AFP Health Reviews

Before going into the benefits of Aerobic exercises in weight loss let us first understand what exactly aerobic exercises is and how does it exert a profound influence on our body. Aerobic exercises are a set of cardiovascular exercises which involves a large part of muscles of our body. It involves slowly increasing the tempo of the exercise to peak levels and maintaining that level for a period of time. The body goes into an over gear and the lungs pump more oxygen to cater to the increasing energy requirements of the body. The Cardiac muscles also goes into an overdrive and a large amount of energy is used up which is obtained by burning the calories in the body.

Weight loss occurs by burning up the excess calories in the body. The human body stores the excess carbohydrates and fats in the form of lipids at different locations in the body. Whenever there is a deficit of energy and the glucose levels in the body falls, these stored lipids are slowly released and used to produce energy. Aerobic Exercises if done daily burn up a lot of calories and are considered one of the most ideal forms of exercise to effect weight loss. There are numerous other side benefits which one can accrue by doing regular aerobic exercises.

One of the most important benefits of aerobic exercises is that it keeps the heart in the optimum and fit condition. The efficiency of the heart and the lungs are both increased due to their being in a state of overdrive. It no doubt also helps to reduce the cholesterol levels and also prevents numerous circulatory disorders like atherosclerosis, cardiac arrest, strokes etc. One of the biggest advantages of aerobic exercises is that they can be done at home and without much equipment. All you need is a fairly spacious room and a CD player for the music and that is it. There is no need for you to join any Gym and spend a fortune.

There are a number of other aids which can help to burn away those extra calories and help in weight loss efforts. These include skipping and rebounding. Rebounding has been described as one of the best form of exercises and has been recommended by NADSA for its future astronauts. The essence of any aerobic exercise is to reach peak cardiac output and then maintain it for the maximum possible time. Therefore any form of exercise like cycling, swimming, jogging or even dancing can come within the purview of the aerobic exercises.

Ideal BMI Weight Loss Center ( ) was designed to help you lose the weight that you want to in a very healthy way. Your care will be directly supervised by an endocrinologist. Your detailed history will be taken and a physical examination will be done. You will have an assessment of your BMI.

The aloe is a plant originally from Africa. It is a succulent that grows to a height of 12 to 16 inches spreading by offsets and root sprouts. The leaves are thick and fleshy, green to grey-green, with a serrated margin. The flowers are produced on a spike up to 90 cm tall.

Aloe also holds the prestigious title of being the 6th most-used plant – its properties are found in numerous medical and health products around the world.

A versatile plant, you can find aloe in beverages, cosmetics, and herbal products. One of the reasons that Aloe is so effective is its bioactive components called chromones. It is also one of the only plants in the world that naturally contains Vitamin B12.

Because of its amazing properties, aloe is very beneficial for cuts, wounds, and burns. It can also prevent scaring, fade marks, and help heal acne. Used topically and internally, aloe is a powerful healing ointment.

Aloe also nourishes your skin. In fact, aloe is the answer for almost all skin problems. Skin care specialists have long recognized, and used, aloe in skin care products – it is beneficial for all skin types, including sensitive skin. As a moisturizer, aloe has both conditioning and healing properties.

In addition:

1. Aloe reduces inflammation and pain, and accelerates healing

2. It has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties

3. Aloe vera gel acts as an anesthetic and often relieves joint and muscle pain.

And, if that wasn’t enough… for an easier nights’ sleep try putting an aloe plant in your bedroom! It releases oxygen and absorbs carbon dioxide at night.

If you are interested in growing your own aloe plants, pfaf.org has the following recommendations:

“Aloe requires a well-drained soil and a very sunny position. Plants are tolerant of poor soils. If trying to grow this plant outdoors then it will need the sunniest and warmest area in the garden plus some protection from winter cold (a glass frame perhaps). This species is not very cold-hardy outdoors in Britain, it is best grown in a pot placed outdoors in the summer and put in a greenhouse for the winter. It grows very well in a sunny windowsill.”

There are plenty of uses for the Aloe Vera plant, and many of its uses may surprise you. The bottom line is aloe is one of the best natural cures available.

