THIS incredible 790ft mega-yacht carries hundreds of guests in ultra-opulent cabins.
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection gave an exciting glimpse into the new superyacht named Ilma, which includes an onboard spa and gym, in vision on social media.
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The Ilma has only just hit the seas
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A stunning pool is one of its many features
Pictures of the luxury boat shows cabins that await guests, with decor resembling a five-star hotel room leading to private terraces looking over the sea.
It also boats a huge deck for guests to bask on sunbeds.
A swimming pool with a bar behind it adds to the opulence, with separate massive dining areas.
Interior Design Director Taylor Cuff said it was in line with Ritz-Carlton‘s mission to give guests “uncompromised luxury”.
She said: “Projects like this really allow us to move the needle to create a new product and to provide a new opportunity for luxurious experience.
“It’s really important that we deliver what our guests are expecting from land-based Ritz Carlton on the yacht collection.”
She said the “absolutely stunning” yacht gave customers a chance to “connect directly with the sea”.
Taylor added: “We really wanted to do it bigger and better for Ilma and really evolve that further.”
Ritz-Carlton’s Yacht Collection website says guests – it can hold 448 of them – are greeted by spacious suites, open-air lounges and “an aft Marina” by the water.
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Wealthy yacht-goers pay up for an all-inclusive fare featuring 24-hour dining as well as drinks in their suites and around the yacht.
It has several restaurants offering bites ranging from sashimi to pasta to grilled steak and seafood.
In the evening, a pianist provides a romantic soundtrack to the night before a DJ comes on for those keen to boogie.
There is even a crew-guest ratio of one to one, promising top-notch service.
Bringing the kids on board is also made easier by Ritz Kids, a program offered in the summer mixing education with fun.
Apparently not satisfied, Ritz-Carlton is adding another mega-yacht to its fleet to hit the seas in 2025.
It’ll be called the Luminara and will be even larger at 794ft.
Ritz-Carlton first launched in 1983, and now has 108 luxury hotels dotted across the globe.
Aside from Ilma and Luminara, the third yacht of the company’s lavish boat collection is the slightly smaller Evrima, which has a 298-guest capacity.
The yachts sail around Asia, the Caribbean, Mediterranean and the northern Europe and Baltic regions.
The Ilma mega-yacht factfile
Capacity: 448 passengers
Size: 790ft
Suites: 224
Decks: 10
Service: As many staff as guests
Inclusions: 24-hour in-suite dining, beverages throughout the yacht, onboard entertainment, access to watersports
NORTH Korean tyrant Kim Jong-un is grooming his young daughter for the top job after getting morbidly fat again, South Korean spies say.
It’s believed Kim, 40, is suffering from high-blood pressure and diabetes, weighing a whopping 140kg – or 22st – despite standing at 170cm.
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Kim has been rolling out his daughter as his health declines, say South Korea spies
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Kim’s obesity could contribute to fatal heart problems so he’s getting his daughter ready, it’s believed
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The chubby tyrant is known for his smoking
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Now he is said to be training his daughter up to take the reins as Supreme Leader – even though she is said to be just 11 years old.
Kim, a boozy operator also known for his smoking, comes from a bloodline beleaguered by heart issues.
He took over from his father Kim Jong-il in 2011 when he died from a huge heart attack.
Prior to that, Kim Il-sung suffered a sudden heart attack in 1994.
Current-day Kim appeared to have lost a heap of weight around 2021, but South Korea’s chief spy agency believes he’s put it all back on.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) revealed to South Korean politicians that he is sending the scales off the charts at 140kg and therefore is at high risk of heart disease.
The NIS says Kim’s daughter, Kim Ju-ae, could be next in line for the thrown.
The secretive North Korea hasn’t divulged her official age but the NIS believes she is about 11.
Although she is yet to be officially designated his successor, she has set tongues wagging since late 2022, attending numerous events alongside her infamous father.
According to local reports, NIS secretary Park Sun-won said: “Kim Ju-ae is hinted at as a strong successor and is undergoing successor training.”
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He added: “How North Korea refers to Kim Ju-ae and what activities she appears in are very significant.
Intelligence Committee secretary Lee Seong-won said: “Kim Jong-un is extremely obese, weighing 140kg and in his 40s with a body mass index that greatly exceeds the normal level … putting him at high risk for heart disease.”
“We have determined that he has been showing symptoms of high blood pressure and diabetes since his early 30s.
“If he does not improve his current health, there is a possibility that he may develop cardiovascular disease, which is a family history, so we are closely monitoring him.”
Others speculated his heavy drinking and smoking were behind the weight gain.
A SAUDI-Arabian fitness influencer has been jailed for 11 years after she went shopping in an outfit which was deemed inappropriate.
Manahel al-Otaibi was handed the jail sentence in January but details of the shocking case have only just emerged.
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A Saudi Arabian fitness influencer was jailed for 11 yearsCredit: Handout
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Saudi Arabia accused Manahel al-Otaibi of ‘terrorist offences’ but human rights groups disagreeCredit: Handout
The country recently replied to a United Nations human rights request after the country claimed she was jailed for “terrorist offences”.
Amnesty International and Al Qst, a Saudi human rights group based in London have slammed this narrative and say Al-Otaibi was actually imprisoned for a different reason.
According to them it was her choice of clothing and social media posts where she posted the hashtag “abolish male guardianship” that landed her in hot water with the conservative country,
Al-Otaibi wore what were judged to be “indecent clothes” in videos and went shopping without an abaya, a long robe, the groups said.
Saudi Arabia claimed that Al-Otaibi was “convicted of terrorist offences that have no bearing on her exercise of freedom of opinion and expression or her social media posts”.
The country’s counter-terrorism law, under which Al-Otaibi was convicted, has been criticised by the United Nations as an overly broad tool to stop dissent.
Bissan Fakih, Amnesty International’s campaigner on Saudi Arabia, said: “Manahel’s conviction and 11-year sentence is an appalling and cruel injustice.
“With this sentence, the Saudi authorities have exposed the hollowness of their much-touted women’s rights reforms in recent years and demonstrated their chilling commitment to silencing peaceful dissent.”
Lina Alhathloul, Al Qst’s head of monitoring and advocacy, said: “Manahel’s confidence that she could act with freedom could have been a positive advertisement for Mohammed bin Salman‘s much-touted narrative of leading women’s rights reforms in the country.
“Instead, by arresting her and now imposing this outrageous sentence on her, the Saudi authorities have once again laid bare the arbitrary and contradictory nature of their so-called reforms, and their continuing determination to control Saudi Arabia’s women.”
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Saudi Arabia denied allegations from the well established human rights groups in its letter to the UN.
It comes as the world’s first Dragon Ball theme park is set to open in Saudi Arabia as the country ramps up its efforts to attract tourists.
It’s expected to be a sight to behold, featuring a huge 70m dragon at its centre and more than 30 thrilling rides.
But, although some are excited for the comic-series-inspired park, others have slammed the country for its brutal regime.
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Amnesty International and Al Qst say it was the influencers choice of clothing and showing support for abolishing male guardianship that got her the sentenceCredit: Handout
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Saudi Arabia’s counter-terrorism law has been criticised by the United Nations as an overly broad tool to stop dissentCredit: AFP
Rules in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is known for having a poor human rights record and many strict rules.
1. NO FREE SPEECH
Dozens of outspoken activists remain behind bars, simply for exercising their rights to freedom of expression.
Many of Saudi Arabia’s most famous human rights defenders have been imprisoned, threatened into silence, or fled the country.
2. NO PROTESTS
Protests and demonstrations are illegal.
Those who break this law can face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as “inciting people against the authorities”.
3. NO LBGTQI+ RIGHTS
LGBTQI+ rights are not legally recognized or protected in Saudi Arabia, and are even labeled as “extremist ideas.”
The country’s legal system prohibits LGBTQI+ relationships, public displays of affection and gender expression.
Anyone found to be in breach of this law can face discrimination, and legal repercussions including fines, imprisonment or the death penalty.
4. CRACKDOWN ON FREE MEDIA AND PRESS
The Saudi authorities control domestic media and journalists can be imprisoned for a variety of “crimes” Saudi authorities including the Crown Prince sanctioned the brutal murder the journalist Jamal Khashoggi after he criticised the government.
Leadership in the country has never been held to account for their role.
HE used to claim he was the “Hardest Geezer” in the Sussex seaside town of Worthing.
Now Russ Cook has proved he is the hardest geezer in the world — by becoming the first man in history to run the entire length of Africa.
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Russ Cook has become the first man in history to run the entire length of Africa – and vowed not to cut his hair or beard until he was finishedCredit: Reuters
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The ‘hardest geezer’ of Worthing made it from South Africa to Tunisia after 352 dysCredit: Instagram / hardestgeezer
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Russ set off from Cape Africa’s southernmost point, Cape Agulhas, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet
His 9,891-mile trek from Cape Town to Tunisia, where he crossed the finish line today, spanned 352 days and was the equivalent of 377 marathons.
Russ, 27, battled injuries, food poisoning, extreme heat and cold, a kidnapping and robbery.
It took 19million steps and 20 pairs of trainers to complete the epic feat through 16 countries.
He set off from Cape Africa’s southernmost point, Cape Agulhas, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet, on April 22, 2023, vowing not to cut his hair or beard until he crossed the finish line in Bizerte in Tunisia.
The huge red beard and ponytail he grew during the trek earned him the nickname “Africa’s Forrest Gump”, in a nod to the Tom Hanks blockbuster.
A former big boozer and gambler, Russ turned his life around at 19 after a pal challenged him to run the Brighton half marathon.
He says: “I was in a bad place and my mate knew it. I was unfit and drinking and blowing money in the bookies, so I agreed to run it.
“After that, I did the Brighton marathon. Through training, I learnt the values of running and discipline and self-belief, which empowered me, and I applied it to other things in life.”
Realising he would never win marathons, the ex-cleaner decided to set himself endurance challenges. In 2019, he ran 71 marathons through 11 countries between Asia and London, with little more than a backpack and a hammock. It took him just 66 days.
‘It’s been the toughest days of my life’
In 2020, he broke the world record for the fastest marathon while pulling a car.
He ran 26 miles along Worthing seafront with a 730kg Suzuki Alto attached to a rope around his waist in 9hr and 56min, knocking 9hr 40min off the record of 19hrs.
Kelvin Kiptum wins London Marathon with second fastest ever time
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Russ has been compared to beloved Tom Hanks character Forrest GumpCredit: Alamy
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An exhausted Russ rehydrates with power drinksCredit: Instagram / hardestgeezer
Then, in 2021, Russ was buried alive for a week in a box with just 20 litres of water and a ventilation tube.
He also became the first to complete a marathon on crutches and crossed the finish line of another 26-mile race drunk because he stopped every mile to sink a beer.
Russ came up with the idea of running across Africa during Covid, in a bid to raise £1million for charities supporting refugees and rough sleepers.
Incredibly, he had raised over £700,000 earlier tonight.
He says: “People reckon I’m nuts but, if I want to do something, I will do it regardless of how outlandish it seems.
I have passed blood for six days and suffered awful food poisoning, a bad back that only painkillers could cure, had visa nightmares, dehydration and suffered exhaustion
Russ Cook
“Quitting never even came into it. Not even thought of it.
“I decided to run Africa for my personal achievement and have some mad stories to tell — and I bloody well did it.
“I did it first and that makes me so proud. This was all about how far I could push my limits. It is more than just running across a whole continent.
“When I started running, I didn’t like long distances, but I taught my body to get to the point where it could quite comfortably run all day long without much difficulty.
“Then came Africa. The blazing heat in the day and the freezing cold at night.
“Running on sand, through jungles, through sandstorms and snow storms and torrential downpours.
“I have passed blood for six days and suffered awful food poisoning, a bad back that only painkillers could cure, had visa nightmares, dehydration and suffered exhaustion.”
