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World Cup Warm UP! Do You Warm Up Before Exercise?

Football Warm Up

The warm up is vital before any game of football, or indeed any training session, in order to avoid injuring oneself. Football is a game that regularly places considerable strain on the joints and muscles and therefore it is extremely important to complete a thorough warm-up regime. Its worth is reflected in the series of drills devised by the best coaches over the years to get the team ready.
Technique
Before starting any sport your muscles are cold and subsequently prone to being overstretched in any drastic bodily movement. Such movements are repeated continuously in any game of football; an overstretched leg in a tackle, or a quick 360º turn to evade an opposition player.

The aim of a warm-up is to gradually warm the muscles, avoiding any drastic movement of the limbs. After that, the objective is to statically stretch the muscles in preparation for the type of movements that you will do during the game. Stretches may therefore be quite different for a forward compared with a defender or, indeed, a goalkeeper.

A warm-up must be initiated by a gentle jog, probably in an area of 15-20 yards, maintaining a normal, gentle stride pattern. Later on in the warm-up this stride pattern can be varied. Common to most football warm-ups are the following running exercises that begin to stretch and to prepare the joints for the changes in pace that are frequent in any game of football:

High Knees
To stretch the hips and stabilise the strength of the muscles and tendons around the ankle joints that are particularly vulnerable to injury in football. This exercise requires the lifting of the knees in turn as you run until the thigh is in a parallel position to the pitch.

Calf Walk
To flex and strengthen the lower leg and achilles area, that is very vulnerable to injury. As you take each step, extend the ankle.

Lunge Walk
This exercise is used to loosen up the hips and involves moving the legs in a long and exaggerated stride pattern in time with the arms. The torso must be maintained straight and erect.
Sideways Running
The aim of sideways running is to stretch out the hip and inner thigh area, that are frequently over-strained in football.

Backwards Running
Running gently backwards helps to prepare and strengthen the quads and calf muscles for rigorous working during the game.

Such striding warm-up exercises can be followed by static stretching to isolate individual muscles such as the hamstring or calf, all of which require individual attention.

Very young players will probably not require such a rigorous stretching workout - some light running at varying speed levels should prove adequate. However, older players must warm-up and stretch as thoroughly as possible to avoid those pesky injuries that keep you on the sidelines.

If you would like to read more, the source where this article came from is:

http://www.talkfootball.co.uk/guides/football_warm_up.html

The Importance Of Exercise!

There are all kinds of reasons why many of us find it hard to start exercising - our day-to-day lives require a lot less physical activity than in our grandparents' or even parents' day, most of us own cars and rely on them to get around, and more and more people spend hours sitting in front of computers.

The Excuses!

The pressures of home and family life can also mean it feels as if there's little time left to fit in exercise. It's certainly tough to get started.

So, it's worth thinking about what you gain from regular exercise and making even a partial improvement to your fitness.

• Physical inactivity is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease - in other words, if you don't exercise you dramatically increase your risk of dying from a heart attack
• Conversely, exercise means a healthier heart because it reduces several cardiovascular risks, including high blood pressure
• Being physically active can bolster good mental health and help you to manage stress, anxiety and even depression
• Regular exercise can help you achieve and maintain an ideal weight, which can be important in managing many health conditions, or may just make you feel happier about your appearance
• All exercise helps strengthen bones and muscles to some degree, but weight-bearing exercise, such as running, is especially good in promoting bone density and protecting against osteoporosis, which affects men as well as women
• Different exercises help with all sorts of health niggles, such as digestion, poor posture and sleeplessness, and physical activity can be beneficial for a range of medical conditions, from diabetes to lower back pain

Don't Be A Statistic

There are lots of positive reasons for getting fitter, including meeting new people, discovering new interests and generally feeling better, but if you need to be scared into doing more exercise, consider the following:

• On current trends a third of men will be obese by 2010, according to a 2006 Department of Health report
• Between 2003 and 2006, obesity in adults rose by nearly 40 per cent
• The picture is just as worrying for youngsters - by 2010, it's predicted 22 per cent of girls and 19 per cent of boys between the ages of two and 15 will be obese, with girls under 11 at particular risk
• Obesity is responsible for 9,000 premature deaths a year in this country, and is a major contributory factor to heart disease
• Coronary heart disease (CHD) is still the leading cause of death in the UK, accounting for about a fifth of all deaths, according to the Office for National Statistics
• About a third of deaths caused by CHD are among people aged under 75

Keep Mobile

Almost half of adults in the UK will be aged over 50 by 2020. We tend to assume the benefits and pleasures of sport, exercise and fitness are only for younger people, but think again. The rewards of improved fitness later in life can be great – both for your health and social life.

