How To Buy A Bike For Your Child? KIDS BIKE SIZING AND BEST BIKES FOR KIDS So, your child is interested in bikes - time to welcome your little one into the sport you love! Whether your child is just three years old and ready for their first bike, or they're ready to explore roads or trails, we have put together a few tips to make buying your child a bike a little less confusing. Unlike bicycles for adults, children’s bikes are not sized based on the frame height or length. Instead, they are offered in sizes based on wheel size. Below is a chart you can use to determine the approximate size your child would need. Although children who are taller for their age may be able to size up to a larger wheel, they may not be as well equipped to deal with other changes as the bikes get larger: like multiple gears and hand brakes instead of coaster brakes. Sizing charts are a good place to start when choosing a bike for your child, but not a definitive answer. Once your child is over 4’10” (147 cm), they can ride an adult size bike with 26, 27.5, 29 or 700c wheels. Your Kid's First Bike: Balance Bike VS Training Wheels When you go to purchase your child’s first bike, you will have three options: tricycle, training wheels or balance bike. What’s the difference? We will break it down for you: Tricycle: A bicycle with three wheels! Children’s tricycles are usually very low to the ground and therefore very stable. However, unlike a bicycle, trikes do not develop the skill of balance and are a bit hard to maneuver. They sure are cute though! Training Wheels: An add-on part that can be attached to a two-wheeled bike. For a lot of parents, this is how you learned to ride a bike. Training wheels sound like a great deal because the child can learn to ride with the training wheels on and when the time comes to pop the training wheels off, you have a regular bike. The downside of training wheels is that the child does not learn to balance, but instead relies on those extra wheels like a crutch. Training wheels can also be a bit unstable for young riders. Balance Bikes: With only two wheels and no pedals, these bikes require the child to sit on the saddle, scoot, and balance. Many resources say balance is the hardest part of learning to ride, so transferring to a pedal bike is easier for children that start out on a balance bike. Ultimately, the choice is up to you and your family. Your local bike shop can also help you make the right decision for your child. Top Reasons Why Workout Gear and Equipment Is So Important When it comes to exercises, everyone has different preferences. Some prefer easy walking or jogging, which requires no gear or equipment, other than good running shoes. Others like to use hand-held weights, and still, others prefer full gym equipment for their daily workout routines. The type of equipment and gear chose will vary depending on an individual's fitness and health goals. Here are some benefits of using proper workout tools to enhance health and body. 1. Better Control When joints and muscles are overworked due to extreme exercise, the body tires easily. Using a proper gym machine will help avoid injury. By controlling the path of motion and matching the amount of force to the strength of muscles, the body gets a more efficient and safe workout. 2. Better Resistance For those who want to gain optimal muscle strength, bodyweight exercises aren’t necessarily enough, especially if the goal is to increase muscle mass and size. External resistance is required, which enables the person to improve their strength and achieve the desired outcome. Proper equipment and exercise machines allow for adjustable weights and sizes, depending on the person’s ability and stamina. 3. Better Time Efficiency A variation of gear and equipment enables people who want to improve their body the chance to have efficient circuit training. This is when they perform transitional exercises with minimal rest in-between sets. Having equipment such as machines, kettlebells, and stationary bikes make it easy to design personalized programs and get the most out of one’s limited time or schedule. 4. Faster Muscle Definition For many fitness club clients, the goal is looking better. They want results, and they want them fast. A well-equipped gym with multiple options for gear and machines offers just that. Barbell squats deliver quick results, for example, as opposed to just squats without any weights. Hamstring curls with the aid of a machine will result in a greater definition of the leg muscles faster than just walking can. Those who are new to fitness or just starting a program will benefit from all the equipment at the FitBox Method facility. At our Miami Bootcamp gym, we offer intimate classes led by rockstar instructors who are passionate about health and fitness. We teach CrossFit, boxing, cardio and self-defense. Clients usually bring great quality workout clothes and shoes; we provide the medicine balls, boxing bags, dumbbells and more. Want to be your best, fittest self-today? Visit our website for more information and a list of our services. What to bring on your first hike You've probably had a mild case of FOMO* over beautiful photos of your friends' arms held high, facing a sky full of clouds. Hiking has surged in popularity recently and it's an activity worth