I live in a small village on the Costa Blanca, with a fairly large expat population. I assumed the class would be full of expats, as I couldn’t imagine the locals going in for something as sensual as belly dancing. How wrong can you be? There’s another English girl, and the rest of the class are Spanish, ranging in age from about 20 years old to around 60. At 57, I’m the second eldest in the class.

It seems the English ladies were put off because the instructor is Spanish, but they don’t know what they’re missing. The classes are held in a studio with mirrors along one wall, so you can follow what everyone is doing. It’s also a fun way to learn the names of various body parts in Spanish!

Each session begins with stretching exercises to relaxing music. This not only prepares your body for the dancing, it puts you in the right frame of mind. Belly dancing is both sensual and spiritual, and even the fast moves should be fluid, so you need to rid yourself of any stress before you start. After a quick run through the steps, it’s into the dance.

The correct posture is vital – tail tucked in, and stand straight and tall, to avoid back problems. Surprisingly, the familiar movements we associate with belly dancing do not involve the belly and hips – the legs and thighs do most of the work. After little more than a month, my once flabby thighs are toned and firm, so I am already seeing the benefits of belly dancing.

Belly dancing is great fun as well as great exercise. The music just carries you along, although some of the moves take a bit of practice before you get them right. My particular nemesis is the ‘figure of eight,’ which involves describing the number 8 with your hips, powered of course by the thighs. It sounds simple enough, but there’s a right way to do it, which annoyingly seems to elude me.

When I show off my new moves to my husband, my figure of eight is perfect. Put me in front of the mirror – which in theory should make the move simpler to execute – and I’m all over the place! Still, it’s early days yet. However, I’m ahead of the rest when it comes to another move – ‘the twist.’ As a child of the 1960′s, I was an enthusiastic performer of the dance of the same name, and won a couple of Twist competitions. The belly dancing move is very similar, but those who are not former Twist Champions – which is everyone else in the class – just can’t get it right.

After an hour and a half of dancing, it’s time for relaxation and stretching exercises, and as we’ve all put so much energy into the class, it’s all we can do not to nod off on our exercise mats! We have an incentive to improve our belly dancing skills, as the class is due to perform a dance at the village fiesta in July, and we all enjoy ourselves so much, we look forward to Monday afternoons and the class.

Belly dancing is great for firming, stretching and toning. After a few weeks, I am much more supple and energetic. Belly dancing is also low impact exercise, so if, like me, you suffer from joint problems, it’s more suitable for you than aerobics or jogging. Although belly dancing is fun, it is also excellent exercise, and you’re much more likely to stick to an exercise programme if you enjoy it. Why not try belly dancing soon, and release your inner, sensual self?

author, Sandra Piddock.

Muscles are composed of multiple muscle cells or fibers, the number of fibers being dependent on location and purpose of the muscle. While the number of muscle fibers in a particular muscle varies little between people, within each fiber may be a highly variable number of myofibrils parallel to each other. The more work the muscle cell is put to, the more myofibrils it will construct, as it is within these myofibrils that the contraction and release resulting in muscle function occurs.

Within the muscle – in the connective tissue between muscle fibers, particularly concentrated near small blood vessels, and at the musculotendinous junctions, where muscle connects to tendon are found the free nerve endings of two types of afferent or sensory neurons (nerve cells that carry signals to the spine and brain). The myelinated group III A-delta nerve fibers have faster signal transmission times and therefore signal sharp, localized pain. The unmyelinated group IV C-fibers are slower, they transmit a duller, more generalized ache.

Rubbing and massage are often used in attempts to alleviate or reduce pain. These are perfectly valid practises based on sound physiological principles. The mechano-receptor nerve endings in your skin, those that supply your sense of touch, partially suppress the firing of the above afferent neurons when stimulated, causing the transmission of pain signals to be reduced.

AOMS begins during muscle activity and can last up to four to six hours afterwards. It is primarily due to the build up of metabolic byproducts from energy production within the muscle cell. Energy production requires oxygen to achieve maximum efficiency; when insufficient oxygen is reaching the cell it produces less energy, because it can only perform the initial catabolic step called glycolysis, which is anaerobic (doesn’t require oxygen). The end product of glycolysis is either lactic or pyruvic acid, and these can cause chemical damage within the cell if concentractions get too severe. This is what is being referred to when people speak of “oxygen debt”. During exercise these acids may build-up, as you breath deeply afterwards, the oxygen arriving at the cells is used to complete the catabolism of the acids; producing more energy, metabolic water and carbon dioxide from the harmful acids through repetitions of the Krebs Cycle. The C-fiber nerve cells are polymodal, responding to a variety of chemical, mechanical and thermal triggers. They let you know your muscles are hurting until that oxygen debt has been repaid.

DOMS usually occurs between 12 to 48 hours after exercise that is of an abnormal nature in some regard, with recovery taking from seven to ten days. That “abnormal” is to the specific indiviual’s involved muscle groups; such as being exerted beyond normal usage or for an extensive period of time. Children very rarely suffer from DOMS. The first detailed description of DOMS was given by Theodore Hough in 1902, in which he attributed it to “structural damage due to high tension”, basically overexertion and strain, and this is still the most accepted hypothesis for it. Another possibility is structural damage caused by an increased localized temperature. Rhabdomyolysis, which is the extreme form of DOMS, most commonly occurs in untrained and inexperienced people exercising in the heat. Myofibrillar remodelling may also be a cause of DOMS; the muscle cell is stimulated by the abnormal activity to make modifications to its myofibrils and/or cytoskeleton (cell framework); four main types of changes have been noted. DOMS may occur from any of these individually or in any combination; it is possible such damages could be compounded by the presense of metabolic byproducts as discussed above under AOMS.

