Credit: Rusty Ray/News 13

75-year-old Sylvia Lindsay leads her water aerobics class in the pool at the Grande Dunes Ocean Club on Thursday morning. The former physical education teacher says exercise has always been a part of her life, and she credits constant activity to helping her feel and look young.

MYRTLE BEACH - Sylvia Lindsay carries around bags full of water toys--including barbells and water noodles--in her car wherever she goes. She isn't entertaining grandchildren, though. The 75-year-old is busy as a water aerobics instructor at several different places around the Grand Strand several days a week.

"It's not just little old ladies splashing water," said Lindsay. "It's a good, heavy work-out."

On Tuesdays and Thursdays she teaches at the Grande Dunes Ocean Club in Myrtle Beach, where Lindsay and her students usually have the resort-style pool to themselves.

"Everybody can find a pool someplace," Lindsay said. "Or, if they have to, they can go down and get in a creek!'

Lindsay says the buoyancy creates drag--but not strain--on the body's movements, and that can equal a greater workout with less strain. That makes water aerobics an attractive fitness option for just about anyone.

"This is good rehab for surgery," said Lindsay. "I do have people in classes that are coming out of cardiac rehab, especially, and they were told to come and get in a water program."

Lindsay, a former physical education teacher, first tried water aerobics 25 years ago. She said she grew up going to her local YMCA, where she enjoyed swimming, archery, and golf, among other activities.

Now, the 75-year-old says she feels young and loves to help others feel better and look better, too.

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Myrtle Beach woman says water workouts are a fountain of youth

Nice to meet you, Joel Hines, new Osbourn boys basketball coach. Youre a 2001 Potomac (Va.) High grad? So you must have played for Kendall Hayes at Potomac then.

No, I didnt, actually.

(Courtesy Old Dominion/ODU Athletics) - Former Old Dominion director of basketball operations Joel Hines is the new boys' basketball coach at Osbourn.

But he was the coach when you were there.

I didnt play at Potomac. I just went there.

Oh.

Hines, 28, takes part in some version of that exchange on a regular basis. He never played a high school sport, let alone basketball, yet last month he took over an Osbourn program his second head coaching job that reached the past two Virginia AAA tournaments.

Hines is not the first coach to go from the bleachers to the bench, but it is a seldom-taken route, one that in his experience seems to demand an explanation. Because inevitably, the conversation will veer to his hoops background, or lack of.

Theres that assumption that at least you played high school basketball, Hines said with a laugh one recent afternoon over lunch at a sandwich shop near his home.

Hiness at times awkward position raises a question: Why should playing a high school sport be an assumed prerequisite for coaching a high school sport?

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Joel Hines takes an unconventional path to an Osbourn coaching job

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75tz4v-29l8

17-07-2012 13:26 Crossroads intern Sarah Martens talked to some of the experts about how we can make small changes a bit at a time to affect our health and lifestyles.

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SMALL STEPS TO CHANGE Summer Health and Fitness Tips --- Sarah Martens - Video

CARRIZO SPRINGS - The Eagle Ford Shale is transforming South Texas, but the oil boom is straining health care, education and social services.

Health care centers are losing administrative staff to oil companies at the same time that some health needs aren't being met. Formerly poor school districts are becoming property rich but struggling to deal with larger, sometimes transient student populations.

Nonprofits like the San Antonio Food Banks are swamped with more requests for help, a group of speakers told members of the Eagle Ford Task Force Wednesday.

Texas Railroad Commissioner David Porter formed the task force last year by to ensure regulators can keep up with developments in the shale.

'A strain on capacity'

Dr. Carlos Moreno, CEO of Vida Y Salud Health Systems in Crystal City, said it may be a challenge for companies to keep a healthy workforce and for families to stay healthy. He said there are more patients now, and "there is a strain on capacity."

Also, he's seeing more patients with serious health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure or who are obese. He said the Eagle Ford region is lacking in parks, playgrounds and ways for people to keep fit, which may account for some of the problems.

His clinics also are seeing a spike in sexually transmitted diseases.

Moreno said the Vida Y Salud clinics already have partnered with some communities to find more ways to promote fitness, such as through 5K runs and play events for children. There is a "desperate need," too, for mental health professionals to treat problems like depression, he said, because "you can't find that at any price."

Monty Small, CEO of Atascosa Health Center in Pleasanton, spoke about how hard it is to attract health care professionals to the region because of a severe housing shortage. His center has a new doctor arriving at its soon-to-open Three Rivers clinic, but there is no place for her to live there, so she'll have to commute from a larger town, Small said.

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Eagle Ford boom strains health care, schools

CENTERVILLE The citizens of Centerville have been given more options to improve their health and lifestyles now that Snap Fitness is part of the community. The new fitness center, which was built in January and officially opened in March, contains cardio and strength training machines for everyone to get in shape for the beach, a summer wedding, or just for a life change.

