800 Metres World Record Broken

The world record for the 800 metres race was broken by 21 year old Kenyan David Rudisha on Sunday the 22^nd August at the Olympic stadium in Berlin. His record breaking time was 1 minute 41.09 seconds which beat the previous time of 1 minute 41.11 held by Wilson Kipketer of Denmark which was also set in Germany but in Cologne.

The Kenyan runner said that he now hoped to run the 800 metres in under 1 minute 41 seconds, a remarkable task if he can achieve it. He also stated that whilst he was happy to have set a new world record his next task is to win a medal at the 2011 World Championships and eventually become an Olympic champion.

Rudisha has competed in many events as a junior runner notably in the World Junior Championships, African Junior Championships, African Championships and also the World Athletics Final coming 1^st in all races.

Just before Rudisha managed his astonishing time, the women’s 800 metres was won by Caster Semenya who had previously come under scrutiny and had to take gender tests to prove she really was a woman. In 2009 she managed to win the 800 metres at the World Championships and set the fastest time of the year and all this when she was just 18.

These two athletes look set to dominate future races so be sure to keep a look out for them in years to come.

4 Easy Ways To Stay Fit This Summer

Summer is one of those times of the year when we usually relax, let our hair down and enjoy an easy lifestyle, however if your not too careful this lazy lifestyle can have a dramatic affect on your body by the time it comes to winter.

Here are 4 very easy ways to stay in shape this summer without restricting your diet or lifestyle too much.

1. Join A Gym – Fairly obvious but if you do want to lose weight or get in shape then this is the best option. Working out at home is good and well but by having a gym membership it gives you that added incentive to go out and exercise rather than staying at home and contemplating about it.

2. Eat Barbecued Food – Yes you read that right! Eating food that is grilled on a BBQ is a healthier option that eating food that is put in the oven as whilst the meat is cooking the fat is allowed to drip away rather than remaining in the cooking tray. Just be careful not to over indulge in the toppings and sauces!

3. Walk Everywhere You Go Or Even Better: POWER WALK!

As its summer it’s the perfect time to take advantage of the (semi) decent weather the UK is enjoying and is the ideal time to ditch the car to walk instead and enjoy the sunshine!

If you really want to push it you can try power walking which will help your tone up even more and the added benefit is that you’ll get to places a lot quicker than you would by walking normally!

And finally

4. Cut Down On The Drinking!

Yes its summer and everyone enjoys a few drinks with friends in the garden but it’s during this time that you forget about how many calories you’re actually drinking! If you’re more of a beer fan then it may be time to cut down and instead try having half pints or even better stick to spirits with a diet mixer.

Staying safe in the Sauna…

By now most of you must have heard that over the weekend at the World Sauna Championships based in Finland, one of the contestants: Vladimir Ladyzhensky, a Russian finalist died from severe burns after enduring temperatures of 110C. The current championship holder Timo Kaukonen, who was the remaining finalist in the sauna alongside Vladimir Ladyzhensky, suffered severe burns but managed to survive.

The organisers of the event have now decided to cancel all future events and an investigation is underway into what actually happened to the Russian finalist.

In light of these events it is worthwhile mentioning what steps you can take to avoid any injury in the sauna whilst you may be having a wind down after a furious workout:

1. Wait after eating before you go into the sauna. Just like with swimming, it is strongly recommended to wait a couple of hours and properly digest your food before you enter a sauna.

2. Hydrate yourself before going in. This is of course fairly basic but remember to have plenty of water on you as whilst your in the sauna you will be sweating and losing a lot of water.

3. Remove any rings, chains and watches you may be carrying as these are likely to become very hot and may even burn you.

4. Know when to get out! The less time you stay in the sauna the less likely problems are to occur. Depending on your health and how many times you go to the sauna – never stay longer than is needed.

If you follow the above advice you should be fairly safe and avoid the need for any medical attention!

Happy Sauna’ing’!