Founded by the 39-year-old Swiss national Raphael Domjan, the Tûranor PlanetSolar began her voyage around the world on September 27, 2010. The mission of this solar-powered catamaran and its Captain is to show that currently renewable energy technology is both dependable and efficient. Measuring 102 feet long, 50 feet wide, the upper surface of the PlanetSolar is completely covered by  over 5,500 square feet of solar generating panels. The solar cells on this generator were designed by SunPower and have a 50% higher efficiency than traditional solar cells, with a conversion efficiency of 23%.  Domjan came up with the idea for this project by reading Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne; being both an avid outdoorsman and environmentalist, as well as an electrical engineer, Domjan was inspired to make the same journey, only his journey would have the added purpose of showing the world that it is possible to use renewable energy in the place of fossil fuels such as oil, and that the technology to do so efficiently and reliably already exists.  So Domjan set about finding partner to work with to design a ship that could be used to prove his idea to theentire world.

TURANOR PLANET SOLAR

After his initial conceptualization of the idea in 2004, Domjan partnered up with M. Immo Stroher, a German businessman with a long-held interest as well as extensive experience in the area of solar technology. Along with Craig Loomes, a boat designer from New Zealand who is one of the best and most inventive boat designers in the world, the two entrepreneurs spent two years designing and building a ship that would allow them to show the world that motor vehicles can run without the use of any fossil fuels, using exclusively clean and renewable energy sources. The final result of their efforts was a catamaran with a futuristic appearance, resembling an aircraft more than a ship when seen from an aerial view. The Planet Solar is made with a very light yet durable carbon with a sandwich-style construction and uses what is known as “wave-piercing” technology, in which the boat actually navigates thru the waves, rather than riding the waves the way conventional ships do.  This design is significantly more efficient and energy saving.

Upon the completion of their project, Domjan began the next step of his adventure: assembling the six-person crew that would accompany him on the PlanetSolar around the world beginning in Monaco and stopping at major ports along the way to show off the results of his mission and promote the concept of using renewable energy sources such as solar energy.  By circumnavigating the entire globe, Domjan and his crew plan to prove that it is possible to transport both goods and people by sea in a way that is friendly to the environment and using clean, renewable energy sources such as solar power. Domjan’s intent is for the PlanetSolar to be a flagship that carries a message about renewable energy sources and how they can be used efficiently in various applications around the world. Domjan and Stroher, the boat’s owner, also expect that the solar-powered catamaran will be a source of “worldwide economic return” by prompting further development by boat builders as well as component manufacturers, generating further business prospects and jobs in the renewable energy area of the world economy. Domjan is quoted as saying, “We want to show that we already have the technology, the knowledge and the means to change to sustainable energy sources. And we are all responsible for this change.” Ströher adds, “We want to prove through our project that apart from static power generation, solar energy can also provide solar mobility. In this way, sustainable energy technology will be able to make a decisive contribution to climate protection in the transport sector.”

TURANOR PLANET SOLAR 2

On their way around the world, the PlanetSolar’s first ports of call included Miami, Cancun, Panama, and the Galapagos Islands. The Galapagos Islands are a natural paradisethat is unlike anyplace else in the whole world, making conservation extremely important to the area. Sustainable energy development plays an especially important role in this region. During its stopover on the islands, the PlanetSolar crew will met with politicians and other government officials who are activly involved in the area of environmental issues and nature conservancy. After leaving the Galapagos Islands, the PlanetSolar continued its journey stopping over in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, then continued to sail eastward to Bora Bora, Tonga, Brisbane Australia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong, with a 15-day stop in Singapore to perform required maintenance on the ship. During these stopovers, the PlanetSolar was the center of a variety of organized activities designed to publicize the ship and  its mission, showing the residents of those cities the power the ship has ship and how well it was able to operate without the use of any of the conventional sources of power such as oil or other fossil fuels.

