Perfect Exercise For the Whole Body - Indoor Rowing

I hope You are doing well and keeping up with Your new year resolutions... if You made them. If You set no new goals for Yourself to improve Your physical and emotional health, I just might have something for You! This past weekend I got so inspired by my 15 year-old nephew. I am so excited to share with You that we have a new champ in our family! Yay! My nephew, Georg, just won the second place in indoor rowing competition, in his age group, between the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). Wow! What an exciting event that was. My mom - Georg's grandmother - shouted so loud that she managed to almost lose her voice... but she did not mind... as long as she was able to cheer her grandson.

It has been so amazing to see Georg change so much over the past year. He used to be quite grumpy, getting into mischief from time to time, but now he is truly alive. He is so much more content with himself. He has a worthwhile goal to work towards... though, to be honest, he is only starting to learn about goals. I guess it has been a pleasant surprise to himself that he actually has got a talent for rowing. Thus far he simply enjoyed it as a sport. Now the competitive element is starting to kick in as well. And yes, he really loves it when we are excited for him and go to see him compete.

I was so inspired by his rowing that I decided to share a bit more about the sport. Did You know that indoor rowing is one of the most perfect sports available? This is due to the fact that it works out the whole body. Also, it is great that one can take it up at any age... and do it right at home.

Hear what some rowing fans have to say about the sport:

Elsie Ardry, USA: "I will be 68 years old in August, 2005. I began rowing while at a spa retreat and absolutely fell in love with it. I started using a local fitness center's Concept 2. But, after about a year, I decided to buy my own."

Fred Koene, The Netherlands: "I have recently bought my own indoor rowing machine. I planned it already quite some time ago. I used to run rather frequently but due to an ankle injury that wasn't possible anymore. I got acquainted with the C2 at the gym at my work, but time was short to use that very often. Having two young children makes it difficult to go to a fitness-centre. So I decided to buy my own C2. Since then use it very often. I love doing sports again. Rowing sure feels like a great workout."

Nalini Rhea, USA: "Rowing was my answer to a major mid-life crisis. At the age of 45, I joined Gold's Gym in Woodbridge, VA in February 2003 because I'd gained 34 pounds and was devastated at what the weight had done to me, both physically and psychologically. Largely due to workouts on the erg, I've lost 41 pounds in less than two years. In April 2004, I became a member of the Prince William Rowing Club in northern Virginia. Part of a women's novice sweep 8+ boat, I quickly came to love rowing. I've just completed my second season in sweep rowing, and am now concentrating on sculling."

Kathi Strichman, USA: "In April of 2001, I was 40 years old, weighed 270 pounds, had never exercised a day in my life and literally lived to eat. A very good friend, Jack (a man who lived 3000 miles away, and to whom I had only communicated with via e-mail and the phone) said exactly the right thing at the time that I really needed to hear it and he inspired me to start changing my lifestyle. In December of 2004, we were trying to workout at our local gym. All of the cardio machines were being used except a C2 erg. I eventually gave in and decided to give it a shot. I rowed for half an hour and believe it was the best workout that I have ever had. By February 2005, we had our own erg in our home and were rowing on an almost daily basis. By April 2003 I had lost 100 pounds and was living a healthy, very rewarding lifestyle."

The Many Benefits of Rowing

Whether you already row or are considering rowing to keep in shape, to lose weight, to cross-train for another sport, to compete on the water or rehabilitate from injury or surgery, rowing is the complete exercise for you.

Arms, legs, chest, back, abs — even your mind. Your whole body gets a complete workout from the efficient, rhythmic motion of rowing. Rowing is such a great exercise in so many different ways.

• Low-impact (easy on the knees and ankles)
• High calorie burner (because it uses so many muscle groups)
• Great for joint health (joints move through a wide range of motion)
• Upper body (completes the stroke)
• Lower body (the legs initiate the drive)
• Works the back and abs too!
• Superb aerobic fitness (great for cardiovascular fitness)
• Relieves Stress (for overall health and well-being)

This is different from the rowing you may have done as a kid in a rowboat. The difference lies in the sliding seat. Your legs compress and extend with every stroke – in addition to the more obvious work being done by the back and arms.

