Avoid Weight Training Injuries

Although there are many sites that claim that they will show you weight training exercises online, in reality this is not the way to go. If you want to start a weight training exercise program, you really need to be working with someone else. There are many options available. You can go to the gym, use free weights at home with a buddy, or get one of those machines, but if you do not do your weight training exercise with proper safety precautions, it is quite possible for you to get seriously injured.

I recommend doing your weight training exercise at the gym. There are several good reasons for this, and I will go ahead and tell you some of the very best ones. First of all, you can get a spot at the gym. Of all of the weight training exercise injuries, most of them could have been avoided with a proper spotter. This is especially true with free weights which can injure or even kill you if you are forced to drop them because of muscle fatigue. This is the most important reason to go to the gym, but it is really far from the only one.

The fact is that it is easier to psyche yourself up for your weight training exercise when you do go to the gym. With all of those people around you dedicating their time to getting in shape, there is just no way you will feel like slacking off in your weight training program while you are at the gym.

Many gyms even have personal trainers available, who will help you to meet your personal best, by working you harder than you will yourself, and helping to chart your goals. They can even suggest which weight training exercises you should use and how many, to strengthen the muscle groups which interest you.

Before you start doing weight training exercise, however, you should do some cardiovascular stuff. While you can get by quite well without weight training exercise, cardio is absolutely essential to your health. You will live longer, be healthier, and happier, and even have more energy if you do some aerobic activities every day to keep you active.

We do not stay young forever, but those of us who get adequate aerobic exercises do stay young for longer than those who do not. Once you start doing that, then you can add your weight training exercise program.

>>> Fit Over 40! A 43-Year-Old Dallas Man Uncovers A Step By Step System For Living Fit And Healthy At Any Age.

Read More

Back In The Land of Earplugs

I have been spoiled for the last couple of weeks. Mr. L came to visit and he splurged on a few places that were a lot nicer than the ones I have been staying in. Also, I finally used up some of my Sheraton points and splurged for a five star treat in Santiago for a few nights.

In a nutshell, the past few weeks...

1. Valdivia, CH - College town, near a river, famous for its fish market....we only spent a day here before going back to the lake district.

2. Pucon, CH - Lake town, with many National parks, Lakes and Volcanos. We hiked Vocan Villarica, which is about 3000 Meters of steep climb, complete with dust and smoke. It was not a very difficult climb, but it was hot and I did not have enough water and it felt like I was smoking a few packs of cigarettes while hiking up a dusty mountain. We also spent some time at the lake, which was packed with Chileños and their niños and people trying to rent you quitasoles (umbrellas) but was still a refreshing treat.

3. Mendoza, AR - A little unexpected side trip - a sample of the outdoor cafe life, a little bit of wine and lots of relaxing days spent drinking coffee and chilling in the shade. Mendoza is the main wine region of Argentina, known in the US mostly for its Malbec, I believe. There are many others, of course, and try as we may, we did not have time to sample them all.

4. Viña del Mar - Beach town on the W Coast of Chile, this is actually part of the outskirts of Valparaiso, CH. It was nice, very much like Santa Cruz, a little bit foggy in the AM and then around 3, the fog blows off, leaving a very nice day behind. The beaches were packed, the seafood here was delicious, the houses on the hill were very quaint and precariously perched.

5. Easter Island, CH - Oh the heads!! I am so glad that I went here. It is very far out of the way; it was a 5 hour flight each way, but it was totally worth it. The history here is so interesting and captivating. Maybe I can summarize a little. There were two tribes, the long ears and the short ears. Both of them made these statues of the heads, called Moai. They went to war, and many of the heads were tipped over (and still are). However, some have been put back upright, so we can enjoy them. They were huge! Some of them have hats and the hats alone are as tall as me. It was great! This is a beatiful polynesian island which would be great all on its own, but with the history included it was a ten!

6. Santiago, CH - A couple relaxing days spent by the pool at the Sheraton was exactly what we needed after so much moving around. Here I met back up with Chris and we got back on the move again.

So, now I am back in the land of earplugs, cheap hostels, noise and PB&J sandwiches!!! More news later and pictures to boot!

Read More

Mersa Dudu, Eritrea - Red Sea

March 3 – 5, 2008



After two nights at sea we arrived at our first Red Sea anchorage, Mersa Dudu.  High volcanic peaks poked out from an otherwise barren landscape.  The wind accelerated through these peaks and into the anchorage, resulting in more wind inside the anchorage than out!  The anchorage was still comfortable, with now real chop, but loud with 25kts whistling through our rigging.


I had read some compare the landscape of Mersa Dudu to the moon.  I didn’t see it.  To me it is the desert plain and simple – isolated, dry, and brown.  Then again I’ve never been to the moon.

