Marisa Miller paddleboarding enthusiast

Athletic bikini model Marisa Miller, known for her Sports Illustrated and Victoria's Secret modeling work, is a football enthusiast. The National Football League (NFL) hired Marisa Miller to be their spokesperson for the 2010-11 season, which comes to a close on February 6 with the Super Bowl clash between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers. Another fitness publication which has a long relationship with Marisa is Shape magazine, and February's cover is Miller's eighth for them! In the interview the California girl talked of her beauty essentials, fitness and diet.



Left, Marisa Miller leaving the Katsuya restaurant in Hollywood on 27 January 2011. A healthy eater who sticks to organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, Marisa loves to cook her own desserts: "It's important to allow yourself a reward for all your hard work. Some things are meant to be a splurge and eaten purely for pleasure." Right, 5'8" tall Marisa Miller stands barefoot in a Basta Surf bikini, holding a paddle. Miller has been a long time paddleboarding enthusiast and the new line of Surftech paddleboards, specially designed for women, debuts in February: "It doesn't just tone the big areas like your butt, abs, and back; it also targets those tiny, supporting muscles that pull everything together."

Read More......

Left handed value

Left-handed people are a minority, which was discriminated against until a 100 years ago. Apart from being scolded and stigmatized, left-handed children were forced to write with their right hand, which resulted in many developing stutters, becoming socially withdrawn, and losing self-confidence. The critically acclaimed and nominated movie, The King's Speech, tells of King George VI's struggle to overcome his stutter with the help of a speech therapist. As a left-handed child he was retrained to be right-handed by his father.

Nowadays the stigma of being left-handed is gone, though some still have trouble with tasks like writing. For left-handed people the writing hand covers and smudges the text they have just written, so they're encouraged to keep the writing book or paper tilted at a 45 degree angle. Left-handed people also have more accidents because even simple tools like can openers, peelers, and scissors are designed by default for right-handed people.

One place where left-handers have more value is sports. According to research at the University of Montpellier in France, left-handers tend to do better in sports such as baseball and tennis. Another study in Australia showed that left-handed people think quicker when carrying out tasks such as playing sport or computer games. Whether lefties are naturally gifted at sport or not, having a left-handed person on your team in sports like cricket or baseball is highly valued, because of the different angles and approaches they have with bowling the ball and swinging the bat. Another reason: because left-handed people are a minority, most right-handers don't know how to play them in contact sports like fencing or boxing. While left-handers are better able to anticipate how a right-hander moves from the experience of having played all their life against so many of them.

Read More......

Hands position in sprinting

The normal relaxed position for the hands is for the fingers to be slightly cupped. Swinging of the arms is important in running and sprinting, but not in jogging where the arms are close to the chest and movement is minimal. Any increase in running speed will require greater swinging of the arms, increased to the max in sprinting. Many athletes change from a relaxed cupped hands position to a slightly more tense open hand with straight fingers in sprinting races like the 100m and the 200m.



It is believed that keeping the fingers straight helps increase the speed of the swinging arms. It takes conscious effort to keep the fingers straight and towards the end of the sprint, the fingers start to return to the relaxed cupped position. Track coaches say that the open hands position is more aerodynamic and cuts through the air, or that it streamlines the tension through the whole arm. What they advise against is a clenched fist position, because it concentrates the tension only in the fists, and consumes precious energy.



In running, the hands have to be in their relaxed cupped fingers position. But when they come in sight of the finish line, many long distance runners switch to an open hands position for the final dash!

Read More......

Aly Michalka cheerleader fitness

21-year old Aly Michalka plays a cheerleader on Hellcats. The show returns with new episodes January 25 on The CW. In an interview with Hollywoodnews, Aly Michalka talked of her natural athleticism and all the tough cheerleading stunts and routines on the show: "I mean, I already was pretty strong just getting into it. I can bench press at least 100 pounds. So I think that at that point, it's just about maintaining it and continuing to build your core strength. I feel really confident in any stunt or move or choreographed routine that we are doing."



Aly Michalka's most recent big screen movie was the teen comedy Easy A, but before she got into acting Aly was a singer and formed the music duo "Aly & AJ" with her younger sister AJ Michalka. In the photo above, 5'6" tall AJ Michalka, 5'11" tall Taylor Swift, and 5'9" tall Aly Michalka at the 2011 People's Choice Awards early this month. The two sisters reunited to record the theme song for Hellcats.



