Our world is moving quickly into a digital age. Many of us use the computer over 6 hours a day, and some of us up to 10 hours a day! 10 hours a day... typing, using a mouse, maneuvering a track pad, texting. All of these activities put some serious stresses on the wrist joints, often locking them in to one position for hours at a time, which can cause wrist pain, tension, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
As belly dancers, we rely on our hands and wrists as a means of expression in the dance, and if they are stiff or in pain, our dance becomes less communicative. So what can we do about it? Lots!
The first piece of taking care of your wrists is mobilization. Take 2 minutes each day to roll the wrists in both directions, until the motion feels fluid and most of the cracks and pops are gone.
The second piece is stretching. Take another 3 minutes daily to do the following stretches (or stretch once every hour you are on the computer!):
1. Prayer hands: put your hands together in "prayer" position and push them together, rolling through three positions: 1. fingers towards ceiling 2. fingers forward 3. fingers towards toes (or as close as you can get), and then reverse
2. Backs of hands together: gently pushing the backs of the hands together, roll through 1. fingers towards you 2. fingers towards floor 3. fingers away from you, then reverse
3. Thumb stretch: with open hands, put the tips of your thumbs together, then push the hands towards each other, stretching both thumb bases simultaneously
4. Splayed finger stretch: similar to the thumb stretch, but touch your 4 fingertips together with the other 4 and push the fingers together
5. Gentle wrist decompression: Grab the base of one hand near the wrist with the other hand, and GENTLY pull the arms away from each other for 5 seconds. Finish with wrist rolls in both directions.
6. Lace the fingers of both hands and invert as you push away from you, then push your inverted hands up to the ceiling and hold for 10 seconds. Finish with wrist rolls in both directions.
Nutrition: wrists are very affected by foods that create inflammatory conditions in the body, because the narrow diameter means slower blood flow and inflammatory chemicals can deposit here. Avoiding or decreasing some of the classic inflammatory foods can generally decrease wrist pain, like alcohol, sugar, dairy, wheat/gluten, the nightshade family (potatoes, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes), corn, and soy. Increasing omega-3 fats (like salmon, and sardines) will further decrease any inflammation in the wrists.
Hydrotherapy:Alternating hot and cold baths for your hands opens up the circulation, and has many health benefits, as it moves stagnant lymph and toxins from the wrist tissue, and it feels great!!
Procedure:
1. Get 2 pots/bowls of water big enough to immerse both your hands over the wrists. Fill one with cold tap water, and the other with hot tap water (enough to feel hot, but NOT burn you!)
2. Put both hands/wrists in the hot for 3 minutes
3. Put both hands/wrists in the cold for 30 seconds
4. Repeat hot - 3 minutes
5. Repeat cold - 30 seconds
6. Repeat hot - 3 minutes
7. Repeat cold - 30 seconds - you are done!! Towel off and enjoy the rejuvenating sensation!
And lastly, be sure to stretch your wrists and hands AFTER you dance for at least 5 minutes. Stretching when you are cold can damage tendons and ligaments. Do wrist circles before dancing to warm up, stretching afterwards to cool down.
Enjoy dancing with your beautiful arms!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Shameless Plug
Ok, so this post is really just a shameless plug for my other websites out there - other ways you can follow what I'm up to!!!! I'll have some new posts as soon as I'm a bit less busy!
Anwar Asad website:
http://www.anwarasad.com/index.html
Etsy Store:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/jeanlowe
Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anwar-Asad/170013649682769
Anwar Asad website:
http://www.anwarasad.com/index.html
Etsy Store:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/jeanlowe
Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anwar-Asad/170013649682769
Sunday, May 1, 2011
What's in your favorite dance cosmetic?
Ok, you're in the market for a new eyeliner (or other beauty product for dancing) so you go to Sephora, browse around the shop, think to yourself, "Now what did that fellow Bhuzzer recommend?", pick something with a shiny package and a smiling model, then go home any pray like hell that it will work and not cause any heinous outbreaks or rashes. You may have looked at the package and wondered, "How do I know if this stuff is any good for me?" and then been reassured by the calming green and cream colors on the label and the words "all natural".
Ladies, there is a better way.
My recent trials finishing up school to become a Naturopathic Doctor have opened my eyes to the very real problem that what we put on our skin dictates a large part of our overall toxic burden, and that your overall toxic burden is a central factor in determining your overall health. Gone are the days when women would buy any snake-oil from a traveling salesperson with promises of beauty. In today's world of toxic accumulations and overloads (can anyone say PCBs, BHT, and DDT?) we have to be more careful, as if our lives depend on it. They really do.
