12 BENEFITS OF WALKING

Walking brings significant health benefits to body and mind. Research shows that regular walking contributes much to your overall health and fitness in important ways:

1. Strengthens your heart

2. Delays or prevents major diseases or illness

3. Reduces blood pressure and the risk of stroke

4. Reduces cholesterol

5. Strengthens joints and bones

6. Helps control weight

7. Improves mood and self-esteem

8. Contributes to “brain fitness”

9. Gives you energy and a good night’s rest

10.Relieves stress and worry

11.Improves balance and circulation

12.Boosts immune system

9 health benefits of eggs:

9 health benefits of eggs:

1. Improve Concentration 
- Good nutrition affects a child’s ability to learn. Research has shown that eating a balanced breakfast that include eggs can improve children:

A.Concentration level 

B. Math and reading skills
C. Attendance
D. Behaviour
E. Test scores

2. Maintain Healthy Weight 
- Eggs are the best source of complete protein which contain all essential amino acids for human body. They helps control the rate at which the body absorbs calories. When managing your weight, choose foods that provide the maximum amount of nutrition for the least amount of calories. Eggs are a great nutritional value for those trying to lose weight and maintain healthy weight.

3. Brain Development 
- Choline, a substance found in egg yolk, stimulating brain development and function. Since it necessary for brain development, but is not produced by our bodies in sufficient amount, a continuous new supply must be provided by our diet. Two large eggs provide the adult with the recommended daily intake of choline.

4. Improve Eyesight 
- Lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants found in egg yolk and are believed to help improve eyesight and reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (leading cause of blindness in people over age 65 years) as well as the risk of cataracts.

5. Prevent Blood Clots 
- Eating eggs may help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by prevent blood clots. An important antioxidant called selenium found in eggs inhibit clot formation in a dose-dependent.

6.Healthy Pregnancy 
- Choline is an essential nutrient that contributes to fetal brain development and helps prevent birth defects. Two eggs provide about 250 milligrams of choline, or approximately half of the recommended daily intake for pregnant and lactating women.

7. Strengthen Bones 
-Egg is an important source of vitamin D, which is important in bone strengthening and improving immunity.

8. Maintain Healthy Hair and skin 
- Eggs contain protein and sulfur which together help in the promotion of healthy hair and skin.

9. Prevent Breast Cancer 
- A study found that women who consumed at least 6 eggs per week have 44% less risk of developing breast cancer.

25 ULTIMATE TIPS FOR BETTER LIFE!!!

25 ULTIMATE TIPS FOR BETTER LIFE!!!
.
.1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every
day.&while you walk, SMILE.
It is the ultimate antidepressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10
minutes each day.

3. When you wake up in the morning, Pray to ask God's
guidance for your purpose, today.

4. Eat more foods that grow on
trees and plants and eat less food
that is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, broccoli,
and almonds.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious
energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past,
negative thoughts or things you
cannot control.
Instead invest your energy in the
positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch
like a prince and dinner like a
college kid with a maxed out
charge card.

9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time
hating anyone. Forgive them for
everything !

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You don't have to win every
argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so
it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to
others. You have no idea what
their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your
happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster
with these words:'In five years,
will this matter?'

17. Help the needy,Be generous !
Be a'Giver'not a'Taker'

18. What other people think of
you is none of your business.

19. Time heals everything.

20. However good or bad a
situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of
you when you are sick. Your
friends will. Stay in touch.

22. Envy is a waste of time. You
already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to
bed ,Pray to God and Be thankful
for what you'll accomplish, today !

24. Remember that you are too
blessed to be stressed.

25.Share this to everyone on your
list to help them lead a happier
life...!!!!

Parents of performance players

Parents of performance players, If your child is playing a lot of tennis and looking to reach a good level then you will have to look in the following areas with in the coaching program.

1. Track record
History does tend to repeat itself! The best way to judge a a coach/academy or program is to look at what it produces or has already produced over the years.

How many players do they have that have made it into the qualifying or main draw of the national championships in the past few years? If the answer is none and they are billing themselves as being a high-level performance academy/program. You might have look around a bit more. 

Bear in mind though that a few academies/coaches specialize in different age groups, for example a centre may not have any players in Nationals, but they may have got lots of players started and then passed them on to other centres  where they have done well.

Don’t just look at the standard of players that a program produces also look at the type of player and person that the program produces. If the players are motivated, happy and love their tennis then there are clearly some great things going on at that venue.

2. All round program
As players improve they need an increasingly rounded program to carry on succeeding. 

For a player to reach their potential their tennis program needs to be first class, but they will also need a great physical program, nutritional advice and mental skills work. 

A program where the player has a team around them providing this all round advice is the one to look for.

3. Personalized  goal setting
Maximising your potential is an individual journey. It is great to train with the support of a team of coaches around you, but to really improve players need individual goals that are specific to their game. 

A program for better players should provide individualized goals for each player at least once per term. The whole of the team around the player should then be aware of these goals and work towards them.

4. Consistency in coaching team
As tennis grows the numbers of kids in the program grows and so does the size of the coaching team. 

