6 STEPS TO HEALTH by R. John Allcorn, M.A., L.M.T. By adding or intensifying each of these "Steps to Health," you can become healthier, step by step: 1. Eating right 2. Stretching 3. Cardiovascular exercise 4. Bodywork (massage, acupuncture, acupressure, naprapathy, chiropractic) 5. Resistance training (weight lifting) 6. Relaxation or meditation If you are not doing any of these, it is recommended that you add them in the order given above. If you are already doing some of these, then add the ones you are not doing in the order given above. Once you are doing all of these or, really, any time you want to, increase each one - one at a time. But the real key is to take your time. #1. I do not believe that "Eating right" needs much explanation. You know what you should and shouldn't eat. The more you improve your eating habits, the more you will learn about what you want your next step to be. You can always start with increasing fruits and vegetables and decreasing fried foods, sugars, and meats. Then read and make your own decisions. #2. There are many stretching programs and methods out there. The first step is to start a daily routine. I suggest starting one focused around the time you brush your teeth. Since most people brush their teeth daily, it is a "habit time" that can be more easily added to than other times of your day. #3. Popular cardiovascular exercises include walking, running, treadmills, aerobics, jazzercise, and "power yoga." If you are already involved in a good cardiovascular exercise, you can merely increase until you are doing a minimum of 30 minutes a day for 4 days a week. If your goal is better health, I suggest adding additional "steps" before increasing your cardiovascular exercises much beyond this. If you are in training for a particular sport, this recommendation may not apply. #4. Bodywork includes massage (at Springs Relaxation Center!!), acupuncture, acupressure, chiropractic and passive stretching (by a specialist). #5. Resistance training would obviously include weight training. If you have not started weight training with a personal trainer, you should use the services of a personal trainer for at least the first 2 or 3 training sessions. Make sure your personal trainer is certified and choose carefully. Resistance training could also include using "machines' with cables such as the Total Gym, those bands used by physical therapists as well as push ups and other exercises that use your body's weight as the resistance. #6. There are many relaxation techniques available. A good video or cassette tape or book or lessons in relaxation techniques would be good way to start. Or you can start by just sitting in a quiet place, focus on your breathing, slow or relax your breathing, then begin to relax your muscles until you feel nice and heavy. Beginning sessions for relaxation are typically only about 10 minutes long. So, there it is. It really is that simple. It just takes getting into the routine and sticking with it. The results are always well worth it. John Allcorn is a licensed massage therapist, certified personal trainer and certified yoga teacher.
HYDRATION INFORMATION by R. John Allcorn, M.A., L.M.T. Massage therapists ask their clients to drink water after a massage and usually offer them a glass right in our clinics or offices. Many massage therapists also encourage clients to drink enough water all the time in order to keep their bodies healthy. But there is some debate about how much daily intake of water is enough and there is also concern that some people may tend to drink too much water. In their book on personal training, cleverly entitled The Book on Personal Training, Karl Dauphinais and James Bell relate that "The usual recommendation for water is to drink a minimum of eight, 8 ounce glasses of water every day [2 quarts]. If you exercise or it is very hot, this is probably not enough.... Another recommendation suggests targeting one ounce of water for every pound of body weight." (pp243-244) Well, folks, this means if you weigh 128 pounds, you should drink a GALLON of water every day. In his book Your Body's Many Cries for Water, Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. suggests drinking about 2 to 2 ½ quarts of water a day, significantly more than most people drink. Dr. Batmanghelidj believes that water is "a natural medication for a variety of health conditions." (p15) Among other conditions and diseases, Batmanghelidj believes water consumption can cure morning sickness, asthma, chronic pain such as migraines, colitis and low back pain. as well as bulimia, constipation, high cholesterol, being overweight and Muscular Distrophy. His hypothesis includes the idea that water "regulates all functions, including the activity of the solutes it dissolves and circulates."