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May 31, 2021

Ballet classes designed for Queensland seniors proving a fitness hit – ABC News

Filed under: Fitness — admin @ 8:58 pm

It started as an experiment, but more senior Queenslanders are signing up to the unlikely get-fit option of ballet classes.

In suburban Robina on the Gold Coast, Pam Palmer is a convert.

“I felt quite silly when I started because I couldn’t pick up some of the routines, then I realised: ‘You’ve never done it before’. When I do practice at home, I pick it up,” Ms Palmer said.

She was well acquainted with Lenore Robbins’ ballet classes, having taken her 12-year-old granddaughter to classes over the years.

“I thought that’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Lenore is such a great teacher; I knew I would be in safe hands,” she said.

Seniors ballet instructor Lenore Robbins in a dance pose while teaching students at her Gold Coast studio
Seniors ballet instructor Lenore Robbins.(

ABC Gold Coast: Cathy Border

)

Research to reality

In 2017, Queensland Ballet, in conjunction with Queensland University of Technology and supported by the state government’s Advance Queensland initiative, did a research project on the health benefits of ballet classes for seniors.

The results released a year later were overwhelmingly positive. Participants reported feeling more energetic and animated, had better control of bodily functions with improved posture and overall wellbeing.

Improvements Ms Palmer can attest to.

“It is super good for cognition because you do lose a few grey cells when you stop working,” she said.

62 year old Vicky Seedsman in ballet outfit practicing pose during a class at Robina studio
Vicky Seedsman is a dancing fanatic.(

ABC Gold Coast: Cathy Border

)

Fellow student Vicky Seedsman has had a lifelong love affair with ballet, starting classes when she was just three years old.

Now 62, she is a dance fanatic. Not only taking part in the senior ballet classes, she averages eight sessions a week including tap, jazz, ballroom and line dancing.

“What better way to spend your day than dancing? You don’t have to be a professional straight away,” Ms Seedsman said.

Ms Robbins has dance studios in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast. The classes are deliberately repetitious to begin with. 

“It makes it easier once they have the memory of the exercise to execute it better,” Ms Robbins said.

“They say they have found muscles they forgot they had. They enjoy feeling active and they enjoy the challenge.”

Gentle workout

The senior ballet program has expanded by the year.

“It exploded in popularity and awareness,” said Genevieve Dunn, head of community engagement with Queensland Ballet.

Seniors learning ballet at Robina dance studio
The classes are said to be gentle on the body.(

ABC Gold Coast: Cathy Border

)

It provides two-day training courses to upskill teachers “providing them with the tools and practical knowledge to deliver this syllabus in their local communities”, Ms Dunn said.

“It is not about perfecting ballet technique, it is about enjoying it and having that connection with the same group that meets every week.”

The specialised classes have rules.

There are eight weekly classes at the West End studios in Brisbane.

More instructors in regional Queensland are being trained and hold classes in Cairns, Mackay, Hervey Bay and the Gold Coast. Later this year classes start in Toowoomba.

“The feedback we receive is that this program has a lot of heart to it. There is a perception, I guess, of a certain elitism that comes with ballet,” Ms Dunn said.

“This program is all about bringing older adults together who have perhaps danced at some period in their life or they may be dancing for the first time.”

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CA makes first of what promises to be many massive callsHockley oversaw the Women’s T20 World Cup last year.

Filed under: Outdoors — admin @ 7:49 am

Aussie cricket has locked in Nick Hockley as its new chief executive, but the winds of change are swirling around him in a watershed year for the game.

At some stage in the next year, Hockley and his staff must make key decisions on the future of Australia coach Justin Langer, captain Tim Paine’s yet-to-be-identified successor and a possible extended term for CA chairman Earl Eddings.

There is also an ongoing dispute with broadcaster Channel 7, who have taken legal action in an attempt to withdraw from the last three years of their contract.

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Hockley was named the new permanent chief executive after having held the role in an interim capacity for almost a year.

He was rushed into the job last June following the axing of Kevin Roberts amid the fallout to CA’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It is not lost on me the magnitude and the privilege of this role,’’ Hockley said.

“If the last 12 months have taught me anything, it is what is possible when the game comes together in a united fashion.’’

