Katelyn State Level 10 Floor Excercise 2012 – Video
Posted: March 19, 2012 at 5:57 pm
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briefs
Posted: at 5:57 pm
The Nation March 20, 2012 1:00 am
Thai Plastic and Chemicals has taken a 16.73-per-cent stake in Binh Minh Plastics Joint Stock Co, a Vietnamese producer of plastic pipes and fittings.
In its filing to the Stock Exchange of Thailand yesterday, TPC did not reveal the value of the transaction carried out by its wholly owned subsidiary Nawaplastic Industry (Saraburi) Co.
Binh Minh, which is listed on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange, is 29.6 per cent owned by State Capital Investment Corporation.
Citi appointment
Citi has appointed Darren Buckley as country officer and head of institutional business at its Thai operation.
Buckley joined Citi in London in 1992. He initially served in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
After a four-year stint in New York, he moved to Asia in 1999, first in regional leadership roles based in Singapore, then as the chief operating officer in Thailand before moving to Japan in 2004.
Motorbike sales up
Sales of new motorcycles rose by 7 per cent year on year to 178,619 units last month.
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Pilates 101
Posted: at 3:17 pm
CHICAGO With some fitness regimens, that first trip to the gym can nearly kill you.
Pilates, with its emphasis on core training and an abundance of moves, works the other way.
The first time is almost the easiest, says Alycea Ungaro, owner of Real Pilates in New York (realpilatesnyc.com and author of Pilates: Body In Motion (DK Publishing, $12.97). It gets harder after that. Once you know what to do, the bar gets higher, the demand gets harder. You see things youre doing wrong and you fix them. You work harder.
Ungaro, who has been teaching Pilates for almost 20 years and opened her first studio in 1996, says Pilates is one of the most adaptable forms of exercise.
We have exercises for people through every decade of their life or their condition, whether theyre triathletes prepping for an event or people recovering from injury or postpartum, she says. Its a very malleable means of training. You can make it as hard or as easy as you wish.
Ungaro says that the classic Pilates mat routine is known for being effective in changing ones body. But many people find the complex choreography and multiple position changes too difficult to keep up with, she says. So she suggests trying Pilates as a circuit.
By using just a handful of key moves and reducing them to their most intense positions, Pilates can be both simple and effective.
This six-minute circuit can be repeated three times for a thoroughly challenging 20-minute routine, she says. Take a 30-second rest between each full set.
Chicago Tribune
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SE Asia Stocks-Mostly lower; Thai index off key 1,200 level
Posted: at 3:17 pm
* Profit taking, high oil drag region * Tesco's fund makes strong Bangkok debut * New central bank rule weighs Indonesia By Viparat Jantraprap BANGKOK, March 19 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stocks ended mostly lower on Monday as worries about the impact of high oil prices on profit margins prompted investors to cash in on recent gains. Singapore's Straits Times Index ended down 0.7 percent, after Friday's climb to a seven-month high amid upbeat corporate earnings, while the Philippine index fell 0.4 percent after hitting a record high of 5145.89 points in the previous session. Jakarta's Composite Index inched down 0.09 percent, with banks and property stocks under pressure after the central bank said on Friday it would limit the size of housing loans to prevent price bubbles and excessive lending in Southeast Asia's largest economy. Thai shares erased early gains to end flat, after climbing at one point to 1,201.61, the highest since July 15, 1996. Malaysia inched up 0.14 percent in a choppy session, while the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange's VN Index edged down 0.1 percent. "We see a little bit of concern about rising oil prices. It's also profit taking across region after recent gains," said Bangkok-based strategist Teerada Charnyingyong of broker Phillip Securities. Brent crude was steady near $126 a barrel on Monday, with prices suported by continued concerns over potential supply