localmiamiguide

Jerry Hinkle

Jerry Hinkle — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:09:26 +0000

Photographer & Makeup artist team specializing in headshots, model portfolios, beauty, fashion, lifestyle images.
Professional, experienced, reasonable prices. Studio and Location.

miami photography

Studio 61 Hair Boutique

johnny diol — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:16:11 +0000

At Studio 61 we are committed to making your time here an enjoyable salon experience. Our Team of Hair Designers are trained to the highest level to ensure that you leave with the cut and color you always wanted. Studio 61 Hair Boutique offers a wide range of hair, nail and make-up services. The salon boasts a line up of acclaimed stylists who provide traditional technical and freestyle creative cutting, colouring and make-up. Some are curly hair specialists and others have extensive experience working in fashion and the media. In addition to its acclaimed stylist services, the salon has the following features to make your visit as comfortable and convenient as possible: Large-screen plasma TV Complimentary Wi-Fi internet access Extended opening hours (until 9pm fridays) Vast selection of fashion books Playlists delivered through a supreme quality sound system Packages and group discounts for hair and/or make-up services for weddings or other special occasion

Dover Jewelry & Antiques

miamistaff — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:07:15 +0000

Dover Jewelry & Antiques of Miami, FL has established a legacy in the Antique jewelry & Estate jewelry business over the past 20 years. As one of the nation’s premier estate jewelers, we have traveled the world buying jewelry & Antiques including Antique engagement rings, Vintage earrings, Retro bracelets and other estate jewelry. We have expanded our wholesale business to now include web offerings to discerning estate jewelry aficionados like yourself. Whether you are looking for an Antique Art Deco engagement ring, a pair of vintage earrings, or estate diamond jewelry, we strive to bring you the best quality and price that can be offered with excellent customer service to match.

Story behind Miami

miamistaff — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:15:00 +0000

More than 10,000 years ago, the Tequesta Indians enjoyed the area now known as Miami, until Spanish explorers arrived in the 16th century. By the 19th century, treasure hunters from the Bahamas flocked to the shipwrecks of the Great Florida Reef, along with Seminole Indians and runaway slaves.

In 1891, a widow named Julia Tuttle came to Florida, buying 640 acres of land on the north bank of the Miami River. With her visionary attitude, Tuttle persuaded railroad tycoon Henry Flagler to bring his railroad from northern Florida to Miami. Flagler also built a luxury hotel and made grand plans for “the birth of a new city.” Thousands moved to Miami as a direct result of these modern developments.

Despite the Great Depression in the 1930s, Pan-American Airways launched the “Flying Clippers” and declared Miami to be the “Gateway to the Americas.” In 1959, as Fidel Castro assumed leadership in Cuba, a mere 90 miles away, more than half a million Cubans sought refuge in Miami and South Florida. Miami weathered another wave of intense immigration in 1980, known as the Mariel Boatlift, when about 125,000 Cuban refugees flocked to Miami. Today’s Miami reflects its immigration history, with more than half of its large Latin-American population originally from Cuba.
Since 2001, Miami’s city-wide improvement program (valued at more than $500 million) has brought upgrades and enhancements to each of its 13 neighborhoods. With a sunny future in mind, “Midtown Miami,” a $1.2 billion residential and commercial development is planned.

The Seminole Wars

The Second Seminole War, fought between 1835 and 1842, was the longest, bloodiest Indian war in American history (The First Seminole War was waged in several parts of northern Florida in 1818). The conflict erupted following efforts by the United States to relocate Seminole Indians west of the Mississippi River in Indian Country (today’s Oklahoma and a portion of Arkansas). The Seminoles were renegade members of the Creek nation who had left their ancestral home in Georgia in the previous century for Florida.

The Second Seminole War led to the rapid depopulation of Miami and other parts of southeast Florida. A small military force replaced the civilian population near the end of the 1830s, as the United States Army established Fort Dallas on a portion of Fitzpatrick’s abandoned slave plantation on the north bank of the stream. Soldiers from Fort Dallas periodically paddled upriver and into the nearby Everglades in an effort to engage the elusive Seminoles in combat.

