Walmart has a great workout equipment section

Where I live, there is a lack of sporting goods stores. Walmart is the closest thing to finding decent workout equipment. I was recently pleasantly surprised at how much their workout equipment section has in variety. My local Walmart has a large selection of yoga equipment and DVDs. I picked up a yoga mat for $8. I sure did wish I could find some walmart coupons for my next shopping trip there. I have my eye on some weights.

A healthy birthday

Birthday parties are fun and often fattening. Here are some tips to have a healthier birthday celebration.

• Eat small portions. You don't have to do without gourmet birthday cakes, just have a "taster" instead of filling up your plate with it. 
• If you are the host then put out more fruit and serve fruit juices. 
• Enjoy more active party games like swimming or playing a team sport. Forget those lame thinking games like trivial pursuit.
• Finally, don't stress out. Parties are often a source of stress for many people - don't sweat it, enjoy it.

Nike makes sports goof

If you exercise, you know the value of a good pair of workout shoes. Nike is the brand that first comes to mind for specialized footwear. So would it surprise you that Nike made a goof designing shoes several years ago? The goof they made was getting involved in designing a boot for a sport they had no track record for. They tried to design English  equestrian boots and made some hideous boots. The biggest mistake was the location of the zipper. In regular English riding boots the zipper is located at the back of the boot. That is to keep the zipper out of sight while the rider is in the saddle and importantly so it does not rub the rider. Nike made the zipper run over the top of the foot and wrap up the outside of the boot. The location would make the zipper rub against the stirrup which would cause a blister on the top of the foot and it just looked bad.

I think that Nike gave up on the boot, at least I have not heard anything more about it in some time now.

A career in sports

Have you ever considered a career in the sports field (excuse the pun)? I think that most of us has had that dream when we were in high school or even college. You don't have to be an athlete to earn money in a sports career. Just look at doctors, physical therapists, dieticians, health spa owners and those in supporting industries.

Most major cities have a huge demand for support personnel in the sports industry. Just look up sports careers on sites devoted to jobs such as Los Angeles, New York city, Portland, Denver and charlotte jobs.

You can also develop your own sport product and have that career in sports.

Electronic gizmos to help you stay healthy

It use to be all you needed was a stop watch when you worked out. The watch helped you track your running time, your pulse, and your respiration. The fancier ones tracked laps and other stuff.

Now you can just stop by your local Best Buy and pick up a Wii or a Playstation Move and "play" your way to a newer, fitter you. But it doesn't stop there, you can get electronic calorie counters, diet planning software and of course lets not forget the MP3 for the music you have to listen to just to get through the workout.

Whatever happened to just going for a brisk walk? Playing catch with your kids? Walking to the store instead of taking the car? Going for a bike ride? Do we really need more gizmos?

Take care of your muscles after a workout

Do you know how to do a proper cool down after you workout? Did you know that not allowing for a proper cool down routine as part of your workout will result in sore, cramping muscles? A proper cool down involves exercises and not just a trip to the hot tub. You can use a treadmill to cool down or just walking. Your aim is to keep moving until your pulse is just slightly elevated and that you have stopped sweating profusely.

Ignoring a proper cool down will result in pain, tight muscles and your tendency to avoid workouts all together. You will then be concentrating on how alleviate your pain, either by pain pills, heated mattress pads, ice packs or massage. It would be much easier just to spend 5 minutes at the end of your workouts to just learn to do the right exercises for cool downs.

Your health and sports

The one thing I always encourage is to keep active. No matter what age you are there is a sport that will not only help you keep your body fit but also keep your mind active.

When we are young, the sports tend to be more daring. The sports also tend to have a higher body impact such as football, atv racing, or skydiving. Even leisurely sports such as horseback riding is considered a high risk sport.

As we age, golf, hiking, power walking and bowling tend to replace those high energy demanding sports.They keep our interest and get us out of the house. The added bonus is that they also help us socialize, thus keeping our minds active.

No matter what your age, get out, meet people and get active.