When you think about fitness, you probably think about marathons and muscles, but do you ever consider brain fitness? You should! Your brain plays a critical role in every area of your life, from learning, working and playing, to personality, aptitude and memory. While the brain is the body’s most important organ, it is also the most mysterious. There is a lot that science can’t yet explain, including why some people can still recall the name of their first-grade teacher at age 100, while others develop the early signs of Alzheimer’s in their 60s. But emerging research indicates that with a few relatively simple lifestyle choices, you can maximize your brain health while minimizing the risks of age-related memory loss and brain diseases like Alzheimer’s. Here’s how.

Read more on Brain Tonic and Improve Memory Power and Improve mental performance
1. Eat a Brain-Healthy Diet. A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids (commonly found in fish), protein, antioxidants, fruits and vegetables and vitamin B; low in trans fats; and with an appropriate level of carbohydrates will help keep your brain healthy.
2. Stay Mentally Active. Activities such as learning a new skill or language, working on crossword puzzles, taking classes, and learning how to dance can help challenge and maintain your mental functioning.
3. Exercise Regularly. Exercising often can increase circulation, improve coordination, and help prevent conditions that increase the risk of dementia such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
4. Stay Social. Spending time with friends, volunteering, and traveling can keep your mind active and healthy.
5. Get Plenty of Sleep. Not getting enough sleep can have a negative impact on brain health.
6. Manage Stress. Participating in yoga, spending time with friends, or doing other stress-relieving activities can help preserve your ability to remember and learn.
7. Prevent Brain Injury. Wearing protective head gear and seat belts can help you avoid head injury, which has been associated with an increased risk of dementia.
8. Control Other Health Conditions. Maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, eating a well-balanced and nutritious diet, and controlling stress can help reduce your risk of diseases that affect your brain, including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and hypertension.
9. Avoid Unhealthy Habits. Smoking, heavy drinking and use of recreational drugs can increase the risk of dementia and cognitive decline.
10. Consider Your Genes. If your family history puts you at risk for developing dementia, work with your doctor to find ways to maintain your brain health to help avoid or slow the progression of cognitive decline.

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You might be tempted to think that buying a new coffee table is as easy as picking out one that’s similar in style and color to the one you previously owned. But don’t give into temptation!

Take this opportunity to breathe new life into your living room, family room or den by choosing a coffee table with a little something extra.

Here are a few coffee table buying tips that will add style, funk or just plain functionality to the rooms of your home where you veg out, hold marathon movie nights or entertain friends and family.

– When selecting a table, take into consideration who will be using the room (and the table) the most. You might really admire the coffee table with a glass and stone top but if you have children, it might not be the best choice.

– Buy a coffee table with your sofa in mind. One that is not in scale with your couch can make the table appear too small or too large, giving the room an unbalanced look and feel. A table should be two-thirds the length of the couch’s actual seating area when centered in front of the sofa.

– Coffee tables are also called cocktail tables so that should be a big clue right there! These low tables are intended to stand in front of the sofa and are designed to hold drinks, food and more importantly, the remote controls. The height should be level (or only slightly higher) than the seating area of the couch, so that you can easily reach anything in front of you without effort or strain.

РYour new table should complement your d̩cor. If your furniture is more traditional, choose a rectangular or oval shaped table. If your style is more contemporary, select one that is half-round or square.

– Purchase a coffee table to match your lifestyle. Do you have toddlers? Select a table with rounded corners? Just recently welcomed a new puppy into your home? A metal base table with a glass top will (hopefully) eliminate chewed up furniture. Coffee tables add functionality to your living space. To make them even more functional, take into account the features you want your new table to have.

– A magazine rack is an easy way to control newspapers and other reading materials.

– Seems like you’re always putting things away? Other storage options such as baskets, drawers and cubby holes can really help to keep your living space tidy and clutter-free.

– A tray top coffee table consists of a top made of one or more removable trays and is really convenient, especially if you like entertaining.

– Go tech! A lift top coffee table has a mechanism that raises the top of the table from cocktail to dining table height; great for families that like to sit in front of the television while eating.

