The hours I rack-up on my laptop are steadily increasing. Before surfing the internet, I spent at least one hour everyday stretching. I also love to bicycle, when my health permits.
I want to return to getting my body limber. I can do it by identifying minutes during the day, when I can slip away from work and do just one stretch. Many times, when online, I don't find what I want or have an idea to match my websites. It is that instant that is my opportunity. I can slide away from the computer and make my body feel better. A stretch isn't hard to do or take very long. I'll edge my way off my seat and make my muscles longer. Letting go of the stretch is my moment to say, "Yes!"
You would be surprised how much water it takes to remain completely hydrated and avoid cramps, especially if you consume caffeine. I only get cramps in my calf muscle, when I sleep, if I fall below a certain amount of water consumption. I drink an average of one and one-half gallons of water per day. Most of it at night because I love being able to get back in the cozy bed and lie awake again.
Just right off the bat, one thing that can be tried is what I developed for myself. I just call it "water therapy." Besides extensive stretching exercises, it is the one therapy that has made a dramatic difference for me. I used it mostly to improve the quality of my sleep and interrupt my sleep, so I can become satisfied with less hours of sleep each day. The longer I sleep straight through, the less I feel satisfied. In this endeavor I was often careful not to drink too much water within an hour or so of dinner, because it can interrupt proper digestion.
My wife is a heavy sleeper, and I've tried to get her to drink a little more water before she goes to bed so she could at least once in a while get up once during the night. But she adamantly refuses. She loves to sleep straight through. Well that's good, she likes it.
I think it useful to give a time frame for this "water therapy." In my early 30's, which was the early 90's, I was averaging thirteen hours of sleep per night. Once I started to drink the water, I really started to whittle away at that number. It was 1998 when I got the idea and began gulping water at night. So this process can in some cases take a long time.
I got the idea a day after my hot/cold water dispenser spigot broke with hot water constantly trickling out. I didn't want to deal with the problem, so I put a big pitcher underneath it and set the alarm for a couple of hours later to get up and check it. Upon arising, I'm pretty sure I just drank most of the water from the pitcher and set it back. I got up several times that night and it wasn't really a bother at all and I liked the feeling it gave me.
One more thing is that during those years, it would often be just impossible for me to get up until I had slept thirteen or fourteen hours and felt bad like in a quandary. But each time when I woke having to pee, I had no trouble at all getting up.
Another very important thing if you do drink lots of water at night, the electrolytes that are stripped away need to be replaced. Take a 250mg. tablet of Vitamin C and a 600mg. tablet of Potassium Gluconate each time two cups of water or more are drank. All the juices also are washed away in the mouth and throat, so dissolve a shake of salt in one-half ounce of hot water, swish and swallow (to replace the salt the body lost). It would be a big help to have an electric tea kettle. I always like to drink water at room temperature or above so I add a little hot water. Also you'll notice a great "surreal effect" if you take a good maximum dosage multi-mineral tablet twice a day, which also helps to supplement the electrolytes.
I learned about these necessities out of a tragedy that happened January 2007. It was good for me because back then I was also drinking a lot of water and wasn't aware how it was diluting the juices and electrolytes (potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and salt) in my body.
Click to read about the tragedy, where a woman died in a Hold Your Wee Contest:
"Hold Your Wee for a Wii", Then Die
Here is another article where a guy died of drinking too much water during a college hazing:
In hazing, dumb stunts can be fatal - SFGate
Gaining control of how long and how well they sleep could help people to deal with symptoms of depression much better.
Most importantly, I try to stretch each and every day. These are the stretches I feel are most beneficial and shouldn't be left out. It's important to do the stretches in a certain order and I'll list mine in the order I've found to be best. Each person has to decide for him or herself what order feels to be the best. Also, extend each stretch but never force it or bounce! Something can get torn or damaged. Stretching too far will also make the muscle recoil and tighten, while it tries to "protect" itself.
