Kelli Thurston with Zonta member Karen Seary at this year's International Women's Day breakfast. Kelli said after her amazing weight loss she hopes to inspire other women who feel their life is spiralling out of control to seek help.

After years of being overweight, Bundaberg woman Kelli Thurston took back her life and achieved an astonishing 92kg turnaround.

Kelli is now less than half the woman she was 18 months ago.

She said the journey helped her to not only love herself again, but it gave back the strength she once had as a determined teenager.

I have been reflecting during these strange times and of course thinking a lot about my huge weight loss, the surgery and what it all means today, she said.

Kelli said some 30 years ago, when she was a naive young woman, she had fallen pregnant at 16 and chose to give her son up for adoption.

This left me feeling torn apart, ashamed, alone, fragile and very vulnerable, Kelli said.

Upon my return to school for Year 12, I was called into the principals office. She proceeded to tell me that I had been elected to be school captain but under the circumstances I would not be able to take on the role, but was to be a house captain instead.

In that moment I lost a little bit of myself.

Kelli said all her self-esteem, pride and any love she had for herself disappeared within seconds.

It wouldnt be until many, many, years later that I would fully understand the impact of that moment, she said.

I remember walking out of her office and bursting into tears, hiding and not telling a single soul about it until almost 25 years later.

Kelli Thurston's life changed at that moment and within three years she had left her busy city life in Sydney and moved to the country town of Walgett, where she worked for the Commonwealth Bank.

I was not afraid of change, I was used to it, she said.

My father was in the Army for 22 years and I had travelled Australia and lived overseas at a young age and my schooling amounted to 22 different education facilities during my education.

I loved the country life and living as part of a tiny community.

I left Sydney weighing still less than I do today and most definitely the fittest and strongest I have ever been.

Living in Sydney I played, refereed, umpired and trained for sport almost every single day before and after work.

I loved it. I lived for it. It was my socialisation. My drive. My freedom.

I didnt have to think about what I ate or drank as I burned it all off anyway.

Food was fuel and I didnt drink much alcohol as I was usually designated driver.

After moving to Walgett, Kellis life changed in ways she never stopped to think about until years later; she found almost all of her physical activities decreased and the most common way to socialise was sitting at the local watering hole and consuming alcohol.

It was the middle of summer, and for those who dont know Walgett that means temperatures in the high 40s plus, so beer and the air con at the pub became the norm, she said.

There was minimal sport to play unless you organised it yourself. No gym, not that I was much a gym goer anyway, and socialisation was a big part of the Walgett way of life.

My life just revolved around beer and socialising now instead of sport. I even worked nights at a local pub.

As her life continued, Kelli Thurston married and had twins, then two more beautiful children and that became her way of life.

I loved being a busy wife and mother, she said.

It gave me purpose and I belonged, but having four children under four and a husband who was away a great deal and no direct family to call on as they were all in Sydney, it was also a very isolating in parts.

My in-laws became my family and were a fantastic support and I will love them for that support forever.

Walgett became Kellis home but, as she said, in all the business of life, she found herself lost at times.

I had been lectured by my father not to put myself first before my children, she said.

So, I didnt. I just got on with life but sometimes it felt like I was simply just existing.

I never stopped to think about what I wanted and if I did it was quickly pushed aside by motherhood.

I was busy too busy to think about me, and the dark cloud of depression that was above me.

Moving forward 25 years, through a broken marriage, Kelli fell into a deep depression this added drastically to her massive weight gain.

I was very depressed, had gained a massive amount of weight and was starting to struggle, really struggle, she said.

I had always been strong, and my strength and determination always pushed me through, but now my health was starting to fail.

My body was tired and fatigued and I lacked any drive and hardly ever exercised.

The bigger I got the less I moved. Lacking nutrients, fitness and motivation and taking prescription medications to help and then another drug to mask the side effects.

It was getting hard to move, to stand, to walk, to get in and out of the car, to get on and off the toilet, in and out of a chair, if the chair could hold me. I was so ashamed.

As Kellis life spiralled out of control she said she started to realise if she didnt change her life she would soon die.

The final wake up for me was when, due to stopping my blood pressure medications, I had a frightening heart episode and an ultrasound showed fluid around my heart, Kelli said.

I couldnt walk more than a few metres without feeling like I was literally going to stop breathing.

It scared me. It was time to do something about my health. Not just my weight.

Now with a caring partner, and grandchildren who she wanted to watch grow and enjoy life with, Kelli said she made the decision to start loving and thinking about herself again. It was time to deal with her mental health.

My children were all adults and I had time to really reflect on what I needed to do and about what was holding me back it was time to face the demons, Kelli said.

Reaching out for support Kelli was able to change her thinking with the help of two close friends, her school friend Silv, and Jennifer a life coach.

