Take nature pics like a pro

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Two of my favorite hobbies are travel and photography, and it’s providence that they both complement each other really well. Ask any of my friends, and they’ll tell you that the most beautiful shots I take, I take when hiking in nature. I’m not saying that it’s easy, but it’s definitely rewarding.


Here are some tips I can share with you on how to take the best nature shots while in the midst of a hike.

The changing weather

The weather is a huge part of nature. It is unpredictable and awesome. Also prep your gear for changes in the weather. Consider also factors like temperature and humidity. Investing in waterproof gear (water-resistant won’t cut it) is a good idea.


Tripod, Tripod, Tripod

Often, hiking trails are uneven. Such is the natural terrain. To counter this, create a steady shot, and minimize blurring, bring a tripod.


The forest guide

Hiring a guide is a good idea if you or any of your friends aren’t familiar with the area. Not only will the guide keep you from getting lost, but they’ll also know the best spots to take your shots.


The full day effect

One of the most alluring things about the natural landscape is that it takes on different personalities depending on the time of day. A mountain range at sunrise is very different from one at sunset. The same goes for lakes, rivers, fields, and the like.


Hello, I’m Mike Volitich, a UCLA student pursuing a degree in sports therapy. When I’m not too busy with my classes, you’ll find me listening to podcasts and doing outdoor recreational activities like hiking, skiing, ultimate frisbee, and kayaking. For similar reads, visit this blog.

Organizing health and wellness events for your neighborhood: A few ideas

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It’s always a joy for health buffs and fitness enthusiasts when they see how much they’ve influenced other people into living a healthy lifestyle. However, the encouragement reaches a whole new level when people actually make time to organize health and wellness events for the benefit of their community.


As fitness enthusiasts ourselves, it’s always quite the experience to be invited to a community-oriented gathering to help people reach their fitness goals. Many of you may be reluctant to take the reins of organizing such an endeavor. Many of you may believe that it takes a lot of time, money, and effort to put these events. It doesn’t.

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Take for example family fun runs. Getting a solid sponsor from any business in the community to chip in for run-completion achievement shirts is all you’ll need money-wise. The rest of the logistics can come from volunteers, who can be positioned at stops and rest points to offer water.


Tag-football and half-court basketball tournaments may also attract a lot of people from the community. What’s better is that these games can be a weekly thing, and later, an official event for the neighborhood.


What about you? Can you come up with other ideas on how to organize similar events for your community? Feel free to share in the comments below.


My name is Mike Volitich. I’m currently studying sports therapy at the UCLA. I’ve always been interested in sports, travel, fitness, and athletic wear. More on health on this blog.

The top health benefits of hiking

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Many hiking enthusiasts will argue that the activity may even be better than running or joining marathons. This is because, unlike more physically demanding hobbies or sports, hiking allows you to take it easy and better take in the scenery. Hiking lets you dictate the pace, so to speak.


Hiking’s innate, less rigorous nature allows you to lessen the risk of injury while promoting great physical and mental well-being. You finish a hiking route less stressed, less breathless, as having had an unhurried communion with nature does wonders to stimulate your mind and remove your worries. In other words, you’ll come home feeling some euphoria from the long walk without being depleted nor exhausted.

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Taking in the fresh air while enjoying the sights and sounds of the world around you are perks unique to hiking. It’s great for meditation and contemplation, aids in improving your mood, and allows you to better ruminate on things that trouble you and work on sounder solutions.


Of course, hiking likewise promotes other important bodily benefits like weight loss, better sleep, and a healthier heart. It improves your blood sugar levels and lowers your blood pressure, strengthens your hamstrings, calf, and hip muscles, and enhances your core and sense of balance. After all, it still is an exercise routine.


Hello, I’m Mike Volitich, a UCLA student pursuing a degree in sports therapy. When I’m not too busy with my classes, you’ll find me listening to podcasts and doing outdoor recreational activities like hiking, skiing, ultimate frisbee, and kayaking. For similar reads, visit this blog.

Exercises that relieve lower back pain

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A lot of people experience lower back pain due to lack of proper exercise or a poor lifestyle. Resting it may alleviate some of the pain, but strengthening the lower back prepares it for the trains of quick movements, heavy lifting, and other taxing activities. Exercising these muscles can also relieve the pain. Here are a few exercises addressing lower back pain.


Bird Dog


Strengthening can ease the pain of your lower back in the long run, but mobilizing it is a faster way to get relief. Bird dog is a great exercise and all you need is a yoga mat.


Get on all fours, hands directly underneath your shoulders and knees under your hips with your spine in line with your head. Breathe in and extend your left leg and your right arm. Hold the position and your breath for 5 – 10 seconds and slowly breathe out as you lower them to the starting position. Do this twelve times alternating limbs as you go along.


Lower back stretches

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To do lower back stretches, start in the same initial position for Bird Dog. With a deep breath, slowly take your bottom half backward toward your heels with your hands staying in the same position as you breathe out. Hold the stretch for 20 – 40 seconds. Breathe in as you go back to the original position.

This stretching may not work at all if you have a herniated disc. If you experience pain when doing lower back stretches, have your back checked.


My name is Mike Volitich. I’m currently studying sports therapy at the UCLA. I’ve always been interested in sports, travel, fitness, and athletic wear. More on health here in this blog.

What Are The Roles And Responsibilities Of a Point Guard?

