What Does Annika Know About Exercise That You Don’t?

Susan Hill

Think of your golf game. Visualize connecting with your drive and sinking your putt. Now think of exercise and how it relates to your golf game. Do you do a total body workout several times per week? Do you have a tailored fitness regimen that pays special attention to certain muscle groups? Do you even exercise at all?

Annika Sorenstam has an exercise plan which is adding value to her game as she rules the LPGA tour. There are three key elements to her exercise program that have produced successful results. Can you guess the three elements? They are commitment, discipline, and dedication.

Commitment: It is crucial to commit yourself to an exercise program. Committing yourself to an exercise program demonstrates that you believe the program will be beneficial. It is also a good idea to be accountable. Write your commitment and set of goals in a workout journal or notepad. Make the commitment a reality by following a specific course of action towards your intended goals for best results.

Discipline: Discipline involves sticking to the exercise plan. Don’t allow excuses to prevail. Once you have a specific golf fitness exercise plan, then follow it as it is laid out. If the plan calls for a specific core muscle exercise then do the core muscle exercise whether you prefer to do it or not. There are times when certain exercises are more preferential and beneficial in your exercise program. There are also specific times when stretching can be helpful to your game. Everyone has days when exercise is not at the top of their list of favorable activities. However, it is your discipline that will produce the consistency you are looking for in your game.

Dedication: Dedication comes into play when the going gets tough. You will no doubt have obstacles along the way such which prevent you from following even the most detailed plans of action. Remember though that the main difference between those who are successful and those who are not usually comes back to a golfer’s dedication with his or her golf exercise program regardless of the interference. Top fitness doesn’t happen over night. It is essential to stick with your fitness program even if the results are slow to surface.

Annika Sorenstam has taken commitment, discipline, and dedication to heart. The results have been displayed through her successful LPGA record. Become healthy, fit, and strong by making exercise a focal point of your golf game. A decrease in your handicap will prove that your commitment, discipline, and dedication to exercise were well worth it.

Susan Hill is a fitness trainer, CHEK golf biomechanic and sports nutrition specialist. She can be reached online through her innovative and advanced golf fitness site at www.fitnessforgolf.com.
Provided By: Recreation and Sports

Keywords: article, Articles, diabetes diet, Exercise and Health, Home gym, Physical Fitness, Weblog, Weblogs, weightlifting, yoga poses

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Exercise and Health Products information... visit our site at http://www.exercise-and-health.com/.

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Warm up properly, and reduce the risk of sports injury!

by Brad Walker

Warm Up Activities & Stretching Exercises

Warm up properly, and reduce the risk of sports injury!

The warm up activities are a crucial part of any exercise regime or sports training. The importance of a structured warm up routine should not be under estimated when it comes to the prevention of sports injury.

The Warm Up

An effective warm up has a number of very important key elements. These elements, or parts, should all be working together to minimize the likelihood of sports injury from physical activity.

Warming up prior to any physical activity does a number of beneficial things, but primarily its main purpose is to prepare the body and mind for more strenuous activity. One of the ways it achieves this is by helping to increase the body’s core temperature, while also increasing the body’s muscle temperature. By increasing muscle temperature you're helping to make the muscles loose, supple and pliable.

An effective warm up also has the effect of increasing both your heart rate and your respiratory rate. This increases blood flow, which in turn increases the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the working muscles. All this helps to prepare the muscles, tendons and joints for more strenuous activity.

Keeping in mind the aims or goals of an effective warm up, we can then go on to look at how the warm up should be structured.

Obviously, it's important to start with the easiest and most gentle activity first, building upon each part with more energetic activities, until the body is at a physical and mental peak. This is the state in which the body is most prepared for the physical activity to come, and where the likelihood of sports injury has been minimized as much as possible. So, how should you structure your warm up to achieve these goals?

There are four key elements, or parts, which should be included to ensure an effective and complete warm up. They are:

1. The general warm up;
2. Static stretching;
3. The sports specific warm up; and
4. Dynamic stretching.

All four parts are equally important and any one part should not be neglected or thought of as not necessary. All four elements work together to bring the body and mind to a physical peak, ensuring the athlete is prepared for the activity to come. This process will help ensure the athlete has a minimal risk of sports injury.

Lets have a look at each element individually.

1.) General warm up
The general warm up should consist of a light physical activity. Both the intensity and duration of the general warm up (or how hard and how long), should be governed by the fitness level of the participating athlete. Although a correct general warm up for the average person should take about five to ten minutes and result in a light sweat.

The aim of the general warm up is simply to elevate the heart rate and respiratory rate. This in turn increases the blood flow and helps with the transportation of oxygen and nutrients to the working muscles. This also helps to increase the muscle temperature, allowing for a more effective static stretch. Which bring us to part two.

2.) Static stretching
Static stretching is a very safe and effective form of basic stretching. There is a limited threat of injury and it is extremely beneficial for overall flexibility. During this part of the warm up, static stretching should include all the major muscle groups, and this entire part should last for about five to ten minutes.

Static stretching is performed by placing the body into a position whereby the muscle, or group of muscles to be stretched is under tension. Both the opposing muscle group (the muscles behind or in front of the stretched muscle), and the muscles to be stretched are relaxed. Then slowly and cautiously the body is moved to increase the tension of the muscle, or group of muscles to be stretched. At this point the position is held or maintained to allow the muscles and tendons to lengthen.

This second part of an effective warm up is extremely important, as it helps to lengthen both the muscles and tendons which in turn allows your limbs a greater range of movement. This is very important in the prevention of muscle and tendon injuries.

The above two elements form the basis, or foundation for a complete and effective warm up. It is extremely important that these two elements be completed properly before moving onto the next two elements. The proper completion of elements one and two, will now allow for the more specific and vigorous activities necessary for elements three and four.

