Rec and Sports

A healthy person enjoys life to the fullest. A sick person on the other hand is deprived of all life’s glamor in spite of being rich. Health insurances can assure you that all your health problems will be sorted out in a jiffy. Yet you will have to play a pivotal role in keeping yourself healthy.

In a family, it is the woman who plays the role of a doctor. She willingly looks after her children and spouse. She shields them from diseases. Unfortunately her health is neglected in the bargain. She has no fitness routine. Her diet is not a balanced one.

Women have so many things to do around the house that they hardly have time even get out of the kitchen. They have no time to go for a walk or do some cardiovascular workouts because they have so much to do like washing the dishes, laundry or cleaning up after the kids. Although these are good exercises, they are not good enough.

Most of the women end up having backaches before they go to bed and 90 % of them ignore it thinking, if they go to bed, they will be fine!

Many women have a thick layer of fat around their waist. They think its either because its hard to slim down around the waist after having a baby or the most common one- eating too much. Frankly speaking its because of lack of exercise.

How many women go to the doctor when they are sick? A lot of women decide that a home remedy is best medicine for their health. Their thought is unless they don’t drop down, they are fine. The more you ignore, the worse it gets from the health point of view.

Erratic eating habits and skipping meals either due to lack of time or to achieve weight loss also leads to health problems. Ignorance about proper diet is also a contributory factor. Overeating and skipping meals both are detrimental to good health.

Women often are the victims of obesity caused either due to overeating or due to hereditary factors. However the problem of obesity can be undermined by taking adequate care of your health.

A few insights are being given which will act as a guide and help you to remain hale and hearty throughout your life:

It is also important that you don’t skip meals. Eat your breakfast, lunch and Dinner at the right time and at moderation. Don’t think that skipping meals helps weight loss. Your metabolism becomes slow and your body starts retaining the fat rather than burning it.

It is a very wrong notion that skipping meals leads to weight loss. On the contrary body accumulates fat, as the basic metabolic rate gets slowed down.

Drinking about 8 to 10 glasses of water will work wonders for your health.

A Healthy & a Natural diet consisting of grains, rice, vegetables, fruits and Dairy products is the most important requirement for a better health. Avoid oily and Greasy foods in your everyday food. Artificial diets such as protein shakes, diet foods may give you instant results for weight loss, but it is also fast for weight gain. Natural diet is the best fitness diet for a successful and a long-term weight loss.

Perseverance and a little of your time will give you a healthy life. Health is your wealth. The sooner you realize it, the better it is for your health!

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Here’s an early look at the free agents to be after this season for the Eagles: Winston Justice, WR Jason Avant, LB Chris Gocong, G Max Jean-Gilles, LB Omar Gaither, WR Hank Baskett, FB Dan Klecko, C/G Nick Cole, LB Tank Daniels, S Sean Jones, S Rashad Baker.

The most notable offensive players on this list are Hank Baskett and Jason Avant, both of whom have been nice contributors for the Eagles over the past few years. Jason Avant’s recent development has been very noticeable these last two seasons, especially when it comes to his role as a 3rd down receiver. I have a feeling the Eagles will hold onto him. He’s just 26 years old and has a bright future.

Baskett was a restricted free agent in 2009 and was tendered to a 1 year deal, but I believe the Eagles will resign him to a 3-5 year deal. Baskett is a good red zone threat due to his height, and he’s one of our top special teams aces. Last season Baskett made 33 receptions for 440 yards and 3 touchdowns, one of them being a 90 yard touchdown reception against the Rams in week 1. At age 26 for his 3 years in the NFL as an Eagle and Viking, he’s made 71 receptions for 1,046 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Omar Gaither and Chris Gocong are both solid and versatile as LBs for the Eagles. Gocong seems to get better each year and had a career high 59 tackles in 2008. I believe that the Eagles will resign Gocong, but I’m not so sure about Gaither.

During the second half of last season, Gaither was replaced by Akeem Jordan as the team’s weak OLB. At training camp, the two of them find themselves fighting for the starting job, and I don’t see any reason the Eagles would look to extend Gaither if Jordan carved out the starting role. When it comes to Tank Daniels, he’s a hard-working bench player and a strong special teams player, and I can see him being extended for a couple of years.

