Adventures of Ziplining

Have you tried ziplining yet? Zipping along on a steel rope through the canopied trees? Even if you think you're afraid of heights, I recommend this awesome adventure! My first time ziplining and rock climbing, was at Canyon St. Anne in Quebec with an excellent guide,  Francois-Guy Thivierge. He offers more than 20 years experience in rock climbing, hiking, mountain and ice climbing. National Geographic has made a documentary with Francois-Guy and he has designed several courses. (www.canyonste-anne.qc.ca)
Since that first time with Francois-Guy, I have been back to Quebec again and ziplined across the St. Lawrence (seven times!) and recently, have gone on a wonderful excursion right here in the United States.
Just outside Atlanta is a family fun adventure park called Banning Mills. (www.HistoricBanningMills.com).
There I tackled their challenging course with many suspension bridges and ziplines that lead up to the Screaming Eagle, a half-mile zipline where you can go up to 70 miles per hour! Climb to the top of the tower and you feel like you're stepping outside of a 30-story building. (I usually tell people that are squeemish, don't look down). You just have trust and faith in your guide and your equipment, take a little step off and soar over the trees like the birds. It's amazingly beautiful and you'll want to do it again and again!
Walk across the longest bridge I think there is; Sky Trek, 600 feet long and 170 feet above rolling rapids, then zipline back across, the river too, on the Predator! You can almost hear your heart pounding now as you steadily walk across boards, that are about 12-18" apart, 3' across, but don't worry, you're clipped to the steel rope just over your head.
Our guides were awesome, Tim and Morgan ( I hope I recalled them right). These guides are very safe, knowledgeable and experienced. The owner of Banning Mills, Mike and Donna, are both trained professionally in medical care, not that you would need any there. Mike is a former Special Ops and Medic and his beautiful wife Donna is also a Registered Nurse, just in case you get a splinter. So safety is always a priority with them. What started as a 10 room Bed and Breakfast has morphed into a beautiful resort offering weddings, corporate retreats, family reunions and adventure! (just to name a few).
Banning Mills offers several courses on their canopied zipline tours and you could spend all day swinging through the trees (literally).

Running versus Walking

For those who are looking for more cardiovascular conditioning, running is better than walking. However, walking is better for weight loss when it comes to exercise. 

Moderately intense exercise, like a brisk walk, burns higher percentage of fat calories than high-intensity exercise. Walking is low-impact and is great for all ages and fitness levels. 

This is great for families, or moms or dads with kids, take a brisk walk around the block or your subdivision. Make a fun game of it; find different birds and other critters. Before you know it your kids will keep you on your toes with scavenger hunts along with their energizing walks. 

You may even find your family participating in 5K runs/walks in and around your community for a charity.

Tip: Start slow. It's better to walk 5 or 10 minutes per day and work your way up than to overdue it and then be less frequent and not enjoying your walks. Build up to a jog or run if you desire, or are training for a 5K or marathon. 

Don't put off exercise until you're training for a marathon. Gather the kids, grab a bottle of water and enjoy family fitness. Or hook up with a neighbor and make a religious habit of walking together, take the dog if you need to.

Fitness with G2

The only instructional mats and fitness systems that depict every important stretch position and strengthening exercise. Physician–certified and portable, each G2 Lifestyles Program is essential for maximizing personal fitness and keeping your body injury–free. Whatever your level of activity or choice of sport, these unique patent-pending, eco–friendly mats position you for peak comfort and performance.

Made of 100% recyclable Eco-friendly materials and a thick cushion, bacteria resistant, washable, non-slip surface design, these mats are physician certified to shape your body, mind, and soul.

