bbcuk--2019-09-29--David Attenborough Save Sussexs magical kelp forests

David Attenborough: Save Sussex's magical kelp forests

Sir David Attenborough is supporting a campaign to help save an important marine habitat.  Kelp forests off the West Sussex coast are among the most biodiverse environments on the planet, but they have been damaged by changing fishing habits and the dumping of sediment on the seafloor.  Kelp is also important in reducing the impact of climate change. According to one estimate, globally it can absorb about 600 million tonnes of carbon a year, twice as much as UK emits annually.  Sir David has backed an initiative by the Sussex Wildlife Trust and the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority to introduce an inshore trawler exclusion zone to help the kelp regenerate.  See more on Inside Out South on BBC One in the south of England on Monday September 30 at 19:30 GMT and on the BBC iPlayer here.


foreignpolicy--2019-08-19--It Isnt Too Late to Save the Brazilian Rainforest

It Isn’t Too Late to Save the Brazilian Rainforest  The fate of the Amazon is intertwined with the fate of the world. If 20-25 percent of its tree cover is cut down, scientists estimate, the basin’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide would be severely compromised, taking out of operation one of the world’s largest carbon sinks. Owing to accelerating rates of deforestation to make way for cattle, soy farming, and gold mining, this tipping point could be reached within a decade.  The Amazon basin plays a critical role in stabilizing the global climate. It is vast, spanning almost 3 million square miles and incorporating 40 percent of the world’s tropical forests, 20 percent of its fresh water supply, and producing 20 percent of the air we breathe. Through a process called evapotranspiration, it also influences the planet’s cloud cover and circulation of ocean currents.  But the Amazon basin is in trouble, particularly the nearly 2 million square miles of it located in Brazil. Deforestation rates there were almost 50 percent higher between August 2018 and July 2019 compared with the same period a year before. The country’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has made the opening up of the Amazon to massive resource extraction a central pillar of his government’s economic agenda.  Backed by powerful rural politicians and the agricultural and mining lobby, Bolsonaro has sought to dismantle Brazil’s environmental protections and agencies and ramp up access to mining concessions, especially on protected indigenous land. To hasten the process, the president is freezing the demarcation of new indigenous land and stripping the national indigenous foundation, known as Funai, of its powers. Such strategies are dangerous; the protection of indigenous lands is widely considered to be among the best strategies to conserve forests and avoid loss of biodiversity.  Already, deforestation is rising and illegal mining spreading. The chief culprits for deforestation include cattle ranchers, who are responsible for more than three-quarters of land clearances. But widespread mining of iron, gold, and other minerals is credited with up to a 10th of all forest loss. Agri-industrial giants are also clearing tracts of land to make way for soy and corn, although their direct impact on deforestation is more limited because their footprints are smaller.  Despite evidence to the contrary, the Brazilian government denies that there is a problem. Confronted with remote sensing data showing rising forest loss from the National Institute for Space Research, Brazil’s national scientific agency, the president sacked the agency’s director, describing its findings as “fake news.” That same week, he publicly rebuked the leaders of Germany and France after they expressed concern about soaring levels of deforestation and widespread human rights abuses in indigenous and Afro-Brazilian communities. On learning that the French foreign minister had met with local environmental groups, Bolsonaro called off a planned meeting, potentially imperiling the ratification of a massive new trade pact with the European Union.  Most Brazilians disapprove of their government’s moves, and more than 86 percent of them oppose opening up protected indigenous areas to mining. A number of environmental and indigenous organizations have started resisting deregulation efforts in Brazil and holding protests in the capital. In the past month, eight former environment ministers, a former agriculture minister, and seven state governors have publicly rejected the federal government’s measures. And after months of verbal jousting, Germany and then Norway suspended their contributions to the more than $1 billion Amazon Fund, a mechanism created in 2008 to help Brazil protect its forests and 300 tribal groups living in the Amazon.  Not surprisingly, conservation and protection efforts face an uphill battle. A big part of the problem is that the federal government simply dismisses all opposition. Several top officials do not believe that climate change is real and seem convinced that foreign governments and civil society groups are intent on sabotaging Bolsonaro’s administration. His foreign minister, Ernesto Araújo, has denounced climate change as a Marxist plot. He has the backing of some in the armed forces, which have long been suspicious of indigenous and environmental groups, and of many conservative governors who support the federal government’s agenda, especially when it comes to the economic development of forested areas.  But there are ways to put pressure on Bolsonaro. Domestically, increased investment by public and private groups in the scientific detection of illegal deforestation and environmental crime, measures to reduce land grabbing and the unproductive use of land for cattle grazing, incentives for producing alternate crops, and sustained enforcement of existing laws are all essential. To be sure, given the current hostility of the federal government, most of these measures are off the table. But the international community has other options available, including penalties for companies with dirty supply chains, divestment strategies targeting key violators, product boycotts, and public campaigns.  Meanwhile, one of most powerful ways to protect the region is by working with businesses, rather than against them. Take the case of the cattle industry: It might not seem like a likely candidate for progressive policy, but many international importers and sellers are increasingly sensitive to “greening” their supply chains given global consumer backlash about the Amazon. Domestic meat producers in Brazil are particularly wary since the larger chains that sell their products in Brazil—Carrefour, Casino, Walmart, and others—are foreign-owned (and are committed to zero-carbon standards, in principle).  Several Brazilian business coalitions are already pushing back. The Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Brazilian Agribusiness Association have criticized government proposals to open up protected forests. And Brazilian policymakers could face more pressure soon. Given that Brazil’s finance minister has promised to phase out a wide range of subsidies to local producers, businesses will soon need to turn to much more demanding international creditors for access to capital. If they don’t change their practices, their businesses will suffer. Already, as part of the Brazilian climate, forestry, and agriculture coalition, some of the country’s largest beef-packing companies, agricultural producers, and land owners are taking steps to clean up their supply chains.  They can be encouraged along. The London Stock Exchange recently unveiled its Responsible Commodities Facility, essentially the world’s first green bonds scheme to provide low interest credit lines for sustainable food production. Farmers who commit to avoid clearing forests for agriculture will have access to up to $1 billion over the next four years to produce close to 190 million tons of soy and corn. The facility also seeks to protect and restore tens of thousands of square miles of natural habitat in the Brazilian savanna regions in order to take hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.  Although still in its early days, Marfrig Global Foods, one of the world’s largest beef producers, also launched sustainability bonds last month. The $500 million, decadelong offering brings together several large banks—Bradesco, Santander, BTG, Nomura, HSBC, XP, and Rabobank, among others—to support practices that avoid deforestation and reduce carbon emissions. Marfrig already launched several initiatives to encourage suppliers to adopt zero-carbon practices.  Meanwhile, a Chinese-owned trading firm—COFCO International—has also joined forces with 20 banks to issue a $2.1 billion financing facility to support sustainability in Brazil’s agricultural sector. COFCO has decided to assess loan repayments based on local companies’ progress in meeting environmental, social, and corporate governance targets. The goal is to promote the sustainable production of soy and reinvest savings into reforestation and protecting land in the Amazon.  Rival traders such as Olam and Louis Dreyfus have agreed to renew similar arrangements valued at over $750 million. Both companies are already among the biggest exporters of soybeans in the country and have linked performance to sustainability goals. Many others are following suit. While some critics label these types of financing arrangements as “greenwashing”—that is, attempts to make a company or practice seem more environmentally friendly than it is—the reality is that growing numbers of banks are under scrutiny from their own compliance departments and the wider public and are wary of the reputational risks associated with inaction.  There is no doubt that a combination of incentives and penalties is needed to help promote better stewardship of the Amazon basin. A healthier Amazon is in the interest of not just the international community but also Brazilians, who could suffer greatly should deforestation rates cross a point of no return. In the short term, resistance is crucial to keep a bad situation from getting worse. But in the longer term, the best solution brings responsible governments, civil society groups, and businesses together to create solutions.


latimes--2019-09-12--Opinion California can help save the Amazon rainforest Do we have the guts to try

Opinion: California can help save the Amazon rainforest. Do we have the guts to try?

