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The Game of Bones

Bones form the basic skeletal framework. It is essential for you to know your bones when you workout. Just like it is important to know about guns for a soldier, pen for a writer, angles for an architect and ingredients for a cook. 

When you workout, you move your muscles, which are set across joints. Knowing more about your skeletal framework is imperative for anyone involved in physical activities, so as to use them efficiently. Here is a small anatomical lesson on the bones of your body:

Your body has 206 bones, some soft and supple others stronger than stones.

Your anatomical structure comprises bones of variable shapes, sizes and length, the compact ones provide support while the spongy provide strength.

Long, short, irregular,flat and sesamoid, Along with supporting soft tissues they are known for the protection to internal organs they provide.

The axial skeleton forms the central axis to which the appendicular skeleton is attached , it includes the skull, ear ossicles, hyoid, rib cage, sternum and vertebral column on your back.

The appendicular skeleton helps you with moving yourself and other things, it includes the pelvic girdles, scapula, clavicle and your limbs.

Bones would be useless on their own so they unite to make us stand, they provide us our erect postures, the difference between animals and man. 

The cranium protects your brain, and your back has the vertebral chain,

The upper arm has the bone  humerus where your biceps reside, the clavicle connects your axial and appendicular skeleton, one on either side. 

The radius and ulna on the forearm and tibia fibula below the knee, always stick together like everlasting buddies. 

The rib cage forms  a jail and the coccyx is also called the tail. 

You have Carpals, metacarpals on the wrist and hand and Tarsals and metatarsals  on the ankle and the foot, get sprained easily when in the wrong plane they are shook.

Maxila and mandible are around the mouth from where you eat, phallanges form the fingers of both hand and feet. 

The smallest bones is stapes found in the ear, the largest femuris located near the thigh, one makes you hear well the other makes you jump high. 

The back contains the scapula also called the shoulder baldes, whereas your chest contains the sternum along with the rib cage. 

The multiple bones are connected at certain points, this articulation of cartilage and bones, which is remembered only when it pains. is referred to as a joint. 

Joints maybe immovable, movable or in between, na,ely Synarthrodial, Diarthrodial and Amphiarthrodial, toughest words my eyes have seen.

Fibrous joints are held together by connective tissue, remembering Syndemossis(shafts of radius and ulna) and Gomphosis(Tooth socket) is a big issue.

Cartilaginous joints are held together by hyaline or fibro cartilage, Synchondroses( At sternum and Rib) and Symphyses( intervertabral disks) appear more like names of creatures from the Juraasic age.

Synovial Joints are characterize most joints of the body and comprise a joint cavity, pronouncing Arthrodial(Acromioclavicular Joint), Ginglymus(Elbow and knee), Condyloid(Wrist), Sellar, (Thumb), Enarthrodial(Hip and Shoulder), and Trochoidal (Humeroradial) makes me lose sense of gravity.          

The cervical, thoracic and lumbar joints make you stand tall, the pelvic joint link you to your pillars so that you dont fall. 

The shoulder connects your body with your arm, the knee and the elbow are similar except the patella which prevents frictional harm. 

This is the story about your joint and your bones, these are the underlying framework below the muscular zone. 

       

6 ways of burning out the burn out

Everyone is tested, the strongest go through phases of weakness, the fittest fall ill, the optimists fall victims of doubt, lovers become haters and the helpful become helpless. Burn outs are an unavoidable part of the modern lifestyle, it is then imperative to prepare oneself for the impending burn out rather than be dumbfounded when it hits you.

Life has the unique ability of testing your resolve, irrespective of how big, strong, happy and rich you are. Even the most contended hearts, stable minds, fit bodies and effervescent souls aren’t immune to the tests of time. No matter who you are you will have that one miserable day, how you respond to it will define the rest of your life.

I have been keeping myself fit for more than 7 years now, and rarely have I missed my training schedule at the gym or spared myself from a no nonsense diet over this phase. Yet last Wednesday, I was lying in bed neither fully asleep nor fully awake, my body in perpetual pain and mind in unrest. I was developing a new symptom of illness every other hour. It started from the throat, went to the muscles and skin to swelling on my fingers and finally to my head and spirit.

