April 17, 2010

Hello,

Two articles for you this issue: one on essential oils to repel insects and one on the risks of overtraining. Enjoy!

Carol

Essential Oils to Repel Insects

Here are some tips for using essential oils to repel insects.

Mosquito Repellent

To keep mosquitoes away from a space, diffuse lemon, peppermint, eucalyptus radiata, or lemongrass essential oil.

To keep mosquitoes off of you, blend 1 drop of citronella oil to each 4 drops of vegetable oil or lotion and apply to exposed skin as needed.

Aphids Repellent

Mix 10 drops spearmint and 15 drops orange essential oil in 2 quarts salt water. Shake well and spray on plants.

Cockroach Repellent

Mix 10 drops peppermint and 5 drops cypress in 1/2 cup salt water. Shake well and spray where roaches live.

Silverfish Repellent

Put eucalyptus radiata or citriadora essential oil on cotton balls or cedar chips and place in closets or drawers.

Ant Repellent

Place either camphor, orange, pine, peppermint, or spruce on cotton balls or small pieces of sponge, and place them wherever ants come into the house. Replace weekly.

Caution: Keep essential oils out of reach of children and pets.

An interesting article here: Orange essential oils show promise as natural antimicrobials.

OverTraining: Not giving your body the rest it needs may lead to a sports injury disaster!

We're going to have a look at the difference between being just a little tired or on a down-cycle, and being legitimately run down or overtired. It's important to be able to tell the difference if you want to stay injury free. Nothing will put a stop to your fitness goals more quickly than not being able to recognize when you're legitimately run down.

Amateur and professional athletes alike are constantly battling the problem of overtraining. Being able to juggle just the right amount of training, with enough sleep and rest, and the perfect nutritional diet is not an easy act to master.

So, what is overtraining? Overtraining is the result of giving your body more work or stress than it can handle. Overtraining occurs when you experience stress and physical trauma from exercise faster than your body can repair the damage.

Now overtraining doesn't happen overnight, or as a result of one or two work-outs. In fact, regular exercise is extremely beneficial to your general health and fitness, but you must remember that it's exercise that breaks your body down, while it's the rest and recovery that makes you stronger and healthier. Improvements only occur during the times of rest.

Remember, stress can come from a multitude of sources. It's not just physical stress that causes overtraining. Sure, excessive exercise may lead to overtraining, but don't forget to consider other stresses, such as family or work commitments. Stress is stress; whether it's a physical, mental or emotional stress, it still has the same effect on your health and well-being.

Reading The Signs

No tests determine whether you are over trained or not. You can't go to your local doctor or even a sports medicine laboratory and ask for a test for overtraining. However, you can watch for a number of signs and symptoms that give you advance notice of possible dangers to come.

Having any one or two of the following signs or symptoms doesn't automatically mean you are suffering from overtraining. However, if you recognize a number, say 5 or 6 of the following signs and symptoms, then it may be time to take a close look at the volume and intensity of your work load.

Physical signs & symptoms:

• Elevated resting pulse / heart rate
• Frequent minor infections
• Increased susceptibility to colds and flu
• Increases in minor injuries
• Chronic muscle soreness or joint pain
• Exhaustion
• Lethargy
• Weight loss
• Appetite loss
• Insatiable thirst or dehydration
• Intolerance to exercise
• Decreased performance
• Delayed recovery from exercise

Psychological signs & symptoms:

• Fatigued, tired, drained, lack of energy
• Reduced ability to concentrate
• Apathy or no motivation
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Inability to relax
• Twitchy, fidgety or jittery

The Answer to the Problem

Okay, you feel run down and totally exhausted. You've got no motivation to do anything. You can't get rid of that niggling knee injury. You're irritable, depressed and have totally lost your appetite. Sounds like you're over trained. What do you do now?

As with most things, prevention is by far better than cure, so lets start by having a quick look at a few things you can do to prevent overtraining:

• Make only small and gradual increases to your exercise program over a period of time.
• Eat a well balanced, nutritious diet.
• Get adequate relaxation and sleep.
• Be prepared to modify your training to suit environmental conditions. For example, on a very hot day, go to the pool instead of out for a run.
• Monitor other stresses on your life and make adjustments to suit.
• Avoid monotonous training, by varying your exercise as much as possible.
• Avoid exercising during an illness.
• Be flexible and have some fun with what you do.

Now, what if you've already overtrained?

Your first priority is to put your feet up and take a rest. Anywhere from 3 to 5 days should do the trick, depending on how severe the overtraining is. During this time forget about exercise; your body needs a rest, so give it both a physical rest and a mental rest. There's no point in beating yourself up mentally over losing a few days exercise.

Try to get as much sleep and relaxation as possible. Go to bed early and catch a nap whenever you can. Make sure you increase your intake of highly nutritious foods and take an extra dose of vitamins and minerals.

After the initial 3 to 5 days rest, you can gradually get back into your normal exercise routine, but start slowly. Most research states that it's okay to start with the same intensity and time of exercise but cut back on the frequency. So if you would normally exercise 3 or 4 times a week, cut back to only twice a week for the next week or two. After that you should be right to resume your normal exercise regime.

Sometimes it's a good idea to have a rest, like the one outlined above, whether you're feeling run down or not. It will give both your mind and body a chance to fully recover from any problems that may be building up without you even knowing it. It will also freshen you up, give you a renewed motivation and help you to look forward to your exercise again. Don't underestimate the benefits of a good rest.

About the Author

Brad Walker is a leading stretching and sports injury consultant with nearly 20 years experience in the health and fitness industry. For more free articles on stretching, flexibility, and sports injury, subscribe to The Stretching & Sports Injury Report by visiting The Stretching Institute. Copyright © 2010 The Stretching Institute™.

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The information in this newsletter is for educational purposes only. Consult a professional healthcare practitioner as appropriate.

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