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.

The rest is here:

For veterans, yoga can offer peace

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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Yoga: Separating fact from fiction

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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Catch your breath at these yoga retreats

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1i4jnVqJx0

14-03-2012 05:54 Confirming 2012 will be his final season in the peloton, mutiple Irish champion David McCann speaks before the start of the final stage of the Tour de Langkawi about his season targets, the London Olympics and hanging up his wheels.

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David McCann talks 2012 goals and retirement - Video

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.

Original post:
Tsawwassen woman invents new workout tool

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

Want some heavy support for your app? It may pay to invest in the education area.

Developers with education app ideas will find a sympathetic ear at AT&T.

The company plans to spur the development of apps that will help improve the state of education, and is planning an education-centric "hackathon" contest in June to find the smartest apps. The idea is to bring the Internet, video, social media, and the concept of "gamification" to the learning process.

It's part of a broader push by AT&T to improve the quality of education, and is a big personal cause for CEO Randall Stephenson. The company said today it plans to invest $250 million over the next five years to improving education. Part of that money will go to its AT&T Foundry, which will look into tapping new ways to teach students.

That's badly needed, as one in four students in the U.S.--or 1 million in total--drop out each year, according to a report by the Civic Enterprises, the Everyone Graduates Center, America's Promise Alliance, and the Alliance for Excellent Education (AT&T is the lead sponsor of the report).

While there has been a ton of focus on games, photo filters, and other different kinds of apps, there isn't as much energy put into education. AT&T is hoping to change that with its investment. The company plans to use its Foundry facilities to foster the development of education-centric apps.

In addition, the company has used hackathons to promote app development in specific areas, and could see a lot of interest in education with its contest in June.

AT&T would be following several players that have made similar pushes. Blackboard, for instance, has long worked on educational tools on the mobile platform. Its BlackBoard Mobile Learn application allows students and faculties to access their course, content, and organizations.

Tech luminaries Bill Gates and Eric Schmidt, meanwhile, have put their resources behind Sal Khan and his Khan Academy, a free online tutoring site that includes a mobile app.

For AT&T, this represents an additional level of investment in the area. The company has invested more than $100 million in education under its AT&T Aspire program since 2008.

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How education apps have become a priority for AT&T

- Plasha Yoga's 10-week Spring Yoga Session runs from March 19 to May 26, Plasha Yoga and Life Coaching Center, 4508 Zuck Road. $110; payment plans and prorating available for fewer classes; discounts for couples and multiple classes. Call 864-1114 to register. For details, visit http://www.plashayoga.com. Classes include:

-- Mondays: Beyond Beginners, 10 to 11:30 a.m. and 7:15 to 8:45 p.m.; Basic and Beyond (new students), 5:30 to 7 p.m.

-- Tuesdays: Beyond Beginners, 5:30 to 7 p.m.; Restorative and Mindfulness Yoga, 7:15 to 8:30 p.m.

-- Wednesdays: Beyond Beginners, 10 to 11:30 a.m.; Multi-Level Flow, 5:30 to 7 p.m.

-- Thursdays: Beyond Beginners, 5:30 to 7 p.m.; Gentle Beginners, 7:15 to 8:30 p.m.

--- Saturdays: Beyond Beginners, 10:30 a.m. to noon

- Lifeworks Erie, 406 Peach St., formerly Erie Center on Health and Aging, is offering the following classes. To register, visit http://www.lifeworkserie.org or call 459-4132.

-- Yin Yoga, Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m., until May 11. This method of yoga is appropriate for the aging body, although the practice is for anyone at any age. It targets bones and joints and is healing for the supportive connective tissue particularly in the hips, pelvis and lower spine.

-- The Practice of Meditation and Mindfulness Series, Monday, March 19, 6:30 p.m. Explore the various methods of meditation, representative of different religions, with focus on Christian meditation, and discussion of mindfulness.

- Movement Therapy and Rolfing, Tuesday, March 20, 6 p.m., Whole Foods Co-op, 1341 W. 26th St. Class will address how movement therapies can help with chronic pain. Free; call 456-0282 to reserve a spot. For more information, call Jeff Castle certified Rolfer, at (716) 753-6028.

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Appointment Book

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-B6m-wR-8U

17-03-2012 19:41 Intro to youtube, I am new to filming and editing so be nice! Sorry about the end lol just noticed there is like a minute of nothing at the end and then a double clip! lol Like I said I am new cut me some slack. I have a blog: krystalbfit.blogspot.com Twitter: KrystalB_

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My Intro Health and Fitness - Video

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Night owls, insomniacs, shift workers and other denizens of the dark are finding less need to fit their workout time into the nine-to-five world.

More gyms are remaining open round the clock, experts say, spurred by advances in surveillance and security technology, clients' ever more fluid work habits and a generation of multi-tasking consumers.

"A lot of people work untraditional times and they take advantage of clubs open at all hours," said Carl Liebert, CEO of 24 Hour Fitness, an international chain of health clubs, most of them open around the clock.

Liebert said his 30-year-old chain has seen an increase in after-hours traffic, with five to 15 percent of clients, depending on location, working out between midnight and 5:00 a.m.

"I think people have changed," he said. "They're online; they're connected day and night. When I grew up I went to bed at night and got up in the morning. Between those times I wasn't multitasking."

Liebert said common night visitors include people who work out to relieve stress, insomniacs, and hard-core fitness fanatics who wouldn't miss a workout and prefer a gym less crowded.

The number of health clubs open 24 hours has soared from just couple hundred five years ago to more than 2,000 today, according to IHRSA, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, a trade association of fitness facilities.

Spokesperson Meredith Poppler said while most club goers still work out during regular hours, technology has enabled small, often rural, clubs to operate overnight, and sometimes unstaffed.

"Cameras on the doors, cameras in the clubs, safety buttons each member carries set them apart," said Poppler. "Many of the operators are in the clubs at certain times of days, but other times the clubs are truly unstaffed."

Access is granted via a swipe card or key fob.

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Working out in the early hours