The Benefits of Exercise for Epilepsy – How to Raise Your Seizure Threshold

There are many factors that can determine whether you will be prone to seizures. While the ketogenic diet can be excellent in preventing seizures, another great factor in preventing seizures is the oxygen content in your body. Exercise can increase the oxygen content in the body.[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”1489569987″ locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/513jdxBM0KL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”313″]

 

Seizure Threshold is Controlled by the Brain CO2 and O2 Levels

Seizures and the seizure threshold are controlled by the amount of carbon dixoide and oxygen levels in the brain. Under normal conditions, electrical signals travel among nerve cells. The electrical signal is transmitted from one nerve cell to another only when the voltage or strength of the signal is high enough. The strength of the signal has a certain threshold. The threshold of excitability of the nerve cells directly relates to the seizure threshold. A normal value for the threshold of excitability in mammals is 50 micro volts.

If this seizure threshold remains high, or normal, the electrical signals are transmitted normally. You will have regular movements. Learning and adaptation are normal. In order to have a positive effect on the biological system, in terms of learning, survival and self-defense, it is crucial that the transmission of neuronal signals satisfies two criteria. First, these signals are transmitted and facilitated through the network of the nerve cells so

no important information is lost. Second, normal work of the senses, memory storage, memory retrieval, comparison of experiences, solution making and execution of solutions, etc.

Brain during epilepsy seizures

However, if the threshold of excitability becomes too low, accidental signals may be amplified. This causes a disruption or even a suppression in the normal work of the central and peripheral nervous systems. When the breathing pattern is disturbed, blood gases become abnormal. This common abnormality is arterial hypocapnia (low levels of CO2) and cell hypoxia (low levels of O2). Overbreathing, or breathing too quickly is the key cause for both of these conditions.

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How CO2 and O2 influence threshold for a seizure

Brain hyperventilation effectsThe nerve cell’s excitability threshold is very sensitive to and dependent upon both the O2 and CO2 concentration in nerve tissues. Lower oxygen levels create tissue hypoxia and an acidic cellular environment. Low CO2 levels create abnormal excitability of the nerve cells.

Neurologists know that hyperventilation, or low CO2 levels, will trigger excitability in the brain. This is what they are testing for during an electroencephalogram test. It is why they have you hyperventilate during the test. They are looking for the level of excitability. Hyperventilation leads to spontaneous and asynchronous firing of the neurons. Therefore, when you hyperventilate, or breathe too quickly, the oxygen and carbon dixoide levels become abnormally low. This results in accidental or weak electrical signals which can be strengthened and relayed through some parts of the brain interfering with the normal signals. These low levels of CO2 and O2 lower the seizure threshold and make you more susceptible to seizures.

 

Irregular breathing patterns cause seizures

Between 70-100% of people with epilepsy can lower their seizure threshold and trigger their seizures through voluntary hyperventilation. Studies have discovered that hyperventilation could cause seizures in all patients. Unfortunately, modern medical research has failed to discover the exact CO2 and O2 threshold that will induce seizures in susceptible individuals. This will be an individual level due to the fact that there are many other factors that influence the transmission of electrical signals in the brain, including surrounding neuronal activity, distribution of electrical firing, the current metabolic rate, body posture, physical exercise, thermoregulation, oxygen tension, calcium and magnesium ions, changes in glia cells, the concentration of neurotransmitters, and amino acids can all play a role.

Hypocapnia is the crucial necessary background in lowering seizure threshold and the appearance of seizures. However, there are many other factors that can contribute to seizures. You can implement many different natural cures for epilepsy to prevent seizures.

There are numerous medical studies which have proven that hyperventilation reliably induces seizures in people with epilepsy. This confirms that seizure threshold is controlled by breathing with limited contribution from other factors.

 

Exercise and the CO2 and O2 Levels

Man: exercise effects - tiredPeople with epilepsy have abnormal blood breathing at rest. Therefore, they have abnormal blood gases prior to exercise. Often, they suffer from arterial hypoxia, especially if they are chest breathers. Chest breathing reduces oxygen levels in arterial blood.

If they have issues with lungs or ventilation-perfusion mismatch, which happens in a small group of patients with severe asthma, emphysema or bronchitis, the arterial CO2 is too high. It can be up to 50-60 mm Hg. When this occurs, blood oxygenation is low already at rest. This causes dyspnea, a shortness of breath sensation, even during low intensity exercise.

When people with epilepsy overbreathe at rest, it reduces their body-oxygen levels. Many people with epilepsy have elevated blood lactate at rest, indicating the presence of cell hypoxia and anaerobic cellular respiration. Mild exercise will generate even more lactic acid due to initial oxygen deficiency. (This is one reason people don’t like to exercise.)

Since lactic acid is controlled by the respiratory system, the body starts to remove bicarbonates (CO2) from the blood by increased ventilation. In order to maintain blood pH in the normal range, the breathing center intensifies minute ventilation to remove some CO2 from the body. Breathing then becomes disproportionally heavier.

Mouth breathing further reduces the arterial and cellular CO2, creating brain hypoxia and increasing the heart rate. Nasal breathing, on the other hand, will prevent CO2 and nasal nitric oxide losses. It improves brain and heart oxygen content if the intensity of the exercise matches the oxygen delivery.

Overbreathing caused by mouth breathing during exercise can impact your breathing and blood gas levels for hours after exercise if it is too intensive or anaerobic. Exercise with low intensities will be better tolerated, but mouth breathing still will negate any improvements in heart and body oxygen levels, which can cancel positive long term effects of exercise on the respiratory system. People with epilepsy can have seizures due to moderate or intensive exercise combined with other hyperventilation inducing factors, such as stress, overeating, a drop in blood glucose and chest breathing.

Unfortunately, many coaches and fitness instructors teach athletes and students to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth as a way to improve the long-term effects of exercise. This breathing technique is only half as good as nasal breathing only.

 

The Best Exercise for Body Oxygen

Soviet and Russian medical doctors studied a large group of patients. They determined that nasal breathing during exercise is the key factor that will maximize positive short and long term effects of exercise on the respiratory system. Nasal breathing during exercise prevents any acute episodes, including coronary spasms, angina pains, infarcts, strokes asthma attacks and seizures. Nasal breathing also ensures the absorption of nitric oxide generated in the sinuses and inhaled into the lungs during nose breathing.

Physical exercise was the main factor that made the breathing and body-oxygen content of our predecessors much better. Many of these individuals were exercising up to 8-12 hours per day. This includes walking, gardening, and all type of activities where the whole body is moving. Mouth breathing was socially unacceptable. Athletes were breathing strictly through the nose during training sessions.

 

Due to the industrial revolution, the average amount of exercise declined to 10-60 minutes per day. Many people stated breathing through their mouth during exercise. This led to more heart attacks, asthma, strokes and exercise induced asthma attacks. Physical exercise with mouth breathing therefore became a serious hazard.