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Let’s take a look at my predictions for 2012-13 and see what actually happened: Here’s what I predicted: -More uprisings and riots. There were riots in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Israel, Greece and Spain. -An escalation of natural disasters. There was an avalanche in Afghanistan, epic fires in Colorado, and a 7.7 earthquake off the east coast of British Columbia, Canada causing a tsunami in Hawaii. -Water issues worldwide. We saw widespread flooding in Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Romania, North Korea, Nigeria, the UK, Spain, a typhoon in the Philippines and Hurricane Sandy. -Rising unemployment into double digits in many countries. Spain and Greece are over 25% and an average of 11% in the 27 EU member states. US is reported at 8% but probably closer to 12%. -Governments taking more control over our privacy. On November 20th, the Senate rewrote a bill which now allows the feds to read private emails without a warrant. This law increases government access to emails and other digital files. This rewrite was done quietly and secretly. It now allows more than 22 agencies to access Americans’ email, Google Docs files, Facebook wall posts, and Twitter direct messages without a search warrant. It also gives the FBI and Homeland Security more authority to gain full access to Internet accounts without notifying either the owner or a judge. I am expecting sneaky controls over our freedoms and our privacy to encroach on us gradually and without our being aware of it until it’s too late. -More QE. i.e. money printing. In September of 2012, the US embarked on QE3, another huge round of borrowing and money printing. -Pension plans going bankrupt. E.g. The US Postal Service is broke and cannot pay into their pension fund, teachers retirement funds have gone broke, public pensions in many countries are underfunded and in danger of going under. -More focus on banks and financial institutions, a tightening of their regulations, more bailouts, more greed and more fraudulent activities. And that’s exactly what’s happened. -Growth of new technology, mobile phones and social networking. Apple launched its IPhone 5 in September, Smartphones, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr and Pinterest have all seen accelerated growth. There were advances in Iphones, android phones and an upsurge in the use of mobile apps. -A rise in anti- immigration laws and regulations. Since 2010, when Arizona introduced draconian immigration laws, 35 other states have tried to introduce similar rulings. -Price of gold and silver continuing to rise. Whilst precious metals didn’t perform as well as I expected, they have still risen nearly 5% this year and it is only a matter of time before gold reaches over $3000 an ounce and silver is at $100 an ounce. 2013-2014 – Important Astrological Aspects -There is a great deal of Water activity with Saturn in Scorpio, Neptune in Pisces and Jupiter going into Cancer on June 25th making a Grand Trine in Water. -All three Mercury retrograde periods are in Water signs. -Intense Cardinal activity happening building up to the Grand Cross in December, one of the most powerful astrological aspects with Uranus in Aries, Pluto in Capricorn, Jupiter in Cancer and Mars in Libra. The ongoing square between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn is very much in force during 2013. Remember that Uranus rules uranium and Pluto rules plutonium so there is a likelihood of increased nuclear instability and nuclear accidents. This is going to be accentuated when Jupiter goes into Cancer at the end of June 2013 as Jupiter always increases and amplifies everything, so you can expect even stronger dissonance with respect to the economy, politics, weather changes especially earthquakes and volcanoes. The USA has Jupiter and Sun conjunct in Cancer (July 4th, 1776), so the second half of 2013 and the first half of 2014 is its Jupiter return. Expect to see issues around Homeland security, the safety of US citizens, and a search for belonging and security in general. The positive and negative issues will be highly polarised. It will be a year of opposites: war and peace, moving forwards and moving backwards, safety and vulnerability, balancing business and personal, home and work, emotional ups and downs, periods when a great deal is happening and periods that seem as though nothing is happening, holding onto the past and yet striving towards the future. The Cardinal signs signify that we need to be responsible for our own destiny and not rely on our governments to provide stability and security for our future. Let’s not forget the powerful Grand Trine in Water with Jupiter in Cancer, Neptune in Pisces and Saturn in Scorpio. This is particularly strong during July 2013 but lasts energetically until mid-2014. This will bring increased confidence especially by lawmakers and governments in our economic and political systems. There could even be an upswing in the economy and the US dollar could go up in value. If it does happen, it will probably be short-lived and by the middle of 2014 if there has been an improvement in the economy, it is likely to be followed by a sharp drop a year or so later. Neptune in Pisces for the next 14 years indicates more flooding, tsunamis and excess water especially in coastal areas. There could also be issues with water purity and contamination. On February 9th, Mars is conjunct to Neptune which could be very favourable. It could be an opportunity to achieve something you have been dreaming of. On 21st March, Mars goes into Aries and will be conjunct with Uranus. This is a combustible combination and could lead to explosions and sudden riots, upsets, surprises. It can also indicate war. On 21st July 2013, Mars conjuncts with Jupiter in Cancer which adds more power to the T-square with Uranus and Pluto. I expect this to bring more sudden