RJ Fitness

The psychological courage of the Eagle
Eagle is an exemplary role model of psychological courage for all of us. We have to undergo the change process to step out of old habits and march ahead for a glorious life. The change process needs a great psychological courage in us. Eagle is the only bird that has the highest life span of 70 years and it has many things to teach us on psychological courage. Every eagle faces a series life-threatening problem when it reaches the age of 40 years and it is left with only two options: die or go through a painful process of change which lasts 150 days. The remarkable psychological courage of eagle bestows re-birth to the existing physical body of the eagle without dying. Blessed by its psychological courage, the eagle undergoes rigorous and painful rejuvenation process.
Let us look at the marvelous change process of an eagle.
As an eagle approaches its 40th year, it encounters the following problems:
1. Its long and sharp beak is almost bent due to constant friction, wear and tear.
2. The long and flexible talons of the eagle which facilitates it in grabbing its food become weak and can no longer grab prey.
3. Its old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its chest and make it very difficult to fly.
The incapacitated eagle takes very hard decisions and passes through rigorous change process spread over 150 days so that it can extend its life by another 30 years. It flies high up to a mountain and sits a top its nest. It starts knocking its beak against the mountain rock till the beak falls off and wait for the development and growth of a new beak. Using the newly developed beak, it plucks out its talons so that new talons will grow. When the new talons are in place, it painfully plucks out its aged and heavy feathers so that new feathers will grow. After a struggle of five months, it gets a new birth without physically dying and can survive for another 30 years of extended life.
The eagle has many things to teach us. In our life we may face serious challenging situations of ‘do or die’. If we run away in such situations, we lose everything. What is needed in such a situation is the psychological courage to undergo a change process. It may be painful, but we ought to undergo this change process to survive. Psychological courage is a powerful weapon for us and can do miracles in such situations.
The eagle continues to be a great source of inspiration for all of us in this respect.

“Source:- Swami Vivekananda’s Leadership Formulas ”

Barefoot Training- Myths & Facts

Overview

We spend most of our waking day in shoes. We put on dress shoes in the morning for work, then switch to running shoes for workouts in the gym. With so much time spent in shoes, we've come to expect not only style, but also comfort in footwear.

Nowhere is this quest for comfort, along with performance, more prevalent than in the athletic shoe industry. Since the introduction of the modern athletic shoe in 1972, manufacturers have spent countless time and expense on advancing its design. Terms like "cushioning systems," "torsion control," "balanced support" and "pronation correction" are typical, and the idea of a microprocessor embedded in an arch barely raises an eyebrow.

But now some wonder if perhaps the demand for more cushioning, more support, more bells and whistles -- coupled with the goal of manufacturers to create products the public wants -- has given rise to shoes that deliver too much of a good thing in their dense cushioning and thick soles.

Indeed, the shoes provide stability, comfort, support; but at the same time, they immobilize your feet and ankles. They restrict natural movement, allowing certain muscles to weaken. They increase the energy cost of exercise, as well as the risk of injury.

Analysis has also shown that the mechanics of running is actually altered when wearing shoes, with runners striking the ground with their heels instead of the more efficient forefoot strike. In fact, heel strikes cause repetitive impact forces by as much as three times the body weight with each stride. These stresses are distributed across the body and can lead to pain and injury anywhere along the body's entire kinetic chain -- the muscular system, the nervous system and the skeletal system.

Steve Maxwell, a strength specialist with MaxwellSC.com, agrees. "I think [shoe manufacturers] realize that perhaps they were headed in the wrong direction with the heavy cushioning and thick heels," he said.

Barefoot or minimal footwear training provides the feet a much finer feedback from the ground, which optimizes movement efficiency.

Erwan Le Corre, founder of the natural training movement MovNat

Should You Choose Your Surfaces Carefully?

Many runners prefer to train on natural surfaces. They say they believe these surfaces reduce the stress on their joints and allow them to run longer distances. But is it the surfaces or the shoes that affect the runner?

