Ioh Magazine - Inside Out Health Magazine » Sports News

Probiotics reduce illness in top class athletes

amandap — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:42:25 +0000

Long distance runners, who use probiotics, reduce the number of infections they develop, as well as having less infections, the duration of infections has been shown to be reduced as well. These are the findings of a study, recently published in the British Journal of Spots Medicine. Intense training can lower the immune system, making top class athletes susceptible to infections. However, taking probiotics can reduce the number of ‘sick’ days by half. The study looked at 20 elite athletes during 2 months of intense training, those athletes taking probiotics reported having half as many days during which they felt any symptoms of illness.

The Importance of correct Ski Eyewear

amandap — Sun, 10 May 2009 13:32:35 +0000

Style and Safety in Ski Eyewear

By Susie Sarangapani

With the ski season fast approaching, just how do you know which goggle or glasses to choose? Looking great on the pistes does not mean having to compromise on safety…We take a look at how to choose the right eyewear to protect your eyes and give you performance, vision and style on the slopes!

Whilst only 0.2-0.5% of all skiing accidents involve serious eye injuries, if you are unfortunate enough to be one of the unlucky few, an eye injury from a ski pole can be quite devastating. Yet wearing good quality eyewear can make all the difference between a ‘near miss’ and a life-long injury. When choosing the best eyewear, there are also other factors to consider like which colour lenses to choose, whether to use glasses or goggles, UV filters – the list goes on! To help you make the best choice we guide you through what to look for when choosing eyewear to help you make the most of the snow…

Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation

So, let’s start with the hidden damage we can do to our eyes by not wearing glasses or goggles with adequate ultraviolet (UV) protection… The sun is a source of UV light and these UV rays cause unprotected skin to burn. Whilst we are all aware of protecting our skin against the sun, most people are unaware that our eyes can also get ’sunburnt’!

ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM

The retina (back of the eye) and cornea (front of the eye) are important parts of the eye that are both sensitive to UV light. In particular, the retina contains the photoreceptors or specialist cells for seeing and these cells can become damaged and lose their ability to work when exposed to prolonged UV light. UV-A and UV-B filters block out UV light and protect the cornea and retina, so always wear sunglasses or goggles with good UV filters and don’t risk burning your eyes!

UV DAMAGE TO EYES

Ski Eyewear: Options?

Apart from wearing lenses with the right filters, what are the best types of eyewear to use on the slopes? The 2 main choices are either sunglasses or goggles and this usually comes down to personal preference. Goggles can seem quite bulky, but will give the best eye protection in the event of an accident. If you are also one of the 55% of the population over the age of 17 who have a glasses prescription, it may also be worthwhile considering prescription sunglasses or ski goggles to avoid the problems contact lenses can cause at altitude. Branded sports eyewear is increasingly becoming available with prescription lenses, so you can still enjoy the latest styles even with a glasses prescription!

Choice of lens colour

There is actually more to choosing a lens colour than simply finding something that matches your ski gear! Lens colours have features which make different lens colours better for different light conditions.

LENS COLOURS

What types of lenses are best?

Polycarbonate lenses have now become the mainstay of sports eyewear lenses. The strength and durability of the polycarbonate structure, coupled with the lightweight material, makes it the lens of choice for sports eye protection. It comes in a range of lens types, including polarising, photochromatic and varifocal lenses.

Polarising lenses are useful in bright conditions where there is reflected light from snow or water. Photochromatic lenses are practical in changing light conditions, where the lens tint varies according to the ambient light and mirror coating can be useful to reduce lens reflections in the snow.

So when you go out to get kitted up for the slopes, don’t forget that good eyewear is also an important part of your ski gear. Enjoy the snow!

For prescription sports eyewear – www.oracle-eyecentre.co.uk

Skiing, Spanish style, in Sierra Nevada.

amandap — Sun, 10 May 2009 12:34:10 +0000

Sun, sea, sand, and paella. These are all things most people associate with Spain, but how about snow, mountains and skiing? It may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Spain, however, there are numerous ski resorts dotted throughout the country. Sierra Nevada, close to the beautiful town of Granada, is just two hours drive from the Mediterranean and is Europe’s southern most ski resort. Sierra Nevada offers the longest ski season in Spain, providing around five months of skiing, from late November through to the end of April. The resort has 87 kms of pisted runs, including 11 green, 35 blue, 36 red and 5 black runs, with the longest being El Aguila at 5.9 kms. Sierra Nevada, meaning Snowy Mountain, has some of the highest peaks in Europe. The Mulhacen is Spain’s second highest, at 3482 metres.

