Cycle Your Way to Fitness
Spring is finally here – what better way to improve your fitness and general wellbeing by getting out on your bike, and seeing the sights?
Category: Articles
Cardio Versus Weights: What’s The Right Balance?
You don’t have to be a fitness guru to know there’s a debate between cardio and weights. But what’s the right path when you’re trying to get lean and fit? Do you have to focus more on cardio or are weights the better way to go?
Can Breathing Exercises Really Improve Your Wellness?
Plenty of serious health and wellness people tout breathing exercises, and if it’s something you’ve never personally explored it can feel somewhat silly. After all, breathing is the most natural thing we do, and it’s easy to presume you do a perfectly adequate job of taking in oxygen without having to do specific exercises. You might in fact ask yourself: can such exercises actually result in improved health and wellness?
The effects smoking has on your appearance
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Smoking has many dangers attached to it, including the habit heightening your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Tobacco smoke’s ingredients can also cause significant damage inside a person’s body.
Are Sports Stars More Badly Behaved than Ever?
If one were to go by the incessant coverage of stars behaving badly in our newspapers and online, you could be forgiven for thinking that sportspeople in the professional era have been corrupted by greater fame and increased pay-packets and are descending into barbarism. Whether they’re getting drunk and behaving obscenely in public, swearing at officials on tv, assaulting members of the public or getting caught using illicit substances, today’s sports starts are frequently charged with setting a poor example for younger generations to follow.
Does a healthy lifestyle improve productivity?
In a study conducted by a researcher at Brigham University in the United States, it was reported that people who live an unhealthy lifestyle, including unhealthy diets, were 66% more likely to report productivity loss than those who lived by a healthy lifestyle. Exercise is also said to release endorphins which can have positive psychological effects, such as a ‘euphoric high’. But what is it that leads to a productivity boost? MaxiMuscle investigate:
Best Jogging Routes in and Around Vegas
Las Vegas isn’t really known for its wide open spaces and natural beauty. It’s more about those big bright lights, crowds and fantasies come true. But that’s not to say that you can’t keep up your fitness when you’re going a little bit wild in Sin City. Life is all about balance after all! There is definitely the ability to mix in some raucous late nights with some reinvigorating mornings out running.
If you’ve gambled a little more than you meant to already, then save some cash one day in LV – go for a run in the morning and play the slots online in your hotel room in your pyjamas at NoDepositRewards at night. Your bank balance will thank you for it!
The best time of day to run in Las Vegas if you are in the city is very early in the morning, between sunrise and 9am. This is when the streets are quietest, as everyone is safety tucked into bed in their hotel, or for some, still partying behind closed doors – or stumbling home! For routes that are off the beaten track – so to speak – just ensure you’re not running in the extreme heat of the day. Stay hydrated!
Running the strip (southern end)
8.6km round trip, easy
You can do the run down the strip if you take it, like we said, as a very early morning activity. This way you won’t have to be dodging pedestrians left and right and well, not getting much of a run at all. There are many overpass bridges that you’ll need to climb over to continue your jog – many crossroads do not have crosswalks.
You can start your run here at the southern end of the strip, at the corner of Tropicana Avenue, which is right near (surprise, surprise) the Tropicana Hotel. Throughout the run you will get to check out some of the best hotels and attractions on the strip. If you do this run at the start of your trip, you might even get an idea of where you’d like to visit later when you’re out and about.
The start of the jog takes in the MGM Grand, along with your mini New York, with the Statue of Liberty and the skyscrapers of Manhattan close by, followed by the mini Eiffel Tower in Paris shortly after.
A bridge later and after some more hotels you’ll see Rome, with the Colosseum and the Forum. You can finish the run at Circus Circus Drive and circle back, or keep jogging down the strip to check out the old downtown area of Vegas.
University of Nevada Las Vegas
7.15km round trip, easy
When you get tired of running the strip and are looking for something a little less glitzy and a little bit more green, the it’s time to go and check out the University of Nevada Las Vegas – the closest university to the strip. The route is located at the southern end of the strip, starting at Harmon Avenue and heading out east. You’ll see Planet Hollywood on the corner here so you’ll know you’re in the right place.
Jog out east for a couple of kilometres along a fairly uneventful road and eventually you will run smack bang into UNLV. Run into the campus where you’ll pass fields and then gyms on your left – after this take a left, and then right along the long track. You’ll know when you’ve come to the end – and you’ll need to take another right to go down another pretty track. Once the track runs out, keep running until you hit University Road, then make a right, keep jogging until you hit Gym Road and make another right, where you’ll eventually make it back to Harmon Avenue.
If you’re feeling a little adventurous, why not have a poke around the university to see what it’s like? Universities are often full of interesting little passageways and hidey holes.
Sunset Park
5km round trip, easy
Easily the prettiest park close to the city, Sunset Park is also a popular choice for runners looking for an alternative to the city streets. The park has plenty of facilities including softball fields, picnic spots, a pond, dog park, volleyball and tennis courts, plenty of jogging paths, and more. Once you’ve gone for your run around the park why not stop a while and enjoy what’s on offer. You can rent various sporting and fishing equipment, as well as bicycles from the Reservation Office, so it’s worth making a day of it if you can!