The Eagles were counting on Tony Hunt at FB last season, but that didn’t really go as planned. Klecko did a nice job at FB, but he’s been switched back to DT, his natural position. I don’t know what Klecko will be by the end of the year. The Eagles already have three other DTs, but his utility status may keep him on the team. Either way, I don’t see him playing for the Eagles in 2010.

Nick Cole is a very versatile offensive linesman. Few offensive linesman can play both center and guard as well as he does. We saw this when he took over Max Jean-Gillies’ role last season after he was hurt, and played a solid five games at right guard. While Cole will challenge Jamaal Jackson for the job at center, he’ll probably be a fill-in player off the bench. He’s probably too good to be a bench player for long, and I could see another team making a better offer than the Eagles can match in 2010.

Both Sean Jones and Rashad Baker are new to the Eagles team in 2009, so their roles and effectiveness are still uncertain. Jones will be a reliable alternative to Demps if he doesn’t work out, and Baker will be a nice backup so I hope they both remain Eagles in 2010.

But hey these are all guesses. Last season I predicted the Eagles to resign Cole, Baskett, Daniels, Dawkins, Thomas, and Hanson. Unfortunately, I missed the big two. Who knows what the Eagles FO is planning and it’s even harder to determine the free agents when this season hasn’t started yet. Once again, these are pure guesses as an Eagles fan. GO EAGLES!!!!!

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The game began by Arroyo giving up a lead-off triple to Tony Gwynn Jr. He was then easily driven in by Kevin Kouzmanoff driving and RBI double to center field. Arroyo pitched well after that, but not for long.

But, the Reds managed to get runners on first and second in the bottom of the second inning. Jonny Gomes drove in one of those runners with and RBI shot to right field for a single.

Then, it was up to recently promoted Craig Tatum, who has replaced Hanigan/Hernandez for the time being. He drove a ball into first base which hit the dirt and resulted in his first major-league hit, and his first RBI. That was all the Reds could get though.

Bronson Arroyo pitched steadily into the 7th inning. With his pitch count above 100 pitches, he began to tire, giving up a leadoff double to Gwynn, and a sacrifice that sent him to third. On account of this, Reds manager Dusty Baker removed Arroyo from the game.

He intentionally walked Adrian Gonzalez, and Dusty had seen enough. He called on Nick Masset.

The game was already tied 2-2 when Kevin Kouzmanoff came to the plate once again. He popped a sacrifice fly to center which easily scored Gwynn.

The Reds couldn’t bounce back with another run. One opportunity almost made it happen, but they couldn’t get it done.

The game ended with a 3-2 score in favor of the Padres. San Diego closer Heath Bell earned the save, and Bronson Arroyo was issued the loss, as the third earned run was credited to him.

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Danieal Manning started at free safety for the Bears his rookie season, 2007.

In 2008, his role changed, as he was mostly utilized as a kick returner on special teams, and otherwise as a nickelback. In 2009, Manning should keep his special teams presence, as well as his nickelback role, but the Bears will lean on him at the free safety position too.

As the Chicago Sun Times put it recently:

“Manning will open training camp in Fridays 3 p.m. practice at free safety, a position he spent exactly zero time at during the offseason program. Kevin Payne will be the starter at strong safety with Craig Steltz challenging him. Manning will slide to the nickel cornerback role he played last season in passing situations. In the nickel package, Steltz will be at free safety.”

Since Steltz is traditionally a strong safety and Danieal Manning is the better athlete, this seems like the right decision on all accounts.

Lovie Smith had this to say about Danieal:

According to Smith, Danieal Manning has made leaps and bounds during his two seasons in the league, maturing greatly as a player and expanding his knowledge of the game. Smith is confident in Manning’s poise, and feels that he’s primed to succeed in his new role.

“Ive heard people talk about the different positions Danieal has played, but that only helps you. He knows exactly what it feels like to play [corner, safety and nickel]. Hes played every position in the secondary. Thats helped his football knowledge and is going to make him a better free safety.”

