Benefits of Remote Performance Measurement/Monitoring Device to Athletes

Are you an athlete? Are you into high performance sports where your movements, gait, speed, power, and force are important? If you answered yes in all the questions, then you will benefit from the Remote Performance Measurement/Monitoring or RPM^2™ in short.

RPM^2™ is a new technology used by coaches and athletes to measure the performance by providing data taken from:

1. Range of motion
2. Force
3. Power
4. Gait

The four components are taken during workouts and practice sessions.

It is a remote force-measuring shoe insole used to help correct mechanics and form of athletes.  Aside from being a brand new technology in the sports industry, it is also the first foot-bed power meter in the world.

Why is this beneficial to athletes?

• It provides data during the workout to help enhance movement, gait, force and power better.

• It helps the athlete and the coach to know more about the bilateral force of the left and right part of the body, including the limbs to gauge performance. 

• It helps reduce the chances of getting injury during sporting events. 

• It helps the athlete meet his or her full potential by understanding better the mechanics of the performance; therefore, allowing the coach and the athlete to device ways to improve the motion, force, power, gait, weight balance and step time. 

• It is user-friendly so it does not complicate the process of measuring the athlete’s performance.

• It is non-intrusive. It is an insole that is inserted in an athlete’s shoes so it can stay hidden during the entire workout or practice session.

• It provides fast, and accurate data to help athletes improve their movements.

• It is a lot cheaper than hiring the services of analysts to gather data from an athlete’s performance.

With all these benefits, the RPM^2™ is a good performance device to own by coaches and athletes without sacrificing too much on unnecessary costs on data analysis, medications and treatments for injuries which can be reduced with the help of the  RPM^2™ device.

Burn Calories While Using Trampoline

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Engaging in any activity that will increase your cardio rate and burn calories is considered exercise. Even sweeping the floors, doing laundry and those household chores that you do can be considered as a work out. However, if you are the hyper type and would love to jump around because of your endless energy, why now consider jumping on a trampoline and burn calories while having fun and be like a kid all over again?

Jumping in a trampoline is a good way to burn fats. Continuous jumping in a trampoline can burn around 60 plus calories for a 170 pound person for 15 minutes. You can compute the number of calories burned using the calorie calculator from sparkpeople.com

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calories_burned.asp

(screen grabbed from sparkpeople.com)

So, if your trampoline is gathering dust in your backyard or has been left for a while unused; now is the right time to get going and start jumping like crazy!

And if you need to update parts for your trampoline, Click Here to visit TrampolinePartsandSupply.com.

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Wear A Comfortable Active Wear For An Effective Workout

Photo credit: Sweatybetty.com

We tend to disregard the importance of wearing a comfortable active wear to fully maximize our workout routine. We just let our attire slip thinking we will get sweaty and unglamorous during a good workout. On the contrary, it should not be the case. Just because you are exercising does not mean you can wear the loosest shirt and baggiest jogging pants you can find in your closet. No! No! No!

Let me break it down for you, okay. Here are reasons why wearing a comfortable active wear appropriate to the type of workout that you do will be beneficial on the routine.

Wearing the right active wear can actually enhance your performance during a workout.

Imagine wearing an ill-fitting outfit to the gym and then you bend and it ripped open? Is that something you want to experience? Is it the kind of comfort you want to have when exercising? This is the reason why it is important that you choose the right active wear like the ones in Sweaty Betty online shop. You want to be able to move with ease and comfort and not limited. That should be your cue.

Wearing the wrong support bra can be a painful experience.

Wear supportive sports bra to make your workout effective rather than painful. Do not wear ordinary brassiere that is not designed to handle the extensive workout you will engage your self to. Head on to the lingerie section of a department store and have your chest measured correctly. Try out some styles and see if the stay in place even if you jump up and down, twist around and even bend. Make sure they are fit enough to let your breathe but not too loose that it will not support you properly.

The right bottom garment can help you to bust a move in your exercise routine.

Photo credit: Sweatybetty.com

Choose your bottom garment accordingly depending on the type of exercise you will do. There are a multitude of gym wears available in the market that will cater to the kind of exercise you will engage in like shorts for cycling, yoga pants and straight cut for jogging.

Not only they will make your movement fluid, there are also active wear made for the tough activities like practicing for the triathlon or doing a body combat.

The right materials can prevent accumulation of sweat and odor.

Not all active wear are created equal. Some are made with substandard materials that will not absorb moisture during an intense workout and that will leave you wet and highly malodorous! Remember the “gym bag” jokes? That can be you.

Choose an active wear that is made with moisture-wicking fabric because it will separate the perspiration from your skin during the workout, leaving you dry inside.

You may also buy active wear made from cotton to absorb moisture during a lesser intensive workout.