The Second Seminole War ended in 1842. Shortly thereafter, Fitzpatrick’s nephew, William English, acquired the former’s Miami River possessions and reconstituted the slave plantation, adding new buildings to the complex. A man of large ambitions and vision, English platted the “Village of Miami” on the south bank of the river. He sold several lots in that development before leaving the area, at the beginning of the 1850s, for California and the gold rush.

The Third Seminole War (1855-1858) prompted the United States Army to reestablish Fort Dallas on the English property. Although it was fought on a far smaller scale than the previous conflict, this final Seminole War further discouraged settlement in Miami.

While the Indian problem had receded by the latter decades of the nineteenth century, the site of today’s Miami consisted of only a few families as late as the 1890s. Dade County, stretching from Indian Key to the Jupiter Inlet, contained less than 1,000 persons by the beginning of the century’s last decade. Undoubtedly, the area was among America’s last frontiers.

Miami is Born

But change was in the air. Small homesteading communities were arising along Biscayne Bay and many influential pioneers were among the incoming residents. Julia Tuttle moved to the area in 1891 and purchased the Fort Dallas land to build her home. A woman of great foresight, Tuttle prophesied that a great city would someday arise in the area, one that would become a center of trade with South America and a gateway to the Americas.

Across the river from Tuttle lived William and Mary Brickell and their large family. The Brickells arrived in Miami at the outset of the 1870s, and quickly established themselves as successful Indian traders as well as shrewd real estate investors.

Meanwhile, Henry M. Flagler, a multi-millionaire from his partnership with John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil, was extending his railroad south along Florida’s east coast, and developing cities and resorts along the way. In 1894, Flagler’s railway entered West Palm Beach.

During the following year, in the wake of two devastating freezes that wreaked havoc on Florida’s farm crops but failed to reach Miami, Flagler met with Julia Tuttle. He agreed to extend his railway to Miami in exchange for hundreds of acres of prime real estate from Tuttle and the Brickells.

Additionally, the great industrialist agreed to lay the foundations for a city on both sides of the Miami River and build a magnificent hotel near the confluence of the river and Biscayne Bay. Flagler had been quietly planning this extension long before his fateful meeting with Tuttle, since he wanted to bring his railroad all the way to Key West and link it with other parts of his vast system, which included a steamboat line and a resort in the Bahamas.

The first train entered Miami on April 13, 1896. By then a city was arising on both sides of the Miami River. The heart of the community was a retail district along Avenue D (today’s Miami Avenue) emerging north of the river, in an area of piney woods.

On July 28, 1896, 344 registered voters, a sizable percentage of whom were black laborers, packed into the Lobby, a wood frame building on Avenue D standing near the Miami River. They voted for the incorporation of the City of Miami, along with the Flagler slate of candidates.

By then, the trappings and institutions that accompany developing communities everywhere, such as a newspaper, bank, stores, and churches, had appeared. What separated Miami from other frontier communities was Henry M. Flagler’s magnificent Royal Palm Hotel.

Standing five stories tall (its rotunda in the center added another story to the structure), the yellow frame building was topped by a red mansard roof and counted among many prominent features a 578-foot long verandah. The building contained more than 400 rooms.

Soon after it opened in January 1897, the Royal Palm became a popular resort for America’s Gilded Age princes, including John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and the Vanderbilt family.

Miami endured a series of traumas during its first years as a city. A fire destroyed much of the business district on the morning after Christmas 1896. Restless, troublesome and even violent troops among the 7,500 men bivouacked in Camp Miami during the Spanish-American War of 1898 threatened the residents of the small community. The following year a fearsome yellow fever epidemic forced many families out of their homes to seek temporary, safe housing until the disease subsided.

In spite of these perils, early Miami grew quickly and by the beginning of the new century, the fledgling city contained 1,681 residents. Tourism and agriculture represented its chief economic endeavors. New neighborhoods appeared on both sides of the river. Miami had shed its frontier ambiance for that of a small southern town.

Significant projects in the century’s first decade dictated future directions. Henry Flagler succeeded in securing federal funds for the construction of a deep water channel as well as for the dredging of the Government Cut, connecting Miami’s new bayfront port with the Atlantic Ocean lying several miles east of it. Flagler was also instrumental in connecting the Keys through the extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West, some 120 miles south of Miami.

