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1. Child’s Pose

How to Practice Child’s Pose:

Find a Tabletop position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists and your hips stacked over your knees

Bring your big toes together while keeping your knees wide

Gently sit your hips towards your heels, allowing your torso to rest between your knees with your arms extended forward

Hold for 5-7 breaths

Benefits Balasana (Child’s Pose)

Stretches and Strengthens muscle of hips, thighs and ankles

Helps to relieve stress and fatigue.

Increases blood circulation.

Helps to cure back pain.

2. Supine Twist

How to Practice Supine Twist:

Lie on your back and hug your knees toward your chest

Drop both knees to the right, with the option to place a yoga block (amzn.to/2oNjudy) under your knees for more comfort

Extend your arms out like a capital “T” directly in line with your shoulders

Gaze in the same or opposite direction of your knees, depending on how your neck feels

Hold for 5-7 breaths on each side

The Benefits Of The Supine Twist

These are some amazing benefits of Supine Twist.

It ensures your spine and vertebrae get enough movement and, therefore, become more flexible.

It stimulates and tones your internal organs.

It offers a complete detox to your internal organs.

This asana ensures better digestion.

It gives your shoulders, chest, middle spine, hips, lower back, and upper back a good stretch.

If you have stiffness or pain in your spine, hips, or lower back, this asana helps relieve it.

It releases stress and anxiety.

3. Half Lord of the Fishes Pose

How to Practice Half Lord of the Fishes Pose:

Find a comfortable seat with both legs extended and bring your right foot to the outside of your left quad

Bring your left foot to the outside of your right hip, and ensure both of your hips are still rooted firmly on the mat

Bring your left elbow to the outside of your right knee, and your right hand behind you for stability

Stay mindful of your spine here – continuously lengthen your spine by drawing the crown of your head towards the sky

Hold for 5-7 breaths on each side

Benefits of Half Lord of the Fishes Pose:

Tones and strengthens abs and obliques

Stretches and energizes the spine

Open the shoulders, neck, and hips

Increases flexibility, especially in hips and spine

Cleanses the internal organs

Improves digestion and elimination of wastes

Relieves symptoms of backache, fatigue, menstrual discomfort and sciatica

Stimulates liver, heart, lungs, kidneys and spleen

Releases excess heat and toxins from organs and tissues

4. Triangle Pose

How to Practice Triangle Pose:

Find Warrior II Pose

Keep your feet as they are, but straighten both legs

Reach your front arm forward until you feel a stretch in your oblique

Bring your front arm down to rest on your front thigh, shin, a block, or the floor

Bring your opposite arm straight up to maintain your outstretched “T” shape

Gaze towards your top hand

Hold for 5-7 breaths on each side

Benefits of Trikonasana(Triangle pose)

Stimulate and improve the function of blood through the entire body.

Strengthens and stretches the hips, back, arms, thighs, and leg.

Reduces blood pressure, stress, and anxiety.

Cure indigestion.

Gives flexibility to groins, hamstrings, and hips.

Transactional calm the mind.

Stimulate the function of the kidney.

Helps to remove fats from the waist and thighs.

This asana improves the balance and increases concentration.

5. Bridge Pose

How to Practice Bridge Pose:

Begin on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor

Place your hands by your hips with the palms facing down

Inhale and lift your hips, and bring your chest closer to your chin

Keep your core strong and create one long line from your shoulders to your knees

Hold for 5-7 breaths

Benefits of Bridge Pose:

Stretches the chest, neck, spine, and hips

Strengthens the back, buttocks, and hamstrings

Improves circulation of blood

Helps alleviate stress and mild depression

Calms the brain and central nervous system

Stimulates the lungs, thyroid glands, and abdominal organs

Improves digestion

Helps relieve symptoms of menopause

Reduces backache and headache

Reduces fatigue, anxiety, and insomnia

Rejuvenates tired legs

Relieves symptoms of asthma and high blood pressure

Therapeutic for hypertension, osteoporosis, and sinusitis

I was tagged by both Hee Soon and Patty, so here's to you both:

1. I graduated with a degree in business administration (ekonomiska linjen) and worked in a bank in Sweden for three and a half years before coming over to the U.S. to go to college. Yup, banker.

2. I am a Christian and although it isn't always easy, God has given me the strength to endure the trials that I have had to go through.

3. I've studied German, French and Spanish and would love the opportunity to live in those countries long enough to speak fluently. Or at least listen fluently.

4. I tore my right ACL (anterior cruciate ligament in the knee, for those of you who are not familiar with medical terms) skiing on moguls in Crested Butte, Colorado. I had to have surgery to replace it (with a piece of my own hamstring). Yeah, I had no business being up there, but I got a snazzy knee brace out of it.

5. I don't really like Chinese food anymore. I had too many servings of questionable chicken, so unless it's from P.F. Chang's, I don't really want it.

6. I am the proud aunt of the Swedish Pro Superbike Champion 2008.

7. I worked at Systembolaget, the Swedish Alcohol Retail Monopoly, a couple of summers when I went home from college. We had wine/ beer tastings once a month and I had my regulars hanging on the door every morning before we opened. It was hard work, being on my feet for eight hours a day, but a fun bunch to work with.

8. I'm a Swede with a Finnish name, living in America, driving a Korean car.

9. I loved being pregnant—well, at least the first time, the second time not so much—and would love to be pregnant again, but I don't want any more children. Go figure!

10. I have a great sense of direction and never get lost. I have, however, gotten sidetracked a few times, but I hate asking for directions.

11. I love being by myself and I rarely feel lonely.

12. When I like a movie, I love watching it over and over ... and over again, until I can't stand watching it again for a long time.

13. I recently finished two creative writing courses online. I loved the first one, didn't love the second one, and now I'm totally burned out. Hmm ...

14. I love to read, especially non-fiction. Last year, I read a book about cadavers and I just finished a book about brain surgery.

15. I love computers. I love email. I love the Internet. I love online chatting on FB and photo sharing on Flickr. I love to blog. But I hate that my butt gets bigger and bigger while sitting here with all this virtual love.

