Rowing - Big in BC

The new indoor rowing tank in the Richmond Olympic Oval looks like a row of seats on a thin stretch of dry land between two perfectly matched ponds.

It's a rather curious structure.

But Craig Pond, the head women's rowing coach at the University of British Columbia, sees the future mirrored in the glassy waters here as well as in a nearby room of high-tech rowing machines facing 16 plasma screens.

Just 400 metres away from the oval is the UBC boathouse on the Fraser River.

"Between the oval and the boathouse, we have every tool you need to be an Olympic rower," said Pond.

Indoor rowing centre in B.C. draws new wave to sport

UK Women Run, Job, Walk, for Cancer

Race for Life is the UK's largest women-only fundraising event where women of all ages and fitness levels walk, jog, or run 5km and raise money for vital research into the disease.

It is hoped the Wrexham fundraiser will raise £94,000.

The women will be joined by up to 750,000 others taking part at Race for Life events across the UK, together raising up to £50 million which will help fund Cancer Research UK's life-saving research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a disease that will affect more than one in three people in the UK at some point in their lives.

Chris Walters, the Wrexham Race for Life organiser, said: "We are delighted that so many women have responded to our invitation to join us at Race for Life this year and we hope to have a real party atmosphere on the day.

1,500 women signed up for Race for Life at Alyn Waters Country Park - Evening Leader

Technorati Tags: cancer research, prevention, walk, run, jog, fitness

The Komen Race for the Cure - 5K Fitness run/walk for Cancer

With their pink shirts, hats and even capes piercing the overcast morning, thousands of metro Detroiters flooded downtown Saturday for the 18th annual Susan G. Komen Detroit Race for the Cure.

The race, which benefits local breast cancer screening, treatment and education as well as national breast cancer research, is a 5K run/walk along Woodward from downtown to Midtown, then back.

The thousands of walkers and runners, who were encouraged by nearly a dozen bands, drew cheers and stares from residents and workers.

Madge Shirley, 65, of Detroit has participated in honor of relatives, including her husband, Randal, who died of cancer 10 years ago.

"I just want to support the cause," Shirley said as she moved up Woodward. "I know a lot of people are starting to survive because we can now catch cancer in time."

Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Komen Race for the Cure series is the largest series of 5K runs/fitness walks in the world, featuring more than 100 races in the United States.

Detroit pink parade fights breast cancer | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Technorati Tags: cancer, cure, fitness, walk, run

Burnaby EA's Home Gym in a Box

For years, the public ganged up on the video game industry for creating a class of young gamers who sat around in front of consoles or screens getting fat because they exercised only their fingers and thumbs.

But since the overwhelming success of Nintendo's Wii system, where gamers get a full body workout playing boxing, baseball and other e-sports activities, gamers are no longer the couch potatoes of urban myth.

Now, Electronic Arts has introduced the first of what it promises will be a line of fitness games that gives gamers a full home workout without having to invest in a home gym or hire a personal trainer.

The debut product is EA Sports Active, a kind of electronic personal trainer designed for the Wii system. Developed at EA's studios in Burnaby and retailing for $60, EA Sports Active has workout exercises including jump lunges and bicep curls. The game comes with a leg strap to hold the Wii Nunchuk controller and to measure lower-body movements, and a resistance band which can be upped to make the player exert more effort for the weight exercises. You can watch your moves on the screen by way of your personal avatar, and messages will pop up like a CNN crawl telling you when you're doing something wrong ("Kick your leg higher! Hold the position longer!"), and a personal coach will offer encouragement. If you think you're losing your way, the game comes with instructional videos of coaches showing the right way to do an exercise.

Read more: EA runs out reality fitness

Technorati Tags: fitness, wii, nintendo, ea, burnaby

DietsInReview.com

DietsInReview.com is an incredibly informative resource sharing various tips on how to live a healthier lifestyle. I often refer to them for new, healthy meal ideas that help with weight loss. They also have a very handy Health Calculator designed to help you find your optimal calorie intake.

DietsInReview.com is dedicated to providing you with the tools to live a healthy life. We are comprised of a team of health experts and enthusiasts who are passionate about sharing our unbiased knowledge of diets, supplements, weight loss books, and fitness programs with you so that you can make the most informed and best decision for you and your lifestyle to meet your health goals.