“Land by the Gallon”

The State of Florida embarked on an ambitious program of Everglades drainage in 1906. Its goal was to provide fertile new lands for agriculture. Two years later, a dredge started digging a drainage ditch near the headwaters of the Miami River, and by 1913, the Miami Canal connected the river with Lake Okeechobee, while the water from the swampland was carried out to sea along connecting waterways.

Everglades Reclamation (or drainage) led to the birth of a feverish real estate industry for Miami and much of southeast Florida as large speculators purchased millions of acres of reclaimed land from the State of Florida, then marketed it aggressively in many parts of the nation. The unsavory sales tactics of promoters who sold unwitting investors land that was underwater earned for Miami an enduring reputation for marketing “land by the gallon.”

By 1910, Miami’s population had soared to nearly 5,500, while the number of tourists and new business establishments rose sharply. Twelfth Street, today’s Flagler Street, had eclipsed Avenue D as Miami’s most important thoroughfare becoming the address for the city’s leading business establishments. Twelfth Street’s cachet continued to rise with the opening of the Burdine department store’s new five-story building, the city’s first “skyscraper,” in 1912.

Colored Town

Colored Town arose in the immediate aftermath of the city’s incorporation when land deeds to property within the municipal limits prohibited its sale to blacks everywhere except for that quarter. Despite deep pockets of poverty and a glaring absence of municipal amenities found elsewhere, this “suburb” hosted a rich array of enterprises, institutions and activities. The quarter’s main thoroughfare was Avenue G (Northwest Second Avenue), known as Little Broadway for its nightclubs and dance halls, as well as the sparkling roster of nationally renowned black entertainers who visited and performed in those attractions.

Black Miami grew quickly, comprising twenty-five to forty percent of Miami’s population in its first generation of existence. Later called Overtown, this region would grow rapidly before experiencing a period of steep decline beginning in the 1960s for a host of reasons, including the construction of an extensive expressway system that ripped through the heart of the quarter and led to the displacement of 20,000 residents (about one-half of its population).

Miami’s First Flight

Miami’s boisterous 15th birthday celebration in 1911 featured an aerialist soaring in a Wright Brothers airplane over a Flagler-built golf course west of Colored Town. For most Miamians this event marked their first glimpse of an airplane. The experience served as a harbinger for the city’s emergence as one of the nation’s early aviation centers, since Miami’s climate, level topography, and close proximity to water made it ideally suited for aviation activity.

Soon after the inaugural aerial display, Glenn Curtiss, a famed aviator, arrived and established a flight school. By the time America entered World War I in 1917, Miami and the surrounding area hosted several flying schools, including a facility near the Miami Canal that Curtiss operated for future combat pilots in the Great War.

Beauty of Miami

Tourism boomed before and after World War I primarily through the efforts of Everest G. Sewell, a self-taught public relations whiz who headed the Miami Chamber of Commerce’s tourist promotional campaign. Many prominent visitors built large, stately homes along beautiful Brickell Avenue, creating a “Millionaire’s Row.” The thoroughfare’s most prominent resident was William Jennings Bryan, presidential candidate and a sterling orator, who regaled crowds in Miami’s Royal Palm Park with his Sunday Bible addresses.

Bryan’s beautiful Villa Serena was overshadowed, however, by James Deering’s Villa Vizcaya, a multi-million dollar Renaissance-era palazzo with extensive gardens overlooking Biscayne Bay. Built between 1914 and 1916, Vizcaya employed ten percent of Miami’s population in its construction.

Miami was already booming when the Roaring Twenties began. The city’s population had climbed to nearly 30,000, a 440 percent increase over the figure for 1910. It represented the largest per capita increase of any municipality in the nation. Its expanding borders now extended several miles in each direction beyond the original parameters. At the outset of the 1920s, the Miami Herald marveled at the “astounding growth of Miami as a tourist center.”
Increasing numbers of tourists remained in the area after the winter season had ended, many becoming permanent residents. But this growth would pale by comparison with what lay ahead—the onset of the great real estate boom of the mid-1920s.

Today Miami contains approximately 375,000 residents. One hundred fifty-thousand of them are Cuban; other Hispanics number about 100,000. More than one-half of Dade County’s two million residents are Hispanic, making it the largest county in the nation with a Hispanic majority. With their wide array of cultures, languages, lifestyles, and festivals, multicultural Miami and Dade County represent one of America’s most vibrant, colorful communities.

