There’s no doubt about it:  physicians will tell you that routine exercise is good for the body. Next time you consider implementing an exercise regimen into your life or your home, consider the equipment you will want to have nearby.

An Elliptical Workout
    For the complete at-home gym, consider purchasing an Elliptical. The high quality ellipticals have a range of different workouts to choose from and many different intensity levels.  Star Trac is the brand to trust when it comes to high quality elliptical machines that are built to last, and function at the highest level during workout sessions. Consider the Star-Trac P-TBTx Total Body Trainer  for your at home gym. The elliptical workout is so effective because it combines stair climbing, cycling, skiing and walking all in one movement for the ultimate workout. For a more economical elliptical with the same high quality user-friendly Star Trac design, try the Star Trac P-TBT Total Body Trainer.  A cardio workout will help you to get and stay fit and energetic.  It’s time to equip the at-home gym, lose weight and get into shape.

Exercise Bicycle

    There’s one piece of gym equipment that will never go out of style and is constantly being improved upon: the exercise bicycle. The Star Trac P-UP Upright Bike is a state-of-the art piece of exercise equipment. It’s suitable for warm-ups, at home fitness, and is even used by top athletes.  
    
Recumbent Bicycle

    For those who prefer a recumbent design exercise bicycle, or require it during rehabilitation from an injury, the Star-Trac S-RBx Recumbent Bike Plus is a good selection.  It’s user friendly and it measures the heart rate to prevent over exertion.  
    For the ultimate recumbent bike The Star Trac P-RB Series Recumbent Bike  has many extras.  This state-of-the-art piece of fitness equipment actually adjusts the intensity level of the workout based on the user’s heart rate and includes a personal fan. The Star Trac P-RB Series Recumbent Bike is a winner.

    Star Trac’s Upright Bike and Recumbent Bike are excellent choices in fitness equipment.  Both are superior design and quality with easy to use controls for a variety of workouts.  The design for Star Trac bikes and other fitness equipment was executed after studying the exerciser’s behavior and incorporating common movements into the structure of the machine. Ease of use, comfort, flexibility and durability are some of the characteristics of Star Trac’s fitness equipment.

Rowing Machine

    Some fitness enthusiasts prefer a nice upper body workout without the weights. An investment in a rowing machine can make all the difference.  The Stamina ATS AirRower, is a well-built piece of exercise equipment that is also foldable, for ease of use in an office or an apartment.  The molded seat is especially good for longer workout sessions.  A rowing machine can provide a great cardio workout right at home. And then, it can be put into a closet or out of the way place until next time.  

Don’t Forget the Abs: Abdominal Exercise Equipment

    For the busy person who may not have time to exercise, a breakthrough product is on the market to exercise abdominal muscles. The Slendertone Flex Abdominal Training System  is basically a belt that can be worn around the waist. The person wearing the Slendertone will receive an abdominal workout after pressing a button and receiving electrical stimulation.  So, if you have no time for a workout, there’s still no excuse for not attending to your abs.  The price tag of only $139.95, as well as the convenience factor, makes the Slendertone Flex even more tempting, and worth a try.  
    Old school ab crunchers can now breathe a sigh of relief. No need to get on the floor to strengthen and tone abdominal muscles unless you prefer it that way. 

    Developed by a team of Johns Hopkins nurses who consulted with burn patients, the L’Athene skin care treatment system is an anti-aging skin care treatment that exceeds expectations, and does so naturally and organically.  Nan Brown and Lil Bogdan are the creators of L’Athene. When  they developed this high quality botanical spa skin care line, they committed to utilizing the finest natural, organic ingredients with healing properties for skin.  

    The L’Athene skin care treatment utilizes a combination of vitamin E and selenium to prevent the effects of aging.   Though this is not unusual for an anti-aging skin care treatment, the use of all natural healing botanicals and products is a unique approach. L’Athene skin care products assist in reducing the size of pores, act as a wrinkle treatment, and rejuvenate skin to make it appear younger.  The best way to find out how well a skin care treatment works for you is to give it a try. L’Athene anticipated this and developed a trial kit for the consumer who is curious to see just how well the skin care regime works.  The L’Athtene trial-dose sampler kit  is only $19.99.   

    For the person who wants to use a skin care product that is sold in physician and dermatologist’s offices, the best way to start using L’Athene is with the SR-3 Daily Skin Rejuvenation System™ - Ultra.  L’Athene is recommended by numerous care professionals, including J. Lucas, M.D., a Plastic Surgeon quoted by She magazine.

