Author: Jeff Pederson

Your fast track connection

Fit For You – Aerobic Exercise No. 5

Fit For You – No. 5

Aerobic Exercise

by Scott Rejholec

In the last article we discussed the anaerobic fuel system – a short, intense exercise that lasts from 6 seconds to 3 minutes.

If you recall, that system uses your stored carbohydrate source, glycogen, as its fuel to produce energy, adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Today we will be going over when, and how your body uses oxygen to produce ATP.

First, we need to understand that by no means are you only using one fuel system at a time. The two are always working in combination with each other.

However, depending on your intensity and duration of exercise, one fuel system will be the main provider of the ATP.

So when is our body mainly utilizing the aerobic system to provide ATP?

The answer is at rest, and during prolonged, submaximal, steady-state work. As mentioned before, our bodies are never using only one fuel system.

To get into how our bodies make energy using oxygen, it actually starts with a byproduct of glycolysis (anaerobic method of creating ATP) called pyruvate.

Without getting into too much detail, the pyruvate is transported to the mitochondria of our cells, where it enters the Krebs cycle.

This cycle is a series of reactions that continues the oxidization of pyruvate. Next, hydrogen atoms enter the Electric Transport Chain (ETC) to produce a net of 34 ATP.

If you are more interested in the specifics, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) has a lot of great information on the physiology.

It has been shown that if an individual sustains an appropriate heart rate while preforming aerobic activities, our bodies will utilize 70 percent of its fuel from stored fats, in the form of triglycerides, and 30 percent from stored carbohydrates, glycogen.

Being more efficient at burning stored fat is the most effective method of losing weight, in terms of exercise. The key is to stay at a specific intensity, and the question is then, what is my target heart rate?

An individual can find their ideal heart rate by finding their Target Heart Range (THR). THR is 50-85 percent of an individual’s heart rate max.

The first step in finding your THR is to take 220 minus your age. Then multiply that by .5 and .85 to find your range.

For instance, I am 26. 220 minus 26 equals 194. 194 is my maximum heart rate. Next, I multiply 194 by .5 to get 97, and then by .85 to get 165. Therefore, my THR is 97-165.

For those of you who have a heart condition, or high blood pressure, and are on a beta blocker, talk to your physician about your specific THR.

They will recommend that you start with the range of your resting heart rate plus 30 to 50 beats, depending on your individual condition or rhythm.

For those who are just starting to exercise, aim to maintain the lower end of your range. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that for just heart health, an individual should participate in 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic exercise.

For weight loss, 300 minutes a week is recommended. For those of you who think that 150 minutes a week is an unrealistic number, let me break it down for you.

Exercising every day of the week may be out of the question for many people. So let’s say 5 days of the week you have to get 30 minutes of aerobic exercise in a day to achieve 150 minutes. You can break that 30 minutes up into 3 sessions a day, if need be. You can take a 10 minute walk in the morning, at lunch and after dinner.

To sum up the aerobic fuel system, the duration of the exercise is longer than 3 minutes at a steady state of intensity.

Different forms of exercise are walking, jogging, biking, etc. Just as long as you don’t stop. It takes much longer to provide ATP than the anaerobic system, however it does not produce a byproduct of lactate, so we are able to maintain workloads longer.

The big take away from this article is that this type of exercise (aerobic) is crucial for heart health.

Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in the United States. We as a community need to understand this, and start taking preventive action.

You can walk, jog, or bike with a friend, neighbor, or family member. In this busy world, where we usually put ourselves last, we owe it to ourselves to live a healthier, longer, happier life.

If you have any questions, comments, or want to see a specific topic be presented in these articles please feel free to follow “Fit For You Sheboygan Falls” on Facebook as I will be posting my articles, videos and other health related topics on there.

As always, make it a great day!

 

 

 

 

May 19, 2016 / by Jeff Pederson

Pokorski Motorsports opens 2016 season with strong showing

 

Pokorski Motorsports powers to fast start

By Jeff Pederson

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 10, 2016 – After months of careful planning and meticulous preparation, Paul Pokorski put his Pokorski Motorsports team’s new 2016 Maxim to the test last Friday and Saturday night with an Interstate Racing Association (IRA) and Midwest Sprint Car Association (MSA) weekend doubleheader to open the 2016 racing season.

The new car proved to be fast right out of the box, which yielded some impressive results in the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing opener on Saturday, May 7.

“We didn’t really know what to expect with the new car, but overall I’m really pleased with how things turned out over the weekend,” Pokorski said. “The car handled really well. I couldn’t really have asked for much more from the car for our first few nights out this year.”

Pokorski wasted little time putting the car in victory lane in the PDTR opener.