Lovie Smith also declared second year player Zackary Bowman the starter across from Nathan Vasher in training camp. Bowman gets the spot over Corey Graham because Graham has been playing free safety this offseason.

Lovie Smith had nothing but good things to say of Bowman. He attributed a strong work ethic, a fast learning curve, and big playmaking ability to Bowman during the offseason, and feels that most of this will carry onto the field in 2009.

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1. Joe Horn’s cell phone celebration is probably my favorite NFL TD celebration of all time. After scoring a TD, Horn lifted the goal post padding while teammate Michael Lewis delivered Horn a cell phone from underneath the padding. This cell phone was buried beneath the padding of the goal post, so this was all pre-planned! Horn then proceeded to stage a call on the phone, resulting in a $30,000 fine and a 15-yard penalty.

2. During a Monday night game against the Seattle Seahawks, superstar wide receiver Terrell Owens caught a touchdown pass. After scoring the touchdown, Owens then signed a television camera lens with a sharpie marker. This is just one of many classic TO celebrations.

3. Ian Johnson (who’s excluding college football?). This is a classic play that easily deserves to make the list. After scoring the game winning points against the Oklahoma Sooners on a trick Statue of Liberty sequence during the Fiesta Bowl, Johnson approached the cheerleaders section (his girlfriend being one of them) and proposed to her.

4. Chad Ocho Cinco- Chad scores a TD and then gives CPR to the ball in the end zone!

5. Warren Sapp. When a defensive player catches a rare TD, you know it’ll be special; especially when it’s Sapp. After he caught a touchdown pass, Sapp placed the ball onto the ground and hopped/danced around it in a perfect circle. Sapp’s reasoning? A tribute to Beyonce.

6. Steve Smith- After the Vikings Boat Scandal, Smith caught a TD vs. the Vikings and then sat on the ground pretending to row a boat.

7. Randy Moss. In a game against the Packers, Moss caught a touchdown pass. After this, he ran to the middle of the endzone and mooned Green Bay. This became known as the ‘Lambeau Moon’.

8. Wes Welker of the New England Patriots. Playing a home game at Foxboro on a snow-filled afternoon, Welker hit the floor after scoring and made a snow angel.

9. Lamont Jordan- after scoring a TD in 2003, pretended to start a chainsaw with the football and an imaginary cord, then sawed down the goal post.

10. Brandon Jacobs- in 2005 vs. the Bears, Jacobs scored a TD, then put the ball under his shirt, making it look like he was pregnant. Later he said it was because of his pregnant wife.

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A major topic of discussion in sports media coverage lately has been Pete Rose and his potential Hall of Fame status. I’m going to share my thoughts about the issue here (in as unbiased a manner as possible, being a Reds fan and all).

After being exposed for placing wagers on games involving his own team, Pete Rose became a castaway from the MLB establishment, and his hall of fame prospects went down the drain. He did something that was blatantly unethical here, but this all occurred after his MLB career as a player, and I don’t see why this should affect his status.

Another reason I believe that Pete should be let in is that even though he did bet on the game of baseball, it was after he even quit playing. So a lifetime ban was a little to harsh, don’t you think?

This argument especially carries weight when you look at what’s going on in the baseball world today. Look at all of the steroids busts! Bonds, Rodriguez, Ortiz, Ramirez, McGwire, Sosa, Palmeiro…the list goes on and on. All of these players busted for PEDs and we’re worrying about gambling by a player after his career? Rose’s accomplishment was pure, no one doubts that.

Selig lifting the ban shouldn’t give Rose automatic inclusion, but I’m relatively sure that the Hall of Fame panelists all agree about the fact that Rose belongs. The all-time hits leader, for crying out loud! Bud Selig may very well lift the ban, but Selig’s actions are unpredictable so there’s no telling as to what may come from his review.

And these are my thoughts about Pete Rose. Charlie Hustle deserves his place in Cooperstown along with the rest of the greats who probably did things considered unethical during their times (Babe Ruth, cough cough). He’s had just as much humility as anyone and is clearly sorry for his actions. It’s time to forgive him and remember him for his talent, not one mistake.

