A recent article in the paper talked about a couple of senior women who were pumping iron for their health. One of these women recently competed in a national weightlifting competition, in the 65-69 age group. The other, 59, also competed in this national event. The older of the two lost about 80 pounds after getting into an exercise program that included strength training.

Strength training is important as you age, both to keep your mobility and to keep bones strong. It is also important for keeping your metabolism elevated and losing weight. Whether using weights, tubing, or just the weight of your own body as resistance, strength or resistance training is necessary to help fight anti-aging.

This is important for both men and women. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends strength training with weight-bearing and resistive exercise for all age groups. If you want to reduce your chances of falling or losing your mobility as you get older, you need proper strength. You definitely need to work on your mobility and flexibility to keep your muscles and joints from getting stiff.

Strength training is also important in staying lean. Your muscles burn calories all day long and can keep your metabolism from slowing down too much as you age. You will lose some muscle mass no matter what, but if nothing is done, you will lose more than necessary.

I remember seeing a report on aging a while back that featured a woman who was 101 years old. She exercised on a regular basis, including strength training. She was very mobile, independent, and energetic, still singing in her church choir. She led a busy life and appeared no older than 80. So is exercise and proper strength training a good way to fight the aging process? Maybe you should ask 92 year old fitness pioneer Jack LaLanne. The guy looks pretty healthy to me.

While the two women mentioned earlier were involved in weightlifting competitions, that isn’t necessary. Working your muscles against some form of resistance that challenges them is what’s important. That could be dumbbells or just your own bodyweight. It doesn’t require expensive equipment. Ideally, at least half of your training should occur in a standing position, because this is where movement occurs, on your feet. When standing, you work on your balance at the same time you build strength. Only working on machines where you lie or sit down takes away the balance aspect, which is important to avoiding falls, no matter what your age.

Strength training will make it easier to go up stairs, get up from a chair, or bend over and pick something up, things that give some seniors problems. Problems that can be avoided by most with just a little work on their part. Remember, the focus should be on prevention!.

Brian Morgan is a strength and conditioning specialist and massage therapist. For more information on posture, mobility and flexibility training, go to brianmorganfitness.com brianmorganfitness.com. or posture-n-motion.blogspot.com posture-n-motion.blogspot.com

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Tags: anti-aging, cialis, Hair, massage, massage therapist, muscle mass

In the veterinary industry, fibromyalgia is known as ‘stiff lamb disease’ or ‘white muscle disease’ in lambs, calves and pigs. In this industry fibromyalgia cures are possible because of supplementation with trace minerals, particularly selenium and Vitamin E.

Ask any farmer living in an area where there is a low level of selenium in the soils and they’ll tell you that they give newborn and pregnant animals a nutritional supplement containing selenium and vitamin E.

If you apply this same ‘farm logic’ to humans then perhaps fibromyalgia cures might just be possible with some simple supplementation and dietary changes. If you want to verify this (like I did), go and ask a farmer how they treat their newborn lambs or calves and then come back and finish reading this article! You could also run a Googlsearch for ‘stiff lamb disease’ - you’ll find references full of Vitamin E and selenium.

In humans the disease is also known as adult-onset muscular dystrophy, and while the condition is not fatal it’s thought by some to be a multiple deficiency disease involving widespread free radical damage and aggravated by a high intake of fried foods and vegetable oils.

It’s important to note that many vegetable oils (such as olive oil), which people regard as safe, turn into damaging free radicals when they are heated. It’s always safer to cook with butter on low heat and totally avoid margarine.

Fibromyalgia Symptoms
Before we get to Fibromyalgia cures we’ll discuss the symptoms. Firstly, Fibromyalgia is characterised by widespread pain and fatigue.
Pain in the soft tissue is the main fibromyalgia symptom; other symptoms include: intense muscle pain, fatigue, headaches, sleep disturbances, joint pain, numbness and tingling, problems with concentration and memory, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, sensitivity to cold and bladder problems.

Fibromyalgia Treatment
While scientists continue their search for fibromyalgia cures, here are the key points of a fibromyalgia natural treatment involving diet, lifestyle and supplements . . .
Diet and Lifestyle:

Totally eliminate all vegetable oils and fried food as well as sugar – this only causes more free radical damage to an already damaged body biochemistry.

Regular exercise and stretching may help with sleep and with easing muscle pain. The exercises must be low impact and just enough to get your heart rate up a little and the muscles warmed up – about 20 to 30 minutes is fine. Finish with light stretching movements for about 10 minutes.
Gentle yoga is very beneficial for fibromyalgia and is thoroughly recommended – it allows you to stretch, train your muscles and relax at the same time!

Massage – find a good massage therapist, book a few sessions with them and have them teach you how to self massage and stretch as part of an approach to fibromyalgia cures.

Fibromyalgia Supplements
The key to natural fibromyalgia cures and natural treatment lies in giving back the body the missing nutrients so that the body can repair itself:
Supplement with Essential Fatty Acids – about 9 grams per day to make up for the reduction in your intake of oils.

The Antioxidants Selenium & Vitamin E are important nutriets to assist with neutralizing and repairing free radical damage associated with the disease.

Plant derived minerals are a 98% absorbable form of Selenium and other trace minerals important for repair and nutrition and will be very helpful.