After starting on the outside of the front row in the fourth sprint car heat race, Paul outpowered polesitter Brandon McMullen to take the lead in the first corner. He was never seriously challenged the rest of the way en route to the heat race victory and a spot in the A main field.

Pokorski rolled out for the 25-lap sprint car A main from the fourth starting spot. In the opening laps, Pokorski settled into the fourth position in the running order. A spin by Kevin Karnitz bunched the field on lap 5. On the restart, Pokorski fell back to sixth. However, that was short-lived, as he motored past Danny Schlafer and Tim Haddy along the inside groove to regain the fourth position by lap 7.

At the mid-way point of the race, Pokorski worked his way up to battle with polesitter Jim Melis and fifth-started Kurt Davis for second place.

However, lapped traffic started to become more of a factor as the laps wound down. With most of the field stuck to the inside lane, passing was difficult for everyone, especially for the leaders, who were looking to negotiate lapped cars in the closing laps.

Haddy battled back to pass Pokorski for fourth place with three laps to go. Pokorski held on in the closing laps to secure a strong fifth-place A main finish behind race winner Donny Goeden, Kurt Davis (second), Jim Melis (third) and Tim Haddy (fourth).

“The track took rubber, so I had to stick with running the inside lane,” Pokorski said. “It became kind of follow the leader. I don’t really like to run the bottom the whole race, but that’s how it turned out.

“Overall, I was really happy with how the car ran in the heat and the feature,” Pokorski said. “For our first time out at Plymouth this year, it was really a great night. I’m not saying it was perfect by any means, but I think we are ahead of the game right now. There are some adjustments we can make for next week, which will hopefully make the car a bit better.”

The team opened the 2016 campaign on Friday, May 6, joining up with the Interstate Racing Association for the Manitowoc Mayhem event at the Manitowoc Speedway.

Running a 360 MSA car against the high-powered 410 IRA machines on the sweeping Manitowoc Speedway third-mile track proved to be an uphill battle for the team.

After laying down the 22nd fastest qualifying lap in the 30 car IRA field, Pokorski started eighth in the first IRA heat race. He spent the early part of the race battling for position with Mike Decker, before Decker dropped out with mechanical trouble.

Pokorski’s 8th place finish in the heat race, put the car in the B main. After starting fifth in the B main, he dropped back a few positions in the opening laps to eventually post a 9th place finish, which was three spots out a transfer position for the A main.

“Because it wasn’t a points race for us, we tried some things for the IRA race at Manitowoc that we normally wouldn’t do,” Pokorski Motorsports Crew Chief Dave Schultz said. “I think it is safe to say that we won’t be making a few of those changes again. The race allowed us to get some extra laps in and at the same time we were able to learn some things not to do.”

The Pokorski Motorsports team will return to action this Saturday, May 14 in Plymouth Dirt Track Racing action at the Plymouth Dirt Track.

Pokorski Motorsports would like to direct special recognition to R&H Enterprises, Goeden’s Auto Body, Christel Sign and Goodwin Racing Engines for helping to get the team’s new 2016 Maxim on the track this season.

The Pokorski Motorsports sponsors for the 2016 season include: Allied Bearing Corporation, Behling Racing Products, The Cawley Company, Goeden’s Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Hagar’s Half-Pound Cookies, Jens, Reinbold & Pfeffer Family Funeral Services & Crematory, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak’s Service Center, Pedal Down Promotions and Tisler Salvage Inc.

For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com

PDTR racing action, which features MSA Sprint Cars, WDLMA Late Models, Grand Nationals, B Mods and Micro Sprints, starts at 6 p.m. this Saturday, May 14. Sheboygan County Fair Park is location at 229 Fairview Drive in Plymouth. For more information, visit www.plymouthdtr.com or check out Plymouth Dirt Track Racing on Facebook.

Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping its clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through press releases, newsletters, profile and feature articles, website and social media content development, printed media, editing and layout, graphic design and book publishing services.

  For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com or call 920-323-7970.

2016 Pokorski Motorsports Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, May 14- Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)

Saturday, May 21 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)

Saturday, May 28 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)

Sunday, May 29 – 141 Speedway in Francis Creek (IRA)

2016 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Events – 2

A Main Victories – 0

Top Five A Main Finishes – 1

Top 10 A Main Finishes – 1

Heat Race Victories – 1

 

May 10, 2016 / by Jeff Pederson

Pokorski Motorsports set for weekend doubleheader

 

Pokorski Motorsports preps for doubleheader weekend

By Jeff Pederson

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) May 3, 2016 – After rain put a damper on the highly anticipated 2016 season debut for Paul Pokorski Motorsports last Saturday, April 30 at the Plymouth Dirt Track, the team is looking forward to putting its brand new Maxim to the test with a pair of races this Friday and Saturday night.

