Devices record diet, sleep and exercise patterns The US track cycling team are using glucose monitors, sleep trackers and genetic reports Data will be used to improve products for the amateur health and fitness market

By Emma Reynolds

PUBLISHED: 07:14 EST, 23 July 2012 | UPDATED: 03:34 EST, 24 July 2012

Olympic athletes are providing fitness data in exchange for high-tech gadgets that record sleep, diet and exercise patterns to help improve their performance.

Health technology companies are using the athletes results to develop tracking devices for the burgeoning fitness and weightloss markets.

The track cycling team from the US are testing a sleep monitor, a glucose monitor - which can help diabetics manage blood sugar - and genetic reports on their nutritional needs and muscular capacity.

Setting records: Athletes taking part in the Games are sharing information on their sleep, diet and exercise patterns to help improve fitness gadgets

The companies are hoping the Games will increase the exposure for their products, many of which have only been recently developed.

Sky Christopherson is a consultant to the team and founder of the Optimized Athlete - which analyses patterns in health data to improve athletes' results.

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London 2012: Olympic athletes swap personal fitness data for latest gadgets in bid for 2012 edge

Settled her differences ... Genevieve LaCaze. Photo: Getty Images

The athlete and the coach who said she shouldn't be on the team have finally met and shaken hands at the athletics team's camp south of London.

Steeplechaser Genevieve LaCaze met team high performance manager Eric Hollingsworth and spoken briefly to remove the awkwardness of her arrival on the team after Hollingsworth had taken a hard line that she should not be selected as she had achieved the A-standard time for the 3000 metres steeplechase after the Athletics Australia cutoff date.

Just like any other team member she is a member of the team and she is treated as such and I have no problem with Genevieve whatsoever and the focus is on this Australian team doing well and that is how we will set up

LaCaze ran her sought-after time two days after that deadline but still more than a week before the Australian Olympic Committee's deadline. AA initially refused to consider her time as Hollingsworth said should be the case, but the sport's body was pushed into overturning that decision by the AOC which insisted all athletes be given the most time possible to qualify and they didn't want an athlete to be punished by an arbitrarily early deadline.

Eric Hollingsworth, right, pictured here with John Steffensen, says he has no issue with LaCaze. Photo: Jason South

"He [Hollingsworth] did introduce himself when I collected the uniform the other day. I have been introduced and that's all it's been so far," LaCaze said.

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Hollingsworth said he had never had a problem with LaCaze personally but he had been adhering to strict rules on selection in order to be fair to all athletes.

"Just like any other team member she is a member of the team and she is treated as such and I have no problem with Genevieve whatsoever and the focus is on this Australian team doing well and that is how we will set up," he said.

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Nothing personal: steeplechaser LaCaze thrilled to wear the green and gold

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Fitch believes personal bankruptcy filings are likely to decline by 11% for the current year. The expectation follows data indicating that filings in first half of this year were running well below initial expectations. According to The National Bankruptcy Research Center (NBKRC), U.S. personal bankruptcy filings decreased by 13% in the first half of this year

The drop in bankruptcy filings is having a direct and positive impact on consumer asset-backed securities (ABS), particularly in the credit card sector, by holding many risk measures at cyclical lows. We expect performance to hold at or near current levels through the end of the year. Bankruptcy filings typically comprise approximately 30%-40% of overall credit card chargeoff results and the improvements are helping offset unemployment pressures for consumers.

We believe the pace of improvement will level off later this year, as banks appear to have begun loosening underwriting standards recently. Consumer borrowing rose by $17.1 billion in May from April, according to the Federal Reserve. That pushed total borrowing to a seasonally adjusted $2.57 trillion, approaching the high reached in July 2008. Increases over the previous 18 months had been attributed to auto and student loans, while credit card usage declined or stayed the same. That abruptly changed in May when credit card debt increased by $8 billion, its largest one-month jump in nearly five years.

The decline in bankruptcy applications began in 2011, after four years of increases. In 2010, NBKRC reported 1.5 million filings. That was the highest level since 2005, when the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act reduced the likelihood and amount of discharged debt in personal bankruptcy cases. In 2011, amid signs of slow improvement in the labor and real estate markets, personal filings declined by 11.6% to 1,353,186. The improvements in bankruptcies have come amid a pullback in consumer credit usage and overall reduction in household debt.

Additional information is available on http://www.fitchratings.com.

The above article originally appeared as a post on the Fitch Wire credit market commentary page. The original article, which may include hyperlinks to companies and current ratings, can be accessed at http://www.fitchratings.com. All opinions expressed are those of Fitch Ratings.

ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: http://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE.

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Fitch: U.S. Personal Bankruptcy Expected to Drop by 11% in 2012

We continue to be bombarded with stories of executives committing ethical violations.