16. I'm amazed that I found sixteen things to say about myself after all.

www.best-cross-elliptical-trainer.com Elliptical training machines are more popular and have in the recent past gotten substantially on treadmill machines even in general sales. Their popularity owes to their many benefits for instance low impact training and remarkable ability to training both upper and lower body among other benefits. These Types Of advantages have made them more desirable to individuals throughout various ages and more particularly the maturing baby boomer generation. This document will hence check out the top ten benefits of exercising with an elliptical trainer.

Low impact training

Top in the list of top 10 advantages of workout with an elliptical machine is the fact elliptical fitness machines allow for low impact training. They reduce the strain and stress on ones thighs and leg in regard to elliptical action. In addition to the above, elliptical exercise machines have no reverse actions. The shape of their motion corresponds to the natural path that one’s ankles, hip joints and knees follow when strolling, running or jogging.

Foot Pedals

Another advantage of working out with an elliptical machine is that it is equipped with flexible articulating foot pedals. Using an elliptical machine is really like jogging in mid air. One’s feet are always in constant contact with the pedals that is why no high-impact experiences. This further cuts down stress on one’s joints. In addition to the fact that one’s feet never leave the pedals, these pedals may be adjusted to suit the angle of one’s elliptical machine step.

Weight bearing workout

As compared to other exercise systems such as stationary bicycle, elliptical machines leta weight bearing training. That is quite significant as it can help in inhibiting the development of osteoporosis.

Dual Action Physical Exercise

Another special benefit in the list of top 10 benefits of using an elliptical machine is that it simultaneously works on many multiple muscle groups. This is the reason why most fitness professionals refer to it asa cross- trainer. Exercising with an elliptical trainer helps one to workout hamstrings, quadriceps, chest muscles, glutes, back, triceps and biceps. This helps in firming additional body parts while still optimizing on energy expenditure. The outcomes are that one results burning extra calories along with fat in a very short period of time. However, in order to enjoy the benefits of a dual action exercise, one is informed to distribute the resistance between lower and upper body.

Exercise Programs

Just like a treadmill, an cross training machine is equipped with a wide variety of exercise programs which are challenging. Such programs mimic interval training workouts or hillside climbing by changing level of resistance. Most elliptical exercise machines also contain a wireless heart rate manage device which allows one to optimize their physical exercises by allowing them to use their heartbeat to manage their resistance.

Low Maintenance

One other key benefit of an elliptical machine over a treadmill is that it requires much less maintenance. An elliptical trainer has a lot fewer moving parts in addition to including low impact elliptical trainer motions. In regard to the above mentioned, an elliptical trainer hence demands fewer routine maintenance. You don't need to worry about motors, belts, bearings and rollers burning out.

Helps You To Save Time

Since an elliptical trainer incorporates upper body arms, its routines exercise your entire body resulting to an improved all round exercise. This means one’s body melts away more calories within a pretty short time frame. In addition to this, elliptical cross trainer have been found to permit a lower “perceived rate of exertion” throughout routines. This means that even more exercise sessions that burn more calories with little effort put.

Fights Boredom& An excellent option for Cross training

An elliptical machine comprises a combination in betweena stair climber and a treadmill machine. This hence permits it to permit a better opportunity for cross- training. In addition to this, it has a lot of down loadable exercise routines on the internet therefore offering you a wide variety of physical exercises. This allows for extra varied exercises, extra calories burned and no room for feeling of boredom.

Cardiovascular Workouts

An elliptical trainer allows for extremely good aerobic routines which can be important for total body fitness. Whether Or Not one is working out to get rid of some extra pounds, firm the body up or a mixture of both, having cardio workouts in one’s exercises is necessary for long- term physical fitness success.

Space Efficient

Compared to treadmills, elliptical trainers are much smaller and hence can be moved from one location to another when one is storing them away or moving them for cleaning. For folks who are cramped for living space or whoever has a compact home gym, elliptical machines are efficient in saving some space while still enabling you to enjoy all round body exercise sessions.

Kinetic Bands allow a gymnast to target leg, arm and core muscles while performing strength and conditioning exercises as well as gymnastics specific movements myosource.com/gymnastics/

Increase your speed and endurance with Kinetic Bands Resistance Training. Building core muscles will make you FASTER, QUICKER, STRONGER while increasing FLEXIBILITY and improving BALANCE and STAMINA.

myosource.com/

Kinetic Bands allow a gymnast to target leg, arm and core muscles while performing strength and conditioning exercises as well as gymnastics specific movements myosource.com/gymnastics/

A jogger using the railing along the Henley Square Esplanade to do some ham string stretches this morning. I met up with rbat75 and we went for a very cold and windy walk along the foreshore and down Henley jetty.

Pulled his hamstring and out for 10 weeks. Bugger.

1.No of Discs: 13

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P90X Extreme Fitness Training System

No GUIDES BOOK INSIDE

01."How to Bring It" video for a quick overview of the complete P90X Extreme Home Fitness training system.

02. Chest & Back

The first P90X workout is all about pushing and pulling during an intense resistance routine made to strengthen, tighten,

tone, and build the major muscles of the upper torso.

03. Plyometrics

Plyometrics this dynamic cardio workout (some call it "The Beast") has over 30 explosive jumping moves. You won't be spending

much time on the ground during this P90X workout.

04. Shoulders & Arms

This P90X workout incorporates a potent combination of pressing, curling, and fly movements that will do wonders for the

development of the deltoid muscles, biceps and triceps.

05. Yoga X

If you think this will be the day to relax forget it! The P90X yoga workout will challenge you like never before. You'll

sweat, twist, stretch to feel energized—maybe even enlightened,

06. Legs & Back

Get ready to squat, lunge, and pull during this unique series of P90X workouts for both the lower and upper body. Strengthen

and develop your glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves.

07. Kenpo X

Kenpo means "law of the fist", and that's exactly what you'll be throwing during this cardio-intense workout, that and a

whole bunch of kicks, elbows, knees, and forearms!

08. X Stretch

Keeping limber and loose is vital to the success of any fitness program, especially for the P90X. This 57-minute stretching

routine will minimize the potential for injury and keep you at the top of your game.

09. Core Synergistics

This total-body workout incorporates cardio, stretching, and resistance to strengthen the core muscles. By strengthening your

core, you’ll be better equipped to handle P90X workouts.