On Friday, May 6, the familiar blue Pokorski Motorsports No. 4 machine will compete with the Interstate Racing Association (IRA) 410 sprint car series in the Manitowoc Mayhem event at the Manitowoc Speedway.

The event will be noteworthy for a couple of reasons, as it will mark not only the team’s first race of the 2016 season, but also the start of the final season of racing at the Manitowoc Speedway.

In January, the Manitowoc County Board approved an offer from Meijer Stores to purchase the land where the race track and grandstands are currently located. As a result, the track and grandstand will be removed at the conclusion of the 2016 season to make way for a new Meijer store.

Pokorski is looking forward to the opportunity to open the season on what the team considers its home track. The team is scheduled to make six additional appearances at Manitowoc Speedway in Midwest Sprint Car Association (MSA) action in 2016, and it also plans to compete with the IRA series at the Harbor Town Showdown event on July 1.

“We are looking at this race as another good opportunity to run at Manitowoc during its final season,” Pokorski said. “It is a bittersweet chance to run some more laps at one of my favorite race tracks.”

While the 2014 MSA Masters Series champion knows running a 360 motor against high horsepower 410s in an IRA event will be a definite challenge, he believes it will help the team prepare for future MSA events.

“Since we are using our MSA car to run with IRA, the only things we have to change are the rear tires and top wing,” Pokorski said. “Running our MSA motor puts us at a pretty big weight and horsepower disadvantage, but we look at it as a chance to learn the new car and try some things we wouldn’t want to try during an MSA points paying night.”

After competing with the IRA at Manitowoc on Friday night, the team will head to the Plymouth Dirt Track for the rescheduled Plymouth Dirt Track Racing (PDTR) season opener on Saturday, May 7.

Pokorski Motorsports would like to direct special recognition to R&H Enterprises, Goeden’s Auto Body, Christel Sign and Goodwin Racing Engines for helping to get the team’s new 2016 Maxim on the track this season.

The Pokorski Motorsports sponsors for the 2016 season include: Allied Bearing Corporation, Behling Racing Products, The Cawley Company, Goeden’s Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Hagar’s Half-Pound Cookies, Jens, Reinbold & Pfeffer Family Funeral Services & Crematory, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak’s Service Center, Pedal Down Promotions and Tisler Salvage Inc.

For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com

The Manitowoc Mayhem IRA event at the Manitowoc Speedway, which also features Sport Mods and Grand Nationals, will begin with IRA qualifying at 6:30 p.m. Pit gates open at 3 p.m. with grandstands opening at 5 p.m.

PDTR racing action, which features MSA Sprint Cars, WDLMA Late Models, Grand Nationals and B Mods, starts at 6 p.m. this Saturday, May 7. Sheboygan County Fair Park is location at 229 Fairview Drive in Plymouth. For more information, visit www.plymouthdtr.com or check out Plymouth Dirt Track Racing on Facebook.

Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping its clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through press releases, newsletters, profile and feature articles, website and social media content development, printed media, editing and layout, graphic design and book publishing services.

For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com or call 920-323-7970.

 

2016 Pokorski Motorsports Upcoming Schedule

Friday, May 6 – Manitowoc Expo Speedway (IRA)

Saturday, May 7 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)

Saturday, May 14- Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)

Saturday, May 21 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)

2016 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Race Events  A Main Victories   Top Five A Main Finishes   Heat Race Victories

0                          0                                   0                                      0

 

 

 

 

 

 

2016 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Race Events  A Main Victories   Top Five A Main Finishes   Heat Race Victories

0                          0                                   0                                      0

May 3, 2016 / by Jeff Pederson

Fit For You No. 4 by Scott Rejholec

Fit For You – No. 4

 

by Scott Rejholec

 

As mentioned in the last article, exercise can be defined as any intentional act of physical activity that induces structural stress to our body.

The result of this stress is that our body makes adaptations. Today we will be covering one fuel system that our body utilizes, called the anaerobic fuel system.

First and foremost, we need to understand what our body uses as its energy. Like a car running on gas, diesel, or even electricity, our body uses what’s called adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

There are two ways to produce ATP, anaerobically and aerobically.

So what does anaerobic mean?

Anaerobic can be defined as a process that does not require oxygen. Some of you may ask, well how does that work? We are breathing in oxygen, why wouldn’t our body utilize it?

To explain this, let me first provide some examples of exercises that fall under the anaerobic fuel system.

Sprints, high intensity intervals, and resistance training (pushing or pulling an object). There are obviously more that fall into this category, but the main point is that all of these exercises will last anywhere from 6 seconds to 3 minutes.

During this timeframe, our bodies are requiring immediate energy, because they are working at such a high level.

We can think of it as the comparison of city and highway mileage. In the city, you are going to go through more gas because of the quick stopping and accelerating.