This is great in some ways, but it can lead to a player working on court with a wide variety of coaches in any one week. In my experience this rarely works, I would always look for consistency in terms of no more than 1 or 2 coaches working with a player in any week plus perhaps a strength and conditioning coach.

Note: Frequently changing the coaches or academies will not lead your child anywhere.

I advice every parent to invest lot of time before deciding a particular coach/academy for your child. It would be better if you can find a camp which is about 15mins & a maximum of 20mins away from your home, even if you are driving during the peak traffic time. If the academy is far off, you might consider of relocating to a place near by as this would save you lot of time,energy,fuel and most importantly your child will have extra rest or he/she is tired with the travel. If you have a option of sending your child by a Bicycle, then this would be the best.

It take lot of time (minimum 10 years) and effort from the coach to understand and develop a player. So do not expect results over night. Give the coach a opportunity to develop your child.Just because some player in your child's category is performing and winning tournaments that doesn't mean that your child is not being trained properly. Who knows, your child might start dominating the circuit with in the next few months. If your child is not performing, first try to evaluate your child rather than evaluating the coaches capability. Every child is unique, they have their own style and they take their own time to develop before they start performing.

All you need to do is to just decide a good camp for your child, see if the coach is optimistic, make sure you are paying your fees on time and make sure your child is getting proper nutrition & rest.

Above all, it is your positive attitude towards the coach and your child which will make a huge impact on your child development.

All the Best.

CAREER PATH FOR A JUNIOR TENNIS PLAYER

The Junior World Ranking circuit has acted as a stepping stone to many current top players. Research into past end of year ITF Junior World Rankings has shown that 40% of the players in the top 10 went on to break into the top 100 on the men’s or women’s professional rankings.

Research on the ITF Juniors Top 50 Ranked Boys have proved that : 60% made it into the top 300 ATP Rankings, while in the Girls 70% made it into the top 200 WTA Rankings List.

It clearly indicates that, Reaching the top 50 of the ITF Junior World Rankings is a good indicator of success in the Pros and therefore, players looking to become professional players should in most cases try to first prove themselves in junior tennis before focusing exclusively on professional events.

A recommended career path for a top national junior boy or girl to follow would normally be:

·         First attain a top 5 national junior ranking in the country,
·         To then focus on playing the ITF Junior Circuit and try to achieve a top 50 ITF Junior World Ranking. This ranking will ensure direct acceptance into the Group A events (including the four Grand Slam Junior Tournaments).  
·         A junior working to achieve this top 50 ranking should also try to play some weeks of professional events per year for experience.
·         Once the player has achieved a top 50 ranking in juniors, he/she should then focus on improving their professional ranking by playing mostly ITF Men’s/Women’s Circuit events, along with the prestigious Group A Junior events. As shown by the statistics above, once the players have proven themselves in juniors, they have a reasonably good chance of making it into the top levels of the professional game.

Guru Purnima - Respecting All Our Teachers & Expressing Our Gratitude.

On Guru Purnima a guru’s glow is at its height and merely being in your guru’s presence can have amazing effects on your evolution and inner world.

Today, on the Guru Purnima, remembered all my teachers from School and all the coaches who have helped me in building my career.  A Guru is someone who guides you through darkness and is the light in your life.

Guru Purnima is one such festival that is celebrated for the Guru or the teacher. This festival is mainly meant to serve the guru or the teacher. Gu means darkness and Ru means remover of darkness( light) .

So who is a Guru? A Guru is someone who guides you through darkness and is the light in your life. Guru is that thread that binds your ignorance with knowledge and gives you complete enlightenment. A Guru is a guiding force in our life. He/she is someone who is there for you always and forever guiding you when you go wrong and forgiving you when you make mistakes.

A guru has the phenomenal potential of taking you beyond, not just from the pains and difficulties of life but beyond yourself. The guru is not just a physical being; guru is the energy, considered even higher than para brahma, the Divine Consciousness.

A student/ shishya should always consider the words spoken by his guru as a mantra.

A guru is the only steady feature in our life, which is there for us whenever we need them. It is our humble duty to spend day thinking for them and about them, so that we can make life a better place to live in.It is only the Guru who can help us achieve a cause with a touch of finality. With able leaders and teachers who lead us to a world beyond, society would surely be a paradise to live in.

Lets thank all our teachers who have made us what we are today and salute them for their grit, determination, and faith in us.

Careers in Tennis

As your child develops, your attention may turn to thinking about opportunities which are there to stay within Tennis and build a career.Parents often ask me if their child can become a Professional Tennis Player or they just simply ask "Dose my child have enough to reach on top"?? Frankly, my answer would be "There's still a long way to go".

I understand that the parents do look in for a positive answer when they ask me but just because a player is good or they are performing well doesn't necessarily mean they have the ability to get on top at the Professional Level. 

Consider this,If a player is good at 12-14 years of age, there is still up to ten years before anyone will know if that player will be a top international player and possible earn a living from the game. A lot can happen in those ten years including , technical improvements and growth development or lack of motivation/interest levels, injuries,social pressure,parental and family circumstances and may be even tournament results might go flat.