Whats great about Snap is their motto. Its fast, its clean, its affordable. It sets us apart from other health clubs, explains manager Brian Worth.

Worth, originally from Albia, had always been interested in athletics. His brothers influenced him, and he played football and basketball. He attended William Penn, where he played baseball and got a degree in Physical Education, Wellness and Recreation. At Snap Fitness he is the manager and a personal trainer.

Snap Fitness, located at 710 N. 18th is a 24-hour health club with different machines and rooms to utilize. The main area contains cardio machines, such as elliptical, spin bikes and stationary bikes, strength training machines, such as bicep curl, abdominal crunch, and seated leg curl and free weights. There are locker rooms with showers available and there is also the one room that sets the facility apart.

The Fitness-on-Demand room is a room where people can go to do classes or to workout out of the sight of others. Just outside the room is a touch-screen TV, where one can choose from different classes like yoga, Pilates or kickboxing. Once the class is selected, a screen drops inside the room and a video will come on to teach the chosen class.

I like it, its clean and they have tons of equipment. The best feature, Id have to say, that I dont utilize very much would be the touch screen, says Brooke Johnson, a gym-goer. Its like you forget youre in Centerville, its so nice.

Aside from using the Fitness-on-Demand room, there is music playing and TVs on for the entertainment of those using the machines. There is also a set of cubbies near the front door to hold ones things while working out.

[Snap Fitness] thought it would be nice for the people of Centerville to have another option, says Worth. [They choose] smaller towns where there is more of a community feel [its] economical for everyone.

Snap Fitness, founded in 2003 and operating on franchising, has about 1,500 facilities in the U.S. alone and others in seven other countries worldwide. There are possible plans for building more facilities in the northern Missouri-southeast Iowa area.

Several differences between Snap Fitness and other health clubs are: there are no contracts, there are no frills and there are in-center perks. Membership is month by month, instead of a year contract. If someone is a member of the facility, he or she has access to any and all centers, not just the center he or she signed up at. Because the facility does not have a pool, gym or other frills, there is no extra cost to the member. Members pay for what they will use instead of paying extra for things they may not use in the long run. At the Centerville facility, there are in-center perks. One is the EasyFit accelerometer. It tallies movement and awards points. There are competitions within the facility. There are also fit scores. These tests are free to members and allow them to do physical fitness tests to get a base line for improvement.

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Snap Fitness offering fitness to community

19 July 2012

NEWTON, Mass. -- TripAdvisor, the world"s largest travel site*, today announced the results of its health and fitness on vacation survey of more than 1,400 U.S. travelers, revealing that healthy eating and exercise play an integral role in many Americans" vacations. Sixty-nine percent say healthy eating is important to them when traveling for leisure, while 53 percent always or often exercise when they"re on the road.

Travelers' Top Physical Activities on Vacation

Travelers' Favored Spots for Vacation Work-Outs

Training While Traveling

Healthy Road Habits

Temptations on Tour

Savvy Sun Practices

"While most Americans will spend at least some of their vacation relaxing, many now balance their fun with fitness, as TripAdvisor"s survey shows that a significant number of travelers also prioritize personal health on their trips," said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications at TripAdvisor.

Read the original here:
The 2012 TripAdvisor Health & Fitness On Vacation Survey Reveals Travelers’ Health Habits While Traveling

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qyt07xUqKhE

17-07-2012 08:53 Jalen Rose and Stephen A. Smith discuss Kobe Bryant's comments about retiring after two more seasons.

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Buy Or Sell: Kobe Retirement - Video

Retirement and marriage after 60: Wedding preparations

Getting married again? Experts say brides and grooms older than 60 would be wise to include a visit to an estate planner as part of their wedding preparations to iron out the financial details of the new union.

"People think estate planning is for very wealthy people," says Larry Luxenberg, a financial adviser with Lexington Avenue Capital Management in New City, N.Y. "But neglecting to plan can cause conflict after one partner's death."

A prenuptial agreement, adds Jillian Nel, a Certified Financial Planner at Legacy Asset Management in Houston, Texas, can save survivors a lot of heartache.

Getting your financial future in order is a great way to strengthen a new relationship. Having these discussions early "makes the marriage a lot more positive," Nel says, "and you can concentrate on being happily in love again."

For those collecting Social Security benefits, a number of issues need to be considered, Luxenberg says -- particularly if either or both partners have been married before. "New couples who are already retired might think the die is cast," he says, "but there are still lots of considerations."

For example, most widows older than 60 have the option to continue to collect survivors benefits or to draw benefits based on their own income or that of their new spouse. But if the wedding takes place before her 60th birthday, she loses the survivor-benefit option.

For a bride older than 65, says Nel, Medicare payments can also be affected.

