Unleashing The Beast :: FitBob

From RedCross.org:

“In the 48 hours since the earthquake struck in Haiti, the American Red Cross has received nearly $35 million in donations, and we are thankful for this unprecedented outpouring of support.

More than half of the donations have been through online contributions, with strong support as well from corporations and the unprecedented activity over the past two days in mobile giving.

The American Red Cross has already released $10 million for relief efforts in Haiti. That is only our initial commitment, and based on the amount of money we’ve raised already, we will certainly add more. Future allocations will be made once we know more about the situation on the ground in Haiti and the greatest needs in both the short-term and in the long-term.

The response to the emergency in Haiti has been impressive and moving, and the donations to the American Red Cross have exceeded the totals amounts received in the first 48 hours of both Katrina and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.”

Follow progress and help out at American Red Cross, www.state.gov, interaction.org, or www.usaid.gov.

No doubt times are tough here, but they are far tougher there. A 7.3 magnitude earthquake is no joke. Many thousands of human beings with far less than us could really use our help. Please help if you can.

As always, be sure to investigate the avenues through which you give before donating. Unfortunately, there are those who seek to profit from this disaster.

Bye Bye Pete – Thanks for the good run and good luck in Seattle!

Full Story on Yahoo Sports…

Excerpted from a good article on performance, weight management and nutrition:

“For a number of sports, losing weight, and in particular, reducing body fat, can mean the difference between finishing in the middle of the pack and standing on the podium. Dropping a few pounds may confer an advantage, because it increases your power-to-weight ratio, a term that describes the amount of power you’re able to generate relative to the pounds you’re packing. For a Tour de France cyclist on a mountain stage in the Alps, having the same or more muscle power while carrying less body weight means faster ascents. For runners, every pound that you’re not schlepping around a track or course has a positive impact on pace. Other athletes wish to lose weight to compete in a specific weight class or because appearance is an important element of their sport.”

Full Article at Powerbar.com

Randall Mack has an interesting post on the obesity problem in America, here’s an excerpt:

“It starts on the demand-side of the obesity equation. A multigenerational fix is needed as everything from increasing human exercise and the population`s physical activity to education on food choices to reduction in out-of-control consumption are needed to fix the problem. That means long-term behavioral changes. I think the government has given up on an entire generation. Changing behaviors is difficult the older one becomes. So one of the clear foci has become kids, and the encouraging – or demanding – of physical activity and fresher foods in schools rather than sedentary video gaming and McDonalds. It is a revolution that will be led on the demand-side of the equation.”

Full post: http://randallmack.com/japan/americas-obesity-problem/

A buddy of mine recently wrote some insightful posts on America’s Obesity Problem and Tackling Childhood Obesity , read ‘em and weep. (Literally.)