Thoughts on Exercise and Ideas for Activity
Thoughts on Massage Therapy
We're fans of alternative forms of medicine at Green Bowl. We think a lot of them are not as some people might say, ignorance-laced hookum, but actually viable ways of treating most minor, and some major, injuries and conditions.
We group massage therapy in with acupuncture, heat therapies(sauna, hot rock, etc.), and aroma therapies. Studies, (and our own experience) have shown regular massage can alleviate chronic muscular-skeletal pain, improve surface and deep tissue circulation, relieve tension and tension related conditions such as migraines and muscle spasms, and also help to balance a body's neurochemistry which can help with depression, stress, and anxiety related conditions. It also feels quite nice, if you can find a therapist that makes you comfortable and a style you enjoy.
There are several widely practiced styles of massage each with their own specific benefit in mind along with the general benefits described above. Here is a brief description of some of the most common varieties and their uses.
Swedish Massage is the gentlest form of massage and one of the easiest forms to find a skilled practitioner of. The techniques utilized are meant to ease tense muscles, soothe aches in both muscles and connective tissues, and encourage circulation. It may be performed in either a targeted area such as the back, shoulders, or feet, or used in a whole-body approach. We recommend Swedish massage as a stress reducer, reliever of general muscle aches and soreness, and some people find it very helpful in the reduction/elimination of headaches or migraines, and with chronic inflammatory conditions.
Deep Tissue Massage is similar to Swedish Massage and the techniques are very similar, however Deep Tissue is meant to ease and remove the pain associated with cramped muscles, muscle spasms, and to assist the body's healing process by increasing blood flow after sustained exercise. Generally speaking, men tolerate Deep Tissue Massage better than women, who can find the experience rather painful owing to larger amounts of nerve endings under the skin and a typically lighter, less dense muscle mass. We would recommend speaking with your massage therapist before requesting Deep Tissue therapy and using it more as a targeted approach to a specific musculo-skeletal concern or condition rather than as the default massage. However, if you have a tendency to become very tense or engage in large amounts of exercise such as weight-lifting you may find Deep Tissue Massage to be very helpful in speeding your recovery time along, regardless of gender.
Shiatsu Massage is similar to Deep Tissue Massage in that it is a very targeted type of massage aimed at manipulating pressure points located throughout the body to produce a very relaxed state along with increased blood flow and sometimes increased nerve impulses in the targeted area. This form of massage is typically very effective for persons suffering from migraines, tension/stress headaches, joint pain caused by muscle tension, and some neuro-muscular complaints. We would recommend that you seek out a highly skilled practitioner of this method of massage as it will be ineffective at best, and can cause damage at worst if the person administering the massage is without sufficient skill.
We would also recommend that you speak with your doctor before beginning massage therapy, particularly if you are taking any type of blood thinners, blood pressure medications, muscle relaxers, or pain killers(particularly narcotic based). Pregnant ladies should also speak with their doctors before beginning massage therapy to be on the safe side.
A tip for finding a good massage therapist is to speak with a homeopathic doctor, or chiropractor in your area as they generally know who's who's in the area and may even have someone they recommend to their own patients. Alternatively, making inquiries at a local physical therapist's, rehab center, or sports injury clinic can also be an effective way to find out who is good in your area.
Published 08-01-2011
To Join, or Not To Join, That is the Question: Our Thoughts on Gyms
Throughout history the idea of communal exercise has been fairly popular, from Roman training schools and baths, to the boxing salons of Georgian England, and the fencing halls of the French court, the idea of mixing physical effort and social interaction has always been some part of the general human existence.
In modern times, we have health clubs and gyms that provide services in aid of physical health, exercise, massage, personal trainers, etc. Some of these places can prove to be very valuable to a novice exerciser, someone who needs to feel the metaphorical whip cracking over their head to motivate them, or someone who needs to turn working out into a social occasion to stick with it.
That being said, apart from variations in personality types and self-discipline levels there is no real reason to join a gym. You do not need expensive equipment or facilities to get in shape. A naked man, in an empty room; can get into excellent physical condition simply through various calisthenics using his/her own body weight as a resistance force.
Not having the money to join a gym or health club is no reason not to exercise. There are lots of other options available to find sufficient physical activity for optimum health even if you are unable, or unwilling, to shell out your hard-earned cash for a health club.
We would recommend checking out some of our previous articles for exercise ideas, and perhaps finding an exercise-buddy to help keep you on track. Particularly if that person is already in the exercise habit and can wield the metaphoric bat to help keep you on the straight and narrow.