Miami has made extraordinary progress in its brief century as an incorporated entity. All indicators point to its growing importance as a nexus of trade and finance for the Americas, and as a hallowed sanctuary for peoples fleeing tyranny in our hemisphere in the twenty-first century. A major ingredient for its continued success over unprecedented challenges and obstacles will come from its willingness to draw comfort, direction, and inspiration from its proud past.

Local Miami Guide

Maiko Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar

miamistaff — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:29:15 +0000

In 1992, the Year of the Woman, Madonna was hailed as a shrewd businesswoman (which she is, despite what you may think of her). Barbra Streisand was acknowledged to be a powerful political ally. And Cindy Crawford broke the bonds of silent beauty to become what she believes is a voice for women. I won’t belittle their contributions.

But in the realm of social consciousness, it’s not celebrities, regardless of their connections, who bring about lasting change. Their roles will always be more symbolic than pragmatic. If women are to improve their status, they would do well to look more often to their own community leaders. Quietly and without fanfare women are buying and selling real estate, trading on the market, running the city’s shops (and I don’t mean boutiques filled with knickknacks or frilly blouses). These days women are more than cooks in the kitchen; they own the kitchen.

Ask Suwanee Santon. She’s owned several kitchens in South Florida, starting with Kampai, a Japanese restaurant in Miami she opened with a partner. Today she’s invested in Maiko Thai Restaurant and Lounge, a month-old eatery on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach.

A popular misconception, one I was a victim to myself, is that Maiko Thai Restaurant and Lounge and Maiko Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar on Washington Avenue are joint ventures. While they share the same first name, which roughly translates as “beautiful young girl,” the truth is that the savvy Santon, who founded Maiko Japanese, sold it this past November to long-time friend Willy Manorat and his cousin, Khruawan Russmetes. (Manorat owned Thai House I in Hialeah; Russmetes operated Thai House II in North Miami.) The sale came just six months after the restaurant opened, as its business was booming, and according to Santon, it brought her “good money.”

By early January, Santon was back in the kitchen, this time at her new restaurant, Maiko Thai. She was also in the lounge and the dining room, painting the walls a royal purple, installing the gold wing chairs, and hanging the pleated Oriental fan on the violet backdrop. This is a more intimate room than Maiko Japanese, one in which Santon hopes to foster good customer relations as well as a healthy cash register. One of her regrets the last time around is that the Japanese restaurant’s frantic early business and quick sale left her little time for owner-customer interaction.

Nor has business abated under Maiko Japanese’s new owners. Not only did I have to wait for a table during a recent visit, a crowd still lined the sidewalk when I left. On a Sunday, mind you. Manorat, whose mixed Thai-Japanese heritage makes him an appropriate successor, is maintaining Santon’s menu. In fact, Santon’s son Tony is still there, creating innovative sushi such as the kimchee roll, a blend of conch, spinach, asparagus, scallions, cucumber, and masago (fish eggs) with a Korean-influenced kimchee sauce. On a recent evening, I stopped by for my personal favorites: the spider roll, a soft-shell crab, asparagus, avocado, scallions, and masago mixture wrapped in sticky rice; and ebi misoyaki, a delectable shrimp in a semisweet miso sauce.

For those whose sushi cravings can’t overcome the prospect of waiting in line, I recommend scurrying over to Maiko Thai, one block south, one block east. Don’t look for sushi on the menu (confused diners often ask for it), but be prepared for other delights: tender-crunchy soft-shell crab; crisp (if slightly greasy) Thai egg rolls; and an absolutely inspirational mee krob, a salad of crispy rice noodles and shrimp covered with a just-sweet-enough syrup. Goongtod, shrimp wrapped with pork and bean thread noodles and then fried, is also a sure antidote to any lingering sushi stirrings.

But even with some overflow from Maiko Japanese, business has been slow at Maiko Thai. This can probably be attributed to the obvious: not only is the restaurant barely unwrapped, there exists that confusion with the name. I suspect that South Beach diners, who discovered Maiko Japanese in such short order, will soon be packing the newest Maiko.

