The American Pastime of Sports

The American Pastime of Sports

Nothing says America like it's national sport of baseball and nothing is as exciting as lacing up the cleats picking up your bat and walking out to home plate. The feel of the sun beating down on your back, the sweat in your eyes and the faint smell of dust in the air; there is no wonder that they call baseball "America's past time." As deeply rooted as baseball is to the fabric of America baseball is not the only sport that's so deeply routed into our psyche.

As American is baseball is, motor sports is equally as American. Auto racing began simultaneously with the advent of the automobile. Racing on the sand dunes of the Jersey shore to racing across the salt flats, drag racing has remained a unique American sport that has lasted for generations. Grass roots racers enjoy hot weekends under the sun wearing their own form of sport sunglasses as they tune their engines, rev their motors and take their car down the quarter mile track in a competition that creates a level of excitement unseen in any other sport. Although drag racing has seen it's fair share of time in other counties it shares a spot on the American sporting legacy that will go on for centuries to come. It's a sport that has evolved to include motorcycles, boats and even tractors! It will surely adapt to anything modern technology can throw its way!

Another uniquely American sport has been the sport of professional bowling. Popular since the 50's bowling has been the sport of the beer drinker for a very long time! Many a men would put on their shoes, grab their ball and head to the alley to show off their skills in an effort for that elusive 300. Although you can likely find a bowling ally in just about any country, it's roots belong to the good old USA!

The most common sport after baseball would have to be football. This sport eclipses baseball in gross revenue each year but had exclusively remained an American sport much to the sagtrin of the NFL and NFL Europe. Sure other countries play it but it's essentially a farm league for the NFL. You know they are wearing some cool sport sunglasses! Some may say that football has become America's past time and it has replaced baseball as a national treasure but one thing is for certain, it is an American sport and is likely to remain that way for a long time to come.

No matter what sport you enjoy the most it's undeniable as to the influence the United Stated of America has had on the sporting world. We continue to lead the way when it comes to innovative sports such as Slamball, extreme sports and ore traditional sports such as baseball and football. You can rest assured that, if it can be thrown, raced or launched someone in America will figure out a way to turn it into a sport.

Author Kim Green never participates in a sporting event without her sport sunglasses

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Living The Fitness Lifestyle

Living The Fitness Lifestyle

A number of you have written me about how to approach the days when you are not working out, when you are not following a meal plan and when you are not scheduled to participate in a physical fitness event of some kind. We tend to call these "off days" or "rest days," some people even have an "off-season" and I tend to think these names are pretty appropriate. I think the major idea or concept we who engage in and live the fitness lifestyle must have is that there is never a time when our body is doing nothing. The only time your body will even come close to doing nothing is when you are dead and then it is still doing something; it's called decaying. But on a serious note, we have to get it in our minds that living fit is more than a gym workout or a series of well planned meals, it truly is a lifestyle. Media and marketing do a great job of selling products but they have also given many people an unrealistic idea of what being fit is, what it looks like and how to live fit.

Popular mindsets to avoid

So often I talk to people who engage in body building and physique competitions. These are sports that I personally love and respect. These sports are characterized by a huge number of amazing athletes and they have always had a firm place in my heart as some of my favorite personalities and friends. However, most people (but rarely the athletes) tend to place the wrong label on these people and incorrectly think of these people as the ultimate symbol of the fitness lifestyle. In the majority of cases (there are exceptions) I can tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. I lived that lifestyle for the majority of my life so I know what I'm talking about.

In my experience the majority of these people only engage in fitness lifestyle endeavors around the clock when it's time to get ready for a competition. The rest of the year many of them won't train for weeks at a time, they eat anything they please and engage in binging, literally gorging themselves with food then turn around and initiate extreme dieting practices in order to prepare for their show. In addition to this, most of the people I've known in these sports (including myself at one time) only exercise and eat "clean" at various times throughout the year during the years that they are competing.

Over time, the great fluctuations in body weight, the steroid abuse and constantly changing dietary practices take their toll. Once their lives have moved past the competition phase, most of them tend to become recreational exercisers and end up having the same physical fitness shortcomings that most other people face. While sport is a tremendous way to stay in shape and enjoy our lives we have to ensure that we create lifestyle characteristics that will remain once our days of competition have passed. I struggled with this for years and can tell you that this is a tremendous challenge for the former physique athlete.

