The Truth About Exercise and Why Its Not Always Good for You!
April 20, 2007
Exercise is often regarded as a panacea for many things…”if you want to lose weight, you must exercise”; “if you want to get those feel good endoprhins racing, take some exercise”; “if you want to help with stress, you should take up exercise”.
All of this may be true but there are times when exercise is NOT a good thing and should be undertaken with caution or proper supervision. A good example of this is stress. Although exercise is often promoted as a means to work off all your stress, physiologically exercise actually puts stress on your body.
What happens when you get stressed about something? You might start to sweat; your heart races; your blood pressure goes up; you breathe a little heavier….what happens when you exercise? You sweat, your heart pumps faster, you breathe harder. Physically, your body’s response to exercise is exactly the same response to a stressful situation.
New Book: Positive Aikido
April 20, 2007
A new book with a practical look at Aikido and its history. The Co-authors are direct students of the legendary master Kenshiro Abbe Sensei from 1957. the following is an indepth look at how the book came into being.
OUT NOW!
Derek Eastman - Aikido instructor helps write book
Bracknell Standard newspaper visits local dojo
To Order this book from within the UK and EU countries:
Trafford Publishing (UK) Limited. order desk
Enterprise House, Wistaston Road Business Centre
Wistaston Road, CREWE, UK CW2 7RP
local rate number 0845 230 9601
phone 01270 251396, fax 01270 254983
Email orders.uk@trafford.com
To Order this book from any other country including the USA and Canada:
Trafford Publishing order desk
2333 Government Street, Suite 6E, Victoria, BC
Canada V8T 4P4
toll-free 1-888-232-4444, fax 250-383-6804
Email orders@trafford.com
This book, an in-depth look at Ellis Schools of Tradtional Aikido’s special brand of technique, strategy, philosophy as well as unique history, has taken about 15 years to compile, but will soon be offered in print by the world’s leading publisher of martial arts material.
Building a Better Home Gym
April 19, 2007
If you’re looking to get fit and into shape, home gyms may provide the best option if joining a traditional gym isn’t feasible.
A personal gym at home will allow for more flexibility in terms of your workout schedule, and if time is tight and you want to include exercise into the busiest of routines, a gym at home is definitely the way to go.
Unfortunately, many people only think of weight and resistance training based multi-gyms when they’re considering home gym equipment, but the range of home exercise equipment now available extends to: Rowing Machines · treadmills · ab machines · orbital trainers · elliptical trainer, and much, much more.
This means that in addition to improving muscle mass and tone, you can now have a fat burning cardiovascular workout in the comfort of your own home, whenever it suits you best, perhaps even in front of your TV.
Plan your home gym carefully
Think of the type of workout you’d like, the areas of your body and overall fitness you want to work on.
Wanna Play More Consistent Golf? Learn and Apply 10 Proven Techniques Golf Professionals Use
April 19, 2007
For the past seven years I have been researching what are the most important things great golfers do when playing their best golf. Being an instructor at the San Diego Golf Academy, I was exposed to many golfers, both amateur and professional. My research encompasses over 300 golfers, professionals and amateurs who have handicaps from 2 to +3.
Some commonalities they all share are:
? Started playing golf in their teens
? Play 15-20 tournaments a year
? Average best round was 65
? Practice every part of their game consistently
? Never satisfied with their game
Here is what they do to keep consistent:
1. They know how far they hit each club in their bag. In addition, they know instinctively how to hit different shots for different distances. In other words, how to hit a club at 25%, 50%, 75% and at full power.
2. They practice at least four times a week with a specific agenda. They practice all types of shots that they may encounter on the golf course.
3. They have mental fortitude. They don’t let a bad shot or a bad round ruin their focus and determination. They have consistent positive expectations.
How Important Is A Golf Fitness Program
April 18, 2007
A golf fitness program can make the difference between you optimizing your golf potential or playing the same frustrating golf you may be used to playing.
It’s no secret that the body swings the club and plays the game?so why wouldn’t you consider a golf fitness program to play your best?
A golf fitness program consists of strength, flexibility, endurance and even nutrition. But the big difference is making your golf fitness program as golf-specific as you can.
How do you do that?
First off?just take a look at the position your body is in during the golf swing. It’s "on your feet" and in golf posture (bent at the waste, knees flexed, upper back fairly straight, ankles flexed, etc?).
Can you now see how any "physical limitation" you have will dramatically affect your ability to make a sound, repeatable golf swing?
So the answer is definitely starting a golf fitness program. It’s not as intimidating as you may think. It doesn’t take going to a gym. It doesn’t involve lifting heavy weights and really killing yourself. It doesn’t involve 2 hours every day of the week either.
