Stretching Made Simple Before and After Walking

Have you had a desire to start a walking workout to achieve great health and wellness? Adding exercise and stretching into your daily life?s routine can help eliminate many health issues. It is very important to stretch before and after you go for you?re walking. Walking will help you to feel more energized and revitalized but just be sure to stretch before and after your walk!
Stretching can and will help you to avoid injury, reduce pain, and increase mobility. Stretching exercises are thought to give you freedom of movement, but stretching alone will not improve your health. It would be best to incorporate stretching with aerobic exercise to achieve complete health and wellness that a woman should possess.
? Standing Quad Stretch (front of thigh) Stand with foot flat on ground Bend knee toward buttock while grasping ankle with hand Pull foot directly toward buttock Do not twist knee Stretch can be done standing alone or balancing with partner or fence/wall.
? Standing Calf Stretch While standing, place your left foot near the wall. Bend forearms and rest them against the wall. Keeping the right foot flat on the floor, move right leg back until you feel the stretch in the calf muscle. Stretch the other leg.
? Hamstring Stretch Laying on your back raise your leg up to the ceiling. Supporting your thigh with both hands behind the knee. Slowly straighten your knee until a stretch is felt in the back of the thigh, and pull your leg towards your chest keeping your leg straight. Hold, and then repeat with the other leg.
Kimberly Jamieson www.healthypainfreeliving.com has achieved success in living and maintaining a healthy fit lifestyle and has helped thousands achieve this success by using her fitness, diet, lifestyle and motivation tips. She is committed to helping women?s fitness, and the womens health and wellness others achieve ultimate health and wellness.


Kimberly Jamieson www.healthypainfreeliving.com has achieved success in living and maintaining a healthy fit lifestyle and has helped thousands achieve this success by using her fitness, diet, lifestyle and motivation tips. She is committed to helping women?s fitness, and the womens health and wellness others achieve ultimate health and wellness

Are You Motivated to Be Successful or Do You Feel Life is Stretching You Like a Rubberband?

The Principle of the Rubber Band:

This principle explains that being stretched can turn out to be very positive. Imagine you hold one end of a rubber band in one hand while stretching the opposite end with your other hand. The more you stretch the rubber band, the more it wants you to let go it so it can come back to its original position. In just wants to return to its place of comfort. Yet if we continue stretching it, that rubber band will eventually grow into a new size. When we let go of it now, it will come back some, but not the entire distance. In essence, it has developed a new dimension.

Now imagine that you dip this original rubber band into hot wax and remove it quickly. You then allow the wax to dry. At this point, if you repeat the stretching exercise you?ll notice that the wax caked around it cracks and crumbles, as you extend the rubber band. Then it falls off.

The same dynamic occurs with humans. We don?t want to get stretched, because it will involve letting go of some external layers. We are comfortable within those layers, and they may even seem to be protecting us. Yet, in fact, they are getting in the way of the new, evolving being who we already are on the inside. They are an impediment to our growth.

Also like that rubber band, we must temporarily experience being uncomfortable when we stretch and grow. In the process of becoming the butterfly we were metaphorically meant to be, we are outgrowing a cocoon. The butterfly doesn?t snip off its wings and re-enter the cocoon. It knows of no such thing. But we, as human beings, have a tendency to snip our own new-grown wings so we can retreat to the cocoon that represents our old zone of comfort. Unfortunately, the zone of comfort is seldom the territory of fulfillment. The butterfly has no choice.

The human has an ability to make such choice. The next time you are feeling stretched and uncomfortable, pat yourself on the back and say ?Good for me. I must be growing!? In fact, if you are not stretching, growing, and evolving, then you are probably too attached to being comfortable. A true lesson of life and a new level of wisdom will both arrive when you instead respect The Principle of the Rubber Band.

It is absolutely crucial that you must not judge, criticize, and compare yourself to others while you are being stretched. To do so will only make you feel stuck. You will focus on the pain of stretching, and want to go back to your old cocoon. Instead, treat yourself as compassionately as you would a child who is learning to ride a bicycle without training wheels. Give yourself extra nurturing. Drink a cup of hot tea, go for a walk, read a book, take a few deep breaths, and above all be patient. Training wheels have allowed that child to develop a sense of balance, to know how the bicycle is ultimately going to feel under their control. But if that child doesn?t eventually ride without training wheels, they will never experience how fast they can truly go, how sharply they can maneuver around obstacles, and how self-confident they can feel.

Therefore, always strive for the courage to take the extra wheels off. And one day you will do it. Because you realize that remaining in the ?training wheel zone? will prevent you from reaching a new level in life of manifestation and creation.

Now imagine that you are a gardener who tends a rose bush. You notice a new green bud that appears, but as the days go by it remains closed. It?s afraid of opening up. It is resisting the processes of blossoming, changing, and stretching.

Alongside it there is another new bud, one that has decided to open up and ? in spite of the possibility of cold rain, tornadoes, and hurricanes ? it has further decided to blossom. Once it has opened, people passing by are inspired to notice its beauty, smell its fragrance, and touch its silky pedals.

When eventually that rose dies, it?s petals fall all round. People who walk close by notice the pedals on the ground, and they know that a fully blossomed rose once existed. Meanwhile, the unopened bud also dies. It shrivels, crumbles, and falls away. No one but the gardener ever noticed that it was alive or even notices now that it has gone.

About Ellie Drake

Savvy businesswoman, in-demand motivational speaker, inspiration to men and women around the globe,
Ellie Drake is a multi-dimensional success. She maintains a demanding schedule of personal appearances as well as a series of web sites, each offering insights, newsletters and products designed to help individuals acheive their personal best. Each Monday night at 10;30 pm Eastern, Drake offers a free teleconference designed to empower her listeners. Visit http://EllieDrake.com/movie for more details. http://EllieDrake.com/report

Must Knows in How to Hold A Pencil When Drawing and Sketching

How to Hold Your Pencil When Drawing and Sketching

When learning to draw, sometimes it's difficult to know what techniques are available to artists, which ones you should use, and which ones you should not use. How to hold a pencil seems to be trivial in nature but can make a huge difference in your drawings and sketches.

In this article you will learn a few different ways to hold the pencil and how to adopt them into your drawing practices. This is important because most people don't realize that there are more ways than one to grip a pencil when drawing and sketching. They generally pick it up like they were taught in school for writing. But writing and drawing are a lot different. So the way you hold your pencil should be different as well. A lot of problems such as hatched lines and unsteadiness originate from holding the pencil incorrectly.

The first grip is the basic tripod grip. It is the technique that they teach young children in school. It's probably the same one that you use for writing. You grip the pencil with the thumb, forefinger, and middle finger to form a tripod or triangle. This tripod is usually supported by your ring finger and pinky fingers. The grip allows the pencil to be controlled when making fine strokes and is great when applying fine details.

The fingers are in control of the pencil when using the tripod grip. It's also nice when doing the finer details because your hand can rest on the page as it lays these in.

Sometimes smudging can be a problem, but no fear, just lay down a sheet of paper to keep your drawing free from the smudges.

The problems of this grip are that it is a frustrating way to draw. A flowing line is impossible to do this way, your hatching and cross-hatching isn't done correctly and the lines become curved, the pencil pressure is off, and it's not the most comfortable.

