Below is a fascial stretch for the Psoas and flexor muscles of the trunk.

Part I.

1. Use a box, a step, or chair somewhere around knee height

2. Step onto the box with one foot, leaving the other flat on the ground

3. Inhale very slowly (up to 10 seconds)

4. When you need to exhale shift your hips forward into the stretch, squeezing the butt muscle of the stretched leg, and continue to breath out very slowly (up to 10 seconds)- holding in the stretch during the entire exhale

5. When you need to inhale again move just slightly out of the stretch as you do so, then exhale moving back into the stretch, repeating step 4

~ Continue to do this wave like stretching until you have felt a change in the muscles tension- now move to part 2  

Part II.

1. Move into the stretch again on the next exhale repeating step 4, this time raise both arms up towards the sky lengthening them by extending out through the finger tips

~ Repeat the last step until you have again felt a change in the muscles tension- then repeat on the opposite leg

Fascial release is achieved by using VERY SLOW breathing. Take your time and let the breath do the work!

Jack Lalane was quoted as saying “ Remember this: your body is your slave, it works for you.”  This concept has created a multi–billion-dollar industry and drove a national obsession. The “fitness” industry was born… The early fitness centers produced terms like “feel the burn”, “no pain no gain”, and “getting ripped” echoing the words of Jack Lalane, the Godfather of the industry. Over the past five decades our country has completely enrolled in this view of fitness. Every body wants it, magazines promise it, fitness centers thrive on it, and yet the obesity, or diabesity -(diabetes and obesity); a term coined by Dr. Mindell the best selling author of the “Vitamin Bible” – epidemic is accelerating at an alarming rate. Millions of people suffer from chronic back and joint pain costing U.S. businesses 72 billion dollars a year. This stark incongruence between our collective fixation on fitness and the reality of the standard American body has become a source of widespread frustration and fuel for our dangerously adversarial relationship with our body. Eating disorders and body dismorphic disorder are commonplace. Even individuals who we consider to be “fit” often over train and drive their bodies relentlessly causing unnecessary damage to the joints and over working the organs. 58 Billion dollars per year is spent feeding our addiction to the diet machine. Consistently over promising and under delivering since it started to take root in the fifties.

The word fitness has many definitions, but the original was a description of the survivability of a given species based on particular adaptations that suit that species to their environment. Our “fitness” is a measure of our ability to adapt, not how far we can run or how defined our muscles are. One of the greatest competitive advantages of modern man is our ability adapt to almost any environment by uniquely integrating sensory input and comparing it to our memories of similar situations and then using our imaginations to construct a prediction of future events. The more that your training regimen sharpens your senses, focuses your mind, strengthens your body, and increases your resiliency to stress the more fit you become.

http://www.charlespoliquin.com/Blog/tabid/130/EntryId/115/My-Top-10-Tips-on-Increasing-Quantity-and-Quality-of-Sleep.aspx

1. Make sure your food is free of additives, stabilizers, dyes, and pesticides.
2. Drink eight glasses of clean water daily
3. Anything that you apply to your skin or hair, such as make-up, lotion,or soap, should be made with hypoallergenic natural ingredients
4. Use natural cleaning products

The Vastus Medialis Oblique (VMO) is a quadriceps muscle that plays a key roll in creating proper function of the knee joint. The VMO provides stability to the knee cap during movement via it’s attachment to the medial edge of the knee cap. As a result of most sports and activities the lateral part of the quadriceps (Vastus Lateralis) becomes stronger and more developed than the VMO. This medial to lateral imbalance can pull the knee cap off it’s normal track of movement, causing an unequal distribution of force across the knee joint. Chronic off tracking of the knee cap can lead to the development of pain and eventually even injury. Here are a two ways to effectively train the VMO and greatly increase your chances of having trouble free knees for years to come.

1.  Squat lower:

It takes going beyond 90 degrees of knee flexion in the squat to properly develop the VMO. Squat as low as you can before your lower back begins to round (loss of curvature). If you cannot squat lower than 90 degrees (thighs parallel to the floor) before your back looses it’s natural curve then I highly suggest you see a strength training professional to help you become able to do so. The health of your knees depend on it.

2.  Petersen Step-up:

This exercise is excellent for developing the VMO. Knee alignment is critical when doing this exercise so make sure to keep the knee cap in line with the foot, both as you step up and as you step back down.

*Use a platform between 4-6 inches high.

*Start with one foot on the platform and one foot on the ground. The foot on the ground should be lined up so that it’s heel is just in front of the foot on the platform.

*Now straighten the leg on the platform bringing your entire weight over that foot.

*Step back down controlled and repeat.

Too many people spend too many hours running themselves into the ground on cardio equipment thinking it’s the best way to the body they want. Sustained fat loss comes from building metabolically active muscle tissue, not from burning it away with hours of cardio training. You need to build muscle to burn fat and therefore should give up the treadmill and start learning how to do proper strength training. Please, don’t just take my word for it, get the book “German Body Comp Program” by Charles Poliquin and give it your all for a couple of months. If you do it exactly how he says to in the book I guarantee you’ll finally see the results you have been chasing after on that treadmill. Also, next time you are at the gym take a look at 90% of the people using the cardio equipment… the proof is in the pudding.