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Clocking in at the gym and putting the time in doesn’t mean you are going to end up with the body of your dreams. Forget marathon type workouts where they only allow you to exercise half-heartedly. It is time to stop guessing and living your life in hope of waking up one day and miraculously discovering the abs you have always wanted. You must try different approaches to get the best results. You are expecting too much if you think the same exercise routine will give you everything you want. It is important to modify and experiment with different exercise routines as you go along or you will never reach your goal.

Here are some of the best ways to stop your body adapting to what you are doing and keep progress running smoothly.

#1 Assess strengths and weaknesses
Before you start do you know which muscles are tight in your body and need stretching? Do you know if other muscles are compensating when you perform a movement because of a weakness in the chain? Do you know which exercises will make your posture or pain worse? How do you know you are doing the right exercises that are right for your body? These are just some of the questions that need answering before embarking on a regular exercise programme.

#2 Train intense but keep it real
This means training within your capabilities that allows a minimum of a good technique on everything you do. This mainly points to lifting a weight that is too heavy, doing part of the range of movement or doing more reps than you can manage resulting in quick and poorly performed reps. Good reps are real reps; you can either work the body part the exercise is designed for or take the stress away from the body part by performing a poor rep, it’s as simple as that.

#3 Include big movements in your workout
Multi joint exercises work more muscles and burn more calories than isolation exercises. Most pieces of gym equipment cater for working only one or two muscles at a time. Performing multi joint exercises like squats and bent over rows correctly have the best carry over effect that helps you in work, sports and many of life’s tasks.

#4 Use gravity
Have you noticed the physiques of gymnasts? You will never see overweight or out of shape gymnast, that’s because training against gravity is one of the best things you can do to look your best. The feedback I get from clients that do bodyweight exercises within their exercise routines report how challenging and how much effort they take to perform. Make sure to include gravity-based exercises in your exercise programme. You can start off basic by doing floor exercises and work up to more demanding exercises where you push or pull your bodyweight with your feet off the ground.

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If you are planning to set your foot upon the beautiful pacific isle of Kauai, one of the major islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, this is the perfect time to be. Guess what? The 2010 Kauai Marathon is all set to kick start this weekend in Poipu Kauai, enticing long distance runners from the world over to participate for the first ever $ 15,000 Kauai Marathon “speed challenge”. Athletes from the world over including two-time Olympic marathon trials qualifier Michael Wardian will be among the contestants. If you are looking to head straight to Kauai Marathon after landing in Hawaii, make sure to rent a car from Kauai car rentals in advance or else you might just face hurdles getting to the spot.

Kauai is considered to be one of the best vacation spots on earth. The heavenly charm of the island of Kauai, also known as “The Garden Isle”, attracts tourists from the world over. If you are looking to splurge in the beautiful sea shores, tropical sunshine, the magical white sands, and the blue wave of the pacific drop your backpack at Kauai. Rest assured you will be willing to come back again and again. Tour around this fascinating isle in a rented car from Kauai car rentals and enjoy the breath-taking scenery to the fullest.

However, once you rent a car from one of the Kauai car rentals, do keep a check on certain details. The first thing to note is the affordable rental costs of cars in Kauai. Do you know that average Kauai car rentals are approximately $ 41 in comparison to the national average of $ 54? Well this sounds encouraging for first time visitors to these tropical shores. Kauai car rentals are extremely affordable. Expect to pay $ 100 to $ 150 for a whole week’s car rental. There are several car rental agencies in Kauai. However, the best ones are always full of orders. So start booking your rental car from reputed Kauai car rentals well in advance.

The most important thing that your should consider is the type of car you are looking to book. It can be either a sport utility vehicle (SUV) or a 4×4, or just a standard 4-wheeler. Whatever, be your requirement, you will certainly get the best makes at competitive rent only at Kauai car rentals. Also check out the driving guidelines in Kauai before you place your booking order.

You can either book online from your place or just call the respective car rental agency from your hotel room and make your booking. What’s even more? You can book in advance and get to enjoy special discounts from reputed Kauai car rentals.

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If you are a woman looking for a watch, or you want to buy a watch as a gift for you wife or lady friend, how do you choose the right one? Just like anything else, it’s what you know that can make the difference between something good and something terrific. The following are some tips you can use when shopping for ladies watches.