The job became Hockley’s to lose after he won wide acclaim for delivering a full professional schedule for Australia last summer despite huge Covid-induced challenges surrounding a four-Test series against India, the Sheffield Shield and two Big Bash leagues.

While the Covid cloud could threaten again next summer, a key priority will be sorting out a series of key leadership roles.

Eddings is likely to seek a second term as chairman later this year although the move has divided support among the states.

Langer is contracted until the end of next summer but player feedback in an internal review has criticised his intensity.

Paine will captain Australia through next summer’s Ashes but a decision on whether Pat Cummins of Steve Smith will follow him into the role hasn’t been made.

“Nick was named interim CEO at an incredibly challenging period for Australian sport, and society in general, and there were many instances where the once-in-a-generation obstacles in his path must have seemed overwhelming,’’ Eddings said of Hockley.

“But through his leadership, resolve, worth ethic and vision for the game, Australian cricket emerged stronger than ever. For that, Nick deserves enormous credit.”

Birmingham-raised Hockley previously held senior roles with the organising committee of the ICC Cricket World Cup held in Australia in 2015 and London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games.

He is a chartered accountant by profession who studied at Oxford University.

“Leading Cricket Australia is the greatest privilege of my working life and I am committed to doing all I can to making a positive contribution to the game and the community.’’

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Queensland trio in Origin fitness battle – PerthNow

Filed under: Fitness — admin @ 6:46 am

Queensland star Kalyn Ponga believes the Maroons camp is the perfect environment to shake off a groin complaint as injury concerns again surround the side ahead of next week’s State of Origin opener.

Ponga is one of three questionable Maroons stars named by coach Paul Green in an extended 20-man squad, along with five-eighth Cameron Munster (foot) and hooker Harry Grant (hamstring).

Despite Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien expressing doubt about Ponga’s chances of facing NSW on June 9, the 23-year-old has entered camp hopeful of making his return to the Origin stage after missing last year’s series due to a shoulder injury.

“Ticking boxes. I’ve got a few to tick this week to get myself ready to play but I think I’m in the best environment to do that,” Ponga told AAP.

“I’m pretty confident.

“I’m progressing pretty well … I’m in a good environment here. The best environment to be in, in terms of professionalism and standards and all that.”

Grant and Munster, who defied injury concerns to star in last year’s series win, and Ponga have all missed a month of football.

But Green said that wouldn’t count against them if the trio can prove their fitness during the week.

The coach selected an extended squad to cover the players in doubt, which also includes AJ Brimson (knee) and back-rower Felise Kaufusi who is facing a one-game ban after being charged with tripping Brisbane’s Jake Turpin.

With Josh Papalii and Josh McGuire both suspended and prop Lindsay Collins (knee) injured, Green has named Jaydn Su’A and Joe Ofahengaue as his surprise inclusions while Parramatta rake Reed Mahoney is in line to make his debut if Grant cannot play.

Green said Mahoney had nearly “peed his pants” after being told he was in the squad while Su’A is in despite being dropped at club by South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett last week.

“He (Mahoney) was fairly quiet, so I’d liked to have had a camera there once I got off the phone,” Green said.

“(Eels football boss) Mark O’Neill said he nearly peed his pants afterwards, Joe and Jaydn too were a bit shocked to get the phone call to be honest after what’s happened with them.”

The other potential debutant for the Maroons is North Queensland winger Kyle Feldt who’ll be pushing clubmate Valentine Holmes and Brisbane flyer Xavier Coates for a starting role.

He could also earn a start if Ponga is ruled out and Holmes moves to fullback.

Ponga could also play five-eighth if Munster fails to prove his fitness, although Green said he didn’t have a Plan B to replace last year’s player of the series.

“Yeah you can look at it that way (as a risk) but you can look at it that they’re fresh as well,” the coach said.

“With those guys I don’t think fitness is an issue. The bigger guys like to get that match fitness but I don’t think those guys fall into that category.”

Ponga said he’d happily don the No.6 jersey if required.

“If you have to get thrown anywhere players will do it,” he said.

“If I had to play six, I’d do it, but hopefully Munster’s alright and I can play one.”

Queensland Origin squad: Kalyn Ponga, Valentine Holmes, Dane Gagai, Kurt Capewell, Xavier Coates, Cameron Munster, Daly Cherry-Evans (capt), Christian Welch, Reed Mahoney, Jai Arrow, David Fifita, Felise Kaufusi, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Harry Grant, Moeaki Fotuaika, Joe Ofahengaue, Jaydn Su’A, AJ Brimson, Coen Hess, Kyle Feldt.

