Tennis Fitness Training

Archive for the ‘Life Style’ Category

The summer is approaching and as the rays get stronger, we need to think about the protection, if we spend many hours outdoors. There has been a lot of contradictions about the sunscreens — do they really protect us as much as they claim? Are the chemicals toxic for our skin and body? What’s worse, being “toxic” or burned? Well, we for sure know that you don’t want to get burned. The risk of skin cancer increases dramatically if you burn your skin. So you either need to stay out of the sun, or protect yourself with a sunscreen and/or sun protective clothing.

The FDA is making some changes in labeling the sunscreens, but their rules are not good enough. They continue to allow oxybenzone, retinyl palmitate and several other ingredients in sunscreens despite scientists’ concerns about their toxicity. The Environmental Working Group has been researching the sunscreens and tested in details the majority of the brands. “FDA’s new standards don’t go far enough to protect you from the sun,” said David Andrews, Ph.D, a senior scientist with Environmental Working Group. “Consumers will have to turn elsewhere, like EWG’s online guide, to find the safest, most effective sunscreens. After 33 years of delay, it is evident people just can’t trust FDA on this issue.”

EWG’s conclusion is that 84% of the 828 sunscreen products assessed offer inadequate protection from the sun, or contain ingredients with significant safety concerns. Only 16% of the products on the market are both safe and effective, blocking both UVA and UVB radiation, remaining stable in sunlight, and containing few if any ingredients with significant known or suspected health hazards. This assessment is based on a review of nearly 400 scientific studies, industry models of sunscreen efficacy, and toxicity and regulatory information housed in nearly 60 government, academic, and industry databases.

The EWG’s database is great and very detailed… I have looked up all the sunscreens that I have at home, and I was terrified. Even the supposedly “natural” sunscreens were moderately hazardous, and some of the “classics” that a lot of athletes use, such as Neutrogena Sport have a high hazard label (7 on scale from 1-10). With a huge disappointment and disgust, I tossed all the sunscreens and started my search for the “Perfect One”.

After long research and lot of price comparisons and reading different reviews on different websites, I have chosen a few favorites: Thinksport’s LIVESTRONG SPF 30 for $14.12 for 3 oz on Amazon.com. I did not know that LIVESTRONG had a sunscreen too! I’ve ordered it with a free shipping and it arrived 2 days later. It smells very nicely, it is just a little bit thicker than I am used to, so I have to rub it a bit more. Leaves a slight-slight white residue. Here are EWG’s ratings. It has very low health risk (1), and good to excellent protection. Best combination of all that I found. It smells good too!

My next favorite is UV Natural Sport SPF 30. It has a low health risk (1) and good to excellent protection. It costs a bit more than the LIVESTRONG, $31.50 for 4.4 oz on Amazon, with free shipping. It is also much thicker and even harder to apply. It smells good. Here are the EWG’s rating.

My third favorite is Badger All Natural Sunscreen SPF 30, available on Amazon for $13.25 for 2.9 oz. I haven’t purchased this one only because it seemed that it didn’t get too good reviews. Maybe I will try it when I run out of the LIVESTRONG and UV Naturals. It has low health risks (1) and good to excellent sun protection. The EWG’s ratings are here.

Whatever sunscreen you chose to use, make sure that you apply the recommended amount. We tend to apply much less, almost half as much as it is necessary to get the promised protection. Which means that if you use sunscreen SPF 15, you may get just 7 or something much lower.

If you want to make sure that your face and neck are completely out of sun, there are many good sun protective hats around. I found this Coolibar brand, that is extremely light (kind of like a dri-FIT fabric for clothes), it’s washable, lets the air in and out, but stops the sun rays. Again, I found a great deal on Amazon: Coolibar UPF 50+ Featherweight Bucket Sun Protective Hat for $21 and free shipping, pink, white and beige.

Enjoy the sunshine, don’t fear it. You need the vitamin D for optimal health. Pay attention to your nutrition and always make sure you eat a lot of vegetables, fruits, legumes and grains, and drink a lot of water. You will feel good and perform great on the tennis court and off, too.

“What was the hardest thing you have ever done?”

Suzanna interviewed by Tommy Mischke (CBS radio) in his Night Show program, on March 15, 2011. 17 minutes.