Fires burning in Brazil and the broader Amazon basin are shining a spotlight on the role of forests and land use in the climate change challenge. Next week, the California Air Resources Board will hold a hearing that could have a direct impact on such fires.  On Sept. 19, the board will vote on whether to endorse its proposed Tropical Forest Standard. California has been working on this standard for 11 years through a unique partnership with 37 other states and provinces from 10 countries around the world, including all of the states in the Brazilian Amazon. Full disclosure: I have served as the project lead for this effort since its inception.  At its core, the Tropical Forest Standard establishes a set of performance benchmarks for what a high-quality state or provincial approach to reducing deforestation should aim for. States or provinces that meet the standard might be eligible in the future to raise money to fund sustainable practices by participating in the California carbon cap-and-trade system. Emitters in California — an oil company, say — would purchase offsets tied to emissions reduction in the forest provinces. That then allows the oil company to meet part of its compliance obligations here. But even if these faraway forest offsets are never bought and sold in our carbon market, jurisdictions that meet the benchmarks could use the standard to access other opportunities.  Much of the proposed standard is technical, relating to quantification of emissions reductions, monitoring and verification. Some of it is focused on process and governance issues, establishing a robust set of principles for what constitutes proper collaboration between state and provincial governments and indigenous and local communities. These principles have been jointly developed and are now widely endorsed by governments, indigenous peoples organizations and civil society groups around the world. There is nothing in the world today like the Tropical Forest Standard, and we should not hold our breath waiting for the United Nations or national governments to fill that gap.  Critics have already decided that the Tropical Forest Standard cannot possibly work. They point out that it will be difficult to verify and enforce the benchmarks. They worry that because of that, the program may just make it easier for large emitters in California to buy dubious offsets and continue emitting.  And, of course, even if it does work, the Tropical Forest Standard cannot solve the problem of tropical deforestation by itself.  But the standard is worth trying. Like so much of California’s approach to climate policy, it is an experiment, one that has a lot of potential upside with very limited downside risk. The program contains multiple safeguards to protect the integrity of the California cap-and-trade program. Even if a jurisdiction can meet the standard, there is no guarantee that it would be able to link with California’s program. Before that could happen, it would have to gain further approval in Sacramento. It is quite possible that California could adopt the Tropical Forest Standard and never pursue a linkage with a tropical forest jurisdiction.  Why then move forward with it? Two reasons. First, the standard sends an important signal to California’s tropical forest partners that they are not in this alone. Abandoning the standard now would do the opposite. This is especially critical for forest states in Brazil now that the federal government has pulled back from forest protection. Governors in Brazil, Peru or Mexico might feel a little more comfortable taking some political risks to step up on forests and climate if they can point to an ongoing partnership with California. In a world of triage and tragic choices, every little bit of courage by a political leader is a precious resource.  Second, states and provinces that meet the standard’s criteria would be in a much better position to unlock more sources of public and private financing, even if the offsets aren’t part of our cap-and-trade market.  Without a doubt, many of these tropical forest jurisdictions are poor, with limited capacity and far too little support from national and international partners. And, yes, in many of these tropical frontiers, there are problems of corruption, illegal land grabs, narco-trafficking and violence against indigenous and local communities. We can’t solve these problems by ignoring them, and the standard is a way of engaging them.  The great risk is that leaders in those tropical forest provinces who are committed to sustainable efforts will give up or lose the next election. They need and deserve our support. They need to know that the world is watching and that if they stay on the path of forest protection their efforts will be recognized and rewarded. More than anything, they need to be able to make a compelling case to the people in their jurisdictions that forest protection can deliver meaningful economic opportunities.  California has a chance to do its part in this effort by staying in the fight alongside these states and provinces. This is what climate leadership looks like in a bottom-up world.  William Boyd is a professor at the UCLA School of Law and the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. Since 2009, he has served as the project lead for the Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force.


nationalinterest--2019-12-30--How to Save the Rainforest (And These Incredibly Cute Animals)

Lemurs are the world’s most endangered mammals, but planting trees can help save them.  The island of Madagascar off the southeastern coast of Africa hosts at least 12,000 plant species and 700 vertebrate species, 80% to 90% of which are found nowhere else on Earth.  Isolated for the last 88 million years and covering an area approximately the size of the northeastern United States, Madagascar is one of the world’s hottest biodiversity hotspots. Its island-wide species diversity is striking, but its tropical forest biodiversity is truly exceptional.  Sadly, human activities are ravaging tropical forests worldwide. Habitat fragmentation, over-harvesting of wood and other forest products, over-hunting, invasive species, pollution and climate change are depleting many of these forests’ native species.  Among these threats, climate change receives special attention because of its global reach. But in my research, I have found that in Madagascar it is not the dominant reason for species decline, although of course it’s an important long-term factor.  As a primatologist and lemur specialist, I study how human pressures affect Madagascar’s highly diverse and endemic signature species. In two recent studies, colleagues and I have found that in particular, the ruffed lemur – an important seed disperser and indicator of rainforest health – is being disproportionately impacted by human activities. Importantly, habitat loss is driving ruffed lemurs’ distributions and genetic health. These findings will be key to helping save them.  Madagascar has lost nearly half (44%) of its forests within the last 60 years, largely due to slash-and-burn agriculture – known locally as “tavy” – and charcoal production. Habitat loss and fragmentation runs throughout Madagascar’s history, and the rates of change are staggering.  This destruction threatens Madagascar’s biodiversity and its human population. Nearly 50% of the country’s remaining forest is now located within 300 feet (100 meters) of an unforested area. Deforestation, illegal hunting and collection for the pet trade are pushing many species toward the brink of extinction.  In fact, the International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that 95% of Madagascar’s lemurs are now threatened, making them the world’s most endangered mammals. Pressure on Madagascar’s biodiversity has significantly increased over the last decade.  In a newly published study, climate scientist Toni Lyn Morelli, species distribution expert Adam Smith and I worked with 19 other researchers to study how deforestation and climate change will affect two critically endangered ruffed lemur species over the next century. Using combinations of different deforestation and climate change scenarios, we estimate that suitable rainforest habitat could be reduced by as much as 93%.  If left unchecked, deforestation alone could effectively eliminate ruffed lemurs’ entire eastern rainforest habitat and with it, the animals themselves. In sum, for these lemurs the effects of forest loss will outpace climate change.  But we also found that if current protected areas lose no more forest, climate change and deforestation outside of parks will reduce suitable habitat by only 62%. This means that maintaining and enhancing the integrity of protected areas will be essential for saving Madagascar’s rainforest habitats.  In a study published in November 2019, my colleagues and I showed that ruffed lemurs depend on habitat cover to survive. We investigated natural and human-caused impediments that prevent the lemurs from spreading across their range, and tracked the movement of their genes as they ranged between habitats and reproduced. This movement, known as gene flow, is important for maintaining genetic variability within populations, allowing lemurs to adapt to their ever-changing environments.  Based on this analysis, we parsed out which landscape variables – including rivers, elevation, roads, habitat quality and human population density – best explained gene flow in ruffed lemurs. We found that human activity was the best predictor of ruffed lemurs’ population structure and gene flow. Deforestation alongside human communities was the most significant barrier.  Taken together, these and other lines of evidence show that deforestation poses an imminent threat to conservation on Madagascar. Based on our projections, habitat loss is a more immediate threat to lemurs than climate change, at least in the immediate future.  This matters not only for lemurs, but also for other plants and animals in the areas where lemurs are found. The same is true at the global level: More than one-third (about 36.5%) of Earth’s plant species are exceedingly rare and disproportionately affected by human use of land. Regions where the most rare species live are experiencing higher levels of human impact.  Scientists have warned that the fate of Madagascar’s rich natural heritage hangs in the balance. Results from our work suggest that strengthening protected areas and reforestation efforts will help to mitigate this devastation while environmentalists work toward long-term solutions for curbing the runaway greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change.  Already, nonprofits are working hard toward these goals. A partnership between Dr. Edward E. Louis Jr., founder of Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership and director of Conservation Genetics at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, and the Arbor Day Foundation’s Plant Madagascar project has replanted nearly 3 million trees throughout Kianjavato, one region identified by our study. Members of Centre ValBio’s reforestation team – a nonprofit based just outside of Ranomafana National Park that facilitates our ruffed lemur research – are following suit.  At an international conference in Nairobi earlier this year, Madagascar’s president, Andry Rajoelina, promised to reforest 40,000 hectares (99,000 acres) every year for the next five years – the equivalent of 75,000 football fields. This commitment, while encouraging, unfortunately lacks a coherent implementation plan.  Our projections highlight areas of habitat persistence, as well as areas where ruffed lemurs could experience near-complete habitat loss or genetic isolation in the not-so-distant future. Lemurs are an effective indicator of total non-primate community richness in Madagascar, which is another way of saying that protecting lemurs will protect biodiversity. Our results can help pinpoint where to start.  [ Like what you’ve read? Want more? Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter. ]  This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


theguardianuk--2019-09-04--Grow your own forest how to plant trees to help save the planet