Legs: You begin each stroke with your legs compressed and your shins vertical. You initiate the drive with the powerful muscles of your legs, and finish with your legs fully extended. Rowing promotes both strength and flexibility through this wide range of leg motion.

Arms: At the catch, your arms are outstretched; at the finish of the stroke, they have pulled the handle into your abdomen. As with the legs, this range of motion promotes both strength and flexibility.

Core: chest, back, abs: At the start of the stroke, the power of the legs is connected to the handle by means of the arms and the core muscles of the body. Then the back is more fully involved as it swings open through the middle of the stroke. Finally, the body is stabilized at the finish by the abdominal muscles.

Your Mind: Customers tell us that the rhythmic nature of rowing helps clear the head and ease the stress of the day.

Rowing compared to other forms of exercise

	Low Impact	Lower Body	Upper Body	Core	Full Range of Motion
Indoor Rower	***	***	***	***	***
Treadmill		***		*	**
Bicycle	***	***	*	*	***
Elliptical	***	***	*	**	**
Stair Stepper	**	***		*	*
Recumbent Bike	***	***		*	*
Ski Machine	***	***	*	**	**
Swimming	***	***	**	*	**

If You haven't found a sport to enjoy, I hope You got inspired by this wonderful exercise machine. Try it out in Your local sports club... and who knows, You might want to get one for Yourself, to give a complete work-out for Your whole body and to de-stress Your mind. All information has been obtained from: http://www.concept2.com

Whatever You pick as Your chosen activity, do make time for physical exercise 5-7 times a week. It not only improves Your physical appearance, it improves Your whole outlook to life, not to mention de-stressing from day's events and providing You with a restful sleep.

I wish You all better physical, mental and spiritual health than You've ever had before,

Eve
Body-Mind-Spirit Health, Fitness & Beauty in Organic Way
http://www.TheSpringOfLife.net

Life-Changing, Energizing and Uplifting Quotes

I hope the year of 2008 arrived for You with real excitement and enthusiasm, looking forward to the best year of Your life! I hope You agree with me that each coming year should be better than the previous one. Why?! Because we have grown and matured and learned to love and to give more... learned to forgive and let go... learned to receive every coming day as a gift, looking forward to bless someone, to do good... learned to accept oneself and love oneself the way we are... learned that it is our attitude that makes our days successful, or a failure. No one else can ever make us happy or successful. Only we can.

I wanted to bless You in a very special way in the beginning of the year of 2008, so, I decided to pick some wise, encouraging, uplifting, life-changing quotes for You. Do go through them and pick the ones that speak to Your heart... write them out for Yourself and keep them in front of Your eyes... allowing them to lift You up when You feel down... to turn You to forgiveness and love when You feel mad... to keep You going strong when You feel like giving up.

Life can be a struggle... but hey, this is our life, we should make the most of it! It is not what we go through that determines our success in life, but how we react to it. Every day we have a new choice to make, shall I choose to give thanks and rejoice... or shall I allow the circumstances to dictate how I feel! We can't always choose our circumstances, but we always CAN choose our attitude. It is one of the most powerful forces in our lives.

So, dear friends, here is my gift for You in the beginning of this new year - the quotes! Lets decide to make this year better than the previous one.

"A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes."

Hugh Downs
Veteran Journalist

"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about."

Charles Kingsley
1819-1875, Author and Clergyman

"Really big people are, above everything else, courteous, considerate and generous - not just to some people in some circumstances - but to everyone all the time."

Thomas J. Watson
1874-1956, Founder of IBM

"Do not save your loving speeches for your friends till they are dead; Do not write them on their tombstones, speak them rather now instead."

Anna Cummins
Poet

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."

James Matthew Barrie
1860-1937, Author of Peter Pan

"You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love."

Henry Drummond
1851-1897, Scientist, Evangelist and Author

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."

Mother Teresa
1910-1997, Missionary

"As you rise above the sordid self; as you break, one after another, the chains that bind you, will you realize the joy of giving, as distinguished from the misery of grasping... you will then understand that it is indeed "more blessed to give than to receive."”

