Yahoo!7 Answers Australia

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Welcome to week two of the Yahoo! Answers “Get Fit Program.” Last week we told you how you can meet other people looking to share fitness ideas in a Yahoo! Group called “Get Fit, Stay Healthy,” shared some practical exercise tips for corporate employees, and provided a few tips on how to shed excess pounds to tone up your muscles.

This week, our fitness pros, Joanne and Joan from Plus One Health Management have picked a few more questions to answer from the community—you can find their answers below.

Question: “I need help with eating healthy at school when all they sell is cheese fries and pizza!” – Danni

Answer: I can understand your frustration, if you are trying to eat healthy but the healthy options are limited.  You may want to bring your lunch to school, to avoid temptation, and to be prepared.  You can also talk with the foodservice provider to suggest healthier options.  Healthy foods that cafeteria providers sometimes have include sandwiches, yogurt, fruit, baked chicken or fish, and pasta with veggies. Good luck! Also remember that if you are limited on food and have to eat pizza, you can try walking around your school campus with friends to ensure that you’re including a healthy activity with your lunch.

Question: What’s the best way to stretch before working out? – Chris

Answer: Prior to a workout, a warm-up that includes dynamic stretching should be performed. Dynamic stretching involves performing low-intensity movements similar to your workout activity. For example, squats help to get the muscles warm for any type of lower body activity. Static stretching (stretch and hold) is the most beneficial if it is performed after a workout. Not sure what the difference is between dynamic or static stretching is? Check out the definition from our pros, here.

Question: Are there any standing up ab exercises you could do, say, in the shower or waiting in line (that might be awkward)? – Hah.

Answer: Wow you’re really thinking! However, I don’t recommend exercising in the shower as you could slip and injure yourself. Instead, when you’re safe and dry, try standing up tall and tighten your abs. Practice good posture, suck in your abs and maintain normal breathing—all of these things will help you maintain a tight core and help work your abs.

Question from Shine: How do I start exercising when I’m already out of shape?

Answer: Start slowly, but make it count—don’t overdo it. Progress quickly,  keep it up, and read this article for even more tips from Shine.

Check back next week for even more tips from our fitness gurus as they answer even more of your health and fitness questions!

What a week, it’s great to see so many Australians and New Zealanders coming together to help those in need!

We’ve added a few more charities to our original post, including details of charities based in New Zealand and of a fund that’s been set up to support the Sanson-Rejouis family.

The most recent updates include details for the Salvation Army and UNHCR, as well as how to make a donation via Médecins Sans Frontières Australia. If there is a charity or organisation that we missed or you feel should be on the list, please leave a comment below or on the original post.

For the latest news, please be sure to Yahoo!7 News for full coverage of the events in Haiti.

Kate
Community Manager

Is it just me or has there been an increase in natural disasters over the past few years? Maybe it’s just that we have greater awareness and media coverage available on a world level, or maybe it’s simply a side effect of the continuing issue of global warming.

In Australia alone over the past few years, we have experienced wide scale flooding, devastating bushfires, severe storms, cyclones, landslides and of course the never-ending drought. Last year alone saw over a hundred people perish in the Black Saturday bushfires that swept through Victoria, plunging our nation into mourning. We’re not alone; tsunamis, earthquakes – like the one experienced in Haiti last week, volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters have touched every corner of the world, seemingly without rhyme or reason.

Here are some of the natural disasters experienced in Australia over the last 60 years:

• Drought – Since 2002, many areas of Australia have been affected by drought with little or no relief. Dams levels have been at all-time lows and water restrictions have become the norm. There have been other stretches of drought, most typically last 5-10 years in duration.
• Bushfires – Tasmania in 1967 with 264,270 hectares burnt out in 5 hours with 64 deaths and the loss of 1,400 homes; Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia in 1983 which saw 180 simultaneous fires across both states destroy nearly 2,500 homes and cause the deaths of 75 people; the Canberra bushfires in 2003, with 4 deaths and over 500 homes lost; and last, but by no means least – Black Saturday. These are the worst fires to date in Australia, with 400 separate fires across 4,5000km² in the state of Victoria. This resulted in 173 lives lost, 414 persons injured and is by far our worst bushfire to date.
• Heatwaves.
• Earthquakes – the most memorable would be the Newcastle earthquake in 1989, killing 13 people.
• Floods – Nyngan in NSW, 1990; Brisbane in 1974 with 4 fatalities recorded; Grafton and surrounding areas in 2009.
• Cyclones – Cyclone Ada in 1970, 14 deaths; Cyclone Tracy in 1974, 71 deaths; Cyclone Larry in 2006, no loss of life but a $A1.5 billion damage bill and long term affects to Australia’s agriculture, particularly banana crops.

