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.

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Are Gymnasts’ Bones Healthy?

Most people take for granted the health of their bones and only think about it once they are in midlife or later, by which time is can be too late to do very much to protect against serious bone loss and resulting fractures of all the physically-demanding activities they have done in their younger years. Especially athletes like gymnasts, who mostly start their gymnastics careers at a very young age, and sustains a lot of injuries their entire careers. So it would not be a surprise if sometimes we ask ourselves, are gymnasts’ bones healthy?

At What Age Does Bones Develop?

Researchers who study bone health said that concerns about the strength of one’s bones should start in childhood and continue through adolescence, because this is the time when the body builds most of the bone that must sustain it for the remaining years of life.

The best time to pay attention to bone development is from childhood through adolescence, since once the peak bone mass has been reached, further gains are minimal. Between ninety and ninety-six percent of girls’ peak bone mass are gained by age twenty, while for boys peaks occur only a few years later. Conversely, abut twenty-six percent of total adult bone is accrued in two years around the time the bone mass increases the most, at ages 12.5 in girls and 14.1 in boys. The amount of bones added during those two years is about the same as what is typically lost in the 30 years between ages 50 and 80.

In all of the mentioned years above where bone masses are developed, gymnasts have started training and probably ended their careers already. The peak times for gymnasts are around the same ages, from childhood to until twenty years old, so it means that while their bones are still developing they are doing harsh physical trainings and competitions simultaneously.

Growth and Gymnastics

Based on a study in 2004 published at “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism,” the impact of stress and physical training on growth is influenced by a lot of different factors like the intensity of training, the type of exercise, and the time that the physical activity began. Competitive gymnasts spend usually between twenty-six and twenty-eight hours a week on training. Aside from this, the time spent on competing is at the same time of puberty. The said study proved that the intense physical training of gymnastics really does impact the musculoskeletal growth and maturation that is supposed to occur during puberty.

In the same study, the researchers evaluated growth and skeletal maturation in male and female artistic gymnasts between ages thirteen and twenty-three. The results reflected that both male and female artistic gymnasts were shorter and slimmer than normal girls and boys around the same age bracket, exhibiting a significant delay in skeletal maturation. This observation is also more evident in males. 

Artistic gymnasts have a reduction of growth potential, especially males, but the females of rhythmic gymnastics, on the other hand, only have a significantly delayed genetic predisposition for growth.

A study in the same journal, only conducted in 1999, evaluated 255 female rhythmic gymnasts from ages eleven to twenty-three years old during the 13th European Championships. The researchers studied the skeletal growth and sexual development in the said elites and they observed that the rhythmic gymnasts had a significant delay in both skeletal and pubertal maturation. However, the study states that the final adult height of the athletes was not expected to be affected by their involvement in gymnastics.

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Does Exercise Help With Studying?

As a Dutch review of previous studies suggests, being physically active can have a positive effect on the child’s academic performance. The review examined 14 studies which include more than 12,000 children. According to those studies, engaging in physical exercise may help increase blood and oxygen flow to the brain, boosting the cognitive function of the children.

Writing in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, researchers stated that they discovered strong evidence of a relation between physical activity and academic performance.

However, according to VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, the authors of the said research, they stated that more accurate and reliable measurement instruments were required to examine the link in greater detail.

Dr. Amika Singh and colleagues were triggered to observe the connection between exercise and the child’s performance in the classroom due to concerns that the pressure to improve the grades and performance of the students could result into more time being spent in the classroom and very limited time to perform physical exercise.

So the authors identified ten observational and four interventional studies for review. Twelve of the mentioned studies were done in the U.S., one in Canada and one in South Africa. The sample sizes of the studies varied between fifty-three to twelve thousand subjects between the ages of six to eighteen years old, the period of follow-up ranges from eight weeks to more than five years.

As the study suggests, two of the reviewed researches were evaluated as being of high quality.

Blood flow

According to the researchers, they noticed a clear proof of a “significant positive relationship” between exercise and academic performance using those two studies as evidences.

The study suggests that the reason behind it is that exercise is responsible for increasing the blood and oxygen flow to the brain. The improvement in the blood and oxygen flow positively affects the cognitive functions of the brain. However, according to the researchers, more studies were needed to investigate the exact connection between physical activity and academic performance.

Participating in any kind of physical activity also helps in stress management, mood regulation, and it can also alleviate anxiety, helping children behave better in the classroom.

According to Dr Singh, “children who learn to participate in sport also learn to obey rules. This may mean they are more disciplined and able to concentrate better during lessons.”

“People always ask, ‘How much exercise do I need to do to get an A?’ We don’t know that, but we would like to find out,” said Dr. Singh. “Children should be active for at least one hour a day, for health reasons. But we also need to look at other things, like what kind of activities they should do, when they should do them and for how long.”

None of the studies used an objective measure of physical activity. Most of the studies instructed the subjects or their parents to write down how much physical activity they were getting.