Ironically we hadn’t really given much thought to where we were going to be – it was always just “the Red Sea”.  It wasn’t until Mersa Dudu that it dawned on us that we were actually in Africa, the place I’d wanted to visit since I was a kid.  Another continent, another country.  For us this was when we truly realized that the Red Sea would not be some place to speed through but rather a place to explore.  Later we acknowledged that there were two types of cruisers traversing through – those that would just go-go-go, perhaps only considering Egypt as any type of real destination, using the Red Sea merely as a highway, the anchorages as pit stops, and those that saw the Red Sea (and its many anchorages/countries) as a destination in itself.  Who would take the time to see and explore.  The other great thing about our realization was that we finally remembered that we have a Lonely Planet Guide for Africa!  All this time we thought we’d just have to wing it, but all of a sudden Chris looks in our big shelf and says “hey this is where we are!”

Not that we really need Lonely Planet to tell us that we were currently in “an inhospitable volcanic and rock desert” or that this area was “desolate and harsh in the extreme”.  Still it was fun to learn that we were currently in a region reputed to be one of the hottest places on earth!

We spent three days in Mersa Dudu, mostly waiting for better weather.  Regrettably Chris and I both came down with something (most likely food poisoning) and spent a large portion of our time sick as dogs and unable to go ashore.

Our friends hiked to the top of one of the smaller volcanic peaks, which offered great views over the bays (photo right by Stardust).  On our third day Chris was healthy enough to at least go ashore and do some beach & rock walking.

Read More

BSA and Anatolia: Colophon

Cecil Harcourt-Smith, in his last year of office as Director, joined the steam yacht Rona belonging to Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, a major donor to the BSA, in the early part of 1897. Clearly one of the objects was to identify a possible major site for excavation after the work at Phylakopi on Melos.

The cruise took Harcourt-Smith to Salonica and through the Aegean. He was particularly interested in the site of Colophon to the south of Smyrna. Hamdi Bey, Director of the Imperial Museums in Constantinople, was approached for a firman. However due to the outbreak of war in Thessaly and on Crete, the excavation never took place.

The American School also considered Colophon a suitable site to excavate though the work did not start until after the First World War in 1922 and quickly came to a halt due to events in Anatolia.

Read More

Fitness And Nutrition Tips

We’ve all heard it before...

In order to be healthy, we must eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and exercise regularly. It’s become the mantra of fitness buffs everywhere, and is touted so often that many of us have become deaf to the words. No matter how much you might have heard about the fitness/nutrition preach, it would be wise to heed the words and act on them.

Fitness and nutrition always go hand in hand when it comes to having a healthier lifestyle as well as a better quality of life. When we're still young, it may seem unnecessary to worry about poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyle, but by the time we hit middle age, we will begin to concern ourselves with things like cholesterol, high blood pressure and other health risk factors.

Get Moving...

The first part of the fitness/nutrition combination consists of daily physical movement. This can be in the form of walking, jogging, swimming or cycling. It can also mean using a piece of cardiovascular equipment at the local fitness center or indulging in a regular game of racquetball. Aerobic exercise like this should be done at least five times a week for 30 minutes at a time. This will ensure a healthy cardiovascular system and weight maintenance.

You can up the benefits of your cardio workout by adding strength training two or three times each week. This can be done with the use of a few free weights in your basement, or with the help of machines at the gym. It is best to begin with a personal trainer to ensure that your positioning is correct during your weight lifting exercises. This will help you avoid injury in the early phase of your program. Raise your weight amounts gradually, and never do strength training on back-to-back days.

Eat Healthy...

The second element of a fitness and nutrition program is eating smart. All the hard works in exercise won’t do you much good if you are still eating unhealthy. The United States Department of Agriculture has recently revised their food pyramid guide to help the general public make nutritious meal choices. The idea behind this updated food pyramid is so that you can make healthy food choices everyday from the major food groups. Combine your healthy food choices with regular exercise and you will be on your way to good health.

To find out more information about the USDA food pyramid, you can go to http://www.mypyramid.gov/. The most important factor to keep in mind when choosing a nutrition program is to allow the bulk of your diet to consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grain carbohydrates. Low-fat dairy, lean meats and poultry can round up much of your menu, with refined sugars and fats making up only a small portion of your daily food intake.

Fitness and nutrition are more than just a simple slogan – they are the best choices for a happy and healthy lifestyle.

>>> Check out the best guide on Fat Burning, Fitness and Nutrition: "Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle".

>>> Read the full review of "Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle" here!

