Inflammatory factors are unique to each person and are influenced by various lifestyle, environmental or infectious factors that spin the immune system out of control, leading to a host of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, dementia and cancer.

Everyone who has had a sore throat, rash, hives or a sprained ankle knows about inflammation. These are normal and appropriate responses of your body's defense system to infection and trauma.

This kind of inflammation is good and we need it to survive. The trouble occurs when that defense system runs out of control. When inflammation persists or serves no purpose, it damages the body and causes illness.

Many of us are familiar with an overactive immune response and too much inflammation. It results in common conditions like allergies, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune disease and asthma. This is bad inflammation, and if it is left unchecked, it can make life pretty difficult.

By identifying the triggers and causes of inflammation, we can help reset the body's natural immune balance by providing the right conditions for it to thrive. Fortunately, addressing the causes of inflammation and learning how to live an anti-inflammatory lifestyle can dramatically improve your health.

A poor diet that consists of mostly sugar, refined flours, processed foods and inflammatory fats such as trans and saturated fats contribute to inflammation.

Consume whole foods that are high in fiber, unprocessed, unrefined, fresh and plant-based foods. Refined sugar and other foods with a high glycemic values jack up insulin levels and put the immune system on high alert.

Lack of regular exercise contributes to inflammation. In addition to strengthening your cardiovascular system, exercise corrects and prevents insulin resistance, and is key for improving your mood and erasing the effects of stress.

Stress. Your body reacts universally to biological and psychological stressors, so controlling our stress level has a dramatic affect on overall inflammation. Thoughts and feelings are very powerful and they can manifest themselves physically with symptoms of inflammation, such as skin breakouts and intestinal issues.

Hidden allergens from food or the environment can be a source of stress on your body as well. Two common culprits are dairy and gluten.

The rest is here:
Fitness Matters: Decrease your inflammation for better health

Sooner or later, each of us will come to a point in our life when we cross over to join the ever-growing group of retirement-age people. Many of us will wonder how it is possible that we have become 65 years old. Hopefully the shock will be momentary, and we will get on with living.

Of course, to experience a fulfilling retirement life we have to plan and prepare for this moment. Rolling into age 65 without having taken the necessary steps to prepare can result in confusion, stress, and boredom. Worst of all, those who dont prepare risk missing out on opportunities to take on inspiring second careers or exciting new hobbies.

It is not easy to plan and prepare for retirement when today already seems to consume 110 percent of our time and effort. One can easily become overwhelmed with the myriad of investment options and convoluted requirements for Social Security and Medicare.

Amid all of this complexity, there is one rule of thumb to understand and follow. It readily applies to financial preparations for retirement but also extends beyond that: Live within your means. Or to put it another way, dont spend your money before you earn it. This rule of thumb can help you to focus your finances before and during retirement. Heres why living within your means is the key to a fulfilling life before and during retirement:

You avoid adding debt. Buying on credit has been the downfall of many hard working people. Granted, there may be emergency situations where you have no choice but to break out the credit card to tide you over. The problem is buying things on credit you do not need. Spending money you do not have for something you want, regardless of whether you can afford it, is a recipe for disaster. A better course of action is to save up until you can pay cash instead of charging it. Dont spend your money before you earn it. And dont try to keep up with your neighbors by chasing more bright and shiny things. Debt avoidance is especially important in retirement when your income is reduced.

Saving becomes easier. If you are living within your means, when you get to the end of the month you should have something left over. Since you are not spending this residual you can put a portion of it aside into savings. If you continue to set aside a little something on a regular basis it will grow. However, if you are living beyond your means, this potential savings will go toward credit card interest or other black holes.

You discover what makes you content. Living within your means gives you a better understanding of what is most important to you. Instead of buying impulsively, you carefully weigh the cost and start to make better decisions. You realize it is not necessary to always eat at five-star restaurants. Suddenly Levi jeans look just as good as $200 dollar pants. A new house is not so critical if it will lock you into a big long-term mortgage. You start to grasp the reality that material possessions do not equal personal freedom. If you cannot afford it, you discover that life will go on and you can still be content.