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Dr John Tickell’s minestrone detox soup recipe

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: — admin @ 5:05 am

Famed doctor, best-selling author and former AFL player John Tickell has long been spruiking the benefits a healthy lifestyle can have on our longevity.

Dr Tickell’s diet and weightloss books were essential reading through the ’90s and ’00s, with his advice stemming from his extensive research into the lifestyle patterns of the Okinawana – the longest living people on earth – so a minestrone soup recipe on his recommendation is a smart way to stay warm and hit your nutritional goals as the temperature dips.

Keep reading for the minestrone detox soup recipe that will be just the thing you need this winter.

Dr Tickell’s Minestrone Detox Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon canola spread
  • 1 large clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 medium potatoes, diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 2 pumpkin wedges, diced
  • 2 zucchini, diced
  • 1 stick celery, diced
  • 1 parsnip, diced
  • 1 brown onion, diced
  • 1 large leek, sliced thinly
  • 2 large tomatoes, diced
  • 5-6 cups beef stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Black pepper
  • Pinch sea salt
  • 1 can red kidney beans (strained)
  • 250g frozen baby peas

Method:

  1. Melt canola in a large pot. When hot, add crushed garlic and sliced potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, zucchini, celery, parsnip, onion and leek. Any other vegetable of your choice may be added.
  2. Stir over medium heat for about 3 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Add diced tomatoes, beef stock, bay leaves and black pepper. Bring to the boil and then gently simmer until vegetables are just cooked.
  3. Add kidney beans and peas. Bring to the boil again and then remove from heat.
  4. Discard bay leaves.
  5. Optional – sprinkle small amount of grated low fat cheese on each bowl of soup.

Your favourite vegetables ranked by their carb content

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May 30, 2021

Football boss sensationally tears into his troopsWanderers boss Carl Robinson has slammed his troops in a scathing pre-match interview. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Filed under: Outdoors — admin @ 7:44 am

Western Sydney Wanderers boss Carl Robinson has sensationally slammed his own players in the build-up to his side’s crucial match against Brisbane Roar.

Speaking to the Fox Sports panel ahead of the game, Robinson believes that his players have simply been coasting along too much this season and as a result, are likely to miss out on finals football.

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“The mentality here has to be that you’re fighting for your life,” Robinson said.

“There’s a little bit of comfort factor here and I don’t like it.

“I need to eradicate it next year and I will.”

With a spot in the finals all but out of reach, Robinson is using the clash against the Roar as a chance for his troops to arrest a three-game losing streak at the minimum.

“I’ve put them under a little bit of pressure today, it’s in our hands,” said Robinson.

However, the Welshman tore into his players when pressed on how he would rally his side for the game.

“Probably going to have to come from me, unfortunately, because I am the manager,” he said.

“I’m probably the loudest one in that locker room.

“That’s an area I need to address next year as well. I need to bring in some leaders.

“We’re a good team but we haven’t got the leadership qualities.

“You have to have an argument in the locker room sometimes, let’s be honest, and that doesn’t happen.”

The club had backed Robinson heavily this season, bringing in former Premier League stars Graham Dorrans and Jordon Mutch into the side as well as Socceroo Mitch Duke on loan, but results simply haven’t happened enough.

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Munster fitness key concern for Maroons – Campbelltown Macarthur Advertiser

Filed under: Fitness — admin @ 4:32 am

Queensland will name Cameron Munster for the State of Origin series opener but hold serious concerns the five-eighth will not be fit to take on NSW.

The 2020 Wally Lewis Medallist hasn’t played since round nine due to a foot injury but NRL club Melbourne have given him the all-clear to join the Maroons camp on Monday.

The decision allows Maroons medical staff to assess Munster’s injury before making a final decision on whether the 26-year-old will face the Blues on June 9.

Former star and selector Billy Slater said Munster’s value to the team justified the decision to give him every chance to prove his fitness, but he wasn’t optimistic.

“He’s got to tick a few more boxes to be available for Queensland,” Slater told the Nine Network.

“I believe Melbourne have allowed him to go into camp and give himself a chance to tick those boxes.

