General

Madison Sports & Social Club is holding their official Kickoff Party at the Stadium Bar and Grill located at 1519 Monroe Street on Sunday, June 6th from 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm. It’s MSSC’s goal to connect individuals who want to participate in sports-related activities and social events. The Club promotes a healthy lifestyle by encouraging members to pursue hobbies and activities that encourage physical activity and making healthy lifestyle decisions as well. Hope to see you there!

Spring is feeling more like summer, so here are 8 Tips to Hot Weather Training.

1. Drink plenty of fluids. In normal temperatures, men and women should drink 8-10 cups of water a day. When it is hot and humid, active individuals need more. During hot weather workouts try to drink a cup of water every 15 minutes.

2. Warm up. It might be sunny and warm outside but that doesn’t mean your muscles are warmed up. Take the time to properly warm up with dynamic stretches, calisthenics, and light cardio.

3. Pace yourself. Be sure to make adjustments to your workouts on really hot days. Try exercising first thing in the morning or later at night. Over time your body will get use to the heat.

4. Cool down. As with any workout it’s important to relax your muscles and lower your heart rate with static stretches, fluids and a cool shower.

5. Add a dash of salt. Remember that when you perspire you are also losing salt. So if you are a heavy sweater or have problems with heat cramps consider adding salt to your foods.

6. Wear proper clothing. Sun glasses, sunscreen, a hat, and lightweight & light-colored clothing will help reflect the sun’s rays and allow for good air circulation.

7. Know the symptoms of heat stress. Nausea, dizziness, headache, chilling, muscle cramps, extreme breathlessness and a reduction in sweat rate are all signs to stop exercise, get cool and rehydrate.

8. Train with other people. Even if you are accustomed to training in hot weather, it’s a good idea to train with other people. Everyone can look out for each other.

Follow these goal-setting steps and get in the best shape of your life.

1. WHAT is your goal?  Try picturing it in your mind. Is it losing weight, feeling better about yourself, lowering cholesterol levels?

2. WHY do you want to achieve this goal? Are you more confident?  Imagine what it feels like. This is what’s going to motivate you every day.

3. WHEN is your goal going to be realized? This spring? A year from now?  Give yourself a date and you have something to aim for.

4. WHAT do you bring to the table? Take a personal inventory of your strengths and weaknesses. Under strengths, maybe you can include “a willingness to learn”. Under weaknesses, maybe it’s a “fear of the unknown”.

5. HOW much are you willing to invest?  This has to do with time, money, knowledge.  It takes time to read a book on nutrition and to exercise.  It takes money to buy new athletic shoes or hire a personal trainer.  But in my opinion, the most important investment is knowledge. Take the time to learn about yourself.

6. WHO can help you? Find resources (people, books, or even websites) to help you succeed.

7. Anticipate SETBACKS. Realize that things don’t always go as planned. What’s the solution? Be flexible and understand that you will need to overcome obstacles in order to achieve your goal.

8. Take LITTLE STEPS. Let’s say your goal is to complete a 5k walk/run in mid-April. What you are doing right now to move you towards your goal? Look at your calendar and see how many weeks until your walk/run. In this example, about thirteen weeks. Next create a plan of action for every week, progressively increasing the distance and/or shortening the time. In week 1, maybe you’re walking 1/3 mile. In week 2, you walk 1/2 a mile. And so on. By the time you are at thirteen weeks you’ve done it!

9. DECIDE to do #8. This is about making daily decisions. Everyday decide that you can achieve your goals and that you deserve it.

10. HAVE FUN! Getting in shape doesn’t need to be a big production.  Enjoy the journey!