Therapeutic essential oils from allspice to ylang ylang have been providing benefits to the body, mind, and soul for centuries. Youve probably seen the dark, compact bottles with their unusual scents in your local alternative healing store, but maybe youve been hesitant to try them.

You may have found yourself wondering, what exactly is an essential oil? It is oil that is removed from the leaves, stems, and flowers of a plant. It is highly concentrated and evaporates easily. For that reason high quality essential oils are always kept in sealed containers. Any good aromatherapy or health food store will carry a range of essential oils for a variety of mental and physical ailments.

Some of the most popular therapeutic essential oils are eucalyptus, lavender, and sandalwood. Youve probably used eucalyptus in the form of potent smelling vapor rub under you nose and on your chest when you have a cold. Thats because eucalyptus helps to clear your sinus cavities, which leads to better breathing. It also soothes sores and insect bites, acts as a disinfectant, and lifts the mood.

Lavender is always a favorite of the therapeutic essential oils due to its ability to relax the body, calm the mind, fight infection, and soothe inflammation. Unlike the majority of essential oils, it does not have to be diluted and can be applied directly to trouble areas. Or, you can use a few drops in your bath to help you relax or to extinguish a tension headache.

Looking for something more exotic? Try the woody and rich smelling sandalwood oil. For millennia lovers of the deeply aromatic sandalwood oil have used it as an aid for deeper meditation and spiritual development, in religious ceremonies, and as a treatment for skin conditions and other infections of the body. High quality essential oils like pure sandalwood oil can be pricy, but youre guaranteed to enjoy the experience.

One of the less expensive therapeutic essential oils is tea tree oil, which usually comes from Australia. The scent reminds you a bit of a strong disinfectant, and thats exactly what it does best kills germs and bacteria. Always dilute tea tree oil before using it on your skin.

Therapeutic essential oils dont always come in the mysterious little bottles you see in stores or at your massage therapists office. High quality essential oils also come in salves or creams that you can apply to your skin. You not only get the benefit of the essential oil, but you receive the moisturizing properties of the cream. You can also try pure essential oils in a tincture. In a tincture the oil is mixed with alcohol and applied to the skin. In addition, you can purchase a room or car diffuser which turns essential oil into a vapor and distributes the oil throughout a room for everyone to enjoy.

Remember that pure essential oils are always the best, so purchase from stores which carry high quality essential oils. Experiment with the variety of essential oils that exist to see which ones influence your moods and body the most.

Do you suffer with one of the many health problems out there? Are you getting fed up with the traditional forms of health treatment? Are you looking into the different forms of alternative health therapy that are available? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, this article may be of interest to you. In the article, I am going to write about some of these alternative therapy treatments which I, my family and friends have tried in the past. I hope you enjoy the read.

My wife has had many problems with her own health and also suffers from regular bouts of depression. She is quite a stressful person and at times finds life to be fairly tough. A couple of years ago she decided to find a different approach to ones she had previously tried. The first option she tried was reflexology. She was not entirely sure if she really wanted a stranger messing about with her feet but was more than pleased with the experience on her return. She could not believe how relaxed and chilled out it made her feel.

I have also found myself struggling to cope with the pressures of every day life. I now have turned my hand to meditation. This is not I am sure for everyone but it has certainly helped me to think in a more positive and clearer way. It took me quite a long to meditate in what would be known as the correct way as I originally could not seem to concentrate or relax enough.

My mother prefers to go to a womens wellness centre rather than to the doctors. She has not spoken too much about this to me but it obviously helps her as she has now been going there for years.

Tai chi is a very popular form of alternative therapy for many people. Tai chi is also very good at reducing peoples stress levels and is something I also considered before I took up meditation.

A friend of mine always raves on about yoga and the many health benefits that this has bought her. To me it all seems like a lot of hard work, however she insists that it isn’t. In a way these things are like horses for courses. Some people prefer to do one thing and others prefer to do something entirely different.

