfumes, artificial air deodorizers, and other artificially-scented personal care products often contain petroleum-based chemicals which over time can lead to serious health problems.
All too often, companies market said products under the guise of cleanliness but in fact they are anything but. The important thing to remember is that the perfume industry is entirely unregulated, which means many of the ingredients are not tested for long-term health hazards and many of the said companies are not required to disclose potentially harmful and dangerous ingredients their products may contain.
This is especially true for the less-expensive 'generic' perfumes or to put it bluntly, cheap ones.
How might the ingredients affect someone's health you ask? Without going into too much detail, the way scented products generally retain their fragrance over a period of time is often because they contain plastics/petroleum-based chemicals which are just that: chemical reactions. Many of these ingredients are in fact mutagenic, https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Mutagen meaning that they have the ability to bind to a person's DNA, causing low-level cellular damage and in some cases, Cancer.
Apart from the mutagenic factor, it is now being understood that many chemicals and additives act like the female hormone Estrogen once inside the body, both for Men and for Women, and can cause a person to gain weight because these substances store themselves in fat cells. As a result, it can make burning fat even THAT much harder, even if one is active, because the body fat now contains chemical substances which become very difficult to flush out.
A final consequence of using products which contain artificial scents is a phenomena called Chemical Sensitivity or MCS https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Multiple_chemical_sensitivity
To give an example, I once worked with a middle-aged woman who wore a heavy amount of perfume. To myself and to many others, her perfume smelled quite chemical and quite strong. Over a period of a year, I gradually began to notice the woman had constant phlegm, and a constant cough. She was a non-smoker, yet had a cough like she had been smoking for years. She also began to have an appearance like she was 'high' or 'stoned' but in fact she did not take any illegal substances. The culprit it was found was her perfume: because she didn't ever give thought to it, and because she constantly exposed herself to some chemical component present in it, she began to manifest constant flu-like symptoms.
Physiologically, she developed excessive constant phlegm because that was a defense of her body, the phlegm was a reaction by her body to the chemicals present in her perfume. Usually these symptoms disappear once a person removes their particular trigger (in this case a certain perfume) because the body has a remarkable ability to heal itself if it is allowed to.
All too often, companies market said products under the guise of cleanliness but in fact they are anything but. The important thing to remember is that the perfume industry is entirely unregulated, which means many of the ingredients are not tested for long-term health hazards and many of the said companies are not required to disclose potentially harmful and dangerous ingredients their products may contain.
This is especially true for the less-expensive 'generic' perfumes or to put it bluntly, cheap ones.
How might the ingredients affect someone's health you ask? Without going into too much detail, the way scented products generally retain their fragrance over a period of time is often because they contain plastics/petroleum-based chemicals which are just that: chemical reactions. Many of these ingredients are in fact mutagenic, https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Mutagen meaning that they have the ability to bind to a person's DNA, causing low-level cellular damage and in some cases, Cancer.
Apart from the mutagenic factor, it is now being understood that many chemicals and additives act like the female hormone Estrogen once inside the body, both for Men and for Women, and can cause a person to gain weight because these substances store themselves in fat cells. As a result, it can make burning fat even THAT much harder, even if one is active, because the body fat now contains chemical substances which become very difficult to flush out.
A final consequence of using products which contain artificial scents is a phenomena called Chemical Sensitivity or MCS https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Multiple_chemical_sensitivity
To give an example, I once worked with a middle-aged woman who wore a heavy amount of perfume. To myself and to many others, her perfume smelled quite chemical and quite strong. Over a period of a year, I gradually began to notice the woman had constant phlegm, and a constant cough. She was a non-smoker, yet had a cough like she had been smoking for years. She also began to have an appearance like she was 'high' or 'stoned' but in fact she did not take any illegal substances. The culprit it was found was her perfume: because she didn't ever give thought to it, and because she constantly exposed herself to some chemical component present in it, she began to manifest constant flu-like symptoms.
Physiologically, she developed excessive constant phlegm because that was a defense of her body, the phlegm was a reaction by her body to the chemicals present in her perfume. Usually these symptoms disappear once a person removes their particular trigger (in this case a certain perfume) because the body has a remarkable ability to heal itself if it is allowed to.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Keeping the body Loose
Oxygen plays an important role in cleaning out toxins and burning fat in the body.
If your schedule allows it, think about putting in light activity or light workouts throughout the day rather than in one large block. This is especially a good strategy for those wanting to become more active or those looking to lose weight.