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Do You Know What Ingredients to Avoid Feeding Your Child?

A few articles in our blogs have already tackled what are the best foods you should allow your athletic kid to eat and what could help develop his muscles and reduce fat. All over the internet, there are also countless materials talking about this, but do we really know what food ingredient we should avoid?

(Also read: Nutritional Needs of Young Athletes)

All around the places there are confusing articles saying one should eat this and shouldn’t eat that. The media further confuses people as one day they are talking about the disadvantages of fats, then the next day they would say that carbs are great for the body.

Food manufacturers also add to this muddle by printing misleading labels and bogus health claims. It had started to look like the whole system is set up to confuse and frustrate us into buying the latest and greatest packaged food.

But really, what ingredients are harmful to your young athlete’s health?

Listed below are the four ingredients you should avoid diligently.

1. White Flour

-White flour is a result of the processing of natural whole wheat until it is stripped off of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Basically, once this happened an ingredient is nutritionally void already. White flour is also packed with calories that release quickly into your child’s system, creating a spike in blood sugar and leads to hunger and ravings. A good alternative to this is whole wheat.

2. White Sugar

-Once again, this is a result of a sugar cane plant that underwent an intensive refining process. By refining a sugar cane, all of the enzymes fiber, vitamins and minerals are destroyed. Aside from weight gain, white sugar has been linked to weakened immune system, ADD, hyperactivity, mental and emotional disorders.

3. High Fructose Corn Syrup
-This is another form of sweetener, but man-made. It is derived from genetically modified corn. It promotes hysterical hunger, fat storage, and spikes your child’s blood sugar levels. HFCS is found in many mainstream products like cereals, crackers, ice cream, salad dressing, energy bars, and soft drinks.

4. Aspartame

-Yet again, aspartame is an artificial sweetener that was denied by the FDA 8 times before being approved in 1973. It is said to promote cravings for foods high in calories and carbohydrates as it stows away sugar. When sugar is not available, the result is hypoglycemia and severe hunger.

These are just some of the ingredients a child should avoid. Read more fitness and gymnastics-related articles by visiting our educational blogs. Experience a fun and imaginative gymnastics training, come and enroll today at Bianka Panova Sport and Art Academy :)

Simone Biles to Part Ways with her Longtime Coach Aimee Boorman

When Simone Biles won five medals (four of which are gold) at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, there was one woman who always stood by her side. Many might not have noticed her, but Aimee Boorman, Simone’s coach of 11 years, was on the sidelines supporting her and giving her proper guidance. 

Boorman has been Simone’s personal coach for more than a decade and is no doubt the driving force behind the Olympic success of the 19-year-old gymnast.

On Monday, Aimee Boorman mentioned that she was about to leave the World Champions Centre, the 56,000 square feet gymnastics facility in Spring, Texas, owned by Simone’s parents, Ron and Nellie Biles.

The reason behind the end of their coach-gymnast relationship isn’t down to the differences between the pair. Boorman’s husband has been offered a job opportunity in Florida, causing the family to move out of Houston.

Boorman mentioned that it will not only be an opportunity for her husband, but for herself also. She will now work as the executive director of women’s gymnastics at Evo Athletics in Sarasota, Florida.

“My vision for what a gymnastics facility should be is reflected in Evo,” Boorman stated. “Not only having world-class equipment and staff, but the dedication to exceeding the needs of all members of the Evo family, athletes, their families’ coaches and staff while providing a platform for developing young athletes to reach their great potential.”

Simone Biles, who has trained under Boorman since she was eight, has experienced the fruit of her coaching. Ever since, the two trained together every day for years. Boorman’s outstanding coaching skills led the young gymnast to three world all-around championship titles and four U.S. All-around gold medals.

The 19-year-old American gymnast will take a brief break for now before deciding whether or not to return to the sport.

“We were both sad, but Biles understands that life moves on and she knows that if she plans to continue in gymnastics… I will always be willing to coach her,” Boorman stated. “I will be there as a mentor.”

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Simone Biles’ Outstanding Performances in Rio Boosts Gymnastics’ Popularity

Several gymnastics facilities across the United States have reported a significant surge in enrollment after the gold medal-winning performances of the 19-year-old gymnast Simone Biles at the competition recently ended in Rio last week.

According to the owner of the Klub Gymnastics in Los Angeles, Michael Eschenbrenner, the Summer Olympics usually brings a 20% boost in the amount of gymnastics newcomers in their facility. But this year, “it’s going to be at least that because of the whole Simone Biles amazingness.”

Simone Biles has been one of the most successful gymnastics in the U.S., having won a total of 4 individual Olympic gold medals and one bronze despite being a first time competitor in the Summer Olympic Games. She also owns a large number of World Championships titles, which adds up to her huge collection of gymnastics achievements.

Her success in the sport encouraged the young generation to try out the sport themselves. Watching her perform stunning routines in the Rio Olympic Arena inspired young gymnastics aspirants to be just like her someday.

