Ever been curious to what limits the human body can stretch and move? This amazing dancer is extremely flexible and graceful. Enjoy her moves in this video clip.
And Stretch
Remember to stretch your own body. Keeping the spine flexible retards aging. While chances are very, very few of us will ever have or even want this level of flexibility, but it is good to be able to at least touch our toes. Enjoy.
What is Possible? Lunga, Dancer from the musical Africa, Africa
Let Exercise Make You Happy
Mental health providers should prescribe exercise more often for depression and anxiety
Traditional treatments of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy don’t reach everyone
Exercise is a magic drug for many people with depression and anxiety disorders, and it should be more widely prescribed by mental health care providers, according to researchers who analyzed the results of numerous published studies.
“Exercise has been shown to have tremendous benefits for mental health,” says Jasper Smits, director of the Anxiety Research and Treatment Program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. “The more therapists who are trained in exercise therapy, the better off patients will be.”
Smits and Michael Otto, psychology professor at Boston University, based their finding on an analysis of dozens of population-based studies, clinical studies and meta-analytic reviews related to exercise and mental health, including the authors’ meta-analysis of exercise interventions for mental health and studies on reducing anxiety sensitivity with exercise. The researchers’ review demonstrated the efficacy of exercise programs in reducing depression and anxiety.
The traditional treatments of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy don’t reach everyone who needs them, says Smits, an associate professor of psychology.
“Exercise can fill the gap for people who can’t receive traditional therapies because of cost or lack of access, or who don’t want to because of the perceived social stigma associated with these treatments,” he says. “Exercise also can supplement traditional treatments, helping patients become more focused and engaged.”
The researchers presented their findings March 6 in Baltimore at the annual conference of the Anxiety Disorder Association of America. Their workshop was based on their therapist guide “Exercise for Mood and Anxiety Disorders,” with accompanying patient workbook (Oxford University Press, September 2009). For links to more information see www.smuresearch.com.
“Individuals who exercise report fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, and lower levels of stress and anger,” Smits says. “Exercise appears to affect, like an antidepressant, particular neurotransmitter systems in the brain, and it helps patients with depression re-establish positive behaviors. For patients with anxiety disorders, exercise reduces their fears of fear and related bodily sensations such as a racing heart and rapid breathing.”
After patients have passed a health assessment, Smits says, they should work up to the public health dose, which is 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity. At a time when 40 percent of Americans are sedentary, he says, mental health care providers can serve as their patients’ exercise guides and motivators.
“Rather than emphasize the long-term health benefits of an exercise program – which can be difficult to sustain – we urge providers to focus with their patients on the immediate benefits,” he says. “After just 25 minutes, your mood improves, you are less stressed, you have more energy – and you’ll be motivated to exercise again tomorrow. A bad mood is no longer a barrier to exercise; it is the very reason to exercise.”
Smits says health care providers who prescribe exercise also must give their patients the tools they need to succeed, such as the daily schedules, problem-solving strategies and goal-setting featured in his guide for therapists.
“Therapists can help their patients take specific, achievable steps,” he says. “This isn’t about working out five times a week for the next year. It’s about exercising for 20 or 30 minutes and feeling better today.”
Fun Exercise – Hula Hoop
The way this young girl hula hoops is amazing. Just don’t let it discourage you from twisting your own hips…enjoy!
Research: Reducing Fibromyalgia Pain
An exercise program that incorporates walking, strength training and stretching may improve daily function and alleviate symptoms in women with fibromyalgia, according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Benefits appear to be enhanced when exercise is combined with education about managing the disease.
Fibromyalgia affects approximately 3.4 percent of women and 0.5 percent of men in the United States, according to background information in the article. Patients with fibromyalgia experience chronic pain throughout their bodies for at least three months, along with specific sites of tenderness. Causes and mechanisms are poorly understood. “Even with the recent approval of pregabalin by the Food and Drug Administration to treat fibromyalgia symptoms, pharmacotherapy is often insufficient to resolve persistent symptoms or improve functional limitations and quality of life,” the authors write.
Daniel S. Rooks, Sc.D., from Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and now with Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., and colleagues recruited 207 women taking medication for fibromyalgia between 2002 and 2004. For 16 weeks, the women were randomly assigned to four groups: 51 performed aerobic and flexibility exercises only; 51 added in strength training; 50 received a self-help course on managing fibromyalgia; and 55 participated in all the exercises and the education course. The exercise groups met twice weekly, gradually increasing the length and intensity of their workouts, with instructions to perform a third day of exercise on their own.