Dave Bernard is not yet retired but has begun his due diligence to plan for a fulfilling retirement. With a focus on the non-financial aspects of retiring, he shares his discoveries and insights on his blog RetirementOnly the Beginning.

See the article here:
How to Prepare for a Fulfilling Retirement

(MoneyWatch) How much retirement income can you generate from your 401(k), IRA, and retirement savings? It's a critical question because it will affect just how much money you'll have to spend for the rest of your life. The answer can vary widely, depending on a number of factors, the most important being the method you use to generate retirement income, as discussed in my recent post, "My four favorite ways to generate retirement income." Your age, sex, and marital status also have a significant influence. And your income will depend on a number of economic factors, such as interest rates, dividend payout rates, and annuity purchase rates in effect at the time you retire.

In order to help you discover the answer to the question I posed above, here's the third installment this year of my quarterly retirement paycheck scorecard series. It shows you the amount of retirement income that can be generated from $100,000 in retirement savings as of the beginning of July 2012, for each of the three methods of generating retirement income I summarized in the post mentioned above. You may want to review that post for background and to familiarize yourself with the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

My four favorite ways to generate retirement income IRAs and 401k: 3 ways to generate retirement income

Method #1: Interest and dividends only

One way to generate retirement income is to invest in a mutual fund that pays a regular dividend and then use just the interest and dividend payments to cover your living expenses. Because you aren't dipping into your principal, there's a very good chance you won't outlive your money. And this method offers the maximum flexibility and access to your retirement savings. The downside is this method produces the lowest amount of retirement income, as you'll see by comparing this scorecard to the next two scorecards in this series.

Here are the estimates of annual dividends paid from various Vanguard mutual funds that have regular dividend payouts. I've also included the payout rate -- the annual income as a percentage of the investment -- for the purposes of comparing it to other methods of generating retirement income.

How has the chart changed since the second quarter?

Compared to last quarter, the payout rates for the Wellesley and REIT funds have declined slightly, while the payout rates for the Wellington, Dividend Growth and Equity Income fund have increased slightly. These changes are due to the net result of changes in dividend payouts and interest rates, and appreciation in the underlying fund values.

Note that these funds have different asset allocations between equity and fixed income investments, which is one important reason for the differences in income. The Wellesley fund is invested roughly 37 percent in stocks, with the remainder in fixed income or cash. The Wellington fund is invested roughly 65 percent in stocks with the remainder in fixed income or cash. The Dividend Growth and Equity Income funds are invested nearly 100 percent in stocks, while the REIT index fund is invested nearly 100 percent in real estate investments.

All but the Dividend Growth fund pay dividends quarterly, while the Dividend Growth fund pays dividends semi-annually. The above amounts assume the payout rates for the past 12 months will continue for the next 12 months. Your actual income will change to the extent that future dividend payments are increased or decreased from the past 12 months.

View original post here:
Retirement scorecard: Interest and dividends

COSTA MESA, Calif., July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- http://www.t3motion.com- T3 Motion, Inc.(NYSE AMEX:TTTM) a producer of clean/green personal transportation technology for the law enforcement and security markets, announced the appointment of Monique Apter to the position of Vice President Sales, Americas. Apter brings years of consumer and commercial transportation experience and expertise, and will be responsible for expanding and managing T3 Motion's dealer channel.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110912/LA66230)

Monique Apter is an executive leader with a proven track record for building successful sales teams and developing strategies to increase revenue. Apter was most recently with Segway Inc. where she was responsible for all aspects of direct and channel sales in Latin America.

"We are very excited to have Monique join the team. With her extensive experience in building dealer sales channels and successful management structures, she will play a key role in expanding our network throughout the Americas," said Rod Keller, Chief Executive Officer at T3 Motion, Inc.

"I am honored to become a part of this dynamic team! T3 Motion has built a strong foundation as a leader in personal transportation solutions for police and security. In my new position, I plan to build out a sales channel to create new pathways for success that will take the value of what T3 already provides its customers to the next level," said Apter.

About T3 Motion, Inc.