When a runner trains wearing shoes, he will typically run using the inefficient heel strike gait mechanics. The heel strike creates stress that the runner absorbs with every stride. Those who run barefoot or in minimalist footwear, however, tend to have a midfoot strike -- the heel and ball hit the ground simultaneously -- or a forefoot strike -- the ball of the foot strikes the ground first. These gaits are more natural and can even come down in such a way that nearly no collision force is generated, making the running surface irrelevant.
Better Performance Through Natural Movement

"Barefoot or minimal footwear training provides the feet a much finer feedback from the ground, which optimizes movement efficiency," said Erwan Le Corre, founder of MovNat, a natural training movement. "It also keeps them strong and healthy."

For the last several years the fitness industry has been erring on the side of caution, with more stable shoes and high ankle taping. But this may be doing more harm than good. The rigidness and protection the tape and inflexible shoes provide actually prevents the feet and ankles from doing what they were designed to do -- move, adjust, compensate, and most important, provide feedback on how the body should respond to the surfaces the feet encounter.

This could be why the rate of ankle sprains and knee injuries for athletes in various sports has increased rather than decreased, despite the abundant options in athletic shoes. A September 2010 article by Laura Miler in "Becker's National Orthopedic and Spine Review" noted that "sports-related foot and ankle injuries are increasing among athletes," In fact, several studies have shown that those who wear high-priced, high-performance athletic shoes are actually more likely to suffer an injury.

Developing the strength of your feet and ankles will improve their overall dexterity and reactivity. Your balance, proprioception and quality of movement are also enhanced, and this benefits real-world activities, as well as training in the gym and for sports performance.
Integration Is Key

A number of footwear manufacturers are finally taking note and producing products designed for barefoot-style training. More flexible, with thin soles that have a "zero" drop from the heel to the toe, Maxwell says these "new minimalist shoes hit the mark." Their level bottoms promote a more neutral midfoot to forefoot ground strike when running, rather than the heel strike that running shoes tend to encourage.

Athletic shoes, like plaster casts for broken bones, immobilize and support. But just like what happens when wearing a cast, certain muscles will atrophy and weaken, so incorporating minimalist or barefoot training into your workout is something you should do gradually.

Start by doing your warm-ups in socks or bare feet if your gym permits it. This will give you a good introduction to the application and how it feels. Take it slowly and transition over a period of several months.

In the beginning, you will probably feel some discomfort. As you reawaken the muscles in your feet, ankles and calves, they may feel stiff and sore, and this is normal. It is not normal, though, to feel pain in your joints, bones or soft-tissue. This could indicate an injury. So if you experience aches of that sort, stop immediately and allow your body to rest and heal.

As you build to more advanced movements like pogo jumps, lunges, deadlifts, squats, stepups, squat-to-stand and Spiderman crawls, you'll notice they feel amazing performed barefoot. Training in this way promotes and develops the reactivity and stability of your feet, as well as the mobility of your ankles.

A word of caution, though: If you have diabetes or any other condition that can cause a loss of sensation in your feet, keep your shoes on. Feedback from the feet is vital in barefoot and minimalist training. Your body depends on this feedback to know how to adjust the movement you're engaging in -- or if you need to stop it immediately. Numb feet cannot provide this feedback and can be severely damaged.

For most others, though, barefoot training is safe. It offers a new and exhilarating experience and promotes healthier body movements. More than a fad, barefoot or minimalist training allows your feet and their related muscles to move in the way they were designed to move.

Important And Essential Fats

Omega-3 Fats:
The king of good fats is Omega-3 fats. Most of us r deficient in these essential fats as we don't eat enough unprocessed, wild n whole foods anymore. The following r examples of whole n unprocessed foods;
- Wild fish, including wild salmon, herring, sardines and fresh anchovies.
- Flaxseeds and flax oil.
- Some type of nuts n seeds, including walnuts, pumpkin seeds and h**p seeds.
Have fun:)

The Gospel Of Sri Ramakrishna

God reveals himself to seekers in various forms and aspects, he alone knows who constantly thinks of God. God has attributes and then again he has none. Only the man who lives under the tree knows that the chameleon can appear in various clours, and he knows, further, that the animal at times has no colour at all.
It is the others who don't know this fact, suffer from the agony of futile argument.
"Kabir used to say, ' The formless Absolute is my father, and God with form is my mother.'
"God reveals himself in the form which his devotee loves most. It is written in Purana that God assumed the form of Rama for his heroic devotee, Hanuman.