3.) Sport specific warm up
With the first two parts of the warm up carried out thoroughly and correctly, it is now safe to move onto the third part of an effective warm up. In this part, the athlete is specifically preparing their body for the demands of their particular sport. During this part of the warm up, more vigorous activity should be employed. Activities should reflect the type of movements and actions which will be required during the sporting event.

4.) Dynamic stretching
Finally, a correct warm up should finish with a series of dynamic stretches. However, this form of stretching carries with it a high risk of injury if used incorrectly. It should really only be used under the supervision of a professional sports coach or trainer. Dynamic stretching is more for muscular conditioning than flexibility and is really only suited for professional, well trained, highly conditioned athletes. Dynamic stretching should only be used after a high level of general flexibility has been established.

Dynamic stretching involves a controlled, soft bounce or swinging motion to force a particular body part past its usual range of movement. The force of the bounce or swing is gradually increased but should never become radical or uncontrolled.

During this last part of an effective warm up it is also important to keep the dynamic stretches specific to the athletes particular sport. This is the final part of the warm up and should result in the athlete reaching a physical and mental peak. At this point the athlete is most prepared for the rigors of their sport or activity.

The above information forms the basis of a complete and effective warm up. However, I am well aware that this entire process is somewhat of an 'ideal' or 'perfect' warm up. I am also well aware that this is not always possible, or convenient in the real world. Therefore, the individual athlete must become responsible for assessing their own goals and adjusting their warm up accordingly.

For instance, the time you commit to your warm up should be relative to your level of involvement in your particular sport. So, for people just looking to increase their general level of health and fitness, a minimum of five to ten minutes would be enough. However, if you are involved in high level competitive sport you need to dedicate adequate time and effort to a complete warm up.

Article by Brad Walker. Brad is a leading stretching and sports injury consultant with over 15 years experience in the health and fitness industry. For more articles on the prevention & treatment of sports injury, subscribe to The Stretching & Sports Injury Newsletter by visiting www.thestretchinghandbook.com/.
Provided By: Recreation and Sports

Keywords: article, Articles, diabetes diet, Exercise and Health, Home gym, Physical Fitness, Weblog, Weblogs, weightlifting, yoga poses

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Exercise and Health Products information... visit our site at http://www.exercise-and-health.com/.

How Taking an HGH Supplement Changed My Life

by Brad Bahr

I finally bought the stuff. I couldn't resist anymore. After hearing all of the great things HGH supplements could do, I wanted to see if it was really true. I'd like to tell you about my experience with HGH. Hopefully this will make it a little easier for you to decide if it might be something you'd want to try for yourself. What I'm talking about here is non-prescription HGH releaser pills, not the injections you need a doctor to give you. That's only for people who have around $10,000 a year to blow.

Be careful though. I wasted a lot of money when I first got started by buying the wrong kinds of HGH supplements. I went through quite a few of them before I finally found one that worked.

I had two reasons for wanting to take an HGH supplement. I'd heard so much hype about it on the Internet and in the media that I wanted once and for all to see if this stuff really worked. Most importantly though, I was searching for something that would cure my continual tiredness. I was constantly tired. Maybe it was even what they call chronic fatigue syndrome. I'm not a doctor, so I can't be sure.

Before I started taking HGH I was so exhausted all of the time that I used to take a two hour nap every day after work. I'd go to bed tired and wake up tired. I never quite felt like a got a good night's sleep. My blood pressure was so high I had to take prescription drugs just to try to keep it out of the danger zone. I was putting on extra weight and was slowing down more and more each day. That just made me feel even more depressed.

I was a wreck. I felt old. I just didn't have any energy. I suppose the junk food I ate didn't help and I really didn't get much exercise either.

Every time my kids would ask me to take them to the park or on a bike ride, my answer was always the same. "Sorry kids, I'm just too tired".

Darn it, I was getting fed up with it. Why was I always so tired all the time. I went to the doctor but that didn't get me anywhere. I didn't want to keep letting my family down all the time either. I just wanted to feel good again and have the energy to spend quality time with my wife and kids. It just wasn't fair to them. Every time they wanted to do something or go somewhere I was always sleeping on the couch.

Well I got so sick of it, I got on the Internet and started searching for something that would make me feel good again. I ran up my credit card buying stuff like coral calcium, ginsing, vitamins, blue-green algae from Japan, you name it, I bought it.

To make a long story shorter, I still didn't feel any better. I was still tired and had no energy. Then I tried an HGH supplement. The first few I tried didn't really do too much except make my wallet lighter but the last one sure did. Wow, did that make a difference! The website said it might take a month or two to really start getting the benefits of the product. But after the first week I already started to feel better. I kept taking it and I kept feeling better. I've been on it for a while now and I feel great. I used to get the flu at least once or twice a year and suffered from severe head and chest colds. I haven't had either since I started taking HGH.

I just plain feel good again. Better mood, more positive outlook, I feel fitter, it even improved my concentration. In fact, I feel just like a kid again. My energy levels have gone through the roof since I started taking this HGH supplement. When I wake up I feel like I really got a great night's sleep. I jump out of bed in the morning, get the kids ready for school, put in a full day at work and then come home and take the kids on a bike ride or a walk to the park.

That, for me, is the biggest benefit of all. When my kids come up to me and say, "can we go for a bike ride Dad?", and I can say "Sure, let's go!". No more, "sorry kids, I'm just to tired".

Now, I haven't had to take my blood pressure pills for months. The last time I went to see my doctor my blood pressure was 118 over 74. It hasn't been that low in ages.