Santon, however, suggests another concern. Thai food, she believes, is simply not as popular as Japanese, especially in this neighborhood, where many of the residents are extremely health conscious. Duck or Thai-style curry with beef, for example, are perceived as more fattening than a sushi-sashimi combo (the biggest seller at Maiko Japanese).

It’s for precisely this reason Santon prepares her Thai food with fat-free Japanese in mind. Given a choice between steaming and frying, this calorie-smart chef will choose the vapor way. She offers on the menu both white and brown rice, the brown actually more complemetary to her vegetable-heavy cuisine (with any dish on the menu, vegetables can be substituted for meat). When she turns to salmon, as with the pia lard prig, for instance, she’ll steam the fish then coat it with diced celery, pineapple, water chestnuts, and a piquant sauce of chili and garlic. The salmon is incredibly tender when prepared this way; however, the drawback is a tendency to rawness in the middle. Still, this is creative cookery, and served beautifully on oversized dinner plates. For those concerned one way or the other about the great Thai tradition of torched tastebuds, Maiko Thai provides a heat index on the menu: * a coward, ** careful, *** adventurous, and **** native Thai.

Sauteed duckling in brandy sauce lays no claim to low fats, only to delicacy. But also excellent is the pad lad nah, a transparent sen lek noodle topped with chicken and a light gravy. A comparable dish is Maiko Japanese’s yakisoba, a sauteed buckwheat noodle with chicken, bean sprouts, and cabbage. To name one better than the other would be a crime. Both dishes deserve to serve time imprisoned on your palate.

So given Santon’s predilection, why open a Thai restaurant? Why not another Japanese place? Clearly the challenge to create is stronger with the Thai. After all, Santon is serving a healthy imagination along with her pork with basil leaves. And she can enjoy the excitement of drawing a new crowd (or educating the same old one) to her establishment. Like any determined businesswoman, Santon is prepared to fight for what she wants and make the winning that much more enjoyable.

Certainly she has the experience. In Fort Lauderdale, she owned Bangkok Inn, and she also worked as a chef for South Beach’s Thai Toni. To open another of her own Thai restaurants seemed a wise move at the time, even though with Thai Toni and Ruen Thai, there are now three within walking distance of each other. Time and patrons will tell, but thus far it’s safe to say that Maiko Japanese may be symbolized by a young girl poised at adulthood, while Maiko Thai is an all natural woman.

Vacation to Montego Bay Jamaica

miamistaff — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:23:53 +0000

Montego Bay is the second largest city of Jamaica. Montego Bay is widely known as MoBay. Miles and miles of steamy beaches surround the city. There is an international airport at Montego Bay; therefore, tourists from all over the world can come here by air.

The location of the city is eye-catching and beautiful. Montego Bay Jamaica Vacation offers a nice opportunity to explore various scenic places of Montego Bay. A visit to the city offers excellent beaches, charming mountains and an array of beach activities.

There are many tourist attractions near Montego Bay. Doctorís Cave Beach is one of the most appealing beaches of Montego Bay. The beach is famous for white sands, navy seashores and abundance of bars and restaurants. The beach is wide spread over five-miles of land and it is the perfect place for swimming and enjoying various water sports because the waters of the are plain and calm. You can get changing rooms there as well to change your clothes. The beach is quite suitable for a families.

If you want to laze around in sun, sand and sea then start your Montego Bay Jamaica Vacation from the Cornwall Beach. This scenic beach is always packed by visitors and it is surrounded by fair, smooth and sugary sands. The waters are clean and placid, so you can enjoy swimming here and it is an ideal place to take the whole family.

Tourists can also enjoy rafting during Montego Bay Jamaica Vacation. Martha Braeís village is famous for river rafting. Sitting on a raised dais of bamboo logs you can see the picturesque glory of the river.

Montego Bay is the home for many resorts and beachfront hotels. It is also famous as the hub of the Jamaican tourism and marketplace for a massive part of western Jamaica. The city of Montego houses both ancient and modern constructions. Walter Fletcher Beach is one of the most famous beaches of the city. The beach is always full with travelers and visitors.

A large number of tourists come here to relish various beach activities and water sports like scuba diving, windsurfing, water sailing and other water sports.

