Fitness Beauties

The athlete who can learn to inhibit a detrimental response to the stress of a big occasion is ideally prepared for competition - a heightened state of readiness, combined with poise. How can we use the situation in preparation for a challenge? Can relaxation techniques before the event go too far and limit performance?

Homeostasis is the physiological process by which the body?s internal systems are kept within strict operational parameters. Blood pressure, body temperature and blood acidity levels are changed by variations in external conditions. For example, during strenuous activity there is a build up of waste products and rise in body temperature. Some of the waste, such as gas by-products, can be secreted by sweat glands. The evaporation of sweat from the surface on the skin has a cooling effect and lowers body temperature. If we become dehydrated and are unable to sweat, skin temperature increases rapidly and may feel prickly. This can become serious if liquid is not taken to allow a return to an acceptable temperature.

Stress is another factor that affects internal systems. How an athlete handles stress is fundamental to performance. The belief that stress was harmful to performance led to the use of methods to reduce anxiety, such as hypnosis and progressive relaxation. However the research behind this practice has since been discredited. We do require a degree of anxiety to perform. Stress activates nervous and endocrine responses to prepare the body for physical activities even when this is not the most appropriate response. In response to stress the hormones cortisol and adrenaline are released to prepare for ?fight? or ?flight?. These hormones increase functions such as breathing, the heart rate, sugar metabolism and muscle readiness. In short bursts it is a valid response to a perceived threat. However if the stress response is sustained over long periods it does have implications to our health. The stress hormones effectively shut down systems not immediately required fo! r the fi ght or flight reaction such as the immune system.

It is important to be aware of our response to stress. It is possible to use the stress response to our advantage. We should recognise that stress is not the stimulus - it is our reaction to it! We can choose not to respond to a stimulus and prevent or modify the stress response. This is the essence of The Alexander Technique, a revolutionary system for controlling reaction. Usin g the technique we can learn to meet a stimulus (such as a stressful situation) and deal with it appropriately. It is better to respond (use reason) rather than to react (rely on habit). Loosing our temper is a good example of not dealing well with a stimulus.

Our ancestors? survival mechanism may be detrimental for the office worker when under stress, but still appropriate for the demands of competitive sport. Relaxation methods have a role to play after an event when it may be necessary to halt the release of stress hormones into the system. However, we must ensure that relax does not mean collapse. The usual positions adopted for ?relaxation? often involve total loss of appropriate muscle tone thus impeding bodily functions such as breathing.

Before competing, techniques to lower anxiety can go too far and reduce our readiness for the event. Experiments with medical patients undergoing surgery found those who were too relaxed before the operation, took longer to recover. If the amount of adrenaline is too low before the trauma, there is a greater shock to the unprepared system. Relaxation techniques can achieve the opposite to the desired affect. Our structure requires tension to utilise gravitational forces in order to move and function. A poised athlete will have the necessary tension to enable good movement, without the need to artificially ?let go?.

The impact on performance is unique to each athlete with some performing better with high levels of anxiety while others flourish with relatively low levels (known as Individual Zones of Optimal Function! ing (IZO F) - Hanin (1978,1986,1997)). If a stressful situation creates an attitude that is going to stiffen the muscles (body armouring) and prevent free movement, the body?s preparation for fight or flight is undermined. The athlete who can learn to inhibit a detrimental response to the situation is ideally prepared for competition - a heightened state of readiness, combined with poise. The first step to take is to ensure we do not stiffen our necks or tighten the jaw as the first reaction to a situation we perceive as stressful. These actions impede the body's innate reflex systems for balance and movement - obviously essential for sport. This takes time to learn because we may have already developed the habit of reacting instantly to situations rather than respond after giving ourselves time to think.

Its interesting that Sport Psychologist Kenneth Ravizza's study into the zone (?A subjective study of the athlete's greatest moment in sport?) drawing on many athlete's experiences refered to the state as:-

? focusing on the present moment, effortless merging of action and awareness, loss of personal ego, sense of control, clear feedback, and an intrinsic reward system.

Perhaps learning to 'live in the moment' will not only help with performance but also help us to deal with each situation as it comes, giving us the ability to act appropriately and let the big occasions get the better of us.

Roy Palmer is a teacher of The Alexander Technique and has studied performance enhancement in sport for the last 10 years. In 2001 he published a book called 'The Performance Paradox: Challenging the conventional methods of sports training and exercise' and is currently working on a new project about The Zone. More information about his unique approach to training can be found at www.fitness-programs-for-life.com

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Imagine what you would do if you knew miracle working beauty secrets. And if you had the self confidence that comes with being beautiful.

Now before you laugh and say you?ll never be beautiful, listen up.

I know where you?re coming from! At one time I didn?t know any beauty secrets. Before I learned any beauty secrets I was plain, even bordering on ugly.

