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3 Keys To Finding Your Natural Running Stride

When I think back to when I was at school, my worst nightmare was running. I hated it, even more than football and rugy which I don't like even today. So I never thought that I'd be any good at running... until I found out the trick that I'm about to share with you now.

I realised that running was an important part of my cardio-vascular exercise, and that I needed to find a way to make it a little bit easier for me. When I used the treadmill, I was getting way out of breath way too quickly (less than 10 minutes, and that included 3 minutes fast walk to warm up). And yet I could go on the rowing machine for 20 minutes and hardly even notice it.

So something was wrong with my running technique.

Not knowing what to try, I just varied everything I could: speed, incline, the length of my stride, the height of my stride, and so on.

And these are the three tricks to running that made the difference for me:

1. Don't be afraid to INCREASE your speed!

I realised that I was actually running too slow! I've naturally got a long stride (I'm just over 6 foot tall), but when on the treadmill I was taking tiny little strides. Why? Because if I'd run at my normal stride, I would have run into the front of the machine.

By increasing the speed of the machine, I was able to stretch my stride out to a better length for me, which made my whole running style much more fluid, and therefore easier on me.

2. Don't be afraid to INCREASE your incline!

If you aren't using an incline when running, then you are effectively running downhill. This is because the tread itself is helping your legs' motion, rather than you actually pushing yourself forward. Similarly, if you run downhill, it's much easier because you don't have to push yourself up in the air as much to gain the forward distance you need.

So add a little incline to you run - not much, just enough that you can feel the extra push. Not only does this simulate running on flat ground, it also makes your motion more natural. Running downhill and running on the flat produce variations in your stride that make you more or less efficient. So by increasing your incline, you induce a more natural style to you movements.

3. Remember to focus on your breathing.

The final key is related to the other two. As my stride increased, and my effort increased, I found that my rate and depth of breathing changed so that I took one full breath cycle for every 3 steps. And that felt more natural than previously.

Sorry that's not a very scientific explanation, but "feeling natural" is about as best as it gets :-)

So there you go. Three keys to more efficient running, which you can experiment with. Some of this advice might sound odd (if you're running out of breath quickly, why make the running harder?). But with the principle of finding a more efficient pace for your body, it makes sense.

And by the way, almost overnight I doubled my running from 10 minutes to 20, with no real problem, and over time I increased to 45 minutes with a couple of 1 minute breaks to stretch and drink water. I can go more, but I start to get bored and also run out of time at the gym!

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I'd Like $50 on the Predators!

Rick It was learned on Wednesday that former Flyers star and current Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet could be in some hot water with both the NHL and the New Jersey State Police, after authorities busted a sports gambling ring he helped finance. According to authorities, Operation Slap Shot (real creative title there guys, I guess Operation Icing and Operation Crosscheck were both already taken) uncovered a sports betting system that processed more than 1,000 wagers with a total of about $1.7 million on professional and collegiate sporting events during a 40-day period. Tocchet has been identified as a partner and financier of the ring (along with a New Jersey state trooper), and State Police also say that "Police Academy 5" star and wife of Wayne Gretzky, Janet Jones, placed bets for players on the Coyotes.

No one involved has been accused of betting on hockey games, by the way. All bets were made on sports other than the NHL. So, were not talking about NHL players placing bets on their own games, like Pete Rose did. Still, this could be a major scandal for the NHL. Perhaps even more shocking to me was the fact that I had no idea that Rick Tocchet was still in the NHL! Did you know he was a coach on the Coyotes? And did you know that he and Wayne Gretzky, the Coyotes head coach, were BFFs? It got me to thinking with Tocchet turning to the gambling industry following his playing career (with a little coaching mixed in), what jobs do you think some ex-Flyers may be pursuing now that their playing career is finished, and what jobs do you think some current Flyers may pursue when they hang up the skates?