Keeping the body supple throughout the day will ensure your muscles don't become stiff and will ensure that adequate oxygen circulates throughout the body, important for burning fat and cleaning out toxins in the blood and tissues.
If you take the example of an Office worker sitting at a desk for hours on end, physiologically and more often than not, their posture suffers, the muscles throughout the body become 'tight', and breathing and oxygen distribution becomes minimal, thus causing even MORE tightness. It's a vicious cycle but can be minimized even in the above example by moving the body, doing light stretching throughout the day, taking a walk during one's break etc.
If your schedule allows it, think about putting in light activity or light workouts throughout the day rather than in one large block. This is especially a good strategy for those wanting to become more active or those looking to lose weight.
Keeping the body supple throughout the day will ensure your muscles don't become stiff and will ensure that adequate oxygen circulates throughout the body, important for burning fat and cleaning out toxins in the blood and tissues.
If you take the example of an Office worker sitting at a desk for hours on end, physiologically and more often than not, their posture suffers, the muscles throughout the body become 'tight', and breathing and oxygen distribution becomes minimal, thus causing even MORE tightness. It's a vicious cycle but can be minimized even in the above example by moving the body, doing light stretching throughout the day, taking a walk during one's break etc.
Being in Season
The body's biological clock is parallel to that of the climate one is in.
Unfortunately, supermarkets today give the illusion that there are no Seasons. As an example, you can for purchase bananas or pineapple (both tropical fruits) in Winter even if you live in a temperate zone where there is a harsh Winter (e.g. Chicago).
To expand on this example, people living in the tropical climates, where for instance bananas or pineapples grow, have evolved eating certain foods over thousands of years. Eating tropical fruits such as pineapples actually opens up the pores of the skin, a natural cooling mechanism for people of these regions. In the same manner, the Eskimo people who evolved in a very cold climate, have for centuries eaten more rich animal-based foods because these foods are contracting, and allow the body to shield against the harsh cold.
Eating foods out-of-season and those not meant for your region (such as tropical fruits and juices in Winter) will throw the body off, and make it more susceptible to contracting colds and different strains of flu. It will also cause discomfort because the body will be less able to adapt to weather changes and usually will cause a person to rely overly on artificial heating and cooling, which for some people can throw off their sleep cycle, further weakening the immune system. It is important and essential to let the body experience the weather changes because this allows the body's internal clock to 'know what time it is'.
If you are traveling, and need to adjust your body's clock, periodically expose yourself to a light and moderate amount of sunlight in the new area you find yourself in. This will help the body adjust your internal clock and will lessen the effect of jet-lag.
Unfortunately, supermarkets today give the illusion that there are no Seasons. As an example, you can for purchase bananas or pineapple (both tropical fruits) in Winter even if you live in a temperate zone where there is a harsh Winter (e.g. Chicago).
To expand on this example, people living in the tropical climates, where for instance bananas or pineapples grow, have evolved eating certain foods over thousands of years. Eating tropical fruits such as pineapples actually opens up the pores of the skin, a natural cooling mechanism for people of these regions. In the same manner, the Eskimo people who evolved in a very cold climate, have for centuries eaten more rich animal-based foods because these foods are contracting, and allow the body to shield against the harsh cold.
Eating foods out-of-season and those not meant for your region (such as tropical fruits and juices in Winter) will throw the body off, and make it more susceptible to contracting colds and different strains of flu. It will also cause discomfort because the body will be less able to adapt to weather changes and usually will cause a person to rely overly on artificial heating and cooling, which for some people can throw off their sleep cycle, further weakening the immune system. It is important and essential to let the body experience the weather changes because this allows the body's internal clock to 'know what time it is'.
If you are traveling, and need to adjust your body's clock, periodically expose yourself to a light and moderate amount of sunlight in the new area you find yourself in. This will help the body adjust your internal clock and will lessen the effect of jet-lag.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Simple and Complex Carbohydrates
The consumption of Simple Sugars causes Insulin levels to spike, and with time can develop into conditions such as Diabetes.
If you are craving sweets, you can minimize this spike by also consuming some complex carbohydrates at or near the same time you consume the Simple ones.
The cumulative effect is that you "average out" the effect of the Simple Carbs because the Complex Carbs will slowly be released into your bloodstream and you won't just have a sudden spike due to the sugars in the sweets.
If you are craving sweets, you can minimize this spike by also consuming some complex carbohydrates at or near the same time you consume the Simple ones.
The cumulative effect is that you "average out" the effect of the Simple Carbs because the Complex Carbs will slowly be released into your bloodstream and you won't just have a sudden spike due to the sugars in the sweets.
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