disruptions from Iran and the prospect of a stronger U.S. economy lifting oil demand. Among losing stocks in the region, Indonesian auto distributor PT Astra International Tbk fell 0.7 percent after Bank Indonesia announced the new credit curbs, which included restriction on auto loans. "The new regulation on loan-to-value ratios will lower automotive sales by 10-25 percent in forecast 2012, in our view. Motorcycle sales will be the most impacted and are likely to see structurally lower growth," said Wilianto le of Nomura Asia Pacific Research. Malaysia's biggest lender, Maybank, fell nearly 1 percent after a combined 1.8 percent gain in past four sessions. Manila's top listed firm Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co fell 1.7 percent, reversing its 1.5 percent rise on Friday. In Bangkok, the biggest bank Bangkok Bank Pcl climbed 2.4 percent, extending its 3.3 percent gain of past two sessions, after CLSA said the stock was one of its top 13 regional plays. The property fund of Tesco's Thai unit jumped almost 11 percent in its trading debut as investors who were shut out of Thailand's largest IPO in six years scrambled to get a piece of the high-yielding security. Tesco Lotus Retail Growth Freehold and Leasehold Property Fund's units closed at 11.40 baht, off the day's high of 11.50 baht. The IPO price was 10.40 baht. (Editing by Kim Coghill) For Asian Companies click; For Asia-Pacific News click; For South East Asia Hot Stock reports, click; SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS Change on day Market Current Prev Close Pct Move Singapore 2990.09 3010.68 -0.68 Kuala Lumpur 1573.60 1571.40 +0.14 Bangkok 1189.50 1189.56 -0.01 Jakarta 4024.73 4028.54 -0.09 Manila 5127.00 5145.89 -0.37 Ho Chi Minh 438.07 438.52 -0.10 Change on year Market Current End prev yr Pct Move Singapore 2990.09 2646.35 +12.99 Kuala Lumpur 1573.60 1530.73 +2.80 Bangkok 1189.50 1025.32 +16.01 Jakarta 4024.73 3821.99 +5.30 Manila 5127.00 4371.96 +17.27 Ho Chi Minh 438.07 351.55 +24.61
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For veterans, yoga can offer peace
Posted: at 3:17 pm
One week into his second tour of duty, U.S. Marines Sgt. Hugo Patrocinio was wounded by a suicide bomber who drove a dump truck stocked with 1,000 pounds of explosives into a house in al-Anbar, on the outskirts of Fallujah. He had been attacked before, hurt before, but this time Patrocinio was just 20 feet from the explosion.
He would eventually recover from the wounds the shrapnel in his foot and leg, the severe concussion but the psychological injuries lingered. His nights were soon crowded with re-runs of the bombing that injured 10 other platoon members. Often, he didnt sleep at all, tormented by searing memories of friends killed in the war. He was angry, prone to headaches and mood swings, one of thousands of soldiers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, one of the masked casualties of war.
In the 18 months of Patrocinios spiral, he eventually turned to yoga after learning about it during group therapy as a way to quiet the inner noise. He found the discipline, the poses, the breathing and especially, the stillness worked to restore what had been taken that July in 2006.
I didnt understand yoga but I knew it was helping somehow. I was in a horrible place, a fog, says Patrocinio, 29, who was awarded a Purple Heart medal for his military service. There is no magic pill that can erase your past or what you have seen but the practice helps me to cope. Now I am not afraid to go to sleep.
Patrocinio is part of a wave of returning veterans with thousands more expected as the United States continues its military pullouts from two decade-long wars who are embracing yoga as a calming therapy. For many, it is a companion medical treatment, to ease the symptoms of post-traumatic stress on the mind and body. For others, it is simply a way to relieve the stress of reintegrating. Some are turning to the poses and deep breathing of yoga. Others to the quiet of meditation.
Through yoga or tai chi or some other discipline, the vet can create a space of calm. And that is a place that the brain can return to when faced with a trigger, said David Frankel, executive director of Connected Warriors, a nonprofit offering free weekly yoga sessions to veterans and their families in South Florida. More than anything, the vet returning from a trauma needs a sense of peace.
