Saturday, July 3, 2010

Powerful Woman


Powerful woman

Muscular Woman


muscular woman

Gender Exclusive Knee Replacement For Women

Knee replacement is a surgical procedure in which the physician replaces the weight-bearing parts of the knee joint. Surgical doctors perform this on patients suffering from joint pains, osteoarthritis. Even psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis patients could undergo this procedure. In such patients, there is incredible inflammation or severe pain in the knee joint. This makes daily movement very difficult also, over duration of time.

This mostly happens with age due to wear and tear of the knee joint. Apart from osteoporosis, knee pain could also be due to cartilage defects, ligament tears or meniscus tears. To replace the damaged or diseased joint surface, one uses plastic and metal components shaped to facilitate the motion of knee. There can be total or partial knee replacement. In gender specific knee replacement for women, implants specially designed to cater for women are used. The woman's knee is different in shape compared to a man's.

The gender specific knee replacement has improved the overall function of knee implants in women. With the woman's special knee implants, women patients have been relieved from pain largely. Moreover, they feel the functionality the natural knee after the surgery. The results are much better than the non-gender knees or the common traditional knees used on women ages ago. The design used by women only is the woman's special knee and in 2006, they introduced it in the US.

The anatomy of a male body is different from a female's body. The application of this has been recently in the designing of orthopedic implants. The basis of the gender specific knee is from a fact. That is the femur or the thighbone in case of women is narrow from the side. In case of men, the kneecap rests on a comparatively more oblique line. In addition, the front of the thighbone at the lower end is not as prominent as in case of men. Hence, knee replacement for women with women special knee has proved to be more comfortable and beneficial.

The surgical procedure of knee replacement is same in both the genders. However, with the gender specific knee, the hospital stay gets shorter. Therefore, there are several advantages of the gender specific knee replacement. It is widely used at present and the results are very positive and encouraging. The knee implant surgery for women, performed through the minimal invasive surgery is real because of the various tests that proof it. It is a successful procedure.

Knee Operations Can Give You Back Your Freedom

The most commonly done knee operations are knee replacement surgeries. These surgeons perform joint replacement of the knee. This could be total or partial knee replacement. Such a surgery becomes necessary when rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis have caused the joint to wear off completely. The surfaces of the knee joint cannot bear the weight and even the normal day-to-day movement becomes difficult. In a total knee replacement operation, the surgeon discards completely, the cartilage from the thighbone, kneecap, shinbone and the damaged bone. Then he or she replaces this with an artificial knee joint, called the prosthesis. The prosthesis or the artificial knee is made of plastics, polymers and metal alloys.

When patients are suffering from knee problems, the surgeon performs Arthroscopy on them. This is a procedure to diagnose the knee problem and to treat it. The surgeon makes an incision on the knee and then inserts an instrument known as arthroscope. This instrument allows the surgeon to get a view of the interior. He or she sends images from the inside of the knee to a television monitor, through fiber optics on the arthroscope. This will help the surgeon to determine if a knee replacement operation is required.

The knee operations are safe and have a very good success rate of approximately 90-95%. After the surgery, excessive activity or exertion could cause the knee to wear down again. In such a case, another replacement might be required. However, this is not common as statistics reveal that 90-95% of knee implants perform perfectly even for ten to fifteen years after the surgery. With moderate levels of activity, most of the knee implants function for about fifteen years or more. If the patient does strenuous activity, it might need a new replacement. With the kind of medical care and expertise available today, complications and infection have reduced largely.

The reason why physicians recommend a knee surgery is to prevent the bones of the knee joint from rubbing against each other. This rubbing causes a lot of knee pain. With an artificial knee joint, the new surface provided relieves the person from pain. Knee replacement surgeries enable people to live better lives without knee pain. If the patient takes proper care and rest, he or she can be active in their movements after the surgery for many years.

With success rates being over ninety percent, knee operations are perfectly safe and satisfying. People have improved the quality of their lives by getting freedom from knee pain. Knee pain could make even normal daily activities tiresome and difficult. People who have pain problems find it difficult to even walk or move about without effort. After the surgery, the quality of life enhances as movement becomes pain-free and swift. People with knee pains are not able to do several tasks but after the surgery, they begin to live a normal healthy life.