Normally, the post-Olympics surge doesn’t come until the summer session ends and the school starts. But that clearly have changed this season, with more than 1,400 weekly enrollees at Klub Gymnastics – “higher than we’ve ever been,” says Eschenbrenner.

There is typically a surge in enrollment after an Olympic Games,” said USA Gymnastics’ spokeswoman, Jennifer Teitell. “For example, the women’s program had over 16,000 new athletes in 2012-2013 which was a 22% growth over the previous year.”

Names such as Simone Biles and Aly Raisman have encouraged a generation to try out gymnastics, a sport that’s often overlooked outside the Olympic season.

“Gymnastics is one of the most popular Olympic sports. All the kids are watching it, they see that and decide that’s what they want to do,” a coach in a gymnastics facility in Huntington said. 

After witnessing her impressive performances in the 2016 Rio Olympics, everyone suddenly wants to be just like Simone Biles.

Catch the most relevant news and updates about the sport of gymnastics by following our official blogs and social media sites. 

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Larissa Miller Outpaces Lauren Mitchell to Acquire the Olympic Spot

The 23- year old Australian gymnast Larissa Miller has beaten one of Australia’s most successful gymnasts, the former World champion Lauren Mitchell, and took the last available Olympic spot for an Australian artistic gymnast. 

Despite her success, the 23-year-old gymnast was unable to fully celebrate after the Australian national team failed to qualify for the team competition for the first time in 20 years, leaving the close teammates to compete for one individual position at last month’s national championships. 

One of the main reasons of the poor performance of the Australian team at the two Olympic qualifiers – the 2015 World Championships and the Rio test event this year – was because of Mitchell’s knee reconstruction in July. 

The 24-year-old Australian gymnast, who is the only female Australian gymnast to achieve a World artistic gymnastics title, spent the last ten months to get herself back to shape ahead of last month’s Olympic trials and acquired the beam title there but placed second to Miller in the floor, which is both their strongest event.

Gymnastics Australia had decided to pick the gymnast who possesses the greatest possibility of reaching the Olympic final to compete for a medal. They chose Miller.

Miller described the Olympic trials as “one of the most stressful competitions I have ever done”.

“I knew what was riding on that competition and I knew only one athlete was going, which was hard because we are a team,” she said. “Before the floor final, I was crying because I was so tired and so stressed, but I got through my routine. I know my teammates have done as much work as I have done, so that’s really upsetting.”

After a lot of stressful situations that came into her personal life, Miller said it was only after the 2015 World Championships was she able to regain her focus and commit to the gym. “It’s been a really long, hard road trying to build back up,” she said. “But I love gymnastics and the gym is my safe place.”

Miller is very confident that she is capable of reaching the Olympic finals in Rio after finishing sixth at the 2014 World Championships. 

Meanwhile, in other gymnastic disciplines, Trampolinist Blake Gaudry and rhythmic gymnast Danielle Prince have also qualified for the Olympic team.

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Yana Kudryavtseva Acquires Sofia World Cup All-around Title

The Russian rhythmic gymnast Yana Kudryavtseva, regarded as the “Queen of Rhythmic Gymnastics”, acquired the gold medal in the individual all-around event and two of the four apparatus event finals of the sixth FIG World Cup which was held last weekend in Sofia. 

The 2013 edition of the Sofia World Cup was the first World Cup competition where Kudryavtseva, 15-year-old at that time, had acquired a World Cup title. She continued her dominance in the succeeding World Cups in Sofia (2014,2015) , and the competition that was held last Saturday was marked as her fourth consecutive Sofia World Cup victory. 

“I love Bulgaria,” said the 18-year old rhythmic star, while mentioning that the crowd in the country has always been very supportive. “It can be said that I like it like my home country. It is very nice to compete here.”

Combining the scores she acquired from her three World Cup victories in Pesaro, Tashkent and Sofia, Kudryavtseva, the heavy favorite for the Olympic gold medal in Rio, is currently tied with Ukrainian gymnast Ganna Rizatdinova for the second place in the 2016 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Rankings list. The ranking list features the four best finishes of the athletes from the World Cup competition, and they are ranked based on the total of their four best results. With four more events to come, the World Cup series is currently led by Russia’s Aleksandra Soldatova. 

In the all-around competition, Yana Kudryavtseva obtained a total score of 75.750 points, more than a point ahead of Rizatdinova (74.250) and Son Yeon Jae (74.200). In the apparatus event finals, the Hoop and the Club title were achieved by Rizatdinova and Son Yeon Jae respectively. Son also managed to acquire silvers in the Hoop and Ribbon and a bronze in the Ball, making her the only gymnast to reach all the individual event podium in Sofia. 

Aside from Kudryavtseva, two Russian twins Arina and Dina Averina also entered the competition, with Arina appearing as more successful. She surpassed her sister’s score to acquire the bronze in the Hoop event and outscored Kudryavtseva to take a second bronze in the Clubs. 

