General | Elk River Idaho

Eating before a workout

Eating and then doing exercise on a full stomach can be dangerous. It will more often than not cause nausea, cramping and stomach upsets. It can also hinder the benefits your workout could give you if you worked out on a lighter stomach. Below are a few handy tips on what to eat before and after a workout:-

1. Make sure that you eat or drink something at least 20 or 30mins before your workout. Not a large meal but certainly some water so you are hydrated and either a protein shake, protein bar or a banana for example to give you an energy lift and some fuel in the tank for your workout.

2. Avoid caffeine. Some people assume caffeine is good but it is a stimulant not an energy boost and should be avoided as a pre or post work out energy boost.

3. After your work out. Eat! The hour after your workout is the most important, your body and muscle need to refuel on precious nutrients so drink lots of water or an electrolyte drink and enjoy healthy light meal such as eggs, chicken and veggies or tuna and wholegrain rice. If you’re on the go and don’t have time to eat take a whey protein to keep your body full of what it needs.

Your body needs energy but being weighed down with a full stomach can cause harm and your exercise experience will not be a happy one. By following the tips above and learning to listen to your body and what it’s comfortable with will make for a safe and happy exercise ready body!

Filed Under: Awareness, General Tagged With: Energy, Physical exercise, Protein

Sports Drinks

On the sidelines of most professional sporting events or even local teams are usually a stockpile of bottles of sports drinks.

These sports drinks are so popular because they rehydrate the body faster than water alone. They have carbohydrate and electrolytes which replenish lost nutrients from the body when we exercise and sweat. If you feel faint or have a sudden loss of energy during sport then these drinks can help you feel better and recover sooner.

Always ask your coach, trainer even doctor about which of these drinks is best for you and test the many hundreds of brands that are on the market. Look carefully at the labelling as some brands at first glance may look like a sports drink but they contain high amounts of additives and sugars and will not benefit your body. Energy drinks with caffeine should be avoided completely during sports. They are an artificial stimulant and do not contain the essential nutrients and electrolytes to rehydrate your body and help your work out. Some people have been known to have reactions to these caffeine stimulant drinks so be careful about what you choose to intake.

Sports drinks can easily become part of your work out or weekly sporting event but they should never replace water. Water is needed for vitality and to keep your body in tip top condition. But by drinking these drinks in conjunction with water you may find that you have more sustained energy, recover faster and overall enjoy your work out or team sport a little more than usual.

Filed Under: General, Outdoor Sports Tagged With: Physical exercise, Sport, Sports drink

Sports Therapy

If you have sustained any kind of sporting injury you must first and foremost see a qualified doctor or specialist. There are hundreds of types of sports therapy but if you are just getting into sport and want to know some of the most popular types of therapy’s you can get a brief overview here:-

1. R.I.C.E Stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. These are basic steps that should aid any minor sporting muscle injury. Rest the arm, ankle or injured part of the body immediately, Ice the affected area to keep swelling down and soothe pain, Compress the injured muscle to again stop swelling and finally elevate the injured area. For example put a shoulder injury in a sling or sit with an injured ankle raised up.

2. Massage. There are many different types of massage so do your research and find what suits you. Thai, deep tissue, oil and sports massages are all usually available in most towns. Professional sportsmen use massage before and after events to keep muscles warm, supple and prevent injury. Massages are also great after long distant sports such as marathons when the muscles have been in for a rough ride!

3. Water therapy releases tension gently and supports the body in the water. Pressure on joints and muscles is lifted, the body is light and has buoyancy in the water and can recover through gently resistance and training. The water is also a great support for injured limbs.

As with all sports it’s wise to always try and prevent injury through following the correct warm up and warm down exercises and keeping hydrated.

Filed Under: General, Sports Tagged With: Elevation, Massage, Muscle

Weight Machines vs Free Weights

An easy way to start weight training is to use the weight machines available in most gyms. These are user-friendly, have you move your body in a logical path, and usually have instructions telling you how to use the machine. They are good exercise — they move your muscles, get your heart pounding, and generally force your body to work off some calories and fat. However, if you are serious about weight training you should look into a freeweight training program.

Freeweights roughly divide into two categories: dumbbells and barbells. Dumbbells are weights that you hold in one hand, while barbells are bars with weights on either side of them. Obviously, dumbbells are going to weigh less than barbells for similar exercises because you need to hold two of them.

Weight machines do help you get started on resistance training programs, but they have some major drawbacks. For one, they are machines in the rawest sense of the word. They use pulleys, wedges and inclined planes to help you get the weight where it needs to go. This means that you are not really doing all of the work yourself, but rather are helping the machine do the work. This is profoundly different from moving a weight yourself.

Another problem is the fact that the range of motion is fixed. When the angle you move your weights at cannot change, your body does not need to engage stabilizer muscles. This means that the workout is not as good with free weights — you may be working the “focus” muscle (as in bicep curls), but you are not working any of the auxillary muscles. This means that it may take two or three different weight machines to do the work of one barbell exercise or dumbbell exercise. This is not very efficient, and it makes for longer workouts.

