Archive for August, 2012
Missing Indiana teens took car, backpacking gear
AVON, Ind. – Families of two missing Indiana teenagers believe the boys left the state and may have changed their appearance so as not to be identified.
Jordan Webb, 16, and Levi “David” Briggs, 15, went missing Saturday, apparently driving away in the 2006 black C350 Mercedes that belongs to Webb’s father. Neither boy has a driver’s license.
Webb, an accomplished backpacker, left a letter acknowledging his leaving is “bizarre” and saying he and Briggs planned to settle somewhere for a long time, his family said. The boys may be in Colorado or New York – or may have stopped in Tennessee to visit hikers they met over spring break – according to tips their families have received.
Jordan Webb, left, and David Briggs went missing Saturday.
Both families said they were surprised by the boys’ departure.
The teenagers have dumped their cell phones and cut social media connections.
Webb took backpacking supplies and enough clothes to last a long time, his family said. Briggs had little more than his clothes – a pair of designer, slim-fitting jeans; a teal, white and orange shirt; and blue-grey, suede Adidas Neo shoes, size 10 1/2.
Briggs is 5-feet, 10-inches, blonde and usually wears hoop earrings. He left behind his glasses, so he is thought to be wearing contacts. He likes bodybuilding.
Webb is 6-feet tall and usually wears a watch with an olive green band, black high tops and hipster Ray-Ban sunglasses. He enjoys outdoor adventure, video games and music. He and Briggs both like longboarding.
Webb’s sister, Jennifer Hurtubise, said he’s enrolled in various advanced placement classes, although going to high school in Avon “might not be his cup of tea.” He spent part of his summers at a New Mexico wilderness camp, Cottonwood Gulch.
Both boys’ parents said they are concerned for their safety. Webb’s mother, Susan, made an impassioned plea their return: “We love them more than anything. We just want their safe return. I want them to know there’s nothing they can’t come home over.”
Those with information about the boys are asked to call Avon, Ind. police at (317) 272-4485; visit the “Find Jordan and David” Facebook page at facebook/findjordananddavid; connect on Twitter at @findjordandavid; or e-mail findjordananddavid@gmail.com.
—
Details for this story were reported by the Hendricks County Flyer, Avon, Ind.
You and the Law: My treadmill fell apart
“I’ve always been a big boy, but then it was clear that I had to do something about my out-of-control weight,” Greg’s email stated. “I’ve got a real problem. I’ll be in Bakersfield in a few days, and need to talk with you.”
Shortly thereafter, on one of the hottest August days of 2012, a worried 35-year-old man walked into our office, holding a diet soft drink. With a big smile, the ex-Navy, Lemoore resident said. “I always thought these were for sissies, but then, about six months ago, my doctor told me something that, in my mind, only happens to other people.
“Your family loves and depends on you Greg, but you are killing yourself. It is difficult for you to walk because you weigh over 350 pounds, have high blood pressure and are a Type 2 diabetic. You have to cut out the excess calories, the sugar, the junk, get real and start exercising at home. I want you to buy a treadmill and walk till you almost drop!
“My doctor also told me that I was becoming grotesque, and reminded him of the horribly obese people you see in Costco or Sam’s Club, shopping carts filled with chips.
“But I am one of those people, Mr. Beaver, and I was so scared by what the doctor told me,” my reader whispered.
“That day I researched websites, and found a treadmill which I bought in the sporting goods section at a Hanford department store for $412. I used it every day, walking and running as much as I could and lost weight! But then, the treadmill just fell apart while I was running on it!
“The store refuses to do a thing, saying that the 90 day parts and labor warranty has expired. They will only sell me a new one. But I don’t have that money. Can you help me?”
So many overweight people are in denial, refusing to help themselves, and then, here is a guy who is trying and was almost in tears. Of course, we would help, and the first step was exercise equipment education.
Beware of exercise equipment websites
If you ask any specialty fitness equipment retailer to name one of America’s premier manufacturers of commercial and home exercise equipment — and we asked several — you’ll hear: True Fitness Technology, based in St. Louis.
Their treadmills are considered as among the best available. True Fitness put us in touch with regional account manager Brian Jamison. His advice is relevant and important to anyone looking to buy home exercise equipment, especially treadmills.
“Your reader is like so many people across America who have spent good money for what amounts to poor-quality exercise equipment, often as the direct result of recommendations from what are known as affiliate websites.
“Currently, there is no government body which fairly tests or evaluates exercise equipment from an unbiased overview. Many of the websites on the Internet today are paid by manufacturers to misinform the public as to the quality of their products through fictitious ratings. Our company does not sponsor these sites,” he points out.
“It is a very sad and very challenging part of our industry today, as there are so many people who rely on the Internet for good information, and in the fitness industry, it is not there,” Jamison stressed.
“A treadmill, can easily become the most used appliance in your household. Buy a high quality treadmill, and it is virtually impossible to abuse it. It will not fall apart. But a poorly made product will not last. Like many first-time buyers of home exercise equipment, Greg did not know what questions to ask of the salesperson, or how to match his own needs to the treadmill he purchased.