Get To Know Yourself It's Going to be a Long Ride

Living fit (for life) is about you becoming aware of your body's fitness shortcomings and designing a lifestyle that will improve them and maintain them at a high level. It's really that simple. It's not a get ripped-up for summer then gain all the weight back in the fall type of lifestyle. Sure there are times when a fit person may decide to take some aspect of fitness and improve it considerably in order to enjoy the benefits of it, but the thing to remember is there is no stopping point.

This is a key concept that is so simple, but so absent from most people's lives. The fitness lifestyle never stops. It doesn't end when you quit playing a sport, it doesn't end when you get married and it doesn't end when you start your own business. There is no stopping point for those who live fit. Sure we all have setbacks, struggles and challenges to overcome; but we overcome them. We know that these setbacks, struggles and challenges will be overcome while living in the fitness lifestyle. In other words we do not modify our lifestyle in order to deal with issues, we deal with issues while maintaining our lifestyle. As simplistic as this sounds, I've found that this is perhaps the hardest aspect of living fit that most people deal with.

Of course there are meals, days and times when we do things that are contrary to our fitness beliefs and lives. But they are the exception, not the rule. These things are allowed into our lives as a break from the norm, as brief events that add to our lives in other ways and are worth the cost.

Some examples may be: 

1. Eating cake with your child on their birthday - there are so many positives that come from this
2. Having some drinks with an old friend who needs to talk - friends are priceless, this won't hurt you
3. Enjoying cultural events by partaking in its food and drinks - many things in life can't be replaced

So you get the picture. Living fit is not about sporting six-pack abs year-round (but can include this) until you get married then adopting the beer belly. Living fit is about a lifetime of choices and actions that lead to your physical betterment as your life goes on from phase-to-phase and relationship-to-relationship. The greatest thing I love about the fitness lifestyle is that it is never too late to begin. This is an amazing concept that has changed the lives of millions, myself included, and it can do the same for you if you so choose.

I challenge you to take a long look at many of the lifestyle choices you now make and consider ways to incorporate a healthier fitness mindset into those things in order to create and build a lifestyle that will provide you with a great level of fitness from this moment forward. You can do it! Living fit is a choice and that choice is yours.

Here's to you!

Jared Meacham, MS.Ed., CSCS.

Jared is a fitness entrepreneur, personal trainer and recognized weight loss expert. He is creator of the Body Fat Meltdown weight-loss program for women. He is also owner of Precision Body Designs, LLC., and creator of the Dirty Fitness Training Program.

[Click here]

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How to Lose Weight

How to Lose Weight

'How to lose weight quickly' diets are all over the media, on television, websites, newsstands, radio, magazines and books.

Most overweight people want to know how to lose weight in a week. They are, quite rightly, desperate to lose excess weight and will grasp at anything that promises how to lose weight fast. But many of these "lose weight fast" diets are based on false promises and ill-founded opinions, and can actually be harmful and even counter-productive, leading to greater weight gain!

Here are just some of the myths and misinformation promoted by "quick weight loss" gurus:

-Myth: Cut calories to lose excess body fat. 

-Reality: Cutting calories makes the body think it must preserve fat, and so you put on weight instead of achieving weight reduction.

-Myth: Following set menus and eating plans can help lose weight. 

-Reality: Most diet books and weight loss plans promote set menus of what to eat when. This never works because food preferences and lifestyles vary so much. Indeed, by following any kind of set food menus, day in day out, you are more likely to gain weight because you will either go hungry or get too bored with the monotony. Then when you give up the set menus you will quickly re-gain your weight (and more) as you go back to your old eating habits.

-Myth: Eating whole grain and fiber-rich foods is healthy and will help you lose weight. 

-Reality: Whole grains are no healthier than milled grains, and do nothing to promote good health or help you lose weight. Furthermore, there is plenty of scientific evidence showing that a high-fiber diet is bad for health. Fiber robs the body of vitamins and minerals. This leads to poor nutrition, which in turn prevents safe and healthy weight loss. We do not need much fiber in our daily diets and getting enough is very easy. Exhortations to eat more fiber are counter-productive.

-Myth: Fruit juice is non-fattening and healthy, as part of a well-balanced diet. 

-Reality: Drinking fruit juice is more fattening and unhealthier than just about any other kind of food. Fruit juice gives the body a blast of fructose sugar without being bound up with fiber - this goes straight to body fat giving you quick weight gain, and is much worse for health than even table sugar!

-Myth: You should eat less and exercise to lose excess weight. 