1st stretch: Stand normally and extend one arm straight out. With palm facing body, stretch the hand only downward with the other hand. Repeat for other arm.
ergocise.com -- Wrist and Hand Stretches
Look for "break at the wrist" stretch. Or "open handed stretch down" is also good.
2nd stretch: Stand and place feet straight and far apart. Don't move the feet and, as you bend sideways to the left almost half way down with entire upper body, put your forearm on your thigh for partial support and right hand on your hip. Repeat the other way. Couldn't find a pic of this one.
3rd stretch: Hold on with left hand directly in front of you to a chair or something at waist height. Pull your right foot up and grab and hold it firmly with right hand. Be extremely careful not to twist your leg or knee as you pull and stretch your right leg up, while arching your back and keeping head up and forward.
Stretches for Weight Training
Look for "opposite hand to opposite foot" stretch, except mine is that position but same hand to same foot. Works much better this way.
4th stretch: Stand upright normally. Remove glasses if needed. Place lower palms on forehead and push backwards on your head firmly, with both hands evenly, and resist with head simultaneously so that it stays in place. Then, lock hands behind head and repeat but pull forward on head. Repeat for both sides of head also. Push with both hands sideways each way and resist with head.
Stretch Break Home
Look for "spread wings" stretch
5th stretch: Stand normally with feet slightly apart. Bend forward to your toes if you can, while bending knees slightly. Careful not to lock your knees. There are probably many ways to do this stretch but that's how I do it.
Daily Stretching Routine | SparkPeople
6th stretch: dumblittleman.com: "Touch the sky: Reach your arms up to the sky and as far back as you can safely go. [I often just stretch up and not back] You can try grasping like you're trying to reach the stars." No pictures, only descriptions:
Simple Stretches You Can Do at Your Desk for Increased Energy - by Dumb Little Man
7th stretch: Stand with legs slightly apart. Keep feet in place while you twist your upper body and head to the left and behind you as far as you can. Repeat to the right.
8th stretch: Stand normally and pull your right arm straight across your chest and grab back of elbow with left hand. Stretch it slowly closer to your body with left hand. Repeat with other arm.
Upper Body Stretching Guide | Stretching Correctly
Look for "anterior shoulder stretch.
9th stretch: Same as last one but bring your arm across your body at a bit of an angle outwards and grab your wrist with your left hand and stretch it slowly to your body while keeping the arm straight. Repeat with other arm.
10th stretch: Sit on the carpet or mat. Place right leg straight out and left leg in towards the stomach. Lean over your right leg and, while bending knee slightly, grab your ankle or top of shoe if you can.
MarathonTraining.com - Stretching
Look for second picture.
11th stretch: I found this one in Fitness magazine last year. Stand normally. Put both arms behind you and lock hands. At the same time, try to bring your elbows together and rotate your shoulder blades outward.
12th stretch: Also from Fitness magazine, I think, is one called the frog or phrog stretch. Kneel on bed on all fours with knees slightly apart. The further apart you place your knees the harder this stretch will be so not too far apart at first. Then, just push your butt straight back slowly as far as you can and hold for a few seconds or up to half a minute. Release it very carefully. lol
13th stretch: My sports medicine doctor, Dr. Campbell at the Palo Alto Medical Clinic, who worked with the S.F. 49ers, gave me this stretch for my dislocated shoulder. Stand normally. Put both arms up and bent in front and to your side. Pull them both firmly straight back as hard as you can.
14th stretch: Stand normally. Put right arm up and over head and place fingers on left side of the head. Place left hand on left shoulder (for balance, I guess). Pull head sideways with right arm and resist the movement with your head so it doesn't move.
Physical Therapy Stretches for the Neck: Video Series | eHow
15th stretch: Do "touch the stars" stretch again.
