When it comes to fitness, there is no secret that you put your body through the wringer.  Afterward your body requires the replacement of essential nutrients.  There are many companies and a trillion dollar fitness industry willing to sell you the secret potions to replenish you after a workout and to get you going for the workout.  Instead of creating an empty bank account, visit your grocery store for better alternatives. Before your workout, drink a cup of coffee.  Athletes used to frown on this because it is a diuretic.  Those working out take in as much water as they can...

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'Is there really any value in stretching?'  I remember thinking this question in my  head while doing the flexibility drills in Tae Kwon Do.  After twenty-some years of fitness, the answer is a resounding 'yes.' When I first began training in martial arts I was not very limber.  Being almost six feet in junior high and being in a light weight fighting class gave me a huge advantage.  My reach and speed in a smaller division gave me a way to control the fast, little guys.  When I was able to keep them on the outside, things worked to plan.  However,...

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The goal is in sight. Left, right, left, I move my feet along the ice and progress toward the net. I have the ball under control and am surprised by the fact that I have not yet fallen straight on my butt. I am thinking to myself, Boy am I glad that club hockey played right before this game and that the ice is all scratched up and not glossy. My defenders are nowhere near me, and I raise my elbow and arm back to go hit the ball straight into the goal. I slowly turn my stick so...

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Sports massages are not your typical massages. You may be thinking, but it is a massage! How could you want to avoid one of those? Well, sports massages may not always feel great. Sometimes it is necessary to break down knotted up muscles--which leaves you sore the next day, but in the end it will all be worth it. My friends like to call the pain that you get from a sports massage to be a "good kind." Most sports massages are not full body massages. Sports massages have specific aims in mind, and they must be applied skillfully. Massages are...

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Though some people may find these "shoes" attractive, I think that they are the funkiest pieces of footwear I ever have seen! Remember those good ol' toe socks? Okay, well these shoes are similar to the socks in the sense that every toe has its own spot. Vibram FiveFingers are supposed to provide your feet with an all natural sensation. With these shoes you feel as if you are walking barefoot. FiveFingers will help to engage all of the sensory receptors, tendons, ligaments, bones, and muscles. When your feet are stuck in a pair of shoes, all of these different...

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