Healthy Motions® Blog
 
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Brown rice is a healthy staple.  

To cook perfect, tasty brown rice follow these instructions:
1.  Select short-grain (preferably organic) brown rice.
2.  Put 1 cup of rice into sauce pan, rinse briefly with water, and drain away water completely.  Rice will be damp.
3. Put pan on high heat and stir rice dry (about 1-2 minutes).
4.  Add 3 cups water to pan, bring to a boil and simmer until rice is thoroughly cooked (about 40 minutes).  Drain off extra water.  Do not cook it unitl all water is absorbed.

Serve with soy sauce, sesame seeds or topping of your choice.

Thanks Dr. Neal Barnard author of the "21-Day Weight Lofor this kitchen tip
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Therapeutic massage provides many benefits to the body, mind, and spirit.  Some of these benefits include reducing stress and promoting relaxation.  The New York Times reported on September 30, 2010 that a recent study by a division of NIH found that a single session of massage caused biological changes consistent with these benefits.  


Deep-tissue Swedish massage recipients showed: 
  • significant decreases in cortisol (a stress hormone); 
  • significant decreases in arginine vasopressin (a hormone that can lead to increases in cortisol); and 
  • increases lymphocytes (white blood cells that are part of the immune system).  
Light massage recipients rather than deep-tissue recipients:

  • experienced greater increases in oxytocin (a hormone associated with contentment); and
  • experienced greater decreases in adrenal corticotropin (a hormone that stimulates release of stress hormone cortisol.

It’s nice to see research supporting what massage recipients know.  Massage is relaxing and makes you feel good.  I feel like it resets me to a gentler version of myself.


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Do you have persistent foot pain, especially when taking the first steps in the morning?  See your doctor to determine if you have plantar fasciitis.  The plantar fascia is connective tissue that supports the bottom of your foot and plantar fasciitis is a chronic injury to this fascia.  

A new stretch is successfully treating plantar fasciitis according to a study in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

The new stretch targets the plantar fascia and is performed by crossing one leg over the other and pulling the toes toward the shin(grab just the toes, not the ball of the foot, pull it up towards your shin and towards your knee. Using the other hand, feel the mid arch of the foot for stretch (like guitar strings). Hold for a count of ten and repeating ten times.
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health, wellness, fitness, washington, DC, massage