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For the last three days, I spent my time at the Chris Paul basketball camp in New Orleans, LA. Chris Paul himself came together with some coaches from New Orleans and the suburbs to help all kids interested in basketball with drills, tips, and more.

The camp was divided into a morning session and an afternoon session, the morning being for 7-10 year olds and the afternoon for 11-18 year olds. From there, they divided the kids by their ages into 18 separate groups.

The groups would all receive a talk from Chris Paul, who talked about his time at the Olympics and other times in his basketball career. He would tell stories about when he was a kid dreaming of paying in the NBA, and he would help kids who were struggling in certain drills.

Everything you can possibly imagine regarding the game of basketball was brought up when it came to drills. Between layups and three pointers, free throws, bounce passes, long-range passes, dribbling, picks, screens, and more, everyone benefited from the variety and originality of all of the drills.

Drills are great, but everyone wants to play too. And play we did. Between full-court practice games and an actual tournament, we played different games (with teams formed by age group) every day. Chris Paul would supervise the games and give advice through and through.

The best part was probably the fact that we actually got to play against CP3 in certain games and drills. If we beat him, they gave away actual prizes.

My basketball ability definitely rose to a new level as a result of my time spent at the camp. Exercises that were hard for me to complete on day 1 were pretty routine by the end.

Not only were there basketball players from New Orleans attending the camp, but players from all over the country came down to be a part of it. The level of competition here was excellent, and was only topped by the fact that we all had a very personal experience with one of the best point guards in NBA history. Anyone looking to improve their basketball skills should seriously consider this camp if they can.

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Which Astros team should we believe? The one that launched from the All-Star Break winning two of four in Los Angeles, swept the Cardinals and beat Johan Santana for an impressive 6-2 start or the one that looked on the verge of collapse in losing four of five to the Mets and Cubs since that time?

Sure, Wandy Rodriguez and Roy Oswalt have both pitched excellent baseball lately, but this isn’t enough. Russ Ortiz, Brian Moehler, and Mike Hampton have given spotty performances, if not worse. Adding to the uncertainty is Roy Oswalt, with a lower back injury that may force him to miss some time.

While the pitching has been shaky, so has the hitting. One obvious reason for the Astros’ struggles is Lance Berkman’s leg injury. He’s the focal point of the offense, and everything changes without him. Hunter Pence has slumped bigtime, showing a poor sense of judgment with many strikeouts lately. This month alone, he’s hitting less than .245, and his OPS is over .170 points lower than it was during each of the first three months of the season. Thankfully, Carlos Lee and Miguel Tejada have been there to keep the team’s bats somewhat afloat.

The setbacks to their best pitcher and their best hitter aren’t the only issues the Astros have had to deal with. It seems like every day, some player is missing time with some kind of petty issue. What’s next, Tejada missing time due to poison ivy?

The Astros usually pull it together during the second half of the season, always finishing in a more respectable position than most anticipates. But this year may be a different case than the usual, as the status of Oswalt and Berkman may cause more struggles to a team without its best two players.

There’s no question that the Astros are an old club which may see some major changes before next year. Several top players will be entering free agency after the season, including Tejada, Ivan Rodriguez, Jose Valverde and LaTroy Hawkins if the Astros don’t re-sign them. Had Houston played poorly the past month, some of the vets would have likely been dealt this week to reinvigorate a weak farm system. The Astros, however, were too close in the standings to be broken up.

To put the Astros’ veteran situation into perspective, no rookie on the team has yet to make a major league debut, the longest that any major league team has taken in the 2009 season. This will soon change, as Bud Norris is set to make his MLB debut.

Norris is somewhat like the Astros himself. He led the Pacific Coast League in earned run average, yet sported a losing record. Scouts disagreed on whether he was ready for the parent club. Some say he needs one more pitch. Others say he needs more maturity. Either way, he is here and quickly got three innings of one-run work in against the Cubs for his premiere. He might be called upon to start Sunday if Oswalt can’t go.

When the trade deadline passes and the Astros, as expected, haven’t made a change, it will be interesting to see what happens if the club falls out of the race. Will they try to get some players to clear waivers and liquidate for prospects or will they stand pat? Will they give Norris and a few other young players a shot at the big time or hold them off until 2010?

