Before joining Human Kinetics, Earle served as the associate executive director of certification for the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), where he was responsible for developing the certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and the NSCA-certified personal trainer (NSCA-CPT) certification exams. Earle has also worked as the head strength and conditioning coach and a faculty member of the exercise science and athletic training department at Creighton University in Omaha.

Earle has over 20 years of experience as a personal fitness trainer and is a frequent lecturer at national and international conferences on designing personalized exercise and training programs. He coauthored the first and second editions of Fitness Weight Training and the third edition of Weight Training: Steps to Success. He also coedited NSCA’s Essentials of Personal Training and the second and third editions of Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. All of the books were published by Human Kinetics.

But holiday travel and relatives’ buffet tables tend to spoil exercise intensions. Schoenfeld and others provide a few travel friendly activities to reduce stress and be healthy during the holidays:

• Split up your cardio.Three 10-minute sessions have been shown to be just as effective as one 30-minute session, Schoenfeld says. Try to squeeze in 10 minutes when you get up, 10 minutes between errands, and 10 minutes before winding down for the day.
• Take exercise outdoors.Take a break from the hustle and bustle indoors and enjoy a quick workout outdoors. Courtenay and Doug Shurman, authors of The Outdoor Athlete (Human Kinetics, 2009) suggest heading to the local park with the kids or the dog for some exercise. “Play a game of ‘keep away’ with the dog, or take a walk with the whole family so everyone benefits from the outing,” says Courtenay Schurman.
• Run off steam in intervals.Running offers an easy form of exercise that can be done anywhere. For those with limited time while traveling, Sam Murphy, author or Running Well (Human Kinetics, 2009) recommends interval training, mixing bouts of speed with slower-paced running or even rest breaks. “The beauty of this type of training is it enables you to put in a lot of high-quality, fast-paced running without feeling either physically or mentally exhausted,” Murphy explains.
• Release tension with strength bands.Weights are cumbersome for travel, so Phil Page and Todd Ellenbecker, authors of Strength Band Training (Human Kinetics, 2005), advise using portable strength bands to get a quick full body workout. “Strength bands are a great way to continue balance and core training while on the road without the need for exercise machines,” Paige explains.
• Take a dip in the pool.If holiday travel includes a hotel stay, try walking, running or doing other traditional exercises in the pool. MaryBeth Pappas-Baun, author of Fantastic Water Workouts (Human Kinetics, 2008) says water invigorates you and exercise can be more fun in the water. “The cooling effects and supportive buoyancy of water make exercise and stretches feel deceptively easy,” Pappas-Baun says. “But, the high resistance of water enhances toning, strength building and calorie burning.”
• De-stress with relaxation breathing.Breathing exercises are a great way to relax the body. Beth Shaw, author of Beth Shaw’s YogaFit (Human Kinetics, 2009) recommends practicing relaxation breathing to clear the mind of the day’s stress and refresh the body. “The breath is the most powerful tool we have to calm and relax our bodies,” Shaw says.

The traditionally expected holiday weight gain also adds to stress and negative self-image, but Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD, author of Eating on the Run (Human Kinetics, 2004) says weight gain can easily be avoided. She explains that the philosophy of feasting during the holidays and dieting afterwards increases the chance of weight gain. Instead, Tribole suggests allowing holiday food in moderation while maintaining a regular exercise program. “It’s okay to treat yourself during the holidays! Just remember a little bite can go a long way,” she says.

For more information on any of these ideas, contact Human Kinetics at 800-747-4457 or visit www.HumanKinetics.com.

According to Book Business, the companies making the list not only value and respect employees professionally but also work to help enhance employees’ personal lives.

“We are honored to be named one of the Best Book Publishing Companies to Work For,” says Ann Maloney, director of human resources at Human Kinetics. “We truly value our employees and attribute our growth and success to the people working here. We’re fortunate that a respected organization like Book Business also recognizes our approach.”

An employee-owned company, Human Kinetics offers its employees a balanced lifestyle, including wellness, community service, and social programming driven by employee-run committees. Amenities include outdoor basketball and tennis courts, a fitness club that employees can use both during and after work, and an onsite cafeteria that serves healthy meals for both breakfast and lunch at a subsidized rate. Employees can also order take-home dinners two nights a week.

Management strives to maintain dialogue with employees through regular meetings with an employee advisory committee, whose members represent the entire organization.

“Human Kinetics blends the type of work one does with who one is, resulting in professional and personal fulfillment and a great sense of ownership,” says Maloney.

