Archive for March, 2012
Yoga: Separating fact from fiction
Posted: March 19, 2012 at 3:17 pm
In the chapters between, he tries to parse fact from fiction, true health benefits from hype: Can yoga cure depression? Cause weight loss? Improve sex? Help arthritis? Diabetes? Rotator cuff injuries? Can it bolster creativity? Cause strokes?
It's about time that such an analysis was done, says Broad, himself a longtime yoga aficionado, given the flourishing, unregulated yoga industry, with growing legions of toddlers doing downward-facing dog and moms sweating in steamy Bikram yoga studios.
The two halves of my own brain approached this book with contradictory feelings. I've practiced yoga for nearly three decades, after discovering early on that it reduced my writer's shoulder aches by making me mindful that I was scrunching up my muscles. I love my weekly class with one of the deans of yoga in this region, Hari Zandler, who has studied with great gurus in India. I credit the strength of my back, my good balance, and my flexibility to his teachings.
I didn't want to read a book that undermined my convictions. And I worried it would take some of the rosy afterglow out of the experience.
On the other hand, as former medical editor of The Inquirer, I should be open-minded to what science has found, another part of my brain argued.
Dutifully, I read on. As feared, there's some bad news.
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David McCann talks 2012 goals and retirement – Video
Posted: at 11:27 am
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David McCann talks 2012 goals and retirement - Video
Tsawwassen woman invents new workout tool
Posted: at 11:25 am
A local personal trainer has developed what is being hailed by some as one of the best new training tools on the market.
Born and raised in Tsawwassen, Sara Shears has spent almost 20 years working as a personal trainer. However, about three years ago she partnered with a client to develop Ugi - an all-in-one training tool that takes you from warmup to cardio, strength conditioning, balance work and cool down. All in 30 minutes and anywhere you can find a spot.
The portable Ugi ball allows users to get in a work out whenever and wherever they can. Shears says she wanted to create a workout that mimicked what she was doing in the studio with her clients, which requires multiple pieces of equipment.
"I wanted to create that style of training and find a piece of equipment that people could have at home."
Shears says it was about three years ago when she partnered with designer Melanie Finkelman, who was also a client, to design Ugi. She was inspired by an old piece of equipment at the gym - a medicine ball. The ball had a split seam, which made it more pliable, and Shears started using it because of the weight component. The idea for Ugi, which has the squish of a bean bag, the bounce-back of a stress ball and the benefit of a weight, was born.
Shears says she and Finkelman started research and development of Ugi two and a half years ago and launched their product for sale in November 2010. In addition to developing the equipment, Shears also developed a 30-minute program that incorporates a series of one-minute exercises that are efficient enough to produce results. The Ugi comes with a fiveday a week training program, an instructional DVD, workout guide and a nutritional guide.
On the market for around a year and a half, the Ugi is getting noticed.
Shears, along with Finkelman and third partner Debra Karby, made a pitch on the CBC show Dragon's Den (they turned down an offer from Dragon Arlene Dickinson because she wanted too large a stake in the company). Ugi has appeared in Shape and Fitness magazine, on QVC, an online shopping site, and was listed as the number one training tool on Yahoo.
Shears says they also recently launched an app to help Ugi users stay on track during their workouts.
"It's your personal trainer at home," she says.
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Tsawwassen woman invents new workout tool
Restless employees looking to quit even during a slowdown
Posted: at 11:25 am
By Chuang Peck Ming
THE economic slowdown doesn't seem to have calmed the restlessness of workers.
More than half - 57.9 per cent - of employees surveyed recently in Singapore by recruitment firm Ambition said they plan to change jobs this year, at least when market conditions allow.
Next to pay, the survey found career and personal development to be the key in attracting and retaining workers. Yet three in five of the employees surveyed complained they are not provided enough training and development to be equipped for career progression. And the most unhappy are managers.
The workers in the survey cut across many job functions at all levels. The itch to job-hop despite the sluggish economic growth is also seen in Ambition's recruitment work here in recent months.