In order to accomplish their expedition, the crew of the PlanetSolar has to continually optimize their route to maintain the maximum amount of sunlight exposure. This has led to the development of new forecasting and routing software, a task that was accomplished in partnership with the company Meteo France.  Sailing as close as possible to the Equator to maximize their exposure to the sun, Raphael Domjan and the crew of the PlanetSolar will complete their year-and-a-half-long journey on May 4, 2012, after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, then the Panama Canal and on to the Pacific Ocean, across the Indian Ocean, then finally across the Suez Canal before reaching the Mediterranean and returning to their port of origin in Monaco. Upon returning to Monaco, there will be an official welcoming ceremony for Raphael Domjan and the crew of the PlanetSolar, and Domjan will relay the story of their adventure around the world. As an additional demonstration of the power of renewable energy, the batteries on PlanetSolar and the energy that has been collected during the course of the 19-month journey will be used to provide the power for a concert performed by the Swiss rock band Sonalp, as well as a solar light show.  At this final stop of the PlanetSolar’s worldwide journey, having sailed almost 60,000 kilometers across all the oceans of the world with the exclusive use of solar energy, Domjan and his crew will be joined by project partners and politicians, as well and the media and the general public, who will all have a chance to come out and join in the celebration of this unique adventure, having proven as they hoped to that there is a huge potential for the use of solar energy in the future of the world’s economy.

Audi E-bike

This year Audi used its presence at the 2012 Wörthersee Tour to debut off this sleek electric bike concept — named the e-bike Wörthersee. The company states that the E-bike, featuring a lightweight 3.53-pound carbon fiber construction, iscrafted with “sport, fun, and tricks” in mind. It’s one of the most advanced designs we’ve seen in terms of on-board technology, as the bike has a built-in computer complete with a touchscreen that displays the rider’s road speed, distance, slope angle, and even lets the rider record trick sequences.

The Audi e-bike can be powered in three ways: through manual pedaling, a combination of footwork and electric power (with speeds up to 50 miles per hour), or by relying completely on the electric motor. This animal even tops out at 31mph.  Audi has even thought to  implement two “Wheelie” modes that allow riders to cruise arround on just the rear wheel. There is even a swappable 530Wh lithium-ion battery pack, which takes approximately 2.5 hours to charge according to Audi “for those who just want to ride without the peddling.

Audi E-bike design

The prototype of this bike can also connect to smartphones over WLAN, thus letting its users unlock the security system with their handsets. With all these features its hard to believe this bike even has Integrated Facebook support allowing riders to engage in trick challenges. Audi is boasting that the e-bike can post stunt data to your feed and provide worldwide rankings via its display. We now live in a world where you can soon be keeping tabs on social networks from a bicycle seat.

An established part of the annual TT Races, the clean emissions motorcycle challenge is now in its fourth year and showcases the Isle of Man’s clean technology capabilities, as well as encouraging enterprise and innovation via the use of electric motive power for all the competing motorcycles.

TT Zero Race Bike.ashx

The design has previously been used in a Hybrid Le-Mans 24 hour racing car, and uses technology similar to the extremely successful Zytek KERS system used in the 2009 Formula 1 season.

For 25 year old rider, James Hillier, the chance to ride in such a cutting edge competition will bolster a CV that already includes experience in the British Superbike Championship and a short but successful TT career on a conventionally powered Ninja ZX-10R which saw the Ringwood, Hampshire rider achieve eighth place in the 2011 Senior race and the honour of being named “best newcomer” in 2008.

“The TT course is over 37 miles long and is reckoned to be perhaps the most demanding road racing circuit in the world”, said Hillier. “Having competed here several times I can attest to that reputation. I am really excited by the challenge of piloting the electric powered Ninja through the myriad corners and ascents that includes the famous “mountain” part of the TT circuit. As a test of contemporary and possible future two-wheeled technology there could be no better stage than this”.

With a machine that differs from many of the other entries by making use of the original Kawasaki clutch and transmission gears, the team expects Hillier will benefit from a very wide spread of torque, giving the machine rapid acceleration from the traditional standing start race format, as well as the ability to match the motor power with the prevailing race conditions and a geared top speed in excess of 200mph.

Zytek Project Manager Des Hill said “I watched the TT Zero race last year from the Gooseneck corner at the start of the steep “mountain” section and, frankly, many of the entries were very slow. Using Direct Drive and no gearbox they simply didn’t have the torque to pull away from Ramsey Hairpin and accelerate up the mountain in same way as a conventional engined bike would. By using the Kawasaki six speed transmission we won’t have just built an electric motorcycle, but a machine with the performance nearing that of a conventional racing machine”

By using multiple 15Ah LiFeP04 cylindrical cells, Zytek have managed to squeeze an 11.8kWh battery of their own design into the twin spar aluminium Ninja ZX-10R frame in four separate packs, each of a bespoke design.