Kelli said both women were essential parts of her journey towards first liking and eventually loving herself again; the intensive self-discovery sessions gave Kelli the ability to shift her thoughts and let go of so many things that she had hung onto for so long.

Things I didnt understand, things that were holding me back, she said.

It gave me the ability to see clearly and lift the fog. I became more focused on what I wanted.

What I needed most importantly was loving me for the first time in a very long time perhaps for the first time ever.

I had started the process of change and healing myself. I had time to myself to think and reflect. To cry and yell and scream. To forgive myself.

As Kellis mindset changed, she began to feel happy and whole again, but she said there was still the weight and associated health issues that she needed to deal with.

Celebrating her 50th birthday, surrounded by her family and friends, Kelli said she had a huge moment of awakening.

The final shift in my weight loss journey it was, no more excuses, no more being lazy, no one to blame, Kelli said.

I started looking into weight loss surgery; I researched the different types of surgery, the costs and the surgeons.

I joined a Facebook group and I discussed it with my partner Wayne, who, of course would become my biggest supporter through the tough parts after surgery, and I made the informed decision to go ahead.

The surgery appointment was locked in, and the process to shed as much weight as possible before the operation began.

I started my pre-op diet straight after new year 2019, as surgery was booked for 27 February 2019, Kelli said.

I stopped drinking alcohol and guided by a fantastic dietician I successfully lost 14 kilograms.

This diet regime would steer me through the tough post op period. The tough times.

Now just a little more than a year after her weight loss surgery, Kelli is a changed woman both physically and emotionally.

I have lost a staggering 92 kilograms but, most importantly, I have gained my health and my life back, she said.

I feel like the 20-year-old that drove to Walgett over 31 years ago but with all the wisdom and knowledge of a 51-year-old.

I now have so much love in my heart, for me and for the world around me.

Life is so different.

I no longer take prescribed medications. I no longer need bi-lateral knee replacements.

Moving around is so much easier. I fit in every chair I sit in with ease and without fear of breaking any.

I can walk into shops and buy clothes off the rack. I have dropped from a size 28-30 to a 12-16.

Kelli said she hopes her story will inspire others who feel their life is spiralling out of control to stop and act.

So, if I can inspire just one person, a friend, a loved one or a total stranger to lose weight and regain their health and well-being, by whatever means possible, then I will be happy, she said.

If I can inspire more, then I will be ecstatic.

As Kellis life changed, she built the confidence to not only love herself again but to become the local Shebah ride-share operator and today she inspires other women to love themselves again whilst promoting the city she loves and calls home.

See the article here:
Kelli less than half the woman she used to be - Bundaberg Now

JAMES Argent has revealed the results of his new fitness and weight loss regime on Instagram, admitting hes taking it one day at a time.

The former Towie stars post of before and after pics were flooded with positive messages of encouragement and congratulations from fans and friends.

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Posting a side by side shot of himself on the run and at his heaviest, James wrote: "I'm making progress. Inside & Out. One day at a time."

Arghas always been very open about his weight battles, and how it has fluctuated with stays in rehab and a suspension from The Only Way is Essex in 2015.

However, it looks like the 32-year-old is back on track as he donned a jumper bearing girlfriend Gemma Collins face for a run in the sunshine.

And his fans were quick to offer their words of praise on the Instagram photo, as it quickly totted up over 100,000 likes and thousands of comments.

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One wrote: Arg you look amazing! Well done!

A second agreed, writing: You got this Arg

While a third gushed: Amazing keep it up x

His celeb mates were also on hand to deliver some words of support.

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Fellow Towie alumni Jess Wright, wrote: "So proud ARG. Keep at it."

Geordie Shore OG Vicky Pattison wrote: "Omg!!! I'm so proud of you!"

And comedian Alex Brooker, commented: "Yes mate! Look great x

Even Olympic athlete Greg Rutherford was impressed, writing: "Well done mate! Bloody good on you."

4

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Speaking about his health in 2019 he told The Sun: "In regards to my body - I need to work on that. I need to get back in the gym and boxing again.

"I'm desperate to get back on track. I need to work on my fitness, that is my number one New Year's Resolution - but I find it so difficult.

"I struggle to get into a routine and structure with my job - I'm here, there and everywhere."

Got a story? email digishowbiz@the-sun.co.uk or call us direct on 02077824220.

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James Argent hails his incredible weight loss with staggering before-and-after pictures - The Sun

Certain medical conditions may increase your risk for hearing loss. If you have impaired blood flow through the body, youre more likely to develop hearing loss. Learn more about which conditions can affect your hearing.

Diabetes

Around 30 million Americans have diabetes, and they are twice as likely to experience hearing loss. Diabetes leads to high blood pressure, which may result in blood vessel damage throughout your body. Your ears are particularly sensitive to blood flow, so damage there can quickly develop into hearing loss.