A jewelry watch is that kind which is more classy, tasteful, and the kind of watch any woman would feel great about wearing. If that’s the case, then think nothing but a watch made with gold, silver, or other high quality precious metal. They also typically have precious stones embedded in them. You’ll notice that the prices can range all the way up to jaw-dropping since frequently these watches include diamonds of varying sizes. Yet you don’t have to be wealthy to purchase a ladies jewelry watch, as there are many choices available. Other important items include what she likes – what kinds of precious stones and what kinds of metal.

If she’s active, then you can consider a sports watch which are made for both women and men. Some people like to wear a watch while they hike, run, or swim; while others do not – if she does, then you’re gold because you can definitely find something for her to wear. There are some terrific designs and styles of sports watches that are actually made to go wherever people want to wear them, and they’ll come home looking good, still. If she does activities involving time like running or swimming, etc, that’s not a problem either finding a stylish watch with all the split time functions and what not. You may find something you like so much you’ll want to get the men’s equivalent.

When you shop for ladies watches, the band is a very important consideration, much more so than with men’s watches. Fortunately, or maybe not, there is no shortage of choices when it comes to bands for ladies watches. The different materials used each impart a different look, so keep that in mind and good luck, pal. If possible, try to see if she has other watches and take a cue from that, or try to get an idea based on her personality, etc.

In order to have the greatest success and fun, it’s really best to do your homework about the person you’re buying for. Sometimes you may have to just say, “No thank you,” to someone who is trying to influence you to buy what you really don’t want. So keep these tips and strategies in mind before going out looking for ladies watches.

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I’m sure you either saw or heard about the Men’s Marathon just prior to the close of the Olympics that took place in Athens. Like many, I watched the Brazilian runner, Vanderlei de Lima, in awe as he lead the group toward the end of the race, prior to being approached/ attacked/ interrupted by the disgruntled spectator attempting to make a political statement. Perhaps you’ve completed a marathon or two or may consider it in the future. I have undertaken the challenge a couple of times, and have always enjoyed training for it. Achieving your Leadership and Organizational objectives is like training for a marathon.

Below are 10 tips to stimulate your leadership thinking and the thinking of those that you coach.

1) Desire/ Passion needed!! I was asked to complete a marathon several years ago but didn’t have the desire. Desire to grow, change or develop is essential.
For Your Leadership: Have you been planning and working on developmental areas that are most desirable for you (and your leadership)?
For Coaching your team members: Do you know and tap into their desire/ passion areas within the job?
Tip: Ask coaching questions to understand and stimulate.– i.e. What areas of stretch/ development would you like to focus on? What would you want to achieve on the job that would result in huge personal satisfaction (and contribute to organizational performance)?

2) Keep Goal Focused. When training for a marathon, you need to know your desired finish time and milestone times along the way.
For Your Leadership: On a scale of 1-10 how have you been in setting and working on your own managerial and developmental goals? Are you satisfied with your progress? What can you do this week to enhance that ?
For Coaching your team members: Are your team members clear on objectives (departmental and individual)?
Tip: Building on questions asked in #1, ask “What would you need to do to achieve that?”

3) Strategize to Overcome Obstacles. While running, many obstacles are encountered – rain, heat, bugs, extended hills, etc… Learn from them and grow from them.
Find ways to combat obstacles or minimize their impact – and persevere. I have learned that taking Advil before my long run helps me to overcome muscle fatigue. As my friend Brian Tracy says, “obstacles come to instruct, not to obstruct.”
For Your Leadership: When was the last time you did a personal (not organizational) SWOT analysis (listing your Leadership Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats, then actions) in light of your goals? What is your biggest leadership obstacle now? What are 3 possible obstacles you need to overcome or minimize?
For Coaching your team members: Once there is clarity of a goal(s), help them to identify and overcome obstacles. Do not allow them to grow their focus on obstacles. Ensure that you assist them to become solution focused.
Tip: When they raise obstacles, ask: “What do you think you do about that? How would you suggest we resolve that? In meetings, take common challenges/ obstacles and have small groups (4-7) brainstorm possible solutions to a problem. Focus on quantity of ideas first (i.e. list 15-20), then select the top 3 to implement.