changes with respect to governments, control issue, power, the economy, social issues. On December 7th, Mars goes into Libra which completes the Grand Cross with Uranus in Aries, Pluto in Capricorn and Jupiter in Cancer. This is extremely powerful and will be the beginning of even more vast changes. Mars usually stays in a sign for about 2 months, but this time it goes retrograde on March 1st 2014 and stays in Libra until July 26th 2014. So we can expect another 6 – 7 months of opposing energies where agreements are hard to find and where progress is restricted. This can be happening not only on the macro level, but also on the micro level in your own life. You may feel as though your life is not moving ahead, as if you are in a holding pattern and you don’t know what action to take. When you take action there may be little or no apparent results. Keep in mind that the earth is in the middle of all these opposing and squaring planets and you may find yourself trying to look forward and being pulled backwards, deciding to take a risk and then backing out of it, changing your mind frequently, your location, your job and your relationships. It will take a huge effort for you to break free of old, destructive habit patterns and to move into a new, more uncertain yet happier life. Old structures that are no longer working for you will be pulled down. You may feel lonely, isolated and abandoned, but try to remain strong and realise that the reason that this is happening is because subconsciously you wanted more for yourself in your life. The old relationships that were draining and not fulfilling, the job that you hated, the lack of purpose and direction you felt in your life-.all this had to change for you to be happy and feeling as though you were fulfilling your destiny on the planet. You will have the opportunity to move to a higher vibration, but to do that you will have to let go of the old and to be ready to move into the unknown and to have faith in the new. It will be a particularly powerful time for the Cardinal signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn (and this will apply if it is your Sun, Moon or ascendant sign), and also for all the water signs: Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. Summary of Predictions for 2013-2014: -Worsening global economic crisis with more demonstrations and civil unrest -Youth protesters will turn violent even though we have had mainly peaceful protests so far -Higher unemployment -Stock market earnings slide lower -Multiple investigations of banking corruption and fraud -Rising oil and food costs -More failures of large insurance companies -Extreme weather patterns from very hot to very cold -Gold and silver to be very volatile with even more price manipulation, sometimes going lower and then much higher -More power outages and for longer -Survival kits will become a necessity -Alternative power sources will become more mainstream – more use of green technologies: solar power plants, rooftop solar panels, wind farms, geothermal uses, hydrogen power plants -Greater paranormal activity – more reporting of visitations from other beings -Space exploration increasing and the uncovering of greater knowledge -More people power using Twitter, Facebook and other social media concerning customer service. For the first time ever the consumer will have the power when rating a restaurant, hotel, airline, computer, products and services in general -Increase in military threats especially in the Middle East and this could be very explosive towards the end of 2013 when Mars is square to Uranus -Despite the crisis, some industries will grow. E.g. certain medical areas such as: regenerative medicine growing new bones, cartilage etc. -Growth in certain food industries, catering, food technology -New types of restaurants and food outlets -Greater knowledge and research placed on nutrition and diet -Healing and health products become more prominent -Focus on locally grown food and its preservation -Advances in water purification techniques -Energy efficient housing construction market growing e.g. passive houses -Security businesses could see massive growth – physical and/or virtual -Breakthroughs in oceanography and our understanding of the sea -3D printing become more accessible and getting closer to becoming mainstream -Traditional newspapers becoming obsolete – new forms of media where we the people are the reporters, not the controlling few who sift the news and keep us uninformed I am anticipating that overall economically, times will get worse over the next few years. Some economists are forecasting an upswing in the economy from the middle of 2013. And indeed with the grand water trine and Jupiter in Cancer, this is possible for a brief time. However, we should not be misled into thinking that the crisis is behind us and that we can confidently invest with security. With Uranus strongly featuring for the next 6 years, we will have to learn to expect the unexpected. I didn’t expect gold and silver to drop as sharply as they have done over the last few weeks. However, markets never go up in a straight line. If they did, everyone would be able to make a fortune. I am anticipating greater volatility and uncertainty in the markets with wider swings from high to low than ever before. If you are a good trader during these times, you could make a fortune. However, you could also lose a fortune. But the opportunities will be there. The key through all this hardship is going to be compassion and love with people coming together and helping one another through the changes. We can choose to make this a pleasurable and joyful time or we can make it even more difficult for ourselves. The choice is ours. I vote for helping one another, looking out for different ways of doing things, thinking outside the box, sharing our knowledge and expertise, working together and creating a new, exciting and better future for us all.

