Kick Stress's Butt Naturally

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

By Floella McFee

Introduction: Homeopathic Philosophy

Herbal remedies combat stress are popular: one need only check the Internet for the amount of websites promoting herbal and homoeopathic remedies. Stress is a common predicament today. It can lead to all manner of health problems: everything from ulcers to impotence; heart problems, digestive problems even leading to cancer. Not everyone goes to doctor, or necessarily trusts modern medicine. Homoeopathy is a controversial alternative and many of its remedies are so dilute that conventional science argues it can not really be effective. However, homeopathy seeks to use chemicals, particularly from naturally occurring compounds such as herbs, to treat like with like with like: this recreates symptoms in a minute way. The symptoms are seen as the body's way of attempting to restore its own equilibrium.

Herbs are Chemicals Too!

One of the more commonly cited reasons for turning to herbal remedies to combat stress is the belief that being based on natural compounds, side effects are less likely. What is not so commonly understood is that many of the properties that make herbal remedies so effective are why many of their constituent chemicals are used as the basis for conventional drugs. Valerian root, recommended as a sedative, is the basis of valium.

If They Are Chemicals What Do They Do?

What many of the herbal remedies do in stress relief is either calm the system down, or act as a sedative or tranquilizer (Hops,) Some claim to have anti-oxidants (Flavinoids) (Passion Flower).Some claim to be mood stabilizers such as Skull Cap; Cat nip works on de-stressing the brain and well as calming the digestive system. Quite the opposite effect that the plant has on a cat! Something like Rhodiola, an adaptogenic herb suggested for people who are continually have disrupted sleep patterns, regulates the heart, as well as suppressing the depression causing chemicals in the brain and improving the serotonin levels. It's also an aphrodisiac: perhaps another way of improving the mood? Chamomile, commonly drunk as a sedative tea will also help the immune system during times of depression. St John's Wort is commonly also used as a natural anti-depressant although it should be used with caution if taking other medication.

Other uses For the Herbs

However, herbal stress remedies do not necessarily have to be ingested to be effective. Aromatherapy has always been a popular way to relax. Lavender oil, either burned or dropped in a bath is claimed by many to be soothing and calming. In the end, whatever herbal remedy is chosen, stress can also be combated by exercise, a good diet and time dedicated to switching off.

Conclusions

Herbal remedies have been used by humans for hundreds of years. Some of the treatments that we use today were based on natural materials. Herbal remedies are a very effective treatment for many conditions, including stress.

About the Author:

Do not allow stress to beat you. You can use safe natural herbal remedies to fight stress and related conditions, remedies that have been used safely for thousands of years. Get quality stress relief today!

Kum Ye Do

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

I have spent the weekend training with my master from Korea in the Korean sword art of Kum Ye Do. Every muscle I have is sore from my forehead to  my toes.

Grandmaster Jung comes over from Seoul twice a year to hold two consecutive intensive weekends with his students which means I will be doing this all over again this weekend.

We spend 4 hours on Saturday and 4 hours on Sunday swinging wood swords and learning forms and techniques.

I enjoy it very much but find it difficult to master. I have figured out after 44 years on the planet that I am most definitely a visual learner. I was probably a chimpanzee in a former lifetime. That is my only saving grace in studying Kum Ye do because my master speaks no English and I speak no Korean.

He lectures and imparts his wisdom and I wish I could understand what he's saying.  I have a feeling I could learn much faster if I knew the point of the movements I'm memorizing. Of course, it would also help if I understood simple commands like right, left, forward, back, turn around, etc. But even these simple commands paired with one or two more words of instruction whiz right past my ears.

Okay, I'm done whining now.

After this Saturday's class we are going to see the K-tigers who are in town to perform this week.  I just saw them in Korea during the World Taekwondo Culture Expo but they are so amazing it will be great to see them again.

Will Alternative Medicine Replace Conventional Medicine One Day?

By Lenox Smith

Allopathic medicine is slowly losing its stranglehold in the field of health care. As questions continue to rise about the effectiveness of conventional medicine, people have started to look for better and safer ways to cure illnesses.

Alternative medicine is fast becoming the gold standard in health care for those who are disenchanted with the results - or lack thereof - that conventional medicine has produced for them.

We are bombarded with television and magazine advertisements for medications that promise to cure, or at least control, almost every ailment known to mankind. If you watch any TV at all, you've seen the skillfully edited commercials that feature smiling, happy people who seem as if they don't have a care in the world because they were given a pharmaceutical drug for some sort of medical problem they were having.

The magazine ads are just as misleading to the public. Though each of these media outlets mentions the drug's side effects, it is done quickly and unobtrusively, almost as if it is an afterthought.