I usually consider myself quite inspired but I couldn’t find the inspiration to leave my room or look for remedies. This BURN OUT had burnt me out, and I was too dispirited to get out of it. So I kept sliding, my health went from bad to worse and my thoughts followed suit. After 5 days of suffering, I realized the only way of surviving the burn out is to burn it out.

I thought it would be great to use my experience as a springboard to help others who face burn outs in different aspects of their lives.

Here are 6 ways of dealing with any kind of burn out, it could be stress, illness, depression or anything that pulls you back from enveloping yourself in joy and happiness:

1. Understand that Burnouts are a part of our lives

Life is a trick so at times you might stumble, you got to go through some pain in order to become you.

It is OK to feel a little off color at times. You cant work at a 100% efficient 24/7. Take the burn out in your stride and try to stick to your routine as much as possible. No one is excused from pain and suffering because thats what makes you appreciate normal life. .

2. Filter and moderate what comes your way

Yes you are gifted with wings, but you cant perpetually flutter,

When you just let things slide, you are headed for the gutter.

The modern world throws endless bits of information your way. Your mind processes at least 10000 more information than your grand father’s used to and even he had problems. With all this bombardment on your sub conscious,you are bound to feel perplexed even if you don’t recognize it consciously. Your responses to all the information overdose balls up till it divulges itself as a burnout. Be sure to filter the information you expose yourself to.

Burn out

3. Survive to fight another day

You wont be immortalized as a warrior when you fight a battle you are set to lose,

Sometimes surrendering in order to live to fight another day is your best move.

Yes we keep struggling till we have nothing left, we reach a stage when the burn out cripples are soul and every thing we see appears negative, it is better to recognize the signs of the storm and prepare rather than wait for it to hit you. Survive by assessing your state of being on a constant basis, don’t let yourself get carried away by the burn out because it is better prevented than cured.

4. Swallow the bitterness as you savor the sweetness

Good wont be good if it weren’t for the bad,

You got the gift of life, you enjoy when the ride is smooth, try to withstand when it drags.

You are lucky to be alive and be granted the opportunity to experience all the wonders of being alive. Keeping that in mind you should stand tall when the bad weather comes and don’t curse fate and time, because the same fate and time is responsible for making you experience this blissful life.

5. Build a repertoire of goodness for the bad times

The Love and care which roots from you comes back to you when you most need it.

By selflessly helping others in their time of need you can be rest assured that you wont be facing your burnout alone. There will be someone to take care of you if you have managed to be there for someone at sometime. Spread goodness and joy and you will be surprised at how the universe will come to your aid when you most need it, in the form of a friend, a message or a subtle change around you, enough for you to burn out the burn out.

6. Fighting fire with fire

At times when you think all is lost you got to fight fire with fire, its all about assimilating the spark of your soul, with the strong will of your brain and your hopeful heart full of desire.

Burn out

You wont get out of the rut until you want to. Burn outs compel you to submit to life’s miseries till you are completely destroyed. They are capable of altering your perception and damaging common thought process turning you against yourself, so the most useful trick for me while facing a burn out is to burn it out before it burns you out.

Be stubborn and strong when it seems all wrong, see the opportunity to add to your persona in the time of stress and depression, don’t let the burnout bog you down and make you miss out on the things you like to do.

Burn out the burn out before it burns you out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 common contradictions in our daily lives

Some good in the bad or some bad in the good?

Perspectives fluctuate as you evaluate what is good and bad. You are so consumed with your conceptions that you fail to analyze these contradictions. What makes people decide between two things? Why do people think differently about the same thing? Why do our choices vary?

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Some are so focused on the bigger picture that they forget living the smaller one, Some are over indulgent in the moment, trying to juice too much out of it. Some see the fear while other the fun. For some climbing peaks is easier others cant even imagine climbing a stool. The diversity in perception leads to so many contradictions.

Contradictions exist in virtually everything you do. But at the end of the day you have to chose what efforts are worth the pain? As there is some good in everything bad and some bad in everything good.

