Frederick Holistic Wellness Center

Movement is medicine!

Back pain usually responds pretty well to acupuncture. There's no need to hobble around, especially when this causes pain in other joints. Call 301-305-2321

Chances are it can help with any ailment you're dealing with. Call 301-305-2321

Fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats-the opposite of processed.

Stress, Insomnia, Anxiety?
Join us for Happy Hour today 4-7
Just come on in and decompress for 20 minutes while you leave the week behind

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park in the back so you can walk straight in on the 2nd floor
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5 Overlooked Benefits of Resistance Training

Are you stuck in a fitness rut? Resistance training may be the solution you're looking for! It's not just about building muscle and toning up, there are actually more benefits to resistance training than you may think. From improved sleep to better cardiovascular health, resistance training offers an array of advantages that will make you rethink your workout plan. In this blog post, we'll discuss 5 overlooked benefits of resistance training that you may not have heard of before.

1) Improved cardiovascular health

Regular resistance training can improve your cardiovascular health in many ways. It can help you develop a stronger heart, improve your overall circulation and boost your endurance. Resistance training is one of the best forms of exercise for increasing cardiovascular health because it forces your heart to work harder, leading to increased blood flow and improved oxygen delivery throughout your body.

This increased oxygen supply enables your muscles to contract and relax more efficiently, making them stronger and more efficient at pumping blood. Additionally, resistance training improves your metabolic rate, allowing you to burn calories more quickly. This can lead to a decrease in body fat percentage and an increase in your overall cardiovascular health. As an added bonus, resistance training can also help reduce stress levels, which can help keep your heart healthy as well.

2) Lower blood pressure

When it comes to cardiovascular health, few things are as important as maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. Resistance training has been proven to be an effective way to reduce blood pressure in those suffering from hypertension, or high blood pressure. In fact, regular resistance training can reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels by 4-9 mmHg. For those with hypertension, resistance training can be an invaluable tool for managing the condition and reducing risks associated with heart disease.

What makes resistance training so effective at reducing blood pressure? When exercising with weights, your muscles require more oxygen than during aerobic activities such as running or cycling. This increased oxygen demand forces your heart to pump harder, strengthening it over time and leading to lower blood pressure levels. Additionally, by increasing muscle mass through resistance training you increase your metabolic rate and burn more calories, which can also contribute to lower blood pressure levels.

In order to get the most benefit from resistance training for lowering blood pressure, it is important to focus on exercises that involve large muscle groups such as the legs, back, chest and shoulders. These exercises should be performed with moderate intensity and progressive overload in order to build strength and improve cardiovascular health. By regularly incorporating resistance training into your routine, you will not only enjoy the physical benefits of increased strength, but also reap the rewards of improved blood pressure levels.

3) Decreased body fat

Resistance training has been found to be particularly effective in helping reduce body fat levels. When you lift weights, your body needs energy to perform the movements and to repair the muscle tissue afterward. This energy is provided by burning calories. Studies have shown that when combined with a healthy diet, resistance training can help you lose fat quickly and effectively.

Furthermore, resistance training helps promote the growth of lean muscle mass, which increases your basal metabolic rate. This means that your body will continue to burn calories throughout the day, even when you are not actively exercising.

For best results, focus on full-body workouts that target multiple muscle groups. Not only will this help you achieve fat loss faster, but it will also increase your overall strength and endurance. Aim for 3-4 workouts per week and make sure to take at least one rest day in between sessions.

4) Improved bone density

Resistance training is an excellent way to improve your overall bone health. This type of exercise helps build muscle, but it also increases the amount of calcium and minerals that are stored in your bones, making them stronger.

This can help reduce the risk of fractures, osteoporosis, and other age-related bone conditions. Resistance training also stimulates the growth of new bone cells, which helps make bones even stronger. These benefits are especially important for those who are at higher risk for osteoporosis due to a family history or menopause.

5) Enhanced mental health

Resistance training has been linked to improved mental health benefits. While cardio workouts can help to clear your mind, resistance training can boost your mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and improve cognitive function. A recent study showed that adults who completed 12 weeks of resistance training experienced improved focus, reduced levels of fatigue, and better problem-solving skills. Resistance training has also been linked to improved sleep quality and a reduced risk of depression.

By engaging in resistance training, you can experience improved clarity and focus that can help you tackle difficult tasks and make sound decisions. This can be especially beneficial for students or anyone who is trying to increase their productivity. Plus, the endorphin rush that comes after a good workout can help to reduce stress and give you a better outlook on life.