The 5km run is the run that takes in the outer of the park – this is the longest route that you can go on, for a total of 5km. There are shorter routes that take in various areas of the park, such as the 1 mile (1.6km) route around the lake. These are worth doing for either a quick run or a leisurely stroll.
Clark County Wetlands Park Wetlands Loops Trail
22.5km round trip, medium
Clark County Wetlands Park is located a 20-minute drive from the strip and proves to be a great escape from the city for those willing to make the drive out. As the name suggests, the park comprises of 210 acres of wetlands, with sprawling views out to the mountains. The park itself has a number of trails available for runners. However, if you’re after a really lengthy jog, then you can choose to do the full Wetlands Loops Trail which loops around the outside of the park. This trail is comprised of both a North Loop and a South Loop.
The North Loop of the track is paved, whereas the South Loop is not, so take care while jogging this part of it. Take a look at a map before you tackle this run, as you may be more interested in trying out one of the smaller trails, or other Valley trails which also hook up with this Wetlands Loop.
Las Vegas Athletic Clubs (LVAC)
Varies, easy
If it’s too darn hot outside to run and you’re not a fan of the treadmills in your hotel, then you’ll want to head along to an air conditioned indoor running track – which is just what they have at the chain of LVAC gyms. These gyms really do have everything, with not only tracks, but private women’s work out areas, pools, saunas, hydro pools, free weights and more – and they’re open 24 hours.
So what’s the downside, you say? Well, they’re only available for Las Vegas residents. However, if you are travelling and wanted to have a run for the day, they also let you have a 1 day trial at the gym – and you can claim it online. Hey, maybe you’re thinking of moving here?
There are 7 different LVAC locations across Las Vegas, so there is sure to be one in the area that you’re staying in and around. Have a poke around their website for some more information on their wide range of facilities, and the track in the location closest to you.
For more Las Vegas running routes, head over to the list at WalkJogRun to see user submitted suggestions about city and outer suburbs runs. You’ll find a range of routes with varying lengths and in various spots that you can try out.
How Fitness is Good for Eye Health
Everyone knows how good exercise is for you – whether it’s for energy, weight loss/control, mental health or just a general feeling of well-being spiritually and emotionally, but did you know exercise is good for your eye health too? No, me neither (especially as I only started wearing glasses after starting running but that’s probably just an age thing and not an exercise thing) but Vision Direct do and they told me:
Storing Tips to Protect Your Running Gear
Even if you’re running every day, some gear rotation is a good idea. You’ll likely use different kinds of gear depending on the time of year, and may also simply fancy a change now and then. Putting gear you’re not using into storage helps preserve it for future use, and gives you the option to ring the changes without keeping unused items in closets.
Work, Running and Life…How Does it All Fit In?!
With only 24 hours in a day and seven days in a week, how on earth do you begin to fit everything in without stressing out? A good life balance is essential, not just to keep you sane, but to ensure your running regime is as effective and enjoyable as possible.
Every runner has been there, feeling as though they are running for running’s sake. It’s horrible when every mile feels like a marathon in itself, and that’s after ignoring the little voice in your head telling you to stay in bed for an extra hour as you get your trainers on. You also know that as soon as you get back you have to get ready and leave for work, and then you have a busy evening.
It is the stuff of nightmares, but something that every runner will easily be able to relate to. How do you fit in all of the above while also allowing time for you just to sit back and chill?
Scheduling
Are you the runner that looks to ‘fit in’ a run when possible? Stop doing that, it’s not the way forward.
Think about how many times a week you run and schedule your runs at the start of every week. If you know when you will be running, you can fit everything else in around your runs, which you are already fitting in around work and other events. See how this is already getting easier?
Don’t Stress About Missing a Session
What do you do when you miss a run? Stress out and immediately look to cram in a run before you next run? Get worked up because you are behind on that training plan you follow?
Again, stop doing it. If you miss a run, you miss a run. So what? It happens; just make sure you hit your next run. The worst thing you can do is to veer away from your plan and cram in a run where there shouldn’t be one, especially if doing so does not allow you to rest before your next run. This is how injuries happen.
Days All About You
Does your current schedule not include any days where you can do whatever you want? If not, then reschedule, because a healthy life balance includes days just for you. If you work Monday to Friday, make sure that either Saturday or Sunday is free in order to give you the chance to rest and recuperate.
Booking days out is beneficial to rest not only your body but your mind, too, by taking you out of your usual environment. Attending events provides ample opportunity to unwind and let your hair down. If you click here you can find an example of a venue suitable for hosting events big and small, where you can celebrate an occasion with friends and family or party for no reason other than because you want to.
Other Exercise
Do you still find running boring, even with your newly-balanced schedule? If running is the only exercise that you do, then it should be no surprise. Don’t be afraid to substitute the odd run here and there for a session in the gym, a bike ride or another spot. Variety is the spice of life and, when you enjoy exercise, it doesn’t even feel as though you are exercising.
Even the most hardened of runners can find it hard to get their trainers on and plod along for X-number of miles. Running is best complemented with a balanced fitness regime, helping to condition your body to achieve the best performance possible.
The next time that you are worried about how you are going to fit everything in, remember that missing the odd session is not the end of the world, and mapping out the week ahead will help avoid a headache. Enjoy your running but, more importantly, enjoy your life.