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Blue Sheep

One Fit Mama

Stroller Fitness: Healthy Exercise for New and Soon-to-be Moms
Moms Don’t Need Babysitters to Go to This Class
Babies Welcome

The pressures of maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be difficult at any point, let alone when one is experiencing a major change, such as having a new baby. Many new mothers feel so worn out and isolated by adjusting to a new child that they often don’t have the motivation to keep up with other things in their lives, especially not something like working out and staying fit. The Stroller Fitness class offered by One Fit Mama™ (http://www.onefitmama.com/) seeks to remedy this difficulty for prenatal and postnatal moms. What’s the best part about this fitness class? Baby is welcome too.

Stroller Fitness is an hour-long class composed of aerobic exercise and resistance training. A mother can use her baby in both segments; the stroller is pushed along for cardio exercise, and the baby can also be used as resistance during the strength training. A mother can get a personalized exercise program at a fraction of the cost of a personal trainer and babysitter. The class is a great way to get in the 30 minutes of walking a day for pregnant women, which is recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Stroller Fitness is safe for prenatal mothers too. For prenatal mothers, exercise helps reduce the various discomforts and aches of pregnancy, as well as providing for shorter labor times and fewer interventions. Other positive side effects also include a lower incidence of diabetes, reduced stress, controlled weight gain, and overall stronger and healthier babies.

The class not only helps moms shed the pounds, but also serves as a great support group. Moms can chat with each other about what they’re going through, and new methods to try if something isn’t quite working. Medical studies have also shown a lower incidence of post-partum depression in women who participate in this kind of class. The exercise itself and being able to get feedback on how to handle things with the new child both help combat many of the common symptoms of the depression.

Stephanie, a regular attendee, has only positive things to say. “I feel really good about my body and myself, and my energy level has gone up. But the most important thing I’ve gained is meeting the other moms. One of my greatest fears when I became a mother was that I would become isolated from the world. With the classes, I can get out there and meet lots of new and interesting people. It helps me structure my day so I’m not just waiting around the house to see what I need to do for Grace.” Her daughter is now eight months old.

Stroller Fitness is focused on the mom’s convenience. One Fit Mama offers packages ranging in pricing to allow for flexibility in schedule. A mom can go to as many classes as she likes, with a wide selection of class times to choose from.

One Fit Mama™ was started in 2005 by Patricia Perez to provide a fitness center for new and expecting moms. Her own need arose after she gave birth to her first child, Caleb. Since her gym did not have child care, and it wasn’t feasible to hire a babysitter every time she wanted to work out, she developed her own exercise routines. Patricia has a B.S. in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training, and a M.S. in Sports Management. She has served as a professor at various universities, and is also certified by the American Council on Exercise in pre- and post-natal fitness.

ISBN Faq's

ISBN FAQs

What is an ISBN?

It is an International Standard Book Number with is a unique identifier assigned to each edition of every published book and book-like product. The ISBN is 10 digits long until January 1, 2007, when it (ISBN-10) converts to the 13 digit format called ISBN-13.

What is an EAN?

It is a 13-digit number used to identify products available for retail sale worldwide. EAN used to stand for European Article Number, but now stands for International Article Number. Although the name of the identifier changed from “European” to “International,” its abbreviation has remained EAN.

Why don’t all ISBN-13 begin with “978”?

The ISBN Agency will exhaust its supply of available numbers to assign in the “978” range, so it will begin to issue new ISBN-13s beginning with a “979” prefix. In both cases, the prefixes denote the book industry.

Can I just add the “978” prefix to my ISBN-10 to turn it into an ISBN-13?

No. Although it is true that the ISBN-10 will be preceded by “978,” the check digit (the last digit) will be dropped and another check digit will be calculated according to a new formula. This new check digit will then replace the old one.

Will the barcode on the book be any different?

The barcode itself will not be different. What will change is the printing of the ISBN number right above the barcode. The new ISBN-13 number will match exactly with the EAN right under the barcode.

What is a check digit?

A check digit is the last digit in an ISBN. It is there to ensure the validity of the ISBN. The way it is chosen is based off an algorithm that calculates from all the other digits of the ISBN.

What do publishers do with the ISBN-10s they have not used up by January 1, 2007?

Publishers do not need to throw out the remaining ISBN-10s they have. They can change the remaining unused ISBN-10s to their proper ISBN-13 counterparts by using the conversion formula.

What happens if a book is printed with the wrong ISBN on the cover?

There are two options. The book can be reprinted, or the barcode can have a sticker placed over it. Restickering entails printing the correct barcode and ISBN on a sticker and having it placed over the incorrect barcode on the book. If the book already has left the warehouse with the incorrect barcode, then all the trading partners should be notified of the mistake so that a proper course of action can be taken.

Will books that have already been published need new ISBNs?

No. The ISBN-10 that a book possesses can be converted to its ISBN-13 counterpart using the conversion formula. The ISBN and barcode do not need to be changed until the book is ready to be reprinted because the barcode already represents the ISBN-13. (Remember that the barcode EAN is the same as the ISBN-13.)

It's a Bird...

***Superman Spoiler Alert***

Today's quote: You wrote that the world doesn't need a saviour, but every day I hear people crying for one.

Like countless other fans, I went to see Superman. Despite the two leading men being extremely easy on the eyes, and an ok plot with very decent acting, I was actually disappointed. Why? I'm all for the modern-day superhero being all sensitive and everything, but it's a little different if you're chipping away at the actual identity or perception people have of the superhero. Of course, this is just my opinion. Perhaps I'm disappointed from having seen Superman as a little girl and forming an image of his invincibility, and then being confronted with something a little different here. It's always been Superman, Man of Steel with the love of his life, Lois Lane.