Fundamental Arthroscopic Knee Surgery Information

There are various kinds of orthopedic surgeries performed for different problems. The Arthroscopic knee surgery is a very common type of knee operation. This operation involves discarding the torn cartilage in the knee. The cartilage tears due to age-related factors or because of arthritis. When this happens, the knee joint bones rub against each other. The result of this is an excruciating pain and inflammation on the knee joint. At this point, you must visit your doctor for examination. If he or she diagnoses a serious knee problem, a knee prosthesis or implant might be the only solution. In this case, the doctor performs a surgery to replace the knee joint bones. This allows the sick person to feel the discomfort and pain. Consequently, he or she can perform the daily activities with ease and comfort.

To perform this operation a tool called an arthroscope becomes necessary. This intricate instrument enables the surgeon to see the insides of the knee. This instrument has fiber optics. He or she could view the images of the knee on a television monitor. The arthroscope enables the surgeon to have a clear picture of the joint. He can see the exact problem and decide how to solve it. This helps the surgeon to determine the future course of action.

This kind of knee surgery does not involve a very complicated procedure. There is no need to make a big opening on the skin. The surgeon makes a few tiny incisions to perform Arthroscopic knee surgery. Yet, this surgery is not a casual one. Why is the patient suffering from the knee pain? Is it due to injury, wear-tear or arthritis? Before the surgeon performs this surgery on any patient, these questions always arise.

This kind of knee surgery makes use of a camera to observe the interiors of the knee joint. The surgeon makes a small incision through which he or she inserts the camera. There are a couple of small incisions made further to eliminate the torn cartilage of the joint. The surgeon uses small shavers, scissors and tiny gadgets to remove the damaged cartilage. At the end of the surgery, the doctor stitches the incisions and dresses the wounds using a bandage. This keeps them free of germs and anti-bodies.

Tips For a Quick Knee Surgery Recovery

After a knee surgery, one must take care of the knee. It has to recover so that there is no stress on it as it becomes normal again. The surgeon will give all tips on knee surgery recovery. He or she will mention about the dos and dont's after the surgery. Normally six to eight weeks is a good time for recovery after a knee operation. Mostly, within this time patients recover from the surgery and get back to normal life. Just as the surgery is crucial, even recovery after the surgery is an important post-operative activity.

Normally the following steps are involved in recovering from knee surgery:

1. Firstly, post surgery patients have to be under observation in the hospital for a few days. In case there are any problems with post surgery, the doctors will attend to them on time. After surgery, the patient's leg needs a raise for quick recovery.

2. A physical therapist will be attending to the patient. He or she will help in resuming physical movements of the knee. The patient will exercise and has to follow the routine well so that he or she can get back to normal life soon. The therapist will show proper movements that will help the patient recuperate post surgery.

3. Ice packs are very effective if applied on the knee that has undergone the surgery. These facilitate the rate of recuperation.

4. After a couple of days, the patient will be encouraged to leave the bed and start taking baby steps. The patient uses a walker for support that will allow him or her to slowly start putting weight on the knee that underwent the surgery.

5. The physical therapist or the physiotherapist plays a very important role in knee surgery recovery. Very slowly and steadily, the therapist will ask you to raise the intensity of exercises. Initially, it might be extremely painful, but slowly you will recover completely and will be in a position to walk on your own.

6. The entire recovery period of about six to eight weeks will require a lot of rest given to the knee. There must not be stress of any kind. You should follow only the exercises advised by the physiotherapist. You should follow strictly the exercise regimen for a fast recovery.

7. You must follow any form of medications or checkups diligently as the doctor has advised after the surgery. You should also update the doctor on the condition of the knee. In case there is, any problem or discomfort of any kind the doctor must know.

Are There UTI Treatments That Work?

Suffering from a UTI, or urinary tract infection, can be an agonizing event for many people. These infections can affect men, women, and even children, and are characterized by pain or burning during urination and a frequent feeling that you need to urinate. You may also find that you have back pain, nausea, and fever, and that your urine has a milky, cloudy, or even reddish appearance to it. The pain of a UTI can be completely unpleasant, and this causes those infected to seek UTI treatments at the first sign of an infection.

In seeking UTI treatments, you need to be aware of the cause of the infection. A urinary tract infection is most often caused by the bacteria E. coli entering and infecting your urethra. This bacteria is naturally occurring in your digestive tract, so you don't necessarily want to kill the bacteria off entirely because it does after all serve a purpose in your body.

