Monthly Archives: November 2016

28th November 2016. For some people, an exercise regimen is all about the same kind of activity, week in and out, without much variation. The bikers, the runners, the spinners and the weightlifters ? all of them have their reasons for focusing on one activity. For others, focusing like this is a one-way road to boredom. Because staying interested in your fitness is so important, it makes sense to do what keeps you engaged. If you balance out your activities to work towards whole body wellness, your body doesn't care if it gets its cardio from one exercise or another. No matter what kind of approach you take to your fitness, you'll want to stop and take notice of the next up and coming exercise activity. Imagine the high-intensity workout that exercise bikes and spin classes combined with the high-resistance of swimming. How can you do that, though? With hydrospinning ? also known as aqua cycling ? you can experience a workout more intense than most on land! By combining cycling and

21st November 2016. When you decided to take up running for sport or fitness, did you stop to think about how you run? Or did you just lace up a pair of running shoes and go out for a jog? Chances are, like most of us, you did the latter. After all, what could be so difficult about running? It's just a faster form of your natural movements, right? While that's true, the way you run can have a significant impact on your body. That's where gait analysis can be so helpful for both runners just learning the ropes and veterans who put in many miles a day. While gait analysis is sometimes used as a gimmick in shoe stores to push products, the reality is that it's a closer, scientific look at your body. It's a method for examining the "biomechanics" of your movement. After examination, it's easier to break down exactly how your whole body responds to movement. Believe it or not, this information can be of immense value to runners. From preventing injury to improving ability and

21st November 2016. There are few activities so well suited to the hot climate of the summer as cycling. Riding your bike is not just an excellent fitness activity and good for your health, but it's relaxing and refreshing, too. On a hot day, creating your own breeze by pedalling hard is a wonderful feeling. The weather is often just right for long weekend afternoons spent exploring on your bicycle, too. Unfortunately, it doesn't stay summer forever. Eventually, the heat gives way to the crisp coolness of autumn, and finally the dreary cold of the winter. Just because the mercury takes a plunge doesn't mean you have to abandon cycling, though. Sure, cycling in the winter requires some extra preparation, but there are good reasons to make an effort. We'll cover these more briefly, but you can expect winter cycling to toughen you up and perhaps improve your ability. You can't just keep wearing the same cycling shorts, though ? that's obvious enough. Especially if you live in an area

17th November 2016. For many millions of people around the world, chronic pain is an unfortunate part of daily life. The source of that pain is often as diverse as the individuals themselves. This diversity makes treatment difficult; it can take time and considerable effort to find an acceptable treatment for chronic pain. Not only does the pain create challenges for individuals in their lives, but it also often has an adverse effect on physical fitness. The side effects of pain medication often make for difficulties of their own as well. However, exercise and swimming in particular, can have a positive impact on easing one's chronic pain. At first, it might seem counter to common sense, especially if your chronic pain is back-related. Won't exercise just exacerbate the painful effects you feel now? The reality is a little different, though. From helping to break bad habits to its low impact characteristics, swimming can absolutely play a role in reducing your chronic pain. While

14th November 2016. When you hear the words "'80s fitness," what kind of image jumps immediately to the front of your mind? Chances are its big hair, sweatbands, leotards, and energetic music. All that equals one thing: step aerobics. Once among the greatest fads in exercise, step aerobics faded from view considerably with the exercise machine craze of the 90s. However, in recent years, several exercise and fitness routines which are spiritually similar to aerobics experienced a boom in popularity. One needs only to take a look at the increase in Zumba instructors to see that people love to have fun while they get active and fit! The time is right for step aerobics to enter the spotlight once more. In fact, step classes are more common than ever, with many people attending weekly just like in the 80s. 2017 is poised to be the year aerobics makes its comeback ? but why? From the popularity of those aforementioned dance exercises to the many benefits step offers its practitioners,

10th November 2016. When you strap on your helmet, lace up your shoes, and pedal out on your bike, do you ever find yourself feeling a bit lonely? Sure, exercise and fitness aren't all about being social. However, sticking to the same routine over and over can turn into monotony. That's the enemy of an intense exercise routine. As soon as you start to feel bored, you might begin to skip important activities. On your bike rides, you've probably seen plenty of people running with their dogs. Perhaps you've even seen some other cyclists pedal past you with their dogs running beside them. Have you thought about whether you should take your dog out with you when you cycle? It can be a good way to have more fun while you exercise, and of course, it has benefits for man's best friend, too. However, before you leash up your animal companion and head out, there are some things to consider. As with any change to your routine, there are pros and cons to each side of the equation. Before you

7th November 2016. When you climb into your car and turn the key in the ignition slot, what happens? A spark ignites the fuel and starts a powerful chain reaction that sustains the engine and allows you to move forward. As long as you have petrol in the tank, you'll have the ability to move. When the wrong kind of liquid gets into the fuel tank ? like water ? your performance can suffer, and the engine might seize altogether. OK, but what's the point of the car metaphor? The fact is, your body is a lot like the internal combustion engine ? it needs an immense amount of the right energy to function at peak performance. Never is that fact more relevant than when you're exercising and pursuing physical fitness. We hear the phrase "diet and exercise" all of the time, but seldom do we focus in on how important a role food plays in successful exercise. Your diet can have a significant impact on developing and maintaining your performance. It's possible to get very precise about your nutrient

3rd November 2016. For hundreds of millions of people around the world, one thing and one thing only comes to mind when they hear the word "football." That thing is a wide, green pitch and two teams of players skilled with their feet, passing and striking a ball back and forth in attempts to score goals. However, for Americans, it means something quite different! American football, the game played on the gridiron with an oblong ball, is nothing like "soccer," but that hasn't stopped it from gaining popularity and viewership worldwide. For example, more than 13 million people in the United Kingdom are fans of the game, and there's even a league in China for the game.

For those who aren't yet fans, the high-impact, high-velocity nature of the sport can be quite intriguing. Before you tune in to watch your first game, though, you might want to have a better

1st November 2016.For a game so seemingly simple, darts defines the adage "easy to learn, difficult to master." Although throwing small, pointed objects at a board for points might not seem hard at first, it quickly reveals itself to be a game of both finesse and strategy. Whether it's scoring strategically to defeat your opponent or concentrating hard on nailing the bullseye, darts presents many different challenges. At the same time, it's often an excellent opportunity to relax and have fun with friends in a social atmosphere. Perhaps you keep a dart board at home, or maybe you're just interested in picking up the game. Either way, you won't find the best experience anywhere but in a darts club. Local clubs for dart players can be found in many kinds of establishments, although the local pub is usually a good place to begin your search. Aside from having a regular place to play the game, why join a club at all? Instead of just having friends around once every week or two for a