Thursday, February 3, 2011

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2011 FRUSTRATED...DO SOME EXERCISE













"To live with the least amount of frustration, you must remind yourself that everything always works out for the best."


Frustration will lead to anger and resentments. Frustration is a common emotional response to opposition. Related to anger and disappointment, it sometimes arises from the lack of fulfillment of individual will. The old adage is, the greater the obstruction and the greater the will, the more frustration there is likely to be. The causes of frustration may be internal or external. For me, the internal frustration may arise from challenges in fulfilling personal goals and desires, or instinctual drives and needs. I constantly challenge myself. Lately I have been getting frustrated over little things. I started to do my own personal inventory so I can pinpoint the problem. I have been asking myself, "What am I frustrated about?" Why do I feel I am not doing enough? I know this is not true, but I still get frustrated.

It is because I am waiting for a Board decision from the American Herbal Guild. I want their approval and acceptance. I do not want to wait. I want the answer now. The whole problem is I want it when I want it. I encounter this a lot with patients. I think about what I tell them. I tell myself the same thing. It is out of my control. I say everything will work out for the best so I can let it go from my mind. Other frustration arises from dealing with perceived deficiencies in oneself, such as a lack of confidence or fear of social situations. I meditate and pray every morning on my frustrations and ask GOD to remove my character defects--just for today.

Many studies demonstrate the benefits of exercise. This can not be disputed. How much time do you spend exercising? You can decrease cardiovascular mortality 37% by exercising 30 minutes three times a week. Every cardiac risk factor can be countered by exercise. It is known that the more exercise, the greater the benefit. I consider exercise to be the second most important lifestyle change. (Dietary is the most important.) There is a very close relationship between the amount of physical exercise, longevity, and risk for heart disease. Since heart disease is the number one killer in the United States, exercise can save lives. Studies show a linear relationship between fitness and protection from coronary artery disease. Some even say that every hour you exercise you add two hours to your life.

There are three dimensions to exercise:

1. Intensity - how much energy you expend in a given time

2. Duration - how long you exercise

3. Frequency - how often you exercise


Major benefits of exercising:

1. Muscular benefit - all muscles including cardiac muscle increase in size; if you have not worked out in a long time, you will feel fatigued after the first work out because your muscle fibers are exhausted. It gets better with each consecutive exercise session.

2. Mechanical benefit - you are able to move more easily, quickly and swiftly. Try high intensity exercises for short periods sometimes.

3. The unseen benefit is metabolic changes in the body. This involves how the body processes food to provide energy for cellular activity. For the metabolic benefit of changing the blood chemistry, exercise should be of lower intensity, longer duration and increased frequency.

You must exercise. Is there any other way? The answer is NO.

However I want to discuss a class of herbs briefly. These are the adaptogenic herbs. Adaptogens are known in herbal medicine as substances that adapt organisms to stress. Adaptogens are thought to increase the 'non-specific' resistance of an organism to variety of stressors. Their mechanisms of action remain unclear. Numerous studies have been done to find out how adaptogens function. One study involved two herbs, Schizandra chinensis and Bryonia alba. The marker for measurement was salivary nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a vasodilator (opens arteries) The study compared performance in athletes using these two herbs.

In conclusion: I want to see more study on use of herbs in exercise.

Until tomorrow...Another hobby consideration to read about for the weekend.

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