Those are the manifestos of the only club you really want to belong to; the Fit and Healthy Club.
Happy Exercising!
Published 06-27-2011
Throughout history the idea of communal exercise has been fairly popular, from Roman training schools and baths, to the boxing salons of Georgian England, and the fencing halls of the French court, the idea of mixing physical effort and social interaction has always been some part of the general human existence.
In modern times, we have health clubs and gyms that provide services in aid of physical health, exercise, massage, personal trainers, etc. Some of these places can prove to be very valuable to a novice exerciser, someone who needs to feel the metaphorical whip cracking over their head to motivate them, or someone who needs to turn working out into a social occasion to stick with it.
That being said, apart from variations in personality types and self-discipline levels there is no real reason to join a gym. You do not need expensive equipment or facilities to get in shape. A naked man, in an empty room; can get into excellent physical condition simply through various calisthenics using his/her own body weight as a resistance force.
Not having the money to join a gym or health club is no reason not to exercise. There are lots of other options available to find sufficient physical activity for optimum health even if you are unable, or unwilling, to shell out your hard-earned cash for a health club.
We would recommend checking out some of our previous articles for exercise ideas, and perhaps finding an exercise-buddy to help keep you on track. Particularly if that person is already in the exercise habit and can wield the metaphoric bat to help keep you on the straight and narrow.
- Start slow
- Be consistent
- Keep Going
Those are the manifestos of the only club you really want to belong to; the Fit and Healthy Club.
Happy Exercising!
Published 06-27-2011
Choosing and Varying Your Exercise Plans
Depending upon what you choose for exercise it can become rather boring very quickly. In this feature we would like to talk about how to choose an exercise plan that will keep you engaged while giving you the results you want and also how to know when it's time to change it up a little bit.
If you choose an exercise routine consisting mainly of standard calisthenics, standard stretches, and some form of low-impact cardiovascular exercise the average person will get decent results over a period of time with that type of program. However, they may find they have difficulty sticking with it for the amount of time it takes to get results with that type of program unless they are able to throw in a bit of variety.
Here are a few of our recommendations for things we've found to be helpful in our own exercise plans.
Hopefully, these few ideas will help you to see quicker, better results from your exercise endeavors and will also help to keep you on the straight and narrow path of physical fitness.
Good Luck and Keep With It!
Published 05-23-2011
Depending upon what you choose for exercise it can become rather boring very quickly. In this feature we would like to talk about how to choose an exercise plan that will keep you engaged while giving you the results you want and also how to know when it's time to change it up a little bit.
If you choose an exercise routine consisting mainly of standard calisthenics, standard stretches, and some form of low-impact cardiovascular exercise the average person will get decent results over a period of time with that type of program. However, they may find they have difficulty sticking with it for the amount of time it takes to get results with that type of program unless they are able to throw in a bit of variety.
Here are a few of our recommendations for things we've found to be helpful in our own exercise plans.
- Change your venue. If you normally work out in a gym or in your house, work out outside once or twice a week. It is possible to work out outside at any time of the year in most of the continental United States, though some creativity of dress can be required at times. We particularly recommend taking a regular outdoor walk a couple times a week in the winter months. Not only is it very bracing, but inhalation of fresh air is very important for maintaining good health, and you can't get fresh air anywhere except outside.
- Change your order. If you normally work your abdominal muscles first and then do push-ups, free weights and then finish off with cardio, try starting with cardio, then free weights, abdominal exercises and finishing with push-ups. Changing the order around will do a couple things, it will make you think about what comes next and it will tire different muscles groups in a different order and make different exercises more effective than they usually are. The only thing we don't recommend is, don't stretch in the middle of your exercise routine. Always stretch at the start, and then again after you've finished everything if you have very stiff muscles and tight joints.
- Alternate more and less difficult versions of your typical exercises. For example, if you normally do 50 standard crunches, try doing 35 full Roll-ups one day, and then 35 Roll-Overs the next day, and then go back to the 50 crunches. You may be surprised at how much difference a small variation can make. Also, if you do different grades of difficulty you will have to think more to know what you will be doing on any given day. [Note: Whenever you choose a more difficult variation of your normal exercise cut your reps in half and pay very close attention to your forms. If you're going to injure yourself that will almost certainly be where you will do it.]