4) Patience to Take it a Step at a Time. In order to train to run 42 Km, one must have a plan to work up to it gradually. Too quickly and you’re likely to run into injury.
For Your Leadership: How is your implementation pace? Are you balancing the need for immediate results with realistic implementation pace? What could you do to ensure your team is achieving results while maintaining a sustainable pace?
For Coaching your team members: Do any of your team members have a crisis habit that impacts on results (theirs or others)? Develop coaching questions to stimulate their awareness of this before coaching for solutions.

5) Nobody Achieves Alone. Did you know top marathoners need to train with others? Nobody achieves alone. Organizations don’t achieve – their people do.
I have been very fortunate to have a number of friends to run with. They challenge you and hold you accountable when you really don’t want to get out of bed at 5am on Sundays to run those long runs through Sunnybrook.
For Your Leadership: Who’s cooperation/help do you need to achieve your objectives ?
For Coaching your team members: How well does your team work together? Are you sure? Take time to check in and coach team members by asking good feedback questions and listen carefully for potential barriers to teamwork. Are you familiar with the book 5 Dysfunctions of a Team? It’s a great read. (If you want details and a free overview, just email us.)
Tip: Encourage and invest time in regular and open group feedback. Align some outside help in team communications if budgets allow.

6) Creating New Habits Requires Consistent Effort. Consistent Regular Runs – If you have trained for half or full marathons you know the importance of consistency.
For Your Leadership: What do you need to prioritize consistently for your long term growth and development? Stephen Covey calls this Quadrant II behaviour.
For Coaching your team members: What do you want or need them to do consistently, as a habit in order to achieve objectives?

7) Increased Energy – Regular Running will bring your energy level up I’ve found tremendous energy from my marathon training. Running is not for everyone, but some regular activity does produce great benefits for you.
For Your Leadership: For your health – on a scale of 1 to 10, how much attention have you been paying to your health? What do you need to do more or less of?
For Coaching your team members: They say that “only the lead dog gets a different view.” How are you at encouraging a healthy lifestyle for your team? Do you lead by example? What could you do to encourage them? Energy on the job is the benefit.

8) Commitment. Commitment often requires one to forgo other options. I don’t drink much alcohol, however the odd beer on a hot summer night is so refreshing. I learned, however, that a few beers at a Saturday night BBQ made the long run at 6am on Sunday very tough. I haven’t had an alcoholic drink on a Saturday night for 2 months now. Management is all about deciding with consideration of opportunity costs.
For Your Leadership: What changes could you make to enhance your productivity? Recently I’ve found that taking time off and working from home have enhanced my work life.
For Coaching your team members: What do you think your team members need to change or forgo?

9) Prepare to Run Your Race. In training for the marathon, many runners experience blisters, injuries etc. I’ve learned it’s not enough to have the desire and ability to run. One also needs the right equipment – Shoes, CoolMax Socks/Clothing, Water, Energy Gels, etc. Similarly, in leading a team to accomplish objectives we need to equip them with the right tools in order to be effective.
For Your Leadership: Do you have a major organizational goal (race) ahead? What tools do you need to have in place? What are you currently missing?
For Coaching your team members: Are your team members adequately prepared? Are they missing anything that you could assist with?
Tip: ASK them. Whenever new and major initiatives are underway, practice open dialogue to understand their barriers and needed support.

10) Have FUN… In preparing for my first Marathon, I’ve read in a few books and a recent Runners World that it is important to enjoy the race. Likewise, in working with various organizations and leaders we’ve found that “enjoyment of the journey” is critical to sustainable organizational growth.
For Your Leadership: Are you enjoying the Journey? Does it show?

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Nashville, Tennessee is known for its country music and the large number of talented country musicians that call this city home. One event that combines that love for country music and running is the Country Music Marathon and Half-Marathon which is held in April each year. It is a large charitable event with many runners like a Nashville consultant who ran with Team in Training to raise money for leukemia. This article will describe how to train for this half marathon and things to do while in town for the race as well. So sign up and pay the registration cost and Nashville tax to participate in this great event.

Whether you have never run around the block or this is your 20th half marathon you have signed up for, it is important to have a good solid training plan so your body is prepared for such a long distance running event. There are many ways to get advice for how to train for such a race. One great idea is to go to your local running store and ask about a training group that you may join. If that is not available, there are many resources online where you can actually have a cyber coach telling you what to do every step of the way. Three months is plenty and running just 3 times a week is plenty to prepare you for the 13.1 miles.

