The above photo may be attracting male attention, but this post is really for the ladies

Why do you need to wear a sports bra?

Whether you run marathons or are just starting to run, you should know any active movement requires maximum support and comfort – for any size breast – to avoid pain and soreness after running (and the dreaded breast sag we would all like to avoid).

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Did you know that over 70% of people are chronically dehydrated? We all know we’re supposed to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, but most of us don’t nearly reach that number.

And when you exercise, hydration is even more important to maintain proper levels of water in our body for optimum performance, especially in the summertime.

Thirst is a warning mechanism telling you that you are under-hydrated and your body would like more fluid. The sensation of thirst is a loss of 1% of body weight, which means a 10% decrease in physical capacity. Drinking enough water is necessary to be at optimum performance during exercise. You should try to keep topped up with water while exercising – the idea is to drink before you become thirsty to keep those hydration levels topped up.

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If that special man in your life is a fitness freak (or if he’s not but needs a gentle ‘push’ off the couch), we found a few Father’s Day presents that may just inspire him to run that marathon, try that 10k, or actually do sport instead of watching it on TV .

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If you’re still running with your iPod in your hand, you really need to get with the times: liberate yourself and go handsfree! There is so much choice out there, all you really have to decide is whether you’d rather run with it on your waist or arm, and many of them are able to carry additional items such as keys and cards.

This way you can concentrate on listening to your Jiwok training program instead of worrying about losing your personal items .

In a recent survey done by Runkeeper, many runners talked about their favourite products to run with music players. These ones came out on top:

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If you don’t have one yet, you should. No, I’m not talking about a Jiwok coach, but his handy little assistant that is required to help keep you on track even better – a heart rate monitor.

Many people just like to get out there and run without constraint, time pressure, or a distance in mind. But if you have a goal to achieve, want to progress, or just have a better idea of where you’re running and fitness level is, then a heart rate monitor is must. Not only does it do all that, it helps you find your best running pace, which you need for longevity and long-term goals.

Jiwok is partnered with Polar who provide many different kinds of heart rate monitors (some even with GPS), but there are also applications which can transform your phone into a HRM, such as RunKeeper or Digifit.

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Some people go to an effort to hide their perspiration when exercising, but really, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.

At least this seems to be Viewsport‘s viewpoint with their new sweat activated technology. It is really quite clever; there is a hidden design on the shirt which becomes more prominent the harder you sweat. An interesting way to measure your effort? Well, it depends on how much (and how quickly) you sweat.

Everyone has a different sweating pattern depending on gender, age, fitness level and environment. In general, men tend to sweat more than women and at lower temperatures. Sweating is most effective when you glisten as the moisture forms a cooling film over the skin. Any more than that and you are losing too much heat.

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I know what you’re thinking, not another fitness gadget….really??

Well, it is, but quite a funky one, because not only does it track your activity, it also tracks your sleep patterns, which can be just as important as exercise! (Read here for more info on sleep and exercise).

I’m talking about FitBit, a nifty tracker that gives you a lot of information in a little package. Not only does it measure the intensity and duration of your physical activities, it also counts steps taken, calories burned, and distance traveled. When it comes to sleeping it monitors how long it took you to fall asleep, how many times you woke up in the night, and your ‘real’ sleeping time as opposed to ‘resting’ time lying in bed.

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Because headphones are crucial to your Jiwok training program (how else would you hear the sultry tones of our lovely coaches?), we want to give you the best options available for your listening pleasure and comfort.

But running with headphones comes with all kinds of issues; safety, sound quality, and comfort being the most important.

So we found a little gem of an earbud that covers everything, while allowing you to keep an ‘open ear’ to what is around you. It’s called One Good Earbud and basically combines both channels of music in one ear, so you don’t miss half the music.

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‘Give your workout a kick in the pants. Lose the wires, add some color.’

Good headphones are an essential item for all Jiwokers, but wouldn’t it be nice not to get tangled up in those wires and just run free while still listening to your Jiwok coach?

Well now you can with the Jaybird Sportsband, the latest wireless headset which not only sounds great but has a cool, retro look as well.

As the official training headphones of the USA Triathlon, we thought they were worth a look.
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Music can be a big motivating factor in sport (see scientific studies). It is been proven to increase performance, and it may even make you run very fast .

Puma has recently launched an advertising campaign based on the speedy running style of the Jamaicans and formed ‘The World’s Fastest Band’.

Watch the fun video, then read their ethos afterwards:

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