#freerunning

Santorini

When people think of mental training people often have strange ideas but I believe it to be very important and I will say how it will help. Firstly I think that isometric training is good mental training as it involves holding a physically difficult position for as long as possible and your body is saying that you can’t do it for much longer, by doing isometric training for as long as possible you are over comming fatigue and a mental block when your body starts to feel work you over come it and carry on going this mental state will help with your parkour.

Secondly setting what appears to be an impossible challenge for example one of my friend did one thousand muscle ups for charity this seems impossible however after setting a challenge you must finish once I came home at 1 O clock at night just to finish one of my challenges.

Another point is becoming custom with heights are naturally scary due to evolution however after becoming custom to heights this fear becomes less. One thing I like to do is to eat my food on a wall this way I am doing something positive (eating my food) whilst being at a hight therefore I am associating this possitive thing with heights also it means I can do something very safe (sitting) at a hight and feel fine.

Over coming a mental challenge or breaking a jump is very good training. first thing is to recognise something scares you I had a cat jump that I was afraid of after doing it I dismissed it as easy, no its not as it took me a great deal of time to build the courage to do it. Reward yourself after would think to your self I did that huge jump so now I’m going to eat this yummy piece of fruit this way you are rewarding your self for doing something in a way that is healthy.

visualisation is very good for training as well visualising yourself doing something mentally challenging in the first and third person gets you accustom to the jump meaning when it comes to it, it is a great deal easier 

Recently I was watching Fat fighters on 4od, and I remembered of how I used to be embarrassed to go to the gym. If you are overweight and get out of breath easily, or if you are underweight and aren't very strong the gym is the best place to go. Most of the body builders pumping huge weights will have started in the same shoes as you. Once you have overcome your fear of going to the unknown you will never regret it. Personal trainers at the gym have spent hours learning about how to help people in your situation so don’t be afraid to ask them questions.

This leads me nicely on to training outside for parkour and being embarrassed many people will stop to watch you train some may laugh, but remember training is important and if you are to embarrassed to do it then you will never go far, remember how parkour is about overcoming your fear so this is a great fear to over come.

Breathing from your stomach is known as diaphragmatic breathing and is commonly found in yoga and mediation. Why is it good? 
It ensures that you breathe deeply and get enough oxygen. Oxygen is important for aerobic respiration so people who get more oxygen feel more energised and don’t get sore muscles as they don’t produce lactic acid as easily. One of my friends said that after doing trying to breath more deeply with diaphragmatic breathing they were able to run further as they weren’t getting out of breath. 

Your metabolic rate is how quickly food goes through your digestion system. I’m sure you’ve heard someone say I have a really high metabolism and wondered what that meant. Someone with a naturally high metabolic rate will find it hard to gain fat because there food goes quickly through there digestion system so not much nutrients are gained in the small intestine. However someone with a naturally low metabolism will find it very easy to put on weight. So why does the body have a metabolic rate and can it change?

yes your metabolic rate can change if you don’t eat food for a period of time so when people wake up they have a low metabolic rate so they need a small meal to give them energy and to raise the metabolic rate. So why does the body have this then?

When people have to hunt for food maybe for a extensive period of time food would not be available so when the food was finally available the body gets as much nutrients as possible and gets as much fat as possible so that there had a reserve to last them until there next meal.

Philosophy is an interesting and broad subject with many different opinions to it but if you don’t want to pay money to go to classes or you just don’t have the time I recommend these two series about philosophy one is a radio program that I have on my Ipod and the other is an hour long video. I hope you like them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/iotp

 http://www.justiceharvard.org/watch/

What is core strength?
This term ‘core’ is thrown around a lot but what is your core and how can it help you?

In my opinion the core is the group of muscles at the centre of your body these are the muscles that stabilize your movement. These muscles are
- the rectus abodominis
- the external obliques
- the internal obliques 
- the latissimus dorsi
- the gluteus maximus

So therefore having these muscles as strong as possible will give you a strong and stable core right?

Wrong! So how can I get a strong core?

I recommend two activities they are slack lining and pilates. Pilates was created by a German scientist called Joseph Pilates as a way of getting core strength.

