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It was 6 p.m. on a Tuesday on Zoom, and heart failure patient Wesley a barefoot man in his 60s clad in exercise pants, tuning in from his Strasburg home spoke into the internet ether, I recognize those shins.

The shins belong to Allan, a Staunton native and fellow heart failure patient who was taking part in the hour-long virtual exercise class led by nursing Ph.D. student Anna Kutcher from her Charlottesville living room. A minute later, they were joined by Susan, a retired physician, also a heart failure patient, who sat astride a chair in front of a brick fireplace in her Earlysville den.

Its exercise, which is great, and gives me another way to control my heart failure, Susan noted, but its also a chance to gather.

Virtual research has become just what the doctor or in this case, the nurse ordered.

COVID-19 forced scholars to hit the pause button on projects involving human subjects earlier this spring; UVAs research programs began again in early June, and are adjusting to new protocols. For others, the virus underscored the power and relevance that virtual, live communities now own.

Thats been true for associate professor Jill Howie-Esquivel, an associate professor of nursing whos studying the effects of a virtual exercise and education pilot program she developed for rural heart failure patients to improve their symptoms, well-being and quality of life. But even she was surprised by the power of connecting over Zoom.

I didnt honestly believe that people would connect socially across an iPad, Howie-Esquivel said, like they have.

When her initial pilot study began an eight-week program that gathered 40 stable heart failure patients for a virtual, eight-week exercise class two to three times a week Howie-Esquivel noted early on that participants were consistently arriving 10, 15, even 25 minutes early to class to chat and joke with one other. Many remained after class had ended, and when asked, reported that the program made them feel less isolated.

When you have a serious condition like heart failure, you dont always want to bring your concerns to your family all the time, Howie-Esquivel explained. Theres a real sense of collegiality, like, Oh, you have this, too?

So when Howie-Esquivels expanded second pilot began in February, just as COVID-19 spidered across Asia and Europe to the United States, she wasnt surprised that the same patterns emerged. The virtual classes have also enjoyed near-perfect attendance, with one-fifth of participants coming three days each week, beyond the studys twice-a-week requirement.

When youre in research, youre excited if people do something 75% of the time, Howie-Esquivel chuckled. It blew my mind that not a single person missed class. Participants never do something 100% of the time, and yet this group did.

In addition to underscoring the need for health care to be suited for and delivered to the different populations it serves, Howie-Esquivel noted too that live interventions like hers have a power that prerecorded programs may not. The technical vibrancy of the platform used Howie-Esquivel partners with the UVA Center for Telehealth appears to matter, too, as it affords a wider vantage than a typical Zoom meeting, so the instructor can feel connected to the participants because they can see more of them, Howie-Esquivel said. And it goes the other way, too.

Howie-Esquivels current American Heart Association-funded study will expand to a wider category of patients, including those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who experience the same kind of symptoms that heart failure patients do. As she did with her first pilot, Howie-Esquivel will use interviews to determine feelings of social isolation, and whether the intervention helps lift them.

My goal had always to get these patients to do the things they can to take care of themselves because they live longer, Howie-Esquivel said. Part of that is physical activity, and if one of the things that brings people to exercise in sociability, then great. Whatever it is that gets them there, thats the goal.

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Through Nursing Research, Heart Patients Zoom Toward Better Health - University of Virginia

Just 12 weeks of passive stretching can help the vascular system and improve blood flow, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Milan in Italy found that those who engaged in passive stretching had increased blood flow in their arteries and a decrease in artery stiffness.

Blood pressure was decreased, central and peripheral arterial stiffness was reduced, and vascular function was increased after 12 weeks of passive stretching training, the authors of the study wrote.

They note that this kind of stretching can improve a persons heart health.

Passive stretching is a stretch where an external force provides the stretch. This can be through a stretching partner, stretching accessories, or gravity.

Active stretching doesnt involve an external force.

The researchers enlisted 39 healthy men and women and split them into two groups.

One group was instructed to do leg stretches five times a week for 12 weeks, and the other group didnt do any stretching.

Those who stretched saw an improvement to their vascular system. The researchers say this could have implications for diseases that involve changes to blood flow, such as heart attack and stroke.

In this Italian study, there was a significant improvement in flow-mediated dilation, which can be thought of as the ability of an artery to dilate in response to an increase in blood flow, said Jonathan Myers, PhD, a health research scientist and director of the Exercise Research Laboratory at the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care System in California.

A novel finding from this study was the fairly remarkable changes in vascular function simply by passive stretching, Myers told Healthline.

This suggests that practitioners should routinely recommend stretching in addition to regular aerobic exercise for patients with vascular disease. The positive changes in arterial function by stretching were not as large as those generally considered to occur with aerobic exercise, but further studies are needed to determine the extent to which passive stretching can complement aerobic exercise.

If the findings of the study were replicated in people with vascular disease, researchers could determine whether passive stretching may be a suitable treatment for improving vascular health.

Exercise is one of the most effective ways to ensure healthy arteries, but a lot of the types of exercise that are most studied are cardiovascular focused such as running, walking, biking, swimming. This study is exciting because it shows similar benefits with non-cardio training, said Dr. Nicole M. Weinberg, a cardiologist at Providence Saint Johns Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

If this can be reproduced with vascular disease patients, perhaps it will change exercise programs, cardiac rehab, and other aspects of rehabilitation from vascular disease, she told Healthline.