So, take into consideration your outfit when you decide to embark on any activities for your health. It pays to invest in active wear that will help you yield a better workout.

Don’t Skimp on the Strength Training

Photo credit: yahoo images

You've finally gotten to the point where you’re ready to get in shape. You've been saying it for years, even making it your New Year’s Resolution every year for the past decade, but now you're finally ready. You can no longer blame your pregnancies for that extra “baby weight” you're carrying around, since your youngest child is now in elementary school. You can feel age starting to creep in, and you don't enjoy feeling absolutely pooped at the end of the day. The answer to your dilemma is all about diet and exercise. But not just any exercise, you should be focusing on strength-training exercises. Whether that means doing Pilates, using a muscle roller, or lifting weights at the gym, it is up to you.

For most women, strength training is often overlooked. More women tend to focus on cardiovascular activities, since it’s the exercise that garners the most attention. But strength training is actually extremely beneficial for both losing weight and keeping it off. Cardio workouts are great for fat burning and cardiovascular health, but they don't help raise your basal metabolic rate the way building muscle does.

When you strength train, you’re actually ripping tiny tears in your muscle fibers. That’s why you might be sore after exerting yourself more than you're used to. Your muscles get stronger because the muscle fiber heals by reinforcing the area, making it stronger than before.

Strength training won’t turn you into Arnold Schwarzenegger, either. Women’s muscles don’t have the natural inclination to increase in bulk the way men’s do. Your muscles will become firm and toned, though, which will make you look like you've lost weight.

The biggest benefit though is the boost your metabolic rate gets as a result of your muscles growing stronger. Your basal metabolic rate is the energy your body would need, even if you were just lying in bed all day. Strength training builds your muscle cells, which in turn increases your metabolism. You get the benefits of the workout all day, not just when you’re doing the workout.

An important focus of weight-training is having proper technique. If you're doing crunches or core workouts, you can increase the effectiveness by using equipment like a muscle roller or a Pilates machine. When you’re able to focus on multiple muscle groups with one exercise, your workout will be much more efficient. And that means spending less time in the gym and more time enjoying life.

Flatten Your Belly With These Moves

How many do you know who does not complain about their mid-section? I know a lot and that includes me! I have been trying so hard to lose the bulge but ever since I reached the big 4-0, losing weight has become a nightmare. The girth is following my age! And I am not losing weight as much as I exercise. It could be due to metabolic issues but I am sure there are natural ways to achieve weight loss and a flatter belly by moving around - a lot.

Here are some moves I have read from RealAge.com on how to flatten your belly. It does not require gym equipment nor membership. It won't certainly take so much of your time but just spare few minutes a day to do these moves and you may see an improvement.

I have to see it for myself but no harm in trying. Now, try these steady plank moves for a great core workout.

Photo credit: yahoo.com/images

Lie face down on a carpet or yoga mat with your arms folded close to your body and hands by your ears.
Push up your body about 6 inches so only your toes and forearms touch the ground; your body rests like a plank between them.
Keep your stomach pulled in by contracting and keep your buttocks tight. Your body must be kept straight and eyes on the floor.
Hold as long as you can. If you can hold the position for more than a minute then you're a superman/superwoman! There's no need to hold it as long as 1 minute but you're encouraged if you can.

These movement will tighten your core, the very foundation of your body which are the torso muscles, abdomen and hips. Sneak in few minutes of these movements during your break time or while watching TV and you'll see results. A strong core will prevent back pains and will burn fats. When you have no belly fats then you'll have a flat stomach.

Get Fit With These Smart Phone Apps

There is no excuse now from getting fit and fabulous. Modern technology has paved way for information to be accessible at the tip of our fingertips by the creation of apps or what we commonly know as applications in smart phones.  Having said that, we practically have no reason not to get fit and healthy!

Here are some fantastic apps you can download in your smart phones. Most of these are iPhone apps which you can get from iTunes.

GYMPACT

This is a great app where you get paid for your efforts as an incentive each time you check in a gym or fitness club via your phone. The money comes from you when you fail to commit to a goal you have set in the program. It goes into a pool where others pitch in when they are derailed by other excuses not to exercise.

This is available free for iPhone and iPad.

EATERY

Eatery is like the Instagram of munchies! You get to snap pictures of what you have been eating. It is your virtual food journal which can help you track your food intake and give you insight on how bad you have been with binges or how good you have been by eating the right morsels. Tracking what you eat in a daily basis can help you lose weight and this app may just help you get near to that goal.

This is free for iPhone and iPad.

DAILY BURN

The initial app is free but if you want to get more personalized workouts from their wide selections of videos, you will have to pay monthly dues. You will be feeding detailed information about your exercise preferences and Daily Burn will offer a new tailored workout each day to keep you motivated, energized. This app will also inform you if you are making progress. The app also provides customized nutrition plan for members.