You can help protect your hearing health by controlling your diabetes with prescribed medications. Monitoring and keeping your blood pressure in check, exercising moderately each week, and eating a healthy diet to help manage your weight will also help reduce your risk.

Heart disease

When your heart health suffers, plaque builds up in the arteries and disrupts blood flow. Similar to diabetes, this can cause damage to your inner ear and result in hearing loss. Research suggests this hearing impairment could be one of the earliest signs of heart disease, making annual hearing exams is crucial to your overall health.

High blood pressure (Hypertension)

If you have hypertension, your hearing loss may result from the same blood vessel damage that affects diabetics. Acting early may help you maintain your hearing health, so speak to your doctor about strategies for controlling your blood pressure. In addition to healthy diet and exercise habits, quitting smoking and avoiding alcohol can help many individuals achieve a healthier blood-pressure level.

While you and your doctor can manage your symptoms to reduce health risks, you may have already suffered some degree of hearing loss. If you notice any changes in your hearing, come speak to us.

To schedule a hearing evaluation today, please call Audiology Associates at (661) 284-1900. Kevin Bolder, Au.D., Patrice Rifkind, Au.D., and John David, Au.D. are three of the best in Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valley. Visit our website at http://www.AudiologyAssociates.net or stop by our office located at 23838 Valencia Blvd, Suite 100, Valencia. We are hearing healthcare excellence..

Read more:
Hearing loss and other conditions - Santa Clarita Valley Signal

The best way to describe myself prior to joining LiveUp was a yo-yo dieter. I would go through phases of being relatively lean and phases of being unhappy with where I was at and would be an emotional eater.

Ive never led a particularly unhealthy lifestyle, but since moving away from a city in 2014 it became a struggle to find a gym in close proximity. This prompted me to invest in a home gym, and the garage quickly became the home for the gym equipment.

The move in 2014 coincided with the arrival of our first baby, so time also became an issue. In 2018, when our second baby arrived, this became an even greater challenge as sleepless nights took their toll. When you're tired and struggling for time its all too easy to make unhealthy food choices and snack all day.

Id been an avid follower of Nick Mitchell and Ultimate Performance for a number of years, and more recently, Elliott Upton. I always dreamed about achieving my own transformation on the same scale as what they have become famous for.

I finally decided to sign up to LiveUp the week of my 39th birthday. My initial goal was to be in a much better place physically and feel healthier before I turned 40. I was feeling my age and not particularly healthy. I had constant aches all over my body, and I couldnt carry my baby upstairs without getting out of breath. I have a one and five year old and didnt want to be a dad who didnt have the energy to run around in the garden after his children. My boys are my inspiration and motivation to be fit and healthy.

The meal plan revolves around making your own food choices from a wide list of foods for each group of carbs, fats, and proteins. My general rule when shopping was to stick to the perimeter of the supermarket where all of the fresh fruit, vegetables, and fresh meat would be. Avoiding the aisles means there is no temptation to buy junk food.

I thought I knew my way around a workout routine and could put a decent plan together. However, these days there is so much conflicting information on training frequency and workout splits that I was becoming confused and found myself hopping from one program to the next without making progress.

When I first saw the workout plan I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was made up of full body workouts three times per week with some cardio-based interval sessions twice a week.

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A vital part of the plan was hitting a daily step target. Initially, I didnt appreciate the impact this would have on my results, but Elliott kept hammering this home during our weekly check ins. Once I hit compliance on the step goal the fat began to melt off me at a much more rapid rate. Taking time to go for a walk each day enabled me some valuable timeout to clear my head.

Within a matter of weeks I started seeing changes in my body shape, and by the end of the first month, the belly fat was disappearing and a layer of abs were beginning to show. I went from around 18 percent body fat to approximately 9 percent in 12 weeks.

I now feel much healthier, confident, and happier. Its a huge responsibility raising children so I love the positive influence that this has had on my son, and it makes me feel proud that he wants to follow in my footsteps and join me in the gym every weekend.

See the article here:
Changing to a Consistent Workout Routine Helped This Man Get to 9% Body Fat - Men's Health

Peak SeasonIn Peak Season, The A.V. Club dives deep into the year when a long-running show reached its high point.

Previously on Homeland

Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) ranks among the CIAs most talented intelligence analysts, dedicating most waking moments to thwarting the next major terrorist attack on American soil. But a pair of secrets threatens to derail her hopelessly tangled personal and professional lives.

The first is that Carrie suffers from bipolar depression, a potentially career-ending condition she conceals from her Langley superiors, including pragmatic-to-a-fault Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin). She manages her condition with clandestine meds from her M.D. sister Maggie (Amy Hargreaves), but also thinks it can be a gift when appropriately harnessed, and wonders if her next manic flight could yield a game-changing counter-terrorism insight.

