Presents a spiritually oriented physical fitness program combining lifestyle principles (breath and posture, mindfulness, appropriate action, practice) with fitness disciplines (kinesthetic training, strength training, cardiovascular training, meditation, nutrition).

The Engineering Approach to Winter Sports presents the state-of-the-art research in the field of winter sports in a harmonized and comprehensive way for a diverse audience of engineers, equipment and facilities designers, and materials scientists. The book examines the physics and chemistry of snow and ice with particular focus on the interaction (friction) between sports equipment and snow/ice, how it is influenced by environmental factors, such as temperature and pressure, as well as by contaminants and how it can be modified through the use of ski waxes or the microtextures of blades or ski soles. The authors also cover, in turn, the different disciplines in winter sports: skiing (both alpine and cross country), skating and jumping, bob sledding and skeleton, hockey and curling, with attention given to both equipment design and on the simulation of gesture and track optimization.

Grab your skis, ice skates, and snowboard and learn how the Winter Olympic Games became a worldwide phenomenal event watched by millions. Although fans the world over have been fascinated by the modern Summer Olympics since 1896, the Winter Olympics didn't officially begin until 1924. The event celebrates cold-weather sports, displaying the talents of skiers, ice skaters, hockey players, and, most recently, snowboarding. Like its summer counterpart, the Winter Games are dedicated to bringing together the world's top athletes to honor their talents and see who gets to stand on the medal podium. Gail Herman covers it all in a wonderful read--the highs, such as the 1980 US hockey team's unexpected gold medal grab, as well as the lows, including the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan figure-skating scandal in 1994. Includes 80 black-and-white illustrations and a 16-page photo insert.

Night 1 / My life is perfect. / I have a bowl full of seeds, a cozy pile of wood shavings, and room to run. / I'm never leaving here. / Question: Who's the luckiest hamster in the world? / Answer: ME! Seymour the hamster has the perfect life. He has a spacious cage, a constant food supply, and a FuzzyBoy 360 exercise wheel that lets him run to his heart's content. Life could not be better. Or could it? When Pearl the cat tells Seymour of the goodies beyond the safe confines of his cage, he starts to think he's missing out. And out is the new in! It's only after Seymour is out of his cage that he begins to fully appreciate his safe and cozy home.

The inspiring true story of one woman's transformation from 335 pounds to world-class triathlete in just four years. After being on yo-yo diets almost all her life, Sue Reynolds was still morbidly obese, but decided to try one more time without much hope for positive results. But this time was different. She was fed up with not being able to do things because of her size. She was tired of not being able to tie her own shoes, fit in restaurant booths, or walk more than a few feet. She was ready. The Athlete Inside follows Reynolds's journey as she lost 200 pounds and found an athlete hiding inside her body. From her first walk to the neighbor's mailbox to finishing sixth at the World Triathlon Championship, Reynolds discovered the joy of conquering fear and pride to find that the best version of herself had been there all along. A world-class triathlete and a grandmother, Reynolds is proof that you can transform your life at any age. Her story is one of hope, tenacity, and faith, as she committed to doing whatever it took to be among the best triathletes in the world. It's a story about a unique intergenerational relationship between Reynolds and the young coach who earned her trust and helped her develop fitness and confidence. It's a story about the power of kindness and the spiritual growth Reynolds experienced as she realized the compassion that surrounded her was the face of God. Ultimately, it's the story of how each of us can discover amazing gifts and talents within ourselves.

SERIOUS Training for Endurance Athletes provides the tools to create training programs and workouts that will pay off in competition. Endurance athletes, coaches, and multisport fitness buffs will learn how to design, schedule, execute, and monitor training programs for top results. Rob Sleamaker joins with Ray Browning, seven-time Ironman Triathlon winner, to produce a much improved version of the highly popular earlier edition. You'll learn to: - set up and manage your personalized training schedule; - use the S-E-R-I-O-U-S system of training--Speed, Endurance, Race-pace, Intervals, Overdistance, Up-hill Intervals, Strength; - add variety to your workouts; - develop a winning nutritional program; - prepare mentally for races; and - stay motivated to train and win. The authors share their expertise in a fun and informative way, drawing from their own experiences as champions. Plus, the book features the latest training advice for running, cycling, mountain biking, swimming, rowing, cross-country skiing, cross training, duathlons, and triathlons. SERIOUS Training for Endurance Athletes is your guide to high-level fitness and performance.

The extraordinary story of the small Vermont town that has likely produced more Olympians per capita than any other place in the country, Norwich gives “parents of young athletes a great gift—a glimpse at another way to raise accomplished and joyous competitors” (The Washington Post). In Norwich, Vermont—a charming town of organic farms and clapboard colonial buildings—a culture has taken root that’s the opposite of the hypercompetitive schoolyard of today’s tiger moms and eagle dads. In Norwich, kids aren’t cut from teams. They don’t specialize in a single sport, and they even root for their rivals. What’s more, their hands-off parents encourage them to simply enjoy themselves. Yet this village of roughly three thousand residents has won three Olympic medals and sent an athlete to almost every Winter Olympics for the past thirty years. Now, New York Times reporter and “gifted storyteller” (The Wall Street Journal) Karen Crouse spills Norwich’s secret to raising not just better athletes than the rest of America but happier, healthier kids. And while these “counterintuitive” (Amy Chua, bestselling author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother) lessons were honed in the New England snow, parents across the country will find that “Crouse’s message applies beyond a particular town or state” (The Wall Street Journal). If you’re looking for answers about how to raise joyful, resilient kids, let Norwich take you to a place that has figured it out.