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Teaching Your Child How to be a Team Player

May 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You value your child’s individuality, but you also want him or her to learn how to work with other people. Teaching your child how to be a team player is an important role for you as a parent. Follow these tips to social your child so that he or she thrives in a group environment.

Encourage Your Child to Play Sports

Team sports are a great way to teach your child how to play and work with other people. Sports such as baseball, football, and soccer will show your child that it is important to rely on the strengths of other people. It will also foster good communication skills. Talk to your child to find out which sports is the most appealing. If you need to find a youth sports organization in your area, then you can just look them up on a service like Canada 411.

Encourage Extracurricular Activities

Studying is often a solitary experience. Not all school activities, however, are about sitting down by yourself to pour through books. Academic teams will teach your child that it is fun to study in groups. Extracurricular activities such as participating in the school newspaper or yearbook can also show them how important it is to work with other people.

Not everyone takes to group work as quickly as others. It is important, however, to develop group work skills. It’s something that your child will encounter throughout life. Even if your child manages to avoid group work during school, he or she will almost certainly encounter it at work. It’s best to develop those skills early so that your child will feel comfortable and self-confident.

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From the Arena to the Local Gym

April 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Dumbbell deadlift.

Image via Wikipedia

Sports training has become popular beyond its basic use as a preparatory technique for professional athlete; regular citizens have latched onto the habits associated with specialized training for their own exercise routines, or incorporated them into daily activities for an extra physical boost.  The most popular categories of sports training have become boxing, weight training, and Pilates.
Once reserved for boxers dedicated to their sport, boxing has become not only popular as a self-defense exercise, but also for those interested in basic but intense workouts.  Expert Boxing provides information on the various mental and physical advantages of training for the sport; it can improve stamina, confidence, and overall strength.
Like boxing, weight training can increase endurance and self-assurance, but it also supports balance, prevents injuries, and can even strengthen bones.  Weight training can be intimidating and physically challenging, but the advantages are far-reaching and weight training is easily adjustable for every individual’s needs.
Another sport that is effortlessly customizable for everyone is Pilates.  Initially revered is a method for toning specific muscles, Pilates has become popular as a sports exercise that is a happy balance between bodybuilding and yoga.  Pilates employs flowing, uninterrupted movements to target several muscle groups at once, and tends to emphasize the quality of the workout over how long one has worked out, making it favored by those that do not have much stamina or not enough time to complete longer workout sessions.  These three methods have made sports training adaptable to all who wish to incorporate their benefits into a normal exercise routine.

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Take it Slow and Easy when Starting a Training Routine

March 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Athletes don’t get their bodies overnight. They work on them day in and day out throughout the year. Trainers guide them to get the most result for the least effort, even though that effort may be gargantuan. These same trainers also know how to keep their charges from getting injured while developing their bodies. Not everyone has the same advantages as the star athletes and use written instructions instead.

Certainly there is nothing wrong with reading articles, books or taking advice from experienced athletes on forums. Their knowledge is valid or they would not have reached this particular pinnacle of condition. But the most important thing to remmeber is to not jump the gun. Our bodies build muscle in a manner that requires limitations to prevent injury. And there is nothing worse than trying to get into shape for the season, only to have a serious tendon or muscle tear before games start.

Building muscle requires that we put small tears into them. This is done by mildly stressing them a little beyond the current capability. The body then remodels the muscle, increasing strength. Rinse, lather, repeat. It is also why our bodies can be stiff or slightly painful after an intense workout. Without a trainer to keep an eye on things, self-monitoring becomes the number one priority.

So when starting out for the first time, or even after time off, don’t push your luck. Just because you can do it doesn’t mean that it’s a good thing.

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Training for Extreme Distance Running

February 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Many people who run marathons are looking for a greater challenge. Some runners now think nothing of a 26 mile run. There are several competitions and runs all over the world that offer a challenge for these runners. The challenge is an extreme distance run. This new sport is considered highly extreme because of the level of endurance that these runners need to build up in order to complete the race.

Training for these races is an intense process and requires a great amount of dedication. Most runners need to run about 75-135 miles per week in order to train properly. Most extreme runners would advice that someone interested in extreme running have at least two marathons under their belt before they attempt to run in an extreme race.

The first thing that you need to determine to help you train is what type of runner you are. Are you the type of runner who have been marathon running for years and have built up a good aerobic base? Do you have the appropriate cardiovascular and muscular system in place to help you run in races that are 30 miles plus?

Or, are you the type of runner who can run 50-60 miles and not think anything of it. You enjoy running and have the mental capacity to run for dozens of miles at a pretty slow pace. If this is the type of person you are, then you are probably use to running cross country, and the length of a marathon is a walk in the park for you.

The best thing that you can do to train is get in as much mileage as possible. Seperate long runs of about 20-30 miles with short 5-6 mile runs during the week. Work you way to the milage of the race.

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Finding the Right Trainer

February 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Whether you are looking for a trainer to train for an extreme sport composition or you are looking for a trainer to get back into shape, the person that you pick to help you train is very important. There are several things to look for when picking out a trainer. First, you need to make sure that you working with someone who is certified. Many times, at gyms in particular, they will hire someone to be a trainer who is not certified but is passionate about helping people lose weight and train. While this person may be very nice, the likelihood of an injury happening because the person is not certified is very high. Many trainers have not only become certified but they have also gotten a Bachelor’s Degree in sports medicine.

Also, take the time to ask what kind of experience they have. Many trainers specialize in one area of the field. Some might have experience working with sports injuries and rehabilitation, others might have experience working with people who want to lose weight, others might have experience working with people who are training for specific things like the Olympics. It is important that you pick someone who has experience working with the type of training that you are looking for.

Finally, make sure that your personalities mesh well together. You will probably be spending a lot of time with this person and you will want to make sure that you will get along. They should have a great balance of energy, motivation, and drive. They need to be able to push you harder while being up beat enough to motivate you work harder.

It would also help if the person was also involved in what ever you were working towards. If you are training for a marathon, it would helpful if the trainer that you pick is a runner themselves.

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