Working in partnership with highly respected Battery Management experts REAP systems of Southampton, the distribution of the battery packs was a real challenge according to Hill. “The shape of the Ninja ZX-10R frame is designed to curve around a conventional engine, and does not lend itself naturally to the fitment of a battery. We have ended up filling the area normally use by the tank, air-box, radiator and exhaust with four sculpted packs. In total we have 240 power cells carefully distributed around the bike.”

The Motor control Power electronics are also a bespoke design, included as part of the rider’s seat unit, the Three Phase Power Inverter uses the very latest microprocessor technology to implement the state of the art control algorithm loop 10,000 times per second.

For their part, Bournemouth Kawasaki Racing provides the team with a road-racing pedigree missing from many of the other TT Zero entries, as BKR Team Manager, Peter Extance, explained:

“This is not a simple “plug and play” race and there is a vast amount of transferable experience that we bring to the party that others on the grid simply won’t have. You can’t underestimate James Hillier’s circuit knowledge but that is simply the tip of the iceberg. In terms of preparation, team organisation and approach to what is certainly going to be a gruelling, hard fought race I believe that, along with Zytek and the help and support of Kawasaki Motors UK, we have a winning combination.”

Zytek Automotive Managing Director Neil Heslington shares Extance’s optimism saying:

“Our desire to highlight the technology we are developing at Zytek Automotive dovetail’s amazingly well with the ambitions of the Isle of Man Government and this SES TT zero race. Marry that with the hard earned experience of Bournemouth Kawasaki and I think we are justifiably confident about our chances for success.”

For Howard Dale, General Manager, Kawasaki Motors UK, the chance for the company to lend support at such a pivotal time in transport technology played a fundamental part in a decision to become involved, as he concludes.

“It is fitting that, as a base for their machine, the team have decided on such a successful road and racing platform as the Ninja ZX-10R chassis and gearbox. Whilst this is a wholly independent effort with no link to Kawasaki in Japan, we wish both Bournemouth Kawasaki and Zytek well in their endeavours and hope that theirs is the machine that both wins the Zero emissions TT and also breaks the much anticipated 100mph average lap for the class which now appears to be tantalisingly within their grasp.”

2012 Isle Of Man Poster

As another year rolls around for the Isle of Man we are faced with the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world. As every street bike enthusiast knows this is a race run in a time-trial  format on public roads that have been closed for racing by the provisions of parliament of the Isle of Man. This year is sponsored by Monster Energy and the excitement is bound to be monumental.

It is hard to compare any motorcycle race in the world when it comes to prestige. Originating in the UK in 1904 with a speed restriction of 20 MPH. The first race was won by Clifford Earl in seven and a half hours. Over a decade later the 2011 senior TT mountain course was won by John McGuiness on a Honda 999CC. His winning time was 1:45.45.80 running an average of 128.426 mph per lap for six laps totaling 236.38 Miles.

For a taste of the excitement watch the highlights 2011 race.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If that doesn’t make the hair on your neck stand straight up, watch this on board camera of John McGuiness,s superbike.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This years race proves to be as exciting if not more due to hopeful weather conditions. For most of us the travel to the Isle of man proves to be difficult as does getting the time off for the venture. However, this year the entire event can be viewed directly from your computer at www.ITV.com.

Following is the schedule of events:

Monday, May 28, 9pm – John McGuinness TT Legend
Tuesday, May 29, 9pm – TT Record Breakers
Thursday, May 31, 8pm – The Final Countdown
Thursday, May 31, 9pm – Preview Show
Friday, June 1, 9pm – Practice Show
Saturday, June 2, to Thursday, June 7 (inclusive), 9pm – Race Highlights
Friday, June 8, 10pm – Senior Race Highlights
Monday, June 11, 8pm – Event Review 1
Monday, June 11, 9pm – Event Review 2
Please note the schedule is subject to alteration. Check listings for latest details.

International coverage:
Discovery Turbo (US and Canada)
Network 10 (Australia)
Antenna 3 (Spain)

Additional information can be found at the TT home web site: www.iomtt.com

The long-distance hikes that stretch 2,000 miles across America’s wild lands such as the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide, are true herculean feats that strike a chord in the hearts of most long-distance hikers.

