Exercise and Sport For All

Exercise and Sport. Most of us, keep fit enthusiasts excepted, will sooner or later, suffer from the dawning realization that our mirrors are telling us that our bottoms are sagging, our stomachs are bulging and our faces are getting puffy.

Some will just accept natures way and carry on with their usual lifestyle but there will be others that want to regain a trim and toned body and that feeling of well being that comes with being fit.

No matter what age you are when you become aware of the dreaded signs that your body is not the temple of excellence that you expected it to remain. Sloth, bad habits and diet will have their way.

They will affect even a teenager's body in just the same way as it will with any older person.

Having the right genes plays a huge part in our ability to delay the deteriorating effects of a bad lifestyle but sooner or later the body will begin give out ever-stronger signals that action should be taken to restore it to the way it was.

So what are the options?

The first thought that comes to many peoples mind is jogging. It does not require any expensive equipment, just trainers and any old clothes to suit the weather and can be carried out at any convenient time of the day or even night.

OK that's fine for those who prefer their own company but if you suffer from loneliness or just don't want to be alone when pounding the highways and byways of your neighborhood you will have to find a friend who shares your dedication to getting fit.

Incidentally there is a school of thought that considers jogging one of the worst activities for causing joint problems and associated pain.

Another option is to equip a home gym if you have the spare space.

Whether you buy just a few weights and maybe find a second hand simple treadmill or even if you can afford a comprehensive multi-gym machine it will still cost you.

As with all exercise regimes you will have to have the will power to continue with what can eventually become a boring routine, particularly so if budget and space consideration limit your choice of equipment.

Again great if you have company to help keep you going as listening to music on an I-pod or watching telly while you go through your routine can pall after a while. If you are a mother at least you haven't the problem of finding a baby sitter.

If you are a sociable type join a gym.

You can keep your interest up by trying out the variety of machines that a well run gym should be equipped with, take advantage of the good advice on hand from the staff and probably find a new circle of friends with the same interests which should help you sustain your efforts.

Subscriptions vary but are usually affordable.

This is a great option unless the whole idea of exercise without seeing a tangible result after each session doesn't appeal and the idea of running, lifting weights and other similar gym type exercises fills you with total boredom.

So lets look at Sport.

All sports have a definite objective and that is to win or lose at the end of a session.

I cannot think of a recognized sport in which women don't take part, even the roughest and toughest such as Rugby Union and League, American Football. Wrestling and Boxing have ladies teams competing against each other. Male or female, there are very few bars to taking up any sport you fancy.
Tip! Levels of iron in the body are particularly important given iron's role in many enzyme functions and it's fundamental role in the formation of haemoglobin (75% of total body iron is in this form) and as a constituent of myoglobin (the O2 carrying material that functions inside the cells). Iron performs the overwhelming activity of transporting oxygen from the lungs to the mitochondria within muscle cells – vital for the athlete.

Anybody can take part in any sport; the question is whether to take up a team sport or an individual sport.

Both will have clubs and associations and with few exceptions will welcome new members irrespective of their ability and most have an emphasis on the social side of their activities so making new friends and acquaintances with common interests is an added bonus.

The competitive atmosphere generated in sports clubs can become infectious and is a spur to increasing physical fitness to better ones performance on the playing field, court or wherever the sport is taking place.

For those who cannot get on with fast ball games such as Tennis, Squash or Racquetball there are many other options open.

Fencing, with three disciplines (foil, epee and sabre) requires good reflexes and fast feet, Wrestling needs application to technique good balance and strength. Then there is Judo, various martial arts, archery, boxing and a large variety of athletic pursuits. Football of whatever kind is so popular that a team to suit any standard of play however poor, is likely to be located nearby.
Tip! Clubs organize races, water polo, sub aqua and other water activities that also require a good level of fitness and provide competition, companionship and interest, as is the case with every sport.

My Dad who is 70 still plays a two-hour competitive game of tennis three times a week and has recently taken up golf once a week so he will have a sport when he is too old for tennis.

He still contrives to get out of taking the family's little Shih-Tzu dog for a short daily walk because he says that just walking is boring

Another alternative for those who find road and gym work tedious and boring is to take up swimming.

Clubs organize races, water polo, sub aqua and other water activities that also require a good level of fitness and provide competition, companionship and interest, as is the case with every sport.

So for that trim and toned body and to feel good without the drudgery of jogging or the dread of boredom in the gym try taking up a sport.

There is a sport suitable for every one whatever their age, shape, standard or disability.

"˜Sport for all' means exactly what it says!

Jacqueline Lloyd is the author of this article which appears in her definitive website Hot Exercise http://hotexercise.com

How Trampolining Can Be A Fun But Serious Sport

The sports of trampolining and tumbling are as old as man, a reflection of man's desire to defy the ever-pervading presence of gravity.

A number of cultures have devised apparatus to send an athlete into the air, i.e., an outstretched animal skin being used to throw up, and safely receive, the descending performer. Circuses have used a number of devices to show off aerial and floor somersault activity.
Tip! So lets look at Sport.

The way these activities are now practiced reflect the intrusion, delightful in this instance, of modern technology. Modern trampolining has only emerged in the last 40-50 years from the prototype apparatus built by George Nissen back in his garage in 1936.

The Air Force, and later the Space Agencies were not slow to employ trampolines with their pilots and astronauts. Medical authorities and those working with handicapped persons have found many exciting benefits from being able to use a trampoline. At the recreational level, trampolining has an immediate appeal, especially for the young people . Every era produces at least one step forward in the sophistication of a trampoline machine used. The most modern ones are capable of projecting an athlete to such a height that the top stars can touch 10m-high ceilings and perform repetition triple somersaults with ease.

Competitive activity commenced in the US at the conclusion of World War II. The activity spread to Europe in the 1950's and display teams took the activity to all continents in the late 1950's and early 1960's, when many national federations were formed.

In 1964, the International Trampoline Federation (FIT) was formed with seven founder member federations. This number has since swollen to 42.

Championship activity has developed and grown continuously year after year. Annual World Championships were held from 1964, though since 1968, they have been held every other year, with European Championships, started in 1969, and Pan Pacific Championships in 1981, occurring the alternative years.
Tip! Cases such as these do tend to be sport-specific, being confined to sports that either require a low body mass (martial arts, rowing), where a low body weight is thought to improve performance (long-distance running, triathlon) and in those sports that requests athletes to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye (ballet, figure skating, diving).

European Youth Championships have been held every other year since 1972, and the introduction of the World Cup event in 1993 has seen a tremendous interest in the sport, with the television companies giving live coverage to most events throughout the 1993-94 series. Trampolining and Tumbling have been World Games sports since 1981.

Jeb Taylor is a fitness guru. He works out on all exercise equipment he thinks will help him. Along with bikes and jogging, Jeb loves bouncing on a trampoline as a fun way to fitness.

Find out all you need to know about trampolines. How to use them for best exercise results, and which models to buy. Daily updated blog of news & articles. Click http://www.trampolines-101.com/

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