GRANDVILLE, MI -- What once began as an ad on Craigslist has transformed into a newly-opened yoga studio near RiverTown Crossings.

Vida Yoga Studio, 4365 Canal Ave., opened last week after owner Jen Wittlinger and her friend, Jami Kok, dreamed up the idea over coffee in January.

Its been a labor of love and Im grateful for all the support of our friends and family, Wittlinger said.

The word Vida means life. Wittlinger hopes her yoga studio will bring just that to everyone who walks through its doors.

I want to take any insecurities out of yoga and just have people try it, she said. To get into yourself.

Vida Yoga offers a variety of classes geared toward experienced yoga enthusiasts, as well as those who have never heard the word, Namaste, a common yoga term meaning true self.

Wittlinger will teach beginners the dos and donts of yoga during the Never Ever yoga class on Thursday evenings.

Well be sitting down and Ill give the basic yoga 101 class think of it as yoga etiquette, she said. Yoga is for everyone its for the athlete and the dreamer. Its a great place to start.

For those more experienced in yoga, there are six various classes, including Vida Sunrise, a morning session where tea and coffee are provided after class, as well as Rock Your Vida, a powerful class that turns on the heat and the music.

Prices range from $14 for a one-time class up to $99 for 10 classes, in addition to monthly and yearly membership discounts.

Link:
Vida Yoga opens in Grandville to entice beginners and devotees

A new yoga studio set to open in Lexington Center later this fall will be the first to benefit from amended zoning regulations allowing group fitness establishments in second-floor locations in Lexingtons Center Business District.

Yolanda Taylor of Lexington and Jillian McDonough of Woburn are planning to open Lexington Power Yoga on Oct. 1 at 1762 Massachusetts Ave.

We have a focus and a drive to cater to the community, and we want the community involved, McDonough said. The difference between our yoga studio and others, that I think people will see immediately, is we want to provide a place that is clean and comfortable for people to go to.

Unexpected partnership

Originally, Taylor and McDonough were each independently looking to open a yoga studio in Lexington Center.

Taylor said she looked at several first-floor locations before she learned about a zoning change that would her to explore second-floor locations, which proved much more affordable.

I had looked at one pretty seriously and it was just hard to justify economically because it was basically double the price on the first floor, she said. Yoga isnt something you are kind of casually walking down the street and say, Oh, I think I might do some yoga in my jeans. So you dont need the first-floor location as much.

After months of searching for the right location, both Taylor and McDonough settled on a spot above Rancatores Ice Cream at the corner of Mass. Ave. and Waltham Street. Rather than bid against each other, they decided to become business partners.

It thankfully so happened that we crossed paths before both of us signed the lease, McDonough said.

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Yoga studio to open in Lexington Center

Washington, DC (PRWEB) September 17, 2012

Fitness Together, Inc was awarded the "Best of the Best" designation by Follow Media Consulting, Inc. for excellence in the field of personal fitness in the Washington, DC metro area in the categories of Fitness Fairfax VA, Gym in Fairfax and Fairfax Fitness.

Established in 1996, Fitness Together Franchise Corporation has led the industry for one-on-one personal fitness training. Whether clients are looking to lose weight, tone and tighten muscles or simply work toward better health, Fitness Together pairs clients with a personal trainer in a private setting equipped with a workout plan tailored just for them. The reason why they have such great results is very simple. Fitness Together provides a private, personal and complete approach. No shortcuts. No gimmicks.

Named one of the best SEO Companies by Jonas Marketing, Follow Media Consulting, Inc. is a rapidly growing worldwide firm of SEO, Social Media, and Mobile Marketing Professionals. Follow Media Consulting, Inc. headquarters is located in Richmond, VA. However, our professional team is networked across the world, with regional offices across the United States, in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, South Africa, the Philippines, and India.

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Fitness Fairfax VA and Gym in Fairfax "Best of the Best" Awarded to Fitness Together for Excellence in the Field of ...

SAN RAMON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

24 Hour Fitness, one of the nations leading fitness club chains, is excited to announce the much-anticipated grand opening of its first club in Virginia, located at 1000 E. Broad Street in the City of Falls Church on Friday, Sept. 21 at 6:00 a.m. To celebrate, a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on opening day at 9:00 a.m., hosted by 24 Hour Fitness president and CEO Carl Liebert alongside special guest Falls Church Mayor Nader Baroukh.