With all of this in mind, we have asked the following question:

• What is the worst natural disaster seen in the last 60 years?

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below or answer our question on Yahoo!7 Answers.

Kate
Community Manager

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Yesterday afternoon, the island nation of Haiti was struck by an earthquake that measured 7.0 on the Richter scale, centred 10 miles west of the capital Port-au-Prince. The quake caused wide scale damage and devastation, levelling schools and hospitals. Thousands are either dead, missing or trapped under debris; the death toll is currently estimated at over 100,000.

• How do earthquakes happen?

Amid the pain and suffering however, there are stories of amazing escapes and miracles emerging. It has been confirmed that a QLD couple, living in Haiti, have been reported as safe. But the risk of disease spreading is increasing with Haiti’s Prime Minister appealing to the world for urgent assistance. The Australian and New Zealand governments are currently working on aid plans, with aid agencies mobilising.

At times like this, it is important that the community join forces to offer support.

On Answers, we form a community of collective knowledge- but in the real world, together, we create a collective bound together by one thing: humanity, and the ability to endure. And in times like these, it’s important to remember that, and to help others persevere.

According to the Associated Press, “it was clear from a tour of the capital that tens of thousands of people had lost their homes and that many had perished. Many buildings in Haiti are flimsy and dangerous even under normal conditions.”

To learn more about how you can send your support to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti please follow the links below:

• CARITAS Australia (donate now)
• World Vision (donate now)
• Oxfam Australia (donate now)
• Médecins Sans Frontières (donate now)
• UNICEF Australia (donate now)
• Australian Red Cross (donate now)
• Plan Australia (donate now)
  
• Compassion Australia (donate now)
• CBM Australia (donate now)
• ADRA (donate now)
• Save the Children Australia (donate now)
• Rotary International
• Care Australia (donate now)
• Oxfam New Zealand (donate now)
• Save the Children New Zealand (donate now)
• Red Cross New Zealand (donate now)
• UNICEF New Zealand (donate now)
• The Salvation Army (donate now)
• UNHCR (donate now)

In addition, anyone in New Zealand who wishes to support the Sanson-Rejouis family in their efforts and recovery may contribute to the BNZ Bank Account: Haiti Earthquake Sanson Rejouis Family Fund. No. 02 0704 0074227 00.

View the Yahoo!7 News photos from the quake. WARNING: photos contain images that may not be suitable for children.

Kate
Community Manager

Photo by colonnade

Each January many people across the world make a similar New Year’s resolution: to lose weight, get fit, or get healthy. And each January, they start the year off right—with the best of intentions, and the best laid plans, but about a week in, they run into a road block: where do they go from here?

If you’re one of these people, Yahoo! Answers is here to help! We’ve enlisted the help of Joan Arico and Joanne Haggerty: two fitness pros from Plus One Health Management, Inc., who work with the staff at Yahoo! Headquarters in Sunnyvale, California.

Over the next few days, you’ll have the opportunity to post your fitness related questions to the open question found here and Joan and Joanne will select a handful and answer them over the next few weeks. With your questions and their help, together we’ll help get the Yahoo! Answers community in shape for 2010!

Each week, we’ll feature one question on the blog, as well as health tips and tricks that will help you get in shape and meet your health goals for 2010.

Joan and Joanne: Our Fitness Gurus

Joan Arico

Joan has over 25 years of experience in Corporate Fitness and is certified in both Group Exercise Instruction and Personal Training . She is an AFAA Certified Group Exercise Instructor, AFAA Certified Personal Trainer, BS Degree Recreation Administration, CPR/AED Certified.

Joanne Haggerty

Joanne believes that physical activity should be an integral part of your life as much as is brushing your teeth, but far more fun and enjoyable. She is a personal trainer and works in both individual and group wellness programs.

Between the two of them, they have more than 33 years of fitness and health experience in both the personal and professional sector. Both enjoy sharing fitness and lifestyle tips with others in addition to keeping Yahoo! healthy!

