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

Watching the Olympic Games can help motivate people to pursue their personal fitness goals, a new club member poll by 24 Hour Fitness suggests. As a proud official sponsor of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and Official Fitness Center Sponsor of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams, 24 Hour Fitness recently polled more than 400 of its members to learn their opinion toward and the effects of the Olympic Games on members fitness lifestyles.

According to the poll, a majority of 24 Hour Fitness members are motivated by the Olympic Games (89 percent) and often turn their inspiration into action, giving their fitness routines a boost. The most popular ways the Olympics Games motivate members include:

The poll also found members are more often inspired when they have insight into an athletes personal journey to the Olympic Games. A majority of respondents (71 percent) find personal stories about Olympic athletes overcoming hardship especially motivating. And, if given an opportunity to have a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the Olympic Games, many would prefer to see an athletes warm-up and training routines, rather than other high-profile, restricted-access events such as medal ceremonies or life in the Olympic Village.

As the Olympic Games draw near, 24 Hour Fitness members, guests and fanswill have a chance to experience how U.S. Olympic athletes train. Proudly partnering with three U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes, known as Team 24 Hour Fitness Athletes, the company will release fitness tips and exclusive signature workouts developed by the elite team, which includes water polo player Tony Azevedo (2008 Olympic silver medalist), Paralympic track & field athlete April Holmes (2004 bronze medalist and 2008 gold medalist) and beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh (2004 and 2008 Olympic gold medalist). Also joining Team 24 Hour Fitness, is 24 Hour Fitness employee and USA Track & Field athlete, Rubin Williams.

The signature workouts, designed to demonstrate what it takes to train like an Olympic athlete and inspire others to achieve their own unique fitness goals, will be made available at 24hourfitness.com/goteamusa. Additionally, 24 Hour Fitness clubs across the nation are offering Team USA Boot Camps, inspired by the training routines of U.S. Olympic athletes now through Aug. 3.

We have been a United States Olympic Committee sponsor since the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games, and through our research we know that the Olympic Games motivate our members to live healthier and exercise more, said Carl Liebert, president and chief executive officer, 24 Hour Fitness. We are proud that our sponsorship not only supports hundreds of Olympic athletes and hopefuls, but also provides our nearly 4 million members with inspiration to reach their own fitness goals.

As an official Olympic sponsor of Team USA, 24 Hour Fitness also worked closely with the USOC to design and outfit the High Performance Training Center (HPTC) a state-of-the-art training facility located in East London where hundreds of our nations top athletes will train and prepare to compete for the gold. 24 Hour Fitness selected 27 of its employees to serve as Fitness Ambassadors to staff the HPTC in support of Team USA.

To learn more about 24 Hour Fitness, its U.S. Olympic Team sponsorship and to view the Team 24 Hour Fitness Athlete Signature Workouts, visit 24hourfitness.com.

About the Member Poll

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Olympic Games Give 24 Hour Fitness® Members Extra Boost to Reach Personal Fitness Goals

Boulder, CO (PRWEB) July 17, 2012

As a psychotherapist, professional coach, spiritual guide, and business woman, Heather Hans has transformed her life on every level. She now partners with clients who are serious about success and confirms that anything is possible, but only for those who are highly motivated, creative, brave, astute, and are driven by a desire to contribute to the world.

Having it all is achievable. Obtaining success and the life of your dreams is a step-by-step process, each piece building on itself, which takes time, dedication, and full responsibility for one's life.

If youre someone who wants big success in your life, try Heathers five tips:

1.You must believe. Our thoughts are the beginning of our desires manifested. All successes that you have already achieved are a result of your belief that you could do it. Once you have this belief, there are other steps you must follow, but unlimited belief is foundation of it all.

2.Build a foundation of health. Develop a healthy mind, body, and soul as a foundation for all great success. A wide variety of professionals and self-help resources are necessary in this endeavor. You play the biggest role in these efforts, however, so you must be diligent in your efforts and trust your instincts.

3.Determine your deepest desires. Your diligence and the laws of energy will work in your favor once you become certain of your goals. The key is to select the goals that are truly in line with your values. Goals that are rooted in love and betterment of the world are most likely to be supported by the universe and achieved.

