Get ready to dribble, pass and dunk with Austin Peay State University! Austin Peay will host a basketball camp for both boys and girls January 2, 2009.

The boy's basketball camp will be conducted by Dave Loos, the men's basketball coach for Austin Peay, and the girl's camp will be conducted by Carrie Daniels, the women's basketball coach.

The camp is a skill development camp which will help teach or improve kids' basketball skills. The camp will be held at Austin Peay State University. Transportation will be provided to and from the camp by Child Youth and School Services.

The camp schedule will consist of: Practice time and meet and greet with Austin Peay State University basketball players.

The camp is open to all youth in 4th to 8th grades. All participants must be registered with CYS and have a current physical on file.

The free registration is available at Taylor Youth Center (TYC) and SKIESUnlimited starting December 2. For additional information on the Austin Peay State University Basketball Camp, please contact CYS at (931) 237-2822.

For information on registering your child with Child and Youth Services, please call (270) 798-0674.

The Iron Knights Youth Wrestling Club is starting registration this month.

The wrestling club is open to all boys and girls starting at age 4. Our season runs from November through April.

The entire family can get involved as we are always looking for volunteer coaches. For more information, email Jamie or call 931-233-9091, or visit us at www.myironknights.com.

(ARA) - Everybody knows that exercise is good. Doctors have told us for years that exercise can help us lose weight, look better, feel better, and even sleep better. However, exercise sounds like work, and many of us claim that we just don’t have time to add more work to our daily lives.

Dr. Bart Lerner (EdD), president of Argosy University, Phoenix, offers guidelines for approaching an exercise regimen than can help everyone benefit from exercise. Lerner says, “Simply stated, sport-exercise psychology can be defined as mental management of physical resources. Staying mentally focused is the most important factor.”

To build motivation for exercise, Lerner recommends outlining the reasons why you want to participate in the activity. Some people exercise to improve their performance in a sport, while others exercise to tone muscles, or socialize with friends at a gym. “There is usually more than one reason why we exercise,” Lerner says, “The number one reason is weight control. It could be to lose extra weight gained throughout the year or to address health problems that have a tendency to appear in overweight people.”

Making changes in your environment can help keep motivation levels high. If your exercise equipment sits in the basement, consider moving it to a more convenient spot in your house. If you don’t have the facilities at home, purchase a gym membership. “When you provide for successful exercise experiences, good things can happen,” says Lerner, “You don’t have to do three sets of 10 from the start. Provide realistic goals. Doing one set will give you success, and you can build on that success each time.”

Lerner also suggests making your exercise fun. “People are less likely to see exercise as a chore when it contains elements of fun. Consider adding music as a motivator during the session. Mix it up a bit by varying the content or sequence of the workout. Work on arms and legs one day, and legs and stomach the next,” says Lerner, “By setting realistic goals that you can achieve frequently, you feel satisfied along the way. As you progress in the level of your workout, you’ll feel better. At that point, the workout becomes its own motivator.”

Lerner says that those who seek to benefit from working out should exercise three to five days a week for 25 to 45 minutes at a time. During each session, try to reach 60 percent to 70 percent of your maximal heart rate. A simple formula for figuring maximal heart rate is to take 220 and subtract your age. Each time you exercise, try to reach 60 percent of that number. To find your heart rate, feel your pulse and count the beats for ten seconds. Multiply by six to get the heart rate per minute.

“Exercise can reduce the chances of heart disease and hypertension, and reduce stress,” Lerner says, “It releases endorphins in the brain, which can add to our emotional well-being. Exercise also makes one more aware of self, and can build confidence.”

Courtesy of ARAcontent

For better or worse, varicose veins look more serious than they are. These enlarged, twisted veins generally are not a health hazard. They can, however, ache or cause discomfort, and women may find them distressing from a cosmetic standpoint.

"Inside veins are a series of valves, or flaps, that open and close. These help ensure that blood flows in the proper direction--up toward the heart, and not down the leg," said Dr. William Edwards, Jr., vascular surgeon at Saint Thomas Hospital. "In varicose veins, these valves become weakened and fail to work properly. Free to flow downward, blood pools behind the door of the valve, causing the vein to swell and become distorted."

Possible causes of varicose veins may include: family history, circulatory problems and age (over time, the walls of veins lose elasticity and weaken). Factors such as pregnancy, excess weight, tight-fitting clothes and standing for long periods of time can also restrict blood flow or increase pressure on veins, causing them to weaken.

"The good news," Dr. Edwards says, "is there are strategies to help keep varicose veins from worsening--and possibly preventing them in the first place." They include:

* Wear support stockings during the day
* Elevate your legs higher than your heart for 10 to 15 minutes a few times a day
* Exercise regularly to increase circulation in your legs
* Avoid crossing your legs
* Frequently flex your feet and ankles when sitting
* Maintain a healthy weight
* Avoid tight clothing around your waist, hips, and legs
* Don't sit or stand in one position for a long time
* Sleep with your feet propped on a pillow

If varicose veins cause you discomfort, you may want to speak to your doctor about treatment options. Also, seek medical attention if you experience severe pain, inflammation, bleeding, or open sores near a vein.

For more information, visit St. Thomas

To schedule an appointment with a vascular surgeon, call (615) 284-LIFE.