(p19) Much of Dr. Batmanghelidj's theories are drawn from the fact that the brain distributes water quite unfairly. If there is not enough water in the system, the brain does not distribute, say, 50% to every needy part. The brain seems to have a priority list and each part on the list gets 100% of what it needs and then what is left goes on to the next part and so forth. Of course, since the brain regulates all this, it is the first part to get whatever water is available and the rest of the body follows. Dr. Batmanghelidj also recommends drinking a full glass (8-10 ounces) of water 30 minutes before a meal to help prepare the stomach lining for digestion but to drink none during a meal to avoid having water dilute the necessary digestive juices. Tampa nutritionist Martha Vidal, R.D, L.D./N. recommends drinking about ½ ounce for each pound of weight. So, if you weigh 128 pounds, Ms. Vidal recommends drinking 64 ounces or 2 quarts of water per day. You can see this is pretty consistent with Dr. Batmanghelidj's recommendations for most people. However, if you weigh closer to 256 pounds, Ms. Vidal will have you drinking a gallon a day. Dr. Patrick Sullivan, a Tampa Bay acupuncturist for 14 years has encountered patients who simply drink too much water. "Drinking too much water can lead to deficiencies in the kidney meridian which can lead to a lack of energy. One patient came in because she felt tired 'all the time.' When we discussed water consumption, she said she drank about one gallon a day. Instead of giving her an acupuncture treatment, I asked her to drink only one quart a day and call me after seven days. Although she was a little indignant, she agreed to try it. Only five days later, she called to say her energy level was at least twice what it had been and she felt 100% better." Athletes like Dr. Pete Pfannerstill, usually need to drink more water than those of us who are less active. Dr. Pfannerstill recommends that athletes in training drink as much as one gallon of water a day. Ms. Vidal suggests that athletes who exercise LESS than an hour should weigh themselves prior to exercising and again afterwards then drink enough water to make up the difference. She also recommends that if you exercises for more than an hour, you should add Gatoraid or something like it to your liquid intake. The Book on Personal Training and Ms. Vidal offer a "rule-of-thumb" method. Both suggest simply watching your urine. Ms. Vidal says, "Urine color is a good guide; it should be almost clear." If you are looking for a definitive answer to how much water you should drink, you simply will not find it. A reasonable compromise seems to be to drink two quarts a day on normal days and 3 quarts a day when very active, especially outside in Florida's heat.
RECIPES FOR RELAXATION by R. John Allcorn, M.A., L.M.T. 4 QUICK STEPS (good to use before a speech or Dr.'s appointment) 1.Exhale and drop your shoulders - let them relax and fall away from your neck 2.Exhale and relax your stomach muscles - let your belly "poof out" 3.Exhale and relax your tongue - let your tongue drop to the floor of your mouth 4. Stress causes us to change our breathing. The more stress the more likely we are to exhale more rapidly than we inhale. To reduce stress, simply exhale up to twice as long as you inhale for as long as you can. COMPLETE RELAXATION TECHNIQUE 1. Get into a comfortable position - sitting or lying down - If lying, try flattening your back against the floor and pulling your shoulder blades together and flattening your shoulder blades against the floor. - If sitting, try tilting forward on your hips so your pubic bone moves toward the floor, your back is straight and your chin is back. 2. Focus on and regulate your breathing (5 minutes or so) - Use diaphragmatic breathing - Let your belly "poof out" as you inhale and contract your belly as you exhale. - Using your heartbeat as your metronome, count 4 or 5 beats as you inhale and the same number as you exhale. Begin to relax. 3. Shift your focus to relaxing your muscles (5 minutes or so) - Begin by focusing on your feet and let them relax and "flop" outward. - Then focus on and relax your legs, knees, thighs, hips, back, chest, hands, arms, and neck. - Focus on and relax your face - you may be able to relax your face several times, feeling "wave" after "wave" of relaxation cross your face. 4. Go to your "quiet place" and observe it. (5 minutes or so) - You can create your own, fantasy "quiet place" (my choice) or recall a place of perfect serenity that you have visited, making any adjustment you want. You could also envision a god or person who calms you. Produced by Springs Relaxation Center Tarpon Springs, Florida (727) 934-6844