4.Develop a business mind and be brave. Goals are achieved through plans, action, organization, seizing of opportunities, and results. Intentions alone will not create success. Also, learn to dismiss the many voices that will try to sabotage your success and criticize your big dreams. Having courage does not mean that you are not scared of the unknown. It means, even though you are scared, you persevere anyway. And remember, any gate or door that closes on you, a more enchanting one will open a few steps up.

5.Have fun and let your inner child shine! The process of fulfilling your dreams canvas with you as the artist. When you have fun with it, you relax, and when you relax, you have renewed energy and are inspired with creative ideas and solutions. Plus, enjoying life is the biggest success of all.

To get more information on success strategies, like Heather on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

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5 Tips for Personal Success and Leading a Harmonious Life

CHICAGO, July 17, 2012 ThoughtWorks, Inc.(www.thoughtworks.com), the global leader in custom software development services, today announced it was named one of "Chicago's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For," by the National Association of Business Resources (NABR). ThoughtWorks employs more than 200 of the brightest software and IT professionals out of its Chicago headquarters, with an additional 1,800 employees ("ThoughtWorkers") working from offices around the globe. The company continues to add people and is a highly sought-after technology employer due to its cutting-edge technology development, opportunity for both personal and professional growth, and corporate culture built upon Attitude, Aptitude and Integrity.

Recognized companies will be honored at a symposium and awards luncheon on Mon., Aug. 20, 2012 at the Chicago Oak Brook Marriott. To learn more, please visit (http://www.101bestandbrightest.com/winners).

"Creating a stimulating and challenging work environment helps attract outstanding people that share our passion to change the world for the better, whether that's through our social justice efforts or revolutionizing software development and deployment for enterprise IT," said Craig Gorsline, managing director for the Americas. "The fact that we were rated in the 80th percentile or higher on parameters such as: Employee Engagement and Retention, Employee Education and Development and Diversity and Inclusion is very satisfying."

The selection of the 2012 "Best and Brightest" companies is a result of an independent research firm that evaluates each company's entry in the following categories: Benefits and Employee Solutions; Employee Enrichment, Engagement and Retention; Employee Education and Development; Recruitment, Selection and Orientation; Employee Achievement and Recognition; Communication and Shared Vision; Diversity and Inclusion; Work-Life Balance; Community Initiatives and Strategic Company Performance.

"The selection, recognition and awarding of Chicago's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For allows businesses to showcase their best practices and demonstrate why each of them would be an ideal place for employees to work. This year's winning companies represent high standards and are an example for other companies to emulate," said Jennifer Kluge, NABR president. "We are proud to honor this year's 101 winners."

As a global leader in helping organizations adopt and leverage Agile development to transform IT and business operations, ThoughtWorks is recognized for both its business success and contributions to the larger IT community. Company employees are active in developing and sharing best practices that help shape the industry. ThoughtWorks also has developed some of the earliest free, open source Agile tools (Selenium and Cruise Control) that were integral in helping Agile become the mainstream practice it is today. In addition, ThoughtWorks contributes countless hours of support for non-profit causes.

About the National Association of Business Resources The National Association for Business Resources (NABR) advocates and represents small and medium-sized businesses throughout the United States. NABR specializes in providing businesses the benefits, programs, services, and assistance required to operate as efficiently and successfully as possible. Best practice solutions are available to members in the areas of human resources, healthcare, legal, transaction, compliance, marketing, and office services. For more information about NABR and its offerings, please visit http://www.nationalbiz.org or call 1-866-321-1822.

About ThoughtWorks ThoughtWorks, Inc. is a global IT consultancy providing Agile-based systems development, consulting and transformation services to Global 1000 companies. It has pioneered many of the most advanced and successful Agile methods of software development and best practices used in the industry today. At its core, ThoughtWorks helps its clients maximize investment and performance across a portfolio of complex, business-critical applications, while reducing time and risk. Its products division, ThoughtWorks Studios, offers tools to manage the entire Agile development lifecycle through its Adaptive ALM suite, comprised of Mingle, Go and Twist. ThoughtWorks employs 2000 professionals to serve clients from offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Singapore, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. For more information please visit: (www.thoughtworks.com).

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ThoughtWorks Named One Of The Best And Brightest Companies To Work For In Chicago

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Aromatec Inc., a company engaged in the development of new products for the personal care and spa markets, today announced the launch of its patented new product, Essio, which creates an aromatherapy experience in the shower. Essio attaches to virtually any shower and works in conjunction with Aromatecs disposable pod, which slowly releases a blend of pure essential oils into the shower water to create an aromatic effect. The product is made from premium materials, assembled in Australia and uses only 100% USDA-certified organic essential oils sourced sustainably from around the world.

