Kenney Myers

Author | Actor | Producer | Kickboxer | Entrepreneur

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21 of the Best Blogs for People with Plantar Fasciitis

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plantar-fasciitisPlantar Fasciitis is a common ailment among us runners that causes the sufferer to have a sharp pain in the heel when getting up first thing in the morning.  The pain will decrease as you walk around and stretch out your foot and calf muscles. This is caused by the tendons on the bottom of the feet getting too tight, which causes the pain in the heel.  In some cases, there may also be a heel spur present, but heel spurs alone should not cause you pain.  For more information on preventing plantar fasciitis, what the symptoms of plantar fasciitis are and what treatments you can seek for it, look through these 21 blog entries.

Prevention

Before you get ready to exercise, it’s important to warm up your muscles and stretch them out.  If you neglect to do proper stretching, you could be putting yourself at risk for plantar fasciitis.  To figure out how to avoid getting plantar fasciitis, take a look at these seven blog posts with some helpful hints on preventing this condition.

Symptoms

One symptom of plantar fasciitis is a pain in the heel that radiates up to the arch of the foot.  The pain is worse first thing in the morning or after sitting for more than an hour.  The plantar fascia is a membrane that runs from your heel to your toes.  The pain will increase as you stand for long periods of time.  For more information on the symptoms of plantar fasciitis, check out these seven blog articles.

Treatment

Once you have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis you can expect to have several options for treatment, ranging from stretching and icing to surgery.  The sooner you seek treatment for this injury, the less invasive the treatment will be and the quicker you will recover.  These seven blog posts will explain some common and uncommon treatments.

9 Ways to Help Your Child Excel at a Sport at a Young Age

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sportskidsThe world of youth sports has become more competitive than ever, with parents looking for every opportunity to give their children an edge over the other players. Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all recipe for success, especially for very young players. There are, however, ways you can help to encourage and support your little athlete’s development. Here are nine ways you can provide your child with the foundation he or she needs to be a youth sports star.

  1. Keep It Fun – For young children, sports is about having fun while learning fundamentals. When the game stops being fun and starts feeling like a chore, or a source of stress, burnout will soon follow. While you should absolutely work to instill good sportsmanship qualities and skill honing in early childhood, making practice feel like facing down a dragon every day isn’t usually a recipe for success. In your drive to help your child succeed, try not to fall into the trap of exerting so much pressure you take the fun of playing away.
  2. Be Supportive, Not Smothering – You want to support your child’s interest and natural abilities, not force them into an uncomfortable mold with overbearing attitudes. This can be an especially difficult balance for parents with unrealized dreams of athletic excellence, who often see their child as a vehicle for wish fulfillment through whose success they can live vicariously.
  3. Think Twice About Early Specialization – At first blush, it would seem that focusing all of your child’s energy in a single direction is the best recipe for success. This especially holds true as youth leagues and traveling teams become more popular, demanding more and more of the year. Realistically, though, a relatively small percentage of athletes even on the professional level were single-sport athletes throughout childhood. Most play at least two separate sports, often specializing at the junior varsity level. Participating in a number of sports hones general athleticism, which lends itself later to excellence in specialization. Early restriction to one sport may actually restrict her growth as an all-around athlete, diminishing her potential.
  4. Be Realistic About Time Commitments – Burnout doesn’t just happen when parents exert too much pressure. It also happens when a child is unprepared for the time commitment of sports participation, and begins to feel smothered. Making sure your child has a realistic understanding of the time commitments for sports participation before joining a league or making the team can stave off some of this shock.
  5. Maintain Age-Appropriate Intensity – From traveling teams to summer camps and intensive clinics, it’s easy to elevate your child’s training intensity to professional levels. Unfortunately, this is also a very effective way to increase the chance of sidelining injuries and burnout that ends a career before it begins. Keep training intensity to an age-appropriate level, and let your child have some control over her schedule.
  6. Address Weaker Areas Constructively – Even a star can feel like a failure if areas of weakness are constantly pointed out and criticized, with no constructive plan for improvement. If your softball player’s pitching needs a bit of work, look into ways of improving this specific skill, rather than just pointing out it’s an area of weakness. Stripping away your athlete’s confidence is not a recipe for success, long-term or otherwise.
  7. Seek Out High-Quality Programs – While you may want to think twice about signing your child up for highly competitive programs whose demands outstrip those of her education, it’s still a good idea to research all of your program options. Something a bit more accelerated than the neighborhood youth league or a community center training plan may be in order, especially for young prodigies who need more advanced training.
  8. Make Room for Downtime – Laser focus is the hallmark of athletes beyond the varsity level, but it may be counterproductive for very young children. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends at least two to three months of downtime out of the year for young athletes. Not only does this allow your child time to explore other areas of interest, but can also be integral to their physical health. One serious injury can end a promising career, even at a very young age.
  9. Keep it All In Perspective – While the desire to see your children excel in any area is a strong one, it’s important for sports parents to keep their expectations in proper perspective. Even among the greatest athletes, only a select few will go on to perform at the collegiate level. Of that small percentage, even fewer will play professionally. Putting all of your child’s future eggs into a professional sports basket may make them great, but will not ensure a career and can leave them ill-prepared for adulthood if they have no other plan. Strive for balance and a well-rounded life, and your child will be more likely to succeed.