Alternative medicine has gained more popularity in part of these undesirable effects. One example is the effects of the popular hormone replacement therapy Premarin.

* Migraine headache

* Chest pain

* Confusion and memory problems

* Swelling of the lower extremities

Most women would probably prefer to have the hot flashes of menopause than to experience any of these reactions on a regular basis. But, you don't have to put up with either one when you use alternative medicine! A consultation with an herbalist would reveal that a combination of dong quai and black cohosh extract will safely control all symptoms related to the change of life.

Alternative medicine believes that achieving wellness involves treating the entire body. Traditional allopathic, or Western medicine, concentrates on analyzing and managing specific complaints and illnesses. Treatment of these complaints almost always includes the prescription of one or more drugs.

People have become rather leery of taking these medications without first doing a little research about what they are putting into their bodies. Many times, once they discover that the side effects are as bad or worse than the illness for which they were prescribed the drug in the first place, they seek a better, safer, and more natural approach to good health.

Nowadays, many allopathic doctors have begun to embrace certain alternative medicine remedies and treatments. This is a result of the power behind these age-old solutions to health care.

Herbs, acupuncture, yoga, massage therapy, and holistic living all contribute to good health in ways that the medical profession is just now beginning to realize. As the public and doctors alike accept the entry of alternative medicine, it will continue to influence mainstream medicine in years to come.

About the Author:

Get a free copy of my report, "Hitting the Right Notes for Your Health", and read more about holistic health care at my website: http://onalternativemedicines.com

Why You Don't Lose Weight With Your Exercise

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

By Dave Jackson

When I jogged I knew I was burning fuel, but for some reason I was not dropping the pounds. And brother, I needed to drop the pounds. Not that I was huge, but I knew my belly was getting out of control. I discovered that I should be upping my intake of omega oils but I had no clue why. And then someone clued me in.

If oils are so good, how in the world can you lose fat when it seems that you're drinking it in? I know the body needs a certain amount of fat, and I've heard that healthy cells are surrounded by a film of the good fats which makes them function better. And carbs, I know, turn mainly into sugars. But how does this translate into me burning fat from my body?

What I didn't know is how the muscle was fed. Yes, in school we learned that muscles feed off sugars in our system. And I know for a fact that when kids eat tons of sugar they are bouncing off the walls. But I discovered that the muscle uses sugar as a super fuel, sort of like gasoline on a fire. It is hot and fast and it's over. But what about those good oils? How do they fit in?

Yes, sugars fuel the muscles and are terrific for a good rush of energy. But if you want long term stability, for jogs or any long aerobic activity, the oils come into play. You see, sugar provides a quick burst and burns no fat - makes the muscle look for more sugar and makes you crave more sugar. But feeding oil the muscles will burn it longer and leaner and will begin to burn fat that is in your cells as well. And here's how that happens.

You can exercise all you want and yes, you will burn fat, but you may not even lose weight depending on your diet. Yes, it's that critical. Load up on carbs, and your body will work through them as sugars and then leave you without energy. Load up on the good oils like the omegas, and your body is ready for long runs and long aerobic exercise. Just look at people who carb up before exercise. But the exercise does play a role in fat burning. For example.

Swimmers are also in an aerobic sport. But it doesn't target the stomach either. And there are a lot of exercises that don't target the areas we have with the fats. But you should select one that does for faster fat loss. Any aerobic exercise performed at length, that is, over 30 minutes, with the intake of the good omega oils, is bound to be the best fat burning exercise. But there is a group of exercises won't help at all.

The exercises that don't burn much body fat are short sprints, golf, basketball, tennis, really anything where short spurts of energy are needed. The body quickly adapts to the situation and looks for sugars to provide that rush of energy. When met, the body continues to crave sugars to satisfy the fuel requirement of the sport. But what exercises are the very best fat burners?

Turns out anything that takes a long time to accomplish and keeps using a steady rate of energy is the best for fat burning - especially if you do not load up on carbs before you perform it. When muscles use sugar, they look for more sugar before they turn to fats. The best advice is to not eat at all after you exercise for up to one hour so your body continues to burn those fats. And where might you find a program that involves the great oils and fat burning?

About the Author:

Like I said, I've reviewed many of the best fat burning programs online and give my opinion on the three that I believe are worth taking a look at. If this article makes sense to you, you owe it to your health to give these programs a quick look. Thank you.

The Ugly Truth about Teen Obesity and What You Can Do To Stop It

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

By Dorthy Weatherbush

Everywhere you look, you'll see the signs of an obesity epidemic in the United States. Adults struggling with their weight, levering themselves into and out of cars. Many so morbidly obese that they'll circle a parking lot four or five times before parking rather than be forced to walk an extra hundred feet.

