Health Benefits of Exercise

You’ve probably heard a thousand times that exercise is, without a doubt, good for your overall health. Whether it’s a simple activity like walking, jogging, and running or a more strenuous sports like basketball, tennis, or gymnastics, taking part in a physical activity can serve countless benefits for you, no matter how old or young you are.

Experts recommend that young people should get at least one hour of mild to moderate physical exercise per day. Today let us give you some reasons to start including exercise to your daily routine.

Benefits of Daily Exercise

Exercise Improves Your Mood

Exercise is not only beneficial for your body, but also for your brain. Performing physical activities regularly allows the body to release chemicals called “endorphins”, or also known as the “happy hormone”. Having an adequate amount of endorphins rushing through your system will help you feel more peaceful, happy and lively. So, if you’re feeling down and needs something to lift up your mood, go for a quick bout of exercise!

Exercise Can Boost Your Energy

According to research, if you feel fatigued, just simply getting off the couch and moving around can make you feel like you want to move more. That applies, too, in performing mild to moderate exercise. Performing a moderately-intense exercise for at least 15 to 20 minutes can make you feel more energized and active throughout the day. So, if you need something to get you off from that lazy rut, go for a quick jog or walk, it’ll get the job done!

Exercise Boosts Your Confidence

Exercise stimulates various brain chemicals (endorphins) which may help you feel happier and more relaxed. You may also feel better about your appearance and your own self when you take part in a physical activity regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve positive self-image.

Exercise Improves Your Appearance

Exercising regularly can help you achieve that lean, toned look. Taking part in any physical activities helps you burn excess calories and also tones your muscles, keeping you in a better, more attractive shape.

Exercise Leads to Better Overall Health

Taking part in a physical activity allows a child to develop a healthier body and a stronger immune system, which is pretty important to prevent sickness and diseases. Participating in a physical activity decreases the likelihood of conditions such as asthma, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Exercise can help a person age well.

This might seem insignificant today, but your body will thank you later. Adults, especially women, prone to a condition called osteoporosis (a medical condition in which the bones become brittle and fragile) as they get older. Studies have found that weight-bearing exercise — such as weight lifting and gymnastics — can help girls (and guys!) maintain healthier and stronger bones.

These are just some of the benefits you can get by taking part in a physical activity. So, start living a healthier and more active lifestyle, and add exercise in your day-to-day activities! :)

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Get Fit While You're Young!

Today, we will discuss the importance of getting fit and healthy while you’re young. Eating healthy and getting in shape at a young age is more than just boosting your attractiveness. Let us provide you a handful of reasons to start your fitness journey right now!

You’ll Develop Healthy Habits

There’s a great deal of truth with the saying that ‘any habits formed during childhood are often carried through their adulthood’. Starting to practice healthy habits like eating healthy, getting enough sleep and exercise, and taking part in physical activities such as gymnastics for kids while you’re young gets you on the right track early on. These types of healthy practices can help you avoid suffering from certain illnesses and diseases like high blood pressure and heart disease in your adulthood.

Forming good habits while you’re young “will be easier than if you’re trying to develop them when you’re in your 30s, 40s, or 50s,” says John Rowley, a certified personal trainer. “At that point you may have to change your whole life around to implement them. Another reason to adopt healthy habits early on is so you can apply them to other areas of your life. That’s what Arnold Schwarzenegger did. The tools he learned in the gym helped build his movie career, and eventually got him into government.” 

Being Physically Fit Leaves Better Impression

We might not always admit it, but most of the time, we judge people based on their looks. Say for example, you see someone with a slumped shoulders and a big tummy. Do you see him as someone who is hardworking and confident? Most likely, no.

Building a leaner and healthier body gets you prepared for the future. Your appearance is the first thing that your potential employer will notice, and having a fit body will make an impression that you’re disciplined, and is able to get the work done.

“Whether you’re in a suit or plumber’s uniform, being lean, fit, and in shape gives off the impression that you’re disciplined, hard-working, and intelligent,” said Rowley “If you’re in your 20s and just getting out of school, it helps your career by telling people that you have the ability to get the job done.”