(Cue the dream sequence sound effects and graphics)

Mike Bullard Dentist (if anyone knows about dental work, it would be ol Gappy)
Tim Kerr Hunchback (years of back problems)
Dominic Roussel Motivational Speaker (centering around teamwork)
Ron Hextall Anger Management Coach (because he always kept a cool head)
Brian Propp Anything but a radio color analyst (damn, too late)
Peter Zezel Teen Magazine Editor (hell, he appeared in enough of those things anyway)
Eric Lindros Mafia Hit Man (fuhgeddaboutit)
Billy Tibbets Unemployed (its hard for a rapist to find a good job nowadays)
Kjell Samuelson Lumberjack (obviously)
Keith Primeau Lets just have Keith be able to run on a treadmill for 10 minutes without falling over before we give the guy a job
Chris Gratton Not sure exactly, but I do know that hed get a promotion then crumble under the pressure of higher expectations
Chris Therien First things first. Lets just get the guy to retire first and then we can figure out a job for him. RETIRE CHRIS!
Garth Snow Sofa Maker (hey, the guy likes padding)
Donald Brashear Professional Swimmer (just like the NHL, hed be the only black guy out there)

Those are just a few. And hey, lets make this interactive. Make sure to click on the forums link, reply to this column and add a couple of your own! You can use any current or former Flyer. Maybe theyll check in sometime if theyre low on ideas or worried about what theyre going to do when they decide to retire. In the end, theyll thank us.

In the meantime, Tocchet is expected to be arraigned within the next 7-10 days and will most likely be suspended by the NHL for his role in the gambling ring. And Rick, if you do end up having to do a little time in the pokey, tell Billy Tibbets we all said hello.

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Are We Our Children's Best Role Models When It Comes To Money?

Today, everything from Gameboys to Sony Playstation to Xbox machines are now common in most homes. Though affordable, should our children be able to buy anything they want? This is a question I get from most parents. But what parents fail to understand is, when they try to keep up with what their neighbors have, it puts a major strain on the family's finances. Our children are now copying our ways by trying to keep up with us!

We need to be sure to keep our finances in order and show our children good fiscal responsibility. Money is a precious resource that we work hard for and should not be taken lightly. The average person has a revolving credit debt of over $8500 and bankruptcies are on the rise. What we do as family money managers goes a long way in teaching our children how to manage their own money matters.

Financial mismanagement inside families is a growing problem that can be devastating to children. Losing a home to foreclosure, having to move because of bad debts, learning to do without many of the luxuries they had before can lead to depression, lack of self-confidence, and unresolved feelings toward their parents for putting them into that position.

What is even more painful for children, is how parents isolate them from the reasons why things happened. Children need to understand that it is not their fault and that the parents made the mistakes. Parents must sit their children down and explain how mismanaging finances can put families in financial peril. If children are left to wonder, they will experience the same mistakes when they become adults.

This can be avoided at all costs if parents take the time to learn basic financial management skills. Here are some things you should be doing right now to keep your children from having to go out into life without an understanding of what it takes to financially succeed in this world.

1- Get kids involved in your life!

Show them what you are buying, what things cost in real value terms, and why you need them. Explain the differences between wants and needs and how to manage their money the right way.

2-Get your children involved in making small financial decisions.

This is a good way to show them what can happen if they make the wrong choices in life and what the consequences will be.

3- Make them aware of what money can and cannot do.

Money can make people do strange things. It has been written that it is the root of all evil but it can help those in need. A good example of this is the work that charities do. Money in itself is not bad. Only what people do with it that can turn bad.

4- Get your children involved with your shopping.

Have your children start cutting out coupons and filing them away for you. Use this as a time to teach math and language skills (especially if they are young), and allow them to help you shop by retrieving items on your list. Giving children responsibilities teaches them discipline, which is sorely lackingin our youth.

5- Don't just say no when they ask for something.

Explain to them the reasons behind why they cannot have the item, whether for financial, or other reasons, and show them alternatives that will give them confidence to make proper decisions later in life.

Children are a lot smarter than we give them credit for and they understand things better if you involve them. Don't talk down to them. Let them have a say in their lives. You will see that, we as parents, can change our destructive financial habits, and give our children something they need right now... the financial wisdom to carry throughout their lives.

