YAWN TO YOUR HEART’S DELIGHT!
Have you ever wondered why we yawn?
Yawning is breathing while voluntarily opening your mouth wide. It is a reflex action that occurs when we are sleepy, hungry or very bored, and it is caused by the body and not the mind.
When we yawn, we are lowering all our defenses and a wave of natural relaxation passes through us. This is why yawning is in fact, a healthy breathing reflex action that calms us. So, don’t suppress this physical impulse. Enjoy the moment as you allow your body to relax and relieve stress.
FUN FACTS:
- In India, yawning is a practice used by the yogis to achieve certain postures more effectively.
- Sighing is also a way of combating stress, like yawning. It is also a discharge of air that brings a feeling of relaxation and satisfaction.
THE AIR WE BREATHE
Going around the stores one day made me curious about machines called ionizers. This is an electrical appliance that produces and circulates negative ions. The principle behind such machines made me understand better the air I breathe. I have learned that the air we breathe contains oxygen and negative ions, both of which are needed by our body.
Ions are Oxygen atoms, electrically charged positive or negative. They get into the body through the lungs and affect various physiological functions. Positive ions increase the number of chemical substances in the brain that constrict blood vessels so if there are too many positive ions, they may cause migraines, nervousness, insomnia and high blood-pressure. Negative ions, on the other hand, stimulate the body’s metabolism, increase mental and physical energy, and helps put us in a good mood.
Unfortunately, negative ions are much more fragile than positive ones. They are created naturally by the sun’s rays or the disintegration of water droplets caused by water falls, waves and so on. In the countryside, there are as many as 8,000 negative ions per cubic centimeter compared with 3,000 positive ions. After an hour in a confined space, the situation is reversed.
To breathe in enough negative ions, take time to explore your nearest park and air your rooms often. Keeping your windows wide open for just 5 minutes is enough to clean up the air in a room.
Also, if you plan on using ionizers, make sure that you do not put them near the wall because negative ions are destroyed as soon as they encounter a hard surface.
STOMACH GRUMBLES...
Did you know?
- It is your brain that gets hungry, not our stomach! As soon as our tissues are about to run short of some vital substance, the brain launches its emergency plan: empty stomach, over-salivation, tiredness, slight dizziness.
- Even while we are sleeping, our body uses up nutriments that have been stored away at meal times. This is especially true of the brain, which is a great consumer of sugar. As soon as it starts running short, it stimulates us to eat.
STRETCH & STAND UP, NOT DOING SO MAY PROVE FATAL!
By Catrina Gonzales
Just last December, the ankles of my grandmother’s friend who is about 80 years old got swollen from sitting in the airplane during their trip from the U.S. to Philippines.
They consulted a doctor and were told that the swelling was a result of poor circulation due to prolonged sitting. This may occur when the circulation from the veins of the leg towards the heart slows down, as in the case when people sit cross-legged for a long time. I have even read that there have been instances when clotting spreads to other parts of the body like the lungs, which can be fatal if not treated, because this type of condition cuts off blood supply to the lungs.
This is why it is important to take a break now and then from either sitting too long or allowing your body to remain passive for an extended period of time. At work, it would be healthy to stand or walk a bit every 30 minutes, or to even just stretch your legs, rotate your ankles and toes while sitting. You can also do simple exercises at your work space especially if you are prone to leg stiffness or poor circulation. Some of the exercises you can do for the legs, feet and ankles are the following:
- Leg Extension
While sitting, extend your legs in front of you as much as you can. Point your toes and stretch your legs. Then flex your feet, bringing your toes back towards you and stretching the backs of your legs. Repeat several times.
- Hamstring Stretches
While standing, put your hands on the edge of your table with your right foot slightly in front of the left foot. Lunge forward, allowing your left heel to drop to the floor, and press your left hip forward, while moving your weight forward and back on the left leg. This will stretch out your left hamstring. Repeat on the other side. Then place your feet parallel and bounce from one foot to the other, alternating the transfer of weight and allowing each leg to stretch. Since you are transferring your weight from one leg to the other, this will also help your circulation.
- Foot Stretch
Plant your feet flat on the ground. Lift one heel to stretch the foot. Replace heel to the ground and repeat the stretch in your other foot. Then, lift the toes of one foot off the floor to flex the foot. Replace toes to the ground and repeat the stretch in your other foot. Gently shake each foot to finish,
- Arch Lift
With your feet planted flat on the ground, lift just the arches while keeping your toes and heels in place. If you feel your feet starting to cramp, gently shake it out. This may seem difficult at first but it will get easier with time.
- Ankle Rotation
Rotate ankles in a circle, first clockwise then counterclockwise. If you find it hard to lift both feet off the ground to do the exercise, you can do each foot separately.
LET’S DO MONKEY FACES!
By Catrina Gonzales
Yup, you read that right! There are exercise for the facial muscles called “Monkey Faces”. These should be done, however, where there is a bit of privacy so people won’t see you do it (like the bathroom or facing a wall) or you inform people beforehand what you plan to do so as not to be thought of as crazy.
The first exercise you can do is to tighten your eyes into a ball, then your mouth, your lips, and the rest of your face. Make it as contracted as possible. Then completely release the tension.
Next, move your jaw in a large circular motion as if you were chewing sideways. Repeat this two more times.
Lastly, stick your tongue out of your mouth, drop it down, and stretch it out as far as it will comfortably go. Put it back in your mouth. Then stretch your eyes open wide as if you are startled, and relax. You can do these three exercises separately.
14 Things To Remember When You Start To Give Solid Foods To Your Child (6 months onwards)
by Elizza S. Senseng, M.D., Health Dynamics Corporation
- Start with single ingredient foods, one at a time at 3-5 days interval before trying the next food.
- Give very small amounts of any new food.
- Use strained food, thin and smooth in consistency. Increase consistency as the infant learns to use his tongue to propel food. When able to chew, give finely chopped food.
- Dilute rice cereals with milk rather than with water.
- Before moving on to combination foods, tolerance to individual components must be established.
- Introduce fruit juice until the infant can drink from a cup.
- Honey should not be given to infants less than 12 months old.
- Give a variety of foods.
- Avoid canned foods high in salt, sugar and seasonings.
- Reintroduce food initially disliked a week later. If dislike persists, repeat with another food in the same group.
- Give additional water if on complete solids.
- Make feeding a pleasurable experience.
- Avoid raw pieces of vegetable, peanut butter by itself, whole hotdogs, grapes, hard candies and biscuits in infants less than 12 months.
- For highly allergic infants, no solids for 6 months. After 1 year add biweekly: cow's milk, wheat, soy, citrus, egg by age 2, peanut and fish by age 3