My brother who also finds it hard to relax, it must run in my family I suppose, has found hypnotherapy to be very useful. He has been a smoker for many years and two years ago decided it was time to quit. He was very determined, which helps of course but by attending hypnotherapy sessions, also gave him that extra edge. He, from what he tells me has not smoked even one cigarette for the past eighteen months.

These are just a small number of the many alternative health treatments out there. It is worth pointing out that even though they have been successful in helping the above people, they may not work for everyone. In my opinion it is worth giving different things a try as it may just change your life.

Its summertime, and the living is easy except when you have to think about putting on an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny yellow polka dot bikini! But dont worry, theres still time to get in shape to strut your stuff on the beach or the boardwalk!

These tried-and-tested exercises can give you quick results with just 10 minute focused workouts every other day. If youre on a serious mission and feeling really motivated, feel free to go for it every day! And dont forget to mix up these moves with some cardio work, even if its a game of soccer with the kids or a brisk walk to the park. Take advantage of the extra quality time youre spending with the kids, family or friends this summer – whether at home or on vacation – and put the fun things you do to work to stay active. Every calorie counts!

And after a few weeks with these exercises, you can look your best in the seasons latest teeny-weeny bikini fashions! Have fun in the sun but dont forget the sunscreen!!

Dolphin Kicks

For this exercise you want to balance your weight on your forearms with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders. Make sure to pull your shoulder blades down towards the hips away from your ears this will keep the stress off your shoulders. Extend your hips and spine, pull in your abs this supports your torso and bend your right knee slightly off the floor for more support. First Inhale, and then as you exhale extend your left leg straight out to hip height, contracting the glutes and hamstrings. Your hips should be facing forward at all times. With a slight bend, return the left leg to meet the opposite supporting leg.

Reps
Repeat up to 20 repetitions, keeping the torso still, then switch to the other side.

Muscle Focus
Glutes, hamstrings, abs, and lats.

Super Butt Kicks

Lay down on your back, placing your arms down by your side. Lift your hips off the floor in a bridge position. Your right knee should be bent with the heel in line with your sit bone, and your left leg should be extended straight up. As you inhale, lower your left leg to the floor. Be sure to keep your hips still and maintain the bridge position. Exhale and bring the leg back up to the start position

Reps
Repeat up to 20 reps, then lower your left leg to the floor in the same bent position as the right. Lower your butt to the floor, rest, and change over to the other leg.

Muscle Focus
Glutes, hamstrings, abs

Dead Bug

Lay down on your back with knees bent at a 45-degree angle. Head, neck and shoulders should be off the floor and hands resting on your knees. On an exhale, draw in your abs and simultaneously extend your left leg out and your right hand over your head. Repeat this move, alternating your arms and legs. Keep your eyes focused on your belly button at all times, and if you start to feel tension in your neck, lower your head down to the floor. This will get easier as you build more strength in the abs.

Reps
Build up to 20 repetitions completed twice with a 30-second to 1-minute break. Make sure not to sacrifice form.

Muscle Focus
Abs

Side Plank Leg Lifts

Lay down on your side, balancing on your right hip and resting on your right forearm. Your right elbow should be directly underneath your shoulder and your knees bent and stacked on top of each other. While exhaling, contract your abs, and lift your hips off the floor. At the same time, extend your left arm and leg out to the side of your body, making sure to keep the knee and toe facing forward.

Reps
Try for 10-15 reps, then turn over onto your other side and repeat.

Muscle Focus
Glutes, abs

Around the House

1. When you go outside to pick up your morning newspaper, take a brisk 5-minute walk up the street in one direction and back in the other.

2. If you’re housebound caring for a sick child or grandchild, hop on an exercise bike or treadmill while your ailing loved one naps.

3. Try 5 to 10 minutes of jumping jacks. A 150-pound woman can burn 90 calories in one 10-minute session.

4. Cooking dinner? Do standing push-ups while you wait for a pot to boil. Stand about an arm’s length from the kitchen counter, and push your arms against the counter. Push in and out to work your arms and shoulders.