The position that is closely related to this position is called the extended tripod grip. It is essentially the same as the basic tripod grip with the exception that the tripod is formed further up on the pencil. This benefits the artist because only a small movement of the fingers can produce greater movement of the pencil tip. One thing to remember with this is to not squeeze it too tightly.

The technique that a lot of artists use is called the overhand grip. This grip is where the pencil is held almost as if you were holding a bow for a violin. Your hand goes over the pencil and is held lightly against the fingers and the flat of your thumb.

This overhand grip is ideal for sketching with the side of the pencil and is the preferred grip among artists. It doesn't need a propped arm and the limitations are only your arm span. Not nearly as many limitations as the other grips have.

This overhand grip produces flowing, sweeping lines and is great for sketching, hatching, cross-hatching, value work, with the side of the lead. It is a huge preference for academic drawing. It's great when using a drawing surface such as an easel. One common rule in whichever grip you choose to use and whatever works for you is to never, ever choke the pencil tip. This is never a good thing to do for artists.

Just remember to use a grip that you are comfortable. There are many variations of these grips and do what you are comfortable with and you will see your drawings come alive.

Todd Harris is a master artist who is currently working as a concept art director for a multi-billion dollar corporation. He is trained in the Florence Academy Method. Learning2draw.com is a resource based website devoted to aspiring artists wishing to master figure drawing. Visit http://www.learning2draw.com to get tips, tricks, and techniques to master the human form

The Westernization of Yoga or Why Stretching & Flexibility is not Yoga

Yoga has become extremely popular over the last decade. Today, almost everyone knows someone who says they are practicing Yoga. Many of these new yogis/yoginis are quite dedicated and go to class several times each week.

Let?s take a look at what they are practicing:

Most classes are 60-90 minutes of doing various Yoga poses/stretches/asanas, which can vary from gentle to intense. The intensity will vary from class to class, style to style and teacher to teacher.

And so, the student will say they are practicing Yoga regularly every week.

I do not wish to belittle anyone?s practice or imply that anyone is claiming to be or do something they are not. Yet, the fact remains that this is not Yoga.

To claim that this type of activity represents learning Yoga is similar to someone learning the hand and finger exercises practiced by great pianists and thinking that they are learning to play and indeed, even are playing the piano.

This is not the fault of the student. Imagine if most of the piano teachers only taught these exercises and called the practice ?Piano Class.? Why wouldn?t the student feel he/she was learning to play the piano?

Perhaps you are saying that this is silly. After all, great pianists make beautiful music when they are playing. That?s true. However, it is my contention that most people are only aware of the exercises and not what the exercises are meant to prepare them for. It?s as if somehow they never get to hear the music. They only see and hear the exercises. Usually, there is no time and sometimes no desire to learn more in class. Sometimes, the instructors themselves have not been taught more than these exercises, sometimes they do not practice them and sometimes they do not want to lose students who are not ready to transform themselves.

In Reality, classical pianists study the already written works of great composers and try to play them as the composer intended them to sound. Modern jazz pianists try to understand what their fellow musicians are playing and try to make up new, never played before music that fits in perfectly with what is going on around them.

You can play for yourself or you can go play for the enjoyment of others. This is similar to what true Yoga is like. You can study the ancient scriptures or you can go out into the World and practice Yoga in everyday life. You can practice Yoga for your benefit, or for the benefit of others.

I am not saying that going to a Yoga class and stretching for an hour is of no benefit. Not at all. There are plenty of benefits which anyone can and will get from even this limited practice. However, since their practice is on the gross or physical plane, most of the benefits will be limited to this physical plane: Better Health. And so the most Yoga, or Union, they can hope to achieve is that of uniting one part of their body with another, via the flow of their Pranas. I use the plural for Prana because by definition, you cannot unite just one flow. You can only unite separate and different flows.

This is another area where most Western Yoga Instruction falls short. Most instruction is only in the placement of the various body parts. And while it is true, that the flow of one?s Prana will flow be influenced by where one?s body parts are in relation to each other; this is also low level Yoga. The flow of one?s Prana should be directly regulated and controlled by one?s mind. Of the Yoga classes that do talk about the flow of Prana, they usually talk about the main flow of Prana in the Asana and not the counter flow.

Since Hatha Yoga is the Union of the Ha or the Sun Flows of Energy and the Tha or the Moon Flows of Energy, talking about only one flow means they are practicing either Ha Yoga or Tha Yoga. They cannot be practicing Hatha Yoga.

Most people are not aware that the practice of the Asanas or stretches is actually the third step in the classical school of Raja Yoga. The first step is the practice of 5 Restraints: Non-Harming, Truthfulness, Non-Stealing, Self-Restraint and Non-Possessiveness. The second is the practice of the 5 Observances: Purity, Contentment, Austerity, Self- Study and Surrender to God. (Notice there are 10, as in the 10 Commandments).

The concept behind this is that since the practice of the Yoga Asanas does make you Healthier and does give you more energy regardless of your State of Being.. iHowever, f you have not become a better person first, all the Yoga Asanas will have accomplished is making you better able to carry out your gross impulses. This is what happened to Darth Vader. He practiced the exercises of a Jedi Knight and they only fed the Flaws in his character.

My Yoga Teacher, Yogiraj Swami Bua, Maharaja of Hatha Yoga, sums this up when he says; ?The Lotus Pose will not take you to Heaven.?

Another way of looking at this is: Yoga is Union. How can one claim to practice Union only a few hours a week? Do we get married for a few hours a week? (OK. I can hear all the humorous comments about marriage this will generate.) I think we can legitimately question the validity of using the term Union to refer to a fleeting State of Being.

By this, I do not mean we are not practicing Yoga unless we are in the State of Union. I mean we must be trying to be in the state of Union. Whether we succeed or not, is another question.

My purpose in writing this article is to try and stop Yoga from following in the foot steps of the many Ancient Traditions which have been reduced by the market place to nothing but a hollow shell of their true selves.

There is no money to be made in not giving people what they want. Therefore, I hope this article will inspire some to examine what they want and lead them to true Yoga.

20th Anniversary Stretching - Stretching Review

When I first purchased Bob Anderson's 20th Anniversary Stretching (Stretching) I couldn't put it down. Over the years I have read literally hundreds of fitness and exercise books, but nothing like Bob's latest book. Published by Shelter Publications, the 224 page paperback edition is the finest piece of work written about stretching for fitness or sports.

Most everyone knows how important muscle flexibility is in everyday life, let alone health and fitness, but far fewer understand how to do it. Bob Anderson's 20th Anniversary Stretching (Stretching) takes you through the step-by-step process of the how's and why's you must stretch your muscles.

No matter if you like to walk for fitness and exercise, you need to stretch your legs, thighs, calves, hamstrings, etc. Or, if you enjoy jogging, running, weightlifting, basketball, or any other sport for that matter, this book if for you.

20th Anniversary stretching is a complete encyclopedia so to speak on stretching. It's complete with over 1,000 pictures, 200 stretches, and stretching regimens for 36 different sports and activities. So, if you play golf, tennis, softball, or horseshoes, you will gain valuable help and information from reading this book.

