Brooke de Lench's blog

Heart Rate Monitors: An Essential Training Partner?

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Thu, 05/20/2010 - 16:35. | comments

A fitness center catering to women recently opened near my home. As part of its grand opening, the center offered me a free week classes which it claimed would "transform" my body. I told them I was game.

When I arrived for my first class, one of the first things my trainer asked me was whether I had brought a heart rate monitor.

When I said no, that I didn't own one, she told me that I needed to bring a heart monitor to my next session if I wanted to achieve my fitness goals.

Brooke de Lench

Bike to Work Week: Every Week is Bike to Work Week for Me

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Tue, 05/18/2010 - 13:14. | comments

The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike to Work Week 2014 from May 12-16, with Friday, May 16 designated as Bike to Work Day.

For me, every week is bike to work week. Four years ago, I made a major lifestyle change when I bought a commuter bike, helmet and loc May is National Bike Month poster k at the local bike shop. At the same time, I moved the MomsTeam offices closer to my home so I could get to work under my own power and eliminate an hour of commuting (and all the gas and carbon monoxide that driving involves).

The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike to Work Week 2014
from May 12-16, with Friday, May 16 designated as Bike to Work Day, but for MomsTEAM's Founder, every week is bike to work week.

Brooke de Lench

Number of Youth Tennis Players Up: USTA's Quick Start, No-Cut Programs Credited

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Mon, 05/17/2010 - 17:29. | comments

Which youth sport, golf or tennis, is gaining in popularity in recent years, and which is losing? You might be surprised to learn, given their overall public profiles, it is the number of youth tennis players that is up, with participation jumping 43% since 2000 , with the USTA's innovative QuickStart and No-Cut programs credited for the increase.

Brooke de Lench

Homemade Sports Drinks: An Eco-Friendly, Less Costly Alternative?

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Thu, 05/06/2010 - 16:59. | comments

Baseball catcher drinking water Water has been on my mind a lot lately.

Brooke de Lench

Raising A Gifted Athlete: Supporting Child's Dream, Knowing Role

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Tue, 05/04/2010 - 14:26. | comments

What is it like to be the parent of a gifted athlete? Last week I learned a little more when I attended a panel discussion hosted by the Cambridge Center for Adult Education (CCAE).

Brooke de Lench

Obese Children Need Sports, Not Bullying

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Mon, 05/03/2010 - 16:03. | comments

Today has been a busy news day on the subject of obesity. Not only was the National Activity Plan announced in Washington, D.C, as part of a new grassroots effort to combat America's alarming rates of adult and childhood obesity and decreasing levels of physical activity, but a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan and reported in the June 2010 issue of the journal Pediatrics proves what many have suspected: that obese children are more likely to be victims of bullying than their non-overweight peers.

Brooke de Lench

Athletes' Brains Give Them Edge In Complex Decisionmaking

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Fri, 04/30/2010 - 19:43. | comments

I have known for a very long time that athletes are better than non-athletes at making quick, complex decisions. I just didn't know why.

Brooke de Lench

New Concussion Rule for High School Wrestling Is A Good Move

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Fri, 04/23/2010 - 21:51. | comments

Good news on the concussion safety front today from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee and the NFHS Board of Directors. Among the four rule changes it approved for the 2010-2011 season was one requiring that wrestlers showing signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion be removed immediately from the match and not allowed to return to competition until cleared by an appropriate health-care professional.

Brooke de Lench

MLB Pitch, Hit & Run Contest: Girls Softball Division Now Included (Finally!)

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Wed, 04/07/2010 - 13:56. | comments

Sofball player running bases As a young girl growing up with three sisters and a dad who was a good enough baseball pitcher to be invited to join the White Sox farm system (just before leaving to fight in the Pacific in WWII), I will never forget the long summer nights of playing baseball in our backyard with all the neighborhood kids. My dad was a favorite with the neighborhood boys.

Brooke de Lench

Letting Kids Run Practices Increases Fun, Builds Team Spirit

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Mon, 03/29/2010 - 13:31. | comments

Girls playing lacrosse On Saturday, March 27, the world observed the fourth annual Earth Hour, a global event started by the World Wildlife Fund. During Earth Hour, cities, towns and individual families from around the world were encouraged to turn off all non-essential lights from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. People in more than 92 countries participated in a global call to action for, and to demonstrate the urgency of, climate change.