For some people, this is tied to genetics - there are several genetic triggers that, when we lived hand to mouth as a species, were survival traits. Being able to store fat in prosperous times was an insurance of survival in the winter. Also in that calculus lies the fact that we have, as a population, become more sedentary as technology has progressed.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in looking at childhood obesity and nutrition. Nutritionists estimate that for every point of body mass index a child is overweight by before puberty, the adult that child will grow into will be three points overweight by the time they're thirty. Type II diabetes, where body stress from overeating builds up resistance to insulin, is becoming more prevalent in teenagers.

Preteens, tweens and teenagers are also prone to body image dysmorphia, driven by peer pressure, social imaging and just the changes their body is going through. Being a teenager is hard enough as it is; it's even worse when you're carrying 40 or 60 extra pounds of body weight and alarmingly, the fastest growing market segment for diet products like SlimFast and MediFast are teenaged and younger girls.

The good news is that this trend can be stopped. In fact, you may be surprised at the simple solution.

Remember when you were a kid? You know, before video games like the Nintendo Wii. You actually had friends who played outside with you. You had energy and used it.

When you were thirsty, mostly you grabbed milk, sometimes orange juice, not sodas. Cookies were a treat, not a staple of your diet. Snacks were things like apple wedges or an orange, maybe some peeled carrots.

Contrary to the popular belief, it is possible to training children to eat healthy foods. Caffeine laced drinks are a prime example. Researchers have uncovered an alarming link between drinking diet sodas and consuming high fat luncheon meets with cases of certain brain cancers. If you gain nothing else from this article, at least follow this one tip, please, do not allow your kids to drink soft drinks. Remember, water first before any juices or milks.

When they have snacks, give them fruits and vegetables, or baked goods that are also low in sugar. Make sure that you have a dedicated family meal every evening, where everyone talks about what they did during the day - these reinforce that meal times are an important social occasion, not a pit stop between bouts with the Game Cube or Wii.

Staying physically active is an absolute necessity. Children are usually mirror images of their parents. If you as a parent live a sedentary life, the chances of your child duplicating your example are very high. If you have little league teams in your town, encourage your children to participate. Not all kids are athletic but all kids need to be active. In addition, set aside at least one day in the week where the entire family is physically active together. It could be a walk in the park or playing tag in the backyard.

The key to providing life long health for your kids is inculcating these habits early in life, so they become habits. Explain why you're doing it when they ask, but don't preach. Your kids will adopt the behaviors they see you doing - you're their parent, their role model, and these are the habits they'll stick with as they get older.

About the Author:

If your teen is obese, what options do you have? Author Dorthy Weatherbush has taken the guess work out of figuring out if your teen would benefit from a physician recommended meal replacement diet. Learn more about her suggestions at http://www.StephensonandCompany.com

Burn Body Fat Exercises

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

By Dave Jackson

No matter how I did it, even watching Billy Blanks on the DVD's that we got, I could not do a normal sit-up without some pain to my back. I wanted to get my tummy in better shape and even though I might not have a six pack, I did need to burn body fat in that area. We even have an ab chair where you can hold a strap and do easier sit-ups, still not much progress there. I needed a solution.

My background as a reporter helped me with my search to find what others were using successfully without injuring their back and getting to their goals quickly. It worried me that many professionals I ran into in the gym did not have a set opinion on a good routine for this. I was actually looking for a chapter out of the owners manual for my body - and I guess it hadn't been written on my fight to burn body fat.

In order to burn body fat quickly, I researched online and at the library for a period of about six months. And for you it might not be the belly, like it was for me. Maybe you have fat around the hips, the face, different areas - don't worry - because what I found will still work for you.

Two things will help you immediately, namely focusing on eating foods that burn calories. There are groups of food called fat burning foods that burn more calories than they leave on the body. Get into the habit of eating more of these foods in your diet. Do this slowly so they will become enjoyable to you and you will stick with the diet.

The next thing that works was to make our tummies think that we needed muscle and need to burn the fat away quickly. That sounds like some magic wish, but there is a way to do this. What I found was a strategy called static contraction which works with your muscles but only one contraction at a time. So instead of doing 25 sit ups, you do one - but you hold that one for 15 seconds or longer and then you're done.

The body then starts to think that muscle and stamina is needed in that area and begins to burn the fat off and build muscle. It happens because the body is lead to believe a lot of stress will continually be put in that area. Now you can't do just one and you're done - you have to do this every time you work out. You just don't need to subject your back to all the strain.