Skin problems is regarded as the common issue that these type of dogs experience with itchyness, rashes and sores which may cause the furs to fall out, letting the raw skin exposed with bleeding bald patches. Veterinarians blame this vulnerability to dermatological diseases as being due to the double layered coat that is characteristic of the breed. They’ve inner coats and outer coats, the inner coats being long and silky combined with the curly ones, these cause hair strands to get tangled forming some kind of a mesh. If the pet owner is not diligent in brushing their Bichon’s fur daily, dirt and bacteria collect on the skin, leading to irritation and infection. Fleas, mites and ticks also get trapped in the coat, with their bites causing itchy sores characteristic of mange (a persistent, highly contagious skin disease characterized by eczematous inflammation and hair loss).

Parvovirus infectin and Distemper are caused by deadly viruses this is exactly why bichon frises need to be vaccinated againts these viral diseases. Parvo infection is a very contagious disease which is marked by a high fever, loss of appetite, lethargy, bloody diarrhea and vomiting, leading to death. On the other hand, Distemper is caused by a Paramyxovirus.

Bichons residing in tropical countries would need to get an additional vaccination for heartworm. The heartworm – scientific name Dirofilaria immitis – is a parasitic filarial worm that is transmitted to dogs by mosquitoes. The worms connects to the heart of the dog the very moment it got inside the bloodstream. Symptoms of heartworm include loss of appetite, difficulty of breathing and generalized body weakness, resulting in coma and death. Sadly, once heartworm infects a bichon frise, there is no cure for it and the prognosis is very poor.

AIHA or Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia is one of the disease that all Bichon Frise owner should be aware and should watch out for as well as ITP or Immune-Mediated Thromboyctopenia and liver shunts. Based on Bichon Frise information on AIHA and ITP, these are diseases of the dog’s immune system. Bichons with such 2 problems will show with anemia signs and symptoms similar to darkish pee, skin pallor, light or yellow-colored gum area, weakness (due to insufficient power), appetite decline, looseness of the bowels and nausea, tachycardia (quick heartbeat) and tachypnea (rapid breathing).

The final one but equally dangerous is teh liver shunt that includes a large chance of occuring if the bichon frise is underweight. Some symptoms of this are seizures and can also come with voiding of dark urination, loss of appetite and thirtiness or lethargy.

Since there are many diseases that may afflict their dogs, pet owners are advised to read any Bichon Frise info on health that they can find, in order that they would be aware of any symptoms that may develop in their pets.

What you eat and the time when you do it could surely make a big
difference on how you really feel during working out. Keep in mind that
exercise and eating go hand in hand, so if you have poor eating habits,
don’t expect that you are highly motivated to working out. Here’s a good
eating and exercise guide that you can try:

Healthy breakfast, eat this!

If you usually exercise in the morning, start getting early and make
your own breakfast. It could be an hour or two prior to working out.
Most of the energy that you got from your last night’s dinner is used up
by morning and your blood sugar has gotten low. If you do not eat, you
will surely feel sluggish or even lightheaded when you are doing your
exercise. Getting whole-grain bread or cereal, natural veggie or fruit
juice, bananas and low fat milk for your breakfast are better options.

