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.

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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

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) July 19, 2012

Performance coach and author of the forthcoming Refuel, Recharge, and Re-energize: The Conscious Entrepreneur's Guide to Taking Back Control of Your Time and Energy Erin Owen; who has consulted with and coached hundreds of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and private individuals from more than 10 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia; is leading a Personal Performance retreat in Bali this fall for self-employed professionals and entrepreneurs seeking to up their game.

The Bali Breakthrough Retreat, limited to 18 participants, will be held October 26 through November 5. It provides an extended time away from daily professional and personal pressures to learn new techniques for working and living that can improve performance and life satisfaction. Owen leads yoga, meditation, Reiki, one-on-one-coaching sessions, and group classes. The retreat also includes temple ceremonies, cooking classes, spa treatments, meetings with local healers, and tours of local sights.

One recent participant describes her transformative experience: what was most positive for me was the slowness of my breath, the slower pace I was moving to, and the peace that came from walking away from all of the chaos and stress that I left behind. It felt like a layer was peeled off of me and I left it at the airport. And the good news is, it stayed at the airport. The stressful situations were still there when I returned, but they didnt affect me the same way.

Owens practice applies the wisdom of ancient Eastern practices such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yoga, Reiki, Ayurveda, and Buddhism to the Western idea of performance. With an MBA and over a decade as a leadership and organizational consultant, she helps professionals align their thoughts and action with a greater sense of purpose, ease, and confidence. Working harder is not the answer, she notes. The professionals I work with are spending extraordinary amounts of time and the energy, expecting to be rewarded with better results, but theyre getting diminishing returns. That burning-the-candle-at-both-ends mentality is old school. You end up overworked and undernourished, wondering where the excitement disappeared to.

The new way of working, explains Owen, is to be really clear about the life you want to live, take care of yourself first and then and only then build your business around that. In this way, youll actually see much greater productivity and performance in your business and be able to reach your goals of making an incredible impact on the world, not to mention living a life that makes it all worth it.

The Bali retreat provides a super dose of this new way of working and living. It allows entrepreneurs to learn and grow in an unfamiliar environment and culture, one that places a premium on spirituality and a holistic view of life and work. Getting uncomfortable by taking a deliberate break from your routine is the first step, notes Owen. Doing things outside of your normal comfort zone activates parts of the brain that stimulate creativity and problem solving. Its a critical factor for success for entrepreneurs. For overwhelmed, overworked professionals, that break, in Bali, could be the beginning of a new East-meets-West approachone that yields previously unimagined results.

________________________________________ About Erin Owen Erin Owen, MBA, has been coaching professionals to achieve greater personal performance since 2003. With a background in Chinese Studies, holistic health (including alternative nutrition), Reiki, Mind/Body/Spirit Medicine, Comparative Eastern Religions and Philosophy, Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction, Ayurveda, and Yoga, her unique expertise is in applying the wisdom of ancient Eastern practices to the Western idea of performance.

Erin is the author of the forthcoming Refuel, Recharge, and Re-energize: The Conscious Entrepreneur's Guide to Taking Back Control of Your Time and Energy.

Media contact: Erin Owen Email: info(at)yourperformancebreakthrough(dot)com Telephone: 215-771-8968 Website: http://www.yourperformancebreakthrough.com

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Entrepreneurs, Self-Employed Professionals Invited to Performance Breakthrough Retreat in Bali

Privacy concerns have been raised after the personal details of thousands of former Australian Defence Force personnel were wrongly sent out in an email.

The Defence Community Organisation, which helps families adjust to military life, emailed a database of nearly 2,500 former Defence staff to around 400 other ex-service personnel.

The information included names, identification numbers, personal email addresses, type of service and their reason for leaving.

An initial inquiry has found computer security first blocked the email, but a staffer was told to try sending it again.

The ADF says it is treating the matter with the utmost seriousness.

A Defence spokesperson says an external consultant is undertaking a formal investigation.

"Staff members involved in the incident have been counselled and staff have been directed to undertake privacy training," the spokesperson said.

Defence Force Welfare Association national president, retired Colonel David Jamison, says it is a serious breach of privacy.

"Somebody has ignored the warning that was given and then released the email in a way that it's designed not to happen, but it just did," he said.

"So it's a human error that is difficult to sort of stop sometimes."

More:
Diggers' personal details released in email

BALTIMORE, MD--(Marketwire -07/18/12)- While it may be summer now, school will begin soon enough. For students who said goodbye to elementary school earlier this year, this fall represents the start of a critical transition to middle school.

Middle school means new beginnings, experiences and challenges. And while these changes -- new friends, new teachers and new school environment -- can be exciting, they also can be a bit unnerving for new middle-schoolers.