24 Hour Fitness is proud to become a member of the Falls Church community and serve as not only a fitness resource for the thousands of people who call it home, but also as a role model for helping people live active, healthy lives, said Dan Benning, division president, 24 Hour Fitness. We are thrilled to have received such a warm welcome and look forward to supporting the fitness goals of this community for many years to come.

As an avid supporter of military personnel and their families, 24 Hour Fitness will also present 100 memberships to the National Military Family Association during the ribbon cutting ceremony. The association is dedicated to improving lives of military families of all ranks and service branches.

24 Hour Fitness invites the community to experience the new club and join the following festivities on Sept. 21:

We are excited that our residents now have a brand new fitness club available to help them pursue healthy and active lifestyles, said Mayor Nader Baroukh. With the arrival of a fitness leader like 24 Hour Fitness, were proud to demonstrate that the City of Falls Church is a great community to not only live, but also an ideal place to establish and grow a business.

Additionally, in honor of the local community, 24 Hour Fitness will donate $13,000 in sporting equipment to Baileys Community Center in partnership with Good Sports. Hundreds of pieces of equipment including basketballs, baseball gear, helmets, nets, soccer equipment, sport uniforms, volleyballs and more will be made available to approximately 150 children and teenagers who use the center each day. Baileys Community Center is operated by the Fairfax County Department of Community and Recreation and hosts activities for county residents of all ages including senior programs, after-school activities, youth mentoring and tutoring programs, health and technology classes, prevention programs and sports.

We know this is a community with deep respect for our nations heritage and history, which 24 Hour Fitness also shares through our support of youth, families, and the thousands of men and women in the U.S. armed services, said Carl Liebert, president and CEO, 24 Hour Fitness. We are honored that the City of Falls Church joins us for this milestone celebration. Our grand opening marks our first club in Virginia and the start of many years supporting fitness in this community.

Darren Bluffin, a 14-year veteran of 24 Hour Fitness, will oversee more than 100 team members as club manager of the more than 48,000 square foot club. The club will feature a wide variety of amenities and fitness resources for members and guests to enjoy, including:

For more information about memberships, club amenities, group exercise classes, personal training services and more, guests are welcome to stop by the new 24 Hour Fitness Falls Church Super-Sport club or visit 24hourfitness.com.

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24 Hour Fitness Opens First Club in Virginia and Hosts Grand Opening on Sept. 21

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Fitbit, the market leader in the Digital Health & Fitness category, unveiled two new trackers today, the Fitbit Zip Wireless Activity Tracker and the Fitbit One Activity + Sleep Trackerreinventing the category once again. The first all-day digital health & fitness trackers to offer Bluetooth 4.0/Smart compatibility, Zip and One have been redesigned to fit more seamlessly into peoples everyday lives, making it easier than ever to count steps taken, distance traveled and calories burned, track your fitness trends, challenge and share with others, and earn fitness badges.

In addition to the two new trackers, Fitbit also released an updated iPhone app to allow these trackers to sync through Bluetooth Smart devices, like the iPhone 4S. The free Fitbit app, available on all iPhones and Android devices, now allows you to track activity charts and leaderboards and log food and other workouts on the go. Starting in October, your fitness stats will sync automatically to notify you when you are near or meet your daily goals and share your standings on fitness challenges in real time. Like earlier Fitbit trackers, Zip and One also wirelessly and automatically upload your information to any computer for deeper insight and more information.

People are growing increasingly aware about how little we move and how we need to move more throughout the day, said James Park, CEO and founder of Fitbit. Fitbit is dedicated to helping people achieve health and fitness with products that are well designed, beautiful, easy, and fit seamlessly into their lives. To get people moving, we know that people want a tracker that will accurately inform and motivate them to move throughout the day. We are launching Zip and One to encourage our users to get fitin their own way.

Zip is offered in retail stores and at Fitbit.com for $59.95; One, which will replace the best-selling Ultra, will be available for sale later this fall at $99.95.