Physical exercise with nasal breathing is the main factor that defines the long-term success during breathing retraining, according to Dr. Buteyko. A lack of physical exercise is the main cause of hyperventilation and hyperventilation can lead to seizures. Therefore, one of the main benefits of exercise for epilepsy is improved seizure control.

It is ideal to start your nasal breathing with a low-intensity exercise that you can maintain for an extended period of time. Walking is the best exercise to start out with. It can easily be done anywhere at any time. Nasal breathing can be incorporated easily during walking. You can increase the intensity of walking as you become more and more proficient at exercising with nasal breathing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great Lakes Gelatin Review – Great Grass Fed, Kosher Gelatin!

Great Lakes Gelatin Review[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” cart=”n” identifier=”B0008D6WBA” locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″]

Name: Great Lakes Gelatin

Website: [easyazon_link identifier=”B0008D6WBA” locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″]

Available at Amazon.com

 

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Price: $23.27 ($1.45 / Ounce)

Owners: Great Lakes

Overall Rank: 90 out of 100

 

 

Great Lakes Gelatin, Product Overview

This is gelatin. Gelatin is useful in healing and sealing the gut lining, curing irritable bowel syndrome, improving the skin texture, and getting more protein in your diet. Great Lakes Gelatin wonderful for your hair and nails.

This is the number one beef gelatin supplement. Great Lakes gelatin products are sourced from cattle in Argentina and Brazil. These are pasture-raised, kosher and grass-fed based on the standards of the American Grassfed Association and animal welfare guidelines.

The ingredients in Great Lakes are high quality. The beef gelatin is forage based. This eliminates the use of growth hormones, steroids and antibiotics. Great Lakes gelatin is committed to monitoring emerging welfare practices and research. This ensures high quality.

Great Lakes gelatin is a pioneer in the field. It has been producing the world’s finest quality collagen and gelatin since its inception in 1922.

Some desirable properties of Great Lakes Gelatin include melt-in-the-mouth characteristics. Gelatin is very useful for it’s following properties:

  • Gel Forming: Useful in gelled desserts, consomme, aspics, confectionery and pate.
  • Whipping Agent : Great for marshmallows, mousses, souffles, chiffons, whipped cream and nougats
  • Protective Colloid: Confections, Icings, ice cream, frozen desserts
  • Binding Agent: This can be helpful with meat rolls, canned meats, cheeses and dairy products.
  • Clarifying Agent: Beer, Wine, Fruit Juices, Vinegar
  • Film Forming: Coating for Fruits, Meats, Deli items.
  • Thickener: Powdered Drink Mixes, Bouillon, Gravies, Sauces, Soups, Puddings, Jellies, Syrups.
  • Emulsifiers: Great for sauces, flavorings, cream soups, whipped cream and confectionery.
  • Adhesive Agent: Affix Nonpareils, Coconut Flakes and other items to Confections, Bonding layered Confections together, Bind Frosting to Baked Goods, Bind Seasoning to Meat Products.
  • Process Aid: Micro-encapsulation of Colors, Flavors, Oils, Vitamins
  • Stabilizer: Cream Cheese, Chocolate Milk, Yogurt, Cream Fillings, Frozen Desserts.

 

 

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

PRO #1: Great gelatin. Works well for making healthy gummy bears and healthy gelatin desserts. It is unflavored, so you can add your own flavorings and control the quality of the foods that you are making.

PRO #2: The grassfed gelatin ensures that you are getting more minerals in your diet.

PRO #3: There are no growth hormones, antibiotics or steroids used on the animals used to create this gelatin.

The Bad:

CON #1: More expensive that generic gelatin.

CON #2: There are some complaints about the flavor and texture. Some users complained that they could taste the gelatin in the foods that they made. However, it wasn’t something noticeable to me.

[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”B0008D6WBA” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2Bn7b3uooL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”500″]

 

Who is Great Lakes Gelatin for?

This product is ideal for people who are on the GAPS diet. Great Lakes Gelatin great for people who want to create gelatin based desserts without the chemicals. Great Lakes Gelatin is the brand for people who want to support sustainable practices.

Gelatin is one of the most multi-functional ingredients in food, pharmaceutical health, and nutrition. Gelatin is a food ingredient from the natural origin which offers a clean label. It has many applications. Gelatin provides many benefits which include healthier hair, skin, and nails.

The Great Lakes Gelatin brand has many advantages such as thermo-reversibility, stability, ease of use and ingredient compatibility. Great Lakes Gelatin sustainable, has unsurpassed texture, it is non-allergenic, and non-gmo.

 

 

Great Lakes Gelatin Support

If you have any questions or concerns about your gelatin, you can contact Great Lakes through their website. They have a contact page on this website:

https://greatlakesgelatin.com/storefront/contacts/
You can send them some snail mail at the following address:

Great Lakes Gelatin

253 Commerce Dr.

Grayslake, IL 60030

If you would like to reach them by phone, their hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 5:00 Central time. The phone number is 847-223-8141

 

Great Lakes Gelatin Price[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”467″ identifier=”B0008D6WBA” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61QzsVXEwWL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”500″]

The pricing of Great Lakes Gelatin matches the quality of the ingredients that they use in the gelatin. The animals are not given steroids, hormones or other toxic chemicals. If you want to buy generic gelatin, you will pay a lot less, however the animals are typically grain fed and have been given steroids and hormones.

 

My Final Opinion of Great Lakes Gelatin

I love Great Lakes gelatin. I use it in my ketogenic desserts, such as my ketogenic panna cotta recipe and my zero carbohydrate cheesecake recipe. I love that this gelatin is made from grassfed animals that aren’t fed hormones or injected with a ton of steroids.

The gelatin works well. I have put it in my tea and haven’t noticed any off-putting flavor.

 

Great Lakes Gelatin at a Glance…

Name: Great Lakes Gelatin

Website: [easyazon_link identifier=”B0008D6WBA” locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″]greatlakesgelatin.com

 

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Owners: Great Lakes

Price: $23.27 ($1.45 / Ounce)

Overall Scam Rank: 90 out of 100

VERDICT: LEGIT! This is a great product. It will help you lose weight if you are using it with a ketogenic diet. It can help with healing and sealing your gut lining if you are following a GAPS diet. Great Lakes Gelatin a great way to get some healthy protein into your diet.

How to Cure Snoring Naturally

Snoring is a common problem. While you may not realize if you are snoring because you are asleep, the noise that snoring creates could be causing sleep disturbances for your partner or family members. Some people may not consider snoring a huge problem if they sleep alone and their snoring doesn’t wake them. However, snoring can be creating health problems by reducing the oxygenation in your body. The great news is that you can cure snoring naturally. As you do so, your health will improve as well!

Become Mindful of Daytime Habits

Snoring is a breathing dysfunction that occurs at night. You will not snore if your mouth is shut and you are breathing through your nose at night. The best thing that you can do for yourself is to start focusing on nasal breathing during the daytime when you do have conscious control over your breathing habits.

As you go about your day, think about keeping your mouth closed when you aren’t talking. When I take walks, I envision my jaw glued shut. This forces me to do nasal breathing, which is the ideal method of breathing. Before long, nasal breathing will become your default. Your body will naturally breathe through the nose.

