30-Minute Cardio - The CafeMom Studios Workout

Work up a sweat and burn fat and calories with this 30-minute workout.
This workout uses high intensity exercises to get your heart going,
followed by lower intensity exercises to lower your heart rate. This is a
great workout for moms to relieve stress and keep your energy levels
high. Don't quit! The more you do this workout, the easier it will get.

De-stress, de-wrinkle and exfoliate the floatation way

Cleopatra, Emperor Nero’s second wife Poppaea Sabina and even Napoleon’s sister Pauline Bonaparte enjoyed bathing in sour donkey’s milk, but for us mere mortals a good long soak in 500 kg of Epsom Salts at Auckland’s new floatation centre would not only be a more pleasant experience, but likely more beneficial too.
Auckland’s new Float Culture centre has just opened in Mount Eden where you can float (as in the Dead Sea) in state-of-the-art Epsom salt water tranquillity pods, to help you rediscover your health, vigour and enthusiasm in complete peace and privacy.
Float Culture director, Anton Kuznetsov says the liberating weightlessness not only delivers deep mental relaxation and complete release from stress, but the mineral compound solution itself makes it popular with beauty therapists and their clients the world over.
“Floating in the Epsom salt solution allows magnesium and sulphate to be absorbed into your system, which of course helps with magnesium deficiencies but it also, as any beauty therapist will know, gently exfoliates the skin and is an increasingly natural choice for softening the skin and reducing the look of wrinkles.
“All those benefits aside, the biggest plus for many people is that the complete relaxation they get from floating weightless without light, noise or other sensory interference – clients describe the experience as warm, soothing and tranquil.”
In addition to beauty therapy applications, floatation is often sought out by athletes for recovery and injury rehabilitation, as well as artists, writes, other creatives and all sorts of everyday people looking for an easy way to meditate or relax free of distractions.
Popular since the 1960s, floatation went through a brief surge in popularity in the 1980s when the New York Post reported in 1981 that women seem to reap most beneficial rewards.
“Sessions in a tranquillity tank unknot forehead tension and relax tightened strings of the face. ‘I look and feel ten years younger,’ is not an uncommon comment. Plastic surgeons have always understood the aging factor of tension. When muscles behind the skin are in stress, they are reflected on the skins’ surface. When tensions are removed, the skin becomes as uncomplicated as a baby’s smooth visage.”
Fortunately floatation – whose popularity may have suffered for lack of access – is making a comeback, with some media reporting that the ‘weightless trend’ is on the rise, while medical researcher Professor Shaun Holt recently told the New Zealand Herald that there is a surprising amount of research behind floatation.
“There are no safety issues, I think there’s actually a lot of positive medical reasons to (float),” he said.

Source 

Top Three Exercises For Stress Relief

Whether coming from our jobs, personal life, incompetent drivers, or the soaring gas prices stress seems to be all around us, bombarding us with an over load that has us over worked, cranky, and restless. The effects of prolonged stress on the human body can be devastating to our health resulting in migraines, muscle aches, insomnia, digestive problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, weight gain, asthma, and heart disease along with a wide range of other health problems. Learning to effectively manage stress and adding regular exercise to your routine is a valuable part of stress relief which is vital to good health. But do not worry, you do not have to make time to go to the gym or worry if your fitness level is not up for that aerobic work out, here are three of the best exercises for stress relief than can be done by just about any one at any fitness level, of course as always, before beginning any new exercise program you want to be sure that your health care provider has cleared you for exercise if you have any recent injuries or health care concerns.

Tai Chi:
Tai Chi is an ancient martial art form. This Chinese art has been practiced for centuries and is a perfect exercise for stress relief. Tai Chi uses very fluid and graceful movements that are slow and precise, focusing the mind and strengthening the body. It can be done just about anywhere by people of all ages and is fairly simple to learn. People who practice Tai Chi experience a better sense of balance, over all improvement in health, sleep better, and feel a since of clarity and improved mental focus along with the stress relief.

Pilates:

Pilates was originally developed as a method of rehabilitation for injured dancers and soldiers. Incorporating simple moves similar to yoga in parts, pilates stretches and lengthens your muscles, improves the strength and stability of your core (the torso), and is also very calming and soothing making it a great choice for stress relief. Stress relief is not the only benefit of pilates, you also get a longer, stronger spine, better posture, more graceful muscle tone, and stronger abs. And because a large portion of pilates can be done as a mat work out, it is great for people with special needs to consider that may make traditional exercise more difficult.

Water Aerobics:

If you would like something to get your heart beat going and improve your over all tone and health, along with giving you stress relief, water aerobics is another great choice. Unlike traditional aerobic classes, being in the water lessens the impact of the movements on your joints, legs, and spine. Being in the water makes your motions effortless, yet the resistance of the water provides a better, stronger work out. The calming sensation of being in the water offers great stress relief and gives you a wonderful work out for your muscles, weight loss, and cardio building along with the stress relief.

Whichever routine you choose, or perhaps some combination of the three, you will find great stress relief from starting a regular routine and the stress relief will only enhance the other great health benefits you will obtain.