Who would have thought that a plastic throwing disc could be so much fun AND be good for you? The most popular brand of the molded plastic disc is Frisbee, and thanks to the fun factor, Frisbee throwing evolved into a number of flying disc sports. From a simple game of catch between two people in a backyard or on a beach, to a team sport in a park or on a playing field, the level of physical effort you put into play will help determine your flying disc fitness effectiveness.

Traditionally, the flying disc is tossed between two or more people standing a distance apart. Occasionally, a throw will go astray and the catcher will have to run to retrieve it, but the activity level remains fairly low. To garner more aerobic benefit from your flying disc, try one of the sport versions of play.

Flying disc golf involves establishing markers instead of holes, and keeping track of how many tosses it takes to hit each marker. As in standard golf, the player whose tosses are furthest under par wins. There is also a version of football using the plastic plaything. The rules are similar to flag football, but only passing is allowed. A team cannot advance down the field unless the disc is thrown and caught. A touchdown offers the only scoring point. In flying disc baseball, bases are set up in a diamond pattern and there are fielders and batters, but no pitcher. The player at bat tosses the disc out to the field and runs for first base. If the disc is caught in the air, it is an out. As in baseball, after three outs, teams switch sides and the games continues for nine innings.

There is even a solitary game which can be played in-city. In the game of Seven, as you are walking down a sidewalk, toss the disc ahead of you and count the number of pavement squares that it travels with each toss. Each square is good for one point, unless it lands exactly seven squares away, in which case no points are awarded. However you choose to use it, since people of almost any age can toss and catch one, a flying disc can offer fun and fitness for the whole family.

When I was little I used to have competitions with my sisters to see who could hula hoop the longest. Sometimes we would add in multiple hoops and other times we would use them to “jump rope” with. There were some times when I became bored with my hula hooping, but I continued to swing my hips and let the hoop go round and round. Keeping track of the count was hard at times, but it definitely gave us something to strive for.

Well, I did not realize this, but apparently, hula hooping is making a comeback. I used to think that it was just a thing that little kids did, but that is not the case anymore. Even Michelle Obama is into hula hooping! Last October she hooped for health and was able to get 142 swivels in! She definitely kept up with the best of them!

Why the hula hooping craze? Well, it is a really good source of exercise! The hula hoops used during exercising are not your standard little kid hoops. The exercising hoops are a little bigger and are weighted. This weight, about 2 pounds, will help a lot because you will not really have to worry about the lack of rhythm or being clumsy. Hula hoops are used in exercises to firm, tone and burn body fat.

Using a hoop has a lot of benefits. For instance, they massages your intestines and organs as it circles your waist. Hula hooping can help you have some meditative times, allow your heart rate to go up so you can lose weight, it increases the flow of blood to your brain, increases your energy level, enhances spinal flexibility, and more.

Hula hooping, according to the American Council on Exercise, burns about 200 calories every 30 minutes. That is not too shabby for a childhood “sport!” A lot of people prefer hooping because other sports put too much stress on the body. Another thing about hooping that people enjoy is that it puts a lot of emphasis on strengthening the abdominal area and torso. These are two areas that most people strive to trim down.

Hooping will bring back the old memories while getting fit!

Running is a great way to get into shape, and a fairly simple way.  It doesn’t require much and can be done anywhere.  As a runner, I have provided some tips for people considering it.

• First of all, before you do anything else, make sure you are in shape to begin running.  If you have any type of medical condition that could endanger you while running, ask your doctor if it is okay to run.
• Next, if you are serious about starting running you should look into buying a pair of quality running shoes.  Go to a running store like Runner’s Alley, where they will look at the way you walk and run and fit you in a shoe or two that will work best with your body and running style.
• If you are worried that you will buy a pair of quality running shoes and then decide you dislike running, you should buy a pair of cheaper cross trainers to start out.  If you stay with running, you should by a pair of quality shoes to reduce the risk of injury.
• When you begin running, don’t push yourself immediately. Begin with simple routines consisting of alternating running and walking, like walk for 6 minutes, then jog at an easy pace for 1 minute.  As you get  better, work the running time up and the walking time down.
• Over time, you will develop more stamina and run faster and more smoothly.  Once you get into running shape, your workouts should stop being measured in time but rather in distance. Find an area the is a set distance (preferably one or two miles) and run there.
• If you really enjoy running,  you should look into running races.  There are 5k (3.1 miles) happening all over the area you live.  To find out about them, visit Cool Running.  They also have longer distances, like half and full marathons and everything in between.
• Whatever you do, HYDRATE!!!  If you don’t hydrate, you will get hurt.  Drink water before and after runs and also during long distance runs.

Running is a convenient way to get into shape, and it is fun, too.  Please try to keep my tips in mind and have fun!

I remember being told when I was a child that something like .01% of students goes to college with help from sports. I believed it, that high school sports wouldn’t help me in the slightest.