Here are 6 common contradictions:

1. Work– If you are working in an organisation you are helping them realize their dreams while sacrificing your own. You get a negligible portion of the profit that you make for the company. As you are made to a number of small jobs other than what you are hired for, you look forward to weekends and lose interest in time. The allurement of a stable life prevents you from changing your often apathetic situation.

But when you work in an organisation, you get to mingle with a number of people, who help you in a number of tangible and intangible ways. You have a fixed source of money, irrespective of whether you are performing at level 10 or level 1. You don’t have to worry about anything other than the job that you are assigned, unlike the entrepreneur, who has to worry about everything from toilet seats to top level management.

Some good in the bad or some bad in the good. You choose?

2. Friends– Good friends are like anchors in your life, they remind you of the person that you were and how far you have developed. Giving you a reality check when you cant automate one. Friends are the lemon grass in your tea, the spice in your soda, the strawberry in your smoothie. Life would be bland without friends.

At times the same friends lead you to dark alleys, you would never have gone to alone. These friends hold all your secrets ready to be spilled at the first fight, friends are who you indulge in the sad habit of gossiping with and you are so engrossed with friends that you often miss out on relatives. The power of influence that friends possess is capable of distracting and deterring you from your goals.

Some good in this bad or some bad in this good. You choose?

Perception_process

3. Fitness– The right addiction, preventive health management, stress reliever number one. Yes fitness is the new facebook. The benefits of being fit are unimaginable. You cant live forever but staying close will get you as close as you would get to it. Other than saving a large amount of hospital bills and time which would otherwise be wasted on unhealthy activities, fitness keeps you focused and channelized.

But fitness has its flaws too. People tend to get over possessed by the fitness bug. Indulging in health supplements and steroids which are not always beneficial. Nutrition companies market magic pills and supplements which have more side effects than benefits. At the gym you are only one injury away from permanent damage. The risk, even if its minuscule always exists no matter how good or experienced you are.

Some good in the bad or some bad in the good. You choose?

4. Food– Are you eating to live or living to eat? Food is a natural therapy.Food improves moods. Taste is one of the most important senses and good nutrition a universal necessity. What you eat defines how you appear and how you feel. With countless flavors and fragrances on offer, the scope of taste becomes infinite. We have too many dishes to savor for one lifetime. If you eat well and eat what you adore you tend to be happier. The ones eating good nutrition tend to remain healthier. That’s how good food can be.

Overeating leads to obesity. People eating just for flavour tend to be a little rounder than the others. Something tasty is not always healthy. People tend to develop a habit of over eating which lasts them a lifetime.

While the ones chasing nutrition have to sacrifice on taste to some extent. A process which is again beyond the purview of perpetual sustainability. The day the taste buds start craving you end up reversing the whole process of healthy eating and tend to eat unhealthier.

Some good in the bad or some bad in the good. You choose?

5. Solitude– All you got to do to find inner peace is to take yourself away from the noise. Solitude helps you learn more about the most important person in your life. And you can help someone else if you can help yourself at first. Solitude makes you more comfortable in your own company, this gives you clarity of thought and superlative focus.

Solitude also eats off valuable time that you could have spent improving someones life. An overdoes of solitude can lead to partial or complete depression. A lack of interaction with the world can alter your thought process. At times you fail to recognize the importance of co existence and become more selfish.

Some good in the bad or some bad in the good. You choose?

6. Alcohol and recreational drugs– To some these elixirs might appear bad for their potency to alter behavior, to turn men into maniacs. It creates an infinite loop of going beyond the obvious high, chasing which one doesn’t realize when he gets addicted. Addictions in a few cases have led to people completely renouncing responsibilities. These are the evils, without even mentioning the acidic effect of both to the body.

But when we observe things a little differently, these act as a social lubricant  in an otherwise shy society, where people feel to communicate and emote freely. It activates your senses beyond the tipping point of awesome a, providing a momentary relief from this sometime stressful and often mundane life. Some believe that these magical potions render a new perspective, assisting in finding solutions and relieve stress, empowering the mind to think beyond the obvious to make sense of situations beyond the obvious.

Some good in this bad or some bad in this good. You choose?

Contradicting_signs_in_Songpa-dong,_Seoul_2004-07-06 (1)

All roads lead to the same heaven, you chose which ones to tread on. So the destination is the same, your choices make the journey unique.  Enjoy the absurdities, celebrate the chaos, we only have but one life.