Anaerobic exercises burn through ATP fast so it needs a quick fuel system to replenish the ATP. This method of providing the ATP is called glycolysis.

Another question arises, why wouldn’t our body always use the glycolysis method if it provides the energy, ATP, the fastest?

Unfortunately, glycolysis involves a fermentation process that breaks your stored glucose, called glycogen, down into this ATP.

Due to the fact that most of us in this community are German, I’ll use the example of making sauerkraut

When fermenting the cabbage, there is a byproduct of mold that lines the top layer. Like the byproduct of mold on the cabbage, glycolysis makes a byproduct of lactate. The accumulation of this lactate over a short period of time can result in inhibiting glycolysis, resulting in less power output and fatigue.

If enough of lactate is produced and your body has not yet built up a tolerance to it (deconditioned), it can cause an individual to get nauseated.

Of course all individuals can change that outcome. Through consistent training, an individual has the ability to increase their lactate threshold. This threshold is basically a point of how good your body is at clearing the lactate, so it does not inhibit your energy production, glycolysis.

With that being said, lactate can sound like a bad guy in a physiological perspective, but lactate has been shown to fuel the release of what’s called norepinephrine.

Norepinephrine is a hormone that has an immediate effect on making your neurons stronger. This connection helps your brain learn better and remember better, reducing the chances of developing dementia.

To sum the anaerobic fuel system up, the duration of the exercise is from 6 seconds to 3 minutes. It is a quick source of providing you fuel, adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

However, it uses glycolysis to produce the ATP, which is a fermentation process. This fermentation process creates lactate, which if an individual does not have a high tolerance of, can inhibit the production of ATP resulting in a reduction of performance.

In the next article, we will be going over the aerobic fuel system.

This fuel system is utilized when sustaining a constant workload for longer than 5 min. For instance walking, jogging, and biking.

I understand this is a lot of information to take in, but I want everyone to understand what your body is going through when you exercise.

After the next article, we will get back to the basics of how to achieve a healthier lifestyle.

If you have any questions, comments, or want to see a specific topic be presented in these articles, please feel free to email me at scottrejholec@yahoo.com or follow “Fit For You Sheboygan Falls” on Facebook, as I will be posting my articles, videos and other health related topics on there.

As always, make it a great day!

 

 

 

 

May 3, 2016 / by Jeff Pederson

Pokorski Motorsports to make 2016 debut

 

Pokorski Motorsports ready to roll for PDTR season opener

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) April 26, 2016 – After putting their new 2016 Maxim through the paces during a practice session at the Manitowoc Speedway last Saturday, Paul Pokorski and his Pokorski Motorsports team are set to fire up the 2016 Midwest Sprint Car Association (MSA) season at the Plymouth Dirt Track Racing (PDTR) opener at Sheboygan County Fair Park this Saturday, April 30.

Last Saturday’s practice offered a good opportunity for Pokorski and his crew to shake down the new car they have worked tirelessly to assemble to their liking over the past two months.

“I would say the practice was a success,” Pokorski said. “The very dry track conditions limited what we could learn about the new car, but the results to the changes we made were encouraging.”

With off-season preparations now complete, the Pokorski Motorsports team is keenly focused on this Saturday’s PDTR opener, which will kick off its 24th season of dirt track competition.

After capturing the MSA Masters Series championship in 2014 and placing second in the MSA standings in 2015, Pokorski is hoping the 2016 campaign will bring even more success.

“I am really looking forward to Saturday night’s season opener at PDTR,” Pokorski said. “The practice was a good time to make sure we hadn’t missed anything crucial on the car and to allow us to work together as a team and rehearse our routine of what we need to do to get ready to be on the track each night.”

Pokorski Motorsports would like to direct special recognition to R&H Enterprises, Goeden’s Auto Body, Christel Sign and Goodwin Racing Engines for helping to get the team’s new 2016 Maxim on the track this season.

The Pokorski Motorsports sponsors for the 2016 season include: Allied Bearing Corporation, Behling Racing Products, The Cawley Company, Goeden’s Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Hagar’s Half-Pound Cookies, Jens, Reinbold & Pfeffer Family Funeral Services & Crematory, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak’s Service Center, Pedal Down Promotions and Tisler Salvage Inc.

For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com

PDTR racing action, which features MSA Sprint Cars, WDLMA Late Models, Grand Nationals and B Mods, starts at 6 p.m. this Saturday, April 30. Sheboygan County Fair Park is location at 229 Fairview Drive in Plymouth. For more information, visit www.plymouthdtr.com or check out Plymouth Dirt Track Racing on Facebook.

Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping its clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through press releases, newsletters, profile and feature articles, website and social media content development, printed media, editing and layout, graphic design and book publishing services. For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com or call 920-323-7970.