Add a Little Zip to Your Step

Available in five bright colors, Zip makes fitness fun for everyone and is priced to be the perfect gift for yourself or a fitness friend. Zip captures and provides your everyday activity stats in real time, including steps taken, distance traveled and calories burned, to encourage you to walk more and be more active, wherever you are. About the size of a quarter, Zip easily slips into your pocket for the day and comes with a small silicone clip that the Zip tracker snaps into and can be clipped snugly onto the inside or outside of your clothes.

Fitbit Zip features and benefits include:

Tracking Day and Night. All in One.

The Fitbit One Wireless Activity + Sleep Tracker is the redesigned flagship product that encourages people to be more active and helps them learn how to sleep bettertwo keys to a healthy, active life. It tracks steps, distance, calories burned, even stairs climbed, and also monitors how long and how well you sleep. The Fitbit One also has a Silent Wake alarm that gently vibrates when worn on your wrist at night to wake you without waking your sleep partner.

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Fitbit Gets People Moving With Launch of Two New Digital Health Trackers

Retirement! For many, the very word conjures up images of freedom an escape from the demands and drudgery of work; a chance to travel and pursue much neglected avocations; and the time to really enjoy the company of family and friends.

Retirement is supposed to be an exciting new stage of adventure and self-determination. Unfortunately, the reality is both different and much more complex.

In two groundbreaking studies, Ameriprise Financial, a major U.S. financial planning firm, found that retirement is not an end state but more of a series of separate and foreseeable stages through which people move. Understanding and planning for the challenges posed by this odyssey can improve the odds of having a successful journey. Here are the six stages:

Imagination

This stage occurs anywhere 6 to 15 years before the planned date of retirement. People begin to envision being retired even while they are busy with other priorities such a launching their children and paying down their mortgages.

Generally speaking, their outlook is optimistic and enthusiastic, even adventurous, as a picture of retirement begins to form in their minds.

Hesitation

In Ameriprises original study in 2005, this stage didnt exist. However, their 2010 study found that a new stage of worry and hesitation emerges 3 to 5 years before retirement, a consequence of the market meltdown during the global credit crisis.

With retirement approaching, people begin to worry about their preparedness and many begin more detailed planning, often with a financial advisor. The question will we have enough becomes paramount.

Anticipation

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The odyssey of retirement planning

(BERLIN) - Europe can only exert an influence on the world stage if it speaks with one voice, solves its debt crisis and bolsters its own economic power, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday.

Speaking to the Berlin press corps, Merkel noted that Europe's percentage of the world population had shrunk dramatically in the past 60 years, reducing the influence of individual EU countries at a global level.

"We can only have a say in the world if we are united in the European Union. And we can only have a say if we are economically successful. Not at the cost of other regions but in fair competition with other regions," said Merkel.

"It is extremely important that Europe pulls closer together because individual countries cannot have as big an influence with their own voices as when we act together," added the chancellor.

"Luckily we are united and now we have to make sure that what we have agreed on -- for example the common currency -- actually works."

Merkel's comments came as a new poll showed nearly two thirds of Germans thought they would be better off if they had not swapped their beloved deutschmark for the euro.

And the chancellor said Germany should not sacrifice its export strength for the sake of correcting imbalances destabilising the eurozone but stressed the importance of bolstering domestic demand.

"Germany is not just following a policy aimed at consolidation and austerity ... but we are also trying to bolster domestic demand," said Merkel.

She reiterated that she was "strongly convinced" that the eurozone would emerge stronger from the crisis than it was before the near three-year long drama began.

She said that the 17-nation bloc was "step-by-step overcoming the crisis" but repeated that the problems would not be solved at a stroke.

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Europe needs unity, economic success for global say: Merkel

The Zaslow brothers are at that rowdy age. They bicker. They tease. They talk over one another.

They are Exhibits A, B and C that boys, indeed, will be boys - even when they're in their 80s.

But each day doesn't end until Jerome, Spencer, and Arnold Zaslow make peace if anything is amiss - a routine insisted on by their parents. It has been the underpinning of a business relationship among the brothers that endures after more than 60 years of working together.

Besides their bloodline, their bond is ATD-American Co., a furniture and textile distributor in Wyncote that in earlier days had a much more diverse sales portfolio that included broccoli, straitjackets, Jamaican beef patties, pencils, and condoms.

