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Sport Tips: Biking helmet and safety

Sport Tips: Biking helmet and safety

Sport Tips: Biking helmet and safety Proper biking safety, helmet precautions and rules of the road before you venture out on two wheels. Advice for safe riding.
  • Biking is an exhilarating sport, great exercise and fun for the entire family. If you know the rules of the road, you can enjoy many years of biking safely and pass responsible biking etiquette down to your children as well. Following the rules of safety will prevent accidents and injury to you, your bike and other bikers on the road. A bike is a vehicle and it is your responsibility to ride it as safely as you would drive a car, using all of the proper equipment necessary and respecting others on the road as well as pedestrians.
  • Before you even get on your bike, be sure it is properly equipped and in good working order. Be sure your tires are inflated properly, your brakes are working correctly and that you have reflectors on the front, back and sides of your bike. Make sure your seat is tightened as well as the bolts holding on the tires and pedals.
  • Your equipment is also very important. Never ride a bike without a helmet. In most states, helmets are the law and you can receive a summons if you are caught without one. The most severe and most preventable biking injuries are those to the head and there is no reason not to wear a helmet. Helmets are quite inexpensive and are an essential safety element, don?t skimp on them. Make sure your helmet fits well and is in good condition. Your helmet will make you more visible to drivers and other bikers as well as protect your head in the event of a fall. You can almost guarantee that you will crash at least once while riding a bike and if you do fall, you should replace your helmet. Be sure you wear close fitting pants or biking shorts, never ride a bike with loose pants that can become caught in the chain of your bike. If you are riding at night wear clothing with reflective strips on it. You can purchase a roll of reflective tape at your local sporting goods store and make any outfit reflect.
  • While you are riding, there are some rules of the road that you should know to observe proper etiquette in regards to motor vehicles and other bikers. Always ride with the traffic, never against it. While you should never ride in the middle of the road, you should ride near the lane, not too far into the shoulder where you may not be seen. You must always use hand signals to indicate your turns and you should always give the right of way to any pedestrians. Observe all traffic signals and remain a safe distance from any cars and bikes in front of you. Never dart in and out of traffic and never pull out from between two parked cars. Since you don?t have a horn, it is impossible to warn other drivers of your presence, so stay a safe distance away from cars and make sure drivers see you before you pull out in front of them.

    If you keep your bike and helmet in good condition, they can last for years and so can you if you follow proper safety precautions!

    Why Women Love Shoes

    Why Women Love Shoes

    WhyThe Top Ten Reasons Why Women Love Shoes so Much
    "Why do you need so many shoes?," my husband asks me, as he shakes his head and stares at my closet in disbelief.
    I start to answer him and I realize that it's one of those age old questions that men have been asking women for years. It's up there with "What's inside the women's bathroom?," and "Why do women always want to know what men are thinking?" It's not just my husband, millions of men want to know, "Why do we women need so many shoes? "

    The truth is women are in love with shoes. Let me give you the top ten reasons why.

    1. Variety - We women simply cannot wear the same shoe every day. We need change. Plus, our shoes need to match our outfits and our outfits need to match our activities and lifestyle. After all, you can't wear open toe sandals if you are going hiking in the canyons now can you? Plus, variety is the spice of life.

    2. Style - We want to look good. No, we want to look hot. No, we want to look comfortable. See what I mean? Th bottom line is that we need different styles for different looks.

    3. A Good Deal - Women are born shoppers. It is a true talent and no true shopper can turn down a good deal on a pair of shoes. That is why discount shoe stores like DSW or Shoe Pavillion are so popular. No shoe shopper work her salt can resist a pair of Manolo Blahniks marked half-off.

    4. Comfort (AKA High Heels vs. Falts) - High heel shoes look great, but let's face it, they can really hurt the tootsies! Most women I know alternate between high heels and flats. You know what that means.. more shoes!

    5. Durability - Well made shoes can last a lifetime. This is especially true if you do not wear them every day. As a result of this your shoes build up in your closet. Kinda like plaque on your teeth.

    6. Trendy - Unlike that hot pink leather skirt you partied like it's 1999 in, the shoes that you may have worn with it are still in fashion. In fact, Flashdance plastic jelly shoes have made a huge comeback. What a feeling!

    7. Stability - As the years come and go, women's clothing size may fluctuate. One year you may be a size 4 and then after a few years of stuffing krispy kreme donuts down your face, you may suddenly be a size 14. But guess what? Your shoe size will stay the same. Chances are if a woman is a size 8 shoe, she will stay a size 8. How great is that?!

    8. Options - "Should I wear my 5 inch Marc Jacobs heels today, or my 2 inch Gucci loafers?" It's a woman's fundamental right to be able to make a choice on her own footwear. In order to make those choices, women need (you guessed it) many different shoes.

    9. Collections - Some men collect playboy magazines. We women collect shoes. Enough said.

    10. Friendship - If diamonds are a girl's best friend than shoes are a woman's best friend. Shoes will always be there for her. They will never shun her or treat her wrong. They will never try to steal her boyfriend or call her fat. They will never let her down. The bottom line is a women needs as many of these friends as she can get.

    So there you have it. Now please don't get me started on purses...
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