A total of 135 women completed the study and underwent a six-month follow-up assessment. As measured by two self-assessment questionnaires and one performance test, women who participated in all forms of exercise improved their physical function, an effect that was larger in the combined education and exercise group. “Social function, mental health, fatigue, depression and self-efficacy also improved,” the authors write. “The beneficial effect on physical function of exercise alone and in combination with education persisted at six months.”
“The present study suggests that progressive walking, simple strength training movements and stretching activities are effective at improving physical, emotional and social function, key symptoms and self-efficacy in women with fibromyalgia who are being actively treated with medication,” the authors write. “Furthermore, the benefits of exercise are enhanced when combined with targeted self-management education, and improvements in physical function continue for six months after completion of the intervention. Our findings suggest the need for inclusion of appropriate exercise and patient education in the treatment of individuals with fibromyalgia.”
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(Arch Intern Med. 2007;167(20):2192-2200)
Bone Loss After Knee Surgery
Why are so many people’s knees falling apart? Is surgery the answer? Read the results of two studies. In less fancy lingo, the surgery fails more often than the surgeons would like and on top of that for some unknown reason the problem in the repaired knee appears in the opposite knee.
The name of the journal study:
Risk of Tearing the Intact Anterior Cruciate Ligament in the Contralateral Knee and Rupturing the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Graft During the First 2 Years After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. That’s a mouthful.
SOURCE: American Journal of Sports Medicine, July 2007.
For a clear overview of knee anatomy click this link: http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/acltears/ACL_whatis.html
A study published in December 2006 in Arthritis Care and Research showed that in knee surgery for the meniscus, the knee that was operated on, scored lower in all categories than the knee that was not operated on.
Researchers don’t know why this is.
My thought is that part of the answer lies in treating people like they are machines. Contemporary medical thought is if you perform surgery on the ailing part it should resolve the complaint.
But if you never address the why, how can you really heal?
Knee Deep in Meaning
Knee problems can relate to inner feelings of stubbornness, lack of flexibility, ego issues and pride. The knee can also represent how one feels towards progress and/or their resistance to it.
Yoga Poses can prevent falls in the Elderly
Research out of Temple’s Gait Study Center suggests basic yoga exercises could help prevent falls in elderly women
A specific type of yoga can help improve stability and balance in women over age 65, which could help to prevent falls, finds a preliminary study out of Temple University’s Gait Study Center.
Dr. Jinsup Song and researchers at the School of Podiatric Medicine and the College of Health Professions examined the gait and postural stability of 24 elderly females who were enrolled in an Iyengar yoga program specifically designed for those over 65. They found that at the end of the nine-week program, participants had a faster stride, an increased flexibility in the lower extremities, an improved single-leg stance and increased confidence in walking and balance.
Song will present these findings at the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society’s Annual Meeting on April 4.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that among people 65 years and older, falls are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma, and nearly one-third of older adults suffer from some type of fall each year.
Song and his researchers suggest that improving balance and stability through yoga could help reduce the risk of falling, as these are two areas that are often deficient when a fall occurs.
“We were very impressed at the progress our participants made by the end of the program,” said Song. “Subjects demonstrated improved muscle strength in lower extremities, which helps with stability. There was also a pronounced difference in how pressure was distributed on the bottom of the foot, which helps to maintain balance.”
Song and study coauthor Marian Garfinkel, Ed.D., a certified senior Iyengar Yoga instructor, consulted her mentor, renowned yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar, to craft a specific yoga program of poses tailored to the elderly who have had little to no yoga experience. The use of props in the Iyengar program allows participants to gradually master the poses while building their confidence level.
“In the past, similar studies have been done that look at gait and balance improvement in elderly females using a more aggressive form of yoga,” said Song, principal investigator and director of the Gait Study Center. “For this study, we worked to create a very basic regimen that taught participants proper ways to breathe, stand and pose.”
Before she started the program, Maryanne Brown wasn’t sure she’d even want to stick with it.
“I’ve never been one for exercise,” said the West Philadelphia native. “But I started attending the classes, and I thought, ‘Why not?’ I really did want to make an effort to get healthy, so I kept at it.”
Now, even after the program, Brown continues her regimen at the B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Studio of Philadelphia, under the direction of Garfinkel, an adjunct associate professor at the School of Medicine.