Aromatecs signature product the Essio Starter Kit - comes with the shower device plus three essential oil pods and requires no tools to set up. The starter kit is priced affordably at $44.99 and provides healthy lifestyle consumers a hassle-free way to enjoy one of the most ancient therapeutic traditions. A variety of blends, from a lavender-infused Night blend to a eucalyptus-based Breathe blend, are also available for purchase on the Essio website and are designed to suit the emotional state of customers at any given point in their day.

Consumers usually associate aromatherapy with an expensive treatment at the spa, said Peter Friis, the companys CEO and co-founder. With Essio, consumers can now take the spa home and enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy in the comfort of their personal shower. Essio transforms the traditional shower into a therapeutic and revitalizing experience that leaves the mind relaxed and the body refreshed, all at an affordable price.

A startup based out of Santa Monica, California, Aromatec has filed for and received patents for Essio in the U.S., Europe and China and has patents pending in Australia, Japan, Brazil and Canada. In tandem with the launch of its flagship product, Aromatec also announced the launch of its website (http://www.essioshower.com) where consumers can learn how the product works, and order products directly online. Essio is currently available for pre-order only, with inventory arriving later this year. In addition to selling Essio online, Aromatec will also sell the starter kit in upscale spas, high-end hotels and personal care, specialty retail channels.

Aromatherapy doesnt have to be complicated or expensive, added Friis. At the right price and convenience, consumers will embrace the concept wholeheartedly and thats exactly how we plan to position Essio, an affordable luxury for the healthy lifestyle consumer.

About Aromatec, Inc.

Aromatec, Inc. is a development company that is engaged in the development of new products for the growing spa and personal care markets. The company was founded by a family of experienced entrepreneurs, including Dr. Nils Friis who is the recipient of five previous patents, which have generated in excess of $1 billion in royalty income; Candace Friis, a leading real estate broker for the Corcoran Group, with cumulative sales in excess of $500 million; and Peter Friis, a former marketing and product development executive at Amazon.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50344349&lang=en

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New “Essio” Aromatherapy Shower Kit Brings the Spa Experience Home

A couple of local teens are learning the value of public service and personal development through a program offered by the federal government.

Caleb Vissier and Dallas Ernst are two of the teens who have gotten involved in the Congressional Award program who say the experience is a rewarding one.

Sherry Ernst was appointed to spearhead the program by Vicky Hartzler for the local district and said she wants to see more names from Missouri on the gold award list. In order to make that happen Ernst is asking schools, civic organizations and individual families to encourage youths between the ages of 13 and a half and 24 years-old to sign up.

The Congressional Award recognizes youth who finish certain amounts of hours in voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition/exploration at several different levels.

According to the program brochure, voluntary public service is providing service to others and the greater community at large. For example, Dallas Ernst spent the last year tutoring band students in music as part of his voluntary public service, while Caleb will be volunteering at a special needs camp towards the end of the summer.

Personal development is the time program participants spend developing their personal interests, social interests or employment skills. As part of his personal development time, Caleb Vissier said he volunteers his time with Backyard Bible Club, a Vacation Bible School type of experience that is held in people's backyards. Saxophone

The physical fitness portion of the program encourages youth to improve their quality of life through fitness activities. To fulfill the fitness requirements, Caleb trained to do a Volkslauf and Dallas has been setting goals to achieve while playing baseball.

In the area of expedition/exploration the program asks youth to undertake an outdoor, wilderness, or venture experience that is either historical, cultural, or environmental. Dallas said he was planning a kayaking trip on Lake Taneycomo for some of his hours in this area.

Sherry Ernst said she would like to point out that the boys are doing things they enjoy and getting rewarded for some things they would be doing anyway. Youth involved in things like 4H, Scouts, Sports, part-time jobs and leadership programs are already fulfilling a large part of the requirements for the Congressional Award.

Originally posted here:
Local teens work toward Congressional Award

Cal Tech and Penn also invest $3.7 million in Coursera, bringing the company's total funding to $22 million.

capl@washjeff.edu

Stanford University computer science professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng believe that the future of education is in free, online classes--and at least 16 universities seem to agree.