Hopefully, these few ideas will help you to see quicker, better results from your exercise endeavors and will also help to keep you on the straight and narrow path of physical fitness.
Good Luck and Keep With It!
Published 05-23-2011
“Are We There Yet?”
Thoughts on Staying Motivated
One of the hardest things about getting in shape, or maintaining being in shape, is staying motivated to exercise regularly. Maintaining once you are in shape isn't so bad because you worked hard to get where you are and you don't want to lose it. You'll also have established the habit of working out and that is half the battle.
In this article we want to talk about what to do to keep yourself motivated before you have the exercise habit firmly ingrained in yourself, when you're actively looking for reasons to not exercise, ways to break that self-sabotaging habit and build a new set of habits.
We have all different types of personalities working at Green Bowl and we all built our exercise habits in different ways. Two of us preferred to just gut it out and force ourselves to exercise 5 days a week, at the same time every day without exception for several months until it became a habit. Of the other two of us, one prefers to watch her diet carefully and schedule regular amounts of physical tasks to avoid having to have a consistent exercise routine. The other uses classes and a regular routine to keep on track.
This is what we did (and do), other folks do it other ways and none of those differences in method are bad. Personalities and fitness levels require differing concessions and must be accommodated if you are to be successful in maintaining your exercise plans.
The First Rule of staying motivated is: Know Thyself. If you know certain things make you come off the rails, avoid those things. Don't put yourself in a position where you know you're going to fail. When you're starting out it's hard enough to keep going at something challenging to you, something out of your comfort zone, don't even allow yourself to approach that “failure” road.
Obviously sometimes things happen due to circumstances beyond our control. Don't waste time beating yourself up if you do come off the rails. Your time and energy are far better spent picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and hopping right back on the wagon than castigating yourself and having a pity-party about your momentary aberration.
Rule Number Two to this whole exercising business is: Set Reasonable Goals. Don't set yourself up with something that is rationally impossible. Yes, you want to pick something that will challenge yourself, but be sensible. Don't pick something that is even highly unlikely you will accomplish. With every goal you meet you will become more confident and more aware of your own abilities, use that as a motivator to keep your goals rational.
Rule Number Three: Try to stay positive. Staying positive may sound like a bit of a silly thing, but at lot of your results are based around your attitude. If you're positive about working out and you view it as more of a pleasure than a task you will want to do it more. If you exercise more you will see faster and better results, score one for positive thinking. If it's hard for you to remain positive left to your own devices find yourself a work-out buddy(or buddies) and prop each other up. There is no shame in a little team-work in getting in shape, and everybody in on the project wins so go for it.
We hope that these guidelines will help you to stay on track with your exercise goals, and if you've fallen off the rails will encourage you to get back on.
Remember, the only person who can get you in shape is YOU. We know you can do it!
Published 05-09-2011
Thoughts on Staying Motivated
One of the hardest things about getting in shape, or maintaining being in shape, is staying motivated to exercise regularly. Maintaining once you are in shape isn't so bad because you worked hard to get where you are and you don't want to lose it. You'll also have established the habit of working out and that is half the battle.
In this article we want to talk about what to do to keep yourself motivated before you have the exercise habit firmly ingrained in yourself, when you're actively looking for reasons to not exercise, ways to break that self-sabotaging habit and build a new set of habits.
We have all different types of personalities working at Green Bowl and we all built our exercise habits in different ways. Two of us preferred to just gut it out and force ourselves to exercise 5 days a week, at the same time every day without exception for several months until it became a habit. Of the other two of us, one prefers to watch her diet carefully and schedule regular amounts of physical tasks to avoid having to have a consistent exercise routine. The other uses classes and a regular routine to keep on track.
This is what we did (and do), other folks do it other ways and none of those differences in method are bad. Personalities and fitness levels require differing concessions and must be accommodated if you are to be successful in maintaining your exercise plans.
The First Rule of staying motivated is: Know Thyself. If you know certain things make you come off the rails, avoid those things. Don't put yourself in a position where you know you're going to fail. When you're starting out it's hard enough to keep going at something challenging to you, something out of your comfort zone, don't even allow yourself to approach that “failure” road.
Obviously sometimes things happen due to circumstances beyond our control. Don't waste time beating yourself up if you do come off the rails. Your time and energy are far better spent picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and hopping right back on the wagon than castigating yourself and having a pity-party about your momentary aberration.
