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Physical Therapy as a Career

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

With the economy in the dumps many students, despite the high cost, are staying in college with the hope that a degree will give them better job opportunities and security. Countless studies have shown that people entering the workforce armed with degrees get jobs faster, and with a higher salary. For students starting college, it is an immense burden to try and figure out what career they want to pursue. One great option is physical therapy.

The job market for PT’s is currently very hot with a serious need in all areas. It provides a healthy starting income in the sixty thousand dollar range, with six figure potential. When in practice, physical therapy even helps the therapist stay in shape since there is a lot of exercise involved. A big chunk of the job is done in exercise/workout rooms. These rooms are usually padded with rubber mats to ensure safety and a more productive work environment. New physical therapists who are just starting out may not know to ask for it, but when looking at a prospective job, it is important to ensure that the necessary equipment is available, including rubber flooring. Rubber floors provide cushioning from falls, and provide extra traction for patients, enabling them to progress at a faster rate.

Whenever one makes a career decision, all angles must be considered in order to make the right choice. Deciding upon a career can be life changing, and ensuring that it will be an enjoyable and productive experience is essential. Other than workaholics, most dread the Monday morning sunrise; an enjoyable work environment can help one achieve greater happiness in every aspect of one’s life. The most important factor is work safety. An oil rig engineer’s salary starts at six figures due to the sizeable risk encountered on a daily basis, and these jobs are plentiful because people want, rightfully so, safe jobs.

Not only is physical therapy safe, it can actually enhance one’s active life, enabling a fit and healthy lifestyle. It’s very important that rubber flooring should be used in all exercise rooms. Rubber is safer, more comfortable, and cheaper in the long run. One must always remember to factor in safety when making a major decision, such as career choice.

Working Out at Home

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

Dieting. For many this word brings pictures of hunger and having to starve for hours to achieve goals. As the friend of a compulsive overeater who won the battle of her life three years ago by losing ninety pounds, I can tell you with confidence that there is a better way. There are countless diets and programs out there designed to help you lose weight but there’s only one method that will help you lose weight while doing good for your body, and that is by working out and doing exercise. Besides for keeping you in shape and feeling great about yourself, working out also keeps your body healthy. The best way to work out is in the comfort of your own home. Having a workout room situated in your home is cheaper than you think. The biggest cost cutter is rubber flooring. This is a safer and more comfortable choice than concrete or carpet.

Working out at home gives you the convenience of doing exercise whenever you have time, not only when the gym is open. This opens up many possibilities, such as an early morning workout session followed by a refreshing shower. Morning workouts can greatly affect your day. Besides for waking you up and taking the place of a caffeine fix, it also gives you an extra adrenaline rush for the rest of your day. Many refrain from working out at home, believing that expensive machines must be purchased in order to workout correctly. This notion is patently false, as proven by many studies showing that working out without machines by doing pushups, sit-ups, and working with small equipment and weights is a lot more beneficial than spending an hour on a treadmill. Having rubber flooring and rubber wearmats is essential when doing body exercises in your home. The rubber flooring absorbs hard impact and cushions your body as you work on getting yourself in shape.

As every overeater will tell you, dieting is a monumental climb. To a compulsive overeater, going without the bar of chocolate that is so tempting is paramount to a non-dieter going without water while working out. It is with this knowledge that I have reached the conclusion that the best way to diet is by doing exercise at home, so there can be no excuses not to work out. Although experts advocate eating healthy, dieting by doing safe exercise on rubber flooring is the best way to lose weight.

Playground of the Future

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

With childhood obesity on the rise around the world, parents are finding it increasingly harder to get their kids outside to play. Czech designer Pavel Tuma and his team are looking to change that with a new 5D playground in the works. While coercing children into physical activity, the playground combines online favorites, video games, and other interactive features for a complete experience that is fun, educational, and merges the old with the new.

The team of designers spent two years coming up with the specifics for this otherworldly playground. They describe it as a playground the size of a tennis court, with a 5D box right next to it. The box is a sort of mini-computer center, with a touchpad and sensors relating to the five senses. Each child would have a chip to enter the game, which is a series of physical and mental challenges that have to be overcome.  The playground itself is very attractive visually, with numerous hurdles of different kinds, a multimedia box, and various surfaces, rubber mulch among them.