They are the ultimate stages for wilderness adventure, solitude, and the opportunity for devoting yourself entirely to a tremendous challenge.

Unlike some however, the majority of us have work and family responsibilities, thus prohibiting us from taking months off at a time to chase mountain dreams of such grandeur.

The wilderness still beckons though, and we can heed its call on several other, shorter thru-hikes that provide many of the same challenges and benefits the likes of those seen in the 2,000-mile monsters.

Traversing high alpine ridgelines, through hardwood forests, and wildflower-infused meadows, the following four thru-hikes will see you through trail miles in the triple digits and dramatic wilderness scenery and they are all far more accessible for the working man with a shorter time frame.

New Hampshire’s Cohos Trail

The Cohos Trail spans 140 miles of New Hampshire’s rarely-hiked mountain terrain. Beginning at the town of Glenn south of the White Mountain’s Presidential Range, the CT winds its way north to the Canadian border. The CT traverses several peaks above 3,500 feet in the lesser-known portions of the mountains with one visit to Mount Eisenhower, a popular Presidential Range peak, before returning to the other side of the White Mountains.

The CT’s hiking season runs from June to September, and while hikers on the AT will be bumping into each other, you can be communing with black bears and moose on this thru hike.

Minnesota’s Superior Hiking Trail

According to the Great Outdoor Recreation Pages (GORP), the Superior Hiking Trail has been voted the second-best long-distance trail in the U.S. With its dramatic scenery and wildlife-packed wilderness, the SHT also ranked first place for the quality of trail signage as well as trail shelter conditions.

The thru-hike consists of a passage through deep gorges, hardwood forests and bogs that string the shores of Lake Superior for a total of 225 miles. The trail’s start takes place northeast of Duluth to ultimately end on Canada border north of Hovland. Stick to the summer months when attempting the Superior Hiking Trail.

Washington’s Wonderland Trail

Perhaps the single best and most convenient thru-hike in America, the 95-mile Wonderland Trail can be completed in a week or less if you average an approximate 15 miles per day. Being a loop trail that circumnavigates Mount Rainier, the convenience comes in that you do not have to worry about finding a way back to your car at the trailhead.

With a blessing of continual views of cliffs, snow fields, glaciers and the ever-present Mount Rainier, Backpacker magazine readers have voted the Wonderland Trail as the best long-distance hike in terms of scenery and wildlife. Try and plan your vacation time during the months of July through October for a go at the WT.

California’s John Muir Trail

The John Muir Trail traverses 220 miles of high Sierra wilderness; climbing past waterfalls, through alpine meadows and summiting the highest point in the lower 48s: Mount Whitney (14,494 feet). Starting your hike at the JMT’s northern point in Yosemite Valley will allow you to acclimate gradually, making it so that the 5,000 foot push to Mount Whitney’s summit won’t be the first high-altitude climb you tackle.

The JMT provides a glimpse into the scenery experienced along the Pacific Crest Trail, as for these 220 miles, they are one in the same. Though the dramatic scenery of the high Sierras is reason enough for many long-distance hikers to tackle the JMT, it is not suitable for anyone looking to score a slice of wilderness solitude, as it sees heavy crowds every summer from visitors to Yosemite National Park and the surrounding areas.

One of the big things men don’t seem to understand about women is that we pick you knowing full well what we’re going to change about you as soon as we get the opportunity.

That’s right. We see you as a fixer upper.

If you date a woman long enough, she will begin trying to make adjustments to you. It could be the way you dress. (Indeed, that is a common one.) It could be your hairstyle.

Sometimes the area of improvement is something more pervasive. Perhaps the new woman in your life is trying to nudge you toward being a bit more ambitious or advocating for yourself more.

The point is most women realize that the perfect man is not  out there. They have to create him and tailor-make him for themselves.

Some men are extremely offended by this once they realize it. They internalize that information as some sort of insult.

But truly, it is quite the opposite.

If a woman has opted to spend time with you and then invest the emotional energy necessary to begin peeling back layers and revealing the more polished man underneath, she likes you. She sees something valuable and worthy within you. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t waste her time.

Contrary to what many men believe, women do know how to date casually. They are capable of dating you as is and simply maintaining distance. Women know all about Mr. Right Now.

If she doesn’t think you’re worth it, she can certainly decide to just date you as is, knowing full well that the relationship isn’t going anywhere. All she is really doing is waiting for something better to come along.