Faced with a growing national health crisis, military officials and the medical community are exploring other methods to help treat psychologically wounded soldiers. Between 11 and 20 percent of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have PTSD, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
In 2005, the U.S. Department of Defense conducted a narrow feasibility study at the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center on the effectiveness of Yoga Nidra, an ancient meditative practice, on soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD symptoms. After eight weeks, all the participants symptoms were reduced. Buoyed by the results, research was expanded to several VA hospitals and centers, including the Miami VA where a study of meditation was conducted on veterans. The local study has been completed but not yet published. The program used in the study, eventually renamed Integrative Restoration or iRest, was added to the weekly treatment for soldiers at dozens of centers across the nation.
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Yoga: Separating fact from fiction
Posted: at 3:17 pm
In the chapters between, he tries to parse fact from fiction, true health benefits from hype: Can yoga cure depression? Cause weight loss? Improve sex? Help arthritis? Diabetes? Rotator cuff injuries? Can it bolster creativity? Cause strokes?
It's about time that such an analysis was done, says Broad, himself a longtime yoga aficionado, given the flourishing, unregulated yoga industry, with growing legions of toddlers doing downward-facing dog and moms sweating in steamy Bikram yoga studios.
The two halves of my own brain approached this book with contradictory feelings. I've practiced yoga for nearly three decades, after discovering early on that it reduced my writer's shoulder aches by making me mindful that I was scrunching up my muscles. I love my weekly class with one of the deans of yoga in this region, Hari Zandler, who has studied with great gurus in India. I credit the strength of my back, my good balance, and my flexibility to his teachings.
I didn't want to read a book that undermined my convictions. And I worried it would take some of the rosy afterglow out of the experience.
On the other hand, as former medical editor of The Inquirer, I should be open-minded to what science has found, another part of my brain argued.
Dutifully, I read on. As feared, there's some bad news.
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Catch your breath at these yoga retreats
Posted: at 3:17 pm
Ron Levine / Getty Images
Relax body, mind and soul with a yoga vacation.
By Jordan Kisner, Departures.com
Few forms of escapism are as wholesome as yoga. As its millions of acolytes attest, regular yoga practice not only alleviates stress and improves strength and flexibility (recent reports even credit it for enhanced sexual health), its also an activity that can be done just about anywhere. Just taking a smartphone-free hour to practice sun salutations can feel like a mini-vacation.
Slideshow: See these and more top yoga retreats
But even for the yogically inclined, more than an hourlong getaway is sometimes necessary. Its certainly alluring, especially since there are so many options for rolling up your sticky mat and dashing off to an exotic locale.
These days, there are yoga retreats that cater to every ability level and goal. Some, such as the Ayurvedic Rejuvenation Retreat at Shreyas Resort in Bangalore, emphasize the traditional holistic benefits of yoga (participants receive health and dietary consultations, plus personalized ayurvedic spa treatments, along with their classes). Others, like Yada Yada Yogas Bespoke Yoga Retreat at the St. Regis Bahia Beach, offers guests the opportunity to combine yoga with other activities like paddleboarding, kayaking and hiking, while others offer it as a double bill with music, photography and cultural study.
Whether the goal is serenity or invigoration, ancient traditions or innovative approaches, here are five places to make your escape.
Ayurvedic Rejuvenation Retreat, Shreyas Resort, Bangalore, India
At this ashram-style retreat in India, guests receive personalized ayurvedic therapies (likeabhyanga, a traditional Indian massage) with one-on-onepranayama(guided breathing) and meditation sessions. The retreat is designed to help guests take their practices with them when they leave, incorporating vegetarian cooking classes and consultations on integrating yoga practice into daily life. Shreyas practices karma yoga, the yoga of giving back; guests can do service by working in a community garden, volunteering in the local school or planting trees.Seven-night stay, from $3,340; shreyasretreat.com.
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David McCann talks 2012 goals and retirement – Video
Posted: at 11:27 am
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David McCann talks 2012 goals and retirement - Video
Tsawwassen woman invents new workout tool
Posted: at 11:25 am
A local personal trainer has developed what is being hailed by some as one of the best new training tools on the market.
