Suspend-It

I have been dying to get back to our Kendo dojo and gear up with my bogu for a long time now. I miss doing the suburi with my fellow kendoka (not to mention hitting them in the head. Hehehe). Heck, I even miss the required two rounds of cleaning the dojo before the session starts.

*Sigh* I just don’t have the money for it right now. Too many payables… I need to prioritize those first before I should even think about going back to Kendo (and then dream of fighting off those Japanese in the yearly Hong Kong Kendo Competition).

Thanks to my friend Mark, I just might be able to join one of those sessions soon. To be able to pay off my bills (and unnecessary finance charges) asap, he suggested I engage in credit card applications. Once I get approved, I should immediately avail of their balance transfer so I can pay at a much cheaper monthly rate. Isn’t that just brilliant?

One thing’s certain – when I get back to the dojo, I’ll do my utmost to be the best female kendoka (if not best kendoka) worthy of joining the next Hong Kong Kendo Competition. Yosh!

My friend Mark and I decided to try Bikram Yoga last October 24 by enrolling in a one week unlimited trial session. Just so you know, Bikram Yoga, as defined by ABC-of-Yoga.com, “is a series of 26 poses performed in a room with temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Each Yoga Pose is usually performed twice and held for a certain period of time.”

The short week of doing the 26 poses in the heated studio really did us a lot of good – improved breathing, increased flexibility, corrected posture, eliminated body toxins, lessened back pains, not to mention it gave us a healthy, glowing skin afterwards. If it weren’t for the pricey monthly fee, we would have continued on a one-month session at the studio.

In the end, we decided to take pictures of the 26 poses (thanks to Mark’s Nikon D90) borrow the Bikram Yoga session CDs and book, and just practice at home until we can afford the yoga fee. With its great benefits, we’re definitely going back to being yogis. ^_^

As we grow older, our metabolism rate decreases and we tend to grow fat when we do not exercise regularly and eat a balanced diet. I’ve been recently gaining weight on my stomach and it’s becoming unsightly. Consequently, I decided to do something about it by purchasing a mountain bike sometime this October and using it every morning before I start working.

Bicycling is not only one of the best, easiest and most popular forms of exercise; it also is a lot of fun! Also, compared to jogging or aerobics, you don’t need to worry about joint impacts. Biking is also one of the least expensive because quality bicycle equipment lasts a long time.

Speaking of bicycle equipment, there is this problem of storing my new bike in the garage. I guess I ought to buy a bike rack to make sure it doesn’t get run over by our car. I think I’ll buy an overhead bike rack to make use of the unused space in our garage with ease and safety.

Target shooting is a very popular sport that can be safely enjoyed by people of various ages. The basic teachings of marksmanship training are better remembered using the acronym BRASS - Breath, Relax, Aim, Slack, and Squeeze. Talking from experience, BRASS is not the only key to win a shooting competition. What you wear from head to foot also matters.

It is therefore a must to consider choosing comfortable sets of sports gear. More so, a pair of comfortable shoes with highest quality and a good life span. It is also important to buy the pair of shoes that fit your shape (narrow or wide), and give the support you need as you move quickly on the next target in the shooting competition. For a selection of shoes from men’s to women’s, visit only the most reliable sports shoes stores. Of course, it would also be great if you opt to have a custom made or made to order shoes.

In your next competition, whether it is shooting or other ball games, be sure to choose the best pair of shoes for you because this will help you in winning.

Do you know the most popular sport in the world? Let me give you clues. This is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players. Said sport needs goals, nets and equipment and commonly known as football. Yes, you got it! It is soccer. The good news is, soccer could be played right there at your backyard.

Like any sports or work you do, practice makes a person perfect. As such, it is highly recommended to have your own set of soccer equipment, ready for use anytime to further enhance one’s skills in soccer. This is exactly what my best friend did. They bought quality soccer goals, nets and equipment at http://www.soccergoalzinc.com. Thus, their kids can practice to keep them busy, while they are engaged in their favorite leisure or continuing their work at home. In addition, my best friend is able to know the companions of his kids and at the same time keep them away from the most dreaded drug addiction.

