Fair Weather Exercise

You wake up, roll over and search out the window. You squint, wondering why it’s so dark and twist your neck to find the time. After all, the darkness outside should only mean that you can roll over for a few more zz’s. You find the time and you do a groggy shrug as you realize you did not wake up any earlier than need be. You twist to see the window through half-closed eyes and make out the large storm clouds and the blowing tree branches. The alarm buzzed for your morning workout without seeking the sun’s permission.

If the sun couldn’t find the energy to rise, you feel no obligation to beat it. You hit snooze until the 45 minutes you had devoted to set aside for you and your body pass by. When you can’t push it off any longer you rise, dress, and step out of the house into the storm to face the day.

The morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. The hours drag by, lunch is composed of office meetings, and errands after the workday ensure that there is no other time to shake loose. At the end of the day your brain is fried and it is all you can do to eat dinner and take care of the family, check stocks, or plop on the couch to watch mindless reality TV. Meanwhile, the intermittent rain starts again while you promise that tomorrow will be a new day.

It happens. Some people are more affected by negative weather patterns than others. There exists that breed of people who celebrate storm clouds and rain and take the opportunity to sit by the window and enjoy the show. Others are fueled by light and sun and overcast weather signals a less than optimal day.

Should the weather really dictate your life? An off day is not indicative of anything. We all need days to sleep in and recuperate. However, letting those off days trudge into a wearing routine implies more serious problems. Lacking the energy to rise at the sound of the alarm or barely being able to make it through the day laying the blame on the weather are symptoms of bigger imbalances. Your life should not be subject to the whims and fickleness of the skies.

Analyze your habits. Is your inability to rise a sporadic occurrence that follows the occasional overcast day or a regular pattern where the sound of the alarm makes every morning look like a storm is about to break?

Don’t let the weather make or break your day. The secret isn’t the weather. The energy you have is what determines how you greet the day, rain or shine. The lower your energy, the more gloomy weather you will exacerbate your sluggishness.

Go back to the basics if you need tips on how to start the day off right regardless of the weather.

This entry was contributed by Stephanie Berger, a Public Relations and Marketing intern at Hedstrom - Ball, Bounce and Sport. She studies at the University of South Carolina and is addicted to breakfast foods and sunshine.

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How to Create a Home Gym

“Ughhh, I don’t want to drive all the way to the gym. But I really need to work out. But my favorite show is about to start. And plus, it’s freezing cold outside.”

I don’t know about you, but these are my thoughts sometimes when I’m debating whether or not to go to the gym.

Here in Ohio, the weather is changing…temperatures are beginning to drop and sooner or later, the infamous Ohio snow will be on its way. So with cooler temperatures and winter approaching, I figured I’d give you some tips on how to build your own gym….. at home!

There are countless different kinds of workout equipment available these days, but here are some of my favorites and essentials!

This blog post was contributed by Allie Squires, a PR and Marketing intern with Hedstrom-Ball Bounce & Sport. She recently graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Strategic Communications, and you can find her in the kitchen, watching Food Network and trying new recipes.

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The Versatility of Swimming

Energizes the young. Reinvigorates the elderly. Competitive sport. Leisurely pastime. Indoor activity. Outdoor adventure. Part of therapeutic rehabilitation. Core of intense training regimen.

Swimming engages a broad spectrum of people with varying backgrounds in pursuit of varying objectives. Swimming is a versatile and an age-old pastime. It’s been around for as long as there have been bodies of water and the versatility of the sport suggests that it will be an undisputed favorite for ages to come (unlike those sports like wrestling that are subject to disputes and debates). The sport is still being revitalized: swimming experienced a bit of a shake up when some people took it upon themselves to take underwater moves to a new level. Remember that phase in 2013 when everybody started dancing to the Harlem Shake? You can dance; er, move erratically, under water as the Ball State swim team proved during the Harlem Shake craze.

Swimmers and their tricks. They should stick with flips and backstrokes and leave the dance moves to the pros.

Why is dancing so popular? Well, that answer is going to differ from person to person. However, there are benefits to swimming regardless of whether the people engaging in the sport realize it or not.

The key to swimming might be body size. Of course there is more than one way to open a door, as burglars well know, but bells and whistles such as keys do make the whole process a lot smoother. This fun infographic details the body size of swimmers. The trend is: taller is better. We all know that Michael Phelps is a towering giant and have heard the legends about his dinner plate sized hands. Both he and Nathan Adrian certainly don’t disprove this theory.

A swimmers body tends to have a little more mass than, say, a runner’s body because the water supports their bodies. Is balance a concern for swimmers at all? It seems as if all they need is to have enough balance to know which direction they are going and emphasis is better placed on power and momentum.