Please note that all questions must be in line with the Yahoo! Answers Community Guidelines and you should always check with your medical professional before starting any new treatment or health routine. Please review the full disclaimer here.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/colonnade/1581307106/

Photo by colonnade

Did you know that on average, 10% of questions are in tie-breaker status at any given time on Yahoo!7 Answers? And, at any given moment, there are literally millions of questions open on Answers?

For many members, it’s easy to get swept up in the “Ask” and “Answer” flow as you watch the steady stream of answers that come in when you ask a great question. But then the tough part comes: picking a Best Answer! How do you choose?

If you’re looking for a few tips on how to pick your next Best Answer, here are a few taken straight from our community:

• “To put it simply, I go with the one that is the most useful or the least useless. I do notice the number of thumbs-ups and downs the answer gets, and I use that and the level/BA percentage of an answerer to determine whether or not I should trust the answerer, but the main deciding factor is what I think of the answer itself. A concise but comprehensive explanation beats a long drawn-out half off topic lecture.” – Luigi
• However, “According to the specification of the question I read carefully and I compare it to the other questions, I make sure their answers make sense and have more clear explanations. Not always the thumbs up are right and this person can be wrong, So I read & understand before I give my best answer…8)” – “Evo_Raptor”
• “[…] If there are two equally good answers, I choose the one with better grammar, punctuation, and spelling.” – *Sombra*
• “I pick Best Answer by re-reading through all the answers again from my question. Then pick the one that was the most helpful, informative, and the answerer was polite while giving me the information I needed.” – Future Pet Vet
• “Whoever has clearly spent the most time answering the question and not just put silly 1 word answers or sarcastic comments. Also, if i believe the answer is 100% true.” – Craig and Charlie

Even with tips like these, picking a best answer can be tough—and for many Answers community members, it becomes so tough, questions go unresolved and end up in tie-breaker status.

But for those of you who enjoy helping the undecided pick a Best Answer, be sure to check out the Answers TieBusters group—a group dedicated to clearing the backlog of undecided questions found on Answers: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Yah00AnswersTieBusters/

All in all, remember: If you asked a question, choose a Best Answer! Otherwise your question may end up in Answers limbo, and you may never give someone the joy of earning a Best Answer!

The party season is now officially over…

Gone are the endless rounds of parties, excess of food and drink, general relaxing and celebrating with friends and loved ones. It was a busy, heady couple of weeks but, unfortunately, it’s back to reality for the majority of us.

Synonymous with New Year celebrations are New Year’s resolutions. Traditionally, a New Year’s resolution is a commitment one makes to change something, to start something new or to improve an element of their lives and surroundings.

With the above in mind, we posed the following question:

• What is your New Year’s resolution?

We all like to start the new year, fresh with good intentions, but the reality is that many people either struggle to keep their resolutions or just do not bother at all. It takes great determination to stick something out for an entire year! I am definitely guilty of this one myself

There’s something different about this year though… Maybe it’s the aftermath of the GFC or maybe people are just tired of never accomplishing what they set out to do, but it would people appear to be enthused about making this year THE year they achieve their goals.

The single, biggest hurdle is sticking to your resolution(s) as best you can, no matter how hard it may be. After that, it’s all downhill.

• How will you ensure you keep to your New Year’s resolutions?

I am no exception to this trend… I am blessed with a fantastic job, loving partner and family, amazing friends and a large range of social activities I regularly participate in. Everyone around me appears to be getting married, buying homes, having children and just generally settling down. The clock’s not ticking just yet; however I am acutely aware that I could be better preparing myself for the future.

Here are my resolutions, in no particular order:

• Get my personal finances in order, including building some savings.
• Get fit.
• Get closer to completing my degree.

The first is already underway! I am taking the huge step of cancelling my credit card and consolidating, that will be completed within the next few days. Next the middle one, I have some old injuries to try and work around and you already know that I play sports. I will be asking many questions of the Answers community about the best way to do things and for hints and tips, so be prepared for a year long challenge! The last is already underway, I am enrolled in subjects for the year ahead.

Here’s to a productive year ahead in 2010!

Kate
Community Manager

On behalf of the Yahoo!7 Answers Team, I would like to offer our congratulations to Bellatrix Lestrange on winning our Christmas costume contest!

You can check out her winning entry, above

Kate
Community Manager