The second and more pressing secret is her dogged suspicion that Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), an Army sergeant discovered alive after eight years under al-Qaeda captivity, is turncoat. The series begins with Carrie creating a diplomatic incident by bribing her way into an Afghan prison to talk to a local asset about to be executed. His final words, whispered into her ear as the guards yank her away, will change the course of her life: An American prisoner of war has been turned. Naturally, Carrie is suspicious when a rescue team extracts Brody long after he could have produced valuable information for the enemy.

Saul, Carries closest ally within the agency, is unsettled by her nascent theory, but wont sign off on the invasive surveillance she wants, especially as Brody is greeted with a heros welcome. Ever the maverick, Carrie installs cameras in Brodys home and monitors them on her off-hours, peering into private moments as Brody integrates himself back into a family that had assumed he was dead. Carries off-the-books operation runs out of funding, but shes more obsessed with Brody than ever, the consequence of a one-sided intimacy formed through hours of watching him.

Carries fixation on Brody accelerates from passive surveillance to contrived in-person interactions, and finally, to a perilous sexual affair. Despite her deepening feelings for Brody, Carrie continues to search for evidence that he remains under the sway of the charismatic terrorist Abu Nazir (Navid Negahban). A near-death experience triggers her mania, which leads to a breakthrough about Brodys true motivations, but also exposes her condition to the agency. An unemployed and discredited Carrie still manages to thwart Brodys terrorist attackwhich would have killed most of the presidential succession linebut is unable to expose him as the culprit.

Few shows in the past decade have debuted with the kind of instant critical acclaim and cultural resonance that greeted Homeland in October 2011. The brisk and thrilling first season won four Emmys: an Outstanding Actress In A Drama statue for Danes (whos been camping in the category ever since); Outstanding Actor for Lewis; and for the show, Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Drama Series. Homeland also took the top drama award at the Golden Globes, won a Peabody, and was talked up by President Obama as his newest cultural obsession.

By the end of the tortured third season, Homeland had mostly dropped off the Emmy radar, with only Danes and Patinkin nominated. More than that, Homeland was being talked about as a show that was doomed by the instant success of a story that felt self-contained and self-limiting. The less charitable explanation was that the show had become too reliant on unearned plot twists and had mired itself in Carrie and Brodys romantic quagmire. Troubleshooting the show became a new national pastime for television critics.

Understanding why Homeland followed its parabolic trajectory requires a closer look at its source material. Homeland was based on Hatufim, an Israeli drama that ran for two seasons comprising 24 episodes. While Hatufim has thriller elements, its primarily a domestic ensemble drama. Nimrod (Yoram Toledano) and Uri (Ishai Golan) are two Israeli military prisoners freed by their government with a prisoner swap. How would they ever relate to their loved ones, some of whom had been preparing for a life without them? How would they navigate the guilt, anxiety, and survivors remorse?

Homeland would become a distinctly different narrative as a result of who adapted it. 20th Century Fox bought the Hatufim pilot and hired Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, whod previously worked together on the whiplash-inducing terrorism thriller 24. They localized the story by rooting it in post-9/11 paranoid and fears around how Osama bin Ladens ideology could metastasize in the wake of his assassination.

But the biggest change they made was supercharging Haimthe psychiatrist with suspicions about Nimrod and Uriby turning him into Carrie Mathison, a more cerebral and nuanced version of Jack Bauer character Gordon and Gansa wrote for so many years. Like Jack before her, Carrie would be instinctual, resolute, and constantly coloring outside the lines. The Homeland pilot is a potent character study of Carrie, the vigilant intelligence officer fraying at the seams and single-minded about preventing the next domestic terror attack. Much of what comes to define the character is proffered up front: Carries mental illness and her attempts to hide it; her love of hard bop and stiff drinks; and her habit of seducing her way out of trouble.

Brody is richly drawn too, with good reason, given that the character absorbs elements of both the Nimrod and Uri characters. But whereas Hatufim was all about the former prisoners emotional states, in Homeland, Carrie is the one with all the interiority. Brody remains opaque for much of the first season while the mystery of his reappearance unfurls. As a result, the audience is forced to empathize with Carrie, the only person savvy enough to keep a gimlet eye on Brody even as a cheerful propaganda campaign springs up around him. Factor in Danes muscular, intense performance, and its no surprise the show skews in Carries direction. Brody would soon be identified as the shows dead weightthe foolish choice made repeatedly by an otherwise smart woman.

For all its nuanced characterization, Homeland quickly becomes a story about a good girl trying to take down a bad guy. Rebalancing the show in favor of Carrie supercharged the shows storytelling, putting her and Brody on a collision course that could only end with one of them dead or in jail. But the strategy also made Brody expendable. That wasnt an unanticipated consequence for Howard and Gansa, who reportedly planned to have Brody complete his suicide mission, only for Showtime brass to intervene and insist Lewis was too valuable to lose.