However, during the college application process, one of my coaches, a recent graduate from college, started telling me that college sports were a gold mine and that I should contact the coaches. I would hear the statement and chuckle to myself a bit. Me? Good enough for colleges to want me to play at their school? Fat chance. My coach threw javelin, and when she was in high school she held state titles. I don’t even hold a school record. She went to UMass Amherst on a full ride. Her story was too perfect. I’m a reasonably good track runner, but not that good. Nevertheless, I followed her advice and contacted the coaches at the colleges I was interested in. It turns out, I was ”good enough.”

Though D2 and D3 colleges do not officially offer scholarships for athletics, it doesn’t mean that the coaches can’t give you an edge in the admission process or give a slight nudge in the department of financial aid. The amount of money that is available for college athletes is larger than it seems. There are thousands of colleges, each with a dozen or more sports, each with a coach looking for new recruits. The D3 and D2 coaches want good athletes just as much as those in D1; they are willing and able to help you out in the admission process. If you have a child that seems to have a talent in a certain sport (though he/she might not be shattering records), it may be worth encouraging this activity and contacting college coaches when the time rolls around.

Of course, contacting coaches can’t offer any guarantees, and the number of positions available from college to college and sport to sport will vary. However, I’m sitting here with an acceptance to an excellent university, the possibility of running track in college, and a hankering feeling that I should be sending the coach I contacted a few dozen thank you cards. It’s worth considering.

These days, teens are in worse shape than ever.  Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese.  Obese teens are considerably more likely to die before the age of sixty than teens who are in shape.

Obesity is a very dangerous disease, so I am adding my thoughts on how teens should fight obesity.  Also, parents, feel free to use these tips with your kids!

1. Try to get outside for at least one hour every day.  Play a sport, walk around the neighborhood, whatever…  just get off your bottom and start moving around.  Walking around is an exercise in itself.
2. Go running for a mile, maybe two.  All you have to do is walk out the door and put one foot in front of the other. No need for pools, courts, or fields.  You can go with a friend, chat, and have fun during it.  Also, it is a cheap sport.  Buy quality running shoes, but everything else can be cheap (shorts, t-shirts, and sweat or wind pants).   Find a way to figure out how far you’re running, though, because distances are hard to guess.
3. Play a school sport.  At my school, anyone can join the cross-country teen.  At practice, you run two miles.  If you can’t run two full miles, you run as much as you can.  You also get to compete in every home meet there is and the championships.  Additionally, you can challenge yourself to try out for other sports.
4. Start working out.  I am going to weightlifting sessions with my high school’s football team.  I plan to play next year and am on the wrestling team, so it helps a lot.  Plus, it’s an awesome time to chat with friends

Don’t let the concept of working out scare you or be embarrassed to play sports.  Doing these will help you live longer and are fun.  So, get out there and get fit!

Well, I do not know about you, but I have been less than thrilled with the weather this season. For instance, it is November, but this past week in Boston it has been anywhere from 40 to 60 degrees outside. That is not cold, and it certainly is not the ideal temperature for my favorite form of precipitate–snow!

Well, once the snow comes along, ski season will be in full blast.

Teaching someone how to ski is an interesting experience. It is not too hard to learn, in opposition to first starting snowboarding, but it can be challenging. For those of you who are looking to bring your children out into the amazing world of skiing or to teach a friend how this sport works, here are a few hints.

First and foremost, figure out if they can handle the cold temperatures, the uncomfortable boots, and the rest of the equipment. Speaking of equipment, do not get the cheap stuff. Buying or renting good quality equipment will not only aid your “student’s” overall experience, but it also will make your life easier. Figure out how they learn best–by watching, example, doing, trying, etc?

Start them off on the bunny slopes with the carrot lift. It should be extremely flat and boring for you, but trust me, your child or friend will think that they are going too fast to handle at the beginning on even this slope, so make sure that they are comfortable on these slopes first. Once you can get them to make big turns, how to use the pizza wedge technique, and how to stop, you can test them out on the lift. Take a lift up and take a long green circle trail down. They will learn so much on that one trail and may even find it easier going down on a slope because they’ll have more momentum.

However, I will admit that the best thing to do would be to enroll them in a one hour class. A lot of times you can get a package for beginners for free which would include rentals, a lesson, and a lower mountain pass. Other times you can get some great deal that includes all three items.

Back in my martial arts days, I asked my instructor for some new workout ideas.  I was getting bored and needed to freshen things up a bit.  He created a very fun six week training plan focused on cardio strengthening.  I’m not going to share the whole workout but instead an innovative idea from it.

The warm-up stands out in my mind to this day.  On certain days (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday) I was to run for distance at an easy pace.  Nothing groundbreaking there.  Then came the other days.  These days I focused movements using every single muscle in my body.  They were the Poomse days.

Poomse is a Korean word, meaning form or pattern.  These forms are imaginary fights that often tell a story about a particular fight.  Anyway, Poomse days required me to do all of my forms at an easy pace and then again at a fast pace, ignoring technique.  Since I knew and practiced sixteen forms with anywhere from 20-100 moves each, it became an intense warm-up.

