Sportuojantiems

Think you know the rules about healthy foods and can pick the best-for-you fruit from the produce section? These facts might surprise you. More than half of Americans say they give a lot of thought to the healthfulness of foods and beverages they consume. But much of what we read and hear about nutrition — from the virtues of fruit juice to the hazards of fat — can steer us to make choices that are less healthful than we think. How many of the following food facts come as a shocker? By  Robert J. Davis 1.   Imported produce from the supermarket can have higher nutrient levels than local produce from a farmers’ market.  The nutritional content of produce is determined by a number of factors, including temperature, light and soil. Though storage and transportation cause some types of produce to lose nutrients, studies show that antioxidants may actually increase in other cases. As counterintuitive as it seems, this means blueberries shipped long distances...

No gym? No problem! These six bodyweight exercises will make you a stronger, less injury-prone runner. By Katie Neitz   We get it. You like to run, not spend hours in a gym. But strength training will help you run your best. The following exercises will help you build strong, powerful, and injury-resistant muscles that will help you power up hills, sprint across the finish, and maintain good running form mile after mile. Best part of all? These moves require no equipment, so you can do them anywhere. Try to work them into your routine twice a week on easy run or rest days. Squat Stand as tall as you can with your feet spread shoulder-width apart. Lower your body as far as you can by pushing your hips back and bending your knees. Pause, then slowly push yourself back to the starting position. Do three sets of 10 reps. Watch out for: Make  sure your front knee doesn’t extend past your toes. Keep your upper body “tall”—don’t lean forward. Make it harder:...

Constantly comparing yourself to others at the gym? Here's how to stop. By  ELIZA SHIRAZI   It’s 6:30 a.m., and you show up to your group fitness class, ready to rock. The door closes behind you, and you’re immediately sucked into a world of dark lighting, loud music, and other people—lots of other people. You find your space, scan the room, and start thinking one (or all) of these things: “Ugh, that girl has such a flat stomach.” “Are there mirrors in here? Crap.” “I definitely look like a wreck next to this queen. Good thing I’m standing in the back.” Sound familiar? I’ve been there, you’ve been there, we’ve all been there. But since when are group fitness classes about judging everyone around you and body shaming? Things took a turn in all of my Kick It classes when I discovered that this was a real problem. I realized that making people connect with each other and talk to each other helps the comparison game fizzle. No matter which class you...

It has been said that “If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you will get what you’ve always gotten”.  As with all things in life, if you want to get somewhere, you need a plan as to how to get there.  Fitness is no different.  No matter where you are in your level of fitness, if you want to improve, the only way that you are going actually improve is if you have a clear road map as to how to get there.  You need to set realistic goals to help you get there.  Unfortunately, many people do not achieve their fitness goals.  In fact, a survey has shown that only 25% of people who workout achieve their desired results  (IDEA, International Health and Fitness Journal) .  The question is, why is this so?   Reason No. 1:  Inadequate analysis and evaluation of fitness goals  If you ask 10 people what their fitness goal is over the next four weeks is do you think you would get a clear and precise answer from each person.  I ...

You’re probably suffering from ‘desk bod’ and ‘text neck.’ Here’s how to fight back Sitting at desks all day was already ruining our bodies—and then we became attached to our smartphones, too. Now experts say we have to worry about "text neck," a plethora of problems that result from being hunched over your phone all day. “Your neck is forward, your shoulders are slouching, there's more rounding of the upper back, and you're closing up your body,” says Noam Tamir, C.S.C.S., owner and founder of TS Fitness, a strength and conditioning studio in New York City. Not only does that give you the posture of Quasimodo, it can also lead to neck pain, wrist mobility issues, and muscular imbalances. And if you jump into a workout in that hunched-over position, you could be asking for an injury. “If you bust out bench presses, you're tightening pecs that are already tight,” Tamir says. Plus, if your shoulders are rounded forward, it can make it harder to pr...

5 Reasons To Choose The Right Athletic Clothing By Antonio Centeno You’ve heard the phrase  – dress for success. It turns out this is true  even in the domain of exercise and sport. Why does it matter what you wear for a workout? Listed below are 5 reasons you should consider investing in good quality workout clothing. 1. The Right Athletic Clothing Boosts Confidence The clothing you wear is going to make a difference if you believe it’s going to help you perfom better. Studies in the field of cognition have shown the positive impact of wearing the right clothes for your workplace. Termed ‘ enclothed cognition,’  this phenomenon extends to sports and fitness too. The boost could be an increase in confidence – if you know you look great –  chances are you will act it out too . If you like what you are wearing at the gym, there is a greater chance you will want to exercise. It’s not advisable to test this theory when you’re t...

Y our body shape does not only help you decide what clothes you’ll look best in, most importantly, it can reveal important information about you health. Find out what your body shape means. By  Wiktoria Banda Where you pack on the extra pounds depends on multiple factors like genetics, hormonal influence and lifestyle choices such as diet, exercise and stress. By determining your body shape, you can identify health issues that are more likely to affect you and therefore take preventive measures to minimize health drawbacks. WHAT SHAPE ARE YOU?  You can determine your body shape by using the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). To calculate this, divide your waist measurements by your hip measurements. To determine your waist circumference, measure around the smallest part of your waist.  For your hip circumference, measure the widest part of your hip.  Divide the waist measure by the hip measure to get your waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Apple  – WHR abov...