Aerobics -- Dancing For Profit

Aerobics -- Dancing For Profit

Although the national obsession for group exercise has begun to

level off, estimates claim 23 million Americans participate in

aerobics in health clubs and exercise gyms.

This includes people enrolled in programs run from community

facilities, YMCAs, and gyms, to dance studios in shopping malls.

This figure represents 10% of the US population who exercise

occasionally, definitely a fraction of what it used to be 10 years ago

when the craze was at its peak and America was waking up to the

urgent message of the importance of exercise.

NEW MARKETS

The decline of enrollment-based fitness programs have

forced many studios to expand their services.

For example, some jazz exercise studios now offer skin care and

nutritional counseling. Some offer shiatsu classes.

The biggest problems for any stationary fitness program is

being able to organize classes that work around the

schedule of its potential clients. The interest in fitness remains.

The market did not dwindle as the figures suggest. The biggest

challenge in this industry to identify new ways to deliver its services

to the market.

BUNS OF STEEL

If you are an aspiring exercise entrepreneur, here are three avenues

by which you can deliver and sell your services to your market:

CORPORATE CONTRACTS.

Many businesses recognize that healthy employees are

productive employees, something the Japanese realized

decades ago. You can send instructors to a business

location to conduct exercise classes that are subsidized

by the employer.

SATELLITE CLASSES.

You can lease community or church facilities, recreational

centers or school gymnasiums and hold classes for people

in that community. Some very large apartment complexes

have halls or functionareas where classes can be held.

VIDEOS.

Students who attend your class once can continue the

routine on their own time. That's the convenience video

can offer. Instead of coming to an organized exercise

class, piople will attend an exercise class in front of

their VCRs. In fact, a video tape can be an excxellent

add-on product to corporate contracts, satellite classes,

or studio classes.

ULCERS ARE NO LAUGHING MATTER

ULCERS ARE NO LAUGHING MATTER

Peptic ulcers, which are in the stomach and the duodenum (the first part of the intestine leading from the stomach) can occur at any age and affect both men and women. Untreated, sufferers can look forward to a long siege with them. But today's peptic ulcer sufferers have a brighter prospect for relief than did those of even a single generation ago. There is now less than 1 chance in 18 that surgery will every be necessary and new medications act faster and better and offer more relief than ever before.

The warning sign of active ulcers you will most likely experience (if you get any warning at all) is a gnawing discomfort in the middle or upper abdomen that typically comes between meals or in the middle of the night. Food or liquids, including antacids and milk, can provide some temporary relief, but milk might not be all that good a remedy since it stimulates production of hydrochloric acid and other digestive juices which further aggravates the pain.

Antacids blended from aluminum, calcium or magnesium salts, have long been the non prescription drugs most people quickly reach for to get relief from their stomach pains. But, because antacids interfere with absorption of some medications, be sure to go over this with your doctor and get his approval.

You should never ignore any warning signs of ulcers. Ulcer complications are serious and in some cases can be life-threatening. If paid from ulcers persists after more than 10 to 14 days of self-treatment or comes back when treatment ends, you should see your doctor. The passing of blood through the bowels may be caused by some other problem, but it can also be an urgent warning of a bleeding ulcer.

Bleeding ulcers can cause anemia or, if the ulcer gets larger it may expand into a major blood vessel, a leak can turn into a hemorrhage, with only minutes available for life saving emergency treatment. Ulcers can also perforate and may erode completely through the wall of the stomach or duodenum. If this happens and the stom§ach's contents flow into the abdominal cavity, severe infection can result. A perforated ulcer is an emergency that requires immediate surgery.

It has been determined that smoking doubles a person's risk for ulcer disease. Physicians and researches have found that ulcers heal a lot slower for smokers, and smokers also have a higher relapse rate.

And you're definitely at risk for ulcers if you take aspirin and any of the other products containing aspirin. High-dose Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Maproxen and Piroxicam are in wide use today for many conditions, especially to relive pain and swelling among the millions of people who have arthritis. These medications can irritate the stom§ach's lining and cause gastrointestinal bleeding.

Ulcers have frequently been the target for humor in describing the stereotypical aggressive, pressured, goal-or-career-oriented person. But for those who have them, ulcers are certainly no laughing matter. Peptic ulcers strike 1 out of ever 50 Americans each year.

As research continues, there is now mounting evidence that something other than smoking, drinking, spicy meals, or a possible battle with the boss may be associated with ulcers. It is now believed that ulcers are the result of a combination of conditions, the dynamics of which researchers don't yet fully understand.

