Archives

New Guidelines for Guest Posts

We could probably send an email out to all of the partners we currently work with, but with dozens of new requests every week, that wouldn’t do much good. Instead, we’re hoping that this short post might find its way into their line of sight and get a very clear message across. HERE are the other guidelines. 

From now on, you must provide an image, with an image source, when you are submitting a guest article. 

spacer

Building Hamstrings

We don’t often repost content from other sources, but sometimes, we come across an article that is presented in a manner that we find very easy to digest. While we’d never heard of Stack as a media source before, every week, I receive newsletters from the American Swimming Coaches Association, with important articles relevant to swimming. Sometimes, I don’t even read through them, but this headline caught my eye: 4 Simple Ways to Build Stronger, More Resilient Hamstrings.

spacer

7 Tips for Studying and Traveling Abroad

Studying abroad is an exciting experience for students from the United States. During your studies and travels, you’ll experience a new culture and may possibly benefit from unexpected opportunities.

Still, international experiences can be overwhelming for some. One of the most important things that you can do to prepare for your big trip is to start a travel fund. This is a luxury expense that you contribute to after stashing away money for emergencies and retirement. Use a separate FIDC insured savings account to distance yourself from your travel bankroll and keep it safe.

Start saving early, and make deposits often. Furthermore, don’t wait to start saving until you’ve made all your plans. Once you’ve done this, you can adjust your savings so that your travel nest egg is on target by the time you leave for your trip.

The following sections reveal 7 more insightful and fun tips to prepare you for an overseas learning adventure.

spacer

5 Things You Should do to Start CrossFit

CrossFit is a popular fitness regimen that’s been all the rage with people of all ages over the past few years. It’s a workout routine that promotes fitness by doing functional movements at high intensity. It helps improve your overall health, as well as your posture, strength, flexibility, and balance.

If you want to start with your CrossFit journey, you’re in the right place. You can get tips from CrossFitSurvival.com about the basics. Furthermore, here’s an article about 5 things you should do to jump start your journey:

  1. Find the right gym

Perhaps the first thing you need to do is find a local gym you can attend. Luckily, CrossFit is already very popular so you wouldn’t have a hard time looking for a good box to train in. When you’re looking for a gym, apart from the location consider also the size of the place, the availability of coaches, and of course the membership cost.

On your first visit, take note of who accommodates you and how they welcome you. First impressions are important as you’ll be spending a lot of your time there eventually. If you get to meet a coach, it’s nice to be able to discuss about your goals and how you can achieve them. Even without committing to a gym, a CrossFit box should have coaches that are approachable and concerned about its trainees.

  1. Invest in proper apparel

In order for you to make the most out of your movements, wearing proper clothes is important. It helps you move around comfortably and supports you so that you don’t get injured. Wear sturdy training shoes because you’ll be doing a lot of short sprints and jumps. There are flat-footed crossFit shoes that are designed to support your feet as you rep out double-unders, rope climbs, and box jumps.

Your choice of tee also matters. Make sure it’s breathable, quick-dry, light, and comfortable to allow for maximum movement. You don’t want tight sleeves ruining your snatch. Case in point, you have to be very comfy in your clothes. For your bottoms, it’s advisable to wear compression pants or cycling shorts because they’re light and flexible. Avoid wide leg shorts that would ride down to your thighs when you do a handstand, or expose your undies when you lunge.

  1. Make time for it

Just like any fitness journey, crossFit requires your time. Show up at the gym at least 3 times a week and see how your body improves. Discipline is key in making this work. No matter how much you prepare for it, if you’re not ready to put your mind into it, you will not see results. On your first few weeks in the gym, try to learn how to do the moves properly and get coaching on your body form. As you go along, you can do the WODs (workout of the day) with minimal supervision and come in at your own time.

  1. Eat a balanced diet

As they say, your workout is only as good as your next meal. Eating a balanced diet ensures that you are ready for your next physical activity. A balanced meal typically involves 2000 to 2500 calories per day. Plan your meals and make sure you’re getting proper nourishment. Half of your plate should be filled with fruits and green leafy vegetables, ¼ for protein, and the other ¼ for grains.

  1. Document your journey

There’s nothing wrong with snapping pictures to show your progress. It’s not bragging as long as your intentions are clear. Progress photos are inspiring. And yours is another inspiring tale waiting to be told. Track your progress by means of a fitness calendar or an app on your phone. Record you original weight, your goal weight, the food you eat, and the number of times you go to the gym. Carry a fitness journal with you to help you track your progress.

spacer

How Psychology Can Help You Learn to Love Exercise

Whether you’re a student, parent or a busy professional – you can benefit from exercise. For those who have trouble getting motivated, you need to change the way that you think about the activity.

For some, exercising comes effortlessly. While most people realize that working out is healthy for your mind and body, for many, exercise is not a part of their daily life. For this class of fitness hopefuls, tricking the mind into new behavior may prove beneficial. By adjusting your attitude toward exercise you can overcome challenges and experience remarkable breakthroughs.

Intuitively, most people view exercising as a chore. This mindset makes it very easy to bypass a productive workout session. The trick, report researchers, is to make your mind think of exercise as a reward rather than a chore.

spacer

Millennials Can’t Cook

First and foremost, THIS ARTICLE isn’t going to win any Pulitzer Prizes so don’t think we’re sending you off to read something life-changing. It is extremely short and basically states that a recent poll from an entity that we’ve never heard of conducted a study where individuals from different generations assessed their own ability in the kitchen

It isn’t very in-depth but it does state that about 5% of millennials rated themselves as “very good” cooks. It also talks about Baby Boomers’ inability to identify a salad spinner (baby boomers are the only population I’ve ever seen use a salad spinner) and millennials’ inability to identify a butter knife. 

spacer

Beware the Text Neck

On Saturday, April 4th, the LA Times came out with an article called “Head’s up on ‘text neck'” in their awesome Saturday Mind & Body section. I believe this is one of many articles, studies and research journals that are to come in the future. Why are they coming our way? Because of our current lifestyle habits regarding electronics. It’s frightening to think how quickly cell phones, tablets, and such invaded our lives and started messing with our posture and behavior. It’s also frightening how much this behavior can severely damage our bodies–especially our spines. 

Talk about bad posture

Talk about bad posture

spacer

The Dangers of Sugar

Weight Watchers. Jenny Craig. Paleo. “Paleo”. No carbs. High fat. Vegan. Gluten free. Non-GMO. The list goes on…

We live in a world full of fads and trends, but we also live in a world full of science and research. We live in a world of trial and error, but we also live in a world where people want to make money. Most importantly, we live in a world where our lifespans are heavily influenced by our lifestyles.

While “fitness gurus” and models will debate with nutritionists and doctors about what the healthiest diet is, the bottom line is that there is no gold standard. We are unique and we have our own goals; our diet should reflect that. Still, there are consumable goods that are usually beneficial for everyone (unless you are allergic) and others that offer nothing but negative health effects. 

Focus-Performance-Supplements-logow350

spacer