Free to Download for iPhone and iPad, on iTunes, and Android, on Google Play; $9.99 per month subscription afterwards.

IMAPMYWALK

Walking is the cheapest way to get fit because it is free! This app will help your power walking more enjoyable and effective as it records your walking workout on a map and give you records of your stats afterwards. MapMyWalk is a GPS-type of app that will let you know where your walking workout will take you and even shows you your pace. This is effective as long as you don't walk straight to the nearest McDonald's or Starbucks!

Available for iPhone, on iTunes for free, and Android, on Google Play.

NIKE TRAINING CLUB

And you think, only those Hollywood celebrities can get their own personal trainers. Well, this app can help you with that! The Nike Training Club app will let you work out like a celebrity. The app has 85 custom-built workouts, including workouts used by the Glee-fully fit Lea Michele and Dancing with the Stars champ Shawn Johnson. The Nike Training app also offers detailed instructions and audio support to guide you through your choice of 15, 30 or 45-minute sessions.

You can get this free for iPhone and iPad, on iTunes.

POCKET YOGA

Pocket Yoga is a great app for those who are followers of this ancient practice. Have mat, will travel. Take your practice with you anywhere thanks to this Gaia Flow Yoga app. You can select from 3 different levels of difficulty such as Beginner, Intermediate and Expert. It also has 3 different durations (30, 45 or 60 minutes) and 3 different classes for a total of 27 different yoga experiences that you can do at home, on the go or anywhere you can set up your smart phone.

Download it now for a fee: $2.99 for iPhone, on iTunes; $3.99 for iPad, on iTunes; $2.99 for Android, Google Play


(Photo credit: iVillage.com)

The Burpee Exercise Routine

I have heard the term "burpee" before but never knew what it actually meant until I saw and video about it. But whay is burpee anyway?

Burpee is an exercise routine mostly done by athletes and army for strength training. It is named after Royal H. Burpee, an American physiologist who developed this rigorous routine to assess the fitness level of the army recruits in terms of agility, coordination and strength.

This full-body exercise targets plenty of muscles in the body like the mid-core, arms, legs and shoulders. It is a cheap and effective method of work-out to burn fats and build muscles.

The burpee is done by doing the following:

1. Start in a standing postion
2. Do a squat and put your hands on the floor in front of you
3. Push back your feet and legs in one swift motion into a plank position and do push up (the push up is an added variation and increases the intensity of the training)
4. Quickly return to the squat position
5. Return to the upright position and jump (the jump is an added variation for a more intense workout)
6. Repeat the cycle again and increase the speed of movement as you go along.

You can do this exercise as much as your body (and will power) can. I have been doing 10 counts for the past 3 days and my mid-core is really screaming PAIN! I think this exercise is really worth it. I'll come to know and see the changes in my body after a month's time.

So, do the burpee exercise for a quick and intense work out and cardio.

Taebo and Zumba

I wonder why I haven't done Zumba before when it existed since the 1990s? I have done Taebo in the early 2000. Back then, my purpose for doing the Taebo was to build my stamina and resistance since I was sickly. It did help a bit but I had to stop because of work pressure.

I am doing Taebo again for health reasons now. I am alternating Taebo and Zumba but on weekends, I do them both to boost my cardio and stamina. My Taebo and Zumba sessions are done at home in the comfort of my bedroom so nobody can see my flabs jiggle around. I prefer to sweat alone anyway.

I will track my progress and hopefully do the advance Taebo session in few weeks time. My Zumba is also the basic because I need to practice on the footwork first.

I enjoy combining these two equally high-performing workouts to jump-start my weight loss goal which I derailed during the last quarter of 2010. I pray that I can stay on track this time. I need to lose weight for my health's sake! Cheer me on please :)

Health Nut - Zumba Time

I don't want to enroll in dance lessons nor workout sessions because they are very expensive here. I checked the internet for free dance workout and found several videos in You Tube for Zumba.

Zumba is a dance routine with elements of Salsa and Merengue beats. It was born out of serendipity by Alberto Perez of Cali, Colombia. He came to his aerobics class one day and forgot his music so he grabbed whatever was in his backpack at the time. He improvised the steps to follow the Salsa and Merengue and thus, the Zumba was born.

I tried doing this dance workout earlier and I was panting like a dog. I felt my flabs jiggle all over the place. It is a great workout because it involves a lot of body movements which is good if you want to lose weight and build up your stamina. This workout is also a good break from the monotonous routine in the gym. 

So, if you feel like throwing some bucks over gym memberships or dance classes, just check out free videos of Zumba in the internet and dance your flabs away!