Do not miss a visit to the Rose Hall, during your Montego Bay Jamaica Vacation. The Rose Hall is the most popular Grand House of Montego. The house is completely re-established on a sugar plantation. The construction of this historical house is eye-catching and it is the symbol of the architectural marvels of olden Jamaica.

Rocklands Feeding Station is another worth visiting spot at South of Montego. The Rocklands is dwelling to some of the migrant birds in the world. You can get here some of the rare species of birds like Doctor Bird, the national bird of Jamaica, mango hummingbird and the orange quit. Visitors can give food to the birds here.

The Ipswich Caves are located in the dense mountain woods. You have to pass through coconut and banana grooves to reach the caves. All the caves are carved from limestone and all of them are beautiful and eye-catching. Enjoy Montego Bay Jamaica Vacation visiting the beaches and exploring the beauty of the place.

Juvenile Diabetes and Teenagers

miamistaff — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:44:54 +0000

Juvenile Diabetes and Teenagers

Teenagers are young adults and are ready to take on new responsibilities. If your
teenager has had juvenile diabetes for some time, this is the time to pass the reins of
management over to them. It may seem a bit intimidating to you to let your child take
control of their diabetes but it is the best thing you can do for them. They are
approaching a time in their life when they are going to be going out on their own. For
both your sake and theirs, a comfort level needs to be reached in reading blood sugars,
giving injections and planning appropriate meals.

If your child was a teenager when he or she was first diagnosed, involve them in the
process from the beginning. Their input and the ability to make some decisions will help
them feel in control of a situation they would rather not be in.

The biggest point to stress and make sure your teenager understands is how important it
is to keep proper control of their diabetes. Juvenile diabetes is a serious disease and it has
serious complications if blood sugar levels are not kept under control.

Discuss with your child different scenarios that are sure to arise and try and come up with
solutions or ways to manage them. Drinking can have a negative affect on blood glucose
levels and it is important that a young adult realize the dangers. When they reach legal
age, they need to know how drinking can affect them and ways to incorporate that into
their life if they so choose.

As a parenting, letting go is a hard thing to do but it is necessary to create independent
adults. Trust your child to make the right decisions for their diabetes and be there to
guide them when necessary.

Do Ferrets Make Good Pets

miamistaff — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:42:47 +0000

Do ferrets make good pets? Some will agree to this while others will say no. But one thing for certain is that they are in demand right now and they are ranked number three as the pet to have in the home. If you are still not convinced, perhaps reading 10 good reasons will make you reconsider.

First, ferrets are cute. They come in black, brown, white or with mixed fur. They are longer than hamsters as they can grow up to 20 inches in length, 5 inches in height and weigh about 2 to 4 pounds. These creatures can live for 7 to 10 years with tender and loving care from their owner.

Second, they are very playful creatures. This will allow you to hold them instead of just looking through the glass to see what they are doing.

Third, they are very affectionate, friendly and sociable even if there is another ferret in the house.

Fourth, ferrets are intelligent animals. They can be trained to perform some tricks and toilet trained so you donít see any litter or stain on your carpet.

Fifth, these creatures do not make a lot of noise in the noise. The only thing you have to be concerned about is cleaning up the mess that they caused.

Sixth, because ferrets are small, you donít need to buy a huge cage. Surely, the ideal kind which measures 18î x 18î x 30î will not take that much space inside your home.

Seventh, ferrets are also easy to feed. Just make sure that what you buy contains high levels of protein and low levels of fat. This must never be rich in carbs or sugar or ever replaced with food that is intended for other animals.

Eighth, they are very curious creatures. They love to crawl to dark places like inside your pants or under the couch. They love to hide as well as jump from high places.

Ninth, every animal needs to exercise and giving your ferret a workout is not that difficult. You can take them out for a walk using a small harness.

Lastly, each ferret is different so your experience is much different with another just like the people you meet in the neighborhood.

If you are thinking of getting a ferret, you have to decide whether you want to buy one for adopt it from a shelter. You will also have to check if it is legal to own one where you live and if there is a vet that will treat it if there are any problems. You have to be one hundred percent sure you are ready to take on the responsibility because most shelters are not willing to take it back and this creature will have a hard time adjusting to the wild if you choose to set it free.