My wife and friends all thought it was a big joke when I bought my first bottle of HGH pills. They all reminded me of several pieces of exercise equipment I had purchased in the last few years that were gathering dust in the basement. Well, no ones laughing now. They all notice how much extra energy I have now. My weight has gone down and I'm feeling really fit. My kids are happy too. Now they have a dad who's not always sleeping on the couch.

My wife, who won't even take vitamins, even wanted to try it when she found out how young it made skin look. I'm a guy, so I wasn't really going for the young looking skin stuff, but oh well, If it makes the wife happy, it makes me happy too. A little side note: My buddy bought a bottle for his wife and she said how nice it made her face and skin look. Well, that's all it took. My wife just had to have it too. I hope she doesn't read this part :)

Final note: While I must admit, at first I was very skeptical about HGH supplements, I now take my HGH supplement every single day without fail. I'm going to stick with it. I've tried a lot of supplements that didn't do much for me until I found the one HGH supplement that really delivers what it promises. So now I recommend it to everyone I know. In fact, I had so many people asking about it that I created a website devoted to HGH facts and information. It worked for me and for everyone I've recommended it to.

I never get tired of seeing the expression on their face when they come back and say "Wow, that stuff you told me about really works!".

Brad Bahr is the author of many health related articles and websites. He has been testing and reviewing health supplements for many years. You can find out more about HGH at his website: http://www.hgh-facts.com

Keywords: article, Articles, diabetes diet, Exercise and Health, Home gym, Physical Fitness, Weblog, Weblogs, weightlifting, yoga poses

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Exercise and Health Products information... visit our site at http://www.exercise-and-health.com/.

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Exercising in Comfort

by Jennifer Marie Jordan

You don't have to be one of the three little pigs to be scared off by the huffing and puffing of exercise. The sweat, the pain, the way your heart feels as though it's about to burst through your chest, exercise is hard, and it can be intimidating. Because of this, exercise is easy to ignore, like the vicious dog with whom you refuse to make eye contact for fear that he'll attack.

However, exercise doesn't have to be this way. It doesn't need to be strenuous, and it certainly doesn't need to be scary to the point where no one wants to do it. There are several ways exercising can be done in an effective, but comfortable, manner.

Make it Tolerable

Sprinting uphill while wearing ten pound ankle weights does definitely count as exercise. But, it's a bit extreme and, unless you're training to win some sort of "ankle-weight sprinting marathon," your form of exercise should not be as strenuous.

Doing something as simple as walking moderately or riding a bike through a park can do wonders for your health and your body. Some studies even indicate that moderate, comfortable exercise is more beneficial to your heart than exercise that involves strain and vigor. Plus, exercising at a tolerable rate is much more appealing and easy to return to, making the gym or running track more than just a one time thing.

Have Something that Can Distract You

Exercise is often difficult because we make it difficult, focusing on every ache, every pain, and counting every second until we can finally get off of the blasted treadmill. However, when you have something to focus on besides the exercise, the time goes by much quicker and the routine itself becomes much more comfortable.

Some people set up exercise equipment around television screens, catching up on the Soap Opera they've Tivoed and becoming too consumed with Bo and Hope to worry about a leg cramp. Others listen to music or meditation tapes. Some people, working out on exercise bikes, even read. And others find time to kill two squawking birds with one sharp stone by talking to their in-laws on the telephone as they walk two miles to the market, gleefully agreeing to everything said.

Stay Cool

Sweating profusely may look cool in a Gatorade commercial, but in real life, it causes discomfort. Not only does it make your body work harder, but it makes you feel like skipping the elliptical and heading straight to the showers. Sometimes the sweats you are wearing are just too good at doing the very thing their name insinuates.

While exercising in the nude may seem like the obvious answer to the problem of heat, it might not make you more comfortable, particularly if you are in a crowded gym. Try instead wearing clothes designed to draw moisture away from the body, keeping you cool for the duration of your workout.

Try Yoga and Tai Chi

Exercise doesn't have to be practiced in a way that makes you pant, grunt, and long to hear the theme song from Rocky. There are many forms of exercise that allow you to gain muscle, burn fat, and improve overall health without parting with your beloved blood, sweat, and tears.

Yoga, the practice of exercising in a series of static or moving poses, and Tai Chi, a Chinese system of physical exercises designed for meditation and self-defense, are both great ways to exercise in a calm, collected manner. Often these practices allow you to receive the benefits of exercise, without having to exceed your maximum heart rate. And, because they are taken in classes, they also allow for the opportunity to make new friends, creating a circle of comfort in the process.

Exercise and Sleep

Garfield, the comic strip cat created by Jim Davis, always used to run around the block whenever he couldn't fall asleep. When he returned to his bed, he would dive in, and sleep soundly until morning. While exercising right before bedtime may actually keep you awake, Garfield still had the right idea.

Exercise, when done prior to late at night, can not only help you sleep, but help keep you asleep. Because it's a physical stressor, your body compensates by increasing deep sleep, causing you to sleep more easily and more soundly. In a nutshell, it makes you tired, and being tired makes you sleep.

Exercise also helps you sleep because it regulates body temperature, by elevating it and then cooling you down. This is similar to a Natural Latex Mattress, a type of mattress that breathes, keeping you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. And, because it conforms to your body, a Natural Latex Mattress can keep you from tossing and turning; thus saving all your energy for the next day's work out.

Jennifer Marie Jordan is a senior editor for www.foamsource.com. When she isn't sleeping on a FoamSource mattress, she concentrates on living as comfortably as possible.

Keywords: article, Articles, diabetes diet, Exercise and Health, Home gym, Physical Fitness, Weblog, Weblogs, weightlifting, yoga poses

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Exercise and Health Products information... visit our site at http://www.exercise-and-health.com/.