When you use those two techniques and your great food choices, you'll burn fat quickly. It's just a natural function of your body that the fat will be burned off first and the muscle will build later. Watch what you eat in addition to your fat burning foods. Don't make the process more complicated by eating junk or loading up on any one food. Eating living things, like vegetables, and less processed foods - well, you know that helps a lot.

Finally, get yourself into a plan. I recommend that people find a good program that they can do over the computer and figure out just how to go through the week with a good support system. Many programs out there offer this and will get you on track for success. They are affordable and the people that put them together will help you every step of the way, so rely on them as well.

About the Author:

I've done the work of reviewing 30 fat loss systems online and most of them are garbage. But I did find three that I'd like you to look at. These are the great online programs that really do help you burn body fat. So check them out right now.

5 Tips on Ways to Lose Weight Fast And Keep If Off

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

By Jolene Oh

If you need tips on ways to lose weight fast - you can forget about starving yourself. Fact is it just wrecks your metabolism, you body will store the fat to conserve, and deprivation will increase your cravings. End result, you'll be shoving more food into your body. The key here is, eat properly and exercise. These are the 2 simple things you need to do to lose the weight and keep it off. Here are 5 tips on ways to lose weight fast-

1. Forget about celebrities - steer clear of tabloids and gossip magazines that constantly picture Hollywood mums who bounce back into shape minutes after birth. They have personal trainers, chefs and genetics on their side. Don't forget, they have 'Photo shop' to brush up their curves.

2. Start incorporating intervals into your training. By alternating intervals with recovery periods, you can increase the amount of work per session, thereby increasing the impact each workout has on your fitness and fat loss. Even if you have just 10 pounds to lose, intervals are the key to your success. What makes intervals so effective is that the recovery periods allow you to maintain higher power outputs during hard efforts, and accumulate more time at those higher outputs. Whereas, if you are training at a steady pace - it is a diminishing effort. By the end of the hour, you may feel like you're pulverizing the pedals, but you're producing a fraction of the power you were 45 minutes earlier. Training at a steady pace burns calories today; intervals burns calories today and enable you to burn more later.

3. Eat complex carbohydrates with fiber and protein. Try oatmeal with yogurt and eggs for breakfast and steer clear of fast foods and sugary foods like donuts. Sugary foods gives you an insulin spike which will increase your blood glucose levels, and an hour later you get a sugar low and feel totally down.

4. Few easy ways to balanced meals - have vegetable soups or salads for lunch with small amounts of protein. Add a piece of fruit before or after a meal. Eat meat, poultry or fish with a mixed salad, instead of potatoes (one of the few acid forming vegetables), rice or pasta. If planning rice or pasta - gfor the wholemeal kinds - and add veggies to the dish. Drink your eight to ten glasses of water a day with a squeeze of lemon. Drink herbal teas instead of coffee, black teas and sodas. Finally, eat fruit snacks between meals.

5. Beware scale obsession - weight should come off slowly - a half pound to one pound a week - as a result of cutting junk calories while fueling your body properly for the next workout and recovery. Think of your body as a high performance engine - raise the octane of the fuel you use and stop filling when the tank is full.

The key here is eat properly, eat in moderation and start exercising. The good news is you don't have to cut out completely your favorite treats, just reduce the amount you eat, say once a week. Life is not about locking yourself in prison. It's about moderation, taking each day as it comes, and improving your lifestyle. These are the best tips on ways to lose weight fast and for good.

About the Author:

For More Effective Ways on How to Lose 10% Body Fat, Visit Dr Suzanne's Top Secret Fat Loss For The Best Ways to Slash Your Body Fat For Good

Simple Diet Tip that Really Works - Violates All the Conventional

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

By M. L. Dillians

Recently, I have nearly completed a very successful self-directed diet program. After trying other ways to lose weight, I decided to give some of my ideas a try. This article is the first in a series of tips that have worked for me even though they violate conventional wisdom.

I decided to ignore all the extraneous advice and do it my way.

The first idea I had was to weigh myself every day. Sure, I know you are thinking, all the so called experts advise that you should weigh yourself only once a week at most. Why? Because they think you will get "discouraged" if you weigh too often and don't see results from your diet.

If I check my weight just once every week, the problem with that is, I am not able to enjoy my successes (or my failures) soon enough.

Feedback is the Key

By weighing myself every day, I learn immediately whether my actions and eating pattern from the previous day were successful or not in trying to lose weight.

Of great importance to the reliability of this feedback is to weigh yourself on a highly accurate scale at the same time each day. The best time for me is after awakening before I sit down for breakfast. My first step was to purchase a scale of the best quality. Such quality scales, with appearance very much like one encounters in a doctor's office, cost approximately $150. This expense is well worth it seeing it imparts great confidence in the results I see. I do not worry they are due to a malfunctioning scale giving varying readings from one weighing to the next.