Neviana Vladinova and Katrin Taseva represented the host country Bulgaria. They both made it to the event finals, with Vladinova obtaining a bronze medal in the Ribbon. 

In the team competition, the Bulgarian national team acquired both titles in the apparatus event finals, but only took the second place behind Russia in the Group All-around. Belarus obtained the All-around bronze, placed second in the Clubs/Hoops and tied in 3rd place with Israel in the 5 Ribbons event. Russia also acquired the silver in the 5 Ribbons event, while the Italian team achieved bronze in the Clubs/Hoops. 

The full results of the event can be viewed here (credits to FIG) 

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Belarus Acquired Seven Medals at the BSB Bank Rhythmic World Cup

Belarus acquired a total of seven medals at the 2016 BSB Bank Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup, which was held in Minsk Falcon Club last weekend. On the final day of the competition, Melitina Staniouta, the leader of the Belarusian team managed to acquire a spot on the podium three times.

The three-time World all-around bronze medalist acquired the silver medal in the Hoop event with a score of 18.700 points and the bronze in the Ball (18.700). She also posted a score of 18.650 points in the Clubs competition to win another bronze. The Belarusian rhythmic gymnast achieved the fifth place in the Ribbon event, behind her fourth placer teammate Yekaterina Galkina.

On the second day of the competition, the 22-year-old Belarusian gymnast earned a bronze medal in the individual all-around event. The Russian rhythmic star Margarita Mamun made a gold medal sweep of all the individual apparatus titles after posting the highest scores in all of the events. Mamun acquired 19.000 points in the Hoop, 19,150 points in the Ball, 19,100 points in the Clubs and 18.950 points in the Ribbon. 

In the Team competition, the Belarusian team, which consists of Ksenia Cheldyshkina, Anna Dudenkova, Maria Kadobina, Maria Kotyak, Valeria Pishchelina and Arina Tsitsilina, acquired the silver medal with a total score of 17,950 points, just behind the 18.150 points which was posted by the gold medalist Russia. The bronze medal was obtained by Israel, who earned a total score of 17.750 points.

The Belarusian national team acquired the gold medal in the Two Hoops and Six Clubs event after posting the highest score of 18.850 points. The silver medal was won by Italy (18.050 points), while the bronze medal was obtained by Israel (18.000 points).

A day earlier, the Belarusian team also finished ahead the silver medalist Russia, to take hold of the gold medal in the Group all-around event. 

The 2016 BSB Bank Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup, which took place on 20th to 22nd of May, 2016, was a very significant stepping stone in the Belarusian gymnasts’ preparations for the upcoming European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Holon, Israel, which is scheduled to take place on June 17-19, 2016. The competition also served as a training ground for the upcoming Rio Olympic Games in August. 

The next FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup is scheduled to take place in Sofia, Bulgaria on May 25-30, 2016.

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Rhythmic Gymnastics Exercises Can Improve Child’s Creativity, Study Suggests

Based on a research, engaging in a motor improvisation program can positively affect the motor creativity of the young children. According to the research, the young children who participated in the study experienced an improvement in their motor creativity (fluency, originality, expansion, flexibility).

The study included a small number of girls whose currently in the 3rd grade. Out of the 44 girls who were initially chosen to take part in the study, only a total of 20 girls were carried to participate as the final experimental sample. These girls were asked to participate in a motor improvisation program, primarily using exercises and apparatuses from the rhythmic gymnastics.

Throughout the study, the equipments and instruments that were used are forms for recording information and measurements of the research group, a restameter to measure the subjects’ height in centimeter, a medical balance to determine the subject’s weight in kilograms, a stopwatch, rhythmic gymnastics apparatuses (ball, rope, hoop), a laptop and CDs, a set of sterile plastic cups and glass tubes and a video camera.

The training program was divided into three parts – the preliminary part, which lasts for 20 minutes; the main part, which has a total duration of 60 minutes; and the final part, which lasts for around ten minutes.

The preliminary part consists of changing the outfit and checking the attendance of the participants (5 minutes are allotted for this). The 15 minutes that was left are used to perform relaxation exercises (from the 1st to the 6th lessons) and warm up exercises for all the parts of the body from the 7th to 12th lessons.

The main part of the training program consists of different exercises that included the exercises used in rhythmic gymnastics training. Lastly, the final part, which lasts for ten minutes, are comprised of calming activities such as mini games.

The training program lasted for 8 weeks, wherein the subjects have to attend two training sessions a week. Each session lasts for 90 minutes. The program was applied on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 2 in the afternoon until 3:30 pm. 

After the training program has ended, the participants were evaluated and measured. The results were compared to the measurements they got before the training program has begun. The researchers saw a significant difference in the pre and post measurements, seeing a positive improvement in the post measurements in variables of fluency, expansion, flexibility and total motor creativity.

The results were rather impressive, and it successfully proved the hypothesis of the researchers which states that the motor improvisation program positively affects the motor creativity of the children. 

