I know one of the reasons I love swimming is because it’s a lifetime sport.  One summer, at the pool where I swam laps a few times a week, there was a man, who had to be at least in his early 80’s who’d swim nothing but backstroke, with huge scuba diving fins.  He’d be swimming when I’d show up and still be stroking when I got out of the pool an hour later.  I don’t know how many hours he’d swim a day, or why he only did backstroke, or how he could not be bored to tears (H2O Audio had not yet invented the Interval), but he sure seemed content.

We all know physical activity has been linked to longer life span, but what else can get you to 100?  Find out from centenarians themselves how they beat the odds and have lived on this planet for over 100 years.

Being an athlete, whether pro or just recreational, requires a certain amount of knowledge to keep your workouts efficient and pain free.  The pros are able to hire the best trainers, doctors and physical therapists to accomplish this, but for the majority of us, we’re left to figure it out on our own.

There’s a lot of talk about the importance of stretching these days, but do you know how stretching and flexibility are related?  How important is your range of motion to your sport?  Here’s what you need to know about stretching and flexibility for sports.

Stand Up Paddling is a rapidly growing sport, largely due to the fact that it’s an amazing workout and great cross training for many sports.  But cross training does you no good if it leaves injuries in it’s wake.  Read ASP Triple Crown Chiropractor Sam Vella’s opinion on how to stay in peak paddling form and avoid injuries both in Stand Up Paddling and beyond.

I think most athletes know that what you eat effects your performance, and the pros like H2O Audio’s own Natalie Coughlin and Craig Alexander are very vocal about their nutritional plans.

However, did you realize that how you get your calories each day can also influence your rate of injury?  Information from the sports injury bulletin, suggests that dehydration and poor nutrition can be traced to more injuries than you’d think, especially in young athletes.

Support your body and your training with these tips to “rate your plate” and the beginners guide to triathlon nutrition (over all good advice even for non-multisport athletes).

Young athletes' injuries on the rise...how much it too much?

This weeks edition of  Training Wednesday is for the kids.  You’re an athlete and know the impact sport has had on your life and who wouldn’t want to share that with their children?  But what level of sport is appropriate for each age?

When it comes to swimming, not only is it a great activity for athletes of all levels and ages, it can also be a survival skill.  Until just recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics didn’t recommend swimming lessons for children under the age of 4.  But now, new information shows that, depending on a child’s development and maturity, they can benefit from swimming lessons as early as one year old.  The AAP also recognized that the drowning rate for children who began lessons early is life is significantly less that those who did not.

So what happens when your young swimmer decides they want to try for the Olympics?  Or even a college scholarship? How much training is too much on a young persons body? As athletic standards increase the pressure falls on younger and younger athletes to train harder and more frequently in order to excel at their sport.  However, stress on growth plates and injury to joints and muscles at a young age can lead to growth issues and early on-set arthritis.  Also, the medical community admits that they don’t know the long term effects of over-use injuries on children and teens.  Cross training and moderation can be key to success as lifetime athlete.

Writer and ultra-runner Chris McDougall, above the rim of the Sierra Madre Canyon, where the Tarahumara have made their home for centuries.

If ever there was a person who needed some sweatproof, durable music accessories, it’d be this guy.  Chris McDougall is an ultra-runner and author of the book “Born to Run”.  In this article (which is not new, but still extremely interesting) he shares his views on running and living with the Tarahumara in Mexico who have been known to run hundreds of miles, over mountainous terrain, in extreme weather conditions.

Not everyone agrees with Chris’ views, but there might be a thought or two you can use and adapt to your training program.