Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The En-Light-nd Woman....

One of my good friends directed me to this great blog. It's all about living a life of health, happiness, and energy. I think y'all will really like it! Just remember that balance is key. Any treatment or advice that goes to extremes isn't healthy. Here is one of her awesome posts (click on the light blue words to go to her web page):

THE EN-LIGHT-ND WOMAN blog
Low Energy? RELAX!

How relaxed/ tense we are has a direct effect on our energy level and our energy level affects our health. In fact, our level of heath is pretty much connected to our level of energy.

Supplements can help produce energy but they can’t increase energy storage. A relaxed body has more energy storage capacity then a tense one, and, if you’re too tense, then your body won’t be able to store the extra energy it’s producing.

To understand why this is so, recognize that muscles expend energy when they contract. Contracting muscles allow us to move, lift, walk, run and perform our daily activities. However, each time a muscle contracts, it is discharging energy. A muscle rebuilds its charge when it relaxes or elongates again. In its relaxed, elongated state, it has an energy potential that is ready for the next discharge.

Nerves do a similar thing- thy build up an electrical charge, which is then discharged as the nerve sends a message. In order to send another message, the nerve must rebuild its electrical charge. When a nerve becomes exhausted, a person becomes “shaky”. The nerves can no longer hold the charge and fire rapidly, releasing their energy before they are fully recharged. This causes muscles to tremble and makes the person feel unsteady.

Both muscles and nerves are able to rapidly alternate charging and discharging, but there is a limit to how many times this can be done before it needs some rest to fully recharge.

Our bodies are much like the battery in our cell phones. As we use our phones then charge them and use them and charge them, the capacity of the battery to hold a charge has gradually diminished. So, the reason fatigue has increased as we age is the same reason our cell phone battery doesn’t last as long as it once did- The tired muscle can’t hold as much of an energy charge as it once did.

Solution:

RELAX our muscles. Stretching and breathing is very important. Yoga is a perfect exercise to do both.

Get better sleep. Try Nutri-Calm, GABA plus and Calcium and Magnesium from Nature’s Sunshine Products.

Take short breaks. Leave the computer, sit down, and stand up. What ever you need to remember to relax and elongate your muscles.

BREATHE. Inhale, exhale.

2 comments:

Tralar said...

Emily I finally read your blog and I love all the great ideas. I find it insightful for even those not suffering with chronic illness (who can't benefit from feeling more relaxed and taking better care of ourselves?) You are an inspiration to all who meet you. Thanks for inviting me to read.

MA said...

It's so true- very good advice!