Rule Number Two to this whole exercising business is: Set Reasonable Goals. Don't set yourself up with something that is rationally impossible. Yes, you want to pick something that will challenge yourself, but be sensible. Don't pick something that is even highly unlikely you will accomplish. With every goal you meet you will become more confident and more aware of your own abilities, use that as a motivator to keep your goals rational.
Rule Number Three: Try to stay positive. Staying positive may sound like a bit of a silly thing, but at lot of your results are based around your attitude. If you're positive about working out and you view it as more of a pleasure than a task you will want to do it more. If you exercise more you will see faster and better results, score one for positive thinking. If it's hard for you to remain positive left to your own devices find yourself a work-out buddy(or buddies) and prop each other up. There is no shame in a little team-work in getting in shape, and everybody in on the project wins so go for it.
We hope that these guidelines will help you to stay on track with your exercise goals, and if you've fallen off the rails will encourage you to get back on.
Remember, the only person who can get you in shape is YOU. We know you can do it!
Published 05-09-2011
Breathe Life into Your Body and Mind
In our last feature we talked about the benefits of sweating to assist your body in getting rid of toxins, and take some of the load off of our other excretory organs. In this feature we would like to introduce the idea of using something as simple as breathing to improve your over-all health.
Breath control techniques have been used for centuries in various cultures to help free the mind by controlling the body. Meditation, yoga, and traditional martial arts are all great examples of that.
Breathing is of course, something we all do naturally and instinctively, no one has to teach a baby how to breathe. However, breathing is also indicative of our stress levels, both physical and mental. When a person stresses their muscles physically, they breathe more heavily and more quickly as their body demands increased oxygen intake to perform the loads placed upon it. When a person is under mental or emotional stress, or discomfort, their breathing will also change to reflect that state of mind. They will begin to breathe more rapidly and more shallowly. They also tend to tense their muscles inhibiting proper inhalation even more so.
We believe that practicing some form of breath control exercise, preferably on a daily basis, is very beneficial to one's over-all health. From a physiological/chemical standpoint the better one can oxygenate one's tissues the more efficiently the chemical reactions that need to take place inside your body are going to be. From a mental/emotional standpoint, research has shown that high levels of brain tissue oxygenation lead to improved cognitive function, improved mood and less emotional swings.
There are a great many different styles of breath control that can be utilized. Here are a few of the variations used in different disciplines.
No matter which type of discipline you may choose to adopt the end results will all be similar if practiced with a degree of consistency. We recommend that most people begin with either meditation, or Hatha yoga, if you are not in very good physical condition or if you would like to just get your feet wet. If you are in decent physical condition and have some experience with martial arts or would like to get some experience, try that instead.
When finding a teacher look for someone who has been practicing for a considerable duration, and can tell you about the history of the techniques they use and the reasoning behind them. Simple meditation can be self-taught with some basic background information easily attained over the Internet or at your local library.
Breathe Well
Published 04-25-2011
In our last feature we talked about the benefits of sweating to assist your body in getting rid of toxins, and take some of the load off of our other excretory organs. In this feature we would like to introduce the idea of using something as simple as breathing to improve your over-all health.
Breath control techniques have been used for centuries in various cultures to help free the mind by controlling the body. Meditation, yoga, and traditional martial arts are all great examples of that.
Breathing is of course, something we all do naturally and instinctively, no one has to teach a baby how to breathe. However, breathing is also indicative of our stress levels, both physical and mental. When a person stresses their muscles physically, they breathe more heavily and more quickly as their body demands increased oxygen intake to perform the loads placed upon it. When a person is under mental or emotional stress, or discomfort, their breathing will also change to reflect that state of mind. They will begin to breathe more rapidly and more shallowly. They also tend to tense their muscles inhibiting proper inhalation even more so.
We believe that practicing some form of breath control exercise, preferably on a daily basis, is very beneficial to one's over-all health. From a physiological/chemical standpoint the better one can oxygenate one's tissues the more efficiently the chemical reactions that need to take place inside your body are going to be. From a mental/emotional standpoint, research has shown that high levels of brain tissue oxygenation lead to improved cognitive function, improved mood and less emotional swings.
There are a great many different styles of breath control that can be utilized. Here are a few of the variations used in different disciplines.
- Inhaling deeply through the nose into the diaphragm and exhaling through the nose; is the typical method of breathing used in Hatha Yoga. This technique is believed to keep the maximum amount of heat inside the body, warming the muscles and allowing them to bend, flow, and stretch more easily.