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Grandfather Clock Do It Yourself Repair - Part I

Grandfather clocks. Amazing pieces of machinery. Very few people understand how they work and even fewer know how to fix one, should something go wrong. Bringing to a repair shop is going to cost you an arm and a leg, so if you have a grandfather clock that's not exactly running up to snuff and you don't have the bucks to fix it, then you might want to try to tackle the job by yourself. In order to do that, aside from needing some mechanical expertise, you're going to need some troubleshooting tips, since these marvels can get pretty complicated. This article is going to cover some of the things to do when trying to fix the old man.

Let's start with the most common problem of a grandfather clock. The pendulum itself stops swinging.

The first thing you have to do is make sure the clock weights have been pulled up. Sometimes all that needs to be done is simply wind the weights. This can really save an unnecessary repair.

Next check the hands. Are they touching each other? If they are this will stop the pendulum from swinging. If they are touching and the time train is jammed all you need to do is push the hour hand slightly towards the dial in order to clear the minute hand. Just make sure it doesn't touch the dial.

Next, check to see if the hands are touching the glass. If they are, all you have to do is bend the minute hand away from the glass.

If by some chance you've recently moved your grandfather clock (they are very temperamental and don't like to be moved), the pendulum may have stopped swinging because the case is now leaning at a different angle. To fix this you simply have to start the pendulum swinging and balance your clock. Don't use a level. Continue testing until the swinging sounds more balanced. This requires a good ear and a lot of patience. Balancing the clock itself may require you to do one of several things.

First you may have to actually place something under the clock on either the left or right side to get the pendulum swinging just right. A bracket or shim will probably do the trick for this.

Second, you may have to actually tip the clock itself towards the wall so that it is slightly leaning. You have to be very careful when performing these tricky manoeuvres. You don't want to tip the clock too far in either direction or back. The clock may fall too far off balance and spill to the floor. Trying to catch one of these falling monsters is not easy so care is needed.

In the next article in this series we're going to continue with troubleshooting techniques to figure out just what is wrong with the old man, including running too fast or slow, weights not falling, chimes out of sequence and others. By the time we're done your grandfather clock should be as good as old.

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Real Meaning Of Personality Development And Tips For Its Development

Well every human being might have different perception, attitude and meaning for this broad terminology PERSONALITY, as we, human beings, are said to be social animal and the only animal having something powerful tool called MIND which other animals do not possess in this entire planet. Other animals also got BRAIN but its potential is limited. But our brain and its capacity are simply unlimited. Because of this tool, we are ruling the entire universe. I have mentioned all of this because, with external and internal beauties, this organ of human also plays significant role in developing, enriching and boosting our personality as a whole.

Now, what actually Personality means?
According to ENCARTA DICTIONARY ,Personality means
1. somebody's set of characteristics: the totality of somebody's attitudes, interests, behavioral patterns, emotional responses, social roles, and other individual traits that endure over long periods of time
2. characteristics making somebody appealing: the distinctive or very noticeable characteristics that make somebody socially appealing
a partner with real personality
3. somebody regarded as epitomizing traits: somebody regarded as epitomizing particular character traits
4. famous person: a famous person, especially an entertainer or athlete
5. unusual person: a distinctive and unusual person
6. quality of being person: the quality of existing as a person
Do you think that computers will ever achieve personality?
7. distinguishing characteristics: the distinguishing characteristics of a place or situation Microsoft Encarta 2007. 1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Are these definitions and descriptions really defining personality as a whole? We can say Yes to some extend because whenever we talk about personality most of us go for LOOKS. But here comes the diversion of definition. Is personality at a glance means to say LOOKS? For me, its partial. The foremost thing or the main thing for which we can determine or perceive another stranger is via his external or physical outfit, as no one can know how he is? His behavior, character at a glance so personality at a glance goes for LOOKS. But, most of the people only think that if a person has good looks, then he/she has got personality and I totally disagree this statement. He/she only possess looks, external personality but not personality as a whole. So to analyze or determine somebodys total personality we have to understand him/her which needs time. Someone might not be good looking but he/she can have his/her behavior, character outstanding and vice-versa.