Vascular disease is a term used to describe any abnormal condition of the arteries or blood vessels.

The vascular system in an adult is made up of 100,000 miles of blood vessels. Problems occurring within this system can be serious and cause pain, disability, or death.

Stroke, blood clot (pulmonary embolism), and heart attack can occur when blood flow is affected by arteries that are damaged or not working well.

Good blood flow leads to reduced pressure within the system, leading to less damage on the wall of the artery. Reduction in blood flow due to artery/arteries not being compliant can lead to elevated blood pressure, which can increase risk of stroke and heart attack, Dr. Sanjiv Patel, an interventional cardiologist at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in California, told Healthline.

Blood flow allows oxygenated blood to travel through the vascular system to tissues throughout the body. Without good blood flow, organs throughout the body are at risk.

Good flow helps bring oxygenated blood to all our tissues. It is critical to have good blood flow to ensure that all the organs are working properly. Things that interfere with this have to do with arterial stiffness and blockage. Stiffness and blockage come from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, inflammation, Weinberg said.

Arterial stiffness is dangerous since once it sets in, it can be difficult to reverse. You want to address it early and work on mechanisms like stretching in the hopes of increasing the elasticity of the vessels, she added.

Dr. Neica Goldberg, a cardiologist and director of the NYU Langone Center for Womens Health, said its important that arteries are flexible and not stiff.

Arteries need to expand to deliver more blood to the heart muscle and muscles involved in activity during exercise or the abdominal arteries after a large meal. If they lose the ability to expand, it can provoke symptoms of chest pain or pain in the legs in people with peripheral artery disease, she told Healthline.

Aerobic exercise, weight loss, and treating high blood pressure can reduce stiffness in the arteries. Medications such as statins can also help with flexibility.

Regular exercise and keeping risk factors controlled are the most important things one can do ensure that arteries stay healthy. When disease is present, drugs can be helpful to dilate the arteries and to minimize pain if there is symptomatic peripheral vascular disease. The results from this study also suggest that stretching improves vascular function, Myers said.

This is important because the general impression has long been that aerobic-type exercises were generally required to favorably impact the health of the arteries.

Emiliano C, PhD, an author on the paper, says that doing stretching could be beneficial for the vascular system during extended periods of confinement due to COVID-19.

This new application of stretching is especially relevant in the current pandemic period of increased confinement to our homes, where the possibility of performing beneficial training to improve and prevent heart disease, stroke, and other conditions is limited, Ce said in a press release.

But Goldberg says more research into stretching and its impact on the vascular system is needed.

Right now, the stretching study is promising, but more data is needed in people who have heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other forms of vascular disease, she said.

Stretching is not enough to prevent heart disease based on this study.

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How 12 Weeks of Stretching Can Improve Your Heart Health - Healthline

Chris Hemsworth's body transformation for the role of Thor is awe-inspiring and certainly inspirational for most, me included. So when I was offered a chance to try and pen a Centr app review that's the workout app backed by Hemsworth himself and run by his team of fitness experts I star jumped at the opportunity. Who wouldn't want to be coached by industry-leading fitness experts without having to even leave the house?

Sign up for Centr today (free 7-day trial available)

My Centr review period also coincided with the release of Centr Unleashed, a 6-week bodyweight training program, designed for people with little-to-no access to the best home gym equipment. As well as trying that feature, I also had a look at all the other features of the app, including diet/meal options, mindfulness practices and more.

Can you build muscle and/or lose weight using the Centr app? Let's find out.

(Image credit: Centr/Chris Hemsworth)

Centr is a fitness lifestyle app that aims to offer comprehensive guidance based on your fitness goals. I appreciated the onboarding process where I had to mark what I wanted to use the app for: improving health, building muscle and so on. Based on your answers, the app offers specific workouts to achieve this goal; it is worth mentioning, though, that you can't set a deadline for a specific weight loss goal (as far as I'm concerned).

As well as workout ideas, the Centr app also offers meal suggestions and mental guidance (meditation/mindfulness) too. Better still, during the onboarding process, you can note any dietary requirements you may have and the app will recommend meals accordingly. Centr even has a 'pescaterian' option which is a nice touch, really.

I was surprised just how much content is available in the app and how well it was adapted to the special circumstances we live in (gyms not being open). For example, although my recommended muscle regime involved a lot of work with barbells and other gym equipment, the app tried to offer home gym alternatives to those exercises that might be a bit too difficult to perform at home (e.g. barbell deadlifts).

One thing worth mentioning here is payment options. There has been quite a few complaints about people not being able to cancel subscriptions and it is because you can only change payment options on the same platform you used for the sign up. I'd recommend signing up online, on the computer, as opposed to through the app as the web interface makes it easier to see and change payment options.

(Image credit: Centr)

The main appeal of Centr is admittedly the workout section or 'Train' as they call it in the app and the app has a lot to offer on this front. There are two different sections under the Train option: you can choose between self-guided and coached workouts, whichever you prefer. Depending on your personal fitness goal, Centr will recommend workouts for you on your 'Daily planner' as well.