Have a good day.

 

6 ways to cope with a bad day

 

Bad day

There would be no dull, if there was no bright, there would be no wrong if there was no right. There would be no happy if there was no sad, and how can you expect good if there is no bad. The principles governing our cosmos make it impossible for us to avoid the dull, wrong, sad and bad part of it. As much as you might try to avoid these, they somehow creep into your lives, and when they do, you don’t know how to handle them.

No matter how strong you build your walls, nature has its ways of getting through. We cant avoid it, can only adapt.

You are so busy trying to avoid discomforts that you forget that you can actually learn how to live with them. So when you think you are completely secure, the perfect storm awaits to get you out of your comforts.Discomforts are unavoidable(they will find a way into your well guarded lives), rather than planning on how to avoid them, you are better off learning how to live through them with minimal damage.

All you have to do is to keep your head above the water

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It is impossible to live a life without a single bad day. If you don’t know how to swim you will fall into the water one day or the other. I know you all strive for that perfect problemless life, but you should be well aware now that perfection is beyond the realms of possibility. You can have a period of magical days, weeks, months, but then creeps in that one dark day. The day that you so wish to avoid. The day which not only spoils the present but is also capable of denting the future. Although you might feel bullet proof, but when misery hits you, it would be more like a bombardment than a bullet.

Here are a few ways which might help you keep your head above the water and come unscathed from this type of a day:

1. Don’t run for the Woods, be a Tiger– When calamity strikes, the easiest option is to run. But no matter how fast and furious you are at running, calamity will overtake you soon. Its effect will be magnified because of the time you wasted running. Don’t try to ignore the bad day, accept it and face the pain the same way you enjoy the pleasures.

2. Curb the emotional splurge urge– Venting out your emotions not only adds to your miseries but conducts the negativity to others. This adds to the overall gloom. Try not to sensationalize your misery, it will only get you sympathy and an excuse to stay miserable.

3. The magic of altering your perspective- Stuck in a single plain of thought prevents your from seeing through the temporary obstacle in front of you. If you are willing to be a little flexible, you will be able to realign your perspective, and the problem would no longer remain the problem. We see bad because we prevent ourselves, even temporarily, from seeing the good. On a bad day, this gains special importance. When the cosmos seems to conspire against you, it is magical to see the world without keeping yourself at the center of it.

4. Ice bucket challenge– When you seem to be having a bad day, a sudden shock becomes the need of the hour. This will both divert attention from your issues and lead you to see the world in a better way. Sudden shocks include consciously doing anything outside your comfort zone, these can range from an ice bucket challenge to anything adventurous.

5. If you surround yourself with pokeyoupines, you will be poked sooner than later– You have to chose who you share your circle of influence with. These people are the ones who are the first to know about your day, without you telling. Their response to your situation adds to your misery or clears it altogether. We are better off surrounding ourselves with a few clowns who turn your frowns upside down than many friends who just notice and at max empathize.

6. It may be possible to beat down the body, but its impossible to beat down a free spirit– Yes we all have bad days, but how we respond to these define our lives. Its not worth surrendering years of hard work to one bad day.We can either choose to succumb to the worldly randomness working against us, or we can take our blows gracefully and wait for a better day. If you are ready to wait for your turn, it is a fact that good days outnumber the bad ones heavily. It is for you to decide if you want to let go of all the good days just because of that one bad one.

Sometimes all you need to do is cling on

bad day

Don’t bash yourself too much over the sudden turn of fate, just clinging on till the storm ends.

Even superman has days when his suit doesn’t come out from laundry. He doesn’t wait for it to dry, he improvises. Rather than losing yourself to the negativity of a bad day, you can improvise.  Fooling your own mind to look beyond the obvious problems.

It is inevitable to avoid bad days. I found that out when months of hard work at the gym was flushed out due to one bad Ayurvedic supplement. My folly was that I wanted to replace the chemical with the natural. Not everything goes according to plan, but we either waste time whining or survive to fight another day. I hope you choose the latter because I did. Hope you have a good day, and even if you aren’t, its ok, adapt to the bad one.