Inspiring

The other day Youtube suggested a video for me to watch titled "Letting Beauty Speak Up Itself", I saw it was Crossfit's channel and was interested. I am just going to leave you with this what an inspiring video.

Proper Stretching Techniques for Pre and Post Exercise

            Hello everyone and welcome.  For this month I decided to make my posts around stretching.  There will be 2 posts about this with the first post being about stretching prior to exercise and the next post will be about proper stretching after you exercise.

            Muscles are important to our bodies, they allow us to move.  In order to allow us to properly move, bend, and flex, our muscles need to properly work.  Not only will having tight non flexible muscle prevent proper movement and full range of motion, they can also leave a person prone to serious injury.  Therefore it is important to properly stretch prior to exercise as well as post exercise.  Stretching properly also increases blood flow to muscles which allows more oxygen into the muscles.  This increase of oxygen helps keep lactic acid at a minimal by using the lactic acid to help create more energy.

            Before stretching even begins, the muscles need to be warmed up for greatest efficiency.  A good way to properly warm your muscles is to take a light jog around a block, a lap on a track, or even jogging in place.  The warm up allows blood to travel to the muscles and helps stretch farther.  There are two forms of stretching and each has a proper time and place.  The first type of stretching is the dynamic stretch, which “involves moving parts of your body and gradually increasing reach, speed of movement, or both” (Kurz, Tomas, Science of Sports Training, page 236).

            Once your muscles are warmed up it is now time to start your dynamic stretches.  These can include arm circles, windmill toe touches, butt kicks, non-weighted lunges, leg swings, and open the gate.  All of these stretches involve movement of a specific joint or muscle.  This brings the area through its range of motion and causing blood to flow to the area which carries more oxygen and prepares muscle or joint for any activity.  If you do not do dynamic stretches prior but do static stretches instead you run the risk of damaging your SEC (Series Elastic Component), this is the part of your muscles that allows your muscle to stretch and retract back to its normal shape.  As with what Tomas Kurz says you want to stretch gently with no jerking or bouncing movements.  You muscle does stretch but it is not a rubber band and bouncing can cause injury and does not help to properly stretch your muscle.

            So remember that we warm up to stretch our muscles prior to an exercise.  Having our bodies warm and properly stretched before our activity will allow us to be more prepared for our work-out or sport activity.  Stayed tuned for my next post on Static Stretching.

Till Next Time

Bogo Out

Two Smartphone Apps You need

I love my smartphone, as I feel many people do.  I am all about downsizing and having a smartphone help with this.  It’s a GPS system, a camera, a music player, and there are a vast amount of applications that can be downloaded for everyone’s different tastes.  I am actually going to backpedal from a recent statement.  I do still have an iPod for when I am working out and driving around; there just is not enough space on phones for all my music.  But with that said I am all about apps and finding apps that help motivate and track people’s health patterns.  Below are 2 fitness apps that I feel are fun and must have applications for people who are either enthusiastic about exercise or who need a little motivation.

• Zombies Run

• Now if you got to know me at all you will quickly find out that I am a huge zombie fan and that when I heard about this app I almost lost it.  I am what you can call a runner I enjoy the health benefits and somewhat find the peace of tightening up my laces and going out for a few miles.  This app is geared towards those who run.  Every time you step outside for a run this app uses the GPS functionality of your phone to give you a mission.  As you are going about you jog it will give you objectives like turn left or you need to sprint away from a pack of zombies.  This is great because it adds a fun factor your run and it is also an interval work out which is great for increasing your cardio endurance.  I am definitely going to try this app out and I will get back to you about what I think.
• Zombies Run 2 is available on both App store and Google Play for $3.99 full version and $1.99 for 5k trainer.

• GymPact
• Now this next app is very interesting to me.GymPact is an application that helps motivate and keep accountable those who choose to use it.  This app allows you to set an agreement when you will work out and what your stake is.  So for instance I can agree to work out 3 days a week with a $2.00 dollar commitment.  Now if I miss any of those three days I get charged the $2.00 but if I make your pact you get rewarded a percentage of my stake.  Now this is what I had trouble understanding but after some more research I totally get it.  Your reward comes from those who failed to meet their agreement.  GymPact allows you to check in at a gym, run outside using RunKeeper, or workout from home.  I’m not sure if GymPact can afford me as a user but for those who do have trouble staying committed to keep up with their exercises this app is perfect for you.
• GymPact is available on both the App Store and Google Play for FREE

Have a good one everybody

Bogo out

Milk does the body good

                There are a lot of diet plans and health fads that I don’t jump ever really jump on.  I guess I just have a routine and I really don’t ever add extra protein in such into my diet.  However there is a new study that I am very willing to jump on the so called band wagon and that is chocolate milk for post-workouts.  I need to say that again CHOCOLATE MILK for post-workouts.  