If you will think about it, it is not surprising that the training program boosted the creativity of the participants. The training program they used included some activities from the rhythmic exercises, which is a sport that primarily uses creativity and imagination in order to be properly performed. So, by regularly taking part in rhythmic exercises, the motor creativity of the participants were positively affected.

By performing rhythmic gymnastics on a regular basis, it is not only your physical capabilities that are enhanced, but also the level of your creativity.

So, what are you waiting for, take part in a rhythmic gymnastics program and enjoy all the benefits that the sport can bring to you. Experience an excellent kind of gymnastics training experience, enroll at Bianka Panova Sport and Art Academy today :) Come and learn gymnastics for kids with us

Physical Activity Guidelines For Young Children

To maintain a healthy and physically-fit body, young people should get enough exercise everyday. It is important for them to meet the exercise guidelines that are appropriate for their age level to keep their physical fitness at the optimal level.

For young children aged five years old and above, it is important to get at least an hour of exercise each day to keep their bodies active, healthy, and physically fit. The exercises a young child should perform must be comprised of moderate and vigorous physical activities. At least thrice a week, these exercises must focus on strengthening the muscles and the bones of these young children.

Normally, in the current generation of youth, most young children are spending too much of their time in front of their screens (smartphones, TVs and personal computers), which eats away all of their free time, leaving barely enough time to do any physical activity.

This kind of habit can be pretty damaging to your child’s health, so you should ensure that your child is not allocating most of their precious time doing such things. It is your task, as a parent, to limit the time they spend in front of their screens. 

You should also start to encourage your child to engage in physical activities such as jogging and sports. You should convince them that these kinds of activities are more fun than sitting in front of the computer screen all day, and you should also tell them some of the benefits they can get from doing such things, so they can be more motivated to start doing it.

Kids at a young age basically won’t do an activity he/she doesn’t enjoy, so you need to make sure that you choose the kind of physical activity he/she will truly enjoy so that your child will be able to willingly do these activities. 

For example, if your child shows enthusiasm to be more active when surrounded with friends, then you should consider letting him/her join a team-oriented sport such as basketball, football and hockey. However, if your child enjoys doing splits and performing tumblings, then gymnastics might be the best sports choice for her.

If your child doesn’t want to join any sports, but is still willing to be physically active, then you should encourage him/her to do any kind of moderate to vigorous physical activities.

What is Considered as a Moderate Activity?

Moderate physical activities are those activities that can be done with only a moderate amount of effort. These activities are known to raise your heart rate levels and make you break a sweat. One way to tell if you’re performing a moderate physical activity is when your breathing still enables you to talk, but you’re unable to sing a song properly without losing a breath.

Moderate activities include: walking to the school, playing outside with their friends, riding a bicycle, and doing simple household chores.

What is Considered as a Vigorous Activity?

Vigorous physical activities require a great amount of effort, and usually make the child push their physical capabilities to the limits. You know you are performing a vigorous physical activity if you can barely talk without having to pause to catch a breath. 

Despite requiring more effort, vigorous physical activities are known to provide better health benefits compared to what a moderate activity could bring. Vigorous physical activities are linked to better overall health, stronger and healthier bones, better physical fitness and higher levels of self-esteem.

Some examples of vigorous activities are: dancing, swimming, running and playing intense sports.

Learn more about physical fitness and expand your knowledge regarding your child’s health by reading our educational articles. Let your child learn gymnastics in the most fun and exciting way, enroll today at Bianka Panova Sport and Art Academy! :) Join us in the fun and learn gymnastics for kids :)

Fitness For Your Preschoolers

By the time your child reaches the age of three to five years old, he/she has probably developed most of the basic physical skills such as walking, running, jumping and such. At this age, kids are probably at their most energetic and active phase of their lives, so this is the perfect time to introduce them to fitness activities so they can make the most out of their pent-up playfulness.

Kids falling in this age group have a lot of chances to engage in various physical activities that could hone their physical abilities. Allowing them to participate in such activities can help them improve their physical skills, build self-esteem, improve their physical fitness, and improve their immunity for certain illnesses.

How Much Physical Activity Should A Preschooler Have

Kids who are three to five years old should get at least an hour of structured physical activity, in which they are guided by an adult or a trained professional and an hour of unstructured physical activity, wherein they are allowed to play in their own way. 

Also, as much as possible, you should not let your kids stay inactive for more than an hour at a time as this may lead to decreased physical fitness. Limit the time they spend on video games and encourage them to spend their free time outdoors.

Encouraging them to engage in sports or physical activities at a young age can be help them to become fitter and healthier in the future, as the habits formed during childhood are often carried by the child through adulthood.

It is also important to recognize which activities your child is able to handle. The activities they are participating in should be fun and challenging, but it should not be beyond their abilities.

Most parents who want to make their preschoolers more physically active might want to introduce their child to organized sports. However, at such an early age as this, preschoolers usually have not yet mastered even the basic skills such as throwing, catching and taking turns. They also have trouble understanding even the simplest rules and instructions, so organized sports might not work well for them. It is important to introduce them to a sport that can teach them the basic skills, to prepare them for future sports participation.