I had acne, chapped lips, weight issues, wardrobe disasters, and not so white teeth. But thats all become past with the 5 beauty secrets that have changed my life.

I pulled through all of my beauty nightmares and learned some valuable beauty secrets as a result.

Now people are always commenting to me on my beauty. Saying I should be a model, etc.... And guys are no longer even an issue! I don?t have to look for them, they come to me.

It turns out the best beauty secrets are those that are won by personal knowledge and experience. Not just by reading general tips in magazines.

So by experimentation over the years and by perseverance, I?ve found out what really works and what doesn?t.

Beauty Secret 1 Unchap and beautify your lips with this technique.

For soft, beautifully kissable lips, you need the following: a washcloth (I?m not kidding either), warm water, and your favorite brand of lip balm.

First you apply a coat of lip balm. Then wet one corner of the washcloth, put the warm wet corner of the washcloth between your lips, press them together and hold for 5 seconds.

Then gently massage any remaining lip balm from lips with the wet corner of the washcloth, and dry lips with a corner thats dry.

Apply lip balm again to keep your lips chap free. You may also apply lipstick or lip gloss on over the layer of lip balm.

I learned this was the best way to keep lips from chapping, after going through too many winters with dried, and chapped lips.

Beauty Secret 2 Clear your acne, and get beautiful skin.

For clear glowing skin, a little home remedy does wonders f! or my co mplexion, as it should with yours too.

Steam your face for 20 minutes every night after washing it, then every other night after steaming your face, massage a half teaspoon castor oil over face.

Leave it on at night while you sleep and wash off immediately upon waking.

Steam face for twenty more minutes in the morning after washing. When you finish steaming your face splash your face with cool water and dry it.

If your skin starts to show any signs of a pimple forming. Take one night off from steaming and applying castor oil and apply Benzoyl Peroxide over face.

Take the next night off also from the steaming, castor oil, and benzoyl peroxide. Continue facial regimen with steaming and castor oil the following night.

This beauty secret will moisturize your face at the same time it will help clear up acne and pimples. But only if you work at it consistently.

Beauty Secret 3 Good taste in clothes.

When shopping for clothes try to stay away from really big prints, or weird mixes of colors (eg. green, pink and blue flowers combined on a white background, for instance).

Clothes like these just scream ?I?m color blind!? And if you in fact, actually are color blind, always shop with a friend who isn?t and has good taste in clothes.

Buy basic colors. Solid reds, pinks, blues, whites, and blacks. Or things with small tasteful prints and designs.

Then mix and match each basic color with a corresponding one (blue goes well with white, pink, and sometimes with red, and different shades of the same color almost always go well together).

Put these beauty secrets to use, and start seeing the benefits today. Be sure to read Part 2 of this article, which contains the last 2 beauty secrets.

In Part 2 I'll teach you the beauty secrets for whitening your smile without draining your bank account. And how to use clothes to your advantage by hiding figure flaws and defects.

If you want to be gorgeous, visit Get Gorgeous Now. Where you'! ll learn hair styling tips, wardrobe secrets, and much much more on whitening your teeth, improving the texture of your skin, and looking your best.

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Chromotherapy or color therapy is said to have its roots in ancient Egypt where patients were kept in specially built solarium rooms with tinted glass. The use of colored gels, colored cloth filters and colored water was also prevalent in ancient Egypt. Down the centuries, color therapy has conquered a lot of skepticism and is now being used as an alternative method of healing.

This holistic healing approach seeks to correct the imbalance in the body through colors. In this context it is important to realize that all holistic or alternative healing sciences believe that ?dis-ease? occurs when there is some disturbance in the balance of the body. Once this imbalance is set right, wellness and health is restored.

In color therapy, a trained therapist uses the different colors of the spectrum to balance and enhance the body?s energy centers (also known as ?Chakras?).

Does color therapy have the backing of science? To a big extent, yes. Scientists, who have extensively researched color and light, agree that color brings out unexpectedly acute emotional reactions in man, be it physical, emotional, spiritual or mental. It shines upon us from the sun and is emitted by every single cell in the human body. What is even more interesting is that each person reacts differently to the same color. So, while the color red may make you angry, it might make another person feel romantic!

Throughout our lives we are continuously associating meanings and feelings with colors. Thus, we easily build up prejudices towards colors and attach happy and sad connotations with colors.

What cause this attraction or aversion to colors in individuals? It is believed that just as the body signals vitamin deficiency by causing food cravings, so also an individual is attracted to a particular color when the energy flow in a particular area is blocked. Color is absorbed by the skull, skin and the eyes and thus affects every single cell in the body. The healing journey starts when we understand why certain c! olors af fect us favorably while others bring out the worst in us.

According to color therapy, each of the seven colors in the spectrum (VIBGYOR ? Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red) finds an equivalent in one of the seven main chakras of the body.

