Archive for April, 2011
Skiing Instructor
Skiing is an interesting fun and adventurous sport. It requires lot of dedication passion and practice. Have you ever thought that it could also be career option for you? Do you dream of being a skiing instructor? There are many training institutes which offer recognized ski instructor courses. Some of these institutes also promise a job upon the successful completion of the course.
Being a skiing instructor is not difficult. If you are interested in being a skiing instructor you must enrol for ski instructor course. You could choose a course that can help you get a job in ski instructing in the best skiing places around the world. These courses could run from 5 days to up to 3 months. The 5 day course provides a basic qualification while the ones for a 3 month period are more comprehensive in nature. These courses are a good way of honing your skills in ski instructing. It is a formalized training course that follows proper teaching principles. Before you sign up for a course ensure that you check the credentials of the ski training institute or the skiing instructors.
It is important to know that being a good skier alone is not a key criteria to become a lt;a href= http://www.snowchallengecanada.com/default.asp?contentID=576
gt;skiing instructorlt;/agt; since you may have the technical knowledge but you may not be able to communicate those skills to your students. It is not difficult to get a job in ski instructing as there is a worldwide shortage of lt;a href= http://www.snowchallengecanada.com/default.asp?contentID=576
gt;skiing instructorlt;/agt;s. Please ensure that you choose a right course for yourself. There are some ski instructor courses which are recognized only at a national level and those that follow the standards recognized by the national organizations.
To know if your qualification is officially recognized you must know about various organizations active in your country and internationally. The International Ski Instructors Association ISIA is the only association meant for professional ski instructors and it has about 30 nations affiliated with it. Similarly there is British Association of Snowsports Instructors The British Association of Ski Patrollers in the UK and the Canadian Ski and Snowboard Association in Canada. To know more about the member countries you may check the ISIA website.
Enrol for a course and get started now.
About the writer: For more details and information you can logon to http://www.snowchallengecanada.com.
Shocking Myths About Fitness The Gym And Your Diet Part 1
They bombard us constantly. Every day we here all about “new scientific breakthroughs” or the “latest and greatest way to gain muscle mass / lose bodyfat.” And of course there”s the ageold bodybuilding “truths” that we accept as gospel. In reality a lot of these are nothing more than myths comparable to the Urban Legends we all get spammed with 1000 times a day over email. We”ve all seen the emails like the one telling us that Bill Gates is going to give us 1000 for simply forwarding an email to everyone on our mailing list. The “BS” Alarm promptly goes off and we hit “Delete.” So why then do people accept every ad they read or believe the words of every meathead at the gym without question? While believing in Urban Legends and forwarding every email you get can lead to your unpopularity following bad advice and Urban Legends within the realm of physical fitness can lead to serious injury and health problems. Bottom line; don”t follow the advice or worse pass on the advice of socalled “experts” without checking out all the facts for yourself.
NUTRITION MYTHS
These come and go like the tides. It would seem that one day “experts” are telling us insert food here will lead to long life and excellent health. The next day they”ll be telling us that the same food is hazardous to your health and will make you crosseyed and invert your colon! Let”s then separate some nutritional myths from the facts.
Myth: “Sports drinks are a good substitute for water.”
Fact: Bottom line there is no substitute for water. The purpose of sports drinks is to provide fluid and mineral replacement after strenuous exercise. It is not meant to serve as a replacement for water.
The problem with using sports drinks as a substitute for water is all the excess carbs. You may read the label and think “but it”s only got 14 grams of carbs.” Yeah that”s 14 grams per 8 ounce serving. The most common sports drink size is 32 ounces which is four servings. Do the math and you”ve got 56 grams of carbs per bottle. Now truthfully how many of you grab a bottle of your favorite thirst quencher and only drink one serving? Yeah me neither.
Myth: “Just don”t eat so much if you want to lose weight.”