Burn More Fat While U Sleep

Everyone knows that we burn calories when we exercise. But do u know that there is also a way of burning calories after exercise, during rest or sleep?
The secret is Interval Training, short bursts of high - intensity exercise followed by longer periods of lighter exercise- also known as Fartlek training or speed play. It was initially designed for professional athletes to maximize their performance, but it has proven to be benificial for average people as well.
It is proven scientifically, that one can achieve more benefits by exercising smarter, not longer.
This can be few short bursts of all-out activity (about 90% of ur capacity) for 30 to 60 seconds with a three minutes rest period between each burst at about 50 to 60% of ur maximum capacity. Your maximum capacity is 220 minus ur age unless u r on beta- blocker medication. This interval training should last for total 20 to 30 minutes n should be done 2 to 3 days a week. It can dramatically improve ur fitness level, leading to more fat loss as compared to traditional endurance exercise program.
Have fun!

Great Warriors Never Get Angry

Source: Osho Foundation

Once there was a king who wanted his rooster to participate in annual fight competition organized for roosters of his kingdom. But before that he wanted his rooster to get trained by d best warrior of his kingdom. He invited a Zen monk to his palace, d monk was d famous n d best warrior in d entire kingdom. King asked d monk to train his rooster, to be d great warrior like him for d annual competition. The monk agreed n took d rooster along wid him.
After three weeks, King sent a message for d monk, asking if d rooster ready? Monk said not now, at present d rooster starts crowing wid head up, looking at other roosters. King was surprised at his answer, thinking, in fight if one doesn't raise his head n shout, how can one scare d opponents?
Anyways, after some days again d king enquired, Monk answered, not now. Monk said, presently rooster's old habits r gone but he still has a tendency to tighten up when it sees d other roosters.
After three weeks again, d king enquired, monk said now d rooster is ready to some extent but it still needs some time bcoz now when it sees d other roosters it stands it's ground but gets anxious n stressed from within.
Then one day, monk himself sent a message to king that now d rooster is ready for d fight. Monk said, now rooster stands as if nobody came n nobody left, now there is nothing to worry. King asked in worried voice but how this rooster will win now? Monk said now its impossible for d rooster to get defeated.
Literally, same thing happened as said by monk. King's rooster stood in competition n he didn't even crow after seeing other roosters bcoz crowing is sign of fear, when one is scared, d person shouts to scare others n to hide his own fear.
He didn't even look at other roosters. Seeing this different kind of rooster other roosters felt that this one is not like us definetly it has something special in it n going near it may be dangerous. All d roosters ran away even before participating in competition.
Calm mind n higher thoughts used in attaining goal, is d sign of manliness.
That is y Chinese n Japanese warriors practice meditation. Japanese Samurais give practice of meditation more importance than sword practice. So as to become calm n still like that King's rooster:)
Silence is d highest power in d universe, in the state of silence there is no meaning of death.
u will be surprised to know that in most Japanese tempels only sword fighting is taught. Although they r tempels but there way of practicing meditation is sword fighting art. They say, while practicing sword become d sword urself. Be so calm n silent inside that sword should move n u become one with it.
Then there will be no defeat for u.

Vitamins

Ref. American College Of Sports Medicine

Vitamins r substances that help essential body reactions take place. To consume adequate amount of all vitamins one should consume wide variety of foods and consume plenty of fresh fruits n vegetables daily. Remember that nutrient balance is d key to optimal nutrition, so people should avoid single-nutrient supplementation unless recommended by physician to treat an existing nutrient deficiency n disease.
If a nutrient supplement is required bcoz of poor quality of food intake, people should try a multivitamin, multimineral supplement that provides no more than 100% of Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for each nutrient.
Scientific literature suggests that vitamin n mineral deficiencies r uncommon for most people. When deficiencies exist, they r most likely for vitamin B6 n other B-complex vitamins, iron, n calcium, especially when caloric intake is too low to meet energy demands.
Have fun!