-Reality: The less you eat the more fat you put on because any kind of food restriction makes the body store more fat. When you exercise more you make yourself feel more hungry and exhausted, and you end up stuffing yourself with junk food which just makes you fatter. The secret is to exercise the smart way so that you don't feel hungry and exhausted.

-Myth: Drink less water so as to reduce water retention and feel less bloated. 

-Reality: You must drink plenty of water to lose water retention (not less!). When you drink plenty of water the body will "think" it no longer needs to retain water in body tissue, and you quickly lose excess water.

-Myth: A good way to lose overweight is to increase your metabolic rate so as to burn fat fast. 

-Reality: Your heart should sink when you come across such ridiculous notions. The metabolic rate is nothing more than a set of many different chemical reactions inside the body. Some of these chemical reactions work faster than others at different times of the day or night depending on a multitude of factors. In fact, fatter people tend to have higher metabolic rates (i.e. burn fat/energy faster) because of their higher body mass. To use (or attempt to control) the metabolic rate as a way of losing weight is like using a table-tennis ball to play tennis (impossible!).

How to lose weight in a week is a question many people ask. And yes, you can lose excess weight in a week, safely, quickly and easily if you know how. But 99% percent of dietary advice about how to lose weight quickly is completely wrong. Worse still, if you don't do it right, any attempts to lose weight quickly will re-bound and you will end up putting on more weight than before.

You definitely don't want to lose weight in a week and then put it all back the week after. Yo-yo dieting ruins your health and prevents weight loss. You want to lose weight quickly, but permanently. All human beings are the same biologically. Therefore there can only be one best way for a human being to lose weight quickly, safely, and permanently.

In recent years medical research into body weight loss has made exciting discoveries and now there is a kind of consensus on the best way for any human being to lose weight safely and quickly. This information has now for the first time been put into a book details of which are given below.

Russell Eaton is the highly regarded author of The Foolproof Diet. For more information on how to lose weight quickly and permanently please go toClick here.

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History of Gymnastics

History of Gymnastics

The beauty of gymnastics and the strength of the athletes is an awesome thing to watch, whether it is in person or on the television. There are several athletes to choose to cheer for and many countries to watch in each gymnastic competition, including the biggest competition, the Olympics. This sport has only been a competitive sport for a little over 100 years, but during that time, it has had an interesting past.

It all began in 1830 when a group of immigrants, namely Charles Beck, Charles Foller, and Francis Lieber, began to introduce this sport into the local school system. This began the realization of a sports dream for many American children. The year 1881 saw the formation of the Bureau of the European Gymnastics Federation. Their job was to establish and monitor international competitions, like the Olympics and World Championships. The United States formed the Amateur Athletic Union in 1883. This union was in control of the gymnastic competitions within the United States. This encompassed all the various championships, from the local level ones to the national ones that decided who were going to world championships. At the Athens, Greece Olympics in 1896, gymnastics made its debut, but only the men participated. The events included the horizontal bar, vault, parallel bars, rings, and pommel horse. Five countries participated in these events and Germany, which was one of the countries, took almost all of the medals in every event. It was correct to say that Germany clearly had the edge during those games. 1903 saw the introduction of the first international gymnastics event, which was considered the first world championship, which took place in Antwerp, Belgium.

There were gymnasts there from Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. In the following year, the Olympics were held in St. Louis. This saw the competition of the men's team which added more events, as the individual events were the only ones that were preformed before then. Women were finally allowed to participate in the 1928 Olympics in gymnastics. They were only allowed one event and it was the team combined exercise. The Netherlands won this event. In the 1930 world championship, the events were extended to more track and field events. The reason that track and field events were scheduled as gymnastic events is uncertain, but it did not stay that way long. The events that the athletes were to participate in were the pole vault, 100 meter dash, broad jump, rope climb, and shot put. The first women's gymnastics' team for the United States was established in 1936 and has been strong ever since.

Today, gymnastics have turned into a huge display of tumbling, strength, rhythm, dance, and coordination. With athletes in this field like Shawn Johnson and Paul Harmon, the bar for performance has been set incredibly high for the next World's Championship. One can only look forward to how creative these athletes will be with their routines and their moves, along with how strong their athletics are, for future events.

Ethan has been an online writer for nearly 2 years now. Not only does this author specialize in sports, finance, and product reviews, you can also check out his latest website on WDH1U10000N [Click here which reviews and lists the best WDH1U10000N Hard Drive [Click here] for the best external digital storage.