Watch the size, it matters a LOT!

You should always be very careful about not overdoing it when it comes
to the amount of food you ate prior to exercise. For large meals, make
it sure that you eat these about three to four hours prior to exercise.
Small meals should be eaten two to three hours before your exercise
session. The small snacks must be eaten an hour before you exercise.
Keep in mind, eating too much before exercising can definitely make you
feel sluggish or in a worst case scenario, you’ll suffer from stomach
cramps or diarrhea.

Snack is also important, do not overlook it, but do not overdo!

Most of the people could east small snacks prior and during their
exercise session. Keep in mind that the key here is how you really feel.
Do what really works for you. Those snacks being eaten prior to
exercise would never give you additional energy, but they could surely
keep your blood sugar and prevent you from being distracted of the
hunger pangs. Some of the best snacks you can consider are fruit
smoothies, yogurt, whole wheat crackers and granola bars.

If you
want to be fit, make it sure that you just do not do any exercises, but
you eat the right foods, the right amounts and you keep your timing.
Following the eating and exercise guide mentioned above could surely
help you out!

There are a lot of surfers that could not perform to their full potential because of ineffective workouts and exercises. They are stuck in the same lousy state and never get a chance at improvement. If you think you are one of them and do not want to suffer the same fate Total Surfing Fitness is the place to turn to. This is a site developed by Clayton Beatty that aims to make surfers better through proper workouts and specially designed exercises. It is every surfers desire to be good at surfing and this site can help you achieve it.

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As you visit this site you will see that there will be no guesswork to be done. It is because that all the workouts that can be found here are very specific and will guide you by the hand which exercises should be combined to obtain maximum effectiveness. There are also several routines you can follow that will depend on your overall fitness. There are also pictures in color that explains every detail of each exercise. Plus there are clear instructions that will never confuse you on what to do and how to do it. You also have no need of any special equipment for your workouts.

What sets the workouts in this site apart from any other else is that it focuses on functional training. This means that the exercises target several muscle groups at the same time and not isolating a muscle group. You will be doing less work yet get maximum results.

What you get to learn though does not end there. As you visit Total Surfing Fitness you also get to learn important information on nutrition and the role it plays on your overall fitness. You will also learn fitness tests to tune up your balance, and measure your progress.

If you want to improve your skills in surfing, or you fell you are just merely out of shape you know now where to go. Visit Total Surfing Fitness and never get to paddle more than riding the waves. Be smart, be fit, so grab that mouse and click on this site today.

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Boxing is arguably among the most difficult sports to train for. Fighters need to be healthy, strong, quick, agile, powerful, adept and brave. This indicates that their training is extremely specialised as well as helps to explain why fighters are amongst the fittest athletes in sport.

So what do boxers do to get so in good condition? In some ways this is a hard question to answer because, like boxing styles, there are numerous ways that a fighter can get in shape. A lot of instructors keep their approaches secret as well as vehemently disagree with the approaches used by their fellow coaches. As an example, where some trainers instruct to hit the weights, others say that lifting weights will make fighters slow and “muscle bound”. As both camps of instructors have created champs, it’s clear that there is no straightforward answer to the question “how do boxers train”.

There are, however, a variety of typical approaches that most fight trainers agree on.

Road work – long runs made to increase fundamental fitness and aid the boxer to lose weight and typically performed in the early morning and before breakfast to make the most of weight loss.

Abdominal work – tough abdominals are crucial for throwing huge blows as well as shielding the boxer against blows to the stomach.

Heavy bag work – to increase punching power and practice throwing various punch combos. Working the heavy bag is also an efficient type of conditioning training.

Speed bag – as the name suggests, this tool is used to develop punching speed and reflexes.

Calisthenics – another way of saying high repetition bodyweight exercises. Press ups, squat thrusts, sit ups and lunges are all examples of this type of exercise. Calisthenics develop muscle endurance.

Sparring – controlled fighting for the purpose of developing speed, capability and fitness.