There are five starting positions in basketball. Depending on your skill set and physique, you will be delegated to a role best suited for you.  Each of these roles is vital to a game.  Throughout the NBA, there are players who excel at their roles and have carried their teams to great victories.  Among the five roles, the point guard is arguably the most important.  Here are the roles and responsibilities of the point guard.

The point guard position isn’t delegated to the smaller players.  This mostly depends on their skillset.  Point guards often have high basketball intelligence.  This means they are able to see situations like mismatches, open spaces, and avenues for scoring.  The point guard should also be able to coordinate with his team for offense.

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Reading situations is key for point guards.  He or she must establish the pace of the game, depending on the situation.  The point guard also seeks team mates in the court who have the highest probability of scoring and passing the ball to them.

In the event that other team members are unable to create space for themselves, the point guard should also be skilled enough to take matters into their own hands.  This is why shooting, especially outside shooting, is also a necessity for point guards.

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Hello there! My name is Mike Volitich. I’m a sports therapy student at UCLA. When I have free time, you’ll find me outdoors playing ultimate frisbee and other recreational sports. To pass the time, I listen to podcasts on sports, comic books, and movies. You might also find me cheering for my school’s varsity teams. Visit this website for more reads on basketball.

Top Basketball-Related Injuries

Basketball is definitely one of the more physical team sports. Professional basketball players spend several hours a day training and keeping themselves in tip-top shape. But regardless of how fit these athletes are, there is always a risk of pushing their bodies too hard to the point of injuring themselves. And sometimes, no matter how fit they are, athletes could figure in a freak accident that could cause serious injury.

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The most common injuries in basketball are sprains and strains. The most affected areas are the ankles, knees, lower back, hands, and wrists. Depending on the severity, a player may resume playing or mqy be forced to sit the game out.

As outlandish as it may seem, eye injuries are pretty common in basketball. When players move around and attack the hoop, players could get poked in the eye with a finger or hit with an elbow. Most eye injuries are not severe as most players could shrug them off and continue playing. However, some players have resorted to wearing protective eye gear during the game due to past eye injuries.

Knee injuries are uncommon but severe. Players put so much strain in their knees with all the non-stop running, jumping, and shifting of their weight. This can cause them to injure their medial collateral ligament. This injury can be treated with ice. However, if it’s the anterior cruciate ligament or ACL that’s injured, a player could be out for months, sometimes even for an entire season.

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Hello there! My name is Mike Volitich. I’m a sports therapy student at UCLA. When I have free time, you’ll find me outdoors playing ultimate frisbee and other recreational sports. If you’re interested in more information on sports, visit my Facebook page.

The Rise Of Ultimate Frisbee

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Gone are the days when a Frisbee was known merely as a recreational activity that people would enjoy with their family, friends, or even dogs. The sports based on the well-known flying disc, called Ultimate Frisbee, or Ultimate, for short, has recently found popularity all over the world.

Ultimate was actually created 50 years ago by a group of high school students in New Jersey. They incorporated some concepts from other sports, most notably from football or soccer. The objective is to pass the disc, pie tins or cake pan lids in the case of the sport’s founders, around until it reaches the goal line.

However, unlike football and soccer, Ultimate is a non-contact sport. It also disallows offensive players who have the disc, called a handler, from taking a step; all they could do is pass the disc to teammates while avoiding getting it intercepted by opponents. The sport also does not segregate the sexes, as men and women can play it together.

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It has become so well-known that millions of players participate in it, according to Spirit of the Sport, and tens of thousands of athletes play professionally. The sport’s registered governing body, World Flying Disc Federation, has even been granted full recognition by the International Olympic Committee. It would not be surprising then to see Ultimate Frisbee in future Olympics.

My name is Mike Volitich, and I am currently taking up sports therapy in college. You can always find me outdoors playing Frisbee or other recreational activities. Know more about me by checking out my Facebook page.

The Superfoods You Need In Your Meals

If I were to be completely honest, some of my meals lack the right nutrients. These days, I seem to realize this more because I have been working with athletes, their coaches, and their nutritionists. To be at your best, exercise and practice is not enough. You also have to eat right. Let me share with you some of the "superfoods" I've been adding to my meals:

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Lemon: Freshly-squeezed lemonade. A slice of lemon in a glass of water or a cup of tea. There are a lot of ways to get your healthy dose of Vitamin C. Citrus flavonoids found in lemon and other citrus fruits prevent inflammation and the growth of cancer cells.

Turmeric: If you need an instant mood-booster, putting turmeric in your meals or drinking turmeric tea can easily do the trick as it helps increase the neurotransmitter serotonin. Aside from this, the ingredient is good for boosting immunity and preventing inflammation.

Broccoli: This green veggie doesn't deserve the bad rap. A serving of broccoli contains more than the daily required dosage of vitamin K and C. It is also high in fiber. To get all the goodness from, avoid overcooking your broccoli.

Chicken breast: Most of the athletes I know get their healthy dose of protein by eating chicken breast almost every day. They say it's a great way to get the right amount of energy without going overboard with the calories. If you want to maintain your weight, this is the go-to meat.

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Quinoa: If you love carbs but you have to lessen your intake, quinoa is the solution. Quinoa is also perfect for vegans as it contains nine essential amino acids. Those who lack protein can get their healthy share with this grain crop.

Choosing to eat healthily can be difficult at first. But trust me, your body will thank you for it.

Hi there! My name is Mike Volitich. I’m currently studying sports therapy at the UCLA. I’ve always been interested in sports, travel, fitness, and athletic wear. Visit this page for updates.