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Fitness Equipment

Fitness Equipment 

There are dozens and dozens of different type of fitness equipment out there so keeping track of them can be quite the task, even for an expert. The constantly influx of new type of innovations and equipment also do not help and can intimidate newcomers to the fitness world. We have compiled a list of the most common terms regarding fitness equipment and break them down to simple to understand, non-jargon explanations. We have also detailed which body part the equipment targets, if applicable. If words like ergometer, P80 console and smith machine baffle you, this list will be your friend. We have gathered up all the fitness equipment names that we could find and we are constantly adding to this list.

Ab Bench

Category: Strength

Body Parts Targeted: abdominals

An ab bench is a fitness bench that is generally at a decline, usually with padded leg rollers to hook your legs or foot around to perform a crunch or sit-up. There are also adjustable versions of these where you can perform different exercises on.

Adjustable Bench

Category: Strength

Body Parts Targeted: N/A

Similar to a flat bench, but they are adjustable to either become a flat bench, an incline bench or a decline bench.

AMT

An abbreviation for the Precor AMT (Adaptive Motion Trainer) which is an all-in-one elliptical machine. It is able to change strides and adapt to the user without any manual adjustments.

Arc Trainer

Category: Cardio

Body Parts Targeted: hamstrings, quadriceps, gluteus maximus, core (if it includes upper body: triceps, biceps, back)

A cardio machine created by Cybex that closely resembles an elliptical, but the independent floating pedal mechanism further reduces impact on your lower joints.

Assisted Chin Dip

Category: Strength

Body Parts Targeted: triceps, deltoids, pectorals, abdominals, biceps

An assisted chin dip machine is a tower with two protruding rods. Some machines will have the user either kneel or stand on a weighted platform. The user starts with their arms at a 90 degree angle and extends their arms to perform the exercise.

Crosstrainer

See entry for elliptical.

Curl Bench

Category: Strength

Body Parts Targeted: N/A

Also sometimes called a preacher curl. This bench resembles a seat with a padded section in front. The user places their arm over the padded section of the bench and can perform curls with proper form.

Cybex

One of the leading manufacturers of fitness equipment. They mainly specialize in producing strength equipment with over 150 unique pieces. Cybex is also known for their innovative Arc Trainer cardio machines.

Decline Bench

Category: Strength

Body Parts Targeted: N/A

A weight bench where the user's legs are higher than their head. It is used for bench presses that target the lower portion of the chest.

Elliptical

Category: Cardio

Body Parts Targeted: hamstrings, quadriceps, gluteus maximus, core (if it includes upper body: triceps, biceps, back)

An elliptical is a stationary cardio machine that simulates running or climbing. Users stand on pedals which allows for a low impact workout. Some elliptical also have movable arms which will also allow for an additional upper body workout. Also sometimes referred to as an elliptical crosstrainer or a crosstrainer.

Ergometer - This is quite the confusing term. Sometimes an ergometer can refer to the device inside your exercise machine that tracks your statistics like heart rate, calories burned, distance run, etc. An ergometer can also be referring to an indoor rowing machine. See rowing machine for further definitions on the term used in that context.

Flat Bench

Category: Strength

Body Parts Targeted: N/A

A flat bench is designed for users to lie flat on top of. It is designed to support users while they are performing bench presses.

FreeMotion Fitness

A fitness equipment manufacturer that produces both strength and cardio equipment. They are best known for their FreeMotion Functional Trainer, which uses pulleys and cables to allow a more dynamic range of motion.

Functional Trainer

Category: Strength

Body Parts Targeted: Entire body

Functional trainers are all-in-one fitness machines that usually look like one large tower. Many of them utilize cables or pulleys in order to accommodate a wide variety of different exercises. Functional trainers target upper body, lower body and the core. The type of exercise varies depending on the model.

Hoist Fitness

Hoist Fitness is a San Diego based company that produces strength-training and indoor cycling products for commercial and home markets.

Incline Bench

Category: Strength

Body Parts Targeted: N/A

A weight bench where the user's head is higher than their legs. Generally used in bench presses and curls.

Incline Press

Category: Strength

Body Parts Targeted: pectorals (upper chest), deltoids, triceps

The incline press machine is a weight machine that consists of a seat with two handles located in front of the user that are attached to weights. The user extends their arms and slowly brings them back to starting position to complete a repetition.

Indoor Cycle

Category: Cardio

Body Parts Targeted: hamstring, quadriceps, calves, gluteus maximus, abdominals, tibilais anterior, core

An indoor cycle is a stationary bike that is similar to an upright bike, but is generally smaller and uses a weighted flywheel. It is commonly used in indoor cycling classes where riders ride the indoor cycle in a group in a group, following an instructor and music.

