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<blogEntry id="2079">
	<title><![CDATA[Belief and Set]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[What is mental "set" ? How does belief affect our lives? Can it actually change people and society? Does positive thinking work? How much is it used in Aikido ? Can it cure illnesses ? Can a person alter his body's functioning through "set"? Can one also alter the world around one ?
 If you have just bought a new coat,you may start noticing a lot more people wearing the same or similar coats.The number  of such coats may not have increased significally,but your mind has become tuned to these particular coats and picks them out from the crowd.This is an example of what pschologists call set.The mind will tend to pick out whatever it is "set" for.
 If we are expecting someone to call us on the telephone,we will immediately recognize their voice on the other end.If on the otherhand,we are not expecting them and have not heard from them for some time,it may be a little while before we recognize the voice.Or again,the postman may be easily recognized when we see him standing outside the door early in the morning,but it may be much harder to recognize him on holiday in Spain.These areexamples of negative set-missing that which is not expected.
The same principle can be applied in Aikido,we must be fluent in our defence and not rigid with repetitious actions.How else can we ensure the attacker /defender is kept on their toes.If you repeatedly move in a certain direction to avoid a strike,if your perception is slightly off,your opponent's brain will have registered your previous actions and will counter accordingly.
In retrospect,by training randomly when "sparring" One's speed and overall learning ability is vastly improved.]]></body>
	<date>09-07-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2042">
	<title><![CDATA[The Energy Balance]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[The energy balance is quite simply the difference between energy input in the form of calories in food and drink and energy output in the form of calories used up in living - body functions,normal activity and exercise.If these are correctly balanced your weight will remain constant and you will be physically fit.
 If,however,the energy input is too high and it is not used up in activity it will be stored in the form of body fat.If this goes on for too long the result is obesity.If the energy store is too low,the body will start to use up whatever store of fat it happens to have.This will result in weight loss which if carried too far can lead to malnutrition and ill health.
The cumulitive effect of eating only a little too much every day could prove to be disastrous.In theory,even one extra tortilla chip per day could eventually make you pounds overweight.Equally a small but regular cut-back in your sporting activity with no change in diet could produce the same effect.
   So how much energy or calorific input do you need?
First of all,energy is required to maintain the fundamental processes of life.The heart must keep beating,body temperature mainained and organs kept functioning.This requirement is called the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and is measured when a person is resting.
  Size or body weight has a significant effect on energy requirements.For example,a rugby player weighing 90kg/198lb has to exert 50% more effort to run around a pitch than a team mate weighing 60kg/132lb but he may not have a 50% greater reserve of energy.This illustrates not only the importance of training and diet for particular sports but also the stress which can be placed on the body through obesity.
Because women tend to be smaller and lighter than men their basal rates are lower.There is also a gender difference of around 100 or so calories.Height has only a small effect but research shows that BMR decreases with age.For every 10years over 25 the energy requirement is reduced by 4%.
 As well as covering the BMR,calories are needed for everyday chores such as washing,dressing,eating,walking about,sitting and so on.They are  also needed to cover your leisure activities and the work that you do.People doing heavy work will need more calories than those in a less challenging job.
Estimated Average Requirements (EARs) for Energy
     Age                      kcals/day
                               Males                 Females
15-18years               2755                   2110
19-50years               2550                   1940
51-59years               2550                   1900
60-64years               2380                   1900
65-74years               2330                   1900
75 + years               2100                   1810

Energy Expenditure in Sports
  calories expended per minute according to weight
                                            Body Weight
Activity                              56kg    62kg   68kg   74kg

