Stop Procrastinating And Start Getting Fit!

When it comes into the topic of keeping ourselves healthy, what we have to say is: enough with procrastination and just start exercising! The lifelong health benefits of physical fitness are too great to be disregarded, we believe.

Feel younger, live longer. It’s not a slogan, but rather the actual health benefits one can get from physical exercise. According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, people who engage in moderate to intense physical exercise on a daily basis are at lower risks of suffering from certain types of diseases.

Physical Fitness: Is Exercise Really Good for You?

Ready for some good news? According to some research, regularly participating in physical exercise promotes better sleep, helps in maintaining a healthy weight, minimizes the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and even helps fight off depression.

“One study found that when breast cancer survivors engaged in exercise, there were marked improvements in physical activity, strength, maintaining weight, and social well-being,” said Rachel Permuth-Levine, PhD, deputy director for the Office of Strategic and Innovative Programs at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

“Another study looked at patients with stable heart failure and determined that exercise relieves symptoms, improves quality of life, reduces hospitalization, and in some cases, reduces the risk of death,” Dr. Permuth-Levine added. She cleared out that physical exercise isn’t only beneficial for people with good health conditions. “If we can see benefits of moderate exercise in people who are recovering from a disease, we might see even greater benefits in those of us who are generally well.”

Physical exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous in order to bring positive results. Even just by taking part regularly in a moderate exercise (walking, jogging, running on the treadmill, etc.), can already produce positive and healthy results.

Making Physical Exercise a Lifelong Habit

The most common reason why most people don’t exercise is because they don’t have enough time to do so. If you find it hard to add regular exercise to your daily schedule, keep in mind that even just short bouts of physical exercise in your free time could bring numerous health benefits such as minimizing the risk for cardiovascular disease. Aim for at least 10 minutes of short and light exercise every day to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

If you have lived a sedentary lifestyle for too long, then you might find adding physical exercise to your daily routine to be an overwhelming task. What you could do is try to gradually shift to a more active lifestyle, so you won’t be too overwhelmed with the transition.

For example, instead of using the elevator to go upstairs, you could try and take the stairs instead. Also, instead of driving to a nearby grocery, you could go and take a walk as an alternative. The key to physical fitness is to start gradually and get yourself prepared. “Have your shoes, pedometer, and music ready so you don’t have any excuses.” Rachel Permuth-Levine said.

Learn more about health and fitness by visiting and reading our educational blogs. Live a healthier and more active lifestyle, enroll today at Bianka Panova Sport and Art Academy and learn gymnastics for kids with us.

Germany, Ukraine: World Cup Series For Artistic Gymnastics Titleholders

The final leg of the FIG World Cup has concluded in the O2 Arena of London last weekend, finally crowning the champions of the series. Hailed master of the sport for the men’s division is Ukraine’s best and Olympian Oleg Verniaiev. For the women’s division, Tabea Alt was the queen. Both athletes have successfully brought the 2017 All-around World Cup Series in Artistic Gymnastics title to their home country.

Verniaiev has been successful since last summer’s Olympics, but he didn’t let this get in his head. At this year’s World Cup Series, he went on to win a silver at the AT&T American Cup and gold medals from the DTB-Pokal World Cup in Stuttgart and finally in London. Because of this, he has assured Ukraine would win on the men’s side.

His performances on rings and vault awarded him with gold medals, while on the floor exercise and parallel bars he only got silver medals. He wasn’t as strong at the high bar, where he placed sixth, and on the pommel horse where he was fourth.

At the All-around, close on Verniaiev’s heels was USA’s super tumbler Donnel Whittenburg who had the highest score of the day on floor exercise and the second best on rings and vault. 2016 Olympic team finalist from Germany, Lukas Dauser, was third as he had the highest score of the men’s competition on parallel bars and impressed on horizontal bar, pummeling him up to the third spot.

For the women’s competition, Tabea Alt showed she wasn’t contented with her win on the Stuttgart as she dominated the sport once again in London. She was gold on uneven bars and floor exercise. On beam and vault, she was second as she allowed Spain’s Ana Perez and Great Britain’s Amy Tinkler to take the gold on the respective apparatus. Despite this, Alt still finished as the All-Around champion.

“It's always good to be stable and have good routines, so that's the goal for success,” Alt said after the competition even though she wasn’t expecting to win. "I am speechless. It is incredible that I am now standing here with the FIG Cup in my hands and the medal around my neck."