Overall, resistance training is a great way to promote mental wellbeing and make sure
you stay focused and energized throughout the day.-ASFA

Get a taste of what acupuncture can do at this Friday's Happy Hour.
3280 Urbana Pike Suite 205
Urbana, MD 21754 [email protected]
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Wood is one of the 5 elements and is associated with the liver. It has many functions, the most important are probably keeping our energy flowing smoothly and keeping our tendons and ligaments supple. The liver has its own meridian in the body with 14 acupuncture points, so there are many ways to treat our liver.

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Don't let yourself walk around in pain! Acupuncture is one of the best treatments for knee pain, whether it's a strain, sprain, arthritis, or literally anything else.

Stop living with a painful neck! Restore your normal range of motion and keep the pain away. Call 301-305-2321

How to Use Qi Gong Principles to Sustain Your New Year’s Intentions Year-Round

Have you ever set an exciting New Year’s resolution, only to forget about it by the end of January? If you’ve been there, you’re not alone.

Each year, millions of people establish inspiring goals for the year ahead—going to the gym more often, following a healthy diet, or pursuing a new project are just a few common New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, these fun and empowering intentions quickly fall by the wayside for many of us once the initial excitement wears off.

In this blog, you’ll learn a few practical tips for sustaining your New Year’s intentions throughout the entire year, not just during the initial novelty period that wears off by February. All of these tips are based on the principles and practice of Qi Gong.

Turn Your Goals Into Daily Intentions

Many goals fail because they’re not connected to specific daily intentions. Without clear and consistent actions, even the best intentions can have little staying power in your life.

For example, “getting healthier” is a great goal, but it’s too broad and vague. It suggests that health is a future destination, as opposed to a path you can walk every day. To give this goal more power, try turning it into a set of clear, easy-to-follow daily intentions.

Getting healthier may mean exercising for thirty minutes, eating a large salad, and doing at least one Qi Gong routine every day. Intentions such as these turn big goals, getting healthy, into easily digestible daily intentions.

To take it a step further, try to make your daily intentions as clear and specific as possible.

If one of your daily intentions is to get outside and go on a hike every day, try to establish when your hike will take place. Make a decision to walk outside each morning before breakfast or perhaps early in the evening before dinner. The more specific and clear your daily intentions are, the easier it will be to stick to them throughout the year.

Create daily intentions that you believe you can sustain year-round. Deciding to run ten miles per day sounds great, but will you actually have the time or energy to stick to that goal? When you set your daily intentions, think about how they’ll fit into your life. Ten miles might be a bit ambitious for some, while two or three miles might be more manageable.

Your daily intentions should be based on your individual goals and priorities. Only you know what’s right for you, so pay attention to your mind and body when establishing goals. No one else can decide these things for you.

Build Healthy Habits That Support Your Intentions

Your daily intentions are like the architectural plans for a house. They establish clarity and direction for your path ahead. On the other hand, habits are the brick, wood, and nails you use to build your house.

Once you’ve set clear daily intentions for yourself, it’s time to build healthy habits that support your intentions. This is where you take action and put theory into practice!

In the beginning, it’s often easy to stick to your intentions. For example, many feel a burst of inspiration in the first week or two of January as they pursue their New Year’s resolutions. But, after the novelty period wears off, it’s easy to stop staying consistent with your intentions.

It’s important to recognize that you’ll likely hit a wall, and staying consistent could become much more difficult. This is where the real work begins.

When it becomes difficult to follow through with your intentions, try to recognize that you’re building a positive habit, and habits take time and energy to establish. However, once positive habits take root in your life, sustaining them for the long haul is much easier.

When you realize that the habit formation period is relatively short-lived, it’s much easier to put in the hard work needed to build them. January and even February may present some challenges, but your daily intentions will become pillars in your life once you reach mid-March. At that point, habit energy takes hold, making it much easier to stay consistent in your practice and true to your intentions.

Integrate Your Intentions Into Your Qi Gong Practice

When you’re trying to manifest new intentions into your life, connecting them to your Qi Gong practice is helpful. With Qi Gong, you can integrate your intentions into all aspects of your being, not just your conscious mind.

While it’s important to establish your intentions in clear intellectual terms (i.e., thoughts), you also want to bring them into the deeper levels of your consciousness. When your heart and body also understand and commit to your intentions, your intentions become much more powerful.