T3 Motion, Inc. (TTTM) is headquartered in Orange County, California, and is dedicated to raising the bar on law enforcement and security capabilities in personal transportation technology. For more information, visit http://www.t3motion.com.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding T3 Motion's business, which are not historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" that are not guarantees of future performance. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, factors associated with market conditions and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions related to the proposed public offering. For additional information concerning these and other factors that may cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Registration Statement filed on Form S-1, as amended, and in the periodic reports the Company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Company Contact

Investor Relations Contact

More:
T3 Motion Strengthens Industry Expertise with New Sales-Oriented Executive Hire

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Since 2008, IKEA US has been committed to Save the Childrens Early Steps to School Success program. The early education program supports low-income families by providing early childhood development services, including home visits by early childhood coordinators. This summer, during the month of July, every time an IKEA customer scans the IKEA Family card, a donation will be made to Save the Childrens Early Steps to School Success program. To date, IKEA has donated over $625,000 to this program.

Simply put, early childhood education is essential to teaching kids how to learn. And yet,two out of five kids in America today arent enrolled in any kind of preschool program, said Mark Shriver, Senior Vice President, Save the Childrens U.S. Programs. Without a quality early education program, children born into poverty will fall 18 months behind their peers by age four. Our partnership with IKEA supports programs that help give these kids a fair shot at success in school and life.

In America, nearly one in four children lives in poverty. And research shows that children affected by poverty are less likely to attend preschool, have their parents read aloud to them, and graduate from high school. Research also confirms that the first three years of life shape a childs readiness for entering school. Whats more, the parent-child relationship plays a critical role in whether the child is cognitively, socially and emotionally developed - all of which impacts the childs motivation to learn.

In partnership with schools and community-based organizations, Save the Children provides early childhood education services to pregnant women, mothers and children 0 to 5 years of age. Early Steps program coordinators implement this work through a home-visiting model for expecting families and those with children ages 0-3. For children ages 3-5, the program includes transition-to-school activities and education services for the parents.

Save the Children has been working for more than 20 years to develop and support Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) programs and national-level policies that benefit young children and their families. Through Early Steps to School Success, Save the Children is building strong foundations for parenting and school readiness, while serving as a powerful catalyst to help children achieve a lifetime of learning. IKEA is pleased to continue to support this valuable program.

What is Save the Childrens Early Steps to School Success Program?

About IKEA:

IKEA, the worlds leading home furnishings company, was founded in 1943 in Sweden. Since then, IKEA, the Life Improvement Store has offered home furnishings and accessories of great design and quality with functional living solutions at everyday low prices. Currently there are more than 300 IKEA stores in 37 countries, including 50 in North America (11 in Canada; 38 in the US; 1 in the Dominican Republic). IKEA has six distribution centers in North America. TIME Magazine (May 2009) listed IKEA as one of the top 8 most global eco conscious companies. IKEA incorporates environmentally friendly efforts into day-to-day business and continuously supports initiatives that benefit causes such as children and the environment including UNICEF, Save the Children and American Forests. To visit the IKEA Web site, please go to http://www.IKEA-usa.com and also learn more about IKEA environmental and social responsibility actions and programs.

About Save the Children:

Visit link:
IKEA Continues to Support Save the Children’s Early Steps to School Success Program

>

MANSFIELD Personal electronics are banned at Liberty Lake Day Camp, so campers like 13-year-old Joey Miller spend their days swimming, fishing and playing soccer. They might not be doing that much longer.

If current plans to build a warehouse near Liberty Lake are approved, runoff from the new development might worsen flooding at the day camp, rendering portions of the site useless, camp owner Andy Pritikin said during a public hearing last week.

It would jeopardize a huge section of my property, Pritikin said. Im afraid that nobody has really looked into this.

Pritikin addressed the state Department of Environmental Protection on Tuesday during a crowded hearing on the warehouse and several other Mansfield-area developments. Supporters of the camp packed the Mansfield Municipal Building, with the crowd filling every seat and spilling into the hallway.

Miller was there, holding a large poster scrawled with the slogan: SAVE LIBERTY LAKE. Before the hearing, a DEP official reminded the audience that the warehouse proposal was only a proposal and that the DEP would hear concerns, but not address them. Answers to residents questions would come in writing within a few weeks, the official said.