Season two resumes six months later, with Carrie in professional exile, only to be dragged back into the intelligence world when Saul corroborates her theory about Brody. Despite Brodys current hero status, Saul and Carrie launch a task force to take him down, enlisting stoic company man Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend) to run point on a sting built around Carrie and Brodys fraught emotional bond. Whats intended as a disciplined, methodical operation hits terminal velocity when Carrie confronts Brody about his terroristic intentions and turns him against his handlers.

Most storylines in Homeland accelerate wildly, the result of a deliberate strategy by Howard and Gansa to jolt the audience. They spoke in season one postmortems about their theory that contemporary television viewers had become too savvy, and would probably see the plot twists coming. The only way to surprise, they concluded, was to do what the audience expected to happen eventually, but at a much faster pace.

But by the back half of season two, Homelands thrilling pace began to feel like the result of the narrative equivalent of deficit spending. The seasons fifth episode, Q&A, remains among the shows finest episodes. Danes and Lewis are invariably excellent together, and the scenes in which Carrie compassionately interrogates Brody are nearly perfect. (Executive producer Henry Bromell won a posthumous Emmy for writing the teleplay.) But as soon as Carrie and Brody are fighting on the same side and openly dating, their story hits the same patch of inertia as does the will-they-wont-they romance in an office sitcom. The relationship pulls the most focus at the exact moment it becomes dramatically inert.

Fears about the shows direction solidified early in season three. Brody is flapping in the wind and Abu Nazir is dead after the latter masterminded one final attack on the CIA, killing much of the agencys leadership structure and leaving Brody to take the fall. The uncertainty around Brodys future made his story feel at once beyond its usefulness, and in serious need of resolution.

Without Brody in custody, the heat for the cataclysmic attack falls on Carrie, who gets publicly outed for her illicit relationship with the main suspect. Neither one of the shows leads is effectively present, between Brodys scofflaw status and Carrie in a darker place than shed ever been. She suffers a breakdown after being backed over by the agency, including Saul, who callously implicates Carrie at a televised congressional hearing. But what looks to the audience like Carries abandonment and descent into madness turns out to be a ruse cooked up with Saul to convince a hostile foreign power that Carrie could be compromised.

That arc sparked a targeted backlash from critics, who accused the show of crossing the boundaries of good faith with its narrative sleight-of-hand. In addition to being poorly conceived, the storyline was ill-timed, absorbing the first four episodes of the season. For anyone already put off by season twos antics, it seemed as if Homeland might never overcome its worst instincts. The season improbably builds to a thrilling and poignant end, with Brody receiving a martyrs death after pulling off one final mission for his country. Carrie will keep a part of Brody with her after his death, as their final dalliance resulted in a pregnancy she intends to take to term.

Homeland was in desperate need of a rebuilding season when it returned in October 2014. Of course its painful and it hurts, said Gansa to the Los Angeles Times of the critical drubbing season three took. Hopefully we can get back to the mountaintop again. To do that, Gansa and his team had to stop telling the audience Carrie Mathison was an international terrorist hunter and actually show her doing it. The Carrie of current Homeland seasons is more comfortable skulking around internecine hot zones than living a placid domestic life. But prior to season four, there was woefully little of that character on display.

The season premiere, The Drone Queen, finds Carrie heading up the field office in Kabul, Afghanistan and running point on the long-distance strikes that earned her the half-admiring, half-snide nickname of the title. Shes using Skype to stay connected to family, but the physical distance allows her to avoid the maternal responsibilities she feels ill-equipped to handle. Carrie receives tantalizing intelligence from Islamabad station chief Sandy Bachman (Corey Stoll) on the location of infamous Taliban leader Haissam Haqqani (Numan Acar). She authorizes a drone attack at the coordinates Sandy specifies, only to find out the location is the venue for a large wedding. Haqqani isnt there, but plenty of his family members are, and 40 civilians are killed in the strike.

The errant drone strike reverberates when one of its survivors, a young medical student named Aayan Ibrahim (Suraj Sharma), allows an incendiary video clip to fall into the wrong hands. Aayan was a wedding guest, recording with his cell phone seconds before the missile hit. He unwittingly captures the exact moment the joyous wedding becomes a funeral pyre, and a rabble-rousing friend uploads the footage to YouTube, setting in motion a crescendo of events that ends with Sandy beaten to death by an angry mob. Carrie strong-arms her way into the newly vacant role as Islamabad bureau chief, then enlists Quinn to help her trace Sandys tip back to its source and determine Pakistani intelligences role in the purportedly spontaneous riot that killed him.