Statistics show activity levels decline steadily with age, and by their mid-50s few people take regular exercise.

But regular activity is especially important as you age because it has beneficial effects on conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and helps you maintain mobility and mental well-being and, consequently, your independence.

There's no reason you should give up the sport you love just because you're getting older. There are plenty of exceptions to the statistical trend of decreased activity as we get older – at clubs up and down the country, for example, there are runners in their 50s, 60s and beyond whose fitness puts people 20 or 30 years their junior to shame.

And even if you weren't especially active or sporty at a younger age, it's never too late to start. Male or female, single or with a partner, there's lots you can do, and enjoy.

Some of the health benefits you'll get are the same as younger people, but there are things that are of particular benefit as you get older:

• More energy - exercise makes you feel more energetic, while sitting around not doing much makes you feel sluggish and unable to do anything
• Improved sleep - your body and mind feel as though they've done something and are ready for rest at night
• Stable weight - regular exercise helps to keep you at a healthy weight
• Improved circulation and lower blood pressure
• Delayed ageing - keeping active strengthens your muscles, joints and bones as well as helping with mobility and balance, important as it helps to prevent falls, which are the leading cause of injury and death for the over-75s

On top of the health benefits, exercise can be an excellent way to meet new people, whether it's at a gym, a rambling or running club, or just people you meet while walking the dog.

SOURCE: BBC HEALTH http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/treatments/healthy_living/fitness/motivation_why.shtml

FIFA = Flex-Improves-Fitness-Ability! Protect Yourself from FIFA FEVER!

Don't Want To Catch FIFA FEVER?!
Stay Healthy & Protect Yourself By Joining Us
In The Gym!

F LEX
I MPROVES
F ITNESS
A BILITY!

See our next post relating to how you can spend your time wisely while everyone else has caught the World Cup Fever!

Join us in Flex for a Class, Martial Arts, Zumba, Personal Training, Cardio, Core Strengthening!

Have A Chat With Our In-House Personal Trainers For Basic Training Advice, Tips & Ideas On How To Improve Your Fitness Ability!

So if FIFA Fever is not something you want to catch! Stay healthy and protect yourself by getting in FLEX!

Flex - Improves - Fitness - Ability! The new F-I-F-A!

Find Your Own Fever Pitch On Our Cutting Edge Technology Step Machine!

See You There!

FlexLifestyles Team

-oO0Oo-

World Cup Fever.. Football Widow? Here's how to make the best of it!

~~ CALLING ALL FOOTBALL WIDOWS! (MALE AND FEMALE!!!!) ~~

It’s That Time Again! No, Not Christmas Yet Thank God… No Its…

World Cup Fever! Love It Or Loathe It, The World Cup Is Landing SOON on a screen near YOU!

MSN CLIP ART

I know many wives are dreading this time of the year but don't fret. It doesn't have to be the pits. You can survive this with a little modification of your thoughts!

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Patience
• Compassion
• Friends
• Perseverance
• A little cash wouldn't hurt

1. Step 1

First understand it's usually a man thing. You can't change it. It's just one of those things. It happens every four years! It doesn't get any better. Just learn to accept they are just doing what comes naturally. Don't sulk, it will be alright. It's OK for your mate to have some space. I'm sure he has earned it! Why not come into Flex and have a work out?! Give yourself some quality time too! Exercise with a friend so that you can catch up on that treadmill!

2. Step 2

1st week: GET MOVING! Clean out the closets and give the oldies to a charitable organisation. Be nice...prepare snacks and drinks for the boys just before you head out for some retail therapy in those deserted SHOPS!

3. Step 3

2nd week: Take our exhilarating Zumba class and then afterwards, catch up with some old friends over a crushed ice drink at the local café bar!

4. Step 4

3rd week: Step into our HOUR OF POWER class on a Sunday – to really score high on your exercise agenda! Invigorating and by the time you get home you may be more tolerant of the noise that has reached fever pitch in the lounge!

5. Step 5

4th week: Try a new healthy recipe and invite your friends over while the guys are having a ball in the family room!

6. Step 6

5th week: Plan for a spa day and pamper yourself. Get your nails and hair done. Don't worry, be happy! Order pizza and wings for the fellows that will be joining your hubby and tell him you need EXTRA TIME!

7. Step 7

If you can’t beat them – join em! Plan on watching at least one game with him to show willing, invite your friends, organise a BBQ, prepare some snacks and drinks for the party and enjoy the camaraderie catch-up with your friends!

PS - If you are a guy reading this and it's your other half that is the footy fanatic babe, then see if you can get out to Flex for a full workout while they are flexing their vocal chords and shouting at the LCD screen! You just might get some peace and quiet away from it all! Bring your newspaper for a relaxing read after the workout in our lounge area!