Read More

Edwin Freshfield and Sidney Barnsley

Sidney Howard Barnsley (1865-1926) was admitted to the BSA in 1887/88 as an architectural student of the Royal Academy. He worked on Byzantine architecture in Salonica and Mount Athos as part of a project directed by Dr Edwin Freshfield, a trustee of the BSA.

Freshfield lived at Lower Kingswood in Surrey and commissioned Barnsley to design a new church, 'The Wisdom of God', in a Byzantine style.

Read More

Donors to the BSA

The 'Rules and Regulations' of the BSA defined three different types of Subscribers. The first was defined as:

(1) Donors of £10 and upwards.

This was later changed to:

(1) Donors, other than Corporate Bodies, of £10 and upwards.

Donors included:

• Sir William Reynell Anson (1843-1914), Warden of All Souls, Oxford; vice-chancellor (1898); MP for Oxford University (£10, 1899/1900; £10, 1900/01; £10, 1901/02; £10, 1902/03; £10, 1904/05; £10, 1905/06; £10, 1906/07; £10, 1907/08; £10, 1908/09; £10, 1909/10; £10, 1910/11; £10, 1911/12; £10, 1912/13; £10, 1913/14)
• Colonel O. Chambers (£10, 1899/1900; £10, 1900/01)
• Lord Egerton of Tatton / Rt. Hon. Earl Egerton (Wilbraham Egerton) (1832-1909) (£10.10.0, 1895/96; £10.10.0, 1896/97; £10.10.0, 1897/98; £10.10.0, 1898/99; £10.10.0, 1899/1900; £10.10.0, 1900/01; £10.10.0, 1901/02; £10.10.0, 1902/03; £10.10.0, 1904/05; £10.10.0, 1905/06; £10.10.0, 1906/07)
• Sir Arthur J. Evans (1851-1941) (£10, 1894/95; £10, 1895/96; £10, 1896/97; £10, 1897/98; £10, 1898/9; £10, 1899/1900; £10, 1900/01; £10, 1901/02; £10, 1902/03; £10, 1904/05; £10, 1905/06; £10, 1906/07; £10, 1907/08; £10, 1908/09; £10, 1909/10; £10, 1910/11; £10, 1911/12; £10, 1912/13; £10, 1913/14; £10, 1914/15; £10, 1915/16; £10, 1916/17; £10, 1917/18)
• Douglas William Freshfield (1845-1934) (£10, 1895/96; £10, 1896/97; £10, 1897/98; £10, 1898/9; £10, 1899/1900; £10, 1900/01; £10, 1902/03; £10, 1904/05; £10, 1905/06; £10, 1906/07; £10, 1907/08; £10, 1908/09; £10, 1909/10; £10, 1910/11; £10, 1912/13; £10, 1913/14; £10, 1914/15; £10, 1915/16; £10, 1916/17; £10, 1917/18)
• Lord Hillingdon (Charles Henry Mills, first Baron Hillingdon [1830–1898]) (£10, 1895/96; £10, 1896/97; £10, 1897/98)
• Thomas Hodgkin (1831-1913) (£10, 1902/03; £10, 1904/05; £10, 1905/06; £10, 1906/07; £10, 1907/08; £10, 1908/09; £10, 1909/10; £10, 1910/11; £10, 1911/12; £10, 1912/13)
  
• Lady Howard de Walden (Lady Lucy Joan Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck) (d. 1899); widow of Charles Augustus Ellis, sixth Baron Howard de Walden and second Baron Seaford (1799–1868) (£20, 1897/98; £20, 1896/97; £20, 1898/9)
• Walter Leaf (1852-1927) (£100, 1894/95; £20, 1895/96; £20, 1896/97; £20, 1897/98; £20, 1898/9; £50, 1899/1900; £50, 1900/01; £20, 1901/02; £50, 1902/03; £50, 1904/05; £50, 1905/06; £50, 1906/07; £50, 1907/08; £50, 1908/09; £50, 1909/10; £50, 1910/11; £50, 1911/12; £50, 1912/13; £50, 1913/14; £50, 1914/15; £50, 1915/16; £50, 1916/17; £50, 1917/18)
• William Loring (1865-1915) (£15, 1899/1900; £10, 1900/01)
• Sir Thomas Lucas (1822-1902) (£10, 1895/96; £10.10.0, 1897/98; £10.10.0, 1898/9)
• George A. Macmillan (£10.10.0, 1894/95; £10.10.0, 1895/96; £10.10.0, 1896/97; £10.10.0, 1897/98; £20, 1898/9; £25, 1899/1900; £25, 1900/01; £25, 1901/02; £25, 1902/03; £50, 1904/05; £50, 1905/06; £50, 1906/07; £50, 1907/08; £50, 1908/09; £50, 1909/10; £50, 1910/11; £50, 1911/12; £50, 1912/13; £50, 1913/14; £50, 1914/15; £25, 1915/16; £25, 1916/17; £25, 1917/18)
• Macmillan & Co. (£20, 1895/96; £20, 1896/97; £20, 1897/98; £20, 1898/9)
• C.W. Mitchell (£10, 1895/96; £10, 1897/98£10, 1898/9; £10, 1899/1900; £10, 1900/01; £10, 1901/02; £10, 1902/03; )
  
