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The Linkin Park sponsored summer rock fest breathes new life into Orange County.

Linkin Park held the audience captive even before they came onstage. The amphitheater was shrouded in darkness and man-made smoke billowed out. The Street Drum Corps, clad in black-light sensitive clothing and reflective instruments, burst onto the scene and broke into tribal drumming. Then, as purple and blue lights engulfed the stage, Linkin Park opened their set with the powerful “What I’ve Done,” from their Minutes to Midnight album and the 2007 movie soundtrack Transformers.

Linkin Park kept the party going and rocked the crowd despite a long day. Bands from all over the country had congregated at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Orange County, performing on two stages from 2 p.m. until well into the night.
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The Bravery rises to the challenge at Linkin Park’s 2008 Projekt Revolution tour stop in Irvine, California.

Sam Endicott appears calm, despite the fact that thousands of people are waiting in the amphitheater just outside.

With less than two hours to go before stepping onto the main stage, The Bravery frontman and songwriter relaxes in the tour bus, strumming quietly on his guitar. Having just returned from an unscheduled trip to the Apple® store, Endicott is dressed casually in dark colors, with lightly shaded sunglasses and sporting bare feet.

Music seems to relax him. Holding a guitar while answering questions, it is an apparent extension of who he is. Fans of the indie rock and electronica band would be surprised to learn that growing up there was no music in Endicott’s household. When he was 12, Endicott finally began tuning in to the radio. “It blew my mind,” he says. The future musician then started listening to various types of music and playing guitar…and knew he wanted music to be his job and his life.

(continue reading at LA’s the Place.com)

Article and concert photography by Helen M. Ryan

Now that temperatures are soaring, exercise may be the last thing on your mind. That hot, sticky feeling is often a great workout de-motivator.

However, we have an opportunity to turn this de-motivator into a motivator: exercising in the pool. Using water as a way to get in shape is both effective and fun. No longer associated only with seniors, aquatic fitness allows us work our bodies hard, yet stay cool and comfortable.

Athletes, housewives, rehabilitation patients and even children are catching this next wave in fitness, and a wide variety of workout options are now available.

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Weight loss is a challenge. But here are a few simple tricks that will help you on your road to weight loss success. They are simple, free and most of all - painless.

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“It often requires more courage to read some books than it does to fight a battle. ~Sutton Elbert Griggs”

Of all the skills I’ve learned in life, reading has been the most valuable.

Books have taken me exciting places, ugly places, bright, dark, happy and sad places. In fact, books may have saved my life by providing me with a safe escape from reality. Where else can you live the rock star life with Nikki Sixx or see the streets of Berlin through Jason Bourne’s eyes?

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Yes, that’s correct. You actually heard a woman say that she loves her thighs.

My thighs are not particularly attractive: They are neither long nor thin nor tan. In fact, they are kind of short, bulky and pale. So why do I love them?

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If sweating and grunting in a room full of strangers is not for you, do not fret. An effective workout can be had inexpensively in the privacy of your own home or office. All you need are a few basics and some creativity.

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I remember my first Spinning® class vividly. With 50 pounds left to lose, an out of shape body and baggy black sweat pants, I wore my insecurity like a badge. As I hesitantly got onto the Spin bike the instructor walked in - and I froze. Taking one look at his very lean frame, I thought, “Uh oh. I’m in trouble.”

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(Written for CitiHealth Publications) >Download Article aquatic.pdf

Nancy and Bob Dubay of Temecula are very fit. The couple strength trains, walks, golfs and performs regular cardiovascular exercise. So when they signed up for private aquatic training last summer both were unsure of what to expect. They were pleasantly surprised

“It’s a good workout,” says Nancy Dubay. “The intervals were hard and got my heart rate up. But I felt refreshed after – full of energy.”

“I was very pleased with how easy it was on my body, while still being challenging,” adds Bob Dubay. “I wanted to try working out in the water because my back was bothering me from other forms of exercise. My heart rate was elevated, my legs and core definitely felt it. And core strength is important for back health.”

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Most things I know about life I learned in Spin class.

It’s true.

The stationary bike has been my teacher, and I have spent hundreds of hours learning from it.

Four years ago when I saw my first Spin bike it seemed like…just a bike. Made of cold metal with an unwelcoming seat, it did not look very comfortable. I felt physically awkward: I was very overweight and out of shape in a room full of really fit people. I wanted to leave, to run as fast and far as I could, but did not want to be seen as chickening out.

The first half hour was hell. My behind was numb, my legs were shaky and my heart was pounding. But then I felt something inside. A little spark that ignited a part of me…a part I thought was long gone. That spark re-ignited my pilot light and eventually changed - and saved - my life.

Continue reading at LA’s the Place…

Every January begins the same: You vow to eat better, exercise and become healthier and fitter. A few months later you read an article on “bikini bodies by June” and wonder, “What happened to those vows?”

You are not alone. 60 percent of people drop their fitness resolutions within six months of making them. This year, be one of the 40 percent who succeeds. With these 11 steps, it’s easier than you imagine.

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Not much happening in the metabolism department? Need a change to get things going? Here are eight (nearly) painless ways to stoke your metabolic fire.

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Temecula Valley International Film and Music Festival Grows Up

(Written for LA’s the Place)

The six hundred attendees cannot fit into one theater so they are now seated in two, waiting for the screening of a festival entry to begin. The film’s cast and crew, VIPs, and various official dignitaries are all in attendance. In one theater a projector lens malfunctions. In the other, no audio is heard. Festival organizers rush to fix the problems to keep the film rolling and people happy. The show must go on.

Welcome to opening night.

Continue reading at LA’s the Place.

At my “a-ha moment.” The moment I realized who I had become – who I had changed myself back into – how hard I had worked – and what I had lost in the process. I was now someone strong and capable, physically and mentally fit. I was there, in the moment, with 200 other fitness professionals, sweating, breathing and moving. I had fought for this. Hard. Gained a lot and lost even more. But I had triumphed. I was there and I was doing it. All my hard work and all that I lost, both physically and personally, wrapped up into the one moment. I sweated. And then I cried.

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