So core strength why could I want it?
Having a strong and stable core will help with posture and balance. 

Gymnastics rings is the ultimate workout for your upper body. It works every muscle in you upper body and encourages strength and stability rather than muscle mass. It uses your own body weight which is perfect for parkour, free running, rock climbing, martial arts and other sports where you need a strong upper body not a big one. They are very small and can be packed up and taken with you so you can train outside with friends unlike dumbbells which can’t be carried around with you casually. For information on good technique and exercises I recommend gymnastics bodies.

http://gymnasticbodies.com/Video/index.html

Do supplements work?
Some supplements do work however a large proportion don’t work or work in a unhealthy way if taken incorrectly in the slightest manor. Supplements work by giving your body a concentrated chemical found in the body or is know to give the body a desired effect, some I approve an example of one is whey protein powder this is just pure protein and is needed by the body to recover from D.O.M.S (delayed onset muscle soreness) for information on when to have protein watch this video
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4_UY_kIPFU

however some supplements aren’t proven to work. Scientist find a chemical in the body that does a particular thing and then assume by digesting it this will produce the desired effect this sometimes has a small effect and sometimes does not.

Supplements can also cause problems, an example is some people will think by taking vitamin tablets they don’t need to eat fruit and vegetables any more this will cause so much damage to the individual. If you still desire to spend your money on supplements make sure they don’t stop you from having a healthy diet and consult your GP before taking if you have any health condition.

In a society where 46% of men and 34% of women in England were overweight in 2001, Diet is very important. It helps us focus on our work and helps us feel better. When people eat a healthier diet they feel better and more energised. Nutrition is very important for people who wish to take there sport more seriously. If you eat a better diet you will be able to jump further do more muscle ups and possibly beat up Chuck Norris. No who are we kidding its Chuck Norris. Many very important nutrients have a bad reputation and I will hopefully show you why these are very important.

Carbohydrates have a bad reputation many people have low carb diets or no carb diets they think it makes them fat. Carbohydrates are very important they supply energy by giving the body glucose. If carbohydrates aren’t used the body turns them into fat. Fat is another very important nutrient that has a bad name. Fat gives the body protection from the rough world it protects us from the cold and reduces the damage of an impact, so next time you fall thank your belly for protecting you. However it is important to get the right carbs and fats I would recommend brown bread or brown pasta or brown rice as a carbohydrate source and use unsaturated fats such as olive oil or sun flour oil. However does this mean I can become fat without worrying? NO! parkour is a body weight sport so therefore by loosing body weight ideally fat you can do more.

Protein is a very important nutrient for anyone who does sport. It is needed for the growth of cells so a high protein diet will help muscle growth and help injuries to heal so cuts will heal faster with a high protein diet. Protein is found in meats and pulses however meat is better than pulses. Pulses are a group of vegetables that include peas and lentils. However meat sources are better than pulses because they provide a different type of protein however having a variety of protein sources is the best option.

There is allot to say on the subject of vitamins and minerals so I’ll cheat and borrow a table from BBC Bitesize :D

Vitamin

Need for

Sources

Vitamin A

- good vision

- healthy skin

- growth

- green and yellow vegetables

- dairy products

Vitamin B (thiamin, riboflavin and niacin)

- release of energy from foods

- healthy skin

- breads

- milk

- eggs

Vitamin B12

- red blood cells

- meat

- milk

- yeast

Vitamin C

- healthy skin

- protects cells

- helps absorb iron

- fruit

- vegetables

Vitamin D

- helps absorb calcium

- strong teeth and bones

- margarine

- oily fish

Fibre is very important to have in a diet it helps keep the body’s digestive system clean and if there is a lack of fibre this can lead to bawl cancer. Fibre is a group of substances found in plant foods (or fruit and veg) which cannot be completely broken down by enzymes.

Two thirds of the body is made up of water and it is very important to drink plenty a lack of water especially in hot conditions can lead to heat stroke. Water is needed for circulation, proper digestion, to carry nutrients round the body, regulate temperature, and remove waste and toxins.

Good things to eat and drink are…

• Green tea
• Turmeric
• Bananas
• Spinach  

These four are so cool

For more good info about food and nutrition go to www.nutrition.org.uk