DietsInReview.com features more than 750 objective reviews on the latest in the diet and health trends, informative and engaging blog posts that are updated daily, interviews with leading health professionals, nutritious recipes, healthy videos, several diet and wellness newsletters, and tools like the Instant Health Snapshot which calculates your BMI, Ideal Body Weight, and Basic Metabolic Rate.

As your healthy living resource, we want to support you as you start living your healthiest life - today.

Technorati Tags: diets, healthy living, healthy meals, calories

Fitness Challenge

Bob Lindo of Camel Valley spent 20 years cultivating his victorious vineyards in Cornwall.

He's just won the UK's first ever gold medal in the International Wine Challenge - the Oscars of the wine world.

"Every time anybody in the English wine industry wins something it's good for everybody," he said.

"We all gain and it raises the profile of English wine in general."

Since winning the prize, sales of his Bacchus 2007 have soared, and they're not just toasting the success of English wines in Cornwall.

A total of 24 medals were awarded to British bottles.

One of the judges, the wine critic Tim Atkin, says it's no surprise home-grown wine is going down well.

"The lovely thing about English wines is they're a bit like English apples - they've got a beautiful perfume to them, those hedgerow flavours you get in English wine are just like a beautiful Autumn afternoon," he said.

The UK is the largest importer of wines and often considered the hub of the international wine trade. But only 0.3% of the bottles we buy are British.

There are currently 383 vineyards in the UK. And every year they produce 2.2 million bottles of wine.

But that's nothing compared to France which makes nearly seven billion.

English Wine Bacchus 2007 By Bob Lindo Wins Industry Oscar Gold | Business | Sky News

Technorati Tags: fitness, diabetes, prevention

Strectching Your Fitness

Stretching can set you right

I work with a lot of runners, helping them to undo the muscle imbalances and alignment problems that develop from all those miles of pounding the pavement. There's no shortage of injuries and pain syndromes experienced by this group, and one of the more common conditions I see are related to their overall structural alignment, or posture.

Runners tend to develop imbalances in the musculature around the hips and pelvis, as well as the upper back and shoulders. The forward-leaning, round- shouldered posture that seems to accompany distance running can be very detrimental to a runner's performance and health, not to mention his appearance.

When the spine and extremities are poorly aligned, there are many unfortunate side-effects. Nerve conduction, respiration and circulation can be compromised, joint range of motion may become limited, and biomechanical stress is increased, often leading to pain and injury.

Technorati Tags: fitness, trfaining, running, stretching

Benign Essential Tremor

Some people seek personal training to help with Tremors. Benign Essential Tremor can cause a lot of trouble in your life but tremors can be helped by strengthening muscles. See more info on Benign Essential Tremor here:

http://www.essentialtremorinfo.com/

Technorati Tags: tremor, benign essential tremor, personal training

Cycling for Mental Health

A special cycling trek from Vancouver to St. John's begins on May 20th, when 60-year-old Mel Thompson dips his wheels in the Pacific Ocean and starts to pedal eastward. During his 100 day journey across Canada, Thompson hopes The Ride for Mental Health will raise awareness about mental illness and get people talking about the issues surrounding it. Although mental illness affects one in five Canadians at some point in their lives, there is still a social stigma attached to mental illness that keeps many people from seeking the help they need. It is the disease that no one likes to talk about, but it has a devastating impact on people who suffer from it, their families and society in general. The Ride for Mental Health aims to bring the issues of mental illness out in the open, get people to share their own experiences with it, and debunk the myths and misconceptions of mental illness.

CNW Group | XEROX CANADA | Canadian Cyclist to Cross the Country in 100 Day Ride to Raise Awareness for Mental Health

Technorati Tags: cycling, mental health, vancouver, canada

Vitality Clinic

Vitality Clinic is a really great company here in Vancouver that offers "Complete wellness under one roof". A great supplement to fitness is wellness and this clinic has it all. From Chiropractic care, to massage, sports therapy, holistic nutrition and more. From their web site:

"Our PURPOSE at Vitality Clinic is to provide optimal care to as many people as possible using the highest ethics, integrity and professional standards. In our individual practices we strive to motivate patients to understand that greater health, improved wellness, and much needed prevention are very much possible. We want to inspire and educate our patients and the community to take action in their own health.

Our MISSION is to help our patients achieve optimal wellness through the entire spectrum of services available at Vitality Clinic. We will give 100% effort, compassion, and individual focus to bring balance to the body and mind so that it can fully express its complete potential.

