Archive for July, 2010

The following is a guest post by Nicola Sanders.

Nicola writes for the baby boy names site. It has plenty of other baby related information including pregnancy advice, baby health and breastfeeding tips.

Pregnancy is a wonderful time in your life but it can also be very stressful at the same time! So how do you go about de-stressing? Here are some of the tips I used during my pregnancy.

Take a bath.

One of the best ways to get rid of the strains of the day! Get some nice bath oils and fill it right up to the top. Half an hour in there and you will feel much better.

Diet.

Diet is so important during pregnancy, eating plenty of fruit and veg and stick to the complex carbohydrates of pasta, rice, potatoes and bread rather than things like biscuits and cakes. Craving snacks is part of pregnancy so stock up on healthy ones rather than chocolate and biscuits.

Exercise.

Exercise makes you feel better – that is a fact! Don’t sit about the house, get yourself out for a walk or even just round the shops. Keeping active during pregnancy may also make it easier to shift the weight after birth. The endorphins released during exercise will de-stress you and research points to this helping the baby as well!

Take up a new hobby or interest.

Take your mind off the baby for a while and take up a new interest or hobby. Talking about the new addition to the family is essential though it can all get too much at times. Make sure that you have plenty of other things going on in your life that give you pleasure. Don’t be put off just because you are pregnant!

Talk about your problems and worries.

Talking about problems with your partner is really important. Worrying alone about how you will cope can really get you down. Planning and working around problems are things you and you partner should be talking about regularly. Friends and family will be there for you too so use them.

Tai chi is a soft martial art and is commonly practiced as a means to improving health and relaxation. With slow, flowing movements, tai chi is said to improve the movement of energy around the body. Surprisingly considering the pace of tai chi you actually burn more calories practicing tai chi than you would surfing or lifting moderate weights. Due to the slow nature of tai chi it is extremely low impact, making it perfect for anyone who suffers from joint or bone problems.

There are actually hundreds of different forms of tai chi but the most popular ones are Chen, Yang, Wu, Sun and Wu-Hao and Fa styles. While most tai chi is slow paced there are variants that are much faster paced although these are typically only taught and practiced by masters of the slower forms.

The best way to learn tai chi is to scout your local area for classes. Almost all martial arts dojos will run a tai chi class, as do many community buildings. Tai chi is one of the most affordable martial arts to learn as there’s no special equipment required, all you need is to pay for entry into the class and that’s it. It’s best to wear loose fitting clothing to allow for full range of motion and circulation. Also tai chi is typically practiced barefoot or wearing flat soled shoes to enhance balance.

There’s no official accreditation system for tai chi teachers, however as I mentioned above, teaching tai chi is hardly a get quick rich scheme and I can’t imagine there are many, if any, teachers out there who don’t have a good knowledge of tai chi and are just looking to make an easy buck. Also because of the respect people have for martial arts, a dojo won’t employ a teacher they don’t have full confidence in.

Much like meditation, tai chi is something that is best done at least once a day. When you enroll in a class it will probably be run only once or twice a week. This leaves the rest of the week for you to practice what you have learned so far. Preferences vary, but many people like to practice tai chi in the morning as it is a gentle exercise that gets the blood flowing, and gives them a reason to wake up early.

Do remember that tai chi is a martial art and was originally used as a form of combat. Please treat it with the respect its tradition deserves, failure to do so could offend the teacher.

You can follow the tai chi exercises in the video below to get a good idea of what tai chi is, and if it feels right to you.

Here is a great full length video I just found on Youtube. Yoga instructor Michael Riel leads you through a one hour yoga session designed to help alleviate shoulder and neck problems. Even if you don’t have such problems you will find the session very relaxing and easy to follow.

I am currently working on an article about Tai Chi which I hope to have on the site by the end of the week.