adding to your summer agenda because it's as fulfilling as it is fun. Hiking can be physically challenging for beginners, but depending on which peak you scale, you'll be rewarded by the cool breeze and beautiful panoramic views that only the Philippines' highest summits can offer. Trails in the Philippines come with beautiful side trips such as hidden rivers and waterfalls as well. If you're looking forward to your first climbing experience, here's a guide to help you go through it without a hitch. What to wearProper gear will help you stay comfortable and flexible, help you avoid injury, and protect you from the hot sun, cool air, or surprise rain showers.Waterproof trekking or jogging pantsDri-fit shirt or rash guard Hiking shoes or thick-soled sandals (Break them in beforehand to avoid sore feet) Head gear like a cap or scarf What to bringPack as light as possible. Make sure that you have enough food and water for the duration of your hike. Don't forget supplies for emergencies. How does post workout massage help?A massage after exercise helps by flushing out waste products and stimulating the body's healing process. Massage helps after exercise by removing waste products and toxins out of the muscles. Exercising regularly can promote soreness and fatigue in the muscles caused by a build up of waste products. Lactic acid is produced in the muscles during exercise and contributes towards delayed onset muscle soreness. Delayed onset muscle soreness is the result of microscopic tearing of the muscle fibres. Tearing can be associated with inflammation in the muscle which causes pain. Post workout massage can help to reduce and prevent the effects of delayed onset muscles soreness. Massage post workout also helps by increasing blood fresh blood to the muscles and help repair any damaged tissues. Fresh blood flow to the muscles after exercise is important in carrying nutrients to the tissues so they can be repaired quickly. Exercise can often be exhausting and have psychological effects on the body. Regular post exercise massage can decrease depression, elevate mood, reduce anxiety and motivate the body to return to an exercise regimen. Massage is an effective and beneficial treatment used after exercise. Massage can contribute to a quicker and more complete recovery. A quicker recovery enables people participating in exercise to continue training sooner and reducing risk of injury. Massage techniques are used to relieve tension built up from exercise and stretch out muscle fibers preventing tightness. Massage post workout reduces and prevents the effects of delayed onset muscle soreness. Delayed onset muscle soreness causes pain, stiffness and fatigue which can prevent continuation of training. Massage therapists at Manchester Physio provide massage therapy services for tight muscles to treat a range of conditions. Preparing Your Grill For Storage Critters It's not unheard of for wildlife, especially mice, to decide that an unused grill would be a perfect place to create a nice home for the winter. The lid provides a great roof to protect them from the elements, and leftover bits of grilled meals make for a nice supply of food. If your grill is going to remain outside over the winter, it's even more important to clean out the inside. For gas and electric models, use a grill brush to brush the grates, flavorizer bars, and burners clean and scrape all the interior surfaces with a putty knife. Push all the loose debris into the slide-out grease tray and into the disposable drip pan. Then be sure to empty the disposable drip pan! For charcoalmodels, make sure to brush the cooking and charcoal grates clean. After that, scrape the interior surfaces with a putty knife and push all of the loose debris into the ash catcher below the bowl of the kettle. Then empty the ash catcher. The idea is that you want to remove as much grease and food residue as possible, as it attracts unwelcome wildlife. If you're unlucky enough to open your grill in the spring and find that some critters used it as their winter home, don't panic. Just clean out whatever presents they've left, light up the grill, and let it run on high for at least 15 minutes to clean the inside. Mold The same conditions that can make a grill attractive to wildlife also make for an ideal environment for mold to grow. Mold typically doesn't grow at temperatures below freezing, but the last weeks of fall and first weeks of spring can have temperatures that are very appealing to mold. Since mold grows and feeds on organic matter, and leftover food and grease are exactly that, the inside of a dirty grill is a perfect place for it to grow. Cleaning out the inside of the grill will greatly diminish the chances for mold to develop. If you happen to find mold in your grill, don't panic. Clean out the mold by scraping it off of any surfaces it has grown on, and let your grill run on high for at least 15 minutes before grilling on it. Corrosion & OxidationLeaving grease and food residue in the grill over the winter can trap moisture, which can promote the development of corrosion and oxidation. Cleaning your grill before any lengthy period of time when it won't be used, will help reduce the chances that corrosion or oxidation will develop on the grill components, which will prolong the life of the grill.