“He’s such an integral part of the Queensland Origin team these days, we saw how influential he was last year, and I think Queensland will give him every chance to get right for that game one.”

Clouding the issue is a groin problem for Kalyn Ponga, with the Newcastle star the man most likely to play in the No.6 jersey if Munster is ruled out.

Ponga is also expected to be named despite not playing for the Knights in their clash with Manly on Sunday, with Corey Norman or Ben Hunt as potential options should neither player be available.

“That’s the problem that we’ve got at the moment, we don’t know who’s available and who’s gonna be fit enough to play in what is it about 10 days time,” Slater said.

“He’s (Ponga) certainly an option that’s for sure.

“He’s played six before. He’s a class player, he plays a lot like a five-eighth anyway, especially on that left-hand side.”

Slater said the news was more positive on Harry Grant’s hamstring injury, despite the Storm hooker missing Thursday’s match against Brisbane.

Grant is expected to be picked in the No.9 jersey despite the form of Parramatta’s Reed Mahoney.

“He’s missed a bit of football this year, but he’s got the runs on the board in the Maroon jersey Harry,” Slater said.

“He played extremely well last year but if we decide to go with Reed Mahoney well, he’s certainly not going to let anyone down.”

Five-eighth is far from Green and the rest of the Queensland selector’s issues with Josh Papalii and Josh McGuire both suspended and Lindsay Collins (knee) injured.

Backrower Felise Kaufusi is facing a one-game ban after being charged with tripping Brisbane’s Jake Turpin and can only play if he successfully defends the charge at the judiciary.

It leaves Green light on back row options with South Sydney’s Jaydn Su’a plying his trade in reserve grade after being axed by the Rabbitohs, although Gold Coast enforcer David Fifita will return after missing last year’s series with an ankle injury.

Titans teammate Moeaki Fotuaika should feature while Storm front-rower Christian Welch insists he’s good to go despite a knee complaint.

POSSIBLE QUEENSLAND TEAM:

Kalyn Ponga, Valentine Holmes, Dane Gagai, Kurt Capewell, Xavier Coates, Cameron Munster, Daly Cherry-Evans (capt), Christian Welch, Harry Grant, Jai Arrow, Felise Kaufusi, David Fifita, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui. Interchange: AJ Brimson, Coen Hess, Moeaki Fotuaika, Reed Mahoney.

Australian Associated Press

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May 29, 2021

Vixens score first win of the yearThe Vixens have recorded their first win since last year’s Grand Final. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Filed under: Outdoors — admin @ 7:43 am

Jemma Mi Mi has exorcised the memories of last year’s hurtful indigenous round but was unable to hand the Queensland Firebirds the win they needed to salvage their season, with debutant Rahni Samason handing the Melbourne Vixens a victory after the final buzzer.

Mi Mi failed to hit the court in indigenous round last year but played 48 minutes in a thriller at Nissan Arena.

With scores tied at 64-64 when the final buzzer sounded, the match seemed destined for extra time but the umpires had called a penalty just before time, with Samason converting a two-point shot to hand the Vixens a 66-64 victory and their first win of the season.

The Vixens had not won a match through the opening four rounds of the season and while they had been improving, they were a totally different outfit with Samason on court.

The 23-year-old finished with 35 points from 27-of-29 shooting, including eight-of-10 from super shot range.

Samason was brought in after an injury to Vixens goalkeeper Emily Mannix and while she finished as the match MVP, as a training partner, there is no guarantee she will remain in the team for the future.

But she was thrilled to have helped the team to their first win.

“It’s my job to shoot and I like to be as accurate as possible, my philosophy is if I get them in I don’t have to do as much work in defence,” she told Channel 9 after the match.

But she said “nothing” was going through her mind as she lined up the winning shot.

“I like having a blank mind, I find if I over think I just get a bit nervous,” she said.

The Firebirds led 24-16 at the opening break and seemed set to cruise to an easy win but someone forgot to hand the visitors the script.

The Vixens went to halftime trailing by just two and after a level third term, kept their heads better than the home side to leave a packed Nissan Arena crowd flat.

The loss is hugely disappointing for the Firebirds, who have just one win after five rounds and can ill afford to drop another game if they are to make the finals.

