Archive for May, 2011

Running Indoors has its advantages

Treadmills have many advantages over real running and walking. Sure, you don’t get to go outdoors in the nature, but you can also avoid bad weather and all the other hazards that come with going out of your house, such as cars and passers-by. It’s much more relaxing to not have to keep your mind and one eye on the potential problems, and just concentrate on your running.

Apart from that, though, there are many more serious benefits. The ground remains at the same level for the whole run, which avoids you having to constantly adjust the way you’re running – you can build up a pace and then keep going. Also, the run is always at the speed you’re most comfortable with, and you can change it whenever you like. If you do want to run uphill, though, you can simulate that too, by adjusting the gradient of the machine.

Another advantage is in all the statistics you can collect about your running: because the machine is setting the pace of the run, it can calculate all sorts of things automatically, such as the amount of energy (calories) you have burned. You can also hook yourself to various monitors – heart rate monitors, breathing monitors, and so on – to check all the different aspects of your health when you run.
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Is black belt next? Asked the street kid tying his new yellow belt…

I managed to keep a straight face while replying, No, there are a few colors in between. The naiveté amused me. Yet in fairness, this group of 25 newly-minted yellow belts had been promoted in record time—just six weeks. It had been a special summer program for kids just out of juvenile hall, or expelled from district schools. An experiment.

So, I could see how they might think the whole process would be collapsed. On the other hand, I’d worked them two solid hours a day, four days a week, hour-for-hour at least the equivalent of a traditional program’s three one-hour classes a week for 3-6 months. There was no gimme to it. This kid had conveniently forgotten all the hard work they’d done, although some of the kids around him—still sore, stiff, and blistered—burst into laughter at his question.

Yet I sensed a dark side to this mirthful moment as we stood in the afterglow of our hard-won achievement. Sure, on the surface this student’s comment appeared to be merely a neophyte’s inexperience. But 16 years of working with street-savvy kids kept me from dismissing the pall which had fallen. What was it?
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How can I become a wild boar hunter?

Ever since very distant times, people have hunted boars for both need and pleasure, but the custom has remarkably kept its meanings and quintessence all the way through. Although today hunting is done very differently compared to the times when it was firstly practices, in Persia, people hunting hogs are just as enthusiastic about it. If anyone decides to give this hunting variety a shot, then he should know that the risks of unpleasant incidents are higher than in the case of other hunting types, but also that the satisfaction could make the risks seem far too unimportant to make a difference.

A clear rule must be set from the very beginning: never will you approach a boar in a way that will put your safety into peril. To emphasize this, you should know that hogs tend to become aggressive when threatened, especially when their cubs (or piglets) are around, although they are quite tranquil in general. These creatures are well-known for their fighting spirit, being fierce and fearless when confronting an enemy. Therefore, avoid becoming that enemy by setting an appropriate distance between you and the boar, or try to establish a cover spot far from a certain trail that boars frequent. This implies, studying their routes, either by making notes as you watch their habits for a reasonable period of time or by asking landowners and locals about this.

In fact, preparation plays a big part in the hunting game, perhaps the most important one of them all. Knowing the places where boars come often, either to feed, play or mate is vital to any hunting experience. This can be easily overcome by having a more experienced boar hunter lead you to the best places in the area. For a beginner hunter, every little part of the forest is much the same, with no particularities, but a skilled hunter can easily predict the boars’ routines just by glancing at the most apparently unimportant signs. Foot signs are a clue to whether a wild boar has been in a specific place recently or the signs are older. Also, remember that boars usually frequent places easy to get to, away from any bedding areas and, if possible, right next to trails and flounders; routine is a particularity of their moving habits, so if you find a good place to lay your bait don’t move, because chances are another boar will come shortly.
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A Golf Fitness Coach Equals Great Golf

Golf fitness coach. Have you ever considered one…and if so, what exactly were you looking for? There are many ‘general fitness’ trainers trying to get a piece of the golf fitness and training market that seems to be rapidly gaining exposure both on the television and in print thanks to Tiger, Vijay and Annika.

But the first thing you need to consider when looking into hiring a golf fitness coach or program is the trainers experience in golf.

Yes…that is high on the list of requirements. Does he/she know golf? Do they know the biomechanics of the golf swing? How about muscle function during the golf swing?

An easy test is during the initial interview or if you’re researching it online is to either ask very golf specific swing technique questions; or take a look at the information on the website. You’ll find out real quick if this person or program can help your golf swing, game and health.

A golf fitness coach or program should incorporate strength, flexibility, endurance, body awareness, balance, stability and even a nutrition component.

It’s easy for a trainer to have a strength component…but is it specific to golf? A quick test. Take a look at some of the exercises. Are any of them on seated machines for instance? If they are…run! This is NOT a golf fitness coach and/or program. This is considered ‘general fitness’.
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