In November, Russ was forced to visit medics in Nigeria for scans as his back pain became “excruciating”.
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Russ being scanned after his back pain became ‘excruciating’Credit: Instagram / hardestgeezer
He says: “It got very bloody hard at times, but I would tell myself to stop moaning like a little weasel and get on the road and get that zombie stomp going.”
Recalling the simple things that inspired him to keep going, Russ adds: “These 352 days have been the toughest of my life, but also such an immense honour.
“I have met incredible people every single day in every single country who welcomed us.
“Seeing all the kids running out to jog with us has been wonderful.
“But, in some remote areas, being white with a big red beard and red hair, I did terrify a few kids!”
As his epic trek neared an end, Russ focused on his home comforts. He says: “My body was starting to break down. Everything hurt. My legs felt like they were about to fall off. Just a few more days, I said.
“Now it’s time to party and the daiquiris will be flowing. It will be good to get into a real crisp bed and have a long hot soak in a bath.”
During his African epic, Russ would sleep in a support vehicle driven by his pals Harry Gallimore and Stan Gaskell.
It also carried their video gear, to record the world record attempt, and was their link to his social media channels on YouTube, X and Instagram.
Russ ran an average of 30 miles a day, including 90 days through the Sahara Desert.
As it was 50C in the day, he ran at night, though it was sometimes still 25C.
My body was starting to break down. Everything hurt. My legs felt like they were about to fall off
Russ Cook
He endured snow storms in Algeria and monsoons in rainforests.
In the Congo, tribal natives wielding machetes kidnapped him on day 102 last August.
Russ — who feared they could be cannibals — had been separated from his support vehicle due to the terrain.
He stumbled into a rural settlement as he headed for their rendezvous point.
He recalls: “There was a chief there who told me I must give him money. I told him I had none.
“Pretty soon I found myself surrounded by lots of blokes with machetes, who escorted me into the bush.
“I didn’t know what they were going to do, so I emptied my bag to show I had nothing but a biscuit, and gave it to them.
“Then I ran for it, bushwhacking through jungle paths. I kept off any tracks until I was far away.
“Then, suddenly, two men pulled up on a motorbike and took me on a seven-hour ride into the jungle and I was thinking, ‘Is this it?’.
“I thought, ‘Here is the self-proclaimed Hardest Geezer being held in a Congo gulag before being ripped apart limb by limb by these people and eaten’.”
Russ was able to negotiate with his kidnappers during a two day ordeal, and his team paid a ransom.
It came weeks after Russ — who also suffered a week of food poisoning and bouts of diarrhoea — was help up by armed maniacs in Angola on day 64 last June.
I thought, ‘Here is the self-proclaimed Hardest Geezer being held in a Congo gulag before being ripped apart limb by limb by these people and eaten’
Russ Cook
He had jumped into the support van for lunch at the roadside unaware they were being watched by gunmen planning to rob them.
He posted on X: “Nothing like a gun being pointed in your face to let you know you are alive.
“It was like any other day when a couple of lads pop open the side door and demanded everything we have.
“None of us got killed or injured. We did lose a lot of our gear. Losing our passports was the big blow as it had our visas to move onwards with.
“It was a nightmare trying to get it sorted in Angola so we had to halt the challenge for two weeks and drive back to Namibia to get new passports and visas.
“That was 1,281 miles back to Windhoek to sort the paperwork and 1,281 miles back to the start.”
Russ admits the terrifying experiences were a real eye-opener.
He says: “One of the reasons I wanted to run the length of Africa is because no one has ever done it before.
“After the robbery and kidnapping, I was starting to find out why.
“But 99 per cent of the time people were so good to us, giving us food and help and donating by going to ATMs and giving us cash.”
From South Africa, Russ ran along the west coast up through Namibia, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, and Algeria, before finishing in Tunisia just under a year later.
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Supporters joined Russ for the final leg of the challengeCredit: AFP – Getty
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Other fans waited for him while wearing red beardsCredit: Reuters
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Russ pictured at the finish lineCredit: Reuters
But a problem securing a visa to cross the border into Algeria almost scuppered his challenge on day 278.
After a four day stalemate and pleas on social media, the UK’s Algerian embassy offered courtesy visas.
For his final 29.3-mile stretch — in which he completed in 4hr 47min — Russ had invited social media followers to run with him or wait at the finishing line. Some turned up wearing fake red beards.
And he revealed he couldn’t wait to be reunited with his girlfriend.
He says: “I warned the girls and boys to get the daiquiris set up.
“Nothing was going to stop me, even if I had to crawl my way over broken glass to get to the very end.
“Not too bad for a former fat lad with booze and gambling issues.”
Paying tribute to his partner on X, he added: “My girl is an absolute diamond. Put her through the emotional wringer daily. Deserves the world and everything in it.
“Can’t wait to share a strawberry daiquiri with her on a Tunisian beach and tell her how beautiful she is.
“Would be in a mental asylum in Congo without her.”
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Russ takes a dip after finishing the trekCredit: sky News
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Russ’ journey in full
RUSS’S Project Africa challenge will bring a massive funding boost to two amazing causes – and it is easy for you to pledge your support.
One beneficiary, The Running Charity, works to transform the lives of young people affected by homelessness and multiple or complex needs.
The other, Sandblast, helps Sahrawi refugees. To donate, visit: givestar.io/gs/projectafrica
A FITNESS influencer was tragically murdered by her husband of 10 years before her body was ditched at her parents’ home, police allege.
Debora Michels, 30, was found dead on the pavement in a shocking turn of events which has left her community devastated.
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Personal trainer Debora Michels, 30, was tragically found dead on the pavement outside her parents’ house on FridayCredit: Newsflash
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Police allege Debora was murdered by her husband of 10 years, AlexanderCredit: Newsflash
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Debora poses with Alexander in an undated photoCredit: Newsflash
The person suspected of her murder has been named as Alexander Gunsch, Debora’s husband of 10 years.
Alexander reportedly told police that he had thrown his wife Debora against a piece of furniture, causing her to lose consciousness, amid a heated argument which turned physical.
The suspect then supposedly brought her to a hospital so she could receive medical attention, but rerouted to her parents’ house upon realising that she had already died, local media reports.
Debora’s body was found under a blanket on the pavement in front of her parents’ home in Montenegro, a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil in the early hours of Friday morning.
A women’s aid advocate at the Specialised Police Station, Cleusa Spinato, said Alexander surrendered and confessed to the crime when police attended his address on Saturday, local media reports.
He was remanded in custody where he remains today, as a police request to extend his detention was granted on Saturday evening.
Ms Spinato added that police were treating the case as a femicide and Alexander was the main suspect.
Debora’s devastated brother Alex Michels told local media: “This situation is revolting. What our family wants is justice. You cannot leave anyone unpunished.”
A close friend of Debora’s, Deise Chemelo, described her as a “magnetic person”.
“She lit up every place she went; she only had friends, and she only did good.
“A fighter, an entrepreneur, there is no explanation for what happened. She didn’t deserve it. We don’t understand.”
The young woman, a bodybuilder, was popular on Instagram and had thousands of followers who tuned into her regular educational posts related to her job as a personal trainer and her active lifestyle.
Friends and family mourned the tragic loss of Debora at a funeral held on Saturday morning before she was buried in the Municipal Cemetery of Montenegro about 11 am the same day.
The lifeless body of Nong WanChiap, 23, was found lying naked on her bed in Bangkok, Thailand with injuries resembling gunshot wounds around her left ear.
A firearm lay on her pillow near her left hand.
Some of the young woman’s friends reportedly suspected her ex-boyfriend may have been involved in her death and alerted police.
Investigators supposedly also suspected he played a role in her death.
His body was discovered in his room, as some theorised he died by suicide to escape punishment.
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Debora had thousands of followers on Instagram who tuned into her lifestyle contentCredit: Newsflash
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The 30-year-old appears to have trained with AlexCredit: Newsflash
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DJ influencer Nong WanChiap was this month found dead in her homeCredit: Jam Press
You’re Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
A MAN who weighed more than three baby elephants and lived on his sofa has been found dead after he vowed to shed pounds.
Leonid Andreev had been a prisoner in his own home for five years weighing 44 stone but he had just started to turn his life around.
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Leonid Andreev spend five years living on the sofa and being cared for by neighboursCredit: Newsflash
Only a day before Andreev died he had told local media how he was planning a new life of losing weight and moving to a city apartment.
The 60-year-old revealed that he had started a new diet with just a cup of light soup for lunch.
He said: “I tried to lose at least a little weight – I ate less and did not indulge in flour products.”
Andreev’s body was discovered in his village home in Armizonskoye, Russia, on November 17 after he suffered a heart attack.
Andreev had shocked reporters when he told them that he once used to be an athlete, weighing in at just 11 stone.
Ten years ago, he was a hunter, ran his own farm, and took part in harvesting the crops.
He said his weight problems began when he left a career in the army.
In just three months, his weight nearly doubled to 16 stone and it never stopped rising.
Doctors apparently told him that his weight gain was caused by a metabolic disorder.
Five years ago Andreev’s size had ballooned so much he had to quit work and he began his reclusive life on the sofa.
In an ongoing health crisis, his blood pressure soared so high he called for an ambulance but after controlling his symptoms paramedics refused further aid because of Andreev’s weight.
Andreev described a miserable existence and said for five years he lived and slept on his sofa watching TV all day while neighbours helped clean and take care of his house.
He shared his monotonous daily routine, “In the morning, I get up, cook food, eat a little, watch TV. Tried to move here, move there.
“I used to have porridge – the heaviest, well, and buns, potatoes, bread. That’s how I got fat, probably,” he said.
Andreev was married and divorced twice and had no children.
Doctors had warned him he had to lose at least seven stone to be able to live normally again, but he waited too late to act.
Despite Andreev’s astonishing mass there are others even heavier.
The fattest man who ever lived, Jon Brower Minnoch, weighed 100 stone.
Despite Andreev’s astonishing mass, there are others who have surpassed his huge size.
The fattest man who ever lived weighed a whopping 100 stone while the fattest man alive today weighed an astonishing 93 stone.
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He was recently found dead in his home despite declaring he wanted to be healthierCredit: Newsflash
A WOMAN once dubbed the “world’s strongest cheerleader” has revealed a new career path a decade after her huge biceps went viral online.
Anna Munzenmaier is most well known for her impressive arms but now she wants people to know shes more than just a strong woman.
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Anna Munzenmaier was once dubbed the ‘world’s strongest cheerleader’ when a picture of her impressive arms took over the internet, back in 2012Credit: Twitter / @femuscleblog
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But a decade after she went viral for her big biceps, the mum of two has started a new career that relies on more than just musclesCredit: Instagram
More than a decade ago a picture of the former Georgia cheerleader went around social media and caused quite the stir as her unconventionally large muscles made her famous.
Some even joked that she had bigger biceps than the players she was cheering every weekend.
Since then Anna has become a mum to two children and is a strength and conditioning coach for D1 Training in Athens, just outside Atlanta.
The American muscle woman is still as big as ever but now puts her body and skills to good use.
After earning her exercise science degree from the University of Georgia, Anna went into coaching so she could share her clearly useful work-out plans with others.
According to the D1 Training website, Anna loves to train women and values her ability to get them feeling confident and strong in their bodies and mind even when they aren’t in front of a gym mirror or hitting a new personal best.
The always-in-shape lady also aims to have her clients leaving with a new appreciation for what their bodies are capable of and all the amazing things it can do if you push it far enough.
Back in 2012, when she first blew up on the internet Anna enjoyed the new found fame but also recognised people liked her for her muscles not necessarily for the rest of her.
She explained that she knew there was more to life than fitness and looking strong.
Anna told The Red and Black back then: “I know that my identity is not in working out. It’s not who I am. It’s not what I want people to see me as.”
“Yes, on the outside, I’m a very fit individual, but when you get to know me, my life is not all about exercise and working out,”
“I think it’s really important to stay grounded and know who you are and knowing that shaping your bicep is not going to shape your personality. It’s not going to shape your goals in life.”
Earlier this week a young woman whose arm was ripped off in a freak bus accident spoke about how it never made her consider stopping going to the gym.
Ana Beatriz Oliveira, 23, lost her arm when she left it hanging out of a bus window and it smashed into a pole, back in 2019 but since then she has loved every minute of her fitness journey.
Ana now shares her life on TikTok as she prepares for life with a new prosthetic arm.
Leon Hawkins, 15, has been named one of the top in the country for his age and says he even looks better than some of the men years his senior.
A 38-year-old mum went through a very impressive fitness journey as she lost a whopping 83lbs in five years and is now a competitive bodybuilder.
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Anna is a strength and conditioning coach for D1 Training in Athens, Georgia where she helps women feel more confident in their bodiesCredit: Instagram
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Since her viral picture, the woman has given birth twice and settled down with her partner in her new careerCredit: Instagram
A WOMAN was left stunned when a furious “Karen” told her to cover up her skimpy bikini as she tried to enjoy a day in the sun.
Aurea Miranda faced the full wrath of her aggressor as she attempted to film herself dancing near to Freedom Lake, New York.
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Aurea Miranda was told off by an angry woman over the skimpiness of her bikiniCredit: Jam Press
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The aggressive lady had a lot to say about Aurea’s choice of beach outfitsCredit: Jam Press
Aurea, who is a dancer originally from Mexico, barely had time to enjoy her day out before an unidentified, irate woman stormed over.
The so-called “Karen” insisted she “get her a** covered” because her sons were staring at her.
She said: “You see those group of boys over there? Those are my boys.
“They’re staring at your a**, which is hanging out in the middle of a public place.”
The bizarre rant continued: “Do you need a pair of shorts? Because I have an extra pair.”
“What do you mean?” asked Aurea innocently.
“I mean get you’re a** covered. That’s what I mean. Thank you,” the woman shot back.
The stunning dark-haired dancer asked if there was any rule stating she couldn’t wear a revealing bikini.
And the lady, dubbed in the comments as “beach Karen”, hit back by arguing their was a rule against “public nudity” – despite the young TikToker clearly wearing clothes.
She spat: “Yeah there is, it’s called nudity. You can’t be nude on a beach like this. It’s a public place.”
Aurea later confirmed with park workers that her swimsuit was absolutely fine to wear.
She posted the clip on TikTok, where it amassed more than 3.1million views as plenty of users were outraged at the way the woman had spoken to her.
Married content creator Clawed Beauty (@clawed_beauty101) is a self-described Christ follower, who doesn’t mind showing her body.
However, she was furious when a random lady on the beach told her to “cover up” her stomach because it was “difficult” for her husband to control himself around her.
She thinks she looks cute and disagrees with any haters who call her style inappropriate.
“How I feel walking into the gym with my cute new gym set, ready to p*ss off some Karens who think I don’t dress appropriately,” the woman told her TikTok fans.
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Aurea stood her ground against the ‘Karen’ who told her to ‘cover up’Credit: Jam Press
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The stunning Mexican dancer was baffled at the woman’s unwelcome commentsCredit: Jam Press
Jan. 6, 2022 – There’s been a push in recent years encouraging doctors to prescribe exercise as medicine, telling their patients how often, how long, and how hard to work out to improve health.
A new Brigham Young University study suggests doctors could take that initiative to the next level, prescribing exercise plans that result in a specific health outcome; say, lowering your blood pressure or losing weight.
“The findings of this study, and others, suggest that we should be able to more consistently and accurately prescribe exercise like medicine,” says senior study author Jayson Gifford, PhD, an exercise sciences professor at BYU.
These exercise prescriptions would be tailored to patients based on a largely ignored fitness measure called critical power, or maximum steady state – the fastest you can go while maintaining a pace you can sustain for a long time.
By crafting workouts around critical power instead of the more frequently used VO2 max (maximum effort), we could more accurately predict health outcomes, just as we can with medicine, the researchers say in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
“We’ve known for centuries that exercise is part of the way to develop a healthy and long life,” says Jordan Metzl, MD, a sports medicine doctor at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and author of The Exercise Cure. “But it’s only in the past 70 years that we’ve recognized the medicinal value of exercise.”
Metzl, who was not involved in the study, helped develop an annual seminar at Cornell Medical School teaching medical students ways to prescribe exercise that go beyond the “30 minutes per day” cookie-cutter advice. Still, doctors and other health care professionals often struggle to prescribe exercise to prevent or treat disease. And a recent study from Oxford found that when doctors do give weight loss advice, it’s often vague and hard for patients to use.
“The drug of movement is one of the safest and most effective forms of preventive health,” says Metzl. “We need to get the medical community fully engaged in prescribing exercise for their patients.”
This study suggests that a focus on critical power could be key in making that happen.
What the Research Found
In the study, 22 adults completed 8 weeks of either moderate-intensity training or high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. The intensity levels specified in both plans were based on VO2 max. So, the people in the study trained at given percentages of their VO2 max.
Both groups saw improvements in endurance, but results varied greatly from person to person. Those mixed results could be explained by individual differences in critical power.
“Improvement was much more correlated with the percentage of critical powers the individuals worked at rather than the percentage of their VO2max, like exercise physiologists have thought for years,” says lead study author Jessica Collins, a researcher at Brigham Young University.
Not only that, but several subjects who did not improve their VO2 max did see an increase in critical power and endurance.
“People tend to only focus on VO2 max,” Gifford says. “Many might see the lack of increase in VO2 max for some people and conclude that the training was ineffective. I personally believe that a lot of potentially useful therapies have been ruled out because of an almost exclusive focus on VO2 max.”
Turns out, critical power varies a lot from person to person, even among those with similar VO2 maxes.
“Let’s say you and Jessica had the same VO2 max,” explains Gifford. “If we had you both going at 70% of [your VO2 max], it could be above your maximum steady state, which would make it really hard for you. And it could be below her maximum steady state, which would make it easy for her.”
This means you are each stressing your body differently, and that stress is what triggers improvements in fitness and endurance.
“Below critical power, the metabolic stressors are well-managed and maintained at elevated-but-steady levels,” Gifford says. “Above critical power, the metabolic stressors are produced so fast that they cannot be controlled, and consistently accrue until reaching very high levels that cause failure.”
Knowing your critical power means you can predict how those stressors will build up, and you can tailor an exercise program that provides just the right stressor “dose” for you, Gifford says.
Such programs could be used for rehab patients recovering from a heart attack or from lung disease, Gifford suggests. Or they could help older adults improve endurance and physical function, Collins notes.
But first, researchers must confirm these results by programming workouts based on people’s critical power and seeing how much different measures improve.
How to Find Your Critical Power
Critical power is not new, but exercise physiologists and medical professionals have largely ignored it because it’s not easy to measure.
“People generally train off VO2 max or maximum heart rate, which is even less precise,” Gifford says.
Finding people’s critical power in the study involved multiple timed trials and calculating the relationship between speed/power and time, Gifford explains.
But for a rough measure of your critical power, you could use an app that measures functional threshold power (FTP), something Gifford refers to as the “Walmart version” of critical power. “It’s not exactly the same, but it’s close,” he says. (The app Strava features FTP as well as a pretty sophisticated power analysis.)
Or skip the tech and go by feel. If you’re below your critical power, “it’s going to be challenging, but you’ll feel under control,” Gifford says. Above your critical power, “your breathing and heart rate will continuously climb until you fail in about 2 to 15 minutes, depending on how far above you are.”
Still, you don’t need to know your critical power to start exercising, Collins notes.
“The beauty of exercise is that it is such a powerful drug that you can see benefits without fine-tuning the workout this way,” he says. “I would hate for this to become a barrier to exercising. The important thing is to do something.”