Grow your own forest: how to plant trees to help save the planet

‘Tree planting ‘has mind-blowing potential’ to tackle climate crisis.” That’s how the Guardian reported findings from the Crowther Lab in Switzerland two months ago. Billions more trees, scientists claimed, could remove two-thirds of all the carbon dioxide created by human activity. Forest restoration “isn’t just one of our climate change solutions, it is overwhelmingly the top one,” said the lead scientist, climate change ecologist Tom Crowther.  Such a programme might take 100 years to be fully effective, but along the way it would reduce the consequences of the climate crisis – protecting soil from erosion, reducing the risk of flooding and providing habitats for a vast range of animals and other plant species.  Some baby steps are already being taken, such as the Bonn Challenge, a global attempt to reforest 350m hectares by 2030. In the UK, tree-planting initiatives include the Northern Forest, which will be made up of 25m trees, spanning the north of England from Liverpool to Hull.  But we need to do much, much more. Another study led by Crowther, published in Nature in 2015, estimated that while there are more than 3 trillion trees in the world, that number had fallen by 46% since the dawn of human civilisation.  In Brazil, the Amazon rainforest continues to shrink by the equivalent of three football fields every minute as land is turned over to cattle ranching, soya-bean production and mining. In August alone, an area the size of Hong Kong disappeared, not including losses from fires.  If you want to do your bit, here are some answers to the big questions.  In its recent report Net Zero: the UK’s contribution to stopping global warming, the Committee on Climate Change says the UK needs to increase its woodland from 13% of land area to 17% (the European average is around 35%). We need to be planting 30,000 hectares annually. “In the 2018-19 season, we did just under 13,000 hectares, of which 11,000 were in Scotland,” says John Tucker, director of woodland outreach at the Woodland Trust. “If you looked at England, we probably need six times more tree-planting. We are way off where we should be.”  In order to hit the target, says Jon Stokes, director of trees, science and research at the Tree Council, “we need a radically different approach in terms of funding, incentives, land availability, harnessing people power and private-public involvement. Existing woodlands are also valuable habitats and an essential source of carbon capture, however they are not always managed effectively. Improving the management of existing woodlands could maximise their ability to store and capture carbon, and should therefore be a key part of any plan to increase tree numbers or canopy cover.”  Can people planting trees in their garden make much of a dent? “One individual tree might not make a difference but if 10m people put one tree in, that would,” says Tucker. “If people feel they want to do something, then planting a tree in the right place is a good thing to do … Get trees that are produced from seed that is sourced from the UK and grown in the UK. We want to avoid encouraging people to buy trees that have been imported because that brings with it a risk of disease.”  It isn’t simply a case of filling every available space with trees. Species need to be chosen carefully to ensure they grow well – especially on deforested or degraded land – and fit into the existing ecosystem. “There are other landscapes – such as grasslands and peatlands – which are rich in biodiversity and can also lock up lots of carbon dioxide in their own right. These must be protected and here it might not be appropriate to plant trees,” says Stokes.  Isabella Tree, author of Wilding, who, with her husband Charles Burrell, turned a 1,400-hectare farm in West Sussex into one of the country’s biggest “rewilding” projects, is not in favour of plantations. “The advantages of natural regeneration are absolutely huge and haven’t really been taken seriously,” she claims. Creating forest plantations, she says, would require first spraying the area with a weedkiller, such as glyphosate. “Then you’re transporting people in by car, with saplings that have been grown in nurseries in an artificial high-carbon system. They may have been imported, so you’ve got a disease risk there. They also won’t have all the mycorrhizas [beneficial fungi] that they would have had if they were grown in the wild. It’s a human choice what tree is planted where, and we’re not always the best judge of that.”  Saplings are usually protected with a plastic tube that doesn’t biodegrade, and also creates “a micro-environment that can encourage a buildup of condensation, so those saplings are often prone to rot and disease buildup. They also encourage the saplings to grow fast and tall, so they are etiolated stems. That may be fine if you’re a forester and you want to grow trees with great tall trunks, but not if you want to get a natural landscape back.”  The alternative is to let nature do it. “You allow thorny scrub to grow up, and that happens with birds and wind dispersing seed across your landscape – it’s one of the most biodiverse habitats there is, but in the UK we have zero tolerance for it.” A single jay, for instance, can plant thousands of acorns in a month, she says. “That thorny scrub becomes essentially nature’s barbed wire, to protect that sapling as it grows, so deer and rabbits can’t get at it. The sapling is instantly plugged into all the fungi associates of the scrub and the trees around it, so it’s like getting an intravenous injection of nutrients and minerals from the get-go. That tree will be much healthier and much more resilient than a tree that has been artificially planted. At the end, what you’ll get is an open woodscape, with lateral branches, which is a huge habitat for birds and bats, and a scrubby landscape where you’ve got the next generation of trees coming up. It sequesters carbon in a much more dynamic way than a closed-canopy, single-generational plantation.”  One of the obstacles, she says, is funding. It is simple to request funds for, say, 500 oaks in a certain area. It is less easy to say we want to allow trees to regenerate naturally, but can’t say how many that will be. “The funding paradigm doesn’t fit natural regeneration – and that’s one of the big problems.”  You don’t need permission, but you do need to think about what species will grow where you live, and also how big it could get. “It’s no use planting an oak tree two feet outside your back door – it will damage your house,” says Tucker. “You need to think about house foundations, underground drains, overhead power lines and make sure the tree is going to be in a place where it can grow and not have any adverse impact.” Think about the effect on your neighbours, too. Smaller species include apple trees or rowan.  “The act of planting must not be seen as the end of this process,” Stokes adds. “Aftercare is absolutely vital for young and newly planted trees; without aftercare, we could plant many trees that simply die or don’t grow to a size where they can provide benefits such as capturing carbon.”  You can’t plant on waste ground or in your local park without permission from the landowner – that could well be the local council and, says Tucker: “They might be interested in people approaching them and asking them if they can plant trees on their land.” Other good places to try may be school or hospital grounds.  If you’re planting more than two hectares of forest (less if it’s a “sensitive area”), you may need to contact your local Forestry Commission office “about whether you need what is, in effect, planning permission to create a new woodland”. There may also be funding available.  “We need more trees everywhere, but they perform different functions,” says Tucker. Leaving aside carbon sequestration, “In the rural situation, soil erosion is a real problem and trees in the right place, because their roots help improve water infiltration, can reduce runoff. In our cities, trees can be really good for improving air quality. As the climate warms up, shading in our towns and cities is going to become increasingly important and trees can perform that role. Surface-water flooding is a big problem in cities now and trees can help alleviate some of those flash-flooding episodes.”  “Not many of the recent planting grants have been for urban trees, so it’s great to see the Urban Tree Challenge Fund promising to plant 130,000 new urban trees,” adds Stokes.  The Tree Council has a national network of volunteers called tree wardens, who help conserve trees in their community. There may also be local tree-planting groups. If there aren’t, you could set up your own (the Woodland Trust offers free planting packs for community groups). Trees for Cities is another organisation that runs tree-planting projects. Donate money or volunteer.  There are numerous reforestation charities operating around the world, such as the International Tree Foundation, and TreeSisters, which plants 2.2m trees across the tropics, including in India, Kenya and Brazil, every year.  Beyond that, support international organisations that promote the rights of indigenous people, whose land stores nearly a quarter of the carbon stored in tropical forests, and who are best placed to protect forested areas by monitor and report illegal logging. In the UK, lobby the government to take reforestation seriously. “Tree planting rates in the UK in the past probably eight years have been the lowest for a generation, so we are miles off where we should be,” says Tucker.  “Stopping deforestation is really important, because about 10% of carbon dioxide emissions come from deforestation,” adds Dominick Spracklen, professor of biosphere-atmosphere interactions at the University of Leeds.  Many products we wouldn’t even think of contribute to the problem. “Ask questions,” says Stephen Donofrio, from the organisation Forest Trends. Ask the supermarkets where the palm oil in their products comes from, or the soya feed used to farm their meat. Ask sportswear companies where the leather in their trainers was sourced. Ask the person responsible for your pension fund how much deforestation its investments are causing. “Even if that person doesn’t know the answer, you’ve asked the question and hopefully others will, too, to the point where this comes on to their radar.”  Simon Lewis, professor of global change science at University College London, says we should “support the rewilding forest restoration schemes. Lobby companies – and to get legislation – so that the food production chain is deforestation-free. On a personal level, reducing your meat and dairy consumption will take pressure off the land to allow the possibility of having more forest.”  Above all, we mustn’t get complacent. “There are people who think we can keep using fossil fuels, and plant a few trees, and it’s all going to be all right,” says Spracklen. “That’s not going to solve climate change on its own.”


theguardianuk--2019-11-12--'We depend on the Tongass': Alaskans fight to save US’s largest national forest

