Real Relaxation by Konstantin Koss

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Today I want to scratch a topic that is normally far off the scope of the usual relaxation-wellness-meditation advice. Today I want to talk about a program for the currently most popular MP3 player system around: The iPod (or even the iPhone, as in my case).

I often talk about the incredible benefit of using relaxing music as a tool to de-stress in everyday life.

I recently found an application on my iphone that leverages this concept. Now you can easily put any relaxing music from a CD on your MP3 player and that works well, but this program rather uses relaxing sounds such as chirping birds and flowing water.

It also has a sleep-timer feature so that you can use it for relaxing before bedtime without having it drain batteries the whole night (the timer just turns off the sound after a set amount of minutes).

And all this is just $0.99 - a token price if you ask me.

The only negative thing I have to say about this application is that you can’t seem to adjust the volume of the sounds, which doesn’t really matter to me as the volume is generally just fine.

If you also own an iPod (touch), you should consider giving this “app” a try. It can be found in the iTunes store just like every other application.

Popularity: 22% [?]

Our senses play a very active role on our overall well being. For example, if you have a cold, you lose some of your sense of smell and taste. The role can be reversed as well; you can use your senses to make you feel better. One very good instance would be aromatherapy.

Basically, aromatherapy is an alternative practice to promote wellness using essential oils derived from plants that is able to stimulate our senses that can treat various illnesses or ailments. Aromatherapy has also been effectively used to combat stress because of its calming effects which in turn soothes the mind that can bring in a state of calmness and relaxation.

Some of the more common aromatherapy oils used come from sunflower, sweet almond, apricot, lavender, chamomile, grapeseed, orange, geranium, petitgrain, rose, marjoram, patchouli, and neroli. Each of them has their own areas for wellness specializing in its effects.

Aromatherapy products range from the massage oils, used in many spas, in candle forms, and some in oils that can be poured in drops on pillows and blankets to promote good sleep.

One of the best ways to use aromatherapy to promote wellness is by having a soothing massage using the essential oils. Many spas offer this type of service and I assure you, its time well spent. It’s very relaxing and soothing to the mind. Another would be using aromatherapy candles when you do meditation or Yoga.

Doing the latter at your own home would be very cost effective and a fantastic way to release stress and achieve peace of mind.

(Photo by M@rg)

Popularity: 18% [?]

First of all in case you wondered why I didn’t post a single blogpost for 3 days in a row … I was off and relaxed myself. That’s a much needed activity when it comes to walking my talk.

Now, for today I have something special for you. I’m going to let you in on some of my most favorite guided relaxation videos, all of them are freely available on the internet.

Guided relaxation videos are especially useful if you are just starting out and need something external to focus on while calming yourself down and relaxing consciously. If you want to give guided relaxation a try, watch these:

Featured Guided Relaxation Videos

Release!

Time needed: about 4 minutes

The title says it all, this guided relaxation uses the progressive muscle relaxation technique and also features a self massage technique about 5 minutes in.

Time needed: 10 minutes

This is a very good relaxation-quickie! While it is true that you should generally train relaxing for some more time and also take some time out for your relaxation practice, taking several short relaxation breaks to get centered again throughout the day is also very valuable.

Time needed: just 2 minutes

Thanks for reading and enjoy the relaxing time ahead of you, watching those guided relaxation videos.

Konstantin Koss

Popularity: 12% [?]

Sauna is not a modern-day invention. It has been enjoyed for many years in Finland, where it originated. The word sauna comes from ’savu’, the Finnish term for smoke. This is due to the use of steam as a form of bath to induce profuse sweating. For the uninitiated, this may seem like some form of punishment but the sauna is actually a technique to improve health and wellbeing. Here are some of its benefits:

1. Improved Blood Circulation

Saunas expose the body to temperatures that are higher than the body is normally used to. Dry type saunas, for example, are used in temperatures ranging from 110 – 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Wet type saunas, on the other hand, go much higher – from about 180 to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.

These temperatures increase heart rate, which in turn encourages the blood to flow more quickly because it causes the blood vessels to dilate. This helps the blood circulate more efficiently.

Improved blood circulation caused by the sauna in turn produces excellent benefits. It helps strengthen the immune system which encourages the body to heal itself. A strong immune system also helps the body recover more quickly from injuries.