Badminton                         5.4       6.0     6.6      7.2
Basketball                         7.7       8.6     9.4      10.2
Boxing in the ring               7.7       8.6     9.4      10.2
  sparring                           12.4     13.8   15.1     16.4
Canoeing      
 leisure                              2.5       2.7     3.0        3.3
 racing                               5.8       6.4     7.0        7.6
Climbing
 with no load                      6.8        7.5     8.2        9.0
 with 10kg load                   7.2       8.0      8.8        9.5
Cricket  
   batting                            4.6        5.1     5.6        6.1
   bowling                           5.0        5.6     6.1        6.7
Cycling
 leisure                              5.6         6.2    6.8         7.4
 racing                               9.5         10.5  11.5        12.5
Aerobics
 medium                            5.8          6.4    7.0          7.6
 intense                             7.5          8.3     9.2         10.0
Field hockey                      7.5          8.3     9.1          9.9
Football                             7.4          8.2     9.0          9.8
Golf                                   4.8          5.3     5.8          6.3
Gymnastics                        3.7          4.1    4.5           4.9
Judo                                   10.9        12.1   13.3         14.4
Walking at normal pace        4.6          5.1     5.3           6.0]]></body>
	<date>08-18-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2032">
	<title><![CDATA[Physiological Control Of The Body]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[ There are many stories of Indian yogis and fakirs who have been able to produce remarkable changes in their bodies merely by mentally setting themselves for those changes.One yogi was able directly to change the temperature of two patches of skin on the same hand,making one hotter and the other colder simutaneously.Although the two areas were only a couple of inches apart,they showed a temperature difference of 10 degrees Farenheit.The hot area looked bright red,while the cold area of the palm looked ashen gray.In such cases the yogi usually achieved the result by strong visualization,imagining one side of the palm to be burned by a hot coal,the other to be frozen by ice.
  The Russian mnemonist "S" also used his remarkable powers of imagery to accomplish similar feats.Not only was he able to control the temperature of his hands,he was able to raise or lower his heart rate by imagining himself running for a train or lying flat in bed.He was able to alter the size of his pupils by visualizing varying degrees of light ,and he could change alpha-wave patterns in his brain by visualizing a light flashing in his eyes.
 He could also use imagery to control PAIN .He described how at the dentist ,for example,he would sit there and "when the pain starts,I feel it...it's a tiny ,orange-red thread..I'm upset because I know that if this keeps up,the thread will widen until it turns into a dense mat..so I cut the thread,making it smaller and smaller until it's just a tiny point,and the pain disappears.
   In the West there has been a growing interest in the technique of biofeedback,by which a person can change such physiological parameters as blood pressure,skin temperature,brain activity,and other factors previously thought to be beyond individual control.The person does not try to change the physiological parameters,rather he tries to find a mental state that produces the required change,and he is able to observe whether or not he is successful by information 'fed back' from monitoring instruments.Imagery has been found to play an important part in biofeedback.Skin temperature can be changed by imagining oneself hot or cold;and blood pressure and muscle tension can be lowered by imagining relaxed conditions.
  A few people have gone further to suggest that mental imagery and belief can actually change the world around.Here we get into the field of miracles and superhuman powers ,such as walking on water and levitation.Such things may not be altogether impossible....]]></body>
	<date>08-15-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2030">
	<title><![CDATA[The Regions Of The Brain]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[ Spinal Cord.  The oldest part of the brain is the spinal cord,stretching from the neck down the center of the vertebrae to the bottom of the back.
There being a thin hollow down it's length filled with cerebrospinal fluid.There are two principle functions associated with the spinal cord:
It performs very simple reflexes,such as the knee jerk reflex,and it acts as the principal communication channel between the head and the rest of the body.The control of the body is conveyed via the spinal cord,and all bodily sensations reach the brain through the spinal cord.All that is,except those relating to the head itself,which enter and leave through the brain stem.
The Brain Stem. This is situated on top of the spinal cord.It still possesses the tubular structure of the spinal cord,and in some respects can be thought of as an extension of it.In the brain stem is a very intricate network of nerves about the size of your little finger called the reticular formation.It recieves nerves from all areas of the brain and like wise sends out nerves in every directionThe reticular formation plays an important role in maintaining wakefulness,and if it is isolated from the rest of the brain,the organism goes into permanent sleep.It also monitors and filters the the information coming in through the senses.
If for example,you are in a room with a clock that is ticking quietly,you will quickly habituate to the sound so that after a short while you will no longer hear it.But the sound is still being continually monitored by the brain,and if the clock were to stop,or change speed or volume,you would immediately notice it.The reticular formation would have alerted you.
Cerebellum. Connected to the brain stem is the cerebellum,which somewhat resembles the cortex in terms of neuronal structure,though it is very much older than the cortex.Although it is undoubtedly involved in a variety of functions,it is primarily concerned with coordination of movements.It seems to integrate the information coming from all the senses with all the muscles so as to produce smooth,finely tuned movements,rather than jerky uncordinated movements.
Midbrain. On top of the brain stem is the thalamus,a large region containing many nuclei,some relaying sensory information from the organs to the cortex,others relaying information from one area of the cortex to another and interacting with the reticular formation and the limbic system.The Limbic system is a group of structures in the middle of the brain that play an important role in emotion and motivation.
 Just below the thalamus is the hypothalamus,a tiny structure about the size of a pea,yet a crucial part of the brain.This little organ is largely responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis,ensuring that all the parameters of bodily function are in balance and function at their optimum.The hypothalamus continually monitors the blood.If there is too little ot too much carbon dioxide,it reduces or increases breathing;if blood sugar is low,it makes you feel hungry;if your temperature is too low or too high,it initiates shivering or sweating;if the blood is too salty it makes you feel thirsty.It also plays a major role in the control of sleep,sexual behaviour,and the emotions.]]></body>
	<date>08-13-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2027">
	<title><![CDATA[Why  Don't We Use Our Brains Fully ?]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[There are brains that can detect the minutest changes in light,sound,smell,and touch;delicately and accurately intergrate the actions of many muscles;regulate the functioning of the body's many organs so as to preserve the optimum conditions for life.
 Such brains learn from experience,and they have found ways to communicate with each other through simple "languages" and so share their knowledge.They are also sensitive to magnetic and electric fields and ultraviolet light.They can analyze the polarization of sunlight and use it to tell directions.They keep a constant track of time,even through the night.These brains function as accurate guidance systems;compensating for wind direction, they correlate the rapid beating of four tiny wings,landing their little bodies delicately at the center of a waving flower.Such brains are the size of a grain of salt,contain a mere nine hundred neurons,and can be found inside a BEE'S HEAD.What then can we expect from our own brains,ten million times in size,and many billion times as complex?
  Clearly the human brain as to control a much larger body.This,however,is only part of the answer;a much smaller brain could carry out all the necessary functions quite satisfactory.A shark,for example,has a large body and very accurate senses,but its brain is very much smaller than ours.
   Where we differ most radically from bees and sharks-and from virtually every other creature-is in our highly developed use of language,our capacity to learn not only from our own experience but from that of others,and our ability to adapt the environment to our own needs.
  A human being has the faculty of self-consciousness,in the sense of being aware of his own experiences and of himself as a conscious being.With this awareness of his own conscious processes comes freedom of choice and the ability to make deliberate actions.Intelligence and self-conciousness together give human beings the unique capacity to progress and evolve within their own lifetimes.]]></body>
	<date>08-12-2005</date>
</blogEntry>


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