Protein: A Hikers Best Friend

Author: Gerald Fitz

While it is true that carbohydrates provide for lasting energy; people often overlook the need for protein. In fact, protein can be the most valuable nutritional tool in a hiker’s toolkit, especially on the most difficult and rewarding backcountry trails.

While carbohydrates provide energy that is sorely needed on a long calorie burning trek; protein is essential and often overlooked. While hiking you work out muscles over long periods of time. If carrying a pack you are also working out often overlooked (and under-exercised) muscles in your legs and back. The evidence of this is plain; your muscles get sore and tired, often in strange spots. The reason for this is that muscles degrade over time when used. Over the course of a long hike, muscles need the tools to repair themselves, and that is where protein comes in. Protein is the building block of muscle, and providing your body with a good source of protein can greatly reduce recovery times while on the trail.

The most common source of protein for hikers comes in the form of food on the trail. However, it is important to pay special attention to what the snacks you are eating are giving you. Many “power” bars advertise their protein content, and can be a good source of protein. However, that protein often comes with lots of extra fat and sugars that aren’t going to provide the most stable trail diet. Beef Jerky can also be a good source of protein, but it comes with a heavy cost. Jerky dehydrates your body, and will increase your need to intake water in order to stay hydrated. Nuts and dehydrated berries are other common munchies on the trail that pack a similar need to drink extra water.

One way of getting protein that is often overlooked is through dietary supplements. Because its dairy based, whey protein is easier to digest than soy protein making it perfect for the trail. Also, studies show that whey protein is more effective than soy based protein; which is often the protein that gets added to power bars. Since whey protein usually involves mixing powder with water; it is easy to get your protein while hydrating yourself. This makes whey protein a decent way to re-hydrate yourself rather than simply dehydrating yourself with salty nuts or jerky. And since whey protein isn’t packed with unnecessary fats or sugars, you’ll be able to incorporate it into a stable trail diet. For both of those reasons, whey protein can be an excellent way to get protein over a long hike; and protein is the hidden crux of a hiker’s nutritional needs on a long rewarding backcountry trail.

About Author: For more info on whey protein, visit Top Form Supplements.

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Internet Gaming Tips for Newbies

By: Paul Wilson

Internet games use the cyber world technology for playing. Games are extremely popular and constantly evolving.

There are:

• Games played using e-mail.

• Games played on a browser window by using a web address.

• Games played using Internet Relay Chat, Telenet, MUD client, or a Web based forum.

• Games that are graphic need stand-alone software that permits players to play with or against one another using an Internet connection.

The first game, MUD, was developed in 1978, and the market has burgeoned since then.

To play, one needs:

• A reliable Internet connection.

• A personal computer or game console.

• Selected software required by specific games.

One can play simple board games like scrabble, or bingo, or games like poker, mahjong, and pool. Another popular category is simulation games-these imitate real-life situations and cover aspects like combat, city planning, strategies, as well as flight simulation.

For serious gaming the computer performance must be optimized. This can be done by:

• Running the disk defragmenter and organizing the computer files. This should ideally be done once a month at least.

• Correct folder and file errors by using scandisk---use once a week and the computer will give trouble free performance.

• Clean your hard drives-get rid of Internet files, temporary files, as well as files in the trash/recycle bin. Clear the cache and uninstall programs that are not in everyday use.

• Update the operating system software. Download any new security patches. Keep video drivers updated.

• Clear space on the hard drive---store files on a back up system.

• Clear any spyware you have inherited from websites.

• Minimize number of programs running-when playing a graphic intensive game if there are too many programs running simultaneously the graphics will become choppy and game will be slow.

• Delete add on game files-wall papers and other paraphernalia will just clutter the computer.

• Run an anti-virus program regularly but disable it when you are loading/playing games. Antivirus programs slow down games.

• Always shut down the computer properly.

The Internet allows gamers to compete with people across oceans, on the other side of the world and anywhere in the universe. Some use PCs while others use consoles. What you use is a personal choice and depends on issues like costs and so on.

Before you buy a game you must:

• Consider "system requirements" - some games can run on systems that are not exact others need specific hardware.

• Find out if the game is single player or multi-player. Many games need the Internet-and, the broadband connection is more efficient than the dial-up connection. Many like Xbox Live only work on a broadband connection.

• Find out if the game can be played using a mouse/keyboard or whether it will need a full-featured joy stick.

Be wise and try a demo before making an actual purchase. Playing a demo benefits the player as well as game developer. Many online games offer free trial periods - beta testing is a great opportunity to find out if the game suits your taste as well as pockets.

Do your research thoroughly-usually there are several games competing for players within a genre. Read game reviews before taking the final step.

Author Bio: Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com, the premier website to play thousands of free online games including arcade games, action games, card games, flash games, strategy games, puzzle games and more. He also freelances for the premier Computer Article Submission Directory Site www.1888Articles.com/computer-articles-11.html

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Beach volleyball is a great impromptu game. Almost anywhere that there is sand and a net; groups of friends, acquaintances, and sometimes even strangers will gather for a few rounds of beach volleyball. A playful game of beach volleyball doesn’t have to be too strenuous, so it is easy to have teams with people of all different ages and with mixed levels of fitness. This makes beach volleyball an ideal family game for a lively summer afternoon.