Flex has gone DIGITAL! Check out our latest 30 sec video!

www.flexlifestyles.co.uk


CLICK THE words FLEXLIFESTYLES.CO.UK ABOVE TO WATCH!

Enjoy!


FlexLifestyles Team

Watch This Space For Our FREE Video HOW TO series.. Coming Soon in JUNE!

www.flexlifestyles.co.uk


VIDEO 2!

Watch this space for our free VIDEO 'HOW TO' series
to help you get the best from your exercise regimes, health advice, tips and handy hints!


COMING SOON in JUNE!



The FlexLifestyles Team


-oO0-

London's Hyde Park to get pensioner playground !

Pensioners' playgrounds already exist in Manchester and Berlin

London's first dedicated "pensioners playground" is set to open in Hyde Park after being given the go ahead by Westminster City Council.

The £40,000 playground will feature fitness equipment designed specifically to provide gentle exercise for people over the age of 60.

The playground will be signposted Hyde Park Senior Playground, although under-60s will not be banned

Play areas for older people are already popular in China and parts of Europe.

Healthy lifestyles

Located in the park's pavilion tennis and bowls centre, the playground is intended to help adults continue active and healthy lifestyles in later years.

It will contain six pieces of equipment will offer users a balance of exercises to work the arms, legs and upper body.

Older people find indoor gyms intimidating and expensive and therefore aren't exercising enough Madeline Elsdon, Knightsbridge Association

Once complete, it will include a cross-trainer, body-flexer, free runner, sit-up bench, flex wheel and a bike to improve strength balance and flexibility.

The idea was proposed by the Knightsbridge Association, a local residents' association, and will be funded by Westminster City Council.

"In the United Kingdom there are now more pensioners than children but few facilities for them in our parks," said Madeline Elsdon, from the Knightsbridge Association.

"We proposed the playground because many older people find indoor gyms intimidating and expensive and therefore aren't exercising enough."

Westminster councillor Lee Rowley said: "Exercise isn't just for young people - older residents should have the opportunity to get fit and active as well. "

The first pensioner's playground in UK opened in Manchester in 2008.

Work on the Westminster playground was due to start next month and was expected to open in spring.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8506302.stm

Body Building Grandma Ernestine Shepherd Bench Presses & Runs Marathons At 73!!!

(See VIDEO of Ernestine Shepherd at the bottom of this post!)

Grandmother Up Every Day at 3 a.m. and Says

'I Feel Better Than I Did at 40!!!!!!!'

Taut abs and rippling muscles aren't exactly the stuff grandmothers are known for. But then again neither are marathons and cell phones that play the theme to "Rocky."

Body building grandma, 73, runs marathons & benches 150 lbs!!!

At 73, Ernestine Shepherd is in better shape than most people decades her junior. Up at 3 a.m. every morning, she spends her days running, lifting weights and working out other senior citizens at the Union Memorial United Methodist Church in Baltimore. She also works as a certified personal trainer at her gym.

"I feel better than I did at 40," she said. "I am very, very happy."

In less than 20 years, Shepherd has morphed from a "prissy" woman who never exercised to the Guinness Book of World Records' oldest female bodybuilder.

A die-hard "Rocky" fan -- "Sylvester Stallone is my man," she cooed - Shepherd is preparing for a body building competition this weekend.

"I feel now that I am a very strong, positive and confident woman," she said. "Years ago I concerned myself about what people said concerning me. But when you get 70-something and you don't have that many years in front of you, you don't concern yourself with that."

Instead, Shepherd concerns herself with her carefully formulated diet -- 1,700 calories a day, mostly comprised of boiled egg whites, chicken, vegetables and a liquid egg white drink -- and packing in the workouts needed to maintain her stunning physique.

Shepherd runs about 80 miles per week and bench presses 150 pounds. Bicep curls are done with 15- and 20-pound dumbbells.

Married for 53 years and grandmother to a 13-year-old, Shepherd said she is exactly where she wants to be.

Well, almost. She's been looking for an excuse to meet Michelle Obama and even offered to train her.

"I've been trying to get to that lady. And I can't get to her," she said. "It's so difficult."

Shepherd sees her jaw-dropping transformation as fulfulling a promise to her late sister, Mildred Blackwell, who died in 1992 of a brain aneurysm just over a year into the training that she believed would drive them to become the oldest living fitness competitors in the world.

"I kept up everything she said we were going to do," Shepherd said. "That's kept me so close to her."

Twenty years ago, Shepherd was working as a secretary in the Baltimore school system after 30 years with AT&T. Exercising was not part of the picture.

