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How to keep Body Muscles Flexible and Active
Do you give a miss for muscle stretching after your exercise? If the answer is yes then you should know that you should never give a miss to muscle stretch after your daily workout. It is not just to burn the extra few minutes of your class or workout. Instead, this is essential and is for good reasons. Stretching calves and hamstring or other body parts is important for various reasons. Incorporating stretching into our daily workouts or into our regular day on their own is just as important to health and body functioning as regular exercise.
The greatest advantage of muscle stretching is it increases the range of body motion.Muscles and tendons will work better after stretching. Because of increase in the motion, intensified workout, work or daily activities do not affect the muscle that much or the internal injury can be avoided. In other words the more conditioned muscles and tendons are, the better they can handle the rigors of sport and exercise, and the less likely that they will become injured.
The general advantage of muscle stretch is:
Reduced muscle tension, relaxation and stress relief
Increased range of movement in the joints
Enhanced muscular coordination
Increased circulation of the blood to various parts of the body
relief from pain
increased energy levels
increased flexibility
greater circulation of blood to various parts of the body
reduces inflammation of muscle and relieves pain
improved posture
greater sense of well-being
Good reasons to stretch the muscles:
Helping the body: It helps to increase and improve the flexibility and rang eof motion. With the age muscle becomes tighter and flexibility decreases. It results in slow movement and less lubrication of joins. This puts a shadow on the active life styles and hinders normal day to day motions. Also, the balancing act of the body and coordination becomes less and imbalance sets in. Tensed and tight muscles contribute to poor posture. Stretching helps to correct the posture by loosening the tightened muscle and relaxes the muscle. One can notice an overall improvement in spine alignment and overall postures of the body because of regular stretching.
Enhanced body coordination: Maintaining the full range-of-motion through joints keeps us in better balance. Coordination and balance will help keep us mobile and less prone to injury from falls, especially as we get older.
Blood flow: Stretching also helps to increase the blood flow of muscle. This means increase in blood flow brings greater nutrient supply to muscle. This helps in reducing the soreness and injury and helps in speedy recovery from muscle and joint injuries.
For The Mind : When we are stressed out we have a tendency to hold the stress in our muscle. This is called tension of muscle. Instead of relaxation muscles contract and becomes tensed. This will have a negative impact on the body parts. Stretching is a powerful stress buster. Spending few minutes every day in stretching the body after exercise of after day to day activities helps to get out of the tension in mind and muscle. It helps to calm the mind, providing a mental break and giving your body a chance to recharge. Yoga and Pilates generally helps in body stretch that relieves the tension in mind and muscle.
Muscle toning: Muscle stretches helps to shape up the body. It tone downs the muscle to get into proper shape and replaces the fat with good muscle.
Which are the exercises generally helps to stretch?
Gentle stretching by practicing yoga or Pilates is recommended. Start slow and allow muscles to understand the change in the exercise and to settle down for stretching. This way you will not injure your body parts by sudden stretches.
When to stretch the body?
It is important to note that before any stretching muscles should be warm. A warm out work helps the muscle to stretch easily and becomes flexible.
If a part of your body muscle need stretch first understand by feeling it. In other words, if you are aware that certain muscles are tighter than others, focus your attention on that particular muscle or those muscles that need good stretching.
After your work out it is always good to stretch the body parts. Do it slowly and steadily. Do not rush to stretch.
How to stretch?
Warm up first: Warm up by walking while gently pumping your arms, or do a favorite exercise at low intensity for five minutes.
Hold the stretch: Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds It takes time to lengthen tissues safely. Hold your stretches for at least 30 seconds — and up to 60 seconds for a really tight muscle or problem area. For most of your muscle groups, if you hold the stretches for at least 30 seconds, you will need to do each stretch only once.
Never bounce: Bouncing during stretching can cause injury or micro tears in muscles. The scar created by bouncing can tighten the muscle further causing more soreness and pain to body.
Let it be pain free: If you feel pain as you stretch, you have gone too far. Back off to the point where you do not feel any pain, then hold the stretch.
Relax and breathe: While stretching breath in and out – so that tired muscles will get good amount of air to relax.
Stretch both sides: Make sure your joint range of motion is as equal as possible on each side of your body.
Stretching is thus very important. Do not overdo stretching, it is better to work within your limits.
This Valentine’s Day if you are planning to buy chocolates for your loved one’s then you should also know where the world’s best chocolates and chocolate cakes are available or what brand to buy.
“Food of the Gods”:Chocolates are world famous and loved by most people. Chocolates are famous because of taste and flavors. Chocolate is Nahuatl word, the language of Aztec. The Nahuatl term, chicolatl, meaning “beaten drink”. Do you know how chocolates are prepared? Cacao is the dried seed of the cacao tree that is used to make cocoa powder and chocolate. The cacao tree is a tropical flowering tree native to the Americas. Its scientific name, Theobroma cacao, means “food of the gods.” The first instances of cacao processing and culinary use can be traced back to the ancient cultures that once inhabited what is now central and southern Mexico. Chocolate definitely has an ancient history. Cacao seeds were the currency during the times the people of Maya and Aztecs traded. The Aztecs believed that cacao was brought to earth from paradis and that wisdom and power could be had by consuming the seed.