So, above all, if you’re dating a woman who is trying to change you, know that this is one of the sincerest forms of compliments she can give you.

Lots of men resist their woman’s efforts to “fix” him. The more she tries to improve him, the more he pulls away and rebels. This typically does not go well. The woman ends up getting her feelings hurt.

The man begins to assign all sorts of dastardly motives to her. He begins to believe she simply wants to control him.

Typically, this is not the case. Generally speaking when a woman tries to change her man’s wardrobe or hair, she is responding to something she can see below the surface.

She is trying to bring out the potential she sees. She wants the world to see her man the way she does. Ditto for suggestions on spending a bit less time with the video game controller and more time in productive pursuits. In all likelihood, her aim is more about helping her man realize his destiny than it is about controlling him.

If you think you are just fine as is, then you may find it difficult to date certain types of woman. Let’s face it: if she is in your league or slightly over your head, she’s probably going to want to improve you.

If you really cannot stomach making any sort of shifts for your girl, then you may have to either resign yourself to being single or date women well below what you’re actually attracted to.

If you can wrap your mind around the idea that many women really are a bit more tuned into fashion, and the concept that someone else may well be able to see things you can’t, then you may be a good candidate for a long-term girlfriend.

A lot of men I know who finally gave into the improving discovered their women were right–as much as it pained them to admit it. People responded more positively to their new look. They got more compliments. They were taken a bit more seriously at work.

Hmmm… How about that?

Being a fixer upper isn’t all that bad after all.

2012 Freediving ad

Have you ever thought about what it takes to get on with free diving? Experts say that one should be unquestionably courageous, remarkably fit, and maybe crazy before lining up for the decisive plunge. Since when the sport got really competitive, records have continued to tumble, as more enthusiastic and brave free divers from all over the world hit the water.

As extreme sports go, free diving ranks near the top of the list as one of the riskiest, putting the Free diving World Championship at the limits of competitive risk-taking. ­More than 130 divers from 31 different countries participated in the 2011 championship that took place in the Messinian Bay in Greece, swimming straight down for hundreds of feet while holding their breath.  The Championship, which is organized by AIDA (an international organization for breath-hold diving), is the biggest competition that has ever been held for this water sport. During the week-long event, they divers will test themselves as well as competing against each other to find out which one of them can swim to the deepest level on just one breath of air without losing muscle control, blacking out, or drowning.

Solo freedive

Recreational free diving is becoming one of the fastest-growing water sports; however, competitive free diving is relatively new compared to other water sports. The first world championship was held in 1996, with records being broken every year. Divers have consistently gone further and further than medical science believed humans could go underwater. Of course, it is as much a psychological test as a physical one. Herbert Nitsch, a diver from Austria, defied all odds and went on to make a successful dive of over 700 feet in 2007 and set a new absolute depth world record.

While no one has ever died at any organized free diving events, there have been enough fatalities outside of competition to rank free diving as the second-most-dangerous adventure sport, BASE-jumping being the most dangerous. Competitive free divers insist that those deaths were a result of carelessness on the part of divers attempting to dive along alone without safety precautions such as monitors and rescue divers, or using machines to assist their dives.  William Trubridge, a world-record diver from New Zealand who is the current world champion of the sport, says that he considers free diving to be a safe sport due to the massive amounts of control and regulation that are put into place in the organized events. Trubridge and other free divers hope that through publicized events such as the world championships that they will be able to change the image of free diving as an extremely high-risk sport and bring it into the mainstream of water sport competitions.

2012 Feee dive group

The 2011 world championship event took place in Kalamata, Greece, which is a hub for free diving. The competition starts the evening prior to the start of the diving itself, when divers submit their proposed depths for the following day’s dive secretly to a judges panel. The proposed depths are important because in order for a dive to qualify in the competition, the diver has to make it at least as far down as their proposed depth without flubbing, so if they pick a depth that’s beyond their limits they’ll end up disqualified.  On the other hand, if they pick a depth that’s shallower than their competitors’ proposals, their only chance of winning the competition is if the other divers do not make their dives successfully. This sounds like a bit of poker, playing with others’ as much as you are playing yourself, guesstimating the mark the other divers would be vying for.

