How to choose the best running shoes

How to choose the best running shoes

With the availability of numerous running shoes in the market, you might find it quite difficult to select the most appropriate one when you go shopping for a running shoe. Most times, the running shoes fits perfectly when you wear it in the store, however, the real test comes when running.

Whatever purpose the running shoe is to serve, the essential part is for you to choose the right running shoes that suit your feet perfectly.

Consider the following 5 tips on how to choose the best running shoes when you need one

1. Budget

This should be the first factor to consider before selecting a running shoe, make sure to set a realistic budget. It will serve as a guide when shopping for your running shoe and it will prevent you from going for a shoe you cannot afford. Hence, make sure you set a realistic budget first.

2. Purpose

Identify what purpose the running shoe will serve. Is it for a running competition or your daily exercise? Thus, determine the purpose which will in turn help you choose the best option.

3. Size

It is also important to take a measurement of your shoe size before going to purchase a running shoe. Make sure you take the actual measurement of the shoe size to prevent purchasing the wrong one that does not fit.

4. Try on the shoe

To ensure you are purchasing the best running shoe, there is a need for you to wear the shoe to check for fitness. Wear the shoe to ensure it is your right size, walk around with it, bend, sit and if possible run or jog around to check how comfortable the shoe feels. In addition, try as many shoes as possible before deciding on the one you will buy.

5. Know your foot type

Wearing the wrong running shoe can lead to runner’s knee arthritis, plantar fasciitis, and early-onset amongst other things. Shoes that are perfectly designed for your feet will save you from having feet injuries and it will give room for better performance. Have a podiatrist examine you in order to determine your foot type, you can also get an idea by looking at the soles of a pair of shoes you already own.

Visit our online store to shop for running shoes and other fitness equipment.

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20 fitness jargons you should know

Nowadays, almost everyone wants to stay fit because of the many benefits it gives the entire body. So, as you also venture into the world of fitness, you need to get familiar with everyday words used by fitness lovers, fitness expert, and fitness trainers.

Here are 20 fitness jargons you should know

1. Aerobic Exercise

It is a form of exercise that stimulates and strengthens the heart and lungs which improve the body’s utilization of oxygen. Examples of aerobics exercise are swimming, cycling, jogging etc.

2. Negative training

This is when the muscle lengthens during an exercise, called an eccentric contraction. The negative movement is said to be a crucial part of muscle development.

3. Cardio exercise

This is any form of exercise that raises your heart rate and increases respiration. Cardio exercise enables your cells to burn more fat during both exercise and inactivity.

Examples of cardios are walking, running, performing intervals on an elliptical machine, and a resistance training circuit that has little to no rest between exercises.

4. Jacked

Refers to a lady or a man who has a lot of muscle.

5. Gymnasium

A large room used for various indoor sports and usually equipped with gymnastic apparatus.

6. Spot

It means assisting another person with an exercise.

7. Recovery

This refers to rest between exercises. Most times, short recovery is best for fat burn and conditioning while a long recovery is best for powerlifting and bulking.

8. Circuit training

Circuit training is a form of resistance training using high-intensity aerobics and its target is to build strength. Traditionally, the time between exercises in circuit training is short, often with rapid movement to the next exercise. It is also known as a series of different exercises that are performed back to back with little to no rest.

9. Stacking

It means adding more weights to your workout in order to attain a weight goal, build strength and increase your body muscle mass.

10. Dieting

This is the practice of eating food in a regulated and supervised way in order to decrease, maintain, or increase body weight.

11. Prepping

This is the process of dieting and training to get fit or get prepared for a competition.

12. Newbie

This means a person new to the gym environment with no experience of how to use the equipment and lacking in fitness and technique.

13. Gym Rat

A lady or guy who spends every of his spare time in the gym.

14. Beasting it up

This relates to anything involving intense effort physically and mentally or doing an intense training with the aim of attaining your weight goal.

15. Calisthenics

Exercising using your own body weight which helps develop muscular tone.

16. Cardio-respiratory fitness

It is also called aerobic fitness. This is the measure of the heart’s capacity to pump oxygen-rich blood to the muscles.

17. Heat Cramps

This means muscle cramps that occur during or after an exercise in warm or hot weather.

18. Obesity

This is a weight disorder which is defined as a buildup of fat beyond the considered amount for a person based on age, gender and body type. It is also a condition of being grossly fat or overweight.

19. Warm up

This is the process of preparing for an athletic event (whether a game or a workout session). It involves exercising, stretching, or practicing for a short time before the day.

20. Physical fitness

This is the ability to perform regular or vigorous physical activity without getting tired easily.