“I feel more centered now. I have more confidence when I walk, and I’m able to walk further for longer periods of time,” Brown said.
Researchers also found that some participants, like Brown, who had unrelated back and knee pain at baseline, were pain-free by the end of the study.
“I’ve had that pain for years,” Brown said. “And during one session, I heard a ‘pop’ and was sure I wouldn’t be able to get up. But I did, and I felt better than I had in years.”
In addition to improving balance and stability, Song notes that participation in a group setting, such as an Iyengar yoga class, could have positive psychological effects for the elderly, as well.
“Throughout the program, participants consistently noted that they had a better outlook on their day-to-day lives,” he said. “The class gave them something to look forward to; they found it engaging, and said that if they couldn’t attend a class, they definitely missed it.”
“This program has been amazing,” said Brown, who now spends up to six hours a week practicing Iyengar yoga. “They’re really onto something with it. It’s made a tremendous difference in my quality of life.”
“The bottom line is, people want to stay active as long as possible,” Song said. “This can help elderly women maintain their mobility and independence, in several ways.”
Song noted that this preliminary information will pave the way for a larger study on how Iyengar yoga affects the function of the foot to improve balance and stability and prevent falls.
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Other researchers on this study are Roberta Newton, P.T., Ph.D., of Temple University’s College of Health Professions; and Ji Su Yun, B.A., Benjamin Heilman, M.S., and Emilie Zoltick, B.A., of the Gait Study Center at Tempe University. Funding was provided by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Development at Temple University.
TV In Your Teens Bedroom, Just Say No
(HealthDay News) — Although your teenager may poignantly plead that he or she is the only child left in America without a bedroom television, health experts recommend that parents stand their ground and keep TV out of the bedroom.
There seems to be a good reason for this. The latest research, published in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics, shows that having a bedroom television not only leads to more TV viewing, but also results in less time spent with the family, less time exercising, lower fruit and vegetable intake, more sweetened beverage consumption, and in lower grades.
“The big take-home message from our study is that TVs should be removed from kids’ bedrooms, and it could have a positive effect on kids’ health,” said the study’s lead author, Daheia Barr-Anderson, a postdoctoral fellow at the Adolescent Health Protection Research Training Program at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis.
Health professionals have been warning for years about too much television watching among young people, and especially about making the TV set so easily accessible. But past research suggests that many parents aren’t heeding that advice. About 68 percent of American youngsters have televisions in their bedrooms, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
One large study found that children between ages 8 and 18 spend more than three hours every day watching television. Numerous studies have been done to assess TV’s effect on young children, but research on bedroom TVs and older adolescents is scarce, according to the current study.
Barr-Anderson and her colleagues gathered information on the presence of a bedroom TV and socio-demographic, behavioral and personal characteristics through a questionnaire mailed to 781 teens who were an average age of 17.2 years.
The results mirrored past studies. Almost two-thirds of this group had a TV in their bedroom. Having a personal TV doubled the risk that a teen would regularly watch more than five hours of TV daily, compared to teens without a television in the bedroom.
Teenage girls who had a bedroom TV watched an average of 20.7 hours each week, about 5 hours more than female teens without a bedroom TV (15.2 hours). For boys with TVs, 22.2 hours were spent in front of the tube, compared to 18.2 hours for boys without personal TVs.
Both girls and boys with bedroom TVs attended fewer family dinners — about one less per week — than kids without their own sets. Girls with TVs ate slightly fewer vegetables each day, while boys with TVs consumed less fruit.
Girls with TVs in their bedrooms participated in less physical activity, and boys with bedroom TVs had lower grade point averages.
“For most kids, a TV in the bedroom is not a healthy thing,” said Anita Gurian, clinical assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the New York University Child Study Center in New York City. “It’s not bad for all kids; there are those who use it constructively, and there is a lot of good stuff on TV, but it definitely has its downside,” she said.
“Parents should know that research has shown TV’s deleterious effects on grades, eating habits, in attraction to violence, and most importantly, in social relationships,” added Gurian. “If teens are in their bedrooms, watching TV for three hours a day, they don’t have time to develop relationships or to do homework,” she said.
Barr-Anderson said she suspects it’s not always an intentional plan to give the child a TV. Instead, it’s usually because the family has upgraded to a larger TV, and now has a spare set. She recommended that parents resist the pressure they’ll likely feel to put the extra TV in their teen’s bedroom. “You may experience a backlash, but parents have to do what’s best for their child,” said Barr-Anderson.