This sense of confidence is necessary for the feedback to have its full effect. On a daily basis, with this new regimen, I am assured that if I splurge with a burger and fries from a fast food restaurant at lunch, the following day's feedback will show little, if any, lost weight. Conversely, maintaining discipline with my eating will directly result in lost pounds. Ordinarily, results are clear everyday or at least every other day.

A week is just too long for me to be able to know what I am doing right and wrong. Weighing each day lets me see the results quite quickly.

There can be difficulty with stepping on the scale each day. This is most evident when I know I have been "bad" the day before. This negative feeling, however, does serve a purpose. It reinforces my resolve to improve my eating habits that day so the next session will be more positive.

If you are finding it difficult to shed pounds, I highly recommend giving this tip a try.

About the Author:

Find a lot more creative ideas covering dieting and losing weight and fat loss tips by clicking on Diet Miracle, a web site all covering losing weight and diet.

A Piece of Blarney Stone - 10 ways to empower your communication

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

Why is public speaking the single largest fear? I've never understood it and I'm not a particularly extroverted person. Enjoy some of Vicki's tips on better communication.

KA

By Vicki Lewis

The Blarney Stone is a historical stone, or actually part of the Blarney Castle in Ireland where it was believed that kissing the stone can grant you the gift of gab. Yeah, it seems strange in this day and age, but who are we to question tradition? It's not like I'm saying that Santa Claus doesn't exist (OOPS!).

There is so much to know about conversation that anyone, even I, could ever realize. You can go though watching talk shows; radio programs; clubs dedicated to public speaking; ordinary conversations; certain rules still apply when it comes to interaction through words. It may sound tedious, I know, but even though it's your mouth that's doing the work, your brain works twice as hard to churn out a lot of things you know. So what better way to start learning to be an effective communication is to know the very person closest to you: yourself.

1. What you know.

Education is all about learning the basics, but to be an effective speaker is to practice what you've learned. My stint as guest at every Toastmasters' meeting I go to taught me that we all have our limitations, but that doesn't mean we can't learn to keep up and share what we know.

2. Listening.

It's just as important as asking questions. Sometimes listening to the sound of our own voice can teach us to be a little bit confident with ourselves and to say the things we believe in with conviction.

3. Humility

We all make mistakes, and sometimes we tend to slur our words, stutter, and probably mispronounce certain words even though we know what it means, but rarely use it only to impress listeners. So in a group, don't be afraid to ask if you're saying the right word properly and if they're unsure about it then make a joke out of it. I promise you it'll make everyone laugh and you can get away with it as well.

4. Eye Contact

There's a lot to say when it comes to directing your attention to your audience with an eye-catching gaze. It's important that you keep your focus when talking to a large group in a meeting or a gathering, even though he or she may be gorgeous.

5. Kidding around

A little bit of humor can do wonders to lift the tension, or worse boredom when making your speech. That way, you'll get the attention of the majority of the crowd and they'll feel that you're just as approachable, and as human to those who listen.

6. Be like the rest of them

Interaction is all about mingling with other people. You'll get a lot of ideas, as well as knowing what people make them as they are.

7. Me, Myself, and I

Admit it, there are times you sing to yourself in the shower. I know I do! Listening to the sound of your own voice while you practice your speech in front of a mirror can help correct the stress areas of your pitch. And while you're at it you can spruce up as well.

8. With a smile

A smile says it all much like eye contact. There's no point on grimacing or frowning in a meeting or a gathering, unless it's a wake. You can better express what you're saying when you smile.

9. A Role Model

There must be at least one or two people in your life you have listened to when they're at a public gathering or maybe at church. Sure they read their lines, but taking a mental note of how they emphasize what they say can help you once you take center stage.

10. Preparation

Make the best out of preparation rather than just scribbling notes and often in a hurried panic. Some people like to write things down on index cards, while other resort to being a little more silly as they look at their notes written on the palm of their hand (not for clammy hands, please). Just be comfortable with what you know since you enjoy your work.

And that about wraps it up. These suggestions are rather amateurish in edgewise, but I've learned to empower myself when it comes to public or private speaking and it never hurts to be with people to listen how they make conversations and meetings far more enjoyable as well as educational.

About the Author:

Saving you time, money and effort in your search for the best internet marketing and search engine optimization software and tools.

Pilates - Pilates Workout At Home

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

I used Pilates as part of my workout routine,especially when on the road. It's easy to do in limited space like a bedroom or hotel room.

