Media release

Monday 2 July 2012

Wanted: 15 men willing to run for their lives

Unitec student-led initiative aims to improve mens health and fitness

About 15 Auckland men who do little or no exercise will get the support this year to turn that around, thanks to the initiative of one Unitec student.

Michael McLeod, who is studying towards a Master of Osteopathy, has recruited a group of fellow osteopathy students who will become the support network for the men, helping them set fitness goals and achieve them, while monitoring their musculoskeletal health.

The group is looking for around 15 inactive Auckland men who are willing to take part. As well as aiming for the big goal of the adidas Auckland Marathon, the students and their recruits will be building up their fitness by training for the Unitec Run & Walk Events Series. The series of five running and walking events goes from July to September, and is the official lead-up series to the marathon.

Michael, who also has a Bachelor of Applied Science from Unitec, as well as a teaching diploma and a degree in physical education, exercise and sport science, dreamed up the initiative as a way to help improve mens health outcomes.

Having received a scholarship from the Mens Health Trust New Zealand to help pay for his studies, Michael was keen to pay it forward by driving an initiative that would improve mens health outcomes through increased physical activity.

I had a goal this year that I wanted to run the adidas Auckland Marathon and so decided to recruit other osteopathy students who were interested in running a marathon event as well, so we could train together.

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Wanted: 15 men willing to run for their lives

Saving enough for retirement is a big deal, and retirement is just as real and important for self-employed workers as it is for more conventional employees. Unfortunately, the retirement savings options for the self-employed aren't quite as obvious or automatic as they are for regular employees - whenever someone starts a new job, HR often tells them about any company-sponsored plans that are available, but there's no similar mechanism for the entrepreneur.

SEE: Plans The Small-Business Owner Can Establish

Luckily, there is a wide range of options available to those who run their own business. While some approaches are compelling in their simplicity, others allow an owner or operator to squirrel away truly considerable amounts of money for retirement. Although readers should be aware that the details and requirements of these plans can change with the tax laws, here are some of the best options available to the self-employed.

SEP IRAThe Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Account (more commonly known as SEP IRA) is modeled after the IRA account and is the simplest account to establish. There are minimal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reporting requirements and there are typically minimal restrictions on the types of investments that someone can own through a SEP IRA plan. To set up a SEP IRA, entrepreneurs need to fill out a very basic amount of paperwork with a brokerage that offers this account type.

While SEP IRAs are simple, they are not necessarily the most effective means of saving for retirement. Contributions are limited to 25% of employee wages or 20% of net earnings (before self-employment tax) of owner or operators, which works out to about 18.6% of profits. These contributions are also capped at $49,000 per year, but any contribution can be made in a lump sum at the end of the year. Employers should also note that under most circumstances they will have to contribute the same amount for employees (on a percentage basis) as for themselves, but there is no annual funding requirement.

While investors can usually roll 401(k) distributions into a SEP IRA, it is not possible to borrow against these funds and early withdrawals come with a 10% penalty in addition to regular taxes.

Individual 401(k)An individual 401(k) is more or less like what it might sound a plan for self-run businesses that closely mirrors the 401(k) plans offered by many larger companies. What is different, though, is that an individual 401(k) combines the features of a "regular" 401(k) with a profit-sharing plan. A 401(k) is relatively simple to start and there are only minimal filing requirements with the IRS until plan assets reach over $250,000 (even at which point the paperwork required is pretty simple).

To establish an individual 401(k), a business owner has to work with a financial institution, and that institution may impose fees and certain limits as to what investments are available in the plan. Some plans, for instance, may limit you to a fixed list of mutual funds (typically sponsored by that institution), but a little bit of shopping will turn up many reputable and well-known firms that offer low-cost plans with a great deal of flexibility.

The principal appeal of an individual 401(k) is that a self-employed worker can contribute more. Although the same $49,000 cap applies as with the SEP IRA, the contributions can take the form of salary deferral (up to $16,500) and "profit sharing" (up to 25% of compensation, less if the business is not incorporated) - making it much more likely that a worker can contribute the full amount.

While tax-free loans from plan assets are possible, only the self-employed and his or her spouse are eligible for such a plan.

See more here:
Hey Self-Employed, Are You Making The Most Of Your Retirement Options?

Lashai and Tray-Sean Ben Salmi of Eton Road, Ilford, received the first copy of their book on Monday.

The book, entitled Kidz that Dream Big! Essential tips on how to have fun! dream big! and make money doing what you love, provides practical tips on achieving your goals.

Lashai, 12, said: When I received my copy I was really excited. I was really pleased it was finally here.

The book gives advice on how to apply for grants and turn hobbies into businesses by setting up websites.

After her mother Sabrina published a book last year, Lashai said she wanted to do the same.

I was inspired by my mums book and wanted to say Im a published author and especially to give children a way to access the information, she added.

The book draws on her own experience of being frightened going to conferences and people not taking her ideas seriously because of her age.

I was bullied at school which helped my awareness and that cannot stop you from achieving what you want to achieve and its given me more ideas on how to help kids to dream big, she said.

After she started writing it her younger brother Tray-Sean wanted to help.

He said: I just wanted to help her, she was doing it and I wanted to take part. I was amazed when it arrived on Monday. I was shocked.

Read the rest here:
Ilford brother and sister pen book inspiring other youngsters to follow their dreams

An Expat's Unexpected Personal Growth

Sometimes the biggest lessons in your personal development come when you're least expecting it. That happened to me in the last few years. Things were kind of looking down for me so I took the opportunity to move to Cebu Philippines. I have been living in the Philippines for a bit more than four years now.