Your daytime habits will eventually carry over into the night. Slowly, but surely, you’ll start to find that it is more comfortable to breathe through your nose. Your body will naturally start breathing through the nose at night.

 

Buteyko Breathing Exercises

Snoring occurs when you are breathing incorrectly with your mouth open at night. Buteyko breathing exercises are effective at helping you to retrain your body so that you consistently breathe through your nose. This helps to eliminate snoring and the health problems that develop from snoring.

[easyazon_image align=”left” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”0954599616″ locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41nZfVMfhyL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”331″]Nasal breathing is the first step to optimal breathing patterns. Most people are breathing too much and too rapidly. This is caused by a variety of things in modern life from poor posture due to sitting all day, lack of exercise and an overconsumption of refined foods. Even yoga teachers sometimes teach their students to breathe too rapidly for good health.

People who have optimal health breathe 2-3 times per minute naturally. They have a control pause, or a period of time when they can comfortably go without breathing for about 60 seconds. Most people in modern times have nowhere near that control pause. They are comfortable with holding their breath for about 15-20 seconds. However, if you retrain yourself to breathe slower, through your nose and with your diaphragm, you will start to notice amazing health benefits.

The Buteyko breathing method helps to ensure optimal breathing patterns. It has been used by more than 150 MDs in the USSR and Russia for over 40 years. Doctors taught this exercise to their patients with asthma, COPD, bronchitis, emphysema, cystic fibrosis, and other conditions. The Buteyko Breathing Method also helps to eliminate the problem of snoring.

Breathing through your mouth, which happens when you snore means that you are breathing roughly 3-5 times more air than the medical norm. This activity is called “hyperventilation.”

Hyperventilation reduces oxygen levels in the brain, heart, and all other vital organs. Hyperventilation is the main reason why snoring promotes chronic diseases such as asthma, COPD, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and others.

 

 

Exercise with Nasal Breathing

One of the best ways to eliminate hyperventilation and increase oxygenation in the body is through exercise with nasal breathing. Exercise has many physiological benefits. As you sweat, your body releases toxins. This improves every function in the body.

The benefits of correct physical activity include increased body and brain oxygenation at rest, better sleep and more energy. It is very important to continue nasal breathing during exercise to receive maximum health benefits from the exercise.

When 180 Russian medical doctors tested thousands of their patients, they discovered the main benefits of physical activity. Once their patients achieved high body-oxygen test results and stopped doing their breathing exercises, their long term body-oxygen test numbers were linked to the amount of daily physical exercise. Therefore, they concluded that physical exercise is the key lifestyle factor to increase body oxygenation and maintain good health.

Physical exercises are required to remove abnormalities in the body. Our bodies require shaking, or vibrations of the body, sweating and increased metabolism to successfully and effectively deal with cancerous tumors, asthma, diabetes, high cholesterol, arthritis and other auto-immune diseases, inflammatory conditions, GI disorders and other dysfunction.

The Butyeko Breathing Method of retraining your breath should include an exercise component. This will help to maintain your control pause, especially throughout the night. Physical activity is the crucial factor in the process of gradually increasing your monrning control pause and preventing decreases due to lifestyle.

 

Create Good Sleep Habits

There are some sleeping habits that can prevent snoring altogether. Snoring is often triggered when your head drops backward and the lower jaw stays open. Sleeping on your side can reduce this occurrence. Sleeping on your back is likely to increase the number of times your mouth opens at night. [easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”0062349473″ locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51YCk8I8o5L.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”329″]

Another rule of thumb for creating great sleeping habits that prevent snoring is to go to sleep when you are really sleepy and not earlier. This will reduce the amount of time that you are laying down.

Before and during sleep breathe only through the nose. As you are falling asleep, relax all of your muscles and lie on your left side. Do a few control pauses prior to falling asleep. Pinch your nose and hold your breath until you feel the first sign of discomfort. Exhale through the nose.

After your breath hold, take a small inhalation through the nose. Following the short inhalation, relax all of your body’s muscles and exhale slowly.  Make sure that the exhalation is natural and unforced. This exercise is getting you focused on breathing through your nose at night. With each breath, take a smaller or reduced inhalation. your goal is to gently create air hunger while relaxing your body muscles.

 

Mouth Taping at Night

When you are getting started with Buteyko breathing exercises, you don’t want your progress to be destroyed by a night of snoring and poor breathing habits. This can easily happen as your body reverts back to its old habits of allowing the jaw to open up and breathing through the mouth. You may find that taping your mouth shut with some masking tape helps you to keep your mouth closed as you are developing the habit of breathing through your nose while you sleep. Many people have found this practice to be helpful. You may be able to avoid this step if you are making great progress with the other steps. As your breathing improves, this step may become unnecessary.

 

Buteyko breathing is very effective at naturally restoring proper breathing during sleep. It can be learned from a practitioner, but many components of Buteyko breathing can be learned from videos and books. I highly recommend the book, Close Your Mouth by Patrick McKeown to start. If you find that you’re not making progress or you have a serious health condition, you may want to contact a Buteyko breathing practitioner.

 

 

 

Brian Flatt’s 2 Week Diet Plan Review

Brian Flatt 2-Week Diet Plan Review

Name: 2-Week Diet Plan

Website: 2weekdiet.com
Owners: Brian Flatt

Overall Rank: 85 out of 100

 

2-Week Diet, Product Overview

The 2-Week Diet is a science-based diet. It is 100% guaranteed to melt away 8-16 pounds of stubborn body fat in just 14 days. This program accomplishes this goal by breaking it down into 4 different parts. You have a dietary component, a workout component, supplements and a motivational component. When you combine all the activities, you will definitely lose weight.

There is a 60-day money back guarantee if you do not lose weight. Therefore, it is risk free to try this program. You will get results or you can ask for your money back!

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

PRO #1: I found the dietary recommendations to be on point. This program dispels some of the myths about nutrition.

PRO #2: The diet is only two weeks. This is a manageable amount of time to keep up with a diet. It is also the amount of time needed to create a habit.

PRO #3: This plan includes both a gym exercise program and a home exercise program to fit the needs of individuals who like to work out at the gym and those who enjoy working out at home.

The Bad:

CON #1: It is $37, so the cost is more than the price of a book.

CON #2: It doesn’t address more complicated health issues, such as diabetes, autoimmune conditions, etc.

 

Who is the 2-Week Diet For?

This is the perfect product for people who are looking to lose weight fast. It is great during the spring for people who are trying to get their body ready for swim suit season. It is ideal for anyone who wants to drop 8-16 pounds in about two weeks.

 

 

2-Week Diet Tools & Training
1. The Diet: the dietary portion of the 2-week diet is just that, a diet. There are two phases to the 2-Week Diet. During the first week on the diet, you will likely see a drop in weight around ten pounds. The first phase will let you know how you can lose about one pound per day simply by watching the foods that you eat or don’t eat. This diet requires some motivation and short term changes to your eating habits. However, if you follow it, you will be in control of your weight for the rest of your life. Many people feel that after finishing phase #1, they feel like they could accomplish anything.

