September 7, 2009

Stamina

Yesterday I wrote about cardiovascular endurane, one of the ten basic fitness components. Today's post is about stamina, another basic component of fitness.

Stamina is probably the component of fitness that I find most difficult to train, but in terms of general health and quality of life it is one of the most important.  Think about how you feel at about 6 PM on a Wednesday, your workday is coming to a close, but you still need do get home, get something to eat for dinner, and do some chores.  You probably would like to do something fun as well, be it bike home from work, play catch with your kids or go to a drop in salsa class, but do you have the energy?  Like the energizer bunny we all would like to keep on going and going.

One of the best ways to work on staimna is to do something so enjoyable that you don´t notice the hours and kilometers tick way.  I was going to suggest going for a hike, and really its not a bad idea.  You get fresh air, see some nice scenery, get to know your local area... It's nice, but its cliche.

What I am going to suggest is that next time you hear about a beach clean up, or a trail maintenance day at your local park, you should sign up.  You will get to spend 6 or 7 hours climbing up and down hills, dragging things and pushing things and generally using your whole body.  There´s a clear goal so you have a sense of purpose that will motivate you all day long, and afterwards you can truly say that you gave back.  Do it often enough and you will have stamina to spare : )

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