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Exercise

Sitting into the Back Stretch

Here’s a nice stretch for your middle and lower back that fits easily into your workday. Just move your chair away from the desk and give it a try whenever your back feels tight or stiff. This move is also a great way to release tension in your neck and shoulders.

……………..CLICK & SEE

STEP-1.

Sit all the way to the back of a sturdy chair (not a rolling one). Place your feet shoulder-width apart with your ankles below your knees, feet flat on the floor. Bend forward at the hips, bringing your chest and ribcage in between your inner thighs. Reach your arms in front of you, with your hands on the floor, looking down between your feet. Pause and feel the stretch in your middle and lower back.

STEP-2.
Once you feel comfortable with the stretch, reach your hands behind your feet and grasp the front legs of the chair. Aim the crown of your head forward away from the chair as you engage your upper back muscles and slide your shoulders down away from your ears. Pull your torso closer to the floor to feel a deeper stretch. Hold for three to six complete breaths, release your hands and slowly sit upright to come out of the stretch.

Source: Los Angeles Times

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Categories
Exercise

A Stretch to Keep Your Hips Flexible

The more active we are, the tighter our hips tend to be. Perform this stretch on a regular basis and you’ll keep those strong gluteal muscles flexible.

1. Sit in a cross-legged position on the floor. Inhale and sit up tall. Hold your right ankle in the palms of both hands above your left knee. Relax the right buttock muscle and allow your right thigh and knee to drop toward the ground. Hold for 3 to 6 breaths.

2. Move into a deeper stretch by grasping your hands together under your right leg and cradling your ankle and knee in your arms. Be sure that you sit up tall. Do not round or hunch your back. Concentrate on relaxing the right buttock muscle as your bring your leg closer to your chest. Hold this position and breathe for 20 to 30 seconds. Lower your leg and repeat on the other side.

Source: Los Angeles Times

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Health Alert

Running Shoes May Damage Your Knees & Hips

Finally got that new pair of running shoes? Well, before you get down to taking them on the jogging track, here’s a piece of information—running shoes are likely to damage knees, hips and ankles.

…………..
In a study, researchers compared the effects on knee, hip and ankle joint motions of running barefoot versus running in modern running shoes.

They concluded that running shoes exerted more stress on these joints compared to running barefoot or walking in high-heeled shoes.

Sixty-eight healthy young adult runners (37 women), who run in typical, currently available running shoes, were selected from the general population. None had any history of musculoskeletal injury and each ran at least 15 miles per week.

All runners were provided with a running shoe, selected for its neutral classification and design characteristics typical of most running footwear. They observed each subject running barefoot and with shoes using a treadmill and a motion analysis system.

The researchers observed increased joint torques at the hip, knee and ankle with running shoes compared with running barefoot.

Disproportionately large increases were observed in the hip internal rotation torque and in the knee flexion and knee versus torques.

An average 54 pct increase in the hip internal rotation torque, a 36 pct increase in knee flexion torque, and a 38 pct increase in knee varus torque were measured when running in running shoes compared with barefoot.

The findings confirmed that while the typical construction of modern-day running shoes provides good support and protection of the foot itself, one negative effect is the increased stress on each of the 3 lower extremity joints.

These increases are likely caused in large part by an elevated heel and increased material under the medial arch, both characteristic of today’s running shoes.

“Remarkably, the effect of running shoes on knee joint torques during running (36pc-38pc increase) that the authors observed here is even greater than the effect that was reported earlier of high-heeled shoes during walking (20pc-26pc increase). Considering that lower extremity joint loading is of a significantly greater magnitude during running than is experienced during walking, the current findings indeed represent substantial biomechanical changes,” said lead author D. Casey Kerrigan, JKM Technologies LLC, Charlottesville, VA, and co-investigators.

Kerrigan concluded: “Reducing joint torques with footwear completely to that of barefoot running, while providing meaningful footwear functions, especially compliance, should be the goal of new footwear designs.”

Source :
The study has been published in the latest issue of PM&R: The journal of injury, function and rehabilitation .

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Yoga

You Can Reduce Fat By Practicing Yoga

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Some exercises that are highly beneficial for reduction of baby fat from stomach are described below. Remember, you should not attempt any of these on your own unless you have been shown and guided by a certified yoga master or guru.


Pavan Muktasan (Release or Regulation of Air): ..Click & see
Lie down on your back and take a deep breath. Bend your left leg at the knee and catching the toes, bring it to touch your stomach while at the same time you lift your head to touch the bent knee. Keep the right leg straight and your breath in. Count 10 and return to the original position. Leave your breath. Repeat with the other leg.

Dhanurasan (The bow posture) –click to see

Lie down on your stomach. Catch your ankles by bending your knees and then push outwards (up) to make your body look like a bow. Pull your head back as much as it goes. Keep for 10 seconds and release posture.

Bhujangasana :-..click to see
lie on your stomach and keep your hands right under your shoulders. Push your upper body backwards using only the back muscles not your hands. In case you find it difficult to ignore the hands, try keeping them over the hips.

All the above yoga exercises are extremely beneficial in reducing stomach fat. These need to be initially done in the presence and under the guidance of a yoga guru. There are many, many more other yoga exercises or postures that are helpful in reducing midriff fat and stomach flab. However, as with all other exercises, yoga too needs to be practiced on a daily basis regularly, preferably outdoors, at the crack of the dawn.

Click to see:->What is Yoga
Source:Yoga.am  Jan.19.2010

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