2. The workouts: Sometimes people who diet fail because they are not consistently working out. Often the workout required to succeed is just too much for them. These workouts are designed to burn fat and get you into great shape in just 20 minutes a few times each week. While you can lose weight quickly on this diet, a quality workout like the one in The 2-Week Diet can double your fat loss results. The 2-Week Diet workout is broken into two separate workouts. One of them is designed for those who would rather workouts at their local gym and the other is a home workout using body weight exercises and a single piece of equipment. Whichever workout you choose, they will be fat blasting workouts.

3.Supplements: The third component of the 2-Week Diet is the supplement report. It gives a look at some of the most popular dietary supplements which are being used today. These include a review of the supplements not included in the 2-Week Diet itself.

4.Motivation & Mindset: The 2-Week Diet includes one of the most important aspects of achieving goals, motivation and mindset. The Motivation report contains some valuable information that Brian Flatt has used on his clients in the past. It demonstrates how to focus energy on achieving your goals. There are great tips, tricks and secrets to losing weight and keeping it off in the motivation and mindset report.

 

 

2-Week Diet Support

The 2-Week Diet comes with an activity handbook. They give you some of the most incredible fat-burning exercises that are available. As you combine the diet portion of the 2-Week Diet, it will produce unbelievable amounts of body fat loss.

 

Sometimes motivation to get started on a diet and weight loss program can be difficult. For this reason the 2-week diet comes with a motivation handbook. You will discover some very effective ways to make weight loss more enjoyable and a lot easier.

You can contact Brian Flatt at Brian@2weekdiet.com for questions and clarifications on the 2 Week Diet plan.

 

 

2-Week Diet Price
At $37 for an online diet product, this is priced competitively. Online diet related products tend to start about $29 and go all the way up to $70. This is on the lower end of the spectrum. However, you could probably find a book on Amazon with similar information for $15-20.

 

My Final Opinion of The 2-Week Diet
I actually like this product, feel like it will work for a majority of dieters and would recommend it. There are a few things about this diet that I disagree with. I personally like to eat fewer meals per day and this recommends 5-6 small meals per day. That means that you are snacking every few hours. Some people enjoy doing this, but I prefer an intermittent fast to snacking.

 

The 2-Week Diet at a Glance…

Name: The 2-Week Diet

Website: 2weekdiet.com
Owners: Brian Flatt

Price: PRICE

Overall Scam Rank: 85 out of 100

VERDICT: LEGIT! It is a great product at a good price. I marked it down a bit because it does recommend eating every few hours, and I don’t like that recommendation. However, I felt the dietary guidelines were pretty good.

Buteyko Breathing for Panic Attacks and Anxiety

Panic attacks and anxiety can wreak havoc on your mental health. They can really disrupt your day to day living when you are constantly worried and stressed out about things. Buteyko breathing for panic attacks and anxiety is an extremely effective and natural method to treat them.

How can changing your breathing impact panic attacks and anxiety? Panic attacks and anxiety create a drop in the blood’s carbon dioxide levels due to heavy, fast breathing. When there is a drop in the blood’s carbon dioxide levels, the oxygen levels in the body become lowered, leading to a panic attack. The Buteyko Breathing Method helps to even out and normalize breathing patterns so the levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen can restabilize.

Buteyko Breathing Method

The Buteyko Breathing Method was a way of breathing that was developed by Konstantin Buteyko. He noticed that as people became sicker, their breathing became faster and more pronounced. He began to associate faster, heavier breathing with illness. The Buteyko Breathing Method focuses on slowing down the breathing and making the breath diaphragmatic. There are many benefits to the Buteyko Breathing Method, including more energy, improved respiratory function and an improvement in allergies. Another great benefit of the Buteko Breathing Method is the improvement of depression and anxiety.[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”B00AEB99AC” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41ctgpedaRL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”322″]

During an anxiety attack, an individual will begin to breathe rather heavily with very little control. This will lead to hyperventilation and other shallow breathing techniques. Panic attacks and stress brought on by anxiety can all cause inconsistent breathing. The Buteyko Breathing Method can help to remedy this issue.

The Buteyko Breathing Method teaches you to slow down your breathing and to breathe only through the nose. The Buteko Breathing Method focuses on remaining calm through the act of breathing. It helps you maintain level breathing that is stable and physiologically calming.

One of the common mistakes many people make is to take deep breaths when they feel a panic attack approaching. Breathing less is actually the key to staving off hyperventilation, which means you should be breathing slower and not deeper.

Panic Attacks

A panic attack is the sudden feeling of strong anxiety, terror, fear or discomfort. Panic attacks can seem to come from nowhere and develop rapidly. However, anxiety and panic attacks are the result of overexcited nerves. The key physiological causes of overexcited nerves are breathing patterns that reduce the oxygen and carbon dioxide content. This is known as hyperventilation.

Hyperventilation, panic attacks and anxiety form a vicious cycle with one leading to the next. The Buteyko Breathing Method helps to break this cycle and reduce anxiety and panic attacks.

Anxiety and panic attacks are becoming more common that they were 80-100 years ago. People are breathing faster and deeper and living in a state of chronic hyperventilation. For that reason, it is common to suffer from chronic or sporadic anxiety. The Buteyko Breathing Method is effective in calming nerves naturally within 1-2 minutes. This will reduce the signs and symptoms of anxiety and overtime, it will go away.

Symptoms of Anxiety

Some symptoms of anxiety attacks include chest tightness, coastal or chest breathing, shortness of breath, a feeling of a lack of air, panic and phobia. Some early signs and symptoms of anxiety disorders include dry mouth in the morning, sleeping on one’s back agitated sleep or nocturnal problems. A sign of anxiety could also include sighing or sniffing air, and mouth breathing during exercise and walking.

 

Anxiety Problems

Anxiety can create many problems in your life. Anxiety can be accompanied by a lack of physical exercise, oral breathing during sleep or exercise. Anxiety can lead to psychological stress with feelings of revenge, anger, greed, jealousy, envy and laziness. It can lead to eating too much and a lack of important nutrients. Anxiety can trigger consumption of junk foods.

Due to the erratic problems with breathing and anxiety, toxins, poisons and pollution can become much more problematic. They can trigger allergic reactions. Dusty environments can become a problem for people with anxiety. Many anxiety sufferers also have issues with pathological gut flora, which can lead to other illnesses. They may also experience focal infections, such as dead tonsils, cavities in teeth, athletes’ feet, root canals or dead teeth and intestinal parasites. –

Other things that can be associated with anxiety are addictions and excesses, such as addiction to caffeine, smoking gambling or street drugs. Sighing, sneezing, yawning and coughing all disrupt breathing patterns are common among people who have anxiety.

 

Reducing Anxiety with Buteyko Breathing

Buteyko Breathing Method will smooth out and slow down the breathing. As you learn the Buteyko Breathing Method, you will start to focus on nasal breathing 24/7. This naturally slows down your breathing patterns to maximize the gas exchange in the body.