KA

By James M. Crosswell

If you want to get the workout of your life and the body of your dream, you are going to want to create a Pilates home gym in your home so that you can perform home Pilates whenever you please. Before you start home Pilates however, you are going to want to learn more about the Pilates exercise and what it has to offer you.

Named after Joeseph Pilates, it has evolved into a cutting edge system of mind body exercises that have become incredibly popular around the world in the past few years. It is one of the most recognized and effective exercise systems of all time.

Pilates is an exercise system that teaches body awareness, good posture and balance. It not only helps to shape your body by helping you to lose fat and gain muscle, but as well it improves your overall flexibility, agility and economy of motion. Pilates has even been proven to help with a variety of health conditions, including back pain.

One of the greatest benefits of home Pilates is that you will receive a refreshing mind-body workout. Whereas some exercises only focus on you exercising your body, with home Pilates you are able to get the most complete workout ever.

Not only does Pilates training allow you to gain strength, which everyone is after, but it allows you to do it with out bulking up, which many women are after. It also helps you keep the weight you lose off by the use of the mind-body exercises Pilates offers.

Most athletes know that if you gain too much strength in one part of your body too fast for the other parts of your body, you are setting yourself up for potential injuries. Your strong part will overwork the weaker parts leading to injuries in some cases. Home Pilates training addresses this issue by allowing all your body parts to strengthen in unison, thus, reducing the chances for injury.

As you can see from this short article that Pilates offers many benefits to anyone who trains with it. You have to try it out to understand the totality of the exercises. There are many places you can take Pilates classes and I am sure there are some in your local area. It is also as simple as ordering training manuals online so you can do the Pilates exercises in the privacy of your own home.

About the Author:

James M. Crosswell is all about healthy distractions and an avid study of fitness programs including Pilates Training at home. He administrates an informational webblog on all aspects of health and shares what he has learned at his blog www.HealthAnswersBlog.com

Essential Yoga Equipment For The Everyday Yoga Mogul

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

By Chris Channing

Yoga is a fantastic way to improve your fitness and health. It is a Great way to exercise and to get into your desired shape, if you do it on a regular basis. It's possible to do yoga without getting any equipment, but it's recommended that you get the things you need to keep you from injury.

Stretching and exercising on a slippery surface and be harmful, and can lead to possible injury. If you want to stay exercising longer then getting a yoga mat would be the right thing to do. They provide grip to keep you from slipping and also give you grip for balance. Depending on the size that you get, is what it will cost. An average size mat cost around $40.

Straps - When you are a beginner or already a few years into yoga, straps can help raise you to your desired flexibility. They allow you to gain length so that you are able to get to the parts of your body that you were able to reach in the past. Also depending on the strap type, and length, is how much you are going to pay for them. A decent strap will cost between $10-15.

Bolster - Bolsters can provide you with the much needed support, so that you do not harm yourself and are able to have a more comfortable stretching. Bolsters can be placed throughout the body as well, in places such as: neck, back, knees, and anywhere else you desire. While they are great for support, bolsters can be a bit pricey, and cost you around $50, also depending on the type.

A very important and helpful piece of equipment in yoga, are yoga ropes. They'll help with support for an aching back, and also provide for better stretching. They also give support for not only your back, but all the major muscles in your body. Mainly dealing with arm stretches, forward bends, and back bends, yoga ropes are highly recommended for all exercisers. They come in sets, and will cost you anywhere from $90-200.

Grips - Using your hands in your exercises is very important. But using your hands can cause wrist, elbow, and other types of arm injuries. Grips help give you support for your arms, and will help you to not strain any of your arm muscles. Recommended for those who use their arms in most of their exercises, grips aren't expensive considering the support that you gain. They'll cost you around $40.

Yoga equipment will provide you with the extra support you may need to have a comfortable exercise session. Though some of the equipment is a tad pricey, they'll help to keep you from injury. It is recommended that You buy the yoga equipment that fits the exercises that you perform. CD's and DVD's are also highly recommended, so that you can learn about all the different exercises that will help you to stay fit and improve your health.

About the Author:

Learn more about yoga pants and yoga mats.

Korean Food

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

Our group is sitting in a traditional Korean Restaurant, Song Jung, where we are once again eating a traditional Korean meal.

The owner has a computer out in his dining area and one of our group started looking at the blog. Needless to say, pictures were taken and I promised to post it before the meal was through so everyone could see themselves.

So with Mrs. Kim, Barb P. and Ruthie looking on, here we are.

Hello from Muju!

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

Well Hello Again...

I am in Muju in the public library housed in the Cultural Building next door to our venue.

Today is the competition day. The morning competitors have performed their poomsae and the judges are setting up for sparring.