The software will have six areas of knowledge – geography, history, natural sciences, entertainment, and general knowledge. Quizzes vary between concentrating on one subject, and across the board knowledge. Pavel envisions a scenario where teachers give his team the test questions a day in advance and they would take care of the rest, allowing the children to take the test through the playground system. On a nice day the test could take place out in the open, and teams of students could even play against each other. By the time they get home from school, they would have received their test results by mail, with photos on Facebook of the kids in the playground.

This playground project is still in the making, but there has been interest from countries all over the world, some looking to fight childhood obesity, with others looking at it as a source of tourism. From the looks of it, computerized playgrounds have a bright future.

The Coke and Pepsi Critics

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

It has come to the point in society where even do-gooders are criticized.

In response to an alarming rise in childhood obesity and pointed fingers that soft drinks are a large part of the cause, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have launched numerous programs in the recent past that are designed to promote physical activity and movement. As part of the growth of the movement, last year Coca-Cola bestowed on Howe Elementary School of Excellence on Chicago’s West Side a $25,000 grant for a new, safe playground.

After students wrote thank you letters to Coke, critics accused Coke of using this as another advertising tactic. They claim that this move associates in students’ minds the thought that their school approves of Coke, and by extension, their products. This criticism comes even in the face of the Assistant Principal’s statement that Coke did not in any way try to promote their products through the building of the playground.

Bystanders are left to wonder how the purely righteous act of donating a safe playground has become an advertising ploy in the minds of some.

In 2005 and 2006 PepsiCo joined forces with nonprofit organization KaBoom to build 12 new playgrounds across the United States. Last year along Coca-Cola’s Sprite brand invested an estimated $2 million in building and renovating 150 neighborhood parks, playgrounds, basketball courts, and fields. It is estimated that Coca-Cola’s pledges to the program will cost them an estimated $1 million a year for five years.

While critics knock Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, the two companies have helped prevent numerous injuries by installing rubber mulch flooring in their playgrounds. When they build a playground, they do it all the way. The playgrounds built by these corporate giants feature the latest technology to help improve playground safety, and they know that is starts with rubber mulch flooring.

The critics can keep up their complaints while Coke and Pepsi work to promote exercise in children in a safe manner, with rubber mulch playground flooring.

Childhood Obesity and Rubber Mulch

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Childhood obesity is a problem that is plaguing today’s society. Various experts blame it on different factors. Some say that childhood obesity is on the rise because kids today have too much access to junk food and sugary sodas. Others say that technology is to blame, as kids become couch potatoes. These and other aspects of our lifestyle may all be contributing factors.

All agree that a great way to battle childhood obesity is for kids to get out and play; to do physical actions. This does not mean just organized sports, but using their creativity to enjoy outdoor activities. According to this line of reasoning, a playground is vital to battling the bulge in children, and no playground is complete without the necessary safety measures.

Rubber mulch flooring helps parents rest at ease, and children play free, with an extra measure of protection in playground safety. The rubber gives added traction and absorbency to protect from falls. This can be especially reassuring to an overweight child, as the traction makes it easier to run about and play. The Playsafer flooring comes in various forms, to suit different playgrounds and areas. The most common form is rubber mulch chips, which look similar to wood chips. They come in a variety of colors. There is also bonded rubber flooring, which is a hard packed floor if rubber that adds a special springiness to the step. There are rubber curbs that cordon off a play area, as well as wearmats, which are placed in areas of high impact. They add an extra cushion and layer of protection.

Children who are obese are often insecure, especially in the outdoors where their bulk puts them at a marked disadvantage. Secure ground can, quite literally, return a spring to their steps. Parents must do everything in their power to help their children overcome this growing epidemic. Using rubber mulch in playgrounds is a good way to start.

3 Summer Safety Tips

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

For most people, summer is a time of vacation and relaxation, but for thousands of families each year, it can be a time of medical strife. The National Safe Kids campaign reports that one in four kids ages fourteen and younger sustain medical injuries during the summer that require medical attention. They have also found that forty percent of all injury related emergency room visits, and forty-two percent of all injury deaths happen between the months of May and August. The statistics are chilling, and a frightening wake up call for parents everywhere. There are easy ways to help prevent the principle causes of injuries to children.

