Wednesday 17 October 2012

Infrared Sauna and Professional Sports



Far infrared saunas are becoming more and more popular with professional athletes around the world. It is not uncommon to walk into a gym or training facility and bump into one of them. Now why is this? We all know that having a sauna in your house which is easy to use and cheap to run is a fantastic luxury. Similarly, most people are aware of the many health related benefits that the regular use of an infrared sauna can bring. Arthritis sufferers or people with bad backs, sore knees, etc. will tell you all about the soothing effects that regular infrared therapy can have on sore muscles and joints. 
6ETPGDADRJBH

An infrared sauna in your house improves your quality of life, you relax, de-stress, it gives you an endorphin boost, your skin glows, scars and cellulite fade, but that still doesn’t explain why professional athletes have turned to them in their search for that little extra edge.

As with a lot of new developments in sports science, the early adaptors can be found amongst cyclists, long-distance runners, triathletes, etc. In other words: endurance sports. They use infrared therapy for different reasons:
  •  Recuperation and recovery during intense training periods.
  •  Injury recovery
  •   Heat adaptation while preparing for competition in a hot climate
  •   General heat stress conditioning. Being exposed to high temperatures makes the body work very hard to try to cool itself down.
  •   Warm up before training to improve training efficiency and prevent injury
  •   Relax and wind down after training and refocus.
Most of these apply to any sport and not just endurance related sports. It is not surprising that far infrared therapy cabins are slowly making their way into more and more sports clubs.
Below are a few links to interviews with professional world class athletes and their coaches. We hope you enjoy them.

Interview with Jonathan Brown, Canadian Triathlete coach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgmu0kJ54bA&feature=g-upl

Interview with Simon Whitfield Olympic triathlon gold medallist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzthuEueWWI&feature=context-gau

Interview with Jurgen Van den Broeck : http://www.health-mate.co.uk/site/contentpage.php?meth=gt&id=29&openid=29&opennivid=3


Saturday 6 October 2012

Ayurvedic Treatment in Islington, North London



A good place to start the search for London Wellness gems is the borough of Islington. Often referred to as the most European of all London boroughs, its cafes, bars and brasseries do give it a bit of a continental vibe. With so many eateries and coffee shops around, there must be plenty of people living here who know how to wind down and take a little time out of their busy day to look after themselves.It is not surprising that the area has a number of spa’s, private gyms and holistic health and wellness centres. There are too many to mention them all and today we will focus on the ones that offer the fine and ancient practise of ayurvedic medicine and ayurvedic massage

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian medical system that aims to maintain the health of the mind and spirit, tailored to each individual person. Ayurvedic therapies use oils, movements and techniques chosen especially for you, your body and your skin type. It is based on principles of health, wellness and lifestyle that emphasize the treatment of the whole person and not just the particular symptoms the person might be having at that point in time.

Some of the different types of Ayurvedic spa treatments are:

  • ·         Ayurvedic Indian head massage
  • ·         Abhyanga: An individually prepared herbal oil massage
  • ·         Abhyanga-Garshana: A dry lymphatic skin brushing followed by a herbal oil massage
  • ·         Pizzichili: A two-therapist massage using warm herbal oils
  • ·         Shiro-Abhyanga-Nasya: Deep head, neck and shoulder massage, facial lymphatic massage and   aromatic steam. Normally had while sitting down
  • ·         Padaabhyanga: Ayurvedic lower leg and foot massage
  • ·         Ayurvedic Shirodhara: A treatment using oil poured on the forehead
  • ·         Ayurvedic face and marma therapy: A facial using a herbal mask and individually prepared oils

Below you will find a list of 5 businesses in Islington offering ayurvedic treatment. If you know about other places or you have experience with any Islington based ayurvedic practitioners, please share. We are all keen to find out.

Shakti Ayurveda offering a whole range of ayurvedic massage treatments.                                       website: http://www.shaktiayurvedalondon.co.uk
The Bodywork Studio offering: Ayurvedic natural facelift massage and Ayurvedic foot massage.     
                                      website: http://www.bodyworkstudio.co.uk
LCICI is a holistic massage training centre offering ayurvedic massages to the public.  
                                      website: http://www.champissageinternational.com/
The Light Yoga Space: a yoga centre offering ayurvedic massage treatments like full body massage and pregnancy massage.        website: http://www.lightyogaspace.co.uk
The healthy Living Centre offering ayurvedic medicine.
                                       website: http://www.thehealthylivingcentre.co.uk