I never realized just how stiff I was until I started stretching with the routines included in this book. What I enjoy so much about 20th Anniversary Stretching (Stretching) is how the pictures and drawings make things so easy to follow.

I had no trouble understanding how to do each particular stretching exercise that is outlined in the book. There was no guesswork on my part on what I needed to do. Within a couple of weeks of stretching, I never felt better. I feel like my level of strength and conditioning is what it used to be 20 years ago.

I found the book to be more than just a book of stretching exercises. It's like a complete fitness book for people of all ages and level of conditioning. In fact, I believe you could substitute this book for any other type of exercise program. Regardless if it's aerobics, pilates, yoga, or any other exercise activity, 20th Anniversary Stretching could be a replacement for all of them.

If you're looking to get your muscles, body, and mind in better condition, I would highly recommend picking up this book. Anyone, regardless of age, or whether they play recreational sports or not, can enjoy a higher level of health and fitness in their everyday life from 20th Anniversary Stretching (Stretching).

You can find out more about 20th Anniversary Stretching as well as much more information on health and fitness issues at http://www.Health-And-Fitness.InfoFromA-z.com

How To Use Golf Training Aids To Assist With Your Warm Up And Stretching

How many times has this happened to you?

You get to the course 15 minutes before your tee time. By the time you get all your stuff together, pay the greens fees, etc., and then get yourself to the putting green there is less than 10 minutes left before game time. You hit some putts, some chips, and then take a few swings to loosen up. Feeling pretty good, you stroll to the first tee, put your bag down, and look down the fairway.

It's a dogleg right with OB on the right and tree trouble on the left. It's not long but it's tight, with the potential for a round-ruining big number. That's when you start to realize the full extent of the tightness that's still in your muscles. You take some more swings, desperately trying to get the muscles in your legs, back, and shoulders to warm up, but to no avail. Your tee time is up and you still don't have any kind of rhythm or feel to your swing, and the OB on the right looms ominously.

You tee it up and make a tight, nervous swing, overcompensating due to your fear of the OB. Your ball jumps left off the clubface, a nasty pull-hook that burrows deep into the trees. You groan and shove your club back into your bag, then stomp off to try to salvage something resembling a decent score.

If this type of thing happens to you on an all-to-frequent basis, trust me you are not alone. Fortunately, there are plenty of golf training aids out there that can help you avoid it. Swinging a weighted or increased-resistance club, for example, is a good way to get warm before a round. However, if you really want to be loose and feel confident for the opening drive, you probably need to get to the course a littler earlier and add a stretching routine to your warm-up.

There is no way to get your muscles prepared for the intense effort involved with the golf swing without stretching. Also, stretching helps to relax the mind as well as the body, which really helps with the first tee jitters. So in addition to resistance training aids like weighted clubs, consider adding a stretch routine. There are lots of books available with stretch programs that are tailored specifically for golfers. Here are some tips for finding a good stretching program:

1. A book is just as much a training aid as any of those gadgets that are designed to help your swing, so approach it the same way. As you would try out a training aid before you shell out the money, make sure you check out the contents of the book before you buy. It should have pictures for all the stretches. Stretches without visual aids are dangerous because you can never be quite sure if you're doing them correctly.

2. Make sure you find a book with a variety of stretches for daily stretching as well as a pre-round warm-up. Training for flexibility daily can add yards to your drives and years to your golfing career.

3. Get to the course early! Rushing through your warm-up stretches doesn't work and can cause injury. If you are short on time, do a smaller number of stretches correctly rather than trying to do them all quickly.

Good luck, and remember the mind is just as important as the body in golf, if not more so. Books are training aids for the mind, so get a few good ones and go to it!

Mike Gelhaus, once racquetball professional and published author for Racquetball Magazine, has turned his attention back to the game of Golf. With the use of golf training aids, he achieved a handicap of 3 only weeks before back surgery. Check out his site at http://the-best-golf-training-aids.com

The Importance Of Stretching In Muscle Sculpting Exercise

By now you should already know that stretching is a prerequisite to every workouts that you are undertaking. It is vital that you do this before and after any one. In as much as it has been preached, many do not see the positive influence it can have on the muscles and joints. The main purpose of stretching is to allow for flexibility, coordination and quickness in response of the muscle system.

Other positive influence of stretches is its ability to reduce stress, injury and soreness of the muscles and joints. All the while strengthening the muscles. There is another form of stretching exercise called static stretches. This is the type of stretch exercise that actors and actresses engage in sculpturing their body. A vital point in carrying out this exercise is that you must avoid straining your muscles while stretching. This form of stretching also reduce soreness.

In the course of the exercise, you want to release tension build up along your joints and cartilages. This will increase the muscle movement length. It is always advised that stretches be performed before and after workouts. However, you can also stretch between workouts to help you in reaching peak performance in your muscle building exercises.

Do you know also that stretching makes the muscles to be longer and bigger as well as elongating its maximum capacity?

Now let's take up a typical stretching activity:

Stand straight with the legs slightly apart. Hold out your two arms over your head, rotate. Perform stretching as far as you can, you will notice some tension around your shoulders, neck, back and side. This is because the muscles in these areas are preparing themselves for further workouts, thus tension is leaving those areas. This exercise is ideal for someone with spinal pain or injury as it will help in healing it on time.

The above exercise can also be done in the morning while lying down flat on the floor. However, while doing it, you should know that your main aim is to release tension all over the body get you ready for workouts. If you are going through pain while doing it, it is advised you stop at once.

There are other stretch exercises you can do, but you will need to find out the procedures and adapt it to your program. Go to your local library and or the internet to source for more information on this topic.

Joe Okoro writes about Muscle Sculpting, fitness and Body building in his free reports. You can sign up for his courses and get additional information by visiting: musclesculptingonline.com

Stretching Exercises You Need To Employ In Muscle Building

The achievement of a stunning physique is what every athlete or muscle builder will be proud to display among his peers. It gives a good feeling if you can eventually reach this level of peak performance in your muscle building endeavour. Through various rigorous exercises and proper diets this can be done. However, before the real workouts, you will need stretches to avoid damage to your muscles.

Stretches allows for the flexibility and elasticity of the muscles before the real workouts can take place. The following are the stretches that can be taken up by any serious muscle sculpter, passive stretches, static stretches, isometric, ballistic, dynamic, reach ups, and so on. You can also add other stretches not mentioned here to help the muscles. Among the stretches mentioned above, the ballistic exercise is the most recent. This stretching exercise encourages the thrusting of the body and allowing much energy to relax and loosen the body's legs. This allows for free movement of the muscles. Some of the stretches are.

Active stretches increases energy and promote movements or dynamics. This stretches relaxes the muscles and allows free movements.

Ballistic stretches brings flexibility and movement to the muscles, limbs and arms.

Isometric stretches is a form of stretching exercise where one presses his muscles against an object to get good results. While doing Isometrics, the muscles are under pressure and thus the muscles are restricted from contraction which is an essential muscle feature. Consequently, there is a great reduction in the flow of blood through the veins and arteries.

Personally, i strongly would not recommend Isometric stretches, especially if one is having a history of heart problems in the past. This could result in heart failure for such one.