Our GOAL is to restore health to each individual with whom we come in contact with. We encourage your support in fulfilling our mission and reaching our goal. Help us help others."

Technorati Tags: welnness, fitness, nutrition, vancouver, holistic, chiropractor

Vancouver (Washington) Man Runs the Boston Marathon at 67

Marathon Man - Columbian.com

Marathon No. 289 was decidedly memorable for Jim Scheer, though he would rather forget the experience.

The occasion was the 113th Boston Marathon — which is usually heady stuff for even casual runners.

The trouble was that digestive distress just days before the race left Scheer without the reserve strength usually recommended for a hilly, 26.2-mile jog.

And so, his ninth go at the famous race was by far his slowest.

For five hours the 67-year-old plugged along, unable to enjoy the revelry along the course as he struggled to proceed.

A runner does not finish close to 300 marathon races by quitting at the first sign of discomfort. Still, Scheer's effort on April 20 is a good example of the separation between a casual runner and a driven one.

Scheer said he was so ill he did not want to look at food for several days prior to flying to Boston. But he was not sick enough to consider sitting out his favorite race.

And once he started, he was not about to quit.

Which pretty much sums up Jim Scheer and his road to completing almost 300 marathons.

It is a journey that started on March 13, 1968.

Technorati Tags: marathon, running, fitness, jim scheer, vancouver

Nutritionists

A great supplement to a proper fitness routine, is to have the advice of a nutritionist. Gemma Gath is a very well educated example of a nutritionist. From her web site:

In the world of today we already know two basic things: one, that diets don't help; and, two, weight loss is not the first priority. We want to be healthy, to feel good with ourselves, to prevent future conditions and not to be hostages of pharmaceuticals. To accomplish these two our life style has to change, proper nutrition, regular exercising and, relaxing and interiorizing techniques are the right combination. We, the holistic nutritionist are the providers of proper assessment by means of nutritional evaluations on one to one basis. We works together with fitness professionals, with professional supplement companies, and, when necessary, with naturopaths. My personal philosophy is: Synergy.

You can read more about Gemma and her work here: http://www.myholisticnutritionist.ca/

Technorati Tags: nutritionist, nutrition, holistic, fitness

Walking, Great for your Health

Jamaica Gleaner News - HEALTH & FITNESS: Walking for health's sake - Flair - Monday | April 20, 2009

Personal trainer at Spartan Health Club, Dwight Campbell, says walking as a mode of exercise is suitable for any age group. He also said that while walking may seem to produce low results, it actually has many benefits. "It helps people to de-stress - by burning stress hormones, it is a good cardiovascular workout - beneficial to the heart, and it helps in muscle density and toning - for instance in your calves."

Walking can be done solo or in groups. But since it is a form of exercise, the way you walk should reflect this. "You should walk at least 15 to 20 minutes within your heart-rate zone. If you are healthy, you should be able to achieve at least 90 per cent of your heart rate. To determine your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220, said the trainer.

Increase duration

Brisk walking is recommended and, as time progresses, the duration should be increased then intensified, depending on the goal and health of the person. "The body will get used to the stress if continued, so if you started out doing 20 minutes, you can increase to 30 then perhaps to 45 minutes." Campbell also highlighted that inclines provide more of an advantage than level land. One advantage is that they allow persons to burn more calories.

Technorati Tags: fitness, health, walking

Iowa Schools getting fit

Agri News

DECORAH, Iowa -- Brandon Friedlein, a senior at Cedar Ridge High School at Guttenberg, got involved with the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative as a sophomore.

He was awarded a mini-grant from the Food and Farm Coalition, now a part of the initiative, to buy lights for his greenhouse. For his FFA supervised agricultural experience project, Friedlein grows fruits, vegetables and bedding plants, packages garden seeds for retail sale, and sells his produce at the local farmers market. He managed the market until this year, a job he relinquished because he will be attending college.

He got involved in forming a health and wellness committee in his school with school nurse Renae Kraus and family and consumer science teacher Joyce Cherne.

Committee members worked with food service staff to offer a salad bar option as part of the lunch program. They got the school to remove a junk food vending machine and replace it with one that offers vegetables, fruits, bagels, milk and juice. Family and consumer science students stock the machine. The committee also organized a community health fair.

