Sports Recreation: Relieve Stress and Have Fun

The world we live in is growing increasingly fast-paced, stressful, and filled with responsibility. Because of this, everyone needs some time to relax and have some recreation. Our modern way of life also tends to be sedentary, and the meals we eat are often not very healthy. Exercise is a very important component in renewing us. For these reasons, sports recreation activities are some of the best recreation we can choose. There are many options for hobbies to provide sports recreation. You may even want to learn some new recreational sports skills.

Courses to learn new sports recreation skills can be found online and in larger cities. You can learn and participate in team sports through the local Y and other organizations. Team sports recreation activities you might like to participate in include softball, baseball, basketball, and sometimes soccer for younger people. Another team sport you might enjoy is bowling. Regardless of your skill level you can find a bowling team to have fun with.

Individual sports recreation activities you can learn and participate in include golf, tennis, running, aerobic dance, gymnastics, and horseback riding. Don't overlook bicycling and weight training too. Many of these sports can be learned at the local Y as well. For some of these, you'll want to have a friend to play against or share your experience. Many runners, for instance, like to run with a friend. Games like tennis and handball really need cooperation for best results.

If you'd rather, you can learn about sports recreation skills online. You can find courses to teach almost any sport or activity you can think of including underwater hockey, fly-fishing, and para-gliding in the Alps! Of course, unless you can get some hands-on experience you'll only have the theories of the sport. Still, online courses are a good way to get a taste of different sports and recreational activities you might someday want to try out.

A really fun sports recreation game you might get a chance to play is ping pong. Ping pong, or table tennis as it is sometimes called, is played on a table with rubber coated paddles and extremely lightweight plastic balls. You must hit the ball with your paddle so that it strikes the table and clears the net before your opponent strikes it and bounces it back to you. One way to become more adept at ping pong and increase your chance of winning is to sometimes hit the ball harder than at other times. This keeps your opponent guessing what you will do next.

Sports recreation activities are a great way to get exercise and relieve stress. They are also a lot of fun. Whether with friends or alone, everyone needs a favorite sports recreation to take part in.

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Wax or Sealant? Paint Cleaning Clay ...

Your Every Day Driver vs. The Garage King

The products you select to protect your vehicle's paint for longevity should be determined by answering a few questions. (1) Is this your beloved weekend/show car/crazy in love with car or your daily driver that takes a lot of abuse? (2) Do you have time to wax your car every quarter or do you only have just enough time to wash it once or twice a month? (3) Do you park outside most of the time or is the car parked indoors at work and at home? (4) Do you cheat by going through a car wash every once in a while rather than washing by hand? (5) Do you expect the finish to be perfect, swirl-free with incredible depth, color and clarity, or are you willing to have a finish with awesome gloss, the majority of the swirl marks removed or hidden, and a year's worth of protection with very little effort?

The answers ... select a Carnauba Wax if you have time every quarter to wax, park the car indoors at home and use a car cover at work and you never, ever run it through a car wash. Select a Paint Sealant or One-Step Sealant if this is your daily driver and you need maximum protection from the elements for up to one year. Paint sealants go on quickly, enhances your paint, and hides the majority of your swirl marks.

TIP: Some scratches are too deep to remove. Once you have polished and rounded off the edges, fill the scratch with Sealant or Wax to hide the imperfection.


Paint Cleaning Clay ...

If you don't understand what a Paint Cleaning Clay product does or are too nervous to try it are missing out on some amazing results. Paint Cleaning Clay removes all the contaminants that sit on top of your paint. (1) with this one step your paint will never be smoother, (2) will be totally clean and ready to wax, (3) you will eliminate the laborious step of polishing your paint just to get it clean.