You should observe your child to learn what kind of activities he/she enjoys the most. For example, if you see that your child is blessed with an amazing flexibility and loves to tumble on every bed in your house, then you should probably sign him/her up to a non-competitive gymnastics school that can help them to further develop their skills.

You should make sure that the activity your child is participating in is the thing they truly enjoy. Forcing them to engage in activities which they do not enjoy could end up frustrating them and discourage them from participating in any kind of sport or physical activity.

No matter what kind of physical activity or sport they choose, you must ensure that they are having fun doing it. If they don’t find the sport or the activity fun, you must ask them and try to address the issue or better yet, encourage them to participate in another kind of sport or physical activity.

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Motivating Your Child To Be Physically Active

Compared to how they were a decade ago, kids these days are starting to get less and less active. With the presence of a lot of entertaining video games, movies, TV shows and the likes, children have become less likely to leave their houses and would rather stay inside than to go out and play with their friends.

Because of that, most of the kids nowadays are struggling to get enough daily activity. Aside from the fact that the increasing demands of school takes up most of their precious time, other things that captures their attention, such as the internet and video games saps up their time and energy, leaving them with no time and energy left for a physical activity.

Despite of these barriers, parents can still do something to encourage their child to engage in a physical fitness activity. We will discuss those things in this article :)

Benefits of Being Active

First of all, we will talk about why is it important for your child to participate in physical activities. Most of us already know that participating in physical activities, whether it is a simple act of jogging or a more intense sports, can provide numerous health benefits to children. Some of the benefits they can get through exercise are:

· Stronger muscles and healthier and denser bones

· Weight Loss / Weight Gain

· Increased Self-Esteem

· Increased Physical Fitness

· Better Mental Clarity

· Better Overall Health

Also, it is proven that physically active children are more likely to perform better in school and become more successful later in life. These kids also possess essential social skills such as leadership and being a good team player.

How Can I Encourage My Child To Do Physical Activity?

There’s a lot of things a child can get from doing a regular physical activity, but how can you actually encourage your kids to get physically active? 

Give Your Child The Opportunity to be Active

Give your child the resources he/she needs, whether it is a place or an equipment, so he/she can start to be physically active. Take your child to a place where he/she can get physically active, such as the playground, gym, or a sports school. Also, you could provide him/her with equipment such as a bicycle or a basketball so he/she can start on the road to fitness.

Make It Fun

Kids won’t do something he/she doesn’t find interesting. That might be one of the reasons why more and more children prefer to play video games than to play outside. 

To encourage them to engage in a physical activity, you should make sure this is something that will capture their interest. Know what activities your child will enjoy. Is your child a good swimmer? Then consider going to the beach with your family. Is your child good at dancing? Then sign him/her up to a dance class.

When a child enjoys what he/she is doing, they are more likely to do more of it. That is why you should always pay attention to the things that can trigger their interest, in order to keep them motivated on being physically active.

Learn more about health and fitness by reading our official blog sites. Engage in a fun and exciting training sessions, come and join us here today at Bianka Panova Sport and Art Academy and learn gymnastics for kids with us :)

Son Yeon Jae Finishes World Cup Pesaro With Two Silver Medals

Son Yeon-jae, a South Korean rhythmic gymnast, took home two silver medals at the International Gymnastics Federation World Cup in Pesaro, Italy on Sunday as she prepares for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. 

At the World Cup in Pesaro, Italy -- the season’s third FIG World Cup, Son has garnered a score of 18.550 points in both the club and ribbons apparatus final. Russian rhythmic gymnast Margarita Mamun acquired the title in clubs after finishing with a sky-high score of 19.100, while Ukrainian Gymnast Ganna Rizatdinova achieved the ribbon gold medal with a score of 18.600. Also in the ribbon event, Son tied with Russian gymnast Dina Averina for the silver with a score of 18.550. 

Earlier Sunday, Son obtained the fourth place in the ball event and sixth in the hoop apparatus. 

After winning the title in the individual all-around by finishing with a score of 76.450 points on Saturday, the three-time world individual all-around champion Yana Kudryavtseva chose not to participate in the apparatus finals as she decided to rest. The Pesaro World Cup was the first FIG World Cup appearance of the 18-year old Russian gymnast this season after recovering from an ankle injury. 

The competition in the Adriatic Arena was the first and most difficult challenge for Son this season as she had to compete with the world’s top-ranked rhythmic gymnasts such as Kudryavtseva and Mamun for the first time at the World Cup. 

Son has failed to reach the podium in the individual all-around on Saturday. However, she still managed to post a career-high score of 73.900 points to grab the fourth place. 

Son has successfully earned medals at every FIG World Cup this season. In the Espoo World Cup in February, she won the gold medal in the ball event, silvers in the all-around and ribbon, and a bronze in the hoop apparatus. Last month, at the Lisbon World Cup, the South Korean gymnast took the second place in the ball and clubs, and finished third in the hoop event. 