Though it may seem counterproductive to take a more relaxed tack to encouraging success, you can do more for your child’s continued success as an athlete by supporting long-term growth. A prodigy at seven may be burned out by thirteen, rendering all of your effort moot.

10 of the Best iPhone Apps to Have if You Get Stuck in an Elevator

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elevatorstuckGetting stuck in an elevator is certainly not a pleasant experience by any stretch of the imagination. Time begins to pass slowly and minutes seem to stretch on forever, which only adds to the stress of the situation. The best thing you can do is keep yourself and everyone around you calm until you’re all able to exit the elevator. Having some handy tools as well as some forms of entertaining everyone will help in that regard. So get your iPhone kitted out with these 10 excellent apps, because you never know when you are going to need them.

  1. iHandy Torch Free – Being stuck in a stalled elevator with no power and no lights can truly feel like one of life’s worst case scenarios. The free iHandy Torch app uses your iPhone’s camera flash to produce a powerful flashlight with multiple light effect features. You can also activate the flashlight with a simple shake of your phone.
  2. Comics – Hopefully your ordeal in the elevator won’t last too long. However, if you are stuck there for a while, reading some great downloadable comics will help keep you calm. This is no second rate app, either. You can access content from such big names as Marvel, DC and Image comics, just to name a few. Best of all, the app and library of over 30,000 titles are completely free.
  3. Kindle – The Amazon Kindle app is another lifesaver if you ever find yourself stuck in an elevator. With over 900,000 titles available, including both purchasable and free books, the Kindle is a must have app for when you find yourself in a tight spot. The app itself is free from the iPhone store.
  4. Angry Birds – This is a game that just keeps on giving. Make sure to have Angry Birds Original, Seasons, Rio or Space downloaded to your iPhone when you’re in a pinch. The free versions of each game are packed full of levels and you can also upgrade for $0.99.
  5. iBook –Apple’s own eBook reader iBook syncs with your Apple ID for ease of access. The app beautifully renders text for easy reading in a number of different fonts and languages. The iBook-shelf is a convenient way to access all of your titles, right from your iPhone home-screen.
  6. MyMedia – Download Manager – Streaming video and other media is a great way to pass time; however, that won’t help you if your iPhone is unable to go online. That is why an app like MyMedia-Download Manager is invaluable. You can download unlimited media, such as videos, music, images and documents to your handset. MyMedia-Download Manager is free of charge from the iTunes store, which is pretty impressive for an app that handles pretty much any type of media format.
  7. Imagine Poker – This is a classic game, so you would imagine that there isn’t much more to say. However, the developers, Candymaker, have added a new twist to the game. You can enter tournaments against over 20 historical and fictional characters, including Abraham Lincoln, Genghis Khan and even the Cheshire Cat.
  8. Police Siren – Getting stuck in an elevator is no fun; especially if you discover that there is no alarm call. You could be there for hours, shouting for help before anyone hears you. This free app will help spare your voice. However, make sure that everyone covers their ears before you set it off.
  9. Wreck this App – A recurring theme in the reviews for this app is how well it works for stress relief. Being confined to a small space most definitely qualifies as stressful, so Wreck this App may be the best $4.99 you ever spend. The app is basically an interactive activity game that incorporates other areas of your iPhone. You can poke holes in your pictures, scribble out your contacts and much more.
  10. Animation Desk™ for iPhone – This app brings a very close approximation of a real animator’s workspace to your iPhone home-screen. Create your own simple animations from scratch or trace previously captured videos for use with the app. If you’re really good, you could become the hero of the day by keeping your other elevator detainees entertained until you are rescued. For only $2.99, the hours of potential entertainment this app provides are well worth the money spent.

