Imagine jumping around on two little trampolines attached to a pair of lightweight buckle boots and you can begin to feel the freedom experienced by Kangoo Jumps enthusiasts! Kangoo Jumps provide low impact, rebounding fun to both adults and children and can be used on a variety of different surfaces both indoors and outside. At first sight, [more...]
Power walking, also known as speed walking or fitness walking, is a style of walking that is optimised for exercise and cardiovascular fitness. Normal walking pace is a little under four miles per hour (six kilometers per hour). Power walking raises that to around five miles per hour (seven to nine kilometers per hour), which [more...]
Orienteering is the sport of running across the countryside, using a map and compass to make your way from checkpoint to checkpoint as quickly as you can. Cunning running, if you like. Because orienteering is a big word, it’s often simply referred to as “O” by its adherents. The sport originated in Norway (PDF), where the [more...]
Alternating short bursts of high-intensity exercise with active rest has proven to be one of the most effective methods of losing weight. Research shows that performing exercise which incorporates fluctuations in intensity burns more fat than aerobic exercise done at a steady pace. A recent study from the University of Virginia found that women who performed [more...]
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated using a person’s height and weight and is an easy, inexpensive way to determine body fatness. Used in conjunction with other assessments, such as skinfold thickness measurements, physical activity, family history and diet evaluations, it can be a reliable tool to determining health risks. Classification BMI [more...]
Weight gain and menopause often go hand in hand. Women complain that their bodies suddenly become unrecognizable and assume a different shape altogether! Slender tummies, hips and thighs gradually develop lumps and bulges that simply weren’t there through most of adulthood! What has happened? Does the menopausal body really have a mind of its own? Does [more...]
(Photo credits: Farmer, Muscles) Who do you think is more fit for daily activities – the bicycling farmer or the super-ripped bodybuilder? If you chose the farmer, you have a good understanding of functional fitness. Functional fitness is one of the newest buzzwords in the fitness industry. But what does it mean, exactly? How does functional fitness [more...]
Balance skills are an integral component of healthy aging. Simple activities like reaching into the cupboard, bending down to put on a shoe, lifting a leg up into the car, and traveling up and down stairs require subtle shifts in the amount of weight placed on each leg. The ability to remain stable as body [more...]