    For those suffering from dry or cracked skin, the L’Athene solution could be the answer.   The Dry Skin Hydrating Plant Oil Extract  is a revolutionary skin care treatment that repairs dry, flaky, damaged skin.   L’Athene’s all natural skin care treatment minimizes wrinkles and fine lines with routine use.  This extract is effective for very dry or damaged skin that is created for those people who work in an injurious environment. For those suffering from chronic dry skin, L’Athene’s Intensive Moisture Therapy will help revitalize and renew.  It works by replenishing naturally occurring skin lipids and stimulating cellular activators to protect facial collagen, enhancing the natural protection our bodies provide.    

    It’s difficult to find a facial cleanser on the market that does not have alcohol as an ingredient. This is another area where L’Athene’s all natural approach to skin care treatment stands out above the rest. L’Athene’s Primesse Essential Facial Cleanser  uses natural antibacterials and Echinacea and Rose Hips to restore skin balance.  This cleanser, toner, and eye makeup remover also utilizes lavender oil to help tone the skin. The nutrients contained in this cleanser are absorbed more easily by the body than chemically based facial cleansers.   

    For improved skin, wrinkle treatment, and an all natural approach to healing dry and cracked skin, L’Athene is certainly one of the premier products on the market today.  Use L’Athene in an anti-aging skin care routine and watch your skin transform to a more vibrant and radiant appearance in no time. 

    When one thinks of the injuries sustained by baseball players, skin irritation is not necessarily the malady that jumps to mind. But for Josh Beckett, ace pitcher of the Boston Red Sox, it is exactly those sorts of concerns that have proven most debilitating over the years: Beckett has suffered from blisters on the fingers of his pitching hand that have landed him on the disabled list an astonishing six times since 2000.

    That is a painful problem. It is an expensive problem. And it is a problem that can curtail seasons; it can derail careers; it can mean the difference between playing and not playing, winning and losing.

In Search of Topical Pain Relief

    And it’s not limited to Beckett, pitchers, or even baseball players. Athletes of all stripes risk injury due to blisters, abrasions, eczema, cuts...all dermatological concerns that demand topical pain relief. And, it doesn’t end there: Those who participate in outdoor sports—tennis, sailing, skiing, and so on—frequently suffer from sunburn. Those who sweat a lot in workouts or competition such as basketball players, gymnasts, and runners have to deal with chafing. It especially helps runners to prevent blisters, abrasions, and also expedites in healing. These are recurring problems that demand chronic pain management. Yet, many athletes downplay these concerns, oftentimes because such injuries are not considered severe. Hey, it’s not a broken bone or a torn hamstring, so how bad can it be? It can be bad enough to cause an athlete to lose a step, or to favor a certain leg, arm or muscle group. It can also be bad enough to lead to more severe injuries. Just ask Josh Beckett.

    As such, athletes aiming to remain in top form should seek to treat their dermatological concerns via natural health remedies. Indeed, natural pain relief is the optimum method for keeping an athlete’s skin healthy and hydrated. In fact, the importance of hydration itself cannot be overstated. Of course, the simplest and most effective method for staying hydrated is to simply drink water. And for athletes, who lose a great deal of fluids through sweating, water should be consumed frequently.  In fact, it’s said that even 2 percent dehydration decreases an athlete’s performance by as much as 10 percent. Adequate hydration is crucial in keeping one’s skin healthy.

    For athletes already suffering from blisters, abrasions or the like, simple powders and ointments such as Johnson’s Baby Powder or Gold Bond Medicated Ant-Itch Cream can be purchased inexpensively, and can provide tremendous relief. Even petroleum jelly can be applied to cuts or chafed areas to provide immediate topical pain relief.

    For athletes suffering from dermatological issues, chronic pain management can truly be that basic. Again, let’s take the example of Josh Beckett: The Red Sox hurler addressed his blisters issue with…surgery? Laser treatment? Nope. He used Band-Aids.

    Which doesn’t mean that Band-Aids or baby powder are the only methods for treatment, or even the most effective ones (it should be noted that Beckett’s Band-Aid solution prevented him from throwing his curveball during bullpen sessions, and his on-field performance suffered as a result).

Advanced Natural Pain Relief

    For athletes looking for more advanced natural pain relief, XTreme Skin Ointment (www.xtremeskin.com) offers a wide range of healing capabilities: It creates a breathable, protective barrier for the skin; it locks out germs and bacteria, and locks in moisture; and it accelerates the skin’s healing process. Natural health remedies like XTreme Skin Ointment can (and should) be used as a preventative measure, but they can also be applied to damaged areas.

    It must be stated that no athlete is immune to dermatological issues: Bowlers will often suffer from blisters and cuts; rock climbers, from cracked skin and burns; horseback riders, from chafing; swimmers, from dry skin; weightlifters, from calluses.  And, too many athletes will try and play through these problems when they should be seeking out chronic pain management techniques and natural pain relief.

    An athlete’s skin is as related to his or performance as his or her muscles, yet too few recognize this. It is crucial that athletes seek out topical pain relief, and it is recommended that they do so through natural health remedies. To ignore them, or to treat them ineffectively, can spell damage, disaster and heartbreak. Just ask Josh Beckett.

