Many people play sports as a way to stay in shape. It is a good idea; you get to exercise your body in a way that feels like fun, not work. There are the traditional sports like basketball, baseball, football, and soccer, but what if you’re just not attracted to “regular” sports? Well, then maybe you are interested in something new, exciting, and a heck of a lot of fun; bubble soccer.

What is Bubble Soccer?

If you want a good chuckle, watch just a few seconds of a bubbleball soccer game, and then you will want to find out where you can join a local team. Comedians and TV hosts Henrik Elvestad and Johan Golden started bubble soccer as a joke in Norway in 2011, since then it has evolved into so much more. It is brutal full contact sport that just might be the safest to play. After all, you are all wrapped up in a protective bubble. It provides quite a workout as well with the bubble itself weighing in at about twenty pounds. Add in the extra effort of running while inside the bubble and inevitably having to climb back onto your feet after a collision, and there is plenty of exercise in this game.

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Did you read Mike Furci’s recent article about getting in shape for summer? If you’ve hit the pool and weren’t happy with how you looked without a shirt, then you might want to give it a read. You should check out the entire article, but here are Mike’s nutrition principles for consistent, healthy eating that will help you get lean and mean.

If you’re hungry, eat. If you’re not, don’t.

Under no circumstances should you count calories, ever.

Avoid calorie-dense fast foods. (Mainly processed, fast foods, fruit juice, soda pop and other high-carb foods.)

Plan your meals, and prepare your food in advance. This is perhaps the single biggest contributor to consistent healthy eating. You’re less likely to fall off the wagon if there is quality food already made.

Eat at least four meals per day. Your goal should be to eat six times per day, once every two to three hours. A healthy snack, e.g., vegetables, cottage cheese, sugar-free yogurt, etc., is considered a meal.

Make sure to eat a portion of protein with every meal. If your meal consists of a starchy carb, always consume a bit of your protein first. This ensures a lower glycemic index for the meal and will curb eating too many carbs.

A portion of protein is four to eight ounces, or a portion is about the size of the palm of your hand or a clenched fist.

Choose carbohydrates that are on the lower end of the glycemic index. Refer to the Approved Foods chart.

Whenever time is of the essence, use meal replacement packs, protein powders and drinks, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc. This takes the guesswork out of meal planning during a busy day.

Use natural unprocessed fats and oils for cooking and salad dressings. Avoid using, or strictly limit, your consumption of polyunsaturated fats (vegetable oils) and never cook with them.

If you want to get healthy, look better and feel better, you need to learn more about how to eat. Read this article and then read Mike’s columns regularly.

Spring is definitely in the air, as March Madness has just produced another Duke championship, and the Red Sox and Yankees kicked off the baseball season on Opening Day. It’s even warm now in C-Town after the nasty snowstorm from last week.

Now we have The Masters this week, with Tiger Woods trying to get back his mojo on the most famous golf course in the world. We now know that he previously had an incredible advantage, as he was able to use his babe posse to ensure he never let any sexual frustration or pent up sexual energy impede his game. Can he still perform at peak levels without this constant release? It has to be more difficult now that he isn’t getting any. Not only that, the whole world knows about it and will be reminding him of it for years to come. This week we’ll see just how good he really is.

While watching Tiger and the other golf pros this weekend, you’re bound to get the itch to get back out there yourself. Most of you avid golfers are way ahead of us on this. With that in mind, think about ways you can take your game to the next level this year.

Naturally, much of your focus will be on your swing and whether you can improve your game by upgrading your gear, but spend some time thinking about your own fitness and how that might impact your game. Sure, this isn’t basketball, and you can still do well in this game with your usual beer intake and your growing pot belly, but improving your general fitness, your strength and your flexibility can give you an edge.

Our Fitness Editor, Mike Furci, has two articles in the archives that you should check out as you approach the new golf season. His first article covers the importance of strength training for golfers, particularly exercises that strengthen your lower back. Here’s what Mike said in 2000, well before Tiger sculpted his body and took his game to the next level.

Many golfers I talk with think that injuries like low back pain and shoulder problems are just a part of the game. What if I told you that a strength and conditioning program can cure most of these ailments, and can dramatically improve the risk of experiencing future problems? In addition, a proper program can dramatically improve your game. Many pros, including Nancy Lopez will tell you that their strength and conditioning programs helped their game, and it also saved their careers.

Many top professionals are seeing the benefits of getting into, and staying in top physical condition. Professional golfers are finally looking at themselves for what they are…athletes. That’s right, golfers are athletes. To be successful in what many consider to be a game of frustration and skill, one need’s strength, endurance, balance, coordination, finesse, and timing. These aspects of the game cannot be found in a pro shop. Most people focus on the latest ball or most expensive club to be competitive. They do not look toward their bodies for the answer. These same people with the finest equipment money can buy, can’t walk up a flight of stairs without gasping for air.

Mike followed up that article with another that took a closer look at ways you can prevent golf injuries.

So, if you’re happy with your scores, keep guzzling that beer and inhaling those hot dogs. But, if you want to improve your game, and also look a little better in your new golf clothes, forget about the expensive golf clubs and get your ass in shape!

It’s that time of year again, when everyone looks in the mirror and realizes that they enjoyed too many cocktails and ate way too many cookies over the holidays. Like clockwork, many of us start with new year’s resolutions and say we’re going to get back in shape. Gym memberships typically skyrocket during January and February of every year.

Working out again is a good thing, of course, but not enough people follow through and make it a part of their lifestyle for the long term. To do it properly, you have to approach this in a way that’s sustainable.

In his first column for Bullz-Eye.com way back in 2000 (10 years ago!), fitness editor Mike Furci provided some guidelines on how to start working out in a way that will be sustainable over the long run. Most of his recommendations involve your mental approach to working out. If you get your mind right, then over time you’ll make improvements in your health and fitness. Check it out and then check out Mike’s regular fitness columns on Bullz-Eye.