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Golf Training Uses Flexibility, Strength, And Power

by Susan Hill

When it comes to fitness training for your golf game which is most important: flexibility, strength, or power? Flexibility advocates stress the importance of being able to swing a club through a full range of motion completely uninhibited of physical restrictions. Strength training advocates claim that building muscle will enable you to hit your drive farther. Power training supporters assert that developing and utilizing power based exercises can benefit drives and fairway shots. Who should you believe? Does flexibility play a greater role in your golf game? Or should you make strength training the base of your exercise program?

The answer is that you should focus on all three aspects when training for golf. Exercises and stretches for each area can be personalized for any golfer. The key is to incorporate flexibility, strength, and power into your golf fitness program. By employing a variety of exercises and stretches you can train your body and your game through a well-rounded fitness regimen.

Flexibility, strength, and power are not isolated in nature when you hit the golf ball. With fitness training under your belt, these three areas work together to sail your drive towards the green. Each golfer has different needs when it comes to a fitness program. For example, do you have interrupted rhythm or a broken swing pattern? This is common and can be a result of hitting the shot with just your arms and not moving your hips. This fault can be fixed by exercises that use a medicine ball. Flexibility in your hips and strength in your core muscles need to be addressed.

There are exercises involving flexibility, strength, and power that can fix nearly every fault in your golf game. By focusing on fitness for golf, you can use exercises and stretches that can be done from your own home with or without fitness equipment and in a gym. Exercises and stretches need to target specific areas for improvement. Your golf game will profit from a fitness plan that is golf specific, but at the same time integrates flexibility, strength, and power.

Susan Hill is a nationally recognized fitness trainer, CHEK golf biomechanic and sports nutrition specialist. For more information on golf specific nutrition, exercises or stretches, visit www.fitnessforgolf.com.
Provided By: Recreation and Sports

Keywords: article, Articles, diabetes diet, Exercise and Health, Home gym, Physical Fitness, Weblog, Weblogs, weightlifting, yoga poses

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Exercise and Health Products information... visit our site at http://www.exercise-and-health.com/.

Back Stretcher : An Easy Way to Relieve Body Tension

by Saurabh Jain

The Back Stretcher is an easy to use arc that strengthens the muscles in one's upper and lower back. It is also an effective way to reduce tension and back compression. The arc, which is padded, uses our body weight to rectify common spinal disc compression or back pain that develops due to long periods of standing or sitting.

The Back Stretcher is scientifically designed to support, stretch and massage the lower back, neck and spine thus realigning the vertebra, relieving nerve pressure, increase blood circulation, improve flexibility and posture, and strengthen the muscles around our spine. It also enables our muscles to stretch without much strain.

The Back Stretcher comes with an instruction manual, which has details of several exercises that can be performed with the stretcher. The Back Stretcher is compact and can be effortlessly folded for easy storage. The arc comes with rolling balls that help in increasing our blood flow and relieve tension in the back and neck.

The use of Back Stretcher goes a long way in the prevention and treatment of back pain. The arc works in two ways: first, it releases muscle tension through massage and second, it improves our body posture through stretching. The Back Stretcher improves one's flexibility and fitness. The arc-shaped stretcher comes with a five-year warranty.

For more information on Back Pain please click http://www.backpain-resources-online.com

Saurabh Jain is the Executive Editor of Online Back pain resource, www.backpain-resources-online.com. He has developed this site to provide valuable information to people suffering from back pain. This site enumerates different causes and factors related to back pain, guides through the different back pain treatments and suggests exercises for treatments of different types of back pain. The site is a free online resource for back pain and its remedies. The visitors can also find valuable information and reviews about the different equipments and therapies for back pain relief. Visit www.backpain-resources-online.com for more information.

Keywords: article, Articles, diabetes diet, Exercise and Health, Home gym, Physical Fitness, Weblog, Weblogs, weightlifting, yoga poses

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Exercise and Health Products information... visit our site at http://www.exercise-and-health.com/.

Stretching - Why Should I?

by Brad Walker

STRETCHING, Why Should I?

This short article looks at some of the tips, tricks and helpful hints you can use to help prevent sports injury. It's been put together to answer some of the more common questions we get regarding stretching and sports injury, and details a number of useful sports injury prevention techniques. I hope it proves useful to you.

Overcoming & Preventing Sports Injury

If you’re involved in the health & fitness industry, whether it be participating in your favourite sport, coaching, training or just keeping fit, you'll know how annoying and debilitating a sports injury can be. In reality, when you have a sports injury you’re actually losing on two fronts. Firstly, you’re losing simply because your body has been hurt and now needs time and care to repair itself. And on top of this, you’re also losing the time you could have been putting into training and improving your sporting ability.

A sports injury is a bit like losing money. Not only do you lose whatever you were going to buy with that money, but you also have to work hard to make up the money you've lost. Take it from me, a sports injury is one of the most frustrating and debilitating occurrences that can happen to anyone who’s serious about their health, fitness, sport or exercise.

The Cold, Hard Facts

I recently read an article titled "Managing Sports Injuries" where the author estimated that over 27,000 American's sprain their ankle every day. (and, no, that's not a typo, EVERY DAY) On top of this, Sports Medicine Australia estimates that 1 in every 17 participants of sport and exercise are injured playing their favourite sport. This figure is even higher for contact sports like Football and Gridiron. However, the truly disturbing fact is that up to 50 percent of these injuries may have been prevented.

The Professionals Secret Weapon

While there are a number of basic preventative measures that will assist in the prevention of sports injury, there is one technique that has slowly been gaining in popularity. It’s still not used as often as it should be by the average sports participant, but with the professionals using it more and more, it’s only a matter of time before it starts to catch on. Before we dive into this little used technique for minimizing your likelihood of sports injury, lets take a quick look at some other techniques to help you prevent sports injury.

