The Shoe to Drop
Remember when you needed only one pair of shoes for all sports and that the pair cost less than 10 bucks? Of course you don’t, unless you’re a contemporary of Abner Doubleday. These days, consumers can choose from more than a dozen kinds of specific--and pricey--athletic shoes made for everything from cross-training to walking to running. Last year, Americans spent $14.731 billion on 346.5 million pairs of shoes, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Assn. The most expensive average price of any sports shoes in 1997 was the basketball shoe at $61.63. The least expensive was the sports sandal for $26.34.
I’ll Drink to That
It’s such a natural pairing, it’s a wonder it took this long for these two to hook up. Beer and women’s athletics. Coors Brewing Co. and the Women’s Sports Foundation are sponsoring a new fitness Web site for women at https://www.gogetfit.com. The site, which targets the twentysomething crowd, can let women know which sports and activities best suit their fitness goals and lifestyle. And remember after all that sweating and hard work, there’s nothing like drinking a calorie-filled Coors!
A Personal Note
Often personal trainers get a bad rap because they’re so darned peppy and happy all the time. They just always seem to be jumping up and down about something. It turns out they have a very good reason. According to a survey by IDEA Personal Trainer magazine, personal trainers are the most satisfied workers in the United States and Canada. Some 88% of personal trainers report they are satisfied or very satisfied with their work. Compare this to a 1998 Gallup Poll that said 71% of the American work force can say the same. Workers of America, unite, shed your dress clothes and throw on a Lycra outfit!
Vital Reasons
Study after study has shown that positive people live longer, get sick less and are happier than their sick, pale, loser counterparts. The September issue of Shape magazine offers these tips to develop a more “vital” personality. They recommend eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and remembering that, much like developing muscles, it takes time to strengthen your vitality. Other pointers are: Don’t bear grudges; don’t be afraid of making mistakes; and, this whopper for Hollywood to take note of, do something because you love it, not because you expect fame or fortune. Yeah, right.