"I was too prissy to exercise," she said. "I just didn't want to have my hair messed up. Didn't want my fingernails broken."

Then, at 56, Shepherd found herself in a dressing room with her sister trying on swimsuits for a pool party.

"When we looked at each other we both laughed because we didn't look too good in those suits," Shepherd said. "She said 'Tina, we're going to have to do something about this.'"

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/mess-ernestine-shepherd-body-building-grandma-benches-150/story?id=10480184

Top 5 Tips to Keeping Your Skin Glowing & Hydrated!

Top 5 Tips to Keeping Your Skin Hydrated This
Coming HOT HOT HOT SUMMER!

If you take care of your skin, you can be sure to see some serious benefits. For example, hydrated skin is not only smoother but it is also less likely to develop such unsightly marks as blemishes and age spots. Similarly, hydrated skin is more even in colour and gives off a great glow. The most under-estimated source of skin hydration is good old water! The power of water and its healing properties for the skin are unbelievable! Water helps flush out toxins and to keep the skin ALIVE! As skin is LIVING and breathing just like you do!

The following include the top five tips for how you can keep your skin hydrated, healthy, and youthful!

1. Make sure to wash your face two times a day with a great cleanser. This will remove harmful bacteria and dirt from your face. If you use a high end cleanser, you can also be sure to hydrate and nourish your skin because such items come equipped with skin smoothing ingredients.

2. Exfoliation is an integral step to keeping your skin hydrated. Such a product is great because it goes deep into pores to unclog them. If you use a face scrub with vitamins and moisturisers inside, you can then be sure to unclog and also soothe your skin's pores.

3. Don't forget toner when it comes to taking care of your skin. Toner is a step that a lot of people forget when it comes to skin care. This item tightens the skin's pores and provides them with helpful nutrients to make skin look as refreshed as it feels.

4. If you do end up with some spots on your face, take the time to invest in some pimple, acne or blemish spot removers. This is a solid way to get to the very root of the problem and to make sure that you rid your face of blemishes before they start to spread and take over your face. Blemish or spot removers are best worn at night because you won't touch your face or rub them off. If you have a particularly bad pimple, you can definitely add remover to your morning skin care routine.

5. And of course, the best way to keep your skin hydrated is to invest in some stellar moisturisers. This may be one of the most important steps of hydrating your skin. The right moisturiser keeps your skin hydrated because it is full of helpful ingredients that even out skin tone, reduce swelling and redness and have vitamins galore in them. Additionally, many moisturisers today also include collagen-focused ingredients to help the skin regenerate its cells at a fast rate. This keeps wrinkles at bay and helps prevent blemishes.

Source:

Retrieved from "http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/top-5-tips-to-keeping-your-skin-hydrated-1445180.html"

A 100-year-old fitness fanatic! Age is NO EXCUSE!

A 100-year-old fitness fanatic - thought to be Britain's oldest regular gym-goer - has REVEALED her secret to a long and healthy life!

Georgina Easter was born when Edward VII was on the throne!

Georgina Easter's advice is: stay away from nutrition-free fodder and keep fit.

"What's my secret? Keep away from junk food," said the centenarian, from Chaddesden, Derby.

"I also do a bit of gardening, I cook every day and I am going to have liver and onions tonight when I get home."

"We love having Georgina here. It keeps her going and she's such an active person, it's unbelievable" said Freda Notley, 64, runs the classes Georgina Easter avidly attends.

Born when Edward VII was on the throne and the Titanic was half-built, Miss Easter is 30 years older than her fellow keep-fit fanatics. Freda Notley, 64, who runs the classes in Chaddesden, said of his senior student: "The exercises can be quite tough and challenging. They are designed to help people keep mobile, improve stamina and keep fit in body and mind.

"We love having Georgina here. It keeps her going and she's such an active person, it's unbelievable."

Fellow keep-fit fanatic Jean Bell, 71, believes it is her friend's determined approach to everyday life which keeps her going.

"Georgina's involved in the church, she does her own housework and gardening and she also looked after other old people when she was younger," she said.

"Even when she is tired she comes along." She's a brilliant example to all people her age and younger. Derby City Council's Ruth Skelton pays tribute to Miss Easter And Miss Easter doesn't look likely to retire from the classes any time soon.

"I enjoy the friendship of the classes. All the people who take part, we are all good friends," she said. "At the end of term we have a big get together and a meal. It's very enjoyable."

Ruth Skelton, in charge of adult services at Derby City Council, said: "She's a brilliant example to all people her age and younger. "It may well be that Georgina is the oldest keep-fit member in the county and we would be very interested to know whether she's the oldest person to go to keep-fit classes in the country."

resource: Sky News Online