Clasuae

Q. I tend to stay away from sit-ups because they often hurt my neck. Is there an effective way to work your abdominals so that you don't strain your neck? A. When done correctly, sit-ups will help to tone the muscles in your midsection as well as work to protect your back and enhance your overall posture. But do note that doing sit-ups incorrectly can be a complete waste of time - and even cause injury to your back. In order for sit-ups to be effective, proper  technique  is a must. More often than not, I'll see people using so much momentum that most of the work is being done by the neck, arms and legs rather than the abs. Keeping your knees bent during sit-ups helps to neutralize the action of the hip flexors (structures that comprise the hip joint) and therefore forces the abs to work harder. Do note, however, that the abs work hardest during the initial phase of the sit-up, because shortly after the initial lift, the hip flexors take over. The best approach is to lift yo...

IF I ASKED you what Judi Dench, Joanna Lumley, Pierce Brosnan and Robin Williams had in common, you would rightly say they are all actors. But if I were to throw Paul McCartney, Roald Dahl and George Bernard Shaw into the mix, perhaps you wouldn't be quite so sure. So I will put you out of your misery and let you into the secret. All of the aforementioned personalities have turned to the Alexander Technique to help them overcome muscle problems, poor posture, anxiety, asthma and a variety of other ailments -- and the number of people joining them is growing. Next month, from July 13-18, an Alexander Technique Summer School will take place in the  University of Limerick  and promises to show participants exactly how to make the method work for them to cure niggling pains, correct posture and ultimately save them a fortune in medical bills. I have always had back problems, thanks to a childhood incident in which a car drove over my foot. Unsurprisingly, it was a pret...

Yoshitaka Takeya thought he was heading for a playoff after squandering a late lead at the Japan Golf Tour Championship. Instead, he walked off with his first title as a pro. Takeya won the Japan  GTO  tour's second major when South Korea's Lee Sang Hee was assessed a two-shot penalty after catching the Japanese on the last hole of the final round Sunday at the Shishido Hills Country Club in Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture. Takeya, the overnight coleader who started the round three shots ahead of Lee, rode a hot putter in a run of five straight birdies from the ninth hole, but bogeyed the final two holes to shoot a 68 and finish at 17-under 271. Lee, who had eight birdies, sank a par putt on No. 18 to apparently force a playoff with Takeya after trailing by four strokes with four holes to play. But tournament officials reviewed Lee's actions on the 11th hole, assessing him a penalty for improving his line on a putt. Lee said he was sweeping away debris with his fingers, but offi...

Employers ended 2003 with plans to add 8,874 jobs in Jacksonville, an improvement from last year but still well below the three years before that. The total is below experts' predictions that employers would create 10,000 to 12,000 jobs in the area this year, but still is 13 percent above last year's rate. Planned Jobs During our five-year survey, including 2003, we found that employers said during 2002 they could create 7,830 jobs in Jacksonville during 2002; 10,528 jobs during 2001; 12,778 jobs in 2000; and 12,581 jobs in 1999. While not meeting projections, last year's expectations still represent a turnaround following the recession and the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks. Employers said during December that they might create 176 jobs if they carried through with their plans, capping a roller coaster year of reports. They announced net job losses in November and May, and net increases the other months, ranging from 262 jobs in October to 1,337 jobs during April....

TRAVEL: Is This the Most Amazing Resort on the Planet?; Iain Mayhew VISITS DUBAI'S NEW ODYSSEY, THE JUMEIRAH PALM, WHICH CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE IT'S a job to know what to make of Dubai. One sign on a bridge across the motorway between the airport and the city centre proclaims: "At the Global Crossroads of Finance and Initiative." Dubai There are other signs, too. Media City - turn left here for CNN, WBC, Reuters, all neatly packed into acres of gleaming air-conditioned glass and concrete. Internet City - IBM, Microsoft, Dell, Hewlett-Packard - ditto, and in a complex barely a USB connection away. The six-lane highway which runs through town, a black ribbon stretching from Sharjah to Abu Dhabi, is straddled by Porsche and Mercedes showrooms, office buildings and hotels and vast empty sandy spaces where you know that, within six months, there will be another towering edifice which defies the laws of construction. Certainly the lights at this crossroads between East and ...

Dubai Stay & Cruise Emirates Airline Flying with Emirates is a world-class experience. Its fleet is one of the youngest in the world and your personal comfort is assured with generous seating space. The brilliant ice entertainment system offers up to 2,000 channels of on-demand movies, TV programmes and games. Your holiday starts in style with a two night stay at the stunning AtlantisThe Palm where you can enjoy the heady luxury of this ocean-themed resort. Spectacularly set on the crescent of the Palm Jumeirah Island, an incredible feat of engineering that's barely ten years old, this ground-breaking hotel affords stunning views of the Arabian Sea. Staying on a half-board basis at this luxurious resort, you'll have access to a selection of its outstanding restaurants, as well as fantastic Dubai attractions such as the underwater wonders of The Lost Chambers, an aquarium filled with 65,000 species of colourful marine life. During your stay, you'll be able to experience ...

JOBS BOARD Looking for work? Look no further as our Get Britain Working campaign finds 19,939 opportunities up for grabs this week. We scour the UK to find out who has vacancies, and where, to help you head in the right direction for work. We've teamed up with our brilliant website Fish4jobs to create a one-stop jobs shop on our website. Visit mirror.co.uk /jobs for lots more guidance and work. JOBS Co-op 1,500 jobs Opening 100 stores this year in locations across London and the South East, Wales and Scotland. There are currently around 350 vacancies, mainly for customer team leaders and team members, who don't need previous experience.jobs.coop.co.uk Compass Events 1,000+ jobs Fancy working at some of the most exciting events of 2019? Recruiting is underway for hospitality teams at the Wimbledon tennis championships, Cheltenham races and Glyndebourne Festival, as well as jobs at venues such as London's ExCeL and top football clubs. Openings include bar, restaurant, kitchen...