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Archive for March 2010

Drugs are among the most dangerous substances anyone could be addicted to. In the news today, plenty of people commit crime and or are imprisoned because of its influence. It can distort a man’s way of thinking and can lead him to inflict harm on others, as well as himself. This is why there are drugs which are illegal or may need prescription from a medical expert before one can actually take them.

Some drugs are illegal because they could affect a person’s way of thinking negatively, some other drugs do otherwise. In sporting events, for example, there are some types of drugs which athletes are prohibited to use because of the performance enhancing effects they might induce. Some drugs such as Benzedrine and anabolic steroids are forbidden to athletes because of its effects to give more “speed” and buff up an athlete’s body, respectively. Having these performance enhancement effects could become unfair to others who do not do the same thing. Aside from this, these drugs could also become addictive. Because of this, detecting these types of drugs during a sporting event is a cause for disqualification.

In the history of sports, there has been a lot of disqualification cases because of the detection of these types of drugs. Among these are famous Olympians like Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis, and NFL’s Shawne Merriman, Matt Lehr, and Shaun Rogers.

There are a lot of ways in which these drugs can be detected. There is actually a committee in charge of drug testing the athletes before every game. Before, the drug tests used were very simple. Some would just require a urine sample and from there detect if the athlete has been taking any drugs which could cause him disqualification. But through the years, these kinds of tests can be cheated. There are also ways wherein athletes can mask the use of these drugs which is why the committees in charge for this has also leveled up in their choice for drug testing.

One of the most popular and reliable tests used nowadays is hair drug testing. Bald people are no exception because you can actually use hair from any part of the body. Another thing that’s great about hair drug testing is that aside from the type of drug used, it can also detect the history of drug use. This is also a very popular choice law enforcers use to detect drug use among criminals.

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Mar/10

26

Home Remedies for Tennis Elbow

Are you by chance plagued by an arm injury referred to as tennis elbow? Are you desperately looking for ways on how to cure tennis elbow? Well, if so, then you will find the things listed in this article extremely beneficial.

Tennis elbow affects the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the arm and tennis players are not the only ones who are susceptible to this tendonitis. This is a type of RSI or Repetitive Strain Injury and almost anyone can get afflicted by this injury. If you wish to be free from this debilitating condition, then here are home remedies for tennis elbow that you can try.

1.) It is very important that you give the muscles of your forearms, fingers and wrist the rest they badly deserve. You should avoid performing certain activities that could cause further damage to your muscles and tendons. Resting your arm will help hasten the tissue repair and muscle renewal process. How long should you rest your arm will solely depend on how bad your tendons and muscle were damaged. For some, it may take several days or even months.

2.) You can also wear a tennis elbow brace. Make sure that you wear this brace whenever you perform certain activities which require clasping, grasping or twisting of your arm. You can place a splint over your arm as well to keep it from bending and twisting.

3.) Elevating your injured arm can also help reduce the inflammation and pain that you feel.

4.) Purchase and use non-steriodal, anti-inflammatory medications. You can easily purchase such drugs over the counter. These drugs can provide you with a soothing relief from the pain and such medications will also help bring down the swelling and inflammation of your tendons.

5.) You need to perform simple stretching routines and warm up exercises regularly to prevent your muscles and tendons from stiffening. Then again, if the pain and inflammation persists, you need to stop and rest your arms.

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When it comes to gaining muscle there is more to the process than simply getting enough high quality protein each day. Of course protein is the foundation but there are vitamins and antioxidants that play integral roles for helping to build muscle and speed up recovery time post exercise. So combining fruits and vegetables that are a great source of these essential vitamins with a protein powder supplement can be a great aid to building muscle. So lets take a look of some of these nutrients in more detail.

Vitamin A
It is surprising that vitamin A is not talked about more in its role in helping to build muscle, especially as there is scientific evidence behind it. A study found that vitamin A supplementation was actually effective at increasing testosterone levels naturally. Researchers separated teenage boys into two groups. One group were given actual testosterone supplements and the other group were given vitamin A supplements. Both groups were given the same workout routines and their progress was followed. Amazingly enough the group given the vitamin A supplements were only marginally behind the other group in terms of muscle gain and their testosterone levels also were only marginally lower than the group actually given testosterone.

Carrots, kale, spinach, goji berries, mango and papaya are all great sources of vitamin A that we can use in out post workout juicing recipes.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that greatly helps to offset the effects of inflammation as the result of an intense workout. The anti-inflammatory effects of this vitamin are so effective that some arthritis suffers take it in high doses to help manage their painful symptoms and reduce inflammation. There has been numerous studies to support the fact that vitamin C really does speed up the recovery of muscles post exercise. For this reason there are bodybuilders and athletes who swear by its helpful effects and include vitamin C as an integral part of their post workout nutrition strategy.