There are also programs, including the aforementioned Centr Unleashed, you can follow: these have a set duration and are the same for everyone who partake in them. Having said that, Centr Unleashed has three different difficulty settings so you can pick the one that is closest to what you think is your current fitness level.

I went with the 'advanced' version of Centr Unleashed as I wanted to find out what this programme has to offer without any restrictions. I enjoyed the variety of the programme and the introduction of new exercises to my workouts, or at least variations of certain exercises I wasn't aware of before. The navy seal burpees are my new personal full body exercise for sure!

After the first two weeks, Centr Unleashed significantly upped the length of the daily workouts and, sometimes, I was spending 50+ minutes working out: talking about getting your money's worth! I usually burned upwards of 500 calories at each session, regardless of the area that was targeted, although I'd like to mention that there were some cardio elements in every workout session, such as running on the spot, seal jacks or burpees, which definitely helps burning calories.

The pre-recorded banter between the instructors got a bit boring by week 4 but having two of them on the screen was a good thing: where possible, they always offered a low-intensity option for the exercise we were doing. The structure of the Centr Unleashed workouts was well-designed and challenging enough.

One grief I must mention here is that videos can't be downloaded and watched offline. Especially when the weather was nice, I often took the phone with me to do my Centr workout in the park nearby but it also resulted in an increase of mobile data usage. It is possible to set the resolution of the video to 180p, but it needs to be done every time you start a workout and also, even 180p videos consume data, admittedly.

(Image credit: Centr/Chris Hemsworth)

Another pleasant surprise was the diet feature in the app. As mentioned above, the Centr app recommends meals based on your dietary requirements, and does it daily on the Planner. The recommendations are based on your age, weight and activity levels and most usually involve some sort of blended smoothie and at least one cooked meal a day.

I liked the option to change the serving size of meals which in turn adjusted the ingredients list. This was super handy since you can add your ingredients to your 'shopping list' where all the ingredients from all your meals are tallied up, making weekly shopping a little bit easier. Many people will appreciate the meal recommendations themselves, let alone the help with the shopping list.

You can also check out other meals and snacks apart from the recommended ones under the 'Eat' section and add these to your shopping list too. The recipes were easy to follow and didn't always require the most exotic ingredients either, a positive in my book.

(Image credit: Centr/Chris Hemsworth)

Being advertised as an all-encompassing lifestyle app, Centr offers guided meditation sessions too as part of its health package. Of the three main part Train/Eat/Live the mindfulness part is probably the least fleshed out: it feels like a random selection of meditation exercises with the daily recommendations focusing on feeling better about yourself.

I would've appreciated a bit more structured approach where you could choose from morning, pre/post-workout and potentially sleep meditations to aid your physical transformation journey in a more targeted way. I understand that mindfulness is just one part of the app, but given how well the other parts work, it was a bit strange to see the afterthought-approach when it comes to mindfulness.

Although not directly connected to meditation, I would also like to mention the extensive amount of supporting content in the app, including articles about nutrition, mindfulness, workouts and even budgeting tips. There is also a blog with even more content, though this feature focuses on the Centr app itself more (understandably).

(Image credit: Centr/Chris Hemsworth)

Can Centr transform you into Chris Hemsworth overnight? No, of course it can't, but the app addresses a very important part of the health journey successfully: the lack of motivation and structure. By giving you workout suggestions and meal options every day, Centr takes off the weight from your shoulders of having to put your own plan together.

Not only that but the Centr app also offers a wide variety of content too that will only expand going forward. And although not every new piece of content will be appealing to everyone using the app, by the law of large numbers, eventually you'll get more content relative to your interest and fitness goals.

Sign up for Centr today (free 7-day trial available)

As recommended above, make sure you sign up to Centr online as opposed to in the app as it can save you a lot of hassle when it comes to changing plans and adjusting payment options.

If you are one of those indecisive people who think you'll never be healthier and/or fitter because you don't know where to start, the Centr app can help you with the first steps and kick-start your body transformation process. You won't look like Chris Hemsworth straight away but putting the effort in, you might get there eventually.

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Centr review: I tried Chris Hemsworth's workout app to see if I could get in Thor shape - T3

A weekly column addressing your most sought-after health questions, answered by Harbin Clinics expert healthcare professionals

Question: Ive struggled with my weight for quite some time, and quarantine didnt help. Is bariatric surgery an option to help me get healthy?

Dr. Peter Adams: Adjusting to a quarantine lifestyle may have introduced setbacks and challenges to your weight loss journey, and bariatric surgery is well established as a safe and very effective tool to lose weight and build a foundation for a healthier life. Bariatric surgery, however, is not for everyone. To determine if bariatric surgery is the right solution for you, its important to evaluate the severity of your obesity and your other chronic health conditions that make losing weight increasingly difficult. The general criteria for bariatric surgery are the following:

A body mass index of 40 or higher, defined as severe or morbidly obese

A body mass index of at least 35, with at least one serious obesity-related health condition, such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea or heart disease.