As you exercise with nasal breathing (in and out through your nose), changes in blood gases and nitric oxide blood concentration enable you to increase your brain’s ability to focus. It triggers relaxation.

One of the components of the Buteyko Breathing Method is to emphasize having a straight spine or correct posture 24/7. This allows the breath to get to the diaphragm where the exchange of gases occurs.[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”B076T5BDJZ” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41olt1AgkzL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”324″]

Some great tools for relieving anxiety include forgiveness, silent prayer, acceptance, peace-making, good will, and calmness. As your anxiety reduces through the Buteyko Breathing exercises, you should notice better composure, perseverance, self-discipline, commitment, and responsibility.

Spending more time outdoors can help in relieving anxiety as sunlight provides vitamin D.

One aspect of the Buteyko Breathing Method is to eat only when you are hungry. When you overeat, you tend to increase your breathing patterns. Overeating often leads to hyperventilation, which can trigger anxiety. It is important to only eat when you are hungry and stop. Also, make sure you are eating whole foods and reducing your processed food consumption.

Sleeping patterns can have an impact on the breathing rate. Go to bed when you are sleepy and get out of bed when you wake up in the morning. Sleeping on soft beds with lots of blankets can trigger hyperventilation. Be aware that sleeping with your mouth open is detrimental for your health. Many Buteyko Breathing practitioners recommend that you tape your mouth shut to ensure nasal breathing at night.

While these changes may seem new and different, as you become more and more accustomed to slower, nasal breathing, you will start to notice that your panic attacks and anxiety become more and more infrequent. You’ll also notice that your health will improve in other ways. Nasal breathing reduces the chances of catching colds. You may also discover that you have more energy as your body is more oxygenated.

 

 

 

 

 

Best Foam Roller For Muscle Massage

After working out a bit too hard on my Simply Fit Board, I discovered that delayed onset muscle soreness can be relieved with the best foam roller for muscle massage, the PowerPro 2 in 1 foam roller. In my opinion, this one is the best. (Although there are some other great ones on the market too!)[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” cart=”n” identifier=”B01LYVHLXR” locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″]

PowerPro 2 in 1 Foam Rolller Review

Name: PowerPro Foam Roller

Website: amazon.com

Price: $21.97 + Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

Owners:G2 Sportswear

Overall Rank: 95 out of 100

 

PowerPro 2 in 1 Foam Roller, Product Overview

These are two separate foam rollers that can be stored together. They are ideal for those who are just getting started with foam rolling and need something gentler to get them hooked on it. The outer, more rigid foam roller is great for when you are more comfortable with foam rolling. It has striations similar to human fingers. This makes the massage more concentrated. By having the option to use a softer and a harder foam roller, this set makes sure your needs are met.

The 2-in-1 foam roller with patented technology relieves chronic back conditions, It is instant pain relieving therapy that is useful for deep tissue massage. The rollers soothe and rejuvenate tight, damaged and aching muscles. The smooth roller massage is great for injury rehab. It also can relieve migraines.

The foam roller treats the pain and inflammation that is associated with shin splints. It allows for fast muscle recover as well as regular use. Foam rolling prevents reoccurence. The foam roller removes lactic acid and increases oxygenated blood flow through the muscles, which allows you to exercise stronger, faster and longer so you can improve your personal best times in your chosen sport.

The 2-in-1 foam roller can be used to improve balance and posture. You can stand taller and look slimmer with perfect posture. Exercising with a foam roller reshapes and elongates your muscles, for a longer, leaner, younger look. The two bonus e-books can help you to achieve a fit, healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Foam rolling can help people reduce cellulite and fluid retention. It breaks up the fat fibers, resulting in smooth, toned and rejuvenated skin. You will sleep better as you continue to use foam rollers. The exercises relax the muscles and the mind, relieves stress and gives you a better, more peaceful sleep.

The PowerPro foam rollers are easy to use, lightweight and portable. They also come with a carrying case.

 

 

 

The Good & the Bad[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”B01B8DRZIM” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ltq39MGLL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”500″]

The Good:

PRO #1: The PowerPro 2 in 1 roller comes with two rollers, a softer one for more gentle foam rolling and a harder one to work out those knots in your muscles.

PRO #2: It comes at a great price. The PowerPro 2 in 1 foam roller is competitively priced.

PRO #3: The quality of the foam rollers is outstanding. They are well-designed for travel and taking them with you to the gym.

The Bad:

CON #1: The larger foam roller doesn’t roll smoothly on the ground because the foam spikes slow it down.

CON #2: After consistent use over a few months, a few users cracked their foam rollers.
 

Who is PowerPro 2 in 1 Foam Roller for?

This is great for self-massage on your sore muscles. The PowerPro foam roller can be used by athletic teens and adults. The PowerPro 2 in 1 foam roller can also safely be used with children if you teach them the correct method to use it.

The PowerPro foam roller will work for athletes of all types, sports enthusiasts, and individuals wishing to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It will get those tight, sore muscles and increase the blood flow to them. It is especially good at relieving chronic back and hip pain, releasing lactic acid after a workout and detoxifying the body with each use.

 

 

PowerPro 2 in 1 Tools & Training

There is a seventeen page fully illustrated foam rolling user guide that comes with the PowerPro 2-in-1 foam rollers. It fully explains the theory behind foam rolling and takes you through the core exercises. It also provides you with the knowledge that you will need to be able to customize your exercises to your specific needs.

[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”B01B8DRZIM” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51OMjd2m8JL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”500″]

 

 

THE SOFT INNER ROLLER

  • Ideal for Beginners that may need to gently ease into foam rolling.
  • Perfect for Neck Massage or massaging extra sensitive areas.
  • Great for Injury Rehab.
  • Anti-Slip feature for confidence and precision during each workout.

 

HIGH DENSITY OUTER ROLLER

  • Strong, rigid inner core – almost indestructible!
  • Specially designed to withstand constant & repeated use, without losing its shape or breaking down

The unique new molding design does the following:

  1. Gives targeted, deep tissue massage
  2. Releases painful, sore trigger points
  3. Soothes tight and sore muscles
  4. Perfect for experienced and regular user of foam rollers.

 

 

PowerPro 2 in 1 Foam Roller Support
G2Sportswear is the owner of the PowerPro foam rollers. They are fully dedicated to 100% customer and product satisfaction. The 2-in-1 foam rollers are covered by the G2 Sportswear Guarantee. They will replace them at any time if you are unhappy with them. Simply register your purchase on their website. http://www.g2sportswear.com/register/

 

PowerPro 2-in-1 Foam Roller Price

The cost of the PowerPro 2-in-1 foam roller is comparable to other foam rollers on the market. The great thing about this foam roller is that it comes with a replacement guarantee. If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, simply register the product on their website and notify them that you would like a replacement.

My Final Opinion of PowerPro 2 in 1 Foam Roller

This is a quality product. After I overdid my workout, I learned how to use a foam roller to relieve my muscle soreness. It works! When I first started doing the exercises, the roller seemed a bit hard, but after getting a few repetitions done, my muscles started to feel better. It did increase the circulation to my muscles and relieve some of the built up lactic acid.

