Lose Weight Using Muay Thai

by brandyellen // March 21, 2014 // 3 Comments

How can you lose weight and get fit? Well many will tell you that it is all about balancing the right proportions of food and working out. Partaking in any fitness type activity will assist you in losing weight quicker than simply choosing a new diet change. With so many dieting fads out there, I am Queen of pushing a fitness routine. I recently heard about Suwit muay thai, which is a training gym in Thailand. This training camp welcomes other martial arts fitness type camps around the world to check them out.

Muay thai boxing is a thai kick boxing contact sport and muay thai boxing combines skill and power. From what I have seen and heard, this muay thai is the best style of unarmed combat. I personally feel that you can use muay thai as a form of self defense, people could even use muay thai as a training to lose weight all the while learning the skills necessary to defend against and predators they may run into.

Who wouldn’t want to get fit while learning the best style of unarmed combat around? Sign me up! I have been talking for awhile now about how I would love to get into a program with my oldest that teaches some form of self defense. Muay thai seems to be the best choice out there, learning this form of boxing really steps up your world a bit. Building confidence is also something I really thrive to push as part of my mission in life, muay thai training will certainly be a confidence booster for two reasons; you will start losing weight and you will feel as if you have your own form of defense without weapon use.

I ask you all this, have any of you tried muay thai or something similar as a way to lose weight? Please share your stories in the comments below.

Using Personal Best Pro on the App Store for my Sports Child #app #spon #free #apple

by brandyellen // December 10, 2013 // Comments off

Today I am sharing Personal Best Pro app for the sports families, whether it’s you or the children who play sports this is a great app to keep track of the achievements, events or other goals met in sports. Easily add users in the home screen to create a family account. Each user may have an image assigned, name and date of birth. After each user is put into Personal Best Pro iOS app then you can start to add sports and achievements for each sport.

Personal Best Pro

An easy way to remember various achievements your children or yourself have made and maybe even celebrate! I am a Mom who may be found doing a happy dance for each achievement my children make; currently my two boys are in wrestling and it’s their first year. This is my season to start happy dancing around because they did a bridge stretch higher than they did on the last practice or they started to use a wrestling move more efficiently than they did in their first week of wrestling. Whatever achievement my sons make, it’s great to have Personal Best Pro app installed so I have notes right there, this is also a great app to assist me to reviewing my son’s achievements at wrestling to tell their Dad. My son’s Dad and I are divorced, we co-parent together so this means I have to try to jot down weekly achievements to let their Dad know with a report during the week or in their folder we exchange for news and notices.

Personal Best Pro Free iOS app

I just love this app because really the Personal Best Pro will assist me in being better at logging activities my son’s complete in their sports through out the year. During next school year when my daughter cheers and middle child is in soccer, I can also monitor their achievements and it will be fabulous to have an app in hand to do that with.

I say you take a second to go check out Personal Best Pro in the app store if you have sports running in your family – again this can be for the adults or children; it really is a useful tool to keep track of achievements that will 1) allow you to push harder next time and 2) celebrate goals reached in sports.

Personal Best Pro is free at the app store.

4 things you always wanted to know about tennis…but were too scared to ask

by brandyellen // July 17, 2013 // Comments off

Tennis Questions Every year when Wimbledon rolls around, it seems that the whole of the UK becomes immersed in the sprit of tennis. From day-glo ball coloured manicures to the more traditional strawberries and cream. Everybody becomes a tennis know it all… and the cheeky glass of Pimm’s doesn’t hurt either.

So while you’re citing yourself as an expert, it may be worth reading our guide to the most widely asked questions about the grand slam sport…

What are players looking at when they’re inspecting their balls?

You might have it on in the background or you might be a particular fan of Sue Barker, but chances are you’ve caught a game of tennis at one point or another. You’ve also probably caught the players inspecting a handful of balls and seemingly choosing which might be the ‘best’.

This is a simple one. They are choosing the best!

The players are in fact looking for the smoothest ball. The more ruffles in the fluff, the slower the ball will travel through the air. Aerodynamics are an important part of the game and the faster the ball travels, the more advantage the player has.

Why do tennis players grunt when striking the ball?

FACT: Maria Sharapova has had grunts measure in at 101 decibels. That’s the equivalent of a small airplane taking off!

There are many theories to the signature ‘grunt’ of some players.

Many spectators and even some players themselves see grunting as vulgar and think it should be banned from the sport. They say the sound is used merely to gain a competitive edge over their opponents by throwing them off their game.

Others protest that the grunts are merely a release of built-up energy and a way of helping players establish a rhythm while they’re in a match.

Why does ‘love’ mean zero?

