5k(m) tips

Nu stiu daca vreunul dintre cititorii accidentali ai acestui (pseudo)blog alearga, poate da, poate nu.

Daca nu, incercati - it'll pay off quickly. Putine lucruri sunt mai rewarding dacat sentimentul ca ti-ai depasit, cu inca un notch, limita pe care trecutul ti-a impus-o. Ai avut 100 kg si te-ai simtit prost? Gandeste-te ca peste 3 luni ai putea avea cu 15 mai putin, si ca te vei relansa, omeneste.

O sugestie - cut the junk. Uita-te, de curiozitate, pe cate calorii inghiti fara sa iti dai seama. Gandeste-te ca nu consumi mai mult de 2000 pe zi, cu stilul tau serviciu, acasa, serviciu... Grasimea care iti acopera muschii vine de undeva, nu crezi?

Doi, incepi si misca-ti corpul. Iti vei descoperi, treptat, abilitati pe care ai fi jurat ca nu le ai. Muschii vor incepe sa ti se profileze pe sub piele, vei incepe sa mergi mai drept, sa fii mai-tu-insuti.

Apoit, impinge-te si alearga intr-un parc. Intai, cate 1km, de 2-3 pe saptamana. Usor, urca in 2km, apoi 3... Pana ajungi la asa-zisul 5k (si uite aici niste tips http://www.distance-running-tips.com/5K-running-tips.html)

Nu uita sa faci abdomene, dimineata. Incepi cu 10-15, cate 2 serii... pana ajungi la serii de 50, de 3-4 ori.

Mai vorbim.

Ce a fost, si ce este

As minti sa spun ca nu imi lipseste atmosfera mitteleuropeana cu care ma obisnuisem atatia ani de zile.

Dar, cum a zis si Regina, 'it was nice while it lasted'. Acum suntem intr-0 alta lume, si traim pe alte co-ordonate. Ne miscam printre alti oameni, lucram alte lucruri.

Si, cu atat mai bine pentru noi, as spune. Daca lucrurile ar merge mereu snur, ar fi mare plictiseala, I guess.

Running tips (credits go to active.com)

One of Britain's top marathon runners, Liz Yelling, has compiled a top 10 of training tips. Yelling won bronze at last year's Commonwealth Games and was eighth in this year's London Marathon.

1. Ring fence your exercise time. You won't get to the finish line without protecting your time to train. You've made a personal commitment to your health and well-being so it's important to you. Prioritize your time and stick to it.

2. Create incentives. Set goals and reward yourself when you reach them. These will provide you with drive and commitment towards the 5k and help you gauge how your fitness is progressing.

3. Plan your attack. Know what you are going to do in your week and when. Your plan should be progressive, structured and appropriate to your exercise history, level of fitness and 5k goals.

4. Variation is the spice of running life. Doing the same type of running can make your routine boring. Don't just do the same run every day. Mix it up and try different things like varying the pace, terrain and time you run for.

5. It shouldn't be all hard work. Avoid packing all your runs together. As a rule of thumb, for every day of 'hard' running, take two days rest or easy running.

6. Fuel yourself. Running is a great calorie burner but you still need to replace the energy you've used. Carbohydrate is the body's fuel for exercise so eat a healthy, balanced diet and drink plenty of fluids.

7. Get some support. Running with friends is social and builds togetherness. Getting a coach can help you get the right advice from an experienced specialist and keep you motivated.

8. Get the right kit. Specialist running shoes are a must for injury prevention. Choose running kit that is functional and comfortable.

9. Be patient. Don't expect immediate results. Successful running takes time, but you'll love the benefits of looking and feeling great when they arrive. The more you do the easier it gets.

10. Enjoy it and have fun! Running shouldn't be a chore. It's something you do to boost your health, wellness and vitality. Just being out there doing it is a brilliant achievement and you should remind yourself how well you've done.

Running tips (credits go to active.com)

One of Britain's top marathon runners, Liz Yelling, has compiled a top 10 of training tips. Yelling won bronze at last year's Commonwealth Games and was eighth in this year's London Marathon.

1. Ring fence your exercise time. You won't get to the finish line without protecting your time to train. You've made a personal commitment to your health and well-being so it's important to you. Prioritize your time and stick to it.

2. Create incentives. Set goals and reward yourself when you reach them. These will provide you with drive and commitment towards the 5k and help you gauge how your fitness is progressing.

3. Plan your attack. Know what you are going to do in your week and when. Your plan should be progressive, structured and appropriate to your exercise history, level of fitness and 5k goals.

4. Variation is the spice of running life. Doing the same type of running can make your routine boring. Don't just do the same run every day. Mix it up and try different things like varying the pace, terrain and time you run for.