Previous unsuccessful attempts at controlling your weight with diet and exercise programs

No drug or alcohol addictions

Bariatric surgery is offered through a few different minimally invasive procedures. These surgeries all aim to modify the gastrointestinal tract and change metabolic hormones, aiding significant weight loss. By operating through small incisions in the abdominal wall, patients sustain less pain and scarring and experience fewer complications. Harbin Clinic Bariatric Surgery performs the following procedures:

Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass

Laparoscopic Gastric Band

Patients who thrive after bariatric surgery understand that surgery isnt a quick fix, and they are fully committed to building healthy habits for life. After surgery, our patients odds of success increase when they are dedicated to a comprehensive treatment plan that includes guidance from a dietician, long term care from their physician and having a support group.

If you believe your circumstances make you a candidate for bariatric surgery, we encourage you to schedule to attend an educational seminar at Harbin Clinic Bariatric Surgery. We are here to provide you healthy solutions for improved quality and longevity of life.

Dr. Peter Adams is a board-certified surgeon at Harbin Clinic Bariatric Surgery Rome and Harbin Clinic General Surgery Rome. For more information visit harbinclinic.com/bariatrics.

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Ask a Doc: I've struggled with my weight for quite some time, and quarantine didn't help. Is bariatric surgery an option to help me get healthy? -...

With so many different powerlifting programs out there, it can be challenging to know which one is best for you.

For beginners, strength training tends to be less complicated. A simple linear program will more than suffice. However, as you progress to an intermediate or advanced stage, this linear approach is no longer as effective.

At this stage, training programs need to increase in complexity and difficulty. If you are serious about strength, the training program you use must be periodized.

Periodization refers to the training structure and design of a training program. There are a variety of different periodization methods all of which use different volumes, intensities, and progressions (1).

The ultimate goal of a periodized training program is to maximize improvements in strength and athletic abilities.

As touched on, periodized programs are highly recommended for intermediate and advanced lifters.

When exposed to a training stimulus, the body adapts and improves. However, as the body becomes more highly conditioned, the rate of change begins to slow.

Periodized training models tend to run through different phases that utilize different intensities, volumes, and techniques.

This ensures that the body does not become accustomed to the training stimulus and prevents the rate of adaptationfrom slowing.

In addition to maximizing strength development, periodization can be used to help you peak in time for a competition.

One commonly used method of periodization is known as undulating periodization.

This method uses variation in order to force the body to continually adapt to the demands of training.

When the body is exposed to a new stimulus, it rapidly looks to restore homeostasis.

When it comes to training, by manipulating training volume and training, the body is constantly being exposed to a different stimulus.

As a result, the body adapts and an increase in muscle strength and size will be experienced (2).

These programs also provide adequate periods of rest to ensure that proper recovery can take place to avoid overtraining.

While traditional undulating programs tend to vary from week to week, daily undulating programs take it a step further.

As the name suggests, these programs vary from session to session. Typically, training volume and intensity are inverted.

For example, if session one is high volume, low intensity, session two will be low volume, high intensity.

Traditional undulating and daily undulating periodization appear to be equally effective for maximizing strength (3).

The program starts with a two-week preparatory phase which focuses on increasing total workload to best prepare you for heavier lifting in the following weeks.

As you progress through the weeks, the training volume and intensity gradually increase up to the end of week seven.

Week eight is a deload week. Therefore, the training volume and intensity is significantly reduced to allow the body to adapt and recover from the previous seven weeks of training.

With each and every week of the program, there are three very important principles that must be applied:

1) Accessory exercises can be changed to suit your needs, preferences, and goals. While the exercise itself can be changed, stick with the prescribed training volume.

2) Do not change the primary lifts.

3) If training volume is not prescribed, the exercise volume should be self-regulated.

4) The percentages used in the workouts can be increased where appropriate, however, they should not be decreased. In other words, weight can be added but not reduced.

While some individuals allow percentages to be decreased as well as increased, this is not recommended.

By decreasing the weight lifted, you will not maximize your progress. It is also very easy to reduce training loads too drastically on days where energy and motivation levels are low.

While percentages are prescribed for the primary lifts, they are not provided for the accessories. Therefore, these lifts should be self-regulated.

This will initially involve a little trial and error for accessory exercises and allow you to select the most appropriate weight for each exercise.

Ensure that you track the weights youre using and gradually increase them over time. This will ensure that you make the best progress possible.

You may assume that tracking your progress is only for beginners, however, it can be argued that it is even more important for Intermediate and advanced lifters.

Beginners can make great improvements in a short period of time. However, as their body becomes more accustomed to the training stimulus, training needs to become more meticulous.

Therefore, if you aspire to make the best progress possible, you must consistently track.

In addition to tracking the weights that you are using, it is recommended to track your Rate of Perceived Exertion (or RPE).

This is a simple chart that allows you to assess exercise intensity. Monitoring RPE with each exercise can give you an idea of how much weight to add for next time.

It is likely that you are already familiar with the majority of the exercises incorporated into the program. However, you may have noticed the heavy use of the rear delt fly.

The reason for this is that many of us can benefit massively from improving the strength of the rear delts.

Considering that many people spend most of their working day sitting at a desk, the shoulders may internally rotate and cause significant postural issues.

Its important to recognize this is a common issue that affects many people, even lifters.

Performing a number of heavy pressing exercises (such as the bench and overhead press) while having shoulder dysfunction can increase the risk of experiencing a shoulder injury.

This explains why the program places a great deal of emphasis on the rear delts. By strengthening the rear delts, it is possible to correct any dysfunction and reduce injury risk.

