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Friday, January 18, 2008

Golf Stretches For Use After A Game Of Golf

Following are stretches which can be used after a game of golf to help prevent getting sore and to also improve flexibility. Remember to hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds if you want to see a fast improvement in your flexibility. And if it hurts "Stop!"

Note: Read all instructions carefully before attempting any of these exercises & breath through your nose for all of the stretches.

1. KERB STRETCH

An effective way to stretch your calf muscles is to use a piece of wood or a step. Stand with the balls of your feet on the edge of the step and let your heels drop towards the floor, feeling the stretch in the calf and breathing easily through your nose. I find it best to perform this exercise with both feet at the same time, but you can do it with one leg at a time if you prefer.

2. STANDING QUADRICEPS STRETCH

Stand behind a chair. Hold on to the back of a chair with your left hand for support and raise your lower right leg. Now reach behind yourself with your right arm and get hold of your raised right leg. Next gently ease your right foot towards your buttocks. You will feel the stretch along the front of the thigh. Repeat on the other side breathing easily through your nose.

And I must say I had difficulty at first performing this exercise and if you do to I suggest you initially begin the exercise with the knee of the supporting leg flexed slightly. Once you are stretching you can then gradually try to straighten your support leg to increase the stretch. It is important to keep good posture all throughout this stretch.

3. LYING HAMSTRING STRETCH

Lie on your back for this exercise. Now flex your knees on about a 90 angle. Get hold of your left leg behind the thigh with both hands and straighten your right leg so it is resting on the floor. Now pull your left leg towards your chest trying to get it as close as possible. You will feel the stretch along the back of the flexed thigh. Repeat with the other leg.

4. STANDING HAMSTRING STRETCH

Stand up for this exercise. Now flex your knees and bend from your hips until you can easily rest your chest on your thighs. Now reach your arms around your legs and give them a hug. From this position, try to straighten your legs as much as possible, while still keeping your chest firmly pressed against your thighs.

You will soon feel the stretch along the backs of your thighs. Let go of this stretch by slowly flexing your knees. Remember to breathe through your nose when completing this, and not only this exercise, but all the others as well.

5. STANDING HIP AND THIGH STRETCH

Stand in front of a chair or stool. Raise one of your feet up onto the chair or stool, and then ease your body towards this foot so that your chest and thigh come closer together. Keep your spine and back leg straight and try to keep your shoulders down away from your ears. Move as far forward as possible and then hold this position.

You will feel the stretch along the front of the thigh of the extended leg, and along the back of the thigh of the raised leg. Repeat on the other side and remember to breathe!

6. LYING GROIN STRETCH

Lie flat on the floor. East your legs up towards your body and place the soles of your feet together and let your knees ease out sideways. You will feel the stretch along the insides of your thighs and groin.

7. SEATED GROIN STRETCH

Sit for this exercise and ease your legs up towards your body and place the soles of your feet together. Now let your knees fall out and down towards the floor. You can place your hands on your knees to increase your stretch or you can use them to keep yourself stable while doing this exercise.

8. SIDEWAYS NECK STRETCH

You can stand or sit to do this exercise. Also ensure you keep your shoulders down away from your ears when doing this exercise. Tilt your head to one side trying to place your ear on your shoulder. Repeat on the other side. You can increase this stretch by gently using a hand to increase the weight on your neck. But be careful do not pull your head, you could cause injuries to yourself.

9. UPPER BACK STRETCH

You can choose to sit or stand for this exercise. Interlock your fingers and push your hands as far away from your chest as possible so your palms are facing away from you. Tilt your head down and look at the ground. And make sure your upper back is straight and as relaxed as possible doing this stretch. You will feel the stretch between your shoulder blades.

10. CHEST STRETCH

Once again you can do this stretch while seated or standing. Place your hands behind you and place them on your lower back. Now squeeze your elbows towards each other while keeping your spine straight. You will feel the stretch in the front of the chest.

11. FRONT SHOULDER STRETCH

As with the previous exercise you can do this one sitting or standing. I prefer to do them standing. Place your hands behind you and interlock your fingers, then straighten your arms and try to lift them upwards and backwards as far as possible. Try to keep your back straight and long, with your shoulders down away from your ears. You will feel the stretch in the front of the chest.

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Humidifiers: Great For Comfort And Health

When you heat a house during the winter, humidity in the air is sent outside along with the cold air. The optimal amount of humidity in your home is 40 to 55 percent, however, running a heater can drop the humidity in your home down to 5 percent. This lack of humidity can have an effect on your health, furniture and even your utility bills. The lack of humidity can cause or aggravate respiratory ailments and make winter time colds even worse. The dry air also sucks the moisture out of furniture as well, which can even cause it to eventually fall apart. Evaporating moisture on the skin will also cause coolness so you will continually need to adjust the thermostat to remain warm.

When you make the decision to purchase a humidifier for comfort and health, you must consider the type of heating unit you have, the cubic footage of your home and the hardness of your water. Once you have the cubic yardage of your home you can compare the different types of humidifiers, choosing one which will provide relief to the entire floorplan.

Row-thru humidifiers work through evaporation and only put the amount of moisture into the air that it can handle which would vary depending on room temperature. By-pass humidifiers are the most common furnace humidifiers. The third type is a steam humidifier which works on the same principle as the vaporizers your mother used when you were a child with a cold. These are the most common type of humidifiers sold in retail stores.

Room size humidifiers can sit on a table top and work to return moisture to one room. For the entire house, you would need a free standing unit or a central humidifier that can be tied into the homes forced air heating system. It is a good idea to oversize the unit you choose which means the moisture level is higher than required for your cubic yardage. This will help make sure that your home stays at a proper level of humidity year round.

Visit Humidifier Information to see different types of humidifiers compared plus more great info!

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The Purpose of Yoga - Harnessing Empowerment with Jnana Yoga

Do you feel that good things always happen to other people? If someone told you yoga could change your life exponentially would you believe them? Positive change starts from within. yoga will help you from the inside out, but you must believe you deserve better, envision it, take action, and never give up.

When I was growing up, some members of my family believed that good things only happen to other people. I was told, Success does not happen to our kind of people. Yet, some members of my family did not listen to this talk. My grandfather went into business for himself as a successful general contractor during the Depression.

The first book he gave me, as a child, was his copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie. I was a book worm, so I read it more than once. We did not have computers in those days, so I referred to it so many times, the binding cracked and the pages fell out.

My Uncle had read the same copy, so I cannot take all the credit for the wear. Heres the interesting part: My Uncle went into business for himself and owned two successful shoe stores before he passed away. I left the corporate world and opened a wellness center, which trains yoga teachers worldwide.

My Uncle and Grandfather never studied hatha yoga. Yet they both practiced Jnana yoga without realizing it. So, what is Jnana Yoga? Jnana Yoga is a spiritual path of compassion, discipline, study, visualization, and meditation.

Copyright 2007 Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free yoga e-book: "yoga in practice," and a Free yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

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