Fact: On the surface this one actually makes sense. If you burn more calories than you are consuming you”ll lose weight right? Unfortunately it”s not that simple. Whatever your bodyfat levels starvation is definitely not the answer. What happens when the body is starved is it goes into “survival mode” because it thinks that it is dying due to lack of food. The metabolism then slows down as the body tries to save as much energy as it can. Hence you become lethargic and you will not burn as many calories naturally as you did before. What”s worse is that when the body is allowed some subsistence it instinctively causes you to gorge yourself because it is trying to store as much potential energy as possible.
And remember the slowing down of the metabolism is a longterm effect. It will not speed back up once you start eating normally again. Hence why most people gain back all the weight they lost and then some once they come off a diet. Their metabolisms are slowed down and even more calories are going straight to the waistline. The answer? Stay away from crash diets and do not restrict your calories to the point that you are uncomfortable and feel hungry all the time. Look at changing what you eat. Remember quality is more important than quantity.
Myth: “You can eat all the carbs you want as long as they are “complex” and not “simple” sugars.”
Fact: Here”s one that just refuses to die! It”s frightening to think that the majority of people are still taught that 60 or more of their caloric intake needs to come from carbohydrates each day. What modern research has shown is that no matter what type of carb it is your body processes it exactly the same way. Consuming 50 grams of carbs that come from eating pasta will have the same effect as consuming 50 grams of carbs coming from drinking soda. By consuming excess carbs no matter where they come from you”ll still struggle with bodyfat and you”ll be putting yourself at a risk for diabetes.
This particular myth has been a scourge on society for decades. Bottom line is somebody needs to put a stake through the heart of this myth and kill it off once and for all. If you really want to fight bodyfat and avoid the risk of diabetes keep your carbohydrate intake moderate to low. If you feel that your carb intake is too high take about a third of the calories you were consuming from carbohydrates and substitute protein.
Myth: “High carb diets work just as well as high protein.”
Fact: This is a fairly new one that started circulating through the mainstream media. Apparently a recent “government” study has tried to prove the above statement. But was that their real intent? Not likely. It is more probable that the intent was to debunk the high protein phenomenon that has been hitting the Country by saying “but look you can do the same thing by eating lots of carbs!” Wrong answer. Problem is were the government to officially endorse the high protein / low carb concept that would be admitting that they”ve been wrong for the last 50 years or so.
The problem with tests like these is that results are often vague at best and usually slanted with the results already a foregone conclusion. Bottom line is you never want to do anything extreme when it comes to diet without first researching it thoroughly. Researching it thoroughly means taking the time to learn just how the human body actually works and how it processes food. Don”t take any research studies at face value without reading to see where they came up with their data. Fact is if you manipulate data just right you can “scientifically” prove absolutely anything and not necessarily be lying!
Myth: “Eat your vegetables no matter how they”re processed or cooked.”
Fact: Like it or not we all know that vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet. Thing is many of us fall into the “not” category when it comes to liking vegetables. So we try and soup them up as much as possible in order to improve the taste. What many fail to realize is that cooking and processing of vegetables severely degrades their nutritional value. When vegetables get cooked a large amount of the vitamins and minerals they supply are literally leached out like a sponge being squeezed. Canned vegetables are worse. Not only because they have been precooked and depleted of nutrients they have high levels of sodium MSG and other fillers with little to no nutritional value. The best way to get your vegetables is to eat them in their raw natural state. Also be advised that some vegetables like carrots and cauliflower are higher in carbs than others like broccoli or spinach.
WORKOUT MYTHS
We hear these every time we walk into they gym. One can”t complete a workout with hearing Joe Snuffy say something like “Dude if you do this you”ll get frickin huge man!” Now if Joe Snuffy looks like Arnold”s big brother he might have some good info to put out. After all a great benefit of going to a gym is that we can all learn from each other. If on the other hand Joe Snuffy is built like a pencil the old “BS” Alarm should probably start going off. Extreme caution needs to be exercised when it comes to doing anything that sounds drastic otherwise severe injury could result.
Myth: “Do a thousand crunches a day and you will have “washboard” abs.”