Technorati Tags: fitness, schools, iowa, food, health

Start Walking to a Healthy Lifestyle

Walk your way to better health on National Start! Walking Day | KCBY CBS 11 - News, Weather and Sports - Coos Bay - North Bend, OR - Coos Bay / North Bend, Oregon | Local & Regional News

By Kristina Nelson, KCBY News
COOS BAY, Ore. - Lace up your sneakers and start pounding the pavement, Wednesday is National Start! Walking Day and now is the best time to get your heart going.

Walking and good health go hand in hand.

Deb Lal, Owner of Downtown Health and Fitness in Coos Bay, says walking is one of the best activities you can do for overall cardiovascular health.

Ultimately 30 minutes is the best, but for those who aren't as active, starting out slow is key.

"You definitely want to start where you're at and not where you want to be. You want to increase your distance by ten percent a day or ten percent a week depending on your fitness level," says Lal.

She also recommends getting a sturdy pair of walking shoes and dress in layers, especially if you're walking outdoors.

If its hard for you to get motivated, try walking with a friend or join a group to keep yourself accountable.

"South Coast Striders is a local walking group. They meet at different parks, trails and walking areas. Also, there will be the first annual Women's Health Coalition Walk and Talk on May ninth at Mingus Park," says Lal.

If you don't feel like walking outside, Lal says walking on a treadmill is just as good.

Technorati Tags: health, fitness, walking,

Steady fitness and weight loss tips

Miami Fitness Examiner: Steady fitness and weight loss tips

Helpful, practical and encouraging tips that will help you to stay motivated, focused and realistic about your diet and weight loss intentions.

Technorati Tags: weight loss, tips, fitness,

Fitness manager says healthy workplace is priority

Boca Raton fitness manager says healthy workplace is priority -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

Donna Everhart, general manager of Boca Raton Life Time Athletic, health spa, cafe and fitness center, said focusing on her team and club members are priorities.

A positive experience is vital for employees and customers, she said.

"I started at the front desk," Everhart said. "Strong mentors helped to coach me and develop me upward."

Everhart has held positions of increasing responsibility since beginning her career about 20 years ago at a fitness club in Tampa. She worked as sales manager and regional sales manger.

She moved to Boca Raton to work at a fitness facility. A year later, that facility was bought by Minnesota-based Life Time Fitness. She oversees 10 department heads and 145 employees.

"Hiring, casting and developing employees is a process," Everhart said.

She observes how employees interact with one another and with club members. She encourages employees to help where needed: from keeping the place tidy to stepping into a job to assist another employee.

"We have to be perfect all the time," Everhart said. "You can't miss a beat because that member experience is the business."

When at work, Everhart said, she is immersed in her daily goals: creating a positive environment and earning the respect of her employees.

The yardstick by which Everhart measures her success is the same one the company uses: artistry. It's about defining the operation's foundation: financial details, teamwork and retaining members — she said.

The company recognizes general managers and their employees, with its "Artistry" award, which travels from location to location annually. "Our goal is to win it again," Everhart said. Winners are admired across all units of the company, she said. "That award means a great deal to each of us."

The fitness spa offers a variety of services to members. They can eat at the cafe, shop for workout clothing and gifts or get a facial. They can hire a nutritionist or a personal trainer to customize their exercise programs.

Other amenities include two pools and courts for basketball, racquetball and tennis.

Community outreach, such as participating in cancer awareness activities, helps the company brand itself and promote healthy lifestyles. It encourages employees to take on assignments beyond their jobs and increases the company's exposure.

Everhart said managing is not an event or a project but a process. "Don't jump the gun to fill a gap," she said. "Take your time."

Technorati Tags: fitness, workplace, healthy employees, respect

Moon Walk for Breast Cancer

MONMOUTH TODAY | SPORT | Focussed Fitness moon walk

Last year, a small team from Monmouth’s Focussed Fitness Health Club did the MoonWalk in London and raised more than £600 to help beat breast cancer.
This year, the challenge is the SunWalk in Bristol, and they want the group to be much bigger! They already have 9 girls looking forward to “walking on sunshine” in Bristol on Sunday, 5th July.
Come and join them! They’ve decided to take on the challenge of a Half Marathon with an expected finishing time between 3 to 4 hours.
Two fitness instructors from Focussed Fitness will be with you throughout to look after and help you whenever you need it. The Club will also organize training sessions, so if the weather is bad you can use the club for training completely free of charge!
So bring your friends and family members along and drop into the Club for admission forms and more details. They’re at 15 Church Street, Monmouth (tel. 01600 772223). We urge you to give it a try – you can have fun and make a difference!

