For those who are trying to take a more natural approach to labor then it’s a very good idea to find some good Lamaze breathing classes. Lamaze breathing consists of breathing techniques that help manage the pain of labor. It isn’t a pain killer. Its purpose is to take your concentration off the pain and on the breathing. It also helps you stay relaxed and keeps you from panicking. Lamaze breathing is a great exercise during pregnancy as well because it delivers more oxygen to the baby.

 

The cleansing breath is known as the more basic breath that you would probably learn in class. The technique is easy and calming. You would breathe in slowly and deeply though your nose and exhale just as slow through your mouth. The cleansing breathe or signal breathe is usually used at the beginning and end of contractions. This breathes also signals that a contraction is at work.

 

Another technique is called the blowing breath. This is more of a shallow breath that’s done when you’re relaxed. It’s a very soft breath. To get a feel at how shallow it needs to be you can grab a paper or candle and hold it some inches away and when you breathe out the paper should flutter or if you’re using a candle the flame would gently blow out. To try this as an exercise do a cleansing breathe for 90 seconds and follow with the blowing breathe for another 90 seconds and then go back to the cleansing breathe for another 90 seconds.

 

The patterned breathe is the one everyone knows as the “hee, hee, hoo”. The technique behind this one involves 2-4 rapid exhales of hee, hee, hee to one blow of hoo. They are soft inhales in between the exhales and the blow. That is, inhale rapidly in between the hee and the hoo. When you’e having a contraction you want to start with the cleansing breathe then the patterned breathing and end again at the cleansing once the contraction starts slowing down.

 

There is no right or wrong breath. Do what makes you feel relaxed and comfortable. The different stages of labor might be another determining factor. During your pregnancy practice all the breathing techniques along with some deep breathing techniques to get some extra oxygen flowing through your body and down to your body. If you practice breathing throughout your pregnancy then breathing during labor should become a second nature to you and it will be more manageable. Remember there’s a difference between breathing deeply and hyperventilating. Make sure you keep a healthy balance in your breathing and to make it fun have a friend join you.

 

It seems that some societies have a natural tendency toward fitness incorporated into their daily urban environments. Let’s take a look at some of the way some Asian cultures with modern societies incorporate exercise into their daily urban routines, and also look at how this may differ from societies where obesity is apparently more of an issue. What may come as a surprise is how a couple of classic technologies can help to keep the citizens of a very modern city attractively fit and slim.

 

The bicycle is likely the first and foremost ubiquitous icon of urban fitness that one is likely to spot in an Asian city. It does a wonderful job of keeping the air clean while simultaneously providing relatively quick and convenient transportation through the city streets. It is one invention that has truly held its own through other advances in modern transportation technology. It requires no gas, no electricity, little maintenance, and is generally very affordable to the masses. Combine it with electric mass transit, and a city is humming with green, sustainable energy.

 

What the bicycle does for the one that powers it is truly remarkable. The body is nourished with healthy aerobic exercise and the rider feels invigorated with vibrant energy. It can be pure pleasure to cycle through the sunny city streets and can potentially even make the ride to work become a journey of discovery. One may chance upon a new shop or café that they had never seen before, and would likely not have seen if speeding past in a car or train. One may also chance upon an attractive new person to invite to the aforementioned café. While feeling so invigorated, it is easy to start the day and leap into the next task at hand. When arriving at their destination the rider may feel truly ready to continue their momentum and spring into action in a whole new way.

 

Next up is a spectacularly simple invention that once seemed to be practically irreplaceable. The staircase is still present in just about any building with 2 or more stories, but it seems that it is being hidden more and more. What may seem odd is that in some Asian cities, the train systems sometime offer no other easy way to access the train platform. Elevators are not always available and if escalators are present, they often only run in one direction. Even when there is an elevator available, they are usually small and generally only used by people with strollers or large luggage and so on. What all of this means is that people are actually using their bodies to walk up and down staircases which are often rather long. It may be surprising, but they are not generally winded and collapsing at the top, either. Let’s just say that this sort of daily exercise is gold for those who are seeking a firmer and smaller behind.

 

There are, obviously, other factors involved in these cities which contribute to the people staying fit. Combined with a greatly decreased intake of red meat so prevalently ingested in parts of the west, this daily integrated exercise goes a surprisingly long way to make a fit society.

 

Are you looking for a fun and intriguingly unique sport to help you stay and/or get motivated for your personal fitness? Possibly interested in finding a nice outdoor activity to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine? Today is your lucky day because your flying disc of healthy fitness fun has just landed. Here is an article to help you get on your way to some really fun fitness in the sun with a Frisbee.

 

Let’s look at some of the many ways to enjoy the magical Frisbee and make it a part of your daily fitness routine.

 

Ultimate Frisbee

 

Ultimate Frisbee is possibly the ultimate way to truly enjoy the fine art of Frisbee to its fullest. It is actually now simply called Ultimate because the Wham-O toy company apparently holds the copyright to the name of Frisbee. While there are too many styles of Ultimate to be able to fit in a short article, the synopsis is that you basically score a point by passing a Frisbee to a player on your team who is standing in an area which has been designated as the goal area. You can only throw the Frisbee when it is in your hand as the rules do not permit to walk or run with the Frisbee in hand.

 

Frisbee Golf

 

Golf anyone? Yes you heard right. There is a fun and unique form of Frisbee known as Frisbee Golf that you may or may not have heard of. It is also known as Disc Golf or evidently even occasionally by “Frolf”. Whatever name it goes by it is a pastime you might enjoy exploring more by either finding a local Frisbee Golf course or even fashioning a portable one and playing with some friends or family. You may be in a lucky situation where there is actually a Frisbee Golf league near you that you can join so you can get a good introduction from some seasoned Frolf pros. There are actually around 3000 or so courses in the US and supposedly one out of five Golf rounds played in the US in 2009 was actually a round of Frisbee Golf.

 

The object of Frisbee Golf is to make it through a course in the fewest number of throws possible. This is the similarity to the sport of Golf and the naming as a resulting factor. Instead of the conventional holes of Golf, the targets in Frisbee Golf are usually posts with chainlike nets in which you can throw a Frisbee. As Frisbee Golf is played at a leisurely pace in parks and so on, it is truly a pastime that is likely going to be fun for the whole family.

 

Frisbee Dog

 

Looking for some outdoor fun with your golden retriever or other fetching-friendly four legged companion? Frisbees can be a dog’s favorite toy and it is such a popular phenomenon that there are even competitions for catching a Frisbee in flight. This sport is aptly named Frisbee Dog or Disc Dog and while it may be tempting to go competitive with your adorable flying friend, it may be even better for both of you to just keep it fun and stress free!