Playing pickleball  can be highly addictive; especially for beginners. Serving as the fastest-growing sport in America with an estimated 36.5 million players and rising, pickleball participation has grown an average of 223.5 percent over the last three years. If you’ve never played, pickleball uses a paddle similar to ping pong and combines elements of both tennis and badminton but is an exciting game of its own. Although often compared to tennis, “Pickleball isn’t just a game of hitting a ball back and forth until the ball is unreturnable, it’s a strategic dance of patience and finesse ..read more

Too many articles zero in on the how-to when it comes to stretching, so this one will be a little different.  What’s equally, if not more important than how to perform a stretch, is knowing the types of stretches to use, and when. This should help. 5 Types of Stretches When most people think of “stretching” they probably think of a held position that lasts a significant period of time, yoga style.  In truth, that’s just one of five types of stretches we’re going to zero in on. Static stretching, mentioned here, involves holds that can last anywhere from 10 to 60 seconds. Dean DrobotS ..read more

Many people may not see similarities between playing football and serving in the United States Armed Forces, but Lieutenant General Richard Clark sees many common bonds between the two. “I tell people that I learned as much about leadership on the gridiron as I did with all the military training,” Clark explained. “I think they go hand-in-hand. You learn a lot about yourself and about teamwork. You learn a lot about things you have to employ later, especially in the military.” Clark shares these observations from experience. The Superintendent of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo ..read more

Fitness trainer Naomi Doran is our type of social media guru. Not only does she post inspirational updates on Instagram, but she qualifies them with something tangible that readers can actually try out for themselves. And, in a recent update, the “Bodies by Naomi” owner explained some of the best back exercises for optimal growth Here’s what you need to know. “Building muscle in the back requires a well-rounded approach that includes various movement patterns — vertical and horizontal pulls, utilizing proper technique and ensuring adequate rest/recovery for optimal growth,” wrote the beauty, w ..read more

Box jumps are a fantastic way to level up your workout routine and build power and strength from your legs to your lungs. Plyometric exercises are where you jump from the ground onto a box or raised surface, box jumps challenge both your mind and body. Essentially, it’s leg day and cardio all in one. “Box jumps are a great way to work on power output, and coordination, and improve your cardio while still working on strength,” explains Makayla McShane, CrossFit athlete, former Worcester State University Dance Company president who spent 14 years training at Manomet School of Dance. “Box jumps f ..read more

In decades past, men often pursued muscle and strength in the hopes of building an ’80s action movie icon physique, while women’s training was marketed around Jane Fonda- and Kiana Tom-style aerobics, in which “weight training” normally consisted of lifting 3-pound pink dumbbells, and a nutrition plan loosely based on whatever popular diet Oprah was putting her endorsement behind. These disparate origins have converged in recent years to where women have discarded skinny in favor of strength in greater numbers than ever before. Maybe it was Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, Linda Hamilton in Termina ..read more

Days ago, England’s Manchester City soccer squad made history by winning the 2023/24 Premier League title and becoming the first team to lift the trophy on four separate occasions. ‘Man City’ football fans were quick to praise their on-pitch heroes for another incredible season, and not least of those to rejoice is Norway’s Erling Haaland. Here’s what powers one of the worlds most popular athletes. Earling Haaland has scored goals in 63 of the 66 Premier League matches that he has played in, during his career so far. The 23-year-old, 6’ 4” tall superstar scored 27 goals this season alone,  ..read more

Numerous exercises claim to improve core strength, often dominating social media, each asserting to be the ultimate solution for core gains. While some of these claims may be true, others are not. However, the Ab Rollout, a tried and tested exercise, stands out for its proven effectiveness. Why? The Ab rollout does something not many core exercises do: it builds strength in the extended position, arms overhead. When performed with good form, it resists lower back extension, which is handy if you hate lower back pain and want to get stronger and pain-free overhead. Strengthening your core in an ..read more

All eyes were on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night as Ukrainian, Oleksandr Usyk and England’s Tyson Fury put on a true battle for the ages. The highly awaited contest went back and forth, but the judges eventually hand the Undisputed championship of heavyweight boxing to Usyk after clearly winning on points. Now that the dust is settling after this seismic event, M&F takes a look at some of the numbers behind the Usyk vs Fury event. News Tyson Fury's Father John Fury ‘Apologizes’ fo... Tensions boiled over during the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk media day. Read article Usyk vs. Fur ..read more

The legality of cannabis depends on where you live, but it is consumed by millions of people around the globe for a variety of reasons from pain management, to relaxation, and recreational use, but a new study suggests that breastfeeding mothers may be unwittingly feeding traces of the drug to their offspring. With 17% of Americans estimated to have smoked marijuana in 2023, not including those who take it in an editable form, the new study looked to find out if traces of cannabis could be found in the milk produced by women. They looked at samples from 20 breastfeeding participants who f ..read more