How to Remove a Foot Callus

Calluses are thickened skin that occur naturally in areas of your body to protect from friction. Your feet are especially prone to them as they bear the burden of your full body weight, move you from place to place and are often squashed into gorgeous, but unforgiving shoes. Calluses don’t typically need to be removed surgically, but they can be removed quite easily, especially if they are causing pain.
Soak your foot in warm water for 15 minutes. The water does not need to soapy or include any essential oils, but you can add these if you would like. The goal is to soften the skin of the callus so that you can treat it successfully.
Apply salicylic acid to your foot callus. You can purchase pads that contain salicylic acid. These pads may cause irritation, though, so observe the callus carefully when changing the pad to see if the area appears red or irritated. If it does, take a break from wearing the pad for a few days.
Use a pumice stone on the affected area. Rub gently in a circular motion to thin the skin of the callused area. If you have diabetes, avoid using a pumice stone as you risk infecting your foot.
Talk to your doctor. She can trim the foot callus in a standard office visit. She may also prescribe antibiotic cream to minimize any potential risk of infection. If the callus has developed as a result of a foot deformity, your doctor can also help you minimize potential recurrence by fitting you for shoe inserts, called orthotics.

Should Men Do Zumba?

Zumba. Most guys have heard of it, but few know exactly what it is.
A quick rundown of what Zumba isn’t:
— The speediest Roomba model
— A brand of bath salts
— The Brazilian soccer team’s top striker
It is a dance fitness program, which is the simple way to say it.
More accurately, Zumba is the Huffington Post of cardio workouts. It unapologetically aggregates every other cardio dance workout in its path, consuming all.
A single Zumba class might include salsa, merengue, cumbia, reggaeton, Arabian rhythms, country, samba, cha-cha-cha, belly dance, bhangra, soca, martial arts, belly dance, hip-hop, world rhythms and, possibly, the ※Ickey Shuffle.§
Zumba was brought to the United States in 1999 by Alberto ※Beto§ Perez. Perez invented the workout as a 16-year-old aerobics instructor in his native Colombia when he forgot the music for a class and used an eclectic mixed tape instead.
His students loved it.
In 2001 he and his American business partners launched Zumba Fitness in the states. Today Zumba Fitness says it is the most popular branded fitness program in the world, and is being used in 125 countries by more than 12 million people every week.
While there＊s been no outside study of the gender breakdown of those classes, I＊m willing to bet about 95 percent of them are female.
The women I talked to while reporting this article said that they never or rarely see men in their Zumba classes.
A Zumba Fitness spokesperson said the official numbers are 80 percent women and 20 percent men, but at least one Los Angeles studio owner agreed with my 95/5 assessment based on attendance there.
The reasons for this are not just specific to Zumba 每 men in general prefer to work out alone, while women make up the majority of most cardio classes.
But Zumba, as opposed to dance classes like hip-hop and breakdancing, which at least get a smattering of dudes, seems especially unpopular with men.
The question is: Why? Why don＊t men Zumba? I set out to find the answer.
As it turns out, there are a few reasons. And one of them involves mustard stains.
I enrolled at Your Neighborhood Studio in Culver City, where the rooms have wood floors, ballet barres and floor-to-ceiling mirrors that provide ample opportunity to see every mistake you make during each routine.
The instructor began each song by silently introducing a series of dance steps no American man has ever performed outside of an NFL touchdown celebration.
The typical routine went like this: Two-steps-left, kick-pivot, two-steps-right, kick-pivot.
We＊d repeat those steps a few times. I＊d get better at the moves. Got it. Awesome.
But then 每wait, what?每 the instructor would introduce a whole new sequence.
Some women, such as my wife, magically got the dance steps as they happened.
Meanwhile, I＊m tripping over my feet and saying to myself (or possibly out loud, I can＊t quite remember), ※What was wrong with the last sequence? I was NAILING IT! Now it＊s crossover-right-spin, crossover-left- spin?
Why must we always change? Why is no sequence ever good enough? Why can＊t we just do the same two steps for the next 45 minutes? Crossover-right-spin, crossover-left- spin is bull crap! Faaaahhhhh!!!!§
In Zumba you do 10 to 12 songs in an average class, so I basically just became more unhinged with each new track.