The latest fiascos involve inappropriate relations and resume falsification, resulting in bad press for companies, destroyed reputations and disgust by the public, who must endure an endless parade of disgraced chief executive officers. These business leaders think the rules do not apply to them, and their behavior tarnishes the good CEOs.

The CEOs of Yahoo and Best Buy, along with Best Buy's founder, were recently forced to step down. Here's what happened. Yahoo's CEO was caught falsifying his resume while Best Buy's CEO and its founder were both forced to step down over the CEO's inappropriate relationship with an employee and the founder's failure to report the issue.

You have to wonder what these individuals were thinking. You just can't do these things, even if you're the CEO or chairman of the board. Everyone must understand that there are consequences to one's behaviors and no one is immune ever. These guys didn't get the message.

Best Buy founder Richard Schulze was forced to step down as the company's chairman of the board after it was revealed that he failed to inform the board when he learned that CEO Brian Dunn was having an improper relationship with a female employee. Dunn resigned and Schulze ultimately did too.

Once again, careers were destroyed and a company reputation's harmed because key executives did dumb things one having a relationship with a subordinate and the other for failing to report it after receiving a written statement about it, in clear violation of their company's policy.

Best Buy acted appropriately in accepting both "resignations." The company's internal audit showed Dunn's behavior was inappropriate and negatively impacted the work environment. It turns out this (apparently) consensual relationship was not a secret at Best Buy, as the consenting partner spoke openly about her friendship.

As for Schulze, his 46-year career at Best Buy ended because his failure to report this incident "exposed the employees to potential retaliation and the company to potential liability," according to the company.

While there has been no claim of sexual harassment, the potential exposure was there. All executives and managers should learn from this and take the necessary steps to protect their companies from similar embarrassments:

As for Yahoo, Scott Thompson, the former president of Yahoo, falsified his resume when he was a candidate for the job. Thompson stated he had a degree in computer science, when he did not. When he got caught, he blamed the recruiter. And for all that, he lost his job. Senseless.

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When hubris and personal responsibility clash

Hope Solo talks about her upcoming autobiography, "Solo: A Memoir of Hope," and the process of opening herself up to share her life stories.

What follows is an excerpt from "Solo: A Memoir of Hope," the upcoming autobiography of U.S. women's soccer goalkeeper Hope Solo, co-written by Ann Killion, on sale on Aug. 14, published by arrangement with HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright 2012 HarperCollins Publishers.

Chapter One: Life Behind the Smiley Face

My first memories are a kaleidoscope of happiness: A small red house surrounded by a wooden fence; my free-spirited mother, Judy; my big, outgoing father, Gerry; my older brother, Marcus; and me, Baby Hope.

On the outside of the fence, for everyone passing by to see, was a giant yellow smiley face. On the other side was a yard with a sandbox and a jungle gym. An English sheepdog named Charlotte. Rabbits and turtles and kittens. Out back we played Red Light! Green Light! and had Easter-egg hunts and birthday parties. Inside the house, my mother, a budding photographer, set up a darkroom to develop film, as well as a workout room where she practiced karate. I snuggled with my parents in their bed and watched TV. The cozy kitchen was where we had family spaghetti dinners.

Smiley face on the fence, happy people in the house.

But as with so much of my life, the truth is a little more complicated. Clutterplastic toys, yard equipment, bikes, an old jalopyfilled up our side yard. The neighbors complained, so my parents were forced to put up a fence to hide all our crap. My mom didnt like thinking the neighbors had won some kind of victory, so she painted that garish yellow happy face as tall and as wide as the fence would allow. The smiley face wasnt a reflection of internal happiness. It was a big (expletive)* you to our neighbors.

II.

How did we all arrive there, in a tract house on Marshall Street in Richland, Washington?

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Hope Solo gets personal in autobiography

Mumbai, July 20:

A Reserve Bank panel has recommended banks should seek personal guarantee from promoters and adopt a carrot-and-stick policy while restructuring loans of corporates.

As stipulating personal guarantee will ensure promoters skin in the game or commitment to the restructuring package, obtaining the personal guarantee of promoters be made a mandatory requirement in all cases of restructuring, the panel said in its report.

The RBI had in January set up the panel to review the existing prudential guidelines on restructuring of advances by banks and financial institutions and suggest modifications taking into account the best international practices and accounting standards.

The panel, which is headed by RBI Executive Director, Mr B Mahapatra, said corporate guarantee should not be considered as a substitute for the promoters personal guarantee.

In cases where the restructuring package could not be implemented due to promoters nonadherence to terms and conditions, the banks should exercise exit option at the earliest with a view to minimise the losses, the report said.