16th stretch: This is a super-hard one but my favorite. You may not feel comfortable getting into this position. Go on your knees on the bed and place your feet outward laying them straight on the bed. Grab your shoes with your hands. Before you do this, place a large water bottle or rolled towel under your butt. Press your butt constantly down on the bottle as much as you can while keeping your body as straight as possible. Release and keep legs in place and move your upper body forward down to the bed as far as you can. This can be a hard one to get out of without a slight strain of a muscle or something unless you are very careful. lol
I make sure that I do this one close enough to the edge of the bed in front of me, so that when I bend forward, I can grab the edge and pull myself up with it. If you are not too limber and you still want to try this one, you might want to have someone to help you at first in case you get stuck. lol
17th stretch: Place your hands behind your head and push your chin gently and slowly down to your chest and hold a short while or up to a half minute.
18th stretch: Stand upright with back to a dresser that comes up to around the bottom of your neck. You may have to use a phone book or two to get the correct height. Pull your arms up behind you and place them on the dresser or book with hands together. Stand straight up and gently stretch and straighten your arms.
19th stretch: Roll your shoulders in the biggest circles possible. This one can be done like late in the day or at a different time.
The length of time that you hold each stretch depends on your personal preference. I usually hold them about half a minute at least or until the targeted muscles relax and "lay-out." While some don't need that long. They kind of vary, I guess. That's it!
I can always feel a big improvement in how my body feels after finishing most or all of my stretches.
The best quick and single way to overcome fatigue is smiling and especially broad smiles. For many years, I almost had to force myself to smile.
I tried counting them in an anatomy book, and I guess there are approximately at least eighty different muscles around the head and neck. After depression sets in, these muscles get all scrunched together from frowning, expressionlessness, and poor posture. Smiles work directly on that problem.
Another great way to align the muscles of the face and reign in the nervous system is what I developed for myself just called "eye exercises." Even though it may seem like they would not do much, I have found they can have a tremendous impact.
It is basically looking out of the corner of your eyes. I start with my left and keep my eyes wide open. I turn my head to the left just a little and look out of the corner of my left eye, and I try to make the movement as natural as possible and hold my eyes there for a minute. It is very important to have something interesting that you are trying to see. Also, I always try to focus on something simultaneously as possible in the other corner of my vision, which would be in front of me to the right just a little bit. I find a light works good for that because it is easy to see. Then I repeat it to the right.
I also do one where I look straight up. It doesn't work as well if you just stare at the blank ceiling. Fortunately I have track lighting and look up at that. I was always fascinated by track lighting when I was a kid because we never had it. I guess you could put a smiley face sticker on the ceiling near a light or look up just at a light or something. And for a minute each time.
I start with two sets, then after a couple of days, I do three sets.
The most important thing in this thread for me is the stretching. After that I have many various therapies for myself, which I only do now from time to time.
Other ways to feel great:
I try to have as much fresh air in my living quarters as possible, and I don't let-up much during the winter keeping the windows open. It alone can make you feel much better at times.
One requirement in this whole thing is that each person needs to convince him or herself, almost on a daily basis, that a great contribution to society is being made. Can you imagine the United States without large numbers of immigrants each year? It would fall apart. Only people who have not been spoiled by "easy living" could do all the unpleasant things that keep everybody happy. This is one example of how to believe you are an important person. And these things are really true, although it is good to exaggerate a little bit to oneself. Making comments and participating in debates on a regular basis is another example. It is impossible to say how much a small new bit of information or how misconceptions are cleared-up by the simplest of ideas keeps people on top of things. You got to have it. Feeling of self-worth or else you will surely sink. You can't imagine how many times I have wished in the past that this were not true, because I'm really lazy.
Other therapies:
Staying away from mindless intake of sugar is also very important. I've found that it spoils my taste buds real easily. I use desserts as a motivational tool but the effort has to be gargantuan before I give in.
Drinking lots of water that has been purified with reverse-osmosis is a must. I recommend at the very least ten glasses of water a day.
Lots of evenly distributed light when indoors really makes a difference. The more you can comfortably live with the better.
