Fitness and exercise slow the onset of disease.
This is a proven fact and yet more Americans than ever are suffering from obesity and Type Two diabetes thought to be at epidemic levels in the United States. If you are overweight, and especially if you are obese, or if you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, then take your doctor's advice and begin and begin a regular fitness and personalized exercise program. You’ll be very glad you did.
One of the bi-products of fitness and exercise, as any doctor will tell you, is that working out and consistent exercise helps manage your blood sugar. A diabetic who takes drugs daily may realize that less medication is needed with a habitual fitness and exercise program. Many diabetics who stay with fitness and exercise programs may find that they are able to reduce or quit the medication and manage their diabetes in a totally natural way.
High triglycerides are also rapidly becoming a norm for most Americans. High triglycerides are linked to heart disease, including strokes and heart attacks. A wonderful, easy-to accomplish and totally natural way to decrease your level of triglycerides is to begin and stick with a fitness and exercise program combined with a sensible diet. Elevated triglycerides are also connected to high blood sugar, and it is very common in diabetics. Fitness and exercise effectively minimizes two potential health risks at the same time.
Many people have despaired at the way obesity has become part of the American psyche questioning its causes. Some reasons are obvious. Sedentary lifestyles are now much more common and can include working in front of computers, watching television, staying indoors, playing virtual reality games and the like. In addition, many Americans eat diets high in fat and carbohydrates. Whatever the source, fitness and exercise can be a major part of the cure for this predicament. Increasing physical activity, raising the heart rate, and just getting active can help a person loose weight, control triglyceride levels and improve or stave off diabetes. It should not be ignored.
Parents should restrict time spent by children with video games or watching television and encourage them to engage in fitness and exercise. Children did this naturally in past generations, but now there are too many distractions to keep them inside. Playing games like baseball, basketball and jump rope outdoors can help alleviate this situation in a way that is fun and revitalizing for all involved. Children who learn the benefits of fitness and exercise at an early age will continue working out in adulthood. They will lead healthier lifestyles and tend to live longer, healthier and happier lives.
Fitness and Exercise Gains Popularity
Fitness and exercise is gaining in popularity for many reasons. Since the advertisement and educational commercials about obesity and its deadly effects on Americans in recent years as well as a rash of Type 2 diabetes on the upswing, people have begun seeing the benefit of engaging in fitness and exercise to improve their conditions. Parents are once again encouraging their youngsters to get up and away from the television and work out, and the baby boomers, pursuing fitness and exercise as they age, are taking to it with commitment in order to enjoy their lives well into the advanced years. Regardless of the reasons, many Americans take fitness and exercise very seriously now whereas a bare ten years ago it was on the fringes of societal consciousness.
Americans exercise in a wide variety of ways engaging in fitness and exercise activities which reflect the diversity of both the population and their interests. Many people go to gyms or athletic clubs. Others participate in sports events that they enjoy. Fitness and exercise activities can include bowling, racquet sports like squash, golf, summer softball leagues, horseshoes, hiking, horseback riding, and many other fun things to do. Fitness and exercise activities in American have many faces.
One of the most popular fitness and exercise activities is walking. Many people of all ages enjoy taking a brisk walk every day. This simple fitness and exercise activity can be done by almost anyone. So many Americans are walking these days that magazines are published devoted to the activity. Generally Americans are not as organized as their European cousins when in comes to walking. In Germany, one of the most popular weekend fitness and exercise activities is the volksmarch, or the people’s march. When a volksmarch occurs, people of all ages come together to take a day long or walk through a town or the countryside, stopping to share a meal and good conversation along the way. They combine fitness and exercise with social activity and everyone has a great time.
Americans may not be ready for the volksmarch yet, but they find many other fitness and exercise options to their liking. Golf is more popular now than any time in history. Tennis is making a comeback and even martial arts are fitness and exercise choices for many. For Americans the important thing about fitness and exercise is to do something and make sure that that is something they will enjoy so that they stick with it.
Fitness and exercise is now more mainstream, and with it's continued growth, it will lead to a longer and healthier life, and give a great deal of fun to the participants along the way.
Fitness, Exercise
About the author
Judith Brandy is a writer, breast cancer survivor and science fiction fan with a slightly skewed, amused perspective of the world. Read some of her other articles at:
http://www.writingbuzz.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judith_Brandy
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Soccer Speed By Patrick Beith
Soccer is an explosive sport where your body needs to be running at 100% in order to get the most out of your performance. Before you even think about running speed workouts you must first devise a warm up plan that will help you prepare to compete at high speeds and intensities.
An effective warm up must consist of a series of dynamic and active movements that start with low impact, low intensity exercises and progress naturally to high intensity, full speed exercises that simulate the intensity of the upcoming practice or competition.
As you know, in order for your soccer athletes to be ready to perform speed work or compete at high intensities, they must get warmed up properly.
We often find that there is some confusion as to what constitutes a proper warm up. For example, some coaches are still using static stretching to get athletes loose before practices and competitions. Unfortunately, this outdated method actually reduces speed and power.
Think about it: How often during a practice or soccer match does an athlete hold a stretch position as part of their sport? That is right, not very often. So if you are still using this method to get your athletes ready to compete, you are not getting the most out of their ability.
Instead, have your soccer players perform dynamic exercises that are similar to the types of movements they will be going through during practice and competitions. Keep athletes moving and gradually increase the intensity of their activity. That way you can get the blood flowing into the muscles through a natural progression.