10. Chest, Shoulders

& Triceps

You'll want to hit the beach and show off your lean, ripped muscles after finishing this super charged P90X upper-body

workout of push-ups, dips, flys, and tricep kickbacks.

11. Back & Biceps

With a boatload of curls and pull-ups you'll add some real ammo to your guns. Don't worry ladies— by using lighter weights,

you can focus on toning and tightening.

12. Cardio X

With this P90X workout you’re really going to sweat! As your body pumps oxygenated blood through your system, flushing out

lactic acid, you’ll actually increase your number of capillaries!

13. Ab Ripper

This is the quickest P90X workout only 16 minutes to complete yet it hits all the areas of the midsection to burn the fat and tone the muscles using sit-ups to Pilates moves.

So glad to be out with my camera today. My last stranger photo was taken a month ago. An accident on some wet decking caused me to get a very nasty hamstring injury. Not quite up to tackling Glastonbury Tor yet but I am able to walk around with my camera at last.

Jess was happy to be part of my project. When I said that she had to be at least 18, she laughed and asked me if she looked under 18. Jess was in a bit of a hurry so we did not have time to debate the meaning of life but she did tell me that she was getting married next year.

It was a very brief encounter but Jess had a lovely smile and I am pleased with the photos that I took.

Thank you Jess for agreeing to be in my project. It was good to meet you. If you like the photo then please let me know and I will send you the others too. Best wishes for your wedding next year.

This picture is 37 in my second round of 100 strangers. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page

With operated leg bent slightly, push heel into bed without bending knee further. Hold 5-10 seconds. May alternate legs. Repeat 10-15 times. Do 5-7 sessions per day while in the hospital and 3 sessions per day when at home.

My EMT who brought me to the ER

The Fall of Rome. I fell near the Colosseum. On my hip. The pain was so terrible that I nearly passed out. There was the ambulance right there. It took us to a hospital. X-rayed no broken bones I'm fine but sentence to crutches for a few days on painkillers and muscle relaxers. Excruciating pain in my hamstring and glut. I felt like I ripped my hamstring or perhaps broke my hip. Fell at 2:30. Got out of hospital at 6. Made our 7:20 train by two minutes.

It was soooo scary thinking that omg. I'm going to pass out. Happened too fast. I didn't see the two inch drop. The inside of my foot hit 10% on top tiny step. The other 90% hit the lower part of the next step. My ankle folded and because I was walking fast the momentum threw my body forward. I knew I was a goner before I started falling.

I landed on my hip and the pain was excruciating. I said to Jeff. I've really got a bad injury.

I was prone. I rolled to my back and asked him to pull me up. That's when I started to black out from the pain. I said hold me up. I'm passing out. Thank god I didn't. That would hav been worse.

I tried to walk and nearly died from the pain. We made it about thirty steps to a bench. Sat down. Jeff was holding my arm. I started to pass out again. But didn't know it. I saw only white. Jeff pulled me back up to sitting. It took a long time for the color to be picked back up with my eyes. Scary shit.

I tried to walk again but couldn't. So we waited a bit. Then I limped over to the ambulance that was two parking spots from us. They took me to the hospital. They let jeff sit with the driver. The three EMTs couldn't speak English. Ambulance had a police escort. DIVA!

The great news is I didn't break any bones. I still cannot put weight on that leg. I'm resting today and using crutches. Cannot function without the pain killers. Fly home Tuesday. I'm sorry to be such a burden to our hosts. Anyway. Enjoy my short slide show of ROME.

www.facebook.com/neeta.lind/videos/10154555013388062/

Thompson Track, Te Aroha

It started as a couple of hour ride up from Te Aroha and turned into a 2 day bush bash in mud and rain.

The bikes were a Gas Gas 700SM, Honda CRF300 Adventure and my Montesa 4Ride.

The rough road up to the summit was pretty easy for all of us. Big rocks and potholes on a clay bed but no real problem. That took about 25 minutes.

Then I found a track going down the other side and we decided to follow it.

Within 500 metres was the first slip; that should have warned us off but no, we soldiered on...........and on and on a on! For hours we battled bogs, bush slips and trees.

Finally, we decided we were not going to make Katikati on the other side. The bogs were too big and the GasGas and Honda too heavy.

We turned around and started back up but the rain set in and made it harder.

We decided to leave the two heavy bikes behind and come back the next day for them. Between the three of us, we rode and hauled the little Montesa 4Ride 260cc trials based bike to the top and I rode on down to get help. On the way down, I lost the front wheel on a slippery rock, fell and tore my hamstring. It was a lot of pain but I got up and rode on.

I found a couple in town with a double cab ute who agreed to come with me to the base of the trail so we could drive the other two back to town; they finally walked out around midnight!

The next day we went back to get the bikes left behind.

I waited at the bottom with my torn hammy and acted as the emergency system just in case. The other two took my Montesa back up to cut 2-3 hours off their walk then walked into the bush to rescue the other bikes with a winch, folding spade and tree saw.

2 expert hard enduro racers had contacted me offering help so I said yes please!

They turned up abpout 2.30pm and rode in to help. Then half an hour later, 2 more riders turned up to help.

The 2nd two riders didn't go far enough to find the others and came back. They'd seen my Montesa just over the top but that was all.

By 6pm I was getting worried and ready to call emergency services (the boys had a satelite rescue device so I knew they may have set that off).

They hadn't and, just before I called emergency; they all came back down some 5 hours after entering. Our 2-3 hour adventure ride had turned into a 2 day balls out test of skill, endurance and planning. On the way up, we didn't just ride, we stopped and planned our way through every obstacle.

Nobody was hurt at all until I fell off on the way down in the rain and we all had wet weather gear and plenty of spring water.

Staying in the bush for the night would have been cold but not a life or death issue.

What a ride! What an experience a what a great bunch of people Kiwis are to drop everything, drive hundreds of km with bikes on the back to help us!

I’ve not trained for a couple of weeks. Pulled a hamstring mildly and didn’t want to turn it into not-mild, so I’ve been resting.

Unhappy about it, so really glad to get back into it today with a good session.