Don’t know any forms?  No problem, just go to YouTube and search “Poomse” or “martial arts forms.”  There are many videos that you will discover to walk you through some.  You only need to know one or two to get the worthwhile benefits.  Find one that looks like something you can do and spend a workout session trying to learn it.  Technique isn’t imperative unless you are actually training in the art.  Worry more about getting a feel for the movements.

Once you learn one, get into motion.  The first time, do the form as if you are very lazy.  Just go through the moves to warm-up your joints and your mind.  Then do it again with a little more purpose, focusing on what you are doing.  This time pay attention to your legs.  Really, stress the stances and try to keep your weight on them.  Finally, breeze through the last time.  Do the form very quickly and with force.  This time focus on getting your heart rate up and a earning a light sweat.

You’re now warmed up the Poomse way.

Why are so many people registering their children or themselves for martial arts classes?  There are numerous reasons to get involved in the martial arts.  Whether you’re trying to gain confidence, get into better shape or learn self-defense, martial arts is the answer.

First, what are martial arts?  The definitions vary from person to person.  Some say meditative art forms while others say hand-to-hand combat education.  There is no one true way to sum them up.  Martial arts are fighting systems derived from many years of experience and practice that allow you to strengthen your mind and body.  Depending on your reason and which art you choose will determine your definition.

The many reasons that are given for taking martial arts are: learn self-defense; learn respect; develop coordination; gain confidence; enhance strength; make athletes even better; improve focus; learn goal setting; and improve social skills.  Some answers, such as enhancing strength, learning self-defense and coordination, are self-explanatory.  One that is not is improving focus.

The improving focus area encompasses many of today’s issues, especially in children.  Many children today are diagnosed with ADHD, temper control problems and many simply need better study habits.  Through the discipline that is taught, the individual learns to redirect anger through healthy channels.  The focus that is required to hit the targets and heavy bags becomes a part of every action.  The same thought process they use to hit a target now becomes the way in which they attack math problems, for example.

There are even great benefits for those without children.  Having more focus will certainly help us in the workplace and at home.  Being able to concentrate on the task at hand will help us to meet our deadlines and soar past those who can’t.

Martial arts simply will improve every aspect of your life.  They will allow you to become stronger and gain more confidence.  No other sport can give you the full benefits that a quality martial arts instructor is able to deliver.  Whether you want to improve your child’s focus or learn self-defense for yourself, martial arts are the key.

One of the hardest things for any child or teenager to overcome is the humility in attempting and failing an activity in front of friends and peers. Intensive studies have shown that the two greatest things keeping kids from exercising are the television and the lack of knowledge about sports and physical activities.

As time goes on and technology becomes more and more a part of our society, younger generations begin to rely more on electronics and computers for entertainment. Some of those younger children even choose to remain indoors every day as opposed to playing outside. Part of that is simply due to the fact that the children are never pushed enough to learn certain activities.

Often in the studies, it was found that a large number of children don’t know how to play a part in physical activities, such as throwing a football correctly or kicking a soccer ball. The thought of participating in an activity they have no knowledge or skill in is very intimidating for both children and teenagers. As adults we must play a large role in our children’s lives, and part of that role is making sure they stay healthy and fit. Children generally pick up a lot of habits from their parents. So the first place to start is with yourself.

A great place to begin for the whole family is to go outdoors and play family sports or participate in physical activities. If you go outside with the children and throw a baseball or teach them how to shoot a basketball, chances are next time their friends ask them to play they will go out and enjoy the great outdoors instead of basking in front of an electronic device all day. Often you will even find that the children want to go outside themselves and practice for the next time your family plays some sports.

Having a very proactive and physical attitude will affect your children, so make sure you keep yourself off that couch even when you are ready to relax for the day. Trips to the beach, bike rides, or walks could play a great role in keeping your children away from the electronics. Just remember to stay physical!

I hear a lot of people talking about the one sport they love. In the fall, my friend plays for the volleyball school team. Winter, the same friend plays volleyball for a junior Olympics team. Spring, more junior Olympics. Summer, a summer volleyball league. Year-round volleyball. It has become a growing trend for people to specialize in one sport. It should make sense: if you focus on one sport, your skills should increase, you should get better. For those children that hope to grow up to be professional athletes, specialization of one sport at an early age may seem like the only route. Parents might even urge their children to take this path. If the child sticks with one sport and works on it year-round, every year, they will only get better right? Wrong.

Doctors are urging that children be involved in a variety of sports. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that specialization can deny the benefits of varied activity. Furthermore, there’s no proof that, by age 16, someone who started a specific sport at age 4 is any better than someone who started at age 8.

One concern about specialization is overuse. The number of stress fractures from sports has increased over the past years. If a child continually strains the same muscles time and time again, it becomes more likely that an injury will result.

Also, specialization can lead to burn-out. If day after day, a child plays the same sport, the child may lose his or her appeal for the sport. The game might become a chore. By keeping a child involved in a variety of sports, you keep him or her open to other activities and keep the child interested and excited in the game he or she likes the most.

In conclusion, it is great to get your kids involved in sports at an early age, but wait until later years if you really want them to specialize. The benefits do not outweigh the risks.