- Inhaling deeply through the nose into the diaphragm and then exhaling fully through the mouth in a controlled stream; is typical of Pilates and some variations of Yoga. The exhalation through the mouth is thought to assist the flow of the body into the next form of the exercise or meditative series.
- Inhaling deeply through the nose into the diaphragm and then exhaling sharply through the mouth, sometimes with a sharp yell; is common among Taekwon Do and Karate practitioners. Sometimes called “belly breathing” this technique is used to help keep the practitioner's musculature as loose and relaxed as possible during the points where his/her body is in motion and then to make it as rigid as possible during the point of impact with the object being struck.
- Meditative breathing; varies depending upon the person teaching it or practicing it. Some techniques revolve specifically around the natural breath state of the individual and some are consciously controlled by the practitioner. All will involve a slowed deepened breathing and relaxation of the mind and body.
No matter which type of discipline you may choose to adopt the end results will all be similar if practiced with a degree of consistency. We recommend that most people begin with either meditation, or Hatha yoga, if you are not in very good physical condition or if you would like to just get your feet wet. If you are in decent physical condition and have some experience with martial arts or would like to get some experience, try that instead.
When finding a teacher look for someone who has been practicing for a considerable duration, and can tell you about the history of the techniques they use and the reasoning behind them. Simple meditation can be self-taught with some basic background information easily attained over the Internet or at your local library.
Breathe Well
Published 04-25-2011
A Good Sweat
Sweating is a bodily function that a lot of people view with some distaste, however this function is very important to our general health. If we couldn't sweat we would over-heat, our brains would boil in their own fluids and we would die, and that would be bad. Sweating also serves as a good way for the body to excrete toxins and excess minerals, after all anything to help out our overworked kidneys and liver.
There are a few ways to induce a good sweat into your body, some come with good side effects and some don't. One way to make sure that you sweat regularly is to move somewhere where there is a tropical climate. If you moved to say, the Dominican Republic, you'd sweat more than you knew what to do with, though that's not a very practical solution for a lot of folks.
A couple ways that are a little less drastic than pulling stakes and moving to a third world country are.
Something we always make sure to tell folks when they starting working up a sweat, is to be sure to drink plenty of water to replenish the fluids they lost. It is also fairly important when you are first getting used to generating the extra sweat is to eat sufficient sodium and potassium otherwise you may have problems with the electrolyte balance within your body. Sufficient sodium is never really a problem, but sometimes potassium can be. Eat a few extra bananas a week and put soy sauce on your salad once a week and you should be fine.
As always, if you are a new, or novice, exerciser be sure to check with your doctor about any pre-existing conditions, restrictions, or concerns you may have.
Happy Sweating!
Published 04-11-2011
Sweating is a bodily function that a lot of people view with some distaste, however this function is very important to our general health. If we couldn't sweat we would over-heat, our brains would boil in their own fluids and we would die, and that would be bad. Sweating also serves as a good way for the body to excrete toxins and excess minerals, after all anything to help out our overworked kidneys and liver.
There are a few ways to induce a good sweat into your body, some come with good side effects and some don't. One way to make sure that you sweat regularly is to move somewhere where there is a tropical climate. If you moved to say, the Dominican Republic, you'd sweat more than you knew what to do with, though that's not a very practical solution for a lot of folks.
A couple ways that are a little less drastic than pulling stakes and moving to a third world country are.
- Utilizing a sauna or hot tub.
- Performing a large amount of physical exercise.
- Humidifying your environment.
Something we always make sure to tell folks when they starting working up a sweat, is to be sure to drink plenty of water to replenish the fluids they lost. It is also fairly important when you are first getting used to generating the extra sweat is to eat sufficient sodium and potassium otherwise you may have problems with the electrolyte balance within your body. Sufficient sodium is never really a problem, but sometimes potassium can be. Eat a few extra bananas a week and put soy sauce on your salad once a week and you should be fine.
As always, if you are a new, or novice, exerciser be sure to check with your doctor about any pre-existing conditions, restrictions, or concerns you may have.
Happy Sweating!
Published 04-11-2011
Making an Impact
Impact exercise has a bit of a bad reputation, in some ways that is deserved and in some ways it is not. Persons who have damaged their bones or cartilage in some way through a degenerative condition, repetitive motions over a prolonged period, trauma or inflammation in the tissue will probably find any attempt to perform any high-impact exercise somewhere between mildly uncomfortable, to excruciatingly painful and harmful to their physiology. This is bad thing. If you have problems with the basic physiology of your bones, or cartilage, you should refrain from high-impact exercise, particularly without the benefit of a skilled professional to guide you.