Portable Treadmills
April 18, 2007
Portable Treadmills - For People On The Run
Portable Treadmills are a convenience most appreciated by busy people.
Manufacturers like Walkmill focus on light folding machines that will set up and fold away quickly.
They are suitable for a quick workout, perhaps in an office, and some hotels are offering rooms with such portable sports equipment for travelers away from their clubs or home gyms who want to unwind or continue their health and fitness regimens but do not want to go down to the hotel fitness room.
Still, ‘portable’ is a very relative term for most manufacturers.
Companies like Smooth and Tunturi make folding treadmills that can be stored out of sight or more easily rolled into another room.
Theoretically, such models are ‘portable’, but in practice they are built for intense training, are of considerable weight, and by comparison, barely moveable, least of all a portable treadmill.
Fitness For Nomads
Most buyers want a treadmill for specific reasons like good health, physical fitness, or sports training, but there are other good reasons, as well, and the best is that it reduces stress.
Debunking the Myth of Spot Reduction
April 17, 2007
Do you ever wonder how to shrink the fat on your thighs or reduce the flab on the back of your arms? Ever wake and up and dream about wearing your favorite pants from the glory days of college? Well, short of plastic surgery, there is no way to simply eliminate certain problem areas.
The reality is that slimming your figure is not a simple task. In order to lose weight in one spot, you must be willing to work your entire body. So, the women who want thinner hips and the men who seek to shed the spare tire must attack the body as a whole. You must lift each body part, and to see the best gains I advocate performing more multi-joint exercises such as bench presses, rows, squats and lunges.
These types of exercises challenge the cardiovascular system as well as stimulating the muscles because they require a lot of effort and force the heart to work harder. Another great trick to speed metabolism during lifting workouts is to steadily reduce your rest periods. This is an advanced technique and should be changed according to perceived exertion levels, experience and training goals.
The MYTH of Gaining Muscle Without Fat!
April 17, 2007
Many of you have expressed concerns about gaining too much body fat while on such a high calorie diet, and wonder if you should do some aerobic exercise to offset the weight gain.
Absolutely not.
That will be detrimental to gaining muscle. For best results, you either have to train and diet to gain muscle or lose fat. One or the other. If you are a true hardgainer, you cannot do both. If you try, you will not make any substantial progress either way. So, now is the time to gain weight. You will worry about losing fat later.
The fact is that there are no magic pills, powders, foods or exercises that will allow you to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.
It all is determined by your genetics and metabolism. Some people can do it, some can’t. If you are naturally thin and have a difficult time gaining weight of any kind, it would be silly of you to think that you will be able to gain muscle while trying to keep your body fat low.
How A Golf Trainer Can Take Your Game To The Next Level
April 16, 2007
Having a golf trainer in your corner to give you guidance, motivation and ongoing, cutting-edge golf fitness information will put you leaps and bounds above your playing partners and competitors.
An experienced golf trainer will be able to diagnose your current level of fitness, physical limitations and prescribe the right program for you in which you will make the most of your time and money.
I hear so many horror stories of a ‘general’ fitness trainer calling himself a golf trainer only to end up making the client (golfers’ ) game even worse.
How discouraging would that be?
A qualified golf trainer will not only have the appropriate education and background, but have a deep understanding of the golf swing and mechanics. And be able to apply his/her exercise physiology knowledge to the benefit of the golfer.
Upon meeting a potential golf trainer you should ask some golf-specific questions to test the golf trainers’ knowledge of golf. You’ll know in less than one minute if they in fact do know something about the golf swing. If you have the least bit of hesitation, move on to the next golf trainer until you find one you feel will help you the most.
How to Find the Right Yoga Teacher?
April 16, 2007
I am often asked by beginners about how to evaluate a Yoga Teacher?
The following is the "CALM check list." These factors are basic criteria that your Yoga Instructor should meet before you continue on to a second Yoga class.
CALM gets it name from four main factors: Communication, Assist, Listen, and Modification. For the right Yoga teacher, you should be answering with a "yes" to all questions.
? Communication: Does your Yoga teacher talk to you, and other students, in a manner of mutual respect? Can you ask a question during class time?
Does your teacher show compassion for you and other students? Does your Yoga teacher take the time to lead you through a guided meditation or relaxation? Meditation and relaxation are major aspects of Yoga practice.
There are Yoga teachers who just want to get “their workout” done. Beware of Yoga teachers, who are so important, they don’t have time for you.
Some students love this air of superiority and, unfortunately, some people love abuse. If you want to learn Yoga, you need an open line of communication with your Yoga teacher.