"The idea was to sell anything that you had a good connection to buy," said Arnold Zaslow, at 82 the youngest brother.

The Zaslows' small-business experience is a remarkable and rare run for a family company, said Herbert J. Cohen, a partner in Executive Leaders Radio in Willow Grove, which offers syndicated programming.

"I've interviewed 2,000+ CEOs regarding their success, and I promise you the Zaslow story is special," Cohen wrote in an e-mail.

Far from its humble beginnings, ATD-American now has nearly 200 employees (counting a mill in Georgia, where 70 workers make sheets and pillowcases) and a customer base of more than 100,000 in 78 countries.

As a private company, ATD-American would not release its annual revenue, but it said sales had dipped since the 2008 economic meltdown that still has some of its institutional and government customers squeamish about spending.

Not that the Zaslow brothers are freaked out about it.

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Diane Mastrull: ATD-American Co. nears its fourth generation of family-run success

Market News

September 17, 2012 // Julien Happich

In yet another sign that the technology industry has entered the post-PC era, personal computers during the second quarter accounted for less than half of the market for DRAM, the first time in a generation that they didn't consume the majority of the leading type of semiconductor memory.

PCs in the second quarter accounted for 49.0 of DRAM bit shipments, down from 50.2 percent in the first quarter, according to an IHS iSuppli DRAM Dynamics Brief from information and analytics provider IHS.

The fall is notable, given that the share of PCs hasnt dipped below 50 percent since the 1980s, when personal computers were a new product whose sales were rising at rapid clip. After accounting for the overwhelming share of DRAM buying for decades, average PC share from the first quarter of 2008 until the fourth quarter of 2011 hovered at approximately 55 percent, with share fluctuating periodically but generally trending down.

An era explained

This event symbolizes the decline of the PC market because of smartphone and media tablets. However, beyond symbolism, the development also illustrates the diminishing dominion of PCs in the electronics supply chain.

The arrival of the post-PC era doesnt mean that people will stop using personal computers, or even necessarily that the PC market will stop expanding, said Clifford Leimbach, memory analyst at IHS. What the post-PC era does mean is that personal computers are not at the center of the technology universe anymoreand are seeing their hegemony over the electronics supply chain erode. PCs are no longer generating the kind of growth and overwhelming market size that can single-handedly drive demand, pricing and technology trends in some of the major technology businesses.

The fact that PCs have lost their majority share of the DRAM marketan area completely defined and dominated by personal computers for about 30 yearsrepresents a major milestone and the arrival of a new era in technology.

Originally posted here:
PC share of DRAM market dips below 50 percent for first time, says IHS

HURON South Dakota Farmers Union (SDFU) is currently seeking participants for the organizations 2012-2013 Rural Economic And Leadership (REAL) Development Program.

The REAL Development Program is a free, comprehensive series designed and tailored for rural South Dakotans who currently serve or have a willingness to serve in a leadership role and those who want to improve their leadership abilities. Participants will receive challenging and supportive development training in personal motivation, leadership strategy, goal achievement, and community growth.

Through innovative speakers and hands-on activities, participants will develop skills that can be directly applied to their own lives. The class meets three times during a 12-month period, and each session includes a half-day Friday and half-day Saturday. The first session is scheduled for Sept. 28-29 at the SDFU State Office in Huron. Session two will be held Jan. 21-22, 2013, at Pierre, and the third and final session will be held in March 2013 at a location specified by program participants. Lodging and meals are provided free with this course. A deposit is required to secure your spot.

Weve geared our sessions toward building rural leaders in South Dakota, said SDFU Rural Development Director Mitch Fargen. Its a hands-on experience that will help participants grow not only in their professional development but in their personal lives as well.

If youve ever wanted to serve your community by becoming a member of a board of directors for an organization, this class will teach you the skills you need to succeed. REAL is also beneficial to people who want to network with other professionals. Its a great way to meet new people and form relationships in a fun and relaxed setting. For more information on registering for the 2012-2013 REAL Development Program contact Mitch Fargen at 605-352-6761 ext. 116 or mfargen@sdfu.org

The REAL Program is funded by South Dakota Farmers Union and the South Dakota Farmers Union Foundation. For more information visit http://www.sdfu.org.

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Farmers Union Seeking REAL Participants