2. Relieves Stress and Tension

Another benefit of the sauna is its ability to induce relaxation. The sweating and initial discomfort gives way to a feeling of well-being, which explains why many people use the sauna to help relieve any feelings of stress and tension.

Followed by a cold shower, the sauna experience helps induce a more relaxed sleep. In fact, many sauna users report that their sleep patterns have significantly improved from regular use of the sauna.

3. Relief from Pains and Aches

Saunas are often used by people suffering from painful conditions mainly for its relaxing properties. However, heat also has the ability to relieve pain and thus, saunas provide a means to alleviate muscle pains and aches.

4. Alleviate Sinuses

Another important benefit of saunas is its ability to help relieve nasal decongestion and sinus discomfort. The steam helps open up nasal passages and bring relief. People who use saunas and have sinus problems often find that the experience helps them breathe a little easier.

5. Weight Loss

It is believed that another benefit of the sauna is its ability to help people lose weight. Because it helps encourage metabolism, people are more likely to burn calories more efficiently and thus regulate their body weight.

True, all that sweating in the sauna causes the body to lose water (which reduces the weight slightly) but it’s also true that the average guy can burn up to 400 calories by spending just 25 minutes inside a sauna. With proper diet and some exercise, those calories can stay off, which helps a person lose weight more efficiently.

6. Body Cleansing and Detoxifying

Since the heat within a sauna is way above body temperature, it stimulates sweating. This is how the body responds to heat. Sweat helps cool down the body’s cells and bring down the temperature. By doing so, it helps pump toxins and other impurities out of the body.

A good indication of this is the skin. After using the sauna, you will notice that your skin is smooth and its pores look smaller or tighter. The truth is that clogged pores (which tend to look bigger to the eye) are cleansed from within because sweat pushes the dirt and oils out. The result is a smoother and visibly improved complexion.

Regular use of the sauna also helps develop the body’s ability to produce sweat. As a result, the body becomes more efficient in cleansing itself of toxins.

A Word of Caution

Anyone can use the sauna, provided they are reasonably healthy. This is an important thing to remember. People with blood circulation problems, develop allergies quickly or have high blood pressure or multiple sclerosis may have to avoid the high temperatures found in the sauna. If you suspect you have a condition, always check with your doctor first prior to using the sauna.

Pregnant women should also be careful about using the sauna. Although women in Finland used saunas to give birth in, pregnant women who have never experienced the sauna before must always have their doctor’s approval first.

The type of sauna you’ll be using might also have certain uncomfortable effects to your body. Some people, for example, find that dry type saunas such as infrareds tend to irritate their respiratory passages. Try to experiment which type works for you best to maximize the benefits of the sauna to your health.

Popularity: 14% [?]

There is no need to ask as I am sure you are one of the millions of people who are stressed every day from work. You may even be a little bit overweight because all your waking hours are spent sitting in the office and laboring with household chores when you get home so there is really no time to go the gym for a workout or go out and do sports.

What if I tell you that there is an easy but sure way to burn those excess fats and rejuvenate your whole body? Would you be willing to try it?

Here is the good news… Have you heard of the Infrared Sauna Therapy? No, it’s not like the traditional sauna therapy that uses different types of heaters, warming stones and the air in a room.

How Infrared Sauna Therapy Works

The infrared sauna therapy uses heaters of either the carbon heaters that directly heat the body through infrared waves or the steel incoloy rods or ceramic heaters. These types of heaters produce heat from between 120 and 140 degrees in Fahrenheit or between 43 to 54 degrees in Celsius, emitting infrared rays directly to the body. The infrared rays are like the heat of the sun but without the harmful ultraviolet rays. The infrared heat, which produces invisible band of light, warms the body and makes it sweat profusely without hurting the skin.

Health Benefits and Effects

Infrared sauna therapy has a lot of health benefits to offer. The first and foremost benefit is that it helps relax and calm the body and the mind, distressing you from all your cares and worries at home or in the office. So you feel light and relaxed. The second benefit is detoxification of your body. The body absorbs a lot of toxins each and every day, with all the smoke, dust and the unhealthy food people eat. Since we can’t avoid these pollutants getting into our bodies, we need to detoxify it by cleansing it. And this is where infrared sauna therapy can help.