But this movie portrays him differently. He's still as hot as ever, but what's this? Lois Lane has shacked up with someone else?! And she has a kid?!!!! Granted, you find out that it's Superman's kid. You sort of always think of Lois Lane as a feisty Ms. Uber-Reporter. You don't really think of her as having settled for someone else because Superman is gone, and then going on to write a Pulitzer Prize-winning article titled "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." She appears to have very deep issues as to feeling abandoned by Superman. At least the movie didn't muck it up with adultery. The characters are all very noble and have their shining sterling-silver integrity intact. My main point? The movie was good, yes. However, it left me feeling frustrated because things didn't seem the way they should be. For one, where was the chemistry between Superman and Lois? Where was the depth? The characters seemed somewhat flat and two-dimensional. Yes, I know it's partly about character reinvention so that we, the audience, can see a new side of them and love them more for it. I'm just not sure that I'm lovin' it, and I'm not so sure that it's working.

The Barcode and ISBN Business

ISBN-13: What You Need to Know

Quick Overview

• All products for sale come with a 13-digit number identifying them. This number is called an EAN.
• All books also come with a number identifying them. This identifier is known as the International Standard Book Number (ISBN).
• The 10-digit format of ISBN (ISBN-10) will be changing to a 13-digit format (ISBN-13) on January 1, 2007.
• The new ISBN-13 is identical to the barcode EAN number on books. EANs specifically for books are known as Bookland EANs. The Bookland EAN and the ISBN-13 are the same 13 digits.
• The change is not expected to be implemented immediately. There will be a transitional period allowed, where entities are expected to use both ISBN-10 and ISBN-13 to facilitate the change.

Introduction

Any product that is available for retail sale worldwide is assigned a 13-digit number identifying it. This identifier is called the International Article Number (EAN). Bookland EANs are EANs that refer to books. It has been used in the barcode on books since the early 1980s. The Bookland EAN uses a formula to convert all existing world-wide ISBNs into its system, giving every book a unique identifier. Currently, the ISBN format is comprised of 10 digits

After January 1, 2007, ISBNs will convert from the former 10-digit format to a new 13-digit format. How does this relate to the Bookland EAN? The new ISBN-13 will be the same 13 digits as the Bookland EAN. The only difference is that the ISBN-13 code has hyphens present in it, just like the old ISBN-10 code, whereas the Bookland EAN does not.

Example: Here is an illustration of how the ISBN-13 is the Bookland EAN, with hyphens.

ISBN-13: 978-0-940016-73-6

Bookland EAN: 9780940016736.

As you can see, the two strings of numbers are exactly identical to each other, barring the hyphens present in the ISBN-13.

The ISBN Agency is conforming itself to the pre-existing EAN standard by redefining its ISBN to become the EAN. The book industry decided to call it ISBN-13 in order to cause less confusion among booksellers. The theory is that instead of introducing a new system, the ISBN-13 is really an extension of the existing ISBN system.

Why the change?

There are a couple of reasons for making the change from ISBN-10 to ISBN-13. One main reason is to have one international standard for identifying products. The EAN is already an international standard for identifying all products, including books. Since the ISBN-13 is the same as the Bookland EAN, having the ISBN-13 in place will eliminate the need to have yet another system of identifying books (ISBN-10). Also, the Bookland EAN is already printed on most books in the form of the barcode.

Tip: You see retail barcodes on everything out there. Those little numbers underneath the barcode represent the barcode itself, in human-readable form. On books, the barcode and the actual numbers are just different forms of the EAN.

Another big reason is that the ISBN Agency has determined that some publishers will run out of numbers to assign to books. This has to do with the process of obtaining ISBNs. A publisher is assigned a chunk of ISBNs from the Agency. The publisher then assigns each specific ISBN to a book. Although it is true that some publishers have enough numbers for the next 10 years, other publishers will be running out of their allocation of ISBNs. The ISBN Agency did not parcel out blocks of numbers equally, with the result that some publishers got more than they needed while others did not.

Who is affected? What has to be done?

Everyone who deals with books in anyway will be affected. This includes entities such as publishers, retailers, and libraries, just to name a few. Publishers will have to make sure that the books will be printed with the new ISBN-13 in the proper places on the cover, and that the barcode also has the proper ISBN printed over it. In addition, the systems that a publisher uses will be affected. For example, this could include accounting, product information, production, supply systems, accounting, and contracts. Similarly, retailers and trading partners will have to update all of the ISBNs stored in their databases, and may need to review their ordering systems, stock control, and accounting. Libraries will have to take into account all of the above, but will also have to keep the old ISBN on record in the case that a patron is looking for a book by ISBN-10. This means that they must be able to support both ISBN-10 and ISBN-13.

However, this doesn’t mean that everyone has to replace all of the old ISBNs that have already been printed with the new ISBN-13. The recommended suggestion is to use dual numbering to facilitate the transition. This means including both the ISBN-10 and the ISBN-13 on books, until January 1, 2007. Then the ISBN-10 will be dropped from the covers, and only the ISBN-13 will remain. The overall attitude is that the industry will be expected to make the necessary changes in their systems at their own pace in the timeliest fashion possible. As for those publishers with chunks of ISBN-10 left unallocated, they can simply use the system to convert an ISBN-10 to an ISBN-13, thereby still getting usage out of those numbers. The ISBN and bar code do not need to be changed until a book is reprinted, because the barcode already exhibits the Bookland EAN. As noted, the Bookland EAN is identical to the new ISBN-13.

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