THE RADON PROBLEM

THE RADON PROBLEM

You can't see radon. And you can't smell or taste it, but it may very well be a problem in your home. It is estimated to cause many thousands of deaths each year. Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas, and when you breathe air containing the gas, you can get lung cancer. In fact, radon has now been declared the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high.

Radon can be found all over the United States. It comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets in to the air you breathe. Radon can get into any type of building, homes, offices, and schools and build up to high levels. But you and your family are most likely to get your greatest exposure in your home because that is where you spend most of your time.

Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk form radon. The Environmental Protection Agency along with the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes below the third floor for radon. It is inexpensive and easy to do the testing and it only takes a few minutes of your time. Millions of Americans have already had their homes tested. Radon from soil gas is the main cause of radon problems although it can also enter the home through well water. And in a small number of homes, certain kinds of building materials may give off the gas, too. However, the building materials rarely cause the problem by themselves.

It have now been determined that nearly 1 out of every 15 homes in the U.S. is estimated to have elevated radon levels. Elevated levels of radon gas have been found in every state including homes in your state.

The public has only recently started showing interest in this deadly, cancer-causing gas. Contact your state radon office for general information about radon in your area. While radon problems may be more common in some areas, any home may have a problem. Home buyers and renters are now asking about radon levels before they buy or rent a home.

While radon in water is not a problem in homes served by most public water supplies, it has been found in some well water. If you've tested the air in your home and found a radon problem, and your water comes from a well, contact a lab certified to measure radiation in water to have your water tested. If you're on a public water supply and are concerned that radon may be entering your home through the water, call your public water works.

Since there is no known safe level of radon, there can always be some risk. But the risk can be reduced by lowering the radon level in your home. A variety of methods may be used to reduce radon in one's home. In some cases, sealing cracks in floors and walls may help to reduce radon. In other cases, simple systems using pipes and fans may be used to reduce the gas. Because major renovations can change the level of radon in any home, always test again after you have any work done. There are reliable test kits available through the mail, in hardware stores and certain other retail outlets.

Like other environmental pollutants, there is some uncertainty about the magnitude of radon health risks. However, more is known about the risks of radon than from most other cancer-causing substances. This is because estimates of radon risks are based on studies of cancer in humans such as underground miners.

NEW THERAPY FOR HEART ATTACKS

NEW THERAPY FOR HEART ATTACKS

New drugs can stop or limit the damage of a heart attack, but only if the patient gets help immediately, experts say. Once the flow of blood to a portion of the heart is blocked for several hours, the damage is irreversible.

Knowing the symptoms of a heart attack, which can be wide-ranging and confusing, is extremely important. So is knowing risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and family history.

Typical symptoms of a heart attack include a crushing pain in the chest, sweating, difficulty breathing, weakness and pain in the arms, particularly the left. Symptoms one could attribute to something else can cause devastating delays in seeking treatment. These include feelings of indigestion, back shoulder and neck pain and nausea. Early signs of trouble may appear during physical activity and disappear with rest. Any numbness of tingling of the fingers or toes, dizziness, shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing should not be ignored.

Clinical studies, laboratory investigations and a number of surveys show certain personal characteristics and life-styles pointing to increased danger of heart attack. These danger signs are called "risk factors." These well established risk factors are high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, cigarette smoking and diabetes mellitus.Attempts at modifying risk factors most certainly have contributed to the declining death rate from heart attacks in the United States.

During the 1960's, U.S. death rates from heart attacks were still rising, but today's figures show that heart attacks have fallen dramatically. And, overall, heart-related problems have declined about 25 percent in the last decade. This decrease undoubtedly is due to better medical care of heart attack victims, but it is likely that a sizable percentage is related to modification of risk factors.

Medical technology is advancing at an increasingly rapid rate. More drugs and medical technology are available than ever before and the entire population is now more aware of the seriousness of heart attacks. There has been an increased interest in learning CPR and many community organizations now offer this valuable training. Of particular concern by doctors and researchers is the role that the American diet plays in the health of one's heart. Obesity predisposes individuals to coronary heart disease. Some of the reasons for this are known, but others are not. The major causes of obesity in Americans are excessive intake of calories and inadequate exercise. When caloric intake is excessive, some of the excess frequently is saturated fat, which further raises the blood cholesterol. Thus, obesity contributes to higher coronary risk in a variety of ways.

Many of the major risk factors for a heart attack are silent and much of the responsibility for their detection lies with each of us as individuals. Regular checkups are particularly necessary if there is a family history of heart attacks of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels or diabetes.