When you go to the doctor to seek treatment for your UTI, you will inevitably be prescribed a prescription strength antibiotic, which will kill off the bacteria - including the bacteria that lives naturally in your digestive system. You can see that this is not a natural way to treat your infection. It is also important to take into account that approximately 25% of UTIs treated with an antibiotic do recur shortly after the treatment concludes, showing how ineffective this treatment is.

If you are looking for UTI treatments that work, you need to find a cure that works with your body to combat the problem. Look into homeopathic cures for UTIs to find a long-term, effective treatment. After all, you don't want to suffer through the pain of a recurring UTI, nor do you want to cause your body more harm than good by using harsh (and often ineffective) antibiotics.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

FOOD LOVE

Did I mention I love vegetables? Tonight's dinner. Yum!

As I haven't been able to do much exercise lately because of injury and sickness, I have had to refocus my game completely toward my diet. Calories in, calories out. But also, making sure the quality of my food is really good. I am still keeping strong with eating lots of organic foods which are naturally affected by hormones, such as eggs, milk, yoghurt, etc. It's crucial to eat those products organic. Was extatic when I found organic eggs from outside hens. Yay! Finally. No more inside hens. And remember, raspberries are vital to eat organic, as is coffee and cacao as they spray these produce to death!

Tried making those oatmeal chocolate pancakes I wrote about yesterday. But of course, I made it into my own recipe, as always. They were delish. Had a big pancake for breakfast together with a tablespoon of my own homemade raspberry jam. Yum!

FLEXIJOINT

I finally got the Glucosamine supplement I ordered online for Murphy... and for me. It's a liquid supplement to help stiff joints, which is something that affects bigger dogs with hip problems as well as humans who are very active or have reumatism. This is what it says on Equimins website, where I got it from:

Flexijoint, the proven joint supplement for horses, dogs and humans. Flexijoint contains a superb combination of ingredients which include: Glucosamine, Chondroitin sulphate, Hyaluronic acid, MSM and Ascorbic acid. These high specification products promote healthy cartilage, strong joint structure and they also improve the quality of synovial fluid. Flexijoint Liquid contains all the benefits of Flexijoint, the proven joint supplement with the added bonus of Devils Claw to provide further help for stiff joints.

Both Murphy and I have been taking it for a couple of days now and it doesn't seem like Murphy has any problems with the taste or the smell. Me, on the other hand.... Just thinking about taking my morning shot, makes my stomach churn and my gag reflex worried. Let me put the taste and smell in one word:

VILE!!!!

It is absolutely disgusting! But I'm figuring out ways of masking the taste, which is impossible. The lingering taste afterward is soap. Very potent chemical soap. I have been able to mask it a little by mixing lemon juice with it, but it's hopeless. Oh well... we should both notice a change in our joints becoming less stiff in about 6 weeks, so I'll hold out until then.

THIS IS WHAT IT TAKES TO GET THERE!

These are some of the best motivational words you'll ever read...

"If you dream about having a perfect body it’s time to stop dreaming and act on making the dream come true. Every day. It means you will not be a member of the “I occasionally visit the gym” crowd anymore, you will team up with the loyal league of gym rats who are the gym franchises worst customers because we USE their equipment HARD. When you want to get lean so you can feel your abs under your shirt you will need to treat the cardio machine like your car: it will TAKE you places.

Getting a perfect body means you will go to the gym and workout because you planned it. If you don’t feel like it, it does not matter. You know you cannot love every workout and it’s ok. It’s ok and mandatory to be a bit worn out from time to time, it’s just a sign you are working hard.

Getting lean means stepping out of the comfort zone where it’s ok to cheat during weekends and work your way up again during the following week.

Getting lean means you KNOW there won’t be any treats on a daily basis and be ok with it.

To reach your goals you must accept you will need patience. You will need dedication. You will need discipline. None of them you can find anywhere to buy. Can you imagine, the only things really stopping you from achieving all those goals with your physique are inside your mind?

Accept and acknowledge that YOU are the only one who can whip your butt in shape. No trainer can push you through workout after workout, you must be the driving force, the trainer your helper. Not the other way around.

You must scrutinize every little diet add-on on your daily plan. You must check yourself for sneaking in bad choices. No more can you say “oh I had NO idea this was not nutritious” because THERE IS GOOGLE people. You must research before buying and even more before EATING.