Mass frediving warm ups

In order for a dive to qualify in the competition, the diver has to all meet all kinds of technical requirements both during the dive and they resurface. These requirements are put in place both for both safety reasons and to keep the competition fair. The most important requirement is completing the dive and the ascent back up to the surface without blacking out, which is an immediate disqualifier. Right before a diver begins, a metal plate that is covered with dozens of tags is connected to a rope and then sunk to whatever depth was proposed by the diver the previous night. After a countdown by an event official, the diver submerges, following the rope down to the plate, where he has to grab one of the tags and then return to the surface. Rescue divers are in place at a depth of about 60 feet, prepared to assist the divers if they have a blackout. Moreover, Divers who successfully resurface have to pass the “surface protocol,” which consists of quite a few tests designed to measure their motor skills and coherence.  Passing the tests validates the dive and makes the diver eligible to win the competition.

The free diving competition is divided into several categories, the first day’s event being “CNF,” which stands for “constant weight no fins.” In CNF, divers have to swim downward using only their lungs, their bodies, and if they choose, an optional weight. CNF is considered by divers to be the purest form of free diving. William Trubridge became the CNF champion after breaking the world record by making a successful 331-foot dive in 2010. Trubridge broke fourteen world records between the years 2007 and 2010, most of which were his own. At the 2011 championships he signed up for a 305-foot dive, which wouldn’t break his own record, but was still the deepest attempt for the 2011 event.

AIDA ad

The first diver to take the plunge at the 2011 championship was Wendy Timmermans from the Netherlands.  After more than 2 minutes underwater, Timmermans set a national record by making a171 foot dive.  Shortly after Timmermans, it’s Trubridge’s turn to try to hold on to his title.  Almost two minutes after he began his descent, the event official monitoring the sonar announces that Trubridge has reached his goal of 305 feet.  By the time Trubridge reached the surface, he had been under water for almost four full minutes, and at the end of the competition he won the gold medal in the CNF and the free immersion categories, making him the reigning world champion for another year.

AIDA International recently announced that The Nice University Club, located near Nice, France, will be hosting the 2012 Free diving World Championships. This seems like a fitting location for this year’s event, as it is the same location where the first World Championships took place in 1996, as well as the place where the founders of AIDA first decided to create the organization 20 years ago in 1992.

bad BBQ Food

While enjoying at a beach or during summer, one eats too much without getting conscious of weight gain or health risk factor. Here are some food items that should be avoided if you want to lower the fat content of your food. Keeping an eye over calorie count is very much needed to keep your body in perfect shape. Have a look!

Frozen Coffee – One cold coffee drink can involve the calories equal to the whole day diet portion. Though, it is a perfect way to stay cool in a hot summer morning. In most of the drinks, calorie portion is as high as the total food allotted to a person. It’s much better to drink a regular chilled coffee.

Hot Dogs – As hot dogs are usually rich in saturated fat and nitrates and hence raises the risks of diabetes, diseases, and cancer. It needs a complete shift of makeover. It’s better to go for grass-fed beef burger. It carries saturated fats and higher levels of CLA that is actually a cancer fighting agent.

Smoothies – These are health friendly beverages for summer. Its composition includes real fruit, milk that doesn’t carry yogurt, and also ice. In most of the cases, soothies carry only sugar in a cup. There are 430 calories in strawberry surf rider of Jamba Juice. It also has 93 grams of sugar.

Soft Pretzels – For basketball players, a calorie check over stadium snacks where soft pretzels is usually preferred option among soda, hot dogs, and ice cream. But, in real it carries 630 calories in just one serving. It means it is the unreliable stadium food.

Ice Cream – It is the all tie favorite food item of summer season. It would not be a justice to say you not to eat ice cream again in your life, but try to keep its consumption to the lowest. You can replace it with frozen yogurt that doesn’t has fat content, or may also go for sobert if you want.

Deep Fried Food – In most of the carnivals and fairs, food is mostly deep frozen like Twinkies, Oreos, and snickers. There are 425 calories in Twinkies that are deep fried, 156 in Oreo.

Pasta Salads – Your picnic can’t be complete without having pasta salad there. It’s better to use cabbage, nonfat sour cream to make it lighter in calories and also rich in taste. Cabbage is rich in vitamin K that builds bones and also helps in fighting with cancer. A great lunch idea it would be. German potato salad with vinegar dressing is also a good option.

