Max Fit USA

Granted, it’s a global recession. The state of the world’s workers — at least in the advanced democracies — should be equivalently appalling. But it’s not. The Great Recession has taken a far greater toll on our nation’s workers than on workers in similar countries, even those whose economies have dipped more steeply than ours.

Consider: As of this year, U.S. gross domestic product is about 1 percent beneath its 2008 peak, compared to a drop of roughly 2 percent in France and Germany and 5 percent in Britain and Japan. But U.S. unemployment has increased roughly 5 percentage points since 2007, compared to just 1 point in France and Japan and 2 in Britain. In Germany, unemployment has actually dropped a point since the recession began.

No wonder Christina Romer confessed bewilderment at the scope of American job losses in her valedictory speech as head of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers last week. American employers have responded to recession with far more layoffs than their counterparts in comparable or even worse situations in other nations.

Sports psychology: creating the right vibe in your training is vital for ensuring a productive session

September 5th, 2010 No comments

If you are training where there is a good Vibe your performance will improve!

by James Marshall

[MAM]I was training 3 athletes in the gym a couple of weeks ago, they were doing one of my usual warm ups, no music, no shouting, no distractions. The three were focussed and busy. Another coach walked in, and said “I wish I was training now, rather than earlier, there is a good Vibe.” The three athletes were all teenage boys, and were good examples of how young people can train.

What is a Vibe? Is it something we can create, or something we can enhance?

If you are training where there is a good Vibe, then you will probably find that time passes quickly, and you get better results and satisfaction from your training activity.

When on holiday recently I was going for a morning run on a footpath from the campsite, through some woods along a coastal path. The path was uneven, with tree roots, steps and other obstacles. I had to pay attention to every step that I was taking. The air was clear and fresh, the sun was sparkling on the sea, and I didn’t know what was around the corner. I was fully engaged in the run and was not thinking of anything else.

Compare that to walking into a commercial gym, stepping onto a treadmill and plugging in headphones and watching breakfast television, whilst trying not to listen to dance music or adverts in the gym itself. The gym is telling you that the run is something to be endured, and that watching tv is a more beneficial activity.

Which run is more likely to create a “Vibe”?

Here are some tips on creating a Vibe in your training sessions: