We are proud to welcome Anne Audain as Q-Link’s newest Ambassador. Anne has a truly inspirational story, having overcome a childhood bone deformity to become an Olympian and the winningest road racer in the USA in the 1980’s. She was recently inducted into the Running USA Hall of Champions and New Zealand’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Anne will work closely with Clarus on Clarus Institute’s further sports performance studies, especially in the areas of her own passion: endurance sports, childhood fitness and education.

She has a new documentary, “Anne Audain: Running Her Way” which tells Anne’s inspirational story of overcoming adversity to become a world champion runner and a pioneer in women’s athletics. You can read more about Anne on her ambassador page, or visit her new documentary website here.

LOHAS is an acronym for “Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability”. Since 2000, LOHAS has been bringing attention to the growing community of conscious businesses and consumers. This includes roughly 19% of the adult population in the U.S., or roughly 41 million people.

Video from last year’s event.

“The LOHAS Forum is the premiere event that focuses on how business, media and entertainment can be leveraged to educate, shape and influence consumer behavior and purchasing decisions while promoting lifestyles of health and sustainability. It brings together top-level business leaders from Fortune 500 and LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) companies, the entertainment industry, as well as celebrities and executives of non-profit organizations active in the areas of health and wellness products, sustainable business and social consciousness.”

Enough can never be said about the importance of hydrating. The benefits of staying hydrated include better skin health, reduced fatigue, and reducing overeating to name a few. Drink at least 8 8 ounce glasses of water a day. If you’re working out in the sun, drink even more. Doctors recommend up to 1 liters per hour while exercising or working outdoors.

2 Wear Sunblock

Wear sunblock and don’t forget to re-apply it. The conventional recommendation is at least SPF 15. This is even more important for infants and toddlers who are particularly sensitive. There are now many chemical-free brands available too. Also, wear sunglasses and seek shade when possible.

3 Avoid Excessive Heat

Don’t overexert yourself in the sun. If you feel tired or dizzy, take a break somewhere cool. Stay indoors, in an air-conditioned place when possible. Wear light colored, loose fitting clothing, and again drink plenty of water.

4 Avoid Mosquitos

Choose a DEET based repellant like OFF!, or an organic repellant like Miessence Buzz Free Zone Personal Spray. You can even make your own. DEET is probably the most reliable, but the important thing is to keep mosquitos away. Also don’t forget to clean up any standing pools of water, which can act as a breeding ground for these pests. No need to needlessly expose yourself to potential West Nile or Lime disease, not to mention excessive itching.

5 Take a Siesta

The siesta has to be one of my favorite inventions (if it can be called that). If possible, avoid the sun at its highest point and get a little sack time. Then come back and be more productive when the sun is less intense. According to the Wall Street Journal, mid-day naps may even be beneficial for fending off heart disease. Health benefits aside, take a siesta for no other reason than to enjoy a good nap.

During the PGA Memorial Tournament this past weekend in Dublin, Ohio, golfer Justin Rose was seen wearing his Q-Link Pendant. Rose shot 18 under par, beating number two Rickie Fowler by three shots. This was Rose’s first PGA TOUR victory, and we wish him more.

“The divisions within the Interphone project are coming out into the open. As the delay in releasing the final results approaches the three-year mark, the tensions within the study team are no longer much of a secret. It’s even becoming clearer who is in which camp —who believes that cell phones present a tumor risk and who thinks the phones are safe.”

The WSJ Numbers Guy gives a good overview of the controversy as it relates to the numbers. This seems to boil down to the data showing that for some levels of cellphone use, the risk of tumors actually decreases, as illustrated by the data represented by the graph below:

From WSJ,

“Even in this analysis, the risk doesn’t steadily increase with use, which is what epidemiologists typically look for—a discernible dose-response relationship. “It’s certainly less compelling than if you saw some kind of graded response,” says David A. Savitz, director of the Disease Prevention and Public Health Institute at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York”

An Additional concern is that this study was published six years after its conclusion. It’s clear these results need much more analysis to reach a clearer consensus. But the fact that cellphone use has only grown in the past six years just makes this kind of research more important.

When a person experiences pronounced Tinnitus, often other physical maladies occur including headaches, nausea, and a loss of balance. The condition can be lifestyle inhibiting as it detracts from social interactions, increases fatigue, and causes sleep deprivation.

A recent study by the University of Regensburg, Germany suggests that people who have a hypersensitivity to EMF exposure have a greater risk of Tinnitus (50.72% vs.17.5%). While the study did not link EMF exposure to directly causing Tinnitus, the increased usage of mobiles and ear pods are being researched further to see if these devices contribute to this debilitating condition.

Using bone conduction technology (or what they call ‘Touched Echo’) the sounds of airplanes and explosions simulating the air raid that occurred on February 13, 1945 are transmitted from the metal rail through the visitor’s arms and directly into the inner ear.

touched echo from Markus Kison on Vimeo.

Via OhGizmo!

The first of these is an interview with Clarus founder Robert Williams.  If you’re not already familiar with SRT technology, this interview gives a great overview.  The other interview is with Clarus CEO Richard Gray, who talks about the history of Clarus and gives more information about SRT.

I highly recommend you check out these interviews and explore The Blue OK further; they have some very interesting interviews and articles (I particularly liked the underwater sculptures). They also have recipes!

By the way, Scott Morrow – host of The Blue OK, wears a Q-Link.

Step 1:) Create an Account

Visit www.youtube.com, and click “Create Account”.

On the next page, fill out the form and click “I accept” at the bottom, to accept Youtube’s Terms of Service

Next you will be given the option to add Youtube to an existing Google Account (if you use Gmail, Docs, etc.) or create a new Google Account.

If you create a new account, make sure you use a valid email address because you will need to confirm it to finalize the account.

When you click “Create New Account and Finish” You will receive an email with a link to activate your account.

2.) Upload Videos

Once you’ve activated a Youtube account and logged in, you will see a new “Upload” button at the top of Youtube.

Clicking this button will give you the option to either upload a video, or take a video from your webcam.

If you choose to “Record from webcam”, you must click the “Allow” button on the next screen to use this feature.

If you choose to upload a video, click “Upload video” and select the video file on your hard drive or connected digital camera/camcorder.

While your video is uploading, add a title, description, and tags.

After your video is uploaded, you will see links to your video under “Sharing options”.

Copy and Paste the URL, and send it to submissions@clarus.com to submit your entry to Q-Link. Valid entries may qualify for a free Q-Link Mini.

If you have any questions, leave a comment below and I’ll try to update this post accordingly.