Infrared sauna therapy is one of the most effective and safest ways of eliminating toxins in our body like chronic infections and toxic metals. The infrared heat is absorbed by the body causing it to perspire and expel the toxins out from the skin. Since the body absorbs 93% of the heat, it increases the body temperature by up to three degrees. The body temporarily goes into a fever-like state, activating its immune system, which defends the body against diseases and illness. This process helps the body speed up the healing procedure of small ailment in the body.

Another benefit of the infrared sauna therapy is its cardiovascular workout property, which helps the body lose weight and get rid of ugly cellulites. Regular infrared sauna therapy rids your body of excessive salt, moisture and subcutaneous fat. This is achieved by the infrared rays’ deep penetration into the body, creating a deep heating effect in the internal organs and muscular tissues.

As a reaction, the body increases the heart rate and volume through a hypothalamic-induced response. This process provides the necessary cardiovascular conditioning while the body tries to cool itself. The best thing about it is that people with physical disabilities, who are stuck in their wheelchairs and can’t do exercise, can now get the cardiovascular workout they also need. Since they cannot run nor do physically vigorous activities, infrared therapy would do them good because they also need exercise for their hearts.

The weight loss is achieved by making the fat water-soluble when the temperature reaches 100 degrees in Fahrenheit. The infrared heat dissolves the fat, which in turn enters the bloodstream and ready to be expelled from the body through sweat. One sauna session for around 20 to 40 minutes can burn as much as 200 to 500 calories.

For people undergoing physical or massage therapy, Infrared sauna therapy helps as a pre-warm up, calming and readying the body for the actual sessions of the physical or massage therapy. Moreover, it also helps people suffering with severe cough by loosening the lungs’ secretions and stimulates it to discharge and expectorate the mucus out to the throat. The infrared heat helps dissolve the thick mucus that is filling the lungs, making it easier to breathe.

(2nd Photo by keko)

Popularity: 13% [?]

Your mental health does impact your physical health - that’s one concept I already wrote about in the article on mental wellness a couple of days ago.

But how this concept also works the other way around is shown by this video:

What does nutrition have to do with mental health? You might be surprised to find out the truth behind what happens when a person has a nutritional deficiency.

Nutritional deficiencies can cause all sorts of psychiatric symptoms including apathy, low energy, irritability, insomnia, low energy, agitation, fatigue, concentration problems, aches and pains, weight changes, including weight loss or weight gain. Sound a lot like the symptoms of depression? The truth is the average American diet of fast food is low in vital nutrition that you need for your body to function correctly.

This isn’t to say that all depression is caused by bad nutrition but it’s certainly a contributing factor in many cases and poor nutrition will always make depression worse. Antidepressant drugs also do not correct nutritional problems. So if your depressed because of nutritional problems an antidepressant will only partially cover up the problem and you body still won’t function correctly.

This video was produced by Psychetruth

Popularity: 12% [?]

The mind is a strange thing. The effects of your mental state are very often not limited to your consciousness only. It also affects your physical self and shows itself in how your body functions. Ever noticed how people who are constantly under stress often look tired, haggard and old for their age? It’s stress and a less-than-fine mental condition that cause these physical manifestations to appear. The lack of mental fitness very often will lead to emotional distress and even affect physical health.

Recognizing the Need For Mental Wellness

People are constantly exposed to stress, although it comes in many forms and degrees. Even babies can experience stress, such as when they cry and attention to their needs gets delayed. Their experience, however, are significantly more limited.

Adults, on the other hand, experience stress as a result of day-to-day activities. It also doesn’t help that the demands of work, family and social activities often put pressure on an otherwise smooth-sailing situation.

To take the step towards ensuring mental wellness, it’s important that you are able to identify symptoms of unnecessary stress. Some types of distractions or concerns are easily dealt with while others require extra steps to resolve, sometimes necessitating professional help.

Resources For Mental Wellness

The best way to handle mental wellness is to recognize that it is a real need. Most people would ignore signs and symptoms of mental distress because they are used to believing that it’s ‘all in your head’. Very often, they do not recognize the problems until it has already affected them in a negative way.

It’s also important to use the right kind of knowledge to help maintain mental wellness. Read books, magazines and other sources of information on the subject. If there’s help available, then take advantage and use it.