The terms and conditions of restructuring should inherently contain the principle of carrot and stick, i.e. while restructuring being an incentive for viable accounts, it should also have disincentives for nonadherence to the terms of restructuring and underperformance, it said.

The panel further said that conversion of debt into preference shares should be done only as a last resort. Also, conversion of debt into equity/preference shares should be restricted to a cap (say 10 per cent of the restructured debt).

Conversion of debt into equity should be done only in the case of listed companies.

The banks should disclose all recast loans on books, and from hereon keep a 5 per cent provision for new standard loans recast, as against the existing norm of 2 per cent.

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Promoters’ personal guarantee must prior to loan restructuring: RBI panel

Personal guarantee must before loan restructuring: RBI The panel said corporate guarantee should not be considered as a substitute for the promoters' personal guarantee Press Trust of India / Mumbai Jul 20, 2012, 17:49 IST

A Reserve Bank panel has recommended banks should seek personal guarantee from promoters and adopt a 'carrot-and-stick policy' while restructuring loans of corporates.

"As stipulating personal guarantee will ensure promoters' skin in the game or commitment to the restructuring package, obtaining the personal guarantee of promoters be made a mandatory requirement in all cases of restructuring," the panel said in its report, on which it has invited comments of stake holders by August 21.

The RBI had in January set up the panel to review the existing prudential guidelines on restructuring of advances by banks and financial institutions and suggest modifications taking into account the best international practices and accounting standards.

The panel, which is headed by RBI Executive Director B Mahapatra, said corporate guarantee should not be considered as a substitute for the promoters' personal guarantee.

In cases where the restructuring package could not be implemented due to promoters' non-adherence to terms and conditions, the banks should exercise exit option at the earliest with a view to minimise the losses, the report said.

"The terms and conditions of restructuring should inherently contain the principle of 'carrot and stick', ie while restructuring being an incentive for viable accounts, it should also have disincentives for non-adherence to the terms of restructuring and under-performance," it said.

The panel further said that conversion of debt into preference shares should be done only as a last resort. Also, conversion of debt into equity/preference shares should be restricted to a cap (say 10 per cent of the restructured debt).

Conversion of debt into equity, it further said, should be done only in the case of listed companies.

The banks, according to the report, should disclose all recast loans on books, and from hereon keep a 5 per cent provision for new standard loans recast, as against the existing norm of 2 per cent.

Original post:
Personal guarantee must before loan restructuring: RBI

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) July 19, 2012

Performance coach and author of the forthcoming Refuel, Recharge, and Re-energize: The Conscious Entrepreneur's Guide to Taking Back Control of Your Time and Energy Erin Owen; who has consulted with and coached hundreds of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and private individuals from more than 10 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia; is leading a Personal Performance retreat in Bali this fall for self-employed professionals and entrepreneurs seeking to up their game.

The Bali Breakthrough Retreat, limited to 18 participants, will be held October 26 through November 5. It provides an extended time away from daily professional and personal pressures to learn new techniques for working and living that can improve performance and life satisfaction. Owen leads yoga, meditation, Reiki, one-on-one-coaching sessions, and group classes. The retreat also includes temple ceremonies, cooking classes, spa treatments, meetings with local healers, and tours of local sights.

One recent participant describes her transformative experience: what was most positive for me was the slowness of my breath, the slower pace I was moving to, and the peace that came from walking away from all of the chaos and stress that I left behind. It felt like a layer was peeled off of me and I left it at the airport. And the good news is, it stayed at the airport. The stressful situations were still there when I returned, but they didnt affect me the same way.

Owens practice applies the wisdom of ancient Eastern practices such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yoga, Reiki, Ayurveda, and Buddhism to the Western idea of performance. With an MBA and over a decade as a leadership and organizational consultant, she helps professionals align their thoughts and action with a greater sense of purpose, ease, and confidence. Working harder is not the answer, she notes. The professionals I work with are spending extraordinary amounts of time and the energy, expecting to be rewarded with better results, but theyre getting diminishing returns. That burning-the-candle-at-both-ends mentality is old school. You end up overworked and undernourished, wondering where the excitement disappeared to.

The new way of working, explains Owen, is to be really clear about the life you want to live, take care of yourself first and then and only then build your business around that. In this way, youll actually see much greater productivity and performance in your business and be able to reach your goals of making an incredible impact on the world, not to mention living a life that makes it all worth it.

The Bali retreat provides a super dose of this new way of working and living. It allows entrepreneurs to learn and grow in an unfamiliar environment and culture, one that places a premium on spirituality and a holistic view of life and work. Getting uncomfortable by taking a deliberate break from your routine is the first step, notes Owen. Doing things outside of your normal comfort zone activates parts of the brain that stimulate creativity and problem solving. Its a critical factor for success for entrepreneurs. For overwhelmed, overworked professionals, that break, in Bali, could be the beginning of a new East-meets-West approachone that yields previously unimagined results.