Qi Gong helps you align your entire energy system with the goals you’ve set for yourself. It establishes congruity between all parts of your being, so you can fully focus on following through with your intentions. Not only does it allow you to be more effective in accomplishing your goals, but it also makes the process much more fun. One simple yet powerful Qi Gong exercise to integrate your intentions is called Pulling Down the Heavens.

Pulling Down the Heavens

Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and let your hands rest by your sides. Then, bring your hands up above your head as you inhale. On your exhale, bring your hands down with the palms of your hands facing your body.

As you do this movement, hold your intentions in the forefront of your mind and imagine that the universe is collaborating with you in accomplishing your goals. When you raise your hands on your inhale, visualize that you’re scooping energy from the universe. As you bring your hands down on your exhale, imagine that you’re washing that energy over your body.

Continue focusing on your intentions and feel the universe charging you up and strengthening your intentions. Do this exercise for a few more minutes. Then, bring your hands over your lower abdomen and take a few deep breaths to center your energy. Take that feeling of strength and alignment with you into the rest of your day.

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If you're saving $ for retirement, make sure you can enjoy it.

How to Exercise—When You Don’t Like to Exercise 5 strategies to change your perception of physical activity

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Don't get sick this winter! Ask me how acupuncture strengthens the immune system.

Acupuncture has been used time and again to help athletes relieve
pain. But acupuncture and the accessory modalities associated with it can do so much more. Using acupuncture treatments can actually enhance an athlete’s performance and recovery from any sports-related injury. Let’s take a look.

When an athlete is in training, he or she is constantly pushing themselves to be
better: a better time, a longer jump, a further distance, etc. An athlete’s body
is put through constant stress. Muscles are pushed to their maximum and
sometimes tiny microscopic tears form. If the athlete were able to rest properly, these micro-tears would heal. But, when an athlete is in training, the micro-tears don’t have
time to heal properly. So the body becomes fatigued, sometimes painful and the probability of serious injury increases. Acupuncture helps the body to heal, restores healing levels of energy or Qi (pronounced “chee”) and strengthens the body inside and out, thus accelerating the athlete’s recovery time.

One of the accessory modalities in the toolbox of most acupuncturists is something
called gua sha. Gua sha involves gently scraping the skin with a smooth instrument like a ceramic spoon. The areas scraped are directly over the muscles. Gua sha stimulates blood flow to the muscles allowing them to relax. Gua sha is a great recovery tool for athletes and it was even recently featured in the 2016 NBA Finals. Gua sha is best performed by a trained professional who knows the body well and can determine the best pressure level for your condition.

Athletes who receive acupuncture treatments while in training generally recover quicker. They also tend to have more energy and stamina. Acupuncture can be used as a training tool for athletes with great success. But, if you are unable to get regular acupuncture treatments, you can still utilize acupressure on specific points to help
boost your Qi and energy levels. One such acupressure point is on the stomach energetic meridian, stomach 36. To locate stomach 36, the leg should be flexed. The point is on the lateral or outside of the leg about three finger breadths from the lower edge of the kneecap, in between the heads of the tibia and fibula (lower
leg bones). Applying pressure to this point will increase levels of Qi and blood in the body providing more stamina and fighting fatigue.

Another point to utilize is along the large intestine energetic meridian which runs down the arm to the tip of the forefinger. This point is large intestine 4 and it is great for calming spasms and relieving pain. When you squeeze the thumb and forefinger together, the point is at the apex of the mound of flesh that is created. Large intestine 4 is frequently used by acupuncturists to combat pain anywhere in the body.

As any athlete knows, stretching prior to a game, match or run is imperative. One
of the best ways to stretch is qi gong. Qi gong is an ancient art that utilizes almost every muscle in the body through slow, fluid, animal-like movements. The other nice thing about qi gong is that it helps you focus on your breathing, which helps greatly when training. By practicing qi gong prior to a workout or event, the athlete is getting the best of both worlds, a full body stretch session as well as breathing techniques. Overall, this makes for a more balanced and relaxed athlete. There are many forms of qi gong and tons of videos available, so try l and find one that feels best.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has much to offer for athletes both from the training standpoint as well as helping with recovery from an injury. Always seek out a properly trained, fully licensed acupuncturist so you can get the maximum benefits.
When you add acupuncture to your training regimen, you should notice quite a difference in your performance.
Now go get em!