Health: Tai Chi Chuan – the ancient path to stress free living

Tai Chi Chuan – the ancient path to stress free living

Written by Matthew Rochford

When I began practicing Tai Chi in 1991 repparttar

thing that struck me about it was its power or at least repparttar 115624

promise of its power. What I went on to witness and discover was that there was nothing mystical or particularly esoteric about repparttar 115625

power of tai chi it was more just a case of doing it, following tai chi’s unique set of principles and just witnessing what arose within me. When I practice my form (sequence of movements) it is never exactly repparttar 115626

same but it is always beneficial. Tai Chi means “the supreme ultimate” and Chuan means, “fist” so Tai Chi Chuan is in fact a martial art despite it’s reputation for just being a gentle meditative exercise. When practiced as a martial art Tai Chi is both effective and powerful (but this takes a lot of practice to even glimpse especially when you learn that in Tai Chi, repparttar 115627

main focus is to use repparttar 115628

power of

mind in unison with repparttar 115630

energy and power of repparttar 115631

body to release force in whatever direction you want). The benefits of Tai Chi are immense and include improved co-ordination, circulation, posture, balance and well-being. Because tai chi is practiced slowly and with a relaxed focus repparttar 115632

nervous system becomes calmer and so do you. This meditative effect gives you a clearer perspective mentally and in today’s fast and hectic world this can only be a huge resource. In fact repparttar 115633

stress relieving attributes are one of repparttar 115634

main reasons why people start Tai Chi as it gives them a calm mind and real sense of physical emotional and spiritual health Tai Chi started a long time ago so it’s had time to develop and evolve into what we see today. This slow process of change which has happened to tai chi over repparttar 115635

centuries is mirrored in repparttar 115636

way tai chi is practiced i.e. at a meditative pace with no rush to complete it’s intricate and engrossing movements. The softness and flow of tai chi make you relax (you just can’t help it!) but it’s a rejuvenating kind of relaxation. At repparttar 115637

end of a Tai Chi class people are buzzing with Qi (life-force), as repparttar 115638

practice encourages your energy to flow and tension and blockages just seem to dissolve away. It all sounds very blissful and beautiful, which it is but you do have to put a little effort in to get repparttar 115639

results. It’s hard to get your head around that something so graceful and elegant can be used for self defense too, but then again there is an old Chinese saying that ‘the best fighters never fight’ i.e. if you have no enemies internally or externally then there is no need for conflict. The philosophy behind Tai Chi (Taoism) is really useful too and includes repparttar 115640

theory that if you fight force with force any conflict will get worse. It teaches yielding and flexibility to overcome any situation. This can diffuse a situation leaving room for negotiation and dialogue. When you take something like that into your daily life then you have gained a distinct advantage. Yielding encourages listening and when you listen you gain more information and it is easier to see where someone is coming from. In repparttar 115641

workplace such a strategy would create less stress for everyone!

You're At Risk For Osteoporosis! Thousands Of Women Die From Osteoporosis Yearly

Written by Phil Beckett

Osteoporosis Risks & Prevention Options By Phil Beckett Copyright © http://www.womens-health-fitness.com

Osteoporosis is a condition that involves repparttar loss of bone mass, which results in chronic, progressive bone weakening.

This "thinning" of repparttar 115623 bones can be caused by a number of disorders, but is most frequently seen as a consequence of age.

Osteoporosis is much more common in women, who usually begin to develop repparttar 115624 disorder around repparttar 115625 time of menopause, a time marked by a drop in repparttar 115626 body's estrogen level.

While most cases are associated with menopause, any other condition that causes a drop in estrogen can lead to osteoporosis.

Besides advancing age and being female, other risk factors for osteoporosis are:

- Early menopause; - Family history; - White or Asian race; - Not getting enough calcium in your diet; - Smoking; - Alcohol; - Lack of exercise; - Low body weight; - Small stature.

Osteoporosis causes approximately one million fractures in postmenopausal women every year.

Tens of thousands of deaths in women each a year are associated with complications of osteoporosis.

How To Recognize Osteoporosis:

The pain of osteoporosis often goes unnoticed. The following signs indicate you may have osteoporosis:

- Height loss - Back pain - Bone fragility - Bone fracture

Fractures that occur as a result of very minor trauma are often repparttar 115627 first sign of osteoporosis.

About 35 percent of vertebral fractures are not painful. They are sometimes only detected by height loss, chronic back pain, and kyphosis.

Hip and other serious fractures are usually caused by a fall.

Osteoporosis Prevention Is The Key:

First and foremost, make sure that you exercise using a properly structured fitness and nutrition program...

And do it on a regular basis! This is an excellent option for preventing osteoporosis. This must include exercise with weights. It is very important for good health and strong bones.

Make sure you are getting enough calcium. Calcium builds strong bones.

Foods such as such as milk; yogurt, cheese, and other dairy products; and dark green and leafy vegetables do contain calcium.

But, unfortunately, you just cannot get enough from these food sources.

Therefore, you must take a calcium supplement to ensure you are getting enough.

Don't Smoke. Besides repparttar 115628 many health risks caused by smoking, women who smoke have more chance of getting osteoporosis.

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