Of course, beach volleyball can be also be a very strenuous game in a competitive setting. When serious athletes get together for a beach volleyball tournament, the ball flies through the air fast and viciously.

To play beach volleyball, you only need a minimum of two people per team for a total of four players. However, the less experienced and skilled the players are, the more people you will probably want to have on each team in order to keep the ball in the air. The more players that are involved, the less ground each player will be responsible for covering. A game with just a few participants is likely to be quite a workout as everybody scrambles across the sand to reach the ball; whereas in a game with a large team different players can concentrate on their own areas of the sand, enabling them to rest a bit when the ball is elsewhere. The fact that beach volleyball can be a fun, low-key game for a friendly crowd of casual players or a serious endeavor with a quartet of accomplished athletes makes it one of the most versatile sports.

The rules of beach volleyball are the same as the rules for any form of volleyball, but play on the sand tends to be a bit different than play on a court. It is much more difficult to move quickly on sand than it is on most surfaces, so play is generally slower than in court volleyball. To train for beach volleyball, athletes must spend a lot of time developing their lower body strength so they can move quickly and accurately across the ground despite the friction and resistance of the sand. While powerful legs are an important part of successful volleyball play, the ability to jump high and hard and land without injury are substantially more vital in beach volleyball than in court volleyball.

Even experienced court players often don’t anticipate how difficult it will be to run and jump on sand, so volleyball players who are new to the beach often sustain injuries because they misjudged how much resistance the sand would give them. Skinned knees and elbows are par for the course among players at all levels of the game, especially because a player often forgets to protect him or herself when diving for the ball in the heat of the game.

Article Source: http://www.sportsarticlelibrary.com

Gray Rollins is a featured writer for VolleyballAdvice.com. To learn more about beach volleyballhow to play volleyball, visit us.

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Fashion and Sports Commingled at the Olympics

The euphoria of Olympic victories has not only slithered into the thumping heartbeats of athletes and coaches but has also crept into the steady admiration of fans, supporters, enthusiasts and viewers worldwide. The Beijing Olympics is one event that everyone, in some way, has creatively identified with. The global sporting extravaganza brought out drawn awareness in people not normally predisposed to national pride and levels of sporting interest. The fact is that Olympic fever has a habit of creeping up in point-up corners and one such bend is the fashion world.

International sports events, just like the Olympics, offered the best opportunity for visibility. The collaboration between fashion and sports, with joint ventures between athletes and labels other than Nike, Adidas, Converse, Puma, Asics, Reebok, Speedo, Diadora, Umbro, Fila, Spandex, and New Balance is nothing new. Fashion has the freedom of creativity, while sportswear has the knowledge of the best fabrics to make items functional. The upshot is greater sports awareness and participation, more creative expression and enthusiasm, quality training accessories and materials, enhanced pride and glory in achievements, as well as better opportunities for business, entrepreneurship and employment. It has become a global mission for sports and fashion to come together to do something good, despite the political drama surrounding the games.

For one, Beijing Olympics showed the scope of these two worlds’ commingling in a number of guises, illustrating how far-reaching their mutual influence really is. From the realms of high fashion to the mainstream, fashion and sports have far more in common than you might assume. The relationship between contemporary fashion and global sportswear brands have been inspired by street style and have been working in closer collaboration in recent years. The link between fashion and sport is undeniable, even the fashion heavyweights such as Ralph Lauren, Polo, Lacoste, and Fred Perry have history in sporting activities of various types. If you think fashion and sport are unlikely teammates, Beijing Olympics Opening doubles as the sportiest catwalk on earth, the wisdom being that, in appealing to a huge, new audience, sports brand’s own label would reap the benefits. The link is even more noticeable in the street fashion scene with dominant sport's companies like Adidas and Nike pretty much owning the game with vintage re-releases and limited editions.

There’s no excuse for poor shapes and bad colors, they don’t make you run faster. Designing sportswear perceives no compromise; it should keep pushing till it gets the best results – just like Olympic athletes. What the athletes wear may not be quite as important as how fast they will run, but, with an unprecedented worldwide audience of more than four billion viewers, that’s a huge amount of brand exposure. Today, fashion needs sport and sport needs fashion. In an increasingly casual world, how many people wear couture? But the sportswear giants now face the opposite challenge: over-distribution has threatened to make their garments too ubiquitous – thus their need for an injection of style savvy. When you’re working out, you don’t have to look like rubbish. Fashion keeps the true sports performance there and complements its needs.

Fashion sense has played a role in sportswear today. Women athletes and delegates at the Beijing Olympics generally showed national pride in the modern or unique print. American Olympic team looked sporty and sophisticated, the image that they would like to voice out. Canada flashed modern sensuality. It’s true that Summer Olympics are all about running harder, jumping higher and swimming faster, but looking better is important, too. The business target is making sportswear fashionable as well as performance-friendly. Athleticism was not the only one on display at the Olympics. Outstanding personal, national and international qualities were carried on display from the bleachers to TV screens and newsprints around the world. Fashion in Sports kicks off the complexities in human undertakings into a more tangible, descriptive and gainful level.

Assuming you're not head to toe in made-to-order outfit and a pair of wingtips it's an almost certainty that you're wearing some kind of sportswear, unless of course you're reading this article naked. Check out the slideshow below and see for yourself the extent of sporty fashion at the 2008 Olympics:

Fashion And The Olympics

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: olympics fashion)

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