"Medicare is means-tested," she says, meaning that premiums for some benefits increase according to a person's ability to pay. "So if you are marrying someone with a lot of unearned income, talk with an accountant about multiyear tax planning."

Given the complexity of Social Security regulations, Nel says, checking with an expert before saying "I do" is a smart strategy. "There are some quirky issues that could come up."

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Retirement and marriage after age 60

Rob Russell

What if everything you were told about saving in your company retirement plan was bogus? What if the benefit of tax-deferred growth in your mutual fund based retirement plan was really a well-funded Wall Street marketing gimmick?

For decades now, you and I have been told to sock away our hard-earned money into 401(k)s, IRAs, 403(b)s, TSPs, etc. to reap the benefits of tax deferral and to just trust the system. Advisors, tax preparers, and CPAs jumped onto this Wall Street bandwagon of letting your money grow tax-deferred until you retire. The crux of their seemingly logical-sounding argument was that youd be in a lower tax bracket in retirement, thus kicking the tax can down the road.

[When to Change Investing Strategies.]

Were they right? Would paying the tax later in retirement be better? Or, was it just a big marketing gimmick for you to buy into the mutual funds peddled by Wall Street?

Would you agree the answer depends on future tax rates? Future tax rates are almost as unpredictable as future market prices. I think, however, an argument can be made that future tax rates will eventually be higher than todays historically low tax rates simply because they have to be (thanks to the national debt, deficits, Social Mecurity and Medicare imbalances, etc.)

Consider todays retiree or soon-to-be retiree. A middle-class married couple making $65,000 per year is currently in the 15 percent bracket. If this couple is currently contributing to their 401(k), in essence they are deferring the payment of taxes at a 15 percent rate. In only five short months (under current law) they will be in a 28 percent bracket, almost double their current rate. If they plan to retire in 2013 and intend to live off of Social Security, a pension, or investment income they will actually be in a higher tax bracket. Given this example, did kicking the tax can down the road actually work for them or will they actually be subjected to higher taxes during their retirement?

[Find top-rated mutual funds.]

This big retirement lie could be harmful to retirees and soon-to-be retirees because they will live on less since they will be paying the government more, but it could actually work well for their younger counterparts contributing to their retirement plan. Heres how:

Excerpt from:
The Big Retirement Lie

HARTFORD, Conn., July 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The retirement income market represents a unique opportunity for insurers to realign their solutions to meet an evolving consumer need, according to a new study by Conning Research & Consulting.

"Life and annuity insurers have been helping individuals amass assets in preparation for retirement. At the end of 2011, for example, individual and group annuities held 46 percent of all defined contribution plan assets. Beyond annuities, however, we estimate there was an additional $7.3 trillion in combined IRA and defined contribution plan assets. Now, insurers have a growing opportunity to help individuals turn those assets into retirement income," said Scott Hawkins, analyst at Conning Research & Consulting. "Of course, these assets are attracting other competitors, primarily mutual funds who've also helped investors accumulate retirement assets, and insurers need to respond to that competition. However, turning those assets into a secure income stream for retirees requires managing investment volatility and longevity risk. Managing those risks plays to the natural competitive advantage insurers have over their competition."

The Conning Research study, "The Big Payout: Growing Individual Retirement Income Opportunities" brings the opportunity associated with retirement income solutions into focus and analyzes the challenges that insurers face in planning for the growth in the retirement income market.

"As life-annuity insurers look to the future of the retirement income market, the path to growth involves careful strategic planning," said Stephan Christiansen, director of research at Conning. "Our analysis highlights the need for insurers to meet the competitive challenge represented by the mutual fund industry, and refine their messaging to the retiree and pre-retiree segments. Adding to the competitive marketing complexity, insurers also face substantial investment issues related to these products, and statutory capital constraints. Yet those insurers that succeed in meeting these challenges may be positioned to enjoy their largest growth opportunity over the coming decade."

"The Big Payout: Growing Individual Retirement Income Opportunities" is available for purchase from Conning Research & Consulting by calling (888) 707-1177 or by visiting the company's web site at http://www.conningresearch.com.

About Conning Research & Consulting

Conning Research & Consulting is a division of Conning, a provider of asset management and insurance industry research and consulting services to insurers. Conning Research & Consulting has published independent insurance industry research for 50 years, including market coverage of 30 segments of the industry in addition to industry forecasting and identification and analysis of major strategic issues. As a result of its wealth of experience and intimate knowledge of the insurance industry, Conning understands industry challenges and opportunities and provides in-depth analyses on a wide range of industry products and issues. Conning is headquartered in Hartford, CT.

Contact: Anne Steinberg Kitchen Public Relations, LLC 212-687-8999 anne@kitchenpr.com

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Conning Research: Retirement Income Market - A Significant Growth Opportunity for Life-Annuity Insurers