Alt’s victories, added with compatriot Kim Bui’s fourth-place finish at the American Cup, made it possible for the Germans to win the women’s title.

USA’s Viktoria Nguyen, a replacement for Ragan Smith, was third on uneven bars, beam and floor. She was also fourth on vault, making her the silver medalist in the All-Around. Behind her was Tinkler who was recorded to admit that she had calf problems this year so she wasn’t expecting to win either. 

The top three winners in the All-Around World Cup standings all took home, aside from the medals and trophy, the cash prize of between 15,000-25,000 Swiss Francs.

Keep up with the latest news and updates about the sport of gymnastics by following our official blogs and social media sites. Enroll today at Bianka Panova Sport and Art Academy and learn gymnastics for kids with us! Come and experience world class training and education!

2017 FIG World Cup In Pesaro Features Renowned Gymnasts

The 2017 FIG World Cup circuit in Rhythmic Gymnastics includes four World Cup and four World Challenge Cup events. Tomorrow, in approximately 7 hours from the posting of this article, the first leg of this circuit is going to kick off in Pesaro, Italy, until the 9th of April, Sunday. 

The 2017 FIG World Cup in Pesaro, Italy is one of the said four stops of this series. The other ones are Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Bulgaria. It is one of the many world cups that the international governing body for gymnastics, FIG, has approved and organized. The world cup for artistic gymnastics is also in execution currently. 

This year, the FIG World Cup for Rhythmic Gymnastics is quite different from the previous years’. Before, the series is divided into Category A and Category B, where the former is reserved for invited athletes and the latter open to all athletes. These categories have no limit for the number of meets each year. 

In 2017, however, all of this has changed. Firstly, there is now a limit of four World Cup events and four Challenge Cup events. Also, both of these events are now open to all athletes. After the World Cup circuit, the gymnasts are going to come full circle as they come back in Pesaro, Italy, where the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships is going to be held in September. 

Perhaps it is a right thing to say that people are practically on the edges of their seats right now in anticipation for this event, especially since it featured an eclectic lineup of competitors complete with veterans and newcomers. 

After winning the Baltic Hoop competition last month, Victoria Filanovsky of Israel is once again out to shower us with her amazing talent. Compatriot Nicole Zelikman is also present. Dina Averina and Aleksandra Soldatova from Russia, who has quite a few notches on their belts already with their continuous wins at the Grand Prix series, are also going to grace us with their presence. 

While we’re at the topic of Grand Prix, some gymnasts who are shining at this series are also going to be present at the World Cup in Pesaro, like Olena Diachenko (UKR), Katsiaryna Halkina (BLR), Alina Harnasko (BLR), Neviana Vladinova (BUL), and Viktoria Mazur (UKR). 

Keep up with the latest news and updates about the 2017 World Cup in Pesaro by following our official blogs and social media sites. Enroll today at Bianka Panova Sport and Art Academy and learn gymnastics for kids with us! Come and experience world class training and education!

Why Gymnastics Is Good For Kids’ Academics

Did you know that children’s weight and physical activity levels can affect their thinking and learning skills?

Researchers gathered 45 children aged 7 to 11 with normal weight. 24 children were physically active while 21 of them were not. Those children who are active are part of sports like gymnastics, swimming, soccer, or dance, which they do for more than an hour in 1 week.

The study also gathered children who are overweight and inactive.

As it normally is, kids with normal weight and who are active had less body fat, and a lower resting heart rate compared to inactive and overweight children.

However, the researchers also observed that children with normal weight and who are physically active did better on mental skill test in comparison to those who are inactive. The test includes planning and paying attention.

On the other hand, as the study found an association between physical activities and mental skills in children, it did not find a cause-and-effect relationship.

According Medical College of Georgia health psychologist Catherine Davis, “Activity made a difference even among normal-weight kids. That verifies that physical activity makes a difference in brain function. If they can cut some of the empty calories out of their diet and pick up the pace on physical activity, they may grow into their weight.”

Catherine Davis also stated that the study focused on weight, but would probably be more accurate to look at the amount of body fat in children. In the study, overweight kids had more fat that weighing more because of extra muscle mass.

Others suggest that future studies should also include children who are overweight but physically active, just to see if their mental skills also benefit from physical activity, also to learn more about how kids’ brain health are affected by their weight and exercise activities.

The Exercise-Effect on Academics

Sports and physical activity are generally linked with positive effects on children’s physical health. It is believed that a regular participation in physical activity is associated to enhancement of brain function and cognition, which positively affects academic performance.