2. Too many machines

The standard gym nowadays is filled with rows and rows of machines to the point it becomes difficult to even walk around. This is mainly due to the fact that most people don’t know what to do in a gym and all the machines were created to make it more accessible to those who are intimidated by dumbbells and cable columns.  However, it is in your best interest to limit the use of these machines and stick with free weights. The major flaw with machines is that they perform the movement for you, which when used too often will leave your stabilizer muscles de-conditioned and you more exposed to injury. In real life there is no machine to stabilize our body when we walk, carry, push, pull, bend over, twist, lunge or squat, so then why would we train as if there were? Use free weights and cables more often and you will build a much stronger, more stable body.

3. Copying someone else

More often than not people in the gym are using terrible form and choosing the wrong exercises. You are much better off studying from strength training professionals such as Charles Poliquin and Paul Check, who both have several books demonstrating proper form and exercise selection, than you do some dude in the gym that looks buff or likes to do circus tricks for exercise.

4. Using too much weight

Guys, I’m mainly talking to you. Time and time again I have seen guys attempting to lift way too much weight and as a result chopping their range of motion and using every cheat and wiggle technique known to man trying to lift it. That won’t get you the results you’re hoping for and you will inevitably injure yourself. Let the ego go and try using a weight that you can control through a full range of motion, a weight that you can perform proper from with and that presents a good challenge for the last few reps. You will get better strength gains at a more sustainable rate, stay safer and look better while doing it.

5. Abdominal Machines

There are ones that flex and ones that twist and they are all dangerous and extremely ineffective for strength gains and/or fat loss. Overload to the spine is common when using these machines and many injuries occur as a result. Abdominal training should include spinal stability, being that that is one of the their most important jobs. The use of ab machines will over load the superficial layers of the abdominal wall making them much stronger than the deeper layer which keeps your spine stable during bending and twisting. Large muscles tugging and twisting on an unstable spine is a recipe for injury.

The meditative technique called the “relaxation response” was pioneered in the U.S. by Harvard physician Herbert Benson in the 1970′s. The technique has gained acceptance by physicians and therapists worldwide as a valuable adjunct to therapy for symptom relief in conditions ranging from cancer to AIDS.

When our bodies are exposed to a sudden stress or threat, we respond with a characteristic “fight or flight” response. This is sometimes called an “adrenaline rush” because the hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine are released from the adrenal glands, resulting in an increase in blood pressure and pulse rate, faster breathing, and increased blood flow to the muscles.

The relaxation response is a technique designed to elicit the opposite bodily reaction from the “fight or flight” response – a state of deep relaxation in which our breathing, pulse rate, blood pressure, and metabolism are decreased. Training our bodies on a daily basis to achieve this state of relaxation can lead to enhanced mood, lower blood   pressure, and reduction of lifestyle stress.

The relaxation response technique consists of the silent repetition of a word, sound, or phrase while sitting quietly with eyes closed for 10 to 20 minutes. This should be done in a quiet place free of distractions. Sitting is preferred to lying down in order to avoid falling asleep. Relax your muscles starting with the feet and progressing up to your face. Breathe though your nose in a free and natural way.

You can choose any word or phrase you like. You can use a sound such as “om,” a word such as “one” or “peace,” or a word with special meaning to you. Intruding worries or thoughts should be ignored or dismissed to the best of your ability by focusing on the repetition. It’s OK to open your eyes to look at a clock while you are practicing, but do not set an alarm. When you have finished, remain seated, first with your eyes closed and then with your eyes open, and gradually allow your thoughts to return to everyday reality.

The technique requires some practice and may be difficult at first, but over time almost anyone can learn to achieve the desired state of relaxation. Dr. Benson, who originally described the technique, recommends practicing the technique once or twice a day. He recommends not practicing the relaxation response within two hours after eating a meal because the digestive process may interfere with the technique.

The relaxation response can also be elicited through other meditative and relaxation techniques. No matter how the relaxation state is achieved, the physical and emotional consequences of stress can be reduced through regular practice.

Reference:

eMedicine Live, Mindfulness Meditation, http://www.emedicinelive.com/index.php/Mental-Health/mindfulness-meditation-for-stress-reduction.html
Last Editorial Review: 9/9/2009

Inborn

• Genetic Make-up (genotype)
• Intrauterine/congenital
• Maternal Exposures
  • Drugs (prescription or recreational)
  • Toxins
  • Viruses
  • Psycho-emotional
• Maternal nutrition
• Maternal lifestyle
• Constitution determines susceptibility

Disturbances

• Illnesses: pathobiography
• Medical interventions (or lack of)
• Physical and emotional exposures, stresses, and trauma
• Toxic and harmful substances

Hygienic Factors/ Lifestyle Factors: How we live

Environment, lifestyle and psycho-emotional/spiritual health

• Fresh air
• Exposure to Nature
• Clean water
• Light
• Socio-economic factors
• Culture
• Rest
• Exercise
• Nutrition
• Unadulterated food
• Loving and being loved
• Meaningful work
• Community
• Stress (physical, emotional)
• Trauma (physical, emotional)
• Medical interventions