I must say that everyone from Grandmaster Kim's in White Plains did a great job. Lots of 1st and 2nd place medals.

The level of competition has been good. The tournament is running very smoothly and has been great fun so far.

The sparring today is for amateurs. Tomorrow is the sparring competition for professionals and advanced amateurs. I just met a taekwondo-network visitor, Bob from Boston, who is going to compete tomorrow instead of today. I look forward to seeing him compete.

Tomorrow we are to go on a tour of Muju which is to include Bandi-Land, Chilyeon Falls and other sites. At the end of the evening we will have the closing ceremonies.

Then it's back to our rooms to pack for home.

Taekwondo Training

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

The training in Muju began after a cafeteria lunch at the resort.

We were bused to the Muju Dome Stadium and split into 3 groups. These same three groups were used in Jeon Ju. Yes, I'm leading somewhere with this.


Group 1 is Men.

Group 2 is children.

Group 3 is everyone else.

Wonder what I'm getting at? The children's group is only male children. Girls of all ages and women are lumped together in the everyone else category. I know one or two teenage girls were brave enough to join the boys for training anyway and no one turned them away since they seemed to be able to hold their own.

Yes, it is a prejudiced, patriarchal design. Something the Operating Committee aught to take into account for the future.

The first work session was on breaking. I would tell you more about it, but my group was late getting to the stadium and we missed the whole thing. :(

We had a great poomsae training session with a Master from Korea. If I can get his name again I'll update this post. He has a student that is phenomenal and demonstrated the techniques for us.

He had us working on all the bits and pieces of Taebaek. He is a very good instructor.

The next session was sparring. Master Yu from New Jersey interpreted for the Korean Master that put us through our paces for sparring. We worked with a partner and tended to do the same type of drills that you are used to in your own school.

He gave us specific pointers on when and why you want to move with this step or that step when facing an opponent. It was the best workout I've had so far.

The fourth and final session was on rhythmic taekwondo. It's like doing taekwondo moves to music and turning it into an aerobics class.

I gave up aerobics years ago in lieu of martial arts, but I can understand the appeal. Lot's of the ladies seemed to enjoy it and it seems to be popular here in Korea.

Muju Resort

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

We arrived in Muju today after departure from Jeon Ju.

The accommodations at Muju are 100% better than the dormitories at Jeon Ju University.

We all have a room to ourselves so the privacy we lacked in Jeon Ju has been regained (which is important when you have been showering with 4-5 other people and sharing the common bathroom).

Though we had mattresses and air conditioning in Jeon Ju, we sleep on the floor and have fans in Muju. I personally welcome the trade off if it means I can have a bathroom all to myself.

The bathrooms are unique though. Mine measures about 56" by 52" (yes I counted the wall tiles) and it has a lavatory and toilet along one wall. The door is opposite the toilet and there is a curtain that separates the area into 2 sides. When you pull the curtain, you and the lavatory sink are on one side.

Connected to the lavatory is a hose with a shower head and you shower right there in the room. The water drains toward the pipe area under the sink. It's a bit unusual. I've never been in a WC where you could actually be using the toilet and showering at the same time.

Pardon My Absence

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

Well, I've got some 'splaining to do...

We left Seoul on July 4th and visited the city of Andong. (See picture at left). Then we moved on to Jeon Ju where we were to register for the World Taekwondo Culture Expo. We didn't arrive until around 6:00 PM and to say that things were smoothly organized would be a downright lie.

Eventually, once they figured out who we were, they took us to the Jeon Ju Univeristy dormitories (which are air conditioned!) and left us with 5th floor rooms and no elevator. That was tough after a long day.

We also hadn't had any dinner so by 9:00 PM they took us out to Chicken & Pizza. When I tell you it was the best pepperoni pizza ever, I mean it. Then again I've been eating a lot of rice, bibimbop and assorted other traditional Korean foods.

There is no internet service at the University so I have not been able to make any posts.

At this moment, for me it is July 7th in the late afternoon, and I have been dropped off after a day of training to do some shopping in downtown Jeon Ju. Fortunately, my friends and I have found a PC gaming hall that rents computer time by the 1/2 hour.

So, here I am taking the opportunity to post to all of you. I don't have any pictures with me that I can post, but I promise that I will try again tomorrow when we get to our next destination which is Mu Ju.

Mu Ju is a ski resort town and the next location of the Expo. Since we will be staying in a resort, I'm hopeful that I'll have internet service available. When I do, I'll tell you all about the last 3 days of World Taekwondo Culture Expo.

Everyone from White Plains dojang says "hello" and we miss our friends and family at home.

An yang he kay sae yoh!