Remember, a good warm up should take at least 20 to 25 minutes to complete. This will reduce the likelihood of injury by ensuring that they do not try to go too fast too soon. In addition, athletes will get the most out of their muscles because they followed a thought out progression of movements that went from low intensity jogging and skipping to high intensity speed development drills and exercises.
By the time they are done warming up, they will be lightly sweating, fired up and ready compete!
Another issue to note when doing any type of drills is to make sure that your athletes are performing the exercises correctly. You compete like you practice. If athletes are not performing the drills correctly they are going increase the likelihood of injury by adding unnecessary stress to joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Drills are designed to be done a certain way for a specific reason. If your athletes are not technically sound during the warm up they will not be technically sound in games and competitions when it counts. The warm up is not a time for goofing off. It is the foundation of the day's activities and sets the tempo for all that is to follow it.
So now that you know what types of activities must be done and how to approach them, let us take a look at an actual dynamic warm up that top athletes and coaches use to get ready each day.
Before trying this out with your athletes, be sure to have them jog and/or skip for about 5 minutes.
Here is a sample warm up:
- High knee walk - x10 each leg
- Jog 50 yards
- Lateral lunge walk (both legs) x10 each leg
- Jog 50 yards
- Front leg swings - x10 each leg
- Jog 50 yards
- Lateral Leg Swings – x 10 each leg
- Jog 50 yards
- Iron Cross – x 10 each leg
- Jog 50 yards
- Scorpion – x 10 each leg
- Jog 50 yards
- Backwards Run – 2 x 30 yards
- 'A' Skip - 3x15 yards
- 'A' Run - 2x20 yards
- Fast Leg - 2x30 yards (each leg)
- Accelerations - 4 x 40 yards
By performing this type of warm up every day, your athletes will be loose, powerful and fast. Be sure that your soccer team is performing a dynamic warm up before each practice and game; otherwise the athletes you train are not competing to the best of their ability and the likelihood of sustaining an injury is increased.
When you compare the benefits that the dynamic warm up offers to the drawbacks of other warm up methods, you can expect an immediate improvement in the success of the athletes you work with. Learn more at: www.CompleteSpeedTraining.com
For a free Speed Training Report - Secrets to Developing Dominant Speed - go to http://www.CompleteSpeedTraining.com Coach Patrick Beith is the owner of Athletes' Acceleration Inc, your final resource for developing the fastest athletes.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patrick_Beith
An effective warm up must consist of a series of dynamic and active movements that start with low impact, low intensity exercises and progress naturally to high intensity, full speed exercises that simulate the intensity of the upcoming practice or competition.
As you know, in order for your soccer athletes to be ready to perform speed work or compete at high intensities, they must get warmed up properly.
We often find that there is some confusion as to what constitutes a proper warm up. For example, some coaches are still using static stretching to get athletes loose before practices and competitions. Unfortunately, this outdated method actually reduces speed and power.
Think about it: How often during a practice or soccer match does an athlete hold a stretch position as part of their sport? That is right, not very often. So if you are still using this method to get your athletes ready to compete, you are not getting the most out of their ability.
Instead, have your soccer players perform dynamic exercises that are similar to the types of movements they will be going through during practice and competitions. Keep athletes moving and gradually increase the intensity of their activity. That way you can get the blood flowing into the muscles through a natural progression.
Remember, a good warm up should take at least 20 to 25 minutes to complete. This will reduce the likelihood of injury by ensuring that they do not try to go too fast too soon. In addition, athletes will get the most out of their muscles because they followed a thought out progression of movements that went from low intensity jogging and skipping to high intensity speed development drills and exercises.
By the time they are done warming up, they will be lightly sweating, fired up and ready compete!
Another issue to note when doing any type of drills is to make sure that your athletes are performing the exercises correctly. You compete like you practice. If athletes are not performing the drills correctly they are going increase the likelihood of injury by adding unnecessary stress to joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Drills are designed to be done a certain way for a specific reason. If your athletes are not technically sound during the warm up they will not be technically sound in games and competitions when it counts. The warm up is not a time for goofing off. It is the foundation of the day's activities and sets the tempo for all that is to follow it.
So now that you know what types of activities must be done and how to approach them, let us take a look at an actual dynamic warm up that top athletes and coaches use to get ready each day.
Before trying this out with your athletes, be sure to have them jog and/or skip for about 5 minutes.
Here is a sample warm up:
- High knee walk - x10 each leg
- Jog 50 yards
- Lateral lunge walk (both legs) x10 each leg
- Jog 50 yards
- Front leg swings - x10 each leg
- Jog 50 yards
- Lateral Leg Swings – x 10 each leg
- Jog 50 yards
- Iron Cross – x 10 each leg
- Jog 50 yards
- Scorpion – x 10 each leg
- Jog 50 yards
- Backwards Run – 2 x 30 yards
- 'A' Skip - 3x15 yards
- 'A' Run - 2x20 yards
- Fast Leg - 2x30 yards (each leg)
- Accelerations - 4 x 40 yards
By performing this type of warm up every day, your athletes will be loose, powerful and fast. Be sure that your soccer team is performing a dynamic warm up before each practice and game; otherwise the athletes you train are not competing to the best of their ability and the likelihood of sustaining an injury is increased.
When you compare the benefits that the dynamic warm up offers to the drawbacks of other warm up methods, you can expect an immediate improvement in the success of the athletes you work with. Learn more at: www.CompleteSpeedTraining.com
For a free Speed Training Report - Secrets to Developing Dominant Speed - go to http://www.CompleteSpeedTraining.com Coach Patrick Beith is the owner of Athletes' Acceleration Inc, your final resource for developing the fastest athletes.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patrick_Beith
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