About 10 people, ranging from camp counselors to parents, spoke out against the warehouse development during the two-hour meeting.

Several others took the microphone to condemn other developments proposed for Mansfield, such as a sewer project that could spur development in the rural community. But most of the people were there on behalf of Liberty Lake, as evidenced by their T-shirts and impassioned three-minute speeches to the DEP.

This camp gives kids an experience that I dont want taken away, said Shannon Callery, 15, a counselor and former camper. Flooding changes that experience.

Callery was one of several speakers who told personal stories about the camp.

Here is the original post:
Warehouse proposal presents new threat to Mansfield's Liberty Lake Day Camp

DULUTH, Ga., July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI), an IACET approved, nationally accredited, online child care training institution, offers new users the opportunity to try online learning by taking the course CCEI112A: Child Abuse: Signs of Abuse and Reporting Requirements for Early Childhood Professionals at no cost in July, in recognition of National Make a Difference to Children Month.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111019/MM90221LOGO )

Child care professionals are mandated reporters, meaning they are legally responsible for identifying and reporting signs of child abuse and neglect. In order to uphold their duties, teachers and caregivers must receive adequate training on appropriate practices for identifying signs of maltreatment. Course participants will learn about the four major categories of abuse, along with the signs, symptoms, and examples of each type of abuse, as well as basic procedures and responsibilities when a suspicion of abuse arises.

"Child abuse is a horrifying issue, but unfortunately it is an issue that many early care providers will have to confront at some point," said Maria C. Taylor, President and CEO of CCEI. "Early detection and reporting by responsible, knowledgeable adults can prevent long-term psychological, emotional, and physical damage, and it might even save a child's life."

CCEI112A is available to new CCEI users as a trial course for the month of July and awards 0.1 CEU upon successful completion. Users with an existing CCEI account who do not have an active, annual subscription may purchase this course through online enrollment.

About CCEIChildCare Education Institute provides quality, affordable professional development programs for continuing education, including over 100 English and Spanish online child care training courses to meet annual state licensing and Head Start training requirements. In addition to online training, CCEI offers online certificate programs, such as the Online Child Development Associate (CDA), Online Director's Certificates, Early Childhood Credential, and more.CCEI is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council, approved by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training to award IACET Continuing Education Units (CEUs), and authorized under the Nonpublic Postsecondary Educational Institutions Act of 1990, license number 837.

For more information, visit http://www.cceionline.edu or call 1.800.499.9907.

ChildCare Education Institute, LLC +1-800-499-9907

Go here to see the original:
Learn Signs of Child Abuse and Reporting Requirements with One-Hour Online Training

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) Perhaps summer is the reason you have your midsection on your mind, or maybe you just want to exercise that area more.

Experts say that workouts for the core, which includes your back, are often neglected. While Pilates is not new, many people dont realize how much it targets your core.

Terri Jackson wade has been a Pilates student for the past seven years.

With Pilates, it allows me to elongate my muscles. it allows me to have those core muscles I once had, said Jackson.

The core, or center, is made up of the pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen. Pilates exercises focus on strengthening muscles in these areas.

Terris instructor, Yvette Hassell, says strong core muscles can help make everyday activities less difficult.

One strengthening their core is not just for aesthetic reasons. If your movement is strong and fluid, then its done with ease, she said.

Hassell instructs beginners to be mindful of their form. But longtime students of Pilates, like Jackson, may prefer a smaller class setting for more one-on-one attention as well as for more focused instruction.

Technique is the most important thing in exercise in general, said Hassell. Its not about quantity. Its about quality.

Hassell suggests those interested in Pilates sign up for a beginners class to learn the moves correctly.

Read this article:
Try Pilates To Engage Your Core

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4W4AQWFRE8

01-07-2012 12:38 Nice demonstration of the firetrucks at schiphol airport, the netherlands. I filmed this with my htc one x on june 30th 2012

View original post here:
Schiphol Airport Live fire training excercise - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8P9Lm19z4g

01-07-2012 18:46 Pranayam session by Mahesh Bhatt at Gayatri Chetna Center, Anaheim California

See the original post here:
Paranayam - Breathing Excercise - Video