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Lead Stories: Friday, August 29, 2008

“Flexing” your muscles

Posted May 31st, 2007 at 10:00 AM by Bridget Sullivan

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips, Health & Fitness, Exercise

I remember singing a rather cheesy song during my grade school P.E. class: as we bent down to touch our toes, our teacher made us sing – in a cacophonous tone - “s-t-r-e-t-c-h rubberband!”

I used to giggle when we sang this song, but I wasn’t giggling a few years later after I struggled through a string of running injuries largely due to negligent stretching and poor flexibility.

Go ahead … ask yourself … “How many IT-band flare-ups you could have prevented if only you would have taken an extra five minutes to stretch?”

While many athletes consider aerobic exercise, strength training, and nutrition as three critical components to establishing a balanced fitness routine, they often disregard the importance of flexibility training.
Read the rest of this entry »

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Fitness Tip: Top 7 exercises

Posted May 29th, 2007 at 7:30 AM by Bridget Sullivan

Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) asked 17,000 ACE-certified Fitness Profressionals to name the one exercise they could not live without.

Their number one choice? Squats. Squats help strengthen the glutes, hamstrings, calves, and quads . . . muscles that we recruit for a variety of sports and everyday activity.

The following round out their top 7 choices:
1. Squats
2. Running
3. Abdominal exercises
4. Lunges
5. Walking
6. Push-ups
7. Yoga

Read the rest at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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Caffeine and Running: Hold Off on That Cup Until After Your Run

Posted October 29th, 2006 at 12:00 PM by Afton Cohen

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Nutrition, Hydration, Training Tips, Health & Fitness

Coffee. The aroma, the warmth, that first thought of so many in the morning.

Coffee beans, among others things like cocoa beans, cola nuts, and tea leaves all contain caffeine and are found in many common products.

According to the American Council on Exercise’s (ACE) Guide for Fitness Professionals:

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, making some people feel more awake and giving the others the jitters.

In affecting the body as such, it seems sensible to think that drinking coffee or consuming another caffeinated product would enhance one’s ability to perform athletically. However, there are many inherent consequences of this thinking (which I will discuss in detail later on in this post). Read the rest of this entry »

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