Benefits of dance (Wikipedia)

Being in general an aerobic exercise, dance brings well known benefits, such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, weight control and other ones commonly associated with physical fitness. In addition, a considerable effect of dancing on psychological well-being is noted.

A large amount of governmental, health and educational information is available extolling the benefits of dance for health.^[1]

Dance pads have proven useful in tackling obesity in young people and are welcomed in many schools for that reason.^[2]

A report by Professor Tim Watson and Dr Andrew Garrett of the University of Hertfordshire compared members of the Royal Ballet with a squad of British national and international swimmers. The dancers scored higher than the swimmers in seven out of ten areas of fitness.^[3]

An Italian study in 2006 has shown that dance is a very good exercise for heart patients compared to other aerobic exercises like cycling. This may be partly because the patients enjoyed it much more.^[4][5]

A study in New York in 2003 has shown that cognitive activities like crosswords help ward off dementia but, except for ballroom dancing, most physical activities do not.^[6][7]

A recent study done in Perth Western Australia by Debbie Duignan (WA Alzheimers Association) explored the use of Wu Tao Dance as a therapy for people with dementia. It was shown that Wu Tao, dance therapy that works to balance energy in the body, similar to T'ai chi, helped to reduce symptoms of agitation in people with dementia.^[8]

A study at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine in 2007 showed Argentine tango was better at improving the mobility of Parkinson's disease sufferers than an exercise class^[9] (a later study showed similar benefits from T'ai chi). Because of the level of interest a permanent tango class was set up after the study ended.

A study by Dr Paul Dougall at Strathclyde University in 2010 concentrating on older women found that Scottish country dancers were more agile, have stronger legs and can walk more briskly than people of the same age who took part in exercises such as swimming, walking, golf and keep-fit classes.^[10]

 

Another gain of dancing is for those who have high cholesterol, plus drugs and adequate food, dancing can draw. As an aerobic exercise abridged levels of total blood cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol, acknowledged as bad and helps boost levels of HDL or good cholesterol.^[11]

^{Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_and_health}

Alzheimer’s & dementia prevention #5: Stress management

Stress that is chronic or severe takes a heavy toll on the brain, leading to shrinkage in a key memory area of the brain known as the hippocampus, hampering nerve cell growth, and increasing your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Yet simple daily tools can minimize its harmful effects.

Get your stress levels in check with these proven techniques

• Breathe! Stress alters your breathing rate and impacts oxygen levels in the brain. Quiet your stress response with deep, abdominal breathing. Restorative breathing is powerful, simple, and free!
• Schedule daily relaxation activities. Keeping stress under control requires regular effort. Make relaxation a priority, whether it’s a walk in the park, playtime with your dog, yoga, or a soothing bath.
• Nourish inner peace. Most scientists acknowledge a strong mind-body connection, and various studies associate spirituality with better brain health. Regular meditation, prayer, reflection, and religious practice may immunize you against the damaging effects of stress.

Link: http://www.helpguide.org/elder/alzheimers_prevention_slowing_down_treatment.htm

24 Powerful Relaxation Techniques

Implementing an effective routine for “relaxing” is the key to dealing with stress and anxiety in your life.  Here are 24 of the most powerful (and unique) exercises you can begin trying today:

1. Take a Cold Shower

It may not be relaxing while you are doing it, but taking a cold shower is a fantastic way to calm the body and mind.  After a chilly rinse, you tend to feel at peace and serene and is a great activity before bed time.  I recommend doing this at least once a week!

2. Go Fishing

Fishing is one of the best ways to relax the body and mind.  First off, you are sitting in or near water, which is the most soothing substance to mankind. Second, it usually takes place in a quiet and calming setting.  Third, if you fish with some good friends then you experience a wonderful trifecta of relaxation that is hard to get elsewhere!

3. Plan a Vacation

Having things to look forward to sooths the mind and stimulates a positive mental outlook.  Constantly planning vacations, weekend getaways, or even a night out with friends can do wonders for your personal well-being.

4. Go For a Long Drive

But make sure to do it on a traffic-free area, with no specific destination in mind.  Constant traffic causes undue stress for many of us, and it is great practice to get out on the open road, listen to some great music and just drive for the FUN of it!

5. Light Incense

Very few of us pay close attention to how our sense of smell affects mood, and we can stimulate great feelings of relaxation by incorporating wonderful smells in our life.  Incense can be extremely therapeutic, and if you have a fireplace I highly recommend lighting it up a few times a month and enjoy the calming smell!

6. Go For An Early Morning Hike

The sounds, smells and sights of nature instill a calming and peaceful feeling within all of us.  In the next week, get up early and go for a long hike and just feel the uninhibited presence of natural beauty all around you.  This is relaxation experience in its finest form.