Rob was sitting outside Tesco supermarket eating an apple. I asked if it would be OK to take his photograph for my strangers project and he agreed. I told him that it was a photographic and social project. He straight away began to tell me about the Engine Room in Bridgwater. He has 3 months with them as a volunteer, working on his passion of community film making. He would love these smaller projects to play a bigger part compared to the corporations. There is plenty of scope for this but Rob is keen for this to increase.

There was a crutch behind Rob and I asked him about his injury. He had fallen through a floor while working on a community building project – from the first floor to the ground floor. The bones in his heal were broken so badly the the doctors were surprised that he hadn't also injured his back. Things are improving and Rob is now having physio. He said that he regretted not starting it sooner. I discovered that he is going to the same place as I did when I tore my hamstring. We agreed that they are very good.

When it came to taking Rob's photo, I moved back a bit on the bench. I explained that I was using an 85 mm lens. Rob said that he uses wide angle lenses. It is interesting that it is still called film making as his work is digital, the video being recorded to hard drive.

Thank you Rob for agreeing to be part of my project. I wish you well with your film making and a full and speedy recovery of your foot.

This picture is 53 in my second round of 100 strangers. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page

Warrior 1 - sunshine on the chest, knowing winter will be over soon! All the warrior postures standing poses challenge and strengthen, increasing endurance and stamina, lengthen the hamstrings, release tightness in the chest and heart area. Practice this pose anywhere you have a few moments and the space to step into the pose, focus on mindful breathing and being present. Repeat on both sides of the body.

Kinetic Bands allow a gymnast to target leg, arm and core muscles while performing strength and conditioning exercises as well as gymnastics specific movements myosource.com/gymnastics/

Dr. Rajiv Shah, left, USAID administrator speaks with Ethiopian Prime Minister H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn during the food security conference at the African Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C., August 4, 2014.

"Disasters and shocks pose an unparalleled threat to the world's most vulnerable communities and hamstring the global humanitarian response," said USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah. "This new bold partnership will help the global community pivot from being reactive in the wake of disaster to driving evidence-based investments that enable cities, communities, and households to better manage and adapt to inevitable shocks.” (Mark Burrell / USAID)

There are essential techniques grapplers must master to escape or gain control of an opponent. For the ultimate lower-body strength tool for fighters of every level, the Stroops’ All Legs Speed Builder adds versatility, portability, and resistance to a fighter’s training regimen. Since it was introduced to mixed martial artists, world-class fighters have embraced this Stroops original for its unrivaled ability to build explosive hamstring, quadriceps, abductor, adductor, and abdominal muscles. The Cobra Pro also improves the arm’s ability to repeatedly retract from a strike immediately to a defensive or offensive hand position. With Slastix-generated resistance against the key upper-body muscle groups, fighters build strength where they need it most, maximizing every second of training. stroo.ps/all-legs

taken in 99. 35mm. scanned recently.

+++++

In the Dalai Lama’s Tibet, torture and mutilation—including eye gouging, the pulling out of tongues, hamstringing, and amputation—were favored punishments inflicted upon runaway serfs and thieves. Journeying through Tibet in the 1960s, Stuart and Roma Gelder interviewed a former serf, Tsereh Wang Tuei, who had stolen two sheep belonging to a monastery. For this he had both his eyes gouged out and his hand mutilated beyond use. He explains that he no longer is a Buddhist: “When a holy lama told them to blind me I thought there was no good in religion.” Since it was against Buddhist teachings to take human life, some offenders were severely lashed and then “left to God” in the freezing night to die. “The parallels between Tibet and medieval Europe are striking,” concludes Tom Grunfeld in his book on Tibet

- www.michaelparenti.org/Tibet.html

Photos taken by Patrick Lemay

Jose Mourinho admitted he felt emotional to see Zlatan Ibrahimovic return from his career-threatening knee ligament operation in Manchester United’s impressive 4-1 victory over Newcastle United.

Paul Pogba, coming back from a 12-match lay-off of his own with a hamstring problem,...

sportscrackers.com/2017/11/19/mourinho-delighted-by-emoti...

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of my left knee, pathology noted. I tore my anterior cruciate ligament skiing on March 18th, these images (in the form of digital stacks) were captured on March 24th, I didn't get the diagnosis until March 29th, and then underwent surgery to reconstruct the ACL on April 4th. Good times.

(Left) Bone bruising--an extreme valgus (inward twisting) force of the knee resulted in impact between the posterior-lateral part of the tibia and anterior-lateral part of the femur. Fluid infiltration, or bruising, in the bones shows up as those encircled diffuse white clouds. Arthroscopic examination during the surgery revealed no cartilage damage. While bone bruising is a common concomitant observation in ACL injuries, the consequences of it, if any, are unclear.

(Right) MRI slice depicting part of the ruptured ACL. An intact ligament shows up as solid black. My ACL shows up as gray and swirly throughout this and adjacent MRI slices.

Interestingly, torn medial collateral ligaments (MCLs) can heal themselves, but not ACLs because of the curious properties of the intra-articular environment that prevents platelet aggregation on the damaged ligament and the resultant secretion of growth hormones necessary to promote the initial healing process. Efforts to repair a torn ACL by suturing the severed ends result in a 40% re-rupturing rate. Thus, an ACL must be reconstructed using a graft, either from one's own tissues (patellar tendon, hamstring tendon or quadricep thing) or a cadaver (Achille's, hamstring or patellar tendon).

Self, or autografts, are much more resilient than cadaver grafts, heal faster, and have a lower failure rate. This, I am presuming is because cadaver grafts must be UV irradiated to kill potential contaminating viruses (HIV, hepatitis C, etc.), and further processed to remove all cellular material which would otherwise cause one's body to mount an immune response against the graft and reject it; plus, it's subsequently frozen for storage, and then later thawed for the surgery.

[Update, 07/26/2012]

One thing to take into consideration when choosing to utilize a self or "autograft" is the donor site morbidity. In other words, wherever they extract the graft from, that is another thing that must heal. The physical rehabilitation of the knee and the donor site is a factor to take into consideration. Functionally, extraction of the patellar tendon graft often results in imbalance in the kneecap tracking, leading to patellofemoral pain and knee irritation/inflammation from increased use. The patellar tendon also takes time to heal and can be prone to tendinitis (jumper's knee). These two factors, which alter the patella tracking, in the long term, also contribute to the development of osteoarthritis of the knee cap.