5. After dinner, go outside and play tag or shoot baskets with your kids and their friends.

6. Just before bed or while you’re giving yourself a facial at night, do a few repetitions of some dumbbell exercises, suggests exercise instructor Sheila Cluff, owner and founder of The Oaks at Ojai and The Palms, in Palm Springs, CA, who keeps a set of free weights on a shelf in front of her bathroom sink.

While Waiting

7. Walk around the block several times while you wait for your child to take a music lesson. As your fitness level improves, add 1-minute bursts of jogging to your walks.

8. Walk around medical buildings if you have a long wait for a doctor’s appointment. “I always ask the receptionist to give me an idea of how long I have left to wait,” Cluff says. “Most are usually very willing to tell you.”

9. While your son or daughter plays a soccer game, walk around the field.

10. Turn a trip to a park with your child into a mini-workout for you. Throw a ball back and forth and run for fly balls.

We all know how difficult it is to stay in shape and find time to exercise – but most especially for women with babies or small kids. Theres the sleep-deprivation factor, no time and priority changes. So what are the fitness options for busy Moms?

The fact is, the more you can take of yourself and the better you feel, the stronger you will be physically and emotionally to take on the day with the little ones and all of lifes challenges.

Below are some quick, but effective, exercises – specifically designed for the busy Mom – for the back and shoulders to keep you strong and prevent future injuries that may occur with poor lifting biomechanics and poor posture. The heavy weight of not just the baby, but also all the fun gadgets youre expected to lug around. Its no surprise that our bodies need a little help to get through the day.

Rotator Cuff Strengthener

For this workout you will need a light theraband. The beauty about this piece of equipment is that its small enough to carry in your bag or your stroller. Now you have no excuses – you can do these exercises on the go, at the park or when you have a few moments to spare.

You can do this exercise either seated or standing; hold the elbows close to the waist with palms facing the sky holding the theraband. Pulling the hands away from each other externally rotating the shoulders

Reps
3 sets of 10-15 reps

Muscle focus

Rotator cuff muscles are the small muscles that stabilize the shoulder joint. If these get weak from over use you could end up with bicep tendonitis or other potential injuries. This is very common with Moms as everything is usually done with one hand while holding the little one in the other.

Tricep push-up extension

This is the one time in your life you are going to need arm strength, the biceps are going to get over worked from the motion of picking up the baby so its important to balance these out and keep the triceps strong as not to put unwanted strain on them.

Hands are directly under your shoulders and knees are on the ground in a modified push-up. The pelvis is slightly pressed forward creating work in the abdominals that stabilize the spine. Place the theraband under the right hand on the floor and extend opposite arm in a tricep extension. Whilst extending the working arm be careful to keep the wrist in line with the hand not to create any unwanted tensionstrain.

Reps
3 sets of 10-15 reps on each side

Muscle Focus
Drawing your shoulder blades down activating your upper back muscles, engaging abs at all times. Keeping your abs strong and being aware of contracting them is very important as they play an important role in stabilizing and protecting the back.

Translating this in to functional activities such as picking the baby up out of the crib will really save your back.

Spine extension with pulses

Over time in pregnancy our posture completely changes due to the increased weight of the baby bringing our body forward and causing the spine to round forward with the shoulders. This causes the back muscles to become very stretched out and weak.

Seated up right with legs in front of body shoulder width apart, hands over your head. Hinge forward from the hips leading with the sternum, biceps are by your ears. Hold this position and slightly pulse the arms behind the body mobilizing the shoulders and working the upper back. Return back to an upright position to repeat the movement again.

Reps
3 sets of 10 Pulses

Muscle Focus

Upper back and hamstring flexibility. This exercise will strengthen the mid upper back and open up the tight thoracic area of the spine, correcting bad habits that the body formed through pregnancy.