Tribal leaders, fishermen and environmentalists from Alaska will testify before Congress on Wednesday in a bid to save America’s biggest national forest – the latest battle against the Trump administration’s assault on environmental protections.  The Tongass national forest, one of the world’s last intact temperate rainforests which plays a crucial role in fighting the climate crisis, is under threat of logging as Alaska seeks exemption from the Roadless Rule, which protects millions of acres of pristine forests across the US. The Tongass is considered the “crown jewel” of the national forest system, sequestering huge amounts of carbon dioxide to keep the greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere.  The Roadless Rule prevents mass clearcutting of trees in undeveloped forested areas and is seen as one of the most broadly supported environmental protections in the US.  Donald Trump has reportedly intervened in the Alaska case, raising fears that other states with strong extractive industry lobbying machines will seek to fast-track similar exemptions without properly consulting communities on the impact that felling trees in wilderness areas will have.  “There are indications that many other states are watching to see what happens with Alaska, which has shown us how this administration is blindly following whatever industry, corporations and lobbyists want without thinking about future generations,” said Blaine Miller-McFeeley, senior legislative representative at the legal not-for-profit Earthjustice.  Wednesday’s hearing by the Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Land (NPFPL) will hear evidence on the potentially devastating consequences for the Tongass and its people.  “We’ve been here for thousands of years. These are our lands and we depend on the Tongass for food security,” Joel Jackson, 63, president of the organized village of Kake, said.  “Tribes everywhere are worried and watching very closely at what they’re trying to do in Alaska,” added Jackson, who will testify.  “Tourism and commercial fishing run this region economically, not timber, which is a pathetically small sector,” said Lance Preston, 47, a fisherman and board member of the Seafood Producers Cooperative in Sitka. “The salmon already faces challenges from ocean acidification and warming … A very small minority stands to gain economically by being very irresponsible.”  Stretching 16m acres over 500 miles, the Tongass is unique in its size and biodiversity, with thousands of islands, waterways, glacial fjords and green valleys flanked by rugged mountains and sprawling forests of old-growth cedar, spruce and hemlock trees.  It is home to myriad species including wild Pacific salmon, brown bears, wolves, Sitka black-tailed deer and bald eagles, and attracts more than a million visitors annually.  The Roadless Rule was adopted during the Clinton administration after an extensive public consultation, in which 96% of the 1 million participants nationwide supported protection for unspoiled forests.  Since then Alaska has fought the regulation, but its efforts to roll back the protection have been repeatedly thwarted in Congress and the courts.  Then, the state’s petition for an exemption was granted by the Department of Agriculture in August 2018 without consulting any tribal nations.  The state was given $2m in federal funds by the Forest Service (FS) to help facilitate dialogue about six potential outcomes ranging from no change to full exemption.  At least 10% of this money was given to the Alaska Forest Association – a timber industry group – to aid their participation in the process, according to documents obtained by KTOO.  The Angoon Cooperative Association, Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes, Hoonah Indian Association, Hydaburg Cooperative Association, organized village of Kake and organized village of Kasaan – which all have roots in the Tongass dating back thousands of years – were belatedly offered a seat at the table as “cooperating agencies” alongside the state in the review process.  The tribes say they were not given any financial support leaving them scrambling to make sense of complex long document. Their requests for extensions were repeatedly denied.  In June, Trump held a private meeting with Alaska’s governor, Mike Dunleavy, on Air Force One. Shortly after, Trump instructed the agriculture secretary, Sonny Perdue, to grant a full exemption, according to the Washington Post.  Last month, a full exemption, opening the door for the logging industry to bulldoze roads and clearcut trees over 9m acres, was recommended in the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  In response, tribal leaders wrote to Perdue condemning the federal government’s rushed and unfair handling of the proposed exemption, which they said “represents the most controversial and potentially destructive assault on our way of life to date”.  In the Tongass, the tribes mostly live on isolated islands, relying on salmon fishing, deer, moose, grouse and berries. This traditional diet remains extremely important amid rising food prices and cuts to ferry services.  “All communities deserve to have access to the resources they rely on for subsistence, but this administration has gone out of its way to change the rules for their friends who seek to profit off those resources,” said the New Mexico congresswoman Deb Haaland, chair of the NPFPL.  In May, fellow committee member and Arizona congressman Ruben Gallego, and the Washington senator Maria Cantwell, senior member of the Senate energy and natural resources committee, introduced legislation to codify the Roadless Rule in order to permanently protect millions of acres of pristine national forests.  The 2019 Roadless Area Conservation Act would prevent state exemptions to the rule, which nationwide protects habitats for 1,600 threatened or endangered species, reduces wildfire risk and supplies clean drinking water to 60 million Americans and 350 communities across the US.  “The administration continues to try to solve 21st-century problems with 19th-century thinking, trying to extract a relatively small amount from our few remaining pristine natural areas,” said Cantwell.  Nationally, public support for the Roadless Rule remains strong: a Pew poll in March of this year found three-quarters of respondents want protections to remain in place.  Locally, the vast majority of south-east Alaska’s 32 native and white communities also support the current roadless protection.  But the Alaska congressman Don Young, the Republican leader of the NPFPL, believes the Roadless Rule has been a “disaster” for his home state. He has been working closely with Trump, senior White House staff and the rest of the Alaska delegation to secure an exemption.  “Congressman Young believes an exemption is needed to not only boost the economy of south-east Alaska, but to bolster the long-term health of the Tongass national forest by promoting active resource management,” a spokesperson said.  The rule already allows for individual exemptions: in Alaska, every single request for the Tongass to date – more than 50 – for projects like mines and dams has been approved.  Dunleavy’s office did not respond to requests for comment, but has previously blamed the rule for destroying logging and thousands of jobs.  The timber industry contributes less than 1% to the south-east Alaska economy, compared to 25% by the fishing and tourism industries combined.  Tongass waterways produce 80% of the commercial salmon annually harvested from south-east Alaska, valued at $60m. The FS has lost almost $600m on Tongass timber sales over the last 20 years, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense.  The FS is legally obliged to take into account public opinion before making its final decision, which is expected in mid-2020.  If it is fully repealed as Alaskan Republicans want, 5m acres of the Chugach national forest, which is second only to the Tongass in roadless acreage, could also be threatened, according to the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council.  In both forests, vital food sources and Native cultural and sacred sites are at risk.  “If we didn’t have wild food to eat, we would be starving right now. We are living in virtual poverty because of the systems of government,” said Wanda Culip, a Tlingit advocate for the Tongass in Hoonah. “The Roadless Rule is just the latest example of how we jump through hoops but get nowhere – there is no due process for indigenous communities. We are nuisance communities standing in the way of industry profits.”


theindependent--2019-04-24--The fight to save Polandaposs Bialowieza Forest from destruction

The fight to save Poland's Bialowieza Forest from destruction

The forest floor is a graveyard, covered with fallen spruce and oak trees. But beneath the broken limbs and rotting leaves, thousands of species of insects are feeding in Bialowieza Forest. Fungi of many types are found only here and sprout year-round. More are discovered every year.  More than 200 species of birds, including rare woodpeckers and owls, fill the air with song.  “There is more life in a dead spruce than a living one,” says Professor Rafal Kowalczyk, the leader of the Mammal Research Institute at the Polish Academy of Sciences, during a tour of the forest – one of Europe’s last remaining primeval forests and part of an ecosystem largely untouched since the last glaciers receded from the continent more than 10,000 years ago.  It has been more than a year since the European Court of Justice ordered an end to logging in the forest, finding that it posed a clear threat to the world heritage site.  The scars, though, are still visible – from the tracks gouged into the earth by the heavy machinery used to cut down thousands of ancient trees to the gaping holes in the canopy created by their removal.  The ruling was a major defeat for Poland’s governing Law and Justice party, which supported the logging. Warsaw initially defied the court order, but relented when faced with a fine of €100,000 (about £87,000) for each day it violated the directive.  The battle over Bialowieza is just one of many being waged by the right-wing government against the European Union, which has accused Poland of posing a risk to democratic values and the rule of law by trying to pack its courts and restrict press freedoms.  Now there are fears that the Polish government is once again drawing up plans to increase logging in the area, skirting the ruling by increasing the quota for wood in the hundreds of square miles of forest that lies outside the boundaries of the world heritage site.  The protected part of the Bialowieza woodland, which covers about 550 square miles and extends into neighbouring Belarus, was long the hunting ground for European nobility and royalty, including Lithuanian dukes, Polish kings and Russian czars.  During the German occupation of Poland, Hermann Göring was so enamoured of the forest that he drew up plans to create the world’s largest hunting grounds and establish a Nazi Jurassic Park of sorts, reintroducing prehistoric animals to the landscape.  As a playground of the rich and powerful, Bialowieza was spared the fate of so many of the continent’s other forests, most of which were razed and some of which were turned into intensively controlled versions of nature.  The order imposed on some of these European forests is remarkable.  Armies of forest rangers relentlessly clear dead wood and undergrowth to create near perfect carpets beneath the pines. The woods can feel more like nurseries than wild spaces.  “We have forgotten what nature looks like,” Kowalczyk says.  But Bialowieza has remained wild and unruly.  Its remoteness and mostly pristine condition helped make it the site of one of the continent’s great conservation victories – the reintroduction of bison after the last free-roaming animal was hunted and killed in 1919.  The forest is now home to Europe’s largest herd of bison, or wisent.  “Most people, when they think about forests, think about managed nature,” says Kowalczyk, who first came to Bialowieza in the 1980s. “This place is so different than any forest I had ever seen.”  While the bison was a big success story, a much smaller creature, the hairy little bark beetle, set off the logging fight.  Spruce trees, especially when in a weakened state, make a perfect mating ground for the beetles. The male bores into the tree, creating a chamber where he will release pheromones to attract females. He will mate with several of them, who in turn will deposit dozens of eggs in the chamber before flying off to find new mates.  The larvae left behind will feed on the vascular tissue of the tree. By the time they pupate, the damage they have done often has sucked the life from the spruce.  The tracks from the beetles, known as printers, can still be spotted in felled trees all across the forest.  Warmer winters, brought on by climate change, have allowed the population to explode. And the preference of forest managers for spruce trees has expanded the territory where they can thrive.  By 2016, it was clear that the beetle infestation in Bialowieza was devastating large tracts of trees.  For many scientists, the best way to manage the infestation was to leave it alone, letting nature take its course.  “The bark beetle has been a part of the ecosystem for hundreds of years,” says Adam Bohdan, a biologist from the Wild Poland Foundation. “This phenomenon is a natural adaptation to the new climate situation.”  But the Polish government did not agree. It argued that the lack of human intervention in the forest would doom it.  So Jan Szyszko, the environment minister at the time, ordered a large-scale logging campaign, allowing heavy machinery to roll into pristine areas of woodland.  “We will rebuild the valuable habitats in the Bialowieza Forest by removing dead trees as much as is necessary and restoring the oaks and ashes,” Szyszko declared in 2016.  The move was greeted with outrage, with protesters descending on the forest, setting up an encampment and forming human blockades to try to stop the heavy machinery.  An army of more than 1,000 forest rangers from around the country was dispatched to a small village on the border of Belarus ready to confront the activists.  At times, tempers boiled over into violence. Skirmishes broke out as activists engaged in coordinated acts of civil disobedience.  But it was not until the European court threatened financial penalties that the logging ended.  A report issued by Unesco in February found that the “logging operations and other forest management activities have disrupted the ecological and natural processes in the property”.  But it was not beyond repair, according to the report. And the forest is much quieter now. New life is replacing the old, although beetles remain a problem with no easy solution.  “In the natural forest, there is two times more dead wood than living,” says Bohdan, who took part in the protests a year ago. “It is really a unique laboratory.”  “But all the time,” he says, “there is a worry that they will start logging again.”


