Quickly Calm Your Nerves

There's little argument that to stay healthy and happy, you must eliminate undue stress and calm your nerves. Those who are "on edge" rarely have positive relationships, as stress almost always has a negative effect on our interactions with each other. Instead of accepting stress and actually becoming accustomed to living life this way, begin the promise to calm your nerves as soon as you realize you need it. For some people, a warm bath in a candlelit room is enough to bring down their stress levels. But for many, a more intensive regimen is necessary. It's not in your head. It is a medically acknowledged problem.courtesy:ehow.com



Some of the most familiar techniques incorporate one or more of the following into your life:

> Yoga

> Tai Chi

> Music

> Exercise

> Meditation

> Hypnosis

> Massage

The prestigious Mayo Clinic has noted how essential it is to calm nerves, noting that relaxation isn't just about peace of mind or enjoying a hobby. Relaxation is a process that decreases the wear and tear of life's challenges on your mind and body.

Practicing relaxation techniques can improve how you physically respond to stress by:

* Slowing your heart rate

* Lowering blood pressure

* Slowing your breathing rate

* Reducing the need for oxygen

* Increasing blood flow to major muscles

* Reducing muscle tension


Here is what the Mayo Clinic recommends for calming nerves, based on their latest findings:

> Autogenic relaxation. Autogenic means something that comes from within you. In this technique, you use both visual imagery and body awareness to reduce stress. You repeat words or suggestions in your mind to help you relax and reduce muscle tension. You may imagine a peaceful place and then focus on controlled, relaxing breathing, slowing your heart rate, or different physical sensations, such as relaxing each arm or leg one by one.

> Progressive muscle relaxation. In this technique, you focus on slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle group. This helps you focus on the difference between muscle tension and relaxation, and you become more aware of physical sensations. You may choose to start by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your toes and progressively working your way up to your neck and head. Tense your muscles for at least five seconds and then relax for 30 seconds, and repeat.

> Visualization. In this technique, you form mental images to take a visual journey to a peaceful, calming place or situation. Try to use as many senses as you can, including smells, sights, sounds and textures. If you imagine relaxing at the ocean, for instance, think about the warmth of the sun, the sound of crashing waves, the feel of the grains of sand and the smell of salt water. You may want to close your eyes, sit in a quiet spot and loosen any tight clothing.

Popeye was right: spinach really does boost your muscles

Popeye's claim that "I am strong to the finish because I eat all my spinach" is scientifically correct, a study has found.
courtesy:http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Researchers have discovered that eating a bowl of spinach a day makes your muscles "profoundly" more efficient.



They found that eating 300g of the vegetable reduced the amount of oxygen needed to power muscles by as much as five per cent when exercising.

The effect is so powerful it works after just three days.

The secret is not iron but nitrates which are abundant in the vegetable.

These chemicals make the mitochondria – the "engine rooms" of every cell – more efficient, they found.

"It is like a fuel additive for your muscles – it makes them run much more smoothly and efficiently," said the lead author Dr Eddie Weitzberg of the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

Dr Wietzberg, who reported his findings in the journal Cell Metabolism, fed people pure nitrate supplements – the equivalent to the amount in a plate of spinach – every day for three days.

At the beginning and end of the experiment they were made to pedal strenuously on an exercise bike while their oxygen intake was measured via a tube to the mouth

It was found that the difference in energy in take was between three and five per cent – a significant figure.

Spinach is well known as the superfood that gave Popeye the Sailor Man his bulging muscles.

The famous cartoon character, who dates back to the 1930s, pops open a can of spinach whenever he needs to get out of trouble.

Originally it was thought that the iron content of spinach made it a power-food.

Now scientists have learned that nitrates are the true energy-boosting ingredient in the vegetable.

Green leafy vegetables of all kinds are rich in the chemical which until recently was not thought to have any nutritional value.

"We know that diets rich in fruits and vegetables can help prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but the active nutrients haven't been clear," said Dr Weitzberg.

"It is a profound and significant effect. It just shows that Popeye was right."

Previously Prof Weitzberg and colleague Professor Jon Lundberg showed that dietary nitrate increases levels of nitric oxide in the body with the help of friendly bacteria.

Nitric oxide is an important molecule which opens up blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, and improves circulation.

Mitochondria, like all engines, lose a lot of energy through heat loss.

The nitrate seems to stop this waste and make the cell – and so the muscle – run more efficiently.

Best Way to Breathe, for Better Health

If you are reading this, you already know how to breathe. But have you stopped to think about the best way to breathe? Learned breathing techniques, such as deep breathing, have been part of yoga and other practices for centuries. Breathing correctly is very important - not only to help you perform strenuous tasks, but to allow the lungs to fill up with air, aid in controlling the heart rate, and living . The benefits of proper breathing can assure you will not get pneumonia when you have a bad cough, by clearing the air passages to the lungs. Proper deep breathing also can assist you in relaxing before doing things that cause you to feel stress and nervousness. Here are instructions for a breathing exercise to help you improve your breathing.
courtesy:wikihow.com



Complete Breath Process:

>Suck in your stomach, drawing your belly button towards your spine.
>Exhale.
>Now expand your belly button outward, drawing in breath.
>Then allow your ribs to open out.
>Finally, draw back your shoulders and clavicles.
>To exhale, first allow out the air at the top of your chest.
>Next, draw in the rib cage.
>Finally, draw the belly button back towards the spine.
>Repeat for a few minutes each day to retrain yourself to normal full breathing.

Few Advantages:

> Proper breathing benefits the respiratory system by reducing tight chest muscles thus relieving chest pains and anxiety. It also aids in relieving long term respiratory difficulties like bronchitis and asthma by opening up the chest to make breathing easier.

> The circulatory system benefits from improved blood circulation and congestion relief. There is also an increase in oxygen and nutrients to the body's cells enabling the organs to function better.

> Proper breathing can enable the nervous system to calm down or become stimulated.

> When utilizing the diaphragm when breathing, the action acts as a massage to the internal organs of the digestive system.

> Diaphragmatic breathing aids the endocrine system by helping it move lymph throughout the body, which eliminates waste and strengthens the immune system.

> Proper breathing benefits the urinary system by allowing fluids to be eliminated through the breath, and therefore reducing edema. It also relieves stress put on the elimination organs due to improper breathing.

> Proper breathing also aids in relaxation, relieves muscular tension, increases flexibility and joint strength, and helps to recover faster from stress and exertion.