The Yoga, Golf, Pilates, General Stretch, Back Stretch, Abs, Maternity, and Children’s Yoga mats are all carefully contrived to increase the quality of life. The Yoga Pose fitness program is designed to relax and energize; the Golf Stretch program helps athletes play better and live healthier; the Pilates Personal program works from the core of your body to achieve a lean, healthy body; the General Stretch program is designed to increase overall flexibility to maximize personal fitness and keep your body injury free over time; the Back Stretch program is designed to strengthen back muscles and increase overall flexibility to keep your back injury free over time; the Ab-Fit program strengthens the abdominal region to give your stomach definition and power your body from the core; the Maternity Yoga program allows women to enjoy the benefits of yoga while pregnant; and last but not least, the Children’s Yoga program, which is soon to come, is equipped with an interactive animated DVD that promotes being active and decreasing obesity at an early age.

For more information on G2 Fitness and their products, please visit www.g2fit.com.

Oktoberfest in Big Bear

Looking for some fun in October? Enjoy some lively music and entertaining competitions such as log sawing, beer stein carrying, dance the limbo and other related events at Oktoberfest in Big Bear, Ca.

Oketoberfest runs every weekend from Sept. 19-Oct. 31, 2009.

Enjoy a variety of other outdoor activities while in Big Bear, such as fishing, biking, hiking and birding to name a few.

And, they offer a stimulus package, just to ensure your fun and help you with your getaways!

Visit www.bigbear.com for more details and to plan your long weekend getaway.

Read more at: http://www.fit-4-sports.net

Golfers getting adjustments on the greens

Professional and amateur golfers are turning to chiropractic care as one of the best strategies for maintaining their health on and off the course and achieving the best possible performance, according to the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. Tiger Woods, David Duval and Padraig Harrington are just a few of the professional golfers who rely upon chiropractors.

"Getting ongoing chiropractic care helps me to stay injury-free," said Harrington. "It also helps me to deal with symptoms when they begin, to that they don't turn into bigger injuries down the road."

Read more here: http://www.Fit-4-sports.net

Momnificent review

I recently came across this jewel, Momnificent! Great for reading while relaxing at home or while waiting somewhere (maybe even at the spa). Momnificient is a thorough book written by Lori Radun, for women about how to achieve balance and a health in spite of our chaotic schedules, demands and responsibilities.

Momnificent offers a wealth of information from managing your finances to communicating with your children. She evens offers pearls of wisdom from her treasure trove about business and lessons she learned as an entrepreneur. "Life is a constant learning process," explains Radun, about being a student of people to managing the stress in your life. At the end of each chapter, Radun offers an assignment to her readers to take action.

We all know that "Time Management" is an oxy-moron, but if we pay attention to our activities and what are our "time stealers", we can better manage our activities and prioritize our work and other projects. Radun has a chapter dedicated to time and how we can be more productive.

From personal development to home and family to relationships and careers, Radun takes the gloves off to help you in any or all areas of your life. Release stored emotions, before the storm hits, advises Radun.

Radun also offers practical advise about how to teach children about money and allowances. Developing a plan is key in all areas of life. She also talks about planned recreation time for each person individually as well as family recreation. This book can probably be read in any order, however, I do recommend reading the introduction and chapter 1, first and doing the exercises.

This is even great for a book club or workshop, to read a chapter a day or more, and get together to discuss what they found out about themselves, or how this may be helping them and their family.

Order you copy today, The Momnificent Life by Lori Radun, coach, speaker and author.

DNA Testing for Better Athletes

What is in your genes? In athletes, performance isn't just a matter of motivation and training. Your genes have  a lot to say in defining how well suited you are for a particular sport. 

We invest a lot into our sports both emotionally and financially. So with the recent advances in genetic testing and the availability of relatively inexpensive products, it makes sense to learn more about your genetic makeup to help you determine which sports you are likely to do best in and how to optimize your performance.

How can a DNA test help?

It may be as simple as helping a runner choose between the quarter mile and the marathon, but you might not know that genetic testing also is useful for learning how to fine tune your body for success.

In some people the right genes line up by all pointing in one direction, for them it's easy and they know at an early age that they can run long distances without getting tired. For most everyone else, hard training, fine tuning and dedication will be needed to make a champion. By looking at your genetic profile, you can find out how your body is wried and how, by making certain adjustments, your performance can improve. For more, go to http://www.fit-4-sports.net, Second front page.