“Greg had very specific needs in a treadmill, given his 350 pound weight and doctor’s orders to exercise daily. If he had visited a store that specializes in home exercise equipment, and met with a well-trained exercise consultant, you would never have had this story,” Jamison maintains.
“But hardly anyone gives a thought about the warranty, and that is a give-away as to the quality and value of the treadmill,” he points out.
“If you see a 90-day warranty, run in the opposite direction, as this is an indication of an inferior piece of exercise equipment. The better manufactures have a lifetime warranty on the frame, and five to 10 years parts warranty.”
Next time: We look at the right way to find exercise equipment, what it will cost, and tell you why Greg is smiling more, and losing weight, on the new, quality treadmill, the department store was only too happy to provide after our little talk.
Dennis Beaver practices law in Bakersfield and welcomes comments and questions from readers, which may be faxed to (661) 323-7993 or emailed to: Lagombeaver1@gmail.com
Benefits of weight lifting for women
Manuela Nemes, Fitness Expert
As a former female bodybuilder, I’ve always loved the weight room. It’s my sanctuary, my place to strengthen and build the muscular temple of my dreams. Getting physically stronger makes me mentally stronger and the aesthetic benefits are rewarding too.
But the thought of having a “bodybuilder’s” physique, complete with massive biceps and bulky thighs, sends many women running straight for the elliptical, which is sad considering how beneficial a proper lifting regime can be. Depending on your body type and your final goal, a body building programme is designed to promote muscle growth with limited cardio. That doesn’t mean you won’t burn calories or reduce your body fat. As we age, we lose muscle mass. Through weight lifting, we help offset this and increase our bone density. Women who lift weights during young adult years benefit later. Stronger muscles and denser bones make walking up stairs, carrying groceries, and lifting children easier. If we weight train properly, we can improve our balance and build muscles that protect our joints to help stay off injury.
Weight training also has a positive effect on disease control and prevention. To see results, it is recommended to strength train at least two to three times a week. You don’t have to worry about becoming huge or bulky, simply because women don’t have enough testosterone to build bulk like men do. If you’re worried about bulking, focus on how many calories you’re eating. That includes calories from protein. Contrary to another fitness myth, excess dietary protein is stored as fat. Unless you’re supplementing your diet with a testosterone-enhancing hormone cocktail and overeating, it’s almost impossible for a woman to get bulky.
If you’re interested in a weight loss programme you can use a body building regimen in conjunction with a cardio-focused weight loss programme, such as boot camp, plyometrics, or pure cardiovascular exercises. Combining a cardio-centric programme with a muscle-building one is an ideal way to build a rock-hard body and a strong athletic foundation.
A woman’s body produces testosterone, just not at the level of a man’s. Testosterone strengthens the libido, provides a sense of well-being, and improves muscle tone. Natural weight training increases our testosterone levels so that we benefit from all of the above.
A few years ago, I wanted to add muscle to all areas of my body. I did, but I also found that I was dropping clothing sizes as I trained. I ate multiple times of day and my meals were composed of complex carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables.
Don’t wait for the “back to school time” to get back to exercise!
It’s easy to let your workouts slide this time of year, thinking you’ll figure it out once things settle down. However, waiting for the perfect time to exercise is a losing game. There is no perfect time and, when school starts, things are only going to get crazier.
The best way to prepare is to plan ahead and make the commitment to continue your workouts no matter what’s going on with your schedule!
To help you start back your training, book a first free session on my website www.manuelafit.com
Athletes prepare for 2012 Summer Paralympics at the Paralympic Fitness Centre
Monday, August 27, 2012
London, England — As Paralympians ready for the Games which are set to open later this week, they have access to a world class fitness center inside the Paralympic Village which is designed to maximise their pre-Game preparations.
According to volunteers staffing the center, instead of being a single large room, as in Beijing, the building has numerous rooms. It, along with the adjacent Village Services Centre, is designed to be converted into a school after the games conclude. Rooms have been structured as a gym, an auditorium, and science laboratories.
Gym equipment is supplied by Technogym, an Italian firm that has supplied gym equipment for the Olympics since 2000. Equipment has been provided not just for for the Fitness Centre, but for gyms at all the Olympic venues. The newest equipment is oriented toward maximum flexibility, allowing athletes to exercise the particular muscles that they most require for their sport.
In addition to the equipment, the Fitness Centre also provides instructors trained in the use of the equipment, the likes of which athletes from many countries have never seen before. There are also a number of instructors available to provide motivational training.
Weights are available for use
Image: Hawkeye7.
A Thailand competitor uses the Gym
Image: Hawkeye7.
Items to help train with
Image: Hawkeye7.
A sink inside the gym
Image: Hawkeye7.
Some one from Team GB using a stepping machine
Image: Hawkeye7.
A Paralympian in the gym
Image: Hawkeye7.
An Australian trains in the gym
Image: Hawkeye7.
A radio is available inside the gym
Image: Hawkeye7.
Weights wait for people to use them inside the Paralympic Village Gym
Image: Hawkeye7.