For weeks one and two, there are four workouts to be completed two upper body and two lower-body sessions.

The purpose of the first two weeks is to lay the foundation for both strength and mobility. Consequently, this will significantly reduce the risk of experiencing injury during the program.

Therefore, the workouts are varied and include some less conventional exercises such as the glute-ham raise and ab wheel roll-out.

In addition, these two weeks will allow you to identify any particular weaknesses or imbalances that need to be addressed.

As highlighted, week two is the same as week one. That said, there is a slight increase in training volume and intensity in the second week.

Having increased work capacity in weeks one and two, week three progresses on to heavy lifting. From this point onward, the goal is to maximize improvements in strength.

Week four builds on the previous week by slightly increasing the training volume and intensity with specific exercises.

To continue driving your strength levels up, the intensity is increased in week five once again.

Studies show that heavy loads and low reps are best for building strength (4). Therefore, by increasing the percentages used for the primary lifts, intensity increases and strength will improve.

Adding intensity will cause the nervous system to adapt and allow the muscles to generate more force.

As you move into week six, the intensity continues to climb, however, the volume begins to fall. This is done to ensure that fatigue levels are managed and overtraining does not occur.

While both volume and intensity contribute towards fatigue, a high volume places a greater demand on the body.

As a result, although these workouts are still very challenging, you should begin to feel less fatigued by the end of the week.

Week seven is the final week of heavy lifting and provides you with an opportunity to assess your progress.

Percentages increase once again to continue developing strength. An As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP) set is added to your back squat and bench press to allow you to evaluate your strength.

Using the results from the AMRAP sets, you can calculate your one-rep max by utilizing the Epley formula:

1RM = Weight x (1 + reps / 30)

The final week of the program sees a dramatic drop in both volume and intensity. This allows the body to fully recover in time for a competition or maximal lift.

For those who are competing, during this week you should perform three singles using your opening weight.

If you are unsure what your opening weight should be, the recommendation is to select a weight that you can lift for three reps.

For those who are not competing, use this week to deload properly and focus on optimizing your recovery.

The program can be cycled. Therefore, prepare to start the program again using your new one-rep max results from week seven.

Linear strength programs will only get you so far. While they are highly effective for beginners, their effectiveness lessens as the body adapts and becomes more highly conditioned.

Therefore, periodization programs, such as the eight-week undulating program, are recommended for any lifter who aspires to develop their strength and excel in competition.

1 Lorenz, Daniel S.; Reiman, Michael P.; Walker, John C. (2010-11). Periodization. Sports Health. 2 (6): 509518. doi:10.1177/1941738110375910. ISSN 1941-7381. PMC 3438871. PMID 23015982.

2 Lorenz, Daniel; Morrison, Scot (2015-11). CURRENT CONCEPTS IN PERIODIZATION OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING FOR THE SPORTS PHYSICAL THERAPIST. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. 10 (6): 734747. ISSN 2159-2896. PMC 4637911. PMID 26618056.

3 Colquhoun, Ryan J.; Gai, Christopher M.; Walters, Jeoffrey; Brannon, Andrew R.; Kilpatrick, Marcus W.; DAgostino, Dominic P.; Campbell, Bill I. (02 2017). Comparison of Powerlifting Performance in Trained Men Using Traditional and Flexible Daily Undulating Periodization. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 31 (2): 283291. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000001500. ISSN 1533-4287. PMID 28129275.

4 Schoenfeld, Brad J.; Contreras, Bret; Vigotsky, Andrew D.; Peterson, Mark (2016-12-01). Differential Effects of Heavy Versus Moderate Loads on Measures of Strength and Hypertrophy in Resistance-Trained Men. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine. 15 (4): 715722. ISSN 1303-2968. PMC 5131226. PMID 27928218.

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The Ultimate 8 Week Powerlifting Program - FitnessVolt.com

By Moira Macdonald| The Seattle Times

SEATTLE Writing constant letters of recommendation goes with the territory of being a university faculty member. Julie Schumacher, who teaches creative writing at the University of Minnesota, took that task to a new level: She made a novel from it.

Dear Committee Members is entirely made up of letters of recommendation written by Jason Fitger, a much put-upon professor of creative writing at the appropriately named Payne University. A bestseller upon its initial publication in 2014, it earned Schumacher the Thurber Prize for American Humor.

And, like so many novels, its initial impetus was writers block. Schumacher, who had previously written novels for young people, got stuck on a novel for adults, she said in an interview from her St. Paul home. Structure has always been hard for me. I was teaching an undergraduate class, and I told students to try to pick a form, see if you can play with form in some way. They asked for an example. I kept thinking that I had just been writing all these letters of recommendation …

Just like that, a writing exercise was born, and Schumacher thought it would be just that: a sort of exercise I could impose on myself to get started, to stop thinking about cause and effect and plot and just work with a form. I thought, well, its probably not going to work to write something in a series of letters of recommendations. But it was summer, I had time, and I thought, if it doesnt work Ill throw it out. Then I started to entertain myself with it.