Earlier, i mentioned one of the most recent stretching exercises, while it is good to use that in the stretching exercise, experience has shown that the older form of stretches are more effective than the new ones. You will need to understand your body and think of the best option for you. For detailed stretches procedure, read free articles on muscle sculpting from the web or your local library and start your exercises as soon as you can.

Joe Okoro writes about Muscle Sculpting, fitness and Body building in his free reports. You can sign up for his courses and get additional information by visiting: musclesculptingonline.com

How The Stretching Exercise Can Aid You In Muscle Sculpting Your Body

One of the vital factors in muscle sculpting is consistency to purpose. When i say consistency i mean the regularity of the action plan needed to reach a stunning physique. What is the action plan? The action plan comprise of proper dieting and exercise workouts. Sometimes people give up on the way while trying to sculpt their bodies. There may be many reasons for this. It could be because of indiscipline, indicision, loss of motivation and so on.

Whatever the reason, it is important that anyone who is considering muscle sculpting to understand that the only true way one can get that fine shape is through the natural process of proper dieting and exercise. Some who may not have what it takes some time go ahead to perform surgeries that are quite too expensive. Granted, these people get a sculpted body, but the health effect is that it does not last. There are sad developments of the body later on in life.

For the muscle sculpturer who want to reach this goal of a finely sculpted body, consistency in exercise and dieting should not be restricted to a specified time, it should be life long if he realises that fitness comes with regular exercise and helps in reducing health risks that otherwise might attack one.

To get started you will need to see your doctor first for recommendations on the type of exercise that will be best suited for you. Once that is taken care of, you can now get ready to start. But before then you will need to soften your muscles using warm ups and stretches to get ready for these workout routines.

Are you ready? Here we go:

Your stretches should be basic warm ups and stretches. Stand erect and open your legs slightly while still standing. Extend or cross over your two arms over your head such that each hand touches the shoulder on the other side respectively. As you do these, you will notice that tension will start leaving your back, hip area, neck and shoulder areas.

Next in that position, try stretching right, left, front and up. Then swing your hips accordingly. Repeat this stretching four times. You can improve your stretches by combining it with dance aerobic warm up to get you fully ready for the piece of action that you will encounter in the real workouts. You can continue with the stretching exercise for some time till you are getting comfortable with it.

As you continue with this, you will see that you will start looking forward to this exercise. It will fully prepare you to fully involve yourself in the exercise options that will lead you to a sculpted body.

Joe Okoro writes about Muscle Sculpting, fitness and Body building in his free reports. You can sign up for his courses and get additional information by visiting: musclesculptingonline.com

Stretching Boundaries

Each of us lives life in small selective secure environments, the size dependent upon our experiences, perception of ourselves and our capabilities. Our boundaries are the invisible lines, which produce a sense of inner security. Whenever we are challenged to extend our selves over these invisible lines we naturally interpret the experience as a feeling of fear. Remember the first time you rode a push bike, or got on a buss by you, or went for a job interview. Humans have a natural tendency to be afraid of the unknown. A good example of this is to get on an airplane for the first time, for many these is a terrifying experience.

So why do we give ourselves such a hard time over feeling this way? If fear is a natural state when experiencing something new or unknown, why do we think it a quality to be ashamed of? Stretching our boundaries reminds us that there are millions of experiences out there of which we have no practical experiential knowledge. Vulnerability comes to the fore, of our lack of confidence in an unknown situation often ultimately leaves us shaking and quaking in fear of being thrust into the unknown and our minds throwing in every negative self diminishing thought it can find. However it?s stepping into the unknown which challenges us to think positive, while expanding our experience of our world in turn provoking us to live our lives to the fullest. Everything we do requires we face some form of apprehension or resistance to the growth that is natural. For some people it?s more than for other people, for example one person may be absolutely terrified of riding a horse, and not even want to try, while another person may be afraid but desperately want to have a go. We are all individuals in what we experience. There is a great book that has been out for years called, ?Feel the fear and do it anyway.? If you have big issues with boundaries and trying new things I suggest you read this book. It will definitely help.

Stretching our boundaries reminds us that there are millions of experiences out there of which we have no practical experiential knowledge. Vulnerability comes to the fore, of our lack of confidence in an unknown situation often ultimately leaves us shaking and quaking in fear of being thrust into the unknown and our minds throwing in every negative self diminishing thought it can find. However it?s stepping into the unknown which challenges us to think positive, while expanding our experience of our world in turn provoking us to live our lives to the fullest. Everything we do requires we face some form of apprehension or resistance to the growth that is natural. For some people it?s more than for other people, for example one person may be absolutely terrified of riding a horse, and not even want to try, while another person may be afraid but desperately want to have a go. We are all individuals in what we experience. There is a great book that has been out for years called, ?Feel the fear and do it anyway.? If you have big issues with boundaries and trying new things I suggest you read this book. It will definitely help.

Stretching our boundaries isn?t always easy, the main reason is we only know what we know, and humans are creatures of habits. To change life circumstances, to step outside of our comfort square is somewhat unnerving for most people. Generally life has to ?toss? us into the deep end in order to expand our perception and develop our skills in life. Its amazing how many people say they just want a quiet life, and there is nothing wrong with that, the thing to remember however is, that if we are not learning, if we are not developing new skills, if we are not living life, we can become bored and in a sense separated from the very essence of spiritual energy, which is experienced through the feelings of ?joy ? excitement ? love ? happiness ? and well being.? So sometimes, life hands us a huge ?toss,? in order to make us get out of complacency. For some people without the provocation of things appearing to go badly, most would never dare to explore their potential, and the vast dimensions of unexplored possibilities would never be discovered and our spirit would lay dormant, boredom taking over and complacency prevailing bringing with it the experience of ~ sadness ? anger ? depression ? poverty and resentment. Every human being has a need to grow and expand in conscious awareness, some taking huge steps others small, the size irrelevant, the desire however lies within us all to move towards a better daily life experience.

I believe that most of the experiences I have had in my life time have been in the long term positive, the hardships have provoked me to rise above the limits of education, finances and the fear of standing in my power as a woman who is committed to making a difference. How do you ?Choose,? to think upon your life experience?

The only difference between success and failure is that to achieve success you never give up; you keep trying exploring, extending, learning, developing, believing. Where people who experience failure, experience the defeat predominately within their thinking. Just because something didn?t quite work out how you thought it would, does not mean you have failed. ?It?s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.? ?It?s better to have tried than never to have tried at all.? Right at this moment in time you have a choice, you can look for the good that has come out of every situation in your life, or you can focus on the bad. Right at this moment in your life you can A matter of perception: Right at this moment you may not feel abundantly wealthy, but to a child from Africa, your life would appear to be one of immense wealth.

Author of Book of Choices published by Amazon =>http://www.truityonline.com free self help website

Pivot Points in Forex: Mapping your Time Frame

It is useful to have a map and be able to see where the price is relative to previous market action. This way we can see how is the sentiment of traders and investors at any given moment, it also gives us a general idea of where the market is heading during the day. This information can help us decide which way to trade.

Pivot points, a technique developed by floor traders, help us see where the price is relative to previous market action.