7. Take 10 Deep Breaths

Breathing is the king of all relaxation techniques!  When you want to relax, take a huge inhale through the nose, hold it for a count of 7, and then release ALL the air through the nostrils.  Do this 10 times in a row and you will be in a totally different state!

8. Go For a Really Exerting Run

Pushing your cardiovascular rhythm to its limits is a great way to relax.  You may not feel this way as you are doing it, but after a long run you will feel tension-free and crisp.  Remember, the sweat you are losing contains toxins and stress!   If you can’t run, do something that is safely exerting for YOU.  

9. Buy Yourself Something

So long as your choice of purchase is within reason, treat yourself to a new clothing item, ipod, car or whatever you truly desire.  This can do wonders to relieve stress and I highly recommend you do this guilt-free.  Realize that you deserve it!

10. Pay Your Bills a Few Days Early

Instead of stressing about bills, and thinking about all the money going out the door at the end of the month, intentionally pay your bills a week or two early!  This will help you will generate feelings of accomplishment and freedom, and will also relax you when the normal time comes to write checks.

11. Have Your Favorite Dessert– Guilt Free!

That’s right—a few times a month treat yourself to the sweet craving you constantly deny yourself.  Realize that consistent denial causes tension, and allowing yourself indulgences, within reason, is a great tool for relaxation.

12. Curl Up With a Really Good Book

For me, nothing is more relaxing than sitting in my home on a rainy Friday night and curling up with a really good book.  Implementing this activity in your life is a true MUST for instilling calmness.

13. Try a Sauna Or Take a Steam

Spending time in either one of these treatment centers drains your body of toxins and deodorizes the organs and skin.  You will feel SO good afterward and I recommend jumping in a Sauna or a Steam room at least once a week.

14. Book an Aromatherapy Massage

Massage HAS to be a staple of any relaxation routine, and adding scented oils and creams stimulates calmness in a wider range of senses.  Try and get a professional massage at least once every 6 weeks to literally rub out stress, and if you have someone in your life that you can trade massages with even better! 

15. Buy a Foot Massage Machine

Similarly, investing in one of those contraptions that massages the feet is an excellent way to add relaxation into your life.  Our lowest appendages feel the daily grind more than any other body part, at least physically, and massaging them every day is a great idea.

16. Go For a Walk In The Rain

When it rains, we have become entrained to whip out our umbrellas and hurry indoors.  Next time, try letting go of this knee-jerk reaction and take a freeing walk amid the showers.  Don’t worry about your clothes (you can deal with it later) and just enjoy the freshness of rain on your body. 

17. Go To a Comedy Club

Laughing until tears are streaming down your face is a terrific way to relax your 5 senses and restore balance in the body.  Find a really good comedy club and frequent it a few times a month and start seeing the stress-relieving benefits of laughter!

18. Sit In Silence For One Day

Pick a day in the next two weeks where you can shut off your phone, turn off your email and literally sit in silence (and solitude) for 24 straight hours.  Sound daunting?  It can be at first, but integrating this practice into your life quiets the never ending chatterbox in your head.

19. Stare At a Candle For 15 Minutes

Lighting a candle and staring at is a wonderful relaxation technique.  As you try this, commit yourself to focusing ALL of your attention on the flickering beauty.  After some practice you may experience moments of crisp awareness and heightened clarity, which are the ultimate feelings of serentiy!

20. Go Star Gazing

State at them with great purpose.  Contemplate that what you are really staring at is the past; meaning the star you are observing is really a sparkle from a distant age (given it takes millions of light years to get here)!  When you are done, bring yourself back to earth, where you are, your situation, and your life.  This will relax you.

21. Invest in Really Comfortable Furniture

Relaxation is about treating your body well ALL the time.  We sit in furniture for so much of our life that it is imperative to invest in kinds that make you feel really good.  If you drive a lot, but a comfortable seat cushion for your car.  If you work in an office, make sure your chair molds nicely to your body.  This is relaxation through the prevention of stress!

22. Drink Soothing Tea

A nice calming hot cup of tea is an elixir of relaxation.  Certain teas also have a myriad of other health benefits, including being high in antioxidants.  Great options are chamomile and green tea.  

23. Invest in a Posturpedic Pillow

We spend anywhere from 25-35% of our lives sleeping, and it is critical to make this time as effective as possible.  Posturpedic pillows are expensive, but worth it.  They mold to your head and shoulders and insure proper alignment of the back as you slumber.  The results:  increased energy, better focus, and a more relaxed attitude! 

