Olympics 2020 Featuring: Olympic Speed Skater Maame Biney and How to Program Your Own Happiness

Maame Biney, a 17-year-old from Ghana, (was) the first African-American woman to represent the U.S. on the speedskating short track team at the 2018 Winter Olympics Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February. VOA's Correspondent, Salem Solomon visited her where she first started skating in a local ice rink in Reston, Virginia and has this story. [Video Below]

Learn how to ice skate from leading professionals via figure skating coaching tips, videos, courses and training at CoachTube.

How to Program Your Own Happiness

By: Evelyn Cole

"Like computer programs, we can be misconfigured and need to re-program our subconscious minds. " Evelyn Cole Happiness is a subjective state, a temporary one by necessity. We can't know we are happy if we don't know other contrasting emotional states. But as we let go of unhappy feelings, we make room for happiness. The January 17, 2005 issue of Time Magazine covers the "Science of Happiness" in great detail. It cites several academic studies throughout the world. Though fascinating, I found it strange that such exhaustive coverage has only one oblique reference to the subconscious mind. In their article on spectator sports and passion for home teams, "subliminal" jumped into my lap. The complete absence of current research that shows the effect of the subconscious mind on happiness reflects, I suspect, a fear of it. However, I doubt that Time Magazine editors would agree with me. Since this is an essay and not scientific literature, I urge you to find the legitimate research. Simply Google keywords such as "the subconscious mind". What is often called "the other 90% to 98% of your brain" functions in a significantly different way from your conscious brain. Your subconscious sees pictures, not words. It does not recognize negative commands from your conscious frontal lobes. This why thinking consciously about what you DO NOT WANT will bring that particular thing to you. If you do not want to fall over the edge of the Grand Canyon, you will feel great fear when you approach the edge because your unconscious "sees" you falling. If you don't want to lose your job, your home, or your spouse, what your subconscious mind pictures most often will happen eventually. If you want success in any endeavor, imagine it. Do NOT picture possible mistakes. You can consider possible mistakes with your conscious mind in order to avoid them. But do NOT picture them repeatedly. Repetition sells. You may hate a television ad because you have seen it too many times. It plays often because repetition works. Be careful what pictures you repeat in your thoughts. My daughter, Margie, is a river guide. She has taken many trips over the rapids in the King River, California. On one trip her guest said she was deathly afraid of snakes and asked if there were any on the river. Margie reassured her. "I have ridden this stretch of the river many times for five or six years. Believe me, I have never seen a snake." Appeased, the woman settled into the raft. As they headed downstream, a snake appeared near the boat, amazing my daughter. It did not amaze me. So, you see, our beliefs, our mental pictures, create our reality. The outer world is a reproduction of the inner world. In our pursuit of happiness we make the mistake of looking outside instead of inside. The subconscious mind is the prover. Its job is to prove that what you believe and "see" is correct. If you believe you are a failure at business, you will fail. That's precisely why I failed at specific endeavors (accounting) and succeeded at others (teaching) If you believe you are good at ice skating, you won't fall. If you believe you inherited a physical weakness that causes you to be sick often, you will be, regularly. Can you remember a time when you imagined something happening, either good or bad, and, by golly, it came to pass? Before I met John I used to daydream about getting married in Fiji. That didn't happen, but I did marry John and he took me to Fiji twice afterwards. So, be very careful what you picture in your mind. Delete all pictures of events you don't want and then create pictures of your greatest happiness. Besides Brainsweep, here are three more excellent ways to do just that: 1. Centerpointe 2. Sedona 3. Effort-Free Life

Evelyn Cole, MA, MFA, The Whole-mind Writer, http://www.write-for-wealth.com evycole@direcway.com Cole’s chief aim in life is to convince everyone to understand the power of the subconscious mind and synchronize it with goals of the conscious mind. Along with "Mind Nudges" and "Brainsweep", she has published three novels and several poems that dramatize subconscious power.

World Triathlon Featuring: 2018 ITU WC New Plymouth Women’s Race and Exercising With Children

America’s Kirsten Kasper produced the perfect race execution to claim the title at the New Plymouth World Cup today. It’s been a remarkable start to the year for Kasper with a fourth place in WTS Abu Dhabi, second place in Mooloolaba World Cup and now a convincing win in the New Plymouth ITU World Cup.

Exercising With Children

By: Addison Jones

While there are still many children who remain physically active, there are more and more children that rather surf the Internet or play video games than be involved in physical activity. As technology advances it becomes more entertaining for children and they are becoming less active. Exercise is not only important for adults but it also benefits children in many ways. Ensuring children have enough physical activities throughout the day is very important to their growth and development. Regular physical activity can help prevent chronic diseases and build strong healthy bodies in many ways: *It will develop muscle strength that will assist in preventing injuries. *It will improve their heart and lung capacities that will help them function more efficiently. This will benefit in day-to-day activities and in controlling blood pressure. *It will assist in keeping their bones strong, which will aid in preventing osteoporosis later on in life. *It will decrease body fat and assist in maintaining a steady, healthy weight. *It will help children expend energy, which helps with weight control. *It can help reduce the risk for Type II Diabetes. Regular physical activity is also essential in developing and perfecting fine and gross motor skills, which are important to coordination, confidence, socialization and academic performance. Exercise doesn’t only benefit children’s physical health and motor skills; it can also benefit their mental health in many ways: *Their self-esteem appears to rise and they gain confidence, feeling comfortable in their own shoes. *It helps reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety due to the physical activity alternating the brains chemistry and increasing the levels of serotonin. *It increases concentration and alertness by releasing endorphins that act on the brain to improve mental focus and cognitive skills. *It helps boost their energy levels by stimulating their circulation and blood flow that deliver oxygen and nutrients to their tissues. *It controls mood swings and improves feelings of happiness! It is mental stimulation that gives children the sense that they have achieved something. In order to achieve results, it is suggested that children take part in some type of physical activity at least 60 minutes every day according to the American Heart Association. Unlike adults, they do not need to follow a specific exercise program to achieve these results. Running, jumping, climbing, playing on the playground, shooting hoops, kicking a soccer ball, riding bikes, etc. are all examples of activities that are sufficient to meet their needs. Going to the pool is another great option that is fun for everyone and can be a great aerobic exercise. They should take part in activities that interest them. Activities at a local YMCA or after school sports can be a fun option. As a parent or leader, you can take part in their physical activity and be a role model. Ask them what they like to do and get the entire family involved. You can let them pick the activity; this makes them feel special! Make sure they have access to active toys like balls, jump ropes, bikes, etc. Making the activity fun and playing as a family will trump the Internet and video games and the child will receive the exercise they need. Teaching children a healthy active lifestyle will benefit them well into the future. It is important to be involved and ensure they have the resources available to be physically active. Making it fun and not too much like a lesson is key with children. If they are doing something they enjoy and are not forced to do it, they are likely not to quit. Regular physical activity is very important for children as their growth, development and mental health depends on it. Exercise on! This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read herein. Addison Jones has always been interested in health and exercise. She currently helps run a website where they sell medical products. Shop their selection today now. You can visit http://www.MedicalStockShop.com.