Other fitness word you are likely to come across especially on social media include:

  • Fitfam
  • Fitmoms
  • We are stronger together
  • Community not competition
  • Fitgirl

Reference

 

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Why you should take rests after fitness activities

Fitness

In a world where there is an increasing awareness of fitness and the importance of workout in staying healthy, some people are naturally over the top.

We have created terms like ‘gym rats’, those special breed of people who are always at the gym come rain, come shine. They are the gym mirrors, permanent fixtures at the gym, showing us their muscles and espousing the gospel of workout. However, very few fitness enthusiasts talk about the importance of rest.

The human body needs to take some time off to rest and recover from the tears inflicted on the muscles by lifting weights. Recovery includes but is not limited to hydration, stretching and so on.

In as much as we like to imagine the human body as strong and capable of adapting to anything, and while this is true, the body needs time to adapt to the stress and exertion caused by exercise.

Ironically, no matter how much work you put in at the gym, the real rewards of your efforts only begin to take place when your body is at rest.

There are generally two broad divisions of recovery – the short term recovery, and the long term recovery.

The short term recovery is generally the kind which comes after a particularly rigorous workout session.

The long term recovery is favoured by professional athletes who take time off their workout regimes at periods within the year to fully recover. An example of a well regulated weekly casual exercise routine is a 30-minute daily workout session from Monday to Friday with a recovery break from Saturday to Sunday.

New age fitness enthusiasts have championed the concept of active recovery – a process where following an intense workout, a person engages in light exercise as opposed to total rest.

Rest and recovery are critical components of any effective fitness regimen, as well as structuring and sticking to a diet which will also help the body to maximize blood flow and recover quickly.

Post exercise meals make the difference between getting results or not – this is because the human body synthesizes proteins during workouts and these proteins must be replenished.

The pre-exercise meal must also not be under emphasized, eating poorly can drastically affect performance and prevent optimum performance.

Hydration too is as important as diet in recovery. It involves replenishing the body with fluids, many of which are lost during workouts. Water works a real treat for fitness enthusiasts and athletes.

It must also be mentioned that sleep is a crucial part of any fitness regimen and six to seven hours of sleep daily surely gives your body a boost.

If you are going to be hitting the gym hard during the week, you best be hitting your mattress hard during the weekend for some heavy duty rest.

Sleep deprivation is harmful to people who spend long hours working out as it has the long term effect of affecting the body’s hormonal balance.

Just like most of us, we understand the importance of rest to high performance but sometimes we cannot help but feel a pang of guilt whenever we take a day off.

Alright fitness enthusiasts, go into the gym, get out and be sure you do not forget to recover!

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Five tech tools to help you get in shape

Tech

Diet plans and expensive exercise equipment will do you little or no good on your mission to get in shape. If you want to get in shape like a superstar, your get-in-shape plan must have healthy eating, portion control and a solid exercise routine.

You must know that it is hard to find a workout routine that does not just help you get in shape, but fits your need and is easy to keep up with. However there are a few tech tools that can help you find your fit and make the best of it.

These five tech tools can help you get on just fine with the hassle. But the internet has lots of them and while those listed out here may be useful, you can fiddle with search engines, like Google and Yahoo search, to find many others that may work better for you.

Couch to 5k Running Plan

For one who is not used to running, getting on the road for a run may be scary. But all it takes is a small start and the Couch to 5k running plan is made just to prep you up towards your first 5 km run in 6 weeks.

One Hundred Push Ups

Push-ups can be a hard deal. It can even be embarrassing when you are unable to finish a small set of pushs. But push-ups can turn a cheap walk for you. How? The One Hundred Push Ups gives you workout routines designed to take you from 0 to 100 push ups in 6 weeks.

MapMyRun

Not only when running, if you are hiking, biking or skipping, on whatever routine, mapping your workout is a good way to monitor what routines you have done, what workouts you have enjoyed and how many calories you have burned out.

If you find the interface too complicated on your first use, you can jump straight to the route creation tool to map out your first run.

Walklogger

Walklogger is a software that is built for your mobile devices. It is a type of pedometer that counts your footsteps by sensing your body motion.

Pedometers are generally great workout motivational tool, that keep track of your physical activity. They are portable devices that you can carry along wherever you go. They come in different sizes and shapes; some are like bangles, others are like wrist bracelets.

We also have the ones that are designed to look like small calculators. You can download Walklogger on your mobile device, enabling you to use your device as a pedometer.

Traineo

It is easy to set goals but quite harder to nail the target. This tool is designed to help you stick to your workout plan and motivate you to achieve your exercise and fitness goals. You can see it as your artificial intelligence workout coach.

What is stopping you from getting in shape now? Get on your feet and work your way out to that superstar shape you have always wanted.

Image credit: http://feelgrafix.com

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