Being Healthy Makes You More Productive

According to a research published in the journal ‘Physiology & Behavior’, having bad eating habits such as consuming too much sugary and processed foods leads to a lower energy level, leaving the subjects feeling tired and lazy. Also, according to a study published in the journal ‘Population Health Management’, any unhealthy habits outside of work have a direct impact on the employees’ productivity loss.

So, if you want to be successful, whether it be in life or in gymnastics, you need to keep yourself healthy to maintain high levels of energy and focus. Unhealthy habits obviously won’t get you there.

You’ll Develop Higher Levels of Confidence

Eating healthy and exercising regularly has a direct impact on boosting your confidence level. Simply performing basic exercises such as walking or running for 20-30 minutes is enough to reduce stress and anxiety, which will positively impact your mood. Also, being fit and in a good shape makes you more attractive, directly affecting your sense of self-worth.

“Typically, psychology will follow physiology,” Rowley says. “If you’re not feeling confident, start moving your body in a confident way. And when you’re fit with strong muscles, you move with confidence. Again, it’s about taking the lessons learned inside the gym and using them in other areas of their lives.” 

You’ll Learn to Set Goals

As mentioned in our other article, any kind of sport, especially gymnastics, is not something that you can rush. Being an active participant of these kinds of sports teaches you that unless you have superhuman powers, you need to set smaller, attainable goals to be able to effectively reach your goals. 

“Those structured goals that you use in the gym where you’re doing something on a regular basis to get a predictable result can be a training routine for life,” he says. “Find habits that are working for others, whether it’s a schedule or training routine, and use them yourself. It’s a very effective way to achieve success.” 

Those are just some of the benefits you can get if you’ll start your fitness journey at an early age. It is never too late to become physically fit! Learn gymnastics for kids with us. Enroll today at Bianka Panova Sport and Art Academy and experience a high quality gymnastics training :)

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American Rhythmic Gymnast Makes History in the Sport

When Laura Zeng gets ready to compete, the “small-yet-terrible” American gymnast takes it very seriously. As she approaches the stage, her eyes stern and lips pursed and she walks with full confidence and swag. Then, she lifts up her right hand to salute the judges and the audience as she takes her position on the carpet. 

         

After that, she starts to widen her eyes and display the beauty of her smile, revealing the energy and excitement of all her performances, from a smooth and flawless performance with the hoops to a lively samba with the clubs.

Zeng is currently acknowledged as the best American rhythmic gymnast, with a lot of remarkable achievements at the young age of 16. Zeng secured the eight spot in the all-around event finals of the 2015 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships last September, the best all-around finish for an American gymnast. Her historic world all-around finish earned her country a spot in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The USA rhythmic gymnastics team also secured an Olympic spot and will be the first American rhythmic team to make it to the Olympics.  Zeng and her other teammates trains at North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center in Deerfield.

The administrators of the USA gymnastics hope that the successes attained by Laura Zeng and the American gymnastics team in the recently held World Championships is the start of USA’s dominance in a sport long dominated by Eastern European gymnasts. During her training, Zeng said that to think that she had really earned a spot in the Olympics was “overwhelming”.

"I knew I had all these opportunities at this competition to reach those goals. I knew it was all on me," Zeng said. "So to be able to not let myself down and really go for it, it made me proud."

Artistic gymnastics is insanely famous among American audiences, mainly because of the world-renowned figures such as Olga Korbut, Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton. In comparison, rhythmic gymnastics barely possesses the same popularity and is a sport that is often misunderstood.

"When you say you do rhythmic gymnastics, people block the 'rhythmic' part," said Kris Shaldybin, 18, of Highwood, a member of the U.S. team. "They're like, 'Oh, do you like the beam?'"

For those who don’t know:

Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport that uses hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon as the apparatus in their routines. (The use of rope was discontinued for seniors). The athletes earn points by combining balances, leaps and jumps, pivot turns, dance steps and basic acrobatics while maneuvering, tossing and catching the equipment with the different parts of their body. Each performance can earn up to 20 points, and they are scored based on execution and the difficulty of their routine. Rhythmic gymnastics athletes can compete as individuals or as a group.