However, as the finest rhythmic gymnasts are anticipated to develop their skills further in preparation for the Summer Olympic Games in Rio this August, Son is expected to come up against more difficult challenges in the succeeding competitions. 

The 21-year-old Korean gymnast, who was placed fifth in the individual all-around event of the 2012 London Olympics, will travel back to South Korea tomorrow ahead of the national team qualification for Rio on Saturday at Tenaeung National Training Center in Seoul. Before participating at the fourth FIG World Cup this season in Tashkent in May, the South Korean gymnast is expected to enhance her routine and techniques against more challenging opponents. 

Yana Kudryavtseva and Margarita Mamun is acknowledged as the gold medal favorites for the Rio Olympic Games, as they have already proven themselves by displaying their dominance at the past World Championships in the recent years. While their compatriot Aleksandra Soldatova, who has topped the individual all-around in the first two World Cups this season, was absent at the Pesaro World Cup, Rizatdinova took the opportunity to become solid in the Adriatic Arena. 

The Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast, who grabbed the bronze medal in the individual all-around final on Saturday, has successfully collected gold medals in ball and ribbon, while also winning a silver medal in the hoop apparatus. Her only downfall was the club event, where she was placed 9th with 16.200 points. 

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Irish Gymnasts To Qualify For Olympic Games

Kieran Behan, an artistic gymnast representing Ireland, aims to get past those Disney-script headlines by qualifying once again (2nd time) in the Summer Olympic Games. The Irish gymnast could also be accompanied by an Irish teenager who’s also aiming to reach her own Olympic dreams.

Ellis O’Reilly just turned 18 in February, but similar to Behan, the performances she displayed at the World Championships in Glasgow were impressive enough to win a spot in the Olympic qualification event – a feat that was never done by any female Irish gymnast before. 

The female Irish gymnast from Dartford qualifies for Ireland through her paternal grandparents and is currently balancing her time between her studies and her Olympic dreams.

“When I think of the Olympics I think it’s amazing because only a certain amount of people can get there. I never thought I would be in this position!” the blonde teenager admitted.

“I knew it was possible to qualify, but I didn’t really believe in myself fully. I thought if I could hit good scores at the World Championships that there would be a good possibility, but I just had to concentrate on my performances.”

O’Reilly and Behan need to finish at the top 24 of the Olympic qualification event to be able to qualify for this summer’s Rio Olympic Games.

This is the same exact path that Behan took to be eligible for the 2012 Olympic Games. “I’m confident that I can go there and achieve the qualifying standard.” The Irish gymnast said.

“Ellis has a fantastic opportunity as well,” he added.

“It’s brilliant to have the possibility of two Irish gymnasts competing in an Olympic Games, especially because no woman has ever done it before.”

“Ellis is in the same boat as I was in London. It’s thanks to all the hard work we’ve put in and everyone in Gymnastics Ireland too.”

The 26-year-old gymnast’s journey from being a wheelchair-bound child to a world-class Olympian today was the stuff of a movie-script 4 years ago and his journey to the 2012 Olympics had also been a very popular topic.

Behan, however, felt like he didn’t give his best shot at the previous Olympic games and said: “I feel I have unfinished business so qualifying for Rio would be like a redemption.”

“Getting to London was a massive long-shot for me and a huge learning curve. I didn’t know what to expect and I got myself as ready as I could at that point, but I was injured beforehand.”

“For me now I want to show people we’ve been through that (London) but I can offer this as well, that I still have much more to achieve at the top level,” he said.

“I learned so much about managing my body by preparing for London and competing there. I feel I am a better athlete now and hopefully I can now show that.”

For more gymnastics-related news and articles, you should read our articles posted on our educational blogs. Experience a fun and exciting gymnastics training, enroll today at Bianka Panova Sport and Art Academy and train with a world-class rhythmic gymnastics coach, Bianka Panova! Come and learn gymnastics for kids with us :)

Whitlock and Skinner Took Home Glasgow World Cup Titles

English Artistic gymnast Max Whitlock and U.S. artistic gymnast Mykayla Skinner have become victorious at the recently held Glasgow World Cup last weekend. The victory they achieved in the said competition will give them a leg up on their journey to Rio Olympics. 

MyKayla, a former member of the gold medal winning American team at the 2014 Nanning World Championships and an alternate to the USA team in the 2015 World Championships, performed a clean Amanar Vault to easily get ahead of the competition, taking the lead by more than a point after the first rotation.

Despite not achieving top scores on any other event, she did execute a new floor routine punctuated by her signature difficult tumbling, which involves a Moors (double-twisting double layout), the most challenging routine in the Women’s artistic gymnastics. The score she gained from the Amanar skill was proved impossible to be surpassed by her competitors, earning the American gymnast her first All-around World Cup competition title. 

