One of the easiest ways to get in shape is to get involved in a sport or activity that utilizes and rewards athleticism.  The entertaining and competitive nature of sports helps you concentrate on winning or competing rather than exercising and trying to burn calories.
These competitive activities and sports are some of the best to help you get in great physical shape.  Even better, you can find some sort of organizations in almost any community.

Basketball
Running
Tennis
Volleyball
Football (or flag football)
Dancing
Skating
Bicycling
Soccer
Martial Arts

Adding your favorite of the list once or twice a week to your schedule can pay big dividends while you have fun …read more

If your fitness routine includes bike rides, you need some solid equipment … and not just a good bike. One thing that you should really have is a bag that is geared for cycling because a regular duffle bag isn’t exactly the most functional and traditional backpack isn’t quite right either.
This Detours KoKopelli bike pack is available right now for just $51.99. It was originally priced at $75, then on sale for $64.99. But right now, you can take an additional 20% off at eBags.com.
This bag has a large front pocket, plus an additional mesh pocket. It also have a …read more

Another week flew by and a new one is coming faster than I’d like it too. 2009 is going by too quickly as we’re already a quarter of the way through the year. Let’s see what went on this past week in Fitness.

Sunday 3/29 I talked about the importance of utilizing weight training in to your fitness routine. Built strength and burn calories!
Monday 3/30 I stressed that dieting alone is never the best option for weight loss and control. Mixing Fitness with a good diet is key to losing weight and staying healthy.
Tuesday 3/31 Tied in to Dieting AND Fitness …read more

Bicycling is great exercise. I used to do quite a bit of bicycling in my teens and my 20’s, but it’s kind of hard down here in NC because there is no paves shoulders on the road and it’s dangerous to try to ride on secondary roads. When I move back up to Upstate New York I’ll be buying another bicycle and
getting back in to it. Bicycling burns calories but according to a recent study that was featured in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, cyclist may not be consuming enough calories.
The study showed that cyclists were susceptible to …read more

Madison, Wisconsin, located about 150 miles northwest of Chicago, is the state capital and the home of the University of Wisconsin. The city’s hilly terrain also makes it a favorite of championship cyclists and the city hosts many such events. In keeping with that tradition, Madison has signed on to host the Olympic cycling competitions should Chicago be successful in their bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Wisconsin’s governor, Jim Doyle announced the plans on Friday and indicated that Madison would be the site of the road race, individual time trials and mountain bike events. The city also …read more

Image details: Olympic Trials – BMX served by picapp.com
BMX (bicycle motorcross) will make its Olympic debut at the Beijing Games. BMX riders use bikes with 20″ wheels and navigate a dirt course filled with bumps and turns. There will be a women’s and a men’s competition.
The United States BMX team includes Jill Kintner; three-time world champion, Kyle Bennett; Mike Day (pictured at left above); and Donny Robinson.

Image details: RADSPORT: TOUR DE FRANCE 2002, PROLOG served by picapp.com
The United States Olympic cycling team will be led by racer, George Hincapie, a veteran of four Olympic Games. He will be the first US racer to compete in five Olympics.
Hincapie is joined by two-time Olympians Jason McCartney and Christian Vande Velde as well as David Zabriskie and Levi Leipheimer, who finished third in last year’s “Tour de France.”

Just so that everyone’s up to speed on things (pun intended :lol: ) let me give you a run down on who may compose the British cycling team.
There’s Geraint Thomas who recently World Track Championships gold medal won in the Team Pursuit. Thomas is also a British record holder as the competitors in team pursuit broke the national mark twice before coming within a second of the world record when beating Ukraine in the final.
Then there’s Athens Olympics hero, Bradley Wiggins, who was with Thomas on the win.
Top British riders Ed Clancy and Paul Manning and also joined by Steve …read more

She’s the first woman (And young at that! She’s only 18!) that I’ve come across who’s into BMX and is planning to compete in the Olympics.
GOLDEN girl Shanaze Reade insists she is still a novice despite sensationally becoming world champion in a second sport.
The 18-year-old World Junior Women BMX champion, one of Great Britain’s great hopes for next year’s Olympic games in Beijing, China, took up track cycling to keep in shape during the BMX off-season.
But she quickly demonstrated amazing ability, and won silver for Great Britain in the UCI Manchester World Track Cup in February – her first ever …read more

I sure didn’t. (I thought it was Leon but —) It’s great to find out, though. His name’s Roger Beaufrand, born at Garenne-Colombes near Paris in France.
Beaufrand competed during the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, Netherlands. His sport was Cycling, Sprint event . He beat Antonius Mazairac of Netherlands and Villy Hansen of Denmark.
Olympic Champion at 19
On 7 August 1928, to everyone’s surprise, he beat the leading sprinters of the day and achieved France’s only cycling victory by winning the Olympic sprint title. He was just 19. — olympics.org
His Legacy
“Roger Beaufrand more than ever symbolises what an Olympic champion should …read more