Personality traits are not inborn or genetically inherent. We have to develop or enhance these traits after landing on earth. We are the only one who can develop our whole personality. There are others like our parents who are always there to help us but the actual hero is with us. If we are interested to develop our personality we need to learn many things and might be more and more and more things. Apart from academic education we must have to learn many extra curricular things like:

1) Public Speaking Skills.
2) Body language Skills.
3) Handwriting analysis Skills.
4) Behavioral Skills.
5) Anger Management Skills.
6) Fitness Skills.
7) Yoga and Exercise.
8) Food habit.
9) Communication Skills.
10) Friends making Skills.
11) Relationship Skills.
12) Superlearning Skills.
13) Dealing with problems.
14) Self or Auto-Suggestions skills and much more which cant be listed here.

A person can only be real person when he/she can be cent percent successful in fulfilling his/her whole responsibility and the above mentioned point are the key points and landmarks to make one RESPONSIBLE, RATIONAL, BOLD, BRAVE and SMART

http://winnerpost.blogspot.com

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The Untold Secret of Creating a Fun Learning Environment

Most teachers, including parents who home school their children, are always looking for new techniques to make learning more exciting for both them and their students. If you think back to the teachers you had in school, you probably remember the teachers that made learning fun. What if I told you that there is an easy, fun, and unique magic application that can improve writing skills, verbal communication, and motor abilities, as well as create memory hooks for key curriculum topics?

I know what you are thinking: "But Im a teacher, not a magician". Being a teacher is what will make this teaching tool successful for you. The magic effects taught in the book, Houdini in the Classroom, are NOT difficult, although they will require minimal practice. The real magic happens when you blend your teaching experience with magic and you see first hand the powerful learning effect this has on your students.

Why Harry Houdini? Harry Houdini is still the most famous magician of all time, even though he died in 1926. He captivated his audiences attention and was a terrific showman and self- promoter. These Houdini-like attributes combined with basic magic effects can be applied to the classroom to create a fun and exciting learning environment, regardless of the curriculum and grade level.

I remember my son having a school assignment to write out the directions to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was a technique to develop descriptive and clear writing abilities. It is a common teaching tool, but what if the teacher taught a simple but amazing magic trick to the class and then had the students write the directions to the trick?

Not only would it be more fun than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but it could be combined with developing the motor skills to perform the trick. Plus, what about having the students write a story to accompany the trick? And then tell the story while performing the trick to develop public speaking skills? What a fun and multifaceted learning activity!

The same idea can be used as a behavior modification technique. What child doesnt love magic? Especially, when they know the secret and can fool their family and friends? Why not offer to teach the class a cool magic trick at the end of the week, if certain goals are accomplished during the week?

I guarantee that any teacher that performs magic as part of the teaching process will have the students sitting on the edge of their seats to see and hear what the teacher does next. Magic is the ultimate attention getter!

Easy magic tricks can be integrated into any lesson plan regardless of subject or grade. You can pick up any beginner magic book at the library but you it will take trial and error to know what tricks are appropriate and how to blend them into your lesson plans. Or you can allow me to help you. Ive done all the work for you in my book, Houdini In The Classroom. You can become the Houdini In The Classroom at your school!

Michael Kett Houdini In The Classroom 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed $45 worth of FREE Bonuses! http://www.teacher-magic.com

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Valet Parking: Theft with Consent

This column is long overdue. To put it in library terms, which I guess I already did (but Id like to elaborate), this column is like checking out a book in 1998 but not returning it until yesterday. And by yesterday, I really mean tomorrow. This analogy will only grow as time continues because yesterday and tomorrow are both relative terms. I cant wait until the space creatures read this in the year 2577. Maybe they will e-mail me when they do, just so I feel like my previous sentence came with a purpose...

As far as my purpose, Id like to address the issue of valet parking this week because, quite frankly, I think its the worst system in the world. If I was still on that library kick, Id add that Dewey Decimal if that is his real name would be laughing in his grave. Now I understand that this is a fancy way to park because someone is doing the parking for you, and anytime someone does something for you, its automatically fancy. The same ideology is what makes room service more than just expensive food. I also know the argument that valet parking is a privilege, because instead of having to park your own car into a visibly tight spot, some random person will park your car into an area that you cant see because thats how special it is. Privileges aside, this worries me because if you took away the voluntary nature of the system, it would be considered grand theft auto...