Man?s well being is not a purely physical issue. Color therapy helps to re-balance the imbalance in our chakras by applying the appropriate color to the body. So color therapy is effective because practitioners believe that a healthy human is the combination of body, mind and spirit working together.

Color therapy is a catalyst to the healing process and when used in combination with orthodox medical treatment, is found to be very effective. For instance, a recent announcement made by CNN discusses the application of blue light to the back of the knees to help people overcome jet lag.

A qualified therapist is able to decide what colors need to be supplied to the individual to make him better. The methodology of treatment varies from doctor to doctor. The most commonly used method is a light box. Other methods include meditation with color, color breathing, solarized water, using colored silks and directing colored light to the body.

Over the years, researchers have managed to identify the colors associated with certain ailments. Thus color therapy is coping very well with different illnesses. Although scoffed at by medical experts in the beginning, color therapy is slowly being recognized as a legitimate healing method.

Homeopathic Medicine

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The skin, as we are all taught in high school, is the largest and the most visible tissue in the human body. Of course it is. It covers us entirely from head to toe. It is our protective casing that allows us to move freely and gives us feedback on external textures, climate and other things associated with the sense of touch. The pores in our skin also helps us to release internal wastes through perspiration. These, among other benefits and special characteristics, make our skin one of the most important parts of our body ? and therefore one of the first things to take care of.

We want our skin to be supple and smooth, yet still strong and healthy. There have been countless skin care products and treatments developed over the years that have helped a lot of people and solved many skin problems. However, it?s one thing to cure skin damage and it?s another to protect it. When you were born, your skin was nothing short of perfect. Therefore, the first logical thing to do is to protect your skin from any kind of damage or unwanted reaction from external factors.

Nonetheless, there are numerous things that can damage your skin even without you knowing it. Some of these would be climate or weather, unknown allergies from food or drink, and the most dreaded skin damager of all ? age. Though it?s possible to stay away from harsh climates and food you are allergic to, it is sad to note that age is something that we simply cannot avoid. Everything solid in this world wears out with age. However, this doesn?t mean we can?t do anything about it.

There are various products and treatments available for making your skin look younger and less wrinkled, like TCA peels and other various skin peels. Nevertheless, the important thing is to keep your skin as healthy as possible all the time while you?re young, in order to effectively help in slowing down the ageing process. The more careless you are with your skin, the faster it?ll develop wrinkles and look older.

Leading dermatologist Greta Winsl! ow of Wa de Skin Clinic advises ??.always remember that healthy skin is the result of a healthy lifestyle. And by healthy lifestyle, we mean a balanced diet, lots of water (less sodas and carbonated drinks), sufficient vitamins, regular exercise, enough sleep, no smoking, less alcohol consumption, good exfoliation with skin peels like TCA peels, and effective management of daily stress. It?s also good to suggest that the use of tanning beds and some topical skin treatments or medication that are said to provide ?instant? results may be more harmful than helpful. It?s always good to consult with a skin doctor for things you aren?t sure of?

In addition to these lifestyle tips, skin experts say that the best way to care for your skin is to cleanse it as often as possible, or at least on a daily basis. They note, however, that the choice of skin cleanser is critical in having healthy skin. Choose the one that?s mild and with less chemicals. Make up must be totally removed before cleansing and always use only lukewarm water. For additional information, visit http://www.bestskinpeel.com

David Maillie is a chemist with over 12 years experience in biochemical research and clynical analysis. He is an alumni of Cornell University and specializes in biochemical synthesis for public, private, and governmental interests. He can be reached at M.D. Wholesale: http://www.bestskinpeel.com

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Acne laser treatment is a method that has helped millions to get rid of acne. Each year, individuals find out that the over the counter medications that they get at their local drug store just do not provide enough help to them. They have likely tried several products and can not find method to get rid of acne. Acne laser treatment can actually help to stop acne once and for all for many individuals.

How Does It Work?

Acne laser treatment is just what it sounds like. The technician will use a very powerful and small laser to effectively trigger the acne. Usually, the procedure will be done because the acne is being caused, at least in part, by over producing oils in the skin. The laser will get to these glands that are under the skin and causing the oils and destroy them. While this seems harsh, laser acne treatment is virtually painless. There are no ramifications to having these glands destroyed either. Once the glands stop producing oils, the bacteria that cause acne will not have an optimal place to grow. This in turn effectively stops acne.

It is important to know that in most causes acne treatments will not necessary cure the acne that is already on your face or body. This will usually be done with antibiotics. Once the oils slow or stop though, there will be fewer outbreaks of acne on the face or body once these heal.