All this can be summed-up by saying keep a good posture for a good-feeling body!
I want to return to getting my body limber. I can do it by identifying minutes during the day, when I can slip away from work and do just one stretch. Many times, when online, I don't find what I want or have an idea to match my websites. It is that instant that is my opportunity. I can slide away from the computer and make my body feel better. A stretch isn't hard to do or take very long. I'll edge my way off my seat and make my muscles longer. Letting go of the stretch is my moment to say, "Yes!"
You would be surprised how much water it takes to remain completely hydrated and avoid cramps, especially if you consume caffeine. I only get cramps in my calf muscle, when I sleep, if I fall below a certain amount of water consumption. I drink an average of one and one-half gallons of water per day. Most of it at night because I love being able to get back in the cozy bed and lie awake again.
Just right off the bat, one thing that can be tried is what I developed for myself. I just call it "water therapy." Besides extensive stretching exercises, it is the one therapy that has made a dramatic difference for me. I used it mostly to improve the quality of my sleep and interrupt my sleep, so I can become satisfied with less hours of sleep each day. The longer I sleep straight through, the less I feel satisfied. In this endeavor I was often careful not to drink too much water within an hour or so of dinner, because it can interrupt proper digestion.
My wife is a heavy sleeper, and I've tried to get her to drink a little more water before she goes to bed so she could at least once in a while get up once during the night. But she adamantly refuses. She loves to sleep straight through. Well that's good, she likes it.
I think it useful to give a time frame for this "water therapy." In my early 30's, which was the early 90's, I was averaging thirteen hours of sleep per night. Once I started to drink the water, I really started to whittle away at that number. It was 1998 when I got the idea and began gulping water at night. So this process can in some cases take a long time.
I got the idea a day after my hot/cold water dispenser spigot broke with hot water constantly trickling out. I didn't want to deal with the problem, so I put a big pitcher underneath it and set the alarm for a couple of hours later to get up and check it. Upon arising, I'm pretty sure I just drank most of the water from the pitcher and set it back. I got up several times that night and it wasn't really a bother at all and I liked the feeling it gave me.
One more thing is that during those years, it would often be just impossible for me to get up until I had slept thirteen or fourteen hours and felt bad like in a quandary. But each time when I woke having to pee, I had no trouble at all getting up.
Another very important thing if you do drink lots of water at night, the electrolytes that are stripped away need to be replaced. Take a 250mg. tablet of Vitamin C and a 600mg. tablet of Potassium Gluconate each time two cups of water or more are drank. All the juices also are washed away in the mouth and throat, so dissolve a shake of salt in one-half ounce of hot water, swish and swallow (to replace the salt the body lost). It would be a big help to have an electric tea kettle. I always like to drink water at room temperature or above so I add a little hot water. Also you'll notice a great "surreal effect" if you take a good maximum dosage multi-mineral tablet twice a day, which also helps to supplement the electrolytes.
I learned about these necessities out of a tragedy that happened January 2007. It was good for me because back then I was also drinking a lot of water and wasn't aware how it was diluting the juices and electrolytes (potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and salt) in my body.
Click to read about the tragedy, where a woman died in a Hold Your Wee Contest:
"Hold Your Wee for a Wii", Then Die
Here is another article where a guy died of drinking too much water during a college hazing:
In hazing, dumb stunts can be fatal - SFGate
Gaining control of how long and how well they sleep could help people to deal with symptoms of depression much better.
Most importantly, I try to stretch each and every day. These are the stretches I feel are most beneficial and shouldn't be left out. It's important to do the stretches in a certain order and I'll list mine in the order I've found to be best. Each person has to decide for him or herself what order feels to be the best. Also, extend each stretch but never force it or bounce! Something can get torn or damaged. Stretching too far will also make the muscle recoil and tighten, while it tries to "protect" itself.