Thats right valet parking is the one time when we are basically telling a stranger, Go ahead, steal my car. I trust that itll be here later. And sure, virtually 100% of the time it is. But what about that 0% of the time when your car just isnt there and that valet parker turns out to be a person who knows how to find the appropriate attire online? Furthermore, what is the guarantee that your stuff inside the car will still be there? This is a time period when the valet can do anything he wants with your car change the radio station, eat your food, kill your friend still sitting in the passenger seat so we need to think more carefully about why we continue to utilize this system...

Some would say that the system is faster, but oftentimes the self-parking area is right next to the valet. Others would add that valet allows someone else to hold your keys, and if that is supposed to be a good thing, then why dont we just hand in our wallets at the door as well? So, when it comes down to it, speed and convenience arent prominent enough to be used as valid evidence (I am really tackling the legal terms in this column)...

To prove the risk of valet parking further, I must question why we dont hire random house sitters. You know, just stop a passerby and ask him to stay at your house for three days while youre gone, and in return youll let him eat all the fish sticks from the freezer he wants even though you dont have a freezer and he can pet your dog twice. Or, since Im on the animal kick, why dont people who walk their dogs in a park just switch dogs temporarily with someone else? This is essentially what valet parking is, except that parking isnt a two-way trade. If it were a two-way system, I guess that would have to be called parallel parking, but Ill have to save that for a different column (note to self: please dont)...

Unless required by law or the front-seat passenger, I will continue to park my own car. I am not implying that I want valets to lose their jobs. Rather, I am just noting that I dont want them to do anything. I guess that would make them government officials...

But I digress.

Greg Gagliardi is a teacher and writer. His stream-of-consciousness weekly humor column, "Progressive Revelations," has been ongoing since 1998. (http://www.ProgressiveRevelations.com)

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Stop Gathering Information & Beat Procrastination!

Do you know that most of us are presently spending 80% of our precious time doing things that do not contribute to the success our projects or tasks at hand?

In fact, if you start to look closely at how you spend your time, you will find that you are actually burdening yourself with many unnecessary tasks, giving you the false feelings that you are very busy.

However, the truth is you are not busy at all and there is actually very little accomplishment at the end of the day.

Stress, anxiety and depression, must they be part of our life? Or is it possible for us to totally eliminate them from our life?

Well, it may be true that stress and missing deadlines may happen due to some unforeseen circumstances, however if we were to be willingly to approach them with the correct attitude and right perception, I'm sure we can greatly reduce their presence in our life.

And one way to do it is not to over analyze things. Now, I am not trying to tell you to dive head first into your project without any prior plans.

What I am suggesting is that you just need to gather the necessary information for you to get started. Other information can be gathered along the way as you progress through your projects.

Over analyzing the projects or gathering too much redundant information will cause you to delay in starting your projects.

And not to mention, excessive information will tend to give you a misconception that the tasks at hand is a tedious and difficult one which once again give you another "reason" why you should procrastinate in doing the job.

Can the time be better spent in some other areas of your life rather than gathering excessive and redundant information?

Thus, learn when to wrap up your research phase and get started in your project. Don't worry about not having enough information to complete your project. You can always gather extra information while your project is in the progress.

Also, learn how to cope with unforeseen circumstances. If things could go wrong, it will go wrong. And that is one more reason why you shouldn't indulge yourself in gathering too much information.

If some new adjustments need to be made, what would happen to all your information gathered earlier? They won't be useful for your project anymore, will they?

Ask those successful people around you and they will tell you that good decision comes from opinions and experience, facts later.

Therefore, learn when to say enough is enough and make the decision now to act NOW!

In this fast moving world, the information you gathered today may become obsolete in few months time. If so, why bother gathering all those information in such an early phase of your project?

Thus, if you want to overcome procrastination fast, first focus on getting started, build up your momentum and gather facts later.

"How forceful are right words! But what does your arguing prove?"

~~ Bible ~~

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Zach Kong is a web entrepreneur, a self mastery trainer and adviser. He has written several articles on self improvement his websites has provided people with valuable tools and advice on topic like on self mastery and self development.

Visit his website @ www.CashFormer.com to claim your free ebook now.

For more information and advice, visit his community @ www.ZachKong.com

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