To know more about this I would like you find a answer to this question. "In the last 20 Years, How many ITF Junior players ranked #1 have made it into the #1 rankings in the ATP or the WTA rankings??

Before you actually find a answer to the above question, I am here to discuss about possible careers in Tennis,though playing tennis professionally is often the preferred choice,there are also plenty of other opportunities to have a career in sports. Just because a player cannot make it on Top of the World Ranking doesn't mean that he/she is not fit for Sports. There are many other ways where a player can still make a career out of Tennis though he/she is not a Top ranked Tennis Player.

Here are a few possible ways a player can make a career having Tennis as his/her background.

·               Becoming a Professional Tennis Player.

ITF $10,000 Futures events are probably the best place to start. There are many ITF Futures Tournaments which are held every week across the globe. The player will have the opportunity to earn a ATP or WTA ranking while they perform in these tournaments and then they may move on to higher tournaments which offers higher prize money and more ranking points.

·               Earning a College Degree through Tennis Scholarship in USA

Taking your child's Tennis and Education to a higher level can be tricky,especially if you are trying to do both at the same time.I really do recommend parents and players think hard before coming completely out of education at a young age.

So if your child is passionate about tennis,want to continue to play and train to a high standard along side academic study then University Tennis is the best route for you. This offers a fantastic experience , new friendships, excellent training opportunities/facilities, good competition and a wide range of education courses that can also be flexible in learning.

College tennis in America is huge with three separate Divisions/Associations organizing competition. The scholarships prove very attractive to the players and hundreds of players have gone through the system over the last twenty years.

The decision to play full time tennis on the men's or women's circuit or to choose different career can be decided during the university period and the player must be well equipped to make these important decisions depending on standard, interests and ambition. After 4 years of University Tennis/Education, with a Degree in hand your child will be matured enough to take his/her own decision about their career.

 Here’s the list of few Indian Tennis Players (Presently active on the
Professional Tennis Circuit) who preferred attending a University on a Tennis Scholarship before they actually made their mark on the Professional Circuit.

1.      Mahesh Bhupathi                                      University Of Mississippi

2.      Somdev Devverman                                 University Of Virginia

3.      Saket Myneni                                            University Of Alabama

4.      Sanam Singh                                             University Of Virginia

In order to play college tennis, your child should start preparing towards it from 11 standard or the early your start the better. This will give them ample time to prepare for their SAT Exam and also work on their Fitness, Game, Ranking, Attitude,Work Ethic, Punctuality, Sportsmanship, Presentation & Communication Skills.Though getting a 100% Scholarship is achievable, it requires a lot of work in order to achieve it. In order to get a good scholarship in a good University you are required to achieve a good SAT Score, have good playing standards, decent ITF Junior World Ranking / National Ranking and also good presentation and communication skills.

·               Becoming a Coach

Tennis Coaching is a rewarding career as you inspire people to start playing the dame and empower then to fulfill their potential. Everyday is a new challenge, from young children picking up a racquet for the first time through to players chasing grand slam success, every player requires a coach. If you are passionate, there are a range of tennis coaching jobs suitable for you.

            If you want to become a tennis coach, you will need to look into gaining tennis coaching qualification.

Average Income per annum for a normal/ club tennis coach

                        India :                          Rs. 3,00,000 - 4,00,000 lakhs

                        USA                            $    50,000 – 70,000

·         Becoming a Tennis Official

Organizing and officiating at tennis competition can be very rewarding and also great fun. ITF Officiating provides training for those who want to become certified Chair Umpires,Chief Umpires and Referees.

·               Becoming a Strength and Conditioning Coach ( Career in Sports Science)

Demand is growing for sports scientists and performance consultants, as society in general develops a greater awareness of health and fitness issues around work. Your degree will have equipped you with a good knowledge of the sports and exercise industry and enabled you to look at the science behind fitness, as well as giving you an insight into related areas such as nutrition, psychology, management and finance – plenty to make you an attractive prospect to potential employers.

            Qualified sport and exercise scientists can earn between $40,000 and $80,000 a year.

Experienced sport scientists working in high levels of competitive sport can earn $100,000 or more a year.

  

·               Becoming a Sports Agent/manager (Sports Management)

Sports agents lead exciting lives filled with travel,high powered parties and events and of course up close and personal access to athlete and sports teams.They have a deep understanding of sports recruiting and drafting and they are excellent negotiators willing to take big risk for their clients.

In the Sports Agent business, the saying goes "you get paid when your athlete gets paid." The amount agents make varies with the athletes they sign. Successful sports agents can make over a million dollars per year. 

·               Becoming a Sports Journalist/ TV Presenter/ Commentator (Mass Communications)

·               Thousands of jobs in Tennis / Sports Industry which requires at least one major sport as a background.

Apart from the above available jobs, there are jobs which are offered by the Government of India for outstanding Sports persons in India. Though these jobs are not highly paid when compared to other above listed jobs, they do provide a lot of security and benefits.

I personally would recommend any parent or player to choose the option of "Earning a University Degree in USA through Tennis Scholarship". This option provides a solid foundation for your child in what ever line of career they choose.

Parents and Players, If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.

My email:  harshatennis@hotmail.com  

"All the Best".