Recreation is defined as things you do for enjoyment: play tennis volleyball, swim, walk etc.Recreation helps to build healthy minds and bodies. “All work and no play make Jack a dully boy and Jill a dull girl” to satisfy gender balance is as true today as when it was first said.

Many educational and child psychologists believe that there is likely to be less delinquency among young people if there is ample space and time for recreation provided for them. Educators and doctors have agreed that children need time and opportunity to play if they are to develop healthy minds and bodies.

Play helps to overcome the fatigue that develops from long hours of work and play.Fresh air helps to purify the blood. Exercise helps to relieve cramped muscles. The mind relaxes in the enjoyment of a game.

Recreation develops leadership. On the playing field is developed the leadership and stamina that can be very useful in later life. Boys and girls learn to cooperate, to play together and to work as a team, thus eliminating the attitude of selfishness. Experience is gained in organising groups to compete with each other. Opportunity is given to learn how to win happily and loss cheerfully.

Life is sometimes called a game. Competitive sports and games have valuable lessons to teach in preparation for this game. Not everyone is a leader, but nearly everyone would like to be. On the play ground many boys and girls become leaders. Leadership depends on ability, but it can also be greatly influenced by an individual’s sense of fair play and good sportsmanship. The boy or girl who is willing to be part of a team is ready for the first lesson in leadership.

Coordination of mind and body are outcomes even more important than the result (scores) of the game. Co-operation in sports gives real help in preparing for “the game of life”.

To be successful in life, no matter what you goal is, you need well - rounded development intellectually, physically, socially, spiritually and emotionally. Recreation helps to develop all of these.

In a previous article, I posited that the development of any nation to a very large extent depends on the ability of its citizens to produce materials and services which others will buy in this way individual members of a country are able to earn their living. From their earnings, they in turn are able to pay for the goods and services they need. This cannot happen if the people are unhealthy and incapacitated. If large numbers of Gambians become ill and unable to work - God forbid, the prosperity of the country would suffer.

So you owe it to yourselves, your families, and country to keep physically fit and healthy. Without good health you cannot enjoy many of the good things of life no matter how rich you may be. Good health and freedom from worry are necessary if you are to be happy.

Dark chocolate seems to be one of the latest products to hit the "health food"product circuit. The Dove dark chocolate bar and Xocai healthy dark chocolate are just two examples. The battle cry is that dark chocolate is bursting with anti-oxidants that help to prevent heart disease and stroke. Sounds great! Health and Wellness Product investigates!

What are anti-oxidants and do we really need them?

Antioxidants are substances or nutrients in our foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. When our body cells use oxygen, they naturally produce free radicals, or by-products, which can cause damage. Antioxidants act as "free radical scavengers" and hence prevent and repair damage done by these free radicals. Health problems such as heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, cancer are all contributed by oxidative damage. Indeed, a recent study conducted by researchers from London found that 5 servings of fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of stroke by 25 percent. Antioxidants may also enhance immune defense and therefore lower the risk of cancer and infection.

Research conducted by scientists from Holland's National Institute of Public Health and Environment shows that chocolates contain antioxidants called Catechins and Phenols. These antioxidants could prevent heart diseases and cancer.

Chocolate is like red wine in that it is said to protect against heart disease and it also contains phenols. These reduce the presence of free radicals that damage cells and DNA. Phenols are said to prevent fat like substances in the blood stream from oxidizing and clogging the arteries.

OK, that sounds pretty important to me. Anti-oxidants are a good thing!

According to the research, dark chocolate, not white chocolate, lowers high blood pressure. This study is from Dirk Taubert, MD, PhD, and his colleagues at the University of Cologne in Germany. Their report appears in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Taubert's team signed up six men and seven women aged 55-64. All had just been diagnosed with mild high blood pressure -- on average, systolic blood pressure of 153 and diastolic blood pressure of 84.

Every day for two weeks, they ate a candy bar and were asked to balance its 480 calories by not eating other foods similar in nutrients and calories. Half the patients got dark chocolate and half got white chocolate.
Those who ate dark chocolate had a significant drop in blood pressure by an average of 5 points for systolic and an average of 2 points for diastolic blood pressure. Those who ate white chocolate did not.

But that is no license to go on a chocolate binge. Eating more dark chocolate can help lower blood pressure, if you've reached a certain age and have mild high blood pressure, say the researchers. But you have to balance the extra calories by eating less of other things.

Chocolate also has not been proven to cause cavities or tooth decay. Rather, it helps to hinder mouth bacteria and stop dental decay.

Research shows that the cocoa butter in the chocolate coats the teeth and may help protect them by preventing plaque from forming. The sugar in the chocolate does contribute to cavities, but no more than the sugar in any other food. Scientists believe that the antibacterial agents in the cocoa beans help to offset its high sugar levels. Go figure!

The studies seem to show that dark chocolate does indeed help boost the immune system and therefore help in the prevention of cancer and other immune system problems. In addition, cardiac and stroke chances are decreased by the anti-oxidant benefit of this tasty treat.

So, it would seem that dark chocolate has the research behind it to actually call itself "healthy". Eaten in moderation, with other nutrient rich foods in your diet it can not only be a benefit to your health, but certainly an enjoyable addition!

Health and Wellness Product gives a big thumbs UP!