Pad work – one on one training that involves punching and dodging pads held by the coach. And also developing a boxer’s skills, this exercise additionally raises fitness.

Jumping rope – a keystone of any boxing exercise, there isn’t a single champ, past or present, who didn’t spend great deals of time jumping rope.

Jump rope is really worth more than a passing mention simply due to the fact that it offers a lot of advantages to a boxer. Jumping rope is great for developing fitness, weight control, foot speed, eye-hand coordination, upper body endurance and agility. You just have to look at videos of boxing greats like Mohammed Ali, Mike Tyson, Roberto Duran and Marvin Haggler jumping rope to see just exactly how effective utilizing a speed rope can be. If it was good enough for those legendary fighters, it’ll be good enough for you!

Jumping rope is probably the worst kept secret in boxing as practically every boxer that has actually ever before entered the squared circle has actually done it and while it’s not a new exercise method, jumping rope is probably among the most effective.

If you are like most people, you have likely tried dieting two or more times in your life. Unfortunately, most people have tried and failed way too often. Often we find a new diet book that sounds just like what we need. But, most likely our new book and our new diet will soon be forgotten. That is why some people turn to fads or other extreme strategies. Others seek out pharmaceutical solutions that may have other side effects. However, today there are natural nutritional supplements that come in the form of pills, capsules or juice. Many of these are a safe and healthy way to lose weight.

A lot of people think that diet nutrition is about consuming fewer calories and that is the key to weight loss. However, it also depends on the type of calories consumed because the metabolism uses some calories as fat and uses fat burning on others for energy. A lot of people try to make up their own diet plan, not knowing anything about diet nutrition, and they do not know which foods to eliminate, limit or increase in their diet plan.

The raw food diet is said to provide you with quick weighty loss results. Use raw vegetables almost exclusively, since the vitamin value is at peak this way, and the crispness of the vegetables is most appetizing. Various combinations can be used with vegetables, cottage cheese, or gelatin recipes.

When you are looking at weight loss supplements, remember that there are some that will actually cause you to gain weight. If they provide you with energy that your body does not need at that moment, it will be stored for use later. While you may be eating less because the supplement needs to be taken with milk or juice instead of a meal, you will find that you still might need to lose weight. Instead, you may find that your body has gone into starvation mode and has instead decided to hang on to as much weight and fat stores as it can!

If you want to lose some weight, it is not necessary to take natural weight loss pills and supplements. The ugly side effect from taking weight loss pills may outweigh the benefit. The whole idea of a successful weight loss program is to approach it in a realistic manner without compromising your overall health.

There could be many different reasons for why you may have decided that you need to shed some weight; health reasons, upcoming party, the new dress from your favorite clothing store, the beach scene, or maybe you are feeling the need to trim down a little.The supplements that we use help us stay in positive health, not just the workouts we do. True, not all of the supplements are of equal value, so consuming the appropriate ones can do a good deal to ensure the health and balance of our bodies.

Staying fit and making certain that you are not carrying too much fat is a crucial thing to many people. Unfortunately, it is also something that is very tough to achieve in the busy lives that most people follow. Thats not to say we cant do it.

Weight loss depends on the condition of the person which includes weight, health, calorie-intake, age, gender, lifestyle, stress level and routine. Being overweight does not necessarily make a person unhealthy. It just makes the person a bit unfashionable. Studies have shown that people who are a bit overweight live longer than those who have normal weight.

There are almost as many fitness programs as there are fitness experts and fitness centers! One of the hottest new fitness programs today is spinning. For those of youlike mewho thought spinning required a loom and wool, let me explain. Spinning is a fitness program which makes use of specialized stationary bikes. It has nothing to do with turning wool into yarn. Nor does it bear any relationship to turning ones body quickly around in tight circles until one is dizzy.

Spinning us an indoor cycling activity designed to tone muscles and burn fat. Beyond the typical stationary bike, spinning is an indoor group fitness program in which you bike to lively music in a row of bikes. Spinning can be as vigorous and strenuous or as slow and leisurely as you want it to be. You can increase speed and or the resistance on the bike by turning a dial while you spin. Obviously, the higher the speed and resistance the greater the fat burning and the better the muscle toning results will be.