2016 Pokorski Motorsports Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, April 30 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)

Friday, May 6 – Manitowoc Expo Speedway (IRA)

Saturday, May 7 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)

Saturday, May 14- Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)

Saturday, May 21 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)

 

2016 Pokorski Motorsports By The Numbers

Race Events  A Main Victories   Top Five A Main Finishes   Heat Race Victories

0                          0                                   0                                      0

April 26, 2016 / by Jeff Pederson

Fit for You – Article No. 3

Fit For You – No. 3

 

by Scott Rejholec

 

What is exercise, and why should I do it?

This article will kick off a three-part series on what exercise is and the two main energy systems our bodies use to fuel exercise.

Let’s start with asking this question – Exercise is good for us, right? The obvious answer is, “Yes, of course!”

In reality, exercise does cause some damage to our bodies – temporarily. Now, before anyone starts getting any ideas of using that as an excuse to not exercise, let me explain further.

To keep it simple, exercise can be defined as any intentional act of physical activity with intentional being the key word.

When our bodies go through this physical activity, we are put under a great deal of stress. When we think of stress, we think of deadlines, bills to pay, tests to take or talking in front of a group of people. This mental stress elevates our heart rate, blood pressure and makes us feel uneasy.

However, when we are exercising, we are inducing a physical stress to our bones, joints and muscles. This is how exercise does some damage to the body in the form of stress.

Fortunately for us, our bodies are unbelievably efficient at adapting to stress. When our bodies are under this physical stress, they release certain hormones that help our bodies strengthen as a result of the stress.

If we don’t provide our bodies with this necessary form of stress, a natural occurrence termed sarcopenia starts to occur in our bodies. Sarcopenia is when our bodies start to lose muscle mass. It is very similar to osteoporosis, which is the natural occurrence of the loss in bone density.

Our bodies were not meant to be stationary. They were designed to be active and to be stressed. As mentioned before, our bodies are unbelievably efficient at adapting to stress.

For instance, if we were to do the same type of exercise for more than two weeks, at the same intensity and duration, we are no longer stressing it.

By this time, our body has adapted to the stress we are inducing and no longer feels stressed. When our body doesn’t feel that physical stress, we no longer make improvements.

This is the key point. We must understand that being active and exercising are of course great things. But we need to focus on challenging ourselves. In order for us to continue to grow stronger structurally, we need to constantly surprise our bodies with a new exercise, a faster pace or a longer duration. And no, you are never too old to do something new.

With that being said, I want those of you who set goals from the last article to keep working on them. If you haven’t started yet, it’s never too late. If you’re having trouble, remember to keep focused on why you set those goals in the first place. If you have already accomplished your goal, let this article be a guide to moving you forward to the next challenge.

In the next article, we will be going over the anaerobic fuel system. This fuel system is utilized in sprints, body weight exercises and free weights.

If you have any questions, comments or want to see a specific topic be presented in these articles, please feel free to email me at scottrejholec@yahoo.com or follow “Fit For You Sheboygan Falls” on Facebook. I will be posting my articles, videos and other health-related topics there.

As always, make it a great day!

 

 

 

April 13, 2016 / by Jeff Pederson

Fit for You – Article No. 2

Fit for You – Article No. 2

 By Scott Rejholec

Hello everyone!

What comes to mind when you think about living a healthier life? Is it walking more, getting to the gym, eating better, maybe its quitting smoking?

There are a lot of thoughts and ideas on what can lead to living a healthier life. Unfortunately, the thought process of starting is the beginning and the end for many individuals.

 By the end of this article, I challenge you to write down one way you want to alter your lifestyle to live healthier.

The big question to be answered here is: Why should I live healthier? Many may say, “I’m doing just fine the way I am.” Others say, “I’m on my feet all day, or I’m active at work, I don’t need to exercise” Some may say eating healthy is “too expensive”

On the opposite spectrum, you may already be very in tune with living healthy, but may need to change things up a bit.

There is an endless list of reasons why exercising, eating healthier and taking time for yourself gets put on the backburner.

I’ll be the first one to admit that there are many times I personally reason with myself that I’m too tired to exercise, or I justify why eating a pint of Ben and Jerrys in one sitting is no big deal.

By no means am I suggesting that any one person should, or has to be perfect. However, in life we need a good balance of doing what we sometimes justify is right, and what is actually right for our body.

Let’s look at the example of your body as a car. We need to consistently tune our car to keep it running well. Whether it is putting in the right fuel, changing the oil or rotating the tires.

Like a car, your body needs the proper amount of appropriate movement, fuel and maintenance to run properly and ultimately longer.

I am a firm believer in setting realistic goals. Without goals, it is extremely easy to just go with the flow of life until you realize that you need to get back into the swing of things.

With that being said, right now, write down one goal for yourself or your family and put a time stamp on it.