However, a lot the discomfort caused by impact exercise in persons who have none of the intrinsic physical weaknesses described above, is caused because they are carrying too much weight for their muscles and bones to comfortably support in the course of the activity they are attempting to engage in.
High-impact exercise should only be avoided in people with healthy tissues until that person has reached a healthy, or close to a healthy weight. At that point you may find that a lot of the issues you associated with impact exercise have gone away.
We recommend performing some higher impact exercise for several reasons. If you do not perform any form of high-impact exercise it makes it difficult for your bones to achieve sufficient density and toughness to come out of any knocks you might take along Life's road unscathed. Also, low and no-impact exercise while that helps to decrease bone and joint problems such as osteoporosis, or osteopenia, it is not nearly as effective as something that knocks your skeletal structure around a little more.
Cardiovascular exercise tends to be grouped into two categories, High-Impact and Low-Impact. Here is a list of low-to-no-impact exercises followed by high-impact varieties.
Low to No Impact
If you are not yet to that level of fitness set yourself the goal of being able to perform higher impact activities without pain or injury as your next target.
Published 03-28-2011
Impact exercise has a bit of a bad reputation, in some ways that is deserved and in some ways it is not. Persons who have damaged their bones or cartilage in some way through a degenerative condition, repetitive motions over a prolonged period, trauma or inflammation in the tissue will probably find any attempt to perform any high-impact exercise somewhere between mildly uncomfortable, to excruciatingly painful and harmful to their physiology. This is bad thing. If you have problems with the basic physiology of your bones, or cartilage, you should refrain from high-impact exercise, particularly without the benefit of a skilled professional to guide you.
However, a lot the discomfort caused by impact exercise in persons who have none of the intrinsic physical weaknesses described above, is caused because they are carrying too much weight for their muscles and bones to comfortably support in the course of the activity they are attempting to engage in.
High-impact exercise should only be avoided in people with healthy tissues until that person has reached a healthy, or close to a healthy weight. At that point you may find that a lot of the issues you associated with impact exercise have gone away.
We recommend performing some higher impact exercise for several reasons. If you do not perform any form of high-impact exercise it makes it difficult for your bones to achieve sufficient density and toughness to come out of any knocks you might take along Life's road unscathed. Also, low and no-impact exercise while that helps to decrease bone and joint problems such as osteoporosis, or osteopenia, it is not nearly as effective as something that knocks your skeletal structure around a little more.
Cardiovascular exercise tends to be grouped into two categories, High-Impact and Low-Impact. Here is a list of low-to-no-impact exercises followed by high-impact varieties.
Low to No Impact
- Swimming
- Rowing
- Cycling/spinning
- Elliptical Trainer
- Water Aerobics
- Walking
- Yoga
- Running
- Jump-rope
- Jumping Jacks
- Some Martial Arts
- Some
Types of Plyometric Training
If you are not yet to that level of fitness set yourself the goal of being able to perform higher impact activities without pain or injury as your next target.
Published 03-28-2011
Stretching
Ourselves: Part 2
In our last feature we talked about the benefits and offered a few tips for stretching the body physically, this time we want to talk about the benefits, and give you a few ideas, on how to stretch yourself mentally.
Hopefully by now you've tried giving yourself a good full-body stretch and you know just how good that feels when all your muscles are pliable and relaxed. It's good, right? Now, imagine how good the mental equivalent feels.
When we talk about stretching the mind a lot of people give us blank looks. Obviously you can't literally stretch your brain like you would your hamstrings or your triceps, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible period.
We also like to make a distinction between giving yourself a mental “work-out” and giving yourself a mental “stretch”. The work-out is going to feel a lot more strenuous and difficult. The stretching should require a degree of effort and it should be a conscious task, but it shouldn't be overly tiring. Some people like to use simple arithmetic problems, Sudoku or crossword puzzles, chess or card games as their method of mental stretching.
Here are three of our favorite methods of mental stretching
In our last feature we talked about the benefits and offered a few tips for stretching the body physically, this time we want to talk about the benefits, and give you a few ideas, on how to stretch yourself mentally.
Hopefully by now you've tried giving yourself a good full-body stretch and you know just how good that feels when all your muscles are pliable and relaxed. It's good, right? Now, imagine how good the mental equivalent feels.