"These transition years can be exhilarating and full of promise, but they also can cause some measure of anxiety," says Richard E. Bavaria, Ph.D., senior vice president of education outreach for Sylvan Learning.

"Research and common sense tell us that the first year in middle school is critical," Bavaria says. "During this single year, a new middle-schooler must assimilate, make new friends, set goals, establish new habits and attitudes, take tougher courses, discover talents and interests, learn new skills, and begin to build confidence in this new environment. Making sure a child handles this transition year well should be an important goal for parents. In fact, a primary indicator of a successful middle school experience is a positive transition from elementary school. And the key to that positive transition is good preparation."

Here are some of the most daunting changes students will encounter during this year of transition -- and some tips from Sylvan Learning on how to work through them successfully.

Challenge: Negotiating the New Environment

The Locker Scare: One of the biggest concerns incoming middle-schoolers have is the locker. Instead of lugging their stuff around in one bag, students now have a place to store everything safely. The best part about the locker is being able to personalize it with photos, drawings, magazine clippings, and anything else that makes it feel comfortable. Ease locker fears and purchase a combination lock and practice before school starts.

New Campus: If your student has to go to an entirely new school, it may seem overwhelming at first. Explore the school's Web site with your child and better yet -- explore the new campus. The better your child understands the school layout and rules, the more at ease she'll feel on the first day. Ask the school if there are any campus tours or orientations available to parents and incoming students. Get a map of the campus and take your child to explore. Be sure to check in with the school office to get an OK for your explorations.

New Schedule: With different classes in different rooms on different days, middle school schedules can seem confusing and scary at first. A few weeks before school begins, check with your school to see when schedules are ready so that your child can have some time to get comfortable with the new routine. If your student needs help finding something or keeping track of where he has to be, encourage him to ask a teacher or other school staff for help.

Challenge: Acquiring New Academic Tools

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Middle School Year -- Transition Your Way up to Success

NEW YORK, July 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Newtek Business Services (NEWT),The Small Business Authority's President and CEO Barry Sloane appeared on Fox News Channel's Fox and Friends this morning. Mr. Sloane was interviewed by host Gretchen Carlson addressing the recent statements made by President Obama about small business. Mr. Sloane took the position that the government and larger regulation are interfering with the ability of the economy to grow. He stated that business owners are offended by President Obama's comments because they feel they have earned the right to be successful. Business owners do a great job within their communities by giving to charities, hiring workers and paying taxes that build roads and bridges. This is a government by the people and for the people; it is the people who have paid taxes and created revenue to create all this. The full video clip of the interview can be seen here.

Barry Sloane also presented his position on this issue in a blog on Forbes and on Twitter.

President and CEO, Barry Sloane commented, "Unfortunately, the country is now in a debate over deciding whether successful business owners and entrepreneurs should thank the government for building roads or great school teachers for their education. At Newtek 'The Small Business Authority,' we represent over 100,000 business accounts and owners and believe that the American philosophical and cultural way of doing things has made them and all of their stakeholders successful. Their stakeholders include their employees, spouses, children and communities who benefit from taxes assessed against their income and success. It is not necessary for the government or any federal official to remind us that the government needs to be thanked for providing services. Our government is for the people and represents the people; it should only be providing a support mechanism for the American way. We are presenting our opinion using these channels as an advocate for our small business clientele who feel the need to celebrate their success outside of the political circle and to elaborate on their concerns over government expansion and the sharing of wealth outside of the free market mechanisms."

About Newtek Business Services, Inc.

Newtek Business Services, The Small Business Authority, provides the following products and services:

Newtek Business Services, Inc., The Small Business Authority, is a direct distributor of a wide range of business services and financial products to the small- and medium-sized business market under the Newtek brand. Since 1999, Newtek has helped small- and medium-sized business owners realize their potential by providing them with the essential tools needed to manage and grow their businesses and to compete effectively in today's marketplace. Newtek provides its services to over 100,000 business accounts and has positioned the Newtek brand as a one-stop-shop provider of such business services. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are over 27.5 million small businesses in the United States, which in total represent 99.7% of all employer firms.

Note Regarding Forward Looking StatementsStatements in this press release including statements regarding Newtek's beliefs, expectations, intentions or strategies for the future, may be "forward-looking statements" under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, intensified competition, operating problems and their impact on revenues and profit margins, anticipated future business strategies and financial performance, anticipated future number of customers, business prospects, legislative developments and similar matters. Risk factors, cautionary statements and other conditions, which could cause Newtek's actual results to differ from management's current expectations, are contained in Newtek's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available through http://www.sec.gov.

Rubenstein Public Relations Telephone: (212) 843-9335 Contact: Jonathan Goldberg / jgoldberg@rubensteinpr.com

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Newtek CEO Barry Sloane Comments On Obama's Position For Small Business Success