Technorati Tags: fitness, moon walk, breast cancer,

Organic Foods - Reduce Your Chemical Intake

7 foods to reduce your chemical intake

At long last, organic eating is proving to be more than another health-food fad.

For those who embraced "organic" long before it was a catchphrase, this is welcome news.

More people are seeking the organic label because they want to eat the way nature intended, without all of the fillers and pesticides.

Organically grown fruits, grains and veggies are not doused with bug sprays, synthetic fertilizers, anti-fungal treatments or radiation - and they're not genetically modified. Organic meat, eggs and dairy products come from more humanely raised animals that haven't been pumped full of antibiotics or growth hormones.

According to the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org), a non-profit environmental-research organization, "There is growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can adversely affect people, especially during vulnerable periods of fetal development and childhood when exposures can have long-lasting effects. Although washing and rinsing fresh produce may reduce levels of some pesticides, it does not eliminate them.

Technorati Tags: organic, foods, chemical, intake,

5 Reasons to Take a Multivitamin

Fitness and Health: 5 reasons to take a multivitamin | baxterbulletin.com | The Baxter Bulletin

• Curb cravings. A multi may make you less hungry when you're dieting, reveals a new Canadian study. Researchers think that it short-circuits the body's natural response to calorie cutting, which is to boost appetite to counter vitamin deficiencies.

• Keep energy up. A good vitamin prevents low iron, which makes you drag during workouts and may also cause hair loss, according to a French study.

• Safeguard your heart. The ingredients in a multi have been linked to a lower heart disease risk. But it's an aid to — not a substitute for — fruits and veggies, which may deliver other disease-fighting compounds.

• Stave off breast cancer.Taking a multi may cancel out the breast cancer risk incurred by drinking alcohol. In a recent study from Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, women who had a daily cocktail and took a multi had a lower risk than those who didn't pop the pill. The supplement may correct alcohol-triggered deficits of B vitamins that encourage tumor development.

• Get pregnant. Multi users have a 41 percent lower risk of ovulatory infertility, finds a Harvard School of Public Health study. Folic acid and other B vitamins appear to help promote healthy ovulation.

Prevent Breast Cancer with Fitness

9NEWS.com | Colorado's Online News Leader | Fit women less likely to die of cancer

KUSA - Many people exercise to stay healthy or get healthy. Now there is new evidence that exercise will give you an edge if you're diagnosed with breast cancer.
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A new study from the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health looks at the benefits of aerobic exercise when it comes to surviving cancer.

This study involved 14,000 women between the ages 20 through 83. They were given preventative medical exams and treadmill tests at the Cooper Clinic in Houston from 1970-2001. At the time of the exams, the women had no history of breast cancer.

The researchers classified the women's fitness into three categories: low, moderate or high.

Women in the lowest fitness category were nearly three times more likely to die from breast cancer than women in the fit group.

To reach the moderate fitness category, women need to exercise about 150 minutes per week. High fitness translates to 300 minutes per week.

Researchers noted that with more than 40,000 women dying each year from breast cancer, this strong connection to fitness proves that regular physical activity, such as walking is a simple and inexpensive lifestyle change.

This study of aerobic exercise is reported in the April issue of the scientific journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Technorati Tags: exercise, fit woman, breast cancer, preventative

American Kids are Unfit

Many U.S. middle school kids physically unfit: study | Science & Health | Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - U.S. kids are not only too heavy; they're also out of shape, according to a new study of 5th and 7th grade students in Georgia.

Half didn't reach minimum standards for healthy aerobic fitness, Dr. Kenneth E. Powell, a physician in private practice, and his colleagues found, while neaTechnorati Tags: kids, unfit, aerobic fitness, overweightrly a quarter didn't make the grade in terms of muscle fitness, endurance or flexibility.

Powell and his team determined body mass index (BMI) and tested fitness and physical activity levels of 5,248 students from 93 schools across Georgia.

They found that 30 percent of the students were overweight -- their BMI was outside the healthy range -- and 22 percent didn't get the recommended 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

Active Livestyle and Weight Loss

The Wenatchee World Online - Fitness Corner: Taking a vacation? Lose a little something

The cliche is that women lose weight before their weddings. But I’m thinking I might slim down on my honeymoon instead.