When we talk about stretching the mind a lot of people give us blank looks. Obviously you can't literally stretch your brain like you would your hamstrings or your triceps, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible period.
We also like to make a distinction between giving yourself a mental “work-out” and giving yourself a mental “stretch”. The work-out is going to feel a lot more strenuous and difficult. The stretching should require a degree of effort and it should be a conscious task, but it shouldn't be overly tiring. Some people like to use simple arithmetic problems, Sudoku or crossword puzzles, chess or card games as their method of mental stretching.
Here are three of our favorite methods of mental stretching
- Trying Something New is an excellent way of stretching your mind. Doesn't matter if it's something you've always wanted to try, or just something random you haven't done before.
- Reading.
Reading other people's thoughts and ideas on the world is another
excellent way of stretching your mind. Choose books with new ideas,
new thoughts, or new perspectives to
you.
- Music.
Classical music and Jazz has been studied, and to some extent
proven, to have beneficial effects on neurological function. Slap on
some Mozart or Rachmaninoff and go with it, or if you want something
a bit more modern throw on a little Count Basie, Thelonious Monk, or
John Coltrane. Don't just put the music on as background noise
though, you really have to sit down and listen
to it. Pick up the beat, follow the flow and the phrase, it's a
great mental work-out and it's a lot of fun too.
Published 03-14-2011
Stretching
Ourselves: Part 1
In this feature we would like to talk about the importance of stretching ourselves, both physically and mentally, to keep ourselves at peak health.
Physically, stretching is important to keep full range of motion and flexibility in our joints and to loosen any cramping, stiffness, or soreness our musculature may sustain during our daily lives. Mentally, stretching oneself can help to improve mood, bring more emotional balance, and help keep your mind functioning at a high level. Who would not want more of all those things?
Stretching physically is meant to be something that hurts a little bit, but not too much. If you don't feel the muscles straining a little bit you are not doing it properly. The idea that it is going to be somewhat painful is a concept that a lot of people have trouble getting in their head, and it's a big reason why a lot of people don't do it.
That being said, there is a big difference between stretching your muscles and actually injuring yourself. When you stretch you can only stretch so far, and that "far" is different for everyone. We cannot not tell you how far you can really stretch. You are the only one who can find that out. If you don't know, the only way to find out; is to stretch.
When we stretch, we like to make sure that our muscles are somewhat warm. You can stretch cold, but it is more difficult, takes longer, requires more patience, and to some extent mental and breath control to get the full effects. That's why we stretch warm, and highly recommend that people who don't have much experience stretching themselves out do so as well.
We also recommend that if you've never really stretched before in an organized whole-body way, or even if it's just been awhile, that you take a few yoga, Pilates, or traditional martial arts classes. It is very important when you first begin to stretch that you have an experienced practitioner to correct your forms, show you the patterns to stretch in, and to help you modify as needed for your body's abilities and strength level.
It is also very important that once you begin stretching that you continue to do so in a consistent manner. At first it may be too painful to perform a full-body stretch every day, but it is important to not go more than one day in between stretching.
For example, if you were to start stretching, stretch every day for two weeks and then not stretch for five or six days, you would be right back to where you started before you began stretching. This is particularly true for individuals who may be lacking in initial muscle tone and flexibility.
Give stretching a try. It may take a few weeks to start seeing any noticeable results, but they will come with time. Just remember, warm up first, start slowly, and push yourself enough so you can feel it, but not so much that you injure yourself.
Happy Stretching!
Join us next week for Part 2 of our stretching series: Mental Stretching
Published 03-07-2011
In this feature we would like to talk about the importance of stretching ourselves, both physically and mentally, to keep ourselves at peak health.
Physically, stretching is important to keep full range of motion and flexibility in our joints and to loosen any cramping, stiffness, or soreness our musculature may sustain during our daily lives. Mentally, stretching oneself can help to improve mood, bring more emotional balance, and help keep your mind functioning at a high level. Who would not want more of all those things?
Stretching physically is meant to be something that hurts a little bit, but not too much. If you don't feel the muscles straining a little bit you are not doing it properly. The idea that it is going to be somewhat painful is a concept that a lot of people have trouble getting in their head, and it's a big reason why a lot of people don't do it.
That being said, there is a big difference between stretching your muscles and actually injuring yourself. When you stretch you can only stretch so far, and that "far" is different for everyone. We cannot not tell you how far you can really stretch. You are the only one who can find that out. If you don't know, the only way to find out; is to stretch.