Don’t delay this process, the thoughts are in your head now, so write one down!

A good tip is to put that goal somewhere you are going to see it daily. If you consistently see your goal, you will be less likely to allow it to be just a thought.

Whether you find motivation in looking or feeling better for yourself, beating your personal record in any one thing, living longer with your spouse, or seeing your kids and grandkids grow up, I’m challenging you right now to start making the commitment to living a healthier lifestyle.

As a conclusion to this article, I want to remind you that we are only here for a little while, so let’s make the most of every day and live a longer, healthier, happier life together

After all, life really is too precious.

Starting with the next article, we will be diving into more specifics on what exercise is.

 If you have any questions, comments, or want to see a specific topic be presented in these articles please feel free to email me at scottrejholec@yahoo.com or follow “Fit For You Sheboygan Falls” on Facebook as I will be posting my articles, videos and other health related topics on there.

As always, make it a great day!

April 4, 2016 / by Jeff Pederson

Fit For You, Sheboygan Falls

Fit for You, Sheboygan Falls

By Scott Rejholec

 Hello everyone! My name is Scott Rejholec.

Starting this week, I will be writing bi-weekly articles on health-related topics. Born and raised in Sheboygan Falls, I know there is a strong sense of community within this city.

With that strong sense of community, I want to make sure that we are as healthy and active as possible and that we do it together. That being said, I want to share my knowledge and experience with you so that we as a community can be healthier together.

My background in health and fitness started as a master personal trainer. I became certified at the National Personal Training Institute in Orlando, Florida in 2009.

For six years, I was fortunate enough to be a lead boot camp instructor, sports performance coach, and a one-on-one personal trainer at a health club in Grafton, called Form and Fitness.

I have a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from UW-Milwaukee, and I currently work at Aurora Health Center in Grafton as an exercise physiologist in cardiac-pulmonary rehab.

What topics are going to be in this article you may ask? Some examples include the basics of what exercise is, how to set realistic goals, quick and safe workouts at home, exercises to relieve or prevent bad backs and interval training.

Other topics regarding your body are contributing risk factors that lead to heart disease, blood pressure, cholesterol, cleanses, how to effectively manage COPD and much more.

Whether you are a marathon runner, a high school athlete, a casual walker or maybe not interested in health at all, these articles will be interesting and informative.

My goal is that we as a community can live a longer, healthier, and happier life.

If you have any questions, comments, or want to see a specific topic be presented in these articles please feel free to email me at scottrejholec@yahoo.com or follow “Fit For You Sheboygan Falls” on Facebook, as I will be posting my articles, videos and other health related topics on there.

As always, make it a great day!

 

March 19, 2016 / by Jeff Pederson

Pokorski Motorsports gears up for 2016 season

Pokorski Motorsports to debut new car in 2016!    