Nope, I’m not dragging my new husband on a romantic gym getaway. We’ve settled on Argentina and an itinerary that calls for tangoing in San Telmo, wandering through Recoleta, whitewater rafting in Mendoza and tooling around wine country on bike. That plus a little smooching — which requires about 70 calories an hour — and I can probably get away with gelato every day.

Sounds like a NEAT plan to physician James Levine, author of the new book "Move a Little, Lose a Lot" and director of the NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) Center at the Mayo Clinic. The idea is that while one grueling treadmill session might burn 500 calories, you can easily burn twice that in a day by living actively: by, say, visiting your colleagues’ offices instead of sending instant messages, strolling to a place for lunch 15 minutes away rather than brown-bagging it at your desk or choosing to self-propel for part of your next vacation rather than taking in the scene from a bus tour.

"A big part of life we’ve lost is being an adventurer, getting out of our chairs," Levine says. "It doesn’t have to be climbing K2 on the south face."

Levine had been studying obesity when, on a business trip a decade ago, he was struck with his new weight-loss theory during a conversation in a Mexican bar with — who else? — the bartender. The gentleman was about Levine’s age but looked "much more splendid," Levine says, and the secret to his youthfulness was simple: He walked his kids back and forth to school, played soccer in the neighborhood and worked on his feet.

Technorati Tags: active lifestyle, weight loss, healthy living, active vacation,

Good time to loose that excess winter weight

HRMC encourages people to Lose Weight-Feel Great | CITIZEN-TIMES.com | Asheville Citizen-Times

Clyde - Haywood Regional Medical Center is sponsoring a Lose Weight-Feel Great program, a 14-week program that will offer encouragement, health-related services and support to help people succeed with their long-term weight loss goals.
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The program is free for HRMC employees and the public. Contestants will compete for weekly prizes and a grand prize at the end of the program for the man and woman with the greatest percentage of weight loss.

"At Haywood Regional, we care about our employees and about the people in our community. We have services available to help people meet their weight loss goals and we realize that some people also need a little extra incentive to keep them on the right track for achieving those goals," said Mike Poore, CEO for Haywood Regional Medical Center.

Every participant of the Lose Weight-Feel Great program will be allowed to lose weight however he or she chooses. Haywood Regional will offer guidance for programs, nutritional advice and information about related services offered by the hospital during the initial weigh-in.

"What we think this program can achieve that other weight-loss programs often can't will be the ancillary services the hospital offers. For example, a person diagnosed with osteoporosis may need a special exercise regiment; or someone with diabetes will need to follow a special diet," said Scotty Setser, director of the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center.

"Most of the time, everyone makes fitness a New Years resolution, and by March they start dropping off," Setser said. "We wanted to help people continue their process of being healthy throughout the year."

Weekly male and female winners will be featured in The Mountaineer and Smoky Mountain News newspapers. All contestants will be posted on Haywood Regional Medical Center's Web page, along with the percentage of weight lost each week. Everyone who completes the Lose Weight-Feel Great will be listed in both newspapers at the end of the 14-week program.

Weigh-in and photographs will be done at the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center from 4 to 7 p.m. on March 24. The program will begin on April 7. Participants will be weighed weekly between the hours of 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays at Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center. Participants must be present on March 24 to enroll in the program. Participants must be 18 years old to participate.

Lose Weight-Feel Great is coinciding with Healthy Haywood's Fitness Challenge. Organizers of both events say the two programs will complement, not compete with each other.

"We hope that even after the Fitness Challenge, people will continue with Lose Weight-Feel Great," Setser said.

Firefighters and EMTs Need to Be More Fit

Boston researchers stress fitness for firefighter and EMT recruits - The Boston Globe

Boston researchers are sounding the alarm about the physical fitness of candidates for firefighting and emergency medical technician jobs in Massachusetts.

Roughly 77 percent of recruits were overweight or obese as measured by standard body-mass index, the researchers found, according to a study published online yesterday in the journal Obesity.

All of the normal-weight recruits passed minimum exercise tests recommended by the National Fire Protection Association, a nonprofit that sets standards for the industry. But 7 percent of the overweight and 42 percent of the obese recruits failed to meet the minimum standard, said the researchers from Boston University School of Medicine, Harvard University, and the Cambridge Health Alliance.

Technorati Tags: fitness, firefighters, emt, research

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