Though I didn't move for personal growth, it has turned out to be one of the biggest benefits of my new life in the Philippines. I primarily moved for the lower cost of living. I did gain that but I have also seen a remarkable improvement on my outlook in life. Here's how:

Personal Development Though the Culture of Others

It started within a few days of moving to Cebu. I was sitting on the back of a motorcycle with a large sidecar attached. I looked around at all the poverty, the wild noises one will hear here and the unsafe mode in which I was traveling.

I thought to myself, "What have you done?" That was a moment of fear and thinking I had made a huge mistake. Then I looked around and I saw all the happy people. Filipino people living with far less than I have. These people are often living in huts with no air conditioning, sometimes with no electricity, in homes that look like they are falling apart and often even without running water.

I noticed how happy these people are and I thought to myself, "There are millions of happy people here. If they can do it, I can do it." Though I didn't realize it at the time, it was the beginning of a journey. This journey didn't require a plane or a car, it required an open mind.

I then began to delve into the culture of the Philippines. I began to ask a lot of questions and many times when I asked Filipinos my questions they seemed to be defensive. I often explained, I do not think the Western way is better. I simply am seeking to understand. Once I did that, I found the defensive answers would disappear.

As I began to understand, I thought about why these differences would come about. I concluded that the differences in our histories are the main factor. Humans adapt to their environment and the environment of the USA, England or Germany is very different from that of Asia and the Philippines.

With this open minded approach to the Philippines, I found myself beginning to take on some of the culture of the Philippines. As I did, I became a more contented person. Some of this I feel comes from understanding how much I have in the way of material things. I find it harder now to complain about things that don't go my way when I have so much going my way.

See the original post here:
The Unexpected Ways You Can Grow as a Person

Originally posted here:
Emrys

Excerpt from:
30 second Spot for X-Box class excercise-2010 - Video

View original post here:
EXCERCISE AUDIO - Video

A La Mesa resident in his early 40s who recently rediscovered athletics died over the weekend in an elite cycling race when he crashed into a tree, according to authorities and family members.

Nicola Grossi was competing in Saturday's grueling Climb to Kaiser -- a 155-mile ride that ascends from nearly sea level to a 9,200-foot Sierra Nevada pass -- when he lost control of his bicycle on a curving descent.

Grossi, who was wearing a helmet, could not be revived and was pronounced dead at 10:42 a.m., said Jeff Gentry, a deputy coroner for Fresno County.

The 42-year-old computer software designer became a bicycling enthusiast over the past two years, losing more than 100 pounds as he biked to work daily and went on hours-long highway rides, mother-in-law Pat Fox said.

"He fell in love with it," Fox said. "We were all very proud."

Grossi lost control as he approached a curve on the steep, winding descent from Shaver Lake to Big Creek.

He is believed to be the second person to die in the Climb to Kaiser's 36-year history.

In 2003, a rider was struck and killed by a pickup on the steep descent into Big Creek.

Grossi was survived by a wife, daughter and three step-children, Fox said.

Read more here:
Recent convert to excercise dies in elite cycling race

PORT BURWELL - The young yogis are breathing through their noses, their toes pointed the right way and their energy focused.

Their fingers extended and their knees bent, they move into warrior pose as their teacher looks on, modelling the common yoga posture.

Focus on your fingertips. Concentrate, says Ian Hibbert, who is leading the class of four- five- and six-year-olds through their daily yoga class.

Breathing through your . . . he continues.

Nose, the pupils shout as they complete the pose.

Hibberts junior and senior kindergarten class at Port Burwell public school has been doing yoga for several months.

We started off learning two new poses a day and we worked up to about a dozen, and now weve just been working with those same 12, Hibbert says.

We do it usually five to 10 minutes a day, once a day. Yoga for kids has skyrocketed in popularity, with several London studios also offering classes for kids as young as four.

Those who teach kids say it has physical as well as mental benefits, particularly for kids living in an increasingly hurried and plugged-in world. Yoga allows them to take time out of their days to breath, relax and focus.

Hibbert learned about the benefits of yoga for kids from other teachers and decided to give it a try with his class. He bought a DVD that showed him the basics and began teaching his pupils.

Go here to see the original:
Yoga stretches limits of kindergarten

On a recent summer evening on a calm stretch of the Farmington River in Canton, a group of 11 people came slowly and quietly downriver.

That people gathered on the east bank to watch was not surprising.

This was a floating yoga class.

Each member of the group was atop a paddleboard essentially a bigger, more stable surfboard moving from one yoga pose to another. If the board was the yoga mat, the river, the sky and all of nature were the yoga studio.

It was one of the first manifestations of paddleboarding and yoga in Connecticut, a fusion of the rapidly growing new paddle sport with the ancient practice of yoga.

Paddleboard yoga sessions began on the Farmington River in late June, a collaboration of Collinsville Canoe & Kayak, which rents and sells paddleboards, and the neighboring Yoga Center of Collinsville.

Paddleboarding in recent years has boomed nationwide, with board sales soaring. "We've tripled our sales from three years ago," said Jon Warner, who owns the canoe and kayak shop with his wife, Sue. The latest trend, seen now from California to Florida to Connecticut, combines paddleboarding and yoga. It is increasingly popular, with classes on the Farmington getting larger each week.

Dotty Craig of New Hartford already has participated in several paddleboard yoga sessions and finds them special.

"Yoga on a mat in a studio is a mind, body, spiritual connection," she said as the session ended. "When you get out on the water, something surreal happens, and it is just that much more fantastic."

Paddleboard and yoga sessions on the Farmington are led by certified yoga teachers and open to anyone, even those who have never been on a paddleboard or practiced yoga. They are held on the section of river behind the canoe and kayak shop.

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Paddle Board Yoga Popular Along Farmington River