HealthDay
A Simple Solution to Ease Fatigue
note – the emphasis is mine
Athens, Ga. – Sedentary people who regularly complain of fatigue can increase their energy levels by 20 percent and decrease their fatigue by 65 percent by engaging in regular, low intensity exercise, according to a new University of Georgia study.
“Too often we believe that a quick workout will leave us worn out – especially when we are already feeling fatigued,” said researcher Tim Puetz, who recently completed his doctorate at UGA and is the lead author of the study. “However, we have shown that regular exercise can actually go a long way in increasing feelings of energy – particularly in sedentary individuals.”
Puetz co-authored the study with professor Patrick O’Connor, co-director of the UGA Exercise Psychology Laboratory, and former UGA student Sara Flowers. The team’s results appear in the February issue of the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.
O’Connor said previous studies – including one that he and Puetz co-authored in 2006 – have shown that exercise can significantly improve energy levels and decrease fatigue. Those studies, however, primarily looked at patients with medical conditions such as cancer, heart disease and mental health problems. In this latest study, the researchers studied volunteers who had fatigue that was persistent yet didn’t meet the criteria for a medical condition such as chronic fatigue syndrome. O’Connor said about 25 percent of the general population experiences such fatigue.
“A lot of people are overworked and not sleeping enough,” O’Connor said. “Exercise is a way for people to feel more energetic. There’s a scientific basis for it, and there are advantages to it compared to things like caffeine and energy drinks.”
The researchers recruited 36 volunteers who did not exercise regularly and had reported persistent fatigue based on a commonly used health survey. The volunteers were divided into three groups: The first engaged in 20 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise three times a week for six weeks; the second engaged in low-intensity aerobic exercise for the same time period; the control group did not exercise.
The low- and moderate-intensity groups had a 20 percent increase in energy levels over the control group. Surprisingly, the low-intensity group had a greater reduction in fatigue levels than the moderate-intensity group, 65 percent compared to 49 percent, respectively.
“It could be that moderate-intensity exercise is too much for people who are already fatigued,” O’Connor said, “and that might contribute to them not getting as great an improvement as they would had they done the low-intensity exercise.”
He adds that energy and fatigue aren’t exactly opposites of each other. A student who stays up late to finish a term paper may feel fatigued, for example, but may also feel energized as she nears the end of the paper.
The volunteers in the study used exercise bikes that allowed the researchers to control their level of exertion so that low-intensity exercise was defined as 40 percent of their peak oxygen consumption and moderate-intensity exercise was defined as 75 percent of peak oxygen consumption. For comparison, O’Connor said a leisurely, easy walk is low-intensity exercise, while a fast-paced walk with hills is moderate-intensity exercise.
The team’s analysis also found that the improvements in energy and fatigue were not related to increases in aerobic fitness that the exercisers experienced. Puetz said the finding suggests that exercise acts directly on the central nervous system to increase energy and reduce fatigue.
“Exercise traditionally has been associated with physical health, but we are quickly learning that exercise has a more holistic effect on the human body and includes effects on psychological health,” Puetz said. “What this means is that in every workout a single step is not just a step closer to a healthier body, but also to a healthier mind.” article link here
Women and Heart Disease
Nearly twice as many American women die of cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease and stroke, than from all forms of cancer combined, according to the American Heart Association.
Thirty-eight percent who have heart attacks die within a year, compared to 25 percent of men.
The main causes of cardiovascular disease,
- family history (which can be mitigated)
- hypertension (which can be avoided)
- diabetes (this can also be avoided)
- high cholesterol (this can also be avoided)
- obesity (also in your hands)
- lack of exercise ( start moving)
There you have it, you do not have to be a statistic if you act and make positive change in your life.
Exercise, Potent Against Depression
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of depression is the sense of overwhelming blah, fatigue and stuckness. Depression can be debilitating. Some seek relief through prescription drugs, yet research continues to demonstrate the power of exercise. Doctors are increasingly understanding this and recommending it to patients.
- Exercise improves circulation and enervates the body, which is powerful against the fatigue that builds up in depression.
- Exercise encourages one to breathe deeper, oxygenating the tissues.
- Find someone to exercise with you, to offer encouragement.
- Walking for 30 minutes at least 3 times a week has been shown to reduce weight and build health esteem.