“The Wall Street Maniac”

This is for the average corporate worker whom only has an hour to leave work, get to the gym, change clothes, workout, shower and back to work. To maximize your workout efforts and time at the gym, focus on circuit training. Instead of working one muscle and then working your way to the next (Horizontal training), do multiple drills back-to-back that challenge cardio and muscle endurance. Examples would be…Explosive push-ups followed by split-lunge-jumps followed by an abdominal drill. This is just one method of maximizing your time. You will get your heart rate up, nice burn, and core work. Check back later for more.

Grandparent Distress

Today, more grandparents are raising their grandchildren than at any other time in U.S. history. These grandparents face challenges in almost every part of their lives, such as strained relations with the child’s parent, unexpectedly caring for a family on a limited income, and grandchildren’s emotional and behavioral problems from a history of abuse, neglect or abandonment. As a result, many grandparents experience poor health, and psychological and emotional distress.


A recent study conducted by sociologist Terry Mills and colleagues at the University of Florida and published in the Journal, Marriage and Family Review, found that younger grandmothers raising grandchildren were more likely to be depressed than their older counterparts. Using data from the National Survey of America’s Families, the researchers found that the younger the grandmothers were, the more likely they were to experience depression.

They reported that younger grandparents may be distressed because at middle age they are trying to balance suddenly functioning as a parent again along with work responsibilities and personal interests. They may also feel that they failed as a parent. However, when younger grandmothers received support such as social service help with child care and health care, they were no more likely to be distressed than older grandmothers.

The study’s authors point out that because grandparents raising grandchildren are at risk of depression and isolation, it’s important that they have access to psychological counseling. In addition, social services, child care, and easier access to health care are important in giving grandparents the support they need.

Happy New Year

Everyone here at Spotlight UK wish you a Happy New Year and hope 2011 is a year to remember for you.

Jaya Photoshoot

Jaya, the first British-Indian female to be signed to a major label in Universal Records came down to Spotlight UK studios for a photoshoot for INK Magazine. She was promoting her latest single and we filmed behind the scenes footage of her photoshoot as well as catching up with her for an exclusive interview.

2010 Writers and Producer's Guild award nominations--predictions and results

The real beginning of the Oscar season kicks off later today with the announcement of both the Producer's Guild and Writer's Guild nominations, which usually match up to the Academy's eventual wrap-up list. But, for the Writer's Guild, maybe the simiarities won't show this year. This is because so many titles-- The King's Speech, Toy Story 3, Another Year, Winter's Bone, Never Let Me Go, Scott

2010 Writers and Producer's Guild award nominations--predictions and results

The real beginning of the Oscar season kicks off later today with the announcement of both the Producer's Guild and Writer's Guild nominations, which usually match up to the Academy's eventual wrap-up list. But, for the Writer's Guild, maybe the simiarities won't show this year. This is because so many titles-- The King's Speech, Toy Story 3, Another Year, Winter's Bone, Never Let Me Go, Scott

Step Siblings and Academic Outcomes

Today’s children are growing up in any number of family structures including biological-, step-, and single-parent families. Even though there has been a lot of research on these diverse families, not much of it has focused on sibling relationships in non-traditional families.


However, research published recently in the Social Science Research journal analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to explore how living with step- and/or half-siblings impacted teenagers’ academic performance. A number of studies have shown that children in step families are at a greater disadvantage academically than even those children living with single parents.

Yet, step-parents are often only part of the new dynamic children must face when they become blended with a step family. So, what roles do siblings play in children’s academic lives?

This research found that youth who live with step- and/or half-siblings experience greater school-related behavior problems and lower GPA scores, and boys were more negatively affected than girls. The researchers suggest that siblings in these nontraditional families may expect less financial support for post-secondary education and may be less motivated to do well in school. Also, the ambiguity in their family relationships may motivate them to become independent earlier.

Living with step relationships can be difficult. Parents in non-traditional families may need to find ways to foster sibling involvement and emotional closeness to help create supportive family environments.