When you’re stuck in an elevator, it’s best to keep in mind that you will eventually find your way out. Regardless of how hopeless the situation may feel while you’re being held captive, remembering that your sentence isn’t a permanent one can help to stave off panic until you’re able to leave.

10 Common Illegal Things Honest People Do

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jaywalkingWhen you think of the word “criminal,” the image that comes to mind is probably that of a grizzled convict with a penchant for violence. In reality, a criminal is anyone who breaks the law, even if it’s a relatively minor one. Many honest, upstanding people commit crimes on a daily basis, essentially making criminals of themselves. These are ten of the most common illegal activities; how many of them are you guilty of?

  1. Breaking the Speed Limit – No matter how much of a hurry you’re in, zipping down the highway well above the speed limit is illegal. For many drivers, the speed limit is something they consider an arbitrary number until they see those flashing blue lights in the rear-view mirror. Regardless of how dangerous and reckless speeding may be, it’s definitely one of the most disregarded legal edicts.
  2. Copyright Infringement – To those that grew up before the Internet took over, copyright infringement probably refers to the wholesale stealing and sharing of music, movies and books that rightfully belong to the studios that produced them or the artists that created them. Copyright law is actually so complex that it’s an accepted specialty for attorneys, and you’re breaking it every time you sing “Happy Birthday” to someone.
  3. Grocery Store Grazing – Popping a grape in your mouth as you make your way through the produce section of your favorite grocery store not only opens you up to the possibility of exposure to dangerous pesticides because the fruit hasn’t been properly washed, it’s also illegal! Charges of theft for plucking a single grape may be unheard of, but it doesn’t make the action any more legal.
  4. Jaywalking – Walking across the street in the middle of the block, skipping the crosswalk and disregarding traffic signals is obnoxious pedestrian behavior, and can be quite dangerous. It’s also extremely common, and completely against the law.
  5. Leeching Off of Unsecured WiFi Networks – When you pick up a mobile device and see that you’re in range of an unsecured private network, you probably don’t think twice about connecting. Under the very vaguely worded Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, you could be charged with unauthorized access to a computer or website. WiFi squatting doesn’t typically lead to prison time, but it could in theory. Under the CFAA, connecting to an unsecured WiFi network is technically a federal crime.
  6. Littering – In today’s “go green” society, throwing your garbage on the ground is likely to be regarded with absolute scorn and social shunning by those around you. If you do manage to escape the angry eyes of the masses, however, you could still find yourself on the wrong side of the law. Littering ordinances don’t just apply to the side of the highway, even though that’s where you see the most signs warning you against it.
  7. Forgoing a Bicycle Helmet – Rising fuel prices, a burgeoning hipster culture and efforts to reduce individual carbon footprints have all contributed to the rise in popularity of the bicycle as acceptable adult transportation. Helmets might ruin your hairstyle and make you look silly, but it’s illegal in many places to ride without one (you might want to check that out).
  8. Paying or Getting Paid Under the Table – There are a variety of industries in which this behavior seems to be particularly prevalent, but none so much as the domestic worker industry. Nannies, housekeepers and household managers are so often paid under the table that the IRS estimates less than half of domestic workers employed in the United States are tax compliant. Just because it’s common doesn’t make it penalty-free, though. If caught, an employer faces back taxes, penalties and accrued interest on the debt.
  9. Unauthorized Parking in Handicapped Spots – Maybe you’re just running inside the store for a second, or maybe you’re waiting for someone you’ve dropped off to make a quick purchase. No matter how you justify it to yourself, parking in a handicapped spot is illegal.
  10. Utilizing the “Rolling Stop” – Approaching a four-way stop with no visibility constraints and no other traffic seems like reasonable grounds for the “rolling stop,” but failure to come to a complete stop is illegal and can net you a citation. 

