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How to use the massage gun on the forearm

Featured by breauxfremont

https://youtu.be/-lxkvZVYrqs

A massage gun is a helpful device to incorporate preventive actions for wellness. With so much to do within 24 hours, we might neglect our bodies. Muscles in different areas may shut down, screaming for care. A group of muscles prone to experience stress and pain is in the forearms. This article will consider how to use a massage gun on the forearm.

Forearms in your life

Forearm muscles play a big part in the performance of routine activities as well as of recreation. Carrying a grocery bag or texting can be unbearable with a sore arm. Playing tennis with a strained forearm will be painful and frustrating instead of fun. It is easy to take for granted!

A complex set of muscles composes the forearm to produce movements without you even thinking. Being aware of them will allow mindfulness when you move so you can avoid tension and pain. Here, we will consider an overview of the location of a few of the muscles, what are their functions, as well as actions you can take to strengthen them.

The Forearm and Muscles Function

There are twenty muscles of the forearm. They all work together to move the elbow, forearm, wrist, and fingers.

From the twenty, there are eight muscles on the anterior compartment of the forearm, the side of the palm, arranged in three layers. The names of these layers are superficial and intermediate and deep.

The deep layer, alongside the thumb, contains the muscle responsible for thumb flexion. Among the simple but yet repetitive movements that can overuse this muscle are jobs that require the use of hand tools, typing, texting, and sports such as tennis, volleyball.

The posterior compartment of the forearm, the opposite side of the palm, has twelve muscles divided into two layers, superficial and deep.

The superficial layer has three muscles responsible for the wrist and elbow movements. The video linked above demonstrates how to locate these muscles. You put the hand over the muscles in the middle of the forearm, then close your hand, open your hand so you can feel the muscles moving. Place your thumb on the side of the elbow joint to feel another muscle.

Constant bending of the wrist towards the back of the hand, such as when resting the wrist on a desk allowing the wrist to sink towards the desktop, can be responsible for the development of a forearm issue called Tennis Elbow.

Compounded actions with the arm and the hand, such as grasping an object while curling the wrist towards the palm, forces the muscle to work harder. This strain over a long enough period of time can lead to the development of Golfers Elbow.

The Massage Gun

There are effective massages, exercises, and treatments practiced in caring for the forearm. However, the use of a massage gun on the forearm when you self massage after a long day, is as effective as the known techniques.

Read Massage Gun Benefits to Reduce Stress and Relieve Pain.

Apply a massage gun to the length of the muscle or cross fiber to help relax and strengthen. There is no need to put pressure. You just let the massage gun do its work without extra effort on your part.

Prevention is better than cure. Take action and incorporate balance in your life.

Reference links:

http://www.geekymedics.com

http://www.teachmeanatomy.info

www.selfcare4rsi.com

The challenges for a balanced diet

by breauxfremont

Raise your hand: who doesn´t have challenges in your life? My hand is up, and what is new with that, right? We are all going through tough times in this COVID-19 era. Although recently live seems to be slowly moving forward, we have a new normal to adapt ahead of us. However, this new normal did not have a changing effect on the importance of taking care of our health and on the challenges for a balanced diet.

Remember, prevention is better than cure. So, what can we do? How do we take care of our health? How can we incorporate balance within our bodies? Keeping up with a balanced diet is essential. For that, we want to include green vegetables in our diet.

I have to admit that this is not an easy task. I had times that I was doing much better, then I stopped being consistent, and now I´m working on getting back on track. Sounds confusing? Well, that is what usually happens when it comes to diet. We do well, we slack and get back on track, and the circle repeats itself. Since a balanced diet is essential to our wellbeing, we want to keep it consistent. At least, try our best.

Let me share how I have tried to work that out. I hope that it may help you.

It´s not that simple!

We all know that it is essential to have our vegetables daily. But we have challenges for getting a balanced diet. Then, why it´s not that easy?