In addition to running three times a week and following a training plan that will incorporate base training, increasing your cardio and speed and strength it is important to do cross training on the other three days with one day of rest each week. Cross training can involve weight training, yoga, swimming or biking as examples of how to improve your overall strength and fitness to prepare for the long race.

Nutrition is also an important part of preparing for a race. One mistake that many runners make is they do not eat or drink the same thing on race day as they have trained with in their system. This can unfortunately lead to some digestive distress on race day and possibly some cramping and other issues because your body was not used to that particular food or sports drink. Make sure you train using supplements like sports drinks, energy gels or Gu’s to make sure your stomach can handle these things while running and do not try anything new for the first time on race day or it may make you feel sick.

Signing up for a race is a great way to get into shape and a fun way to visit a city. While you are running, you get a close up view of the city on foot. Most races provide discount rates at a host hotel for the runners which is great and the location is close to the starting line. Make sure to come a couple days ahead or after to visit things like the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame while in Nashville.

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Learning how to run a marathon sounds like a daunting task. Let’s face it; a marathon is 26 miles of exhausting, grueling, gut wrenching and intense running. Plus, not even the best marathon training with a top ranked marathoner will help you succeed if you are not able to stay healthy. Eat right, train right and your body will thank you for it.

Running a marathon could easily be considered a top crowning achievement. It takes a very strong mind, dogged determination, and a will to compete against others and yourself. Even when conditions are the most optimal, a marathon can be intimidating and challenging for most. But don’t let that scare you away. Achieve your goal by first learning how to run a marathon. Then, put what you’ve learned into action and don’t let your mind stop you.

Unlike in other sports, a marathon runner faces many hurdles due to the duration of the race. But finding the right training plan can make your next race a more pleasant experience. Jumping into a race without any training or planning can result in you not even finishing the race so proper preparation is crucial to succeeding.

Here are 6 tips to follow when running a marathon:

· Wear proper footwear. One third of all injuries are due to improper footwear. Find a store that specializes in running and ask to be fitted for the proper shoes.
· Smear Vaseline across your eyebrow to keep sweat from dripping into your eyes (this is an old football trick too).
· Eat carbs for dinner the night before. Carbs get stored in your liver as glycogen which equals energy.
· Don’t take anti-inflammatories during the race. Kidney failure is a top injury during a long, strenuous race and is often due to taking Aspirin, Ibuprofen or Aleve.
· Don’t wear new clothes. They might rub against your body and cause discomfort. Stick to the clothes you are accustomed to.
· Know the course! If possible, drive the race route to get familiar with the topography.

With that said, the majority of runners who begin a training schedule never make it past the second week. They end up feeling disappointed and defeated. There is no need to give up on your efforts. There will always be stumbling blocks in life but let them make you stronger. Running a marathon is a very rewarding experience.

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If you want to make your training of marathon take effetive, you should consider not only about your daily training but your race day itself as well. There are some tips can help your marathon training.

Before-race meal – Your body will burn 500 to 1,000 calories per hour during the race so make sure you eat. If you are worried about eating to close to race start set an alarm to get up several hours before the race stat to eat something. If you set it out next to your bed, you could eat it and go back to sleep. Just make sure you set another alarm you do not want to be sleeping as the gun goes off.

Equipment – A good pair of shoes not new you want them to be broken in before race day. The seams in socks, shorts, shirts and jog bras can cause chafing over 3-6 hours. Rubbing a little of petroleum jelly in areas that may chafe will help.

Stay warm – Keep your muscles warm with a throwaway blanket/ top or keep a layer on until the last-minute. Give it to a friend that is at the race on if the race has a bag check in put the cloths in at the last-minute.

Start Slow – Use the first few miles to help warm up. Do not worry about what others are doing. To fast early may equal walking later. Wearing a heart rate monitor will help keep you in your target heart rate zone and help you not go out to fast. If you would like to read more about target heart rate zone read the article Heart Rate Monitors Training For A Marathon.

Liquids – Drink often whether you are thirsty or not. If you feel thirsty it is to late to catch up with hydration.

Finish – After you cross the line keep walking to help your muscles cool down. Begin to replace nutrients and liquids immediately.

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