eveningstandard--2019-01-02--Best exercise bikes UK Home fitness and spin bikes plus sale offers on now

Best exercise bikes UK: Home fitness and spin bikes plus sale offers on now

Fitness tends to fall into its own category of goals as each individual begins to question their health and wellbeing during these dark and cold months which, by the way is completely normal, and even us personal trainers are accustomed to it.  Don’t be fooled by the word ‘exercise bike’ traditionally associated with the idea of old-fashioned cardio equipment that brings back memories of the long, painful hours previously spent in commercial gyms. These days, with the ever expanding fitness industry and the hype of the ‘boutique’ gym model, we have been exposed to far more exciting ways of working out on a bike - which has also helped push brands to create even more innovative products.  There’s no reason to not get the same sweat on from the comfort of your own home with one with a well made exercise bike so we have rounded up a selection of the best exercise bikes worth investing in 2019.  See below top personal trainer picks below or jump straight to the offer pages:  Best selling and on sale exercise bikes from:  London’s leading spin instructor and Founder of Chelsea Fitness Club, Alex Rogers gets down to details on why the BKOOL pro 2 is worth investing in.  She says, “BKOOL are one of the most recognisable players in the turbo trainer game thanks to their advanced cycling simulator bringing outdoor realism into your indoor training life. If you wanted to load up a training video of a velodrome session or a simulation of a ride up Alpe d’Huez, the Smart Go system will be able to simulate the resistance you’d encounter as if you were out completing the ride for real, including the gradient and even the effect of drafting. This brings the trainer much closer to imitating the real life scenarios you’re training for.  What’s more, you can real time ride with your friends from home, its like a cycle XBOX game! You can even make money by winning races on this one too, which is always an added bonus.”  Incredibly effective, this slick and stylish model is a great option if you are a beginner looking to take your training to the next level. Designed with a huge focus on comfort and ease, your ride will feel smooth and natural with comfortable seating and an adjustable handlebar. The LCD monitor feature also allows you to track your heart rate and performance for each workout.  See more top rated exercise bikes on Amazon  For anyone into their CrossFit training, you will be familiar with this love/hate piece of equipment. The Assault Bike is the perfect option for high-intensity interval training. Powered solely by you, resistance and intensity increases as you create a larger power output. Not only will you have to work your lower body and upper body simultaneously but this particular piece of equipment takes a great deal of mental strength to power you through too.  “At LOMAX, we favour the Assault Bike as a go-to piece of cardio equipment as it guarantees a quick and intense workout, testing our clients to channel their inner athlete, not to mention it’s efficient in size and easy to move around.” Says Jonny Sayle, Managing Director of Lomax Bespoke Health.  Perfect for serious gym-goers, this spectacular piece of equipment really allows you to embody the mind of an athlete. Not only does the belt driven steel fan ensure a smooth, consistent ride, but the design is incredibly savvy and minimal with a stunning black powdercoat finish. It’s the perfect machine for conditioning and will definitely put your endurance to the test.  If you love the idea of re-creating famous race tracks, or even creating your own Tour de France experience the new ProForm model is perfect for you. Designed to give you the exact feel of an outdoor cycling experience, this model has been created with a high definition screen, video workouts, 24 preset tour workout apps and two-inch audio speakers.  If you’re looking to tone your legs and burn some serious kcals, invest in one of these bad boys and watch your fitness transform.  “I advise all my clients to purchase a Keiser M3 if they are looking to recreate the buzz of an indoor cycling class at the comfort of their own home. They are incredibly efficient, light-weight, long-distance and pretty savvy in both design and ride”. Advises Danny Osbourne, Fitness Manager of ONE LDN.  The Essentials Pack by One Peloton has everything you need to take your fitness to ultimate heights and really commit to finding your inner cyclist.  “Peloton brings the excitement and energy of group cycling classes to the comfort of your own home. We stream 14 hours of live cycling classes a day, and allow access to a further 10,000 plus previously recorded classes on demand - all taken by the world's best instructors. What's great is it caters for all levels, and offers a range of class lengths and types to suit your mood and ability. So there really is no excuse NOT to get cycling!” says Ben Aldis, Leading Peloton Instructor in London.  ES Best product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter


eveningstandard--2019-02-28--Best fitness apps 2019 Top workout apps for weight loss womenaposs health HIIT exercises and yo

Best fitness apps 2019: Top workout apps for weight loss, women's health, HIIT exercises and yoga

Mobile phones are changing our lives in so many ways, and our health and fitness is no exception.  So many people are turning to apps to work on their fitness, using virtual personal trainers to guide them through exercise plans to improve fitness levels.  But with hundreds of apps available to help different aspects of our health, it can be difficult to know which apps are the most helpful.  So Future London has taken a look at some of the top-rated workout apps on the Apple App Store, so you can decide which might be best for you.  This app does what it says on the tin. Sign up for a commitment to work out for 30 days and the team behind the app says you will watch your body transform.  The app eases you in slowly with shorter, slightly less intense exercises and encourages you to build up intensity each time.  You need to pay and subscribe to take the challenge, which unlocks hundreds of exercises with accompanying videos and allows you to track your progress.  For those of us who suffer from dreaded ‘gym anxiety’, this app is the perfect solution. It is designed to make sure you can complete all its workouts within the comfort of your own home.  The app gives you custom workouts based on your fitness levels, gender, weight and age. According to the team behind the app, all exercises can be completed without any equipment.  You can also track your progress on the app by logging photos of ‘before and after’.  This app acknowledges that women are busy people – so it makes its workouts short and effective so you can fit them into your schedule.  In fact, most workouts take just seven minutes out of your day – and don’t require any fitness equipment.  If you’re downloading from the Apple App Store, you also connect Workout for Women to your Apple Health app to keep an eye on your progress.  Working out doesn’t necessarily have to be about losing weight, with so many other physical and mental health benefits to keeping fit. But for those who do want to shed a few pounds, this app could be the right app for you.  The app starts by quizzing you about your body and what you want to achieve from your workouts. Once you have completed the questions, the app will tailor a workout and meal plan for you.  You can sign up for a free 7-day trial on the app before you need to pay to subscribe to the service.  This app offers a range of 12 high intensity (HIIT) exercises, with 30 second sets and 10 second rests. It claims to give a full-body workout with its free exercises and is guided by a voice.  Although there is a free tier to the app, you can pay to unlock a workout log and create custom workouts for yourself, while getting access to a larger library of exercises.  Although cardio and weight training is key to improving fitness levels, the importance of lower intensity exercise should not be ignored. So why not incorporate some yoga into your fitness regime?  This app offers short yoga workouts designed by experts to improve your strength, flexibility and mental well-being.  You need to subscribe to get access to the yoga courses provided in the app, which are tailored to focus on different parts of the body.


npr--2019-01-14--From Couch Potato To Fitness Buff How I Learned To Love Exercise

