MapMyFITNESS, Inc. Launches MapMyRUN, MapMyRIDE for Windows Phone
Posted: March 30, 2012 at 1:30 pm
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
MapMyFITNESS, the premier provider of Web- and mobile-based training and mapping applications for fitness enthusiasts, has announced the launch of two new applications for Windows Phone.
With the new Windows Phone applications, users can record their daily routes via GPS and store their workouts in an online database via an innovative geo-mapping application. Users also have access to a searchable database of millions of routes across the globe, fitness calculators, event listings, and a dynamic social network of over seven million fitness enthusiasts.
Were thrilled to launch our newest smartphone apps, said Robin Thurston, Co-Founder of MapMyFITNESS. Our community has been anxiously awaiting the availability of our Windows Phone apps; we hope to continue supporting and improving the health and wellness of our users by expanding our mobile offerings.
MapMyRUN and MapMyRIDE for Windows Phone are now available for free download in the Windows Phone market. For more information, visit http://www.mapmyrun.com or http://www.mapmyride.com
About MapMyFITNESS, Inc.
Headquartered in Austin, TX, MapMyFITNESS, Inc. was founded in 2007 and operates a suite of websites and mobile applications, including MapMyRUN, MapMyRIDE, MapMyWALK, MapMyHIKE, MapMyFITNESS, MapMyTRI, MapMyMOUNTAIN and MapMyDOGWALK. The MapMyFITNESS network of websites and mobile applications offer more than seven million fitness enthusiasts the ability to record and store their daily running, cycling, walking or hiking routes in an online database or map out tomorrows path. Users get access to a searchable database of millions of routes across the globe, online training tools and fitness calculators, and comprehensive global event listings, along with the ability to easily share their activity with friends. The companys mobile smartphone apps use built-in GPS technology to enable users to record and chart their daily fitness activities and routes. For more information, please visit http://www.mapmyfitnessinc.com
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MapMyFITNESS, Inc. Launches MapMyRUN, MapMyRIDE for Windows Phone
Randy Carr earns 'Biggest Winner' fitness honor
Posted: at 1:30 pm
Biggest Winner competition names Randy Carr its 'biggest winner' None
Randy Carr of Knoxville has been pursuing health and fitness for years but has never quite been able to get where he wanted to be. Now, he finally feels like he's moving in the right direction.
Carr was named Thursday as the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon Biggest Winner, outpacing his competitors in overall health achievement and efforts to be an ambassador for health and fitness to the community.
The Covenant Health Biggest Winner Weight Loss Challenge is a friendly competition between members of a selected team who train together for the Knoxville Marathon. During the five-month program, team members get advice on health and fitness from Covenant Health and the Knoxville Track Club.
Covenant Health fitness advocate Missy Kane said it's not about losing weight so much as it's about gaining overall health and well-being.
"The Biggest Winner isn't all about weight loss," Kane said in a news release. "It's about changing your life and the lives of others."
Carr has lost about 12 pounds on the program, and his body fat has dropped 3.8 percent. He also dropped some mental baggage that was holding him back from reaching and keeping fitness goals.
"I was always so self-conscience," Carr said, "and always felt like the fat kid standing on the sidelines on the playground. Too afraid to jump in, and not feeling like I belonged."
All that's changed since Carr started the program in early November. In addition to guidance from a registered dietitian, exercise physiologist, physical therapist and Kane, Carr took full advantage of life coaching sessions and personal training from Chris O'Hearn at Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Center.
Carr said he's come out of his shell, so much so that he's ready to step forward and use what he's learned to help others. He credits the program with giving him the courage to pursue and obtain certification as a personal trainer. In particular, he looks forward to working with people who are in the same situation he's been in.
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Randy Carr earns 'Biggest Winner' fitness honor
Health Festival: Face Paints, Fitness
Posted: at 1:30 pm
Spring has sprung across LA, and the North Area Neighborhood Development Council has teamed up with Charles Drew University to hold this years Spring Into Health Festival at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center.
The festival, scheduled for Saturday, March 31st, offers a fun way to raise awareness in the community about health, fitness, and nutrition through various activities, workshops, and screenings.
Free dental, vision, and health screenings will be on offer, as well as fitness tips and other information about health care coverage programs.
Yelba Castellon, the at large representative for the North Area Neighborhood Development council, is helping to organize this years event.
Having grown up in South Los Angeles, Castellon strives to give back to her community and hopes that this years Spring Heath Festival will help to make a difference.
I think the reason why were all on the Empowerment Council is to address issues of our community, and its no surprise that South Los Angeles needs more access to health screenings, Castellon said. Were trying to respond to the community needs.
This year, the festival includes a Kids' Spring Fun Zone, complete with carnival games, arts and crafts, face painting, and an Easter egg hunt, as well as an Earth Day Zone, which will include planting activities for families and provide environmentally oriented information.
In addition, there will be an inflatable obstacle course, tennis clinics, yoga and fitness classes, free health screenings, and over 70 vendor booths.
Last year, more than 40 non-profit organizations and vendors helped to make the festival a success. Charles Drew University and UCLA volunteers also participated.