Human Kinetics has served the physical activity field since 1974 as the premier publisher for sports and fitness products. Human Kinetics produces textbooks and their ancillaries, consumer books, software, videos, journals, and online courses. For more information on Human Kinetics, visit www.HumanKinetics.com.

Consider the following facts from the American Heart Association (AHA):

• Each year an estimated 166,000 lives are claimed by sudden cardiac arrest.
• Only about 6 percent of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest victims survive.
• Fewer than one third of cardiac arrest victims receive CPR.
• Effective CPR can double or triple survival rates.
• A recent AHA survey shows that few Americans are confident they could perform CPR and use an AED to help save a life in an emergency cardiac situation.

Human Kinetics has teamed up with the American Safety & Health Institute (ASHI) to offer several options for professionals, coaches and community individuals to become CPR and AED certified, combining online self study with instructor-led training and competency assessment.

Complete Emergency Care is the first and only emergency care training course developed specifically for physical activity professionals and volunteers.

Emergency Care for Aquatic Personnel provides the same baseline curriculum for situations lifeguards and other aquatic personnel face on the job.

CPR/AED for Coaches will be offered for the 2008-09 school year through the American Sport Education Program (ASEP), allowing high school coaches to fulfill first aid and CPR requirements in one place.

In each course, participants role-play situations they will likely face on the job for a more applicable understanding of the material. The courses are comprised of four segments: bloodborne pathogens, basic first aid, CPR and AED training (at either the professional or community level), and emergency oxygen.

Each course is supplemented with content from Complete Emergency Care — the first text to combine training in CPR and AED, first aid, bloodborne pathogens, and emergency oxygen in one book — allowing readers to grasp the content and be better prepared to take action using the proper protocol in medical emergency situations. The courses are also available with the Family and Friends CPR Kit from the American Heart Association. This personal learning kit is an innovative way to provide a student with a portable, realistic personal manikin for CPR practice.

For more information on any of these life-saving resources, contact Human Kinetics at 800-747-4457 or visit www.HumanKinetics.com.

Over 800 entries are received each year, and only four to six winners are selected for the 24 categories. Yoga Anatomy was one of four winners in the yoga, massage, and body movement category. Award winners are selected in a three-tier judging process by a team of book reviewers, librarians, authors, editors, book store owners, and leaders in the publishing industry.

Yoga Anatomy is written by Leslie Kaminoff, a recognized expert and teacher in anatomy, breathing, and body work. The book offers instruction and full-color anatomical drawings of the most common asanas and descriptions of how each muscle is used. For more information on Yoga Anatomy, visit www.HumanKinetics.com.

Bollettieri received the Honorary Doctorate for his accomplishments as a successful tennis coach. Bollettieri coached nine number one players in the world including Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Martina Hingis, Maria Sharapova and Venus and Serena Williams. He also founded the first full-time tennis boarding school to combine intense training on the court with custom-designed academic curriculum.

Bollettieri’s Tennis Handbook offers insight into the world’s top tennis development program and covers everything from skill development and stroke techniques to coaching and practicing.

For more information on Nick Bollettieri or Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Handbook, visit www.HumanKinetics.com.

Previous to being named 2008 Master of Wrestling, Welker was selected as the 2002 National Wrestling Official of the Year and 2001 West Virginia Wrestling Man of the Year by Wrestling USA Magazine. Additionally, state wrestling coaches named him West Virginia Wrestling Media Person of the Year an unprecedented six times as the “Mat Talk” columnist for the Wheeling News-Register and Martins Ferry Times-Leader.

Welker’s The Wrestling Drill Book is one of the country’s top wrestling instructional books, selling 12,500 copies in two years. It begins with essential movement drills and progresses to takedowns, escapes, reversals, rides, and pinning combinations key to advancing in wrestling skill development.

For more information on Dr. Welker and The Wrestling Drill Book, visit www.HumanKinetics.com or www.WVmat.com.

The journal will consist of a variety of articles that emphasize case and field studies and evaluation research examining both scientific and applied concerns in working with athletes. A regular feature of JCSP will be a "Case Conference" section, which will spotlight a target submission describing an interesting case relevant to the journal’s mission. The first issues will include a variety topics including:

• Critical Thinking and the Evidence Based Practice of Sport Psychology
• Effects of a Motivational Climate Intervention for Coaches on Changes in Young Athletes’ Achievement Goal Orientations
• An Examination of the Relationship between Early Maladaptive Schemas, Coping, and Emotional Response to Athletic Injury
• Psychophysiological Response to Severe Sport Injury

For more information on the Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology contact Human Kinetics at (800) 747-4457 or visit www.HumanKinetics.com/JCSP/.