A little day trip to Lake Louise on Good Friday.

I really have no idea what I was doing here...

From “My encounters with the Barbarians blade”, by Lady Elina Greypepper

Of all my encounters with the Barbarian in that hellish forest while we travelled back towards the slavers, the seventh night of our enforced companionship is one of the most memorable. We always made camp just after dusk, Skarr setting a fire and cooking one of the small creatures she had killed during the day that I had been tasked to prepare. She forbade me from using what she called my “lotions and potions” on it, claiming the”bare taste of the meat was adequate”. And so this seventh night, we sat eating what I think was a cross between a small bird and a rat, a rough tasteless meat. Evidently Skarr thought so too because she spat out the first mouthful and ate nothing more that evening, muttering something about Norther animals being far more tasty and succulent. I did not respond, nor did she expect me to.

Then began the barbarian’s normal ritual of sharpening her blades. Not the Doomsayer, her greatsword. That mighty weapon had magical properties of some kind, and no matter how hard Skarr whacked it into some poor unfortunate creature’s skull, it never even tarnished. The edge was as sharp and fine as any blade I had ever seen. No, Skarr had several other small blades which, not being magical, required sharpening, and after supper, she pulled out a tiny wrapped oilstone from her pack and began to sharpen the weapons upon it, running her finger down each keen blade until blood was drawn.

As I watched her thumb bleed, I saw a vicious looking scar on the side of her stomach. This was unusual for her, as Skarr healed quickly, something I put down to her Norther blood. But this was still red and angry, as if someone or something had tried to rip her stomach open. Feeling strangely foolhardy, especially while the barbarian held her small blades, I crawled over to her from my place by the fire and reached out to the wound. She regarded me with her sharp eyes, and watched as my finger moved to the wound.

“I can make a poultice that will stop the pain”, I said.

“No!” she cried, flinching backwards, “the pain is important! It is part of me.”

“I don’t understand,” I asked, pulling back.

“Poshol ti nahoo, oslayob!” she muttered in her own tongue.

Unfortunately for Skarr, I had begun to understand a few words of Norther myself and I knew what most of Skarr’s foul mouthed little rants meant.

“Donkeys indeed!” I said, looking at her with an amused expression, “You need your mouth scrubbing out with nightwort”.

She said nothing, but returned my look of amusement. Then her look changed, the pained expression came across her face, an expression I have come to see once or twice since. I was wary, as, following the pained expression there usually came an outburst of violence. I watched as she moved position and came next to me by the fire. Speaking softly now, her voice wavering slightly, she spoke in her broken, heavy accented Imperial.

“They were my brothers. Tribe brothers, blood brothers, call them what you will. We have our own words; they do not…translate well. We have been through the blood rituals together, when every village pits it’s warriors against each other, the strongest of them rule, the weak are hacked to pieces. There is much drunkenness and death in these times. We had survived and united our tribes, bled together, laughed, cried, lain together”. She looked at me as she said this, the pained look in her eyes deepening. This was the longest speech I had ever heard Skarr speak.

“There were those who sought to break up the five of us, but they did not. We came to rule the seven tribes between us. We struck down the warlords and I was elected to rule in their stead. The terror of the north. When the attack on the Imperial city of filth was repelled, I fought to get in the same boat with my brothers, so we could laugh and chant at the Imperial weaklings who thought they had defeated us. We got into our boat and sang bawdy songs and drank till we puked, then drank some more”.

Skarr laughed as she remembered the good times, staring into the flames of the flickering camp fire. Then she continued.

“Gunnerson surprised me as we sailed to our homeland. He thrust a sack over my head and pulled the string tight. I was drunk and I puked inside the bag. Then he hit me in the face and the inside of the bag was full of my puke and now blood. Then someone else hit me in the back of the legs and I went down hard on the deck. Taggarhey and Gunnerson discussed whether or not they would hamstring me, they decided against it. My blood brothers. My beloved warlords. I was undone. Turned against. As they came to thrust me from the boat, Bunds slipped his knife deep into my side and twisted. I knew it was him, even though I could not see. He was beautiful with his blade. Efficient as only a Norther warrior can be. Blood to attract the slitherfish, he said. Bunds, the one I had lain with, the one who….never mind.”

“But yet you survived?” I said, looking directly into her eyes. Sure enough, the pain had gone now from her face, and I could feel the anger and fury radiate from her.

“I was dying in the water, surrounded by slitherfish preparing to strike their poison spines into me and drag me to the depths. I was ready to meet my ancestors and walk the halls of Varnarok where my father, mother and precious daughter waited. I was a warrior. Varnarok would embrace me into the afterlife. I had died in battle. That was when I found the Doomsayer in the water. I killed the slitherfish with it and washed ashore here. I crawled up onto the rocks and washed the blood and puke from my face. After I had dressed my gut wound, I sat upon the rocks and began to plan the way in which I would kill my treacherous kinsmen, my beloved blood brothers. I vowed vengeance upon them, terrible, personal vengeance. Vengeance written in blood. I will decapitate them, so that they will be forever denied the Halls of Varnarok.

I gasped at this. The Halls of Varnarok were, to the Northers, what the Nine Divines were to us Imperials. Decapitation was the worst possible death for any Norther. It meant that he would be forever denied the Halls of Varnarok. Never to walk with his ancestors. The reasons why they were denied this I did not know. Much of the old Norther faith is still a mystery to us, even now. Skarr looked at me and smiled. She did not have a pleasant smile; it was a smile of blood and death, of tears and vengeance. I did not know what to say to her, but she was relaxed enough to let me apply a poultice, before we settled down to sleep, or in my case, another sleepless night listening to the catcalls of the forest creatures and noises, or to Skarr’s incessant snoring as she slept soundly. I almost looked forward to meeting the slavers again. I just hoped Skarr would not slaughter them all before they conducted us to Samaria.

As I watched the fire burn, I saw the faint flicker of a smile cross Skarr’s lips. She looked at me,

“Fear not Dushka”, she laughed softly, “we will run into the slavers soon. Then we shall have fun and see if your plan works.”