Trouble is, there are so many things out there that we don't know what's good for us, and what's downright nasty. Most of the really scary toxins (like the carcinogens, neurotoxins, and endocrine disruptors) are fat-soluble, which means they get absorbed easily through the skin and stored in your fat deposits around the body, many of which are right below your skin layer. Since most of us maintain a fairly constant amount of fat in our bodies, these chemicals can be stored for decades and even passed mother-to-child through placenta and breast milk! This means that the cells of your body are exposed to and damaged by them for a long time. They can cause premature aging, increased risk of cancers (like skin, breast and ovarian), and increased risk of hormone problems, none of which are helpful for us bellydancers! And few of these toxic substances are regulated in cosmetics in the USA.
Thankfully, many women these days are demanding "natural" products with ingredients like essential oils, non-heavy-metal minerals, and oils from fruits (like coconut, avocado, etc) as the mainstays of their beauty products, but there are still some nasty ingredients floating around that seem to escape the general public awareness. Even if that Revlon product says "all-natural", there are really no government restrictions that define what "all-natural" means!
Your best bet: look it up. The non-profit organization Environmental Working Group has established a website called "Skin Deep" that is an extensive database of beauty products and cosmetics, and it's searchable by name or by ingredient. It analyzes research on toxicities, cancer risk, neurotoxin risk, allergy risk, endocrine risk, and many other categories, and also has information on whether the substance has been banned anywhere in the world.
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/
Another tip: check for the "certified organic" icon on the packaging. If it's got this, it means that 70% of the ingredients have to be grown and processed free of toxins, pesticides, and herbicides. Even better if it says "100% organic", because then 100% of the ingredients have to be handled this way!!
So next time you need a new foundation, do a little research first. Or if you find a product you like, just give it a check to see if it's healthy for you. Believe me, your skin and your whole body will thank you in the long run! Can you say, "I'm gonna be a sexy mama until I'm 100?"
Ladies, there is a better way.
My recent trials finishing up school to become a Naturopathic Doctor have opened my eyes to the very real problem that what we put on our skin dictates a large part of our overall toxic burden, and that your overall toxic burden is a central factor in determining your overall health. Gone are the days when women would buy any snake-oil from a traveling salesperson with promises of beauty. In today's world of toxic accumulations and overloads (can anyone say PCBs, BHT, and DDT?) we have to be more careful, as if our lives depend on it. They really do.
Trouble is, there are so many things out there that we don't know what's good for us, and what's downright nasty. Most of the really scary toxins (like the carcinogens, neurotoxins, and endocrine disruptors) are fat-soluble, which means they get absorbed easily through the skin and stored in your fat deposits around the body, many of which are right below your skin layer. Since most of us maintain a fairly constant amount of fat in our bodies, these chemicals can be stored for decades and even passed mother-to-child through placenta and breast milk! This means that the cells of your body are exposed to and damaged by them for a long time. They can cause premature aging, increased risk of cancers (like skin, breast and ovarian), and increased risk of hormone problems, none of which are helpful for us bellydancers! And few of these toxic substances are regulated in cosmetics in the USA.
Thankfully, many women these days are demanding "natural" products with ingredients like essential oils, non-heavy-metal minerals, and oils from fruits (like coconut, avocado, etc) as the mainstays of their beauty products, but there are still some nasty ingredients floating around that seem to escape the general public awareness. Even if that Revlon product says "all-natural", there are really no government restrictions that define what "all-natural" means!
Your best bet: look it up. The non-profit organization Environmental Working Group has established a website called "Skin Deep" that is an extensive database of beauty products and cosmetics, and it's searchable by name or by ingredient. It analyzes research on toxicities, cancer risk, neurotoxin risk, allergy risk, endocrine risk, and many other categories, and also has information on whether the substance has been banned anywhere in the world.
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/
Another tip: check for the "certified organic" icon on the packaging. If it's got this, it means that 70% of the ingredients have to be grown and processed free of toxins, pesticides, and herbicides. Even better if it says "100% organic", because then 100% of the ingredients have to be handled this way!!
So next time you need a new foundation, do a little research first. Or if you find a product you like, just give it a check to see if it's healthy for you. Believe me, your skin and your whole body will thank you in the long run! Can you say, "I'm gonna be a sexy mama until I'm 100?"
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