Whether you’re essentially honest and consider yourself a law-abiding citizen or not, there’s a good chance that you’ve broken at least one of these laws in your lifetime. Some, you may bend to the breaking point on a regular basis. Keep in mind that this behavior may seem harmless, but it’s still against the law and could lead to a hassle if you’re caught in the act.

Typical Issues Dads Have when Raising Teen Girls

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dadandteenParenting is never an easy job, but it can be particularly complicated for fathers involved with raising a teenage daughter. Whether you’re a stay-at-home dad, the sole custodial parent or still married to the mother of your daughter, there’s something uniquely challenging about parenting a teenage girl. While every father and daughter will face their own individual challenges and successes, these are a few of the more common struggles faced by fathers of daughters who are rapidly approaching adulthood.

  • Maintaining Neutral Status in Mother/Daughter Disputes – Every family is different, but one thing that tends to be almost universally true is that where there is a teenage daughter and a mother in the same picture, there will be at least the occasional power struggle or dispute. As a father, your first instinct may be to side with your child. On the other hand, presenting a united front is important for parents who are attempting to establish and maintain boundaries. One of the most challenging aspects of parenting a teenage daughter is maintaining neutrality when the battles begin to rage.
  • Dealing With Puberty and Maturation – It’s not easy to watch your little girl grow into a woman. As a father, you know that your primary goal is to help your daughter become a productive, independent adult. You also know that the world can be a scary, dangerous place, and your natural inclination is to protect her at all costs. Understanding that growing up is an inevitable part of childhood and that your daughter is becoming her own woman isn’t easy for a parent of any gender, but it can be particularly stressful for fathers.
  • Letting Daughters Make Their Own Mistakes – You want to protect your kids from making the same mistakes you made at their age, to impart the hard-earned wisdom you’ve gained over the course of your life and to help your daughters reach maturity as unscathed as possible by disappointment or heartbreak. It’s not always easy to put the shining armor on a shelf and to hold yourself back from intervening when your daughter is in the process of making a mistake, but some goofs are necessary. After all, the most valuable wisdom comes as a result of mislaid plans or questionable judgment. While you will want to do all that you can to prevent dangerous behavior, taking healthy risks is essential to your daughter’s development.
  • Dating and Romantic Entanglements – When little girls become teenagers, they start dating. For most fathers, this is the most terrifying and infuriating phase of parenthood. Perhaps the unique perspective of a man who was once a teenage boy himself makes it difficult to trust your daughter with one, but it doesn’t change the fact that romantic interests are inevitable as your child becomes a young woman.
  • Being a Listener, Rather Than a Fixer – From a leaking faucet to a dispute with a friend, many men react to problems and difficulties in the lives of their loved ones by trying to offer solutions. Sometimes, though, your teen daughter just needs you to listen. When she needs a sounding board, it’s not always easy to become a listener, rather than a fixer. Unfortunately, a listener is often what your daughter is looking for from you.
  • Staying Active and Involved When Girls Become Distant – Part of growing up and becoming an adult is asserting independence from parents and family members. Knowing that it’s a necessary aspect of your teen daughter’s development doesn’t make it any less painful, though. Watching your daughter make a concerted effort to push you away or isolate herself is both difficult and hurtful, but it’s something that every father must face.
  • Understanding a Father’s Impact on His Daughter’s Self-Esteem – Girls tend to base their own ideas regarding self-worth on how their fathers treat them, which means that your daughter is almost certainly depending upon you to help her attain the self-esteem she’ll need to successfully navigate the world of adult social interactions. Complimenting your daughter is important, but it’s also important that those compliments be based on more than just her appearance. It’s fine to tell your little girl how pretty she’s become, but you also need to tell her how smart she is and how proud you are of the efforts she makes.