First, wash your car and dry it off. Run your fingertips over your paint. Does it feel smooth? Or can you feel tiny bumps? Contaminants are most noticeable on the rear or lower side panels of your vehicle. What you are feeling is an accumulation of fall-out, road tar, dirt, grime, grease and oil that sticks to your paint after miles of driving. Other culprits of this gritty feeling are paint over-spray, acid rain, bird droppings, bug jerky, rail dust, and tree sap. Check the vehicles glass and you will discover that is also covered with contaminants that clay will remove.

Most folks figure a good hand polishing is needed to remove this roughness and clean the paint to get it ready for waxing. But polishing reduces the depth of the paint and is totally unnecessary unless you are trying to remove a scratch. If you are just trying to clean the paint to get it ready for waxing, then use paint cleaning clay before waxing.

Not only does clay work better than a hand polish, but it removes more contaminants and is also a lot less work. the clay is a very pliable bar, and its sticky nature enables the clay to pick up and hold onto the contaminant as it glides across the surface. To get it to glide across the surface, you must use a lubricant.

Tip: As the clay slides over your paint, it picks up contaminants that are stuck to the surface that even polish can remove. Use a clay that is bright in color so you can see exactly what's coming off of your paint. As the bar gets dirty, just knead it a bit and flatten it out into another fresh patty. Most bars clean about 7 vehicles depending on the amount of contamination on the surface.

Wheels & Tires

Most wheels have a painted, aluminum base coat followed by two or three layers of clear coat. These wheels should be treated just like the paint on your vehicle. Wheel cleaners that "spray on, hose off" are too harsh and detrimental to your wheel's protective coatings and paint. After a thorough cleaning, apply a coat of wax. This will protect the finish and make them easier to clean the next time.

Tires
Properly cleaning the nasty dirt that gets on your tires is often overlooked. The porous nature of the rubber attracts oils, dirt, brake dust and grime. Use an ergonomically designed scrub brush to provide you with a fast, comfortable and easy way to clean tires. The soft, pliable, ribbed rubber handles let you get a strong grip so you can really scrub hard. The nylon bristles are curved to the contour of a tire and angled just right for direct pressure. Used with a rubber cleaner is the finest way to care for your expensive tires and properly prepare them for the vinyl & rubber dressing. [Kits run $28-$30]

Wheels
Using a wheel cleaner that is made from premium biodegradable ingredients and is safe for all types of wheels, insures that it is safe for you and the environment. No worries about what is going down the drains. Choose a cleaner with a high concentrate of penetrants that allow far less effort when cleaning wheels. The cleaner will hang on the wheel longer to clean stubborn brake dust, road oils and other deposits. Use a superior product with no expense spared toward the ingredients. It should also be a cleaner for all wheels and include a sponge for easy application. Detail Mitts and Foam Swabs work well too. [mitts $6-$8; swabs $$14-$15]

Wheel Cleaning Brush
Use a gentle yet effective wheel cleaning brush for those hard to clean areas. So many of today's wheel designs are beautiful to look at but a nightmare to clean. Especially the back side of a wheel which is usually painted and is difficult to access. A tool made from a soft yet porous synthetic material that will grab grime and lift it off the wheel is a must. It's wedge shape allows you to get into small areas. The handle should be comfortable and molded to fit your fingers. The standard brush should be 9 3/4" long, the long reach 12 1/4" long in case you have wide wheels. Great for motorcycle cleaning too. [brushes $9-$12]

Long Lasting Tire Dressing
You want a dressing that is specifically designed for tires and the tough environment they deal with everyday. It should be water repellent so it still looks great even after a rain storm or a good wheel cleaning. Want a nice black, satin finish? After application, give a quick swipe with a disposable towel and your tires will have a natural rubber look. Want mega-gloss? Apply two coats and don't touch it. [8 oz. tire dressing, $10; 2 detail sponges, $5]

You can purchase a complete Wheel & Tire Detailing Kit for about $50. If you haven't already done so, register with Mobile Enterprises, Inc. and receive discount coupons, Hot Links to sponsored products, and more. All About Cars and Trucks Mailing List.