I found these foam rollers very helpful in doing muscle massage on my overworked muscles!

PowerPro 2 in 1 Foam Roller at a Glance…

Name: PowerPro 2 in 1 Foam Roller

Website: Amazon.com

Owners: G2 Sportswear
Price: $21.97

Overall Scam Rank: 95 out of 100

VERDICT: LEGIT! This is a great product that I highly recommend to anyone interested in doing some self-massage on their overworked muscles!

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Relief – 5 Simple Steps

Today, I’m creating this blog post because I’ve got a slight case of delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. I excitedly worked out with my Simply Fit Board a bit too long. It was somewhat addicting and now my muscles are talking to me! So, naturally, I decided researching delayed onset muscle soreness relief was in order!

DOMS has happened to most athletes at some point in their training. It typically occurs when you increase your workout intensity or time too quickly. After twenty-four hours, your muscles may be so sore that simply putting on your clothes or going down the stairs will trigger grimacing accompanied by soreness and stiffness.

While many people have contended with DOMS, it is still somewhat of a mystery to the medical profession. The cause is considered to be excessive eccentric contraction which causes muscle damage, inflammation, and stress which triggers pain receptors. Eccentric muscle action refers to the movements that have you releasing a load. This occurs when you are lowering a portion of a bench press, or the release portion of a row. It is the action of starting and stopping a lot, or even running downhill.

Delayed onset muscle soreness is not as damaging as it may sound. It doesn’t even mean that you totally overdid the workout. However, it is a sign that your body is on the move to improvements in strength. You overloaded the muscles, which is an important factor for your body to adapt upwards towards getting fitter and stronger. DOMS happens between workouts when your body launches into repair efforts. It increase blood flow to the affected muscles so all the necessary materials are available. While those tears are being repaired and the muscle fibers are being rebuilt, the muscle is sore and slightly inflamed. Even though it is a step towards increasing strength, it doesn’t feel great when it happens.

Some symptoms of DOMS include the following:

  • swelling of the affected limbs,
  • temporary reduction in a joint’s range of motion,
  • tenderness to the touch, or
  • temporary reduction in the strength of the affected muscles
  • soreness

 

Step 1 – Take a Break

You shouldn’t go hard the next day. You may even want to give your body two days to recover. This is mostly because you physically can’t. The damage that you incurred will inhibit your performance until it has healed. However, if you’re not completely debilitated, some gentle exercise and stretching can help to get the blood pumping to the affected muscles, which will bring oxygen and nutrients and flush out any build up of post-exercise waste products.

One strategy for the next day exercise is to simply take it easy. Go for a walk, but don’t run. Lift lighter weights with fewer reps and sets. Cross-training is an option as well. Train the other muscles that aren’t sore. It can take up to a full week to recover.

Step 2 – Hydrate

Drink water. There is some research that demonstrates a correlation between hydration and increased muscle soreness and DOMS. It is theorized that if dehydration increases soreness, then increased levels of hydration can minimize it.

The main idea is that water aids in flushing out waste products. As muscles break down, they release waste products and toxins that need to be filtered out of the body, such as hydrogen ions and an enzyme known as creatine kinase.These waste products are associated with increased soreness in the body.

While your kidneys and liver are ultimately responsible for filtering out toxins, staying hydrated aids this process along. Staying hydrated is always a good idea anyway.

 

Step 3 – Get Your Nutrients

Anti-oxidants are a key in relieving inflammation. The antioxidants found in pomegranates, cherries, blueberries and caffeine have been known to reduce inflammation and decrease recovery time. While it is unclear how much is needed, consuming an antioxidant rich juice or a cup of coffee prior to a workout may help.
Electrolyte levels can be important in reducing inflammation as well. Keep up your usual consumption of potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium-containing foods.

Omega 3 fatty acids offer tons of benefits. One of them is as an anti-inflammatory. This can help with DOMS because some of the discomfort associated with DOMS is simply inflammation.
Studies have demonstrated that fish oil supplements can help to reduce certain markers of inflammation in the human body.

Scientific research backs this up. In a 2009 study published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, 27 untrained men went through a leg workout. Prior to the workouts range of motion, perceived pain and muscle circumference were all measured to set a baseline. Volunteers were then given 1.8 grams of Omega 3s, a placebo or nothing.

The measurements were repeated after 24 and 48 hours. The omega-3 group experienced a reduction in swelling 24 hours after the workout. They also experienced improvements in range of motion and pain 48 hours later.

 

 

Step 4 – Massage

Researchers studied the effect of gentle massage on DOMS and discovered that athletic massage that is administered 2 hours after eccentric exercise will disrupt an initial crucial event in acute inflammation, the accumulation of neutrophils. This results in a diminished inflammatory response and a concomitant reduction in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and serum creatine kinase.

Massage will also increase blood flow to the muscles and encourage oxygenation. You may enjoy some light foam rolling on the affected area.

Foam Rolling – Self-Massage

Foam rolling is a form of self-massage. You simply roll a foam cylinder over your muscles. This helps to work out the knots formed in muscle tissue when they are under tension. It also aids in flushing waste from your muscles more efficiently. This helps your muscles enjoy a more thorough recovery.

A study in the Journal of Athletic Training backs up this theory. It asked male volunteers to go through a squat workout and perform a variety of performance tests. The subjects performed a foam rolling routine immediately, 24 hours later and 48 hours after the workout.

It was discovered that not only did foam rolling reduce the muscle soreness, it also improved the subjects’ performance in jumping and sprinting.

It is wise to be cautious with this technique. While the massage can decrease the pain, be aware that inflammation is a necessary part of healing. Disrupting inflammation prematurely may delay full recovery.

 

 

Step 5 – Try Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatories.

I rarely recommend pills, so I left this recommendation until the end. You may find temporary relief from DOMS by using anti-inflammatory over the counter medications, such as ibuprofen. Don’t overdo the doses. Pay attention to how you feel when the medications wear off. Be careful not to exercise too much while taking anti-inflammatories. Masking the pain can lead to worse injuries. The symptom of pain is a signal to our bodies to slow down. NSAIDs can also delay muscle healing by disrupting the inflammatory process, so use them with caution.

If the pain is not improving with anti-inflammatories and has lasted for over a week, you may want to call a doctor. Most muscle soreness after intense workouts tends to subside within a week. Another indication that you’ve injured your body is that the pain is localized to one side of the body or a certain area. If your workout was symmetrical, but the pain you are feeling is only occurring on the right side, you may have injured one of your muscles on the right side.