As a definition, a pivot point is a turning point or condition. The same applies to the Forex market, the pivot point is a level in which the sentiment of the market changes from "bull" to "bear" or vice versa. If the market breaks this level up, then the sentiment is said to be a bull market and it is likely to continue its way up, on the other hand, if the market breaks this level down, then the sentiment is bear, and it is expected to continue its way down. Also at this level, the market is expected to have some kind of support/resistance, and if price can't break the pivot point, a possible bounce from it is plausible.

Pivot points work best on highly liquid markets, like the spot currency market, but they can also be used in other markets as well.

Pivot Points

In a few words, pivot point is a level in which the sentiment of traders and investors changes from bull to bear or vice versa. Why PP work? They work simply because many individual traders and investors use and trust them, as well as bank and institutional traders. It is known to every trader that the pivot point is an important measure of strength and weakness of any market.

Calculating pivot points There are several ways to arrive to the Pivot point. The method we found to have the most accurate results is calculated by taking the average of the high, low and close of a previous period (or session).

Pivot point (PP) = (High + Low + Close) / 3

Take for instance the following EUR/USD information from the previous session:

Open: 1.2386 High: 1.2474 Low: 1.2376 Close: 1.2458

The PP would be, PP = (1.2474 + 1.2376 + 1.2458) / 3 = 1.2439

What does this number tell us? It simply tells us that if the market is trading above 1.2439, Bulls are winning the battle pushing the prices higher. And if the market is trading below this 1.2439 the bears are winning the battle pulling prices lower. On both cases this condition is likely to sustain until the next session.

Since the Forex market is a 24hr market (no close or open from day to day) there is a eternal battle on deciding at white time we should take the open, close, high and low from each session. From our point of view, the times that produce more accurate predictions is taking the open at 00:00 GMT and the close at 23:59 GMT.

Besides the calculation of the PP, there are other support and resistance levels that are calculated taking the PP as a reference.

Support 1 (S1) = (PP * 2) - H Resistance 1 (R1) = (PP * 2) - L Support 2 (S2) = PP - (R1 - S1) Resistance 2 (R2) = PP + (R1 - S1)

Where , H is the High of the previous period and L is the low of the previous period

Continuing with the example above, PP = 1.2439

S1 = (1.2439 * 2) - 1.2474 = 1.2404 R1 = (1.2439 * 2) - 1.2376 = 1.2502 R2 = 1.2439 + (1.2636 - 1.2537) = 1.2537 S2 = 1.2439 - (1.2636 - 1.2537) = 1.2537

These levels are supposed to mark support and resistance levels for the current session.

On the example above, the PP was calculated using information of the previous session (previous day.) This way we could see possible intraday resistance and support levels. But it can also be calculated using the previous weekly or monthly data to determine such levels. By doing so we are able to see the sentiment over longer periods of time. Also we can see possible levels that might offer support and resistance throughout the week or month. Calculating the Pivot point in a weekly or monthly basis is mostly used by long term traders, but it can also be used by short time traders, it gives us a good idea about the longer term trend.

S1, S2, R1 AND R2...? An Objective Alternative

As already stated, the pivot point zone is a well-known technique and it works simply because many traders and investors use and trust it. But what about the other support and resistance zones (S1, S2, R1 and R2,) to forecast a support or resistance level with some mathematical formula is somehow subjective. It is hard to rely on them blindly just because the formula popped out that level. For this reason, we have created an alternative way to map our time frame, simpler but more objective and effective.

We calculate the pivot point as showed before. But our support and resistance levels are drawn in a different way. We take the previous session high and low, and draw those levels on today's chart. The same is done with the session before the previous session. So, we will have our PP and four more important levels drawn in our chart.

LOPS1, low of the previous session. HOPS1, high of the previous session. LOPS2, low of the session before the previous session. HOPS2, high of the session before the previous session. PP, pivot point.

These levels will tell us the strength of the market at any given moment. If the market is trading above the PP, then the market is considered in a possible uptrend. If the market is trading above HOPS1 or HOPS2, then the market is in an uptrend, and we only take long positions. If the market is trading below the PP then the market is considered in a possible downtrend. If the market is trading below LOPS1 or LOPS2, then the market is in a downtrend, and we should only consider short trades.

The psychology behind this approach is simple. We know that for some reason the market stopped there from going higher/lower the previous session, or the session before that. We don't know the reason, and we don't need to know it. We only know the fact: the market reversed at that level. We also know that traders and investors have memories, they do remember that the price stopped there before, and the odds are that the market reverses from there again (maybe because the same reason, and maybe not) or at least find some support or resistance at these levels.

What is important about his approach is that support and resistance levels are measured objectively; they aren't just a level derived from a mathematical formula, the price reversed there before so these levels have a higher probability of being effective.

Our mapping method works on both market conditions, when trending and on sideways conditions. In a trending market, it helps us determine the strength of the trend and trade off important levels. On sideways markets it shows us possible reversal levels.

How we use our mapping method? We at StraightForex (www.straightforex.com) use the mapping method in three different ways: as a trend identification (measure of the strength of the trend), a trading system using important levels with price behavior as a trading signal and to set the risk reward ratio (RR) of any given trade based on where the is the market relative to the previous session.

Raul Lopez is the founder of www.straightforex.com A site dedicated to provide high quality training for Forex traders.

Leather Stretching

Because leather is so pliable, (especially wet leather) you can change its shape and size. The basic principal is to make the leather moist (not soaked) and apply heat or cold.

For example, leather specialists will use extreme heat followed by extreme cold to coax torn leather back to its original shape and position before they apply adhesive when repairing tears. A commercial stripping gun and a decent size of metal that has been in the refrigerator are recommended, no kidding! Find out the proper technique first before attempting this maneuver.

If you have shoes, for example that are a bit small, you have a couple of different options for stretching them. You can take them to a cobbler and have them stretched with an industrial strength leather stretching shoe device, or if you want to risk it you can stretch your shoes on your own.

Home Remedy Leather Stretching

I've heard stories that some boot salespeople recommend wetting your shoes with rubbing alcohol and while still wet, putting the shoes back on, as almost any wet leather will stretch. The alcohol evaporates quickly so there should not be any spotting with this leather stretching technique.

Another thing I have heard is that some people have successfully filled a quart bag with water and placed it in the shoe. Put the whole deal in the freezer and as the water freezes, it will expand right along with the shoe. You might want to try this with an old boot first to see what happens.

If home remedy solutions make you nervous, you can buy your own leather stretching shoe device. Type "stretch shoe" into a search engine for some ideas.

Sizing a Hat

If you have a leather hat that feels too snug, consider buying a hat form or wig stand that is the right size and then placing the hat on it so the hat can dry to the right size. You could also wear the hat after getting it nice and pliable, but it may not dry while on your head because of your own natural moisture. So consider the humidity and temperature that day if you try this method

If the hat is big enough to fit even though it might be tight, wait to see if regular wear creates new memory. You can always take the hat to a cobbler since they have the equipment and should be able to stretch it out for you. If you are not sure where to look, start with your local yellow pages to see if you have a hat maker locally.