The advantage of being located so close to the Mediterranean is that Sierra Nevada boasts unrivalled sunshine. It’s also a surreal, yet warming feeling, to know that as you glide your way down the pistes in mid April, there are actually people sunbathing on the beaches just two hours drive away! Descending the wonderfully groomed slopes, with the sun shining down upon you, allows the resort to look at its most beautiful, throughout the entire season. The resort prides itself on the organisation and quality of the slopes, the snow is always wonderfully prepared, to such an extent that great skiing is possible even if it does not snow for an extended period of time. Advanced snow making machines work around the clock during these dry spells, making for quality ski conditions throughout the entire season at Sierra Nevada.

Sierra Nevada caters wonderfully for snowboarders as well. Snowboarding has gained in popularity over recent years and the resort is very popular with fans of this sport. There are plenty of wide runs to carve your way down, as well as the jumps and half-pipes of the snowboard park. Fresh snow brings many opportunities to go off-piste and practice powder riding techniques. There are numerous snowboard schools in Sierra Nevada and competitions are held regularly throughout the season. The activities on offer do not stop at skiing and snowboarding. Cross country skiing, artistic skiing, moguls, trekking and adventure skiing are all available if you require something different.

The Sierra Nevada resort town itself, beautifully located at the base of the slopes, is a combination of modern design with traditional charm. The town exudes the Spanish love for the good life and for having fun. There are many hotels available, providing everything from basic accommodation, to a more luxurious stay. Most facilities are located around the main plaza, which plays host to a hive of activity. If you don’t have your own ski equipment, that’s no problem, as there are several ski hire shops located around the plaza. ‘Après ski’ is as important as the skiing itself for many people and Sierra Nevada will not disappoint on this front. There are lots of lively tapas bars and restaurants within the ski resort. However, remember this is skiing Spanish style, so the nightlife doesn’t get started until around eleven at night. For this reason, if you enjoy having the slopes to yourself, set your alarm early and get out onto the snow at nine o’clock in the morning. Most of those late night partygoers will still be sleeping off the after effects!

For the beginner, or even those wishing to have top up lessons, there are plenty of ski schools in the resort, one of the most established is the British Ski Center. The British Ski Center was set up in the winter of 2002-3, their business now operates under the company name of “Sierra Essence Ski & Mountain Center”. Their team of instructors offer professional tuition, for both group classes and one on one sessions, they can also assist people in getting to grips with the resort. The centre, set up buy two native Englishmen, guarantees that if required, you will have an English speaking teacher for your lesson. For details on Sierra Nevada and The British Ski Center visit www.sierranevada.co.uk

Which is the toughest sport?

amandap — Sat, 09 May 2009 11:39:27 +0000

Boxing

My first experience of boxing was at the tender age of thirteen, the Golden Gloves, Toxteth, Liverpool. A few of us from school had decided we wanted to try our hand at traditional pugilism, the age old national tradition of boxing. We didn’t realize getting hit could be so painful, especially by guys in their late teens who probably were not even giving it everything they had!! Then there was the training!!! To this day I have never experienced anything as tough as the training that I experienced over the two years that I stayed there before moving on to do Ju Jitsu and combine the boxing with using my legs to do kickboxing. Skipping, bag work, circuit training with weights, three two minute rounds on the bags up to eight two minute rounds, a twenty minute run before training with sprints before we even started, I hated it while I was doing it! But I couldn’t wait to get back there the following week for some more punishment. It was a love hate relationship that burned out and fizzled when I found a different kind of punishment but the experience of those early days has molded me as a coach today and I adopt a lot of the traditional methods used then, now. The body conditioning of boxing coupled with intense training routine using the legs has developed a program that I use today in my academy.

Ironman Triathlon

Money can buy you many things nowadays, but one achievement stands out, you have to EARN an Ironman finish with sweat and dedication. What is an Ironman (Triathlon) exactly I hear you say? OK well start with a 2 ½ mile swim, follow with a 112 mile bike, and finish with a marathon. For many each individual leg is tough enough (e.g. the swim, bike or run), but transitions count too, and in which other sport is a sub-10 hour finish the Holy Grail? Then add sea waves, hills, sun, wind, or rain and you’re understand why you need AT LEAST 6 months prior training – adding up to around 20hr per week in total of swimming, biking and running, alongside everything else you juggle into your week. Just imagine too “the warm-up” is a 1hr plus swim, followed by a 6-7hr hour cycle, only to then face running a marathon… So is the Ironman the toughest sport? Well let me ask you; how many Ironman finishers do you know? What about burning 10,000+ calories in one day! And just how long would it take you?