• Ludwig Mond (1839-1909) (£100, 1895/96; £100, 1896/97; £100, 1897/98; £100, 1898/9; £100, 1899/1900; £100, 1900/01; £100, 1901/02; £100, 1902/03; £100, 1904/05; £100, 1905/06; £100, 1906/07; £100, 1907/08; £100, 1908/09)
• Walter Morrison (1836-1921); a founder of the Palestine Exploration Fund (£10, 1911/12; £10, 1912/13; £10, 1913/14; £10, 1914/15)
• Mrs J.W. Pease (£10.10.0, 1902/03)
  
• Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839-1898) (£50, 1895/96; £50, 1896/97; £50, 1897/98)
  
• Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema (1836-1912) (£20, 1895/96; £20, 1896/97; £20, 1897/98; £20, 1898/9; £20, 1899/1900)
• Mrs Hedwig Tod, Edinburgh (£10, 1904/05; £10, 1905/06; £10, 1906/07; £10, 1909/10; £10, 1910/11; £10, 1911/12; £10, 1912/13)
• Rev. Henry Fanshawe Tozer (1829-1916) (£10, 1894/95; £10, 1895/96; £10, 1896/97; £10, 1897/98; £10, 1898/9; £10, 1899/1900; £10, 1900/01; £10, 1901/02; £10, 1902/03; £10, 1904/05; £10, 1905/06; £10, 1906/07; £10, 1907/08; £10, 1908/09; £10, 1909/10; £10, 1910/11; £10, 1911/12; £10, 1912/13; £10, 1913/14; £10, 1914/15; £10, 1915/16)
• Sir Julius (Charles) Wernher (1850-1912) (£25, 1899/1900; £25, 1900/01; £25, 1901/02; £25, 1902/03; £25, 1904/05; £25, 1905/06; £25, 1906/07; £25, 1907/08; £25, 1908/09; £25, 1909/10; £25, 1910/11; £25, 1911/12)
  

This working list will be revised; 8 October 2008.

Read More

Passage Blurbs: Yemen to Mersa Dudu

Mersa Dudu, Eritrea, Africa

Volcanic Formations of Mersa Dudu

Night 2 - March 2, 2008

Officially in the Red Sea, First sites of Africa to port. Great fishing caught four Mahi mahi in 15 minutes, only kept one

More Mahi Mahi

Night 1 - March 1, 2008

Underway up the Red Sea, Riding a southerly while we can

Read More

Passage Journal: Yemen to Mersa Dudu

March 1 – 2, 2008

Trip Summary - 221 nM, 44 Hours, Ave 5 knots



Our passage from Aden to Mersa Dudu was mostly, thankfully, uneventful.  It was a combination of motoring in no winds to sailing reefed down in 30 kts.  But even the higher winds and rolly seas were not too bad as they all came from behind.

The Bab al-Mandab Straits held up to their reputation of being windy, but again it was nothing unmanageable.  We had to once again cross a major shipping channel, but compared to the Singapore channel this was nothing.  It also helped that we now had AIS so could see the ships, their courses, and speeds from over 30 nautical miles out.

Just after crossing the Straits Chris threw out a fishing line and by 10am on our second morning we had a nice Mahi-Mahi.  We were traveling with a few other boats who all threw out fishing lines after we announced we caught something.  Amazingly within minutes three of the four boats had a fish!  Not even a full day into the Red Sea and it was already living up to its reputation for good fishing.

Read More

The BSA and Egypt: Naukratis Excavation Fund

Just over £187 was raised for the excavation of Naukratis in 1899 by David Hogarth. The main donor was the Society of Dilettanti with £100. The Fitzwilliam and Ashmolean Museums also supported the project (£15 and £10, respectively).

Private donors
£10

• Arthur J. Evans, Keeper of the Ashmolean Museum
  
• C.E. Johnston (of Park House, Southall)
  
• Walter Leaf
  

£5

• Professor Ernest Gardner
• Professor Percy Gardner
• William Loring
• George A. Macmillan
• Rev. S.A. Thompson Yates
  

£3

• Douglas W. Freshfield
  

£2.2.0

• John L. Myres
• Francis C. Penrose
  

Read More