10 iPhone Apps for Recording & Editing Audio

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fireIf you know me at all you know that I love my iPhone 5 and that I enjoy making stop motion and other movies with it.  However, once I have made the vid I have to decide how to deal with the audio for the newly created short.  I’ll be honest, I’m still experimenting with different applications like FiRe and FourTrack, but here is a list of 10 interesting applications that I have looked into recently with some basic descriptions of each:

  1. VC Audio Pro – VeriCorder Technology’s $6.99 VC Audio Pro app was designed for broadcasters, but is a powerful and functional tool for anyone that needs to record and edit audio with their iPhone. With multi-track editing capability, a sound mixer, clip arranger and a volume curve, there’s little this app can’t do in terms of on-the-go sound editing.
  2. Recorder & Editor ~ iSaidWhat?! – Record anything you hear and then edit it with the built-in features of the $2.99 Recorder & Editor app, which allows for cutting, arranging and sharing as well as microphone sensitivity adjustment. Share your work through email, Facebook and Twitter or send files to DropBox for backup with this fun and functional app.
  3. Voxie Pro Recorder – Highly rated and well-reviewed, Bottle Rocket’s $4.99 Voxie Pro Recorder is designed to collect dictation, voice notes and group messaging audio information. A touchable waveform makes navigation simple and quick, while the unrestricted file size lets you record for as long as you need to.
  4. MultiTrack DAW – Musicians are no longer restricted to a full studio if they want to record, edit and release their songs for the world to hear. This $9.99 app allows you to record multiple takes with up to 24 tracks, as well as move and trim audio until the arrangement is perfect.
  5. GarageBand – Whether you’re a multi-instrumentalist with a feel for music in all of its forms or an advanced beginner with a great ear, you can record and edit songs of your own creation using the Touch Instruments of GarageBand for iPhone. For $4.99, you can conduct an orchestra, create an entire song of your own imagining or use the Jam Session feature to play as an ensemble with your friends.
  6. Hindenburg Field Recorder – At $29.99, the Hindenburg Field Recorder app has a price point that could restrict its scope to only dedicated professional users, but it does offer a wealth of features and capabilities that make it a worthwhile investment. Non-destructive editing tools offer full undo and redo capabilities, along with a full complement of features for trimming, moving and making changes.
  7. Pocket WavePad – This free app is a powerful one, especially when you take its low price into consideration. Record anything you hear, then edit and add the effects until you’ve created the ideal project. No matter what you’re recording, this app offers the tools you need to make the most of it.
  8. Hokusai Audio Editor – Another free but impressively featured app, the Hokusai Audio Editor has received rave reviews from TouchProducer.com and iOS Music and You. Edit several tracks side-by-side and mix them together, then export to WAV or mp4 format. The same pinch and swipe gestures that you use to navigate your iPhone’s native features are used within the app, adding to the intuitive interface and ease of use.
  9. TwistedWave Audio Editor – Recording audio and adding effects is easy with this $9.99 app, and you can export files in WAV, AIFF, CAF and AAC supported-formats and import or export with iTunes file sharing. Support for Apple Lossless, a-law and u-law codecs makes it easy to create and edit high-quality audio files.
  10. studio.HD – Record 24 tracks of audio to edit, loop, mix and add effects with this $9.99 app from Sound Trends LLC. Record your inspirations as they come to you, rather than losing integral ideas on your way to a studio. This app gives you the power to capture the music you create from anywhere you happen to be.

I haven’t really nailed down the right application(s) for my personal use, but I’ll definitely keep trying them and experimenting with different microphones and equipment.  As I learn more, I’ll keep you updated and as always, I would LOVE to hear your suggestions and/or more about your personal experiences with any of these or other iPhone applications for recording and editing audio.