'Candidate flow remains consistent and with bonuses being paid out in the first quarter, we anticipate movement and spike in recruitment levels as we progress through the first quarter and into the second quarter,' says Paul Endacott, the firm's managing director in Singapore. 'We also expect clients to be taking advantage of up-skilling during this period and have seen an increased demand for contractors.'
Even as hirings are tipped to dip as the economy shifts to lower gear, the labour market has stayed tight.
The year that just ended saw the jobless rate falling to a 14-year low of 2.0 per cent. Yet there are growing signs that bosses are wary of taking on more workers. Virtually all the employers - 96.7 per cent - Ambition surveyed said they are hit by sluggish global demand. One in five sees a business downswing. A large number of employees actually shared the view.
Some 41.9 per cent of the workers have lowered their pay expectations to a 3-5 per cent raise in 2012. That's not far from the percentage - 50 per cent - of employers who expect to pay that much. Half the workers polled think bonus will only be under 10 per cent of base pay this year, while 46 per cent of the bosses thought that's about right given the poorer business. So employers and employees see eye to eye when it comes to pay and bonuses, which should make everyone happy.
Yet the survey shows more than half of the workers want to quit, when they should want to hold on to their jobs for dear life - in fact, only 10 per cent of the workers think it's easy to find a new job in today's market conditions.
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Restless employees looking to quit even during a slowdown
How education apps have become a priority for AT&T
Posted: at 11:24 am
Want some heavy support for your app? It may pay to invest in the education area.
Developers with education app ideas will find a sympathetic ear at AT&T.
The company plans to spur the development of apps that will help improve the state of education, and is planning an education-centric "hackathon" contest in June to find the smartest apps. The idea is to bring the Internet, video, social media, and the concept of "gamification" to the learning process.
It's part of a broader push by AT&T to improve the quality of education, and is a big personal cause for CEO Randall Stephenson. The company said today it plans to invest $250 million over the next five years to improving education. Part of that money will go to its AT&T Foundry, which will look into tapping new ways to teach students.
That's badly needed, as one in four students in the U.S.--or 1 million in total--drop out each year, according to a report by the Civic Enterprises, the Everyone Graduates Center, America's Promise Alliance, and the Alliance for Excellent Education (AT&T is the lead sponsor of the report).
While there has been a ton of focus on games, photo filters, and other different kinds of apps, there isn't as much energy put into education. AT&T is hoping to change that with its investment. The company plans to use its Foundry facilities to foster the development of education-centric apps.
In addition, the company has used hackathons to promote app development in specific areas, and could see a lot of interest in education with its contest in June.
AT&T would be following several players that have made similar pushes. Blackboard, for instance, has long worked on educational tools on the mobile platform. Its BlackBoard Mobile Learn application allows students and faculties to access their course, content, and organizations.
Tech luminaries Bill Gates and Eric Schmidt, meanwhile, have put their resources behind Sal Khan and his Khan Academy, a free online tutoring site that includes a mobile app.
For AT&T, this represents an additional level of investment in the area. The company has invested more than $100 million in education under its AT&T Aspire program since 2008.
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How education apps have become a priority for AT&T
Appointment Book
Posted: at 9:50 am
- Plasha Yoga's 10-week Spring Yoga Session runs from March 19 to May 26, Plasha Yoga and Life Coaching Center, 4508 Zuck Road. $110; payment plans and prorating available for fewer classes; discounts for couples and multiple classes. Call 864-1114 to register. For details, visit http://www.plashayoga.com. Classes include:
-- Mondays: Beyond Beginners, 10 to 11:30 a.m. and 7:15 to 8:45 p.m.; Basic and Beyond (new students), 5:30 to 7 p.m.
-- Tuesdays: Beyond Beginners, 5:30 to 7 p.m.; Restorative and Mindfulness Yoga, 7:15 to 8:30 p.m.
-- Wednesdays: Beyond Beginners, 10 to 11:30 a.m.; Multi-Level Flow, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
-- Thursdays: Beyond Beginners, 5:30 to 7 p.m.; Gentle Beginners, 7:15 to 8:30 p.m.