Ferrets can only survive if they are entertained and are in a safe environment. This means making your home ferret proof because they could cause serious damage to your home and harm to themselves. So although you have a cage, remember that they need to come out so both you and the creature can have some fun.

Just like other pets, they also need to be cleaned, vaccinated and undergo regular checkups.

Benefits of Fish Oil for Fitness and Health

miamistaff — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:35:30 +0000

Benefits of Fish Oil for Fitness and Health

When the words oils and fats are mentioned, health-conscious individuals tend to run for cover. What they fail to realize is that there are good fats and bad fats. Complete avoidance of intake of oils and fats would actually be detrimental ñ rather than beneficial ñ to their health.

The Truth about Fish Oil
Essential fatty acids must always be part of our daily diet ñ without them, we take one step closer to our deaths. Essential fatty acids are divided into two families: omega-6 EFAs and omega-3 EFAS.

Although there are only very slight differences to distinguish the two groups of essential fatty acids from each other, studies have revealed that too much intake of omega-6 EFAs can lead to inflammation, blood clotting and tumor growth. The good news, however, is that the opposite is true for omega-3 EFAs. Omega-6 EFAs can be found in vegetable oils while omega-3 EFAs can be found in fish oils among other foods.

Omega-6 vs. Omega-3
Physicians and scientists are of the same opinion that the cause behind increasing cases of heart disease, hypertension or high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, premature aging and certain kinds of cancer is none other than an imbalanced intake of omega-3 and omega-6 EFAs.

As mentioned earlier on, omega-6 EFAs can be found in vegetable oils. This includes but is not limited to corn oil and soy oil, both of which contains high amounts of linoleic acid. Omega-3 EFAs on the other hand can be found also in marine plankton and walnut and flaxseed oils. It should be significant to take note that fatty fish and fish oils contain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), fatty acids that have been observed to provide many benefits to the human body. In the early 1970ís, a study on Greenland Eskimos have revealed that one of the major reasons why they rarely suffer from heart diseases is because of their high-fat diet (mainly composed of fish).

The two essential fatty acids, EPA and DHA, are also helpful in preventing atherosclerosis, heart attacks, depression and various forms of cancer. Fish oil supplemented food have also proven to be useful in treating illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, Raynaudís disease and ulcerative colitis.

Other Benefits of Fish Oil
There are a lot more illnesses and situations in which intake of fish oil has proven to be significantly beneficial.

Making the Heart Healthier
The heart is inarguably one of the most important parts of our body and having an unhealthy heart means having to suffer a rather limited lifespan. Naturally, itís in our best interests to keep our hearts happy and healthy and one way of doing that is eating food that contains fish oil.

In Athens, Greece, for instance, a study was made to show if there was a direct relationship between high fish diet and inflammation of blood vessels. The results revealed that those who ate more fish than the others had a lower level of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, factors that are commonly used to measure likelihood of blood vessel inflammation. These benefits remained even when the various risks associated with high fish diet were taken into account.

Fish to Become Thin
In Perth, Australia, a study had revealed that fish consumption can be used against hypertension and obesity. Researchers of the UWA (University of Western Australia) have discovered that a weight-loss diet which includes a regular amount of fish consumption can be quite effective in reducing blood pressure and improving glucose tolerance.

Fish Oil to Combat Asthma
People suffering from respiratory problems like asthma tend to be perceived as unfit and unhealthy. They should now be pleased to learn that certain studies have revealed the benefits of fish oil for asthma-burdened-individuals. Statistics show that approximately 20 to 25% of children today suffer one form of asthma or another at a certain point in their lives. And certain evidence reveals a regular diet of food with high linoleic acid content as the reason behind it.

Researchers of UW (University of Wyoming) conducted a study by subjecting a number of children to a high-fish diet while others continued with their regular diet. Results revealed that the participants who ate more fish were less prone to asthma attacks and were able to breathe more easily as well.

Consult Your Nutritionist Now
Nothing is good when consumed or used excessively but complete avoidance of a particular food type is equally harmful as well. Ask your nutritionist for the right amount of fish intake for your age and health status.

Why Muscles Get Sore

miamistaff — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:33:23 +0000

Why Muscles Get Sore

As people age, they begin to complain more of pains in their muscles and joints. They seem to stiffen up with age, and such commonplace activities as bending over for the morning paper can make them wince.

