Total Health Breakthroughs: Free Natural Health Newsletter and Alternative Health Articles

Bill Douglas has a low cost alternative to expensive health care costs. Even Harvard University agrees with him. They say his solution has health benefits for people with arthritis, breast cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, Parkinson’s, and even low bone density.

Are you experiencing any of these symptoms: low back pain, hunched rounded shoulders, or a protruding belly?

A weak core is most likely the reason, which means you should strengthen it! “How?” you ask. It’s not with endless crunches or crazy ball exercises. Instead, you will learn simple diaphragmatic breathing exercises!

First, let’s test your breathing.

From Butt Blasters to Thigh Masters, to 10-minute workouts, we are constantly being promised the quick fix to fitness! This fast-twitch, always on the run, texting and twittering society leads to the desire for instant gratification — an extremely unfortunate byproduct of our increasingly impatient lives!

Can you really become slender AND get rock hard abs in just 10 minutes a day? For most people the honest answer is NO. Achieving optimal fitness like they show in these promotions (ideal body weight, body fat percentage, and a six-pack) is going to take a lot more than that.

Are you a person that works out but still has trouble losing body fat and/or gaining muscle?

If you search the web for how to build muscle, you are likely to find a lot of talk about eating plenty of protein. But I have found that while boosting protein intake may be needed and is sometimes helpful, if you do not respond well to exercise, very often there is a metabolic imbalance somewhere.

One factor that people almost never think about when it comes to building and maintaining muscle is SLEEP.

A few months ago, I had a fitness instructor ask me if I might know why he wasn’t able to build muscle. Despite the fact that he used protein shakes, had a very regular workout routine and had worked out for years using the best of equipment, he just couldn’t build muscle. He was also a little overweight with too high a percentage of body fat. A 30-something male fitness instructor can’t put on muscle? Something is desperately wrong!

The first question I asked him was “Do you sleep well?” His answer was no; in fact he told me had sleep apnea. Strike one! When you lose sleep, you lose growth hormone production. In childhood, growth hormone makes you grow in every way. In adulthood, it’s most important function is to make you build and maintain your muscle.

You’ve heard the saying “fight fire with fire.” Here’s a new twist on that old adage – Fight FAT with Fire. Let me explain.

When I was little, I was a bit chunky. Okay, a lot chunky. The kids in the neighborhood, my cousins, and other school chums would all take pot shots and poke fun at my weight.

“What’s Up, Skinny Vinnie?”

“Wanna play on our team Skinny Vinnie?”

Even some of the parents in the neighborhood had a field day with my pot belly.

It’s five PM and your work day is finally coming to an end! The stress of the day is still with you as you get into your car and start home. The highway is at a standstill and so there is no break from the stress. As the road begins to open up, you realize, a drink is starting to sound pretty good.

How do you handle stress? Does the stress of your day make you want a beer, wine, or cocktail to relax? Or perhaps your doctor has prescribed an antidepressant? Or if you are a smoker, maybe you just can’t wait for that first cigarette when you leave work. I don’t have to tell you that smoking isn’t good for you and we need to keep our alcohol intake at moderate levels.

Om…some say it’s the most perfect sound. As I sit in my yoga class, my legs crossed, eyes closed, I repeat this single, syllable tone over and over again. I soon begin to realize that this low, sustained sound is having an effect on me. The effect is subtle, but there. As I combine my Om with slow deep deliberate breaths, the stress of the day begins to melt away.

Any obstacles or challenges I had to tackle earlier are no longer present, and my complete attention and focus is only on my breath and my Om. As the class progresses into several different poses, my muscles warm and stretch, leaving me feeling at the end of class as if I had a wonderful massage!

Todd Crandell was 20-something and an up and coming hockey player with a promising future when he lost it all to substance abuse. After 13 years of drug and alcohol addiction, Crandell decided to enter recovery the traditional way — detox, support groups, AA meetings, the 12 steps etc. — but he, like many others, felt something was missing.

Have you ever watched kids jump rope or play hopscotch? Watch as they approach a set of bleachers. I have yet to see a child slowly take the bleachers one step at a time! Kids love to jump and leap! They jump down from couches and jump on beds! Yes, early in our development, we humans innately know we must develop the ability to absorb force before we get to the point of producing force.¹

Movements like jumping, bounding and hopping using the lower body, and swinging, catching and throwing using the upper body are known as plyometric exercise. And whether you are sports-minded or not, plyometric training is one of the best activities you can do to increase your strength and prevent injury in everyday living.