What Is This Equipment?

How do you know what to do with some of the gym equipment you see when you to work out?

What are those balls, half balls, ropes and so forth?  This post from the Des Moines Register will help you "decode" what some of these items are.  Learn how a bosu, a foam roller, a medicine ball and other pieces of equipment are used and how you can incorporate them into your workouts.

Running Lessons

This is a great resource if you are a beginning or expert runner.

In a recent "Run To The Finish" blog, various "lessons learned" for runners are included in this entry.  This post provides a variety of good lessons.  Some of it may seem like common sense, but some you may have forgotten.

New Stretch Moves

Here are some new stretch moves.

Keeping mobile and stretching helps prevent injury.  You can't do enough of it, particularly as we get older.

Check out these moves from www.active.com.

Training For Pace

If you are preparing for an upcoming race . . . let me guess - you'd like to finish at a certain time.

Training to hit a certain pace can be tricky . . . especially for beginning and intermediate runners. It can also be tough because it usually involves enhancing your level of training to a point that can be uncomfortable.

Check out this article from Jason Fitzgerald at www.active.com.  It provides guidance on how to train to meet a specific pace in your next race.

Best Running Apps

Need a running app?

Well, here is a list of 10 in this post from "Tom's Guide".  Strava, Runkeeper and others are listed along with how they work and what they cost.

I had used Runtastic, but I noticed it ate up batter power.  I like using MapMyTracks.

Most Common Running Injury

The most common running injury?

Well, the survey says  . . . "shin splints". 

According to a recent Runner's World article, a survey of runners revealed that shin splints is the most common injury keeping runners from running for at least a week.  There are plenty of others, but this was the most prevalent.

Check out this post and you can link to a video that shows how to avoid this common injury.

Go For A Run And Live Longer

A researcher with Iowa State University says running will prolong your life!

Well, this is good news for runners.  A recent study conducted at ISU says so. 

DC (Duck-chul) Lee, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of kinesiology at Iowa State, says runners were 45 percent less likely to die from heart disease or stroke than non-runners. Researchers followed more than 55,000 adults for 15 years to gauge the benefits of running. Lee says runners reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease regardless of distance, duration and speed.

Check out this post from Newswise that provides information about the study.

Students Do Better With Gym Time

A new study from Michigan State University shows students perform better in the classroom when they perform in the gym.

The study showed students who had a membership to an MSU recreational facility in their first two years of school had higher GPAs than those who didn't.  Check out this post from MLive to learn more about the study.

Meanwhile, drop the snacks and grab some weights if you're looking to raise your college GPA!