Left, 16-year old Aly Michalka at 'Disney's Toontown Takes Hollywood', a Disney celebrity video game event benefiting Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation at the Hollywood Athletic Club August 21, 2004. Right, Aly Michalka strikes a sexy pose in a promo shoot for Hellcats. Aly was always skinny, but now she's filled out her bust and butt, and lost some of the baby fat on her face. She has previously played a cheerleader in the movie Bandslam.

Her full name is Alyson Renae Michalka and she is of German descent. Aly lives in LA with her parents, sister, and two dogs Bandit and Roadie. In an interview with Self magazine Aly Michalka talked of her diet preferences: "I'm a firm believer in not depriving yourself from some of your favorite foods. It's all about moderation and drinking lots of water! Some of my favorite snacks are string cheese, edamame and carrots with ranch--they're easy to eat on the go and taste yummy."



Aly Michalka wearing a knife pleat cheerleader skirt and showing off her fit body and flat stomach in a scene from Hellcats. Talking of her fitness routine to OK magazine Michalka said, "I kickbox and bike. I mix it up. It's about having a consistent workout. I exercise five days a week and eat what I want pretty freely. Of course, I don't go nuts on carbs!"

Read More......

Money stimulates the brain

Would you feel better if somebody gave you a bag full of money, or if you got that same amount in your paychecks? Studies show that the brains of those who work for their money are more stimulated. And that work doesn't have to be your job. People who win money after competing on a game show, show more brain activity, and feel better, than those who win money in a lottery. Meanwhile the prospects of spending money also stimulates the brain. A University of Bonn study termed it "money illusion". It showed that people actually make more money when inflation is low, but they feel happier if their salaries increase by a small amount, even when inflation is high and shopping becomes more expensive.

The idea of having more money in their hands stimulates their brains, rather than the cost of stuff they're buying. And the fear of losing that money is tied to a specific structure in the brain called the amygdalae, located in the medial temporal lobes. People whose amygdalae had been destroyed due to a very rare genetic disease take more risks with their money, and have no fear of losing it.

Read More......

Learn skiing to enjoy winter

January is the "National Learn to Ski & Snowboard Month" in the United States, with skiing resorts offering special deals and holding events in 34 states. And with the holiday crowds returning home after Christmas and New Year celebrations, skiers, snowboarders and other winter sports enthusiasts can enjoy the rest of the season. Cross-country skiing is a great aerobics workout that also improves upper body strength as you push and plow across the snow. A first timer will first learn how to put on equipment, stand and stay balanced on the powdery snow. After gaining confidence they learn to walk, glide, turn, and stop, and that's when they begin to enjoy skiing!

Cross-country skiing does not require a high level of skill or fitness; people improve as they keep practicing and getting more confident. It's a good way to be outdoors, get some exercise, and enjoy the quiet stillness of the winter environment.

Read More......

Winter sniffles and coughs

Winter is the time of runny noses and sore throats. Although people stock up on antibiotics to tackle such sniffles, coughs, and aches.....these colds or flu infections are actually caused by a virus. Antibiotics should be used when the symptoms are of a pneumatic infection: chest pain, shortness of breath, a fever, etc. But for viral infections in winter the treatment is all about rest and recuperation, and some common sense remedies. But why do these viral infections happen in winter?

The single biggest reason is the extremely dry air in winter. Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City found that low humidity of 20 to 30 percent, provided the optimal chances for the survival of the influenza virus, whereas survival was impossible at a humidity of 100 percent. People also spend more time crammed indoors in closed environments, which increases the chances of spreading infections.



The dry winter air is bad for your skin and hair, but it's equally bad for the mucus membrane lining the nasal passages and throat, which becomes thick and dry. The best cure for winter sniffles and cough then is to drink plenty of natural fluids, use tissues instead of handkerchiefs, get lots of rest and good nutrition.....and most of all try methods to moisten and thin the mucus.



Hot fluids like tea and soup keep the nasal passages moist, thin out the mucus, and prevent dehydration. Tea made with ginger is supposed to ease cough. Soups are great for fighting winter infections. The vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, contained in the vegetables and spices in the soup, boost the body immunity. Avoid drinking alcohol or caffeine, because they have a tendency to dehydrate and keep the mucus dry. Steam treatment, or breathing the steam from boiled water, increases the humidity to 100 per cent and kills off the flu viruses.

Read More......