A Norwegian study took a look at mini-swimmers: babies. The study compared babies that were exposed to swimming earlier to those that were not. They resolved that the babies who took swimming lessons had improved balance compared to those who did not. The goals of this study were more closely aligned with an interest in the development and maturation of children than creating children with superior athletic prowess but it does speak to the link between balance and swimming.

For older swimmers, the proper techniques of swimming are reliant on the premise that the swimmer has balance control. Without training, it is natural for a swimmer to swim through the water with the hips submerged at a depth lower than the shoulders and head. While this is the natural reaction when first placed in the water this habit creates drag and resistance for the swimmer. It is better if the swimmer raises the lower torso, hips and legs so that they are parallel with the shoulders and surface of the water. It is not natural and requires conscious focus and balancing skills for those who are new to the sport.

Training with the BOSU® Balance Trainer leads to a stronger core, increased trunk control, and improved balance. For the competitive or leisurely swimmer, from the high school athlete to the Olympian powerhouse, a taller build might be key to having natural talent, but that talent can only be unlocked with diligent training.

If you’re looking for training to compliment your swim workouts, try the BOSU® Balance Trainer. I would recommend that you use it as a dry land workout. The swim world was shaken up enough with underwater Harlem Shakes.

Harlem Shakes go underwater.

BOSU® Balance Trainer workouts stay above ground.

This entry was contributed by Stephanie Berger, a Public Relations and Marketing intern at Hedstrom - Ball, Bounce and Sport. She studies at the University of South Carolina and is addicted to breakfast foods and sunshine.

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The 10 Happiest People on BOSUs

You know... 

There's something revealing about your smile... 

It's contagious. 

Smiles reveal happiness. 

You're inspiring thousands of people...

By showing your love of fitness...

Your love of BOSU...

Through a simple expression. 

It's rather brilliant. 

Thanks for sharing your happy moments with us.

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How Do Children BOSU?

The BOSU® Balance Trainer is an effective tool that is often utilized by a wide range of athletes and adults as part of a training routine. When using the Balance Trainer, your body is forced to recruit numerous core and stabilizing muscles in order to balance. This development of balance, core strength and coordination is important for even the most novice workout enthusiast.

Overlooked is the importance of developing all of those same skills in children. One additional benefit of using the BOSU® Balance Trainer, especially, for children, is its ability to encourage the engagement of something called the vestibular system. The vestibular system, while it sounds complicated, is basically responsible for helping us to maintain control and awareness of where our body is in space. This system also plays a behind-the-scenes role in stabilizing vision and balance.

With a growing number of children being diagnosed every day with conditions, such as Autism, sensory processing disorder, ADHD, etc., there is more and more awareness of the importance of the vestibular system. To put it simply, for an individual to respond appropriately to sights, sounds or even touches their vestibular system needs to be “turned on.” The common thread with many of the above diagnoses and learning disorders is a dysfunction of the vestibular system; thus, making it very difficult for these children to navigate basic everyday situations.

Many interventions for children use items like swings or trampolines to stimulate the vestibular system. The challenge is these methods only address input in one plane of gravity. As we go through daily life, none of us moves within one plane of space. Typical movement integrates all three planes: horizontal, vertical, and sagittal. The answer? The BOSU® Balance Trainer! The Balance Trainer is so versatile with the positions in when it can be used and the endless activities that can be safely performed that it is easy to provide the vestibular input needed in each plane.     

The most appealing part of using the BOSU® Balance Trainer with children: it is really fun! Because of the myriad of safe activities, all of which have significant benefits, children can be creative and make up their own games using the Balance Trainer. Play with the BOSU® Balance Trainer is purposeful, meaningful, imaginative and, most importantly, FUN. The Balance Trainer activities have so many inherent benefits for children they should be a staple in every child’s play routine!



Written by: Kim Partlow, MAOT CNFT
C.E.O. Neuro-Fit Systems, Inc.

@NeuroFitSystems

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Balance Your BOSU

One way or another, a lack of balance in most any area of life
has the potential to be responsible for some unhappiness.

What comes to mind first when I think of balance is the dreaded, good old-fashioned balancing of the checkbooks. Definitely a necessary responsibility if you want to be on top of your stuff. Then there should be balance in the different branches of government, the juggling act between work and family, and we’re supposed to have a proper balanced diet (or at least that is what we tell the kids). Each of these will be seriously affected if there is an improper balance. The problem is that the how of balancing doesn’t always have a straightforward solution. Balance is achieved by different people and situations in a variety of manners. Let’s look at one more example of balance that has become an issue with the advent of online streaming.