We had so many different organizations involved. Charles Drew University really stepped it up and was a great partner. They had tons of volunteers. UCLA came out and their dentistry program did free dental work, said Cassandra Reyes, the senior recreation director at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center.
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Health Festival: Face Paints, Fitness
Retirement Takes a Hit – Video
Posted: at 1:30 pm
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Retirement Takes a Hit - Video
Retirement IRA investing
Posted: at 1:29 pm
I'm in my mid 60s and I'm rolling $1.5 million into an IRA. I'd like to create a portfolio of 60% stocks and 40% bonds using low-fee ETFs and mutual funds. Is this a good plan -- and which funds and ETFs would you suggest? -- Ollie F.
Your plan is spot on.
The real beauty of it is your focus on keeping investment expenses down, a strategy that has the potential to boost returns by limiting the portion of the your investment's gain siphoned off by the fund company.
Most people understand that lower costs and higher returns can help them amass more savings during a career, but I'm not sure people appreciate the benefit of that combination in retirement -- it can substantially reduce the danger of running through your savings too soon.
Let's say you plan to withdraw an initial 4%, or $60,000, from your $1.5 million at age 65 and then increase that amount for inflation each year. And let's further assume that your annual expenses run 1.5% a year, a ballpark figure for people who invest in mutual funds and the like.
Reducing your investing costs by half a percentage point to 1% a year can lower your probability of running through your savings before age 95 by roughly 25%.
Reduce your yearly investing expenses a full percentage point to 0.5% -- which is doable if you stick to ETFs and index funds with the lowest expense ratios -- and your chances of running through your dough within 30 years may decline almost by half.
25 Best Places to Retire
There's no guarantee that you'll be able to duplicate these results exactly. That's because even though lower-cost investments do generally lead to higher returns, you can't be certain of getting a full percentage point in extra gain for each percentage-point reduction in expenses. So your results will depend, among other things, on the return your investments earn net of fees.
But to whatever extent lower expenses boosts your returns, your savings are likely to last longer at any given withdrawal rate. And that's a big deal in retirement, when the last thing you want to do is run out of money before you run out of time.
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Retirement IRA investing
Be-Quest fwd_Spirit Science 1 – Thoughts.mp4 – Video
Posted: at 1:29 pm
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Be-Quest fwd_Spirit Science 1 - Thoughts.mp4 - Video
London 2012 Olympics: Soft UK law will allow athletes to import anabolic steroids if they are for 'personal use'
Posted: at 1:29 pm
We are making a clear pitch for tougher sentences and urging the need for a universal sentencing policy, said Hugh Robertson, the Olympics minister. We would like to see at least four years, if not rather longer than that.
The ministers view supports that of the British Olympic Association but is at odds with that of UK Anti-Doping chief executive Andy Parkinson, who has personally advocated a softening of some sanctions.
Robertson said: That difference of opinion happens in sport. It is not helpful just before the London 2012 Olympics but I am not asking him to resign.
The ministers spokesman said that athletes arriving for the London Olympics would be able to bring into the country a quantity of steroids as long as it was for their personal use.
It is not a criminal offence for personal consumption for athletes in this country, but they will be dealt with under anti-doping law if they get caught with the drugs in their system, the spokesman said.
UKAD also confirmed that it would expect border control officers to tip them off so that targeted drugs testing could be carried out.
UK Anti-Doping has a two-way exchange of information with the border agency to ensure that information about athletes and support personnel can be used to identify trends and patterns and build up anti-doping rule violations, UKAD head of intelligence Gabriella Re said.
The International Olympic Committee says it will conduct 5,000 drug tests, of which 1,000 will be blood tests, throughout the London Olympics.
Road cyclist David Millar, 35, has confirmed he will not compete at London even if Wadas appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn the BOA life ban for drug cheats is successful.
Millar broke his collarbone last week but said the ongoing controversy of his EPO drugs record had taken away the joy of possibly competing at the Games.
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London 2012 Olympics: Soft UK law will allow athletes to import anabolic steroids if they are for 'personal use'
Personal best goals may help close achievement gaps for at-risk students
Posted: at 1:29 pm
Personal-best (PB) goals for at-risk children such as those with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) may be one way of closing the achievement gap in schools, according to new research by Professor Andrew Martin from the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney.
The study, involving more than 3400 Australian high school students, showed the positive role of PB goals in ADHD students' achievement, homework completion, planning, and persistence. It also found PB goals were associated with lower levels of academic disengagement.
"In fact, not only did PB goals benefit ADHD students in achievement and engagement, but in many cases the benefits of PB goals were greater for them than for non-ADHD students," Professor Martin said.
"This is a significant finding because if the benefits of PB goals is greater for at-risk students, then PB goals may be one way to help close achievement gaps."
PB goal-setting involves focusing on your own progress and your own achievements more than focusing on the progress and achievement of other students. It also involves trying to do a bit more or a bit better than your previous efforts each time you tackle important schoolwork.