Playground Flooring
Is your playground really as safe as you’d like it to be? Studies have shown that rubber mulch is the safest playground flooring on the market. Rubber mulch looks like wood chips, but is made out of recycled rubber, providing an alternative that is friendly to kids and to the environment. The flooring has shock absorbing properties that help prevent injuries in children. Rubber mulch in your neighborhood playground can be the difference between sprained wrists or merely bruises. Check with your neighborhood parks department that the parks and playgrounds in your area are equipped with rubber mulch.

Keep Them Hydrated
Kids are often very busy having a good time, and forget mundane details such as meals and drinks. It is vital to keep your children hydrated with water, especially during long periods outdoors and at the pool. Dehydration is a leading cause of emergency room visits for children, as their small bodies retain less water than adults, and they can rapidly dehydrate to dangerous levels.

Helmets
Whether it’s on a scooter, bike, roller blades, or the like, a helmet is vital. Helmets can be the difference between life and death. Dusk is a particularly dangerous time, as drivers have lower visibility, and may not see a child before it’s too late. Make sure that your kids don’t leave the driveway without a helmet on.

Write to your local officials to ensure that rubber mulch is used in community playgrounds, and keep a large stock of water on hand at all times. Make sure that your kids’ helmets fit well, and are in good condition. Keep your summer experience happy and healthy with the necessary safety guidelines in place.

Role of Playground in a Kid`s Life

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Ship_Play_Unit_Playgrounds_Waterslides_Aqualands_ToysPlaygrounds help a lot in physical and mental development of a child. Playgrounds and other playing areas teach the kids to socialize. But it is the responsibility of the parents to make the play areas safe and secure for the children. Nowadays children are not safe in the grounds and backyards. There are several reports of accidents and injuries. They are many things which should be done to make the playground safe for children. Most of the times the flooring a playground is hard. An ideal surface should be soft and tender. Nowadays you can find lots of surfacing options. One of the most popular options is playground mulch. Playground mulch is beneficial in many ways.
It makes the playground soft for kids. It is eco friendly and manufactured from old rubber tires. It prevents the environment from thousand of old tires. If you are planning to buy mulch for your playground then there are many things which should be considered. You should never buy anything without planning the budget. Proper budget will help you a lot in saving some amount of money. Mulch is available in several colors. It is a smart idea to spend some time with your kid and choose his favorite colors.

Spring into Summer with Playground Safety

Sunday, May 23rd, 2010

As spring moves into summer play weather, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is reminding Americans to take the proper steps to ensure that their local playgrounds are safe places for play and recreation. To assist, NRPA has published The Dirty Dozen, a comprehensive brochure and playground-safety resource for playground managers, parents and caregivers.  from  PRWEB http://www.prweb.com/releases/NRPA/Dirty_Dozen_Guide/prweb4030374.htm

Let’s Move! has an ambitious but important goal: to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation.

Playing outdoors is a major component in fighting childhood obesity, and significantly contributes to the mental and physical health and wellbeing of young people,” said Barbara Tulipane, CEO of NRPA. It is the responsibility of every community to provide children with safe and challenging play environments.”

Let’s Move will give parents the support they need, provide healthier food in schools, help our kids to be more physically active, and make healthy, affordable food available in every part of our country.

When playing outdoors!

1. Don’t forget what’s below your feet! Grass is not an acceptable surfacing for playgrounds. One of the leading causes of injury on playgrounds is falling from playground equipment. To minimize the frequency and severity of injury from playground falls, it is crucial to have certified playground surfacing, such as rubber mulch surfacing installed under and around the equipment on any public playground. This surfacing is certified to have sufficient depth or thickness to minimize impact injuries from falls. Like you would find that when the white house had a playground installed, they chose recycled Playsafer Rubber Mulch and Rubber Curbs from Rubberecycle.com of Lakewood New Jersey.

2. Be an advocate for safety standards. Playground equipment and surfacing have been carefully evaluated by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). The standards set by these organizations help ensure that playground equipment and surfacing is age appropriate and designed with the measurement of children’s physical dimensions, skills and abilities in mind. IPEMA runs an industry-leading certification program to test and validate playground equipment and surfacing to meet ASTM standards.

3. Proper installation is key to safety! Playground equipment should be installed by individuals experienced in assembly directions and knowledgeable about the environment surrounding the playground, including soil, drainage and the use of other construction materials, tools, equipment and machinery. The manufacturers of specific pieces of equipment can provide certified installers, or the International Playground Contractors Association can provide assistance.

For more playground safety tips from Doctor  at Toms River  Little League http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKlfiNV-iwU

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