Breaking-In Shoes

One of the best ways to break in a new pair of shoes is to wear them around the house for short periods of time. Just remember that since the leather is stiff, if you walk around too long you'll develop blisters. However, the natural moisture produced from your feet helps to soften and break in the boots or shoes without using stretchers.

One option that should be a last resort before heading to the cobbler is to lightly wet them with a damp sponge inside and out, taking care not to soak them. After all, leather and water are not the best of pals. Wear them for a couple hours that way.

Just keep in mind that wearing new leather boots or shoes on a regular basis will keep the leather supple and help them form to your feet. If you don't use them for a long period, wear them for a couple of hours on occasion to keep the leather soft and pliable.

As your boots begin to break in, you will see two creases - one right behind the toe of the boot and the second higher up on the foot, but below your ankle. If the boots dry out from disuse, you may have to take it easy for a couple of days when you put them on again.

You can also hand break boots by bending them back and forth a bit. Lastly, you can buy boots that do not require a long break-in or painful break-in period. Having to break-in a boot is compensation for the boot being hard.

These days, most high quality boots are made in leathers that are strong without being crippling. It is possible to buy a pair of sturdy boots that will not cause pain every time you wear them. Ask the retailer about the break in period and the quality of boot in their line.

In reality, leather stretching can be relatively easy if you take your time and think it through.

*** Hey! Want To Make Something Out Of Leather? *** Discover How To Make Leather Crafts for Fun and Profit  Leather Craft

Jake's love of leather and the constant questions drove him to write everything down.

Sketching a Car without getting a headache

Yes many of us have made attempts on sketching that dream car of ours, and more often than not it has made us frustrated that it looks not even close to what we had in our mind. I finally learned to get the right proportions and make the sketches not look like it was a pile of garbage and instead make them look like a Cadillac, Shelby, Corvette, Ferrari or whatever I try to sketch.

What you need to do is to look at the outward lines of the car, try to get a shape by simply trying to sketch a few lines. Then compare that to your reference car and simply fine tune the lines little by little without erasing the old lines.

My best advise is to leave the wheels while you are sketching the lines of the cars. Why you may ask, well simply because the wheels are usually the hardest part of car sketches. Then when you are starting to get satisfied with the general shape of the car-sketch, try adding the wheels. But don't be surprised if getting the wheels correct takes longer time than the the whole car!

How long does it take to do a good car sketch then? Well it is very different, depending on how the perspective of the car is. Usually getting the right proportions should take between 1-3hours. Then fine tuning it is what take lot of time, I can spend easily 10 hours on a car sketch before starting to shade it! So it all depends on how much patience and time you want to spend on this sketch of you dreamcar!

The kind of pencils I use is different, but try some and you will probably find the one you feels most comfortable with and then go with that. And remember to not be afraid of using the eraser!

Lukas Niklasson is the associated editor to the website http://www.autodrawings.net . It is a website that focus on car drawings of all sorts. It get updated regurarly with new drawings and interesting information regarding car artwork.

Dynamic Stretching

Dynamic stretches For sports that involve sprinting and changes of direction, the general warm-up prior to dynamic stretching should include jogging as well as short sprints and multi-directional running (such as sideways and backwards). Dynamic stretching is good for 'waking muscles up' to get them ready to work hard. This involves moving your limbs through the full range of motion that they will be used in during the game or training. Gradually increase the range of the movement over a series of repetitions.

Do not force movements or lose control of the movement. Repeat the following examples about 12 times - you may need to do more or less than this number depending on how tight your muscles feel. This period should take about 3-5 minutes.

Dynamic Stretches

Leg swings forward and back (Gluteals, hamstrings, hip flexors) * Hold on to a solid object and balance on one leg * Swing the other leg forwards to a comfortable height ensuring that your trunk and lower back stay rigid and do not bend. * Then swing the leg back, again ensuring that there is minimal movement in the back. * Change legs and repeat. * Swing to a height that suits your flexibility. * Forcing the leg high by swinging too hard may result in injury.

Leg swings side to side (Hamstrings, adductors) * Hold on to a solid object and balance on one leg. * Turn your foot on the leg you are balancing on outwards. * Swing that leg away from the body turning the foot to point at the sky. * Then swing the leg across the body pointing the toes in the direction your leg is moving. * Check that you are minimizing the amount of movement through your lower back.

Hurdle step overs (Gluteals, adductors) * Hold on to a solid object and stand with one leg slightly further back than the other. * Lift the back leg knee high and then rotate leg outwards and step down. Then reverse the movement by rotating the leg outwards then taking the knee night to the front. * Return to the start position. Check that you are minimizing truck movement. Alternate legs and repeat

Lower leg calf raises (Calves) (soleus and gastrocnemius) * Start with your body in a push-up position, with your feet side by side. * Support your weight with your hands and feet. * Start stretching your calves by pushing one heel towards the ground then onto the ball of the foot and then back again. * Alternate between legs.

Upper body trunk rotation (Trunk muscles - abdominals, back and chest) * Stand with the back straight and knees slightly bent. * Start swinging your body at waist height - you should feel this mostly in your lower back. * Move your arms higher to around shoulder height to feel a stretch through the middle back. * Now raise your arms to above your head to feel the stretch higher in the back. * If you find any tight areas do extra repetitions without forcing the movement. * In this exercise you should concentrate more on gradually increasing the range of movement rather than the speed of movement.

Bent over upper body rotation (Trunk muscles - abdominals, back and chest, adductors, hamstrings) * Bend at the hips so that your lower back still keeps its natural inward curve - you might need to bend your knees a little. * Rotate the trunk and arms to reach towards the opposite toe while bending that leg. * Alternate sides. * Reach as low as your flexibility allows - its not necessary to touch the toes if you can't reach that low.

Arm circles (Muscles around the shoulder) * Stand with the back straight and knees slightly bent. * Swing both your arms around in circles starting with small circles progressing towards larger ones. * Circles should be done both forwards and backwards. * If you find tightness in an area, spend more time working on that area to loosen it up

To know more information Visit Getfitsource.com

Optimafitness.co.uk

Discover How Stretching Can Help You In Reaching Top Performance!

Stretching is a form of exercise that helps one to achieve peak performance in any sport activity. When you do stretch, you are exercising your body for peak performance. Though other work out exercises can equally contribute in giving you a strong body for top activity.

In performing stretching activity, good attire is needed for flexibility of movements. You will put on a good shoes, a sleeveless wear that gives fitting to your physique. Before any good exercise is started, stretching and warm ups are mandatory as it prepares the body for the exercise. Even at the end of the whole exercise, stretching is also recommended. Stretching gives the body flexibility, strenght, and elasticity of the muscles.

When you stretch, your muscles is drawn out evenly thus extending and elongating it. This in turn gives the muscle strenght and elasticity. Initially you will feel some pain, but you have to endure it unless it is excruciating. After continuous practice of stretching, you will notice that your body will start getting used to it and the pain will no longer be there. To understand what i'm trying to say do this: Try stretching your hand in the following way, put your arm across your head and use it to pull up your shoulder, what do you feel? Did you notice the slight pain in your body? What about your neck, did you feel any pain there? Well it is normal, you can ignore them when you have started stretching.