You will need to create your own super human. Your super human YOU. There are no excuses, nothing is too hard, it’s only a matter of how much you want it. Do you want it enough? Ask yourself daily. When you see that donut or cookie on the shelf, before you just drool away, ask yourself if that taste of it for a minute is worth 3 more cardio sessions on top of your daily routine of double sessions 5 to 6 days a week?"

Text from Fighter Diet blog.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

PIECE OF PAPER IMPORTANCE

Number tag for the 5K race.

Guess what landed on my floor through the mail slot today? Specially delivered by the ever so kind postal service... Was it the best piece of paper and envelope I could have gotten right now, at this moment in time? Maybe not, but I was happy anyway. It sparked me up a little bit and then when pain shot down my back I got jerked back to reality. The reality that it's only 10 days left before my race. But hey, nothing is impossible. Let me rephrase that... EVERYTHING is possible, if you put your mind to it. And if I so have to shuffle, crawl, or be carried, I'm getting around that track as a proud woman!

So what did I get?
My number tag for the upcoming 5K race. Yay!

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE PROTEIN PANCAKES

Oatmeal chocolate protein pancakes maybe?

Nothing better to do when you're sick and couch ridden than to watch crappy daytime telly, old shows of Biggest Loser and surf the net. Something that has been coming at me throughout the day has been the message: If you want something, go get it. Or... Don't wait for things to happen, make them happen. Don't wait for success to find you, go find your own success. Stuff like that. Is the Nature trying to tell me something?

Anyhow... stumbled across this lovely recipe of oatmeal and chocolate protein pancakes. Sounds yummy! So I had to share them with you. After all, you might like them too, right?!

Check out the recipe on Leigh Lingham's blog.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS

Ice-cream as my dessert tonight? Think again...

Just because you like dessert and are trying to eat and live a healthy life, doesn't mean that you have to deprive yourself of stuff you love. Simply find other foods that satisfies the same taste buds for your cravings of sweet, sour, salty, etc. For instance, if you love ice-cream, try finding something that can substitute the taste and texture of it.

Here's a great example for something similar to ice-cream:
Organice Natural Greek Yoghurt with almonds, organic berries and a bit of honey. Tastes delish! And for one big serving of it, it only packs on 180 calories plus you get all the benefits of healthy fats, protein and antioxidants. If you love chocolate too, then sprinkle some organic cocoa powder on top. There you have it! An amazing dessert that will beat any dodgy factory ice-cream production.

Did you know honey is an antibacterial agent? The beautiful world of natural foods.

HOW DO YOU DISCIPLINE YOURSELF?

To discipline is not to punish. To discipline is to analyze what caused you to derail from your plan and then take proper actions in order to prevent it from reoccurring. If you go off your diet plan it’s not because you have no willpower, but willpower is not reliable. You can have a lot of willpower, but what happens those moments you simply don’t really want to win the urge to cheat?

You let yourself cheat or go off your diet because you condition yourself into believing this will be the last time ever. It never is though, is it. You are always very strong and have high motivation right after a slip, it’s because you feel bad OR you are on a sugar high and think you actually gonna make it this time. All is great til you binge again.

Successful dieting and fat loss come from conscious thinking and reasoning. When the urge to eat appears in your mind ask yourself why. What will eating do for you? What will that chocolate candy bar do for you beyond the pleasure of eating it that lasts for a minute or so? If you choose not to follow the mind’s wish to eat it, what do you gain? You gain the first victory. You must gain many consecutive victories before your brain realizes it’s how it works.

When you cheat you condition your brain into knowing you will give in. If the urge is just strong enough you will give in. Every time you cheat you give the brain history information about how you tackle triggers…

Just like alcoholics are pretty much doomed to hang around other alcoholics if they want to quit drinking, you will have a tough time managing cravings if you some times give in, some times not. You must be consistent. When you are consistent you know that there is no damn way in the whole world you will derail from your plan of action and in knowing that you find strength. When you are not your own worst enemy you find strength. You must build trust in yourself. You should not be scared of being left alone with the cookie box!

Throughout my years being into fitness I’ve disciplined myself daily. I used to have chocolate bars, cookies, ice cream, yes all my triggers around me just to prove to myself they would not affect me. I was close sometimes to give in of course. But it was practice, like being in school. I had all this junk food lying around until they became “normal things” in my house. When I was not “scared” of them they lost their magic. Every day I told myself “Pauline, you go ahead, you can have it all, but remember there is a consequence and don’t tell yourself you have no idea why you are not as lean as you want”.