Unlike many fitness programs touted to provide lean muscle mass, spinning requires little equipment. Because it is a class, thus a group activity, it does require that you attend a gym, fitness center, office exercise facility or anywhere spinning classes occur. My church has recently set up spinning classes in its auditorium in conjunction three parishioners who run a fitness center and wanted to give something to the church.

Other fitness programs which are hot today are aerobics, yoga, pilates and step classesall excellent ways of burning fat, providing lean muscles and toning bodies.

Pilates is fitness program which utilizes the mind to control muscles. It increases strength, flexibility, endurance as well as conditioning arms, legs and abs. Pilates improves co-ordination while building strength in back muscles. Like spinning pilates does not require much equipment. It uses a range of apparatus to guide and train the body. Mat exercises are basic to pilates. Springs provide extra resistance. Weighted exercise balls, rotating disks and resistance bands are sometimes used. A reformer (chair) and a ladder barrel are lesser-known pilates equipment.

Another popular fitness program is yoga. The goal of this program is to attain a state of perfect tranquility and spirituality. Yoga aims to improve health through controlled movement.
Body weight fitness programs make use of the bodys natural resistance in performing exercise routines based on the bodys natural movements required for daily movement including lift, thrust, squat stretch, lunge and bend. The program can be designed by a professional or created by the exerciser himself. It is strongly advised that warmups and cool downs and cardiovascular exercises by included in each routine. Bodyweight routines can be performed anywhere, any time and with no equipment. Unlike Pilates, bodyweight routines are tailored to the individuals fitness level and exercise preferences. If the exerciser wishes, free weights can be added to increase resistance to tone muscles and burn fat faster.

Perennially popular and suitable for all ages and all levels of fitness is water aerobics or aqua aerobics. This is often a class activity like spinning. Also like spinning and body weights fitness programs the program allows every individual to participate to his/her level of fitness. Water aerobics uses waters natural buoyancy to increase motion and decrease resistance. Like Jazzercise and spinning, water aerobics often makes use of lively music to improve mood and stimulate movement. The one drawback is that water aerobics requires a pool.

Finally, there are the new introductions to the fitness world. These include the extreme P90X, PrecisionFlex, and the Shake Weight program. Further, there are several celebrity sponsored programs available to consumers that appear to produce successful results.

With so many fitness programs available to consumers, spend time researching each of the programs to make the best choice for your fitness goals.

Fitness Programs For You!

Mr. President:

I know that you are a very busy man so I will try to keep my questions about health care reform and the recently passed legislation as short and simple as possible.

– I could ask you why you think this is a good piece of legislation even though I truly believe that it will be a failure and will come very close to bankrupting the country. The basis for my conclusion has nothing to do with political partisanship (in fact, I have never voted for a Republican for national office in my life.) From my perspective, “Obama Care” never effectively addressed the root causes of our escalating health care costs: Americans eat too much of the wrong kinds of food, they exercise far too little, they are overweight, they smoke too much, and they are getting older. This legislation does not address these causes, it just raises taxes and moves money around within the bureaucracy. I could ask you about this but I will not.

– I could ask you why you have not stepped forward and denounced those in your party that have likened Americans like myself, i.e. those that have legitimate and honest concerns about this health care reform bill, to the racists who fought against the civil rights movement from the 1960s. I thought that we lived in a free country where citizens could freely address their elected representatives without being slurred in the most debasing way possible, just for having a different opinion. Your lack of fortitude to oppose those Democrats who frequently use the term “racist” to malign myself and those Americans expressing their honest opposition, cheapens the bravery and contributions of those from long ago that fought actual racism. I could ask you about this but I will not.

– I could ask you why you felt it necessary to pass this legislation by the back door called reconciliation. This is a major, major issue in the country that will affect every American for decades to come. Sneaking it in the back door, without using the traditional, time honored method of passing laws in his country, belittles the approach and makes it look like it was forced through without the full weight of the democratic process behind it. I could ask you about this but I will not.

Here is what I will ask you about. But first, some background facts:

– Let me reiterate that both my wife and myself have never voted for a Republican for national office in our lives.