Some people say that they have a salad every day or plan on having salads every day, but they just can´t. Some say: ”I don´t care about how vegetables taste”, or  “they taste nasty”, and others can say “it is too much work to buy them fresh so often and prepare them”.

It looks like it isn´t that simple for some people. In fact, I want to confess it is not that simple for me either. It is hard to find time to go out and buy vegetables so often. Also, it is not easy to find time to prepare them every day. Whatever the response is, although many different ones, nobody can deny the fact that vegetables are essential for a balanced diet and that they help us to be healthier.

There is tons of information online about vegetable benefits for our wellbeing. By looking them over, you can learn what their nutrients are and what vitamins are found in the vegetables, and in what ways they affect our body.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/leafy-green-vegetables#section4

But, I want to share how I have tried to incorporate greens into my diet, without much of a hassle.

Overcoming the challenge for a balanced diet

Being an active person, I need to try my best to keep myself in balance. The ups and downs that life presents make it hard to stay on track. But having in mind that prevention is better than cure helps to work in maintaining consistency.

https://life-inbalance.com/about-me-on-life-inbalanceeducation-on-preventive-measures-to-improve-life/

How do I get my diet balanced?

I need to do my groceries! Yes, once a week I buy vegetables. It is once a week since fresh green vegetables don´t last too long unless you buy frozen bags. Nothing against it, but I prefer fresh.

Sometimes, I have them raw in a salad along with a fish or chicken filet. I include a choice of fruit, raisins, or nuts. Having salad this way is a good option, although I don´t feel it is enough for my intake needs. It also requires more time from you. You don´t want to eat too fast nor barely chew them. It is not going to be good for your digestion. It is not easy on my digestive system either, so I have veggies this way once in a while.

My favorite way to incorporate green vegetables in my diet is blending. I add the greens I have in my fridge and a choice of fruit in my Vitamix. The days I go to the gym, I need some more energy, so I like to add some protein. Sometimes I use frozen fruits, especially the berries. If you want, you can also add a little bit of flex seed. I feel this is a quick way to put the veggies together and to have them. I have this smoothy usually in the morning as breakfast. Besides, it is also fast to clean up. No hassle.

My breakfast smoothy - one way I overcome my challenges for a balanced diet.
My breakfast smoothy – one way I overcome my challenges for a balanced diet

Getting Results

That is how I work on overcoming the challenges of a balanced diet. I try my best to incorporate the green vegetables in my diet by having a smoothy. It helps me to feel more energy and strength.

I know it is not easy. Work is always required. Even when you do not feel like getting yourself some green vegetables, it is worthy.

Keep on trying. Keep on working on it and you will succeed in overcoming the challenges for a balanced diet.

Massage Gun Benefits to Reduce Stress and Relieve Pain

by breauxfremont

Many people experience stress and muscle pain due to repetitive work or sitting down for long hours. It takes action on your part to incorporate wellness into your life. There are different options to relieve stress, one of them is massage devices. Let me talk about the benefits of a massage gun to reduce stress and relieve pain.

Massage Gun to Reduce Stress

The use of massage devices to reduce muscle stress and relieve pain has been very popular in recent years. At times, muscle stress and pain prevent the enjoyment of a favorite activity or performing daily work. Scheduling an appointment to get a massage and paying for the visit are not always in your plans, so you look for ways to relieve the pain on your own. As long as there is no serious problem, self-massaging or using a massage device can be very beneficial. One of the massage devices available is a massage gun.

What is a massage gun?

Massage gun is a commonly used name for percussion massager, a device that applies vibration in the muscle tissue. This vibration helps to release tension, increase flexibility, range of motion and mobility, as well as reduce stress and relieve pain.

The video https://youtu.be/4P0xY1GtbO4 posted on youtube demonstrates one of the massage guns. It tells about a few features and how to use it.

How can a massage gun be of benefit?

The use of massage gun is uncomfortable for some people. However, it is worth to experience the way it affects the muscles and how fast the resulting relief is. .