Fitger, whose embattled English department is holed up in a constantly under-construction building (the economics department, which had shared the space, decamped for more comfortable quarters), spends his days writing letters on behalf of students and colleagues. Most are seeking recommendations for jobs (at places like the local paintball arcade or RV park) or other academic programs; all end up with a letter rather unlike what they expected. As it turns out, Fitger whos struggling with both academic and romantic disappointment would rather write about himself; inserting his own tales of woe into letters that are perhaps a bit too honest about the person recommended.

Schumacher, herself a faculty member who has written hundreds and hundreds of letters of recommendation, said she wanted to be clear: Fitger isnt based on any specific colleague. Hes really kind of an evil little version of me more than anything else, she said, noting that shes occasionally tempted to be brutally honest in her letters, but valiantly refrains from doing so. Everything I would squelch, Im giving it to Fitger. I wont say it, but he can.

Of her main character, she said, I think some people see him exclusively as a jerk, and he can be a serious jerk. But I was so fond of him. I think he means well and he wants to do the right thing and he cares. Hes kind of a jerky Quixote. Schumacher was, indeed, so fond of him that she brought him back for a sequel, The Shakespeare Requirement, published in 2018. I was missing him, she said.

For those seeking another epistolary novel after enjoying Dear Committee Members, Schumacher has a couple of recommendations of books she studied while working on hers. Helene Hanffs 84, Charing Cross Road, in which a New York writer exchanges letters with a London antiquarian bookseller in the years following World War II, was a favorite; though not technically a novel, I just find it so touching and lovely. I read it a bunch of times.

And she also loved Nicholson Bakers A Box of Matches. Its lovely and charming and hilarious and nothing happens, nothing happens at all. In it, a man wakes up every morning, lights a fire in his stove using a match, and thinks about things. When the box is empty, the book is over, Schumacher said. All these little bitty pieces, and somehow so satisfying as whole.

Distributed byTribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Professor turns letters of recommendation into novel - Times Herald-Record

No matter how close parks are to home, perceptions of park-centered crime may keep New Yorkers from using them.

Researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine found that New Yorkers are more likely to exercise in a park if they believe they live very close to it. In turn, they feel less anxious and less depressed the more often they exercise therebut only if they are not concerned about being safe.

Living near a park may not be enough to improve your physical and mental wellbeing through exercise, says study lead author Stephanie L. Orstad, PhD, a research assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at NYU Langone Health. If we want to make the most of the abundant health benefits parks offer, then we need to make them not only accessible, but also safe for everyone.

Many past studies have linked the availability of urban green spaces to lower stress levels, weight, and risk of heart disease, the study authors say. Other work has shown that living closer to a park leads to fewer days of anxiety and depression.

The new study, published online July 7 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, is the latest to suggest that safety concerns could interfere with mental health advantages that park proximity offers New Yorkers, Dr. Orstad says.

For the investigation, the researchers analyzed responses from more than 3,800 New Yorkers who completed the citys 20102011 Physical Activity and Transit Survey. The assessment tracked the participants mental health, as well as how long they estimated it would take them to walk from home to the nearest park. The survey also asked participants to estimate how often they used the park to exercise or play sports.

Nearly twice as many people said they exercised in the nearest park sometimes or often if they lived less than a 5-minute walk away, compared with people who estimated living more than 30 minutes away, the researchers say. In addition, people who described themselves as frequent park exercisers reported having one fewer day of mental health issues a month compared with people who said they rarely or never were active in their local park.

However, the closeness of a local park made no difference in park use for those who worried about crime in the area. According to Dr. Orstad, improving cleanliness and lighting along paths, offering more park-based programs, and fostering a sense of community could help make parks feel safer. She emphasized that the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of such communal programs because parks are one of the few remaining places where people can get out of their homes, be active, and connect (from a distance) with their neighbors.

Investing in park safety offers a practical way of improving physical and mental health in different communities in the city, especially in areas where there are stigmas associated with seeking help, says senior study author Melanie R. Jay, MD, MS, an associate professor in the Departments of Medicine and Population Health at NYU Langone. It takes advantage of resources that may already exist in the neighborhood.

Next, the research team plans to investigate ways to improve a communitys perceptions of its neighborhood park to increase opportunities for exercise and mental health.

Funding for the study and its publication was provided by NYU Langones Comprehensive Program on Obesity.

In addition to Dr. Orstad and Dr. Jay, other NYU Langone investigators involved in the study are Kristin L. Szuhany, PhD; and Lorna E. Thorpe, PhD, MPH. Other researcher support was provided by Kosuke Tamura, PhD, at the National Institutes of Health.

Media Inquiries

Shira PolanPhone: 212-404-4279shira.polan@nyulangone.org

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Mental Health Benefits of Parks Dimmed by Safety Concerns - NYU Langone Health

SEATTLE, WA / ACCESSWIRE / July 6, 2020 / We all grow up with ideas that inspire us on how we plan to change the world, some of us act on those ideas and some of us don't. Meet Ashley Resch, a renowned international model from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Ashley managed to go from a young girl with a dream to a modeling career that has opened the doors for her fitness brand to change the lives of thousands of women across the globe. We wanted to share the story behind Reach with Resch and how she's single-handedly been able to impact so many women by empowering through fitness.