Copyright Paul Newland - global-longevity.com

Paul Newland is a health writer, sports training consultant and martial arts instructor and runs the

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Tags: antioxidant, diet, exercises, Heart, massage, massage therapist, mineral, sleep

A person who has a healthy face will often find that their mind and body is healthy as well. Though little attention is given to our faces, a massage therapist feels that this is one of the most neglected areas of a persons body and certainly we only seem to given attention to the surface of it, but there are 15 muscles in the face which accumulate tension caused by the natural fixed expressions we have on them as well as pollution and air conditioning also worsening the problem.

A common symptom of a person who is suffering with tight and achy muscles to their face and head is a headache and a way to help relieve the aches and pains someone is feeling in the face and head area is for them to undergo a session of head and face massage.

There are many different types of face massage, those that include aromatherapy, those use herbs and there are a variety of facials that are carried out at beauty clinics or spas and those carried out by a professional massage therapist. As with head massages there are a number of different kinds being practiced one being the Indian Head Massage or the Thai Massage. However all of these can be customized to suit the persons particular requirements and may involve the use of oils such as aromatherapy, relaxation blends or oils that can be used to stop hair falling out.

There are many benefits to a person having a face or head massage and mainly it is used to help relax the muscles that have become in the face and head of the person being treated. The use of stroking, pressure and massage on the face or head helps to not only break down and remove toxins that have accumulated in the body, but it helps improve the circulation of blood around the body resulting in vital nutrients being taken to the head and brain which results in that person finding that their mind is much clearer and their concentration levels have improved. Face and head massages are known to be particularly good for helping relieve stress, tension, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, migraines and sinusitis. Often some people find that other added benefits from a head or face massage is that their hair grows better and the condition of their hair and skin has also improved.

Certainly by having a face and head massage the masseuse or health professional is aiming to increase the clients joint mobility and flexibility to their neck and shoulders whilst improving the circulation of blood and the lymphatic flow around the body, which helps to release the knots resulting from muscular tension as well as relaxing the connective tissue.

You will soon discover that massage therapists use a number of different movements in the session from deep kneading and compression movements around the neck, shoulder and scalp areas. Whilst a massage therapist will use gentle stimulation and stroke pressure on particular parts of the face when doing a face massage. The length of a face and head massage session can last anything from 20 minutes up to 45 minutes and normally after a session the massage therapist will make the client remain relaxed for a further 10 to 20 minutes. Often people find that a good face and head massage leads to better sleep at night.

The best part of a head and face massage is that it is flexible and can be performed on the client in either a seated or sleeping position and it can either be done on its own or whilst the client is having a full body massage (this will certainly complete a persons massage experience). Also this kind of massage can be carried out whilst the client is fully clothed so no need to get embarrassed.

Kerris Samson a work from home mum who has carried out extensive research in all forms of alternative medicines, treatments and therapies over the last year. She has now set up a site dealing with all aspects of massage and massage therapy and if you would like to learn more please visit massage.letsgetpampered.com massage.letsgetpampered.com

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Tags: Hair, massage, massage therapist, massage therapy, sleep

Foot massage is a great treatment for relaxation. The therapy can provide you excellent relaxation and stress relief. Have you ever imagined the amount of relief and comfort our feet require? No. The reason lies in the fact that feet are the most neglected part of our body. We walk for hours, stand most of the time and carry weight. All these strenuous activities have adverse impact on our feet. The reason is that feet play an important role in all the activities mentioned above.

Foot massage is a therapy that provides you ultimate relaxation via application of structured or unstructured pressure, tension or vibration. The therapy offers a lot of benefits to feet. It can relieve you of many tensions and make you feel rejuvenated. It helps relaxing the tense muscles in your feet, thereby providing you a feeling of wellbeing and relaxation.

There are several other benefits of a foot massage. It is the best way to tell a loved one that you care. If you are involved in a high stress job or work on your feet for most of the time, then you require a foot massage. It will work as a tension reliever and make your feet feel better after a long tiring day. The therapy is capable of relaxing your mind and soul. A foot massage early in the morning will make your day and the same therapy at nigh will relieve you of all the tensions you have suffered from during the day.

A foot massage can help you relax emotionally and mentally. It also makes you feel pampered. No wonder most massage parlors are filled with customers these days.

Foot massage at home:

A foot massage at home will relieve you of all the tensions and make your body muscles feel relaxed and stress free. You can massage your own feet at home. You can purchase a foot massager for yourself and avail the benefits a foot massage can provide you. This massage will provide you all the benefits that you can experience via getting a foot massage from a professional massage therapist.

You can also opt for a heat and massage therapy. A typical massaging foot warmer bootie will provide you maximum comfort and relieve you from stress and aching feet. Another method is to immerse your feet in to lukewarm water and massage your feet with a quality topical cream.

Here are some of the most famous and beneficial foot massage techniques.

a) Stroking:

This is a technique that stimulates the blood. Vessels in to feet and promotes gentle heat.

b) Ankle rotation:

Here, the foot is rotated clockwise and anticlockwise to relax the foot from the ankle joint.

c) Pivoting:

The technique involves relaxing especially via varying the amount of pressure that is applied to the ball of the foot.

d) Kneading:

The technique uses the knuckles at the second joints.

e) Finger walking:

This technique involves walking fingers horizontally to your feet.

Foot massage is a great therapy for enjoying ultimate relaxation.

AboutMassages.com AboutMassages.com brings you the latest on massage. Massages are gaining in popularity, and we want to bring you up to date information! Be sure to check out our latest information page on AboutMassages.com/footmassage.html foot massage.

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