DMZ

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

The DMZ or demilitarized zone is the 4 kilometer swath centered on the 38th parallel that separates North Korea from South Korea.

Today we took a trip the 56KM or so from Seoul past the southern limit line where we walked down into tunnel number 3. This tunnel was discovered by the South Koreans in 1978 after the two nations had agreed to be friends and begin working toward unification.

North Korea seemingly began to immediately dig tunnels after that agreement. This particular tunnel was large enough to pass 30,000 troops an hour into South Korea and was discovered when it was only about 52 Km from Seoul.

A fourth tunnel was found in 1990. Speculation is that there could be as many as 17 more tunnels undiscovered radiating from North Korea toward the South along the 38th parallel.

We went to the observatory where you could see with the naked eye the fence marking the boundry between the Koreas and the two fences that offset either side of the boundry fence 2 Km providing the bounds of the DMZ.

The DMZ itself is teeming with wildlife and growth because there is no human inhabitant of the area which is still litered with landmines. It's become a haven for wildlife.

You are not allowed to take pictures of North Korea, but I can honestly say I have been within 2 miles of it and have seen it with my own eyes.

To say that we were tired after all the tours would be an understatement. But that didn't stop us from shopping in Namdaemun Market for the rest of the afternoon!

Nanta

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

After a traditional Korean dinner of Ginseng Chicken Soup, we went to see a theater production called Nanta.

It is similar in execution to Jump! where the performers don't have much dialogue but perform amazing skills and encourage the audience to enjoy and even participate.

The story is about a group of chefs who have a hard taskmaster that has told them the menu they are to prepare that day for a wedding feast.

And yes, a member of our group ended up the groom!

Kyungbokgung Palace (Gyeongbokgung)

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

We visited the Kyungbokgung Palace after lunch. Even through heavy rain and some irritations throughout the day, we enjoyed the beauty of the campus.

Traditionally dressed guards kept the gate. If you were brave enough, you could walk right up to them and pose for a picture, but don't try and make them laugh. It's not allowed.

The palace and gardens were built in 1394 as the main and largest palace during the Joseon (Chosun)Dynasty by King (Emporer)Lee Seong-Gye (King Taejo), when he moved the capital city from Gyeseong to Seoul.

This is the throne room. Because of the downpour, it was difficult to get good light for the photos. Everything was painted in fabulous rich colors with intricate designs. It was beautiful.


The Kyungbokgung Palace gardens were so serene. The buildings reflected in the water and the peacefulness seeped into your bones.

Kukkiwon

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

Our visit to Kukkiwon was fantastic. The National Team, "The best of the best" as we were told, was practicing and we were able to stay and watch them for a full hour.

There was a beautiful womens demonstration team as well that used scarves, fans and drums to perform traditional Korean dances.


We toured the museum and looked for our Grandmaster in the photographs. Then we went to some of the shops that cater to Taekwondo where people bought taekwondo t-shirts, shoes and the like.

The group posed with the President of Kukkiwon and received some memorabilia to take home.

I could have stayed all day long.

Buddhist Temple

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

We went to the largest Buddhist Temple in Seoul which is right outside our hotel. We had some morning meditation to the sounds of the monks chanting. Some did there 32 or 64 or 108 bows.

We stretched, took photos and ate a hearty breakfast and now we're ready to go to Kukkiwon. It's actually nearly 9:00AM for us on Wednesday morning July 2nd. If you want to know your future, contact me and I'll let you know what will happen for the next 13 hours!

I'm Sitting in Seoul

Honest Mind, Loving Heart, Strength in Body! The Martial Arts way of Life at The Taekwondo Network

Well, I'm sitting in my hotel room in Seoul. We left JFK at 2:00PM, took a 14 hour or so flight and arrived at the airport in Incheon where there is a 13 hour time difference from Eastern Daylight time.

The flight was uneventful and the Korean Air personnel were very professional. The attendants dress beautifully. It reminded me of the US airlines like Pan Am in the 60's.

They kept us fed and watered. Every seat had a TV screen and everyone caught up on some of the movies they've missed lately. Personally, I watched Jumper and Charlie Wilson's War among others.

At the airport we got our luggage, exchanged money (1011 won to the USD) and picked up rental cell phones for the duration.

Our tour guide took us straight to the restaurant for dinner but most of our group of 24 were so tired that our traditional Korean dinner was quick and quiet. We got to the hotel and checked in around 9:30PM Seoul time (8:30AM back home).

Tomorrow morning we're planning on some meditation at the Buddhist Temple before heading out to Kukkiwon in the morning and the Kyunghigung Palace in the afternoon.

It will be the true beginning of our Korean Taekwondo Adventure.

KA