Sluchies – These are actually drinks of fruit flavors and soda. Sugar is an important part of these drinks that does nothing else, but adds more calories to the daily diet. A Sonic slush carries 460 calories along with 124 grams of sugar. You can choose diet slushies that don’t carry any additives and also with zero calories.

Lobster Rolls – Many people would be of the view that without lobster roll, their shore visit is incomplete. Lobster is a healthy option among all other sea foods. Lobsters also carry Omega-3 fatty acids, but it should not be eaten with mayo and white bread.

If you are weight conscious and keep an eye over your daily calorie intake, then cut down these foods in summer or visiting a beach. Surely, you would be in a better position to keep your body in perfect shape.

And while the bench press is a great exercise in its own right, it’s not definitely not the “king of exercises” like everyone claims it is. So here are 4 bench press alternatives to help you build a massive chest:

1) Weighted push ups

Weighted PushUps

Doing push ups with nothing with your body weight won’t do much to help you build muscle, but weighted push ups are a different story. If add weight to your push up, by either using a weighted vest or having some hold the weight on your back, then you’ll be able to build a very respectable amount of muscle in your chest.

2) Dumbbell press

Dumbell press

The dumbbell press is the dumbbell equivalent of the traditional bench press. But with the dumbbell press, you greatly reduce any risk of injury since the person can simply drop the dumbbells if they ever feel like they can’t get the weight up.

3)Incline chest dumbbell fly’s

Incline chest dumble flys

The incline dumbbell fly is a fantastic chest exercise for building strength and muscle endurance. This exercise is intense only if done in the perfect form. Be sure to start with half the weight you would with an incline dumbbell press and move your bench in front of a mirror. Again form is better than more weight with this one. As with the dumbbell press you can drop the weights if it becomes too much. However, to much weight can easily result in an injury.

4) Dips

By far my favorite way to end a chest session. I am a fan of the upright dip.

upright dip

Again I am a huge fan of form on this exercise. I always arch my back with my knees completely bent behind me. This is so that 85% of the muscle used is the chest. If you find your self in the position with your body in a straight vertical position you will have an opposite effect. You will instead end up working your shoulders and triceps. The other way to do dips is a weighted bench dip.

Weighted bench dip

Sportscar-Insurance

Sports car insurance is one of the most expensive types of car insurance for a number of reasons. First, sports cars are stereotypically driven by younger male drivers who are statistically more likely to drive recklessly and be involved in accidents. Second, sports cars tend to be more costly to repair or replace than many other vehicles. Finally, it’s harder to source parts and competent repair services for sports cars, putting insurance companies in difficult positions when their customers’ valuable vehicles are involved in accidents.

Because sports cars cost so much to insure, many owners are eager for ways to lower their insurance costs. Here are a few of the best strategies for lowering sports car insurance premiums.

Proving Responsibility

Young drivers are almost guaranteed to pay higher premiums, especially when they own powerful sports cars. Students can reduce their insurance costs through programs offering discounts for good grades. Drivers should also make an effort to pay bills on time to support a good credit score, which is increasingly used by companies to calculate premiums.

Individuals in long-term relationships who also love their cars may consider lower insurance prices to be another reason to get married. Younger drivers of sports cars who can hold out a little longer will see their premiums drop on their own once they hit their late twenties.

Bargaining Power

Sports cars command high insurance premiums, and insurance companies value the business. It’s not unheard of for sports car owners to obtain significant discounts by haggling with insurance agents and especially brokers, who will often make an extra effort to get their customers the cheapest deals around. Having a safe driving course certificate on hand can also make it easier to bargain for discounts.

Online Deals

There are many price comparison auto insurance sites out there so you can compare deals and search for the best one. Often you can find specialised sites that will do their best to drive the cost down for you, so use the power of modern technology to see what best deals you can come up with.

Buying A Less Expensive Sports Car

Paying large insurance premiums every month can take a lot of the joy out of owning an amazing automobile. If all else fails, trading in one’s ultra expensive roadster for a nice but somewhat less costly substitute may prove to be the best option. With lower statistical ties to accidents, reduced repair costs and more easily available parts and technicians, one can end up paying far less money each month.

No matter which avenue is taken toward cheap sports car insurance, consumers can bet on paying less with tips like those listed above. Savvy drivers will also want to shop around to find the very best deals. The best insurance premiums are frequently right around the corner, allowing endless driving bliss while saving money for other aspects of life in the fast lane..