Fun? I doubted it. Maybe for her it would be fun, but for poor little apothecary apprentice me, I sincerely doubted that I would come through it either free or alive. That night I slept even less well than I had done previously. And if I’d have known then what I know now about our forthcoming adventures, I would not have slept at all.

David Jonathan Drew (born November 20, 1975 in Valdosta, Georgia) is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Boston Red Sox. He is a left-handed hitter, and began his major league career in 1998 with the St. Louis Cardinals.

College

Drew attended Florida State University, where he played under head coach Mike Martin. At Florida State, he was the winner of the 1997 Dick Howser Trophy, the 1997 Golden Spikes Award, and was named the 1997 Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year, the 1997 Sporting News Player of the Year, and was a consensus All-American (1997). He also was named the 1997 ACC Player of the Year. He was a 1996 member of Team USA. Drew was First Team in 1996, Freshman All-American in 1995 and was named to the College World Series All Tournament Team in 1995. He was the first player in college baseball history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season. He set a Florida State record by batting .455 in 1997 while managing to become one of only three players in college baseball history to have 100 hits, 100 runs and 100 RBI. During his college career, Drew broke 17 school and conference records.

[edit] Professional career

[edit] 1997: Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies

Drew was the second overall pick in the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. Drew and his agent Scott Boras elected not to sign with the Phillies, sticking to their guarantee that they would not sign for less than $10 million. The Phillies had no plan to pay an unproven player this amount of money, and despite Boras' warnings, drafted Drew nonetheless. Consequently, Drew ended up playing for the St. Paul Saints of the independent Northern League.

[edit] 1998-2003: St. Louis Cardinals

After playing for St. Paul in the 1997 season, Drew was selected fifth overall in 1998 by the St. Louis Cardinals. He signed a contract and blew through the minor leagues, hitting .316 through 26 games with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. He was called to the big club with the rest of the 40-man roster and made his debut on September 8, 1998, the night Mark McGwire broke Roger Maris's single-season home run record. His first at bat, in the 6th inning, ended in a strikeout, and he finished the night 0-for-2. He would heat up, however, going 15-for-36 (.417) during 1998 with five home runs.

On August 10, 1999, in Drew's first appearance at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, he was booed loudly, and even had "D" batteries thrown at him by two fans.[1] Drew struggled to stay healthy, landing on the disabled list every season he played in St. Louis.

Also, St. Louis manager Tony La Russa apparently had concerns about Drew's effort. In his book Three Nights in August, Buzz Bissinger mentions La Russa's frustration with Drew's lack of passion. La Russa tells Bissinger that it seems Drew has decided to "settle for 75%" of his talent, in large part because of his enormous contract.[2]

[edit] 2004: Atlanta Braves

Drew was traded to the Atlanta Braves in December 2003, where he had the best season of his career while finally managing to stay healthy. In 2004, he displayed excellent power, patience, and defense hitting .305 with 31 home runs, 118 walks, and 96 RBI, finishing 6th in the MVP voting.

[edit] 2005-2006: Los Angeles Dodgers

In December 2004, Drew signed a five-year, $55 million dollar contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which included an escape clause after the second year. Roughly halfway through the 2005 season, Drew's season was again cut short after being hit on the wrist by a pitch from Arizona Diamondbacks' pitcher Brad Halsey.

On September 18, 2006, Drew was part of only the fourth ever set of back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs with fellow Dodgers Jeff Kent, Russell Martin, and Marlon Anderson.

In 2006, Drew exercised his contract option clause, forgoing $33 million over the next 3 years to become a free agent. The Dodgers' General Manager Ned Colletti said in a teleconference that he was "surprised how it came down. Everything we had heard, everything that had been written led us to believe the player loved being here."[3] This was especially a surprise since a few days before, Drew had told an LA Times columnist on how happy he was in LA and that he was looking forward to the upcoming 2007 season.

[edit] 2007-2008: Boston Red Sox

On January 25, 2007, Drew officially signed a five-year contract with the Red Sox worth $70 million. Drew's revised contract has a clause that allows the Red Sox to opt out of Drew's five year contract after three or four years if Drew has extensive injuries due to a previously existing problem in his right shoulder.

For most of the 2007 season, Drew struggled offensively and spent time on the DL (due to a hamstring injury) as well as taking time off from the team to attend to his son's health. Many questioned the value of his large salary due to his mediocre numbers and ordinary defense, but results began to come late into the season, allowing him to bring some confidence into the post-season. During the early part of the season, Drew was again part of a set of four consecutive home runs on April 22, 2007, in a game against the New York Yankees, this time joining with Manny Ramírez, Mike Lowell, and Jason Varitek. He is the only player to participate twice in a string of four straight home runs, and, oddly enough, he was the second player to go deep in each instance. Drew finished the 2007 season with a .270 batting average, 11 homers, and 64 RBI.[4]

On October 20, 2007, Drew hit a grand slam in Game 6 of the 2007 ALCS with the Red Sox facing elimination. The home run, along with brother Stephen Drew's for the Arizona Diamondbacks, marks the third time that two brothers have both hit home runs in the same postseason.

So far in 2008, Drew has improved his offensive resume dramatically. Through June 12, he has a .324 average, with an OBP of .430 and a slugging percentage of .562.[5] At the end of June, Drew was named the AL Player of the Month after hitting .337 and hitting 12 home runs while taking over for David Ortiz's three-spot in the lineup while he was on the disabled list. [6] Drew was officially announced as an A.L. All-Star reserve on July 6th. This was Drew's first All-Star game appearance. He hit a 2-run homer in his first at-bat as an All-Star en route to winning the All-Star Game MVP Award. In what was to become the longest All-Star Game time-wise in MLB history, the American League (and Drew's Red Sox) Manager Terry Francona, having almost run out of pitchers, contemplated putting Drew, a former high school hurler, on the mound to close the game. "I'd have been ready," Drew said. "I've had an opportunity to throw a lot in the outfield. I don't know if I would have gotten anyone out, but I'd have thrown something up there."[7]

[edit] Public image

Drew has been criticized by fans and the media for his perceived lack of effort, leading to nicknames such as "D.L. Drew," "J.D. Boo" or "Nancy Drew".[8] However, since teammate David Ortiz was placed on the disabled list in May 31st of the 2008 season, Drew has been playing remarkably, earning the Boston Globe's praise as "a five-tools player with an uncanny batting eye, a swing sweeter than butter, and long, measured strides that eat up great chunks of real estate, whether running the bases or tracking down fly balls." [9]

[edit] Personal

* Drew's younger brother, Tim, was also drafted in the first round in 1997, making them the first brothers drafted in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft in the same year.