24. Go See a Mindless Movie

Sitting in the dark, eating some buttery popcorn and laughing at ridiculously obvious jokes is a wonderful way to relax and get out of your own head for a few hours.  I recommend doing this at least once a month, and you know the movies I am talking about (anything with Ben Stiller in it will do the trick)!

This list is a follow-up to an article published a few weeks ago on We The Change called 25 Ways to Pamper Your Body and Increase Vitality. 

In my opinion, this list of relaxation techniques is even more important for creating a fulfilling and meaningful life.  Let me know what you think!

Source:  http://www.wethechange.com/24-powerful-relaxation-techniques/

10 Life-Enhancing Things You Can Do in Ten Minutes or Less

By Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D.

Created Apr 17 2010 - 9:48am

 

It usually takes us much longer to change our moods than we’d like it to take. Here are ten things you can do in ten minutes or less that will have a positive emotional effect on you and those you love.

1.    Watch "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. See it online at Oprah.com. This is a deeply moving segment that may be the best ten minutes you've ever invested in front of a computer.

2.    Spend a little while watching the sunset with your mate. Nothing extra is necessary. Just sit and take in the natural beauty of the sky and appreciate being able to share it with the one you love.

3.    Sit quietly by yourself. It doesn't really matter where or when. Just let your feelings bubble up and then experience the thoughts flowing out of your mind. Clearing your head and heart will give you extra energy to get through the rest of the day.

4.    Write a thank you note to your mate. When was the last time you thanked your partner for just being who he or she is and being with you? Doing this in writing will give your partner something to cherish for the rest of his or her life.

5.    Take out your oldest family photo album and look through it. The experience will fill you with fond memories and perhaps make you a bit wistful for days gone by.

6.    Play with a child. Most kids have short attention spans; ten minutes of quality time from a loving adult can make their day. It will also help you stay in touch with the child inside of you.

7.    Visualize or imagine a positive outcome for any issue. Medical doctors recommend visualization to patients with chronic and potentially fatal illnesses. If it can help them, it can do the same for you. 

8.    Go to bed with the one you love ten minutes earlier than usual. Then spend that time just holding each other. Let the feeling of warmth from your mate move through you.

9.    Hang out by some water. Studies show that hospital patients who can see a natural body of water from their beds get better at a 30 percent faster rate. If you're not near the coast or a lake, try taking a bath. Doing so is also healing.

10.  Get your body moving. Shake, twist, and jump around. Let yourself feel the joy of moving to your favorite music, or just the sounds in your head. Run, walk, and bike to your hearts content. You will live longer and love it more.

Sadly, many people measure happiness by how long the experience lasts. The truth is that a few minutes of joy here and there can make a big difference in what you get out of life.

Source:  http://www.psychologytoday.com/print/40925

Walking could be a useful tool in treating depression (BBC)

Something as simple as going for a brisk stroll could play an important role in fighting depression, according to researchers in Scotland.

Vigorous exercise has already been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression, but the effect of less strenuous activities was unclear.

A study in the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity showed walking had a "large effect" on depression.

One in 10 people may have depression at some point in their lives.

The condition can be treated with drugs, but exercise is commonly prescribed by doctors for mild symptoms.

Researchers at the University of Stirling scoured academic studies to find data on one of the mildest forms of exercise - walking.

They found eight studies, on a total of 341 patients, which fitted the bill.

Therapy

The report's authors showed "walking was an effective intervention for depression" and had an effect similar to other more vigorous forms of exercise.

"The beauty of walking is that everybody does it” - Prof Adrian Taylor University of Exeter

They said: "Walking has the advantages of being easily undertaken by most people, incurring little or no financial cost and being relatively easy to incorporate into daily living."

However, they cautioned that much more research needed to be done. There are still questions over how long, how fast and whether walking should take place indoors or outdoors.

Prof Adrian Taylor, who studies the effects of exercise on depression, addiction and stress at the University of Exeter, told the BBC: "The beauty of walking is that everybody does it."

He added: "There are benefits for a mental-health condition like depression."

How any form of exercise helps with depression is unclear. Prof Taylor said there were ideas about exercise being a distraction from worries, giving a sense of control and releasing "feel-good" hormones.

The mental-health charity Mind said its own research found that spending time outdoors helped people's mental health.

Its chief executive, Paul Farmer, said: "To get the most from outdoor activities it's important to find a type of exercise you love and can stick at. Try different things, be it walking, cycling, gardening or even open-water swimming.

"Exercising with others can have even greater impact, as it provides an opportunity to strengthen social networks, talk through problems with others or simply laugh and enjoy a break from family and work. So ask a friend to join you."

Source:  By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17701485