From Couch Potato To Fitness Buff: How I Learned To Love Exercise

"Feeling better isn't just this selfish, hedonic thing — it actually is fuel. I consider energy from taking care of yourself as essential fuel for the things that matter most in our lives," says Michelle Segar, a psychologist at the University of Michigan who studies how we sustain healthy behaviors like exercise. **Saviour Giyorges / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm Premium** ****hide caption****  ****toggle caption****  Saviour Giyorges / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm Premium  "Feeling better isn't just this selfish, hedonic thing — it actually is fuel. I consider energy from taking care of yourself as essential fuel for the things that matter most in our lives," says Michelle Segar, a psychologist at the University of Michigan who studies how we sustain healthy behaviors like exercise.  Saviour Giyorges / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm Premium  I have become the type of person that used to mystify me. I ... am a fitness fanatic.  That was certainly not the case a year and a half ago. Back then, like a lot of Americans, I was mostly sedentary (unless you count walking to meetings). Which is ironic, because, as a **** senior editor for NPR's science, food and health team, it is literally my job to know better. But, with two small kids, a full-time job and recurring insomnia, I didn't have the time or energy to work out. And I'm not going tell you how much I used to weigh, but it wasn't healthy.  So what changed? For starters, I reframed what I thought of as exercise.  "The research does now show that basically all movement counts, and anything is better than nothing," says [Michelle Segar](https://michellesegar.com/), a psychologist and director of the University of Michigan Sport, Health and Activity Research and Policy Center. She studies how we sustain healthy behaviors, and she says one big stumbling block for people is that they fail to take advantage of the exercise opportunities they can build into their daily lives, like taking the stairs or walking to work.  "I've been astounded that even up until today, very educated people don't know — don't believe — that walking actually 'counts' as valid exercise," she says.  That was a big hang-up for me. I used to think if I wasn't sweaty or huffing away on the treadmill for at least a half-hour straight, why bother?  But so much more counts as moderate exercise, science now tells us. There's actually a pretty geeky but cool scientific resource called the [Compendium of Physical Activities](https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities/home). It's used by researchers to compare apples and oranges when it comes to exercise. And it uses a value called a MET, or metabolic equivalent.  "Just sitting, doing nothing, is a MET value of 1 — you're working at your resting metabolic rate," explains [Loretta DiPietro](https://publichealth.gwu.edu/departments/exercise-and-nutrition- sciences/loretta-dipietro), an exercise research scientist at George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health. "An activity that, say, is 2 METs makes you work at twice your resting metabolic rate. So getting up and walking across the room is about 2 METS."  DiPietro says the Compendium lists the MET values for all kinds of activities — everything from [mopping](https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities /Activity-Categories/home-activity) (that's about 3.5 METS) to line [dancing](https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities /Activity-Categories/dancing). (That can be almost 8 METS!)  But to count as moderately intense exercise, the magic number you want to hit is between 3 and 6 METS. (Alas, even the most vigorous sexual activity [falls just short of that](https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities/Activity- Categories/sexual-activity), according to the Compendium — though DiPietro suggests with a laugh that more research may be needed.)  Turns out, lots of regular activities meet the magic mark. [Climb the stairs](https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities/Activity- Categories/walking) slowly and that's 4 METs. Climb them quickly and it's nearly 9 METS, which means you're burning nearly nine times as many calories as you would just sitting. Even vacuuming counts, if you do it with gusto.  And researchers now know that the health benefits of these [little movements add up](https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/jaha.117.007678). Just taking short breaks to get out of your chair and walk throughout the day can help [regulate blood sugar](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29158249) and blood pressure, helping to ward off diseases like Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. And while it won't make you an athlete, moving throughout the day, even in short but repeated spurts, has been [linked to a lower risk of dying prematurely](https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/jaha.117.007678). When you think of it as something that can be broken down throughout the day, the idea of getting at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week — as federal guidelines [recommend ](https://health.gov/paguidelines/second- edition/10things/)\-- becomes less daunting.  "Think about it like putting pennies in a piggy bank," says DiPietro. "You think, 'Oh, I'm putting in three pennies here,' and you're thinking, 'Oh, this doesn't add up to much.' But at the end of the month, it does indeed."  Knowing this really changed the way I think about exercise. Instead of seeing exercise as all or nothing, I started to think about it like climbing a ladder. It's OK to start at the bottom rung and work your way up. So I started with small bursts of movement throughout my day. Instead of sending an email to a co-worker, I'd walk over and talk to them. I'd skip the elevator and take the stairs. I'd do squats at my desk and take short walks around the office whenever I could fit it in. I'd do one-on-one meetings with co-workers while walking and talking.  The more I did, the stronger I felt — and the more I wanted to do. I started using the elliptical that was gathering dust in my basement. I made a rule: I'm only allowed to watch Netflix while working out or moving in some other way (like washing dishes or folding laundry).  Then a curious thing happened: The more I exercised, the more my body craved it. These days, I even take spin class and do [high-intensity interval training](https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/01/13/684432540/get- fit-faster-this-22-minute-workout-has-you-covered).  And while I did lose weight during this process (which was pretty nice — I am now at a healthy weight), that's not what's kept me going.  For me, exercise has become a bodily need. I just don't feel right without it. And while I used to think I didn't have time to work out, nowadays I don't see how I could get through my busy days without the energy I get from exercise. (And my [insomnia is pretty much gone](https://www.npr.org/sections/health- shots/2013/08/15/212263806/chronic-insomnia-hitting-the-treadmill-could-help- eventually).) ****  As psychologist Michelle Seger notes, there are tons of documented mental benefits to exercise.  "We know that it helps people generate energy. We know that it boosts mood," she says. "We know that it improves executive functioning and all the tasks associated with that — focus, creativity. There are so many positives that happen when you move."  In fact, even though lots of people start exercising this time of year to lose weight, Seger says for many people, weight loss isn't actually a good motivator over the long haul, because it can take way too long to see any results, and our brains are not wired to strive for long-term payoff. Weight is much more a factor of what we eat — and eating a 600-calorie muffin takes no time at all. Working it off, on the other hand, takes a good long time.  Given that reality, Seger says focusing on the immediate rewards from exercise can be more effective at keeping you motivated.  "When you have more energy and you're a happier person, you bring that much more enthusiasm and energy and performance to your role in your work, your patience as a parent, __ [and] as a partner to someone," she says.  "Feeling better isn't just this selfish, hedonic thing — it actually is fuel. I consider energy from taking care of yourself as essential fuel for the things that matter most in our lives."  If you've been sedentary, adding more movement into your day is a good place to start an exercise habit. Just grab that bottom rung. Remember, you have to start somewhere.  _Like this article? Listen to it as a_[ _podcast_](https://www.npr.org/2018/12/12/676129459/get-started-exercising) _. It's part of Life Kit, NPR's new family of podcasts for navigating your life — everything from_[ _finances_](https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510330/secrets-of- saving-and-investing) _to_[ _diet_](https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510328/eat- your-way-to-a-healthier-life) _and_[ _exercise_](https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510329/learn-to-love-exercising) _to raising kids. Sign up for the_[ _newsletter_](https://www.npr.org/newsletter /life-kit) _to learn more and follow_[@NPRLifeKit](https://twitter.com/nprlifekit) _on Twitter. Email us at_[lifekit@npr.org](mailto:lifekit@npr.org) _. Follow NPR's Maria Godoy_[ _@mgodoyh_](https://twitter.com/mgodoyh?lang=en) _._


thedailyrecord--2019-06-03--Bizarre exercise class involving GOATS is a hit with Scots fitness fans

A fitness class has become the first in Scotland to practice pilates - with goats.  The bizarre exercise , which involves two baby goats climbing on top of participants, has taken off at Bellcraig Farm, Glenrothes, Fife.  Organiser Jo Munro said one-year-old kids Hazel and Mabel love to interact with humans at the fitness class.  The loveable animals help release feel-good hormones such as serotonin and make pilate-goers relax more as they stretch on their mats in a barn.  Instructor Jo, 39, was inspired to launch the first classes in Scotland after taking part in goat yoga classes while on holiday in the US.  The classes of up to six participants start by collecting the kids from the field before standing on mats in a stone built cottage.  The group, which is the first in the UK to use African pygmy goats, warms up, while their four-legged friends inquisitively sniff around.  Jo, from Edinburgh, said: "I went to California last year and it's massive there so I went and tried it and thought I have to bring this back to Scotland.  "It's not sore but the goats are reasonably heavy so it does make it more challenging.  "The kids are quite agile and nimble so it can be like a massage with their hooves, but you wouldn't want it on your bare skin.  "When people arrive we go and collect the goats from the field and take them into this little stone cottage which has a stove so it's nice and cosy.  "There is a maximum of six people to two goats.  "Goat pilates is something everyone has seen on YouTube and I think you either love it or hate it.  "It is complete hilarity and it makes everyone really happy and they leave on a high feeling really joyful.  "There is an animal therapy side to it. You let out endorphins that make you feel good, like when you pet an animal.  "The goats add that extra element to the pilates. If you are holding a plank with a 10kg goat on your back it is going to be much harder."  Once the classes are finished participants will be able to feed the lambs and play with the farm's dogs.  And it has proved a hit with Scots as classes book up.  Jo said: "We have been doing it for a couple of months now and it has been really popular with fully booked classes.  "It seems to have really captured people who were intrigued and finding it really cute."