With a racing resume that features four series championships and 44 A-main victories over a span of 23 seasons, Paul Pokorski and his Pokorski Motorsports team is set to enter the 2016 campaign as one of the most experienced, consistent and successful teams currently competing regularly with the Eastern Wisconsin-based Midwest Sprint Car Association series.
Regardless of the team’s past accomplishments, the start of a new season always brings a feeling of high anticipation and excitement for Pokorski and his crew.
The upcoming 2016 season figures to be no different, especially considering the fact that the team will be campaigning a brand new Maxim chassis.
“We decided to go with something different this year,” Pokorski said. “The last several years, we’ve been running a 2011 J&J chassis and we’ve done really well with it, winning the MSA championship in 2014 and picking up several A-main victories along the way. Prior to that, we ran a 2007 Stealth chassis for a number of years, which also worked well for us as we moved from the winged super modifieds into the sprint cars in 2007.
“Coming off the championship year in 2014, I would say last year was okay for us, but I think there is definitely plenty of room for improvement,” he said. “The new car has slightly different geometry with a 39-inch setback, while our J&J has a 40-inch setback. The weight distribution will be a bit different. We will definitely be learning as we go along.”
The arrival of the new chassis will have the team working even harder than normal to prepare for the new MSA season, which is scheduled to kick off Saturday, April 30 at the Plymouth Dirt Track, located on the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wis.
“March and April are going to busy for us getting the car ready to go for the first night at Plymouth on April 30th,” Pokorski said. “I have a really good, dedicated crew, so I am confident that everything is going to come together nicely and we will be ready right out of the gate.
“Maxim is probably the most common type of chassis out there right now, so this is going to give us an idea of what everyone else is feeling,” he said. “We have a real good group of sponsors this year and with a few more resources to work with, we hope that will help us to speed up the learning process. ”
Dave Schultz, who has served as Pokorski’s crew chief since the team burst onto the racing scene in 1993, is equally optimistic about the 2016 campaign.
“Although there will be a learning curve with the chassis change, we will be striving to gain knowledge about the new car and make it the best that it can be throughout the course of the season,” Schultz said. “We will be documenting all of the set-ups and changes made on the car to hopefully gain speed as the season moves along.”
Following a stellar 2014 season in which the team captured its first MSA title, last year the team finished second in the MSA standings to Brandon McMullen. Pokorski Motorsports was also fourth in the final standings at the Plymouth Dirt Track and sixth in the season standings at the Manitowoc County Expo Speedway.
“We won one A-main last year, which came at Manitowoc,” Pokorski said. “Really when looking back at it, aside from that A-Main win, we had a terrible year at Manitowoc. Every night something seemed to go wrong. At Plymouth, we did pretty well. It wasn’t really spectacular, but we managed to stay out of trouble for the most part and get some good finishes. We didn’t have to work on the car a bunch after the races, which is always a good thing.”
Looking ahead to the 2016 season, Pokorski plans to again contest the entire 31-race MSA series schedule, which includes events at the Plymouth Dirt Track at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds, Manitowoc County Expo Speedway, Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie and the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam.
Pokorski is also looking to compete in a handful of races with the Interstate Racing Association (IRA) 410 sprint car series this year, including events at Manitowoc Expo Speedway and 141 Speedway in Francis Creek.
“We are planning to run the two races at Manitowoc and also the two at 141,” Pokorski said. “I really enjoy racing at Manitowoc and with it being the last year for the track, I certainly want to race there as much as I can this year, including with the IRA.”
The Pokorski Motorsports sponsors for the 2016 season include: Allied Bearing Corporation, Behling Racing Products, The Cawley Company, Goeden’s Auto Body, Goodwin Racing Engines, Hagar’s Half-Pound Cookies, Jens, Reinbold & Pfeffer Family Funeral Services & Crematory, Kettle Moraine Landscaping, Novak’s Service Center, Pedal Down Promotions and Tisler Salvage Inc.
For more information on Pokorski Motorsports, check out Pokorski Motorsports on Facebook or visit www.pedaldownpromotions.com

2016 Pokorski Motorsports Schedule

Saturday, April 30 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, May 6 – Manitowoc Expo Speedway (IRA)
Saturday, May 7 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, May 14- Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, May 21 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, May 28 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Sunday, May 29 – 141 Speedway in Francis Creek (IRA)
Friday, June 3 – Manitowoc Expo Speedway (MSA)
Saturday, June 4 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, June 11- Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, June 18 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, June 24 – Manitowoc County Expo Speedway (MSA)
Saturday, June 25 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, July 1 – Manitowoc County Expo Speedway (IRA)
Saturday, July 2 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, July 8 – Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam (MSA)
Saturday, July 9 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, July 15 – Manitowoc County Expo Speedway (MSA)
Saturday, July 16 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, July 23 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, July 29 – Manitowoc County Expo Speedway (MSA)
Saturday, July 30 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, August 5 – Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam (MSA)
Saturday, August 6 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, August 13 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Sunday, August 14 – Angel Park Speedway in Sun Prairie (MSA)
Saturday, August 20 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Wednesday, August 24 – Manitowoc Expo Speedway (MSA)
Saturday, August 27 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, September 2 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Saturday, September 3 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Sunday, September 4 – 141 Speedway in Francis Creek (IRA) (tentative)
Saturday, September 10 – Plymouth Dirt Track (MSA)
Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17 – Fall Invitational -Track To Be Determined (MSA)
Saturday, October 1 – Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam (MSA)
Saturday, November 12 – MSA Banquet at Racers Hall in Plymouth

All scheduled race dates subject to change without notice

By the Numbers
23 seasons of Pokorski Motorsports

Series Championships – 4
2003-Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Winged Super Modified champion
2004-Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Winged Super Modified champion
2006 Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Winged Super Modified champion
2014-Midwest Sprint Car Association champion

Rookie of the Year Award – 1
2008-Midwest Sprint Car Association Rookie of the Year

A-Main/Feature Victories – 44
35 EWSC Winged Super Modified victories
9 MSA sprint car victories

B-Main/Semi-Feature Victories – 19

Heat Race Victories – 71

Total Race Victories – 134

Fast Qualifier Awards – 5

Hard Charger Awards – 3

Clean Sweeps – 11
Manitowoc (5), Plymouth (4), Luxemburg (1), Beaver Dam (1)