Indigenous round done right

After failing to hit the court at all during indigenous round last year, Mi Mi played 48 minutes in the loss.

And just every aspect of indigenous celebration was planned and authentic, Mi Mi’s presence anything but tokenistic, with the midcourter among the Firebirds’ best, allowing them to play at an accelerated tempo that eventually told on the Vixens.

It’s been well documented that the Firebirds missed the mark in indigenous round last year – not just when Mi Mi did not take the but in initially failing to understand by how much they’d got things wrong.

But Saturday’s game showed just how much things have changed. Mi Mi not only led the team on court and played a significant role in the game but was involved extensively in planning the pre-game ceremonies from dances to a Welcome To Country that included Netball Queensland’s Diamond Spirit indigenous program members.

The proof in the pudding will be seeing an increase in the number of indigenous players in the league in years to come.

Samason’s deadly debut

Mannix’s injury allowed Melbourne to make a surprise move and bring in shooter Rahni Samason to start the match alongside Mwai Kumwenda.

The Vixens have struggled for consistency in the shooting circle after the retirement of veteran goalers Caitlin Thwaites and Tegan Philip, with Kaylia Stanton struggling with her confidence and teen Ruby Barkmeyer still developing.

But Samason’s nerveless performance – she levelled the game in the third quarter before hitting the winning shot after the buzzer – was outstanding.

The 23-year-old has trained with the Vixens since 2018 but after doing an ACL, spending a year in recovery and missing last season due to COVID-19, she missed the Vixens’ main playing list when squads were reduced back to 10.

As a training partner, she is unlikely to play again when Mannix – a Diamonds squad member – returns from injury unless another member of the contracted squad is forced to miss a match.

MELBOURNE VIXENS 66 (Samason 35, Kumwenda 31)

QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS (Aiken 43, Bueta 20, Dwan 1)

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May 28, 2021

Prince Philip’s Timeless Bodyweight Workout That Birthed Modern Fitness Routines

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 9:01 pm

Prince Philip was spry and walking without a cane right up until he died at 99 in April. What kept him walking tall? It was probably 5BX, the original functional fitness routine. Standing for Five Basic Exercises, it’s an 11-minute workout created for the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1956.

“[It] is designed to show you how to develop and hold a high level of physical fitness, regardless of where you are located,” reads the introduction booklet to the workout. “The 5BX Plan puts physical fitness within reach of every member of the RCAF.”

Several sources report the Duke of Edinburgh completed the simple regime of equipment-free exercises on a daily basis—the workout even made an appearance in an episode of The Crown, a Netflix series about the reign of Prince Philip’s wife, Queen Elizabeth II.

Prince Philip
Shutterstock

Canadian Bill Orban developed the routine based on research he conducted at the University of Illinois in the 1950s. By testing oxygen intake he realized duration of exercise was less important to overall fitness than intensity. The RCAF knew its personnel were not fighting-fit and hired Orban to develop an exercise regimen that troops could do anywhere, even in their barracks, and was short enough to do every day.

“To develop physical fitness, exercises must be balanced and planned,” explains the narrator in a 5BX promotional film. “They must be progressive. And, above all, vigorous and regular.”

The Five Basic Exercises include toe touches, situps, back extensions, pushups and running. To make it accessible and encourage continuous intensification, Orban included six charts that prescribed modification of each exercise and progress the number of reps. While the fitness, strength and stamina demands increase, the time spent on each exercise and the total workout length does not. For instance, on Chart One, the situp is done with legs flat and demands lifting the head “just high enough to see your heels.” A ‘D’ score is 3 reps in 1 minute; an ‘A’ is 18. On Chart Six, the hardest, it’s 35 to 50 V-sits in 1 minute.

The 11-minute duration and equipment-free nature of the workout were both controversial at the time, but RCAF testing bore out its effectiveness. Orban went on to develop a women’s-specific version called XBX, which included six moves completed in 12 minutes. And 5BX became popular inside the military and out.

5BX workout

In 1961, the RCAF released the workout to civilians by publishing a book called Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Plans For Physical Fitness. Over the next 30 years it was translated into 13 languages and sold 23 million copies. Some credit it for kicking off the modern fitness culture and it definitely inspired modern fitness gurus and trends—it sounds like a CrossFit workout.