theguardianuk--2019-06-29--Fitness tips eco-friendly ways to exercise

Fitness tips: eco-friendly ways to exercise

Try a gym powered by human energy. Terra Hale in London runs the lights and speakers on pedal power – one class generates enough energy to supply a computer for a day. In Brighton, Eco Gym has cardio equipment that puts 74% of energy back into the grid, as well as energy-saving lighting, eco showers and no single-use plastics.  A portmanteau of “jogging” and “plocka” (“to pick” in Swedish), ploggers collect rubbish while they run. See @Plogolution on Twitter and @PloggingUK on Instagram for a group near you.  Pick sustainable fabrics: bamboo fibre leggings and sports bras are biodegradable. Asquith has an eco-performance fabric based on bamboo, called Bambor. Find an all-rubber or jute yoga mat (try YogaMatters), and look for a BPA-free water bottle, made from stainless steel (try Chilly’s Bottles) or sustainably sourced bamboo (Global WakeCup).


theonion--2019-09-25--New Fitness Tracker Monitors Amount Of Exercise Users Watch On TV

SAN FRANCISCO—Hailing the product as a huge step forward in health monitor technology, representatives from Fitbit held a product-reveal event today at which shareholders were shown a new fitness tracker capable of monitoring the amount of exercise the wearer watches on television. “Using the latest in optical nerve monitoring, the Fitbit Tele-View Alta allows users to set and achieve goals for watching televised activity of all types,” said Fitbit CEO James Park, emphasizing how the Tele-View Alta allows users to track activity from commercials, sports games, and training montages, making special mention of a feature enabling the device to remind the user to turn on the television if a significant interval had passed since the wearer saw a character stand or stretch. “I think our user community will be pleasantly surprised at how much exercise they watch, whether they’re catching a passing glance of a character walking on TV in a store window display or watching a home improvement host climb stairs while they’re at the dentist. As long as they avoid watching sedentary characters or seeing themselves in the mirror, they’ll hit their exercise-watching goal well before their viewing binge is over.” Early beta testers of the new Tele-View Alta have already figured out how to cheat the system by leaving the tracker in front of the TV while they sleep.


birminghammail--2019-06-03--Fitness class becomes first in UK to practice pilates with GOATS

A fitness class has become the first in Scotland to practice pilates - with GOATS.  The bizarre exercise, which involves two baby goats climbing on top of participants, has taken off at Bellcraig Farm, Glenrothes, Fife.  Organiser Jo Munro said one-year-old kids Hazel and Mabel love to interact with humans at the fitness class.  The loveable animals help release "feelgood" hormones such as serotonin and make pilate-goers relax more as they stretch on their mats in a barn.  Instructor Jo, 39, was inspired to launch the first classes in Scotland after taking part in goat yoga classes while on holiday in the US.  The classes of up to six participants start by collecting the kids from the field before standing on mats in a stone built cottage.  The group, which is the first in the UK to use African pygmy goats, warms up, while their four-legged friends inquisitively sniff around.  Jo, from Edinburgh, said: "I went to California last year and it's massive there so I went and tried it and thought I have to bring this back to Scotland.  "It's not sore but the goats are reasonably heavy so it does make it more challenging.  "The kids are quite agile and nimble so it can be like a massage with their hooves, but you wouldn't want it on your bare skin.  "When people arrive we go and collect the goats from the field and take them into this little stone cottage which has a stove so it's nice and cosy.  "There is a maximum of six people to two goats.  "Goat pilates is something everyone has seen on YouTube and I think you either love it or hate it.  "It is complete hilarity and it makes everyone really happy and they leave on a high feeling really joyful.  "There is an animal therapy side to it. You let out endorphins that make you feel good, like when you pet an animal.  "The goats add that extra element to the pilates. If you are holding a plank with a 10kg goat on your back it is going to be much harder."  Once the classes are finished participants will be able to feed the lambs and play with the farm's dogs.  And it has proved a hit with Scots as classes book up.  Jo said: "We have been doing it for a couple of months now and it has been really popular with fully booked classes.  "It seems to have really captured people who were intrigued and finding it really cute."


eveningstandard--2019-03-18--Class review Mat Pilates classes at Equinox

Class review: Mat Pilates classes at Equinox

When and where  There are two oh-so-hot Equinox spots in London, and one on the way. The ornate workout palace on the fifth floor of the Roof Gardens building in Kensington is still recognised as the OG headquarters, and it’s here that mat Pilates classes are held every Tuesday and Thursday at 11am (also available at St James’s).  Each session mixes up the order of exercises but the gist remains the same: core contractions and stretches to strengthen core muscles and sculpt abs, arms, legs and glutes. The 60-minute class is carefully guided through stretches to test your tensile strength. Think teeth-gnashing plank variations, leg circles, spine stretches and roll-ups as you slowly contort your body through its paces. The one hundred, well known to most, involves lying down, raising your lower back and leg to 45-degree angles and pumping the palms of your hands, as if patting adjacent invisible dogs.  Scissor kicks are also horizontal: raise your head again and pull your legs alternately towards your head. Equinox uses accessories to vary the routines: a fitness ring increases resistance when placed between your legs for compression, and a pillow-like “yoga bubble” provides a challenge when performing back arches. There’s no rest, but it’s taken at a steady pace.  Pilates is about building strength from the inside out. Equinox promises that by engaging your core and back muscles, you’ll carry yourself as though you’ve been lifted up.  A light prickle. It’s tense, constantly, but that’s what you’re there for.  Well-hewn west Londoners with perfect form and a mid-morning hour to spare during a working week.  “Don’t panic” is what we want from an instructor when grappling with spine rolls and back arches. Marcela was that to a tee, quietly correcting the form of any stragglers (me).  A water bottle. Towels are provided but the only water bottles are plastic, so bring your own reusable one and fill up from the chilled taps.  Becalmed. Mellow mood music stretched out for the hour.  Civilised. Equinox’s gyms have everything, from towels to shampoos and soaps in the shower, and even a hair-gel dispenser.  Arrive early for a chat with the instructor, but don’t expect things to kick off on time. Because it’s a mid-morning matter, people strolled in at leisure until about five past.  If you don’t feel the burn straight away, fear not — the morning after is going to be tense (in a good way).


eveningstandard--2019-09-02--Dynamic Pilates at Heartcore - class review

When and where  A 60-minute, high-energy workout on the CoreFormer, an ultra-luxe adaptation of the reformer machine you’ll be used to at other studios. The instructor, Alice, will lead you through a series of toning and stretching exercises using resistance from springs and pulleys (she’ll tell you which ones to use) and a Pilates ring. Expect a mixture of lying down, standing up and squat exercises, from lunges on the reformer bed to plank work. Embrace the burn: there are only five of you in a class so there’s no hiding, and as Alice will tell you: “The vibe is connection, not speed.”  Lunge, pulse and glide your way through a class and you can burn up to 700 calories. Steadying the carriage takes inner strength and you’ll feel it in your legs, glutes and core.  The Tuesday night crowd is a mix of lithe yogis and toned Chelsea mums. The Duchess of Sussex revealed she was a Heartcore disciple during her pre-royal days so keep an eye out — Kensington Palace is just around the corner.  Alice usually does the Tuesday class. She’s warm and approachable and gives you options of different springs depending on your ability and how you’re feeling that day. She knows the regulars and makes conversation as you plank, glide and stretch, asking you what other exercise you do and giving you tips on your form.  There’s a water machine with cups in the corner of the studio, so don’t worry if you forget a water bottle. You don’t need trainers — bring grippy socks, or go barefoot. You’ll need your own towel.  Alice’s chilled-out vibes will help you de-stress after work.  There’s a small changing room next to the studio, with a cubicle, toilet and shower. Deodorant and hairbrushes are available, and there are cubby-holes for leaving your bags in the corner of the studio. Space is tight so arrive in your kit if you can.  The studio is tucked down a little side street so leave yourself time to find it. Alice likes to keep an eye out for new members so introduce yourself at the start.  You’ll get your sweat on more than your regular Pilates class — expect to feel it in your core up to two days later.


theguardianuk--2019-09-07--Fit in my 40s I hated Pilates the first time I tried it Now Ive had an epiphany Zoe Williams

Fit in my 40s: I hated Pilates the first time I tried it. Now I’ve had an epiphany | Zoe Williams