* J.D., Tim, and their brother Stephen have all been on MLB rosters. Tim was last with the Atlanta Braves and Stephen is currently a shortstop with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

* J.D. married his wife, Sheigh, on November 10, 2001, in Hahira, Georgia. They have a son, Jack David, born on February 19, 2006, and a daughter, Ella, born on November 7, 2007.

* Drew identifies himself as a Christian. [10]

* Drew is identified by others as a redneck.

Thompson Track, Te Aroha

It started as a couple of hour ride up from Te Aroha and turned into a 2 day bush bash in mud and rain.

The bikes were a Gas Gas 700SM, Honda CRF300 Adventure and my Montesa 4Ride.

The rough road up to the summit was pretty easy for all of us. Big rocks and potholes on a clay bed but no real problem. That took about 25 minutes.

Then I found a track going down the other side and we decided to follow it.

Within 500 metres was the first slip; that should have warned us off but no, we soldiered on...........and on and on a on! For hours we battled bogs, bush slips and trees.

Finally, we decided we were not going to make Katikati on the other side. The bogs were too big and the GasGas and Honda too heavy.

We turned around and started back up but the rain set in and made it harder.

We decided to leave the two heavy bikes behind and come back the next day for them. Between the three of us, we rode and hauled the little Montesa 4Ride 260cc trials based bike to the top and I rode on down to get help. On the way down, I lost the front wheel on a slippery rock, fell and tore my hamstring. It was a lot of pain but I got up and rode on.

I found a couple in town with a double cab ute who agreed to come with me to the base of the trail so we could drive the other two back to town; they finally walked out around midnight!

The next day we went back to get the bikes left behind.

I waited at the bottom with my torn hammy and acted as the emergency system just in case. The other two took my Montesa back up to cut 2-3 hours off their walk then walked into the bush to rescue the other bikes with a winch, folding spade and tree saw.

2 expert hard enduro racers had contacted me offering help so I said yes please!

They turned up abpout 2.30pm and rode in to help. Then half an hour later, 2 more riders turned up to help.

The 2nd two riders didn't go far enough to find the others and came back. They'd seen my Montesa just over the top but that was all.

By 6pm I was getting worried and ready to call emergency services (the boys had a satelite rescue device so I knew they may have set that off).

They hadn't and, just before I called emergency; they all came back down some 5 hours after entering. Our 2-3 hour adventure ride had turned into a 2 day balls out test of skill, endurance and planning. On the way up, we didn't just ride, we stopped and planned our way through every obstacle.

Nobody was hurt at all until I fell off on the way down in the rain and we all had wet weather gear and plenty of spring water.

Staying in the bush for the night would have been cold but not a life or death issue.

What a ride! What an experience a what a great bunch of people Kiwis are to drop everything, drive hundreds of km with bikes on the back to help us!

Padahastasana - Hand-to-Feet Pose (september 2013

Benefits:

The entire body is flexed and thus it is good for the overall exercise of the shoulders, neck, chest, abdomen, waist, thighs and knees.

It helps strengthen the hamstrings.

The pose gets the buttocks toned.

Ligaments and tendons of the entire legs get stretched.

Sciatic nerves get pulled. — at Bikram Yoga Athlone.

From “My encounters with the Barbarians blade”, by Lady Elina Greypepper

Of all my encounters with the Barbarian in that hellish forest while we travelled back towards the slavers, the seventh night of our enforced companionship is one of the most memorable. We always made camp just after dusk, Skarr setting a fire and cooking one of the small creatures she had killed during the day that I had been tasked to prepare. She forbade me from using what she called my “lotions and potions” on it, claiming the”bare taste of the meat was adequate”. And so this seventh night, we sat eating what I think was a cross between a small bird and a rat, a rough tasteless meat. Evidently Skarr thought so too because she spat out the first mouthful and ate nothing more that evening, muttering something about Norther animals being far more tasty and succulent. I did not respond, nor did she expect me to.

Then began the barbarian’s normal ritual of sharpening her blades. Not the Doomsayer, her greatsword. That mighty weapon had magical properties of some kind, and no matter how hard Skarr whacked it into some poor unfortunate creature’s skull, it never even tarnished. The edge was as sharp and fine as any blade I had ever seen. No, Skarr had several other small blades which, not being magical, required sharpening, and after supper, she pulled out a tiny wrapped oilstone from her pack and began to sharpen the weapons upon it, running her finger down each keen blade until blood was drawn.

As I watched her thumb bleed, I saw a vicious looking scar on the side of her stomach. This was unusual for her, as Skarr healed quickly, something I put down to her Norther blood. But this was still red and angry, as if someone or something had tried to rip her stomach open. Feeling strangely foolhardy, especially while the barbarian held her small blades, I crawled over to her from my place by the fire and reached out to the wound. She regarded me with her sharp eyes, and watched as my finger moved to the wound.

“I can make a poultice that will stop the pain”, I said.

“No!” she cried, flinching backwards, “the pain is important! It is part of me.”

“I don’t understand,” I asked, pulling back.

“Poshol ti nahoo, oslayob!” she muttered in her own tongue.

Unfortunately for Skarr, I had begun to understand a few words of Norther myself and I knew what most of Skarr’s foul mouthed little rants meant.

“Donkeys indeed!” I said, looking at her with an amused expression, “You need your mouth scrubbing out with nightwort”.

She said nothing, but returned my look of amusement. Then her look changed, the pained expression came across her face, an expression I have come to see once or twice since. I was wary, as, following the pained expression there usually came an outburst of violence. I watched as she moved position and came next to me by the fire. Speaking softly now, her voice wavering slightly, she spoke in her broken, heavy accented Imperial.