 

 

 

 

Simply Fit Board As Seen on TV Review

I was given the Simply Fit Board as seen on TV as a gift this weekend. My father has a habit of watching infomercials and sometimes I end up with the product. This has happened with the power pressure cooker. I had seen the Simply Fit Board on the television show, Shark Tank, when Lori Greiner put up funding to bring the product to market. It looked interesting, but didn’t seem like it would be an intense workout. I was pleased to get one to review. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the intensity of the workout![easyazon_infoblock align=”right” cart=”n” identifier=”B01KMJNZCS” locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″]

Simply Fit Board Review

Name:Simply Fit 30043 The Abs Legs Core Workout Balance Board (Green)

Website: SimplyFitBoard.com

Price: $34.24

Owners: Simply Fit

Overall Rank: 80 out of 100

 

 

Simply Fit Board, Product Overview

The Simply Fit Board is a plastic board that is shaped like a skateboard with a curve in the middle. The board creates a bit of instability during your workout. You can balance on the Simply Fit Board and use a unique twisting motion and pivoting action that will engage and tone the entire body. The Simply Fit Board helps to strengthen the abs, legs and core.

The Simply Fit Board is lightweight, portable and stores away easily. It measures 24.5x 18 x 3/4 inch. It weighs 3 pounds and supports up to 400 pounds.

The Simply Fit Board includes a user guide and DVD workout video. It comes in blue, green, magenta and orange.

 

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

PRO #1: One of the great things about the Simply Fit Board is that it works your stabilizing muscles. It creates a bit of instability as you are performing exercises that trigger the stabilizing muscles to work. This increases the amount of work that your body is doing.

PRO #2: It is simple and fun. Twisting on the Simply Fit Board doesn’t feel like a workout at first. It just seems like fun. However, as you add in different exercises and change up your routine, you really start to feel your muscles working!

PRO #3: It is compact. I love this aspect of the Simply Fit Board. It is perfect for a small apartment or home gym. You can store it away in a closet or under a bed and whip it out when you need it.

The Bad:

CON #1: Some users have reported that it is cheaply made and breaks after a few months. Those who reported that also reported that they were able to receive a replacement. I’ve only had mine for 3 workouts, so I don’t know if it will break just yet, but I’ll keep you posted if I change my opinion on this product.

CON #2: It will mat the carpet down where you are using it. You can use a mat to protect your flooring.

[easyazon_image align=”right” height=”400″ identifier=”B06XRSLMLZ” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31HCndF7LOL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”400″]

 

 

Who is Simply Fit Board for?

This is for the individual who wants to make the most of her home gym. It is great for people who want to workout at home, but want to have some variety to their workouts. It is wonderful for people who are relying on light weights or body weight exercises to build their strength because they don’t have a lot of room for heavy weights in their home gym.

The Simply Fit Board can be fun for teenagers and kids who want to burn off some of their excess energy as they watch television. They will have fun trying to balance on it and enjoy twisting around.

The Simply Fit Board only supports up to 400 pounds, so it is not for the extremely obese individual. The Simply Fit Board can be used by average and overweight individuals safely. It is also safe for children over the age of 6.

 

Simply Fit Board Tools & Training
The Simply Fit Board comes with a workout DVD to instruct its users on how to safely use the Simply Fit Board and incorporate it into their workouts. While it is intuitive to step on the Simply Fit Board and do some twists, I found the DVD very helpful in providing exercises that I hadn’t thought about using with the Simpy Fit Board.

 

Simply Fit Board Support
For Simply Fit Customer Service please call:800-401-9760. The operators are standing by from 8am – 10pm EST Monday through Friday.
The Simply Fit Board does have a 60-day iron clad 100% money-back guarantee. They do replace the Simply Fit Boards within that period if your cracks and you want a replacement, so keep that customer service number handy!

 

Simply Fit Board Price
The cost of the Simply Fit Board seems a bit high at $39.99 + shipping on their website. It is slightly less expensive on Amazon at $34.24 + free shipping with Amazon Prime.

 

[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”B01N4K5BQF” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Pt87GazKL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”500″]

 

My Final Opinion of the Simply Fit Board

First and foremost, I must admit that I love the workout with the Simply Fit Board. I can tell that this is going to strengthen my core and is improving my posture. I can feel the leg muscles talking to me after only 3 workouts. I felt the workouts were fun. I even did one in the morning and in the evening yesterday.

Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed to see how many reviewers on Amazon were saying that their boards cracked after a few months. I’m personally going to enjoy the workouts with mine as much as possible. If mine cracks, I probably will look for other home workouts and workout products instead of buying a new one. They will replace it if it breaks, so that is a plus. I’m not sure how long they continue to replace them though.

 

Simply Fit Board at a Glance…

Name: Simply Fit Board

Website: http://simplyfitboard.com

Owners: Simply Fit Board

Price: $34.24

Overall Scam Rank: 80 out of 100

VERDICT: LEGIT! This product does work. It will give you a great workout, especially if you follow along with the DVD workout that they included with the Simply Fit Board.

Not sure if the workout is right for you? Check it out! I discovered I love it!

Power Walking For Fitness – Better Than Jogging?

Many people don’t think of walking as a great way to get fit. However, power walking for fitness may be better than jogging in many respects. Walking doesn’t need special equipment, it is convenient to do almost anywhere and can fit into almost every schedule. Even if you are busy working most of the day, you can do some power walking on a treadmill desk and still fit your fitness routine into your day.

Power Walking Can Melt Away Excess Weight

Walking is one of the simplest and most beneficial of the low-impact workouts due to the fact that your feet are always in contact with the ground. This natural technique reduces the chances of injury. It is safer than running or jogging. Power walking, which is walking at a speed of three to five miles per hour, offers the same benefits as jogging, but with a reduced risk of injury.

For many individuals, running for exercises isn’t ideal because it requires more physical exertion than walking. However, with regular walking habits, you can use power walking techniques and still gain all the benefits of jogging. Increasing your walking pace is all that you need to do to increase your calorie burn so that it equals jogging. An example of this is a 150 pound person burns roughly 300 calories by walking at 4.5 mph for one hour. This is the same calorie burn rate as a person who jogs at 4 mph for 1 hour. Sometimes a fast walk beats a slow jog and is easier on your joints!

Overall Health Improvement

A regular exercise routine will help you to combat illness much better. When you do power walking consistently, it can help to raise your good cholesterol levels and decrease the bad cholesterol levels. It will also improve your cardiovascular health. Improved cardiovascular health helps the body to lower high blood pressure and reduces your risk of type 2 Diabetes. Power walking can also help to decrease the likelihood of serious health issues, such as cancer and stroke.

Stress Reliever

A daily regimen of power walking can help to reduce the stresses associated with regular day to day living. One session per day can help to redirect your focus and concentration away from stressful situations and environments. It is also an efficient way to engage in time alone and relieve tension. As you walk, endorphins are released in the brain through exercise and result in a more relaxed disposition and a calmer state of mind. This allow you to remove yourself from the hectic and stressful pace of the office or a busy home atmosphere. A power walk will leave you renewed and refreshed.

Improved Performance of Daily Tasks

Everyday tasks require a degree of strength to perform. Through power walking, you utilize both the upper and lower body strength. This results in stronger muscles and bones. As you tone up your body through power walking, the improved body conditioning enables you to carry out the day to day tasks easier. Regular exercise heightens your ability to perform more challenging tasks, such as lifting up heavy objects with ease. As you consistently incorporate power walking into your day, you will feel better about your productivity.