Protect Your Skin: Your Body’s First Line of Defense

    Looking at your body’s largest organ does not require medical imaging – it is visible to those around you at all times . . . it’s your skin!  The natural effects of chronological aging, along with environmental exposure, damage your skin over time.
    What you see in the mirror every day has an impact on how you feel.  Odds are that the better your skin looks and feels, the better you feel.  While no one can turn back the clock and prevent the normal aging process, there are certainly steps you can take to protect your skin from premature aging, and to keep it looking and feeling healthy.

Preserving Healthy Skin: What You Can Control

    When it comes to keeping your skin young, there are factors beyond your control.  Normal aging causes biochemical changes in the collagen and elastin levels in our skin.  These changes can lead to decreased volume and loss of firmness.  Skin sags and wrinkles form; the texture of skin loses some of its softness. No two people’s skin ages at the exact same rate.  
Chronic or excessive sun exposure causes skin to become damaged much sooner than it would otherwise.  Exposure to UV light causes fine and course wrinkles, redness, and can give skin a leathery, rough texture.  This process interacts with natural, chronological aging and appears to hasten the aging process, leaving your skin looking older than it actually is.  What can you do to prevent this extensive damage?      
    When you know your skin will be exposed to the sun, wear an SPF of 15 or higher and wear a hat with a brim.  Cover your arms and legs when possible, and limit exposure to the sun during the hours between 10 a.m. and 4.pm.  Do not deliberately sunbathe outdoors or at a tanning salon.  These measures can benefit your skin even if it already suffers from sun damage.  If you smoke cigarettes, quitting will benefit your skin in addition to your overall health and well being.  Smoking exacerbates skin damage due to the biochemical changes that it causes.

Natural Health: Take that Extra Step for your Skin through Home Spa Treatments

    In addition to limiting sun exposure and avoiding cigarette smoking, your at-home skin care regimen can benefit your skin.  There are several types of products available and it can be difficult to sort the best products from the rest.  L’Athene is a unique skin care line designed not by skin care/cosmetic experts, but by two nurses with experience treating patients with burns and severe dermatological conditions.  Nan Brown and Lil Bogdan have used their first-hand knowledge of how skin heals to create an all-natural skin care line free of man-made chemicals.  They have consulted other experts, including nutritionists, organic chemists, and aromatherapists in helping to create a product that is both effective and appealing to the senses.
    Tom Maroney, CEO of Banner Therapy, applauds the emergence of a skin care line designed by health care professionals.  
“The ingredients in these products have been hand selected by nurses who have been on the front lines of skin care, and who have done their homework in terms of what skin needs, and what it doesn’t need.”  
The ladies cite growing consumer concern over harsh chemicals that are routinely used in many cosmetic and skin care lines.  They saw a need to provide a line of products that contain the best that nature has to offer our skin, and their products contain such skin-nourishing natural ingredients as proteins, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, fruit acids, healing herbs and essential oils.
    Alpha-hydroxy acids have become well known for their beneficial properties; they can help with fine lines, irregular pigmentation, age spots, and can help decrease the appearance of enlarged pores.  L’Athene offers several products for the face containing the AHA glycolic acid.  The line also includes body treatments and products designed for dry skin, redness and inflammation.
    There are steps you can take to protect your skin and minimize environmental damage.  Treat your skin well, and it will return the favor.

This free massage video shows how to give yourself a hand massage. These techniques can help anyone who uses their hands heavily during a hard day. As with all massage, the choice of massage oils, creams and lotions can really make the difference in a good massage or bad massage.  Proper lubrication during a massage makes it easy to slide over the muscles and aid in efflorage when using deep tissue massage.  There are many popular massage oils on the market today, and differ in types of massage oils, creams and lotions.  After you have chosen to use a high quality massage oil, massage cream, or massage lotion, you still have to choose from top manufactures like Lotus Touch, Massage FX, Bon Vital, Biotone, Khepra, Soothing Touch and Organic Bath and Body.  All of these manufacturers make professional therapy oils, lotions, and cremes. 

If you are able to stop by our showroom in Asheville, NC we can offer some free samples of massage oils, lotions and creams, that are availble.

There are lots of ways to relieve lower back pain and hip pain. There are many different high quality products on the BannerTherapy.com website that are effective in helping with pain relief in these areas. The products suggested here are all natural, non-chemical, non-invasive approaches to chronic lower back pain, which also affects the hip and knee regions on some. This short guide will offer some practical suggestions on easy, everyday tools that can be used right in the home to help relieve lower back pain.  

    In order to avoid injury or worsening of a condition, always consult your physician first, before embarking on an exercise routine or using special physical therapy equipment. Most health care practitioners will encourage those suffering from lower back pain to focus activities on improving muscle strength and flexibility. Always proceed with a health care professional’s advice first.