Generally, though, the best source of information regarding the state of your mental health is you yourself. You know your limits and what you go through everyday. You can also recognize the factors that affect your mental health when you encounter them. To make sure you take care of your mental health, learn to identify situations, events and people that are stressful to you so you will know how best to manage them when you need to.

Steps to Ensuring Mental Wellness

Once you recognize your stress triggers and the things that challenge your mental wellness, there are certain steps you need to take.

- Assess your mental health on a regular basis.

Determine your ideal state of mind and then try to see how far you veer off from it periodically. The point here is to take note of ‘trends’ in your emotional well-being. Have you been feeling happy and satisfied lately or are you generally depressed and have been for some time?

- Set aside time to focus on your mental wellness everyday.

Often, taking a few short breaks to relax everyday can do a lot for your mental wellness. Recognize that it is normal for people to have concerns and worries but that what you need to focus on are real solutions. To do this effectively, you need to make a conscious effort to manage your mental wellness.

- Choose your most effective ways to manage negative thoughts.

People have different ways of dealing with stress and unpleasant emotions. When these thoughts enter your head, learn to recognize them and then interrupt the flow. Think of more pleasant things or distract yourself by doing more productive activities. These thoughts will probably appear from time to time but the key is to prevent them from dominating you.

- Learn to prioritize.

Very often, the stress that affects mental wellness is caused by the lack of prioritizing skills. Make a conscious effort of completing tasks according to importance. Even if you have a list of 20 things to do in one day, for example, being able to complete seven of them before lunch hour can help reduce the pressure on you.

- Challenge your mind.

The mind can get a bit rusty when it focuses on only one or two things. Learn to tread on unfamiliar ground and challenge yourself. Learn a new skill, for example, such as playing a musical instrument or learning chess. Unfamiliar things make the mind work harder because there is new information to process.

- Go easy on yourself.

If your mind wants to take a break, then go ahead and let it rest. Your mental wellness, after all, rests on how well you can listen to what your mind is telling you.

Additional External Resources:

• A Mental Wellness Plan

- I hope that the information provided in this post and the ideas that I have begun to implement in regards to my own mental wellness, have provided you with the knowledge and understanding that we are never alone. …

• Mental Wellness - A Necessity for All

- I know youngmen that are on meds for pyschological mood disorders of various types. It’s not uncommon to find family members that have been prescribed anti-depressants and other medications or who are mental ill altogether. …

• Definition: Mental Wellness

- Positive Psychology.

• Article Dump: Supplements that Support Mental Wellness and Focus …

- Supplements that provide these in addition to the herbs mentioned above would be a powerful and well rounded tool for supporting mental wellness. As with any supplement make sure you consult a doctor knowledgeable in supplements before …

Popularity: 27% [?]

Lately I wrote a very extensive article on corporate wellness programs and to expand on the topic, I looked around the internet for more quality information.

Featured Resources on Wellness Programs

• Alcoholism and Employee Wellness Programs

- Like some wellness companies, my firm has addressed this with clients before, helping to implement awareness, education and early intervention initiatives, as well as Employee Assistance Programs, or EAPs. …

• Building Workplace Wellness Programs

- There is no single right way to approach workplace wellness programs but winning programs share common success factors. These include commitment from management, employee involvement, adequate resources, and a policy on workplace health …

• Number of US Employers Using Incentives to Promote Wellness Jumps …

- Major US employers using incentives to promote employer-sponsored health and wellness programs rose from 62 percent to 71 percent between 2007 and 2008, according to a report released June 26 by the ERISA Industry Committee, …

• The ROI of Wellness Programs

- The institute has found that the ROI of wellness programs after three to five years normally falls into the range of 1.5:1 to 3:1. This means that for every dollar invested in wellness, employers saved, or can expect to save, …

• Rising health care costs motivate employee wellness programs

- Wellness programs with achievable fitness goals are more effective in helping sedentary adults start and stick with fitness programs than those with more challenging fitness goals, according to the American College of Sports Medicine …

Konstantin Koss

Popularity: 12% [?]

Who needs wellness programs?

If you work in an office or a jobsite or are a member of an organization who spends a considerable amount of time at work, you will benefit from a well-designed worker wellness program. Employees spend a minimum of about 200 hours a month at work – a considerable amount of time.

Furthermore, stress, distractions and the pressures of the job can take its toll on the worker, which makes it important that a wellness program is implemented. Today, all across America, Canada, Europe and Asia, top corporate wellness programs are being used to help improve employee conditions at work and reduce the cost of worker healthcare.