1st stretch: Stand normally and extend one arm straight out. With palm facing body, stretch the hand only downward with the other hand. Repeat for other arm.
ergocise.com -- Wrist and Hand Stretches
Look for "break at the wrist" stretch. Or "open handed stretch down" is also good.
2nd stretch: Stand and place feet straight and far apart. Don't move the feet and, as you bend sideways to the left almost half way down with entire upper body, put your forearm on your thigh for partial support and right hand on your hip. Repeat the other way. Couldn't find a pic of this one.
3rd stretch: Hold on with left hand directly in front of you to a chair or something at waist height. Pull your right foot up and grab and hold it firmly with right hand. Be extremely careful not to twist your leg or knee as you pull and stretch your right leg up, while arching your back and keeping head up and forward.
Stretches for Weight Training
Look for "opposite hand to opposite foot" stretch, except mine is that position but same hand to same foot. Works much better this way.
4th stretch: Stand upright normally. Remove glasses if needed. Place lower palms on forehead and push backwards on your head firmly, with both hands evenly, and resist with head simultaneously so that it stays in place. Then, lock hands behind head and repeat but pull forward on head. Repeat for both sides of head also. Push with both hands sideways each way and resist with head.
Stretch Break Home
Look for "spread wings" stretch
5th stretch: Stand normally with feet slightly apart. Bend forward to your toes if you can, while bending knees slightly. Careful not to lock your knees. There are probably many ways to do this stretch but that's how I do it.
Daily Stretching Routine | SparkPeople
6th stretch: dumblittleman.com: "Touch the sky: Reach your arms up to the sky and as far back as you can safely go. [I often just stretch up and not back] You can try grasping like you're trying to reach the stars." No pictures, only descriptions:
Simple Stretches You Can Do at Your Desk for Increased Energy - by Dumb Little Man
7th stretch: Stand with legs slightly apart. Keep feet in place while you twist your upper body and head to the left and behind you as far as you can. Repeat to the right.
8th stretch: Stand normally and pull your right arm straight across your chest and grab back of elbow with left hand. Stretch it slowly closer to your body with left hand. Repeat with other arm.
Upper Body Stretching Guide | Stretching Correctly
Look for "anterior shoulder stretch.
9th stretch: Same as last one but bring your arm across your body at a bit of an angle outwards and grab your wrist with your left hand and stretch it slowly to your body while keeping the arm straight. Repeat with other arm.
10th stretch: Sit on the carpet or mat. Place right leg straight out and left leg in towards the stomach. Lean over your right leg and, while bending knee slightly, grab your ankle or top of shoe if you can.
MarathonTraining.com - Stretching
Look for second picture.
11th stretch: I found this one in Fitness magazine last year. Stand normally. Put both arms behind you and lock hands. At the same time, try to bring your elbows together and rotate your shoulder blades outward.
12th stretch: Also from Fitness magazine, I think, is one called the frog or phrog stretch. Kneel on bed on all fours with knees slightly apart. The further apart you place your knees the harder this stretch will be so not too far apart at first. Then, just push your butt straight back slowly as far as you can and hold for a few seconds or up to half a minute. Release it very carefully. lol
13th stretch: My sports medicine doctor, Dr. Campbell at the Palo Alto Medical Clinic, who worked with the S.F. 49ers, gave me this stretch for my dislocated shoulder. Stand normally. Put both arms up and bent in front and to your side. Pull them both firmly straight back as hard as you can.
14th stretch: Stand normally. Put right arm up and over head and place fingers on left side of the head. Place left hand on left shoulder (for balance, I guess). Pull head sideways with right arm and resist the movement with your head so it doesn't move.
Physical Therapy Stretches for the Neck: Video Series | eHow
15th stretch: Do "touch the stars" stretch again.