In a group performance, each of the five team members will hold an apparatus, synchronize their routines and toss their apparatus with each other. The different teams will perform two routines with varying combinations of apparatus. During the Olympic season, groups will perform with five ribbons in one routine, and with two hoops and six clubs in the other.

"At first glance, people just think it's twirling with a ribbon," Zeng said. "But I don't think they understand how hard it is to get that routine done. It takes so much work to master the equipment, to make it a part of you, and to be able to do all those elements with musicality. It's so many things happening at once."

Zeng was originally studying Chinese dancing, but was later introduced to rhythmic gymnastics by her friend when she was just 7 years old.

"I was drawn to the performance aspect, as I was a dancer and I loved performing for the audience," Zeng said. "And the musicality and being able to express myself while also being able to do equipment handling also really appealed to me."

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China Takes Over the Odense World Trampoline Championships

China proved their dominance in the 2015 World Championships in Odense, Denmark after taking home the available World titles in Men’s and Women’s Individual Trampoline finals, allowing them to move forward to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next year.

Men’s Trampoline: Gao Lei dominated the World Championships

The 2016 Rio Summer Olympics is just nine months away from now, and the Trampoline Gymnastics has found its new prince – Gao Lei. He finally escaped the shadows of his teammates Dong Dong, the defending Olympic champion, and Tu Xiao, the former World Champion, as he claimed his first World individual title last Sunday, making himself the new Olympic favorite.

To prove her superiority in the sport, Gao had to defeat his compatriots first before being allowed to take on the world. At the World Championships in Odense, Gao had already won a major battle after surpassing his teammates, Dong and Tu, in the qualification rounds. In the individual event finals, the 23-year-old Chinese gymnast flawlessly performed a routine that comprises of six triple saltos, earning himself a World gold medal. 

After turning his third-place finish in the 2014 World Championships into a second-place finish this year, Belarusian gymnast Uladzilau Hancharou proved himself to be a worthy opponent for the Olympics next year. Hancharou, a 19-year old gymnast who will turn 20 tomorrow (December 2), finished just 0.035 points ahead of the bronze medalist Andrey Yudin. The battle for the world titles was very tight, with the fourth and fifth placer Masaki Ito and Dmitry Ushakov both less than half of a point behind the silver medalist Hancharou.

Women's Trampoline: Li Dan makes a podium comeback

China’s 27-year-old trampoline gymnast Li Dan has got through the highs and lows of a long international career and is once again a World Champion, five years after claiming her 2010 World Championships individual gold medal

The Chinese gymnast endured the pressure of having to perform last in the Women’s individual event finals, but still managed to execute a wonderful performance that showcased her remarkable talent, something she rarely does in an international competition. Li Dan’s magnificent and complicated routine was enough to surpass her teammate, Liu Lingling – the former World Champion – who executed a less complicated yet dazzling routine. 

Meanwhile, Belarusian gymnast Tatsiana Piatrenia kicked the reigning Olympic champion Rosannagh Maclennan out of the podium to win her first-ever individual World title since 12 years ago.

China’s Olympic Champions Dethroned

Neither Dong Dong, the Olympic Champion in the 2012 Summer Games nor He Wenna, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, has been able to make it past the semi-final round of the Odense Championships, which was a surprise for Chinese gymnast Dong, who has always been on top of the podium at every international competition since 2007.

Dong, considered as the most successful trampoline athlete since the legendary Olympic trampoline champion Alexander Moskalenko, was overshadowed by the remarkable displays of his younger teammates, who advanced to the two-per-country finals ahead of him.

Meanwhile, He Wenna, has failed to finish her performance after hitting the trampoline padding.

First countries qualify for the Rio Olympic Games

In the Men’s competition, Japan, Russia and China have successfully earned two Olympic places in Odense for the Rio Olympic Games next year, while Belarus and France earned one Olympic spot each. In the Women’s competition, China, Great Britain and Belarus each earned two Olympic berth for their country.

Numerous other countries will fight for an Olympic spot at the Olympic Test Event in Rio de Janeiro next April. In total, 16 men and 16 women will participate in the Trampoline portion of the Olympic Games.

The biggest sporting event on the globe, the 2016 Rio Olympic Games will take place in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil on August 5-21, 2016. 

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