While no evidence exists that repeated instances of DOMS may result in long-term muscle damage or reduced function, there is none proving it does not either. Such studies are themselves long-term. As such, exercise programs aimed at muscle development should be approached in a manner that minimizes the instances of DOMS. There was no evidence that asbestos was harmful to people at the time it was being praised as a fire retardant material ideal for installing in homes, schools, hospitals, etc. There was, quite naturally, no evidence it was not either. Couldn’t be, since we now know it is a very harmful and dangerous form of carcinogenic.

Muscle cramps can occur when the muscle group is being exercised, either normally or strenuously, or while it is relaxed. While known to be triggered by hyperexitability of the lower moter neuron (nerve cells that carry signals from the spine and brain), the exact cause is still unclear, but is believed to be associated with low fluid, electrolyte and magnesium levels. The result of the hyperexitability is severe, involuntary, electrically active contractions of the muscle, using a higher percentage of the myofibrils in the muscle per contraction than during normal muscle use. Cramps typically last from a few seconds up to several minutes. They will normally cause AOMS, the longer the period of cramping the more severe the soreness. Continued use of the muscle group after a cramp will almost certainly cause DOMS as well. DOMS can be averted if the muscle is allowed to rest, unused, for two to five hours after the cramp, depending on severity.

Muscle trauma relates to physical damage to the muscle tissue, this may be internal injury such as muscle tearing due to excessive strain, or externally caused from a blow or puncture wound. Pain signals will continue until the damage is healed, essentially the same as for DOMS. Muscle damage can also be caused by deficiencies in required enzymes, for example phosphorylase or phosphofructokinase. These enzymes are built by the cells, if they are in short supply it may be genetically related, but is more often due to an inadequate diet.

author, Perry McCarney.

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The best management for insomnia is treating the underlying cause. Nowadays, yoga is one of the most famous practices to relieve stress, get a good night sleep, and be healthy. “Yoga” is a Sanskrit term which means union. Originated in India, yoga is the union of the mind body and spirit.

According to experts, yoga really helps to get a good night sleep with yoga’s stimulatory effect on the brain and the whole nervous system. Yoga allows better blood circulation in the brain which normalizes the sleep cycle. A minute of yoga practice is equal to a minute of the number of sleep required.

Below are some techniques you can do.

Night Time Goddess Stretch

Lie on your back with your knees bent. Place the soles of your feet together. Now let your knees fall open. Your legs will form a diamond shape. Rest your arms on the bed.

Child’s Pose

Sit up comfortably on your heels. Roll your torso forward. Place your forehead to rest on the bed in front of you. Lower your chest as close to your knees as you can and extend your arms out in front of you.

Winding Down Twist

Sit cross-legged on the bed. While exhaling place your right hand on your left knee and the left hand on the bed behind your tailbone.

Gently twist your torso to the left. Look over your left shoulder. Breathe deeply. Now return to the center and repeat the movements on the opposite side.

Rock-a-Bye Roll

Lying on your back, hug the knees directly into the chest. Cross your ankles and wrap both arms around your shins. Make a loose clasp with your hands.

Inhale and rock your body up to a sitting position. Exhale as you roll back. Continue this motion for about 1 minute. Unroll and prepare for sleep.

One of the great things about this routine is that it can all be done right on the bed. It may seem awkward at first, but within a few weeks the body will adjust and stretches and poses will become easier and more effective. As soon as the last stretch is performed it is easy to slip between the sheets and allow sleep to come.

So go ahead and enjoy a course in yoga. Your sleeping should improve in a short period of time with regular practice!

Try some of the following tips to be fit at your workplace:

• Take a good and healthy diet when you are at work. Fruits keep you active at work and vegetables are good for your eyes and skin. Always include a few walnuts and almonds. Five large human epidemiological studies, all found that nut consumption is linked to a lower risk for heart disease.
• Always take lots of water when you are working. Water provides you essential minerals and oxygen in your body.
• Do not sit idle on your chair for more than 30 minutes. Take a break after every 30 minutes and keep moving to help your blood circulations flowing.
• Have something to eat on your table. Put aside the nuts, some celery sticks and perhaps baby carrots for when you get the munchies. This also keeps you from eating a large meal at one time, which causes discomfort and stretching of the stomach.
• Your eyes also need a break. Turning your head away from your work, slowly shift your gaze from one side to the other several times. Occasionally close your eyes for a few moments to give them a little rest.
• Take a break and listen to good music. Music gives you relaxation.

Try all these above tips. All these things help you to be fit and it keeps balls moving in the right directions.

The level of addiction is a factor that should not be underestimated when deciding how to quit.Quitting smoking will be probably the hardest thing you have ever done. The longer you have smoked the harder it is to quit. Luckily, there are many ways to stop. Some take pills. Zaban is one.Then there is Chantix. Being hypnotized helps some, others it’s a waste of money. However, to quit smoking, the most important ingredient is, quite simply, the desire to stop. Without this real, heartfelt purpose, a smoker’s chances of kicking the habit are virtually nil.

When you do succeed in stop smoking you will feel better, look better and smell better. It’s so hard to stop, but if you really want to you can. Without a cigarette think of all the time you have on your hands. What you can do is limitless.