By James Allen from “Path to Prosperity”

“No matter what happens, look for the good and you’ll find it. A positive thinker does not refuse to recognize the negative - he refuses to dwell on it. Positive thinking is a form of thought which habitually looks for the best results from the worst conditions. It is always possible to look for something good; to expect the best for yourself even though things look bad. And the remarkable fact is that when you seek good, you will find it.”

Dale Galloway, pastor

„True peace comes not from the absence of trouble, but from the presence of God and will be deep and passing all understanding in the exact measure in which we live in and partake of the love of God.”

Alexander Maclaren

"To the dull mind all nature is leaden. To the illumined mind the whole world burns and sparkles with light."

Ralph Waldo Emerson
1803-1882, Poet and Essayist

"Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself."

Og Mandino
1923-1996, Author and Speaker

"When one can sing praises in the face of adversity, the adversity will soon disappear. That is not a promise; that is a Law."

Raymond Holliwell

Pastor, Writer and Speaker

“We cannot tell what may happen to us in the strange medley of life. But we can decide what happens in us...how we can take it, what we can do with it...and that is what really counts in the end."

Joseph Fort Newton
Author

"A good heart is better than all the heads in the world."

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„A good memory is one trained to forget trivial misfortunes.”

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"A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before we changed."

Earl Nightingale (1921-1989), Philosopher and Syndicated Radio Personality.

"A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and in all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably with the circumstances of life, knowing that in this world no one is all knowing and therefore all of us need both love and charity."

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 - 1962) American First Lady

"A person is not hurt so much by what happens, as by his opinion of what happens."

Michel de Montaigne (1533 - 1592) French Renaissance writer

“A small amount of craziness - mixed with a reasonable amount of eccentricity – is an attractive alternative to conformity.”

J D Boatwood

"It has been said that our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength."

Charles Haddon Spurgeon
1834-1892, Preacher

“The significant, life-forming times are the dull, in-between times.”

Jan Karon In This Mountain

“The height of the mountaintop is measured by the drab drudgery of the valley.”

Oswald Chambers

"No matter how small and unimportant what we are doing may seem, if we do it well, it may soon become the step that will lead us to better things."

Channing Pollock
Actor, Writer and Composer

"Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. And don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines."

Leroy "Satchel" Paige
1906-1982, Baseball Player

„Wealth, like happiness, is never attained when sought after directly. It comes as a by-product of providing a useful service.”

Henry Ford

„Out Of Difficulties Grow Miracles”

Jean de La Bruyere

“Before you begin a thing remind yourself that difficulties and delays quite impossible to foresee are ahead...You can only see one thing clearly, and that is your goal. Form a mental vision of that and cling to it through thick and thin."

Kathleen Norris
1880-1966, Novelist

"Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires...courage."

Ralph Waldo Emerson
1803-1882, Poet and Essayist

"Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure."

George E. Woodberry
1855-1930, Writer and Critic

"Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have."

Norman Vincent Peale
1898-1993, Pastor, Speaker and Author

"Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome."

Samuel Johnson
1709-1784, Author

"Winners are losers who got up and gave it one more try."

Dennis DeYoung
Rock Musician and Songwriter

“It’s easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you are a winner, when you are number one. What you got to have is faith and discipline when you’re not a winner.”

Vince Lombardy

"Happiness is to be found along the way, not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it is too late. Today, this hour, this minute is the day, the hour, the minute for each of us to sense the fact that life is good, with all of its trials and troubles, and perhaps more interesting because of them."

Robert R. Updegraff
Author of "Be Thankful For Your Troubles"

"The last of the human freedoms: to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

Viktor Frankl
1905-1997, Neurologist, Psychiatrist and Author

"To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness."

Dr. Robert Muller
Chancellor Emeritus of the University for Peace of the United Nations

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength. When you go through hardship and decide not to surrender, that is strength."

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Actor and Governor of California

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs - ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

Harold Thurman Whitman
Philosopher and Theologian

"There's no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love. There is only a scarcity of resolve to make it happen."

Wayne Dyer
Get Wayne's latest book Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling

“Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant."

Horace 65-8 B.C.

"The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything."

William Connor Magee

I wish You all the very best, the healthiest, the happiest, the most blessed year of Your life,

Eve
Body-Mind-Spirit Health, Fitness & Beauty in Organic Way
http://www.TheSpringOfLife.net