We are now running around in a fast-paced world that still filled with weary, confused people who seem to have missed out on the benefits of science, technology and the million and one gadgets that promised to bring easy living. It has become all too common to hear of people complaining about feeing harassed or stressed out because of the challenges everyday life. Stress affects people from all walks of life. From the plain housewife whose is trying to balance household chores, taking care of the children and being a loving wife to her husband…to the Sales Manager overseeing a group of sales agents while trying to meet the daily sales quota…to the ever-busy executive who burns the midnight oil just to finish the product presentation in time for the deadline…to the student cramming up for the exams and tons of other schoolwork. There are a lot of other reasons why we all come under stress. The Age of E-mails, Cellular Phones, and Microwave has not, so it seems, ushered a new time of relaxation. Like our forebears, we 21st century homo sapiens still grapple with the issues of death in the family, marital separation, lingering illness, a loss of a job, financial troubles, getting pregnant, even divorce, and a whole lot of other human woes. Stress and Anxiety has been a constant companion of just about every ordinary executive, laborer or employee who meets pressures and demands from all sides. Being at work and being at home equally pose different degrees of challenges that try even the most patient of persons. The truly hassled people tend to lose sleep and their appetite with it. Trying to meet office and family obligations has become like a juggling act using razor-sharp knives. Fixing a busy, full schedule is now a modern tale of failure for most urban professionals and managers. The whole business of living has become like a roller coaster ride where situations become so overwhelming that we are left with no choice other than to accept that we are not in control. Events that provoke stress are called stressors. Stress and anxiety results from the volume of dizzying interactions we need to make with different people every single day. The demanding work and home enviroments have pushed many to seek many ways and means to control stress and anxiety. It is no wonder that stress management is now an everyday, household word. But more and more people are not just using the term as a catchy phrase. It is, for many people, a mantra for self-help and health. More and more people are turning to alternative ways to cope with the stress and number have found rest and solace inside the spa. Spa treatments are no longer the same as the saunas of yesteryear. Presnt-day spas are more hip and trendy, catering to the tired executive and hurried employee’s craving for serenity and a little tender loving care. Stress management involves taking a spa and getting a massage. But instead of just relying on the good old mint-scented liniment and the massage, people today demand excellent facilities that incorporate the calming designs of Zen and the soothing scents of chamomile and a host of other aromatic scents. A 2006 survey made by the International Spa Association (ISPA) show that most Americans, or about 57 million people, have had at least one visit to the spa to calm down frayed nerves and get a much-needed therapeutic touch. These days, a trip to the spa is no longer a luxury but a necessity to maintain one’s health. Pampering one’s self is a means to release tension. Getting a full body massage is a way to help the body and the mind to relax. A tired soul can always go for the traditional body massage, the Swedish variant, or the Japanese shiatsu method — to get those muscles, joints and spine all rubbed and lined up for health. Spas are no longer just places to break up a sweat. These health salons are now the fastest growing businesses that promote stress management, offering a wide range of services from foot spas, body scrubs, to vegetarian diets. Recently, another innovation in stress management was introduced with the opening of the so-called hydrotherapy centers, where water itself is used as a massage tool. Whatever method or technique, so long as people find life to be a source of stress, the business of massage, spa, and other health-promoting regimen will continue to be good businesses and viable alternative treatments.
Tag-Archive for ◊ Stress and anxiety ◊
The Gracies are considered the first family of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). They attained perfection in their ground-and-pound combat on the streets of Rio de Janeiro. Gracie Jiu Jitsu or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) was founded by brothers Carlos and Helio Gracie in 1925. Carlos was trained by the Japanese jiu-jitsu master, Maeda Hatsui. Carlos was a brilliant street fighter who incorporated Hatsui’s grappling techniques with Western-style boxing. Helio, too, is considered as one the most-gifted martial artists in the world. He became famous for beating several combat artists in no-holds-barred fights throughout Brazil. Helio brought BJJ to the United States with his sons Royce, Rorion, and Rickson. These young Gracies became prime fighters in MMA tournaments around the world. Rorion is the co-founder of Ultimate Fighting Championship, an elite MMA organization and is the Major MMA promotion in USA. The success of the Gracies in MMA is attributed not only to their strenuous training but also because of their strict diet. The Gracies spent most of their lives fighting and they never had the comfort of being sick and unprepared in the day of the fight. It was important for them to be healthy at all times. Being healthy frees them of the stress and anxiety that may experience during or before the fight. Heeding an excerpt by the great philosopher Hippocrates, “Let your food be your remedy,” Carlos studied various eating methods and took harmful methods away from his regimen. Known as the Gracie Diet, this eating regimen focused on food combinations. The objective was to prevent blood acidity and fermentation that could be caused by unhealthy chemical reactions of food within the body. This procedure may hamper the digestive process which is the most energy consuming stage in the body. According to Carlos, keeping the acidity or the alkalinity (pH levels) of the blood is crucial in the digestive process because pH levels of food should be kept neutral for maximum transformation of the food. He added that some food combinations of food kept the pH levels in the blood neutral while others made it acidic or alkaline. The pH imbalance in food may cause several illness like hardening of the arteries, osteoporosis and and stiff joints which may lead to arthritis. The diet is composed of several food tables divided in the following groups: · Group A: Animal protein, fats and oils, and vegetables. · Group B: Cereals. · Group C: Sweet fruits. · Group D: Acid foods (in majority fruits). General guide lines of the diet: · Foods from group A combine with each other and with one of group B. · Foods from group C combine with each other and with one of group B. · Foods from group B do not combine with each other. · Foods from group D can only be consumed individually. · Banana and milk are not included in any of the groups since they have chemical combinations of their own. Observations: · Egg yolk (raw or cooked), coconut, coffee, brewers yeast, and many varieties of teas are compatible with any food, for they are considered neutral. · Avoid: Sweets, canned goods, black pepper, clove, cinnamon, mustard, pickled foods, and vinegar. · Never eat: Pork and derivatives. · Bread: To be less fermented, it should be made out of pure or natural flour and eaten 24 hours after baked. Also, it should be eaten as toast or oven warmed. · No alcoholic beverages. · Not smoking. · Drinking a glass of water when you get up and before you go to sleep. · Important: In order to avoid a chemical conflict, it is essential that meals are at least 4 Ѕ hours apart. Do not eat anything between meals. It is difficult to notice the long-term effects of proper eating habits if people are in their twenties, thirties, or forties. Many modern diets are formulated by young men and gained credibility based on theory. Helio Gracie, however, is a living proof that the Gracie diet is as effective if not better than other diets out in the market. By following strict combination of food he still manages to enjoy superb physical and mental health that enables him to teach and train people in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.