While Prince Philip may not be 5BXing anymore, his daily workout lives on. Prince Charles and Prince William reportedly practice the routine too.

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Love the Outdoors and the F-Word? You Should Try Fly-Fishing

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: , , , — admin @ 5:49 pm

My 20s were, as they should be, well spent. Possibly overspent, as I devoted the adventurous decade to creating memories most folks accumulate over the course of a lifetime: skiing snow deeper than I am tall, on mountains as steep as elevator shafts, rafting Class V whitewater, mountain biking at speeds only intended for cars. This concentrated expenditure also created a lifetime’s worth of broken bones, surgeries, scars, bruises, and aches. Now in the shady side of my 30s (though armed with a handful of ibuprofen and a freezer full of ice packs), athletic outdoor endeavors are still a daily must. They just need to be less jarring. So, I’m taking up fly-fishing.

As an outdoorsy sport, it seems a little less risky, and lot less painful than my current pursuits. Last summer I began Phase One of my real-go effort, equipping myself with all sorts of Orvis gear: everything from a 9-foot, 5-weight Recon rod and Safe Passage pack loaded with angler widgets, to ultralight wading boots and the Clearwater Waders. Fancy outfitting made the point clear: I am investing in and pinning my entire life as an aging athlete to this sport.


There is one small, significant issue: I am aggressively godawful.

Fly-fishing is not meeting the meditative, transcendent, connected-to-the-natural-world moments I’d expected. Mostly, I say the F word as often as I breathe and barely stop myself from snapping my rod in half. Who the hell is going to want to hang out with some foulmouthed, belligerent grandpa?

Coordination can’t be the issue. Sports have always come pretty naturally: pick up the ball or the equipment, start doing, and basic competency soon follows. The first day I set out on the river, however, my arms felt backwards and on opposite sides of my body. I looked at my hands and thought, “Why…why aren’t you working?” If the techniques of fly-fishing mastery were written down, it’d create a phone book-thick manual. There is just so much going on, so many things you’re supposed to remember and do, and so much to unlearn, completely forget, and not do.

With other sports, there’s an obvious base to build on. Mountain bikes? I grew up riding bikes. I understand edge control because of hockey. There is also a muscle-memory cornucopia of technique from other sports that is actively making me more terrible at fly-fishing. The snapping of the wrist and high elbows that were drilled into me by lacrosse and baseball coaches makes me a clumsy-armed caster sloppier than a loose meat sammich.


So if you’re thinking, he can’t be that bad, you’re right. I am worse than whatever you’re imagining. Maybe early fishing experience might’ve helped. My sole reference was a Wisconsin dock outing with a Snoopy pole at age 7. It yielded no lasting skills or formative memories—aside from accidentally hooking a kids ear when casting, and, after somehow landing a fish, seeing it poop in my dad’s hand while he jimmied with the hook. (Now that I think of it, my father, all doodoo-handed, chucked that fish into Lake Michigan like it was a tomahawk—an incredible sight.)

Suffice to say, I was not hooked. But there isn’t any other real low-impact athletic option for my golden years in the mountains. I’m not going to take up the glorified yard game of golf, that’s for damn sure. I can barely afford fishing gear, let alone the desire plus bottomless bag of cash it takes to get anywhere near passable golfery, let alone proficient.. I also have no desire to fill my closet with the wardrobe of the links: shiny collared shirts and plaid slacks, referred to by my fish-chucking father, as asshole pants. So for endless frustration, fly-fishing it must be.

I kicked off last season with a day alongside friends in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley. I looked up and down our stretch of the Frying Pan River as both my gal and my friends all exemplified the beauty and poetry of rhythmic casts amidst the river’s speckled reflection of the waning tangerine sun. They were on fish, but even if they never had a nibble, they were in tune with their rod and their surroundings. Meanwhile, I was shooting darts in the dark, the “fishing” like standing in a banquet hall darker than a moonless midnight, knowing that somewhere in empty abyss there might be a dart board. Utterly lost, I cast sloppily and tried to get my fly, which I couldn’t see, to land somewhere close to water.