Butterfly ab curls

Keeping you abs strong is essential for keeping your whole body strong and restoring poor posture left over from pregnancy.

Lying on the floor with heals of feet together and knees bent to the side in a frog like position. Arms are straight over you head, circle arms around and lift the head neck shoulders off the floor exhaling pulling in the abs hold for 5 seconds and return back to starting position.

Reps
3 sets of 10 reps

Muscle Focus

As you exhale and bring the head neck and shoulders off the floor think of pulling your abdominals in up and back to the spine. Moms, this is a time you can practice doing your kegal on the contraction working the pelvic floor.

Q. I find breathing exercises very boring is there anything I can do to make less boring?

Have you ever used visualization when you are doing your breathing exercises, a lot of people think that breathing exercises are only a manner of sitting down and concentrating as they inhale exhale, which to the outsider can seem as being very boring and monotonous but here’s a few things you can try out the next time, try

concentrating on a particular colour on inhalation and another colour on exhalation for example some colour you link with calmness or purity, and another colour for stress or impurity

having a picture in your mind of your body and as you breathe in, think of all the extra parts of your lungs that have been under used because of bad breathing habits.

Taking a breath and picturing the air coming into your body from different areas such as the soles of the feet for example.

It can especially seem complicated for beginners when starting out to do breathing exercises as you cant see the muscles that they are working on but by visualizing their lungs in action in their mind it makes it all the easier to doand remember when youre doing your breathing exercises you’re not really learning anything new but undoing all the bad habits you’ve picked up over the years.

Have exercise misconceptions prevented you from starting an exercise program? Clear up any confusion and let these exercise tips improve your workout routine. Hopefully none of these common exercise myths, mistakes and misconceptions have prevented you from working out.

1. Common Mistake Failure to set goals. Do you exercise without a clear goal in mind? Having a clear goal set is a critical step in exercise and weight loss success. Tracking your progress in a journal will help ensure you see your improvements, will help motivate you and help you meet your ultimate goal.

2. Common Misconception No Pain, No Gain. Pain is your bodys way of letting you know something is wrong. Do not ignore this. When you go beyond exercise and testing yourself, you will encounter physical discomfort and need to overcome it. An example of this would be training for a marathon. It is important that you have the base training before getting into the advance training. The base training develops the body and gets it ready for extensive training. You need to learn to read your body. Is the heavy breathing because you are pushing your body or could it be the beginning of a heart attack. Exercise is important. Do it correctly and you can do it for the rest of your life.

It is normal for you to hurt after you exercise, but it must be done gradually with a good amount of rest periods to allow proper healing. There are two common problems here with beginning exercisers. You can cause long lasting damage to muscles, tendons and ligaments if you work out while you are in pain, without allowing enough rest time to heal. You might find yourself in constant and long lasting pain if you do this which means that you will no longer be able to exercise.

If you wake up the next morning after you exercised and can barely drag your aching body out of bed because everything hurts, you are going to be less motivated to exercise at all. Constant pain is a sure way to kill your exercise program.

3. Common Mistake Sacrificing Quality for Quantity. When you are ready to increase the number of reps of a particular exercise, and strengthen the corresponding muscles, instead of forcing yourself to do a little more each time try decreasing the number of reps in a set but increase the number of sets. Also, back off to half your usual number of reps but add a couple of more sets. You will feel less tired and will be able to gain strength in your fast-twitch muscles.

4. Common Myth Weight Training Makes Women Bulky. Weight training for a woman will strengthen and tone muscle, burn fat and increase metabolism, not build mass. Women do not produce enough of testosterone to build muscle mass the way that men do.

5. Common Mistake Over-Emphasizing Strengths. You should start focusing on your points rather then what you are good at. This will help you balance things. For example, if your lower body is stronger than you upper body, then try to work only on this area one day a week.

Being smart about how you exercise will take you a long way. It is important to have a healthy body so get out there and start exercising today.