Health and fitness transformations that will inspire your new routine ...

Editor's Note: The January Issue of Austin Fit Magazine is the "Transformation & Inspiration" issue, focused on a new year, and a new you. In this piece exclusive to CultureMap, Austin Fit Magazine gives us a sneak peek into some of the inspirational stories you'll find in the latest issue.

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It?s hard not to think about new starts and fitness resolutions when January rolls around. So this year, Austin Fit Magazine decided to embrace readers who?ve made some startling and impressive transformations in their health and fitness. These are the stories that will inspire you to keep up your exercise program or finish that last set.

Perhaps these stories will inspire you to develop a new mantra (such as Joanne Nabor?s ?I am a healthy and fit triathlete?), try a new sport (adventure racing, anyone?), or push yourself to be the best you can possibly be through dedicated training, like pro triathlete Patrick Evoe or elite runner Lennie Waite.

Before you dig into the January issue of Austin Fit Magazine, here?s a sneak peek at some of the inspirational stories you?ll find.

Adventure Racer Lauri Talbott

Lauri Talbott, a long-time AFM reader, used to comment that the magazine needed more ?real people? adventures ? the kind of sports stories where the athletes hold down a job, raise kids and fit training in around all the aspects of their everyday lives. What better example than Talbott herself? While Talbott is now an accomplished adventure racer, she didn?t start out that way. In fact, she and her friend Joshua Crixell formed a team and learned the hard way, by trying it out and making mistakes. Talbott lightheartedly shares her story of forming ?Team Phat Free? and gives tips for anyone who might be interested in seeing what adventure racing is all about.

Pro Triathlete Patrick Evoe

While many of us make resolutions that involve big changes, pro triathlete Patrick Evoe tells about his philosophy of implementing little changes that bring big impact. Evoe has recently had some outstanding races, such as his first 140.6 win at Ironman Louisville in August 2012. He credits ?practice, practice, practice? with his success and demonstrates how he?s taking on the details in his stroke with a new coach in order to bring about big changes in his swimming.

Elite Runner Lennie Waite

Elite runner Lennie Waite gives a peek into what it?s like to train like the Kenyans. Waite, who formerly ran with Rogue Athletic Club in Austin, recently moved back to the United Kingdom in order to fully embrace her running goals. The Rice University collegiate runner was frustrated at missing the 2012 Olympics and felt that the demands of being a graduate student here in the U.S. had hampered her dreams. With her Ph.D. came the flexibility to take her 3000m steeplechase dreams to a new level, and training with Scottish and U.K. athletics allowed her to go to Iten, Kenya, to High Altitude Training Camp. She writes about her daily routine and shares some of her photos from her stay.

Best of Austin

It?s not the January issue of AFM without the annual ?Best of? poll results, and this year does not disappoint. AFM sends out a questionnaire to find out Austin?s fitness favorites, and some new categories were added this year. Check these out: Best Personal Trainer (a very, very tight race!), Best Yoga Instructor, Best Pilates Instructor (you?ll find an article in the issue from one of the top three), Best Chiropractic Care, Best Acupuncture Services and Best Smoothie, not to mention the rest of the ?Best of? categories you?ve come to expect.

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See more in the January issue of Austin Fit Magazine, available now.

THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF AN EDITORIAL SPECIAL SERIES

Source: http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdetail/01-03-13-13-37-health-and-fitness-transformations-that-will-inspire-you/

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So that was 2012?. ? Tom's Cruise Blog

So that was 2012. It was an eventful and interesting year for us. I suppose it?s traditional around this time to review the year that?s just gone by, so here goes. This being a personal blog, this is a personal review ? this is what seemed important, memorable or significant to us.

• First on any list has to be the sinking of the Costa Concordia, on 13 January. 30 people are known to have died and another two are missing, presumed dead, which brings the total of dead to 32. A further 64 people were injured to various degrees of severity. The investigation is still on-going, as are the trials ? the Captain has been charged with manslaughter, together with lesser charges ? and the hulk of the ship still lies in the water off Isola del Giglio. There was palpable shock throughout the cruise industry, indeed throughout the leisure travel industry, at these events ? how could a modern ship, incorporating the latest safety features and built to the highest standards, sink? Well, any floating object will cease to float if a big enough hole is punched in it below the waterline, and that?s what happened to Costa Concordia. The principal question is: exactly how did that come to happen? ? we still await the official report. Two more superlatives about this tragedy: first, she is by far the largest passenger ship to sink; and second, she may also be the most successful rescue operation, in that over 4,000 people got off her to safety. That said, I must also recognise that it was most fortunate that the sinking occurred so close to shore ? many people were able to swim to safety, and some people still in the water were picked up by local boats. Had the sinking occurred further out, or had she not come to rest on the shelf of rock, the death toll would have been much higher.
• Next was the P&O Grand Event on 3 July. Not surprisingly in this record-breakingly-wet year it was raining during the Event itself and that did take some of the edge off it, but it was still fun in a very British masochistic way.
• Third would be our long cruise this year, on Arcadia to the Canaries. It wasn?t the best cruise we?ve ever had but it was still enjoyable and we certainly found a lot to enjoy on Arcadia.
• Finally would be the introduction by Cunard and P&O of the new fare schemes. P&O calls them ?Vantage? fares: once you?ve booked such a fare you?ll get some recompense (probably?in the form of on-board credit) if the fare is subsequently reduced. There have been a lot of negative comments about this initiative, and I do recognise the way it could be abused ? for example if the cruise line labels all reduced fares as ?Getaway? fares then that doesn?t count as a reduction to the Vantage fare, so no compensation would be due. However I think it should be welcomed. US passengers have enjoyed protection like this for years, and now we may get it as well.