The plot is knottier and more complex than anything Homeland had done before. Carrie is still American foreign policy made flesh, but the show changes from a meditation on how the war on terror changed America into an exploration of the global consequences of fighting it. Carries unorthodox methods are now in service of a mission that puts innocents in harms way as often as it makes them safer. This compromised version of Carrie is often called to account for the wreckage left in the wake of her well-intentioned choices. In the premiere, Carrie is confronted in a bar by the soldier who piloted the drone, whos just learned the payload he released incinerated a wedding. Monsters, all of you, says the guilt-wracked soldier to his superior. She gives him a steely response, but shes shaken by the exchange, and her reckoning is just beginning.

Carrie is forced to make a gaggle of wrenching, no-win decisions, several of which have lasting ramifications for Homelands foundational relationship. While Carrie and Brodys torrid affair blazed in the foreground, Carrie and Sauls quasi-paternal mentorship was simmering in the background. In season four, their unique partnership is pulled into focus and tested like never before. Shes conflicted when he shows up at her Islamabad post unannounced, even though its mostly a social call. Saul has since departed the agency for a cushy gig as a private security contractor, but Carrie is still worried her new team will think shes called in a powerful ally for help. He finally takes the hint and goes to depart Islamabad, only to be intercepted by Haqqanis men and held captive for the bulk of the season.

The story of Sauls kidnapping and eventual rescue is key to the success of season four. Homeland, at its best, takes complex geopolitical issues and turns them into deftly written and acted conversations between two characters. The zenith of season one is The Weekend, the episode most known for Carrie and Brodys fateful cabin trip. But the secondary plot is all about Saul, who advances an investigation by conducting a patient, empathetic interrogation with an American suspected in a terror plot, played by Marin Ireland. Those scenes became something of a template for Homeland, and Sauls kidnapping replicates that template with the dynamic reversed. Now its Saul as the captive, trying to find the right combination of words that will keep him alive under extreme duress. But Sauls captivity only ends if he dies, or the U.S. pays his freight by freeing Taliban prisoners who could go on to carry out deadly attacks. Saul makes clear he doesnt want to be rescued at the cost of freeing dangerous detainees and wont allow Haqqani to turn his capture into propaganda.

Sauls prideful stance puts him at odds with Carrie, whos determined to bring him home at all costs. But the road to Sauls safe return is riddled with obstacles. In From A To B And Back Again, Carrie manipulates Aayan to get him to lead to Haqqani, Aayans uncle. Carrie is initially fine with using a drone to take out Haqqani even if it means killing Aayan, whose innocence Carrie has already compromised with an on-the-job seduction. She holds back when Haqqani reveals Saul as his captive, but is ignited again when Haqqani casually murders Aayan. Carrie demands the drone take the shotSauls life be damnedbut is talked back from the ledge by Quinn. (Executive producer Lesli Linka Glatter took home an Emmy for Outstanding Direction for her work on the episode.)

Two episodes later, Saul manages a short-lived escape. After slipping his captors, he reaches Carrie with a satellite phone and presents her with a wrenching decision: either lead him out of harms way, or allow him to avoid further embarrassment by taking his own life. Just as Saul has concluded death is the only way out, Carrie convinces him shes found a path to safety. But its all a ruse, like the many Carrie and Saul had sprung on so many others. Her turn-by-turn directions lead Saul back into the hands of his captors, an imperfect solution that leaves him in harms way, but still alive. Saul screams and curses at Carrie upon realizing she lied to him in a gut-wrenching scene.

The season should feel skeletal with Brody dead and Saul missing in action, but Homeland restocked its cast by adding excellent recurring characters and breathing new life into familiar faces on the periphery. Acar is brilliantly sinister as Haqqani, and hes well matched by Sharma, whose delicate performance as Aayan made an impression that long outlasted the characters life. Nazanin Boniadi was promoted to the regular cast as thoughtful yet timid CIA analyst Fara Sherazi. Though her character doesnt make it through the season, Faras memory is carried forward by Max Piotrowski (Maury Sterling), a tech wizard who starts Homeland with barely any dialogue and slowly turns into the shows beating, broken heart.

But the best new character is Tasneem Qureishi (Nimrat Kaur), a Pakistani intelligence officer who schemes to get Carrie ejected from her post before she can finish tracing Sandys calamitous tip back to its source. To carry out the plan, she recruits Dennis Boyd (Mark Moses), the intelligence source Sandy Bachman had been keeping under wraps. Tasneem blackmails Dennis into compromising the medication keeping Carries mania at bay while working covertly to influence the prisoner trade. Homeland has long excelled at folding nighttime soap-style plots into its batter, and with the Tasneem and Dennis subplot, the show takes on the contours of a show like Dallas, complete with poisonings and professional sabotage. Kaurs shrewd performance left such an impression that she was brought back as a regular for the shows final season seven.