Koller and Ng's online education platform, Coursera--founded in fall 2011--has signed on a dozen new university partners in its goal to democratize education. The list of universities that have pledged to offer free courses on Coursera now includes educational powerhouses California Institute of Technology, Duke University, Switzerland's Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Georgia Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Rice University, UC San Francisco, University of Edinburgh (in Scotland), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Toronto, University of Virginia, and University of Washington. The 12 new schools join existing members Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Michigan, and University of Pennsylvania.

In addition, CalTech and Penn invested $3.7 million in the company, bringing the company's round A financing to $22 million. Other investors are venture capital firms New Enterprise Associates and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

In less than a year, Coursera says, more than 680,000 students from 190 countries have enrolled in 1.55 million courses. To date, Coursera has offered 43 courses--although the number of course offerings will likely increase significantly with the new schools now active on the platform.

The company does not yet have any revenue, Ng says. He says Coursera is exploring job placement partnerships with firms that are hiring as a potential way to monetize the company.

Another potential revenue opportunity, says Ng, will open up if universities that offer classes on Coursera start charging students for certificates of completion. Currently, Coursera classes are taught by university professors and cover the same course material as their classroom versions, but don't offer any accreditation or certification.

John McDermott is a business and culture reporter whose work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune and Playboy and on AOL.com. He recently moved from Chicago to Brooklyn, New York, to work for Inc.com.@J_M_McDermott

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Education Start-up Adds 12 New University Partners

The University of Illinois will offer seven free online classes this fall through an online education company founded by two Stanford University professors, the company announced Tuesday.

The Urbana-Champaign campus will join Princeton, Stanford, the University of Michigan and other schools that have already partnered with Coursera to offer online classes.

Chancellor Phyllis Wise said Illinois is the only land-grant university on the list, which gives it expertise that other schools lack. A faculty committee helped consider the legal and academic issues involved in the agreement, Wise said.

"It also serves our land-grant mission, to share knowledge with people who can't come to campus," Wise said.

The fall courses will include organic chemistry and microeconomics. They won't count toward a degree.

Coursera courses are free, but universities may get some revenue from charging students $30 to $80 for a certificate showing they completed a course, said company co-founder Andrew Ng. The university also could reap revenue by selling the names of high-achieving students who agree to share that information with would-be employers, Ng said.

The Coursera agreement isn't the university's first foray into online education.

In 2008, the university launched its Global Campus virtual university with a bachelor's degree-completion program for registered nurses and graduate programs in education. The school scrapped the initiative after disappointing enrollment.

Nicholas Burbules, a U of I education professor who worked on the faculty group reviewing the issues associated with the Coursera agreement, said some questions remain unanswered, including whether faculty will develop the classes as part of their regular teaching duties.

Coursera has 680,000 students from 190 countries and more than 1.55 million course enrollments, according to Daphne Koller, a co-founder of the company.

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U of Illinois to offer 7 free online courses

Scientists Create Menu For Mars Trip Planned in 2030s Scientists Create Menu For Mars Trip Planned in 2030s

Updated: Tuesday, July 17 2012 12:57 PM EDT2012-07-17 16:57:22 GMT

Updated: Tuesday, July 17 2012 12:42 PM EDT2012-07-17 16:42:34 GMT

Updated: Tuesday, July 17 2012 5:17 PM EDT2012-07-17 21:17:13 GMT

Updated: Tuesday, July 17 2012 4:38 PM EDT2012-07-17 20:38:03 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - About a month after its president briefly was fired in part for her perceived hesitation to embrace online education, the University of Virginia plans to offer free courses online to the masses. Online platform Coursera said Tuesday that U.Va. is among 12 institutions that plan to offer online courses for free under its Internet-based learning system. U.Va. said the agreement had been in the works for several months. President Teresa Sullivan said in a statement that the online classes will expand the Charlottesville school's role in global education while reinforcing its core mission of teaching, research and public service. Online higher-ed delivery was among topics that arose during Sullivan's ouster and subsequent reinstatement. Coursera's first four partner institutions were Princeton, University of Michigan, Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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UVA To Offer Free Online Courses

The leadership crisis that rent the University of Virginia last month arose partly out of fear that other elite schools were moving into the vanguard of a coming digital revolution, and that U-Va. stood to be left behind.