You will notice that after repeated trials that you will start feeling comfortable with the stretching exercise. You can now do leg stretching by sitting straight and spreading your legs across the floor, you will also notice that you feel a sharp pain between your thigh muscles, again this is normal. Your body will adapt to it after a while. Now try holding your leg with one of your hands. Now stretch to the right and wait a while, do the same to your left side. Now stretch up by sitting straight. It is advised that you perform this stretch exercises with different arm and leg positions. Repetition will perfect it for you and all the pain you feel will be gone.

The end result is in-built muscle flexibility, strenght, and elasticity that will enhance your body and make you a top performer in any sports event you want to excel in as long as you continue to apply yourself to warm ups, stretching and regular exercises. Joe Okoro writes about how to become an Ace Athletes in his free reports. You can sign up for his courses and get additional information by visiting http://www.coolcashjackpot.com/aceform.htm

Penis Enlargement STRETCHING devices?

Apparently having a small penis just will NOT do in the world that is today! After a wide and thourough search on the internet, I came across an rather weird looking contraption that was specifically designed to stretch your penis out to increase its length and girth! I was struck by an immense curiosity and had to investigate!!

After reading numerous articles about these alien looking devices, and talking to various individuals, I was amazed to discover that this is actually a means to a (longer) end! Being that thousands of guys out there have purchased these products, it is definately a safe and cheaper way to a happier sex life. Doctors even recommend these devices to their patients!

Most companies sell their stretching devices with pills, patches and sexual guidelines and dvds, and the going rate for these "mirracle packages" is in the $300 price range. Now for what you get, this is really not a bad price, and best of all, if you're not happy, a full money back guarantee is given on all of the top products out there!

Check out this page with a few comparrisons on these devices, or click here for a wider range of products. What have you got to lose?

A legitimate company doing research in male enhancement products

The Importance of Proper Hydration and Stretching

Whether you're taking a brisk walk or running a 26 mile marathon, hydration and stretching are extremely important to preventing injury and to maintaining optimum fitness. However, there are many myths about both these things that have crept into most people's thinking.

The number one myth about hydration is that you should let your level of thirst signal when you need to drink. This is absolutely untrue. Most athletes only replace about 2/3 of the water they lose when they follow this rule. Instead, drink fluids on a schedule. A general rule of thumb, depending on your weight and weather conditions is to drink 8 ounces of water about 15 minutes before beginning exercise and 8 ounces for each 15 minutes during your workout.

Another hydration myth is that everyone needs eight glasses of water a day. This may not be enough for some people who engage in higher intensity sports. It may be too much for sedentary people. This is because, although it is true that the average person loses 80 ounces of water a day, he or she also gains about 32 ounces of water from food. That means, in order to replace lost fluids a person only needs to drink about 48 ounces of water rather than the 64 ounces contained in eight glasses of water.

A recent study about over hydration has scared people into believing that you can get sick from drinking too much water during exercise. While this may be true in isolated cases, typically among endurance athletes, the average person will not get sick from drinking too much water unless they have an existing heart, liver or kidney problem. If you have one of these conditions, checking with your doctor about the proper amount of liquid to drink during exercise is advisable.

Stretching is another source of myths and misinformation. Contrary to popular belief, stretching will not "warm you up." Warming up is done by starting a low level of activity and working up to your desired intensity. Stretching before exercise also will not prevent injury although research has shown that it will reduce pain and muscle soreness after exercise. Only a proper warm-up routine will help prevent injuries.

Many people also believe that stretching is most beneficial when done before a workout. Actually, gentle stretching after a workout can help reduce cramping and muscular pain. Also, there is the belief that any stretching is better than none. Improper stretching can actually increase the risk of muscular injuries. It's worth taking the time to learn stretches appropriate to the activity you're planning to perform.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Fitness, Food, and Consumer Information

Stretching for Home Office Productivity

DON'T BECOME SEDENTARY

Working from home has truly become a revolution in business. More and more of
us are opting for telecommuting on our current jobs, or building our own
businesses at home. The elimination of commuter stress is hard to beat, not to
mention the convenience and comfort of the home environment. The ergonomics of
home offices, while helping to increase efficiency and reduce injury, can
encourage a sedentary existence. It means that we hardly ever move.

While keeping good ergonomics in mind, make sure your office is setup so that
you have to get up and move around. In other words, do not make your home office
too comfortable. Sitting for long periods can cause fatigue and poor mental
performance.

STAND, STRETCH, AND FLEX

Once every hour get up and move around. Take a five-minute break to stand,
stretch and flex.

Tensed muscles are deprived of oxygen which is needed for their proper
functioning. Standing, stretching and flexing periodically will keep your
muscles flexible and decrease the chance of cramping and other muscular
discomfort. Stretching and flexing for a few minutes each hour will help your
muscles to relax while restoring its vital blood flow.

Time can pass so very quickly once we become engrossed in work, making it
easy to lose track of time. Doing these stretches once an hour throughout the
day will most likely increase your productivity. To help keep track of the
passing hours I use a talking clock that I installed on my computers. I have
found AlphaClock particularly useful.

Here are some simple stretches to use:

Stand-up

- Stand with your feet apart. With your hands on your hips bend forward slowly
as far as you can and hold for 5 seconds. Slowly straighten and then place both
hands on your lower back and bend back gently. Hold for five seconds and repeat.

- Stand up straight and spread your arms out to the sides, with your palms
facing forward. Stretch your arms as far back as you can and hold for 5 seconds.

- Open your hands as far as you can, spreading your fingers apart as far as they
will go. Close and repeat 10 times

- Slowly stretch your arms over your head and hold for 5 seconds, repeating hand
stretch

Neck stretch

Face forward. Gently turn head to right. Place your right hand on your left
cheek, with your left hand reaching behind your head touching your right ear.
Gently press your head to the right. Switch hand positions for the left side.

Face forward. Tuck in chin. Tilt head toward right shoulder. With right hand
on head, press down gently. Repeat on left side.

Face forward. Bend head down toward floor. With both hands on head, press
down.

Glut Stretch
Standing up bring first one knee up to your chest as you can and hold for 5
seconds. Switch legs. Repeat several times.

Work at home and stay fit

A fitness routine is even more important for those of us who work from home.
Sacrificing our health for our convenience should not be an option! These
stretches are only a small, but important part of keeping fit for home office
workers.
Specializing in Sports and Therapeutic massage, Sidney maintains the PrimalWellness.com website.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Etching with Beam-Steered Laser

The beam-steered marker can duplicate virtually any vector graphic image including variable line widths and images as small as 0.010 inch or less. Typical uses include serialization of ceramic and plastic products that require high-quality graphics such as company logos and/or significant amounts of additional alphanumeric text.

This year, over one-third of all material processing lasers will be installed for product or package marking applications. Since their introduction in the early-1970's, laser markers have evolved as an effective tool for manufacturers who require a combination of speed, permanence, and image flexibility not available from more traditional marking technologies.

Two marking system designs have emerged with notably different strengths and weaknesses. Careful consideration of these laser and imaging optics combinations can provide the optimum tool for a wide range of marking requirements.