That?s about it. There were a lot of other stories in what was I think a tight year for UK cruising, and there are some indications that 2013 will be even tighter. But the stories for this year have not yet emerged; when they do, and if they seem interesting, I?ll blog about them here.

And finally, I?d like to wish all my readers a happy and successful New Year.

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Posted in Cruises, Cunard, P&O | Tagged cruises, Cunard, P&O, P&O Grand Event, Vantage Fares | Leave a Comment

Source: http://tomscruiseblog.co.uk/2013/01/01/so-that-was-2012/

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HTC says licensing agreement with Apple will lead to better devices in 2013

During an oddly jokey statement at the White House as the fiscal deadline bore down Monday afternoon, President Obama said, "I'm going to be president for the next four years. I?hope." He was warning Republicans that, yes, they'd have to deal with him for a while. But it was, to be sure, a strange moment. Could he actually have been joking about assassination? About impeachment? The?apocalypse? Or has everyone just had enough of these negotiations??

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/htc-says-licensing-agreement-apple-lead-better-devices-162558920.html

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Afghans: Next force transition starts in 2 months

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? The next phase of transferring security from NATO to Afghan control will begin in two months and aims to cover nearly 90 percent of the country's population, the Kabul government announced Monday.

The transition, which began in early 2011, is slated to give Afghan forces full responsibility for security by the end of 2014, when most NATO troops will have withdrawn.

Misgivings persist about the readiness of Afghan forces, although their numbers have grown rapidly over the past year to more than 330,000. They now shoulder most combat operations, while NATO forces, including some 66,000 U.S., troops are preparing to pull out. The U.S. intends to keep a residual force in Afghanistan past 2014 but the size has yet to be determined.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in a statement said the forthcoming fourth phase was "another sign of steady progress."

"Going forward, our efforts in Afghanistan will continue to ensure that the Afghan people can secure and government themselves, and to deny safe haven to al-Qaeda," the statement said.

Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, who heads a transition commission, told a news conference that Afghan security forces now are responsible for protecting 75 percent of the population.

"The general assessment is that security is better or the same," Ahmadzai said, referring to changes over the third transition phase, which began in May and ended Monday. He said that by the end of the fourth phase, the duration of which is open-ended, 87 percent of the people will be protected by Afghan forces.

Targeted for the upcoming transition are 12 provinces mostly in the north and central regions as well as a district in the southern province of Helmand, the most violent in the country.

Gen. John R. Allen, commander of foreign forces in the country, called the announcement "another historic step as (Afghanistan) gets closer to taking full responsibility for security of the entire country."

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh said in a statement that it was a "significant step toward our shared goal of seeing Afghans fully in charge of their own security by the end of 2014."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/afghans-next-force-transition-starts-2-months-125529974.html

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Conan Reveals 2012's Least Viral Videos

Gangnam Style and Call Me Maybe parodies might have been some of the most shared videos during 2012, but Conan O'Brien decided to dig into the deepest bowels of YouTube and unearth the least viral videos of the past year. If you're a fan of topless old men sleeping and cable access shoe shine shows, you're in for a real treat here. [YouTube via GeeksareSexy] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/P2gHjUQsu0k/conan-reveals-2012s-least-viral-videos

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Observatory: Humpback Whales Use Size as Measure for Mating

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Female humpbacks on the prowl prefer the largest males on the breeding ground, while smaller males gravitate toward smaller females, scientists found.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/01/science/humpback-whales-use-size-as-measure-for-mating.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Iran warns off foreign planes during naval drill: report

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has warned off foreign surveillance planes that have tried to approach its forces during naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz, an Iranian military spokesman said on Tuesday.

The drills, which began on Friday, are aimed at showcasing Iran's military capability in the shipping route through which 40 percent of the world's sea-borne oil exports pass.

Iran has threatened to block the strait if it comes under military attack over its disputed nuclear program. The United States has said it would not tolerate any obstruction of commercial traffic through the strait.

"So far about 30 warnings have been given to reconnaissance and surveillance planes of extra-regional forces that wanted to approach the area where the drills are taking place," Commander Amir Rastegari told the semi-official Mehr news agency.

He said the planes had been warned to keep out of Iranian air space and away from the site of the exercises.

The official IRNA news agency quoted Rastegari as saying the foreign planes kept away after Iran issued warnings because they were "afraid of being destroyed" by Iranian forces.

Six days of drills are taking place in an area of about 1 million sq km in the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and northern parts of the Indian Ocean.

State television reported that naval forces had successfully test fired Qader (Capable) coast-to-sea and Nour (Light) surface-to-surface missiles.

Rastegari was quoted as saying by Iran's English-language Press TV that the Qader cruise missile with a range of 200 km had "successfully and precisely hit and destroyed its mock enemy target".

On Sunday, Iran said its special forces and diving units had drilled defending ports and the coastline against attack.

Iran held a similar 10-day drill last December and sent a submarine and a destroyer into the Gulf four months ago just as U.S. and allied navies were conducting exercises in the same waters to practice keeping oil shipping lanes open.

Israel has threatened to launch military strikes against Iran's nuclear program which many in the West fear is aimed at developing a nuclear weapons capability. Iran says it is only interested in generating electricity and other peaceful projects.

Iran holds military exercises several times a year and regularly unveils advances in domestically-produced military hardware. Defense analysts say Iran often exaggerates its military strength.

(Reporting by Zahra Hosseinian; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-warns-off-foreign-planes-during-naval-drill-141334229.html

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