Reach with Resch: Impact

Since 2017, Ashley has been training clients through her fitness brand Reach with Resch. The brand has gone from in-person training to creating some of the most profound programs around training for women. Initially, her brand started as a way to offer more helping hands for her clients, once she realized she couldn't be 10 places at once, she knew a fitness brand that revolved around a product line was the only way she could help as many girls as possible she created Reach with Resch. The Product line started with just exercise programs but has quickly expanded into over 5 different programs, meal plans for busy women, and even a 30-day challenge for the girls stuck in quarantine.

Building a Community through Reach with Resch

Over time Ashley has started to identify the individuals that are best suited for her programs, although they are great for everyone who takes them seriously, the women who enjoy challenges tend to maximize their potential with her programs. For example, Ashley has shown us that the women that benefit from her programs the most are receptive towards change, usually in the forms of mindset, physical and spiritual change. By knowing that they are receptive to these factors Ashley can really challenge them towards growth whether it's physical, emotional, or even by adding mental grit, as long as they put their best foot forward Ashley can help them reach their goals.

When you sign up for Reach with Resch, you're not just signing up for a program, you're signing up for a community. The community is derived from multiple informative exercise videos, that way you can walk into the gym with confidence knowing you are performing everything correctly and safely. Reach with Resch allows women to be a part of something larger than fitness, you can be a part of a movement.

Reach with Resch: Moving Forward

The growth of Reach with Resch has begun exploding to the point where the community is on track to double over the next 12 months. Considering how many new faces are joining the movement, Ashley and her team have already started creating so many new projects that will continue to help everyone reach their goals. This fall you can expect an entirely brand new clothing and workout accessory line, all of which will be available first to the Reach with Resch community. With so many exciting plans on the horizon, there has never been a better time to commit to your goals and join Ashley Resch on your growth journey.

Name: Tyce EscalanteCompany: Next Level BrandContact: Tyce@nextlvlbrand.com

SOURCE: Next Level Brand

View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/596430/Meet-The-Talent-Behind-Reach-with-Resch-Ashley-Resch

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Meet The Talent Behind Reach with Resch: Ashley Resch - Yahoo Finance

CCPA enforcement began on July 1, 2020 and many businesses are still ramping up their compliance efforts. These efforts include meeting the CCPAs requirement to provide privacy training to all employees who either handle consumer inquiries or who are responsible for CCPA compliance. To maximize the value of CCPA compliance efforts, businesses should address the training requirement at the outset of the compliance process.

Too often, as companies begin to tackle their obligations under a new privacy law, the natural inclination is to turn immediate (and sometimes exclusive) attention to amending their privacy policies. This focus on external disclosures is not surprising, as privacy regulations are principally about providing transparency to consumers, and the privacy policy is the primary mechanism by which companies accomplish these goals. Additionally, an updated privacy policy is sometimes the only piece of tangible work product a company can point to when trying to justify the time and expense of reviewing its data practices.

However, as many privacy professionals have learned in the post-GDPR worldand much to the chagrin of budget-conscious business managersbusinesses must expend considerable effort before they can put pen to paper on a new privacy policy. The biggest to-do is data mapping (i.e., documenting the what, where, who, why, and how of the data collection, use and sharing in the business). Data-mapping involves answering, among other questions, the following:

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To answer these questions accurately with a view towards updating disclosures, businesses need to engage employees at multiple levels of the organization. Although most employees will have no experience with interpreting privacy regulations, many will have the critical knowledge necessary to map the personal information that flows through every aspect of the business accurately (e.g., website visitor data, customer data, HR, payment card information). Although data-mapping can be a herculean exerciseespecially for large, complex organizationsdoing so efficiently and cost-consciously is critical in our data-driven economy.

While the importance of data-mapping message has propagated, what many businesses have yet to embrace is that to map data efficiently, businesses should begin with effective privacy training. Although the CCPA requires that businesses adopt some form of formal privacy training, training often appears as the very last item on compliance to-do lists. Training is generally thought of as a perfunctory check-the-box item and not a useful or worthwhile investment. This relegation is unwise. Organizations should, instead, make training the first compliance requirement they address because it can make addressing data mapping and all other CCPA requirements (including updating a privacy policy) easier and more efficient. And training can also help a business become more privacy forward in an environment marked by both increased consumer awareness of data privacy and regulatory complexity.

Training business managers and other employees makes addressing all of the other CCPA requirements easier and more efficient. The core requirement under the CCPA, and privacy laws like it, is accurate disclosure of the types of personal information collected by a business, the use of that information, and the types of third parties with whom a business shares or sells that information. As businesses address these disclosures, the language in the CCPA, as any new law or regulation would tend to do, demands the interpretation of ambiguities such as: what qualifies as personal information and what does it mean to sell it? As many privacy professionals understand, the meanings of these terms under the CCPA do not align with their plain meaning. Unless a business trains their employees before asking them to participate in a data mapping exercise, these employees are likely to confuse concepts and definitions, provide incomplete categorizations and descriptions, and may need to update their data maps later to supplement or correct their initial feedback. Without training to understand what qualifies as personal information under the law, addressing disclosures and updating privacy policies can become more costly, inefficient and less accurate.