Born and raised in Tsawwassen, Sara Shears has spent almost 20 years working as a personal trainer. However, about three years ago she partnered with a client to develop Ugi - an all-in-one training tool that takes you from warmup to cardio, strength conditioning, balance work and cool down. All in 30 minutes and anywhere you can find a spot.
The portable Ugi ball allows users to get in a work out whenever and wherever they can. Shears says she wanted to create a workout that mimicked what she was doing in the studio with her clients, which requires multiple pieces of equipment.
"I wanted to create that style of training and find a piece of equipment that people could have at home."
Shears says it was about three years ago when she partnered with designer Melanie Finkelman, who was also a client, to design Ugi. She was inspired by an old piece of equipment at the gym - a medicine ball. The ball had a split seam, which made it more pliable, and Shears started using it because of the weight component. The idea for Ugi, which has the squish of a bean bag, the bounce-back of a stress ball and the benefit of a weight, was born.
Shears says she and Finkelman started research and development of Ugi two and a half years ago and launched their product for sale in November 2010. In addition to developing the equipment, Shears also developed a 30-minute program that incorporates a series of one-minute exercises that are efficient enough to produce results. The Ugi comes with a fiveday a week training program, an instructional DVD, workout guide and a nutritional guide.
On the market for around a year and a half, the Ugi is getting noticed.
Shears, along with Finkelman and third partner Debra Karby, made a pitch on the CBC show Dragon's Den (they turned down an offer from Dragon Arlene Dickinson because she wanted too large a stake in the company). Ugi has appeared in Shape and Fitness magazine, on QVC, an online shopping site, and was listed as the number one training tool on Yahoo.
Shears says they also recently launched an app to help Ugi users stay on track during their workouts.
"It's your personal trainer at home," she says.
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Tsawwassen woman invents new workout tool
Restless employees looking to quit even during a slowdown
Posted: at 11:25 am
By Chuang Peck Ming
THE economic slowdown doesn't seem to have calmed the restlessness of workers.
More than half - 57.9 per cent - of employees surveyed recently in Singapore by recruitment firm Ambition said they plan to change jobs this year, at least when market conditions allow.
Next to pay, the survey found career and personal development to be the key in attracting and retaining workers. Yet three in five of the employees surveyed complained they are not provided enough training and development to be equipped for career progression. And the most unhappy are managers.
The workers in the survey cut across many job functions at all levels. The itch to job-hop despite the sluggish economic growth is also seen in Ambition's recruitment work here in recent months.
'Candidate flow remains consistent and with bonuses being paid out in the first quarter, we anticipate movement and spike in recruitment levels as we progress through the first quarter and into the second quarter,' says Paul Endacott, the firm's managing director in Singapore. 'We also expect clients to be taking advantage of up-skilling during this period and have seen an increased demand for contractors.'
Even as hirings are tipped to dip as the economy shifts to lower gear, the labour market has stayed tight.
The year that just ended saw the jobless rate falling to a 14-year low of 2.0 per cent. Yet there are growing signs that bosses are wary of taking on more workers. Virtually all the employers - 96.7 per cent - Ambition surveyed said they are hit by sluggish global demand. One in five sees a business downswing. A large number of employees actually shared the view.
Some 41.9 per cent of the workers have lowered their pay expectations to a 3-5 per cent raise in 2012. That's not far from the percentage - 50 per cent - of employers who expect to pay that much. Half the workers polled think bonus will only be under 10 per cent of base pay this year, while 46 per cent of the bosses thought that's about right given the poorer business. So employers and employees see eye to eye when it comes to pay and bonuses, which should make everyone happy.
Yet the survey shows more than half of the workers want to quit, when they should want to hold on to their jobs for dear life - in fact, only 10 per cent of the workers think it's easy to find a new job in today's market conditions.
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Restless employees looking to quit even during a slowdown