And then I thought of my father. He’s not an angler, but he is a lifelong athlete. His exploits in the fathers-versus-sons Turkey Bowl football games of my youth are still legendary in our neighborhood, including a diving catch he made while wearing his signature red sweat pants. I think it made SportsCenter’s Top 10 in 1991. When I was a kid, returning his serve on the tennis court was like trying to stop a runaway tractor-trailer. But it didn’t look as fast or as powerful the last time we played doubles. I could tell that the surgeries on his C-spine, meniscus, the spinal fusion, and the ever-present aches and pains of 60-plus years of using your body as an athletic tool had accumulated. It was different, but that doesn’t mean it was bad.

My pop and I took on his friends, who, between the two of them, had at least seven knee braces and four pairs of Rec Specs. The match was admittedly slower, but I noticed something of my father’s game that made me smile: While he dialed down of power, he dialed up of smooth technique, most notably an incredible drop shot so aggravatingly sinister it’d make McEnroe head-butt a line judge. His skills had the duo across the net faked out of their jockeys. Good thing they had all those knee braces.

Fly-fishing is my drop shot: my quiet, humble athletic repose of finesse over power. My entire adult athletic life has been a series of using the clout of my larger-than-normal body to battering-ram my way past technique and into the experience. But there’s just no room for overpowering a fly. It’s soft and subtle, and a true fisher needs to be gentle to be any kind of catcher at all. Maybe that’s what I was wading around looking for—that sense of peace and calm where brute calamity lived for so long.

So I’ll trudge the fly-fishing path of sucking harder than an industrial strength vacuum, until that day when I can cast and drop the fly with precision, mend the line upstream as I bait a fish to rise, and let all of it just float down toward and past me at the river’s pace, at whatever speed the blue-green water deems.

Until then, I’ll be puffing out expletives. But hopefully, they’ll be strewn from behind a smile.

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The demand for fitness equipment for home use increased Wellness Solutions turnover by 30% in 2020 – Business Review

Filed under: Fitness — admin @ 3:41 pm

Wellness Solutions, the biggest distributor of fitness equipment for home and commercial use in Romania, announces a 30% increase in turnover for 2020, having sales exceeding 5.5 million euros. Sales growth has been sustained by the rapid lifestyle changes in clients’ behavior during the Covid19 pandemic.

The pandemic increased people’s interest in practicing sports at home, more and more Romanians being aware of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, and deciding to invest in fitness equipment for home use.

”Sales of high standard wellness products and solutions to clients for their home use has increased significantly as a result of the health crisis. Being locked down, many persons that were going at the gym were forced to shift their lifestyle and to take into consideration the advantages of having access to sports in their own environment. Therefore, the demand of fitness equipment for home such as bikes, cross trainers, treadmills was more than doubled compared to the same period in 2019. On the other hand, the supply of equipment for the commercial use is still affected by the pandemic, but I believe that due to our continuous need to socialize, people have already started to get back partially to their routine to go at the gym. So hopefully, this segment will recover as well. I expect more and more people to choose a “hybrid” model between going to the gym and working out at home on their own fitness equipment. Also, I believe that people try to avoid crowded gyms so more and more “boutique” gyms will emerge.”, says Tania Papagiannopoulou, CEO of Wellness Solutions.

The company expects that the combination of the high demand of home fitness equipment and the renaissance of the gyms will grant this year an increase of aprox. 20%. With a 10 years history in Romania, the company’s attention in 2021 is focused equally on the solutions for both private use and the corporate segment, providing the same high-quality, premium experience to their clients, with extra focus on the after sales care and service.

This year, Wellness Solutions will mark 10 years of activity in Romania, in which it created a balanced mix of products and brands for all categories of clients and budgets. With over 10 professional, top-of-the-line fitness brands in their portfolio, Wellness Solutions is one of the most important players on the wellness market in Romania. For the last 10 years, the company has been the exclusive distributor of Kettler, SKLZ and Bodytone fitness brands in Romania and opened the first Kettler showroom in Europe.

The company has also other famous international brands in its portfolio, such as Nautilus, Toorx, Schwinn, Bowflex, Everfit etc., which complement the offer in terms of the newest technologies, functionality, design and budgets. Wellness Solutions is also the producer for its own fitness brand – TECHFIT, distributed across Europe.

Wellness Solutions has a dedicated service team that offers personalized after-sales consulting and service. Wellness Solutions Services has a 360 approach on business with a complete set of in-house departments: distribution, sales, marketing, logistics, service, and customer care, online strategy and sales, advertising.  

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