Power Walking Techniques

When it comes to power walking there are some specific rules that you should follow for maximum benefit. This is not the same as race walking, which is governed by specific rules. Power walking simply means that you are increasing your walking pace to cover a mile in less than 15 minutes. At this pace, you are walking faster than 4 mph, which is the average jogging pace for most people.

  • Pay attention to your pace. You should gradually increase your pace over time as it becomes easier. Do your normal warm up and cool down routine.
  • Pay attention to your posture. Make sure that you are looking straight ahead, not at the ground. Don’t use too many vigorous aerobic arm movements. For the greatest power walking results, allow your body to do the work and leave the hand and ankle weights at home.
  • Keep your elbows at about a 90 degree angle and swing your arms faster, but not too high. The arms should never cross your body. Your hands should never swing higher than your chest. Allow the feet to follow the natural pace of the arms.
  • Concentrate on each stride to push off with your toes.
  • Sometimes power walkers count their steps and aim for about 135 steps per minute.
  • As you walk, tighten your abs and glutes. Some power walkers tilt their pelvis slightly forward. Focus on shorter, quicker strides.
  • Breathe naturally as you walk. If you find that you start to get out of breath, slow down.

After a few weeks of regular power walking, you’ll discover that you are burning more calories and are feeling fitter than ever.

Power Walking Mistakes to Avoid 

1. Do not over stride. Keep your stride natural.

2. Do not use too vigorous arm movements. This will throw off your gait.

3. Do not look at the ground. This tends to worsen your posture.

4. Do not hunch your shoulders. Poor posture and hunched shoulders will compromise your breathing.

5. Do not carry hand weights or place weights on your ankles. While it seems like a good idea, it can be detrimental to your posture. You want to ensure that you have good posture and the walking benefits you.

As you can see, power walking not only has many health benefits, but it is a simple exercise to start incorporating into your day. The best way to make power walking a daily habit is to set aside a time each day to go on a power walk. This can be in the morning, during lunchtime, or in the evening. Stick with your schedule and make sure you get that hour of power walking done. You’ll start to notice more focus and energy and eventually, you’ll start to shed some of those extra pounds!

Island Fresh Superior Organic Virgin Coconut Oil Review

It is difficult to know which coconut oil to purchase. One of the best budget friendly coconut oil’s is Island Fresh Superior Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. I was a bit hesitant about purchasing this coconut oil at first because it was coming in a whopping 54 ounces, but I knew that I would use that much coconut oil. I was following a ketogenic diet and had been instructed by my physician to take six tablespoons per day. I have since backed off that much coconut oil, but I have found many other topical uses for coconut oil!

Island Fresh Superior Organic Virgin Coconut Oil Review

Name:Island Fresh Superior Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, 54 Ounce

Website: Available at Amazon.com

Price: $17.10 ($0.32 / Ounce)

Owners: Island Fresh

Overall Rank: 90 out of 100

Island Fresh Superior Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Product Overview

Island Fresh Organic Coconut oil is one of nature’s best gifts to our health. It can be used in cooking, for home remedies, and the skin can benefit from coconut oil.

Island Fresh Organic Coconut oil is cold pressed and never heated. They use a traditional method of oil extraction that preserves the features of coconut oil, which includes its tropical taste and aroma. Island Fresh Coconut oil is certified organic and non-GMO.

 

This coconut oil can be used for metabolism support. Coconut oil is a quick source of energy and helps to support weight management and the metabolism. Many people on the ketogenic diet use coconut oil for weight loss. It also may be used as a daily supplement to increase mental focus and as an athletic endurance enhancer.

Coconut oil can also be applied to the ends and roots of hair for a conditioning hair treatment. This can be done weekly for radiant looking hair.

Coconut oil is great to use on the skin. It can act as a natural sunscreen, face cream and overnight treatment for everyday skin care.

Coconut oil is a great addition to smoothies, stews and soups. It adds a delightful tasty and exotic element to recipes. This is great for Thai cooking.

 

 

The Good & the Bad
The Good:

PRO #1: I loved this coconut oil. It is a quality coconut oil at a great price. Amazon even has a subscribe and save feature, so that you can save a little more money and have it shipped to you regularly. This is a great feature for people who know how much they consume and when they will need another bottle. You won’t ever run out with the subscribe and save feature.

PRO #2: This has a smooth and creamy texture just like other more expensive brands.

PRO #3: This has a light coconut flavor. You can cook with it and not have a terribly overpowering coconut flavor left on your food.

The Bad:

CON #1: Some users reported that this coconut oil has a strong scent.

CON #2: Some users felt that the flavor wasn’t as strong. However, I don’t care for a strong coconut flavor. I tend to like a more mild coconut flavor.

 

 

 

Who is Island Fresh Coconut Oil for?

Island Fresh coconut oil can safely be used on children and adults. It is gentle and non-toxic.

Uses For Island Fresh Coconut Oil

Weight Management: Great as a daily supplement. You may want to divide the dose into three times per day.

Oil Pulling: To use this for oil pulling, measure out one tablespoon and swish it in your mouth on an empty stomach. This should be done in the morning or before bed.

Topical Use: Medium Chain Triglycerides, MCT, leave your skin looking more radiant than ever due to the lauric acid content. Apply coconut oil to the skin daily to relieve skin irritations and dryness.

Hair Mask: Improve thin and brittle looking hair with coconut oil. Apply a small amount of coconut oil between the palm of your hands to allow it to melt. Place it on the ends of your hair. Let is settle overnight as a conditioning hair treatment.

 

 

Island Fresh Coconut Oil Support

Contact us at info@island-fresh.com for customer concerns and inquiries!

 

 

Island Fresh Superior Organic Coconut Oil Price

This is one of the least expensive coconut oils that you can find on the market. It comes in a bulk type of container at 54 ounces, but the product is still great. A one time purchase is $18.00, or $.33 per ounce. However, if you opt for the subscribe and save feature, you can get the product slightly cheaper at $17.10, or $.32 per ounce.

 

 

My Final Opinion of Island Fresh Organic Coconut Oil

I love this coconut oil. It has a great flavor to it, it is inexpensive, organic and works well on skin conditions. This oil works well for cooking. It is shelf stable and can be combined with essential oils, such as tea tree oil for skin home remedies.[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”B00Y8HZS1W” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51N5W3HgjgL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”352″]

Coconut oil has great anti-bacterial properties. It works well at fighting cold sores. I have used this coconut oil to heal cold sores faster.

Overall, I love it and highly recommend it!

 

Island Fresh Coconut Oil at a Glance…

Name: Island Fresh Superior Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, 54 Ounce

Website: island-fresh.com

Owners: Island Fresh

Price: $17.10 ($0.32 / Ounce)

Overall Rank: 90 out of 100

VERDICT: LEGIT! This is a good product at a great price! I recommend it to anyone who is thinking about purchasing and consuming coconut oil. It is a quality oil.