Process FundamentalsLaser marking is a thermal process that employs a high-intensity beam of focused laser light to create a contrasting mark. The laser beam increases the surface temperature to induce either a color change in the material and/or displace material by vaporization to engrave the surface. Both marking system configurations utilize this principle of surface modification but differ in the method used to project the laser beam and create the marking image.

The beam-steered laser marker provides the greatest degree of image manipulation. To create the marking image, two beam-steering mirrors mounted on high-speed, computer-controlled galvanometers direct the laser beam across the target surface. Each galvanometer provides one axis of beam motion in the marking field. The beam projects through a multi-element, flat-field lens assembly after reflecting off the final steering mirror. The lens assembly focuses the laser light to achieve the highest power density possible on the work surface while maintaining the focused spot travel on a flat plane. The laser output is gated between marking strokes. This design offers the user the advantages of a computer generated marking image and utilization of the entire laser output for the highest marking power possible.

The mask or "stencil" marking system sacrifices image quality and versatility for significantly increased marking speed. The marking image is created by enlarging the laser beam, projecting it through a copper stencil of the desired image, and refocusing the beam on the target surface to "burn" the image into the material. A single pulse of the laser creates the entire image. If the alphanumeric characters must be altered part-to-part, (i.e., serialization, etc.), computer-controlled rotary stencil wheels index the characters. This technique is aesthetically limiting in that images exhibit a "stencil" appearance with breaks in the marking lines. Since the mask blocks a high percentage of the laser beam, marking power and resultant surface penetration is limited.

Laser and Imaging CombinationsBeam-steered Nd:

YAG

The combination of the Nd:

YAG (Neodymium:Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) laser and the beam-steered delivery optics marks the widest range of materials and provides the versatility of computer controlled image generation. Nd:YAG lasers amplify light in the near-infrared at 1.06 mm. Metallic materials absorb a comparatively high percentage of the light in this region of the spectrum. In the pulsed mode, the Nd:YAG laser produces peak powers considerably higher than the normal continuous-wave output. A 90 watt CW Nd:YAG laser, pulsed at 1 kHz, will emit a train of pulses with peak powers of 110,000 watts. The Nd:YAG lasers ability to emulate an "optical capacitor" provides the power necessary to vaporize metallics and other materials. The high peak power will vaporize material up to 0.005 inches deep in a single pass or greater with multiple passes. The non-metallic materials normally associated with the far-infrared wavelength of the CO2 laser are usually highly reflective to the Nd:YAG. However, the high peak power of the Nd:YAG can often overcome the higher reflectivity. Some overlap does occur among many plastics that absorb both wavelengths equally well.

The beam-steered marker can duplicate virtually any vector graphic image including variable line widths and images as small as 0.010 inch or less. In addition, the computer can instantly change any graphic element or the entire marking program before a new part is positioned for marking.

The Nd:YAG laser offers a greater range of adjustable process variables to achieve a specific material modification but at a correspondingly higher purchase price than the CO2 laser.

Beam-steered CO2

The continuous-wave CO2 laser can also be combined with the beam-steered delivery system. CO2 lasers emit a narrow bandwidth of light in the far infrared at 10.6 mm. This wavelength is most suitable for organic materials such as paper and other wood products, many plastics, removing thin layers of ink or paint from a substrate, and for marking ceramics. It does not produce high peak powers when pulsed.

Typically utilizing laser powers up to 50 watts, these systems combine the far infrared wavelength with the image control and flexibility of beam-steered image generation. Typical uses include serialization of ceramic and plastic products that require high-quality graphics such as company logos and/or significant amounts of additional alphanumeric text. The lower power CO2 marker does not provide the power to "engrave" substrates but, due to the comparative simplicity of design, can be purchased at a lower cost than the beam-steered Nd:YAG marker.

Mask CO2

Applications that require high speed but not high power and do not vary the marking image except for alphanumeric text (i.e., serialization, date code, etc.) utilize the mask CO2 marker. The CO2 laser is pulsed at rates of up to 1,200 pulses per minute. The high repetition rate provides marking of parts "on-the-fly" at high part-transfer speeds. Computer controlled masks can alter up to three lines of text at speeds of up to 720 parts per minute if the alphanumeric code must be changed.

Advantages and DisadvantagesBeam-steered Nd:

YAG

The beam-steered Nd:

YAG provides more marking power and far superior imaging than any other laser marker configuration. The available high peak power can mark or engrave a wide variety of materials including hardened metallics. Present computer technology produces highly intricate graphics with linewidths and accuracy's of less than 0.001 inch. Because ?drawing? with the laser beam creates the image, the marking time is dependent on the amount of text and the complexity of any graphics. The Nd:YAG laser marker is the most costly of the three system configurations.

The beam-steered Nd:YAG marker frequently replaces acid and electro-etch systems, stamping and punching systems, and those other marking systems which permanently mark products by imprinting or engraving. It also replaces ink jet and other color printing systems. Typical applications include marking pistons, bearings, valves, gears, and a multitude of other components in the automotive industry; heart pacemakers, replacement hip joints, and surgical tools in the medical industry; computer chassis, disk drives, and integrated circuits in the electronics industry; tool holders, drill bits, and cutting tools in the tool industry; and writing pens, nameplates, and golf club grips.

Beam-steered CO2

The acquisition and operating costs of the beam-steered CO2 marker are lower than the Nd:YAG marker due to the relative simplicity of the laser. Image generation is equal to that of the other beam-steered system while speed and depth of penetration are considerable lower due to the lower power of the CO2 laser. Although not as popular as the beam-steered Nd:YAG and mask CO2 markers, the beam-steered CO2 system is frequently used for marking general plastics and plastic and ceramic connectors and packages within the electronics industry.

Mask CO2

Although the mask CO2 does not offer the imaging capabilities of the beam-steered design, it is far superior in speed. Because a single pulse of the laser creates the entire image, throughput is typically limited only by the pulse rate of the laser and the transfer speed of the parts handling system. While the part must be stationary while marking with the beam-steered design, parts are marked in motion with mask systems. Depth of penetration is less than the beam-steered CO2 marker since the laser output is spread over a large area with correspondingly low power density. Masked CO2 markers most frequently compete with ink-jet marking. The mask CO2 laser is often the marker of choice for sequenced coding, batch coding, open or closed date coding, and real-time coding of paper or cardboard, ink or paint coatings, glass, plastics, coated metals, and ceramics.

While the beam-steered design provides superior imaging and material penetration and the mask design provides superior speed, either system provides a better combination of speed, permanence, and imaging flexibility than other marking techniques. Many users also benefit from the non-contact nature of laser marking and the elimination of additive materials such as inks or paints.

The development of a successful marking application requires careful consideration of the laser output characteristics, the design of the optical beam delivery and image generation system, the properties of the target material, and the aesthetic and physical properties of the desired mark. Industrial laser marking systems provide prospective users with several system designs from which to choose to match the optimum marking performance with the users unique requirements.

Richard Stevenson is the Sales Director for Control Micro Systems, Inc. a manufacturer of beam-steered laser marking systems. He has published and presented numerous technical papers and articles on laser marking in trade publications. For information on Lazer Engraving, Welding, Etching, Cutting or Marking call 407-679-9716 or email sales@cmslaser.com