So, Where Do You Start?

Most people are coming to understand both the importance and the benefits of a good warm-up. A correct warm-up will help to raise body temperature, increase blood flow and promote oxygen supply to the muscles. It will also help to prepare the mind, body, muscles and joints for the physical activity to come. For a detailed explanation of how, why and when to perform your warm up, visit http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/warm-up.htm.

While warming-up is important, a good cool-down also plays a vital role in helping to prevent sports injury. How? A good cool-down will prevent blood from pooling in your limbs. It will also prevent waste products, such as lactic acid, building up in your muscles. Not only that, a good cool-down will help your muscles and tendons to relax and loosen, stopping them from becoming stiff and tight.

While preventative measures such as warming-up and cooling-down play a vital role in minimizing the likelihood of sports injury, other techniques such as obeying the rules, using protective equipment and plain common sense are all useful.

The One Technique to Cut Your Chance
of Injury by More Than Half

So what is this magic technique? Why is it such a secret? And how come you haven't heard of it before? Well chances are you have, and also, it’s not that secret and it’s definitely not magic. You've probably used this technique yourself at some point or at least seen others using it. But the real question is, how dedicated have you been to making this technique a consistent part of your athletic preparation?

What is it? STRETCHING. Yes, stretching. The simple technique of stretching can play an imperative role in helping you to prevent the occurrence of sports injury. Unfortunately stretching is one area of athletic preparation often neglected. Do not underestimate its benefits. Don't make the mistake of thinking that something as simple as stretching won't be effective. Stretching is a vital part of any exercise program and should be looked upon as being as important as any other part of your health and fitness.

In recent time the professionals have been getting more and more serious about stretching and ultimately, their flexibility. The coaches and trainers are just starting to realize how important flexible muscles are to helping prevent sports injury. Flexibility has often been neglected in the overall conditioning of modern athletes. It’s only now that its benefits are proving invaluable to all those serious about staying injury free.

How Does Stretching Prevent Injury?

One of the greatest benefits of stretching is that you’re able to increase the length of both your muscles and tendons. This leads to an increased range of movement, which means your limbs and joints can move further before an injury occurs. Lets take a look at a few examples.

If the muscles in your neck are tight and stiff this limits your ability to look behind or turn your head around. If for some reason your head is turned backwards, past its' normal range of movement, in a football scrum or tackle for example, this could result in a muscle tear or strain. You can help to prevent this from happening by increasing the flexibility, and the range of movement, of the muscles and tendons in your neck.

And what about the muscles in the back of your legs? The Hamstring muscles. These muscles are put under a huge strain when doing any sort of sport which involves running and especially for sports which require kicking. Short, tight hamstring muscles can spell disaster for many sports people. By ensuring these muscles are loose and flexible, you'll cut your chance of a hamstring injury dramatically. For further information about preventing and treating hamstring injuries, visit http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/hamstring-injury-treatment.htm.

How else can stretching help? While injuries can occur at any time, they are more likely to occur if the muscles are fatigued, tight and depleted of energy. Fatigued, tight muscles are also less capable of performing the skills required for your particular sport or activity. Stretching can help to prevent an injury by promoting recovery and decreasing soreness. Stretching ensures that your muscles and tendons are in good working order. The more conditioned your muscles and tendons are, the better they can handle the rigors of sport and exercise, and the less likely that they'll become injured.

So as you can see, there's more to stretching than most people think. Stretching is a simple and effective activity which will help you to enhance your athletic performance, decrease your likelihood of sports injury and minimise muscle soreness.

Article by Brad Walker. Brad is a leading stretching and sports injury consultant with over 15 years experience in the health and fitness industry. For more articles on the prevention & treatment of sports injury, subscribe to The Stretching & Sports Injury Newsletter by visiting www.thestretchinghandbook.com/.
Provided By: Recreation and Sports

Keywords: article, Articles, diabetes diet, Exercise and Health, Home gym, Physical Fitness, Weblog, Weblogs, weightlifting, yoga poses

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Exercise and Health Products information... visit our site at http://www.exercise-and-health.com/.

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Preparing Your Body For Golf While You Travel

by Susan Hill

We all know the temptations of traveling… grabbing a slice of pizza while running to your gate at the airport, an elaborate steak dinner with a client, and being so tired at day’s end that all you want to do is fall into bed. Traveling can often create havoc on regular exercise and golf conditioning. Fitness and good nutrition while on the road can help keep you on top of your game. With a bit of planning and creative strategy you can help keep your body ready to hit the golf course.

First thoughts about travel, exercise and maintaining good nutrition can be negative for many. Some will think, I don’t have the equipment I usually have, my meals will all be eating out or fast food. Instead of giving up on preparing your body for golf, consider ways to maintain a good portion of your normal fitness and health routine. You’ll be surprised at just how much you can accomplish. Here’s a few tips to help:

• As you plan your trip be sure to define your fitness goals while you travel. Keep them specific, measurable, realistic and timely. Consider the constraints you’ll have by your travel schedule and logistics.

• When booking your flights and hotel call ahead or check the internet to find details about exercise facilities. If no facility is available, plan alternate activities like an in-room workout.

• As you pack be sure to include workout gear as space allows.

• If your travel involves time-based appointment, schedule appointment with yourself for your workout. Treat this appointment just as you would any other meeting.

You’ll be surprised at just how much you can accomplish even in your hotel room. Stretches, and some exercises are easily performed as no equipment is necessary. With fitness awareness soaring, many hotels have first-rate fitness centers with a full variety of equipment and their own fitness staff. For most travelers, the best way to fit exercise into their day is by simply setting the alarm a bit earlier to accommodate time for conditioning. This helps to leave the remainder of the day free for your other scheduled activities.