Physical Therapy Exercises

    Physical Therapy Exercises are easy to do right in the home, provided you have the right tools. Consult a physical therapist before engaging in any lower back exercises.  He or she can recommend the best exercises to help strengthen muscles that will aid in the relief of chronic lower back pain.

A yoga mat is something useful to keep around the house even if you don’t do yoga. For extra cushioning, try the Tapas Ultra Yoga Mat. Many physical therapy exercises for chronic lower back pain are done on the floor, and yoga mats provide a stable non-slip surface for these exercises.   

Exercise balls are also great tools to keep handy and one of the primary physical therapy supplies that helps reduce back pain.  Something as simple as sitting on an exercise ball and bouncing lightly for a certain amount of time each day is beneficial for the lower back because it distributes the fluid in the lower spine, aiding in pain relief and flexibility. Try the Stamina Shiatsu Massage Body Ball for a relaxing massaging effect while working out.  Low back pain is often aggravated by a sendentary lifestyle. There are many types of exercises which will benefit lower backs that utlize the yoga ball.  Ask your physical therapist or physician to recommend some exercises specific to your condition.

Vibrating Massagers – Hand Held

    There’s no better way to spoil yourself than a vibrating massager.  Massaging certain areas of the upper neck and back can help ease pain from too much time on the computer or time spent driving.

    A great hand held massager is the Homedics MT-PA Palm Percussion Massager. The Shiatsu Massager is also a great hands free unit with a strapping system.  It custom fits any body area and is portable.  The deep kneeding action is a wonderful way to relieve stressed tight muscles.

Back Massagers

    A good back massager is worth its weight in gold.  For an affordable price of only $74.95, you can purchase the XTC Back Massager. The Posture Pump Elliptical Back Rocker relieves chronic lower back pain and promotes disc and joint lubrication.  This device not only helps stretch the lower back but also helps you build abdominal muscles.  
 

 

However, the main incentive to make you start exercising is overall natural health improvement. It can help you not only in your physical well being, but with mental health as well.  Here are some top reasons to motivate you to exercise:  

Weight control: Regular physical activity helps people lose excess weight or stay at a reasonable weight; exercise increases metabolism and burns calories. Duke University research published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that overweight, sedentary adults who began exercising lost visceral fat, or at least did not gain more. Those who did not exercise, however, gained more in just six months.

Increase flexibility, muscle strength and endurance: Health studies repeatedly reveal that strength training increases muscle strength and mass and decreases fat tissue.

Bone strength and prevention of osteoporosis:  An active lifestyle benefits bone density.

Stronger immune system:  The findings from some studies support the possibility that exercise may delay immunosenescence (age dependent decline in immune function).

Better sleep: Daily exercise can serve as relaxation therapy.  It can improve the general quality of sleep, help with quicker sleep-onset, and longer sleep duration leading to feeling more rested upon waking.

Chronic back pain relief:  By increasing muscle strength and endurance and improving flexibility and posture regular exercise helps to prevent lower back pain, middle back pain and upper back pain.  Many exercise studies show that yoga, in particular, seems to help.

Personal stress management: Exercise stimulates various brain chemicals, which may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed.

Fight depression: Many studies show that exercise promotes positive mental health and reduces symptoms of depression.

New brain cell development: Exercise stimulates the formation of new brain cells (neurons). It also strengthens connections between those cells. The areas of the brain that are stimulated through long-term exercise are associated with memory and learning.

Cardiovascular disease prevention: Lack of physical activity is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. There is a direct relation between physical inactivity and cardiovascular death. In a long-term, Swedish study, women and men who were physically active at least twice a week had a 41 percent lower risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) than those who performed no physical activity.

Cholesterol lowering: Physical exercise favorably influences blood cholesterol levels by decreasing LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and total cholesterol and increasing HDL cholesterol.

Type II Diabetes prevention and control: Exercise can promote healthy blood sugar levels in the body.  There is strong evidence from randomized controlled studies (e.g. Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study and the Diabetes Prevention Program in the U.S.) that moderate physical activity combined with weight loss and balanced diet can confer a 50-60 percent reduction in risk of developing diabetes among those already at high risk.

Lower blood pressure:  Low physical activity increases the risk of hypertension. Regular exercise training seems to be effective in reducing blood pressure. Trying out some different types of exercise fitness equipment may be one way to go (i.e. treadmills or elliptical equipment.)   

Reduce stroke risk: Research data indicates that moderate and high levels of physical activity may reduce risk of total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic strokes. According to a study in the December 2007 issue of Neurology, published by the American Academy of Neurology, people who have good physical function after the age of 40 may lower their risk of stroke by as much as 50 percent compared to people who are not able to climb stairs, kneel, bend, or lift as well.