I have never watched any mainstream TV shows for more than two episodes. Not seasons. Episodes. Crazy, right? I know you’re wondering, so I’ll admit: this does have serious consequences that impact my ability to engage in riveting dialogue about [insert name of hit TV series]. Sometimes I can’t leave my house for fear that I will be unable to contribute to enthusiastic discussions about the latest grand finale for the latest season of the latest show. But never fear, I have conquered my social inadequacies. That 15 minute period where I am unable to participate in the conversation is the only negative effect I experience. That time is quickly filled with other activities that I rather enjoy; sleeping and eating, for instance. For me, balance includes other side activities at the expense of Netflix binges. I balance my responsibilities, my people, and my pleasures without factoring in six seasons of a show.

Is my approach to online streaming the proper approach to balancing life?

No.

Let me disclose that I have gotten hooked on obscure TV shows before. It is hardly a unique phenomenon. Many refer to this syndrome as the ‘The Netflix Binge’. I couldn’t explain how it happened and why I didn’t spend my time following a mainstream show. It is likely that, after a full year of operation, the winter holidays triggered a switch that signaled the old cerebrum to shut down and undergo a monumental recovery and restoration phase. Whatever it was, I got hooked on a show that instead of sitting down and watching for an hour or two a week, I finished in a matter of days. For me, the 360 or so days a year that I don’t follow any shows balanced out with those days I devoted to following the antics of witty and heroic personages. For others, it is more suitable to follow that show for an hour or so a couple days a week. Whose balance is better?

I like to think that the BOSU® Balance trainer serves as a tangible illustration of what balance can represent to different people.

The BOSU® Balance trainer is used by some to improve their balance and stability. Others use it in pursuit of a stronger core. CrossFitters will use it in their pursuit of an intense holistic approach to fitness. The Yoga world uses it to shake up their routines. One coach will promote ball side down for pushups. Another coach will use ball side up for planks. The persistent use it for 10 minutes a day to keep toned. The ambitious use it for 45 minute workouts.

Are any of these methods more appropriate than the other?

No.

When properly used and incorporated, these methods are used to achieve goals that enhance a person’s life and well-being. What is right for one is not necessarily appropriate for another.

To Netflix binge or not, ball side up or ball side down? The options and strategies for a more meaningful and well-balanced life are endless. Choose wisely. And find your balance.

This blog was contributed by Stephanie Berger, a Public Relations and Marketing intern at Hedstrom - Ball, Bounce and Sport. She studies at the University of South Carolina and is addicted to breakfast foods and sunshine.

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When Halftime Becomes Movetime

There is a game celebrated by people ranging from the mountains of Peru, the stadiums of privileged East Coast prep schools, the cities of India and the plains of Russia. Those scrappy matches in dusty lots and back street alleys only come to a pause for one event every four years that glorifies match after match. The one event that soccer fans everywhere have been waiting on for four years is almost over.

The 2014 World Cup thus far has had its share of suspense, expected upsets and thrilling victories. In between the bitter debates over penalties and the colorful excitement of Brazil, there are other points of intrigue that have been less exposed to the public eye. Japan has long gone home, but soccer fans should take note of what Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa was training with.

Since the The BOSU® Balance trainer can be used to promote balance and a stronger core—both of which are essential traits for a pro athlete—his trainers had a bigger goal in mind than for him to just mimic the form of an inept pole-vaulter. While the entire Japanese soccer team was caught red-handed with BOSU® Balance trainers, it isn’t a training device exclusively for the professional athlete.

Balance and strength are just as essential for the rest of us in society that haven’t been blessed with the skills to competently direct a ball where we want it to go. Some do have the tendency to inflate assessment of his or her own individual soccer skills (sort of like turning the volume of the radio up to the point where you can’t hear yourself screaming yet are still able to persuade yourself that you are singing in key). However, few would argue that they couldn’t use more of a tune-up in their fitness routines. The pros are in Brazil and we are drooling over their every move. Some of us openly admit we couldn’t tell a ball was coming at us let alone make contact, others showoff at weekend club games with their own speed and style, and the rest of us are watching the games only because somebody roped us in. Even though we don’t share the same moves, we are going to pursue the training methods that the pros use. Because who doesn’t want better balance and a stronger abdomen?

Kagawa was having the time of his life on his BOSU® Balance trainer at practice. Fortunately, we don’t have to be Kagawa to lug a barbell to the middle of a stadium to hone our bodies. Pick out a spot in front of your TV during the remaining matches and complete this 10 minute workout by #GRITbyBrit.

So just how many matches remain? And how many minutes of workouts would that make? I’ve never been mistaken for being an elite athlete, but I’m ready to switch up my routine of running to the kitchen for snack refills. There has got to be a better way for me to cope with the suspense than eating it all away.

Halftime? Bring out the BOSU. I’ve got some abs of steel just waiting for me to dust them off.

This blog was contributed by Stephanie Berger, a Public Relations and Marketing intern at Hedstrom - Ball, Bounce and Sport. She studies at the University of South Carolina and is addicted to breakfast foods and sunshine.

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