When we stretch, we like to make sure that our muscles are somewhat warm. You can stretch cold, but it is more difficult, takes longer, requires more patience, and to some extent mental and breath control to get the full effects. That's why we stretch warm, and highly recommend that people who don't have much experience stretching themselves out do so as well.
We also recommend that if you've never really stretched before in an organized whole-body way, or even if it's just been awhile, that you take a few yoga, Pilates, or traditional martial arts classes. It is very important when you first begin to stretch that you have an experienced practitioner to correct your forms, show you the patterns to stretch in, and to help you modify as needed for your body's abilities and strength level.
It is also very important that once you begin stretching that you continue to do so in a consistent manner. At first it may be too painful to perform a full-body stretch every day, but it is important to not go more than one day in between stretching.
For example, if you were to start stretching, stretch every day for two weeks and then not stretch for five or six days, you would be right back to where you started before you began stretching. This is particularly true for individuals who may be lacking in initial muscle tone and flexibility.
Give stretching a try. It may take a few weeks to start seeing any noticeable results, but they will come with time. Just remember, warm up first, start slowly, and push yourself enough so you can feel it, but not so much that you injure yourself.
Happy Stretching!
Join us next week for Part 2 of our stretching series: Mental Stretching
Published 03-07-2011
Pick It and Stick to It!
There
are lots of exercise plans out there, “belly-fat busters” and
“tone your buttocks in five minutes a day in three weeks” type of
schemes abound in women's, and to some extent men's, health and
wellness magazines across the land. This area isn't meant for that
type of thing. If you want to find a plan like that you can look it
up on the internet, or thumb through an issue of Cosmopolitan.
Our goal here is to throw out ideas for working regular exercise into your daily existence, and a few tips and tricks we've discovered that work for us in our own quests for physical fitness.
Here's what we at Green Bowl do for exercise
Joyce has found that hatha yoga and walking are what work best, and are most enjoyable, practical, and feasible for her.
Robert uses calisthenics, walking, jogging, and some weight training. His approach requires more personal discipline and skill in selecting and manipulating the exercises to get the desired results without injury, but the results are more rapidly noticeable.
Jillian prefers Taekwon Do practice, jogging, jump-rope, and floor exercises for her optimal results of strength, flexibility, and endurance.
Lee dislikes the term “exercise” and prefers to use fun physical activities as opposed to organized exercise.
She uses dancing, gardening, training and playing with canine friends to keep herself in shape.
Each of these ideas and plans, while similar in some ways are also wildly different, but they will all produce the result of getting you moving, feeling, and looking better.
Consider implementing one or more of these activities into your daily routine now!
We've discovered that no matter what you choose for exercise; consistency is you want. Duration doesn't matter very much in the beginning, just 5 or 10 minutes is enough at first. Do it every day, without fail and without exception. Within a couple of weeks of maintaining a consistent exercise habit you will start to notice a difference. As you progress and become stronger, healthier, and in better condition you can begin to challenge yourself and your exercise sessions will become longer and more intensive.
Published 02-07-2011
Our goal here is to throw out ideas for working regular exercise into your daily existence, and a few tips and tricks we've discovered that work for us in our own quests for physical fitness.
Here's what we at Green Bowl do for exercise
Joyce has found that hatha yoga and walking are what work best, and are most enjoyable, practical, and feasible for her.
Robert uses calisthenics, walking, jogging, and some weight training. His approach requires more personal discipline and skill in selecting and manipulating the exercises to get the desired results without injury, but the results are more rapidly noticeable.
Jillian prefers Taekwon Do practice, jogging, jump-rope, and floor exercises for her optimal results of strength, flexibility, and endurance.
Lee dislikes the term “exercise” and prefers to use fun physical activities as opposed to organized exercise.
She uses dancing, gardening, training and playing with canine friends to keep herself in shape.
Each of these ideas and plans, while similar in some ways are also wildly different, but they will all produce the result of getting you moving, feeling, and looking better.
Consider implementing one or more of these activities into your daily routine now!
We've discovered that no matter what you choose for exercise; consistency is you want. Duration doesn't matter very much in the beginning, just 5 or 10 minutes is enough at first. Do it every day, without fail and without exception. Within a couple of weeks of maintaining a consistent exercise habit you will start to notice a difference. As you progress and become stronger, healthier, and in better condition you can begin to challenge yourself and your exercise sessions will become longer and more intensive.
Published 02-07-2011