While exercising regularly is important for your health and golf game, so is how you eat. It is so easy to get off course when you are not at home. Try to pack snacks for the trip and an extra water bottle. Travel can place stress on the body and zap you of your energy. Snack and meal replacement bars are handy for travelers with hectic schedules. While bars are no substitute for real food (i.e., fresh vegetables, fruit, and protein), they’re a certainly a step in the right direction from burgers and fries. As you choose your bars read the label to check calorie, fat, carbohydrate and protein content. All bars are not equal.

With a little planning and determination, continued conditioning during your travel can keep your body ready for the golf course.

Susan Hill is a nationally recognized fitness trainer, CHEK golf biomechanic and sports nutrition specialist. For more information on golf specific nutrition, exercises or stretches, visit www.fitnessforgolf.com.
Provided By: Recreation and Sports

Keywords: article, Articles, diabetes diet, Exercise and Health, Home gym, Physical Fitness, Weblog, Weblogs, weightlifting, yoga poses

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Exercise and Health Products information... visit our site at http://www.exercise-and-health.com/.

New girls champion to be crowned at Big Red

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STRETCHING - Scientifically, The latest scientific studies and research findings

by Brad Walker

STRETCHING - Scientifically

Without a doubt, the most common questions I'm asked is; "What's your view on the latest scientific studies and research findings in regards to stretching?"

The short answer is; "They all make for interesting reading, but I don't put a huge amount of confidence in them." Let me explain why.

Most of the studies I've reviewed attempt to determine the effects of stretching on injury prevention. This is a mistake in itself, and shows a lack of understanding as to how stretching is used as part of an injury prevention program.

Stretching, by itself, will not prevent injury. In fact, stretching can cause injury if certain precautions aren't taken.

Plus, it's not just a flexibility problem that can lead to injury. It could be a strength imbalance. It could be a stability or balance problem. It could be a proprioceptive imbalance. It could have to do with postural imbalances. It could have to do with physical imbalances like leg length differences. Or, it could simply be a matter of trying to do too much, too soon.

Stretching is just one very important component that assists in reducing the risk of injury. The best results are achieved when stretching is used in combination with other injury reduction techniques.

Stretching and its effect on physical performance and injury prevention is something that just can't be measured scientifically. The effects of stretching are very hard to measure and all the studies that I have seen are nothing more than anecdotal studies. Meaning the results achieved, or not achieved, are simply that persons perception of what has improved or not improved.

You see, stretching is not a science. It is near impossible to PROVE anything about stretching, scientifically. Sure you can measure the effect of stretching on flexibility with simple tests like the "Site and Reach test" but then to determine how that affects athletic performance or injury susceptibility is near impossible. The only way to do it would be with muscle biopsy's, which can be extremely painful and lead to muscle damage if done repeatedly.

I've seen so many people benefit from stretching and increased flexibility, that I'm absolutely positive it is beneficial. Most people involved in the "hands-on" side of coaching and sports training aren't worried by this type of study. It's mostly the academics that do the majority of there coaching from behind a desk, that are influenced by these studies.


So what can we say about the benefits of stretching...

Firstly
Upon undertaking a regular stretching program a number of changes occur within the body. Firstly, by placing particular parts of the body in certain positions, we are able to increase the length of muscles and tendons. As a result of this, a reduction in general muscle tension is achieved and our normal range of movement is increased.

By increasing our range of movement we are increasing the distance our limbs can move before damage occurs to the muscles and tendons. For example, the muscles and tendons in the back of our legs are put under great strain when kicking a football. Therefore, the more flexible and pliable those muscles are, the further our leg can travel forward before a strain or injury occurs to them.

The benefits of an extended range of movement includes: increased comfort; a greater ability to move freely; and a lessening of our susceptibility to muscle and tendon strain injuries.

Secondly
There is a dangerous stretching myth that says, 'if you stretch too much you will lose both joint stability and muscle power. This is totally untrue. By increasing our muscle and tendon length we are increasing the distance over which our muscles are able to contract. This results in a potential increase to our muscles' power and therefore increases our athletic ability, while also leading to an improvement in dynamic balance, or the ability to control our muscles.

Thirdly
We have all experienced what happens when you go for a run or to the gym for the first time in a few months. The following day our muscles are tight, sore, stiff and it's usually hard to even walk down a flight of stairs. This soreness that usually accompanies strenuous physical activity is often referred to as post exercise muscle soreness. This soreness is the result of micro tears, (minute tears within the muscle fibres), blood pooling and accumulated waste products, such as lactic acid. Stretching, as part of an effective cool-down, helps to alleviate this soreness by lengthening the individual muscle fibres, increasing blood circulation and removing waste products.

Fourthly
Fatigue is a major problem for everyone, especially those who exercise. It results in a decrease in both physical and mental performance. Increased flexibility through stretching can help prevent the effects of fatigue by taking pressure off the working muscles. For every muscle in the body has an opposite or opposing muscle and if the opposing muscles are more flexible, the working muscles do not have to exert as much force against the opposing muscles. Therefore each movement of the working muscles actually takes less effort.

And finally
Any person who experiences the benefits of stretching is certainly more likely to feel good about themselves. This leads to a confidence and assuredness, which helps to enhance physical performance and motivate the individual to participate in exercise.

Article by Brad Walker. Brad is a leading stretching and sports injury consultant with over 15 years experience in the health and fitness industry. For more articles on the prevention & treatment of sports injury, subscribe to The Stretching & Sports Injury Newsletter by visiting www.thestretchinghandbook.com/.
Provided By: Recreation and Sports

Keywords: article, Articles, diabetes diet, Exercise and Health, Home gym, Physical Fitness, Weblog, Weblogs, weightlifting, yoga poses

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Exercise and Health Products information... visit our site at http://www.exercise-and-health.com/.