LeMond Fitness

LeMond Fitness, powered by Hoist Fitness, is a fitness company formed by Greg LeMond that specializes in creating stationary cycles.

Life Fitness

Life Fitness is one of the largest and most respected fitness equipment manufacturers. They manufacture every type of equipment including cardio and strength machines.

Matrix Fitness

Matrix Fitness is a commercial grade fitness equipment manufacturer. They are known for their industrial design and contemporary look.

Olympic Bench

Category: Strength

Body Parts Targeted: N/A

Olympic benches are slightly larger than standard benches and are generally made of composite steel for maximum durability. Olympic benches are also more padded since they're designed to be able to withstand larger weight loads and heavier lifters.

P80 Console - Precor's newest consoles for their cardio fitness equipment. It has a 15" LCD capacitive touchscreen. It is also iPod/iPhone compatible.

P30 Console - Precor's older style console. Includes large LED display and motion controls.

Power Rack

Category: Strength

Body Parts Targeted: N/A

A power rack is a machine with four vertical bars and two movable horizontal bars used to catch barbells. Many power racks also come with additional horizontal bars to perform chin ups and pull ups on in addition to barbell exercises. They are usually wide enough for a person to easily fit inside, along with a fitness bench.

Preacher Curl

Category: Strength

Body Parts Targeted: N/A

See entry for curl bench.

Precor

Precor is a worldwide leader in the home/commercial exercise equipment due to their emphasis on superior quality, creative innovation and overall performance. They specialize in both strength equipment and cardio and are probably most well known for their innovative AMT (Adaptive Motion Trainer).

Recumbent Bike

Category: Cardio

Body Parts Targeted: hamstring, quadriceps, calves, gluteus maximus, abdominals, tibilais anterior

A recumbent bike is an exercise bike that places its user in a reclining position with the pedals out in front of them. The recumbent bike is great for users with back problems because there is

less pressure on the lower back due to the laid-back position.

Smith Machine

Category: Strength

Body Parts Targeted: quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, back

A smith machine is a machine usually consisting of a vertical steel rails that is used in weight training. It is primarily used with a barbell and as a self-spotting machine. There are slots on the smith machine that you can hook a barbell onto with only a twist of a wrist. There are also usually safeties which can be placed at a minimum height to catch the barbell and prevent injuries. Smith Machines usually only also vertical movement and are primarily used for squats.

StairMaster

A fitness company established in 1983 and known for their stair climbing fitness equipment. Their most famous products include the stepper and stepmill.

Star Trac

Star Trac has been manufacturing exercise equipment for both home and commercial use since 1979. Their main specialties are their Pro Treadmill lines, their complete lines of selectorized strength equipment and much more.

Stepmill

Category: Cardio

Body Parts Targeted: quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, hip flexors, calves

A stepmill resembles an escalator in the sense that it is an endless set of rotating steps. These steps are attached to a belt that revolves with every step. Stepmills are meant to exactly simulate stair climbing and uses your own body weight as resistance, which can increase the amount of calories burned.

Stepper

Category: Cardio

Body Parts Targeted: quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, hip flexors, calves

Steppers are machines that have two side by side pedals that you pump up and down to simulate stair climbing. Since steppers rely less on bodyweight, they are more effective for lighter individuals who may not have enough mass to properly move the stepmills. Generally, steppers allow you to adjust resistance level to adjust intensity and difficulty of the workout.

Upright Bike

Category: Cardio

Body Parts Targeted: hamstring, quadriceps, calves, gluteus maximus, abdominals, tibilais anterior, core

An upright bike is an exercise bike where the user sits in an upright position, similar to a road bicycle, with the pedals almost directly below the seat. The upright position helps to simulate real road bike riding and engages the core more than a recumbent bike.

Weight Bench

Category: Strength

Body Parts Targeted: N/A

A weight bench (sometimes called a fitness bench) is a padded board supported by legs and its primary purpose is for weightlifters to sit or lie down on. There are various types of weight benches, including an incline bench, a decline bench, an ab bench, a preacher curl/curl bench and an Olympic bench.

After learning about which fitness equipment is great for you, you should visit our site at Click here. We sell used treadmills, ellipticals, exercise bikes, strength machines and much more from the top brands in fitness. We have a 50,000 sq ft warehouse located in Santa Ana (the heart of Orange County) and we deliver worldwide. Our gym equipment is up to 70% off MSRP so visit us today!

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