Monthly Archives: March 2017

30th March 2017.For runners, nothing is as fundamental to success and comfort as the right running shoe. Regular shoes just don't provide the type of robust support necessary for the foot during running. Prolonged use of shoes that don't cushion the foot from the repeated and rapid impacts of running can eventually lead to the development of injuries. Naturally, you want to stay as comfortable as possible while out on your daily run; preventing an injury is just one part of the equation. When you feel relaxed, and foot discomfort isn?t a distraction, you can power through more miles. How many pairs of running shoes should you have, though? When you initially find a pair that fits perfectly and delivers an excellent running experience, the natural inclination is to stick with that pair till they fall apart. Is that the best method, though? You may have heard some runners advocate using multiple pairs and rotating through them. In this article, we'll put running shoes under the microscope

27th March 2017.When you were first learning how to swim, which stroke formed the foundation for your education? If your experience was similar to the one most people have, you learned the breaststroke first. With it's easy to understand movements and ample opportunity for breathing, it's an excellent introduction to the world of swimming. However, the breaststroke also epitomises the phrase "easy to learn, difficult to master." Watching Olympic swimmers compete in the breaststroke highlights what a technical stroke the manoeuvre is in reality. Without the right form, it can be tough to gain or maintain speed. Are you satisfied with the current state of your breaststroke? Even if you are, there's always room for improvement. For those who feel like this is one of their weaker strokes, there are plenty of ways to focus on improving. Today we'll take an in-depth look at the breaststroke, its component elements, and how to effectively adapt your form to achieve faster times. We'll also

23rd March 2017. Have you ever seen someone running at full speed towards a wall, only to climb straight up and over to continue as though it wasn't an obstacle at all? Even if you've never seen such a feat in person, you've probably seen parkour, also known as free running, in media. It?s a popular modern method of crafting a compelling chase scene, as seen in the opening sequence of the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale. For a free runner, it seems, there are no obstacles, only tools to use in moving forward, upward, or side to side even faster than before. Could you pick up this sport? As a matter of fact, yes ? that's entirely possible. There are plenty of amateur free runners practising in cities and towns all over the world. Should you, though? What kind of an impact would it have on your physical fitness? Today we'll delve into the answers to these questions and more. With its highly athletic requirements, it's clear on the surface that one needs to be quite fit

20th March 2017. When the spring weather is at its peak, and the conditions outside are perfect, you have the perfect motivation to find ways to spend as much time outdoors as possible. The whole family should want to seize the opportunity to enjoy the weather and some physical activity too. What about bicycling? While cycling together can be fun, your local area may not have many interesting routes to use. Traffic and other safety issues also come into play. What if you could enjoy the vigorous physical exercise of cycling in a vastly more attractive setting? You and other members of your family can do just that with the exciting sport of mountain biking. Not just a way to change the scenery and reignite your interest in bicycles, it's a thrilling activity, too. Have you ever watched a video of a pro biker tackling a tough course? They can make even the biggest drops look easy to handle. Though you won't need to "catch air" in such an extreme way with your family, even basic trails

16th March 2017.There's no denying that playing sports are some of the most effective ways of improving your personal fitness and physique. One look at just about any professional athlete is all it takes to see the excellent shape in which they keep their bodies. Though not everyone can play on that kind of level, it doesn't mean that all other individuals can't access the health benefits of athleticism. However, choosing the sport that you play for fitness isn't always easy. Do you choose to go for something standard and classic, like soccer, or does something else catch your interest? Perhaps the fast-paced game of badminton, with its shuttlecocks and small racquets, is the game you'd like to play. Is badminton a good fitness activity? It requires lots of speed and agility which is often the result of intensive training. Thus, there are plenty of good reasons to try it out for fitness purposes. Both the game itself and the preparations you'll need to make can help improve your

13th March 2017.Is there a clearer expression of the human body's incredible abilities than watching young athletes in their prime compete for the top spots in their respective sports? When our bodies are young, many of us turn to sports to exercise, have fun, and connect with our peers. Why should sport remain the domain of the young solely, though? As we get older, many of the rigorous sporting tasks we tackled with ease in our youth have become more difficult. Without the competitive aspect and the drive to improve and be better, many people drift away from sports as they age. That might even lead to an abandonment of regular exercise altogether. It doesn't have to be that way, though, and indeed it shouldn't ? after all, exercise is important throughout our lifetimes. While age can slow us down, it shouldn't knock us out of the game entirely. That idea is the driving force between a game that's growing in popularity in many places: walking football. At its most basic, it's a

9th March 2017. Every swimmer knows that while grasping the basics of the pool is easy, mastering the more technical ways to move through the water is difficult. There's a reason Olympic swimmers spend many hours a week in the pool, after all; there's a lot to practice to compete on a global level. For swimmers who hop in the water for their health or as part of a smaller competitive scene, though, the same need to develop exists ? albeit on a smaller scale. Improving your swimming strokes will not only enable you to exercise more efficiently, but it will also make the entire activity more enjoyable as well. Today let's focus in on one of the more technically challenging moves: the backstroke. The freestyle and the breaststroke take practice to get the movements right, but at least you can see where you're going! With the backstroke, the entire process can take some adjustment before you feel comfortable. Many swimmers struggle to execute a technically proficient backstroke. In fact,

6th March 2017.Think back to when you were a child; what was one of your favourite activities to engage in outdoors? If you were like most children, the answer likely involves an outdoor playground or park with lots of brightly coloured equipment. These objects challenged your spatial reasoning and the ability to navigate them with your body. Not just an excellent way for children to exercise, playgrounds are just good plain old fun for all involved. As an adult, do you ever wish that you could recapture that feeling from your youth? Exercising can be a difficult slog, and much of the gym equipment we see isn't very visually inspiring. Soon, though, you might be able to head outside into your local community for a playground-like experience perfect for adults. More and more municipalities are now looking to install "outdoor gyms." At first, it might sound counter-intuitive ? how could you put all of the equipment and objects in a gym outside? The reality is a little simpler than

2nd March 2017.For many runners, the solitude of their daily run is a chance to find some inner peace and focus on improving their abilities. However, over time, that isolation can become less of a solace and more of a stumbling block to success. Without some social component or a major goal to strive towards, it is all too easy for running to become monotonous and boring. That's a recipe for "burnout" and subsequently falling out of your routine. Even for runners whose skills are still at the beginner stage, this can be a major issue. So, what's a good solution for confronting this problem directly? Why not try the obvious solution, and enter a race? "I'm not ready for a race, though," you might say. That's not necessarily true; there are races available for runners across all skill levels. You may not even have to adjust your training regimen much to work up to competing in a 5k, for example. There are other, less strenuous options available as well. For the journeyman runner,