Scar Treatment

Another option for the use of acne laser treatment is that in which the acne scars can be removed. This very powerful laser can actually remove the top layers of your skin near and on the scar. When new skin grows back, it will be healthy and scars are either gone or they are not as visible. Acne scar laser treatment is fast becoming a way to get rid of acne scars that have been on a person?s body for years.

In either treatment, laser acne treatment can be quite effective. In some cases, there will be the need for several treatments to be done, though. The only bad part of acne laser treatment is that it is not ne! cessaril y cheap. With the several treatments that may be necessary, it may be quite expensive. Yet, even with that said, the results for laser treatments are amazing for many.

Our experts have executed a research to find the best acne treatments. Find the results only on The best natural acne treatments. More valuable acne info on http://www.tigilet.com

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Diabetes is a condition in which the body either does not manufacture sufficient amounts of insulin or does not properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that is necessary for the transport of sugar from the blood stream into the cells for use as energy. Type 2 diabetes results when our bodies become insensitive to insulin and cause our blood sugar go out of balance. For this reason, we want to do everything we can to remain insulin sensitive. When we are insulin sensitive, our bodies do a much better job of moving glucose from the blood and into cells.

Various herbs, foods, vitamins, and minerals have been shown to promote insulin sensitivity and help maintain proper blood sugar levels. Vanadyl sulfate increases the body's insulin sensitivity. Gymnema sylvestre is a well known herb helpful in blood sugar control by controlling sugar cravings and nourishing the pancreas.

Exercise also increases insulin sensitivity. People involved in athletics are known to require less insulin. Besides improving insulin sensitivity, exercise helps us to control our weight and reduce body fat. Weight control is a very important aspect in maintaining insulin sensitivity.

Another important factor in maintaining proper blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity is a healthful diet. Complex carbohydrates found in most vegetables, apples, grains, and nuts are slow to digest. Slowing the process of digestion promotes healthy blood sugar levels and avoids the highs and lows associated with the intake of refined sugars. We should also avoid saturated fats. The healthy fats contained in fish, olive oil, and flaxseed help us to maintain insulin sensitivity.

Type 2 Diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and results from insulin resistence. The above methods have been shown to be extremely helpful in maintaining insulin sensitivity, promoting lower blood sugar levels, and avoiding the complications associated with diabetes.

For further information on diabetes t! reatment visit http://www.diabetessites.com/diabetes-treatment.html

Dr. Mark S. Johnson, D.C., FAFICC, QME. Dr. Johnson is a practicing doctor of chiropractic medicine specializing in nutrition and exercise rehabilitation.

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Being a former victim of an eating disorder I understand the fear of eating, the sudden binges and the feeling of being completely out of control and lonely. Anyone actively suffering from binges must realize that it is not your fault, but rather due to a biochemical disturbance caused by a low caloric diet. While willpower is what will kill a binge, you must realize that the willpower begins in eating.

Most people interesting in losing weight will drastically drop their calories. For some, 1500 calories a day is a decent number, for others this is extremely low. However, many fad diets and dieting clinics will dip far below the maintenance caloric level, in turn, putting the body in starvation defense mode.

Individuals who drastically cut calories below 1500 or their maintenance level frequently develop bingeing habits. At least half the individuals that regularly diet take active binges. This is the reason to take a designated cheat day once a week to convenience the body that it is not starving and to set the metabolism in motion again.

A binge is not necessarily a form of weakness or willpower, but is associated with an imbalance correlated with a low-caloric diet. Not only does a low calorie diet put the body in a starvation defense, but also affects the thyroid, slowing down the metabolism, in turn, storing more fat.

The body's defense in correcting the imbalanced thyroid takes place through binges, which makes the thyroid active once again. After a binge an excess amount of calories has ingested, and out of guilt and punishment the individual starves himself again. This type of behavior is a form of yo-yo dieting that leads to weight gain.

To combat binges take control over your eating habits. This is where willpower and focus take place. You must supply you body with fuel to function. A binge is not a sign of weakness, but a result of a disruption in the thyroid. Allow yourself the maintenance number of calories a day for your body and grant yourself a cheat day t! o keep t he thyroid and metabolism active and functioning properly. Starving yourself will not result in weight loss but eating will. Please eat and take control of your life.

? 2002 Karen Sessions All Rights Reserved

Karen Sessions has been in the fitness industry since 1988. She embarked on weight training to overcome an eating disorder, Anorexia Nervosa in its early stages. She overcame the eating disorder, received her personal training certificate, competed in many local bodybuilding contests, and qualified for Nationals. Since then she?s went on to write six e-books (weight loss, female bodybuilding, contest preparation, leg training, figure/fitness secrets, and cellulite removal). She writes articles for several fitness websites, as well as her own, www.theelitephysique.com, and also distributes a monthly e-newsletter. She has a very active and lively forum, filled with positive and supportive people with informative content. Karen?s sole goal is to educate others and help them apply that knowledge.

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