Here are world famous chocolates and chocolate cakes for all lovers on Valentine’s day!!
The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is a United States division of Swiss confectioner Lindt & Sprüngli. As America’s longest continuously operating chocolate manufacturer, Ghirardelli has established its position as America’s premium chocolate company. In 1849, during the California Gold Rush, Italian-born Domingo Ghirardelli moved to America and opened a store in a mining camp. After discovering the miners were starved for luxuries and needed something to spend their gold dust on, he starting stocking chocolate delicacies. In 1852, the enterprising immigrant founded a confectionery shop in San Francisco, which eventually became the modern-day Ghirardelli Chocolate Company.
Ghirardelli produces several flavors of chocolate. The chocolate is sold in bar version or is cut up into squares and individually packaged. Varieties available: Dark, white, milk chocolates etc. filled with strawberry, caramel, almonds, espersso. They also have cinnamon crunch, cinnamon -spiced almond, pecan pie, egg nog, pumpkin spice etc.
Serving artisanal Italian delicacies, The River Cafe at London, enjoys its legacy as one of London’s most sought-after dining spots. The restaurant is located on the north bank of the Thames in Hammersmith, in the former Duckhams oil storage facility. The River Cafe menu changes twice daily for optimum freshness. Signature dishes include: wild mushroom risotto; Dover sole and John Dory smoked in the restaurant’s own wood stove; and rich Italian desserts including lemon almond cake and the chocolate “Nemesis” cake. Nemesis cake is the cafe’s signature dessert made of chocolate. It has a slight crust on top and gains its richness from a staggering quantity of chocolate.
A ‘Churro’ – sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut – is a popular fried dough snack which is normally eaten for breakfast accompanied by a bowl of thick hot chocolate or a good café con leche. The ingredients for the typical churro couldn’t be simpler: A mixture of flour, water and salt. Once the mixture is prepared it goes into a ‘churrera’ (special churro making machine) which then squeezes the doughy mixture into a large fryer where it’ll remain until crispy and crunchy.
It is typical breakfast fare, but at Chocolateria San Gines, a cafe in Madrid, it is served all day long (literally, as in the place is open 24 hours). The churros are light, crisp and eggy, not dense or overly sweet, and they go perfectly with the thick, rich chocolate sauce that they are served with. The chocolate served here is somewhere between hot chocolate and hot fudge in consistency, and is as great for sipping as it is for dunking churros.
Turin, Milan, and Parma are famous for their before-dinner-drink-with-unlimited-free-food, also known as the aperitivo tradition. Turin is one of Italy’s major chocolate producers, probably best known for its gianduiotto chocolate. When you visit Turin which is Italy’s chocolate capital, sip a cioccolato caldo. This winter-buster comes very thick, hot, and agreeably bitter, topped generously with whipped cream. Sample bicerin, a layered hot-chocolate-and-espresso drink served in glass cups, available only in Turin, or try giandujotto, a foil-wrapped, chocolate-hazelnut candy.
If you are in New York city you must visit this beautiful bakery. It offers varieties of baked food and chocolates, cookies, cheesecakes. Magnolia Bakery is a chain of bakeries founded in New York City. The company’s U.S. locations include stores in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Magnolia has four outlets—including the Bleecker Street branch featured in Sex and the City.
This cozy little 1950s-style bakery shot to fame when characters from the TV series “Sex and the City” stopped by for a cupcake-fueled sugar rush. As well as red velvet chocolate cupcakes, the bakery dispenses a rainbow of brightly colored cupcakes, plus banana pudding, cookies, cherry cheesecake, and brownies. The German chocolate cake is a high point.
Valrhona has been producing the world’s finest chocolate in the small village of Tain L’Hermitage, France since 1922. From the beginning, company founder and Pastry Chef Albéric Guironnet was dedicated to the creation of unique, artisan quality chocolate with complex, balanced and consistent flavors. Very few chocolatiers go so far as to become growers. However, in order to learn more about cocoa, oversee its quality, and guarantee its refinement, Valrhona has mastered all aspects of the industry. It is in that spirit that Valrhona decided to open and operate its own plantations, first in Venezuela, and more recently, in the Dominican Republic.
In wine-making country, on the Rhône’s left bank, visit the home of Valrhona chocolate, favored by many of the world’s leading chocolatiers and chefs. Unusually, the chocolate is made only with natural fat from cocoa butter; no vegetable fat is added. Chocoholics will enjoy the chance to sample or buy at the factory shop, while professional chefs can study at Valrhona’s École du Grand Chocolat, a chocolate-cookery school.