Muay Thai Kickboxing

The ancient martial art and national sport of Thailand, Muay Thai (Thai boxing) is for sure one of the toughest sports around. It’s history can be traced back as far as 2,000 years and is known as “The science of eight limbs” where fists, elbows, knees and legs are used as weapons against your opponent.
Its a no-holds barred form of stand up fighting where almost anything goes. There are very few rules restricting the fight where throws, punches, elbows, knees and kicks to the body, head and face are allowed. The head is the only part of the body which is not allowed to be used as a weapon.
Fights take place in a ring, the same as with western boxing. The number of rounds and the length of rounds varies. At professional level, fights are for five rounds of three minutes duration. This may seem short compared to the 12 rounds that make up heavyweight boxing matches, but it is because the techniques used in Muay Thai require so much energy. It is estimated that it takes four times as much energy to throw a kick as it does to throw a punch.
Fights can be won either by knockout, technical knockout (where a fighter cannot continue due to injury or cut) or by points awarded by 3 judges for aggression, technique, domination of opponent and skill.
It’s a tough sport!

Rugby

It’s a sport where players, weighing up to 20 stones (120kgs), run head on at each other and challenge their opponent to stop them! Yes, there are plenty of rules, but the sheer physicality of rugby makes it standout from other sports. While discipline is at the forefront of every successful team, the odd deserved punch or stamp is part and parcel of the game, and what happens on the pitch is always forgotten after the game. Not only does rugby require players to be physically prepared for the hits and tackles, but with a free flowing game lasting 80 minutes, players must be aerobically fit as well. In contrast to football, a game in which players do their best to over state any pain or injury, rugby players pride themselves on hiding any pain and not letting their opponents see their discomfort. A full contact sport, with little or no padding, rugby combines the highest degree of physicality with endurance fitness and mental discipline.

Rugby en Espana

amandap — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:26:48 +0000

Despite the fact that many people know little or nothing about Spanish rugby, it is actually a popular game that continues to grow. There are over 17,000 registered rugby players and over 200 rugby clubs in Spain. Okay, these figures may not compare with football but if you’re interested in the oval shaped ball game then there’s plenty on offer.

As ioh goes to print the Rugby World Cup final is under way just north of Spain in France. If you’re following the tournament I hope your team lived up to your expectations.

Sadly, the Spanish national team failed to qualify for this year’s world cup, but they did qualify back in 1999 which was their singular major success, since the World Cup began back in 1987. This was a great achievement, considering Spain’s relatively small status as a rugby nation. The good news for Spanish rugby is that the interest generated from the 1999 world cup helped participation rates for rugby union jump by 20% between 1999 and 2001 within the Madrid area alone. Another benefit was that funding for the game was increased by the Spanish Sports Council.

The national team competes in the Six Nations B Championship, this is the tournament below the Six Nations. It currently features the national sides of Czech Republic, Georgia, Portugal, Romania, Russia and Spain. There is currently no promotion system in place for the two Six Nations competitions as the gap between them is vast. Many people believe that it would be in the interest of the world game for teams in the Six Nations to sponsor teams in the ‘B’ tournament. This would allow the smaller nations to build and develop with the support of an established rugby nation. Rugby is currently played in a small number of countries at a professional level. It would be to the benefit of the game and particularly the world cup, if more of the up and coming countries could compete at the top level. The world cup is a fantastic event, yet there are still too many games played where there can only ever be one winner.

The top Spanish clubs play in the national Division de Honor. They play each other twice throughout the season, at home and away. The Spanish league teams also compete in the national cup competition, called the Copa del Rey. The winners of the Division de Honor play against the winners of Copa del Rey at the end of the season for the Supercopa de Espana de Rugby.

There are many clubs in Southern Spain and along the Costa del Sol. Malaga, Marbella, Gibraltar, Cordoba and Sevilla all have their own teams. The teams from the Costa del Sol are not involved in the top national divisions, they play in a regional Andalucia league. For most people reading this article, your local club will be Marbella Rugby Club (www.marbellarugbyclub.com). They play their home games just off the N-340, close to the Hotel Los Monteros. The Club was set up in 1988, at which time the team was made up of a very diverse group of players, from Britain, Argentina, France, Sweden and fortunately a few Spanish players. Marbella Rugby Club currently boasts a very successful youth section to the club. Children of all nationalities can go along and learn how to play rugby and be part of the club.

The Marbella Sevens is probably the largest rugby event in Southern Spain. The annual tournament, held in June, is played at the Marbella Paradise of Football and Sport (MPFS) just a few minutes drive from Marbella. It brings together teams from all around the world including New Zealand, Fiji, Ireland and the UK, as well as some of the local Spanish clubs. The Marbella Sevens was set up three years ago and has been growing with each tournament. For more details visit www.marbellasevens.com.

As ioh goes to print the Rugby World Cup final is under way just north of Spain in France. If you’re following the tournament I hope your team lived up to your expectations.