Lifetime Fitness Activities

Fitness Walking-- When we combine walking with breathing exercises we are FULLY alive! 

Walking is the original stress reliever, burns calories, and makes us stronger.

No special equipment needed. Five or fifty minutes will do. Get moving.

               Walking Sites  www.thewalkingsite.com                   www.Gaiam.com

Swimming and Paddling-  get in  or on the water to paddle to stay healthy.

Places to learn   www.goswim.tv          www.swimmingworldmagazine.com

                                     www.paddlermagazine.com/

CustomSports Swim Lessons : Finding your natural stroke

 Swim Lesson #1---Snap the Kinetic Chain       

Try initiating the arm motion of the crawl by lifting the shoulder and hip instead of just your arm; it helps to get a pendulum-type body-swing going, plus, lifting the hip helps the coil to unlink a good leg/foot snap in the kick. Get the feel with some dry-land training: lay on your belly, arms extended, alternately lift only the hip and shoulder off the floor. As you get better on dry land it will help you stay in the envelope to gain speed in the water.

Kick Split      Many swimmer have good form--until they breathe. That is when they lift their head instead of roll the shoulders. Lifting the head makes the feet sink and lose glide, when we separate our legs and lose our kick as well. Work on keeping your balance, with a straight line from head to feet, especially when you breathe. Swimming skinny lets you keep your momentum and glide through the water.

 Arm extension on the glide; make sure you really extend your arm and reach, get your elbow way out there on each stroke. When your elbow extends it will naturally pull the hip on that side down, initiating the correct amount of body rotation.The hip pull down torques up the opposite shoulder that begins the next stroke, getting the upcoming arm in position to begin to unlink forward for the next stroke.

Cycling: great cardio on two wheels! Pedal your way into Lifetime Fitness shape

Cycling- No better way to travel.  Look at  www.bicycling.com   www.roadcycling.com   www.AdventureCycling.com

for gear      www.bikenashbar.com

Cycling Tip of the Month- Pull UP!

Pull up on the pedals as well as pushing down. Don't just be a masher or grinder; learn to pedal a complete circle by flexing your ankles and pulling up at the bottom of the pedal stroke. This will even out your stroke and let you spin higher cadences, higher RPMs and keep your bigger drive muscles fresh for hills and sprints. Pull up, get another gear and go on cruise control. Happy spinning!

Relax the neck: be conscious of your posture when riding.Many people lock the arms and hunch the shoulders. Do some periodic shoulder rolls and shrugs to stay loose. Sit up once in a while to rest the muscles and stretch.

Keep changing your arm and hand position; make sure your shoulders stay relaxed even when you push it hard.

Cycling Rating System

It is only here: Our original International Cycling Rating System, a method of rating recreational cyclists so that bike clubs, teams and community events can be set up all over the globe. The system is copy written but.... free to anyone who wants to use it. We have added the pages to the table of contents (see the last web pages). Contact us for an emailed version. customsports@bellsouth.net

SWIM  LESSON # 2                 Swim Pointers on the Crawl or free style:

Check points: Am I level in the water, no leg or foot drag?

Am I swimming skinny, inside an 18 inch circle or do I create drag by being too wide with arms and legs?

Do I feel the water in the grab and keep my traction all through the pull?

Are my elbows high and arms extending out and forward on my reach and roll?

Am I reaching and rolling shoulders and hips on both sides?

Am I fully exhaling, blowing out through the stroke after a quick inhale?

Are my kicks driving my lower torso with no major leg separation?

Are my face, eyes, head and neck relaxed?