Denise Clarke is a retired Paramedic and has been involved in the health and wellness industry for over 20 years...... to follow her latest blog go to: http:www.healthwellnessproduct.blogspot.com

You can’t deny that you’re inundated with models every day. They’re on billboards, tv, and magazines. Have you ever noticed what all of them have in common? It’s not hair color, race, or even size. Even the most unique models have beautiful, glowing skin. If you want to look great, you can’t overlook the most noticeable part of your body: your skin.

While people all over the world spend billions on dollars on skin care products every year, the easiest way to get great skin is by eating right. If you’re properly hydrated and nourished, it will show all over your body.

Water is the most important ingredient for healthy skin. We all know that drinking enough water will prevent dry skin, but it also washes away waste products and other harmful chemicals from cells. Without water, these toxins build up, and make skin look dull and unhealthy. Lack of water can also leave you looking puffy and bloated because cells try to hang on to the water they have. Be sure to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to keep skin glowing.

It’s also important to eat foods high in Vitamins A, C, and E. These are all powerful antioxidants. This means they fight off free radicals you’re exposed to through pollution and the sun. Since your skin takes the brunt of the damage from these sources, it important to have antioxidant protection if you want great skin.

To get enough of these nutrients, you need to have a variety of different foods in your diet. Vitamin A is found in eggs, milk, apricots, nectarines, spinach, and several orange vegetables. Try citrus fruits to get your boost of vitamin C. You can find Vitamin E in whole grains, green leafy vegetables, and certain fish. If what you eat isn’t enough, try a daily multivitamin to boost results.

Another key ingredient for beautiful skin is a diet high in fiber. Fiber is essential for cleaning toxins out of your digestive system so they don’t reach the rest of the body. You can get fiber naturally from whole grains, dried fruit, beans, and certain vegetables. Most people don’t get enough fiber, so upping your intake is probably a good plan regardless.

Sugar not only rots teeth and expands waistlines; it also hurts your skin. Excess sugar can cause skin to become less elastic and less firm. With time, skin becomes wrinkled and saggy. To avoid the symptoms of sugar withdrawal, try cutting your intake back slowly.

You’ve probably heard that there are good fats and bad ones. Eating more good fats will not only help you lose weight and feel better, it will help you look better too. Try to eat more omega-3 fats, which are found in coldwater fish and flaxseed and walnut oils. If you don’t think you can eat a lot of fish, you can supplement your diet with fish oil pills.

Not only can eating a healthy diet improve the quality of your skin, it can also improve the quality of your life. Eating right will help you feel better and live longer.

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Take action today towards keeping your skin and body healthy! Learn more at: http://www.justhealtharticles.com

Not everyone is made for high-level exercising. But you can become fit without bouncing around in a leotard, battering your joints. Forget all the huffing, puffing, lugging, lifting, and straining. Movement therapy is a gentle – yet effective – group of sports that include yoga, tai chi, and Pilates. Just don’t be fooled by their mild manner. These activities can whip you into shape without breaking a sweat.

All three have ancient Eastern roots and are merely different interpretations of the same principle: keeping your body and mind in harmony naturally leads to better health.

It wasn’t until recently that modern science confirmed the many physical benefits of yoga, tai chi, and Pilates. With them, you can improve your balance, flexibility, and strength – no matter what your age, weight, or fitness level.

No Pain – but great gain

Yoga, tai chi, and Pilates are gentle enough for anyone to try. If you consider yourself in bad health or disabled in some way, you’re a perfect candidate for these movement therapies. You can ease into the programs slowly and set your own pace. It’s easy to stick with them and you’ll see improvement quickly.

Here are just some of the benefits you will get from these soothing approaches to fitness.

• When you were a child, tripping and falling meant just another minor scrape. But as you get older, taking a tumble can have serious and crippling effects. If your sense of balance is as bad as Humpty Dumpty’s, these are the safest forms of exercise for you.

Just like the trick to growing tomatoes is to keep the main stalk strong, the trick to great balance is to keep your core muscles strong. The bands of muscle in your abdomen, lower back, and buttocks are the center of strength and control for the rest of your body.

All three examples of movement therapy are relatively stationary, but because they strengthen your core muscles, your balance will improve quickly – preventing falls – and you’ll develop greater flexibility and strength. Soon you will be moving with confidence again.

• Tai chi and yoga are especially recommended for people with arthritis. Gentle yoga can improve arthritis in your hands, for example, and tai chi’s precise, flowing movements help keep your joints limber, relieve your pain, and keep you active.

• The dance-like stretches, poses, and maneuvers within each of these movement therapies will gently strengthen and tone your body. Pilates is especially good as a strength-training workout.

• Add yoga or Pilates to your exercise regimen if you need to improve your heart health.

• In today’s hectic world, it may be hard to squeeze an extra 30 minutes of exercise into your schedule – at least without feeling even more stress. The beautiful thing about movement therapy is that it combines stress relief with exercise, so you kill two birds with one stone.

All the activities – tai chi, yoga, and Pilates – are done slowly, with intense focus on proper breathing and posture. They all relax your body and calm your mind.

As you can see, you can boost your overall health with these joyful, health-giving movements.

Things to know before you give it a go

Just to be safe, make sure that you take these precautions before starting any new exercise program.

• Get your doctor’s approval on your fitness plan, especially if you’ve badly injured your back, neck, knees, or shoulders in the past.

• The stretches, poses, and movements of these therapies should not hurt. If you feel pain, stop and check your technique before continuing.

• Pilates is the most intense of the three exercise forms. You may want to try one of the less strenuous programs first if you are out of shape.

• Be forewarned, you might get addicted to these calming sports.