Kale, spinach, oranges, mangoes and papayas are all a great source of vitamin C that we can use for post workout juicing recipes.

So why juice rather than blend?
This is a good question and the answer is both methods are great but juicing has some distinct advantages. You will need to juice more fruits and vegetables to make a juice than it takes to make a smoothie. Juicing strips away the fiber and pours forth the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants into the juice, producing a dense concentration of nutrition. So you will need about 4-5 mangoes to make one juice that is more than you are likely to fit in a smoothie. Another advantage of the fiber being removed is that the nutrients in a juicer recipe are now in an easily digestible form, greatly increasing their bioavailability. You can then transfer the juice to a shaker and add in a protein powder such as whey protein powder to make a great muscle juice. Enjoy!

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All athletes playing any sport need good shoes to help them perform. A good pair of shoes will also prevent injuries and soreness. This article will be about the reasons why athletes need the New Balance 991. It will discuss some of the reasons that the 991 is superior for sports and why you should consider it if you play any sports.

The first and foremost reason why you need the New Balance 991, is the comfort of the shoe. When you have your foot in this shoe you feel like your walking on clouds. That may be a slight exaggeration but lots of people will agree. You can’t have shoes that hurt your feet while your run around. Nothing hurts more than working out for hours in terribly uncomfortable shoes.

Another reason the New Balance 991 is great for athletes, is they keep your feet dry even in wet weather. Whether it’s raining or you on a dew covered field early in the morning, this shoe will keep your feet dry. Wet feet are heavier and tend to sap your stamina quicker. You wanna be able to run and run. It’s pretty hard to run when your shoes are sopping wet.

The next reason the New Balance 991 is great for athletes, is the foot, leg and knee support the shoe provides. The amount of padding in the shoe will keep your foot feeling great. This in turn will take the stress off your knees and and legs. Any athlete knows how important it is to have legs that are pain free. These shoes will help you achieve that goal and keep your ankles and feet healthy.

The last reason the New Balance 991 is a good shoe for athletes, is what you get for your money. The 991 obviously isn’t a new shoe. But if you want a pair of newer shoes you’ll probably pay 30 to 40 dollars more. It seems to make sense to get a shoe that is roughly the same for 30 dollars less. So the 991 is definitely worth the money even though it isn’t the newest show on the market. It has all the same bells and whistles but will save you quite a bit of money if you purchase them.

In closing, athletes need good shoes for the sports they do. Whether they are runners, walkers or football players. The New Balance 991 will get the job done for you. The comfort of the shoe, the support, the fact that it’s not one hundred bucks. All of these things are reasons why all serious athletes should give this shoe a chance to prove itself to you.

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Mar/10

19

Golf Trainers Aren’t Only Human

A golf swing trainer is just what the name suggests—a special club, shaft, or appendix designed and built to help players modify or improve his or her swing on the links. These devices are made to help a player improve anything from a drive swing to a putt and several stops in between, even chip shots, wedge shots, and backswing trainers.

For several years certain weighted golf clubs were favored to help improve swing power, but recently an egg-shaped weight known as the Power Golf Swing Weight Trainer, designed and marketed by Mike Pedersen, has been gaining influence. At $30, it is far less expensive than weighted clubs, and the weight clips onto the shaft of a club, allowing a player to use his own clubs comfortably. It can be attached near the grip for release exercise, in the middle of the shaft for what golfers call the swing tempo, and toward the head to help build strength and power.

Golf champion Vijay Singh has endorsed the Speed Stick, a kind of javelin-like shaft with a golf grip that is weighted and is designed for twenty exercise swings in succession as fast as possible. Critics, however, say the Speed Stick can harm as well as help your swing because it emphasizes and trains pure power at the expense of other more critical mechanical swing improvements.

The Swing Fan club is getting somewhat more positive reviews. A club with fan-like blades that you try to swing faster, critics seem to like the device because while it helps you build swing speed it also keeps you in mind of distance and accuracy in head-to-ball contact as well.

A somewhat unique swing trainer catching more attention, however, is the Power Golf Swing Trainer. This device—basically, a pair of upper arm bracelets attached to the ends of an adjustable shaft—keeps a golfer’s arms in the best position to maintain what the sport likes to call the upper body triangle, preventing the arms from being the complete source of the swing and helping the golfer use the right balance of upper body, arms, and hands. It comes with a guide featuring drills and exercises to be done with the device, and sells for $79.75, which is about the same range as many weighted golf clubs. You can find more information about golf swing trainers and other types of sports training equipment at the Sports Bag Blog.

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