Myths, Mistakes And Misconceptions About Exercise

by Robert Michael

Misconceptions, mistakes and myths about exercise can cause a lot of people to avoid exercise. The following are some tips to clear up any confusion and improve your work out routine. Don’t let these misconceptions prevent you from getting the exercise you want and need.

Mistake: Failure to make goals. Many exercise without a goal of where they want to be. How can you track your progress if you don’t have a goal? For example, if your goal is weight loss then by tracking your progress you will be more motivated to continue exercising.

Misconception: No Pain equals No Gain. This is not true. While exercise will result in soreness, pain is your body telling you that something is not right. Listen to your body. Start slow and work your way up to more advanced and intense exercise. Exercise correctly and enjoy the benefits for the rest of your life.

Pain and soreness is normal following exercise. If you are sore give your body time to heal before you exercise again. If you work out while you are in pain you could cause permanent damage to your muscle, tendons, and ligaments. Secondly, if you are constantly in pain you will most likely not want to exercise and your new work out program will be finished.

Mistake: Sacrificing Quality for Quantity: Over exhaustion can lead to poor form and performing an exercise incorrectly can inhibit results and lead to injury. In order to increase intensity and push yourself further safely try increasing the number of sets you do instead of increasing the number of repetitions per set. If needed decrease the number of repetitions per set in order to do more sets. This type of exercise can help develop your fast twitch muscle fibers.

Myth: Lifting Weights make Woman Bulky: Woman can use weight training to strengthen and tone up, burn fat and increase their metabolism without getting huge muscles. Woman do not have the hormones to grow large muscles like men do. The results of weight training also depend a lot on how weights are used. For example, using progressively heavier weight while decreasing repetitions is conducive to muscle growth while lower weight for more reps tones and burns fat.

Mistake: Doing Only what you are Good At: Work on your weaker areas initially while maintaining your strong points. If you have a strong upper body then focus on your lower body until you are more balanced.

Exercise is great for health and for life but do it wisely so you can continue to exercise for a long time.

Robert Michael is a writer for Walk Exercise which is an excellent place to find exercise links, resources and articles. For more information go to: http://www.walkexercise.com.

Keywords: article, Articles, diabetes diet, Exercise and Health, Home gym, Physical Fitness, Weblog, Weblogs, weightlifting, yoga poses

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Exercise and Health Products information... visit our site at http://www.exercise-and-health.com/.

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Golf Exercises - Improving Fitness for Power and Consistency

by Susan Hill

Perhaps one of the biggest changes in the golf world today is the increased emphasis on fitness for golf. Tour professionals and amateurs alike are practicing regular fitness routines specifically targeted for golf. The results are more powerful and stable golf swings. Needless to say, the scores are going lower.

The golf swing is a very complex movement, requiring much from the body. Only if the body is flexible and strengthened, can one expect consistent and powerful golf swings. Mo matter what your current physical condition or your handicap, your golf game can benefit by regular exercise targeted with the golf swing in mind.

Top touring pros all use functional exercises which mimic the actual demands of the golf swing. The goal of functional training will be to challenge the body’s neurological system even further by steadily increasing our demands. You’ll find exercises in several planes of motion and incorporate stable and unstable environments.

It’s important to regularly perform an assessment of your current fitness levels. By identifying weaknesses and strengths, you won’t waste valuable workout time. This will allow you to place the emphasis on those movements which will provide you with the greatest opportunity for improvement. Sometimes it seems hard to concentrate on areas of weakness, as it is much easier to perform the exercises where we already have proficiency. The quality of your overall fitness and the improvement in your golf game hinge on how committed you are to working on your weak areas.

Flexibility, stability and power are all improved by exercising for golf. As you begin to develop a regular golf exercise regimen, be sure to concentrate on functional exercise for golf. These exercises include a combination of movements designed to both strengthen the muscles as well as improve neuromuscular coordination. Therefore, when you take your golf swing, the body’s already been conditioned to perform in a similar manner. Strength training and stretching exercises will go the distance to improve your game.

Susan Hill is a nationally recognized fitness trainer, CHEK golf biomechanic and sports nutrition specialist. For more information on golf specific nutrition, exercises or stretches, visit www.fitnessforgolf.com.
Provided By: Recreation and Sports

Keywords: article, Articles, diabetes diet, Exercise and Health, Home gym, Physical Fitness, Weblog, Weblogs, weightlifting, yoga poses

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Exercise and Health Products information... visit our site at http://www.exercise-and-health.com/.

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Back Pain On Lower Right Side: Easily Curable

by Saurabh Jain

Back pain on lower right side is quite a common phenomenon and can be cured in six weeks or less, but only if the exact cause is found and eliminated. Most of the doctors aim to treat the back pain without trying to find out the exact cause of that pain.

In majority of the cases back pain on lower right side is the result of a poor posture, an injury in the back, muscle imbalances, improper lifting or bending or extra body weight. Poor posture is the most common cause of back pain on lower right side. An appropriate posture lends stability and strength to the spine. A large number of people can alleviate their back pain by taking efforts to improve their posture.

An injury can often result in back pain on lower right side. Although we can take steps to avoid any form of injury, it may still happen. Back pain resulting from any kind of injury can generally be rectified or its intensity can be reduced by undertaking proper stretching exercises. It is important that we take proper steps to keep the muscles in our body in a proper balance. An imbalance in our muscles can often lead to back pain on lower right side. Proper exercise is essential to maintain the balance amongst the various muscles in our body.