Have an opinion on this story? Post it!
[edit] Sources
This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.
Adult Acne: Why Does It Happen?
Welcome to Ask Healthy Living — in which you submit your most burning health questions and we do our best to ask the experts and get back to you. Have a question? Get in touch here and you could appear on Healthy Living!
“Ask Healthy Living” is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult a qualified health care professional for personalized medical advice.
I’m a 61-year-old woman who has hardly had a pimple my whole life, til now. Lately, I’ve been getting these huge, what I call, under-grounders. They hurt like the dickens but never come to a head. They appear around my mouth, near my nose or on my forehead. What is going on?
– Jane
A pimple occurs when sebum — the lubricant that naturally moisturizes our skin and hair — is trapped under dead skin cells and debris in a hair follicle, according to the Mayo Clinic. Typically, sebum rises to the surface, where it is able to condition the skin. If it gets trapped, it creates an ideal circumstance for bacteria to grow. What Jane calls “under-grounders” are actually pockets of sebum and bacteria that are trapped further down along the hair shaft, deep within the follicle.
Adult acne is common — about 30 percent of women and 20 percent of men between the ages of 20 and 60 have breakouts, according to WebMD. So why would a person develop acne later in life? Very often, it’s related to hormones.
“When adult women experience acne outbreaks, hormones are usually the primary culprit,” dermatologist Dr. Diane S. Berson said in an interview with Medical News Daily. “Hormonal acne can be particularly frustrating because it may not respond to the same over-the-counter treatments that worked for some women during their teenage years.”
At 61, menopause, hormonal treatments or a growing ratio of androgen (male) hormones like testosterone may be contributing to the sudden emergence of acne, according to an explainer by the American Academy of Dermatology. Research shows that testosterone, for example, causes increased production of sebum by the sebaceous gland.
Other causes of adult acne can be medication related — some psychotropic medications, like lithium, or steroids or hormonal medications can contribute to acne breakouts, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The best course of action may be to talk to a doctor about having your hormone levels checked and to speak with a dermatologist about proper skincare. Since many acne medications and special soaps are geared towards teenage skin, which is thicker and less dry, picking the right skin care regimen for an adult requires greater care.
Have a question? Ask Healthy Living!
Loading Slideshow
How to train to be your best
When you go to the gym, do you go with a plan? Or do you go through a set routine, one you’ve been using for the past six months or so? Worse, do you only do the exercises you like, using the same few machines or free weight movements?/pp If so, you’ll regret it. You’re not going to progress without an actual training plan, all written down in a training diary that tracks your exercises, plus sets and reps. A diary will also allow you to clearly see your physical progress, so you don’t have to depend on (often faulty) memory to get an accurate picture of what you’ve been doing – and what you need to do next./pp To give a personal example, I HATE the multi-hip machine. It’s an effort to force myself to use it. But the range of strength-building lower body exercises it provides cannot be duplicated by even a combination of three or four other machines. Plus, you work one leg at a time, so you put equal force on each side of your body. And you do it standing up, which is how you’ll likely use all that strength you’re building./pp When doing a conditioning session, think of what’s best for your body’s progress, not what you emotionally feel like (or don’t feel like) doing. This is another reason why a training diary is a good thing. You can see what you did in previous workouts, and plan the next workout accordingly. But probably the best thing about a training diary is the subtle motivation it offers. If you have a designed plan all written out, you’ll be more motivated to follow it. You’ll be mentally programmed to do exercises that your body needs, even if your mind isn’t in the mood./pp Here’s how to construct your training diary, for which you can use any inexpensive notebook: Start with a warm up to lubricate the joints and get blood flowing through the muscles. Write down the time and method of each warm up. Next, plan your workout by listing each exercise you intend to do, with the number of sets and reps, and the amount of weight you plan to lift. If there’s any change during the workout, like using a different amount of resistance, not completing a set, or unusual difficulty in lifting the weight, note the fact in your diary./pp When designing your workout, look at each exercise in terms of muscle groups so you don’t double train any particular muscle. For example, some arm exercises also work the back muscles. Be aware of this so you don’t overtrain your back./pp The poundage you lift for each resistance exercise should change according to which set it is. Start with a light weight to warm up joints and muscles for the movement. Lift your heaviest poundage in the second set, when your energy is still fresh and strong. NEVER save your heaviest lift for the last set. By then your muscles will be tired, your endurance will be at its lowest point and it will be more difficult to maintain proper technique./pp Lower the weight with each set. However, here’s a secret for maximum gains: At the end of your final set, do ONLY two or three reps with the heavier weight you used in the second set. Then give your body at least two minutes to recover by walking around before starting the next exercise in your training diary./pp By having a plan in the form of a workout diary, you’ll be better at any activity, and the improvement in your athletic results will be amazing./pp Wina Sturgeon is the editor of the online magazine Adventure Sports Weekly. For the latest in adventure sports and physical conditioning, visit Adventure Sports Weekly at http://adventuresportsweekly.com/pp /pp@2012, Adventure Sports Weekly/ppSee more at http://adventuresportsweekly.com