Homeland season four still has its missteps, including an early scene in which Carrie submerges her daughter in bathwater before changing her mind about drowning her child. (Gansa dubiously explained that the scene was edited to leave room for a less literal interpretation.) A slight blowback greeted the seventh episode, Redux, in which Carrie suffers a mental break (due to Tasneems skullduggery) and appears to wind up in Brodys comforting arms. Turns out its not actually Brody, but Aasar Kham (Raza Jaffrey), Carries Pakistani counterpart and her unlikely ally. Even though Homeland didnt actually resurrect Brody, the brief appearance was an uncomfortable jolt for anyone relieved to be rid of him.

But for all its faults, the fourth season of Homeland represents the peak of the shows strengths, achieved as a direct result of expanding it beyond The Carrie And Brody Show. Homeland became riskier, tenser, and more potent when it finally abandoned Brody, and the shows insights about the global war on terror only got sharper once it left American soil.

Excerpt from:
To save itself, Homeland had to get over the loss of its leading man - The A.V. Club

Dear Rachel,

With gyms closed because of the coronavirus and me not having any equipment at home, I've taken to going for runs most days. However, I usually do a mixture of workout classes and a few bits and bobs in the gym so I'm worried that switching to only running for exercise might negatively affect my fitness, strength, and how my body looks. I don't know what else to do though. Is running enough to stay fit when I can't stick to my normal routine for a few weeks or months?

Running Newbie

Dear Newbie,

Ah, what a relatable situation you find yourself in. Whether prompted by an injury or a gym-closing pandemic, many people turn to running when their normal fitness routine goes out the window.

And why wouldn't you?

Going for a run is one of the most accessible ways to move your body: It's free, you don't need to go anywhere in particular, and you don't need to learn any fancy skills (though experts will argue everyone should learn the correct technique).

I am very much not a runner, but when a wrist sprain a year or so ago stopped me from both playing netball and lifting weights, I too started going for runs. Well, jogs. OK, actually they were more like walk-jog intervals. But it was something.

It's all too easy to give up on exercise in any form if your normal workouts are no longer an option, so it's awesome to hear you're getting out and hitting the sidewalk.

Running, like all forms of cardio, is great for your heart health it's not called cardio for nothing.

LISS (low-intensity steady state) exercise, aka consistent steady jogging, will help you build endurance, and interval runs (faster sprints followed by slower recovery walks or jogs) will help you build power.

Research suggests that regular running could lead to increased longevity, boost your brainpower, and help you sleep better.

There's also the fact that our bodies respond very well to novelty, so when you first transition to a new type of exercise, it's likely that your body will adapt pretty quickly you'll probably be feeling it in your calves!

What's more, running has been shown to bring about mental-health benefits such as boosting your mood, which is just as important as any physical changes.

As well as positive adaptations, there may be a few less desirable outcomes to only jogging as exercise especially if it's at the expense of strength training you may have been doing previously. (If your usual exercise is mainly cardio like spinning or dance classes, it'll be less of a change.)

"Running is a great form of cardio, but it certainly is quite different to weights and resistance training, so the answer is yes, it will affect your strength and the shape of your body," a Sydney-based certified trainer named Jono Castano, who specializes in body transformations, told Insider.

And a personal trainer named James Smith recently explained why he didn't recommend running as an ideal form of exercise, mainly because it's so high-impact.

"Running is seeing how many consecutive jumps you can do in a row," he said in an Instagram TV video. "Running is pretty high up there on the impact spectrum. It's about three times your body weight through your joints on each consecutive jump."

You'll still get fitter, Smith said, but he believes that a far better way to exercise is through resistance training as generally, people are at less risk of injury.

You may think it's impossible to do strength training without weights or gym equipment, but that's not actually true.

As I wrote in my previous column, there are tons of exercises you can do that don't require any equipment or loads of space, like classic push-ups, squats, and lunges.

Equally, if you're used to classes and don't know where to start working out alone, don't panic: The vast majority of fitness studios are livestreaming free workouts on Instagram (here are five of the best ones I've tried).

Jono Castano is a trainer who focuses on fitness transformations. Jono Castano

"I would suggest mixing up your exercise routine with some online workouts," said Castano, who also has various equipment-free workouts on his app, Acero Training Series.

"It will not only help you maintain your strength but also help to improve it," he said.

"If you can switch out running for three to four days a week to doing some bodyweight strength-based workouts and run every other day, this will help you to maintain some of that strength and muscle."

Running, like all forms of cardio, may burn more calories than resistance training when you're actually doing it, but that tends to make people more hungry and thus more likely to eat more afterward, which is something to bear in mind if you care about your body composition.

I for one always find I'm starving after doing cardio! But that may not be the case for you.

Castano says it's crucial to "make sure your nutrition is in check," because if you're in a calorie deficit and not strength training, you will almost definitely lose muscle as well as fat.