Year-by-Year Results

EWSC Winged Super Modified
1993-33rd in points, 1 heat race win, Rookie of the Year Runner-Up
1994-26th in points, 1 heat race win
1995-20th in points
1996-11th in points, 2 feature wins, 2 heat race wins
1997-8th points, 2 feature wins, 2 heat race wins, 1 fast time
1998-11th in points, 1 feature win, 2 heat race wins, 1 semi-feature win, 1 fast time
1999-3rd in points, 1 feature win, 3 heat race wins
2000-4th in points, 1 feature win, 3 semi-feature wins, 8 heat race wins
2001-4th in points, 1 feature win, 2 semi-feature wins, 4 heat race wins
2002-2nd in points, 3 feature wins, 1 semi-feature win, 4 heat race wins, 1 fast time
2003-Series points champion, 6 feature wins, 5 heat wins, season hard charger
2004-Series points champion, 2 feature wins, 2 heat wins, 1 fast time, season hard charger-completed every lap throughout the season
2005-2nd points, 5 feature wins, 4 heat race wins,
2006-Series points champion, 10 feature wins, 5 heat race wins
2007-1 feature victory in 6 races (partial season)

MSA Sprint Car
2007-2 A-main wins, 1 heat race win in 8 races (partial season)
2008-9th in points, 1 A main win, 2 B main wins, 4 heat wins,
MSA Rookie of the Year
2009-4th in points, 1 A main win, 3 B main wins, 5 heat race wins
2010-6th in points, 1 A main win, 2 B main victories, 4 heat wins
2011-7th in points, 2 B main wins, 2 heat race wins, first year without an A main/feature victory since 1995 (15 years)
2012-5th in points, 1 A main win, 1 B main win, 4 heat wins
2013-8th in points, 2 B main wins, 2 heat race wins, 1 fast time
2014-MSA Masters Series champion, 2 A main wins, 3 heat wins,
Season hard charger
2015-2nd in points, 1 A main win, 3 heat wins

March 15, 2016 / by Jeff Pederson

Pedal Down Promotions gets on track to form connections to success

In today’s fast-paced, high-tech, information-driven society, forging an effective connection with a finely-tuned target audience can carve out the key to success in business creation, event planning, fundraising, product promotion, marketing, public relations and media campaigns.

Founded by experienced newspaper journalist Jeff Pederson, Pedal Down Promotions-Your Fast Track Connection is geared up to provide all of the promotional content and materials businesses, non-profit organizations, schools, government entities and creative individuals need to spread the good word about their plans, accomplishments, endeavors, hopes and dreams – past, present and future.

Pedal Down Promotions – Your Fast Track Connection provides a wide range of promotional services, including detailed profiles of your business, school or non-profit organization; news releases; newsletters; photography; video presentations and social media content, development and updates.

Pederson, who has 21 years of experience serving the communication needs of the community as a newspaper journalist and editor, has the capability to utilize a broad range of media to present the message of Pedal Down Promotions clientele.

News releases, newsletters, photos and videos can be featured on clients’ website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube social media platforms, as well as Pedal Down Promotions website, social media and YouTube outlets.

Additional connections can be facilitated for inclusion of all promotional elements in newspapers, magazines, websites and other media outlets.

Pederson began his journalism career as a public relations writer for the Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car races in Plymouth in 1994. After sending out news releases on the results of each week’s races in 1994, Pederson introduced a weekly local auto racing column in The Sheboygan Press in May 1995, which was the first of its kind in the long history of the daily publication.

Over the past 21 years, Pederson has gained a wide-range of communication, writing and public relations experience as a sports correspondent at the Sheboygan Press, sports writer and editor at the Chilton Times-Journal and as the editor of The Sheboygan Falls News.

“I have enjoyed writing articles about a wide variety of people, places and things and the response to these articles have been overwhelmingly positive,” Pederson said. “One of the most successful and rewarding aspects of my newspaper reporting career has been the articles I have written for local businesses, as well as community-based civic organizations, schools and government entities.

“In particular, the business profiles I have written has been met with overwhelmingly positive responses and have worked to connect businesses with new customers who may have not known the business even existed,” he said. “The key to these articles has been presenting the business in a personal way. Describing the background of the business owner and possibly even the managers and employees works to give the business a personality and human factor that works to form a connection with potential customers.”

A down-to-earth, personalized approach serves as the foundational centerpiece in all of Pedal Down Promotions’ objectives in assisting clients.

“After writing hundreds of articles promoting business openings, relocation and expansion, I have realized that many businesses are in need of a more personal touch in promoting themselves and the products and services that they offer,” Pederson said. “In today’s modern internet and social media driven world, businesses can promote themselves through their own platforms including websites, as well as various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc.

“I believe many businesses would benefit from a service which provides them with a comprehensive profile of their products and services while also presenting their background, goals and ambitions in a personal way with a distinct human touch,” he said.

For more information on how to get your business, organization, event, team or idea into the fast lane to success, contact Jeff Pederson at 920-323-7970, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, website www.pedaldownpromotions.com or the Pedal Down Promotions Facebook page.

December 8, 2015 / by Jeff Pederson