Suzanna interviewed by Tommy Mischke (CBS radio)

The table below shows calories burned per 30 minute activity for people of 125, 155 and 185 lbs. Approximate your calorie expenditure if your weight is in between. The activities are from the least to the most vigorous.

(This table was printed in the July 2004 issue of the Harvard Heart Letter. For more information or to order, please go to http://www.health.harvard.edu/heart.)

Click to buy on Amazon.com

To make sure that you are completely satisfied with your decision to buy “Tennis Fitness for the Love of it”, you can view sample material from the book in the resources below. Enjoy the viewing.

Amazon’s Search Inside Feature

Google Books Preview Feature

Table of Contents

Introduction

About the Author

Sample Chapter 13 — Calf Myofascial Relase

Sample Chapter 28 — External Hip Stretch

Epilogue

I am glad to announce, that the book “Tennis Fitness for the Love of it. A Mindful Approach to Fitness for Injury-free Tennis” that  many have been so impatiently waiting for, is available on Amazon.com for $14.95. Get your copy here now! For bulk orders, please contact me.

To all the tennis players of any age and skill level, who always strive for improvement and who never stop believing that the impossible is possible, and who know that there are no limits to growth and performance other than the human mind.

It is Never Too Late to Become Functional, Fit and Healthy

It is possible to play pain-free tennis for the rest of your life. One of the prerequisites is improving your fitness. However, it is not just any fitness. It needs to be mindful, purposeful, and perfectly suited for you. Nobody can tell you what is perfectly suited for you, only your body can. Listen to it because it will ask for what it needs. In your pursuit for maximum fitness and tennis performance, you need to be aware, patient, and disciplined.

Carry this little book with you always and reread the chapters often. Each time you will discover something new. Learn to understand your body. Every exercise you do should be performed with the goal of increasing awareness of your body, and gradually building a new relationship with it. Learn how to free up the tightness and how to balance your strengths. The less pain you experience, the healthier and more functional you are, and the more your energy will increase. Treat the moments of stretching and myofascial release as time for meditation, relaxation, and introspection.

Create daily routines that fit your lifestyle and treat them as essential for your fitness, well-being, and tennis performance. Think of your health and fitness in the long term. Be patient and disciplined in applying the new ways of exercising and treating your body. Remember that even modest effort applied over the long term will bring excellent results. Therefore, do not postpone your fitness until tomorrow and start today, even if it is just a little bit. Treat your body with respect and love. Treat the fitness as one of the necessary elements of your tennis game. Become fit for tennis and you will become fit for life, and tennis will be in your life forever. Practice your tennis fitness, for the love of it.

The two most common uses of a tennis ball are playing tennis and playing fetch with your dog. However, you can use a tennis ball for many other beneficial exercises, such as self-massage, grip strengthening or foot massage, or use two or more tennis balls for juggling to improve your hand-eye coordination.

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(Suzanna@Livestrong.com)

Promise yourself:

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind;

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet;

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them;

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true;

To think only the best, work for only the best, and expect only the best;

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own;

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future;

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile;

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others;

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble;

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds;

To be a soul of Love, to think the thought of Love, to speak the word of Love, live the life of Love and so be well and happy.

Thai massage, also known as yoga massage, consists of deep massage and stretching movements. The therapist uses his hands, elbows, knees, feet and entire legs to move the client into a series of yoga stretches. No oils are used in Thai massage. The client wears comfortable clothes, and the massage is performed on the floor on padded mats. Getting Thai massage may feel like doing yoga without having to exert yourself.

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(Suzanna @livestrong.com)

Good vision is important not just for tennis but for everything that you do in life. Just like the muscles in the body, the small muscles in the eyes would benefit from some training. There are special clinics for vision therapy for athletes and obviously, they are great. But if you cannot do a vision therapy under the doctor’s supervision, you still can do some home exercises for your eyes, and it will be beneficial for you and your tennis game as well.

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Sleep is very important for you for many reasons. As an athlete, you need your sleep to recover from the hard training, and to rejuvenate and repair all the damaged tissues in the body. Deep, peaceful sleep is also important for your mental clarity and emotional well-being. Good sleeping habits can have tremendous impact on your well being, athletic performance and recovery. You should wake up feeling refreshed and alert, and you should generally not feel sleepy during the day. If this is not the case, you need to look at your sleeping habits and start changing them a little bit. There are a lot of things that you can do to sleep better.

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