Fact: Think that spending an hour a day torturing your abs will give you a stomach that everyone will want to touch? Not without burning off the surface bodyfat it won”t! Fact is you could have the most powerful abs on the planet but as long as there is bodyfat covering them no one will know. Don”t neglect your ab workouts however if you want your abs to show start more on burning off the excess bodyfat.
Myth: “Do lots and lots of reps in order to “get toned.”"
Fact: Got a soft spot on your body that”s bugging you? Just do a ton of reps each workout and it will melt away right? Wrong. In spite of what you may have heard or read fact is “spot reducing” bodyfat is physically impossible. Females seem especially susceptible to this myth. This is because rarely are they looking to gain size and strength. The most common reason a woman is in the weight room is to “tone up.” They then become frustrated when they achieve phenomenal muscular endurance yet they still have areas with excess bodyfat.
This whole issue stems from a misconception about how weight training actually works. Words like “tone” “sculpt” and “shape” are very misleading. A muscle can either get bigger or it can get smaller. That”s it. You cannot change the shape of your muscles or sculpt them like pottery. And regardless of how much you work your muscles; it won”t change the soft appearance on the surface. On a positive note what muscle gain will do is help increase your metabolism. A pound of muscle burns approximately 60 calories a day. Add 10 pounds of muscle and you”ll be burning an extra 600 calories per day! Combined with proper diet and cardio the excess bodyfat will eventually burn off. However remember that it will burn off the entire body and not just in the one spot you think it needs to.
About the writer: Dane Fletcher is the most innovative and prominent Steroid guru in the world. To read more of his work on Steroids visit http://www.SteroidsToday.com.
Self Defense Weapons Vary From Guns To Fingers To Improvised Weapons
Self defense weapons range from a shotgun to your fingers. What you use will depend on the situation and what is available. Certainly the shotgun is extreme and usually not easily available; while your fingers are generally available and not usually as deadly.
Guns are a very effective means of self defense. Of course there is the training and licensing to consider. If you dont own a gun purchasing one comes with its own challenges as it should. Shotguns would be primarily a home/self defense situation. If someone breaks into your home and threatens you and your family you are probably justified in its use. It will be messy and anyone behind or beside your target may also be harmed. No one should carry a handgun unless they possess the skill to use one and know that they have the nerve to use one when called upon to shoot if not Put the gun down!
Pepper or mace spray can be effective. Youll need to know which direction to aim it. If the attacker is under the influence of alcohol or drugs it may not have the total desired affect. Be aware that there are places that these sprays are illegal.
Tasers have gained a lot of publicity lately. The problem with them is that you have to be in close proximity to use them. The full effect can take just a few seconds but it could be enough time for a large attacker to take it from you. That would not be a good situation!
A kubotan is a handy innocent looking self defense weapon. Its about six inches long about inch thick cylindrical that can by hooked to a key ring and help in your palm. Its good for jabbing or scraping or leveraging bar holds for those trained in its use.
All of the weapons so far need to be at the ready when you need to use them. It may seem paranoid to always have it in your hand when walking but they do you no good in the black hole of your purse or in your other jacket pocket.
Of course parts of your body can make excellent weapons as well. Finger jabs palm and elbow strikes punches knife hand strikes knees and kicking can deter almost any attack. At the every least read up on how to execute these moves or better yet take a self defense course or best yet study a Martial Art for proper techniques.
Look around you and youll probably find some improvised self defense weapons. You dont have to be MacGyver to find something to use for a weapon. If youre in an office you could use a pencil/pen to jab with a stapler to hit with hot coffee to scald with. If youre in a bathroom youve got hair spray or spray cologne or cleaners to assault the eyes scissors razors or towel bars. In the kitchen you can use any flatware knives most effectively pots and pans to hit with cans to throw etc. Out in the garage theres an entire smorgasbord of weapons. Lets not forget the handful of dirt/sand/powder to throw in the eyes.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;For more about weapons please visit Self Defense Weapons.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Su Ericksen is a first degree TaeKwonDo black belt and has taught self defense workshops. She lives in the Midwest with her family and works at a large medical center in the cardiology clinic. To read more on this subject please visit her website:Self Defense4Women.com
You may contact her through her website.