Players like Hampton and Ortiz won’t be of much value to the franchise if they continue to pitch the way they have recently. Why have them eat up starts if Norris, Felipe Paulino and Yorman Bazardo continue to impress in AAA?

The Astros will always surprise you one way or the other. If you’re counting on them to win, they’ll continually fall short. If you’ve moved on and started thinking about next year, they’ll throw together a string of wins and somehow get you hoping again. For this reason, no one’s really sure about what the Astros should do at this point.

After years and years of the same, we Astros lovers are used to it by now.

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Longboards are essentially skateboards but are wider and longer, used for transportation purposes and for slalom, exhibition, and competitive riding. Typically, a long board is made up of a deck, a set of wheels, bearings, and trucks in varying sizes depending on the kind of riding to be done. They may also be made from synthetic materials like carbon fiber and fiberglass or natural woods like maple or birch.

Kinds of long boards to choose from

Pintail long boards are most excellent for general transportation, level cruising, and downhill gliding. They are extremely slim skateboards merely about nine inches in width and up to 48 inches in length. Together with trucks fixed at the farther ends of both side, they as well have semi-slanted riser pads, letting the rider to make sharper turns. On the other hand, because of this, beginners may come across that pintail long boards can be hard to maneuver. Low-rider long boards, however, are best intended for street riding. With decks prepared from heavy-duty laminated wood, low-rider long boards as well have low contours perfect for pushing and carving. Low-rider long boards as well have trucks fixed almost at the tips to get superior control as well as stability.

Choosing long boards: some tips

If you’re more of an entertaining rider, prefer decks like SURF ONE EMPTY PERFECTION DECK completed from natural wood. They are economical however are tough enough to handle the thrashing that come with regular transportation. If you’re more of a competitive rider, look for decks completed from synthetic materials for further stability, given that competitive riding is further punishing than recreational riding.

Long boards with rigid bushing are best for downhill riding or adventure riding given that they provide stability at high speeds. Softer bushing gives added control so they’re further appropriate for normal transportation.

Regular recreational riding needs steel ball bearings, at the same time downhill skating will profit from ceramic ball bearings as they reduce thermal resistance and friction. Ceramic ball bearings, nevertheless, are more costly.

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Outfielders Jim Rice and Ricky Henderson are the most recent inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Joe Gordon who was voted in by the Veterans Committee. Henderson and Rice were among the most memorable players from the 1970’s and 1980’s, and few disputed that the honor was richly deserved by both men.

Ricky Henderson holds the MLB record for career stolen bases and became only the 44th player to be elected in his first year of eligibility. Henderson led the American League in steals 12 times and holds the record for steals with 1,406, runs scored with 2,295, unintentional walks with 2,129, and home runs leading off a game with 81. Henderson summed up his career with this classy statement:

“My journey as a player is complete. I am now in the class of the greatest players of all time, and at this moment I am very humbled.”

Hendersons greatest fame came as a member of the Oakland As, and he got somewhat emotional remembering his time with the late managerial legend Billy Martin who died in a car crash in 1999:

“Billy always got the most out of me. Billy, I miss you so much and I wish you were here today.”

Jim Rice was in many ways a complete contrast to the flashy Henderson, known as hard nosed, “blue collar” professional. He played most of his career as a member of the Boston Red Sox and is beloved by the city’s passionate sports fans. Rice spoke of what his overdue selection meant to him:

“It doesn’t matter that the call came 15 years later. What matters is that I got it. It’s hard to comprehend. I am in awe to be in this elite company and humbled to be accepting this honor. I cannot think of anywhere I’d rather be than to be right here, right now, with you and you. Thank you.”

Rice batted .298 with 382 home runs and 1,451 runs batted in from 1974 to 1989. He drove in 100 runs or more eight times, batted over .300 seven times, and topped 200 hits four times.

The Veterans Committee nominated Joe Gordon for Hall of Fame membership. Gordon, who died in 1978 was the American League MVP in 1942 and a nine time all star. He still holds the AL mark for career home runs by a second baseman with 246.

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