While Skinner was ahead in position from the beginning, the silver medalist -- German artistic gymnast Elisabeth Seitz started slowly in the vault event, but regained her momentum on the Uneven bars, her best event, achieving the highest score of the day on the said apparatus. Seitz, who secured the 10th place at the all around event of the 2015 World Championships, remained consistent on the beam and floor to catch the silver medal.

Claudia Fragapane, an artistic gymnast competing for Great Britain, posted the highest scores on the beam and floor exercise to achieve the bronze medal. However, she lost the chance to win a shinier medal after committing a mistake on the uneven bars event.

“I feel really pleased overall, first competition of the year with a few improvements to make but happy with where I am at this stage. There’s still more I can add in and work on with a big year ahead so I’ll talk with my coach and continue to train hard. The crowd were brilliant and make it so much fun to compete.” Fragapane stated.

If MyKayla’s 1.2 pts margin of victory was already remarkable, the English artistic gymnast Max Whitlock’s margin of victory was even more impressive. In the men’s competition, Whitlock displayed his dominance after finishing more than two and a half points ahead of the silver medalist Arthur Nory Mariano, which means that Whitlock could’ve made a mistake twice and will still win the competition regardless. Just like MyKayla, the 23-year-old English gymnast set himself in a firm position by earning best marks early in the competition, while also avoiding mishaps in the other events to successfully grab the title. 

"I'm starting to really enjoy competing in Glasgow," said Whitlock, the first-ever male British gymnast to win a gold medal at the World Championships. “My target was to do clean routines across all six pieces in my first Glasgow World Cup so I’m really happy. There’s plenty more competitions coming up quickly now and we all know what’s at stake with Rio the final aim, so to start off this way with World Cup gold is a great feeling.”

British gymnast Daniel Purvis had a hard time in the Pommel event, but he still managed to earn the bronze medal due to his consistent performances on the other events.

Catch the latest news about the sport of gymnastics by reading the articles posted on our educational blogs. Experience gymnastics training in the most exciting way, enroll today at Bianka Panova Sport and Art Academy and train with the world-class rhythmic gymnastics coach, Bianka Panova! Come and learn gymnastics for kids with us :)

Aneheim To Host 2017 P&G Gymnastics Championships

The 2017 P&G Gymnastics Championships will be hosted in Anaheim, California, the first time in 10 years that the Orange County will host a major gymnastics competition.

The said competition will take place on 17th to 20th of August, 2017 at the Honda Center will distinguish the US athletes who will move forward to the 2017 World Championships in Montreal.

“I’m excited because so many people I grew up with never got the chance to watch me compete in person, and this gives them the chance to do that next year,” said an American artistic gymnast and 2012 Olympian Sam Mikulak, who is now training for multiple events in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. “I want my friends to be able to appreciate the sport beyond watching me on TV.”

Aside from Mikulak, also present in the announcement, which was held Tuesday at Downtown Disney was the 2004 Olympic all-around gold medalist Carly Patterson, 2012 Olympic team champion Kyla Ross and Romanian gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi.

The competition symbolizes the first major achievement for Sports Anaheim, a new program which is aiming to attract amateur events to the city in hopes of taking advantage of the flourishing sports-event industry.

The initiative was developed by a local visitor and convention marketing group – the Visit Anaheim. The organization will soon bring together an advisory council of local business and sports leaders to work on luring amateur sports tournaments.

The Honda Center and Orange County are not new to the world-class gymnastics.

The Honda Center, which was formerly known as The Arrowhead Pond, accommodated both the 2003 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials. The World Championships was one of the most fruitful events for the Team USA as their competitors managed to take home five gold medals, which involves the women’s team title and the men’s individual all-around gold medal, which was won by Pau Hamm.

“I was the most impressed among everybody by this announcement because being in Anaheim brings back great memories of when we were here in 2003,” Karolyi stated. “That moment really started a really great line of winning, putting our athletes on the world scene level. I hope we see the same thing in 2017.”

Six months ago, the USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny talked to the officials of the Honda Center, asking whether the arena could possibly accommodate the event in 2017. Negotiations quickly advanced, basically because both sides were familiar with collaborating, said the President and CEO of Honda Center, Tim Ryan.

“When it comes time to bid on an event of this magnitude, and the relationships are already in place, it just makes everything so much easier,” Ryan said. “We hope the team does really well in Rio, and we can take that momentum straight out of the Olympics and here into Orange County.”

“Nationally, the sports industry generates nearly $9 billion annually – and Anaheim is ripe to cash in on some of that revenue” said Jay Burress, president and CEO of Visit Anaheim.

Prior to visiting Anaheim, Burress headed the visitors and convention bureau in Arlington, Texas, where he helped lure major events such as Super Bowl XLV and the NBA All-Star Game and move the Cotton Bowl Classic to the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium.

“This is a great announcement for us, and there’s more to come in the next couple weeks,” Burress said. “This puts us in a different league, and this is a great sign of the different types of events that we can bring to the city that make a huge impact.”

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