By Ryan Unverzagt Welcome to another edition of From the Trainer. July’s exercise of the month is the Barbell Lunge. This particular exercise challenges your balance, core, and leg strength. The starting position is shown in Figure 1. The barbell will rest on the upper back as you take a long stride forward. Lower your body toward the floor by bending your front knee and hip to about 90 degrees. As this happens, shift your body weight to the front leg (Figure 2). Avoid leaning forward at the waist but make sure your knee stays over the toes and aligned with the front foot. Without pausing at the bottom, push forcefully up and backward. Body weight will then shift back to the “trail leg” to bring you back to start position. Try at least 10 reps on each leg. Variations to this lunge include alternating legs on each repetition or stepping backward to perform a reverse lunge. If you choose to reverse the lunge, make sure you shift your weight to the front leg first, and then step backward. Keep body weight on the front leg while the trail leg is used for balance. Another variation is the walking lunge in which you keep moving forward with each lunge. You could also hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides instead of using the barbell on the upper back. Either way you choose to do the lunge, it will provide the challenge and intensity you’ve been looking for! Until next month…..enjoy the Barbell Lunge.
By Peggie Arvidson Is your lack of self-care affecting your profitability? This month let’s talk about Self Care, shall we? I’m in the business of helping people like you; connect with other people – primarily so that you can get paid for helping other people. I’m adamant about the power of self-care in this process. I don’t believe we can ever help anyone else at a deep level if we’re not willing or able to honor ourselves with that same level of love, compassion and care, you know? This is true even if you don’t work for yourself. Make sure your needs are met and provide care for yourself in order to have a successful and financially meaningful life. Some of you know my story from success, to rock bottom, to where I am now. I’ve done some spying into my own psyche lately to see what was happening under the surface that contributed to those material highs and lows. What I see is a direct correlation to how much I liked myself. Oh, I always knew what I was supposed to say and do from a self-talk and spiritual perspective. I went through motions like a good practitioner, but when things were really tough financially, I know that I carried the guilty belief that if I didn’t make money, I wasn’t worthy. It’s interesting to note that I’ve always been very materially motivated. I got my first job, baby-sitting, when I was 11 or 12. I used some of my money to invest in a babysitter’s class through the American Red Cross, so that I would be the most sought after babysitter in my neighborhood. And I was. I just knew in my bones that having my own money was my ticket to calling my own shots. This idea…
By F. Lennox Campello I am often asked, usually by friends outside the art cabal, and by people who become interested in collecting art, but have never collected artwork, what they should “collect.” “What should I buy Lenster?” “How do I start?” And thus, I would like to answer this question in this month’s column. Many years ago, I formed an educated opinion on this subject based on empirical observations. And in my opinion, for most of us (not the Rubells, Saatchis and the de la Cruzes), there are really only two basic rules to start an art collection: Collect what you like, and… 2…..Whenever possible, buy the original. That’s clear, right? Buy and collect only what you like, what attracts your eyes, brain, guts… and what interests you personally, and is within your economic means. If you like the work of a particular artist, or a specific kind of prints (like Japanese woodcuts), or drawings (such as figurative drawings), then focus your collection in those areas. This also comes with a caveat, as a lot of excessive attention is often placed on a “focused” collection. A diverse collection may make less sense to some than a focused one, but it only has to make sense to you! After all, it is your collection. It has also been my experience, that the more affluent a “beginning collector” is, the higher the probability that he/she will get swindled into spending a lot of money for wall décor and fancy frames. Since most of us are not affluent, the high end of the commoditized art market is not where I’m focusing this post. For those affluent folks: if the “gallery” has large realistic paintings of cigars resting on wine glasses, or the artwork comes with an “option” for a rococo frame, run…