5. It shouldn't be all hard work. Avoid packing all your runs together. As a rule of thumb, for every day of 'hard' running, take two days rest or easy running.

6. Fuel yourself. Running is a great calorie burner but you still need to replace the energy you've used. Carbohydrate is the body's fuel for exercise so eat a healthy, balanced diet and drink plenty of fluids.

7. Get some support. Running with friends is social and builds togetherness. Getting a coach can help you get the right advice from an experienced specialist and keep you motivated.

8. Get the right kit. Specialist running shoes are a must for injury prevention. Choose running kit that is functional and comfortable.

9. Be patient. Don't expect immediate results. Successful running takes time, but you'll love the benefits of looking and feeling great when they arrive. The more you do the easier it gets.

10. Enjoy it and have fun! Running shouldn't be a chore. It's something you do to boost your health, wellness and vitality. Just being out there doing it is a brilliant achievement and you should remind yourself how well you've done.

O lume minunata

There is insufficient overall progress in Europe’s education and training systems towards the goals set in the Lisbon strategy for more jobs and growth. This is the main finding of the 2007 edition of the European Commission’s annual report on progress towards the Lisbon objectives in the field of education and training, which is published today. The report charts progress since 2000 in the light of key indicators and focuses on five education benchmarks agreed by the Member States. On the positive side, the number of tertiary-level maths, science and technology graduates continues to increase. However, progress was only moderate for the other benchmarks

The main findings of the report include:

• There are still too many early school leavers: In 2006, about six million young people (18-24 years old) left education prematurely in the EU. This would need to drop by two million if the benchmark of no more than 10% early school leavers is to be reached. The best performing EU countries were the Czech Republic (5.5%), Poland (5.6%) and Slovakia (6.4%).
• More graduates from upper secondary school are needed: In order to achieve the EU benchmark of an 85% upper-secondary school completion rate by 2010, an additional 2 million young people (aged 20-24 years) would need to finish upper-secondary education. In this area the best-performing EU countries are the Czech Republic (91.8%), Poland (91.7%) and Slovakia (91.5%).
• The EU has succeeded in meeting the target for mathematics, science, and technology graduates: If present trends continue, over 1 million students will graduate in mathematics, science and technology (MST) in the EU in 2010, compared to the present (2005) level of 860 000 graduates per year. These levels already exceed the benchmark. The best-performing countries in terms of MST graduates per 1 000 young people (20-29) are: Ireland (24.5), France (22.5), and Lithuania (18.9.
• There is insufficient participation in lifelong learning activities by adults: An additional 8 million adults would need to participate in lifelong learning within any four week period in 2010 if the EU benchmark of 12.5% participation rate is to be achieved. The best-performing EU countries are (2006): Sweden (32.1% in 2005), Denmark (29.2%) and the United Kingdom (26.6%).
• Improvements are needed in literacy levels of fifteen year-olds: About one in every five 15-year-old pupils in the EU is presently a poor reader. To reach the benchmark would need a further 200 000 pupils to improve their standard of reading. The best-performing EU countries are: Finland (5.7%), Ireland (11%) and the Netherlands (11.5%).

Emotionanta, nu credeti, grija pe care o poarta birocratii UE cetatenilor sai?

Drumul Vechi

Dragii mei,

Mai aveti o urma de cuman in vine? Mai curge sange turanic in voi? Mai zvacneste o inima basaraba in pieptul daco-roman?

Mergeti, iubitilor, pe Valea Teleajanului, si simtiti in nari mirosul Cumaniei. Drumul este ... pitoresc? putin spus... este... ireal.

Dupa iesirea din Brasov spre Ploesti (sic!), faceti stanga printr-un loc numit Sacele - organizat impecabil, mixt romano-unguresc ori vice-versa - si tineti drumul sinuos spre locuri cu nume de basm precum Homoraciu sau Malu-Vanat. Treceti prin Cheia spre Valenii de Munte ...

Asta este vechiul drum de legatura dintre Cumania/Valahia si Transilvania, cale batuta sute si sute de ani de palcuri de razboinici, de nevoiasi, de sate pribege, de negustori... Un drum vechi cat Romania...

Tehnic, soseaua este in stare perfecta, nou-reconditionata. Muntii, privelistea este absolut minunata, fermecatoare. Este Romania pura, autentica, neprihanita. Mergeti si vedeti cu ochii vostri ce au vazut si strabunii vostri din carutele lor, carevasazica.

Si culmea, dupa ce trec pe acolo, ajung seara acasa si deschid cartea preacinstitului boer Neagu Djuvara drept la pagina in care amintea despre Valea Teleajanului...

:) Plecaciuni!