That argument, advanced by the leader of the university governing board, turned out to be based on a faulty premise. Almost no one on campus knew at the time the breadth of the collective investment that U-Va. was already making in online education.

On Tuesday, the investment will yield a major payoff. The university is joining a prestigious online consortium led by two Stanford University professors. With one stroke, the Virginia public flagship heads toward the front of a potentially transformative movement to online learning on a global scale.

The universitys participation in Coursera, an initiative to offer free online courses to the masses, answers a criticism that loomed large in the recent power struggle in Charlottesville that began with the abrupt resignation of President Teresa Sullivan and ended with her reinstatement.

U-Va. Rector Helen Dragas, who leads the governing Board of Visitors, thought university leaders had ignored the Internet at their peril, like the music industry and media companies before them. In the months preceding her attempt to oust Sullivan, Dragas had read various articles about a coming online tsunami that would upend higher education, e-mailing one to a board colleague under the heading why we cant afford to wait.

As it turns out, university leaders werent waiting.

Officials from U-Va.s Darden School of Business first contacted Coursera in April, after learning that the Silicon Valley start-up had attracted venture capital and was expanding from Stanford to other top-tier universities, according to Milton Adams, the universitys vice provost for academic programs. A Darden delegation visited Coursera in early June, a few days before Sullivan resigned.

In the ensuing debate, Dragas singled out an apparent lack of online vision at U-Va., which, she reasoned, seemed to have no centralized approach for online education.

That critique gave new urgency to the Coursera partnership. Last week, university officials contacted Daphne Koller, co-founder of the initiative, and negotiations accelerated. U-Va. signed a contract over the weekend. Its participation will require no financial investment from U-Va., except for staff time, and yield no revenue for the university.

Founded in fall 2011, Coursera offers a platform for partner universities to experiment with a vast global audience. Students earn no college credit and the universities make no money. But many in higher education see future potential for both. More than 680,000 students from 190 countries have taken Coursera classes.

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U-Va. takes major step in online education

By Stanford Report staff

Responding to a university-wide call for proposals last month, more than 40 individual faculty and small teams outlined plans for innovation in online learning, and around half from the schools of Humanities and Sciences, Education, Medicine and Engineering will receive full or partial funding.

The proposals for the coming academic year cover a wide range of topics including gender in science, solar cells, head and neck anatomy, public health and organizational analysis. The faculty will use the grants not only to experiment with new models of teaching but also to conduct research to determine what works best for them.

"These exciting proposals from across the university show that many members of the faculty are interested in trying new teaching methods and using technology to improve their classes," said John Mitchell, the Mary and Gordon Crary Family Professor in the School of Engineering and President John Hennessy's special assistant for educational technology. "It's been a grassroots phenomenon, which really reflects Stanford's tradition of innovation and creativity."

Those leading the online education initiative on campus stress that the multiple proposals emanating from the faculty, and the varied technological solutions being put forward to accommodate them, show how broad and multifaceted online education can be.

"The level of interest from the faculty has been building steadily," Mitchell said. "There is nothing top-down about this. In line with Stanford's longtime experience in experimentation, there is something of a start-up mood all across campus. And many faculty members really want to get their message out to potential students around the world."

University leaders also emphasize that though enormous technological and social transformations may revolutionize the higher education model that has been in place for centuries, the quality of a Stanford education and Stanford's ultimate mission will remain unchanged. The point is to improve learning on campus and expand access to a Stanford education beyond the Farm, they say.

Clearly there is widespread interest among the faculty in developing either entirely new courses or supplementing existing courses with online content. Most of the seed-grant applicants aim for a blended experience; they want to experiment with flipped classrooms where lectures are delivered online by adding videos and cool tools but personal contact is retained and augmented by working on problems together. They are not necessarily interested, at least not yet, in the massive open online courses (MOOCs) that have garnered so much publicity.

"Stanford can leverage the social aspect of these courses," Mitchell said. "Students really know how to use social networking platforms to spread new ideas and think collectively, so bringing this dimension into learning, and combining it with face-to-face interaction, can generate a lot of excitement."

Mitchell also leads the Presidential Advisory Committee on Technology in Higher Education, a body convened in February to provide guidance to the university. In particular, it is examining policy issues, content production and content delivery. Its report will be issued later this summer.

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Stanford faculty is embracing online teaching opportunities