Professor Martin's paper, published in the recent issue of the international journal Contemporary Educational Psychology, is the first empirical study on PB goal setting to include children with ADHD. Whereas previous research had demonstrated its benefits for general student populations, this study showed that its benefits powerfully extended to at-risk students such as those with ADHD.
In the competitive context of today's classroom, students who struggle academically may be at particular risk of giving up due to difficulties competing as effectively as other students. This can be very demoralising. On the other hand, when students compete against their own prior efforts, success becomes personally defined - and accessible.
According to Professor Martin, "In early days, it may not be realistic for kids with ADHD and other academically at-risk groups to focus too much on outperforming others. However, if they pursue PB goals, and aim to beat their prior performance, this is a solid footing for academic growth."
"In fact, the many cases where PB goals had stronger positive effects for the students with ADHD, suggest PB goals be used as part of a broad intervention approach to help ADHD students catch up and potentially move ahead," Professor Martin said.
More generally for all students, the study further confirmed the importance of recognising individual academic growth alongside the comparative feedback that students usually receive.
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Personal best goals may help close achievement gaps for at-risk students
Cultivating Charisma: How Personal Magnetism Can Help (Or Hurt) You At Work
Posted: at 1:29 pm
As a socially inept teenager, Olivia Fox Cabane realized that she had two choices. Either confine myself to a desert island, or learn how to make this human thing work, she says. Cabane opted for the latter. Good thing. By age 24, the French-born author of The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism, published on March 29, had addressed the United Nations. The following year she was lecturing at Harvard and MIT, a precursor to her career as an executive coach and keynote speaker. A self-professed science nerd, Cabane came up with the idea for a book on charisma after realizing there was no single resource to help individuals cultivate it. We spoke with Cabane about why charisma is so critical to business and how Jedi mind tricks (not the hip-hop group) can help get you there.
FAST COMPANY: So what is the myth of charisma and where did it come from?
OLIVIA FOX CABANE: It came from the Greeks, who coined the word as gift of grace. They believed it was a divine gift. The myth is that charisma is not innate. What scientists have actually discovered--like many other myths they busted this one--is its actually a social skill, which like many others is learned. But this happens so early in life that by the time these charismatics get to adulthood, it all seems to be natural. And yet if, for example, you analyze the progression of Steve Jobs from 1984 to 2011 youll see he painstakingly learned it step by step.
So where did we get the idea that one needs to be outgoing and gregarious to be charismatic?
A few things. First, people dont realize that charisma is not monolithic. Theres no one form of charisma that is good or bad per se. Theres only the right form of charisma for the particular situation. Our Western culture glamorizes extroversion, and so the 50% of the population who are introverts feel defective and uncool. But you know what? Introversion is actually an asset for several forms of charisma.
For example?
For focus charisma, which creates a cocoon around people and gets them to share everything, introversion is actually a key, critical component because you need to completely focus your attention on a person and listen attentively.
What about the three other styles of charisma?
Theres authority charisma, which is the most powerful form of charisma. Its the one that will get people to listen and obey. However, authority charisma has several downsides, as do the others. With this one, though, it inhibits critical feedback and is a killer for brainstorming. Its not one Id recommend bringing into a company or to a team if you want them to be creative.
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Cultivating Charisma: How Personal Magnetism Can Help (Or Hurt) You At Work
Instant View: February personal spending posts largest gain in 7 months
Posted: at 1:29 pm
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Consumer spending in February increased by the most in seven months even as income rose modestly, which could prompt analysts to scale back expectations of a sharp pull back in economic growth this quarter.
COMMENTS:
BORIS SCHLOSSBERG, DIRECTOR OF FX RESEARCH, GFT, JERSEY CITY
"Personal spending was more robust than expected and that's very encouraging. The increase in spending ties in with better employment data. This data is positive for risk overall, with the euro, pound, and Australian dollar responding more."
WAYNE KAUFMAN, CHIEF MARKET ANALYST AT JOHN THOMAS FINANCIAL IN NEW YORK
"Personal spending was a little better than expected, which is good, but personal income was a little light. So long as the consumer is spending, that's the biggie everyone is watching as they drive the economy. The economy is on a decent trajectory, but maybe not as strong as some would like."
VIMOMBI NSHOM, ECONOMIST, IFR ECONOMICS, A UNIT OF THOMSON REUTERS
"Spending shot up by 0.8% in February, flying past income's growth of 0.2% and consensus. Market analysts understood that the general trend of spending growth outpacing income gains that took shape last year, but did not expect such an exaggerated difference as market forecasts averaged income to rise 0.4% with spending up 0.3%. February's numbers extend on January's performance where revisions show income rose 0.2% (had been 0.3%) and spending rose 0.4% (0.2%). Both the headline and the real figures (which show disposable income falling while spending rose by the largest amount since September) add concern over the extent to which the recent optimistic economic activity reported can continue without the basic building blocks to expand an economy -- income to support spending -- forming."
MARKET REACTION
STOCKS: U.S. stock index futures hold onto earlier gains.
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Instant View: February personal spending posts largest gain in 7 months