Page 4 - Tracey Brooks

Cycling for fitness is necessarily different than cyclingas training for a race or another pursuit. A racer's approach is often very hardcore, with multiple days of hard riding every week and a lifestyle focused aroundthe bike. For those of us who hop on to lose calories and develop our bodies more generally, we don't need to take the same strict, high-levelapproach as these athletes. However, that doesn't mean we can't learn plenty about how to improve our workouts by observing and considering what racers do to improve. One of the things you'll often hear moreseriouscyclists talk (and complain) about is the hill repeat: going back up and down a hill repeatedly.

If you dread tackling hills during your ride and try to avoid them, the first thing you might ask is "Why?" It sounds awful, and in truth,it can definitelybe a challengingand demanding exercise. However, athletes wouldn't work it into their routine if there were no benefits to be gained from

For more than a few runners, the marathon is their highest goal — the most challenging task they want to be able to achieve at least once in their running "career." For others, it's a type of hobby: they structure their entire year around marathon training, hoping to make it into a few races here and there. Whatever your reason for deciding to run the fabled 26.2 miles, there is a wealth of opportunity worldwide to take part in some truly incredible running experiences. Marathon organiserslong ago learned that it wasn't enough to simply stake out a course of the appropriate length and send runners off at the starting line. To keep people engaged and motivated, you need something special along the way.

Today, thousands of marathons occur all around the world every year, and many of them boast of scenic landscapes, unique events before and after the race, and a very friendly atmosphere. Are you thinking about taking a journey to participate in a marathon? Picking out a special

Few sports, save for the more recently developed MMA and UFC leagues, offer the same level of thrill and tension for spectators as boxing. From the moment the first bell rings to signal the start of the match to the last round, boxing is all about technical skill, power, and stamina. Everything from the way a boxer moves his or her feet tothe way they defend and throw punches requires carefulpractice and endless hours of conditioning at the gym. It's a tough sport, no doubt, but one that appeals to individuals who love a personal challenge and want to put their skills to the test in a big way.

Everyone must start somewhere, though, and this raises a question that more and more parents ask every year: is boxing appropriate for my child? It's entirelydifferent from basketball, football, and even the heavycontact of a sport such as rugby, and youth boxing leagues aren't as widespread as they once were. There's a reason for that: the evidence on whether children

For the uninitiated, rugby and American football can look remarkably similar to one another. Yes, some differences are immediately apparent — rugby is much more often a "free for all" compared to the rigidly structured plays one finds in the National Football League in the USA. That said, the similarities aren't a coincidence: both sports share a common ancestor, a sport developed by the British in the 1800s. Over time, the two games diverged, the modern rulesets emerged, and both pursuits developed their own passionate and dedicated fan bases. Today, rugby remains far less popular in North America than in other nations around the world, and American football is largely just that: American.

Even so, there are plenty of intriguing similarities to note between the games alongside their differences. Are you curious about how the mechanics of the two games compare? From the size of the playing field to the way scoring works and

For parents everywhere, raising healthy children is a primary concern. How do you create an environment in which they can truly thrive and grow up to be healthy and fit? It starts by fostering an atmosphere where exercise isn't seen as something to dread or to avoid, but as something to embrace and enjoy as a fun part of living. Relying on physical education classes in school or local sports to fill in the gaps isn't always the best option, though. In fact, one of the best ways to encourage your children to keep exercising is to get involved with it yourself! If you lead by example, you may find it's much easier to motivate kids to stay active.

That’s the reasoning at work behind one of the growing fitness trends becoming apparent in 2018 — the rise of family fitness classes. Group exercise itself is nothing new, of course, but this unique spin on the concept is more about bringing whole families together to explore opportunities to exercise. Not only is it a great way to build

Preparing to exercise is, in many ways, just as important as the exercise itself. That means eating the right foods at the right times, hydrating your body properly, and getting enough sleep — and that's just to make a start. Preparations go beyond physically making your body ready, though. What about what you need to accomplish your fitness goals? For the weightlifter or the cardio master, it's all about what goes into the gym bag each day. If you prefer the pool, the same concerns remain: what will you pack in your bag to bring with you?

If you haven't given it much thought before, chances are you've arrived at the pool more than once to find you'd forgotten something essential. By stopping to think about what you need to bring in advance and developing a routine around packing your bag, you can ensure you're always ready to face whatever challenges await you in and out of the water. With that said, everyone's kit bag for the pool will be different in some ways. Generally speaking,

Take a moment to imagine this scenario which is unfortunately all too common around the world. You ride your bike to run an errand, say to grab some groceries to make dinner that evening, and when you arrive, you park your bike outside. You may even take the extra step of using a lock to secure your bike to a post or other object. When you return from your errand, you step outside and realise with horror that your bike isn't where you left it — it's been stolen. While no one wants to contend with the consequences of a bicycle theft, it happens with alarming frequency.

No bike lock is perfect, but using a weak lock (or worse, none at all) is just asking for unscrupulous individuals to ride off with your prized possession. With the right choice, you can afford your bicycle more security while creating more peace of mind for yourself at the same time. However, there are tonnes of different locks out there on the market, and no shortage of conflicting information on which one is the

The marathon is the gold standard of endurance tests for runners. Individuals who can set out at the starting line and make it to the finish line 42 kilometres later, no matter how long it takes, have achieved something great. It's tough to train straight up to the marathon level, though, and the gruelling test it poses isn't for everyone. The half-marathon, instead, is the better choice: it offers a more manageable distance while still posing a substantial challenge.

All around the world, thousands of half-marathons take place every year. Which ones stand out from the crowd as something truly spectacular or unique? Let's spin the globe and take a closer look at ten of the biggest, best half-marathons you'll find worldwide.

1. Chase away winter blues with the Bermuda Half-Marathon

One of the very first major events of the year, the Bermuda Half-Marathon allows runners to escape the winter weather and head to a place where tropical warmth dominates

When you want to develop your fitness, exercise is the only way to do it, but how you do it is up to you. Ask around, though, and what's the top advice you're likely to hear from everyone? "Go to the gym!" It's the default place people think of when the topic of personal fitness comes up in conversation. It's true, too, that the gym provides many exceptional opportunities, plus access to expensive equipment you aren't likely to have space or funds to bring home with you. So, you've signed up for a gym membership, and perhaps you've even paid the weight room a few visits already. You're all set, right? Pump the brakes — you could be in the middle of committing some common beginner's errors.

From forgetting to respect your fellow gym-goers to using the incorrect form on an exercise machine, these mistakes range from a simple faux pas to a severe problem that could cause you an injury. For that reason, you should take the time to familiarise yourself with conventional gym norms, alongside

The many people who learned how to swim as a child probably don't think of themselves as "beginners," but when you decide to get in the pool for some serious fitness, it's a fact everyone must accept. Swimming is more than just staying afloat or getting from one end of the pool to the other. Pursuing it seriously, either to improve your health or because you want to compete on some level, means acknowledging the more technical aspects of the sport. Michael Phelps didn't win the most gold medals in history by just "winging it," after all. It took years of hard work and training!

Just like with any other sport, be it running, cycling, or some other type of fitness activity, it's easy to make mistakes when you're just beginning. Sometimes, these mistakes can become the unfortunate foundation for bad habits that plague your exercise efforts for some time to come. Other times, they could push you towards quitting the sport or even risking an injury. To help you skirt around these pitfalls