Such pain can grip so fiercely that they are sure it begins deep in their bones. But the real cause of stiffness and soreness lies not in the joints or bones, according to research at the Johns Hopkins Medical School, but in the muscles and connective tissues that move the joints.

The frictional resistance generated by the two rubbing surfaces of bones in the joints is negligible, even in joints damaged by arthritis.

Flexibility is the medical term used to describe the range of a jointís motion from full movement in one direction to full movement in the other. The greater the range of movement, the more flexible the joint.

If you bend forward at the hips and touch your toes with your fingertips, you have good flexibility, or range of motion of the hip joints. But can you bend over easily with a minimal expenditure of energy and force? The exertion required to flex a joint is just as important as its range of possible motion.

Different factors limit the flexibility and ease of movement in different joints and muscles. In the elbow and knee, the bony structure itself sets a definite limit. In other joints, such as the ankle, hip, and back, the soft tissueómuscle and connective tissueólimit the motion range.

The problem of inflexible joints and muscles is similar to the difficulty of opening and closing a gate because of a rarely used and rusty hinge that has become balky.

Hence, if people do not regularly move their muscles and joints through their full ranges of motion, they lose some of their potential. That is why when these people will try to move a joint after a long period of inactivity, they feel pain, and that discourages further use

What happens next is that the muscles become shortened with prolonged disuse and produces spasms and cramps that can be irritating and extremely painful. The immobilization of muscles, as researchers have demonstrated with laboratory animals, brings about biochemical changes in the tissue.

However, other factors trigger sore muscles. Here are some of them:

1. Too much exercise

Have you always believed on the saying, ìNo pain, no gain?î If you do, then, it is not so surprising if you have already experienced sore muscles.

The problem with most people is that they exercise too much thinking that it is the fastest and the surest way to lose weight. Until they ache, they tend to ignore their muscles and connective tissue, even though they are what quite literally holds the body together.

2. Aging and inactivity

Connective tissue binds muscle to bone by tendons, binds bone to bone by ligaments, and covers and unites muscles with sheaths called fasciae. With age, the tendons, ligaments, and fasciae become less extensible. The tendons, with their densely packed fibers, are the most difficult to stretch. The easiest are the fasciae. But if they are not stretched to improve joint mobility, the fasciae shorten, placing undue pressure on the nerve pathways in the muscle fasciae. Many aches and pains are the result of nerve impulses traveling along these pressured pathways.

3. Immobility

Sore muscles or muscle pain can be excruciating, owing to the bodyís reaction to a cramp or ache. In this reaction, called the splinting reflex, the body automatically immobilizes a sore muscle by making it contract. Thus, a sore muscle can set off a vicious cycle pain.

First, an unused muscle becomes sore from exercise or being held in an unusual position. The body then responds with the splinting reflex, shortening the connective tissue around the muscle. This cause more pain, and eventually the whole area is aching. One of the most common sites for this problem is the lower back.

4. Spasm theory

In the physiology laboratory at the University of Southern California, some people have set out to learn more about this cycle of pain.

Using some device, they measured electrical activity in the muscles. The researchers knew that normal, well-relaxed muscles produce no electrical activity, whereas, muscles that are not fully relaxed show considerable activity.

In one experiment, the researchers measured these electrical signals in the muscles of persons with athletic injuries, first with the muscle immobilized, and then, after the muscle had been stretched.

In almost every case, exercises that stretched or lengthened the muscle diminished electrical activity and relieved pain, either totally or partially.

These experiments led to the ìspasm theory,î an explanation of the development and persistence of muscle pain in the absence of any obvious cause, such as traumatic injury.

According to this theory, a muscle that is overworked or used in a strange position becomes fatigued and as a result, sore muscles.

Hence, it is extremely important to know the limitations and capacity of the muscles in order to avoid sore muscles. This goes to show that there is no truth in the saying, ìNo pain, no gain.î What matters most is on how people stay fit by exercising regularly at a normal range than once rarely but on a rigid routine.

Brian Ballart is owner and personal trainer for Bringit Bootcamp in Miami, Fl

He can be reached at: (305)746-7625