Despite my pining, pleading, and begging for the return of two-steps-left, kick-pivot, two-steps-right, kick-pivot, it never came back. Instead we always moved on to some new walk-like-an-Egyptian-while-lunging crap, which everyone else seemed to love and be totally capable of doing.
So, that＊s the first main thing I noticed, which I think cuts to the heart of why many men avoid Zumba.
I had no idea what I was doing most of the time, knew I looked like an idiot, and every new sequence made me want to punt the MP3 player.
Why? Zumba took me out of my element and put me face-to-face with my insecurities.
Because of that giant mirror, I got to see every mistake I made.
There I was, a step behind, turning the wrong way, or just sort of hopping up and down in place, looking confused. (The instructors don＊t teach this step, but it＊s pretty much the first move you learn and the only one you＊ll do during every song. It＊s crucial.) And for men, that sucks. As a guy, you want to be the best in the room 每 especially if that room is full of fit women. When you＊re not, it＊s humbling.
But here is the saddest part of all, and it didn＊t occur to me until around my third class: My shame, embarrassment and towering loathing for my inability to move my body in sync with the music and the instructor, was all coming from within.
Not once did a teacher or classmate say anything about how poorly I danced. No one made a single critical, pitying or mocking glance. No one seemed to even notice my struggles.
Yet I felt stupid.
As it turns out, I was suffering from what psychologists call ※The Spotlight Effect.§
The Spotlight Effect is the tendency to overestimate the extent to which your actions and appearance are noted by others. Most people do this, especially teenagers who walk around high school while looking down at the floor.
It is natural to think everyone is looking at you all the time, like when you＊re sure everyone at the party will notice the mustard stain on your jeans. But as researchers at Cornell concluded in a 2000 paper in the ※Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,§ it＊s more likely that no one is looking at you.
No one is obsessing about that yellow glob but you.
My female classmates ranged in age from 20s to 60s. Their skill level was all over the place. But there was no judging.
At first, I felt almost crippled with fear over what these people 每 these nice people who I didn＊t know, and probably would never see again 每 would think of me.
Even though science tells me that they likely didn＊t even notice.
When I asked Zumba creator ※Beto§ Perez how to increase male interest in Zumba, he said, ※Men just need to get over their insecurities.§
That＊s easier said than done.
My embarrassment and fear were eventually overridden by an even more intense sensation: Exhaustion.
In Zumba, the movement is almost non-stop.
There are five-second breaks between songs, enough time for a quick towel or a drink of water, but no real rest. The sweat pours quickly and heavily because you＊re using every muscle in your body.
Perez says that Zumba doesn＊t feel like a workout, and he＊s right. Zumba feels like a wedding reception where you never leave the dance floor and every song is a line dance choreographed by an ADD-addled bridesmaid.
It took two classes, but I eventually began to lose my inhibitions. I began, to borrow a phrase, to dance like nobody was watching.
I stepped, shimmied and shook. I spun and didn＊t knock anyone over. I was actually having fun.
And I discovered what women worldwide already knew: Zumba is a good workout.
You burn about the same number of calories you would on a treadmill, but there are more challenges and a greater variety of muscle movements. As you get better at the moves, you experience more enjoyment from the class 每 and a sense of achievement.
Zumba＊s biggest upside: Time flies.
A lot of working out is monotonous, and when you＊re bored, time creeps by slowly.
With Zumba, you＊re learning dance steps, memorizing them, putting them into combinations, paying attention to the instructor, keeping your distance from the people around you and listening to the music for cues. The time passes quickly as you focus your mind and body on performing the moves 每 and not looking like Don Knotts while you do.
It is now months later, and I still pop into the occasional Zumba class.
Chesapeake, Va., YMCA Zumba instructor Alice Warchol said the classes pass quickly even for the most experienced students.
I am not what anyone would call experienced yet, but I agree.
※The more that you know a routine the easier it is to work out,§ she said. ※You completely lose yourself in it.§
A total body workout that is challenging, helps you become a better dancer, makes time pass quickly, and puts you in a room with 20 women?
Perhaps the real question is why isn＊t EVERY guy doing Zumba?
So ignore the mustard stain.