Today, parents in their neighborhood are living peacefully. They could see their children improving their soccer skills and most of all developing the spirit of sportsmanship. I strongly believe that this sport will help the children develop the core moral values that are essential for man to be able to relate with his fellowmen. Relatedly, soccer will teach them to be responsible citizen of the society and help them understand and attain the real essence of happiness. No doubt, their continuous practice will better prepare them to become professional soccer players in the international competition.

In the back of my mind, I’ve always associated pregnancy to being more delicate and lessening of one’s daily activities. Consequently, I was surprised to find out about pregnancy yoga.

According to some studies, the practice of yoga can help you prepare your mind and body for labor and birth as this helps you to concentrate and keep you healthy. There are gentle yoga poses for pregnant women to keep their body active and supple, and help minimize common pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness and constipation. In fact, based from the Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, yoga during pregnancy may improve birth weight and reduce prematurity and overall complications.

For those interested, some of the prenatal yoga exercises include loosening exercises, asanas, relaxation, pranayamas, and meditation, all practiced for one hour daily.

Let’s face it, when it comes to fitness, motorcyclists don’t get much respect compared to other athletes. For many, riding a motorcycle up the local canyons or taking hot laps down at the area raceway is a breeze. Then again, have you ever tried riding for an hour through twisty canyons?

Similar to other fitness activities, your body can get quite a work out from prolonged or more vigorous riding. Lack of fitness can hinder one’s performance, especially after a prolonged ride. Nevertheless, increased fitness allows the rider to fight off fatigue, which limits performance and can be dangerous when you’re riding at the limit of your abilities. Moreover, improving general fitness and muscle tone helps reduce the general aches and pains associated with riding for long periods by increasing joint strength and improving body posture.

There are several areas of fitness and well-being which when addressed can improve rider performance. A good start to improving rider fitness is cardiovascular exercise. Also known as Aerobic Exercise, Cardiovascular Exercise is any activity that elevates your ability to do work over a sustained period of time (e.g. swimming and running).

Although motorcyclists use their whole body when riding, the stomach, forearms and inner thighs are of primary importance. Some exercises for these parts are push-ups, sit-ups, leg raises, biceps curl, and wrist curl. Nevertheless, while working on your arms and legs, don’t forget to develop core body strength. This is because, as your core (trunk or center of gravity) strength increases, you’ll find that you rely less on your arms to support your body while riding, freeing up your arms to control the bike with less effort.

Next time someone says motorcycle riding doesn’t involve exerting any physical activity, ask them to ride for an hour through twisty canyons.

Sport fishing or game fishing is recreational fishing wherein the primary reward is the challenge of finding and catching the fish, not the fish’s culinary or financial value. This is a popular attraction in Cabo San Lucas – a small city in the state of Baja California Sur, Mexico. In fact, Cabo is home to the World’s Largest Fishing Tournament every year.

Based from the Activity Profile of NutriStrategy Nutrition and Fitness Software, an hour of fishing from boat or sitting, actually burns 148 calories for someone weighing 130lbs, 176 calories for 155lbs, and 176 calories for 190lbs. With this in mind, and the fact that fishing is a great outdoor getaway, you will surely enjoy this fun-filled leisure activity!

One of my favorite recreations with my friends is bowling. For the record, bowling is a game in which players attempt to score points by rolling a ball along a flat surface in order to knock down objects called pins. For this game, all you need is a good balance & throwing skill, a comfortable pair of bowling shoes, (if you have the money) customized bowling balls, and of course, a bowling alley with pins.

Bowling, though not that physically demanding compared with some other sports, does require some unique abilities and a certain degree of competence in many aspects of fitness. In fact, bowling is a frontal motion with abduction, adduction as each ball is thrown. This is because many upper body muscles are recruited in each ball that is thrown down the lane.

So the next time you and your friends, or even your family, gather around for an outing, try Bowling. This game is shared by all ages, gender, and abilities and has been around for a very long time.