Hamilton the West Indian (not the Musical) by Jeff McCord If not for a hurricane that devastated St. Croix in 1772, Alexander Hamilton may never have moved to North America, never fought with Washington in the Revolutionary War and not served as America’s first Secretary of the Treasury. And, there would be no Tony-award winning musical based on this founding father’s life. Fortunately for Broadway musicals, on August 31, 1772 a hurricane did strike the then Danish West Indian island of St. Croix where young, impoverished Alexander Hamilton spent his most formative years. The storm was biblical in strength. A journalist’s account, found by National Park Service historian William Cissel, described its impact on what is now the largest U.S. Virgin Island: “All the houses near shore were torn even to the foundations . . . The wall around the [Danish] King’s store house, which was above a yard thick, was tumbled down to the ground and hurled a hundred yards off . . . [The sea] swelled up to 70 feet above the usual height . . . In Christiansted, 460 houses were thrown down . . . All the ships were cast ashore, 50 or 100 yards [up] on the land.” It was 16 year-old Hamilton’s story on this storm that caught the attention of the Danish Governor. He led the business community to raise money to send the prodigy to King’s College (now Columbia University) in New York. In the Royal Danish American Gazette, Hamilton wrote: “It began about dusk from the North. . . and raged very violently till ten o’clock. Then ensued a sudden and unexpected interval, which lasted about an hour. Meanwhile the wind was shifting round to the South West point, from whence it returned with redoubled fury and continued so ’till near…
HORTON VINEYARDS A Major Player in Virginia’s Wine Industry Situated along the rolling hills of Orange County just west of Gordonsville, Horton Vineyards is one of the most innovative wineries in the country. Utilizing the latest viticultural techniques, owner Dennis Horton is charting a new generation of wines made from Viognier, the premier grape of France’s Rhone Valley, and other premium varieties from southern France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Russia/Georgia. He continues to explore new varietals to discover the best that Virginia viticulture can produce. Horton Vineyards started in 1983 as a small winemaking venture with a small home vineyard in Madison County. It did not take Horton long to realize that, although the Virginia summers were warm enough to ripen almost any grape variety, the humid conditions favored growing grapes with thicker skins and loose clusters. Thus began his search for varieties that would flourish in Virginia’s climate and had the capacity to produce some of the finest wines of the world. Initially, the search was concentrated on the warm growing regions of southern France, and before planting any additional grapes, Dennis Horton traveled to the Rhone Valley in France. In his research, one grape in particular seemed to keep coming up as perfect-Viognier. It had a thick skin and loose clusters, perfect for the Virginia climate. The decision was made to plant Viognier, along with lesser amounts of Marsanne, Mourvedre, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and several other grape varieties like the native grape Norton. Dennis was intrigued by the idea of reviving this historic grape which had almost died out during prohibition. In 1988, Dennis and partner Joan Bieda acquired 55 acres to launch Horton Vineyards. The first small crop was harvested in 1991 and made into wine at Montdomaine Cellars. Dennis took over management of Montdomaine Cellars, and…
By Doug Fabbioli Collaboration Over the years, I have recognized that working with others has numerous benefits. For best results, it is important to make sure you are working with others that understand how to cooperate and collaborate as well as manage your expectations of the results. If you are volunteering on a benevolent effort, like a soup kitchen or a church project, it is assumed that the volunteers are there to help others and can take direction to achieve the goal. But in business, collaborating with others can get confusing for some. Everyone should benefit in a collaborative effort, but nothing says that the benefits will be equal. A good business collaborator will gather together other progressive business owners to work on a larger project that can benefit all. Usually it is a marketing effort and sometimes it is a political effort to protect the local lands or a business practice. Whatever the reason, to gather these business people together, they need to look at each other’s needs and goals. By being a bit more of a giver than a taker, so much more can be accomplished. This translates into politicians on all levels as well, but I am not going to dive into that realm! The big thing is that there is no hidden agenda. The authenticity of the players shines through with each move as long as one is looking. I have been working with our county’s rural economic development team for over 12 years now. There are many different business sectors as well as conservation agencies and government agencies. We all agree that keeping the land open and conducive to farming will benefit all. There are lots of issues that go along with this fundamental premise but as each of us in the group see the…