Seeking new ways to make playtime fun and active? Think of it as planting the seeds for a lifetime of healthy habits.
When it comes to old-school, analogue playtime, you only need to look at kids on a playground to know that most of them love to move. But did you know that climbing to the top of that slide or swinging from the monkey bars can help lead your kids to an active lifestyle throughout their lives?
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Life’s stressful enough these days with the iThis and the iThat and gadgets galore where you need to login and figure new things out. You may feel like you need more time, hands or data bundles to deal with it all.
One place, one log in and tons of expert information at your fingertips. That’s myvirginactive. Now take that a step further and have myvirginactive on the go with our new mobi site (a website on your mobile device).
3 Easy Steps to accessing myvirginactive on your mobile
myvirginactive is available to all, so you can use the great features wherever you are.
Now you’re ready to find what you need while on the go!
Club Information
Check out your club’s timetables and other club information, like indoor cycling and squash bookings. If you want to see how many times you’ve visited the club, you can get this detail here too.
Move
Know what you’re working out today? Get new exercises and workout routines (if you’ve accessed Move on the website already). Or, if you just want to check out an exercise video for technique advice, go to the exercise library and search for the specific exercise and watch away!
Track
Track your training and measurements as soon as you’re done with them. This information will be on the website for closer inspection when you next log in as well.
Eat
Hungry? We have some delicious recipes for you to try out – get ‘em on the move and change up your family’s eating regime for the better. If you need any additional advice, try mycheatmate to see how hard you may need to work (out) to keep off the kilos after a particular not-so-healthy treat.
Now, go play!
New research from Michigan State University shows primary school students in good physical shape outscore their classmates on standardised tests and take home better reports.
Published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, it’s the first study linking children’s fitness to both improved scores on objective tests and better grades, which rely on subjective decisions by teachers. Continue reading
With regards to training, while you want to give your body a break and the chance to recover from strenuous training before your race, you want to reduce your training rather than stop completely. Light training in the weeks and days leading up to a race will allow your body and muscles to recover, but also keep them supple. Avoid over-training in the last few weeks; it’s important that you listen to your body, especially when it clearly needs a break.
As part of your training, you should aim to complete a few group rides beforehand. This gets you used to riding alongside other cyclists and at high speeds. You’ll also become familiar with drafting and positioning in a group, which is important if you want to avoid an accident.
On the day of the race, remember to stretch properly before and after your ride. This way, you’re less likely to sustain an injury and it helps loosen your body up for the race ahead. Make sure you’ve packed enough energy drinks and ‘fuel food’ to keep you doing for the duration of your ride.
If you can, get a map of the course, so you can determine what type of riding you’ll be doing. Are there lots of steep hills, flat sections and down hills? Riding the course before race day will let you know what you’re in for on the day of the race, and you’ll get an idea of the effort you need to put in at each stage. From the race organisers, you should be able to get the stats on the average race times of people in your class, so you can know what to aim for.
As a novice, remember that your first few cycle races are about participating and learning the dynamics of the race, so don’t worry too much about where you place, just make sure you finish.
The Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge is taking place on Sunday 18 November. For more information, visit www.cyclechallenge.co.za
Source: hellodoctor
Are you a jetsetter? Do you need to pack your gym into your checked luggage? Do you always have that niggling feeling that you’ve forgotten something essential when you are sitting at the airport waiting to board?
If you’re battling to choose on what to drink to quench your thirst, experts say water is a better choice than sports drinks.
“Sports drinks shouldn’t take the place of regular water intake,” said Brooke Schantz, a registered dietician and certified specialist in sports dietetics at Loyola University Health System, USA.
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There are lots of excuses you could make for not training in winter. Less Vitamin D to put us in the mood. Real physical changes in cholesterol and blood pressure. And then there’s the fact that we’re creatures of comfort. But your activity levels shouldn’t depend on whether or not the sun is shining. Continue reading
We’ve all had an ache or pain that has prevented us from exercising or lurked longer than it should have. Some of us are guilty of ignoring them and some of us try to find the quick-fix solution. But it’s really important that you treat them properly, otherwise they could end up causing you even bigger problems down the road. Continue reading
Swimming is one of the best exercises you can do to tone your muscles, build endurance and develop cardiovascular fitness without putting any stress on your joints. It provides an over-all body workout, helps you maintain a healthy weight and is great for relaxation. We have a range of swimming activities on our timetables from aqua aerobics to swimming lessons for kids and adults.
Come on in
We offer a variety of pools, all heated to a temperature of between 27 and 29 degrees Celsius. We have 89 training pools, which range from 20m to 25m in length and 1m to 2m in depth. We also have leisure pools, plunge pools and relaxing spa pools.
Swimming’s for everyone
We have swimming lessons for all levels. Please ask at reception for rates and specials. Continue reading