So speak to a personal trainer or someone else with intimate knowledge of weightlifting about a free weight program. They may be intimidating to start out, but once you’ve mastered the form you’ll wonder why you ever used machines in the first place.

Filed Under: General, Safety Tips Tagged With: Muscle, Physical exercise, Weight training

Weight Lifting

Weight lifting has gained popularity in recent years as more and more people have discovered its benefits. It is no longer just the purview of bodybuilders screaming in the corner of the gym, looking and sounding positively inhuman as they grunt and scream to move a weight through the air.

But weight lifting doesn’t need to be like this. Indeed, you can be extremely strong, fit and lean without the truck-like shoulders or breast-like pecs that the guys in the corner of the gym have. Those guys have devoted their lives to lifting weights; you’re probably just trying to get (or stay) fit and healthy.

There are a few key points you need to understand. The first is the difference between an isolation exercise and a compound exercise. If you’re a beginner, you should probably stick to the latter. Isolation exercises work one single muscle, while compound exercises work entire muscle groups. Working single muscles can feel like more of a workout and have more immediate, tangible effects, but it also opens you up to the possibility of injury.

If, for example, you have extremely well-developed biceps but haven’t developed your shoulders, pecs or back, your biceps will be able to hold and lift more than these muscles. This will make it possible for you to lift something partway — but when the other muscles kick in they’ll be overwhelmed, possibly straining or tearing.

So, whether you’re lifting a lot of weight for a few reps or a little weight for a lot of reps, you should start with compound exercises. These are a little more intimidating and technical than most isolation exercises, so you should consult a trainer beforehand. Doing a compound exercise incorrectly puts the strain on the wrong joints and muscles, and also opens you up to injury. However, the benefits are innumerable, ranging from more energy, better muscle tone, and lower body fat, so if you are physically able you should consider a weight training program today.

Filed Under: General, Sports Tagged With: Fitness, Muscle, Physical exercise, Weight loss, Weight training

Abdominal Training

You want nice abs. I know it, you know it, we all know it. Even the most well-adjusted person can’t help but see a model or actor with washboard, 6-pack abdominal muscles and feel just the slightest pang of jealousy.

It is easy for these pangs to manifest themselves as endless situps, crunches or other abdominal exercises. Like all exercise, these are better than nothing — but they probably aren’t going to get you the washboard stomach you want. This is because the real key to a nice set of abdominal muscles is not actually strong abs. Rather, it’s low body fat.

Have you ever seen a really skinny guy take his shirt off? He’ll often look surprisingly ripped. This isn’t necessarily because he is. Rather, he just doesn’t have a layer of fat covering his abdominals. You, on the other hand, probably do. So to get a nice set of abs, you shouldn’t be focusing on the abdominals. You already have these. Rather, you should be focusing on the layer of fat covering them.

The bad news gets worse. You can’t actually get rid of fat on your stomach alone. Your body doesn’t work that way. Your body eliminates fat uniformly. If you lose a pound of fat, it is going to be partly from your stomach, partly from your face, partly from your thighs, and so on.

As I said above, exercise is important. But you can only burn so many calories. It’s much more efficient to cut fat from the front end — change your diet. You need to reduce your calories by around 500 a day, cut out the trans fats, and avoid simple carbs like sugar, white bread and other foods without much nutritional content. Lean meat and vegetables are your new best friends.

It’s going to take time, too. Healthy weight loss is a pound or two a week. After awhile, you’ll see hte difference — your stomach fat will have burnt off, and the 6-pack you never knew you had will make itself known. Enjoy.

Filed Under: General, Sports Tagged With: Abdomen, Abdominal obesity, Adipose tissue, Stomach

Public Relations Jobs in Football

: Image via Wikipedia

Do you have a degree in public relations? If so, finding a job in the sport of football as a public relations person can be a daunting task.
Public relations entails just that - relating to the public. You are the go between for the team and its adoring fans. The public relations department helps the team make a name for itself in the community and calm things down when inappropriate news about the team is making headlines. One of the best places to find a public relations job in football is via the National Football League’s website or the site of each individual team. If there are job openings these sites will post the jobs, requirements for applying, and the experience required in the field that the applicant should have.

If you are still attending college, a great way to get a leg up in the industry is to apply for an internship as a Public Relations Intern. A Public Relations Intern will assist members of the team’s Public Relations department in everyday aspects that help run the organization. The intern will also act as a liaison between the team and the local and national media, including radio, television and print outlets regarding player interviews and access to the locker room during the week or after games.

If you do take on a public relations internship with the National Football League or one of its teams, this will provide you with the perfect real world experience of how a PR person is supposed to handle their day to day duties and how they should handle themselves around big name sports stars. Also, as with an internship in any industry, it might lead to a full-time job with the team as a Public Relations person.

