This year I have been very organized for the holidays. I am looking forward to the family celebrations, but I am looking forward to the dawning of 2013. Even if we avoid falling off the fiscal cliff and other disasters, the world will be different in 2013. I feel that the new year will bring a more balanced and less chaotic world. By starting – or continuing – to strive for health in our physical bodies, there are always options to consider for improvement.

When you start, increase, or adjust your exercise program in January, most people will experience some initial muscle soreness. I have found numerous benefits to physical exercise and working with a trainer. The trainers I work with are always finding ways to work different muscles, and my muscles seem to speak to me when I begin moving in a new way. Muscle soreness or pain can easily – and naturally – be relieved without drugs. One way is to use ginger.

A study recently published in The Journal of Pain finds that daily doses of ginger are effective for relieving muscle pain following strenuous exercise:

Researchers from the University of Georgia and Georgia College and State University followed 74 student volunteers who performed 18 assigned exercises for 11 consecutive days while taking ginger supplements. The students were divided into three groups, each of which was given either raw ginger, heated ginger, or a placebo. While the authors expected the heated ginger would be more effective than the raw, the results show both versions similarly beneficial in reducing the level of muscle pain by 23 to 25 percent.

Ginger contains anti-oxidant compounds known as gingerols, which have powerful anti-inflammatory properties. In addition to reducing muscle pain from exercise, they have been shown to reduce pain and swelling, and improve mobility in those suffering from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Try this delicious and refreshing cold ginger drink to soothe your sore muscles after exercise, as well as to take advantage of ginger’s other healing properties:

Iced Ginger Tea

1 pound fresh ginger root
2 quarts water
Juice of 2 limes
Maple Syrup to taste

Directions: Peel the fresh ginger, grate and mix it with water in a large pot. Bring to a boil & simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and turn off heat. Let steep for 24 hours. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve. Add the lime juice and maple syrup. Stir until dissolved.

Courtesy of Greenmedinfo.com

Exercise is very important to me, and it should be important to us all! I am fortunate to be able to exercise under the guidance of an excellent trainer. She knows my limits and knows when I need to forge ahead.

It seems like when I am stressed, I tend to let exercise fall on my priority list. Times of stress are when our bodies need exercise the most. My trainer knows this, and she has kept me on track many times.

Even if you don’t have access to a personal trainer, you can keep your exercise a priority, too. Choose an activity you love, and put it in your schedule. Find a friend to exercise with you – this keeps you both accountable to each other, committed, and motivated.

Exercise has many benefits:

• it can make you feel less anxious & relax you
• it can make you feel better about yourself
• it can help you eat better – one good choice leads to another.

I eat a food plan that fits the needs of my body, and usually I make food choices intuitively according to how I feel on the particular day. Is my body feeling like more protein, more green vegetables, etc.? I listen to my body’s needs. I have to be aware of the effects stress can have on my food choices. It is easy for me to grab unnecessary carbs when I am short on time. I must remind myself that my energy levels stay much more balanced if I eat a balanced food plan.