– We both spent several decades of our lives working hard for AT&T, retiring several years ago, secure in our thinking that AT&T’s promise of health care benefits and coverage for our long years of service was a good bet.

– We both try to eat well, we exercise at our local YMCA on an almost daily basis, neither of us smoke, and we rarely drink. In other words, we take personal responsibility for our health and our health care.
One reason for our personal responsibility behavior is that we are on a high deductible insurance plan with AT&T. We are each responsible for the first $1,200 of our annual health care costs before we get any insurance coverage at all. However, for this personal responsibility, we also pay nothing in annual premiums.

– During the debate leading up to the passage of health care reform, you reiterated more than once that those of us that currently had health care coverage would be able to keep it. However, in a recent article in Fortune magazine, the CEO of AT&T, Randall Stephenson, was interviewed (several pages of the article are attached). Towards the end of the interview, he was explicitly asked whether AT&T would consider dropping health care insurance coverage for its employees and retirees. His response made it clear that this was a very viable option for two reasons. First, from a business profitability perspective, under the new health care reform law, “you’re better off paying the government a fine and dropping health care coverage for your employees”, improving AT&Ts bottom line. Second, he talks about “economic gravity” which appears to be code words for “if others in his industry do it, AT&T will have no choice but to do it also.”

Thus, a few quick questions for you:

1) Were you just naive when you made the comments that we could all keep our current health care insurance, not realizing the simple fact that companies are in business to make money and if this bill makes it easier for them to make more money by not insuring their workforce, that is what they will do? Or were you being disingenuous, knowing that this would happen and deliberately misinforming the country to help get your health care reform bill passed? Naive or disingenuous, in either case you will be making millions of American voters unhappy in November and in 2012 when we are forced out of our current health care coverage and will blame you for either ignorance or arrogance in this situation.

2) I am 57 years old and my wife is 56 years old and if Mr. Stephenson does decide to terminate AT&T’s health care coverage for employees and retirees, where do you suggest that my wife and I get coverage? What insurance company is going to want to pick us up, and millions of other older Americans who lost their coverage, at our ages even though we are both healthy and taking personal responsibility for our continued good health?

3) If we are forced out onto the market for health care insurance coverage, our new coverage is likely going to be much more expensive. Our annual health care costs will go from a maximum of $1,200 each to a minimum of several thousand dollars each. Is this how you planned to reduce health care costs for middle class America? Is so, then you need to explain the math to me. Maximum of $1,200 to a minimum of several thousand dollars, does not make sense out here in the real world. How does this reduce the escalating health care costs for the 90% of Americans that already had health care insurance prior to the passage of this bill?

Thus, I am not going to ask you about why you and the rest of Congress did not address the root causes of high health care costs in your legislating process. I am not going to ask why you have sat back and been silent while those Americans with legitimate and honest dissent against this bill have been likened to racists by members of your party. I thought you represented all Americans, not just those that agreed with your policies. I will not ask you about why you did not have the courage and guts to pass this legislation the right way, through the front door like every other piece of legislation, but instead snuck it through the back door of reconciliation.

However, I will ask you or your staff to contact me and explain where and how I can get health care coverage at my age if AT&T and the rest of corporate America decides it is a better economic choice to pay a government fine than to cover their employees and retirees with health insurance. I will ask you to explain whether you were naive or disingenuous when explaining that we would be able to keep our current health insurance coverage. And finally, please explain how paying no more than $1,200 a year under my current coverage (with many years paying nothing for coverage during healthy years) is a better deal then finding new coverage at my age and paying several thousand dollars a year for the privilege.

Although I have written to the White House many times, I have never received any answer to my questions on a wide variety of topics even though you promised to have the most open and responsive administration of all time. That has not happened yet. However, in this case I do require, in fact I demand specific answers to my three questions above. For your political sake I hope to receive those answers before early November and certainly before 2012.

Thank you for your time,

Walter “Bruno” Korschek

[Follow up note: a month after sending this to the White House, no answers to the questions have been received or even a simple confirmation that this letter was received has been forthcoming from the Obama adminstration.]