While the majority of us find the scoring system in tennis as confusing as astrophysics and string theory, the rest of us are trying to figure out why tennis people say ‘love’ instead of just plain ‘zero’ or ‘nil’.

Well, it’s funny you should ask because it just so happens that we know this one.

One theory says that the term stems from the French l’oeuf, which means ‘the egg’… which kind of looks like a zero. Doesn’t it? From some angles? If you squint.

Others say that it really is just ‘love’! As in a player’s love for the game of tennis is the only thing that will keep them on court with such a measly score!

Why is the 15-30-40 scoring system used?

The origins of this particular scoring system are actually quite interesting. We can trace it back to France where it’s said that a clock face was used as the scoreboard with a quarter move of the hand indicating a score… 15, 30 and 45.

But the 45 was changed to 40 so that the game could not be won by a one-point difference, bringing about ‘deuce’.

When both players got to 40, the first player to score receives ten extra points, moving the clock to 50. If the same player was to score again, they would progress to 60 – and win.

However, if the second player were to score, both clocks would move back to 40 – Deuce.

Phew! Not the simplest of games, but a sport extremely popular the world over.

Why not put your new knowledge to the test and get your hands on some coveted Wimbledon tickets for the next tournament?

Karate Kids: How Can Martial Arts Boost a Child’s Confidence?

by brandyellen // March 6, 2013 // Comments off

It’s a relatively well-established fact that participation in sport can have a positive impact on a child’s self-esteem. Encouraging your child to get involved with any sport or group activity is great for teaching them the art of teamwork, accomplishment and belonging.

For children who don’t possess ‘raw talent’, or are simply not predisposed to fast-paced competitive sport, such as football or rugby, martial arts is an alternative way for them to reap the benefits of participating in sport.

Skill

The practice of martial arts offers the same sense of belonging as any other sport, providing children with an opportunity to compete and shine as an individual. However, there is one key difference between most mainstream sports and this cultural pastime: commitment.

Whilst most mainstream sports can be fun for children with varying levels of ability to take part in, if a child is not particularly good at it, they’re unlikely to take confidence from playing; getting to the top of your game is unlikely in the absence of raw talent.

In martial arts, however, the skills and strength required to become good is learned. Generally speaking there is an opportunity for every participant, regardless of skill, to become great at their sport.

Kids martial arts

Self-esteem and a hunger for success are important life attributes that need to be cultivated and nurtured. The martial arts teach children about setting attainable goals and targets, and then the importance of hard work and discipline in order to succeed.

Respect

The practise of the martial arts is intertwined with history, culture, philosophy and diversity. Students have to learn to respect the sport and their instructor, or they won’t be able to progress.

In its standard format, pupils are expected to bow to their instructor and to training partners, and are taught to respect the skills and abilities of others.

Because becoming good at this kind of sport is primarily down to commitment and training rather than innate talent, children quickly learn the kind of time and effort involved in achievement and what garners respect.

Self Defence

Practising the martial arts has obvious benefits, in that it teaches skills that will enable a person to become comfortable in defending themselves.

Some fans of the sport believe that it has genuine scope to reduce the instance of bullying, as children both:

Build the confidence to deal with physical aggression through the technical skills that martial arts offers, and;
Will reduce the likelihood of being targeted themselves through the confidence and assurance that it teaches them in their bearing and mannerisms

This kind of confidence, that builds inner strength and emotional robustness, is not always taught within other sports or activities.

This article was written by Laura Moulden on behalf of Fightshop.com; the leading MMA fight gear supplier. Visit the website for more information.

Give the Gift of Sports Illustrated Kids this Holiday Season

by brandyellen // November 23, 2012 // Comments off

Have a sports nut kid in the house? I do. He is six years old and not quite sure where he got his sports addiction from because no one here nor his Dad watches sports. This kid loves soccer, football, basketball, you name it, he wants to play it. Although at age six he can only play soccer, t-ball, wrestling or basketball. This winter Basketball is going to be his sport and he is so excited!

What my six year old wouldn’t give to have mail from Sports Illustrated Kids and you can give your little sports fan this gift this holiday season for cheap!

FYI:

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED Kids is THE magazine for boys and girls who love sports. It presents sports the way kids want to read about them: with great action photos, easy-to-read stories about star athletes, helpful instructional tips from the pros, and humor, comics, and activities. SI Kids is a great way to encourage kids to read, and it has won highest honors from the Association of Educational Publishers and the Parents’ Choice Award.

This will make the best stocking stuffer this year, so head on over and subscribe to SI Kids Magazine today and get your kid happy about sports and enjoying more of them!

Disclosure: We receive a Christmas stocking full of promotional material and a free one-year subscription from SI Kids