"On the days that you're running and burning a lot of calories, to help with maintaining your muscle, make sure you are incorporating more calories so your body doesn't burn through that muscle," Castano said.

In non-coronavirus news, behold: Super yummy super high protein yoghurt breakfast bowl! Since the start of the year, Ive upped my protein target and have been loosely tracking in a bid to hit that goal as often as I can. And I gotta say, I feel great and my bodys responding pretty blimmin well. If you find the same (you may not, of course - higher protein diets arent for everyone), you too may enjoy the occasional delicious protein yog bowl like this. Fab as breakfast to give you a boost to start the day, or after dinner on days where your diet may have been lacking in protein. I vary flavours and toppings but heres what was in this here scrumptious bowl: 200g greek yoghurt mixed with 25g vanilla protein powder and a dash of vanilla essence, topped with a banana, about 25g granola, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a spoonful of peanut butter. This bowl contains around 47g protein but most importantly its delicious af. I also recommend mixing it up (literally) with berries, honey, grated apple, nuts, chocolate chips, seeds, whatever flavour protein you fancy - you cant go wrong! PS. Just ordered some fun new proteins to my parents because it looks like imma be here for the foreseeable future and ya gals gotta keep her protein up to maintain the gainz especially considering gyms are a no-no now. PPS. Stay home.

A post shared by Rachel Hosie (@rachel_hosie) on Mar 18, 2020 at 1:21am PDTMar 18, 2020 at 1:21am PDT

If you want to know a bit more about how I held on to my muscle while losing fat last year, you can read about my experience here keeping your protein up is key, though.

Equally, if you are concerned about weight gain, it's best to tackle that with your diet, ensuring you're not in a calorie surplus, rather than stressing about your exercise according to Smith, only about 10% of the calories we burn in a day actually come from time spent training.

It's important to keep things in perspective when it comes to fitness.

"For most people this may not be the right time to get into the best shape of our lives, but you can absolutely maintain your level of fitness and even push yourselves too," Sandy Macaskill, the Barry's Bootcamp master trainer and UK cofounder, told Insider.

"We are seeing so many people that have never tried Barry's before trying out our Instagram livestreams, from the comfort of their own home. It's really inspiring seeing so many making do with the spaces available to them and making the most of a hard situation."

But if you just don't want to, that is fine preserving your mental health should be your top priority.

OK, so your body may change. You may lose some strength. Maybe you'll gain some fat. But does that really matter?

Regaining strength and muscle is much easier and quicker than it is to build it for the first time, so if running is what you want to do right now, crack on. Your fitness levels will come back when you return to your normal routine.

As with all times of life, exercise should be enjoyable, not a chore. If you just don't want to do any resistance training, don't.

If running is helping lift your spirits at the moment, well then: Run, Forrest, run!

Wishing you well,

Rachel

As Insider's senior lifestyle reporter and a self-described fitness fanatic with an Association for Nutrition certified nutrition course under her belt, Rachel Hosie is fully immersed in the wellness scene and is here to answer all your burning questions. Whether you're struggling to find the motivation to go for a run, confused about light versus heavy weights, or unsure whether you should be worried about how much sugar is in a mango, Rachel is here to give you the no-nonsense answers and advice you need, with strictly no fad diets in sight.

Rachel has a wealth of experience covering fitness, nutrition, and wellness, and she has the hottest experts at her fingertips she regularly speaks to some of the world's most knowledgeable and renowned personal trainers, dietitians, and coaches, ensuring she's always up to date with the latest science-backed facts you need to know to live your happiest and healthiest life.

Have a question? Ask Rachel at workingitout@insider.com or fill out this anonymous form. All questions will be published anonymously.

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I have no workout equipment at home and can't go to the gym. Is running enough to stay fit? - Insider - INSIDER

Every year, the state of Florida produces one of the best by-state recruiting classes in the country. And the 2021 crop is no different.

With Wednesday's release of the new Top247 rankings, Florida truly shined as arguably the nation's most stacked state at the top, with the top four Florida players ranking in the top 11 nationally and 14 Florida talents finding spots in the nation's top 101. The class stands out for its talent at the safety position three of the top five safeties in the Top247 call the Sunshine State their home, including the top two safeties and the depth at wide receiver. Seven of the top 25 Floridians play wideout, with five of those seven sitting in the top 19 at their position in the country.

But the real reason for colleges to scour the state for talent this year looks like players who make quarterbacks' lives difficult and one who should stand in their way. Eight of the top nine players in the state project on the defensive side of the ball three defensive ends. one defensive tackle, two outside linebackers, one cornerback and one safeties and 10 of the top 12. The lone top nine player who doesn't call defense his home? He's the No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in the Top247.

So which players currently stand out as the state's best, and who are the colleges competing for those elite talents?

See the article here:
The top Florida players in the new Top247 - 247Sports