--- Saturdays: Beyond Beginners, 10:30 a.m. to noon
- Lifeworks Erie, 406 Peach St., formerly Erie Center on Health and Aging, is offering the following classes. To register, visit http://www.lifeworkserie.org or call 459-4132.
-- Yin Yoga, Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m., until May 11. This method of yoga is appropriate for the aging body, although the practice is for anyone at any age. It targets bones and joints and is healing for the supportive connective tissue particularly in the hips, pelvis and lower spine.
-- The Practice of Meditation and Mindfulness Series, Monday, March 19, 6:30 p.m. Explore the various methods of meditation, representative of different religions, with focus on Christian meditation, and discussion of mindfulness.
- Movement Therapy and Rolfing, Tuesday, March 20, 6 p.m., Whole Foods Co-op, 1341 W. 26th St. Class will address how movement therapies can help with chronic pain. Free; call 456-0282 to reserve a spot. For more information, call Jeff Castle certified Rolfer, at (716) 753-6028.
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Appointment Book
My Intro Health and Fitness – Video
Posted: at 9:49 am
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My Intro Health and Fitness - Video
Working out in the early hours
Posted: at 9:49 am
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Night owls, insomniacs, shift workers and other denizens of the dark are finding less need to fit their workout time into the nine-to-five world.
More gyms are remaining open round the clock, experts say, spurred by advances in surveillance and security technology, clients' ever more fluid work habits and a generation of multi-tasking consumers.
"A lot of people work untraditional times and they take advantage of clubs open at all hours," said Carl Liebert, CEO of 24 Hour Fitness, an international chain of health clubs, most of them open around the clock.
Liebert said his 30-year-old chain has seen an increase in after-hours traffic, with five to 15 percent of clients, depending on location, working out between midnight and 5:00 a.m.
"I think people have changed," he said. "They're online; they're connected day and night. When I grew up I went to bed at night and got up in the morning. Between those times I wasn't multitasking."
Liebert said common night visitors include people who work out to relieve stress, insomniacs, and hard-core fitness fanatics who wouldn't miss a workout and prefer a gym less crowded.
The number of health clubs open 24 hours has soared from just couple hundred five years ago to more than 2,000 today, according to IHRSA, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, a trade association of fitness facilities.
Spokesperson Meredith Poppler said while most club goers still work out during regular hours, technology has enabled small, often rural, clubs to operate overnight, and sometimes unstaffed.
"Cameras on the doors, cameras in the clubs, safety buttons each member carries set them apart," said Poppler. "Many of the operators are in the clubs at certain times of days, but other times the clubs are truly unstaffed."
Access is granted via a swipe card or key fob.
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Working out in the early hours
How health care law affects lives of 7 Americans
Posted: at 9:49 am
CHICAGO (AP) A father lost his job at a medical device company that is facing a new tax. A young woman got back on her parents' insurance and was able to get surgery for an injury that could have hobbled her. A part-time sales woman stopped putting off a colonoscopy and cancer screenings and saved nearly $3,000 because health plans now must pay for preventive care without co-pays. A business owner received a tax rebate for providing health coverage to her employees.
As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, The Associated Press spoke with a variety of people to hear their experiences so far with the landmark legislation, whose major provisions don't take effect until 2014. Reporters asked: How has the health care law affected your life?
Here are snapshots of seven Americans:
___
Name: Michael Esch
Home: Warwick, N.Y.
Age: 48
Occupation: Former middle manager for medical device company, now working as a hospital purchasing agent.
Insurance coverage: Paying out of his own pocket for COBRA insurance through his former company.
Esch, a father of three, lost his job in November in a layoff his employer said resulted from President Barack Obama's health care law. Medical device maker Stryker Corp. announced in November it intended to lay off 1,000 workers worldwide to save money ahead of a 2.3 percent tax on medical devices that starts in 2013.
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How health care law affects lives of 7 Americans
Retirement Reactions – Video
Posted: at 9:49 am
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Retirement Reactions - Video