The most important lesson I’ve learned in the whole great arc of my fitness career is: just because you hated it the first time, doesn’t mean it’s not for you. This is why I returned to Pilates, which I previously felt was like soulless yoga (functional, painful, boring). Plus I was persuaded to try again by a friend – not by her words, but by the way she looks: like a dancer, except not haughty.  We went together to a local teacher called Dario Novo. It was reformer Pilates: long benches with weighted springs that you adjust according to your ability and the exercise, plus multiple straps to truss yourself into when you want to do something especially complicated to your arms and legs.  Pilates moves are not especially graceful or exhilarating; it’s one foot (or arm) on the frame of the bench while the other slides the moving part backwards and forwards. This is nursery slope stuff, of course, but the principles are control, slowness, repetition, and this is not something I can immediately understand with my body. It really helps if someone explains what the purpose is, and the mechanisms for it.  The exercises are designed to work groups of muscles to the point of failure: it’s not commonly associated with gentler pursuits like Pilates and barre work, but they work on exactly the same lines. To get your muscles to the point of failure, you need to work through four motor unit types. Your body “recruits” fibres in a given order: slow twitch first; then, when those fail, the intermediate muscle fibres; finally – in the Novo Pilates model, during the last two to 20 seconds of the set – your fast-twitch fibres. As you progressively overload each element of the muscle, you get the greatest metabolic response.  The best analogy I’ve read is that it’s like overtime: when you get to that stubborn last line of defence in the muscle, you’re effectively paying double for the same move.  The bit that remained mysterious was that it didn’t feel painful, as such: one minute I was pushing a limb in and out in a leisurely fashion, then 60 seconds later it just stopped. I simply couldn’t. Usually when I’m about to fail, I have an early-warning system of at least five minutes, if not a day, during which everything that comes before is unbearable. The sheer precision of these manoeuvres is incredible.  This won’t sound like a ringing endorsement, but the next day, I thought I had flu. It wasn’t the self-righteous exhaustion of strength training; it was a semi-enjoyable, unfightable, full-body weakness, the kind of thing that happens to someone in a novel when they’ve had an epiphany or been poisoned. It helped that I could stay in bed all day. Again, that doesn’t sound like a recommendation, but it is. It may be the first time I’ve understood a fitness objective, done the fitness thing, and seen the objective realised.  Never use momentum to complete a move: make your muscles do the work


eveningstandard--2019-04-23--Best outdoor games for all ages

Best outdoor games for all ages

As warmer weather approaches it’s time to start thinking about how to make the most of the summer sunshine. Naturally, that means planning to spend a lot more time outdoors.  The question is though, how to keep the whole family entertained whilst you're out there? The answer: outdoor games.  Ahead of the summer holidays, why not invest in some for your family? Not only does game-playing deliver the perfect opportunity for quality bonding, but if your games are educational, the kids can learn things whilst they're at leisure as well.  Of course, outdoor games not just for children, they can be enjoyed by adults too. Indeed, there are a number of adult-only activities you can take to barbecues or parties to ensure those celebrations are elevated to the next level of fun.  To accommodate all these requirements, we have sought out a wide range of games both for adults and children; games suitable for a range of spaces, from smaller patios to gardens and parks.  Bring beach volley to your back garden with this inflatable net that can be used in either a pool or on the grass. With tropical vibes, the set includes a net, ball and repair kit.  Beer pong often goes hand-in-hand with summer parties and for those lucky enough to have a pool or space for a large paddling pool, this inflatable will allow you to take the game into the water. With space for 10 cups, as well as cup holders around the outside for spectators, this beer pong table (6ft long x 3ft wide) has a built-in cooler in the centre providing space for up to 18 drinks. Strictly just for adults.  This game takes a more luxe approach to the classic beer pong game as the cups are designed to be filled with either Prosecco or Champagne. Get the whole party involved with this fun grown-up activity that is sure to go down a treat (especially for those who don’t like beer). The set is comprised of 12 glasses and three pink ping pong balls.  Take your classic pack of 54 cards and give them an XXL approach with this set. Play oversized versions of your favourite card games with the whole family, or transform it into adult-only fun and play for money. You can also attempt to build a tower using the cards.  You’ve probably played Jenga before, but the garden variation is just so much bigger and – some would say – better. This tumble tower from Jaques of London is made from ethically-sourced New Zealand pine wood and contains 63 blocks, all of which can be constructed to create a tower that’s over three feet tall.  All you have to do is take it in turns to take a block away – without knocking down the tower, of course. The set comes complete with a canvas carrier bag and it’s a good one for both families and groups of friends whiling away summer afternoons in the park.  Take a traditional chess board game outside, supersize it and you’ve got yourself an interactive garden game. Great fun for the family or as a novelty party activity, these chess pieces can be moved by hand and set up with minimal effort. The tallest piece (the King) is 20.5cm high and you could always put the children to work moving the pieces while you strategise your win! If you’re after a garden game and one party guests will remember, you can’t get better than this.  £45 | Not on the High Street |  Whether it’s for the garden, the beach or both, a good bat and ball set is hard to beat. What makes this one so special, we hear you ask? Well it’s partly down to its designer, Frescobol Carioca – famed for luxury beach accessories, founded in the heart of Rio de Janeiro back in 1945. The bats have been handcrafted in Brazil from layers of wood off-cuts before being coated in a hard-wearing resin to protect them from sand and sea water. A neoprene grip makes for easy playing, so you’ve really no excuse to miss the ball. Add to that, its unique shape and striking finish, and you can see why it’s a set to be proud of.  Family get-togethers or picnics in the park wouldn’t be the same without a round of rounders. An old UK favourite, this bat and ball game requires two teams and is a great source of exercise too. This colourful set provides everything you need: a wooden bat, ball, four wooden base markers and a box to keep them all in. What it doesn't include though, is the power required to hit that ball far enough away so you can run to the fourth post in one go. (You have to bring that.)  We predict heaps of fun will be had with this outdoor table tennis table. Easily moved around, thanks to its wheels, whether you're playing against one person, taking part in a mini tournament or trying a Round Robin-style game, the hours of enjoyment you will get out of this makes it worth splashing out on. Featuring height adjusters on all four legs (so it'll be level, even on uneven surfaces), the table is made with quality materials and includes four bats, three balls, a clip net and post set, plus a five-year guarantee.  You really can’t go wrong with giant snakes and ladders. Just move your counter around the board and aim to climb those ladders, whilst avoiding the snakes. This game comes with a multi-coloured mat (which measures 2m x 2m, and can be wiped clean), plus an inflatable dice and counters for up to four people. Can provide hours of family fun.  Keeping kids occupied isn’t always an easy task, but a game of quoits should do the trick – at least for a while anyway. The idea is to take it in turns to throw the rope quoits over the five-pin wooden stand to earn yourself points. Simple, right? It’s said that the game was played back in Medieval times, although back then it was more likely to have been horseshoes that were thrown at iron pegs driven into the ground.  This set is for up to five players, suitable for kids and young adults wanting to test their luck.  A school sports day classic, this game requires your little one to run a short race balancing an egg on a spoon and making sure it doesn't fall off. A 'no mess' alternative to the original game, this one uses plastic eggs filled with bean bags designed to look like broken eggs. Suitable for children of 3+ years, the set contains four spoons and four eggs.  Great for helping with spelling and counting, these foam mats come in assorted colours and include all letters of the alphabet and numbers 0 to 9. The pieces measure 25cm x 25cm and fit together to create a large, soft play area that your little ones can crawl around on. The mats can be arranged to create fun games like hopscotch and the letters can be detached so your kids can form words. Designed for children from 1+ years, this mat is both entertaining and educational. Win-win.  The classic Connect 4 game has been given a supersized twist with this variation. Transform your outdoor space into a fun playground for your kids and their friends with this set, which is suitable for children from 5+ and is easily stored in a nylon canvas bag.  Bowling is great for both hand-eye coordination and counting skills and this game requires your little one to use the red ball included to knock down the pins. Brightly coloured in design, the pins boast playful smiling faces and are kid-sized, standing at 8-inches tall. Suitable for little ones of 2+ years.  With skill and strategy involved, dominoes is so much more than a fun pastime. It is a great resource for developing mathematical skills. Designed for two or more players, the set includes 28 lightweight dominoes with a larger twist at 10 x 18.3 x 1.8cm.  ES Best product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter


thedailycaller--2019-04-03--This Great Outdoor Game Is On Sale For 25

This Great Outdoor Game Is On Sale For $25

It’s picnic season and that means time to have fun outdoors. During this time of year, we always enjoy getting out the yard games. One of our perennial favorites is Ladder Golf because it is Great Outdoor Game. The game involves two sets of short plastic ladder configurations and six sets of colored golf balls attached by thick rope. These roped balls are called “bolas” and they are tossed at the ladders to score points. The ladders are placed about 15 feet apart in a flat area of the yard. Each participant has three tries to either land their bola on one of the rungs or knock off their opponent’s bola. The higher the rung, the higher the score. The other great thing about Ladder Golf is its portability . The game is lightweight and doesn’t take up a lot of space. You can easily take it with you to a picnic, the beach, camping, even the drive-ins. It only takes two minutes to set-up and you are ready to start playing. I promise, wherever it goes, it will be the hit of the party! If you don’t already own a set, now is the time to get one.  Go Sports has a sturdy kid-friendly edition of this game called Ladder Toss. The balls are made of rubber so you can play indoors or out. Amazon regularly sells the Go Sports game for $49.99. Right now, they have it on sale for half price. You can purchase Go Sports Ladder Toss, complete with its own backpack carrying case, rules, and built-in score trackers, on online for only $25.37! Plus, it has free shipping. This is an amazing deal . Go Sports uses upgraded PVC that is 50% thicker than the leading economy version of this game. It is durable and the premium construction is built to last. Go Sports even stands behind its product by offering a 100% satisfaction lifetime guarantee. You can’t beat that!  Have a suggestion for a cool product or great deal that you think Daily Caller readers need to know about? Email the Daily Dealer at dealer@dailycaller.com. Follow The Daily Dealer on Twitter and Facebook The Daily Caller is devoted to showing you things that you’ll like or find interesting. We do have partnerships with affiliates, so The Daily Caller may get a small share of the revenue from any purchase.