That vision is now reality with the release of the online courses Coaching Youth Baseball The Ripken Way for Babe Ruth Baseball Coaches and Coaching Youth Softball The Ripken Way for Babe Ruth Softball Coaches.

The courses are available through the dedicated website Babe Ruth League Coaching Education Center: Powered by Ripken Baseball, also developed by ASEP with content provided by Ripken Baseball. The program can be found at www.BabeRuthCoaching.org and www.RipkenCoaching.org.

BRL and Ripken Baseball are establishing a leadership role in youth baseball and softball by requiring all Babe Ruth League coaches to successfully complete coaching education and certification by July 31, 2008.

"I have been talking about the need for an organized, effective youth coaching education program for many years, so it is rewarding to finally develop a partnership that can make it happen," says first- ballot 2007 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee Cal Ripken Jr. "It’s really exciting to know that young baseball players everywhere will be exposed to our methods of instruction and to partner with two organizations that are so respected in their fields."

Ripken believes that overall youth baseball participation will increase if more coaches adhere to the principles addressed in the course. "Volunteer coaches are the lifeblood of our sport," says Ripken. "If a young player’s first experience with the game of baseball is a positive one, the chances are much higher that he or she will fall in love with the game and stick with it."

ASEP designed the customized online courses with considerable content developed and provided by Ripken Baseball, reflecting its "Ripken Way" coaching philosophy. Each course features more than 200 pages of material that is delivered as PDF downloads within the course. Also included is a "Coach’s Clipboard" feature that contains assessment tools, checklists, worksheets, and drill sheets that coaches can print and use at practices and games. The online courses take roughly 3 to 4 hours to complete and contain the following units:

• Introduction: The Ripken Way
• Unit 1: Coach responsibilities
• Unit 2: Communication
• Unit 3: Safety and fitness
• Unit 4: Expectations and goals
• Unit 5: Practice and practice planning
• Unit 6: Skill development
• Unit 7: Rules and equipment
• Unit 8: Skills and drills
• Unit 9: Tactics and strategies
• Unit 10: Game day

The courses conclude with a 30-question online test that is scored automatically. Once a course is completed, coaches can print a certificate directly from the Web site and email a copy of their course transcript to their league administrator for documentation of course completion.

"Every manager and coach has an obligation to provide his or her players with the best instruction and leadership possible," says Steven Tellefsen, President/CEO of Babe Ruth League. And it’s our belief that these courses provide managers and coaches with the best training available to meet this goal."

As an incentive for coaches to take the course right away and not wait until the July 31, 2008 deadline to comply with the certification requirements, Babe Ruth League is offering four-year certification to coaches who take the course during 2007. Coaches who take the course beginning January 1, 2008, will be granted three-year certification.

"We’re very proud to work with Babe Ruth League and Ripken Baseball in the creation and delivery of this customized and uniquely branded coaching education program and Web site," says Amy Tocco, ASEP Executive Director. "ASEP has been a leader in coaching education for more than 25 years, and our ‘Athletes First, Winning Second’ philosophy aligns perfectly with the missions of Babe Ruth League and Ripken Baseball. We look forward to bringing this important training to Babe Ruth coaches for years to come to improve the sport experience for all who are involved with these outstanding programs."

To order the online course, which retails for $19.95, Babe Ruth League and Ripken Baseball coaches can visit www.BabeRuthCoaching.org or www.RipkenCoaching.org and click on the "Coaches" tab from the home page and follow the simple prompts. The course is not limited strictly to Babe Ruth League coaches. Coaches of any affiliation would benefit from taking the comprehensive course and are encouraged to enroll.

Babe Ruth League, Inc. is a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to developing better citizens by providing properly supervised baseball and softball competition for players ages 4-18. Established in 1951, there are now more than 9,000 leagues and 56,000 teams representing more than one million players in the United States and Canada. It is the fundamental belief of Babe Ruth League, Inc. that every child with a desire to play baseball or softball be afforded that opportunity.

Ripken Amateur Baseball, LLC is a division of Ripken Baseball, Inc. Ripken Baseball is a sales and marketing company based in Baltimore, MD, representing the business and philanthropic interests of Cal Ripken, Jr. and Bill Ripken. Established in 2001, the mission of Ripken Baseball is to grow the game of baseball worldwide the Ripken Way. Ripken Baseball is considered the nation’s leader in youth baseball instruction, holding camps, clinics and coaching education programs around the country in addition to developing a full complement of instructional products and resources.