“They were my brothers. Tribe brothers, blood brothers, call them what you will. We have our own words; they do not…translate well. We have been through the blood rituals together, when every village pits it’s warriors against each other, the strongest of them rule, the weak are hacked to pieces. There is much drunkenness and death in these times. We had survived and united our tribes, bled together, laughed, cried, lain together”. She looked at me as she said this, the pained look in her eyes deepening. This was the longest speech I had ever heard Skarr speak.

“There were those who sought to break up the five of us, but they did not. We came to rule the seven tribes between us. We struck down the warlords and I was elected to rule in their stead. The terror of the north. When the attack on the Imperial city of filth was repelled, I fought to get in the same boat with my brothers, so we could laugh and chant at the Imperial weaklings who thought they had defeated us. We got into our boat and sang bawdy songs and drank till we puked, then drank some more”.

Skarr laughed as she remembered the good times, staring into the flames of the flickering camp fire. Then she continued.

“Gunnerson surprised me as we sailed to our homeland. He thrust a sack over my head and pulled the string tight. I was drunk and I puked inside the bag. Then he hit me in the face and the inside of the bag was full of my puke and now blood. Then someone else hit me in the back of the legs and I went down hard on the deck. Taggarhey and Gunnerson discussed whether or not they would hamstring me, they decided against it. My blood brothers. My beloved warlords. I was undone. Turned against. As they came to thrust me from the boat, Bunds slipped his knife deep into my side and twisted. I knew it was him, even though I could not see. He was beautiful with his blade. Efficient as only a Norther warrior can be. Blood to attract the slitherfish, he said. Bunds, the one I had lain with, the one who….never mind.”

“But yet you survived?” I said, looking directly into her eyes. Sure enough, the pain had gone now from her face, and I could feel the anger and fury radiate from her.

“I was dying in the water, surrounded by slitherfish preparing to strike their poison spines into me and drag me to the depths. I was ready to meet my ancestors and walk the halls of Varnarok where my father, mother and precious daughter waited. I was a warrior. Varnarok would embrace me into the afterlife. I had died in battle. That was when I found the Doomsayer in the water. I killed the slitherfish with it and washed ashore here. I crawled up onto the rocks and washed the blood and puke from my face. After I had dressed my gut wound, I sat upon the rocks and began to plan the way in which I would kill my treacherous kinsmen, my beloved blood brothers. I vowed vengeance upon them, terrible, personal vengeance. Vengeance written in blood. I will decapitate them, so that they will be forever denied the Halls of Varnarok.

I gasped at this. The Halls of Varnarok were, to the Northers, what the Nine Divines were to us Imperials. Decapitation was the worst possible death for any Norther. It meant that he would be forever denied the Halls of Varnarok. Never to walk with his ancestors. The reasons why they were denied this I did not know. Much of the old Norther faith is still a mystery to us, even now. Skarr looked at me and smiled. She did not have a pleasant smile; it was a smile of blood and death, of tears and vengeance. I did not know what to say to her, but she was relaxed enough to let me apply a poultice, before we settled down to sleep, or in my case, another sleepless night listening to the catcalls of the forest creatures and noises, or to Skarr’s incessant snoring as she slept soundly. I almost looked forward to meeting the slavers again. I just hoped Skarr would not slaughter them all before they conducted us to Samaria.

As I watched the fire burn, I saw the faint flicker of a smile cross Skarr’s lips. She looked at me,

“Fear not Dushka”, she laughed softly, “we will run into the slavers soon. Then we shall have fun and see if your plan works.”

Fun? I doubted it. Maybe for her it would be fun, but for poor little apothecary apprentice me, I sincerely doubted that I would come through it either free or alive. That night I slept even less well than I had done previously. And if I’d have known then what I know now about our forthcoming adventures, I would not have slept at all.

Triangle / Trikonasana-- the body creates a series of triangle shapes--stretches the upper and lower body; lengthens the hamstrings and sides of the torso; strengthens the legs, opens the hips as well as the shoulders, increases focus; gaze "Drishti" is upwards. Practice this posture on both sides of the body. The practice of this pose strengthens, grounds, and increases focus & stamina. Hold pose for 6-12 breaths on each side; repeat.

Morning yoga is energizing as well as calming. It will set the tone for the rest of your day. It was a great week of fun, relaxation, running, yoga, reading, family and friends, but I have missed you. Looking forward to many yoga practices together this week. Photo taken by Charles Wills at Lake Champlain at sunrise, 5:30 AM.

Name: Master Sgt. Christopher Aguilera

Age: 37

Hometown: El Paso, Texas

Current residence: Las Vegas, Nev.

Years in service: 18

Injury/disability: In a 2010 helicopter crash in Afghanistan, he sustained a broken ankle, back, collarbone, hip, jaw, sternum, punctured lung and left upper hamstring, burns over 20 percent of his body, and traumatic brain injury.

Sport/sports: Shooting, track and field, wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball

What do the Warrior Games mean to you?

To me, it’s the camaraderie between fellow wounded warriors and holding each other up for one common goal.

What motivated you to try out for the Air Force Warrior Games team?

It’s being able to return to my new 100 percent and my friends and family.

(U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III)

Vacation workout at Ocean Isle Beach, NC April 2011 with Myosource Kinetic Bands. Visit www.myosource.com for more information.

fitnessweightlosscenter.com - Squat Exercise | Leg Workouts - The squat exercise, or as most people refer to it as

"squats", is probably the best single workout you can do for your legs. Squats workout your quadriceps, hamstrings and all the other muscles in your legs. You will get the most out of your squat workouts if you use free weights rather than a squat machine. Using free weights makes you use all the little stabilizer muscles in your legs and adds to the effectiveness of the exercise.

Just make sure not to get so infatuated with squats that you ignore the other exercises that target you legs. And remember that

working out your legs is just as beneficial as working on your chest and arms and maybe more so. Strong and powerful legs provide a strong base for any other training or athletics.

For more info drop by our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/user/FitnessWeightLossCtr or visit us in the web at

fitnessweightlosscenter.com and find us on Facebook at facebook.com/fitnessweightlosscenter