Vitamins & Minerals Needed for Football Players

Success on the football field requires teamwork, dedication, toughness, skill, strength, speed and a proper diet. A healthy diet can help you recover more quickly from football games and practices and gain strength more rapidly. While football players require the same range of vitamins and minerals as non-football players, there are four vitamins and minerals that are especially important for those who spend time on the gridiron.
The essential mineral calcium is well known for its role on promoting bone health. Additionally, calcium acts as an electrolyte in muscle cells¡ªhelping them contract and relax normally. The University of Montana advises athletes to consume adequate calcium to prevent the stress fractures that commonly plague athletes such as football players. In addition to dairy foods, calcium-rich choices include broccoli, kale, legumes and spinach. The Office of Dietary Supplements recommends 1,000 mg of daily calcium for adults over the age of 18.
Every breath that you take taps into your red blood cells to transport inhaled oxygen around the body. Iron is essential for binding oxygen to red blood cells so they can reach your muscles. The University of Montana adds that iron’s other functions include immunity and enzyme function. You can reach your iron intake requirements by consuming adequate amounts of poultry, green leafy vegetables, beans and lean cuts of red meat. Adult men should opt for 8 mg of daily iron and women should consume 18, the ODS reports.
Many football players struggle with practicing with sore muscles. While cooling down, stretching and eating a recovery meal can aid in muscle recovery, it may not be enough for some football players. According to the July 2006 “International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism,” taking 3 g daily of supplemental vitamin C can reduce muscle soreness in athletes. Vitamin C-rich foods include limes, oranges, broccoli and red bell peppers.
Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that shields your body from the damage caused by oxidation. Oxidation is a natural product of your body’s metabolism that can damage and destroy healthy cells. According to Rice University, oxidation is present in higher levels in athletes. They advise athletes to consume adequate vitamin E to offset this effect. They add that the current RDA for vitamin E is 15 International Units for men and 12 International Units for women.

Facts About Soccer in France

Soccer in France is known as football and the national league is one of the most successful international teams in the world. The sport gained popularity in the country after the first World War. Soldiers played the game in the trenches during extended periods of downtime. They spread the game after returning home from the war. Soccer games occurred primarily in the army and prestigious universities before WWI.
The French national team played the final round of the World Cup for the first time in 1998 and became the seventh country to win the World Cup. That year the match took place at the Stade de France in Paris. Brazil experienced its worst world championship defeat yet, with a final score of 3-0. Zinedine Zidane led the team to victory, scoring two goals over Brazil. Zidane also won the FIFA World Player of the Year award that year.
Soccer is the most popular sport in France. The French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies reports that 96,000 soccer licenses were issues in the country during 2009. Soccer is 2.5 times more popular than the second most popular sport, tennis. French Olympic soccer federations received more sporting licenses than any other single-sport Olympic federation in the country in 2009.
The national soccer team in France won the UEFA Euro in 1984 and 2000. UEFA European Championship showcases the most talented teams in Europe and includes a qualifying competition, playoffs and a final tournament. The French national soccer team won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2001 and 2003. The Confederations Cup is an international soccer contest among eight teams in the year before an upcoming World Cup. Qualifiers include the previous World Cup champions and the national team that hosts the upcoming World Cup. The CAF Africa Cup of Nations, AFC Asian Cup, EUFA Euro Cup, CONCACAF Gold Cup, OFC Nations Cup and Copa America champions also participate in the Confederations Cup.
The French Football Federation was founded in 1919. It oversees all aspects of professional and amateur soccer throughout France and French overseas territories. The Federation organizes, develops and monitors the way soccer is taught and practiced by establishing technical rules, assembling the national teams and issuing licenses. The Federation manages relationships with foreign soccer associations that are affiliated with the Federation Internationale de Football Association and other national or public authorities.