Sitting down or standing up for long hours result in lower back tightness. The massage gun has a specific attachment that can be used to release the tension of the back. It is advisable, though, to use this attachment with the help of a partner.

When your neck and shoulder are so tight that you can barely move, the massage gun will help to soothe the muscle and increase flexibility.

Another benefit of the massage gun is for the forearm. Repetitive activities such as typing or playing sports such as tennis, golf, maxing out the forearm muscle, results in pain. The massage gun will relax the muscles increasing mobility.

A massage gun is an excellent option to avoid overly tight muscles which can lead to injury. Incorporate massage in your life using a massage gun. It will relieve pain and increase flexibility.

For a full description of the massage gun, check out the link:

https://amzn.to/2paAmyZ

Amazon links are affiliate links and help to support the channel. They go straight to the products and do not cost you to use them.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned.

Watch the video also on Youtube:

https://youtu.be/4P0xY1GtbO4

IS PNF STRETCHING EFFECTIVE FOR THE NECK?

by breauxfremont

Is PNF stretching effective for the neck? But, what is PNF stretching? Have you ever heard of it? Have you ever done it?

PNF is the name of a very effective stretching technique. For example, if you have ever experienced neck pain, you might have been told to stretch the muscle. Hold it and push it. Gently continue pushing just for a little longer and then relax. Does that sound familiar? This means that you have done PNF stretching before. PNF stretching is not new, it has been around for a while. Actually, I demonstrated one example of PNF strething in the video First Words on Neck Health. https://life-inbalance.com/first-words-on-neck-health/

Then what is it? What is PNF? PNF is an acronym for Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, a technique originally used in clinical rehabilitation, performed with a partner. The partner helps to hold the muscle to provide resistance, creating more effectiveness. Having a partner is helpful, but you can also perform PNF stretches by yourself. When we talk about neck muscles, it is easy since you can use just your hand.The technique involves to stretch and to contract the muscle before stretching again.

Here I will focus on one of the methods of PNF stretching for the neck. 

Why should I take time out to perform PNF stretching?

PNF stretching is effective for increasing flexibility and mobility and reducing tightness and neck pain, relaxing the muscles. If you, like many people, spend long hours in one position, such as sitting in front of a computer, driving, and texting, you can benefit from PNF stretching. The results of PNF stretching can be felt immediately, helping to reduce the tension that could interfere with freedom of movement. Besides these benefits, it is possible to do it at home without having any expenses. However, you need to do it correctly to really feel the pain relief and keep a healthy neck.

How to perform PNF stretching on the neck?

I´m going to describe three ways you can stretch your neck using the PNF technique.

One way is the bending of your head to the side, looking ahead. If you are experiencing neck pain, just do the side that is not hurting. Put light pressure with your hand over your head, going as far as you can without increasing your pain. A quick tip for you: put your other arm down, placing your hand towards the back. You will feel more of stretch. Hold it for few seconds and then relax. Repeat it 3 times.

Imagem relacionada
Strech by bending the head to the side looking ahead

Another stretch is rotating your head, looking to the side. Twist your head as far as you can, remember, without increasing your pain. Hold your head for few seconds so it doesn´t move back to the original position, and then relax. Repeat it 3 times, and then twist to the other side repeating the same stretch.

Resultado de imagem para free images for neck stretch
Stretch by rotating the head looking to the side

Finally, there is the bending of your head forward, trying to touch your chest with your chin. Put light pressure on your head. Hold it for few seconds and then relax. Then bend your head backward, looking up for few seconds and then relax. Always apply just light pressure and repeat it 3 times.

Resultado de imagem para free images for neck stretch
Stretch by bending the head forward and backward

When is the time to do it?

PNF stretching is very effective for relieving neck pain when the muscle of the neck is tight and stiff. However, it is also effective to increase flexibility and mobility, improving the range of motion and the performance of daily activities. Excellent results can be obtained by performing these stretches at least twice a week.  

I hope you all have enjoyed learning, or being reminded, of how to improve the health of your neck, taking preventive actions and incorporating balance in your life.