16th stretch: This is a super-hard one but my favorite. You may not feel comfortable getting into this position. Go on your knees on the bed and place your feet outward laying them straight on the bed. Grab your shoes with your hands. Before you do this, place a large water bottle or rolled towel under your butt. Press your butt constantly down on the bottle as much as you can while keeping your body as straight as possible. Release and keep legs in place and move your upper body forward down to the bed as far as you can. This can be a hard one to get out of without a slight strain of a muscle or something unless you are very careful. lol
I make sure that I do this one close enough to the edge of the bed in front of me, so that when I bend forward, I can grab the edge and pull myself up with it. If you are not too limber and you still want to try this one, you might want to have someone to help you at first in case you get stuck. lol
17th stretch: Place your hands behind your head and push your chin gently and slowly down to your chest and hold a short while or up to a half minute.
18th stretch: Stand upright with back to a dresser that comes up to around the bottom of your neck. You may have to use a phone book or two to get the correct height. Pull your arms up behind you and place them on the dresser or book with hands together. Stand straight up and gently stretch and straighten your arms.
19th stretch: Roll your shoulders in the biggest circles possible. This one can be done like late in the day or at a different time.
The length of time that you hold each stretch depends on your personal preference. I usually hold them about half a minute at least or until the targeted muscles relax and "lay-out." While some don't need that long. They kind of vary, I guess. That's it!
I can always feel a big improvement in how my body feels after finishing most or all of my stretches.
The best quick and single way to overcome fatigue is smiling and especially broad smiles. For many years, I almost had to force myself to smile.
I tried counting them in an anatomy book, and I guess there are approximately at least eighty different muscles around the head and neck. After depression sets in, these muscles get all scrunched together from frowning, expressionlessness, and poor posture. Smiles work directly on that problem.
Another great way to align the muscles of the face and reign in the nervous system is what I developed for myself just called "eye exercises." Even though it may seem like they would not do much, I have found they can have a tremendous impact.
It is basically looking out of the corner of your eyes. I start with my left and keep my eyes wide open. I turn my head to the left just a little and look out of the corner of my left eye, and I try to make the movement as natural as possible and hold my eyes there for a minute. It is very important to have something interesting that you are trying to see. Also, I always try to focus on something simultaneously as possible in the other corner of my vision, which would be in front of me to the right just a little bit. I find a light works good for that because it is easy to see. Then I repeat it to the right.
I also do one where I look straight up. It doesn't work as well if you just stare at the blank ceiling. Fortunately I have track lighting and look up at that. I was always fascinated by track lighting when I was a kid because we never had it. I guess you could put a smiley face sticker on the ceiling near a light or look up just at a light or something. And for a minute each time.
I start with two sets, then after a couple of days, I do three sets.
The most important thing in this thread for me is the stretching. After that I have many various therapies for myself, which I only do now from time to time.
Other ways to feel great:
I try to have as much fresh air in my living quarters as possible, and I don't let-up much during the winter keeping the windows open. It alone can make you feel much better at times.
One requirement in this whole thing is that each person needs to convince him or herself, almost on a daily basis, that a great contribution to society is being made. Can you imagine the United States without large numbers of immigrants each year? It would fall apart. Only people who have not been spoiled by "easy living" could do all the unpleasant things that keep everybody happy. This is one example of how to believe you are an important person. And these things are really true, although it is good to exaggerate a little bit to oneself. Making comments and participating in debates on a regular basis is another example. It is impossible to say how much a small new bit of information or how misconceptions are cleared-up by the simplest of ideas keeps people on top of things. You got to have it. Feeling of self-worth or else you will surely sink. You can't imagine how many times I have wished in the past that this were not true, because I'm really lazy.
Other therapies:
Staying away from mindless intake of sugar is also very important. I've found that it spoils my taste buds real easily. I use desserts as a motivational tool but the effort has to be gargantuan before I give in.
Drinking lots of water that has been purified with reverse-osmosis is a must. I recommend at the very least ten glasses of water a day.
Lots of evenly distributed light when indoors really makes a difference. The more you can comfortably live with the better.
All this can be summed-up by saying keep a good posture for a good-feeling body!