Some of the top wellness programs currently in use today include:

1. Health Risk Assessments or HRAs

Health Risk Assessment is a top corporate wellness program currently in use globally. Organizations that implement it determine the safety and health concerns of workers by assessing the appropriateness of the facilities and equipment against the needs of the employees.

It can, for example, guide the organization into determining how much air quality within an office room affects the users and then help the assessment team to come up with the measures necessary to correct the problem. An HRA can also evaluate the level of exposure workers have to certain hazardous or dangerous materials and practices.

2. Immunizations

This isn’t always practiced in every country since there are regions where government sponsored immunization shots are available. However, it has also become an important component of the top worker wellness programs in many organizations in North America.

Immunization shots, such as those used to combat flu, for example, are offered to workers for free.

3. Employee Assistance Programs or EAPs

Employee Assistance Programs consist of a wide variety of services. It can range from providing educational resources to employees regarding health issues to sponsoring health services and medical care. In many companies, medical and insurance have also become a staple part of their benefits system.

4. In-house diet and nutrition drives

This is another wellness program that organizations use, particularly those that offer in-house commissary or cafeteria services. Instead of serving richer, high-calorie fare, cafeterias offer options for a healthier diet, usually in the form of low-calorie foods and sugar substitutes.

5. In-house wellness newsletter and campaign drives

One of the top wellness programs that organizations can implement is a self-powered tool using a newsletter to promote wellness, coupled with a visible campaign. The campaign may be done periodically and focus on a specific topic, such as smoking hazards, cancer, stress, carpal tunnel syndrome, safety in the workplace, etc.

The newsletter in itself can be an effective means to deliver information to employees or members of an organization but it is far from perfect. Some employees, for example, may not read the newsletter in its entirety or even pay attention to it. If the issues outlined in the newsletter are promoted through an active and highly visible campaign, it will be easier to maximize positive results.

6. Exercise and physical activity drives

Another top wellness program for organizations is one that involves physical activities. Companies often sponsor exercise-related events such as marathons and company sports programs to encourage employees to remain fit or lose excess weight. In mid- to large-sized organizations, companies may even pay for gym memberships or in-house exercise facilities.

7. Incentive rewards

Some of the top wellness programs implemented by companies involve incentive rewards. This involves company-sponsored programs that reward employees for achieving specific wellness goals. Participation in health campaigns and signing up for wellness programs are two of the most commonly rewarded schemes. Rewards can range from special recognitions to points (for bigger rewards) to specific gifts. In a few cases, cash may also be used.

However, incentive systems have had mixed reactions and levels of success. But it continues to be one of the top choices among companies who are willing to modify it in order to fit their unique needs.

8. Peer Pressure

In many organizations, companies take advantage of peer pressure in order to encourage workers to participate in wellness programs. This is currently one of the favorite worker wellness programs currently in use today and growing in popularity. Peer pressure is often leveraged to help promote competitions referring to workplace wellness and to persuade employees to be active in company-sponsored health fairs.

These 8 are some of the most used corporate wellness programs in the world and they enjoy their popularity mostly because of one fact:

They work.

Thanks for reading,

Konstantin Koss

Popularity: 27% [?]

Recently I blogged about Attune giving away free wellness bars on their website. Those wellness bars are advertised as “probiotic”, but what does that mean exactly?

Let’s have a look at what information they are providing:

The World Health Organization (WHO) officially defines probiotics as live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.

The probiotics story begins with intestinal bacteria, which are a community of good and bad bacteria that live in the digestive system. We all have naturally occurring bacterial communities in our digestive systems. They help:

• Protect the body from harmful bacteria.
• Exercise the immune system to ensure it is ready to react to harmful bacteria.
• Strengthen the intestinal wall so it acts as a defensive barrier.
• Digest fiber in the diet, so we can absorb the nutrients from the foods we eat.

These digestive bacteria are essential to overall wellbeing. Probiotics act as a helper to these friendly bacteria, and that help can keep the digestive system functioning well.

The official definition is simply

“Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.”

While it is still not completely researched how much those probiotic bacterial cultures can really help the human body, it is a generally agreed upon fact that probiotic microorganisms can and do help the body in many different ways.

Popularity: 12% [?]