                Studies have started to prove that when you drink water only after a workout that it is only replenishing the sweat that was lost.  When you drink fluids like Gatorade and Powerade you are replacing the water lost from sweat but I the same time you are giving your muscles the much needed fuel of carbs and proteins to help repair and replenish your muscles.  This goes the same for chocolate milk.  I don’t know about you all but I am not made of money and purchasing Gatorades and Powerades even from Costco will quickly send me into bankruptcy, so I think it’s great tasting always enjoyable chocolate milk for the win.  If you want to read up some studies on this newer found theory I have placed a few below.

Hope you all are having a great weekend and that you have an even better weekend.

Bogo out

Fitness Magazine, Got Milk?

Runners World, Is Chocolate Milk Really Best for Recovery?

Asics GT-2000 Review

                Growing up as a kid shoes were shoes.  I got the size shoe I needed for whatever activity it was intended for.  Skate shoe for skating, casual for schools and such, and running for athletics.  As the years progressed and I began running to stay in shape because let’s face it when you are a kid you have so much energy and you are going all the time that having to exercise to stay in shape was never a thought you had.  So once I began consistently jogging I was finding problems with my shins locking up on me.  It would stop my foot from doing its natural roll from heal to toes and it caused my entire foot to slam down at the same time.  It didn’t hurt just was extremely annoying forcing me to change my stride and slow down.  At first I thought that it was just shin splints and I would ice my legs and stretch, but I was still having a problem.  It was time for new shoes and instead of doing what I had been doing for years I decided to go to a local running store and see if they could help me find a better shoe.  It was then they informed me that I was flat footed and had wide feet.  And with that I decided to go for a wider shoe and settled on Asics because they give me the support I need for my flat feet and went with a 2E width.

                Things did get better I wasn’t running into the problem of my shins tightening and locking up on me as much but every now and then it was still there.  When it was time for a new pair of shoes I stuck with Asics because I liked the support that they did give me and decided to go with a 3E this time to see if the extra room would help me.  Well it did.  I wasn’t having any problems and things were going well.  There was a little more movement from the extra space, so I just tied my shoes tighter.  Now coming to this year and 2 pairs of shoes later it was time for a new pair of shoes.  I did want to see If there were any other brands that would support my feet as I felt it was time for a change.  I had 3 pairs of Asics in total; I loved them just felt like a change.  I went to the store wearing an old pair and started looking around.  Once someone was free to help me I was sadly informed that the pairs I was looking at would not give me the proper support that I needed.  I was directed to a pair of Asics and New Balance.  After trying them both on, I felt that again the Asics just fit my foot the best.

                You are probably asking me where the heck the review is, well here we go.  I purchased a pair of GT-2000.  Because of the extra movement of my foot in the shoe I dropped back down to a 2E width as recommended.  I was a little hesitant but their return policy didn’t have me worried about not being happy and being stuck with the shoe.

                Looks wise I am very pleased.  The last 3 pairs I have owned all have been GT-2000s, but man were they just plain boring light grey with some blue ascents.  This year it seems that all shoe companies really stepped up the pop factor with their choice of colors.  The cushioning and support of these shoes are great I don’t feel a hard impact when I place my foot down.  I also have noticed that the tread has been changed with this year’s model.  With last year’s model there is a ridge that would run down pretty much the inside of your foot starting at your large toe and continuing to your arch where it splits.  With this year’s the ridge is not as wide but is deeper and begins again at the large toe, but this time it has moved farther to the outside of the foot.  There are also more break points which help your foot move more naturally and may help with the reason I have not had a problem dropping back to a size 2E width from a 3E.  You can take a look at the difference in tread from last year’s model to this year model below.

                                       2012                     2013

                Over all I am very pleased with my purchase.  I no longer have the extra foot movement and I am still getting the same support and width to not cause a problem with my shins.  These shoes have already followed along with me to California at the end of June (first pair to travel to the west coast).  And they have helped me train and finish well in the Belmar 5miler.  The only problem I have is I just may need to get another pair.  I did just see a lime/white/red pair that I am liking very much.

Have a great weekend everyone

Bogo out