Going after your dream job is a lot riskier than playing online casino games when the competition is so great and the number of positions so few but, it is worth the risk.

Filed Under: Games, General, Sports Tagged With: National Football League, Public Relations, Sport

Idaho – a Hidden gem for Vacationers, Like Sports Betting Affiliates for Sports Fans

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

With difficult economic times, families are tightening their belts concerning extended family vacations. Many families have turned away from the expensive vacation to Gator World In Florida, and instead opted for vacations in the great outdoors. Instead of expensive hotels, families are turning to camping, and staying in smaller towns where prices haven’t skyrocketed.

Many of these families are looking for vacation destinations that are fresh, affordable, and offer a wide variety of activities that meet the families budgetary constraints. Some are looking for vacation locations that have not been inundated with commercial building and high-priced and elaborate lodging. For many, discovering the great outdoors in a state like Idaho is as easy as finding information on a sports betting affiliate via the internet.

As the summer months turn to fall, the changing leaves in Idaho create a beautiful landscape that even the hardest-to-inspire families will fall in love with. The landscape of Idaho continues to be untouched by skyscrapers and big-business, giving outdoor enthusiasts a picturesque look at what Mother Nature was intended to look like.

For many that have spent time in Idaho, the lack of major metropolitan cities is a refreshing look at the great outdoors in the western United States. Those that have visited Idaho have fallen in love with small towns like Elk River. With a populations of 150, this small town understand the livelihood that vacationing families bring, and residents cater to the every need of those that visit.

Located in the pristine mountain valleys of Idaho, this small town offers hundreds of things for visitors to do, including hiking, fishing and hunting, snow shoeing, snowmobiling and world class cuisine.

And it’s not just a summer destination. Many families are spending the Holiday together in the scenic Clearwater National Forest, and bonding together in the heart of the nation’s outdoors.

Filed Under: Adventure, General, Sports

Adventure Ready: E Cigarette Starter Kits

You’re not a sedentary creature. Your life is an excess of adventures, following the unknown trails, discovering the wild. It’s a devotion to thrills and inspiration with every moment carved to expectation. But there’s still a hesitancy to explore, no matter how bold you may be: You are uncertain of how to flavor your explorations to nicotine. Your cigarette obsession is deemed unwise for the hills and valleys; it’s considered too much of a concern. And so you are forced to abandon your favored tastes for days too long to contemplate.

This is no longer true.

You can have everything you want in the way of outdoor adventure with no sacrifice needed. You merely must choose alternatives to the common options. You must look instead to e cigarette starter kits. Not only will these products provide the smoking experience you crave, but they’ll also prove themselves worthy of your escapes in all the important ways:

1. No excess equipment. Electronic cigarettes don’t require the fumble of lighters or matches and the stacked cartons. They’re instead self-contained and can last for long periods of time with a single battery. You won’t be wasting time or rucksack space.

2. Water resistant. While it is obviously not recommended to use these products while submerged, you will find them able to withstand the river splashes and inevitable raft flips. They will not disintegrate as typical filters do. This enables you to take them where you must, rather than refusing your cravings.

3. Environmentally conscious. Cigarettes, however their taste may appeal, offer many challenges for the wild. Their smoke emissions, their drooping flames, and their tendency to refuse being snuffed beneath your foot. Fires are a constant worry and pollutants are exhaled. The electronic alternatives, however, are without such concerns and allow you to leave nature as you found it: unspoiled.

\Electronic cigarettes make it possible to discover the world.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Cigarette, Electronic cigarette, Tobacco smoking

Need Those Sports Tickets? Consider Emergency Cash Loans

: Image by Kuwait-Ra’ed Qutena via Flickr

Missing a big sporting event because of a lack of funds would be a tragedy for any sports fan. If you’re tight on cash and the tickets are about to go on sale, consider emergency cash loans that you can pay back over time. If you have the money when the tickets first go on sale, you’ll have a better chance of getting a really good seat before they’re all taken. You might be going alone, or with family and friends, but either way you’ll want to sit where you can see everything, instead of way up in the back corner of the stands where everyone who’s playing looks like tiny little dots.

If you wait to get tickets, that’s most likely where you’ll be stuck, so don’t wait. Have that cash in hand the second the tickets are available. Keep in mind, too, that a sporting event isn’t just about the tickets. You’ll need food and drink, transportation, and other incidentals. If the game is far away, you may need to spend a night or two in a motel, so you’ll have to factor that in, as well. If you’re going with friends, you can room together and split some of the cost, which will make things a lot easier for you.

No matter what kind of sport you like, there are generally opportunities to go to the games. Keep an eye on the ticket companies, your favorite team’s Website, and other sports-related sites in order to find out where your team will be and when. You can also get ticket prices and other information that way. Sometimes there are contests where you can win tickets, so be sure to enter those. You never know when the next game you get to go see might just be a freebie from a contest win.

Filed Under: General, Sports Tagged With: Entertainment, Sport, Tickets