Improper lifting refers to an incorrect way to lift the things from the floor or anywhere and generally results in back pain on lower right side. It is essential that one follows the correct way to lift things. One should bend from the knees and not from the waist to pick up things from the floor, irrespective of the weight of the thing to be lifted. Back pain on the lower right side can also occur when a person tries to lift excessive weight. Obese people also tend to suffer from back pain. The solution thus lies in shedding the extra weight on your body.

Saurabh Jain is the Executive Editor of Online Back pain resource, www.backpain-resources-online.com. He has developed this site to provide valuable information to people suffering from back pain. This site enumerates different causes and factors related to back pain, guides through the different back pain treatments and suggests exercises for treatments of different types of back pain. The site is a free online resource for back pain and its remedies. The visitors can also find valuable information and reviews about the different equipments and therapies for back pain relief. Visit www.backpain-resources-online.com for more information.

Keywords: article, Articles, diabetes diet, Exercise and Health, Home gym, Physical Fitness, Weblog, Weblogs, weightlifting, yoga poses

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Exercise and Health Products information... visit our site at http://www.exercise-and-health.com/.

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Cool Down properly for Faster Recovery & Avoid Injury!

by Brad Walker

Cool Down

Recover Faster & Avoid Injury!

A few months ago, you may remember an issue of The Stretching & Sports Injury Newsletter titled, "Warm Up Activities & Stretching Exercises." If you missed it, or would like to review it again, you can do so by visiting http://www.thestrechinghandbook.com/archives/warm-up.htm. That article covered the warm up in quite some detail, so I thought it was about time we had a look at the other end of your work out, the Cool Down.

Many people dismiss the cool down as a waste of time, or simply unimportant. In reality the cool down is just as important as the warm up, and if you want to stay injury free, it's vital.

Although the warm up and cool down are just as important as each other, they are important for different reasons. While the main purpose of warming up is to prepare the body and mind for strenuous activity, cooling down plays a different role.

Why Cool Down?

The main aim of the cool down is to promote recovery and return the body to a pre exercise, or pre work out level. During a strenuous work out your body goes through a number of stressful processes. Muscle fibres, tendons and ligaments get damaged, and waste products build up within your body.

The cool down, performed properly, will assist your body in its repair process. One area the cool down will help with, is "post exercise muscle soreness." This is the soreness that is usually experienced the day after a tough work out. Most people experience this after having a lay-off from exercise, or at the beginning of their sports season. I remember running a half marathon with very little preparation, and finding it difficult to walk down steps the next day because my quadriceps were so sore. That discomfort is "post exercise muscle soreness."

This soreness is caused by a number of things. Firstly, during exercise, tiny tears called micro tears develop within the muscle fibres. These micro tears cause swelling of the muscle tissues which in turn puts pressure on the nerve endings and results in pain.

Secondly, when exercising, your heart is pumping large amount of blood to the working muscles. This blood is carrying both oxygen and nutrients that the working muscles need. When the blood reaches the muscles the oxygen and nutrients are used up. Then the force of the contracting (exercising) muscles pushes the blood back to the heart where it is re-oxygenated.

However, when the exercise stops, so does the force that pushes the blood back to the heart. This blood, as well as waste products like lactic acid, stays in the muscles, which in turn causes swelling and pain. This process is often referred to as "blood pooling."

So, the cool down helps all this by keeping the blood circulating, which in turn helps to prevent blood pooling and also removes waste products from the muscles. This circulating blood also brings with it the oxygen and nutrients needed by the muscles, tendons and ligaments for repair.

The Key Parts of an Effective Cool Down

Now we know what the cool down does and why it is so important, lets have a look at the structure of an effective cool down. There are three key elements, or parts, which should be included to ensure an effective and complete cool down. They are;

1. Gentle exercise;
2. Stretching; and
3. Re-fuel.

All three parts are equally important and any one part should not be neglected or thought of as not necessary. All three elements work together to repair and replenish the body after exercise.

To follow are two examples of effective cool downs. The first is an example of a cool down used by a professional athlete. The second is typical of someone who simply exercises for general health, fitness and fun.

Cool Down Routines

Example 1: - For the Professional

* 10 to 15 minutes of easy exercise. Be sure that the easy exercise resembles the type of exercise that was done during your work out. For example, if your workout involved a lot of running, cool down with easy jogging or walking.

* Include some deep breathing as part of your easy exercise to help oxygenate your system.

* Follow with about 20 to 30 minutes of stretching. Static stretching and PNF stretching is usually best.

* Re-fuel. Both fluid and food are important. Drink plenty of water, plus a good quality sports drink. The best type of food to eat straight after a work out is that which is easily digestible. Fruit is a good example.

Example 2: - For the Amateur

* 3 to 5 minutes of easy exercise. Be sure that the easy exercise resembles the type of exercise that was done during your work out. For example, if your workout involved a lot of running, cool down with easy jogging or walking.

* Include some deep breathing as part of your easy exercise to help oxygenate your system.

* Follow with about 5 to 10 minutes of stretching. Static stretching and PNF stretching is usually best.

* Re-fuel. Both fluid and food are important. Drink plenty of water, plus a good quality sports drink. The best type of food to eat straight after a work out is that which is easily digestible. Fruit is a good example.

Getting serious about your cool down and following the above examples will make sure you recover quicker from your work outs, and stay injury free.

Article by Brad Walker. Brad is a leading stretching and sports injury consultant with over 15 years experience in the health and fitness industry. For more articles on the prevention & treatment of sports injury, subscribe to The Stretching & Sports Injury Newsletter by visiting www.thestretchinghandbook.com/.
Provided By: Recreation and Sports

Keywords: article, Articles, diabetes diet, Exercise and Health, Home gym, Physical Fitness, Weblog, Weblogs, weightlifting, yoga poses

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Exercise and Health Products information... visit our site at http://www.exercise-and-health.com/.

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