Since I could not justify to myself to eat and blame “bad genetics” or “don’t know why I don’t get leaner, I do everything right, EVERYTHING” I just did not eat. I even tried to find reasons for giving in and enjoying some candy, I put up 10 arguments about it to see if I wanted it:

1. It tastes sooo good. 2. It’s perfect time now when it’s friday and all. 3. It’s comfy. 4. I love chocolate melting in my mouth. 5. So good when you watch tv. 6. now is the perfect time, I have shoot in a few weeks so if I want to have it I must act NOW. 7. Tastes wonderfully.

Then I ran out of arguments…. Why should I eat that bar? It’s only good for a little while, then what? I had trained myself off enjoying things that are momentarily. I was interested in long term beneficial enjoyments. The bar did not benefit me. And I realized that no food can help me if I use it for pleasure or to make me feel better.

It sickened me to know that giving into cravings was self-medicating. what was I medicating myself from: boredom? Hunger? If it was hunger, I knew what to eat and that would not be sweets. Boredom: well get a life, eating for the fun factor? well that does not go well with my body ideals!

I still practice discipline. Every day. But now I don’t need to work at it hard, it’s second nature to me. When someone asks me “but why not just have a bite of this tasty treat, it won’t really affect you”. No, they are right, it won’t damage my body at all, but what’s in it for me? What do I gain? Why should I? And when the person’s answer is “well, because it tastes good!” I just cannot accept lol… I mean, I am not an animal that just gives in to whatever urge or desire I feel right now, here and now… I am a thinking human being. I make decisions and commitments. And I am committed to myself and that I reassure every day by discipline my dedication 100%.

From Pauline Nordin's blog.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

PEACEFUL WARRIOR


- "Where are you?"
- "Here."

- "What time is it?"
- "Now."

- "What are you?"
- "This moment."

HOPEFUL

I'm slowly making my way back. It's been hard to take it easy, but I've been doing my best. I'm still taking my walks every day. Only had one BodyPump, Zumba and BodyCombat class this week. Then got an amazing long massage on Thursday night that released all my knots in my back, neck, shoulders, buttocks and hamstring region. Why I don't treat myself to this kind of treatment more often is beyond my understanding.

Then I got to dance the night away on Friday. LOVED IT! Too bad guys don't know how to dance anymore, and I mean the old fashion pair dancing way. Pity! A girl loves to be swept away on the dance floor. Saturday, a proper feeding frenzy day with birthday cake and relaxing early night in.

Today, gorgeous day and an easy run to match it with. One knee is being a bit grumpy, but overall, I'm feeling so much better. Back is still a whiny old grinch, but I'm hopeful. Very hopeful that everything will be alright... Soon.

Monday, April 19, 2010

RELEASE ME

It's not going too well for me. As soon as I signed up for the 5K race, my body packed in on me. Now my back is sore and tight, and my knees hurt as well as creek. What happened? Something I wasn't aware of? So I tried the best recipe of them all... Rest. Well, the way I know rest. No gym. No running. No Zumba, BodyPump or BodyCombat. But instead plenty of hoovering, laundry, cooking, doing dishes and walks in the sunshine. Oddly enough, I'm not miraculously cured like I thought I would be after 2.5 days of "rest".

It's amazing we always give the best advice to others and expect them to listen, while we, ourselves, end up not following our own advice and still expect the same result anyway... Hmm, I might have to think this one over.

Releeeeeeease meeeeee!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

I KNOW YOU CAN!

Brilliant quote from Jillian Michaels on mental encouragement:

"When it comes to diet and exercise, I forbid you to ever use the phrase: I can't. I'm telling you, there's no such thing! There might be "I don't want tos," but there are absolutely no "I can'ts" from here on out.

Why am I being so hard on you about this? Because I know you can! In fact, I promise that you can do anything you want in this life — if you want it bad enough.

The next time you start to say "I can't," stop yourself and instead say the "antidote" statement, which is "I can." I can lose weight. I can start to exercise. I can get control of my life.

Think about what might be causing you to feel defeated before you even begin, and tackle those negative feelings or memories or harsh life lessons. You have the power to take your life back. Soon you'll see the evidence that you can accomplish your goals, that you are strong and intelligent, and that you deserve everything wonderful that life has to offer. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!"