Yes, exercise is good for cognition and here are some reasons why:

• Increased blood and oxygen flow to the brain
• Extended levels of norepinephrine and endorphins reduce stress and improves mood
• Increased growth factors can help make new nerve cells and support synaptic plasticity

Those are just some of the reasons why exercise benefits children’s academic skills. The rising pressures to improve academic scores which often lead to instructional time for subjects, including mathematics and language, at the cost of time for being physically active.

Exercise is one of the biggest factors children need, but unfortunately, most kids are not exercised enough. If you still do not consider exercising important for your child, here are some reasons why you should:

1. Physical activities reduce the risk of diabetes and pre-diabetes

2. Being physically active improves immune system function

3. Physical activities improve children’s sleep and mood

4. Sports help children’s bones become stronger

5. Sports can decrease restlessness or hyperactivity

6. Being physically active reduces ADHD symptoms

7. Physical activities balance weight

As stated by University of Chicago Psychology Professor Sian Beilock, “We show that non-language related activities, such as playing or watching a sport, enhance one’s ability to understand language about their sport precisely because brain areas normally used to act become highly involved in language understanding. Sports Experience Enhances the Neural Processing of Action Language.”

“Experience playing and watching sports has enduring effects on language understanding by changing the neural networks that support comprehension to incorporate areas active in performing sports skills,” Professor Beilock added.

In conclusion, regular physical activities or sports are essential for children’s needs. Not just to improve their body appearance, but also to improve their mental skills and critical thinking.

Gymnastics also does a great job for helping your kids boost their physical activities, so if you’re looking for a school that can give your child the best training experience, you could try and check Bianka Panova Sport and Art Academy. With our state-of-the-art training facility, fun and exciting training sessions, and extensive knowledge and experience of our head coach — Bianka Panova, we can ensure that your child will receive the highest quality of training and education. Enroll now and learn gymnastics for kids with us!

10th Doha World Cup Finalists, Ready For The Last Match

The 10th Artistic Gymnastics World Cup has taken off in Aspire Dome, Doha, Qatar on March 22 and is scheduled to last until the 25th. The qualifying round has been done and a lot of the big names have made it into the finals. Of course, the newcomers also showcased their talents and some of them have made it into the finals as well.

So far, one of the many promising athletes in the competition was China’s Liu Tingting who appeared to be in top form. She qualified for the finals by being the second on uneven bars but the top in women’s floor exercise and balance beam. Tingting missed last year’s Rio Olympics due to injuries, but the 15-year-old did amazingly well at the Melbourne leg last month, and she was determined to continue her good record into Doha World Cup.

Close on Tingting’s heels in what seemed to be at almost all of the events is Australia’s Emily Little, who participated at the 2012 London Games. Little took her share of gold, silver and bronze from the Melbourne World Cup like Tingting and she was recorded to be saying that, “It’s always an honour to represent my country. I look forward to pick up some medals in Doha.”

So far, Little has qualified into the finals by being second in floor exercise and third in women’s vault and balance beam. Who went ahead of her to take the second spot on the balance beam to qualify for the finals was 2004 Olympic Champion from Romania, Catalina Ponor. Three days before the Doha event, Ponor has bagged two gold medals at the World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan. “I hope to maintain the good show in Doha,” Ponor said.

Another one of the big names in this event was Uzbek veteran Oksana Chusovitina, who also squeezed into the finals by being second on women’s vault, behind China’s Wang Yan who was a bronze medalist in the 2016 Olympic Games. There are doubts if Yan can still compete for the finals, as she injured herself in one of her tumbling passes on the floor exercise during the qualifications.

Elsewhere, the men’s artistic gymnastics competition was led by Hungary’s 2012 London Olympics gold medalist Krisztian Berki, who qualified for the finals by dominating once again the pommel horse. Next to him was China’s Zou Jingyuan and Croatia’s Ude Filip respectively. Jingyuan was also first in parallel bars, followed by Switzerland’s Pablo Brägger and Turkey’s Ferhat Arican

The Australian team managed to get in male representatives as Christopher Remkes qualified by being third in men’s vault while teammate Clay Mason Stephens was on sixth. Compatriot Mitchell Morgans was also second on high bar.

For a complete list of finalists, visit FIG’s twitter account.

Be the first to know the winners of the 10th Doha World Cup by following our official blogs and social media sites. Enroll today at Bianka Panova Sport and Art Academy and learn gymnastics for kids with us! Come and experience world class training and education!