________________________________________ About Erin Owen Erin Owen, MBA, has been coaching professionals to achieve greater personal performance since 2003. With a background in Chinese Studies, holistic health (including alternative nutrition), Reiki, Mind/Body/Spirit Medicine, Comparative Eastern Religions and Philosophy, Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction, Ayurveda, and Yoga, her unique expertise is in applying the wisdom of ancient Eastern practices to the Western idea of performance.

Erin is the author of the forthcoming Refuel, Recharge, and Re-energize: The Conscious Entrepreneur's Guide to Taking Back Control of Your Time and Energy.

Media contact: Erin Owen Email: info(at)yourperformancebreakthrough(dot)com Telephone: 215-771-8968 Website: http://www.yourperformancebreakthrough.com

Link:
Entrepreneurs, Self-Employed Professionals Invited to Performance Breakthrough Retreat in Bali

Privacy concerns have been raised after the personal details of thousands of former Australian Defence Force personnel were wrongly sent out in an email.

The Defence Community Organisation, which helps families adjust to military life, emailed a database of nearly 2,500 former Defence staff to around 400 other ex-service personnel.

The information included names, identification numbers, personal email addresses, type of service and their reason for leaving.

An initial inquiry has found computer security first blocked the email, but a staffer was told to try sending it again.

The ADF says it is treating the matter with the utmost seriousness.

A Defence spokesperson says an external consultant is undertaking a formal investigation.

"Staff members involved in the incident have been counselled and staff have been directed to undertake privacy training," the spokesperson said.

Defence Force Welfare Association national president, retired Colonel David Jamison, says it is a serious breach of privacy.

"Somebody has ignored the warning that was given and then released the email in a way that it's designed not to happen, but it just did," he said.

"So it's a human error that is difficult to sort of stop sometimes."

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Diggers' personal details released in email

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire -07/18/12)- GAIN Fitness, the ultimate digital personal training app for iPhone, today introduced GAIN 3.5, the affordable evolution of the personal training model. GAIN 3.5 enables users to harness the power of GAIN's best-in-class customizing and coaching technology to experience completely new workout styles, all under one roof. The app now offers yoga and circuit-based strength training, in addition to the previous offering of classic weightlifting, stretching and calisthenics.

GAIN brings the best of personal trainers, fitness DVDs, and self-tracking solutions together into a clean and easy-to-use mobile experience that removes excuses and information overload as potential barriers to getting in shape. Users select their individual goals and appropriate fitness level, along with time and equipment constraints (i.e. "gym," "home," or "on the go"), to personalize their experience and create effective, targeted workouts for their specific needs.

The app now offers two new premium "Trainers," in addition to the millions of free, unlimited "classic strength" workout experiences generated by the GAIN Strength Trainer. The experts themselves guide individuals through each workout virtually, tracking time and progress automatically and coaching users through each position and rep, just as they would with a $70-100 per hour one-on-one client.

GAIN's two new premium training experiences are:

"This product release is a fitness industry game-changer," said Nick Gammell, founder and CEO, GAIN Fitness. "The fitness industry, for both consumers and trainers, is in the middle of a massive shift to digital, mobile, on-demand and personalized. People need guided instruction; it has to be calibrated to their fitness level, and has to fit into their hectic daily lives. Fitness also must be fun and motivating, and that's what the new training platform really delivers: Endless variety, exciting new routines and voice guidance from really talented coaches."

Gammell also adds, "We plan to integrate more amazing and diverse trainers and social features, and GAIN will become the indispensable place to get and stay fit, digitally and on your own terms."

The two new GAIN "Trainers" are available as one-time In-App Purchases and include the following features:

In addition, optional "Expansion Packs" are also available via In-App Purchase. These upgrades further tailor workout experiences by introducing advanced exercises and techniques that boost workout intensity and enhance results. Bundle pricing is available for discounted purchasing when buying Trainer plus multiple packs at once.

Trainers that partner with GAIN Fitness can benefit from a new distribution channel and competitive revenue sharing opportunities. Books, Magazines and DVDs have been mainstays of the fitness industry for some time, but the explosion of mobile devices has created a strong demand for interactive training, instant availability, and real-time performance logging. With GAIN Fitness, personal trainers can expand their reach without losing touch of how people are exercising or what their evolving training goals are.

To experience this revolutionary advance in mobile fitness and join a new era of digital personal training, Download GAIN Fitness for free here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gain-fitness/id441646808?ls=1&mt=8

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GAIN Fitness 3.5 Introduces the Future of Fitness With New Digital Personal Training Platform