Addressing disclosures and updating a privacy policy are not the only instances where training can be useful. Another CCPA pain point is the Do Not Sell requirement. The Do Not Sell rule requires businesses that sell personal information to provide consumers with a mechanism to opt-out of such sales. This requirement has led some businesses across industries to change their business practices to avoid making sales as defined under the CCPA. Otherseven in cases where required by the CCPAhave opted not to include the Do Not Sell button on their websites or mobile apps, and in certain industries, such as digital advertising, businesses have questioned whether the requirement spells the end for some of their core products and services. Needless to say, determining if a business sells personal information under the CCPA (and implementing Do Not Sell compliance for consumer requests if it is selling) should not be taken lightly, and certainly should not be taken with an incomplete or inaccurate understanding of how a business shares personal information. As with disclosures, without proper training before being asked to participate in a data mapping exercise, most employees are likely to provide incorrect or incomplete information to their in-house or external lawyers. This kind of garbage-in, garbage-out mapping may result in longer, more costly compliance reviews and, even worse, an incorrect or incomplete analysis.

Training early in the compliance process can also help make a business and more critically, its workforcemore privacy forward overall. While the GDPR and CCPA have dominated privacy headlines, there are no fewer than 24 states in the US seeking to pass CCPA-like comprehensive state privacy laws. And non-EU foreign privacy regimes will likely come into focus for many businesses as the dust continues to settle on the GDPR. Privacy compliance is here to stay, and many data privacy management principles and practices that business managers and employees are encountering with the CCPA will be relevant under other state and foreign privacy laws. Training enables business managers and employees to develop foundational knowledge that will make the learning curve less steep when tackling future laws, and makes a business more proactive and less reactive in its approach to privacy.

An effective privacy training program balances relevant, engaging and practical content that (1) meets the minimum compliance requirements, (2) educates its audiences with a view towards addressing privacy compliance holistically, and (3) reinforces a privacy forward business culture; in each case without consuming too many resources (e.g., cost or time) or creating administrative burdens (e.g., scheduling issues). At one end of the training spectrum are customized privacy training programs that can be tailored at the industry, company, and even department levels. Privacy professionals at law firms are best suited to deliver these programs to increase the benefit these programs can bring to an overall privacy compliance exercise. For businesses with fewer resources, there are also excellent free training resources such as http://www.ccpafreetraining.com that can provide a solid foundation for helping businesses comply with the CCPAs training requirement.

Early #CCPA training can develop foundational knowledge that will make learning curve less steep when tackling future #dataprotection laws. #respectdata Click to Tweet

Training is unfortunately too often an afterthought. But when properly implemented, it can make any businesss journey through CCPA compliance much more efficient and prepare the business to manage the rapidly changing and complex privacy regulatory landscape. Training should not be the last compliance item a business tackles. It often should be the first.

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Education Before Implementation: The CCPA Requirement That Should Be First on Your List, Not Last - CPO Magazine

Fitness trainer Mike Ruiz is used to giving online workouts.

But with COVID-19 driving people away from gyms for now, he has had to adjust to doing workouts from a virtual setting. Ruiz, who has been a trainer since 2010, admits that its taken some time to get used to the changes that a lot of other trainers have gone through.

People are looking for the online training because they feel like thats the best way to work out right now since some gyms are closed, Ruiz said. Having access to a trainer and the ability to do it on their own schedule and own time and from the safety of their own homes has been a huge factor.

Separately from the online workout programs, Mike and his wife, Kyley also own Dash Mobile Fitness and he says that they both fill their van with equipment and train people from their garage and shops so that its more personal and more private.

They still get the benefit of using the equipment, Mike said.

Ruiz says his mobile business has been extremely busy ever since the coronavirus became more widespread back in March. The biggest change hasnt been moving training sessions online. Instead, the biggest adjustment has been able to handle the influx of clients.

That has been consistent throughout this entire ordeal, Ruiz said. Once things started getting crazy, people started contacting us because they still wanted access to gyms and to equipments. That way, they can control who, what, when and where.

Personal trainers have different ways of doing their online workouts.

Ruiz says that hell create a workout for the client and go through questions about their fitness level and other health questions. From there, the program is tailor-made based on what the clients want to do and what equipment they have access to.

Ruiz typically has between 16 and 20 clients and personalizes the regiments that focus on everything from nutrition, coaching, counseling, habit changing and wellness coaching. In addition, Ruiz also works with some clients on dealing with sleep, hygiene and stress management.

Theyll log on to that and go to the program that I have created for them and itll have their workouts scheduled for the day, whether its resistance training or stretching or cardiovascular training, Ruiz said. It just depends on what theyre supposed to do.

The program also comes with demonstration videos that show his clients how to do the exercises with the proper form. The technology adds an extra layer of accountability.

Ill get a notification that lets me know when the clients are doing the actual training and make sure they stay on top, Ruiz said. With technology and apps, my clients can connect their fit bit, or their certain weight scales and anything they want.

Numerous people have been stressed out due to the impact from the virus and Ruiz says his its been no different from his clients.

Stress affects everything, Ruiz said. Figuring out a way to manage your stress through exercise or clean eating, whether its a hobby of some sort, its a huge component of wellness. Its a small piece of a big picture.

Michael Bauer is a sports reporter at the Odessa American. He can be reached at mbauer@oaoa.com at 432-333-7772 or on Twitter.

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FITNESS: Trainer becomes accustomed to giving online workouts - Odessa American

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