Many of you might feel challenged by the snow and ice of winter. Yet it doesn’t need to stop you getting started on improving your fitness. Uta prepared for spring marathons with three weeks of cross country skiing, and you too can use this enjoyable sport to build a foundation of strength and endurance for the running season ahead.

Congratulations, fellow marathoner! You’ll return to full physical and mental strength quickest with a few wise choices. Here are some all-important recovery steps you can take from the moment you cross the finish line and also ways you can beat the Post-Marathon Blues (Hint: they include cheesecake!).

Now that you’ve done all the hard training for your marathon, it’s time to relax, treat yourself to a soothing massage, and try to rein in some of your nervousness! The best combination of light training, proper nutrition, sound sleep, and tried and true gear will play a big role in how well you perform on race day.

Love it or not, having a treadmill involved in your training is a wonderful strategy. When Mother Nature is kicking up a fuss outside and preventing you from your usual run, the steady hum and rhythmic impact of footsteps on the belt can be very satisfying. Let’s look at some ways to make your treadmill training as effective and fun as possible.

When a child plays with a soccer ball, or excitedly dashes down the field dribbling towards the opposing team’s goal, there is more than just flying feet and a checkered ball involved. Playing soccer develops a child physically, mentally, sociologically, and even trains the brain in time/space relationships. The sport is a blast for children—and could be the best thing that ever happens to them.

They have a long tradition and are popular all over the world: New Year’s Eve runs. Amongst them are classics like the one in São Paulo or Madrid, the spectacular race in New York or the run with a biblical atmosphere in Egypt. They all are a fun and active way of saying goodbye to the old year.

If you saw your child’s eyes light up watching the gymnasts somersaulting and leaping at the Beijing Olympics, do everything you can to encourage this interest. Gymnastics training in childhood can lead to a lifetime of better coordination and gymnastics actually form the basics of many sporting activities.

It’s a special world of fun and thrills that can also help maintain your fitness during the snowy winter months. Plus, it’s the perfect sport for all the family. Skiing and snowboarding are not without their risks, but they can be minimized by sensible planning.

The squeaking and screaming noises children make when they are in the water are clear evidence that the youthful enjoyment of the water is universal. But apart from the fun, water splashing and swimming have many benefits: Children experience water pressure, resistance and buoyancy, and through swimming they not only strengthen their muscles …

Running styles vary whatever your level of performance. But you can use relaxation techniques to make small, specific changes in your style that can make a difference—in how you feel, in your results and in your enjoyment of running.

The story of a four-year-old boy in India who has been running distances of up to 60 kilometers has led to a lot of discussions, including among the Take The Magic Step™ team. We spoke to Dr. Henning Ohlert about appropriate exercise for young children, as well as about some strategies for parents to deal [...]

Soccer’s World Cup reaches its climax with the final in Germany on Sunday. The tournament has shown that every team needs a high degree of fitness to achieve any level of success in the competition.

In Germany right now, it is all about soccer. Currently the soccer World Cup is being held in Germany. The 32 teams who are playing at the soccer World Cup are playing on a level higher than ever before.

Get-up and Go!
By Uta Pippig
Physical fitness, confidence and stronger self-esteem, having more energy and better memory, and simply to feeling good about themselves are only some of the benefits that exercise can have for children that are easy to achieve.

Want to move up in distance but aren’t quite ready to tackle the marathon yet? Maybe you would just like to challenge yourself with a distance that’s fun, gives great satisfaction and short enough to recover quickly from. With the right schedule, you could be ready in less than 3 months to be your best. The information provided in this article are suited for beginning and experienced runners alike.

Up to now, perhaps your only interest in marathons has been as a spectator. Or maybe you thought about running a marathon, but figured such an achievement was outside your grasp.